Review the activity materials list: https://tinyurl.com/kunhm-beaks Or learn how to pick up a free KUNHM Science Kit on March 13 with everything you'll need for this event and our Story Book Science STEM Challenges: https://biodiversity.ku.edu/science-kits Submitted by: Alexander Worth KU Natural History Museum, Kansas Public Radio The change for claims from beginning of 2020 to last week is a 3,200% increase and It also has Kansas with a nearly 3,000% increase in unemployment claims in the week of Jan. 4, 2021 … The girl was taken to a Salina hospital, where she was pronounced dead. An investigation into the shooting was ongoing Wednesday. The policy comes after police were criticized for using tear gas and other means to disperse crowds during social justice protests last summer. What bracketologists think, ‘They saved me.’ The story behind a routine medical 911 call in Sedgwick County, Coronavirus update: Kansas sees its best week of cases in more than eight months, Nearly 600 COVID-19 vaccine doses lost through freezing error at Kansas hospital, Pfizer’s Kansas vaccine plant has persistent mold issues, long history of recalls, More Kansans now eligible for help with winter utility bills. AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Another winter storm front is blowing through the nation's midsection, where power grids haven't adjusted for the wild weather swings that come with climate change. (AP) — The Kansas City Police Department is proposing new policies on use of force during large demonstrations and public gatherings. Contact KPR General Manager Dan Skinner at skinner@ku.edu, Listen Live to classical, jazz and NPR news, Listen live to KPR's all talk-radio service, KPR2, FCC On-line Public Inspection Files Sites, Questions about Kansas Public Radio's Public Inspection Files? KPR's weekend summary is usually published by 1 pm Saturdays and Sundays. January 28, 2021 9:52 AM. The latest economic stimulus bill passed in December, known as the Continued Assistance Act, increased the maximum amount of benefits available under the PEUC program from 13 weeks to 24 weeks — adding an additional 11 weeks of unemployment payments. Posted: January 28, 2021 9:52 AM. February 19, 2021 02:21 PM. Help us cover your community through The Eagle's partnership with Report For America. The initiative, funded through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021, provides the state with money to support housing stability and prevent evictions and homelessness. The Kansas Senate Commerce Committee continued hearings Wednesday on a bill that would create a new council to monitor the department's technology upgrades, direct the agency modernize the unemployment system by the end of 2022, and make other changes in the unemployment system. The Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL) is currently reviewing the unemployment extension provisions contained in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP). Consider becoming a KPR member. She joined The Eagle in June 2020 as a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. The PUA program expires on March 14th, 2021–however if you receive a PUA payment for the week ending March 13th, you may be eligible for the phase-out period. The storm that overwhelmed power grids and immobilized the Southern Plains carried heavy snow and freezing rain into New England and the Deep South and left behind painfully low temperatures. Kansas Senate Commerce Committee Chair Rob Olson, R-Olathe, makes a point during a hearing on a bill that would make changes in the state's unemployment system, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says the shooting happened Monday evening at a home along a rural road near the Saline River. Legislative audit pegs Kansas unemployment fraud at $600 million; KDOL says it’s bunk February 24, 2021 4:54 PM ... February 23, 2021 6:22 PM Katie Bernard (816)234-4167 . Close contacts have been notified. The victim's name was not immediately released. February 3, 2021. Millions remain without power in the record-breaking cold, mostly in Texas. The cancellations followed a storm that dumped several inches of snow in much of the state and sent temperatures plunging below zero, including in Kansas City, where it was 9 degrees below on Tuesday, a new record for the date. The Contact center representatives will be unable to take calls on Saturday, March 13. Girl Hurt in Crash Involving Former Chiefs Assistant Coach Britt Reid Now Awake. Kansas Gov. Bell later died. Click here to see the list. UNDATED (AP) - Crippling winter weather is hampering vaccination efforts in swaths of the country and that has forced the cancellation of some mass inoculation events. *I wouldn't know what to do at the gym even if I went. