NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Tuesday restated their recommendation that Americans wear masks on planes, trains and buses, despite a court ruling last month that struck down a national mask mandate on public transportation.

Americans age 2 and older&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/s0503-covid-19-travel.html" target="_blank">should wear</a>&nbsp;a well-fitting masks while on public transportation, including in airports and train stations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended, citing the current spread of coronavirus and projections of future COVID-19 trends.

For months, the Transportation Security Administration had been enforcing a requirement that passengers and workers wear masks.

The government had repeatedly extended the mandate, and the latest one had been set to expire May 3. But a federal judge in Florida&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-business-travel-tampa-3408cc825582126fbda5fbedd3a49dd3">struck down</a>&nbsp;the rule on April 18. The same day, the TSA said it would no longer enforce the mandate.

The CDC asked the Justice Department to appeal the decision, which the department did. On Tuesday, CDC officials declined to comment on the status of the appeal. DOJ officials did not immediately respond to a request for information.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640348737573.png" alt="Photo courtesy Wichita Eisenhower National Airport" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Wichita Eisenhower National Airport</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Tuesday restated their recommendation that Americans wear masks on planes, trains and buses, despite a court ruling last month that struck down a national mask mandate on public transportation.Americans age 2 and older&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/s0503-covid-19-travel.html" target="_blank">should wear</a>&nbsp;a well-fitting masks while on public transportation, including in airports and train stations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended, citing the current spread of coronavirus and projections of future COVID-19 trends.For months, the Transportation Security Administration had been enforcing a requirement that passengers and workers wear masks.The government had repeatedly extended the mandate, and the latest one had been set to expire May 3. But a federal judge in Florida&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-business-travel-tampa-3408cc825582126fbda5fbedd3a49dd3">struck down</a>&nbsp;the rule on April 18. The same day, the TSA said it would no longer enforce the mandate.The CDC asked the Justice Department to appeal the decision, which the department did. On Tuesday, CDC officials declined to comment on the status of the appeal. DOJ officials did not immediately respond to a request for information.

CDC restates recommendation for masks on planes, trains

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday blasted a “radical” draft Supreme Court opinion that would throw out the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion rights ruling that has stood for a half century and warned that other rights including same-sex marriage and birth control are at risk if the court follows through.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/pressreleases/pr_05-03-22" target="_blank">Across the nation, Americans grappled</a>&nbsp;with what might come next.

The court confirmed the authenticity of the leaked draft, which was dated to February, and Chief Justice John&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/pressreleases/pr_05-03-22" target="_blank">Roberts said he had ordered an investigation</a>&nbsp;into what he called an “egregious breach of trust.” A court statement emphasized that the draft is not the justices’ final word.

Opinions often change in ways big and small in the drafting process, and a final ruling has not been expected until the end of the court’s term in late June or early July.

A decision to overrule Roe would lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states, spark new efforts in Democratic-leaning states to protect access to abortion, and potentially reshape the contours of this year’s hotly contested midterm elections.

The draft was published by the news outlet Politico late Monday.

Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Biden said he hoped the draft wouldn’t be finalized by justices, contending it reflects a “fundamental shift in American jurisprudence” that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/roe-wade-supreme-court-state-fight-e53b2b46d9606dc9468b8044a0b42ed0">threatens “other basic rights” like access to birth control and marriage.</a>

He added: “If this decision holds, it’s really quite a radical decision.” He said the “basic fairness and the stability of our law demand” that the court not overturn Roe.

“If the court does overturn Roe, it will fall on our nation’s elected officials at all levels of government to protect a woman’s right to choose,” Biden said. “And it will fall on voters to elect pro-choice officials this November. At the federal level, we will need more pro-choice Senators and a pro-choice majority in the House to adopt legislation that codifies Roe, which I will work to pass and sign into law.”

Though past efforts have failed, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he intended to hold a vote.

“This is as urgent and real as it gets,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “Every American is going to see on which side every senator stands.”

Whatever the outcome, the Politico report late Monday represented an extremely rare&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stephen-breyer-us-supreme-court-c6a923f6e370672f4a5ccfd3be325786">breach of the court’s secretive deliberation process</a>, and on a case of surpassing importance.

“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” the draft opinion states. It was signed by Justice Samuel Alito, a member of the court’s 6-3 conservative majority who was appointed by former President George W. Bush.

The document was labeled a “1st Draft” of the “Opinion of the Court” in a case challenging Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks, a case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

The draft opinion in effect states there is no constitutional right to abortion services. It would allow individual states to more heavily regulate or outright ban the procedure.

“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” it states, referencing the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey that affirmed Roe’s finding of a constitutional right to abortion services but allowed states to place some constraints on the practice. “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”

The draft opinion strongly suggests that when the justices met in private shortly after arguments in the case on Dec. 1, at least five — all the conservatives except perhaps Chief Justice John Roberts — voted to overrule Roe and Casey, and Alito was assigned the task of writing the court’s majority opinion.

Votes and opinions in a case aren’t final until a decision is announced or, in a change wrought by the coronavirus pandemic, posted on the court’s website.

Politico said only that it received “a copy of the draft opinion from a person familiar with the court’s proceedings in the Mississippi case along with other details supporting the authenticity of the document.”

The report comes amid a legislative push to restrict abortion in several Republican-led states — Oklahoma being the most recent — even before the court issues its decision. Critics of those measures have said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-laws-raising-children-e620ca2a871bfd9ce5b6d6c76e092c31">low-income and minority women will disproportionately bear the burden</a>&nbsp;of the new restrictions.

The leak jumpstarted the intense political reverberations that the high court’s ultimate decision was expected to have in the midterm election year. Already, politicians on both sides of the aisle were seizing on the report to fundraise and energize their supporters on both sides of the issue.

Democrats contended that several&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-election-2020-amy-coney-barrett-brett-kavanaugh-confirmation-hearings-084bd8c246cce2418f7cc49a1cd31cd5">conservative justices misled senators</a>&nbsp;about their feelings.x

And Maine Republican Susan Collins, who supports abortion rights but was a pivotal GOP vote for the confirmations of Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, said if the draft reflects the final opinion of the court, “it would be completely inconsistent with what Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh said in their hearings and in our meetings in my office.”

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, told reporters on Capitol Hill that “my confidence in the court has been rocked,” and said her proposal with Collins to legislate abortion rights should be reinvigorated.

An&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-reproductive-rights-bd86cf1c8ddbfd09c5e221c7a9d41e01">AP-NORC poll</a>&nbsp;in December found that Democrats increasingly see protecting abortion rights as a high priority for the government.

Other polling shows relatively few Americans want to see Roe overturned. In 2020, AP VoteCast found that 69% of voters in the presidential election said the Supreme Court should leave the Roe v. Wade decision as is; just 29% said the court should overturn the decision. In general, AP-NORC polling finds a majority of the public favors abortion being legal in most or all cases.

Still, when asked about abortion policy generally, Americans have nuanced attitudes on the issue, and many don’t think that abortion should be possible after the first trimester or that women should be able to obtain a legal abortion for any reason.

Alito, in the draft, said the court can’t predict how the public might react and shouldn’t try. “We cannot allow our decisions to be affected by any extraneous influences such as concern about the public’s reaction to our work,” Alito wrote in the draft opinion, according to Politico.

Police in Washington prepared for the potential of large demonstrations outside the Supreme Court and U.S. Capitol. People on both sides of the issue gathered outside the curt waving signs and chanting on a balmy Monday night following the release of the Politico report, and again on Tuesday.

Outside Washington, Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said people seeking abortions could head to her state. “For anyone who needs access to care, our state will welcome you with open arms. Abortion will always be safe &amp; accessible in New York,” Hochul said in a tweet.

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said in a statement, “We will let the Supreme Court speak for itself and wait for the Court’s official opinion.” But local officials were praising the draft.

“This puts the decision making back into the hands of the states, which is where it should have always been,” said Mississippi state Rep. Becky Currie.

At Supreme Court arguments in December, all six conservative justices signaled that they would uphold the Mississippi law, and five asked questions that suggested that overruling Roe and Casey was a possibility.

Only Roberts seemed prepared to take the smaller step of upholding the 15-week ban, though that too would be a significant weakening of abortion rights.

Until now, the court has allowed states to regulate but not ban abortion before the point of viability, around 24 weeks.

Twenty-six states are certain or likely to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, according to the pro-abortion rights think tank the Guttmacher Institute. Of those, 22 states already have total or near-total bans on the books that are currently blocked by Roe, aside from Texas. The Texas law banning it after six weeks has been allowed to go into effect by the Supreme Court due to its unusual civil enforcement structure. Four more states are considered likely to quickly pass bans if Roe is overturned.

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia, meanwhile, have protected access to abortion in state law.

