MONTGOMERY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary and have made two arrests.

On January 16, deputies were called to the scene of two separate incidents involving burglary and theft, according to Sheriff Ron Wade.

On January 16, deputies were called to the east side of Independence when a witness from a previous case observed a truck pulling a trailer that the witness knew to be stolen. 

Upon further investigation it was learned the individual who possessed the trailer had just purchased it from a woman identified as Tanna Darnell, 36, of Independence and a man later identified as Terry “TJ” Werner, 39, Cherryvale, according to Wade.

It was also learned the individual that purchased the trailer also purchased other items that have been identified as stolen property from a separate incident.

Deputies responded to the location where the individual told deputies he purchased the property. While at that location a Deputy observed a blue ford F-150 being driven by Darnell and Werner as a passenger. The two entered a house near the location and deputies arrested them in the house. It was later determined that the home owner did not know Darnell or Werner and they did not have permission to be at the home.

Werner and Darnell are being held on requested charges to include Possession of stolen property, and Burglary. Werner also had multiple arrest warrants. Deputies also recommend drug charges after finding what is believed to be narcotic among her personal belongings.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611250176178.png" alt="Werner-photo Montgomery County" />
 <figcaption>Werner-photo Montgomery County</figcaption>
 </figure>MONTGOMERY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary and have made two arrests.On January 16, deputies were called to the scene of two separate incidents involving burglary and theft, according to Sheriff Ron Wade.On January 16, deputies were called to the east side of Independence when a witness from a previous case observed a truck pulling a trailer that the witness knew to be stolen. Upon further investigation it was learned the individual who possessed the trailer had just purchased it from a woman identified as Tanna Darnell, 36, of Independence and a man later identified as Terry “TJ” Werner, 39, Cherryvale, according to Wade.It was also learned the individual that purchased the trailer also purchased other items that have been identified as stolen property from a separate incident.Deputies responded to the location where the individual told deputies he purchased the property. While at that location a Deputy observed a blue ford F-150 being driven by Darnell and Werner as a passenger. The two entered a house near the location and deputies arrested them in the house. It was later determined that the home owner did not know Darnell or Werner and they did not have permission to be at the home.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611250104512.png" alt="Darnell photo Montgomery Co." />
 <figcaption>Darnell photo Montgomery Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Werner and Darnell are being held on requested charges to include Possession of stolen property, and Burglary. Werner also had multiple arrest warrants. Deputies also recommend drug charges after finding what is believed to be narcotic among her personal belongings.&nbsp;

Deputies find burglary suspects at rural Kansas home

JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after a chase.

On Jan. 21, a&nbsp;Jackson County Sheriff’s Office deputy observed a male subject in the Walmart parking lot in Holton who "appeared to be behaving in a suspicious manner," according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

The man left in a 1997 Honda passenger car and headed south&nbsp; on U.S. Highway 75 at a high rate of speed.&nbsp; The deputy observed the vehicle heading east on 162nd Road and allegedly committing traffic infractions.

 A short pursuit ensued into the City of Mayetta where the pursuit was terminated, according to Morse.

The driver and only occupant was identified as James Michael Costello Jr., 40, Valley Falls. Deputies arrested on requested charges of being in possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal carrying a weapon and eluding a law enforcement officer.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611281460930.png" alt="Costello has previous convictions for burglary, theft and flee or attempt to elude law enforcement, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections." />
 <figcaption>Costello has previous convictions for burglary, theft and flee or attempt to elude law enforcement, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after a chase.On Jan. 21, a&nbsp;Jackson County Sheriff’s Office deputy observed a male subject in the Walmart parking lot in Holton who "appeared to be behaving in a suspicious manner," according to Sheriff Tim Morse.The man left in a 1997 Honda passenger car and headed south&nbsp; on U.S. Highway 75 at a high rate of speed.&nbsp; The deputy observed the vehicle heading east on 162nd Road and allegedly committing traffic infractions. A short pursuit ensued into the City of Mayetta where the pursuit was terminated, according to Morse.The driver and only occupant was identified as James Michael Costello Jr., 40, Valley Falls. Deputies arrested on requested charges of being in possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal carrying a weapon and eluding a law enforcement officer.&nbsp;

Sheriff: Kan. felon arrested after high-speed chase

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Sedgwick County commissioners have decided to not fight the firing of Election Commissioner Tabitha Lehman after Secretary of State Scott Schwab promised the county a role in choosing her successor. 

Lehman lost her job for violating a policy by remotely accessing the state’s voter registration database when working from home while fighting cancer during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Commissioners complimented Lehman for conducting a nearly flawless election, but opted not to propose legislation to scale back Schwab’s authority to pick the top election official in the state’s four most populous counties.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Tabitha Lehman says she is losing her job for violating a policy by remotely accessing the state’s voter registration database when working from home while fighting cancer during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Lehman said Wednesday that Secretary of State Scott Schwab informed her earlier this month that when her term as election commissioner expires on July 19, he did not intend to appoint her to another term. 

Lehman said she “knowingly chose” to violate Schwab’s policy in order to direct a fair and accurate Presidential election. Schwab says this was “not a hasty decision,” and they could not jeopardize the safety of Kansas election systems to the benefit of one.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604060498738.png" alt="Voters waiting in line in Wichita -photo courtesy Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Voters waiting in line in Wichita -photo courtesy Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Sedgwick County commissioners have decided to not fight the firing of Election Commissioner Tabitha Lehman after Secretary of State Scott Schwab promised the county a role in choosing her successor. Lehman lost her job for violating a policy by remotely accessing the state’s voter registration database when working from home while fighting cancer during the coronavirus pandemic. Commissioners complimented Lehman for conducting a nearly flawless election, but opted not to propose legislation to scale back Schwab’s authority to pick the top election official in the state’s four most populous counties.----------WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Tabitha Lehman says she is losing her job for violating a policy by remotely accessing the state’s voter registration database when working from home while fighting cancer during the coronavirus pandemic. Lehman said Wednesday that Secretary of State Scott Schwab informed her earlier this month that when her term as election commissioner expires on July 19, he did not intend to appoint her to another term. Lehman said she “knowingly chose” to violate Schwab’s policy in order to direct a fair and accurate Presidential election. Schwab says this was “not a hasty decision,” and they could not jeopardize the safety of Kansas election systems to the benefit of one.

Kansas county will not fight firing of election official

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A mythical, ape-like creature that has captured the imagination of adventurers for decades has now become the target of a state lawmaker in Oklahoma. 

A Republican House member has introduced a bill that would create a Bigfoot hunting season. Rep. Justin Humphrey's district includes the heavily forested Ouachita Mountains in southeast Oklahoma, <a href="https://www.honobiabigfoot.com/">where a Bigfoot festival </a>is held each year.

He says issuing a state hunting license and tag could help boost tourism. A spokesman for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, which oversees hunting in Oklahoma, says the agency uses science-driven research and doesn't recognize Bigfoot.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611435558538.png" alt="Photo courtesy Honobia Bigfoot Festival and Conference" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Honobia Bigfoot Festival and Conference</figcaption>
 </figure>OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A mythical, ape-like creature that has captured the imagination of adventurers for decades has now become the target of a state lawmaker in Oklahoma. A Republican House member has introduced a bill that would create a Bigfoot hunting season. Rep. Justin Humphrey's district includes the heavily forested Ouachita Mountains in southeast Oklahoma, <a href="https://www.honobiabigfoot.com/">where a Bigfoot festival </a>is held each year. He says issuing a state hunting license and tag could help boost tourism. A spokesman for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, which oversees hunting in Oklahoma, says the agency uses science-driven research and doesn't recognize Bigfoot.

Lawmaker proposes 'Bigfoot' hunting season

TOPEKA— Republicans on Friday pushed a proposed pro-life amendment to the Kansas Constitution through the state House on the 48th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic decision protecting abortion rights.

Governor Laura Kelly immediately responded to the news with a warning.

