By SCOTT CARLSON North Platte Post

LINCOLN, Neb.-Lincoln police have identified the man killed in a hit and run on Saturday.

The crash happened at the intersection of 37th and O Streets when a Ford Focus traveling westbound on O St. crossed the center line and struck an eastbound Subaru Forrester. The collision pushed the Subaru into a third vehicle.

Police said the two occupants of the third vehicle were treated for minor injuries. The driver of the Subaru, Alexandor Eskra, 19, was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Police said the driver of the Ford fled the scene on foot and has not yet been located. Police said they have surveillance footage of the suspect driver.

Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or has any information is asked to contact Lincoln Police at 402-441-6000.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657046714798.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By SCOTT CARLSON North Platte PostLINCOLN, Neb.-Lincoln police have identified the man killed in a hit and run on Saturday.The crash happened at the intersection of 37th and O Streets when a Ford Focus traveling westbound on O St. crossed the center line and struck an eastbound Subaru Forrester. The collision pushed the Subaru into a third vehicle.Police said the two occupants of the third vehicle were treated for minor injuries. The driver of the Subaru, Alexandor Eskra, 19, was pronounced deceased at the scene.Police said the driver of the Ford fled the scene on foot and has not yet been located. Police said they have surveillance footage of the suspect driver.Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or has any information is asked to contact Lincoln Police at 402-441-6000.

Lincoln police identify victim of fatal hit and run

EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — Brexten Green, a wide receiver on the Emporia State football team, died over the weekend in a cliff-diving accident at Grand Lake in Oklahoma, the university announced Tuesday.

The Grand River Dam Authority received an emergency around 6:30 p.m. Saturday about a man who jumped into Grand Lake around Dripping Springs and didn’t resurface, KFOR-TV reported. Rescue crews found his body in 31 feet of water.

Green came to Emporia State from Cashion High School in Cashion, Oklahoma. He was set to start his second year after redshirting last season and was seeking a business administration degree, University President Ken Hush wrote in a campus-wide email.

Hush said Emporia State’s counseling service was available to help anyone who needed it.

“It’s a terrible day for Emporia State football and just a devastating loss for the Green family,” football coach Garin Higgins said in a news release. “Brexten was a great teammate who cared so much about this football program. It showed in his competitive spirit, his work ethic and his willingness to be there for his teammates. He will always be a part of our Hornet football family.”

Green was an All-State selection by the Oklahoma Coaches Association for the 2020 Oklahoma Class A State Champion Wildcats. He was the District A-3 Player of the Year as a senior after gaining 1,720 receiving yards, 409 rushing yards and scoring 27 total touchdowns.

“He was committed to being the best player he could be and would have developed into a great player for us because of those characteristics," Higgins said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657042848637.png" alt="Brexten Green-photo courtesy ESU Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Brexten Green-photo courtesy ESU Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — Brexten Green, a wide receiver on the Emporia State football team, died over the weekend in a cliff-diving accident at Grand Lake in Oklahoma, the university announced Tuesday.The Grand River Dam Authority received an emergency around 6:30 p.m. Saturday about a man who jumped into Grand Lake around Dripping Springs and didn’t resurface, KFOR-TV reported. Rescue crews found his body in 31 feet of water.Green came to Emporia State from Cashion High School in Cashion, Oklahoma. He was set to start his second year after redshirting last season and was seeking a business administration degree, University President Ken Hush wrote in a campus-wide email.Hush said Emporia State’s counseling service was available to help anyone who needed it.“It’s a terrible day for Emporia State football and just a devastating loss for the Green family,” football coach Garin Higgins said in a news release. “Brexten was a great teammate who cared so much about this football program. It showed in his competitive spirit, his work ethic and his willingness to be there for his teammates. He will always be a part of our Hornet football family.”Green was an All-State selection by the Oklahoma Coaches Association for the 2020 Oklahoma Class A State Champion Wildcats. He was the District A-3 Player of the Year as a senior after gaining 1,720 receiving yards, 409 rushing yards and scoring 27 total touchdowns.“He was committed to being the best player he could be and would have developed into a great player for us because of those characteristics," Higgins said.Funeral arrangements are pending.

Emporia State football player dies in cliff-diving accident

‘If we don’t help them, we’ll see Americans fighting over here'

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/07/04/retired-solider-nebraska-state-senator-sees-no-quit-in-ukrainian-forces/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN – As the saying goes, “Old soldiers never die — they just fade away.”

But
 instead of fading away, 63-year-old Tom Brewer, a decorated and retired
 Army colonel and state senator, is headed to the front.

Brewer, who was seriously
 wounded and earned two Purple Hearts during six deployments in 
Afghanistan, is scheduled to be near the Russian lines in the war in 
Ukraine this week in Kharkiv. The second largest city in the country has
 been the target of relentless shelling by the Russians in June.

&nbsp;A
 competitive sniper, Brewer’s initial mission was to train Ukrainian 
soldiers on long-range rifles and check on the humanitarian needs of war
 refugees, the wounded and civilians still in the country. But it has 
morphed into a volunteer fact-finding trip that he thinks America should
 be undertaking.

“There’s
 no Americans here, no State Department. You gotta have someone to tell 
the story of what’s going on here,” Brewer said in a phone interview on 
Friday.

&nbsp;“That’s become more of my mission — be the conduit to share with the world what’s happening here.” he said.

Through
 Friday, the old soldier has met with the mayors of Lviv and Kyiv, 
toured a 1,000-bed hospital overcrowded with 4,000 wounded soldiers, 
visited Ukraine’s war memorial, and attended a solemn funeral for 
several fighters killed in the war.

Brewer
 was the subject of a newspaper story in Lviv after his meeting with the
 mayor, and has conducted more than one interview with Nebraska media, 
including a radio station in Gordon, in his northwest Nebraska 
legislative district.

He said he’s seeing no quit in the Ukrainians he has met during his first week touring the war-torn country.

&nbsp;“They
 have a burning hate for the Russians and after seeing their people 
killed and their homes burned, they are in for the long fight,” Brewer 
said.&nbsp;

“They have lived under the Russian/Communist thumb before and they will die before they will do it again,” he added.

Before Brewer arrived in Ukraine on June 26, he underwent a treatment for leukemia which he’s been battling in recent months.

He
 figures he’s good to go for 60 days. He is also keeping an eye on 
developments in Nebraska, where state senators might be called back into
 special session when he returns to debate a bill to ban abortion.

In Ukraine, he said he’s seeing destruction unlike any he saw in Afghanistan.

“The
 Russians have systematically demolished these towns, the city hall, the
 schools, the homes are destroyed,” he said. “They literally go out of 
their way to leave destruction behind.”

Russia, Brewer said, appears to be running out of precision-aimed, guided missiles. Thus the damage is becoming more random.&nbsp;

He
 said he didn’t ask permission to go to Ukraine — he’s paying for his 
own expenses, and isn’t acting in any official capacity. His “team” on 
the trip is a buddy from Elmwood, Nebraska, an Australian and an 
interpreter.

“I
 have a mix of soldiers and pastors helping me,” Brewer added.&nbsp; His 
duffel bags got lost during the flight to Poland, he said, so he had to 
buy new clothes, a helmet and armored vest “off the streets.”

For security reasons, he didn’t want to disclose his exact itinerary.

Brewer
 said that as of Friday, he hadn’t faced any threatening situations, but
 that could change when he gets to Kharkiv. He described where he will 
be in relation to the Russian lines as the difference between Bellevue 
and North Omaha.

“There’s things we need to go and see. And that’s the risk you take,” Brewer said.

“I probably should be home mowing the grass, playing with my grandkids, and running the dog,” he said. “But this is history.”

“If
 we don’t help the Ukrainians I think you’ll see American soldiers 
fighting a war over here. So let’s give them what they need.”