The Supreme Court justices generally spend May and June finishing their writing in cases that have been argued and then issuing the remaining opinions before going on a summer break. On the court’s calendar, the next day opinions might normally be expected is May 16.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651593955487.png" alt="President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the “basic fairness and the stability of our law demand” that the court not overturn Roe-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the “basic fairness and the stability of our law demand” that the court not overturn Roe-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday blasted a “radical” draft Supreme Court opinion that would throw out the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion rights ruling that has stood for a half century and warned that other rights including same-sex marriage and birth control are at risk if the court follows through.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/pressreleases/pr_05-03-22" target="_blank">Across the nation, Americans grappled</a>&nbsp;with what might come next.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden: &quot;If this decision holds, it&#39;s really quite a radical decision...I think the codification of Roe makes a lot of sense.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/LN9NEB1T1k">pic.twitter.com/LN9NEB1T1k</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1521516325851615232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">My statement on the reported Supreme Court decision draft. <a href="https://t.co/Kt3bP0kzqU">pic.twitter.com/Kt3bP0kzqU</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1521485987133771782?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The court confirmed the authenticity of the leaked draft, which was dated to February, and Chief Justice John&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/pressreleases/pr_05-03-22" target="_blank">Roberts said he had ordered an investigation</a>&nbsp;into what he called an “egregious breach of trust.” A court statement emphasized that the draft is not the justices’ final word.Opinions often change in ways big and small in the drafting process, and a final ruling has not been expected until the end of the court’s term in late June or early July.A decision to overrule Roe would lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states, spark new efforts in Democratic-leaning states to protect access to abortion, and potentially reshape the contours of this year’s hotly contested midterm elections.The draft was published by the news outlet Politico late Monday.Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Biden said he hoped the draft wouldn’t be finalized by justices, contending it reflects a “fundamental shift in American jurisprudence” that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/roe-wade-supreme-court-state-fight-e53b2b46d9606dc9468b8044a0b42ed0">threatens “other basic rights” like access to birth control and marriage.</a>He added: “If this decision holds, it’s really quite a radical decision.” He said the “basic fairness and the stability of our law demand” that the court not overturn Roe.“If the court does overturn Roe, it will fall on our nation’s elected officials at all levels of government to protect a woman’s right to choose,” Biden said. “And it will fall on voters to elect pro-choice officials this November. At the federal level, we will need more pro-choice Senators and a pro-choice majority in the House to adopt legislation that codifies Roe, which I will work to pass and sign into law.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This is the time to fight for women and our country with everything we have. My statement on the Supreme Court decision draft on Roe v. Wade. <a href="https://t.co/5tvjOUTmZ2">pic.twitter.com/5tvjOUTmZ2</a>&mdash; Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) <a href="https://twitter.com/VP/status/1521532537083813888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Though past efforts have failed, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he intended to hold a vote.“This is as urgent and real as it gets,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “Every American is going to see on which side every senator stands.”Whatever the outcome, the Politico report late Monday represented an extremely rare&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stephen-breyer-us-supreme-court-c6a923f6e370672f4a5ccfd3be325786">breach of the court’s secretive deliberation process</a>, and on a case of surpassing importance.“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” the draft opinion states. It was signed by Justice Samuel Alito, a member of the court’s 6-3 conservative majority who was appointed by former President George W. Bush.The document was labeled a “1st Draft” of the “Opinion of the Court” in a case challenging Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks, a case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.The draft opinion in effect states there is no constitutional right to abortion services. It would allow individual states to more heavily regulate or outright ban the procedure.“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” it states, referencing the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey that affirmed Roe’s finding of a constitutional right to abortion services but allowed states to place some constraints on the practice. “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”The draft opinion strongly suggests that when the justices met in private shortly after arguments in the case on Dec. 1, at least five — all the conservatives except perhaps Chief Justice John Roberts — voted to overrule Roe and Casey, and Alito was assigned the task of writing the court’s majority opinion.Votes and opinions in a case aren’t final until a decision is announced or, in a change wrought by the coronavirus pandemic, posted on the court’s website.Politico said only that it received “a copy of the draft opinion from a person familiar with the court’s proceedings in the Mississippi case along with other details supporting the authenticity of the document.”The report comes amid a legislative push to restrict abortion in several Republican-led states — Oklahoma being the most recent — even before the court issues its decision. Critics of those measures have said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-laws-raising-children-e620ca2a871bfd9ce5b6d6c76e092c31">low-income and minority women will disproportionately bear the burden</a>&nbsp;of the new restrictions.The leak jumpstarted the intense political reverberations that the high court’s ultimate decision was expected to have in the midterm election year. Already, politicians on both sides of the aisle were seizing on the report to fundraise and energize their supporters on both sides of the issue.Democrats contended that several&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-election-2020-amy-coney-barrett-brett-kavanaugh-confirmation-hearings-084bd8c246cce2418f7cc49a1cd31cd5">conservative justices misled senators</a>&nbsp;about their feelings.xAnd Maine Republican Susan Collins, who supports abortion rights but was a pivotal GOP vote for the confirmations of Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, said if the draft reflects the final opinion of the court, “it would be completely inconsistent with what Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh said in their hearings and in our meetings in my office.”Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, told reporters on Capitol Hill that “my confidence in the court has been rocked,” and said her proposal with Collins to legislate abortion rights should be reinvigorated.An&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-reproductive-rights-bd86cf1c8ddbfd09c5e221c7a9d41e01">AP-NORC poll</a>&nbsp;in December found that Democrats increasingly see protecting abortion rights as a high priority for the government.Other polling shows relatively few Americans want to see Roe overturned. In 2020, AP VoteCast found that 69% of voters in the presidential election said the Supreme Court should leave the Roe v. Wade decision as is; just 29% said the court should overturn the decision. In general, AP-NORC polling finds a majority of the public favors abortion being legal in most or all cases.Still, when asked about abortion policy generally, Americans have nuanced attitudes on the issue, and many don’t think that abortion should be possible after the first trimester or that women should be able to obtain a legal abortion for any reason.Alito, in the draft, said the court can’t predict how the public might react and shouldn’t try. “We cannot allow our decisions to be affected by any extraneous influences such as concern about the public’s reaction to our work,” Alito wrote in the draft opinion, according to Politico.Police in Washington prepared for the potential of large demonstrations outside the Supreme Court and U.S. Capitol. People on both sides of the issue gathered outside the curt waving signs and chanting on a balmy Monday night following the release of the Politico report, and again on Tuesday.Outside Washington, Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said people seeking abortions could head to her state. “For anyone who needs access to care, our state will welcome you with open arms. Abortion will always be safe &amp; accessible in New York,” Hochul said in a tweet.Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said in a statement, “We will let the Supreme Court speak for itself and wait for the Court’s official opinion.” But local officials were praising the draft.“This puts the decision making back into the hands of the states, which is where it should have always been,” said Mississippi state Rep. Becky Currie.At Supreme Court arguments in December, all six conservative justices signaled that they would uphold the Mississippi law, and five asked questions that suggested that overruling Roe and Casey was a possibility.Only Roberts seemed prepared to take the smaller step of upholding the 15-week ban, though that too would be a significant weakening of abortion rights.Until now, the court has allowed states to regulate but not ban abortion before the point of viability, around 24 weeks.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651593821281.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Twenty-six states are certain or likely to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, according to the pro-abortion rights think tank the Guttmacher Institute. Of those, 22 states already have total or near-total bans on the books that are currently blocked by Roe, aside from Texas. The Texas law banning it after six weeks has been allowed to go into effect by the Supreme Court due to its unusual civil enforcement structure. Four more states are considered likely to quickly pass bans if Roe is overturned.Sixteen states and the District of Columbia, meanwhile, have protected access to abortion in state law.The Supreme Court justices generally spend May and June finishing their writing in cases that have been argued and then issuing the remaining opinions before going on a summer break. On the court’s calendar, the next day opinions might normally be expected is May 16.

🎥Biden blasts 'radical' abortion ruling draft, warns other rights at risk

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after an early morning traffic stop.

Just after 12:30a.m. Monday, a deputy sheriff conducted a traffic stop on a 2005 Chevrolet Suburban near NW Topeka Boulevard and NW Independence Avenue for speeding, according to Shawnee County Deputy Abigail Christian.

 During the investigation, deputies found illegal narcotics and arrested 50-year-old Richard L. Stang of Topeka was arrested and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections. He is being held on requested charge of possession of methamphetamine, driving under the influence, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to wear a seat belt, driving without a valid driver’s license, operating a vehicle without proper registration and speeding.

Stang has previous convictions for robbery, burglary and use of a false name on a drivers license, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651575259185.png" alt="Stang has previous convictions for robbery, burglary and use of a false name on a drivers license, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections -photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Stang has previous convictions for robbery, burglary and use of a false name on a drivers license, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections -photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after an early morning traffic stop.Just after 12:30a.m. Monday, a deputy sheriff conducted a traffic stop on a 2005 Chevrolet Suburban near NW Topeka Boulevard and NW Independence Avenue for speeding, according to Shawnee County Deputy Abigail Christian. During the investigation, deputies found illegal narcotics and arrested 50-year-old Richard L. Stang of Topeka was arrested and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections. He is being held on requested charge of possession of methamphetamine, driving under the influence, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to wear a seat belt, driving without a valid driver’s license, operating a vehicle without proper registration and speeding.Stang has previous convictions for robbery, burglary and use of a false name on a drivers license, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Kansas felon jailed for alleged DUI, meth possession

WASHINGTON — (AP) — Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday confirmed the authenticity of a leaked draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court may be be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide. He ordered an investigation into what he called an “egregious breach of trust.”

In the high court's first public comment since the draft was published late Tuesday, Roberts said “Although the document described in yesterday’s reports is authentic, it does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.”

In a statement, he said, “To the extent this betrayal of the confidences of the Court was intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it will not succeed.”

He added: “I have directed the Marshal of the Court to launch an investigation into the source of the leak.”