“I’ve always believed that every woman’s reproductive decisions should be left to her, her family, and her physician. While I know others do not share my belief, I don’t think those supporting this amendment are aware of the consequences it will have for the state of Kansas and our reputation.

“We already know how this ends – North Carolina’s notorious bathroom bill cost that state nearly $4 billion in economic development – and this amendment has the same potential to do irreparable damage to our COVID-19 economic recovery efforts and our long-term prospects to recruit businesses and workforce talent.”

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/hcr5003_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">The measure&nbsp;</a>was approved 86-38, giving abortion opponents two votes more than the two-thirds majority necessary for passage. It goes next to the Senate for debate, possibly next week.

The proposal would overturn&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3f479b218a6140719e1694fcfcdb8036">a Kansas Supreme Court decision&nbsp;</a>in 2019 declaring access to abortion a “fundamental” right under the state’s Bill of Rights. It would declare that the state constitution does not grant a right to abortion.

Abortion opponents argued that the measure would simply allow the Legislature to regulate abortion as it has in the past and in line with U.S. Supreme Court decisions.

Abortion rights supporters argued that the measure would allow Kansas to ban abortion if a more conservative U.S. Supreme Court overturns its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

If the measure is approved by two-thirds majorities in both chambers, it would go on the August 2022&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-constitutions-kansas-general-elections-elections-56b272878ee505c44931b2a1840636b7">primary ballot.&nbsp;</a>Critics said abortion opponents are choosing that timing because the smaller primary electorate tends to be more conservative than a broader November general electorate.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611420285465.png" alt="The proposal would overturn&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3f479b218a6140719e1694fcfcdb8036">a Kansas Supreme Court decision&nbsp;</a>in 2019 declaring access to abortion a “fundamental” right under the state’s Bill of Rights." />
 <figcaption>The proposal would overturn&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3f479b218a6140719e1694fcfcdb8036">a Kansas Supreme Court decision&nbsp;</a>in 2019 declaring access to abortion a “fundamental” right under the state’s Bill of Rights.</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA— Republicans on Friday pushed a proposed pro-life amendment to the Kansas Constitution through the state House on the 48th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic decision protecting abortion rights.Governor Laura Kelly immediately responded to the news with a warning.“I’ve always believed that every woman’s reproductive decisions should be left to her, her family, and her physician. While I know others do not share my belief, I don’t think those supporting this amendment are aware of the consequences it will have for the state of Kansas and our reputation.“We already know how this ends – North Carolina’s notorious bathroom bill cost that state nearly $4 billion in economic development – and this amendment has the same potential to do irreparable damage to our COVID-19 economic recovery efforts and our long-term prospects to recruit businesses and workforce talent.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">My statement on today&#39;s vote: <a href="https://t.co/nnTxhIgzrd">pic.twitter.com/nnTxhIgzrd</a>&mdash; Governor Laura Kelly (@GovLauraKelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovLauraKelly/status/1352684958666657799?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/hcr5003_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">The measure&nbsp;</a>was approved 86-38, giving abortion opponents two votes more than the two-thirds majority necessary for passage. It goes next to the Senate for debate, possibly next week.The proposal would overturn&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3f479b218a6140719e1694fcfcdb8036">a Kansas Supreme Court decision&nbsp;</a>in 2019 declaring access to abortion a “fundamental” right under the state’s Bill of Rights. It would declare that the state constitution does not grant a right to abortion.Abortion opponents argued that the measure would simply allow the Legislature to regulate abortion as it has in the past and in line with U.S. Supreme Court decisions.Abortion rights supporters argued that the measure would allow Kansas to ban abortion if a more conservative U.S. Supreme Court overturns its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.If the measure is approved by two-thirds majorities in both chambers, it would go on the August 2022&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-constitutions-kansas-general-elections-elections-56b272878ee505c44931b2a1840636b7">primary ballot.&nbsp;</a>Critics said abortion opponents are choosing that timing because the smaller primary electorate tends to be more conservative than a broader November general electorate.___

Gov. issues warning on Kan. pro-life amendment to constitution

LONDON (AP) — There is some evidence that a new coronavirus variant first identified in southeast England carries a higher risk of death .than the original strain, the British government’s chief scientific adviser said Friday -- though he stressed that the data is uncertain

Patrick Vallance told a news conference that “there is evidence that there is an increased risk for those who have the new variant.”

He said that for a man in his 60s with the original version of the virus, “the average risk is that for 1,000 people who got infected, roughly 10 would be expected to unfortunately die.”

“With the new variant, for 1,000 people infected, roughly 13 or 14 people might be expected to die,” he said.

But Vallance stressed that “the evidence is not yet strong” and more research is needed.

In contrast to that uncertainty, he said, there is growing confidence that the variant is more easily passed on than the original coronavirus strain. He said it appears to be between 30% and 70% more transmissible.

Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s technical lead on COVID-19, said studies were underway to look at the transmission and severity of new virus variants.

She said so far “they haven’t seen an increase in severity” but that more transmission could lead to “an overburdened health care system” and thus more deaths.

The evidence for the new variant being more deadly is i&nbsp;<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/955239/NERVTAG_paper_on_variant_of_concern__VOC__B.1.1.7.pdf" target="_blank">n a paper prepared by a group of scientists that advises the government on new respiratory viruses</a>, based on several studies.

The British scientists said that although initial analyses suggested that the strain, first identified in September, did not cause more severe disease, several more recent ones suggest it might. However, the numbers of deaths are relatively small, and case fatality rates are affected by many things including the care patients get and their age and health beyond having COVID-19.

The British scientists stress that the information so far has major limitations, and that they do not know how representative the cases included in the analyses are of what’s happening throughout the country or elsewhere.

One analysis did not find an increased risk of death among people admitted to a hospital with the new strain. In another, the odds of being admitted to a hospital with the new strain compared to the previously dominant one were no different.

There is a lag in reporting hospitalizations after infection, and a further lag from infection to death, so officials expect to learn more in several weeks.

Paul Hunter, Professor in Medicine at the University of East Anglia, said “there is quite a bit of difference in the estimated increased risk of death between the different analyses, though most, but not all, show increased risk of death,” he said.

Ian Jones, professor of Virology at the University of Reading, said “the data is limited and the conclusions preliminary. However, an increased case fatality rate is certainly possible with a virus that has upped its game in transmission.”

British officials say they are confident that the vaccines that have been authorized for use against COVID-19 will be effective against the new strain identified in the country.

But Vallance said scientists are concerned that variants identified in Brazil and South Africa could be more resistant to vaccines, adding that more research needs to be done.

Concerns about newly identified variants have triggered a spate of new travel restrictions around the world. Many countries have closed their borders to travelers from Britain, and the U.K. has halted flights from Brazil and South Africa.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there could be further restrictions.

“We may need to go further to protect our borders,” he said.

Britain has recorded 95,981 deaths among people who tested positive for the coronavirus, the highest confirmed total in Europe.

The U.K. is currently in a lockdown in an attempt to slow the latest surge of the coronavirus outbreak. Pubs, restaurants, entertainment venues and many shops are closed, and people are required to stay largely at home.

The number of new infections has begun to fall, but deaths remain agonizingly high, averaging more than 1,000 a day, and the number of hospitalized patients is 80% higher than at the first peak of the pandemic in the spring.

Johnson, who has often been accused of giving overly optimistic predictions about relaxing coronavirus restrictions, sounded gloomy.

“We will have to live with coronavirus in one way or another for a long while to come,” he said, adding that “it’s an open question” when measures could be eased.

