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Gov. Laura Kelly has appointed Janet Stanek as the new secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, less than two weeks after firing Lee Norman.

Rep. Aaron Coleman, D-Kansas City, Kan., was arrested and charged with driving under the influence Saturday morning in Douglas County, just weeks after the embattled lawmaker was arrested and charged with domestic battery.

LIBERAL — Janeth Vasquez’s journey is a common story in southwest Kansas. Her parents immigrated to Kansas from Mexico in the 1980s, seeking a better life for their baby daughter in the growing Hispanic community that rose up around Liberal’s meatpacking plant.

Annie Clement has a lot of feelings about attending her family’s big traditional holiday gathering. h Last year was the first time the 43-year-old did not go home for Christmas. This year, she was excited when a COVID-19 vaccine finally became available for her 10-year-old daughter, Hazel Clement-Weber, allowing her to start thinking about a visit. h Clement was less thrilled to think about being in close quarters with relatives who don’t take the virus as seriously as she does. h “It all stresses me out,” said Clement, a community college teacher in Rochester, Minnesota. h With 28 million 5- to 11-year-olds now eligible to be vaccinated, many families will face similar issues. Experts say the key to handling them lies in a combination of understanding risks and benefits, accepting that everyone has different priorities and talking openly about what matters most.

HESSTON — Thousands upon thousands of lights light the trail at Dyck Arboretum of the Plains and two McPherson area artists' work is on display as part of the annual Luminary Walk at the 29-acre arboretum owned by Hesston College.

TOPEKA — Atchison County resident John Settich is convinced the boundary of the 2nd congressional district in Kansas is a politically grotesque distortion. It's an issue brought forward in a series of virtual town hall meetings, including virtual town hall meeting Nov.

The state’s largest gas provider and a number of consumer and business advocacy groups have reached a deal in the company’s bid to recoup hundreds of millions of dollars in cost increases from February’s Winter Storm Uri, though the deal ultimately needs regulatory approval.

“Is there anything to do in Kansas?” “Oh, yes. There are a HUNDRED things to do in Kansas!” If you don’t believe me, take the word of author Roxie Yonkey.

With holiday gatherings on the horizon, health professionals are now urging parents to take advantage of vaccines newly authorized for children ages 5 to 11. • Recently, a CDC advisory committee voted in favor of recommending the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for young children. On Oct. 29, the FDA officially authorized the shots for kids ages 5 to 11. • Dr. Susan E. Coffin, a physician for the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, outlined some of the side affects from the vaccine which will come in a smaller needle for kids.

Approximately 25 million Americans have cataracts, which causes cloudy, blurry, or dim vision and often develops with advancing age. Most everyone will develop cataracts at some point in their lives.