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas said, “This is an egregious attack on the institution of the Supreme Court. For someone to leak this document and the press to be complicit in the leak undermines the legitimacy of the Supreme Court,”&nbsp;

“But, we shouldn’t be surprised because that’s what Democrats do all of the time when they don’t like the outcome: They don’t like the outcome of votes in the Senate so they want to get rid of the filibuster; they don’t like the outcome of the balance of power in the Senate so they want to make Puerto Rico and D.C. states; they don’t like the way the elections go so they want to federalize them and deny states’ rights to run their own elections. All the while, the media is complicit – they help them do their bidding.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651591949777.png" alt="Chief Justice John Roberts-photo courtesy U.S. Supreme Court" />
 <figcaption>Chief Justice John Roberts-photo courtesy U.S. Supreme Court</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON — (AP) — Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday confirmed the authenticity of a leaked draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court may be be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide. He ordered an investigation into what he called an “egregious breach of trust.”In the high court's first public comment since the draft was published late Tuesday, Roberts said “Although the document described in yesterday’s reports is authentic, it does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651601641368.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>In a statement, he said, “To the extent this betrayal of the confidences of the Court was intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it will not succeed.”He added: “I have directed the Marshal of the Court to launch an investigation into the source of the leak.”U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas said, “This is an egregious attack on the institution of the Supreme Court. For someone to leak this document and the press to be complicit in the leak undermines the legitimacy of the Supreme Court,”&nbsp;“But, we shouldn’t be surprised because that’s what Democrats do all of the time when they don’t like the outcome: They don’t like the outcome of votes in the Senate so they want to get rid of the filibuster; they don’t like the outcome of the balance of power in the Senate so they want to make Puerto Rico and D.C. states; they don’t like the way the elections go so they want to federalize them and deny states’ rights to run their own elections. All the while, the media is complicit – they help them do their bidding.”

Chief Justice orders probe into 'egregious' leak of abortion draft

Native Americans want ‘meaningful engagement’ before project moves ahead

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/02/protest-camp-rises-at-proposed-site-of-housing-development-along-wilderness-park-in-lincoln/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN
 — Overnight on Sunday night, a complex of six tepees was erected in 
southwest Lincoln to protest a housing development that opponents say 
will ruin a nearby site for Native American sweat lodge ceremonies and 
could harm the adjacent Wilderness Park.

A spokeswoman for the group said Monday that the “Niskíthe Peace Camp” will remain until protesters are granted “meaningful engagement” with city leaders over the housing project.

Last
 week, the Lincoln City Council voted 6-1 to approve a housing 
development called “Wilderness Crossing,” to be built on 75 acres of 
land between First Street and U.S. 77, just south of Pioneers Boulevard.

Spokeswoman
 Erin Poor said Native Americans felt “invisible” as the council 
approved the housing development without fully considering the impact on
 a ceremonial site across a gravel road called “The Fish Farm,” which 
has hosted sweat lodge ceremonies since the 1970s.

&nbsp;“We
 were not given a seat at the table. We were told it was too late,” Poor
 said. “We’re asking to be seen, recognized, and our ceremonies to be 
respected.”

Toward that end, Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird plans to meet with representatives of the camp Tuesday morning.

Per
 the Lincoln City charter, the mayor has 10 days following action by the
 City Council to sign it into law, a spokeswoman said.

&nbsp;There
 was no indication Monday what the mayor would do. But a spokeswoman for
 Manzitto Construction said Monday evening that the decision has already
 been made to OK the project.

“We just want to keep moving forward,” Amy Olson of Manzitto Construction.

Olson
 said that the company’s character has been defamed over the project and
 that it will be up to the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln, which still owns
 the land, to decide what to do about the protest camp.

Officials with the Diocese could not be reached Monday evening.

Four occupants of the camp could be seen Monday evening, navigating between the six teepees during&nbsp;a steady rain.

Controversy
 over the Wilderness Crossing project has been simmering in recent 
weeks. The project has drawn support for bringing additional housing to 
the growing Capital City, but it has also garnered opposition from those
 who feel it’s too close to Wilderness Park, a long strip of forested 
land along the Salt Creek that features trails for hiking, biking and 
horseback riding.

Manzitto’s
 plans include 162 single-family homes, 134 townhomes and 205 apartment 
units. About 30,000 square feet of commercial space is planned on the 
property, which is cropland owned by the Catholic Diocese.

Developer Sam
 Manzitto Jr. has outlined to the Lincoln Journal-Star several 
modifications he has made to the development. Those include erecting a 
6-foot-tall fence along the east side of the development that faces 
Wilderness Park, establishing a 10-foot outlot/buffer zone planted with 
native vegetation, and lighting restrictions being imposed on homes.

&nbsp;But
 Poor and others involved in the protest said that the city doesn’t 
realize how damaging a huge housing development could be on the Fish 
Farm’s two sweat lodges, which now are surrounded by Wilderness Park on 
three sides, and the little-traveled, unpaved First Street on the 
fourth.

Renee Sans Souci, a member of the Omaha Tribe and a community leader, said the protesters are
 praying that Lincoln officials “have understanding in their hearts, 
minds, and spirits for what we are standing for, which is: respect for 
our ceremonies and our ways of life, as Native people.”

“Niskíthe” is an Omaha word meaning “saltwater,” a reference to the nearby Salt Creek.

Poor said it’s possible the private owners of the Fish Farm will sell the land if the housing development goes forward.

She said the list of demands from the protesters includes a
 formal apology from the Lincoln City Council and creation of a Native 
American “engagement” board to ensure there is input from indigenous 
people before similar projects are approved in future.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651587358656.png" alt="A group of opponents to a housing development along Lincoln’s Wilderness Park set up a camp Sunday night in protest. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>A group of opponents to a housing development along Lincoln’s Wilderness Park set up a camp Sunday night in protest. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Native Americans want ‘meaningful engagement’ before project moves ahead</h2>By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/02/protest-camp-rises-at-proposed-site-of-housing-development-along-wilderness-park-in-lincoln/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN
 — Overnight on Sunday night, a complex of six tepees was erected in 
southwest Lincoln to protest a housing development that opponents say 
will ruin a nearby site for Native American sweat lodge ceremonies and 
could harm the adjacent Wilderness Park.A spokeswoman for the group said Monday that the “Niskíthe Peace Camp” will remain until protesters are granted “meaningful engagement” with city leaders over the housing project.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651587427883.jpeg" alt="A “zoning action in progress” sign sits along First Street in Lincoln, where a housing development recently got the OK from the City Council. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>A “zoning action in progress” sign sits along First Street in Lincoln, where a housing development recently got the OK from the City Council. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Last
 week, the Lincoln City Council voted 6-1 to approve a housing 
development called “Wilderness Crossing,” to be built on 75 acres of 
land between First Street and U.S. 77, just south of Pioneers Boulevard.<h2>Felt ‘invisible’</h2>Spokeswoman
 Erin Poor said Native Americans felt “invisible” as the council 
approved the housing development without fully considering the impact on
 a ceremonial site across a gravel road called “The Fish Farm,” which 
has hosted sweat lodge ceremonies since the 1970s.&nbsp;“We
 were not given a seat at the table. We were told it was too late,” Poor
 said. “We’re asking to be seen, recognized, and our ceremonies to be 
respected.”Toward that end, Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird plans to meet with representatives of the camp Tuesday morning.Per
 the Lincoln City charter, the mayor has 10 days following action by the
 City Council to sign it into law, a spokeswoman said.&nbsp;There
 was no indication Monday what the mayor would do. But a spokeswoman for
 Manzitto Construction said Monday evening that the decision has already
 been made to OK the project.“We just want to keep moving forward,” Amy Olson of Manzitto Construction.<h2>Up to Catholic Diocese</h2>Olson
 said that the company’s character has been defamed over the project and
 that it will be up to the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln, which still owns
 the land, to decide what to do about the protest camp.Officials with the Diocese could not be reached Monday evening.Four occupants of the camp could be seen Monday evening, navigating between the six teepees during&nbsp;a steady rain.Controversy
 over the Wilderness Crossing project has been simmering in recent 
weeks. The project has drawn support for bringing additional housing to 
the growing Capital City, but it has also garnered opposition from those
 who feel it’s too close to Wilderness Park, a long strip of forested 
land along the Salt Creek that features trails for hiking, biking and 
horseback riding.Manzitto’s
 plans include 162 single-family homes, 134 townhomes and 205 apartment 
units. About 30,000 square feet of commercial space is planned on the 
property, which is cropland owned by the Catholic Diocese.<h2>Modifications</h2>Developer Sam
 Manzitto Jr. has outlined to the Lincoln Journal-Star several 
modifications he has made to the development. Those include erecting a 
6-foot-tall fence along the east side of the development that faces 
Wilderness Park, establishing a 10-foot outlot/buffer zone planted with 
native vegetation, and lighting restrictions being imposed on homes.&nbsp;But
 Poor and others involved in the protest said that the city doesn’t 
realize how damaging a huge housing development could be on the Fish 
Farm’s two sweat lodges, which now are surrounded by Wilderness Park on 
three sides, and the little-traveled, unpaved First Street on the 
fourth.Renee Sans Souci, a member of the Omaha Tribe and a community leader, said the protesters are
 praying that Lincoln officials “have understanding in their hearts, 
minds, and spirits for what we are standing for, which is: respect for 
our ceremonies and our ways of life, as Native people.”“Niskíthe” is an Omaha word meaning “saltwater,” a reference to the nearby Salt Creek.Poor said it’s possible the private owners of the Fish Farm will sell the land if the housing development goes forward.She said the list of demands from the protesters includes a
 formal apology from the Lincoln City Council and creation of a Native 
American “engagement” board to ensure there is input from indigenous 
people before similar projects are approved in future.

Protest camp rises at proposed site of Lincoln housing development

By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/02/mutual-of-omaha-envisions-a-potential-second-office-tower-on-city-block-east-of-the-library/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

Omahans
 eventually could see a second Mutual of Omaha downtown office 
structure, perhaps up to 20 stories high, on the city block east of the 
current library site where the insurance mammoth plans to build its 
corporate headquarters.

