Page 77 - Ryan Wright News Today

Associated Press Amber Shultz This story was updated at 4:30 p.m., Jan.29. TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly on Friday chose a Lawrence woman who has technology experience to run the Kansas Department of Labor, which has struggled to process a surge in claims from workers who lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic. Amber Shultz will serve as acting labor secretary until the state Senate confirms her as the new head of the agency, the governor’s office said in a news release. Kelly’s firs...

The floundering Kansas Department of Labor is set to finally have permanent leadership, with Gov. Laura Kelly announcing she will tap Amber Shultz, a top official in Lawrence city government, to right the ship at an agency under fire amid a historic volume of unemployment claims. The move comes as tensions over the agencys performance have reached a boiling point, with KDOL spokesperson Gerald Grasso confirming "credible threats of acts of violence against the agency itself, staff members and...

Here are the latest COVID-19 updates around the metro area, and in Kansas and Missouri.

If you’re brave enough to take a dip in an unheated pool in January, the Copperas Cove Polar Bear Plunge happening this weekend is a perfect place to do it, but 5K Virtual Run coinciding with the plunge event is also a good option if you’re not interested in a cold-water experience. Taste some chili at Camp Caylor’s Chili Cookoff, or browse some handcrafted goods at the Sami Show or one of the recurring farmers markets in the area. Details on these and more events in the listing....

Kansas is on track to pay out an extra $300-a-week federal unemployment benefit as part of a coronavirus rescue aid package enacted late last month, a top Department of Labor official said.

Kansas is on track to pay out an extra $300-a-week federal unemployment benefit as part of a coronavirus rescue aid package enacted late last month, a top Department of Labor official said.Ryan Wright, who stepped down as acting secretary of the agency in December but remains a top staffer, said

A top Kansas Department of Labor official said Thursday the state was "on track" in its work to begin paying out expanded unemployment benefits, which were reauthorized under a federal stimulus bill passed late last year.  Roughly two dozen states have begun paying out an extra $300 a week to eligible claimants via the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program. Originally authorized under the CARES Act, the program was continued under a federal stimulus package approved in December,...

Students in Wichita are resuming in-person learning and some bars and restaurants in the Kansas City area are extending their hours as the bumpy COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues.

Associated Press WICHITA — Students in Wichita are resuming in-person learning and some bars and restaurants in the Kansas City area are extending their hours as the bumpy COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues. The Wichita district, which is the state’s largest with about 47,000 students, is bringing elementary students back on Wednesday. These young students had been sent home late last year because of a lack of substitutes and rising COVID-19 cases. The district also plans for middle and hig...

Jan. 13—Bryan Porter was watching TV one day in November when he decided to check his phone. He found the email he's been waiting for since March: a response from the Kansas Department of Labor about his unemployment claim. It was the first communication he received from the agency and it came about eight months late, Porter said. He still hasn't received any payment, but was asked to submit ...