By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/20/nebraska-supreme-court-rules-in-favor-of-a-meatpacking-worker-fired-during-the-pandemic/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

The
 Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday reversed a lower court’s opinion 
denying several weeks of unemployment benefits to a packinghouse worker 
who said he refused to take on additional duties of a colleague absent 
with COVID-19.

The
 ruling centered on whether Saied Badawi’s actions leading up to his 
termination from JBS Swift Beef amounted to misconduct, which could 
disqualify him from 14 weeks of unemployment payments.

In
 its 18-page decision, the high court said the employer did not provide 
“competent evidence” to support a lower court finding that Badawi had 
committed misconduct by refusing to perform both jobs.&nbsp;

“At
 best, this record shows only that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, 
fewer employees were able to work at JBS. … Badawi refused the order to 
perform both jobs because he thought he was not physically capable of 
doing so. And the record shows that both before and after Badawi’s 
discharge, the two jobs were performed by two individuals rather than 
one.”

‘Protection for the people, rather than employers’

The
 lawsuit, Badawi vs. Albin, names as a defendant John Albin, director of
 the Nebraska Labor Department, because the department handles 
unemployment benefits.

Albin
 said Friday that the Labor Department was pleased with the high court’s
 decision, as it affirmed procedural matters the department favors, 
particularly that the burden of proof for misconduct when denying 
benefits lies with the employer.

“We really didn’t have a big stake in the determination of whether or not the individual was entitled to benefits,” Albin said.

The lawyer for JBS was not available for comment.

Zach
 Anderson of Legal Aid of Nebraska, who argued on Badawi’s behalf, said 
he was “super excited.” He called the ruling that explicitly says an 
employer must prove misconduct a win for employees.&nbsp;

“It
 offers protection for the people, rather than employers, which impacts 
so many when they’re in the most profound need for safety when 
unemployed,” Anderson said.

Under
 state law, misconduct includes willful disregard of employer interest, 
deliberate violation of rules, disregard of behavior that the employer 
can rightfully expect or intentional disregard of the employee’s 
obligations.

Anderson
 said the case was important also because it pertained to a period of 
time during the early stages of the pandemic when his client was “most 
in need.” The lower court had said Badawi would get unemployment 
benefits, but only after the 14-week penalty.&nbsp;

According to the testimony, Badawi had worked for about 1.5 years at JBS when he was discharged in mid-2020.

The
 Department of Labor found early on that Badawi left his job voluntarily
 without good cause and thus was disqualified from the benefits until he
 met certain requalification requirements.&nbsp;

On
 his appeal to an administrative body called the Nebraska Appeal 
Tribunal, Badawi argued through an Arabic interpreter that he didn’t 
leave his job on his own accord. JBS did not appear for the hearing, 
which also looked at whether Badawi was discharged for misconduct 
connected with his work.

Badawi
 said he was asked to perform his own job duties, which required using a
 knife, as well as those of another employee who was out sick with 
COVID-19.&nbsp;

Badawi
 admitted that JBS had a policy, which he had signed, saying employees 
should be open to an assignment transfer. JBS contended Badawi was 
discharged for “insubordination” because he “repeatedly refused to 
perform the work assigned to him” pursuant to the policy.

Badawi
 testified that the demand that he work two jobs “at the same time” was 
different. He said it was “impossible” to do “a job for two people.”

The
 employer twice sent him home for a week, and upon returning the second 
time, Badawi was not allowed back. He reportedly had been making $18.55 
an hour.

While
 the tribunal eventually found that Badawi did not voluntarily leave 
without cause (and therefore was not disqualified from receiving 
unemployment benefits on that basis), it did find him to be disqualified
 from the 14 weeks of benefits because of misconduct. In part, the 
tribunal said, Badawi was “aware that he could be asked to fill in for 
another position according to the (employer’s) policy.”

The district court affirmed that decision, which was appealed to the Supreme Court, which ultimately reversed the lower court.

“On
 this record there is no competent evidence to support the district 
court’s finding that Badawi committed misconduct by refusing to perform 
both jobs,” the high court ruled.

Anderson said he now expects his client to receive unemployment benefits he was initially denied.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653313205641.png" alt="The Nebraska Supreme Court, housed at the State Capitol. (Courtesy of Rebecca S. Gratz)" />
 <figcaption>The Nebraska Supreme Court, housed at the State Capitol. (Courtesy of Rebecca S. Gratz)</figcaption>
 </figure>By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/20/nebraska-supreme-court-rules-in-favor-of-a-meatpacking-worker-fired-during-the-pandemic/">Nebraska Examiner</a>The
 Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday reversed a lower court’s opinion 
denying several weeks of unemployment benefits to a packinghouse worker 
who said he refused to take on additional duties of a colleague absent 
with COVID-19.The
 ruling centered on whether Saied Badawi’s actions leading up to his 
termination from JBS Swift Beef amounted to misconduct, which could 
disqualify him from 14 weeks of unemployment payments.In
 its 18-page decision, the high court said the employer did not provide 
“competent evidence” to support a lower court finding that Badawi had 
committed misconduct by refusing to perform both jobs.&nbsp;“At
 best, this record shows only that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, 
fewer employees were able to work at JBS. … Badawi refused the order to 
perform both jobs because he thought he was not physically capable of 
doing so. And the record shows that both before and after Badawi’s 
discharge, the two jobs were performed by two individuals rather than 
one.”<h2>‘Protection for the people, rather than employers’</h2>The
 lawsuit, Badawi vs. Albin, names as a defendant John Albin, director of
 the Nebraska Labor Department, because the department handles 
unemployment benefits.Albin
 said Friday that the Labor Department was pleased with the high court’s
 decision, as it affirmed procedural matters the department favors, 
particularly that the burden of proof for misconduct when denying 
benefits lies with the employer.“We really didn’t have a big stake in the determination of whether or not the individual was entitled to benefits,” Albin said.The lawyer for JBS was not available for comment.Zach
 Anderson of Legal Aid of Nebraska, who argued on Badawi’s behalf, said 
he was “super excited.” He called the ruling that explicitly says an 
employer must prove misconduct a win for employees.&nbsp;“It
 offers protection for the people, rather than employers, which impacts 
so many when they’re in the most profound need for safety when 
unemployed,” Anderson said.Under
 state law, misconduct includes willful disregard of employer interest, 
deliberate violation of rules, disregard of behavior that the employer 
can rightfully expect or intentional disregard of the employee’s 
obligations.<h2>When he was ‘most in need’</h2>Anderson
 said the case was important also because it pertained to a period of 
time during the early stages of the pandemic when his client was “most 
in need.” The lower court had said Badawi would get unemployment 
benefits, but only after the 14-week penalty.&nbsp;According to the testimony, Badawi had worked for about 1.5 years at JBS when he was discharged in mid-2020.The
 Department of Labor found early on that Badawi left his job voluntarily
 without good cause and thus was disqualified from the benefits until he
 met certain requalification requirements.&nbsp;On
 his appeal to an administrative body called the Nebraska Appeal 
Tribunal, Badawi argued through an Arabic interpreter that he didn’t 
leave his job on his own accord. JBS did not appear for the hearing, 
which also looked at whether Badawi was discharged for misconduct 
connected with his work.Badawi
 said he was asked to perform his own job duties, which required using a
 knife, as well as those of another employee who was out sick with 
COVID-19.&nbsp;Badawi
 admitted that JBS had a policy, which he had signed, saying employees 
should be open to an assignment transfer. JBS contended Badawi was 
discharged for “insubordination” because he “repeatedly refused to 
perform the work assigned to him” pursuant to the policy.<h2>Lacking ‘competent evidence’</h2>Badawi
 testified that the demand that he work two jobs “at the same time” was 
different. He said it was “impossible” to do “a job for two people.”The
 employer twice sent him home for a week, and upon returning the second 
time, Badawi was not allowed back. He reportedly had been making $18.55 
an hour.While
 the tribunal eventually found that Badawi did not voluntarily leave 
without cause (and therefore was not disqualified from receiving 
unemployment benefits on that basis), it did find him to be disqualified
 from the 14 weeks of benefits because of misconduct. In part, the 
tribunal said, Badawi was “aware that he could be asked to fill in for 
another position according to the (employer’s) policy.”The district court affirmed that decision, which was appealed to the Supreme Court, which ultimately reversed the lower court.“On
 this record there is no competent evidence to support the district 
court’s finding that Badawi committed misconduct by refusing to perform 
both jobs,” the high court ruled.Anderson said he now expects his client to receive unemployment benefits he was initially denied.

