Shawnee County Health Officer Gianfranco Pezzino resigned immediately after the Shawnee County commissioners amended his health order before approving it Monday.Pezzino was frustrated by the changes, saying he can’t "in full conscience" continue to work for commissioners Bill Riphahn, Aaron Mays and Kevin Cook.Pezzino’s departure was planned but came earlier than expected. He said in October he would not renew his contract at the end of this year, but ..read more

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — With more people doing online shopping this time of the year, metro police are urging people to be mindful of where they send their packages."If you have a gift that you know is coming to your residence, do not send it to your residence," said John Lacy, spokesman for the Overland Park Police Department. "Send it to your place of employment or if you know you’re sending it to your home, normally there’s a notification saying that your gift has ..read more

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WICHITA — Less than two months after its opening, the Wichita State’s Molecular Diagnostics Lab is digitally transforming the COVID-19 landscape, combining medical laboratory sciences, advanced robotics, and automation to process thousands of tests for Kansas communities each week."When so many of our Kansas communities are suffering from the health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wichita State is working to mitigate the spread of the virus," said ..read more

MCPHERSON — There’s a memory of a Christmas gift opening that sticks in the mind of several McPherson police officers — those officers lucky enough to be there when the gift was unwrapped."One year we had a kid that unwrapped a box, and was so excited that he got a box, he didn’t open the box (before officers left). It was great," said Mark Brinck, administrative captain/public information officer for the department.Officers played the role of ..read more

Shawnee Heights Unified School District 450 will return to in-person schooling in January, the Shawnee Heights Board of Education decided Monday evening.During the board’s in-person meeting Monday evening, several people spoke during the public comment period of the meeting. Many of them asked for a return to school buildings following winter break.One Shawnee Heights parent praised teachers for the job they have done throughout the semester but said remote ..read more

Auburn-Washburn Unified School District 437 students will tentatively return to some in-person learning to start the spring semester, the Auburn-Washburn Board of Education voted Monday evening.In the unanimous vote, the board approved a district plan that would return elementary students for in-person learning starting Jan. 5, while middle and high school students would return to hybrid learning that same day. Third- through 12th-grade students have been in remote learning for ..read more

In the waning hours of a chilly December day outside Shaner Early Learning Academy, it was hard to tell what shone brighter through the early evening — the children’s faces or the teachers’ smiles.Normally, the school hosts a holiday celebration each December, with Santa coming to visit all of the school’s preschoolers.But when the school — like all others in Topeka Unified School District 501 — switched to remote learning, there was ..read more

Shawnee Heights Unified School District 450 will return to in-person schooling in January, the Shawnee Heights Board of Education decided Monday evening.During the board’s in-person meeting Monday evening, several people spoke during the public comment period of the meeting. Many of them asked for a return to school buildings following winter break.One Shawnee Heights parent praised teachers for the job they’ve done throughout the semester but said remote ..read more

The Seaman School District voted to implement five early release days to try and give teachers additional time to plan instruction as the pandemic complicates lesson plans.USD 345 elementary schools will release students at 1:30 p.m. on Fridays. Students will leave after lunch and have "online platforms" where they can be assigned additional assignments that can be completed that day or during the weekend.The change was made to provide an additional two and a half hours ..read more