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the state of Kansas has experienced historic unemployment levels, leading to overwhelming demand on the state’s 40-year-old unemployment claims processing computer system. KANSAS CITY, Mo. Hundreds of others won’t receive the extension until the week beginning March 1, more than a week later. Effective January 1, 2021, tax rates are to range from 0.20% to 5.40% for positive-rated employers and from 5.60% to 7.60% for negative-rated employers. The state’s vaccination rate has consistently ranked among the lowest in the country. Kansans who currently file claims through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA, program who previously exhausted their PEUC benefits must also reopen their PEUC claim, because of the additional payments available. MISSION, Kan. (AP) - Kansas is working to fix its troubled system for sending vaccine data to the federal government. Johnson and Sedgwick counties continue to report the most coronavirus cases, with more than 52,000 each. Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe said Tuesday that Officer Daniel Vance was justified in using force in the December 15 confrontation with Jesse James Flaugher. Employees may earn a maximum of four credits in a year. But Commerce Committee Chair Rob Olson suggested removing the governor's control over the department. LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - Evergy reports that current conditions make additional rolling blackouts a strong possibility through 11 am today (WED). It says glitches caused about 100,000 doses that were given to not be shown as administered. Birds' beaks come in all shapes and sizes, according to their specialized functions. The Institute for Research on Male Supremacism says there are differences over whether to embrace women. Kansas Governor Announces $200 Million in Rental Assistance. Posted: Jan 13, 2021 / 06:34 PM CST / Updated: Feb 25, 2021 / 07:23 AM CST. Wind-chill warnings extended Tuesday from Canada into Mexico. Throughout the pandemic, a backlog of unemployment claims at the Kansas Labor Department has been causing delays in how quickly weekly payments are processed. KANSAS CITY, Mo. Lawrence, KS 66044Download Map Lynn Rogers, as state treasurer to fill a vacancy created when Republican Kansas Congressman Jake LaTurner left the post for Congress. TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The head of the state health department says Kansas is likely to have pockets of a new, more contagious variant of the coronavirus first identified in the United Kingdom. The state is undergoing efforts to modernize its decades-old system, but Kansans are still facing delays in payments as the pandemic continues. Her name was not immediately released. The governor’s office says it is trying to reschedule the National Guard-run events, but that registrants should seek vaccinations elsewhere in the meantime. Anyone who is eligible for PEUC benefits should continue to file a weekly claim online. Tenants may qualify for assistance if they earn no more than 80 percent of their area’s median income, are experiencing documented financial hardship as a result of the COVID pandemic and may be at risk of housing instability or homelessness without assistance. — Kansas Gov. Police say Reid admitted to having “two or three drinks” before the crash. The only other known case of the UK variant in Kansas was reported earlier this month in a student at Fort Hays State University. Police: Man Found Fatally Shot Inside Vehicle in Kansas City. O'FALLON, Mo. The PEUC extension was first established temporarily under the CARES Act last year, which provided an extra 13 weeks of benefits to people who exhausted their regular payments. Kansas House Bill Advances to Change Method for Filling State Offices. State data shows that as of Friday, 9.4% of the state’s population had been vaccinated, with 273,428 people receiving at least the first of two required doses. We use these challenges as validation to ourselves that it is just not the right time to worry about our fitness right now. The Kansas City Star reports that 38-year-old Charles Baldwin Jr. has been charged with murder, armed criminal action and weapons counts in the Friday shooting death of 39-year-old Christopher Bell. Previously, Stringer covered business and economic development for the USA Today Network-Wisconsin, where her stories touched on everything from retail to manufacturing and health care. WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Waiting and wishing, many Kansans said they are desperate to get their unemployment … However, some workers might qualify for an extended phase-out period and collect the benefits through the week ending April 10. Dr. Lee Norman also said Tuesday that winter weather across the central and eastern U.S. has created a “brief speed bump” in the state’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution. The girl has been hospitalized since the February 4 crash. According to data provided by the Department of Labor, the agency saw a backlog of claims under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program ranging from 20,000-25,000 as of Dec. 4. The American Rescue Plan extends expanded unemployment benefits through September 6, 2021, and includes $300 a week in extra compensation. Associated Press. The variant was determined through genome sequencing conducted by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Posted: Feb 