Court rules in favor of meatpacking worker fired during pandemic

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A couple hundred people grabbed their pool noodles and headed to a Nebraska park again this weekend to battle over the right to the name Josh. 

The event started as an online joke when Josh Swain from Tucson, Arizona, sent out a tweet challenging anyone who shared his name to fight over it. 

After it took on a life of its own, Swain turned it into a real event last year at the random coordinates he included in his original note, which happened to be in Lincoln, Nebraska.

 Several of the competitors this year donned costumes, but they still couldn't dethrone 5-year-old Josh Vinson Jr. who defended his title as the No. 1 Josh.

By Associated PressLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A couple hundred people grabbed their pool noodles and headed to a Nebraska park again this weekend to battle over the right to the name Josh. The event started as an online joke when Josh Swain from Tucson, Arizona, sent out a tweet challenging anyone who shared his name to fight over it. After it took on a life of its own, Swain turned it into a real event last year at the random coordinates he included in his original note, which happened to be in Lincoln, Nebraska. Several of the competitors this year donned costumes, but they still couldn't dethrone 5-year-old Josh Vinson Jr. who defended his title as the No. 1 Josh.

Pool noodle fight over the name Josh again attracts hundreds

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — President Biden signed legislation to support Ukraine with another $40 billion in U.S. assistance as the Russian invasion approaches its fourth month.

The legislation, which was passed by Congress&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-biden-kyiv-5e277c523f8080672a7479fc4e75c27d">with bipartisan support,</a>&nbsp;deepens the U.S. commitment to Ukraine at a time of uncertainty about the war’s future. Ukraine has successfully defended Kyiv, and Russia has refocused its offensive on the country’s east, but American officials warn of the potential for a prolonged conflict.

The funding is intended to support Ukraine through September, and it dwarfs&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-business-sports-elections-c6797784424afd3d597410cc388f206f">an earlier emergency measure</a>&nbsp;that provided $13.6 billion.

The new legislation will provide $20 billion in military assistance, ensuring a steady stream of advanced weapons that have been used to blunt Russia’s advances. There’s also $8 billion in general economic support, $5 billion to address global food shortages that could result from the collapse of Ukrainian agriculture and more than $1 billion to help refugees.

Biden signed the measure under unusual circumstances. Because he’s in the middle of a trip to Asia, a U.S. official brought a copy of the bill&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-south-korea-asia-seoul-b1c87ec419168374e321330886ef6746">on a commercial flight</a>&nbsp;to Seoul for the president to sign, according to a White House official.

The logistics reflect a sense of urgency around continuing U.S. support for Ukraine, but also the overlapping international challenges facing Biden. Even as he tries to reorient American foreign policy to confront China, he’s continuing to direct resources to the largest conflict in Europe since World War II.

Biden also signed an unrelated measure, one intended to increase access to baby formula at a time when supplies remain scarce in the United States. The legislation will allow government benefits from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children — better known as WIC — to be used to buy more types of infant formula.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653137467921.png" alt="The funding is intended to support Ukraine through September, and it dwarfs&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-business-sports-elections-c6797784424afd3d597410cc388f206f">an earlier emergency measure</a>&nbsp;that provided $13.6 billion-photo White House" />
 <figcaption>The funding is intended to support Ukraine through September, and it dwarfs&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-business-sports-elections-c6797784424afd3d597410cc388f206f">an earlier emergency measure</a>&nbsp;that provided $13.6 billion-photo White House</figcaption>
 </figure>SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — President Biden signed legislation to support Ukraine with another $40 billion in U.S. assistance as the Russian invasion approaches its fourth month.The legislation, which was passed by Congress&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-biden-kyiv-5e277c523f8080672a7479fc4e75c27d">with bipartisan support,</a>&nbsp;deepens the U.S. commitment to Ukraine at a time of uncertainty about the war’s future. Ukraine has successfully defended Kyiv, and Russia has refocused its offensive on the country’s east, but American officials warn of the potential for a prolonged conflict.The funding is intended to support Ukraine through September, and it dwarfs&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-business-sports-elections-c6797784424afd3d597410cc388f206f">an earlier emergency measure</a>&nbsp;that provided $13.6 billion.The new legislation will provide $20 billion in military assistance, ensuring a steady stream of advanced weapons that have been used to blunt Russia’s advances. There’s also $8 billion in general economic support, $5 billion to address global food shortages that could result from the collapse of Ukrainian agriculture and more than $1 billion to help refugees.Biden signed the measure under unusual circumstances. Because he’s in the middle of a trip to Asia, a U.S. official brought a copy of the bill&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-south-korea-asia-seoul-b1c87ec419168374e321330886ef6746">on a commercial flight</a>&nbsp;to Seoul for the president to sign, according to a White House official.The logistics reflect a sense of urgency around continuing U.S. support for Ukraine, but also the overlapping international challenges facing Biden. Even as he tries to reorient American foreign policy to confront China, he’s continuing to direct resources to the largest conflict in Europe since World War II.Biden also signed an unrelated measure, one intended to increase access to baby formula at a time when supplies remain scarce in the United States. The legislation will allow government benefits from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children — better known as WIC — to be used to buy more types of infant formula.

$40B from U.S. to support Ukraine just through September

WASHINGTON, DC&nbsp;—&nbsp;The IRS today issued a revised set of frequently 
asked questions for the 2021 Child Tax Credit. These frequently asked 
questions (FAQs) are released to the public in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/taxpros/fs-2022-29.pdf">Fact Sheet 2022-29</a>PDF, May 20, 2022.

IRSWASHINGTON, DC&nbsp;—&nbsp;The IRS today issued a revised set of frequently 
asked questions for the 2021 Child Tax Credit. These frequently asked 
questions (FAQs) are released to the public in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/taxpros/fs-2022-29.pdf">Fact Sheet 2022-29</a>PDF, May 20, 2022.These FAQ revisions are as follows:<ul>
 <li>Topic A: General Information: Updated questions 1,2,3,4,5,8,9,10,11,13,14,15,16</li><li>Topic E: Advance Payment Process of the Child Tax Credit: Updated questions 2,3</li><li>Topic F: Updating Your Child Tax Credit Information During 2021: Removed questions 1,2 and updated 3,4</li><li>Topic G: Receiving Advance Child Tax Credit Payments: Updated questions 1,6,7,9,10,11</li><li>Topic H: Reconciling Your Advance Child Tax Credit Payments on Your 2021 Tax Return: Updated questions 1,2,9 and removed 10</li><li>Topic J: Unenrolling from Advance Payments: Updated question 1 and removed 2,3,4,5,6,7</li><li>Topic K: Verifying Your Identity to View your Payments2021 Child Tax Credit: Updated 2,3,5,6 and removed 7</li><li>Topic L: Commonly Asked Shared-Custody Questions: Updated 1 and 2</li>
 </ul>

IRS revises 2021 Child Tax Credit, Advance Child Tax Credit frequently asked questions

MCPHERSON —A $25 million gift just made to McPherson College is the largest gift ever made to a private liberal arts college in Kansas and among one of the largest to any Kansas college. 

The gift was made by Drs. Melanie and Richard Lundquist. Melanie Lundquist made the announcement during her Commencement address at MC’s 134th Commencement Ceremony. 

“The impact of the Lundquists’ gift and friendship is truly immeasurable,” said McPherson College president Michael Schneider.

MCPHERSON —A $25 million gift just made to McPherson College is the largest gift ever made to a private liberal arts college in Kansas and among one of the largest to any Kansas college. <div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMcPhersonCollege%2Fvideos%2F5000144596760332%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=0" 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>The gift was made by Drs. Melanie and Richard Lundquist. Melanie Lundquist made the announcement during her Commencement address at MC’s 134th Commencement Ceremony. “The impact of the Lundquists’ gift and friendship is truly immeasurable,” said McPherson College president Michael Schneider.

🎥Largest gift ever to a private liberal arts college in Kansas

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are advising consumers to double-check their jars of Jif peanut butter.