Details
 on what specifically would occupy that 1.7 acres are to be hammered out
 later, CEO James Blackledge told the Nebraska Examiner on Monday.&nbsp;

He
 said, however, that if the Fortune 500 company continues to grow, it 
likely will require even more local office space than the 800,000 square
 feet to be built in the future $443 million office tower at 215 S. 15th
 St., where the W. Dale Clark library currently sits.

“We
 don’t want to overbuild, but we also want the ability to grow into our 
space rather than have to move or have separate sites” or campuses, 
Blackledge said.

Mutual’s
 acquisition of the city block bounded by 13th, 14th, Douglas and Farnam
 Streets is among numerous points related to the proposed headquarters 
site laid out in a nearly 140-page agreement between the insurance 
company and the city.

The proposed agreement was made public and reported on by the Examiner <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/29/mutual-of-omaha-is-to-spread-its-downtown-footprint-beyond-library-site-sell-midtown-parking-garages-to-city/">on Friday</a>,
 and Blackledge elaborated on its contents during an interview Monday. 
It was the first public mention of the additional block envisioned for 
Mutual’s growth, although Blackledge said that Mutual had talked about 
wanting spillover land for future expansion since last September when it
 was eyeing a different possible downtown headquarters site northwest of
 14th and Dodge Streets.

The block east of&nbsp;14th Street
 would continue to be used as a construction staging area for up to four
 years while the main headquarters structure rises. The space is 
currently being used for the same purpose as the overhaul winds down on 
the Gene Leahy Mall.&nbsp;

The
 proposed agreement says that the maximum height of any structure built 
upon the block east of the library shall not surpass 320 feet. That’s 
about the height of the 19-story Union Pacific Railroad corporate office
 tower.

Also,
 the document says, if the site were to be repurchased at some point 
later by the city, the maximum height of any future structure would be 
lowered to 140 feet high and be topped with a “green roof” approved by 
Mutual.

The
 idea would be not to block Mutual’s eastward view toward the ongoing 
$400 million riverfront parks overhaul and new science museum.

As
 planned, Mutual’s new corporate offices — developed by Lanoha Real 
Estate Co. — would be atop a dozen floors of about 2,200 parking stalls 
to be owned by the City of Omaha. The city would lease the parking spots
 to Mutual for its employees and could use the garage for other purposes
 during nonworking times. The city would pay $45,000 per stall, or a 
total of about $99 million for the parking garage.

In all, the headquarters structure would span about 1.8 million square feet.

Nationally,
 Mutual has about 7,500 employees, Blackledge said. About 4,000 of those
 are Omaha-based, he said, though not all physically worked in the 
company’s offices at any one time even before the pandemic.

He
 said the future headquarters tower, as designed, already lacks enough 
space for the company’s full local workforce. Mutual plans to see how 
hybrid work demands evolve before deciding on size and other details of a
 second office and parking structure.

The
 proposed agreement — which will be the topic of a City Council public 
hearing May 10 — says Mutual would pay “fair market value” for the 13th 
Street block.

Other
 details in the agreement, to be voted on by the Council May 17th, 
include the city’s intent to buy Mutual’s existing three parking garages
 on its current midtown Omaha campus for $15,000 per stall, equating to 
about $53 million.

The
 Mayor’s Office said in a statement last week that the three garages 
would be operated by the city and would help facilitate the reuse of 
Mutual’s existing buildings and the redevelopment around them.

The
 city also will take back the maintenance responsibility for Turner 
Park, the green space surrounded by Mutual’s Midtown Crossing retail and
 residential redevelopment. Blackledge said Mutual of Omaha had expanded
 the boundaries of the park and agreed to take care of it. But now, he 
said, the time seemed right to return responsibility to the city.

Mutual
 plans to complete the new headquarters by the end of 2026. Blackledge 
said Mutual already has sold pieces of its midtown properties and will 
continue to do so.&nbsp;

Still
 no official word from Mutual leaders on how high the headquarters may 
rise, other than that it could rival the height of the First National 
Tower, which is the tallest building downtown.&nbsp;

Blackledge
 said he had no desire to “outdo” any other corporate player. “We’re 
just trying to put a building together that meets our needs,” he said.

Blackledge, who first announced Mutual’s new downtown headquarters plan <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/01/26/omaha-aims-for-revamped-urban-core-with-streetcar-new-downtown-mutual-hq/">months ago</a> alongside Mayor Jean Stothert, said he is excited about the move.&nbsp;

“It’s
 a chance for us to make a big difference downtown,” he said. “Not only 
the skyline but the landscape in terms of having another large employer 
there that could attract more development and jobs.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651587241142.png" alt="The view looking east from the W. Dale Clark Library toward the riverfront park system. Mutual of Omaha plans to build its new headquarters on the library site and acquire the block to the east for a possible second office structure. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>The view looking east from the W. Dale Clark Library toward the riverfront park system. Mutual of Omaha plans to build its new headquarters on the library site and acquire the block to the east for a possible second office structure. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/02/mutual-of-omaha-envisions-a-potential-second-office-tower-on-city-block-east-of-the-library/">Nebraska Examiner</a>Omahans
 eventually could see a second Mutual of Omaha downtown office 
structure, perhaps up to 20 stories high, on the city block east of the 
current library site where the insurance mammoth plans to build its 
corporate headquarters.Details
 on what specifically would occupy that 1.7 acres are to be hammered out
 later, CEO James Blackledge told the Nebraska Examiner on Monday.&nbsp;He
 said, however, that if the Fortune 500 company continues to grow, it 
likely will require even more local office space than the 800,000 square
 feet to be built in the future $443 million office tower at 215 S. 15th
 St., where the W. Dale Clark library currently sits.“We
 don’t want to overbuild, but we also want the ability to grow into our 
space rather than have to move or have separate sites” or campuses, 
Blackledge said.Mutual’s
 acquisition of the city block bounded by 13th, 14th, Douglas and Farnam
 Streets is among numerous points related to the proposed headquarters 
site laid out in a nearly 140-page agreement between the insurance 
company and the city.<h2>First public mention</h2>The proposed agreement was made public and reported on by the Examiner <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/29/mutual-of-omaha-is-to-spread-its-downtown-footprint-beyond-library-site-sell-midtown-parking-garages-to-city/">on Friday</a>,
 and Blackledge elaborated on its contents during an interview Monday. 
It was the first public mention of the additional block envisioned for 
Mutual’s growth, although Blackledge said that Mutual had talked about 
wanting spillover land for future expansion since last September when it
 was eyeing a different possible downtown headquarters site northwest of
 14th and Dodge Streets.The block east of&nbsp;14th Street
 would continue to be used as a construction staging area for up to four
 years while the main headquarters structure rises. The space is 
currently being used for the same purpose as the overhaul winds down on 
the Gene Leahy Mall.&nbsp;The
 proposed agreement says that the maximum height of any structure built 
upon the block east of the library shall not surpass 320 feet. That’s 
about the height of the 19-story Union Pacific Railroad corporate office
 tower.Also,
 the document says, if the site were to be repurchased at some point 
later by the city, the maximum height of any future structure would be 
lowered to 140 feet high and be topped with a “green roof” approved by 
Mutual.The
 idea would be not to block Mutual’s eastward view toward the ongoing 
$400 million riverfront parks overhaul and new science museum.As
 planned, Mutual’s new corporate offices — developed by Lanoha Real 
Estate Co. — would be atop a dozen floors of about 2,200 parking stalls 
to be owned by the City of Omaha. The city would lease the parking spots
 to Mutual for its employees and could use the garage for other purposes
 during nonworking times. The city would pay $45,000 per stall, or a 
total of about $99 million for the parking garage.In all, the headquarters structure would span about 1.8 million square feet.Nationally,
 Mutual has about 7,500 employees, Blackledge said. About 4,000 of those
 are Omaha-based, he said, though not all physically worked in the 
company’s offices at any one time even before the pandemic.He
 said the future headquarters tower, as designed, already lacks enough 
space for the company’s full local workforce. Mutual plans to see how 
hybrid work demands evolve before deciding on size and other details of a
 second office and parking structure.The
 proposed agreement — which will be the topic of a City Council public 
hearing May 10 — says Mutual would pay “fair market value” for the 13th 
Street block.<h2>City to maintain Turner Park</h2>Other
 details in the agreement, to be voted on by the Council May 17th, 
include the city’s intent to buy Mutual’s existing three parking garages
 on its current midtown Omaha campus for $15,000 per stall, equating to 
about $53 million.The
 Mayor’s Office said in a statement last week that the three garages 
would be operated by the city and would help facilitate the reuse of 
Mutual’s existing buildings and the redevelopment around them.The
 city also will take back the maintenance responsibility for Turner 
Park, the green space surrounded by Mutual’s Midtown Crossing retail and
 residential redevelopment. Blackledge said Mutual of Omaha had expanded
 the boundaries of the park and agreed to take care of it. But now, he 
said, the time seemed right to return responsibility to the city.Mutual
 plans to complete the new headquarters by the end of 2026. Blackledge 
said Mutual already has sold pieces of its midtown properties and will 
continue to do so.&nbsp;Still
 no official word from Mutual leaders on how high the headquarters may 
rise, other than that it could rival the height of the First National 
Tower, which is the tallest building downtown.&nbsp;Blackledge
 said he had no desire to “outdo” any other corporate player. “We’re 
just trying to put a building together that meets our needs,” he said.Blackledge, who first announced Mutual’s new downtown headquarters plan <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/01/26/omaha-aims-for-revamped-urban-core-with-streetcar-new-downtown-mutual-hq/">months ago</a> alongside Mayor Jean Stothert, said he is excited about the move.&nbsp;“It’s
 a chance for us to make a big difference downtown,” he said. “Not only 
the skyline but the landscape in terms of having another large employer 
there that could attract more development and jobs.”