“At this stage you’ve got to be very, very cautious indeed,” he said. Vallance agreed, “I don’t think this virus is going anywhere,” he said. “It’s going to be around, probably, forever.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608566572342.png" alt="Image courtesy GISAID" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy GISAID</figcaption>
 </figure>LONDON (AP) — There is some evidence that a new coronavirus variant first identified in southeast England carries a higher risk of death .than the original strain, the British government’s chief scientific adviser said Friday -- though he stressed that the data is uncertainPatrick Vallance told a news conference that “there is evidence that there is an increased risk for those who have the new variant.”He said that for a man in his 60s with the original version of the virus, “the average risk is that for 1,000 people who got infected, roughly 10 would be expected to unfortunately die.”“With the new variant, for 1,000 people infected, roughly 13 or 14 people might be expected to die,” he said.But Vallance stressed that “the evidence is not yet strong” and more research is needed.In contrast to that uncertainty, he said, there is growing confidence that the variant is more easily passed on than the original coronavirus strain. He said it appears to be between 30% and 70% more transmissible.Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s technical lead on COVID-19, said studies were underway to look at the transmission and severity of new virus variants.She said so far “they haven’t seen an increase in severity” but that more transmission could lead to “an overburdened health care system” and thus more deaths.The evidence for the new variant being more deadly is i&nbsp;<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/955239/NERVTAG_paper_on_variant_of_concern__VOC__B.1.1.7.pdf" target="_blank">n a paper prepared by a group of scientists that advises the government on new respiratory viruses</a>, based on several studies.The British scientists said that although initial analyses suggested that the strain, first identified in September, did not cause more severe disease, several more recent ones suggest it might. However, the numbers of deaths are relatively small, and case fatality rates are affected by many things including the care patients get and their age and health beyond having COVID-19.The British scientists stress that the information so far has major limitations, and that they do not know how representative the cases included in the analyses are of what’s happening throughout the country or elsewhere.One analysis did not find an increased risk of death among people admitted to a hospital with the new strain. In another, the odds of being admitted to a hospital with the new strain compared to the previously dominant one were no different.There is a lag in reporting hospitalizations after infection, and a further lag from infection to death, so officials expect to learn more in several weeks.Paul Hunter, Professor in Medicine at the University of East Anglia, said “there is quite a bit of difference in the estimated increased risk of death between the different analyses, though most, but not all, show increased risk of death,” he said.Ian Jones, professor of Virology at the University of Reading, said “the data is limited and the conclusions preliminary. However, an increased case fatality rate is certainly possible with a virus that has upped its game in transmission.”British officials say they are confident that the vaccines that have been authorized for use against COVID-19 will be effective against the new strain identified in the country.But Vallance said scientists are concerned that variants identified in Brazil and South Africa could be more resistant to vaccines, adding that more research needs to be done.Concerns about newly identified variants have triggered a spate of new travel restrictions around the world. Many countries have closed their borders to travelers from Britain, and the U.K. has halted flights from Brazil and South Africa.Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there could be further restrictions.“We may need to go further to protect our borders,” he said.Britain has recorded 95,981 deaths among people who tested positive for the coronavirus, the highest confirmed total in Europe.The U.K. is currently in a lockdown in an attempt to slow the latest surge of the coronavirus outbreak. Pubs, restaurants, entertainment venues and many shops are closed, and people are required to stay largely at home.The number of new infections has begun to fall, but deaths remain agonizingly high, averaging more than 1,000 a day, and the number of hospitalized patients is 80% higher than at the first peak of the pandemic in the spring.Johnson, who has often been accused of giving overly optimistic predictions about relaxing coronavirus restrictions, sounded gloomy.“We will have to live with coronavirus in one way or another for a long while to come,” he said, adding that “it’s an open question” when measures could be eased.“At this stage you’ve got to be very, very cautious indeed,” he said. Vallance agreed, “I don’t think this virus is going anywhere,” he said. “It’s going to be around, probably, forever.”

UK chief scientist says new virus variant may be more deadly

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Larry King, the suspenders-sporting everyman whose broadcast interviews with world leaders, movie stars and ordinary Joes helped define American conversation for a half-century, died Saturday. He was 87.

King died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Ora Media, the studio and network he co-founded,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/kingsthings/status/1352960673978880000/photo/2" target="_blank">tweeted.&nbsp;</a>No cause of death was given, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-larry-king-coronavirus-pandemic-talk-shows-us-news-7cd892f589671d503a4d45de00890f64">CNN had earlier reported</a>&nbsp;he was hospitalized with COVID-19.

A longtime nationally syndicated radio host, from 1985 through 2010 he was a nightly fixture on CNN, where he won many honors, including two Peabody awards.

With his celebrity interviews, political debates and topical discussions, King wasn’t just an enduring on-air personality. He also set himself apart with the curiosity be brought to every interview, whether questioning the assault victim known as the “Central Park Jogger” or billionaire industrialist Ross Perot, who in 1992 rocked the presidential contest by announcing his candidacy on King’s show.

In its early years, “Larry King Live” was based in Washington, D.C., which gave the show an air of gravitas. Likewise King. He was the plainspoken go-between through whom Beltway bigwigs could reach their public, and they did, earning the show prestige as a place where things happened, where news was made.

King conducted an estimated 50,000 on-air interviews. In 1995 he presided over a Middle East peace summit with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, King Hussein of Jordan and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. He welcomed everyone from the Dalai Lama to Elizabeth Taylor, from Mikhail Gorbachev to Barack Obama, Bill Gates to Lady Gaga.

Especially after he relocated to Los Angeles, his shows were frequently in the thick of breaking celebrity news, including Paris Hilton talking about her stint in jail in 2007 and Michael Jackson’s friends and family members talking about his death in 2009.

King boasted of never over-preparing for an interview. His nonconfrontational style relaxed his guests and made him readily relatable to his audience.

“I don’t pretend to know it all,” he said in a 1995 Associated Press interview. “Not, `What about Geneva or Cuba?′ I ask, `Mr. President, what don’t you like about this job?′ Or `What’s the biggest mistake you made?′ That’s fascinating.”

At a time when CNN, as the lone player in cable news, was deemed politically neutral, and King was the essence of its middle-of-the-road stance, political figures and people at the center of controversies would seek out his show.

And he was known for getting guests who were notoriously elusive. Frank Sinatra, who rarely gave interviews and often lashed out at reporters, spoke to King in 1988 in what would be the singer’s last major TV appearance. Sinatra was an old friend of King’s and acted accordingly.

“Why are you here?” King asks. Sinatra responds, “Because you asked me to come and I hadn’t seen you in a long time to begin with, I thought we ought to get together and chat, just talk about a lot of things.”

King had never met Marlon Brando, who was even tougher to get and tougher to interview, when the acting giant asked to appear on King’s show in 1994. The two hit it off so famously they ended their 90-minute talk with a song and an on-the-mouth kiss, an image that was all over media in subsequent weeks.

After a gala week marking his 25th anniversary in June 2010, King abruptly announced he was retiring from his show, telling viewers, “It’s time to hang up my nightly suspenders.” Named as his successor in the time slot: British journalist and TV personality Piers Morgan.

By King’s departure that December, suspicion had grown that he had waited a little too long to hang up those suspenders. Once the leader in cable TV news, he ranked third in his time slot with less than half the nightly audience his peak year, 1998, when “Larry King Live” drew 1.64 million viewers.

His wide-eyed, regular-guy approach to interviewing by then felt dated in an era of edgy, pushy or loaded questioning by other hosts.

Meanwhile, occasional flubs had made him seem out of touch, or worse. A prime example from 2007 found King asking Jerry Seinfeld if he had voluntarily left his sitcom or been canceled by his network, NBC.

“I was the No. 1 show in television, Larry,” replied Seinfeld with a flabbergasted look. “Do you know who I am?”

Always a workaholic, King would be back doing specials for CNN within a few months of performing his nightly duties.

He found a new sort of celebrity as a plain-spoken natural on Twitter when the platform emerged, winning over more than 2 million followers who simultaneously mocked and loved him for his esoteric style.

“I’ve never been in a canoe. #Itsmy2cents,” he said in a typical tweet in 2015.

His Twitter account was essentially a revival of a USA Today column he wrote for two decades full of one-off, disjointed thoughts. Norm Macdonald delivered a parody version of the column when he played King on “Saturday Night Live,” with deadpan lines like, “The more I think about it, the more I appreciate the equator.”

