Stories from Thursday, January 20, 2022

TOPEKA – Over the past month, the highly infectious and transmittable Omicron variant of COVID-19 has significantly increased case rates and demand for testing in the United States and Kansas. KDHE continues monitoring the spread and impact of Omicron since the first case was confirmed in Kansas in mid-December 2021...

Leota Irene Schneider, age 83, Mound City, Kan., passed away Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. She was born in Whiting, Kan., on March 19, 1938, the daughter of Stanley and Irene Andrick Knutsen. She graduated from Whiting High School. She was united in marriage to Ralph A. ...

Betty H. Baysinger, 79, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022, at Diversicare, Hutchinson, Kan. Betty was born on Dec. 16, 1942, to Kane and Mabel (Aumiller) Rice in Anaconda, Mont. Betty grew up in Goodland, Kan. She married William Leroy (Bud) Baysinger on Jan. 7, 1961. They had two daughters, Lynda Sue Altvater and Cheri L. Baysinger. Betty enjoyed many activities such as bowling, bunco, bridge and golfing. She also belonged to several sororities...

James “Jim” Edmund Gerteis, age 77, of Fort Scott, Kan., passed away on Jan. 13, 2022. Jim was born in Wichita, Kan., on July 23, 1944, to Jeremiah and Florence Gerteis. He graduated from Wichita East High School (1962) and continued his education at Friends University in Wichita. He joined the Air Force on Oct. 11, 1966, serving in Germany as a radar technician and was honorably discharged July 18,1972...