Mutual of Omaha envisions a potential second office tower

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A school system in suburban Kansas City is eliminating over 100 jobs, including kindergarten aides and library clerks. Oakland, California, is closing seven schools. Other districts around the country are merging classrooms, selling buildings and leaving teaching positions unfilled in order to close budget gaps.

Public school systems are beginning to feel the pinch from enrollment losses tied to the coronavirus pandemic.

Money for schools is driven partly by student headcounts, and emergency provisions in many states allowed schools to maintain funding at pre-pandemic levels. But like the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemic-aid-public-school-funding-346d3d4b86f904184e357c34c9754800">billions of dollars of federal relief money&nbsp;</a>that have helped schools weather the crisis, those measures were not meant to last forever.

In Olathe, Kansas, where the school system is cutting 140 jobs, Deputy Superintendent John Hutchison said the extra federal money merely put off the inevitable.

Now it is trimming millions of dollars from its budgets because enrollment, having peaked at more than 30,000 students in fall 2019, fell by around 900 in the first full school year of the pandemic. Less than 100 of those students have returned.

“Where did those kids go?” Hutchison asked during a recent public meeting. “Where are they? They didn’t come back this year. That’s what’s laying on that additional reduction in our funding.”

Families opting for homeschooling, private schools and other options sent enrollment down sharply in the first full school year of the pandemic, and generally it has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-race-and-ethnicity-education-e4f3faca4dffec641b11df6dd8259a23">slow to recover</a>.

In Houston, the largest district in Texas, enrollment tumbled by more than 22,000 to around 183,000 in fall 2021 and only about half of those students have returned. The district was shielded from making cuts in the first two years of the pandemic by what are known as “hold harmless” provisions, but those protections are expected to end. Superintendent Millard House has asked departments to cut $60 million from next year’s budget.

Among other states that took steps to protect school budgets, Delaware provided $9.3 million in one-time funding in the fiscal year that ended in summer 2021 to school districts and charter schools to prevent layoffs over enrollment declines, and North Carolina lawmakers decided to allow schools to use pre-pandemic attendance levels.

More districts will be making cuts in coming years, said Alex Spurrier, an associate partner at Bellwether Education Partners, a think tank. The last of the federal aid must be spent by 2024.

“Once the federal funding dries up, it will put a lot more districts in a lot more difficult position if they’re kind of kicking the can down the road of making the adjustments that they’ll need if they are going to be serving smaller student populations in the years to come,” he said.

Some districts have struggled to explain the need for cuts. Albuquerque Public Schools announced this spring that it anticipates a budget shortfall of about $25 million.

“That might sound crazy,” the district wrote in a blog post, acknowledging the influx of federal aid. But it explained that enrollment declines have accelerated amid the pandemic, with the student population falling to 73,000 from 85,000 in just six years. The district hasn’t released a cost-cutting plan but legislative analysts say it will require layoffs and school closures.

Amid the upheaval, some states have gained students. Florida was among the leaders, according to the data-tracking site Burbio. And some districts’ headcounts benefited from new families, including some who moved to less costly areas as work went virtual.

In California, which announced this month that enrollment had fallen by an additional 110,283 students, Oakland's planned school closures are leading to protests. The ACLU filed a complaint this month alleging that they disproportionately affect Black students and families.

Further complicating the situation is a tight labor market and demands for teacher and staff raises.

In Minneapolis Public Schools, where a nearly three-week long teacher strike ended with a new contract, the district said it needed to make $27.1 million in budget cuts in the upcoming school year to pay for it. Federal relief money helped cover the $53.5 million price tag for the more lucrative contract for teachers and support staff for the current school year. Since the pandemic began, the district also has lost more than 4,000 students, along with the state funding they generate.

School officials in the city of Lawrence — home to the main University of Kansas campus — are creating multi-grade level elementary classrooms, which will allow the district to get by with fewer teachers. It is part of an effort to close a budget shortfall brought on by declining enrollment and to free up money for raises.

“You can’t cut close to $7 million and not change how you do business,” Lawrence Superintendent Anthony Lewis acknowledged at a meeting this month.

In Iowa, the Des Moines district canceled a conference, sold a building and isn’t replacing some retiring teachers as it cuts $9.4 million in spending for the upcoming school year. The cuts were needed partially because the district’s enrollment has fallen by 1,600 students since the pandemic began.

The district, which is the state’s largest with 31,000 students, anticipates that it will need to make even deeper cuts next year.

“I think it’s fair to say, the federal aid helped offset some of the financial challenges,” said Phil Roeder, a spokesman for the district. “It did help to get us through what’s been a historically bad moment in history. But it was a temporary, stopgap, not a long-term solution for school districts.”

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A school system in suburban Kansas City is eliminating over 100 jobs, including kindergarten aides and library clerks. Oakland, California, is closing seven schools. Other districts around the country are merging classrooms, selling buildings and leaving teaching positions unfilled in order to close budget gaps.Public school systems are beginning to feel the pinch from enrollment losses tied to the coronavirus pandemic.Money for schools is driven partly by student headcounts, and emergency provisions in many states allowed schools to maintain funding at pre-pandemic levels. But like the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemic-aid-public-school-funding-346d3d4b86f904184e357c34c9754800">billions of dollars of federal relief money&nbsp;</a>that have helped schools weather the crisis, those measures were not meant to last forever.In Olathe, Kansas, where the school system is cutting 140 jobs, Deputy Superintendent John Hutchison said the extra federal money merely put off the inevitable.Now it is trimming millions of dollars from its budgets because enrollment, having peaked at more than 30,000 students in fall 2019, fell by around 900 in the first full school year of the pandemic. Less than 100 of those students have returned.“Where did those kids go?” Hutchison asked during a recent public meeting. “Where are they? They didn’t come back this year. That’s what’s laying on that additional reduction in our funding.”Families opting for homeschooling, private schools and other options sent enrollment down sharply in the first full school year of the pandemic, and generally it has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-race-and-ethnicity-education-e4f3faca4dffec641b11df6dd8259a23">slow to recover</a>.In Houston, the largest district in Texas, enrollment tumbled by more than 22,000 to around 183,000 in fall 2021 and only about half of those students have returned. The district was shielded from making cuts in the first two years of the pandemic by what are known as “hold harmless” provisions, but those protections are expected to end. Superintendent Millard House has asked departments to cut $60 million from next year’s budget.Among other states that took steps to protect school budgets, Delaware provided $9.3 million in one-time funding in the fiscal year that ended in summer 2021 to school districts and charter schools to prevent layoffs over enrollment declines, and North Carolina lawmakers decided to allow schools to use pre-pandemic attendance levels.More districts will be making cuts in coming years, said Alex Spurrier, an associate partner at Bellwether Education Partners, a think tank. The last of the federal aid must be spent by 2024.“Once the federal funding dries up, it will put a lot more districts in a lot more difficult position if they’re kind of kicking the can down the road of making the adjustments that they’ll need if they are going to be serving smaller student populations in the years to come,” he said.Some districts have struggled to explain the need for cuts. Albuquerque Public Schools announced this spring that it anticipates a budget shortfall of about $25 million.“That might sound crazy,” the district wrote in a blog post, acknowledging the influx of federal aid. But it explained that enrollment declines have accelerated amid the pandemic, with the student population falling to 73,000 from 85,000 in just six years. The district hasn’t released a cost-cutting plan but legislative analysts say it will require layoffs and school closures.Amid the upheaval, some states have gained students. Florida was among the leaders, according to the data-tracking site Burbio. And some districts’ headcounts benefited from new families, including some who moved to less costly areas as work went virtual.In California, which announced this month that enrollment had fallen by an additional 110,283 students, Oakland's planned school closures are leading to protests. The ACLU filed a complaint this month alleging that they disproportionately affect Black students and families.Further complicating the situation is a tight labor market and demands for teacher and staff raises.In Minneapolis Public Schools, where a nearly three-week long teacher strike ended with a new contract, the district said it needed to make $27.1 million in budget cuts in the upcoming school year to pay for it. Federal relief money helped cover the $53.5 million price tag for the more lucrative contract for teachers and support staff for the current school year. Since the pandemic began, the district also has lost more than 4,000 students, along with the state funding they generate.School officials in the city of Lawrence — home to the main University of Kansas campus — are creating multi-grade level elementary classrooms, which will allow the district to get by with fewer teachers. It is part of an effort to close a budget shortfall brought on by declining enrollment and to free up money for raises.“You can’t cut close to $7 million and not change how you do business,” Lawrence Superintendent Anthony Lewis acknowledged at a meeting this month.In Iowa, the Des Moines district canceled a conference, sold a building and isn’t replacing some retiring teachers as it cuts $9.4 million in spending for the upcoming school year. The cuts were needed partially because the district’s enrollment has fallen by 1,600 students since the pandemic began.The district, which is the state’s largest with 31,000 students, anticipates that it will need to make even deeper cuts next year.“I think it’s fair to say, the federal aid helped offset some of the financial challenges,” said Phil Roeder, a spokesman for the district. “It did help to get us through what’s been a historically bad moment in history. But it was a temporary, stopgap, not a long-term solution for school districts.”

Headcounts are down at public schools. Now budgets are too

WASHINGTON (AP) — A draft opinion suggests the U.S. Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/02/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-00029473" target="_blank">Politico report</a>&nbsp;released Monday.

A decision to overrule Roe would lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states and could have huge ramifications for this year’s elections. But it’s unclear if the draft represents the court’s final word on the matter — opinions often change in ways big and small in the drafting process.

Whatever the outcome, the Politico report represents an extremely rare breach of the court’s secretive deliberation process, and on a case of surpassing importance.