King was constantly parodied, often through old-age jokes on late-night talk shows from hosts including David Letterman and Conan O’Brien, often appearing with the latter to get in on the roasting himself.

King came by his voracious but no-frills manner honestly.

He was born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger in 1933, a son of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe who ran a bar and grill in Brooklyn. But after his father’s death when Larry was a boy, he faced a troubled, sometimes destitute youth.

A fan of such radio stars as Arthur Godfrey and comedians Bob &amp; Ray, King on reaching adulthood set his sights on a broadcasting career. With word that Miami was a good place to break in, he headed south in 1957 and landed a job sweeping floors at a tiny AM station. When a deejay abruptly quit, King was put on the air — and was handed his new surname by the station manager, who thought Zeiger “too Jewish.”

A year later he moved to a larger station, where his duties were expanded from the usual patter to serving as host of a daily interview show that aired from a local restaurant. He quickly proved equally adept at talking to the waitresses, and the celebrities who began dropping by.

By the early 1960s King had gone to yet a larger Miami station, scored a newspaper column and become a local celebrity himself.

At the same time, he fell victim to living large.

“It was important to me to come across as a ‘big man,”’ he wrote in his autobiography, which meant “I made a lot of money and spread it around lavishly.”

He accumulated debts and his first broken marriages (he was married eight times to seven women). He gambled, borrowed wildly and failed to pay his taxes. He also became involved with a shady financier in a scheme to bankroll an investigation of President Kennedy’s assassination. But when King skimmed some of the cash to pay his overdue taxes, his partner sued him for grand larceny in 1971. The charges were dropped, but King’s reputation appeared ruined.

King lost his radio show and, for several years, struggled to find work. But by 1975 the scandal had largely blown over and a Miami station gave him another chance. Regaining his local popularity, King was signed in 1978 to host radio’s first nationwide call-in show.

Originating from Washington on the Mutual network, “The Larry King Show” was eventually heard on more than 300 stations and made King a national phenomenon.

A few years later, CNN founder Ted Turner offered King a slot on his young network. “Larry King Live” debuted on June 1, 1985, and became CNN’s highest-rated program. King’s beginning salary of $100,000 a year eventually grew to more than $7 million.

A three-packs-a-day cigarette habit led to a heart attack in 1987, but King’s quintuple-bypass surgery didn’t slow him down.

Meanwhile, he continued to prove that, in his words, “I’m not good at marriage, but I’m a great boyfriend.”

He was just 18 when he married high school girlfriend Freda Miller, in 1952. The marriage lasted less than a year. In subsequent decades he would marry Annette Kay, Alene Akins (twice), Mickey Sutfin, Sharon Lepore and Julie Alexander.

In 1997, he wed Shawn Southwick, a country singer and actress 26 years his junior. They would file for divorce in 2010, rescind the filing, then file for divorce again in 2019.

The couple had two sons, King’s fourth and fifth kids, Chance Armstrong, born in 1999, and Cannon Edward, born in 2000. In 2020, King lost his two eldest children, Andy King and Chaia King, who died of unrelated health problems within weeks of each other.

He had many other medical issues in recent decades, including more heart attacks and diagnoses of type 2 diabetes and lung cancer.

Early in 2021, CNN reported that King was hospitalized for more than a week with COVID-19.

Through his setbacks he continued to work into his late 80s, taking on online talk shows and infomercials as his appearances on CNN grew fewer.

“Work,” King once said. “It’s the easiest thing I do.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1609638834672.png" alt="Larry King moderated a presidential candidate debate in 2004 -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Larry King moderated a presidential candidate debate in 2004 -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Larry King, the suspenders-sporting everyman whose broadcast interviews with world leaders, movie stars and ordinary Joes helped define American conversation for a half-century, died Saturday. He was 87.King died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Ora Media, the studio and network he co-founded,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/kingsthings/status/1352960673978880000/photo/2" target="_blank">tweeted.&nbsp;</a>No cause of death was given, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-larry-king-coronavirus-pandemic-talk-shows-us-news-7cd892f589671d503a4d45de00890f64">CNN had earlier reported</a>&nbsp;he was hospitalized with COVID-19.A longtime nationally syndicated radio host, from 1985 through 2010 he was a nightly fixture on CNN, where he won many honors, including two Peabody awards.With his celebrity interviews, political debates and topical discussions, King wasn’t just an enduring on-air personality. He also set himself apart with the curiosity be brought to every interview, whether questioning the assault victim known as the “Central Park Jogger” or billionaire industrialist Ross Perot, who in 1992 rocked the presidential contest by announcing his candidacy on King’s show.In its early years, “Larry King Live” was based in Washington, D.C., which gave the show an air of gravitas. Likewise King. He was the plainspoken go-between through whom Beltway bigwigs could reach their public, and they did, earning the show prestige as a place where things happened, where news was made.King conducted an estimated 50,000 on-air interviews. In 1995 he presided over a Middle East peace summit with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, King Hussein of Jordan and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. He welcomed everyone from the Dalai Lama to Elizabeth Taylor, from Mikhail Gorbachev to Barack Obama, Bill Gates to Lady Gaga.Especially after he relocated to Los Angeles, his shows were frequently in the thick of breaking celebrity news, including Paris Hilton talking about her stint in jail in 2007 and Michael Jackson’s friends and family members talking about his death in 2009.King boasted of never over-preparing for an interview. His nonconfrontational style relaxed his guests and made him readily relatable to his audience.“I don’t pretend to know it all,” he said in a 1995 Associated Press interview. “Not, `What about Geneva or Cuba?′ I ask, `Mr. President, what don’t you like about this job?′ Or `What’s the biggest mistake you made?′ That’s fascinating.”At a time when CNN, as the lone player in cable news, was deemed politically neutral, and King was the essence of its middle-of-the-road stance, political figures and people at the center of controversies would seek out his show.And he was known for getting guests who were notoriously elusive. Frank Sinatra, who rarely gave interviews and often lashed out at reporters, spoke to King in 1988 in what would be the singer’s last major TV appearance. Sinatra was an old friend of King’s and acted accordingly.“Why are you here?” King asks. Sinatra responds, “Because you asked me to come and I hadn’t seen you in a long time to begin with, I thought we ought to get together and chat, just talk about a lot of things.”King had never met Marlon Brando, who was even tougher to get and tougher to interview, when the acting giant asked to appear on King’s show in 1994. The two hit it off so famously they ended their 90-minute talk with a song and an on-the-mouth kiss, an image that was all over media in subsequent weeks.After a gala week marking his 25th anniversary in June 2010, King abruptly announced he was retiring from his show, telling viewers, “It’s time to hang up my nightly suspenders.” Named as his successor in the time slot: British journalist and TV personality Piers Morgan.By King’s departure that December, suspicion had grown that he had waited a little too long to hang up those suspenders. Once the leader in cable TV news, he ranked third in his time slot with less than half the nightly audience his peak year, 1998, when “Larry King Live” drew 1.64 million viewers.His wide-eyed, regular-guy approach to interviewing by then felt dated in an era of edgy, pushy or loaded questioning by other hosts.Meanwhile, occasional flubs had made him seem out of touch, or worse. A prime example from 2007 found King asking Jerry Seinfeld if he had voluntarily left his sitcom or been canceled by his network, NBC.“I was the No. 1 show in television, Larry,” replied Seinfeld with a flabbergasted look. “Do you know who I am?”Always a workaholic, King would be back doing specials for CNN within a few months of performing his nightly duties.He found a new sort of celebrity as a plain-spoken natural on Twitter when the platform emerged, winning over more than 2 million followers who simultaneously mocked and loved him for his esoteric style.“I’ve never been in a canoe. #Itsmy2cents,” he said in a typical tweet in 2015.His Twitter account was essentially a revival of a USA Today column he wrote for two decades full of one-off, disjointed thoughts. Norm Macdonald delivered a parody version of the column when he played King on “Saturday Night Live,” with deadpan lines like, “The more I think about it, the more I appreciate the equator.”King was constantly parodied, often through old-age jokes on late-night talk shows from hosts including David Letterman and Conan O’Brien, often appearing with the latter to get in on the roasting himself.King came by his voracious but no-frills manner honestly.He was born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger in 1933, a son of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe who ran a bar and grill in Brooklyn. But after his father’s death when Larry was a boy, he faced a troubled, sometimes destitute youth.A fan of such radio stars as Arthur Godfrey and comedians Bob &amp; Ray, King on reaching adulthood set his sights on a broadcasting career. With word that Miami was a good place to break in, he headed south in 1957 and landed a job sweeping floors at a tiny AM station. When a deejay abruptly quit, King was put on the air — and was handed his new surname by the station manager, who thought Zeiger “too Jewish.”A year later he moved to a larger station, where his duties were expanded from the usual patter to serving as host of a daily interview show that aired from a local restaurant. He quickly proved equally adept at talking to the waitresses, and the celebrities who began dropping by.By the early 1960s King had gone to yet a larger Miami station, scored a newspaper column and become a local celebrity himself.At the same time, he fell victim to living large.“It was important to me to come across as a ‘big man,”’ he wrote in his autobiography, which meant “I made a lot of money and spread it around lavishly.”He accumulated debts and his first broken marriages (he was married eight times to seven women). He gambled, borrowed wildly and failed to pay his taxes. He also became involved with a shady financier in a scheme to bankroll an investigation of President Kennedy’s assassination. But when King skimmed some of the cash to pay his overdue taxes, his partner sued him for grand larceny in 1971. The charges were dropped, but King’s reputation appeared ruined.King lost his radio show and, for several years, struggled to find work. But by 1975 the scandal had largely blown over and a Miami station gave him another chance. Regaining his local popularity, King was signed in 1978 to host radio’s first nationwide call-in show.Originating from Washington on the Mutual network, “The Larry King Show” was eventually heard on more than 300 stations and made King a national phenomenon.A few years later, CNN founder Ted Turner offered King a slot on his young network. “Larry King Live” debuted on June 1, 1985, and became CNN’s highest-rated program. King’s beginning salary of $100,000 a year eventually grew to more than $7 million.A three-packs-a-day cigarette habit led to a heart attack in 1987, but King’s quintuple-bypass surgery didn’t slow him down.Meanwhile, he continued to prove that, in his words, “I’m not good at marriage, but I’m a great boyfriend.”He was just 18 when he married high school girlfriend Freda Miller, in 1952. The marriage lasted less than a year. In subsequent decades he would marry Annette Kay, Alene Akins (twice), Mickey Sutfin, Sharon Lepore and Julie Alexander.In 1997, he wed Shawn Southwick, a country singer and actress 26 years his junior. They would file for divorce in 2010, rescind the filing, then file for divorce again in 2019.The couple had two sons, King’s fourth and fifth kids, Chance Armstrong, born in 1999, and Cannon Edward, born in 2000. In 2020, King lost his two eldest children, Andy King and Chaia King, who died of unrelated health problems within weeks of each other.He had many other medical issues in recent decades, including more heart attacks and diagnoses of type 2 diabetes and lung cancer.Early in 2021, CNN reported that King was hospitalized for more than a week with COVID-19.Through his setbacks he continued to work into his late 80s, taking on online talk shows and infomercials as his appearances on CNN grew fewer.“Work,” King once said. “It’s the easiest thing I do.”___