<a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-peanut-butter-may-2022">Click here to see mor</a>e on the products in the recall

Jif’s creamy, crunchy, natural and reduced fat peanut butters have been linked to a salmonella outbreak across 12 states that has left 14 ill, with two people being hospitalized. 

Side effects from salmonella poisoning include fever, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. The J.M. Smucker Co. announced a voluntary recall Friday of some Jif peanut butter products for potential salmonella contamination. The company says jars with lot codes 1274425 through 2140425 have been recalled and should be discarded. Jif is sold at retailers nationwide.

Consumers, restaurants, and retailers should not eat, sell, or serve any recalled Jif brand peanut butter that have lot code numbers 1274425 through 2140425,&nbsp;only if the first seven digits end with 425 (see photo example and Product List with UPC Codes below). This product has a two-year shelf life so consumers should check any Jif peanut butter in their home.

FDA recommends that if you have used the recalled Jif brand peanut butter that have lot code numbers 1274425 through 2140425 and the first seven digits end with 425, you should wash and sanitize surfaces and utensils that could have touched the peanut butter. If you or someone in your household ate this peanut butter and have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/foodborne-pathogens/salmonella-salmonellosis">symptoms</a>&nbsp;of salmonellosis, please contact your healthcare provider

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653259224747.png" alt="Peanut butter case count&nbsp; map -CDC image" />
 <figcaption>Peanut butter case count&nbsp; map -CDC image</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are advising consumers to double-check their jars of Jif peanut butter.<a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-peanut-butter-may-2022">Click here to see mor</a>e on the products in the recallJif’s creamy, crunchy, natural and reduced fat peanut butters have been linked to a salmonella outbreak across 12 states that has left 14 ill, with two people being hospitalized. Side effects from salmonella poisoning include fever, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. The J.M. Smucker Co. announced a voluntary recall Friday of some Jif peanut butter products for potential salmonella contamination. The company says jars with lot codes 1274425 through 2140425 have been recalled and should be discarded. Jif is sold at retailers nationwide.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653259399279.png" alt="FDA image" />
 <figcaption>FDA image</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Recommendation</h2>Consumers, restaurants, and retailers should not eat, sell, or serve any recalled Jif brand peanut butter that have lot code numbers 1274425 through 2140425,&nbsp;only if the first seven digits end with 425 (see photo example and Product List with UPC Codes below). This product has a two-year shelf life so consumers should check any Jif peanut butter in their home.FDA recommends that if you have used the recalled Jif brand peanut butter that have lot code numbers 1274425 through 2140425 and the first seven digits end with 425, you should wash and sanitize surfaces and utensils that could have touched the peanut butter. If you or someone in your household ate this peanut butter and have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/foodborne-pathogens/salmonella-salmonellosis">symptoms</a>&nbsp;of salmonellosis, please contact your healthcare provider

Salmonella: Jif peanut butter products recalled 

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A military plane carrying enough specialty infant formula for more than half a million baby bottles arrived Sunday in Indianapolis,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-government-and-politics-8dd6bfbee3046be4c774c53d4517c870">the first of several flights</a>&nbsp;expected from Europe aimed at relieving a shortage that has sent parents scrambling to find enough to feed their children.

President Joe Biden authorized the use of Air Force planes for the effort, dubbed “Operation Fly Formula,” because no commercial flights were available.

The formula weighed 78,000 pounds. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One as Biden flew from South Korea to Japan.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was in Indianapolis to greet the arrival of the first shipment.

The flights are intended to provide “some incremental relief in the coming days” as the government works on a more lasting response to the shortage, Brian Deese, director of the White House National Economic Council, said Sunday.

Deese told CNN’s “State of the Union” that Sunday’s flight brought 15% of the specialty medical grade formula needed in the U.S., and because of various actions by the government, people should see “more formula in stores starting as early as this week.”

Longer term, he said, the U.S. needs more formula providers “so that no individual company has this much control over supply chains.”

The Biden administration has struggled to address the nationwide shortage of formula, particularly hypoallergenic varieties. The crisis follows the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-business-health-michigan-a4205025fc781b1fb902cdd9e1264b41">closure of the nation’s largest domestic manufacturing plant in Michigan in February</a>&nbsp;due to safety issues.

The White House has said 132 pallets of Nestle Health Science Alfamino Infant and Alfamino Junior formula was to leave Ramstein Air Base in Germany for the U.S. Another 114 pallets of Gerber Good Start Extensive HA formula were expected to arrive in the coming days. Altogether, about 1.5 million 8-ounce bottles of the three formulas, which are hypoallergenic for children with cow’s milk protein allergies, are expected to arrive this week.

Indianapolis was chosen because it is a Nestle distribution hub. The formula will be offloaded into FedEx semitractor-trailers and taken to a Nestle distribution center about a mile away where the company will do a standard quality control check before distributing the supplies to hospitals, pharmacies and doctor’s offices, according to an administration official on site.

In a statement Sunday, the White House said a Pentagon-sourced FedEx Express flight of Nestlé S.A. formula from Ramstein Air Base would be bound for a Nestle facility in Pennsylvania.

Nestle said that over the past few months it has worked “around the clock” to address the formula shortage and help meet demand.

“We have significantly increased the amount of our formulas available to consumers by ramping up production and accelerating general product availability to retailers and online, as well as through hospitals and home health care for those most vulnerable,” the company said in a release.

“At Nestle we are absolutely committed to doing everything we can to get parents and caregivers the formula they need so their children can thrive,” it added. “We prioritized these products because they serve a critical medical purpose as they are for children with cow’s milk protein allergies.”

Under “Operation Fly Formula,” the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services are authorized to request Department of Defense support to pick up overseas infant formula that meets U.S. health and safety standards, so it can get to store shelves faster, according to the USDA.

Alfamino is primarily available through hospitals and home health care companies that serve patients at home.

U.S. regulators and the manufacturer, Abbott Nutrition,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-politics-science-e4aef87dfb74039f1612ca5279e85227">hope to have its Michigan plant reopened</a>&nbsp;next week, but it will take about two months before product is ready for delivery. The Food and Drug Administration this week eased importation requirements for baby formula to try to ease the supply crunch, which has left store shelves void of some brands and some retailers rationing supply for parents nervous about feeding their children.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653255395217.png" alt="President Joe Biden authorized the use of Air Force planes for the effort, dubbed “Operation Fly Formula,” because no commercial flights were available.-photo White House" />
 <figcaption>President Joe Biden authorized the use of Air Force planes for the effort, dubbed “Operation Fly Formula,” because no commercial flights were available.-photo White House</figcaption>
 </figure>INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A military plane carrying enough specialty infant formula for more than half a million baby bottles arrived Sunday in Indianapolis,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-government-and-politics-8dd6bfbee3046be4c774c53d4517c870">the first of several flights</a>&nbsp;expected from Europe aimed at relieving a shortage that has sent parents scrambling to find enough to feed their children.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Operation Fly Formula is underway. Thanks to the teamwork of the men and women of U.S. Transportation Command, needed specialty infant formula is in the United States. <a href="https://t.co/uErzdh6tXk">pic.twitter.com/uErzdh6tXk</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1528422672052502535?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>President Joe Biden authorized the use of Air Force planes for the effort, dubbed “Operation Fly Formula,” because no commercial flights were available.The formula weighed 78,000 pounds. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One as Biden flew from South Korea to Japan.Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was in Indianapolis to greet the arrival of the first shipment.The flights are intended to provide “some incremental relief in the coming days” as the government works on a more lasting response to the shortage, Brian Deese, director of the White House National Economic Council, said Sunday.Deese told CNN’s “State of the Union” that Sunday’s flight brought 15% of the specialty medical grade formula needed in the U.S., and because of various actions by the government, people should see “more formula in stores starting as early as this week.”Longer term, he said, the U.S. needs more formula providers “so that no individual company has this much control over supply chains.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653255351950.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The Biden administration has struggled to address the nationwide shortage of formula, particularly hypoallergenic varieties. The crisis follows the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-business-health-michigan-a4205025fc781b1fb902cdd9e1264b41">closure of the nation’s largest domestic manufacturing plant in Michigan in February</a>&nbsp;due to safety issues.The White House has said 132 pallets of Nestle Health Science Alfamino Infant and Alfamino Junior formula was to leave Ramstein Air Base in Germany for the U.S. Another 114 pallets of Gerber Good Start Extensive HA formula were expected to arrive in the coming days. Altogether, about 1.5 million 8-ounce bottles of the three formulas, which are hypoallergenic for children with cow’s milk protein allergies, are expected to arrive this week.Indianapolis was chosen because it is a Nestle distribution hub. The formula will be offloaded into FedEx semitractor-trailers and taken to a Nestle distribution center about a mile away where the company will do a standard quality control check before distributing the supplies to hospitals, pharmacies and doctor’s offices, according to an administration official on site.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653255522967.png" alt="White House photo&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>White House photo&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>In a statement Sunday, the White House said a Pentagon-sourced FedEx Express flight of Nestlé S.A. formula from Ramstein Air Base would be bound for a Nestle facility in Pennsylvania.Nestle said that over the past few months it has worked “around the clock” to address the formula shortage and help meet demand.“We have significantly increased the amount of our formulas available to consumers by ramping up production and accelerating general product availability to retailers and online, as well as through hospitals and home health care for those most vulnerable,” the company said in a release.“At Nestle we are absolutely committed to doing everything we can to get parents and caregivers the formula they need so their children can thrive,” it added. “We prioritized these products because they serve a critical medical purpose as they are for children with cow’s milk protein allergies.”Under “Operation Fly Formula,” the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services are authorized to request Department of Defense support to pick up overseas infant formula that meets U.S. health and safety standards, so it can get to store shelves faster, according to the USDA.Alfamino is primarily available through hospitals and home health care companies that serve patients at home.U.S. regulators and the manufacturer, Abbott Nutrition,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-politics-science-e4aef87dfb74039f1612ca5279e85227">hope to have its Michigan plant reopened</a>&nbsp;next week, but it will take about two months before product is ready for delivery. The Food and Drug Administration this week eased importation requirements for baby formula to try to ease the supply crunch, which has left store shelves void of some brands and some retailers rationing supply for parents nervous about feeding their children.