The court is expected to rule on the case before its term ends in late June or early July.

The draft opinion in effect states there is no constitutional right to abortion services and would allow individual states to more heavily regulate or outright ban the procedure.

A Supreme Court spokeswoman said the court had no comment and The Associated Press could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the draft Politico posted, which dates from February.

olitico said only that it received “a copy of the draft opinion from a person familiar with the court’s proceedings in the Mississippi case along with other details supporting the authenticity of the document.”

The draft opinion strongly suggests that when the justices met in private shortly after arguments in the case on Dec. 1, at least five voted to overrule Roe and Casey, and Alito was assigned the task of writing the court’s majority opinion.

The report comes amid a legislative push to restrict abortion in several Republican-led states — Oklahoma being the most recent — even before the court issues its decision. Critics of those measures have said low-income women will disproportionately bear the burden of the new restrictions.

The leak jumpstarted the intense political reverberations that the high court’s ultimate decision was expected to have in the midterm election year. Already, politicians on both sides of the aisle were seizing on the report to fundraise and energize their supporters on either side of the hot-button issue.

People on both sides of the issue quickly gathered outside the Supreme Court waving signs and chanting on a balmy spring night, following the release of the Politico report.

Reaction was swift from elected officials in Congress and across the country.

In a joint statement from Congress’ top two Democrats, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “If the report is accurate, the Supreme Court is poised to inflict the greatest restriction of rights in the past fifty years — not just on women but on all Americans.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, also a Democrat, said people seeking abortions could head to New York. “For anyone who needs access to care, our state will welcome you with open arms. Abortion will always be safe &amp; accessible in New York,” Hochul said in a tweet.

Congress could act, too, though a bill that would write Roe’s protections into federal law stalled in the Senate after passing the House last year with only Democratic votes.

Only Chief Justice John Roberts seemed prepared to take the smaller step of upholding the 15-week ban, though that too would be a significant weakening of abortion rights.

The court’s three liberal justices seemed likely to be in dissent.

It’s impossible to know what efforts are taking place behind the scenes to influence any justice’s vote. If Roberts is inclined to allow Roe to survive, he need only pick off one other conservative vote to deprive the court of a majority to overrule the abortion landmark.

Twenty-six states are certain or likely to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, according to the pro-abortion rights think tank the Guttmacher Institute. Of those, 22 states already have total or near-total bans on the books that are currently blocked by Roe, aside from Texas. The state’s law banning it after six weeks has already been allowed to go into effect by the Supreme Court due to its unusual civil enforcement structure. Four more states are considered likely to quickly pass bans if Roe is overturned.

This year, anticipating a decision overturning or gutting Roe, eight conservative states have already moved to restrict abortion rights. Oklahoma, for example, passed several bills in recent weeks, including one that goes into effect this summer making it a felony to perform an abortion. Like many anti-abortion bills passed in GOP-led states this year, it does not have exceptions for rape or incest, only to save the life of the mother.

Eight Democratic-leaning states protected or expanded access to the procedure, including California, which has passed legislation making the procedure less expensive and is considering other bills to make itself an “abortion sanctuary” if Roe is overturned.

The draft looked legitimate to some followers of the court. Veteran Supreme Court lawyer Neal Katyal, who worked as a clerk to Justice Stephen Breyer and therefore has been in a position to see drafts, wrote on Twitter: “There are lots of signals the opinion is legit. The length and depth of analysis, would be very hard to fake. It says it is written by Alito and definitely sounds like him.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — A draft opinion suggests the U.S. Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/02/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-00029473" target="_blank">Politico report</a>&nbsp;released Monday.A decision to overrule Roe would lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states and could have huge ramifications for this year’s elections. But it’s unclear if the draft represents the court’s final word on the matter — opinions often change in ways big and small in the drafting process.Whatever the outcome, the Politico report represents an extremely rare breach of the court’s secretive deliberation process, and on a case of surpassing importance.“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” the draft opinion states. It was signed by Justice Samuel Alito, a member of the court’s 6-3 conservative majority who was appointed by former President George W. Bush.The document was labeled a “1st Draft” of the “Opinion of the Court” in a case challenging Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks, a case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.The court is expected to rule on the case before its term ends in late June or early July.The draft opinion in effect states there is no constitutional right to abortion services and would allow individual states to more heavily regulate or outright ban the procedure.“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” it states, referencing the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey that affirmed Roe’s finding of a constitutional right to abortion services but allowed states to place some constraints on the practice. “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”A Supreme Court spokeswoman said the court had no comment and The Associated Press could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the draft Politico posted, which dates from February.olitico said only that it received “a copy of the draft opinion from a person familiar with the court’s proceedings in the Mississippi case along with other details supporting the authenticity of the document.”The draft opinion strongly suggests that when the justices met in private shortly after arguments in the case on Dec. 1, at least five voted to overrule Roe and Casey, and Alito was assigned the task of writing the court’s majority opinion.Votes and opinions in a case aren’t final until a decision is announced or, in a change wrought by the coronavirus pandemic, posted on the court’s website.The report comes amid a legislative push to restrict abortion in several Republican-led states — Oklahoma being the most recent — even before the court issues its decision. Critics of those measures have said low-income women will disproportionately bear the burden of the new restrictions.The leak jumpstarted the intense political reverberations that the high court’s ultimate decision was expected to have in the midterm election year. Already, politicians on both sides of the aisle were seizing on the report to fundraise and energize their supporters on either side of the hot-button issue.An&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-reproductive-rights-bd86cf1c8ddbfd09c5e221c7a9d41e01">AP-NORC poll</a>&nbsp;in December found that Democrats increasingly see protecting abortion rights as a high priority for the government.Other polling shows relatively few Americans want to see Roe overturned. In 2020, AP VoteCast found that 69% of voters in the presidential election said the Supreme Court should leave the Roe v. Wade decision as is; just 29% said the court should overturn the decision. In general, AP-NORC polling finds a majority of the public favors abortion being legal in most or all cases.Still, when asked about abortion policy generally, Americans have nuanced attitudes on the issue, and many don’t think that abortion should be possible after the first trimester or that women should be able to obtain a legal abortion for any reason.Alito, in the draft, said the court can’t predict how the public might react and shouldn’t try. “We cannot allow our decisions to be affected by any extraneous influences such as concern about the public’s reaction to our work,” Alito wrote in the draft opinion, according to Politico.People on both sides of the issue quickly gathered outside the Supreme Court waving signs and chanting on a balmy spring night, following the release of the Politico report.Reaction was swift from elected officials in Congress and across the country.In a joint statement from Congress’ top two Democrats, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “If the report is accurate, the Supreme Court is poised to inflict the greatest restriction of rights in the past fifty years — not just on women but on all Americans.”New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, also a Democrat, said people seeking abortions could head to New York. “For anyone who needs access to care, our state will welcome you with open arms. Abortion will always be safe &amp; accessible in New York,” Hochul said in a tweet.Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said in a statement, “We will let the Supreme Court speak for itself and wait for the Court’s official opinion.” But local officials were praising the draft.“This puts the decision making back into the hands of the states, which is where it should have always been,” said Mississippi state Rep. Becky Currie.Congress could act, too, though a bill that would write Roe’s protections into federal law stalled in the Senate after passing the House last year with only Democratic votes.At Supreme Court arguments in December, all six conservative justices signaled that they would uphold the Mississippi law, and five asked questions that suggested that overruling Roe and Casey was a possibility.Only Chief Justice John Roberts seemed prepared to take the smaller step of upholding the 15-week ban, though that too would be a significant weakening of abortion rights.Until now, the court has allowed states to regulate but not ban abortion before the point of viability, around 24 weeks.The court’s three liberal justices seemed likely to be in dissent.It’s impossible to know what efforts are taking place behind the scenes to influence any justice’s vote. If Roberts is inclined to allow Roe to survive, he need only pick off one other conservative vote to deprive the court of a majority to overrule the abortion landmark.Twenty-six states are certain or likely to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, according to the pro-abortion rights think tank the Guttmacher Institute. Of those, 22 states already have total or near-total bans on the books that are currently blocked by Roe, aside from Texas. The state’s law banning it after six weeks has already been allowed to go into effect by the Supreme Court due to its unusual civil enforcement structure. Four more states are considered likely to quickly pass bans if Roe is overturned.Sixteen states and the District of Columbia, meanwhile, have protected access to abortion in state law.This year, anticipating a decision overturning or gutting Roe, eight conservative states have already moved to restrict abortion rights. Oklahoma, for example, passed several bills in recent weeks, including one that goes into effect this summer making it a felony to perform an abortion. Like many anti-abortion bills passed in GOP-led states this year, it does not have exceptions for rape or incest, only to save the life of the mother.Eight Democratic-leaning states protected or expanded access to the procedure, including California, which has passed legislation making the procedure less expensive and is considering other bills to make itself an “abortion sanctuary” if Roe is overturned.The draft looked legitimate to some followers of the court. Veteran Supreme Court lawyer Neal Katyal, who worked as a clerk to Justice Stephen Breyer and therefore has been in a position to see drafts, wrote on Twitter: “There are lots of signals the opinion is legit. The length and depth of analysis, would be very hard to fake. It says it is written by Alito and definitely sounds like him.”___

Report: Supreme Court set to overturn Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — A southeastern Nebraska police officer shot and wounded a man in a confrontation in which police say the man yelled he had a gun and reached for his waistband, according to officials.

The shooting happened late Saturday night following a high-speed chase in Gage County,&nbsp;<a href="https://southeast.newschannelnebraska.com/story/46400048/suspect-shot-saturday-night-in-beatrice-after-flight-from-sheriffs-and-police-officers">radio station KWBE reported</a>. Beatrice Police Chief Bruce Lang said the incident began when a Gage County sheriff’s deputy tried to pull the man’s car over, and a chase of more than 100 mph at times ensued.