June
 was an especially tough month for the Ukrainians, Brewer said. Losses 
were mounting, and the Russians have them out-numbered and out-gunned, 
he said.

The
 main problem, Brewer said, is that shipments of long-range munitions 
coming from the West are being delayed by logistical problems, including
 damage to railroad lines in Ukraine.&nbsp;

Brewer
 said he’s hoping to help solve that problem through advice to the State
 Department. If the Ukrainians can get more modern weapons, and get 
trained on them, he said they could go on the offensive.

While in Kyiv, Brewer said he visited the U.S. Embassy, but the only people there were security staff.

“These
 (Ukrainians) are so excited to have an American here who isn’t afraid 
of dying,” he said. “It ought to be our diplomatic staff that’s doing 
this … it’s what needs to be done.”

“I’m going to get eyeball to eyeball with folks and find out what’s going on.”&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657031070809.png" alt="Among the stops State Sen. Tom Brewer has made while in Ukraine was at the funeral procession for a number of soldiers killed in the war with Russia. (Courtesy of State Sen. Tom Brewer)" />
 <figcaption>Among the stops State Sen. Tom Brewer has made while in Ukraine was at the funeral procession for a number of soldiers killed in the war with Russia. (Courtesy of State Sen. Tom Brewer)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>‘If we don’t help them, we’ll see Americans fighting over here'</h2>By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/07/04/retired-solider-nebraska-state-senator-sees-no-quit-in-ukrainian-forces/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN – As the saying goes, “Old soldiers never die — they just fade away.”But
 instead of fading away, 63-year-old Tom Brewer, a decorated and retired
 Army colonel and state senator, is headed to the front.Brewer, who was seriously
 wounded and earned two Purple Hearts during six deployments in 
Afghanistan, is scheduled to be near the Russian lines in the war in 
Ukraine this week in Kharkiv. The second largest city in the country has
 been the target of relentless shelling by the Russians in June.&nbsp;A
 competitive sniper, Brewer’s initial mission was to train Ukrainian 
soldiers on long-range rifles and check on the humanitarian needs of war
 refugees, the wounded and civilians still in the country. But it has 
morphed into a volunteer fact-finding trip that he thinks America should
 be undertaking.<h2>‘No Americans here’</h2>“There’s
 no Americans here, no State Department. You gotta have someone to tell 
the story of what’s going on here,” Brewer said in a phone interview on 
Friday.&nbsp;“That’s become more of my mission — be the conduit to share with the world what’s happening here.” he said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657031141532.jpeg" alt="State Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, during his current visit to Ukraine, visited a hospital in Lviv. (Courtesy of State Sen. Tom Brewer)" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, during his current visit to Ukraine, visited a hospital in Lviv. (Courtesy of State Sen. Tom Brewer)</figcaption>
 </figure>Through
 Friday, the old soldier has met with the mayors of Lviv and Kyiv, 
toured a 1,000-bed hospital overcrowded with 4,000 wounded soldiers, 
visited Ukraine’s war memorial, and attended a solemn funeral for 
several fighters killed in the war.Brewer
 was the subject of a newspaper story in Lviv after his meeting with the
 mayor, and has conducted more than one interview with Nebraska media, 
including a radio station in Gordon, in his northwest Nebraska 
legislative district.<h2>‘A burning hate for Russians’</h2>He said he’s seeing no quit in the Ukrainians he has met during his first week touring the war-torn country.&nbsp;“They
 have a burning hate for the Russians and after seeing their people 
killed and their homes burned, they are in for the long fight,” Brewer 
said.&nbsp;“They have lived under the Russian/Communist thumb before and they will die before they will do it again,” he added.Before Brewer arrived in Ukraine on June 26, he underwent a treatment for leukemia which he’s been battling in recent months.He
 figures he’s good to go for 60 days. He is also keeping an eye on 
developments in Nebraska, where state senators might be called back into
 special session when he returns to debate a bill to ban abortion.In Ukraine, he said he’s seeing destruction unlike any he saw in Afghanistan.“The
 Russians have systematically demolished these towns, the city hall, the
 schools, the homes are destroyed,” he said. “They literally go out of 
their way to leave destruction behind.”Russia, Brewer said, appears to be running out of precision-aimed, guided missiles. Thus the damage is becoming more random.&nbsp;He
 said he didn’t ask permission to go to Ukraine — he’s paying for his 
own expenses, and isn’t acting in any official capacity. His “team” on 
the trip is a buddy from Elmwood, Nebraska, an Australian and an 
interpreter.“I
 have a mix of soldiers and pastors helping me,” Brewer added.&nbsp; His 
duffel bags got lost during the flight to Poland, he said, so he had to 
buy new clothes, a helmet and armored vest “off the streets.”For security reasons, he didn’t want to disclose his exact itinerary.<h2>Close to front</h2>Brewer
 said that as of Friday, he hadn’t faced any threatening situations, but
 that could change when he gets to Kharkiv. He described where he will 
be in relation to the Russian lines as the difference between Bellevue 
and North Omaha.“There’s things we need to go and see. And that’s the risk you take,” Brewer said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657031181841.jpeg" alt="A war memorial in Ukraine was one of the places visited so far by Brewer during his trip there. (Courtesy of State Sen. Tom Brewer)" />
 <figcaption>A war memorial in Ukraine was one of the places visited so far by Brewer during his trip there. (Courtesy of State Sen. Tom Brewer)</figcaption>
 </figure>“I probably should be home mowing the grass, playing with my grandkids, and running the dog,” he said. “But this is history.”“If
 we don’t help the Ukrainians I think you’ll see American soldiers 
fighting a war over here. So let’s give them what they need.”June
 was an especially tough month for the Ukrainians, Brewer said. Losses 
were mounting, and the Russians have them out-numbered and out-gunned, 
he said.<h2>Weapons from West delayed</h2>The
 main problem, Brewer said, is that shipments of long-range munitions 
coming from the West are being delayed by logistical problems, including
 damage to railroad lines in Ukraine.&nbsp;Brewer
 said he’s hoping to help solve that problem through advice to the State
 Department. If the Ukrainians can get more modern weapons, and get 
trained on them, he said they could go on the offensive.While in Kyiv, Brewer said he visited the U.S. Embassy, but the only people there were security staff.“These
 (Ukrainians) are so excited to have an American here who isn’t afraid 
of dying,” he said. “It ought to be our diplomatic staff that’s doing 
this … it’s what needs to be done.”“I’m going to get eyeball to eyeball with folks and find out what’s going on.”&nbsp;

Retired soldier/Neb. state senator: No quit in Ukrainian forces

by BECKY GOFF Little Apple Post

The Geary County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit responded to three separate boating incidents on Milford Lake over the holiday weekend.

The Marine Unit is comprised of Geary County Sheriff's Deputies and Junction City Fire Department EMTS/Swift Water Rescue Swimmers.

In all three incidents, the boats were disabled and taking on water, all occupants in each incident were brought to safety without further incidents.

Officials with the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/100069103994267/posts/pfbid0c4o3yoZicrHFNcPTKvJ2CGR2DCNvV1wAVGXAsKPzRkfVsyEaShdKbYk5dPkPDhmkl/?d=n">Sheriff's Office reminded lake-goers</a> to create a short checklist before putting your boat in the water to ensure the safety of all passengers.

