Month: October 2021

Allegations against former KCK police detective getting national attention from CNN

KCK Police Department issues statement

A CNN story on Oct. 14 about former KCK detective Roger Golubski says a federal grand jury has been interviewing witnesses about the detective recently. (See https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/14/us/kansas-city-police-investigation-golubski-invs/index.html)

The KCK Police Department today issued a statement in response to the CNN story, that it has been cooperative with the FBI since 2019, but it did not disclose its cooperation earlier.

The allegations about Golubski go back more than 25 years. Golubski left the KCK department in 2010 after more than 30 years, where he was a captain and commander of the homicide unit, and then worked for the Edwardsville Police Department until 2016.

Roger Golubski (2016 Edwardsville Police Department photo)

Claims have been heard in recent years about the former detective allegedly exploiting minority women, and he was involved in a case where a man was wrongfully incarcerated for more than 20 years. (See https://wyandotteonline.com/lawsuit-filed-against-ug-alleging-police-misconduct/)

The Legislature changed its laws to allow those who were wrongfully incarcerated to receive compensation from the state. (See https://wyandotteonline.com/governor-signs-bill-to-compensate-wrongfully-incarcerated/)

However, charges had not been filed against the retired detective. After an investigation, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation turned the case over to federal authorities (See
https://wyandotteonline.com/state-sexual-assault-criminal-investigation-into-former-kck-police-officer-sent-to-federal-authorities/)

Most recently, hip-hop artist Jay-Z and Team Roc got involved, bringing more national attention to the case, running a full-page ad in the Washington Post, asking for federal action on the “abuse of power.” Team Roc’s actions received support from several activist groups in the community. One of the persons supporting Team Roc was State Rep. Aaron Coleman, who made a video statement Sept. 22 at https://www.facebook.com/Aaron.Coleman4Kansas/videos/450497356614468.

The timing of this latest national attention coincides with the local election. Calls for a Department of Justice investigation have been part of the current Kansas City, Kansas, mayoral campaign, with the election about two and a half weeks away.

Today, the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department issued a statement in response to the CNN story:

“Since 2019, the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department has been responding to subpoenas from the FBI regarding allegations made against Roger Golubski. Despite many inquiries from both the public and media over the past three years, we did not disclose our cooperation with the investigation out of concern that it could interfere with the work of federal authorities.”

Mayor David Alvey released a statement:

“Following recent media reports regarding a grand jury investigation of Roger Golubski, I would like to offer the following statement on behalf of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, Kansas City, Kansas:

“The Unified Government (UG) has been cooperating with various federal agency inquiries into these matters since 2019, providing any and all information requested by appropriate federal authorities. In order to protect the integrity of this investigation, the UG has not commented publicly on the status or content of these inquiries.

“The UG will continue to assist federal, state, and local authorities on any external investigations or inquiries involving the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department (KCKPD), providing any and all information requested. I encourage the community to also assist by providing any new or relevant information they may have involving any unsolved cases or other matters for review.

“I want to assure our community that the Unified Government will continue to assist authorities in their investigation. Our community deserves that the truth be known and justice be done, no matter how or when it occurs.”

Mayoral candidate Tyrone Garner’s campaign manager released this statement Saturday:

“As he has previously stated on record, Mr. Garner welcomes and continues to support any independent investigations into allegations of criminal wrongdoing that is geared towards bringing clarity, justice, and the comfort of closure to those that have demanded and pursued inquiry, healing and reconciliation.”

UG Health Department loosens COVID-19 gathering guidance; more than 50 percent of residents vaccinated

Previous gathering guidance for Kansas City, Kansas, is being loosened because of improved COVID-19 numbers and increased vaccination rates.

However, the mask mandate remains in place for indoor public spaces in Kansas City, Kansas, through Nov. 18.

The Unified Government Health Department announced Thursday that more than 50 percent of people living in Wyandotte County have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The data was from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Other COVID-19 numbers have improved after a surge in COVID-19 cases this summer and early fall:

• 29 new COVID-19 cases per day (7-day rolling average, down from more than 100 cases per day in August).
• 18% positivity of COVID-19 tests (7-day rolling average, down from nearly 40% in August).