16, 2021 / 09:11 PM CST / Updated: Feb 17, 2021 / 10:58 AM CST. Evergy: Additional Rolling Blackouts a Strong Possibility. KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KPR) – Kansas University Medical Center police say a shooting took place outside the entrance of Kansas University Medical Center Tuesday night. State health officials identified more than 1,200 new COVID-19 cases since Monday, as well as 115 new, virus-related deaths since Monday. Vaccination clinics in Johnson County, Jefferson County and other places were also canceled Tuesday and postponed until later dates. by Associated Press. These extended provisions will provide additional unemployment compensation to unemployed Kansans impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. They include three people found dead after a tornado hit a seaside town in North Carolina and four family members who perished in a Houston-area house fire while using a fireplace to stay warm. KDHE will provide another update on Friday. Learn more about the unemployment programs pathways here. She sent a letter to Republican and Democratic leaders of the U.S. House and Senate to plea for federal aid to states struggling to upgrade IT networks and in need of long-term assistance for maintenance of the complex systems. TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A House committee has passed a bill that would end a governor’s authority to fill the offices of state treasurer and insurance commissioner if those posts become vacant in the middle of a term. BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — The recent arrest of an Arizona woman who prosecutors say was a member of a Proud Boys cell in Kansas City has intrigued experts who study extremist right-wing movements. TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNW) – The Kansas Department of Labor announced Monday that as part of the unemployment extension provisions contained in H.R. Kansas health officials say the person likely became infected with the strain while out of state, but aren’t disclosing any other details about the individual. The weather pattern usually keeps to the Arctic, but it's increasingly visiting lower latitudes and staying beyond its welcome. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The Shawnee County Health Department will open its planned vaccination clinic Thursday -- three hours early -- to allow people who'd planned to get shots Tuesday to still get them. She asked the 2021 Legislature to appropriate $37 million to proceed with an overdue overhaul of the Kansas Department of Labor’s computer system. Laura Kelly said Monday the state is beginning the process of looking for a new unemployment system. Contribute now to help fund reporting on employment and other issues facing Wichita workers, and to support new reporters. Police say the man died at the scene. Cold Prompts Cancellation of Kansas COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics. January Unemployment Rate Kansas 3.5% National 6.3% January Labor Market Report February 2021 Labor Report will be released on Friday, March 26. Posted By: George Lawson February 24, 2021 … Crippling Storm Hampers Vaccinations as FEMA Opens New Sites. Kansas City Police Suggest New Strategies for Protests. The Kansas Senate Commerce Committee continued hearings Wednesday on a bill that would create a new council to monitor the department's technology upgrades, direct the agency modernize the unemployment system by the end of 2022, and make other changes in the unemployment system. Unanswered phone calls, website error messages, and no money, Kansans say the unemployment system is failing them and they want answers on when it will be fixed. For more information or to apply for unemployment benefits, visit to www.GetKansasBenefits.gov. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Unemployment Rate in Kansas [KSURN], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/KSURN, February 7, 2021. KPR is kicking off our first ever book club with Ladybird, Collected by Meg Heriford, owner of the Ladybird Diner in downtown Lawrence. Shooting Outside Kansas University Medical Center's Entrance. KDOL will conduct a server migration starting Friday, March 12 at 9 p.m. Kansas unemployment benefits website. Those who receive the maximum wages taxable under … by Celisa Calacal January 15, 2021. She said GOP leaders in the Kansas … Missouri Prosecutors Charge Man Still on the Lam in Belton Killing. The Kansas Department of Labor announced that unemployment tax rates are set to increase for 2021. As a result, Evergy officials say they remain on standby in the event that the SPP calls for additional emergency power outages. Friday, February 19th 2021, 5:26 PM CST. Those residents struggling to cover rent and utility payments due to COVID may qualify for up to 12 months of emergency assistance thanks to the new federal relief. Updated: Friday, February 19th 2021, 6:27 PM CST. No arrests have been reported in the case. Learn about beaks and have fun with our hands-on activity that helps you create some bird beak models out of common household objects!