Recommended items for the checklist include: • Making sure the boat plug is secure. • Insuring you have appropriate number of coast guard approved life jackets and make sure that they are appropriately sized for each occupant. • Insure that you have plenty of fuel. • Make sure you have an undamaged throw cushion. • Boat has a functioning whistle or horn. • Boat has a functioning fire extinguisher. • Check your kill switch to make sure it is plugged in and attached to the driver’s vest when in operation. • Map or navigation options for the waterway you are going to be on. • Cellular phone or other means of communication. If you do not have cellular phone or other means of communication, let someone know. where you will be launching and give them a rough time line of return. • Make sure that your vessel is properly registered.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592908696272.png" alt="Geary Co. Sheriff's Office Marine Unit courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Geary Co. Sheriff's Office Marine Unit courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>by BECKY GOFF Little Apple PostThe Geary County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit responded to three separate boating incidents on Milford Lake over the holiday weekend.The Marine Unit is comprised of Geary County Sheriff's Deputies and Junction City Fire Department EMTS/Swift Water Rescue Swimmers.In all three incidents, the boats were disabled and taking on water, all occupants in each incident were brought to safety without further incidents.Officials with the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/100069103994267/posts/pfbid0c4o3yoZicrHFNcPTKvJ2CGR2DCNvV1wAVGXAsKPzRkfVsyEaShdKbYk5dPkPDhmkl/?d=n">Sheriff's Office reminded lake-goers</a> to create a short checklist before putting your boat in the water to ensure the safety of all passengers.Recommended items for the checklist include: • Making sure the boat plug is secure. • Insuring you have appropriate number of coast guard approved life jackets and make sure that they are appropriately sized for each occupant. • Insure that you have plenty of fuel. • Make sure you have an undamaged throw cushion. • Boat has a functioning whistle or horn. • Boat has a functioning fire extinguisher. • Check your kill switch to make sure it is plugged in and attached to the driver’s vest when in operation. • Map or navigation options for the waterway you are going to be on. • Cellular phone or other means of communication. If you do not have cellular phone or other means of communication, let someone know. where you will be launching and give them a rough time line of return. • Make sure that your vessel is properly registered.

Rescuers responded to 3 boating incidents on Milford Lake

YORK, Neb.-Police said a boy died after a roof at a Nebraska hotel collapsed on Sunday night.

Police said officers responded to the report of a roof collapse at the Hampton Inn at around 9:00 p.m.

Officers and first responders arrived to find a boy trapped under debris in the pool room of the hotel. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. All other patrons were safely evacuated.

The boy's name and age were not released at this time.

The Nebraska State Fire Marshal and York Police Department will lead the investigation into the collapse.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1656982302976.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By SCOTT CARLSON North Platte PostYORK, Neb.-Police said a boy died after a roof at a Nebraska hotel collapsed on Sunday night.Police said officers responded to the report of a roof collapse at the Hampton Inn at around 9:00 p.m.Officers and first responders arrived to find a boy trapped under debris in the pool room of the hotel. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. All other patrons were safely evacuated.The boy's name and age were not released at this time.The Nebraska State Fire Marshal and York Police Department will lead the investigation into the collapse.

Boy dies after roof collapses at York hotel

DOUGLAS COUNTY —A Kansas man drown while swimming Monday at a lake in Douglas County.

Just after 6:30a.m., a boater notified deputies that they found a man unresponsive in the water at Lone Star Lake, according to a media release from the Douglas County Sheriff's office.

Investigators learned that an 81-year-old Lawrence man was part of a group that regularly swims at the lake. He had broken off from the group to return to shore and was found a short time later was located unresponsive in the water.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1656969310843.png" alt="Lone Star Lake-photo Douglas County" />
 <figcaption>Lone Star Lake-photo Douglas County</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY —A Kansas man drown while swimming Monday at a lake in Douglas County.Just after 6:30a.m., a boater notified deputies that they found a man unresponsive in the water at Lone Star Lake, according to a media release from the Douglas County Sheriff's office.Investigators learned that an 81-year-old Lawrence man was part of a group that regularly swims at the lake. He had broken off from the group to return to shore and was found a short time later was located unresponsive in the water.

Sheriff: Kansas man dies while swimming on 4th of July

SEDGWICK COUNTY — A registered sex offender entered a guilty plea to&nbsp; murder and sex crimes in connection with his wife's death in 2020.

&nbsp;Just before his trial was to begin, Craig Johnston, 44,&nbsp; pleaded guilty last week to reckless second-degree murder, attempted rape, attempted aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated sexual battery, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.&nbsp;

On October 23, 2020, deputies responded to the report of an injured woman at a home in the 7900 block of West 109th in Sedgwick, according to Sheriff's Lt. Benjamin Blick.

When they arrived they found 40-year-old Amber Dawn Slankard with critical injuries.&nbsp;&nbsp;EMS transported her to Via Christi St. Francis and she later died of her injuries.

Deputies transported her husband Craig Johnston to Sheriff Investigations and later booked him on requested charges of Second Degree Murder and violations of the Offender Registration Act, according to Blick.&nbsp;

Johnston has a previous conviction from Illinois in 1997 for aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim between the age of 13-16, according to the Offender Registry. Johnston is scheduled to be sentenced on August 12, according to the district attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1656773771864.png" alt="Johnston-photo KBI offender registry" />
 <figcaption>Johnston-photo KBI offender registry</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — A registered sex offender entered a guilty plea to&nbsp; murder and sex crimes in connection with his wife's death in 2020.&nbsp;Just before his trial was to begin, Craig Johnston, 44,&nbsp; pleaded guilty last week to reckless second-degree murder, attempted rape, attempted aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated sexual battery, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.&nbsp;On October 23, 2020, deputies responded to the report of an injured woman at a home in the 7900 block of West 109th in Sedgwick, according to Sheriff's Lt. Benjamin Blick.When they arrived they found 40-year-old Amber Dawn Slankard with critical injuries.&nbsp;&nbsp;EMS transported her to Via Christi St. Francis and she later died of her injuries.Deputies transported her husband Craig Johnston to Sheriff Investigations and later booked him on requested charges of Second Degree Murder and violations of the Offender Registration Act, according to Blick.&nbsp;Johnston has a previous conviction from Illinois in 1997 for aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim between the age of 13-16, according to the Offender Registry. Johnston is scheduled to be sentenced on August 12, according to the district attorney's office.

Sex offender enters plea in wife's murder at their Kan. home

GRAND ISLAND, Neb.-A line of severe storms that swept across southwest and central Nebraska spawned a tornado within the city limits of Grand Island on Sunday night.

At around 9:35 p.m., the National Weather Service in Hastings reported a cluster of severe storms in Buffalo County was showing signs of rotation aloft as it entered Hall County.

As the storm entered the city of Grand Island just before 1:00 a.m. on Monday, it intensified and a tornado formed on the city's south side.

Hall County Emergency Management reported damage to at least four homes, as well as damage to power utilities. The damage was all reported south of Husker Highway and East of South Locust St. No injuries were reported.

The National Weather Service will assess the damage Monday to determine the strength of the tornado.

<a href="https://northplattepost.com/posts/2ddcec21-000f-4ace-b19e-4250120d6629">&nbsp;&nbsp;Download The Post app for iOs or Android</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/6/1560023806185.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By SCOTT CARLSON North Platte PostGRAND ISLAND, Neb.-A line of severe storms that swept across southwest and central Nebraska spawned a tornado within the city limits of Grand Island on Sunday night.At around 9:35 p.m., the National Weather Service in Hastings reported a cluster of severe storms in Buffalo County was showing signs of rotation aloft as it entered Hall County.As the storm entered the city of Grand Island just before 1:00 a.m. on Monday, it intensified and a tornado formed on the city's south side.Hall County Emergency Management reported damage to at least four homes, as well as damage to power utilities. The damage was all reported south of Husker Highway and East of South Locust St. No injuries were reported.The National Weather Service will assess the damage Monday to determine the strength of the tornado.<a href="https://northplattepost.com/posts/2ddcec21-000f-4ace-b19e-4250120d6629">&nbsp;&nbsp;Download The Post app for iOs or Android</a><figure>
 <img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/GM3zO_4pGRPuNsN_D712XqAWwBDP3fkucmI7VYxisRYweO4JF_mMMRRGcqeYXMHlsWUJWdQCdBeVZ_eFSTwVUWNah-OiybgUwbMzzhg95YunPUpQkiLfzTynzH9jfwShaYKpkAsFf91LOBarWQ" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Tornado causes damage in Grand Island Sunday night