Larry King, broadcasting giant for half-century, dies 

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — One winning ticket was sold in Michigan for the $1 billion Mega Millions jackpot, making it the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-7c3e9ed1096d6adac44327a470710800">third-largest lottery prize</a>&nbsp;in U.S. history.

The winning numbers drawn Friday are: 4, 26, 42, 50, 60 and a Mega Ball of 24. The winning ticket was purchased at a Kroger store in Novi, Michigan — a city about 8 miles (13 kilometers) northwest of Detroit — according to the Michigan Lottery website.

The Mega Millions top prize had been growing since Sept. 15, when a winning ticket was sold in Wisconsin. The lottery’s next estimated jackpot is $20 million.

Friday night’s drawing comes two days after a ticket sold in Maryland matched all six numbers drawn and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-winner-731-million-d968eb177fa0c89547ccff73d0997abe">won a $731.1 million Powerball</a>&nbsp;jackpot.

Only two lottery prizes in the U.S. have been larger than Friday’s jackpot. Three tickets for a $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot were sold in January 2016, and one winning ticket sold for a $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot in October 2018.

The jackpot figures refer to amounts if a winner opts for an annuity, paid in 30 annual installments. Most winners choose a cash prize, which for the Mega Millions jackpot is $739.6 million.

The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are incredibly steep at one in 302.5 million.

The game is played in 45 states including Kansas and Missouri as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611410040393.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — One winning ticket was sold in Michigan for the $1 billion Mega Millions jackpot, making it the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-7c3e9ed1096d6adac44327a470710800">third-largest lottery prize</a>&nbsp;in U.S. history.The winning numbers drawn Friday are: 4, 26, 42, 50, 60 and a Mega Ball of 24. The winning ticket was purchased at a Kroger store in Novi, Michigan — a city about 8 miles (13 kilometers) northwest of Detroit — according to the Michigan Lottery website.The Mega Millions top prize had been growing since Sept. 15, when a winning ticket was sold in Wisconsin. The lottery’s next estimated jackpot is $20 million.Friday night’s drawing comes two days after a ticket sold in Maryland matched all six numbers drawn and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-winner-731-million-d968eb177fa0c89547ccff73d0997abe">won a $731.1 million Powerball</a>&nbsp;jackpot.Only two lottery prizes in the U.S. have been larger than Friday’s jackpot. Three tickets for a $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot were sold in January 2016, and one winning ticket sold for a $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot in October 2018.The jackpot figures refer to amounts if a winner opts for an annuity, paid in 30 annual installments. Most winners choose a cash prize, which for the Mega Millions jackpot is $739.6 million.The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are incredibly steep at one in 302.5 million.The game is played in 45 states including Kansas and Missouri as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

1 winner of Mega Millions $1B prize; 3rd largest ever in US

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-01-20/kansas-pharmacies-hire-and-train-more-workers-to-help-rollout-covid-19-vaccines-faster">Kansas News Service</a>

Hundreds, potentially thousands, of pharmacy workers could inject vaccines into the arms of Kansans in the coming months.

New
 rules, at least for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, now let an 
additional class of workers vaccinate more people faster.

Pharmacists could already give shots. But in Kansas, the pharmacy technicians that work alongside them couldn’t.

That changed <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/10/21/trump-administration-takes-action-further-expand-access-vaccines-covid-19-tests.html" target="_blank">in the fall</a>
 with new federal regulations that let technicians give vaccinations. A 
few states already allowed that before the pandemic, but many 
pharmacists across the country saw the expanding role of techs as a 
threat to their jobs.

As supplies of coronavirus vaccine increase,
 Kansas counts on pharmacies to help get it to the broader public. For 
now, the state remains in <a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/157/Availability" target="_blank">Phase One</a>
 of distribution, focused on health care workers and nursing home 
residents. Drug stores still don’t know when they will receive vaccine 
stock.

Pharmacy techs help manage inventory, fill pill bottles, unpack orders, schedule appointments.

Their
 role has come to involve more training and more tasks over the years. 
In 2017, a few dozen technicians in Idaho became the first in the 
country to start giving vaccines. Within half a year they gave <a href="https://www.pharmacytimes.com/publications/supplements/2019/march2019/an-update-on-technicians-as-immunizers" target="_blank">1,000 shots</a>.

By the time the pandemic hit, <a href="https://www.pharmacist.com/article/pharmacy-technicians-gear-immunize#:~:text=States%20that%20currently%20permit%20pharmacy,Island%2C%20Utah%2C%20and%20Nevada." target="_blank">a handful of states</a> had followed Idaho’s path. The goal was to free up pharmacists from some of their most routine tasks.