“Reaching 50% of people vaccinated in Wyandotte County is an important milestone for our community,” said Juliann Van Liew, director of the UG Health Department, in a news release. “Early in the pandemic, our vaccination numbers lagged sorely behind other parts of the state and the metro. But I’m happy to say we’ve made immense progress this year in bringing those numbers up. We still have work to do to get closer to herd immunity, but with the ongoing dedication of our amazing health department team, partner agencies, and community members, we hope to see COVID risk continue to go down in our county.”

Guidance on gatherings loosened

The UG Health Department also announced today that it has loosened its guidance on social gatherings. The Health Department continues to encourage caution when gathering with people outside of one’s household.

“The COVID situation in Wyandotte County has improved significantly in the past couple of months, with a combination of masking, vaccination, and people taking other COVID precautions,” said Dr. Allen Greiner, chief health officer with the UG Health Department. “Cases are down, and we are starting to see hospitalizations go down as well in the metro. We can’t throw caution to the wind just yet – we don’t want to see our hospitals get overwhelmed again, especially going into the holidays this winter. But we are at a point now where we can loosen up a bit when it comes to social gatherings. Just remember that gatherings are safest when everyone involved is vaccinated and masked, especially when indoors. Outdoor gatherings are a safer option, weather permitting.”

On Aug. 25, the Health Department issued guidance on social gatherings in light of the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19, including urging individuals to significantly limit the number of people in gatherings. This more cautious guidance has been withdrawn in light of the recent reduction in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

When gathering with people who do not live in your household, the UG Health Department encourages people to keep the following in mind:

• Gatherings are safest when everyone present is fully vaccinated.
• Outdoor gatherings are safer than indoor gatherings, as COVID spreads more easily indoors.
• Masks can make gatherings safer, especially indoor gatherings. This is particularly important if some people present are not vaccinated. Please note that Kansas City, Kansas, remains under a mask mandate for public indoor spaces.

If a business, organization, or group is planning a large event and would like guidance from the Health Department on COVID-19 safety for the event, they can email [email protected] or call 913-573-6712 for assistance.

Free vaccinations and testing

The UG Health Department continues to offer free COVID-19 vaccines for people who live in Wyandotte County age 12 and older, at the former Kmart site at 7836 State Ave. Hours for COVID-19 vaccinations and testing:

• COVID vaccines: Wednesday – Friday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• COVID testing: Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

For more information on where to get vaccinated in Wyandotte County, visit WycoVaccines.org or call 3-1-1. To learn more about upcoming Health Department mobile vaccination events visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/UGHealthDept.

To search for additional vaccine providers by location and type of vaccine, go to vaccines.gov.

Vaccines, tests also available at other locations

COVID-19 testing from WellHealth will be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14, and Friday, Oct. 15, at the Kansas National Guard Armory, 100 S. 20th, Kansas City, Kansas. Appointments are necessary. The site is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. To make an appointment, including a same-day appointment, visit https://www.gogettested.com/kansas.

COVID-19 vaccines and tests are available at other locations in Wyandotte County, including some pharmacies. For locations and availability, visit www.vaccines.gov.

Free vaccinations at KU Health System are open to the public, and appointments are required. Current patients may use MyChart to make an appointment. Others may call 913-588-1227 or visit kansashealthsystem.com/vaccine to make an appointment to get vaccinated. KU Health System currently is vaccinating residents of Kansas and Missouri who are 12 or older, by appointment only. Those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian throughout the appointment.

Case numbers reported

The University of Kansas Health System reported 48 total COVID-19 patients on Thursday, Oct. 14, the same as Wednesday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. Fourteen patients with the active virus were inpatients on Thursday, a decrease of three from Wednesday. Six patients were in the intensive care unit, a decrease of one from Wednesday. All six patients were on ventilators on Thursday, an increase of one from Wednesday. Thirty-four other patients were still hospitalized from COVID, but were out of the acute infection phase, an increase of three from Wednesday.