By LILY O'SHEA BECKER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/29/brother-and-sister-recount-very-traumatizing-amtrak-derailment-in-missouri/">Kansas Reflector</a>

A mother aboard a train derailment in
 Mendon, Missouri, on Monday climbed on top of the wreckage and went 
from train car to train car, yelling into each window while searching 
for her three children, according to her son, Dax McDonald.&nbsp;

The Amtrak train was traveling from 
Los Angeles to Chicago when it struck a dump truck approximately 100 
miles northeast of Kansas City, Missouri. Seven cars derailed with 
hundreds of passengers inside. Four passengers were killed and 150 
others were injured, with some in critical condition, according to a 
news briefing Wednesday from the University of Kansas Health System.&nbsp;

“I honestly thought at first it would
 just be a large delay,” McDonald said during the briefing. “I’ve heard 
of trains hitting cars before, but then when I started to feel the train
 start to tip, I saw the car in front of us start to turn, or fall over.
 That’s when I kind of knew that this went from a delay to a 
life-or-death situation.”

McDonald, from Phoenix, Arizona, was 
traveling with his mother and two sisters from Arizona to Iowa to visit 
family for the Fourth of July, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kmbc.com/article/dax-samantha-mcdonald-describe-missouri-amtrak-trail-derailment/40451980">KMBC-TV reported</a>.
 While McDonald was sitting on the right side of the train and emerged 
from the derailment virtually unscathed, his sister, Samantha McDonald, 
was sitting on the left side of the train.

“When the crash happened,” she said, 
“I was on the left side of the train car that we were in, and I was 
thrown to the other side of the train car, hitting my head and scraping 
my face and hitting the right side of my body against the train car. … 
So because of that, I was bleeding from the right side of my face.”&nbsp;

She was taken to Moberly Regional Medical Center in Moberly, Missouri, for a CT scan and X-rays for her knee.&nbsp;

“Everything cleared up. I’m OK, obviously — just a little banged up,” Samantha McDonald said.

Dax McDonald recalled the person in 
front of him having a seizure and people immediately calling for help 
with broken limbs or unable to move.&nbsp;

Dax McDonald said he was looking for a way to get out.

“We kind of realized that both exits 
on the front and back of the train weren’t usable anymore,” he said. 
“The only real exits, we realized after a while, were straight up from 
us.”

Survivors who were able to get out of the train stood on top of the derailed cars and helped pull others out through windows.&nbsp;

“I just remember the man that was 
able to help me climb my way up out of the train was actually, his 
entire face was scratched up, kind of like the side of my face,” 
Samantha McDonald said. “It was very, very traumatizing to see that in 
person and see that actually happening in real life.”&nbsp;

Matt Daugherty, director of business 
development for Life Flight, said because Mendon is rural, many of the 
first responders were nearby volunteer firefighters who left their day 
jobs to help assist.&nbsp;

Daugherty said 11 helicopters 
responded to the derailment, with the first one arriving within 20 
minutes to help assist those who were most injured.&nbsp;

According to Daugherty, most injuries included head wounds, broken bones and cuts from debris.&nbsp;

Dan Manley, assistant fire chief for 
Lee’s Summit, Missouri, helped coordinate resources and response to the 
derailment. He said several agencies in the region are equipped to 
respond to derailments because they have received special passenger rail
 rescue training.&nbsp;

“I’m so thankful for the entire 
community of Mendon who came out,” Dax McDonald said. “We went to the 
high school — they already had drinks and food and water. They had the 
whole gymnasium set up. The whole town basically came out.”

Dax McDonald said he saw farmers 
drive a tractor through a field toward the train to help people. He said
 the community brought crowbars and ladders to help people out of the 
train.&nbsp;

Samantha McDonald, who is a pre-med 
student at the University of Arizona, was asked whether this event has 
changed her mind on joining the medical field.

“I think if anything, this kind of 
reignites the fire for being a part of the teams that are able to come 
out there and were on scene and were absolutely outstanding,” she said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656361752974.png" alt="An image courtesy a video posted by Robert Nightingale, who was a passenger aboard the Amtrak train that derailed on Monday, June 27, in Mendon, Missouri." />
 <figcaption>An image courtesy a video posted by Robert Nightingale, who was a passenger aboard the Amtrak train that derailed on Monday, June 27, in Mendon, Missouri.</figcaption>
 </figure>By LILY O'SHEA BECKER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/29/brother-and-sister-recount-very-traumatizing-amtrak-derailment-in-missouri/">Kansas Reflector</a>A mother aboard a train derailment in
 Mendon, Missouri, on Monday climbed on top of the wreckage and went 
from train car to train car, yelling into each window while searching 
for her three children, according to her son, Dax McDonald.&nbsp;The Amtrak train was traveling from 
Los Angeles to Chicago when it struck a dump truck approximately 100 
miles northeast of Kansas City, Missouri. Seven cars derailed with 
hundreds of passengers inside. Four passengers were killed and 150 
others were injured, with some in critical condition, according to a 
news briefing Wednesday from the University of Kansas Health System.&nbsp;McDonald said he first heard a bang.“I honestly thought at first it would
 just be a large delay,” McDonald said during the briefing. “I’ve heard 
of trains hitting cars before, but then when I started to feel the train
 start to tip, I saw the car in front of us start to turn, or fall over.
 That’s when I kind of knew that this went from a delay to a 
life-or-death situation.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656536759084.png" alt=" Dax and Samantha McDonald describe the Amtrak train derailment in Mendon, Missouri, during a news briefing Wednesday by the University of Kansas Health System. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from KU Health briefing)" />
 <figcaption> Dax and Samantha McDonald describe the Amtrak train derailment in Mendon, Missouri, during a news briefing Wednesday by the University of Kansas Health System. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from KU Health briefing)</figcaption>
 </figure>McDonald, from Phoenix, Arizona, was 
traveling with his mother and two sisters from Arizona to Iowa to visit 
family for the Fourth of July, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kmbc.com/article/dax-samantha-mcdonald-describe-missouri-amtrak-trail-derailment/40451980">KMBC-TV reported</a>.
 While McDonald was sitting on the right side of the train and emerged 
from the derailment virtually unscathed, his sister, Samantha McDonald, 
was sitting on the left side of the train.“When the crash happened,” she said, 
“I was on the left side of the train car that we were in, and I was 
thrown to the other side of the train car, hitting my head and scraping 
my face and hitting the right side of my body against the train car. … 
So because of that, I was bleeding from the right side of my face.”&nbsp;She was taken to Moberly Regional Medical Center in Moberly, Missouri, for a CT scan and X-rays for her knee.&nbsp;“Everything cleared up. I’m OK, obviously — just a little banged up,” Samantha McDonald said.Dax McDonald recalled the person in 
front of him having a seizure and people immediately calling for help 
with broken limbs or unable to move.&nbsp;Dax McDonald said he was looking for a way to get out.“We kind of realized that both exits 
on the front and back of the train weren’t usable anymore,” he said. 
“The only real exits, we realized after a while, were straight up from 
us.”Survivors who were able to get out of the train stood on top of the derailed cars and helped pull others out through windows.&nbsp;“I just remember the man that was 
able to help me climb my way up out of the train was actually, his 
entire face was scratched up, kind of like the side of my face,” 
Samantha McDonald said. “It was very, very traumatizing to see that in 
person and see that actually happening in real life.”&nbsp;Matt Daugherty, director of business 
development for Life Flight, said because Mendon is rural, many of the 
first responders were nearby volunteer firefighters who left their day 
jobs to help assist.&nbsp;Daugherty said 11 helicopters 
responded to the derailment, with the first one arriving within 20 
minutes to help assist those who were most injured.&nbsp;According to Daugherty, most injuries included head wounds, broken bones and cuts from debris.&nbsp;Dan Manley, assistant fire chief for 
Lee’s Summit, Missouri, helped coordinate resources and response to the 
derailment. He said several agencies in the region are equipped to 
respond to derailments because they have received special passenger rail
 rescue training.&nbsp;“I’m so thankful for the entire 
community of Mendon who came out,” Dax McDonald said. “We went to the 
high school — they already had drinks and food and water. They had the 
whole gymnasium set up. The whole town basically came out.”Dax McDonald said he saw farmers 
drive a tractor through a field toward the train to help people. He said
 the community brought crowbars and ladders to help people out of the 
train.&nbsp;Samantha McDonald, who is a pre-med 
student at the University of Arizona, was asked whether this event has 
changed her mind on joining the medical field.“I think if anything, this kind of 
reignites the fire for being a part of the teams that are able to come 
out there and were on scene and were absolutely outstanding,” she said.