Pharmacists
 in the retail world are notoriously busy. They struggle to find time 
for the kind of conversations with patients that can tease out important
 health issues before they escalate. In the worst cases, an 
investigation by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/health/pharmacists-medication-errors.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> found, excessive workloads can lead to prescription-filling errors.

By
 contrast, pharmacists with more time have more conversations with 
patients. That’s when they could learn that a medication has one of 
their customers feeling dizzy, and that another one hasn’t gotten his 
pneumonia shot yet.

“If you look at your average pharmacist” in 
retail, Washington State University pharmacotherapy professor Kimberly 
McKeirnan said, “they’re using such a small portion of the education 
that they have.”

McKeirnan developed <a href="https://pharmacy.wsu.edu/pharmacy-technician-immunization-training/" target="_blank">the training</a> for the first technicians in Idaho to give immunizations. That led later to a <a href="https://www.pharmacist.com/pharmacy-based-immunization-administration-pharmacy-technicians-0" target="_blank">nationally recognized certification</a> program.

The idea has stoked controversy. In recent years, the increasing ranks of newly minted pharmacists compared to <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/pharmacists.htm#:~:text=in%20May%202019.-,Job%20Outlook,percent%20from%202019%20to%202029." target="_blank">shrinking</a> job opportunities for them alarmed many in the field.

<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NSIGxMrdQeojIQtKusz29uyfQr9MhctQamcsiyhHFqc/edit" target="_blank">They warned</a>
 of the toll it would take on career and salary prospects for people who
 spent years in graduate school incurring hefty student debts.

Some
 pharmacists worried that simultaneously expanding the role of 
technicians could take the pressure off retailers to hire more 
pharmacists, whose salaries can cost more than three times as much. 
Others embraced the help of technicians with extra training as valuable 
support.

McKeirnan notes that technicians must work alongside 
pharmacists, who remain the clinical experts. For pharmacists, she sees a
 chance to get the time they need to work with customers at length. For 
technicians, she sees a door to growth and higher pay.

“They kind 
of hit a pay ceiling often at some point,” she said. “And then, maybe 
with the exception of just general cost of living adjustments, there’s 
not room to advance.”

In Kansas, the average <a href="https://klic.dol.ks.gov/gsipub/index.asp?docid=795" target="_blank">technician’s pay</a> comes out to about $34,000 a year.

It
 remains unclear, though, whether pharmacies in Kansas and elsewhere 
will raise the pay for technicians who complete training to give shots 
or do other new tasks.

CVS Health, for example, hasn’t committed 
to raising the pay of its technicians who join the massive immunization 
effort. That company says nearly 10,000 of its technicians have started 
or completed the training.

That includes more than 50 pharmacy techs for CVS in Kansas, where the chain operates about as many stores.

In Lawrence, technician Shawn Yang jumped at the chance to help administer the shots that could help stop this pandemic.

“It was an easy decision,” said Yang, who has worked for CVS for six years. “I definitely wanted to get vaccine-certified.”

The store where he works already gets loads of phone calls from people wondering how and when they can get immunized.

Yang
 sees a chance to help in a way that was previously closed to him. He is
 working through an American Pharmacists Association program that trains
 techs to give shots with pharmacist supervision.

Nate Burrell, a 
CVS pharmacist who oversees the pharmacy teams at 18 stores in Kansas 
and Missouri, wants at least two workers with the extra training at each
 of those sites.

“We know that they’re going to really be a huge asset,” Burrell said.

Drug stores have been on <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-12-22/coronavirus-vaccines-are-coming-to-nursing-homes-soon-but-family-visits-likely-remain-months-away" target="_blank">a hiring spree</a>
 for months, snapping up more pharmacists, nurses and technicians as 
coronavirus testing rolled out, flu season arrived and clinical trials 
on COVID-19 vaccines progressed.

Extra hands proved even more 
important when the federal government turned to pharmacies — primarily 
Walgreens and CVS — to send vaccination teams into <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-12-22/coronavirus-vaccines-are-coming-to-nursing-homes-soon-but-family-visits-likely-remain-months-away" target="_blank">nursing homes</a>, an effort that started last month (and that some say has <a href="https://khn.org/news/article/cvs-and-walgreens-under-fire-for-slow-pace-of-vaccination-in-nursing-homes/" target="_blank">moved too slowly</a>).

In October, CVS alone said it needed an extra 10,000 pharmacy technicians nationwide. That hiring continues.

Celia
 Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health and education for the Kansas 
News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at 
celia@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611179732999.png" alt="New federal rules aim to help pharmacies give the COVID-19 vaccine to more people faster. Carlos Moreno / KCUR" />
 <figcaption>New federal rules aim to help pharmacies give the COVID-19 vaccine to more people faster. Carlos Moreno / KCUR</figcaption>
 </figure>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-01-20/kansas-pharmacies-hire-and-train-more-workers-to-help-rollout-covid-19-vaccines-faster">Kansas News Service</a>Hundreds, potentially thousands, of pharmacy workers could inject vaccines into the arms of Kansans in the coming months.New
 rules, at least for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, now let an 
additional class of workers vaccinate more people faster.Pharmacists could already give shots. But in Kansas, the pharmacy technicians that work alongside them couldn’t.That changed <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/10/21/trump-administration-takes-action-further-expand-access-vaccines-covid-19-tests.html" target="_blank">in the fall</a>
 with new federal regulations that let technicians give vaccinations. A 
few states already allowed that before the pandemic, but many 
pharmacists across the country saw the expanding role of techs as a 
threat to their jobs.As supplies of coronavirus vaccine increase,
 Kansas counts on pharmacies to help get it to the broader public. For 
now, the state remains in <a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/157/Availability" target="_blank">Phase One</a>
 of distribution, focused on health care workers and nursing home 
residents. Drug stores still don’t know when they will receive vaccine 
stock.<h2>Expanding role for techs</h2>Pharmacy techs help manage inventory, fill pill bottles, unpack orders, schedule appointments.Their
 role has come to involve more training and more tasks over the years. 
In 2017, a few dozen technicians in Idaho became the first in the 
country to start giving vaccines. Within half a year they gave <a href="https://www.pharmacytimes.com/publications/supplements/2019/march2019/an-update-on-technicians-as-immunizers" target="_blank">1,000 shots</a>.By the time the pandemic hit, <a href="https://www.pharmacist.com/article/pharmacy-technicians-gear-immunize#:~:text=States%20that%20currently%20permit%20pharmacy,Island%2C%20Utah%2C%20and%20Nevada." target="_blank">a handful of states</a> had followed Idaho’s path. The goal was to free up pharmacists from some of their most routine tasks.Pharmacists
 in the retail world are notoriously busy. They struggle to find time 
for the kind of conversations with patients that can tease out important
 health issues before they escalate. In the worst cases, an 
investigation by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/health/pharmacists-medication-errors.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> found, excessive workloads can lead to prescription-filling errors.By
 contrast, pharmacists with more time have more conversations with 
patients. That’s when they could learn that a medication has one of 
their customers feeling dizzy, and that another one hasn’t gotten his 
pneumonia shot yet.“If you look at your average pharmacist” in 
retail, Washington State University pharmacotherapy professor Kimberly 
McKeirnan said, “they’re using such a small portion of the education 
that they have.”McKeirnan developed <a href="https://pharmacy.wsu.edu/pharmacy-technician-immunization-training/" target="_blank">the training</a> for the first technicians in Idaho to give immunizations. That led later to a <a href="https://www.pharmacist.com/pharmacy-based-immunization-administration-pharmacy-technicians-0" target="_blank">nationally recognized certification</a> program.<h2>Job market changes</h2>The idea has stoked controversy. In recent years, the increasing ranks of newly minted pharmacists compared to <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/pharmacists.htm#:~:text=in%20May%202019.-,Job%20Outlook,percent%20from%202019%20to%202029." target="_blank">shrinking</a> job opportunities for them alarmed many in the field.<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NSIGxMrdQeojIQtKusz29uyfQr9MhctQamcsiyhHFqc/edit" target="_blank">They warned</a>
 of the toll it would take on career and salary prospects for people who
 spent years in graduate school incurring hefty student debts.Some
 pharmacists worried that simultaneously expanding the role of 
technicians could take the pressure off retailers to hire more 
pharmacists, whose salaries can cost more than three times as much. 
Others embraced the help of technicians with extra training as valuable 
support.McKeirnan notes that technicians must work alongside 
pharmacists, who remain the clinical experts. For pharmacists, she sees a
 chance to get the time they need to work with customers at length. For 
technicians, she sees a door to growth and higher pay.“They kind 
of hit a pay ceiling often at some point,” she said. “And then, maybe 
with the exception of just general cost of living adjustments, there’s 
not room to advance.”In Kansas, the average <a href="https://klic.dol.ks.gov/gsipub/index.asp?docid=795" target="_blank">technician’s pay</a> comes out to about $34,000 a year.It
 remains unclear, though, whether pharmacies in Kansas and elsewhere 
will raise the pay for technicians who complete training to give shots 
or do other new tasks.CVS Health, for example, hasn’t committed 
to raising the pay of its technicians who join the massive immunization 
effort. That company says nearly 10,000 of its technicians have started 
or completed the training.<h2>Preparing for the rollout</h2>That includes more than 50 pharmacy techs for CVS in Kansas, where the chain operates about as many stores.In Lawrence, technician Shawn Yang jumped at the chance to help administer the shots that could help stop this pandemic.“It was an easy decision,” said Yang, who has worked for CVS for six years. “I definitely wanted to get vaccine-certified.”The store where he works already gets loads of phone calls from people wondering how and when they can get immunized.Yang
 sees a chance to help in a way that was previously closed to him. He is
 working through an American Pharmacists Association program that trains
 techs to give shots with pharmacist supervision.Nate Burrell, a 
CVS pharmacist who oversees the pharmacy teams at 18 stores in Kansas 
and Missouri, wants at least two workers with the extra training at each
 of those sites.“We know that they’re going to really be a huge asset,” Burrell said.Drug stores have been on <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-12-22/coronavirus-vaccines-are-coming-to-nursing-homes-soon-but-family-visits-likely-remain-months-away" target="_blank">a hiring spree</a>
 for months, snapping up more pharmacists, nurses and technicians as 
coronavirus testing rolled out, flu season arrived and clinical trials 
on COVID-19 vaccines progressed.Extra hands proved even more 
important when the federal government turned to pharmacies — primarily 
Walgreens and CVS — to send vaccination teams into <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-12-22/coronavirus-vaccines-are-coming-to-nursing-homes-soon-but-family-visits-likely-remain-months-away" target="_blank">nursing homes</a>, an effort that started last month (and that some say has <a href="https://khn.org/news/article/cvs-and-walgreens-under-fire-for-slow-pace-of-vaccination-in-nursing-homes/" target="_blank">moved too slowly</a>).In October, CVS alone said it needed an extra 10,000 pharmacy technicians nationwide. That hiring continues.Celia
 Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health and education for the Kansas 
News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at 
celia@kcur.org.