Wyandotte County reported a cumulative 24,367 cases on Thursday, Oct. 14, an increase of 36 cases since Wednesday, Oct. 13, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There were a cumulative total of 371 deaths on Thursday, an increase of one since Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Oct. 13, the Unified Government Health Department reported that 50.2 percent of Wyandotte County residents had received at least one dose of vaccine. Those completing their vaccinations totaled about 43.76 percent.
The percentage of Wyandotte County residents who were age 12 and older who had received at least one dose was 61.8 percent.

The Mid-America Regional Council reported 220,528 cumulative cases on Wednesday in Greater Kansas City, a nine-county area. There were a cumulative total of 3,030 deaths. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 86.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 421,462 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Kansas on Wednesday, Oct. 13, an increase of 2,121 since Monday, Oct. 11. There was a total of 6,151 cumulative deaths reported statewide, an increase of nine from Monday.

The KDHE reported 76,453 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Johnson County on Wednesday, Oct. 13, an increase of 251 since Oct. 11. Leavenworth County had 10,147 cases on Oct. 13, an increase of 35 since Oct. 11. Sedgwick County (the Wichita area) reported 79,148 cases on Oct. 13, an increase of 455 since Oct. 11.

On Wednesday night, there were a cumulative 44,683,014 COVID-19 cases in the United States, with a cumulative 719,525 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Fifty-seven percent of the U.S. population was fully vaccinated, according to the center.

Links


To view a University of Kansas Health System video, visit https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/902822773651914.

Visit gogettested.com/Kansas and https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19 for more testing sites.

Wyandotte County residents may contact the Health Department at wycohelp.org to sign up for a test to be delivered to their home.

For more details about free COVID-19 testing offered by the UG Health Department, visit https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept or call 3-1-1.

To view details about the extension of the mask order in KCK until Nov. 18, visit
https://www.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/ug_extendsmaskmandate_nr_09102021.pdf.

Eastbound Lewis and Clark Viaduct bridge repair project begins Saturday

A bridge repair project starts Saturday, Oct. 16, on eastbound I-70 Lewis and Clark Viaduct. (KDOT map)

A bridge repair project will begin on the eastbound I-70 Lewis and Clark Viaduct in Wyandotte County, Kansas, and Jackson County, Missouri, on Saturday, Oct. 16, weather permitting, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation.

The KDOT project includes joint and deck repairs and requires roadway and ramp closures in both Kansas and Missouri.

The first phase of the project, to include signing and pavement marking improvements, total closure of eastbound I-670 at I-35, from Wyoming Street to Oak Street and total closure of the southbound I-35 exit ramp to eastbound I-670 in Kansas City, Missouri. Work will take place from 7 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 16, until approximately 5 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 18.

During this initial phase of work, Oct. 16–18, eastbound I-670 traffic will be detoured to southbound I-35. Motorists are encouraged to follow southbound I-35 to the Broadway Boulevard/27th Street exit, turn around and travel onto northbound I-35 to access eastbound I-670.

Beginning Oct. 23, for the duration of the project, all eastbound I-70 entrance ramps in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, will be closed, including Minnesota Avenue-Fourth Street, Washington Boulevard and Fairfax Trafficway. Work will take place from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Westbound I-70 will remain open, including ramps at Minnesota Avenue-Fourth Street, Washington Boulevard and Fairfax Trafficway. The Central Avenue bridge is closed indefinitely and does not provide access across the Kansas River.

The signed detour will begin on eastbound I-70 after 18th Street and traffic will be directed to use I-670.

Motorists continuing eastbound on I-70, after the I-670 split, can exit at:
• Seventh Street,
• Pacific Avenue,
• Central Avenue,
• Fifth Street or
• Third Street-James Street.

Motorists leaving downtown Kansas City, Kansas, can:
• access eastbound I-70 at 18th Street, and use the I-670 detour,
• access I-670 at Central Avenue and
• cross at North James Street to access Kansas City, Missouri.

Traffic will be controlled using digital message boards, road signs, pavement markings, concrete safety barriers and traffic cones.
PCI Roads, of Topeka, is the contractor on the $1.2 million project, which is expected to be completed Nov. 7.
A spokesman stated KDOT urges all motorists to be alert and obey the warning signs when approaching and driving through a highway work zone. To stay aware of all road construction projects across Kansas go to www.kandrive.org or call 5-1-1. Drive safely and always wear your seat belt, the spokesman stated.