Brother and sister recount ‘traumatizing’ Amtrak derailment

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for drug crimes.

&nbsp;On June 29, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit and the Shawnee County Drug Task Force served a search warrant in the 600 Block of SW Medford in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Ronnie Connell

&nbsp;While conducting the search warrant, officers located marijuana, crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia.

As a result, Larry Hines, 71, was transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Distribute Certain Stimulants, Distribution within 1000’ of a school, Possession of marijuana and Possession of drug paraphernalia with intent of distribution.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656599998332.png" alt="Hines-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Hines-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for drug crimes.&nbsp;On June 29, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit and the Shawnee County Drug Task Force served a search warrant in the 600 Block of SW Medford in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Ronnie Connell&nbsp;While conducting the search warrant, officers located marijuana, crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia.As a result, Larry Hines, 71, was transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Distribute Certain Stimulants, Distribution within 1000’ of a school, Possession of marijuana and Possession of drug paraphernalia with intent of distribution.

Police: 71-year-old Kan. man found with crack cocaine, marijuana

LINCOLN, Neb.-Police in Lincoln are investigating a hit and run that left a Lincoln man dead.

Police said the crash happened on Saturday at around 9:26 p.m., at the intersection of 37th and O Streets.

Police said a Ford was traveling westbound on O St. when it crossed the center line and struck an eastbound Subaru. The Subaru was pushed in another vehicle.

Police said the driver of the Ford left the scene on foot shortly after the crash. Police said they have located surveillance video of the suspect and are working to locate them.

The driver of the Subaru, a 19-year-old Lincoln man, was transported to a local hospital where he later died. All others involved were treated and released.

Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the accident to contact them at 402-441-6000.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/6/1559737258290.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By SCOTT CARLSON North Platte PostLINCOLN, Neb.-Police in Lincoln are investigating a hit and run that left a Lincoln man dead.Police said the crash happened on Saturday at around 9:26 p.m., at the intersection of 37th and O Streets.Police said a Ford was traveling westbound on O St. when it crossed the center line and struck an eastbound Subaru. The Subaru was pushed in another vehicle.Police said the driver of the Ford left the scene on foot shortly after the crash. Police said they have located surveillance video of the suspect and are working to locate them.The driver of the Subaru, a 19-year-old Lincoln man, was transported to a local hospital where he later died. All others involved were treated and released.Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the accident to contact them at 402-441-6000.

Lincoln police investigating fatal hit-and-run

The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade at a time when it has an unprecedented Catholic supermajority.

That's not a coincidence. Nor is it the whole story.

The justices who voted to overturn Roe have been shaped by a church whose catechism affirms “the moral evil of every procured abortion” and whose U.S. bishops have declared opposition to abortion their “preeminent priority" in public policy.

But that alone doesn't explain the justices' votes.

Click below to watch as President Biden convenes a virtual meeting on Friday with Governors to discuss efforts to protect access to abortion.

U.S. Catholics as a whole are far more ambivalent on abortion than their church leaders, with more than half believing it should be legal in all or most circumstances, according to the Pew Research Center.

Notable Catholics who support abortion rights include&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-biden-china-madrid-fe9c7fe07122413754d087e61a95a202">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pope-francis-politics-religion-nancy-pelosi-249a32b2af9de647f1bae94aacb60c6e">House Speaker Nancy Pelosi</a>, both Democrats. Democratic-appointed Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a Catholic, dissented in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned Roe.

But the justices in the Dobbs majority aren't simply cradle Catholics. Several have ties to intellectual and social currents within Catholicism that, for all their differences, share a doctrinal conservatism and strong opposition to abortion.

“It’s not simply choosing Catholics,” said Steven Millies, professor of public theology at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and author of “Good Intentions: A History of Catholic Voters’ Road from Roe to Trump."

“It is because they are particular kinds of Catholics, traveling in particular Catholic circles that not everyone in your local parish is identifying with," Millies said.

In Dobbs, five justices voted to overturn Roe — Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas. A sixth, Chief Justice John Roberts, balked at overturning Roe but voted to uphold the Mississippi abortion restrictions in question.

Most went to some combination of Catholic high schools, colleges or graduate schools. The one exception, Dobbs author Alito, has fondly described growing up in a home where “church and the family” were preeminent. Five of the six justices still identify as Catholic, while Gorsuch has attended an Episcopal church more recently.

The Supreme Court was dominated by Protestant justices for much of its history. The majority have been Catholic since the 1990s, and for several years in the last decade, the court had six Catholic justices, three Jews and no Protestants. (&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-swearing-in-5a5115f58e163789dfda5a8af0b14221">Newly sworn-in Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson</a>&nbsp;identifies as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-stephen-breyer-us-supreme-court-religion-judiciary-e87c64f1d5eb5cb61c8125df55ff8059">Protestant</a>.)

But religious identity has mattered less of late than ideology, which is why conservative evangelicals have cheered on the Republican-nominated Catholics, said Nomi Stolzenberg, a University of Southern California Law School professor focusing on law and religion.

In fact, eight of the last nine Republican nominees to be confirmed to the Supreme Court, from the Reagan to the Trump presidencies, have had Catholic pedigrees.

That religious demographic may seem striking given Republicans' loyal evangelical Protestant constituency.

But partly it's a matter of the available talent pool: Catholic immigrants' descendants have intensely pursued legal professions.

Catholic institutions built their own intellectually rigorous law schools to aid in social assimilation and upward mobility. Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh began as a night school for working class immigrants.

In time, Catholics were studying at Ivy League schools and reaching the judicial elite.

“It’s an immigrant story, how Catholics and Jews overcame anti-Catholic and antisemitic resistance and eventually flooded into elite schools,” Stolzenberg said. A 2017 study found 28% of federal appellate judges are Catholic, and 19% are Jewish.

Millies said some of the earlier Republican-appointed justices disappointed conservatives by voting to uphold Roe.

“Republicans were looking for an identifier in the selection process that would make them safe,” he said. “By the '80s, it became Catholics.”

That, too, reflects the immigrant story, Millies said, as many midcentury Catholics sought to prove their American bona fides as staunchly anti-communist social conservatives.

“Catholics earned a marquee spot in American culture as being reliable, patriotic Americans,” he said.

Even the Catholic nominees weren’t all reliable. The now-retired Anthony Kennedy affirmed Roe and gay marriage. But later Republican administrations also scrutinized candidates’ judicial records and involvement in influential organizations such as the Federalist Society, Millies said.

Gorsuch, who like several in the Dobbs majority has appeared at multiple Federalist Society events, studied at Oxford University with Catholic legal philosopher John Finnis.