Kan. pharmacies hire, train more workers to speed vaccine rollout

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a woman's death and have made an arrest.

On Thursday morning, police responded to a medical welfare check at a residence in the 300 Block of South Dodge in Wichita, according to Police Captain Jason Stevens.

At the scene, officers found a victim identified as&nbsp; 43-year-old Rebecca Nimmo with stab wounds and unresponsive . She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Stevens.

Also at the scene was her 47-year-old husband Shawn Nimmo who had called police. Investigators determined probable cause existed to arrest him for her murder, according to Stevens.

He is being held on a requested charge of 2nd degree murder. Stevens ask that anyone with information on this domestic violence case should contact police.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611342428231.png" alt="Nimmo photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Nimmo photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a woman's death and have made an arrest.On Thursday morning, police responded to a medical welfare check at a residence in the 300 Block of South Dodge in Wichita, according to Police Captain Jason Stevens.At the scene, officers found a victim identified as&nbsp; 43-year-old Rebecca Nimmo with stab wounds and unresponsive . She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Stevens.Also at the scene was her 47-year-old husband Shawn Nimmo who had called police. Investigators determined probable cause existed to arrest him for her murder, according to Stevens.He is being held on a requested charge of 2nd degree murder. Stevens ask that anyone with information on this domestic violence case should contact police.

Kansas man arrested for wife's stabbing death

WASHINGTON (AP) — Opening arguments in the Senate impeachment trial for Donald Trump over the Capitol riot will begin the week of Feb. 8, the first time a former president will face such charges after leaving office.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the schedule Friday evening after reaching an agreement with Republicans, who had pushed for a delay to give Trump a chance to organize his legal team and prepare a defense on the sole charge of incitement of insurrection.

The February start date also allows the Senate more time to confirm President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominations and consider his proposed $1.9 trillion COVID relief package — top priorities of the new White House agenda that could become stalled during trial proceedings.

“We all want to put this awful chapter in our nation’s history behind us,” Schumer said about the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol siege by a mob of pro-Trump supporters.

“But healing and unity will only come if there is truth and accountability. And that is what this trial will provide.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will send the article of impeachment late Monday, with senators sworn in as jurors Tuesday. But opening arguments will move to February.

Trump’s impeachment trial would be the first of a U.S. president no longer in office, an undertaking that his Senate Republican allies argue is pointless, and potentially even unconstitutional. Democrats say they have to hold Trump to account, even as they pursue Biden’s legislative priorities, because of the gravity of what took place — a violent attack on the U.S. Congress aimed at overturning an election.

If Trump is convicted, the Senate could vote to bar him from holding office ever again, potentially upending his chances for a political comeback.

The urgency for Democrats to hold Trump responsible was complicated by the need to put Biden’s government in place and start quick work on his coronavirus aid package.

“The more time we have to get up and running ... the better,” Biden said Friday in brief comments to reporters.

Republicans were eager to delay the trial, putting distance between the shocking events of the siege and the votes that will test their loyalty to the former president who still commands voters’ attention.

Negotiations between Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell were complicated, as the two are also in talks over a power-sharing agreement for the Senate, which is split 50-50 but in Democratic control because Vice President Kamala Harris serves as a tie-breaking vote.

McConnell had proposed delaying the start and welcomed the agreement.

“Republicans set out to ensure the Senate’s next steps will respect former President Trump’s rights and due process, the institution of the Senate, and the office of the presidency,” said McConnell spokesman Doug Andres. “That goal has been achieved.”

Pelosi said Friday the nine House impeachment managers, or prosecutors, are “ready to begin to make their case” against Trump. Trump’s team will have had the same amount of time since the House impeachment vote to prepare, Pelosi said.

Democrats say they can move quickly through the trial, potentially with no witnesses, because lawmakers experienced the insurrection first-hand.

One of the managers, California Rep. Ted Lieu, said Friday that Democrats would rather be working on policy right now, but “we can’t just ignore” what happened on Jan. 6.

“This was an attack on our Capitol by a violent mob,” Lieu said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It was an attack on our nation instigated by our commander in chief. We have to address that and make sure it never happens again.”

Trump, who told his supporters to “fight like hell” just before they invaded the Capitol two weeks ago and interrupted the electoral vote count, is still assembling his legal team.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Friday deferred to Congress on timing for the trial and would not say whether Biden thinks Trump should be convicted. But she said lawmakers can simultaneously discuss and have hearings on Biden’s coronavirus relief package.

“We don’t think it can be delayed or it can wait, so they’re going to have to find a path forward,” Psaki said of the virus aid. “He’s confident they can do that.”

Democrats would need the support of at least 17 Republicans to convict Trump, a high bar. While most Republican senators condemned Trump’s actions that day, far fewer appear to be ready to convict.

A handful of Senate Republicans have indicated they are open — but not committed — to conviction. But most have come to Trump’s defense as it relates to impeachment, saying they believe a trial will be divisive and questioning the legality of trying a president after he has left office.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally who has been helping him find lawyers, said Friday there is “a very compelling constitutional case” on whether Trump can be impeached after his term — an assertion Democrats reject, saying there is ample legal precedent. Graham also suggested Republicans will argue Trump’s words on Jan. 6 were not legally “incitement.”