Once police disabled the vehicle, the driver fled on foot, Lang said, and was later confronted by a Beatrice officer, who said the man yelled that he had a gun. An officer tried unsuccessfully to use a stun gun on the man, police said. When the man reached into his waistband, an officer fired several shots, hitting the man several times.

The man was taken to a Lincoln hospital, and police later said he was in critical but stable condition. No gun was found on the man after the shooting, police said.

Police have not released the name of the man or the officer who shot him. The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating the shooting.

<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/2022/5/1651543839664.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By ASSOCIATED PRESSBEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — A southeastern Nebraska police officer shot and wounded a man in a confrontation in which police say the man yelled he had a gun and reached for his waistband, according to officials.The shooting happened late Saturday night following a high-speed chase in Gage County,&nbsp;<a href="https://southeast.newschannelnebraska.com/story/46400048/suspect-shot-saturday-night-in-beatrice-after-flight-from-sheriffs-and-police-officers">radio station KWBE reported</a>. Beatrice Police Chief Bruce Lang said the incident began when a Gage County sheriff’s deputy tried to pull the man’s car over, and a chase of more than 100 mph at times ensued.Once police disabled the vehicle, the driver fled on foot, Lang said, and was later confronted by a Beatrice officer, who said the man yelled that he had a gun. An officer tried unsuccessfully to use a stun gun on the man, police said. When the man reached into his waistband, an officer fired several shots, hitting the man several times.The man was taken to a Lincoln hospital, and police later said he was in critical but stable condition. No gun was found on the man after the shooting, police said.Police have not released the name of the man or the officer who shot him. The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating the shooting.<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://lh6.googleusercontent.com/OouzxwDURKvyvMVuPpnPpjT4NyDfMrMU8SbAYH_rzoghEpSmar-3iuFagSe8Xy5crQYHobDFKwGUIN1FfOJlYSmINBjXeH3KphroGmJyUCtPea3VYY9xuobmGA00oDneeV06L0hE" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Beatrice police shoot man in confrontation after chase

By NATHAN SIMINGTON Federal Communications Commission

WASHINGTON — Some have recently called on the FCC to stop
Elon Musk from acquiring Twitter. But nothing in the United States Code or our regulations
gives us the right to interfere with this transaction. Our competition review authority does not
and has never extended to internet platforms like Twitter.


But even if this deal were within our purview, it would be inappropriate and contrary to the
public interest to block it. Mr. Musk’s acquisition does not raise any concerns about vertical or
horizontal concentration in the social media market, and there is no reason to think it would
otherwise limit competition or harm consumer welfare.


In fact, antitrust regulators should welcome this purchase. In recent years, consumer choice
and freedom have suffered due to the restrictive, and often politically motivated, content
moderation practices adopted across all major social media platforms. If Mr. Musk follows
through on his stated intention to ease Twitter’s restrictions on speech, he would almost
certainly enhance competition and better serve those Americans, the majority, who value free
speech.


Also unpersuasive are selective concerns about concentration of ownership. Nothing about
Mr. Musk becoming the sole owner of Twitter would be out of step with the ownership
structures of other social media platforms or, for that matter, media companies generally.
Google, YouTube, Facebook, the Washington Post, and the New York Times are each owned
or controlled by one or two people or a single family. Vertical integration is also widespread,
and there are numerous examples of common ownership and control of broadband internet
access service and online services like search engines, streaming platforms, and news websites.
Concerns about Mr. Musk controlling both Twitter and Starlink—a broadband provider
currently serving less than one percent of Americans—cannot be taken seriously.


The FCC cannot, and should not, block this sale. We should instead applaud Mr. Musk for
doing something about a serious problem that government has so far failed to address. I
encourage my colleagues across the government to investigate the market failures and perverse
incentives that caused big tech companies to standardize around censorious and slanted content
policies in the first place. If this acquisition leads to corporate success by bucking the trend
toward curated and managed speech informed by the sensibilities of a narrow and
unrepresentative class of insiders, it will bring greater diversity to the social media experience.
And, as this experiment is clearly lawful, I for one look forward to seeing what comes of it.


Finally, I am particularly troubled by arguments that the federal government must act with
the purpose of stopping Mr. Musk from enshrining free expression on Twitter. The only merit
in such proposals is their candor in proposing something so blatantly illegal. The law in this
country does not recognize a government interest in restricting the open exchange of ideas.
Labeling content as “fake news” or “disinformation” does not change that. It would be not only
unconstitutional, but plainly un-American, for any arm of the government to act against Twitter
or Mr. Musk for such a purpose.


Nathan Simington is commissioner of the FCC.

By NATHAN SIMINGTON Federal Communications CommissionWASHINGTON — Some have recently called on the FCC to stop
Elon Musk from acquiring Twitter. But nothing in the United States Code or our regulations
gives us the right to interfere with this transaction. Our competition review authority does not
and has never extended to internet platforms like Twitter.
But even if this deal were within our purview, it would be inappropriate and contrary to the
public interest to block it. Mr. Musk’s acquisition does not raise any concerns about vertical or
horizontal concentration in the social media market, and there is no reason to think it would
otherwise limit competition or harm consumer welfare.
In fact, antitrust regulators should welcome this purchase. In recent years, consumer choice
and freedom have suffered due to the restrictive, and often politically motivated, content
moderation practices adopted across all major social media platforms. If Mr. Musk follows
through on his stated intention to ease Twitter’s restrictions on speech, he would almost
certainly enhance competition and better serve those Americans, the majority, who value free
speech.
Also unpersuasive are selective concerns about concentration of ownership. Nothing about
Mr. Musk becoming the sole owner of Twitter would be out of step with the ownership
structures of other social media platforms or, for that matter, media companies generally.
Google, YouTube, Facebook, the Washington Post, and the New York Times are each owned
or controlled by one or two people or a single family. Vertical integration is also widespread,
and there are numerous examples of common ownership and control of broadband internet
access service and online services like search engines, streaming platforms, and news websites.
Concerns about Mr. Musk controlling both Twitter and Starlink—a broadband provider
currently serving less than one percent of Americans—cannot be taken seriously.
The FCC cannot, and should not, block this sale. We should instead applaud Mr. Musk for
doing something about a serious problem that government has so far failed to address. I
encourage my colleagues across the government to investigate the market failures and perverse
incentives that caused big tech companies to standardize around censorious and slanted content
policies in the first place. If this acquisition leads to corporate success by bucking the trend
toward curated and managed speech informed by the sensibilities of a narrow and
unrepresentative class of insiders, it will bring greater diversity to the social media experience.
And, as this experiment is clearly lawful, I for one look forward to seeing what comes of it.
Finally, I am particularly troubled by arguments that the federal government must act with
the purpose of stopping Mr. Musk from enshrining free expression on Twitter. The only merit
in such proposals is their candor in proposing something so blatantly illegal. The law in this
country does not recognize a government interest in restricting the open exchange of ideas.
Labeling content as “fake news” or “disinformation” does not change that. It would be not only
unconstitutional, but plainly un-American, for any arm of the government to act against Twitter
or Mr. Musk for such a purpose.
Nathan Simington is commissioner of the FCC.

FCC: Agency won't move to block Musk's acquisition of Twitter

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris tested negative on Monday for COVID-19, six days after she tested positive for the virus, and has been cleared to return to the White House on Tuesday.

Harris press secretary Kirsten Allen said Harris, who was prescribed the antiviral treatment Paxlovid last week, was negative on a rapid antigen test. Allen said Harris would continue to wear a “well-fitting mask while around others” in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines until through her tenth day after her positive test.

CDC guidance allows people to leave isolation on the sixth day after they tested positive, as long as they wear a mask around others. The White House exceeds those guidelines, requiring a negative rapid test before people who have been infected are allowed to return to the complex.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650996759503.png" alt="Vice President Harris, 57, who tested positive for COVID April 26, received her first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine weeks before taking office and a second dose just days after Inauguration Day in 2021. She received a booster shot in late October and an additional booster on April 1. -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Vice President Harris, 57, who tested positive for COVID April 26, received her first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine weeks before taking office and a second dose just days after Inauguration Day in 2021. She received a booster shot in late October and an additional booster on April 1. -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris tested negative on Monday for COVID-19, six days after she tested positive for the virus, and has been cleared to return to the White House on Tuesday.Harris press secretary Kirsten Allen said Harris, who was prescribed the antiviral treatment Paxlovid last week, was negative on a rapid antigen test. Allen said Harris would continue to wear a “well-fitting mask while around others” in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines until through her tenth day after her positive test.CDC guidance allows people to leave isolation on the sixth day after they tested positive, as long as they wear a mask around others. The White House exceeds those guidelines, requiring a negative rapid test before people who have been infected are allowed to return to the complex.

Vice President negative for COVID-19 after taking antiviral pill

GRAND ISLAND, Neb.-Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested one person after locating more than 350 pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop on Interstate 80.

At approximately 11:40 a.m. Saturday, a trooper observed a Chrysler Pacifica following another vehicle too closely on I-80 near Giltner. During the traffic stop, an NSP K-9 detected the presence of a controlled substance inside the vehicle.