Finnis is a proponent of “natural law,” described in the Catholic catechism as “the original moral sense which enables man to discern by reason the good and the evil.” Gorsuch himself applied that principle in a book opposing assisted suicide.

“It may be the case that Gorsuch is no longer a practicing Catholic — we don’t know,” Stolzenberg said. “What we do know is that his legal philosophy is shaped by the conservative Catholic philosophy of natural law.”

Barrett has long been affiliated with People of Praise, an ecumenical Christian group with a significant Catholic membership. It combines a doctrinal and moral conservatism, including opposition to abortion.

Thomas was raised Catholic in a largely Protestant extended family and briefly attended Catholic seminary, later attending an Episcopal church before returning to Catholicism. He has praised the Catholic nuns who taught him and the grandfather who raised him, a Catholic who “worked hard to provide for his family" and “a deeply religious man who lived by the Christian virtues.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-gun-politics-gay-rights-marriage-b9062feb4f80c49de088c36b0f17aa7c">Thomas, concurring on Dobbs</a>, went further in saying the court should reconsider other rights that past courts granted based on legal theories similar to Roe. Such precedents voided state laws against contraception, gay sex and same-sex marriage.

In a speech at Notre Dame University in 2021, Thomas paid tribute to the influence of the late Justice Antonin Scalia, long the court's conservative stalwart.

Despite their different backgrounds — Thomas grew up in segregated Georgia in an African American family with limited education, Scalia in New Jersey as the son of a doctorate-earning Italian immigrant — “we were both Catholics, attended parochial schools and ... benefited from a common culture," Thomas said.

Scalia — who regularly attended the Latin Mass, a rite that appeals to many conservative Catholics — influenced not only Thomas but other recent appointees.

“All of these people would say, ‘We are followers of Scalia,'” Stolzenberg said. “Scalia was a conservative Catholic. That very much stamped him and marked his legal philosophy.”

But with conservatives racking up win after win on the court — overturning Roe, loosening gun restrictions and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-coach-prayer-2981a8073ea82a1a688c367270c941aa">expanding religious access to public forums</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-decision-religious-schools-aid-85645580702ed5ff125cf9760024ae89">money</a>&nbsp;— their coalition will be tested, observers said.

They long coalesced around the idea of “originalism” — that justices should interpret the Constitution based on how its writers meant or applied it.

But originalism, with its purported moral neutrality, is “not any longer going to serve the needs of the pro-life coalition," said Bruce Ledewitz, a Duquesne University School of Law professor focused on constitutional law and religion. Some are talking about legislation declaring fetal personhood, and “originalism doesn't get you there,” he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656105291910.png" alt="Protesters outside the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24.-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Protesters outside the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24.-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>By PETER SMITH, Associated PressThe Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade at a time when it has an unprecedented Catholic supermajority.That's not a coincidence. Nor is it the whole story.The justices who voted to overturn Roe have been shaped by a church whose catechism affirms “the moral evil of every procured abortion” and whose U.S. bishops have declared opposition to abortion their “preeminent priority" in public policy.But that alone doesn't explain the justices' votes.Click below to watch as President Biden convenes a virtual meeting on Friday with Governors to discuss efforts to protect access to abortion.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F1017171738987366%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=100" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>U.S. Catholics as a whole are far more ambivalent on abortion than their church leaders, with more than half believing it should be legal in all or most circumstances, according to the Pew Research Center.Notable Catholics who support abortion rights include&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-biden-china-madrid-fe9c7fe07122413754d087e61a95a202">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pope-francis-politics-religion-nancy-pelosi-249a32b2af9de647f1bae94aacb60c6e">House Speaker Nancy Pelosi</a>, both Democrats. Democratic-appointed Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a Catholic, dissented in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned Roe.But the justices in the Dobbs majority aren't simply cradle Catholics. Several have ties to intellectual and social currents within Catholicism that, for all their differences, share a doctrinal conservatism and strong opposition to abortion.“It’s not simply choosing Catholics,” said Steven Millies, professor of public theology at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and author of “Good Intentions: A History of Catholic Voters’ Road from Roe to Trump."“It is because they are particular kinds of Catholics, traveling in particular Catholic circles that not everyone in your local parish is identifying with," Millies said.In Dobbs, five justices voted to overturn Roe — Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas. A sixth, Chief Justice John Roberts, balked at overturning Roe but voted to uphold the Mississippi abortion restrictions in question.All six were raised Catholic.Most went to some combination of Catholic high schools, colleges or graduate schools. The one exception, Dobbs author Alito, has fondly described growing up in a home where “church and the family” were preeminent. Five of the six justices still identify as Catholic, while Gorsuch has attended an Episcopal church more recently.The Supreme Court was dominated by Protestant justices for much of its history. The majority have been Catholic since the 1990s, and for several years in the last decade, the court had six Catholic justices, three Jews and no Protestants. (&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-swearing-in-5a5115f58e163789dfda5a8af0b14221">Newly sworn-in Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson</a>&nbsp;identifies as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-stephen-breyer-us-supreme-court-religion-judiciary-e87c64f1d5eb5cb61c8125df55ff8059">Protestant</a>.)But religious identity has mattered less of late than ideology, which is why conservative evangelicals have cheered on the Republican-nominated Catholics, said Nomi Stolzenberg, a University of Southern California Law School professor focusing on law and religion.In fact, eight of the last nine Republican nominees to be confirmed to the Supreme Court, from the Reagan to the Trump presidencies, have had Catholic pedigrees.That religious demographic may seem striking given Republicans' loyal evangelical Protestant constituency.But partly it's a matter of the available talent pool: Catholic immigrants' descendants have intensely pursued legal professions.Catholic institutions built their own intellectually rigorous law schools to aid in social assimilation and upward mobility. Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh began as a night school for working class immigrants.In time, Catholics were studying at Ivy League schools and reaching the judicial elite.“It’s an immigrant story, how Catholics and Jews overcame anti-Catholic and antisemitic resistance and eventually flooded into elite schools,” Stolzenberg said. A 2017 study found 28% of federal appellate judges are Catholic, and 19% are Jewish.Millies said some of the earlier Republican-appointed justices disappointed conservatives by voting to uphold Roe.“Republicans were looking for an identifier in the selection process that would make them safe,” he said. “By the '80s, it became Catholics.”That, too, reflects the immigrant story, Millies said, as many midcentury Catholics sought to prove their American bona fides as staunchly anti-communist social conservatives.“Catholics earned a marquee spot in American culture as being reliable, patriotic Americans,” he said.Even the Catholic nominees weren’t all reliable. The now-retired Anthony Kennedy affirmed Roe and gay marriage. But later Republican administrations also scrutinized candidates’ judicial records and involvement in influential organizations such as the Federalist Society, Millies said.Gorsuch, who like several in the Dobbs majority has appeared at multiple Federalist Society events, studied at Oxford University with Catholic legal philosopher John Finnis.Finnis is a proponent of “natural law,” described in the Catholic catechism as “the original moral sense which enables man to discern by reason the good and the evil.” Gorsuch himself applied that principle in a book opposing assisted suicide.“It may be the case that Gorsuch is no longer a practicing Catholic — we don’t know,” Stolzenberg said. “What we do know is that his legal philosophy is shaped by the conservative Catholic philosophy of natural law.”Barrett has long been affiliated with People of Praise, an ecumenical Christian group with a significant Catholic membership. It combines a doctrinal and moral conservatism, including opposition to abortion.Thomas was raised Catholic in a largely Protestant extended family and briefly attended Catholic seminary, later attending an Episcopal church before returning to Catholicism. He has praised the Catholic nuns who taught him and the grandfather who raised him, a Catholic who “worked hard to provide for his family" and “a deeply religious man who lived by the Christian virtues.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-gun-politics-gay-rights-marriage-b9062feb4f80c49de088c36b0f17aa7c">Thomas, concurring on Dobbs</a>, went further in saying the court should reconsider other rights that past courts granted based on legal theories similar to Roe. Such precedents voided state laws against contraception, gay sex and same-sex marriage.In a speech at Notre Dame University in 2021, Thomas paid tribute to the influence of the late Justice Antonin Scalia, long the court's conservative stalwart.Despite their different backgrounds — Thomas grew up in segregated Georgia in an African American family with limited education, Scalia in New Jersey as the son of a doctorate-earning Italian immigrant — “we were both Catholics, attended parochial schools and ... benefited from a common culture," Thomas said.Scalia — who regularly attended the Latin Mass, a rite that appeals to many conservative Catholics — influenced not only Thomas but other recent appointees.“All of these people would say, ‘We are followers of Scalia,'” Stolzenberg said. “Scalia was a conservative Catholic. That very much stamped him and marked his legal philosophy.”But with conservatives racking up win after win on the court — overturning Roe, loosening gun restrictions and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-coach-prayer-2981a8073ea82a1a688c367270c941aa">expanding religious access to public forums</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-decision-religious-schools-aid-85645580702ed5ff125cf9760024ae89">money</a>&nbsp;— their coalition will be tested, observers said.They long coalesced around the idea of “originalism” — that justices should interpret the Constitution based on how its writers meant or applied it.But originalism, with its purported moral neutrality, is “not any longer going to serve the needs of the pro-life coalition," said Bruce Ledewitz, a Duquesne University School of Law professor focused on constitutional law and religion. Some are talking about legislation declaring fetal personhood, and “originalism doesn't get you there,” he said.