“On the facts, they’ll be able to mount a defense, so the main thing is to give him a chance to prepare and run the trial orderly, and hopefully the Senate will reject the idea of pursuing presidents after they leave office,” Graham said.

Other Republicans had stronger words, suggesting there should be no trial at all. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso said Pelosi is sending a message to Biden that “my hatred and vitriol of Donald Trump is so strong that I will stop even you and your Cabinet from getting anything done.” Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson suggested Democrats are choosing “vindictiveness” over national security as Biden attempts to set up his government.

McConnell, who said this week that Trump “provoked” his supporters before the riot, has not said how he will vote. He said Senate Republicans “strongly believe we need a full and fair process where the former president can mount a defense and the Senate can properly consider the factual, legal and constitutional questions.”

Trump, the first president to be impeached twice, is at a disadvantage compared with his first impeachment trial, in which he had the full resources of the White House counsel’s office to defend him. Graham helped Trump hire South Carolina attorney&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-trials-elections-impeachments-south-carolina-252515ba79539831af98ad3624134abe">Butch Bowers&nbsp;</a>after members of his past legal teams indicated they did not plan to join the new effort.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610364440501.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Opening arguments in the Senate impeachment trial for Donald Trump over the Capitol riot will begin the week of Feb. 8, the first time a former president will face such charges after leaving office.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the schedule Friday evening after reaching an agreement with Republicans, who had pushed for a delay to give Trump a chance to organize his legal team and prepare a defense on the sole charge of incitement of insurrection.The February start date also allows the Senate more time to confirm President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominations and consider his proposed $1.9 trillion COVID relief package — top priorities of the new White House agenda that could become stalled during trial proceedings.“We all want to put this awful chapter in our nation’s history behind us,” Schumer said about the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol siege by a mob of pro-Trump supporters.“But healing and unity will only come if there is truth and accountability. And that is what this trial will provide.”House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will send the article of impeachment late Monday, with senators sworn in as jurors Tuesday. But opening arguments will move to February.Trump’s impeachment trial would be the first of a U.S. president no longer in office, an undertaking that his Senate Republican allies argue is pointless, and potentially even unconstitutional. Democrats say they have to hold Trump to account, even as they pursue Biden’s legislative priorities, because of the gravity of what took place — a violent attack on the U.S. Congress aimed at overturning an election.If Trump is convicted, the Senate could vote to bar him from holding office ever again, potentially upending his chances for a political comeback.The urgency for Democrats to hold Trump responsible was complicated by the need to put Biden’s government in place and start quick work on his coronavirus aid package.“The more time we have to get up and running ... the better,” Biden said Friday in brief comments to reporters.Republicans were eager to delay the trial, putting distance between the shocking events of the siege and the votes that will test their loyalty to the former president who still commands voters’ attention.Negotiations between Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell were complicated, as the two are also in talks over a power-sharing agreement for the Senate, which is split 50-50 but in Democratic control because Vice President Kamala Harris serves as a tie-breaking vote.McConnell had proposed delaying the start and welcomed the agreement.“Republicans set out to ensure the Senate’s next steps will respect former President Trump’s rights and due process, the institution of the Senate, and the office of the presidency,” said McConnell spokesman Doug Andres. “That goal has been achieved.”Pelosi said Friday the nine House impeachment managers, or prosecutors, are “ready to begin to make their case” against Trump. Trump’s team will have had the same amount of time since the House impeachment vote to prepare, Pelosi said.Democrats say they can move quickly through the trial, potentially with no witnesses, because lawmakers experienced the insurrection first-hand.One of the managers, California Rep. Ted Lieu, said Friday that Democrats would rather be working on policy right now, but “we can’t just ignore” what happened on Jan. 6.“This was an attack on our Capitol by a violent mob,” Lieu said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It was an attack on our nation instigated by our commander in chief. We have to address that and make sure it never happens again.”Trump, who told his supporters to “fight like hell” just before they invaded the Capitol two weeks ago and interrupted the electoral vote count, is still assembling his legal team.White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Friday deferred to Congress on timing for the trial and would not say whether Biden thinks Trump should be convicted. But she said lawmakers can simultaneously discuss and have hearings on Biden’s coronavirus relief package.“We don’t think it can be delayed or it can wait, so they’re going to have to find a path forward,” Psaki said of the virus aid. “He’s confident they can do that.”Democrats would need the support of at least 17 Republicans to convict Trump, a high bar. While most Republican senators condemned Trump’s actions that day, far fewer appear to be ready to convict.A handful of Senate Republicans have indicated they are open — but not committed — to conviction. But most have come to Trump’s defense as it relates to impeachment, saying they believe a trial will be divisive and questioning the legality of trying a president after he has left office.South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally who has been helping him find lawyers, said Friday there is “a very compelling constitutional case” on whether Trump can be impeached after his term — an assertion Democrats reject, saying there is ample legal precedent. Graham also suggested Republicans will argue Trump’s words on Jan. 6 were not legally “incitement.”“On the facts, they’ll be able to mount a defense, so the main thing is to give him a chance to prepare and run the trial orderly, and hopefully the Senate will reject the idea of pursuing presidents after they leave office,” Graham said.Other Republicans had stronger words, suggesting there should be no trial at all. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso said Pelosi is sending a message to Biden that “my hatred and vitriol of Donald Trump is so strong that I will stop even you and your Cabinet from getting anything done.” Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson suggested Democrats are choosing “vindictiveness” over national security as Biden attempts to set up his government.McConnell, who said this week that Trump “provoked” his supporters before the riot, has not said how he will vote. He said Senate Republicans “strongly believe we need a full and fair process where the former president can mount a defense and the Senate can properly consider the factual, legal and constitutional questions.”Trump, the first president to be impeached twice, is at a disadvantage compared with his first impeachment trial, in which he had the full resources of the White House counsel’s office to defend him. Graham helped Trump hire South Carolina attorney&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-trials-elections-impeachments-south-carolina-252515ba79539831af98ad3624134abe">Butch Bowers&nbsp;</a>after members of his past legal teams indicated they did not plan to join the new effort.

Trump impeachment trial to begin week of Feb. 8

BARTON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug charges after an early morning traffic stop.

Just after 1a.m. Friday a sheriff's deputy stopped a white Ford F150 in the 500 BLock of NW 30 Avenue for a traffic infraction, according to Sheriff Brian Bellendir.

During the course the investigation, the deputy became suspicious of possible drug activity and a canine unit from the city of Great Bend was called to the location. 

The dog indicated the presence of controlled substances in the vehicle. Sheriff’s deputies conducted a search of the vehicle and located suspected methamphetamine inside a hidden container. 

The driver, and sole occupant of the vehicle was identified as Eliseo Velasco Jr. age 32 of Great Bend.

Deputies arrested Velasco and transported him to the Barton County Jail without incident. He was booked on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving while revoked. He’s being held on a $10,000 bond, according to Bellendir.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611339385753.png" alt="Velasco-photo Barton Co." />
 <figcaption>Velasco-photo Barton Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>BARTON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug charges after an early morning traffic stop.Just after 1a.m. Friday a sheriff's deputy stopped a white Ford F150 in the 500 BLock of NW 30 Avenue for a traffic infraction, according to Sheriff Brian Bellendir.During the course the investigation, the deputy became suspicious of possible drug activity and a canine unit from the city of Great Bend was called to the location. The dog indicated the presence of controlled substances in the vehicle. Sheriff’s deputies conducted a search of the vehicle and located suspected methamphetamine inside a hidden container. The driver, and sole occupant of the vehicle was identified as Eliseo Velasco Jr. age 32 of Great Bend.Deputies arrested Velasco and transported him to the Barton County Jail without incident. He was booked on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving while revoked. He’s being held on a $10,000 bond, according to Bellendir.