78,000 pounds of infant formula arrives in US

GEARY COUNTY&nbsp;-&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred Saturday night in Junction City, according to a media release from the agency.

Preliminary information indicates that at approximately 5:15 p.m. on Saturday, a female subject called 911 to report that a man was outside her home, waving a handgun and threatening her and another female subject with it. She lived in the 700 block of West 11th&nbsp;St. in Junction City.&nbsp;

Minutes later, several officers from the Junction City Police Department responded to the area. As they arrived, officers spotted a man matching the suspect’s description fleeing the area. They chased the man on foot. During the chase, officers saw that the man had a gun, heard gunshots coming from his direction, and observed him pointing the gun at them.

As one officer caught up to the suspect, between two houses in the 600 block of West 11th&nbsp;St., a confrontation occurred and the officer fired at the man striking him multiple times.

Officers then rendered aid to the man. EMS responded and took over life-saving measures. The man was identified as Carlton Solton, Jr., 36, of Junction City. No law enforcement officers were injured during the incident.

EMS transported Solton to the Geary Community Hospital. He was later flown to Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka. Solton underwent surgery and is receiving further treatment in the intensive care unit.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629836301977.jpeg" alt="Solton from an earlier arrest in Geary Co. He has previous convictions for stalking, domestic battery, criminal threat, assault on a law enforcement officer, criminal possession of a firearm, flee or elude law enforcement and battery of campus or university police, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections." />
 <figcaption>Solton from an earlier arrest in Geary Co. He has previous convictions for stalking, domestic battery, criminal threat, assault on a law enforcement officer, criminal possession of a firearm, flee or elude law enforcement and battery of campus or university police, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.</figcaption>
 </figure>GEARY COUNTY&nbsp;-&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred Saturday night in Junction City, according to a media release from the agency.Preliminary information indicates that at approximately 5:15 p.m. on Saturday, a female subject called 911 to report that a man was outside her home, waving a handgun and threatening her and another female subject with it. She lived in the 700 block of West 11th&nbsp;St. in Junction City.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653229189947.jpeg" alt="KBI on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>KBI on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>Minutes later, several officers from the Junction City Police Department responded to the area. As they arrived, officers spotted a man matching the suspect’s description fleeing the area. They chased the man on foot. During the chase, officers saw that the man had a gun, heard gunshots coming from his direction, and observed him pointing the gun at them.As one officer caught up to the suspect, between two houses in the 600 block of West 11th&nbsp;St., a confrontation occurred and the officer fired at the man striking him multiple times.Officers then rendered aid to the man. EMS responded and took over life-saving measures. The man was identified as Carlton Solton, Jr., 36, of Junction City. No law enforcement officers were injured during the incident.EMS transported Solton to the Geary Community Hospital. He was later flown to Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka. Solton underwent surgery and is receiving further treatment in the intensive care unit.

KBI: Man wounded in Kansas officer-involved shooting

By SCOTT CARLSON North Platte Post

LINCOLN, Neb.-Lincoln police are investigating the second fatal shooting of the weekend after a shooting left two people dead and one seriously wounded early this morning.

Police said at around 2:20 a.m., a male subject called 911 and reported that he had been shot.

Officers responded to the area of 30th and P Streets where they found two subjects inside of a residence deceased. Police said life-saving measures were attempted but both men, ages 42 and 26, succumbed to their injuries.  

Police said a third victim of a shooting, a 19-year-old male, arrived at a local hospital shortly after the original call came in. They are listed in serious but stable condition as of Sunday morning.&nbsp;

Police said investigators are working to determine if the shootings are related.

Police said the investigation is in the very early stages, and they believe this to be an isolated incident. There is no further threat to the public related to this incident.

Police&nbsp;encourage anyone with information to call 402-441-6000 or Crime Stoppers at 402-475-3600.

Police are also currently investigating a fatal shooting on Saturday morning outside Gravity nightclub. No arrests have been made.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653221957456.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By SCOTT CARLSON North Platte PostLINCOLN, Neb.-Lincoln police are investigating the second fatal shooting of the weekend after a shooting left two people dead and one seriously wounded early this morning.Police said at around 2:20 a.m., a male subject called 911 and reported that he had been shot.Officers responded to the area of 30th and P Streets where they found two subjects inside of a residence deceased. Police said life-saving measures were attempted but both men, ages 42 and 26, succumbed to their injuries. Police said a third victim of a shooting, a 19-year-old male, arrived at a local hospital shortly after the original call came in. They are listed in serious but stable condition as of Sunday morning.&nbsp;Police said investigators are working to determine if the shootings are related.Police said the investigation is in the very early stages, and they believe this to be an isolated incident. There is no further threat to the public related to this incident.Police&nbsp;encourage anyone with information to call 402-441-6000 or Crime Stoppers at 402-475-3600.Police are also currently investigating a fatal shooting on Saturday morning outside Gravity nightclub. No arrests have been made.

2 dead, 1 in serious condition after 2nd weekend shooting in Lincoln

KANSAS CITY (AP) — It was lunch hour at the abortion clinic, so the nurse in the recovery room got her Bible out of her bag in the closet and began to read.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding,” her favorite proverb says, and she returns to it again and again. “He will make your paths straight.”

She believes God led her here, to a job at the West Alabama Women’s Center, tending to patients who’ve just had abortions. “I trust in God,” said Ramona, who asked that her last name not be used because of the volatility of America’s abortion debate

Out in the parking lot, protesters bellowed at patients arriving for appointments, doing battle against what they regard as a grave sin.

The loudest voices in the abortion debate are often characterized along a starkly religious divide, the faithful versus not. But the reality is much more nuanced, both at this abortion clinic and in the nation that surrounds it. The clinic’s staff of 11 — most of them Black, deeply faithful Christian women — have no trouble at all reconciling their work with their religion.

And as the U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to dismantle the constitutional right to an abortion, they draw on their faith that they will somehow continue.

God is on our side, they tell each other. God will keep this clinic open.

Robin Marty, who moved from Minneapolis to Tuscaloosa a couple years ago to help run this clinic, was surprised to hear nurses pray for guidance as the future of abortion grows uncertain.