🎥Anti-Roe justices a part of Catholicism's conservative wing

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and LINDSEY TANNER

KANSAS City (AP) —They call her, desperate, scared and often broke. Some are rape and domestic violence victims. Others are new mothers, still breastfeeding infants. Another pregnancy so soon, they say, is something they just can't handle.

(Click below to watch as President Biden convenes a virtual meeting on Friday with Governors to discuss efforts to protect access to abortion.)

“Heart wrenching,” said Angela Huntington, an abortion navigator for Planned Parenthood in Missouri, who is helping callers reschedule canceled abortion appointments — sometimes hundreds of miles away from their homes — after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">the fall of Roe v. Wade</a>.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-samuel-alito-66c301d223759e842ad95e89f597d587">The ruling</a>&nbsp;has set off a travel scramble across the country, with a growing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-ruling-states-a767801145ad01617100e57410a0a21d">number of states</a>&nbsp;mostly banning the procedure. Clinics operators are moving, doctors are counseling crying patients, donations are pouring into nonprofits and one group is dispatching vans to administer abortion pills. Some cities — like Kansas City and St. Louis — also are drafting plans to help with the travel logistics.

Huntington has been preparing for this moment for months. Even before the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week to end constitutional protection for abortion, the procedure had become difficult to nearly impossible to obtain in states including Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri.

“Basically," she said, they were “living in a post Roe era."

Now a fresh round of laws are taking effect. Staff at a clinic in Nashville were flooded with calls from patients trying to understand the new legal landscape, after a federal court on Tuesday allowed the state's ban on abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy to take effect.

In Arkansas, some patients already were headed to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Little Rock to obtain medication-induced abortions when the decision came down last week. Upon arriving, they were sent home.

“I cannot believe this is happening today,” they told Huntington. Or alternatively, they muttered, their voices oozing with sarcasm, “ Of course it’s happening today.”

Huntington and others try to help move their appointments to clinics in Kansas, Illinois and even Colorado. If a patient is broke but has access to a reliable car, Huntington can offer gas cards. She works with nonprofits to arrange commercial flights and lodging. In recent weeks, she said, a group called Elevated Access has enlisted volunteer light aircraft pilots to transport patients to abortion appointments, sometimes departing from small rural airstrips.

“It’s been hell,’’ said Dr. Jeanne Corwin, a gynecologist who works at a clinic in Dayton, Ohio, where most patients are being turned away after new state rules took effect banning abortions after a heartbeat can be detected. Many are being sent over the border to Indiana and the clinic’s sister site in Indianapolis, where Corwin also works.

She said they are desperate, including a patient in her 30s, recently diagnosed with advanced melanoma and in her first trimester.

“She has to end her pregnancy’’ so she can begin chemotherapy, and is going to Indiana, Corwin said, adding that patients who are beyond Indiana’s 14-week cutoff are being sent to Illinois or Michigan.

Time also may be short for women diverted to Indiana because lawmakers there are expected to re-consider the state’s abortion laws at a special session starting July 6.

The situation is particularly difficult for immigrants who are in the country illegally, said Lupe Rodríguez, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice.

Many of them lack the documentation to take a commercial flight, and occasionally border agents search buses for immigrants who are in the country illegally, she said.

“They’re simply not able to go anywhere to get this care," she said, adding that the ruling has also created widespread confusion, with pregnant women fearful they could face criminal prosecution. “There’s a lot of misinformation."

In Missouri, where abortions were already severely restricted, a new ban took effect Friday that only allows the procedure in “cases of medical emergency.” Kansas City leaders are weighing a $300 stipend to help employees travel for an abortion. And across the state, in St. Louis, elected officials are considering another measure that would use $1 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to pay for transportation, lodging and other logistical support for abortion seekers.

“It’s kind of an American nightmare that we’re scrambling to find health care like this," said St. Louis Alderwoman Annie Rice, adding that she anticipated the measure would pass by mid-July. If that happens, abortion opponents have vowed to ask the state's attorney general to sue.

Just the Pill, a nonprofit health organization that helps patients&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-technology-politics-health-016eb3efd65dafc2b568af1495f5bac5">obtain abortion pills</a>, is hitting the road. It has purchased two vans — one medication van and another where surgical abortions will be done — with plans to begin operating those vans by mid- to-late-July in Colorado. The idea is to be close to the borders of states that have restricted or outlawed abortion.

Mississippi's only abortion clinic, which is nicknamed the Pink House because of its bright pink paint job, is facing the prospect of closing if it loses its lawsuit that seeks to block a state law that makes most abortions illegal as of July 7.

“We’re not giving up,” said the clinic’s owner, Diane Derzis, who plans to open a new abortion clinic called the Pink House West early next month in Las Cruces, New Mexico. “Women have always had abortions, no matter what it took.”

Following the ruling, donations have been pouring in to abortion funds like South Dakota Access for Every Woman. Normally the group would get seven to 10 donations per month. Now they are getting 10 to 20 a day, said Evelyn Griesse, a co-founder of the group. The money goes straight to the abortion providers.

“If the woman says she’s using some of her own personal money to pay for the abortion, we say use that money to do your travel expenses," Griesse said.

Some states are rolling out the welcome mat. Connecticut’s governor is out with a new campaign ad that touts the state’s laws protecting abortion rights for women. They include a soon-to-take-effect law that protects medical providers and patients from out-of-state legal actions.

“Women deserve the right to make their own decisions about their health care,” Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat running for reelection in November, said in the 30-second commercial released over the weekend.

In Pennsylvania, where state law still allows abortions in the first 24 weeks, clinics are bracing for an influx of out-of-state patients.

Susan Frietsche, a staff attorney for the Women’s Law Project, which represents abortion clinics in Pennsylvania, cautioned that state residents seeking abortions may have a harder time finding appointments, too.

“It affects everybody in the country,” Frietsche said. “Whereas yesterday, Pennsylvania providers were basically able to find appointment times for people who need to be seen, that is not going to be the case soon, and Pennsylvanians are going to have to travel to other states and not because the law here has changed, but you won’t be able to find an appointment soon, this is such a time-sensitive service.”