A search of the vehicle revealed 362 pounds of marijuana. The driver, Gerald Robinson Jr, 38, of San Diego, California, was arrested for possession of marijuana – more than a pound, delivery of a controlled substance, and no drug tax stamp. He was lodged in Hamilton County Jail.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651516683114.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By NEBRASKA STATE PATROLGRAND ISLAND, Neb.-Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested one person after locating more than 350 pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop on Interstate 80.At approximately 11:40 a.m. Saturday, a trooper observed a Chrysler Pacifica following another vehicle too closely on I-80 near Giltner. During the traffic stop, an NSP K-9 detected the presence of a controlled substance inside the vehicle.A search of the vehicle revealed 362 pounds of marijuana. The driver, Gerald Robinson Jr, 38, of San Diego, California, was arrested for possession of marijuana – more than a pound, delivery of a controlled substance, and no drug tax stamp. He was lodged in Hamilton County Jail.

Neb. troopers find 362 pounds of marijuana in I-80 traffic stop

By LAURA EBKE <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/02/go-big-for-nebraskas-small-towns-and-businesses/">Courtesy Nebraska Examiner</a>

Even people born in Nebraska might struggle 
to find the village of Ohiowa on a state map. But this community of 
about 100 residents in Fillmore County has been host to visitors from 
all over the world, many who found their way thanks to Lazy Horse 
Brewing and Winery.

The drinking and dining establishment earns 
high marks from reviewers, who praise its craft beer, wine made from 
Nebraska-grown grapes, and lovely outdoor patio views of horses in their
 pasture.

Jim and Julie Stutzman, the owners of Lazy 
Horse, keep their own maps displayed on the premises, inviting visitors 
to pin their origin points in Nebraska, the United States, and the 
world. Their map of Nebraska shows visitors from all over the state, 
with a cluster of pins in southeast Nebraska, where the brewery is 
located.

The national map shows that people from 
every state have stopped by, while a cursory glance at the world map has
 pins on every continent and subcontinent (save Antarctica).

Lazy Horse Brewing and Winery is a 2022&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskapassport.com/stops/lazy-horse-brewing-winery">Nebraska Passport</a>&nbsp;tourism
 stop, so you can add your pin to the map and get your passport stamped,
 like I did. While everything on the menu is good, here are my 
recommendations: The Salted Caramel Blonde Ale and the Blood Orange 
American Ale are my favorite adult beverages, and for dinner, their BBQ 
brisket pizza is fantastic!

Local establishments like Lazy Horse are a 
testament to the impact small businesses — even those with seemingly 
niche offerings — can have on Nebraska communities and the state’s 
aspirations for growth.

Not only is Lazy Horse a local favorite, its
 visitors may frequent other area businesses along the way, like a 
service station or a motel. They might even bring business to 
surrounding communities, taking a side trip to check out The World’s 
Largest Porch Swing down the road in Hebron, or see Deshler’s impressive
 Spring Creek Model Trains store, which puts on a model train show each 
weekend.

The people who create these unique 
activities, attractions and amenities give our state a true sense of 
place and add vitality to their hometowns. It matters that Ohiowans can 
enjoy a night out.

Operations like Lazy Horse could also 
someday have the chance to build a footprint across the state, not to 
mention the world, by canning and selling their beer on the retail 
market. That’s why it’s vital for Nebraska’s state policies to be not 
just “business-friendly,” but entrepreneur and small business-friendly. 
Barriers to entry can be overwhelming for businesses that don’t have big
 legal teams to support them. Permits, licenses and regulations from 
multiple layers of government all impose costs before these enterprises 
can earn their first dollar.

In the case of craft breweries, state laws 
imposing a post-Prohibition-era system for alcohol distribution have 
often prevented smaller operations from getting their product into 
stores on their own.

That’s changing slightly under Legislative 
Bill 1236, a bill the Platte Institute supported in the Unicameral. 
Under the new law, craft brewers will be able to self-distribute up to 
250 barrels of their products without needing to go through a larger 
distributor.

But Jim Stutzman told me that while the bill
 opens the door to growing the industry, the terms lawmakers negotiated 
for the final bill won’t go far enough to make the process worthwhile 
for most brewers.

“LB 1236, while a step in the right 
direction toward self-distribution, still presents some challenges for 
many brewers,” Stutzman said.

Jim estimated that selling 250 barrels of 
beer to retailers would gross the brewery about $20,000. The input costs
 required under the bill, including having to deliver his products to 
retailers using the brewery’s own staff and vehicles, would leave little
 room to profit from the sales.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651515528042.png" alt="Jim and Julie Stutzman, the owners of the Lazy Horse, let customers push a pin into a map to show where they are from. (Courtesy of Lazy Horse Brewing and Winery.)" />
 <figcaption>Jim and Julie Stutzman, the owners of the Lazy Horse, let customers push a pin into a map to show where they are from. (Courtesy of Lazy Horse Brewing and Winery.)</figcaption>
 </figure>By LAURA EBKE <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/02/go-big-for-nebraskas-small-towns-and-businesses/">Courtesy Nebraska Examiner</a>Even people born in Nebraska might struggle 
to find the village of Ohiowa on a state map. But this community of 
about 100 residents in Fillmore County has been host to visitors from 
all over the world, many who found their way thanks to Lazy Horse 
Brewing and Winery.The drinking and dining establishment earns 
high marks from reviewers, who praise its craft beer, wine made from 
Nebraska-grown grapes, and lovely outdoor patio views of horses in their
 pasture.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651515586523.jpeg" alt="Lazy Horse Brewing and Winery in Ohiowa, Nebraska, is a stop on this year’s Nebraska Passport tourism program. (Courtesy of Lazy Horse Brewing and Winery)" />
 <figcaption>Lazy Horse Brewing and Winery in Ohiowa, Nebraska, is a stop on this year’s Nebraska Passport tourism program. (Courtesy of Lazy Horse Brewing and Winery)</figcaption>
 </figure>Jim and Julie Stutzman, the owners of Lazy 
Horse, keep their own maps displayed on the premises, inviting visitors 
to pin their origin points in Nebraska, the United States, and the 
world. Their map of Nebraska shows visitors from all over the state, 
with a cluster of pins in southeast Nebraska, where the brewery is 
located.The national map shows that people from 
every state have stopped by, while a cursory glance at the world map has
 pins on every continent and subcontinent (save Antarctica).Lazy Horse Brewing and Winery is a 2022&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskapassport.com/stops/lazy-horse-brewing-winery">Nebraska Passport</a>&nbsp;tourism
 stop, so you can add your pin to the map and get your passport stamped,
 like I did. While everything on the menu is good, here are my 
recommendations: The Salted Caramel Blonde Ale and the Blood Orange 
American Ale are my favorite adult beverages, and for dinner, their BBQ 
brisket pizza is fantastic!Local establishments like Lazy Horse are a 
testament to the impact small businesses — even those with seemingly 
niche offerings — can have on Nebraska communities and the state’s 
aspirations for growth.Not only is Lazy Horse a local favorite, its
 visitors may frequent other area businesses along the way, like a 
service station or a motel. They might even bring business to 
surrounding communities, taking a side trip to check out The World’s 
Largest Porch Swing down the road in Hebron, or see Deshler’s impressive
 Spring Creek Model Trains store, which puts on a model train show each 
weekend.The people who create these unique 
activities, attractions and amenities give our state a true sense of 
place and add vitality to their hometowns. It matters that Ohiowans can 
enjoy a night out.Operations like Lazy Horse could also 
someday have the chance to build a footprint across the state, not to 
mention the world, by canning and selling their beer on the retail 
market. That’s why it’s vital for Nebraska’s state policies to be not 
just “business-friendly,” but entrepreneur and small business-friendly. 
Barriers to entry can be overwhelming for businesses that don’t have big
 legal teams to support them. Permits, licenses and regulations from 
multiple layers of government all impose costs before these enterprises 
can earn their first dollar.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651515613201.jpeg" alt="Under Legislative Bill 1236, passed this session, craft brewers will be able to self-distribute up to 250 barrels of their products without needing to go through a larger distributor. (Courtesy of Lazy Horse Brewing and Winery)" />
 <figcaption>Under Legislative Bill 1236, passed this session, craft brewers will be able to self-distribute up to 250 barrels of their products without needing to go through a larger distributor. (Courtesy of Lazy Horse Brewing and Winery)</figcaption>
 </figure>In the case of craft breweries, state laws 
imposing a post-Prohibition-era system for alcohol distribution have 
often prevented smaller operations from getting their product into 
stores on their own.That’s changing slightly under Legislative 
Bill 1236, a bill the Platte Institute supported in the Unicameral. 
Under the new law, craft brewers will be able to self-distribute up to 
250 barrels of their products without needing to go through a larger 
distributor.But Jim Stutzman told me that while the bill
 opens the door to growing the industry, the terms lawmakers negotiated 
for the final bill won’t go far enough to make the process worthwhile 
for most brewers.“LB 1236, while a step in the right 
direction toward self-distribution, still presents some challenges for 
many brewers,” Stutzman said.Jim estimated that selling 250 barrels of 
beer to retailers would gross the brewery about $20,000. The input costs
 required under the bill, including having to deliver his products to 
retailers using the brewery’s own staff and vehicles, would leave little
 room to profit from the sales.That means fewer Nebraskans and Americans will have the chance to learn about the Ohiowa-based business.While the bill had other helpful features 
for small beverage businesses, including allowing micro-distilleries to 
open up to five physical locations under the same state license, craft 
brewers’ experience with the legislative process provides just one 
example of why the work of removing barriers for Nebraska entrepreneurs 
is never complete.Good ideas for businesses offering new 
products and services can spring up anywhere in our state, and all 
Nebraskans benefit when small businesses succeed. Whether the issue is 
taxation or regulation, there’s always more policymakers can do to help 
creative and entrepreneurial Nebraskans put their businesses and 
communities on the map.Laura Ebke, of Crete, Nebraska, is a senior fellow at the Platte Institute.