“That is one of the things that has caused a whiplash for me — I had this stereotype in my head of a Southern religious person,” said Marty. “I just assumed that there was no compatibility between people who are religious and people who support the ability to get an abortion.”

Marty realized she was wrong . It’s a common error.

“We need to have a real conversation about what we describe as Christianity,” said Kendra Cotton, a member of the Black Southern Women’s Collective, a network of Black women organizers, many of them from faith-based groups.

The white evangelical worldview that abortion is murder has consumed the conversation, flattening the understanding of how religion and views on abortion truly intersect, she said.

Before Roe v. Wade, faith leaders in many places led efforts to help pregnant women access underground abortions, because they considered it a calling to show compassion and mercy to the most vulnerable.

Now, Black Protestants have some of the most liberal views on access to abortion: Nearly 70% believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases, according to the Public Religion Research Institute. White evangelicals are the other extreme, with only 24% believing abortion should be allowed in most or all cases.

For faithful women of color, there’s often a very different balancing act of values when confronting the question of whether women should be able to end unwanted pregnancies, Cotton said.

“We know that Christianity supports freedom, and inherent in freedom is bodily autonomy. Inherent in Christianity is free will. When people talk about the body being a temple of God, you have purview over your body, there is nothing more sacred,” Cotton said.

The idea of the state restricting what a person can do with their own body is in direct conflict with that, she said, and it is reminiscent of being under someone else’s control -- of slavery.

“You don’t get to tell me what to do,” Cotton said.

In Tuscaloosa, the West Alabama Women’s Center sits on the edge of a nondescript medical plaza, a half-mile from the University of Alabama campus. Though many of the center’s clientele are college students, others come from all over the state and some surrounding ones -- it is the only abortion clinic for two hours in every direction. Many of their clients are Black, many already have children and more than 75% survive below the poverty line.

Every patient comes into Ramona’s recovery room after their abortion. She keeps the lights low. Working here, to her, feels like a righteous calling. She believes the Christian way is to love people where they are, and that means walking kindly with them as they make the best decision for themselves.

Sometimes they cry, and tell her they didn’t want to be there. She’s heard stories of rape and domestic violence, but most talk about fear of having more mouths they can’t afford to feed. She always says, “I understand.”

“I mean that, I do understand, I’ve gone through that myself,” she said.

Ramona, 39, is a single mother of four children, and had her first child at 16. She sometimes imagines what her life might have been had she started her family later. She had to drop out of college. There were times, when her children were young, when she couldn’t pay the gas bill, and she boiled water so they could have warm baths.

“Women go through so much, it’s hard,” she said. “So you should have that choice, whether or not you’re ready to be a mother. No one else should choose for you.”

Her daughter used to say “Mom, I want to be just like you,” and she would stop her. “No ma’am,” she’d say to her. “I want you to be better.” Her daughter is now 22 and studying to be a doctor.

She clawed herself out of poverty and built a life she loves. Her co-worker at the front desk calls her Miss Wonderful -- she’s at peace with God, she said, so every day is a great one.

For a time, she tried to be friendly with one of the regulars who protested outside, trying to convince patients that abortion is murder and they shouldn’t go in. She’d visit on her breaks or as she was leaving for the day. They discussed Scripture, forgiveness, sin.

She’d say, “I can see where you’re coming from. Can you see where I’m coming from? I’m not going to love you any less because of what you believe in or what you think.”

Then one day she was walking by and he shouted at her: When you die, you know where you’ll be going, and it isn’t heaven. She doesn’t talk to him anymore.

Alesia Horton, the clinic’s director, eyed the protesters from the window.

“I don’t know what Bible they’re reading, ’cause it’s not the one that I read,” she said. She and Ramona have been friends since childhood and share a Christian faith.

If people heard the stories she had inside this clinic, she can’t imagine trying to mandate that people be forced into motherhood. She had a patient once who had cancer, wanted the child but couldn’t continue chemotherapy while she was pregnant. She had to choose between her own life and the child she wanted.

Just two weeks before, Horton wept when she met a 13-year-old who’d been raped, and she can’t shake the look on the child’s face, staring blankly in the exam room.

“It’s going to be OK. Don’t think you did anything wrong because you didn’t,” Horton told her.

She often hears patients cry that they’re going to go to hell.

“I’ve had patients against abortion until it happened to their child, or it happened to them,” she said. “The first thing they say, ‘I don’t believe in this.’ And I say, ‘Let’s get past that. Now that you’re pregnant, what are you doing to do? Are you still not going to believe in this? Now you’re on the other side. Where you were judging, now it’s you.’”

They pray that the Supreme Court won’t overturn Roe v. Wade, because they know their poorest patients will bear the burden of abortion bans. Wealthy women will always find a way. They can travel to states where abortion is legal and all the headaches that entails: time off work, babysitters, a tank full of gas, hotel rooms.

If Roe falls, abortion would be barred in Alabama in almost every instance. A 2019 state law, put on hold by the courts for now, outlaws the procedure in all but emergency cases. This clinic is going to try to stay open for those left behind. It is expanding into a full-service gynecological office that people can turn to if they self-administer an abortion and require medical attention, without fear that someone will report them to the police.

In the meantime, the ideological gulf between the believers inside and outside remains wide.

Some of the protesters outside stand quietly, holding signs and hoping their silent presence rattles patients enough to head back to their cars and go home. Some shout at patients as they walk through the parking lot into the clinic, trying to hand them leaflets or direct them to the anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center next door. Some say they want abortion barred completely, with no exceptions even for rape or life-threatening complications, because they believe abortion is murder no matter the circumstances. Most would not give their names; the pregnancy center declined an interview.

The protesters are sometimes aggressive: They have screamed into the clinic’s back doors, recorded biohazard bins being carted away, called police if a patient lashes out when they tell them they’re going to hell.

The clinic locks the doors for security reasons during the lunch hour between morning and afternoon appointments. On a recent day, as Ramona read her Bible in the back room, a 23-year-old woman arrived and couldn’t get inside.

A group of protesters beckoned the woman, who did not want to be named. She was confused — perhaps these people worked for the clinic. “We can help you,” they told her.

“I just walked over there and had a million things thrown in my face,” the woman said. “I’m a baby killer, I’m a murderer.”

She ran away weeping. The clinic staff heard and sought her out.

She glared at the protesters from the window.

“God isn’t theirs,” she said, “God is all of ours.”