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and LINDSEY TANNERKANSAS City (AP) —They call her, desperate, scared and often broke. Some are rape and domestic violence victims. Others are new mothers, still breastfeeding infants. Another pregnancy so soon, they say, is something they just can't handle.(Click below to watch as President Biden convenes a virtual meeting on Friday with Governors to discuss efforts to protect access to abortion.)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F1017171738987366%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=100" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>“Heart wrenching,” said Angela Huntington, an abortion navigator for Planned Parenthood in Missouri, who is helping callers reschedule canceled abortion appointments — sometimes hundreds of miles away from their homes — after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">the fall of Roe v. Wade</a>.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-samuel-alito-66c301d223759e842ad95e89f597d587">The ruling</a>&nbsp;has set off a travel scramble across the country, with a growing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-ruling-states-a767801145ad01617100e57410a0a21d">number of states</a>&nbsp;mostly banning the procedure. Clinics operators are moving, doctors are counseling crying patients, donations are pouring into nonprofits and one group is dispatching vans to administer abortion pills. Some cities — like Kansas City and St. Louis — also are drafting plans to help with the travel logistics.Huntington has been preparing for this moment for months. Even before the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week to end constitutional protection for abortion, the procedure had become difficult to nearly impossible to obtain in states including Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri.“Basically," she said, they were “living in a post Roe era."Now a fresh round of laws are taking effect. Staff at a clinic in Nashville were flooded with calls from patients trying to understand the new legal landscape, after a federal court on Tuesday allowed the state's ban on abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy to take effect.In Arkansas, some patients already were headed to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Little Rock to obtain medication-induced abortions when the decision came down last week. Upon arriving, they were sent home.“I cannot believe this is happening today,” they told Huntington. Or alternatively, they muttered, their voices oozing with sarcasm, “ Of course it’s happening today.”Huntington and others try to help move their appointments to clinics in Kansas, Illinois and even Colorado. If a patient is broke but has access to a reliable car, Huntington can offer gas cards. She works with nonprofits to arrange commercial flights and lodging. In recent weeks, she said, a group called Elevated Access has enlisted volunteer light aircraft pilots to transport patients to abortion appointments, sometimes departing from small rural airstrips.“It’s been hell,’’ said Dr. Jeanne Corwin, a gynecologist who works at a clinic in Dayton, Ohio, where most patients are being turned away after new state rules took effect banning abortions after a heartbeat can be detected. Many are being sent over the border to Indiana and the clinic’s sister site in Indianapolis, where Corwin also works.She said they are desperate, including a patient in her 30s, recently diagnosed with advanced melanoma and in her first trimester.“She has to end her pregnancy’’ so she can begin chemotherapy, and is going to Indiana, Corwin said, adding that patients who are beyond Indiana’s 14-week cutoff are being sent to Illinois or Michigan.Time also may be short for women diverted to Indiana because lawmakers there are expected to re-consider the state’s abortion laws at a special session starting July 6.The situation is particularly difficult for immigrants who are in the country illegally, said Lupe Rodríguez, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice.Many of them lack the documentation to take a commercial flight, and occasionally border agents search buses for immigrants who are in the country illegally, she said.“They’re simply not able to go anywhere to get this care," she said, adding that the ruling has also created widespread confusion, with pregnant women fearful they could face criminal prosecution. “There’s a lot of misinformation."In Missouri, where abortions were already severely restricted, a new ban took effect Friday that only allows the procedure in “cases of medical emergency.” Kansas City leaders are weighing a $300 stipend to help employees travel for an abortion. And across the state, in St. Louis, elected officials are considering another measure that would use $1 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to pay for transportation, lodging and other logistical support for abortion seekers.“It’s kind of an American nightmare that we’re scrambling to find health care like this," said St. Louis Alderwoman Annie Rice, adding that she anticipated the measure would pass by mid-July. If that happens, abortion opponents have vowed to ask the state's attorney general to sue.Just the Pill, a nonprofit health organization that helps patients&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-technology-politics-health-016eb3efd65dafc2b568af1495f5bac5">obtain abortion pills</a>, is hitting the road. It has purchased two vans — one medication van and another where surgical abortions will be done — with plans to begin operating those vans by mid- to-late-July in Colorado. The idea is to be close to the borders of states that have restricted or outlawed abortion.Mississippi's only abortion clinic, which is nicknamed the Pink House because of its bright pink paint job, is facing the prospect of closing if it loses its lawsuit that seeks to block a state law that makes most abortions illegal as of July 7.“We’re not giving up,” said the clinic’s owner, Diane Derzis, who plans to open a new abortion clinic called the Pink House West early next month in Las Cruces, New Mexico. “Women have always had abortions, no matter what it took.”Following the ruling, donations have been pouring in to abortion funds like South Dakota Access for Every Woman. Normally the group would get seven to 10 donations per month. Now they are getting 10 to 20 a day, said Evelyn Griesse, a co-founder of the group. The money goes straight to the abortion providers.“If the woman says she’s using some of her own personal money to pay for the abortion, we say use that money to do your travel expenses," Griesse said.Some states are rolling out the welcome mat. Connecticut’s governor is out with a new campaign ad that touts the state’s laws protecting abortion rights for women. They include a soon-to-take-effect law that protects medical providers and patients from out-of-state legal actions.“Women deserve the right to make their own decisions about their health care,” Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat running for reelection in November, said in the 30-second commercial released over the weekend.In Pennsylvania, where state law still allows abortions in the first 24 weeks, clinics are bracing for an influx of out-of-state patients.Susan Frietsche, a staff attorney for the Women’s Law Project, which represents abortion clinics in Pennsylvania, cautioned that state residents seeking abortions may have a harder time finding appointments, too.“It affects everybody in the country,” Frietsche said. “Whereas yesterday, Pennsylvania providers were basically able to find appointment times for people who need to be seen, that is not going to be the case soon, and Pennsylvanians are going to have to travel to other states and not because the law here has changed, but you won’t be able to find an appointment soon, this is such a time-sensitive service.”

🎥Clinics scramble to divert patients as states ban abortion

WHEELER COUNTY-A fish kill at Pibel Lake in southern Wheeler County has affected a variety of sport fish and set back the size quality of fish in the popular fishing spot.

Thousands of largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie and channel catfish died June 21-22 in the 25-surface-acre lake south of Bartlett. High water temperature combined with a rapid die-off and decay of aquatic vegetation resulted in extremely low dissolved oxygen levels in the lake.&nbsp;

The kill affected larger size fish in each species. A sampling conducted by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission after the kill showed a good number of smaller-sized bass and bluegill survived.

The remaining fish should grow rapidly, and the fishery is expected to recover. However, anglers should note the quality size of fish in the lake will be set back for a year or two. The fishery will be monitored accordingly.&nbsp;

The lake is owned and maintained by the Lower Loup Natural Resources District and is a popular fishing stop for area anglers and travelers.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1656765395277.png" alt="Pibel Lake (Nebraska Dept. of Tourism)" />
 <figcaption>Pibel Lake (Nebraska Dept. of Tourism)</figcaption>
 </figure>By NEBRASKA GAME AND PARKSWHEELER COUNTY-A fish kill at Pibel Lake in southern Wheeler County has affected a variety of sport fish and set back the size quality of fish in the popular fishing spot.Thousands of largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie and channel catfish died June 21-22 in the 25-surface-acre lake south of Bartlett. High water temperature combined with a rapid die-off and decay of aquatic vegetation resulted in extremely low dissolved oxygen levels in the lake.&nbsp;The kill affected larger size fish in each species. A sampling conducted by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission after the kill showed a good number of smaller-sized bass and bluegill survived.The remaining fish should grow rapidly, and the fishery is expected to recover. However, anglers should note the quality size of fish in the lake will be set back for a year or two. The fishery will be monitored accordingly.&nbsp;The lake is owned and maintained by the Lower Loup Natural Resources District and is a popular fishing stop for area anglers and travelers.&nbsp;