By CLAIRE GALOFAROKANSAS CITY (AP) — It was lunch hour at the abortion clinic, so the nurse in the recovery room got her Bible out of her bag in the closet and began to read.“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding,” her favorite proverb says, and she returns to it again and again. “He will make your paths straight.”She believes God led her here, to a job at the West Alabama Women’s Center, tending to patients who’ve just had abortions. “I trust in God,” said Ramona, who asked that her last name not be used because of the volatility of America’s abortion debateOut in the parking lot, protesters bellowed at patients arriving for appointments, doing battle against what they regard as a grave sin.The loudest voices in the abortion debate are often characterized along a starkly religious divide, the faithful versus not. But the reality is much more nuanced, both at this abortion clinic and in the nation that surrounds it. The clinic’s staff of 11 — most of them Black, deeply faithful Christian women — have no trouble at all reconciling their work with their religion.And as the U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to dismantle the constitutional right to an abortion, they draw on their faith that they will somehow continue.God is on our side, they tell each other. God will keep this clinic open.Robin Marty, who moved from Minneapolis to Tuscaloosa a couple years ago to help run this clinic, was surprised to hear nurses pray for guidance as the future of abortion grows uncertain.“That is one of the things that has caused a whiplash for me — I had this stereotype in my head of a Southern religious person,” said Marty. “I just assumed that there was no compatibility between people who are religious and people who support the ability to get an abortion.”Marty realized she was wrong . It’s a common error.“We need to have a real conversation about what we describe as Christianity,” said Kendra Cotton, a member of the Black Southern Women’s Collective, a network of Black women organizers, many of them from faith-based groups.The white evangelical worldview that abortion is murder has consumed the conversation, flattening the understanding of how religion and views on abortion truly intersect, she said.Before Roe v. Wade, faith leaders in many places led efforts to help pregnant women access underground abortions, because they considered it a calling to show compassion and mercy to the most vulnerable.Now, Black Protestants have some of the most liberal views on access to abortion: Nearly 70% believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases, according to the Public Religion Research Institute. White evangelicals are the other extreme, with only 24% believing abortion should be allowed in most or all cases.For faithful women of color, there’s often a very different balancing act of values when confronting the question of whether women should be able to end unwanted pregnancies, Cotton said.“We know that Christianity supports freedom, and inherent in freedom is bodily autonomy. Inherent in Christianity is free will. When people talk about the body being a temple of God, you have purview over your body, there is nothing more sacred,” Cotton said.The idea of the state restricting what a person can do with their own body is in direct conflict with that, she said, and it is reminiscent of being under someone else’s control -- of slavery.“You don’t get to tell me what to do,” Cotton said.In Tuscaloosa, the West Alabama Women’s Center sits on the edge of a nondescript medical plaza, a half-mile from the University of Alabama campus. Though many of the center’s clientele are college students, others come from all over the state and some surrounding ones -- it is the only abortion clinic for two hours in every direction. Many of their clients are Black, many already have children and more than 75% survive below the poverty line.Every patient comes into Ramona’s recovery room after their abortion. She keeps the lights low. Working here, to her, feels like a righteous calling. She believes the Christian way is to love people where they are, and that means walking kindly with them as they make the best decision for themselves.Sometimes they cry, and tell her they didn’t want to be there. She’s heard stories of rape and domestic violence, but most talk about fear of having more mouths they can’t afford to feed. She always says, “I understand.”“I mean that, I do understand, I’ve gone through that myself,” she said.Ramona, 39, is a single mother of four children, and had her first child at 16. She sometimes imagines what her life might have been had she started her family later. She had to drop out of college. There were times, when her children were young, when she couldn’t pay the gas bill, and she boiled water so they could have warm baths.“Women go through so much, it’s hard,” she said. “So you should have that choice, whether or not you’re ready to be a mother. No one else should choose for you.”Her daughter used to say “Mom, I want to be just like you,” and she would stop her. “No ma’am,” she’d say to her. “I want you to be better.” Her daughter is now 22 and studying to be a doctor.She clawed herself out of poverty and built a life she loves. Her co-worker at the front desk calls her Miss Wonderful -- she’s at peace with God, she said, so every day is a great one.For a time, she tried to be friendly with one of the regulars who protested outside, trying to convince patients that abortion is murder and they shouldn’t go in. She’d visit on her breaks or as she was leaving for the day. They discussed Scripture, forgiveness, sin.She’d say, “I can see where you’re coming from. Can you see where I’m coming from? I’m not going to love you any less because of what you believe in or what you think.”Then one day she was walking by and he shouted at her: When you die, you know where you’ll be going, and it isn’t heaven. She doesn’t talk to him anymore.Alesia Horton, the clinic’s director, eyed the protesters from the window.“I don’t know what Bible they’re reading, ’cause it’s not the one that I read,” she said. She and Ramona have been friends since childhood and share a Christian faith.If people heard the stories she had inside this clinic, she can’t imagine trying to mandate that people be forced into motherhood. She had a patient once who had cancer, wanted the child but couldn’t continue chemotherapy while she was pregnant. She had to choose between her own life and the child she wanted.Just two weeks before, Horton wept when she met a 13-year-old who’d been raped, and she can’t shake the look on the child’s face, staring blankly in the exam room.“It’s going to be OK. Don’t think you did anything wrong because you didn’t,” Horton told her.She often hears patients cry that they’re going to go to hell.“I’ve had patients against abortion until it happened to their child, or it happened to them,” she said. “The first thing they say, ‘I don’t believe in this.’ And I say, ‘Let’s get past that. Now that you’re pregnant, what are you doing to do? Are you still not going to believe in this? Now you’re on the other side. Where you were judging, now it’s you.’”They pray that the Supreme Court won’t overturn Roe v. Wade, because they know their poorest patients will bear the burden of abortion bans. Wealthy women will always find a way. They can travel to states where abortion is legal and all the headaches that entails: time off work, babysitters, a tank full of gas, hotel rooms.If Roe falls, abortion would be barred in Alabama in almost every instance. A 2019 state law, put on hold by the courts for now, outlaws the procedure in all but emergency cases. This clinic is going to try to stay open for those left behind. It is expanding into a full-service gynecological office that people can turn to if they self-administer an abortion and require medical attention, without fear that someone will report them to the police.In the meantime, the ideological gulf between the believers inside and outside remains wide.Some of the protesters outside stand quietly, holding signs and hoping their silent presence rattles patients enough to head back to their cars and go home. Some shout at patients as they walk through the parking lot into the clinic, trying to hand them leaflets or direct them to the anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center next door. Some say they want abortion barred completely, with no exceptions even for rape or life-threatening complications, because they believe abortion is murder no matter the circumstances. Most would not give their names; the pregnancy center declined an interview.The protesters are sometimes aggressive: They have screamed into the clinic’s back doors, recorded biohazard bins being carted away, called police if a patient lashes out when they tell them they’re going to hell.The clinic locks the doors for security reasons during the lunch hour between morning and afternoon appointments. On a recent day, as Ramona read her Bible in the back room, a 23-year-old woman arrived and couldn’t get inside.A group of protesters beckoned the woman, who did not want to be named. She was confused — perhaps these people worked for the clinic. “We can help you,” they told her.“I just walked over there and had a million things thrown in my face,” the woman said. “I’m a baby killer, I’m a murderer.”She ran away weeping. The clinic staff heard and sought her out.“I’m so sorry,” Horton said.She glared at the protesters from the window.“God isn’t theirs,” she said, “God is all of ours.”

Religious backers of abortion rights say God's on their side

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/parents-warned-about-increase-in-sextortion-schemes-targeting-kids/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN —
 Nebraska law enforcement officials warned parents Thursday to be on the
 lookout for internet blackmailers fooling children into sending them 
sexually explicit photos and videos.

In the scheme, known as “sextortion,” 
blackmailers pose as close-in-age peers or love interests on social 
media. After receiving images, they threaten to release them or show 
them to the victim’s parents unless they are paid. They might even 
threaten the safety of the youth’s family.

It is a serious crime, said the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office and Nebraska State Patrol in a joint news release last week.

The agencies urged parents or guardians of 
child victims to report sextortion cases to the FBI Omaha office at 
402-493-8688 or call the National Center for Missing &amp; Exploited 
Children at 1-800-843-5678.

The agencies said perpetrators, who pose as 
young boys or girls, approach children through social media before 
moving to more private messaging and video apps.

After establishing a “secret or special 
relationship,” the predator begins to ask for sexually explicit images 
and/or videos of the child, offering something of value for the images.

Additional information on sextortion can be found on the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office <a target="_blank" href="https://ago.nebraska.gov/digital-citizenship">website</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653065459594.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/parents-warned-about-increase-in-sextortion-schemes-targeting-kids/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN —
 Nebraska law enforcement officials warned parents Thursday to be on the
 lookout for internet blackmailers fooling children into sending them 
sexually explicit photos and videos.In the scheme, known as “sextortion,” 
blackmailers pose as close-in-age peers or love interests on social 
media. After receiving images, they threaten to release them or show 
them to the victim’s parents unless they are paid. They might even 
threaten the safety of the youth’s family.It is a serious crime, said the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office and Nebraska State Patrol in a joint news release last week.The agencies urged parents or guardians of 
child victims to report sextortion cases to the FBI Omaha office at 
402-493-8688 or call the National Center for Missing &amp; Exploited 
Children at 1-800-843-5678.The agencies said perpetrators, who pose as 
young boys or girls, approach children through social media before 
moving to more private messaging and video apps.After establishing a “secret or special 
relationship,” the predator begins to ask for sexually explicit images 
and/or videos of the child, offering something of value for the images.Additional information on sextortion can be found on the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office <a target="_blank" href="https://ago.nebraska.gov/digital-citizenship">website</a>.

Parents warned about increase in ‘sextortion’ schemes targeting kids

WASHINGTON (AP) — The first flights of infant formula from Europe, authorized by President Joe Biden to relieve a deepening U.S. shortage, will arrive in Indiana aboard military aircraft on Sunday the White House announced.

The White House says 132 pallets of Nestlé Health Science Alfamino Infant and Alfamino Junior formula will leave Ramstein Air Base in Germany and arrive in the U.S. this weekend. Another 114 pallets of Gerber Good Start Extensive HA formula are expected to arrive in the coming days. Altogether about 1.5 million 8-ounce bottles of the three formulas, which are hypoallergenic for children with cow’s milk protein allergy, will arrive this week.

While Biden initially requested that the Pentagon use commercially chartered aircraft to move the formula from Europe to the U.S., the White House said no commercial flights were available this weekend. Instead, U.S. Air Force planes will transport the initial batch of formula.

The Biden administration has dubbed the effort “Operation Fly Formula,” as it struggles to address nationwide shortages of formula, particularly hypoallergenic varieties, after the closure of the country’s largest domestic manufacturing plant in February due to safety issues.

U.S. regulators and the manufacturer, Abbott, hope to have that Michigan plant reopened next week, but it will take about two months before product is ready for delivery. The Food and Drug Administration this week eased importation requirements for baby formula to try to ease the supply crunch, which has left store shelves bare of some brands and some retailers rationing supply for parents nervous about feeding their children.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653176350929.png" alt="The first pallets from Operation Fly Formula were loaded onto a military plane in Germany Saturday. The first plane lands in the U.S. Sunday morning-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>The first pallets from Operation Fly Formula were loaded onto a military plane in Germany Saturday. The first plane lands in the U.S. Sunday morning-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The first flights of infant formula from Europe, authorized by President Joe Biden to relieve a deepening U.S. shortage, will arrive in Indiana aboard military aircraft on Sunday the White House announced.The White House says 132 pallets of Nestlé Health Science Alfamino Infant and Alfamino Junior formula will leave Ramstein Air Base in Germany and arrive in the U.S. this weekend. Another 114 pallets of Gerber Good Start Extensive HA formula are expected to arrive in the coming days. Altogether about 1.5 million 8-ounce bottles of the three formulas, which are hypoallergenic for children with cow’s milk protein allergy, will arrive this week.While Biden initially requested that the Pentagon use commercially chartered aircraft to move the formula from Europe to the U.S., the White House said no commercial flights were available this weekend. Instead, U.S. Air Force planes will transport the initial batch of formula.The Biden administration has dubbed the effort “Operation Fly Formula,” as it struggles to address nationwide shortages of formula, particularly hypoallergenic varieties, after the closure of the country’s largest domestic manufacturing plant in February due to safety issues.U.S. regulators and the manufacturer, Abbott, hope to have that Michigan plant reopened next week, but it will take about two months before product is ready for delivery. The Food and Drug Administration this week eased importation requirements for baby formula to try to ease the supply crunch, which has left store shelves bare of some brands and some retailers rationing supply for parents nervous about feeding their children.

First baby formula flights from Europe to U.S. on the way

WAYNE, Neb. (AP) — Officials say a pilot died when a single-engine plane crashed at the Wayne Municipal Airport. The crash occurred Friday evening during the MayDay STOL Drag Races. 

The event organizers said the pilot crashed on final landing in what appeared to be a stall/spin crash. The pilot's name has not been released. 

No one else was aboard the Cessna 140. STOL is short take-off and landing drag racing, which involves pilots flying 2,000 feet down and back in a side-by-side format. The rest of the events scheduled for the weekend were canceled.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653165626700.png" alt="Investigators on the scene of the crash photo courtesy KPTH Fox 44" />
 <figcaption>Investigators on the scene of the crash photo courtesy KPTH Fox 44</figcaption>
 </figure>WAYNE, Neb. (AP) — Officials say a pilot died when a single-engine plane crashed at the Wayne Municipal Airport. The crash occurred Friday evening during the MayDay STOL Drag Races. The event organizers said the pilot crashed on final landing in what appeared to be a stall/spin crash. The pilot's name has not been released. No one else was aboard the Cessna 140. STOL is short take-off and landing drag racing, which involves pilots flying 2,000 feet down and back in a side-by-side format. The rest of the events scheduled for the weekend were canceled.

Pilot dies in airplane crash near Wayne drag race event

Open arms greet Anderson’s hometown return to run the aerospace museum

By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/19/nebraskas-lone-astronaut-lands-on-familiar-turf/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

Clayton
 Anderson is energized when he chats it up with visitors at the 
Strategic Air Command &amp; Aerospace Museum — and they suddenly realize
 they’re talking to the real-life space hero showcased in an exhibit.

“When
 it dawns on them, and their faces change, it’s incredible,” said 
Anderson, who is resettling in his hometown of Ashland after decades 
away honing a career as Nebraska’s only astronaut.

In
 a fitting turn of events, Anderson, 63, has returned from the Houston 
area to become president and chief executive of the SAC Aerospace 
Museum, which is just off of Interstate 80 between Omaha and Lincoln.

The
 Hastings College and Iowa State University alum, who spent 167 days in 
space and was part of&nbsp;six spacewalks, now is charged with preserving and
 spreading the story of SAC, the Cold War and aerospace artifacts. He 
retired in 2013 from a NASA career that spanned three decades.

“The
 stars have aligned,” said Gary Gates, chair of the museum’s board of 
directors. “Clay’s unique professional experiences align perfectly with 
the mission of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sacmuseum.org/">museum</a>.”

In his new role, Anderson said he looks 
forward to meeting as many Nebraskans as possible to not only expand the
 scope and reach of the museum, but also &nbsp;to show young people that 
dreams can come true.

“It’s time to give back. That’s the most 
important thing,” he told the Nebraska Examiner, in explaining his 
latest move. “I’m just a man who was raised in a small town community, 
with amazing people, teachers, coaches, neighbors and church friends who
 helped shape me into the man I am today.

“I want to excite young people and help them
 understand they’re just like me and can do great things if they 
persevere, work hard and believe in what they’re trying to do.”

He said the museum’s mantra is to educate 
and inspire. He intends to keep that focus with all age groups and to 
help make the learning process even more entertaining.

Among the features at the museum is an
 exhibit reflecting Anderson’s own space journeys and explorations. It’s
 grown over the years, with additions including his Russian space and 
survival suits.&nbsp;

Anderson said he knew he was “in the right place” as he strolled through the museum on recent days talking to guests. Questions abounded, especially when they learned his identity, he said, including the common query about “pooping in space.” 

He loves the interaction, he said, and hopes to build even more interactive programming into the museum.

“I can’t wait to be the face of the museum going forward,” Anderson said, adding that the opportunity to
 head the museum located about four miles from where he grew up is a 
culmination of a career dedicated to space exploration and education. He
 has big plans as the museum approaches its 25th anniversary in 2023.

He recalled the museum opening in 1998, the 
same year he was selected to become Nebraska’s first astronaut. “So the 
tug to come home and help carry this museum forward the next 25 years 
was pretty strong.”

He said he wants to collaborate with all 
communities in the region to tell the “powerful story of Nebraska and 
America’s role in military command and its relationship with our 
nation’s aerospace exploration.”

This summer, the museum will host youth camps on aerospace, drones,&nbsp;gaming, weird science, robotics and more. Programming is available for families, flight enthusiasts and historians. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sacmuseum.org/events/helicopter-day-2022/">Helicopter Da</a>y is Saturday May 21.

Known
 also as “Astro Clay,” Anderson has authored five books — three of them 
written for children about space. Though he and his wife have lived in 
the Houston area many years, he said he commuted to teach 
 aerospace engineering to first-year students at Iowa State University. 
That covers the space environment, history and future of space, 
spacecraft environmental control systems, ethics and teamwork.

He
 obtained his undergraduate physics degree from Hastings College and a 
master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Iowa State. He has earned 
numerous honors, including the NASA Spaceflight Medal, NASA Exceptional 
Service Medal, Aksarben Court of Honor and Outstanding Alumnus awards 
from Iowa State and Hastings College.

Anderson,
 who served previously on the museum’s board of directors, succeeds 
former CEO Jeffrey Cannon, who had led the museum since 2018. Cannon 
stepped down because of health reasons.

Anderson said he is in an apartment as he 
and his wife look for a house. His son and daughter-in-law live in 
Omaha, as she attends medical school. His daughter is in college in 
Texas but will be working in an internship in Omaha this summer.

“It’s been great. People have been great. I’ve heard from so many friends, and I’m overwhelmed with kind wishes and words.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653065186357.png" alt="Clayton Anderson, Nebraska astronaut (Courtesy of NASA)" />
 <figcaption>Clayton Anderson, Nebraska astronaut (Courtesy of NASA)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Open arms greet Anderson’s hometown return to run the aerospace museum</h2>By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/19/nebraskas-lone-astronaut-lands-on-familiar-turf/">Nebraska Examiner</a>Clayton
 Anderson is energized when he chats it up with visitors at the 
Strategic Air Command &amp; Aerospace Museum — and they suddenly realize
 they’re talking to the real-life space hero showcased in an exhibit.“When
 it dawns on them, and their faces change, it’s incredible,” said 
Anderson, who is resettling in his hometown of Ashland after decades 
away honing a career as Nebraska’s only astronaut.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653065238854.jpeg" alt="Clayton Anderson exhibit at SAC Aerospace Museum (Courtesy of museum)" />
 <figcaption>Clayton Anderson exhibit at SAC Aerospace Museum (Courtesy of museum)</figcaption>
 </figure>In
 a fitting turn of events, Anderson, 63, has returned from the Houston 
area to become president and chief executive of the SAC Aerospace 
Museum, which is just off of Interstate 80 between Omaha and Lincoln.<h2>‘Stars have aligned’</h2>The
 Hastings College and Iowa State University alum, who spent 167 days in 
space and was part of&nbsp;six spacewalks, now is charged with preserving and
 spreading the story of SAC, the Cold War and aerospace artifacts. He 
retired in 2013 from a NASA career that spanned three decades.“The
 stars have aligned,” said Gary Gates, chair of the museum’s board of 
directors. “Clay’s unique professional experiences align perfectly with 
the mission of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sacmuseum.org/">museum</a>.”In his new role, Anderson said he looks 
forward to meeting as many Nebraskans as possible to not only expand the
 scope and reach of the museum, but also &nbsp;to show young people that 
dreams can come true.“It’s time to give back. That’s the most 
important thing,” he told the Nebraska Examiner, in explaining his 
latest move. “I’m just a man who was raised in a small town community, 
with amazing people, teachers, coaches, neighbors and church friends who
 helped shape me into the man I am today.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653065266293.jpeg" alt="Clayton Anderson, astronaut, new leader of SAC Aerospace Museum (Courtesy of Scott Dobry Photography)" />
 <figcaption>Clayton Anderson, astronaut, new leader of SAC Aerospace Museum (Courtesy of Scott Dobry Photography)</figcaption>
 </figure>“I want to excite young people and help them
 understand they’re just like me and can do great things if they 
persevere, work hard and believe in what they’re trying to do.”<h2>‘Pooping in space’</h2>He said the museum’s mantra is to educate 
and inspire. He intends to keep that focus with all age groups and to 
help make the learning process even more entertaining.Among the features at the museum is an
 exhibit reflecting Anderson’s own space journeys and explorations. It’s
 grown over the years, with additions including his Russian space and 
survival suits.&nbsp;Anderson said he knew he was “in the right place” as he strolled through the museum on recent days talking to guests. Questions abounded, especially when they learned his identity, he said, including the common query about “pooping in space.” He loves the interaction, he said, and hopes to build even more interactive programming into the museum.“I can’t wait to be the face of the museum going forward,” Anderson said, adding that the opportunity to
 head the museum located about four miles from where he grew up is a 
culmination of a career dedicated to space exploration and education. He
 has big plans as the museum approaches its 25th anniversary in 2023.<h2>‘Tug to come home’</h2>He recalled the museum opening in 1998, the 
same year he was selected to become Nebraska’s first astronaut. “So the 
tug to come home and help carry this museum forward the next 25 years 
was pretty strong.”He said he wants to collaborate with all 
communities in the region to tell the “powerful story of Nebraska and 
America’s role in military command and its relationship with our 
nation’s aerospace exploration.”This summer, the museum will host youth camps on aerospace, drones,&nbsp;gaming, weird science, robotics and more. Programming is available for families, flight enthusiasts and historians. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sacmuseum.org/events/helicopter-day-2022/">Helicopter Da</a>y is Saturday May 21.Known
 also as “Astro Clay,” Anderson has authored five books — three of them 
written for children about space. Though he and his wife have lived in 
the Houston area many years, he said he commuted to teach 
 aerospace engineering to first-year students at Iowa State University. 
That covers the space environment, history and future of space, 
spacecraft environmental control systems, ethics and teamwork.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653065315627.jpeg" alt="Clayton Anderson exhibit (Courtesy of SAC Aerospace Museum)" />
 <figcaption>Clayton Anderson exhibit (Courtesy of SAC Aerospace Museum)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>‘Overwhelmed’</h2>He
 obtained his undergraduate physics degree from Hastings College and a 
master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Iowa State. He has earned 
numerous honors, including the NASA Spaceflight Medal, NASA Exceptional 
Service Medal, Aksarben Court of Honor and Outstanding Alumnus awards 
from Iowa State and Hastings College.Anderson,
 who served previously on the museum’s board of directors, succeeds 
former CEO Jeffrey Cannon, who had led the museum since 2018. Cannon 
stepped down because of health reasons.Anderson said he is in an apartment as he 
and his wife look for a house. His son and daughter-in-law live in 
Omaha, as she attends medical school. His daughter is in college in 
Texas but will be working in an internship in Omaha this summer.“It’s been great. People have been great. I’ve heard from so many friends, and I’m overwhelmed with kind wishes and words.”

Nebraska’s lone astronaut lands on familiar turf

LINCOLN, Neb.-Three people are being treated for injuries after a shooting outside a downtown Lincoln bar.

Police said the shooting happened at around 2:38 a.m. in the 1100 block of O St, outside the Gravity nightclub.

Police said officers located three victims suffering from gunshot wounds. All three were transported to a Lincoln hospital. 

Police said one victim sustained life-threatening injuries, one is in critical but stable condition, and one was treated on released.

On Saturday morning, O St. from 11th St. to 12th St. was closed as CSI processed the scene.&nbsp;

Anyone with any information is asked to call Lincoln police at 402-441-6000 or Crime Stoppers at 402-475-3600.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1647687771137.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By SCOTT CARLSON North Platte PostLINCOLN, Neb.-Three people are being treated for injuries after a shooting outside a downtown Lincoln bar.Police said the shooting happened at around 2:38 a.m. in the 1100 block of O St, outside the Gravity nightclub.Police said officers located three victims suffering from gunshot wounds. All three were transported to a Lincoln hospital. Police said one victim sustained life-threatening injuries, one is in critical but stable condition, and one was treated on released.Police said no arrests have been made.On Saturday morning, O St. from 11th St. to 12th St. was closed as CSI processed the scene.&nbsp;Anyone with any information is asked to call Lincoln police at 402-441-6000 or Crime Stoppers at 402-475-3600.

Police: 3 shot outside downtown Lincoln bar

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas prosecutor says he wants to try four 14-year-olds as adults in the shooting death of a Missouri man.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653068899390.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KMBC" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KMBC</figcaption>
 </figure>OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas prosecutor says he wants to try four 14-year-olds as adults in the shooting death of a Missouri man.They are among six teenagers charged in juvenile court with first-degree murder in the death of 19-year-old Marco Cardino, of Smithville, Missouri.The two other suspects are 13 and cannot be tried as adults under Kansas law.Marco was found dead in his car with multiple gunshot wounds on March 14 in Black Bob Park in Olathe, Kansas.Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe said the shooting occurred during a marijuana sale, The Kansas City Star&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article261596277.html">reported</a>.“It follows a pattern we’ve seen with young adults and teenagers, where violence has occurred on sales of small amounts of marijuana,” Howe said. He did not specify who was buying and who was selling.Howe filed motions this week to charge the four 14-year-olds — three males and one female — as adults. All the suspects are from Olathe.Prosecutors have not released more details about the shooting but court records list aggravated battery and criminal discharge of a firearm as felonies that contributed to the murder charge.Olathe Attorney Carl Cornwell, who represents one of the 14-year-olds, said he was surprised the prosecutors want to try his client as an adult."I’ve never had one this young where they are trying (to transfer the case to adult court),” he said.