Nancy Campos’ back ached as she loaded more than 100 Amazon packages onto her truck. The 59-year-old grandmother, a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, had worked 13 days in a row without a lunch break, and now she was delivering on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to keep up with a never-ending flow of boxes.

At the end of her shift that January day, Campos filled out her time sheet. Then she took a picture of it — for proof.

“I knew what was going to happen,” said Campos, who delivers mail in Midland, Texas, “because it happens every pay period.”

Two weeks later, when she checked her paystub in the payroll system, she said she was missing six hours of overtime pay. That added up to about $201 in lost wages — a week’s worth of groceries.

Postal workers across the country share her frustration.

The Postal Service regularly cheats mail carriers out of their pay, according to a Center for Public Integrity investigation. Managers at hundreds of post offices around the country have illegally underpaid hourly workers for years, arbitrators and federal investigators have found.

Private arbitration records tell part of the story. From 2010 to 2019, at least 250 managers in 60 post offices were caught changing mail carriers’ time cards to show them working fewer hours, resulting in unpaid wages, according to a batch of arbitration award summaries obtained by Public Integrity for cases filed by one of the three major postal unions.

Supervisors found to be cheating were rarely disciplined — often receiving only a warning or more training. In four cities, arbitration documents show, post office managers continued to alter time cards after promising union leaders they would stop.

Since 2005, meanwhile, the Postal Service has been cited by the federal government 1,150 times for underpaying letter carriers and other employees, including one case that involved 164 violations, according to Labor Department data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. The agency determined that those workers lost about $659,000 in pay. But it allowed the Postal Service to pay back less than half after negotiations with the agency — a common practice at the Labor Department. About 19% of the cases did not indicate whether the Postal Service paid back employees.

These findings point to widespread wage theft at the iconic quasi-governmental institution. Yet they offer only a partial view of the problem. Not captured are any arbitration cases filed by other postal unions or wage theft grievances settled before reaching arbitration.

Cases keep cropping up as the Postal Service struggles to pay off $188 billion in debt and unfunded liabilities, accrued largely because federal law requires it to prepay retiree healthcare and pension benefits. The agency has cut nearly 142,000 jobs since 2007, and in March 2020, it needed a $10 billion emergency loan from Congress to help pay its bills.

Mail carriers say their supervisors face intense pressure to keep overtime costs down. At the same time, pandemic-fueled spikes in online ordering are overwhelming mail carriers with packages. And they can’t count on getting paid for all their work.

A spokesperson for the Postal Service, David Partenheimer, said the agency does not condone supervisors making unsupported timecard adjustments and takes such allegations seriously.

“This position is messaged to the postal workforce directly from postal leaders, including the Vice President, Delivery Operations, who periodically reissues policies regarding appropriate timecard administration for supervisors,” Partenheimer wrote in an email to Public Integrity. He declined to comment on specific cases.

Campos said the agency still owes her thousands of dollars for two other wage theft grievances they settled before she discovered the missing overtime pay in January. She said her boss promised to pay her back for working the holiday but never did.

“I just had it. Enough is enough,” said Campos, who shared copies of her timesheets and pay stubs with Public Integrity. “We are depending on that money. When you get shorted, it’s the most horrible feeling.”

Every morning, Campos and thousands of other mail carriers across the United States swipe their badges at a local post office to clock in for work. They sort mail for their routes, check undelivered items and load up their trucks. They swipe their badge a few more times when they begin and end their delivery route and other tasks, and once again when they’re done for the day.

All of this is supposed to happen within an eight-hour shift for most carriers. That’s because the Postal Service doesn’t want to pay overtime, which is 50% extra per hour under federal law. The inspector general has repeatedly admonished the post office for spending billions of dollars in overtime each year and has urged managers to cut back.

But mail carriers say it’s impossible to get back in time. After all, the Postal Service is notoriously short-staffed at a time when carriers are delivering a record number of packages. In 2019 alone, they delivered 1.5 billion items for Amazon — nearly a third of the online retailer’s packages.

That means carriers log a lot of extra hours. And it’s not uncommon for managers to go into the system and delete some of them. Sometimes their changes show carriers ending their shifts earlier or taking an unpaid lunch break, according to Public Integrity’s review of private arbitration decisions maintained by the National Association of Letter Carriers, a labor union with nearly 290,000 members — about 45% of the agency’s total workforce.

In most of these cases, managers did not submit the required paperwork to explain the changes or notify the affected employee. Other times, supervisors just told carriers to clock out after eight hours and keep working without pay.

That happened regularly to Maverick Tran and some of his colleagues in San Jose, California, according to a 2019 decision by an independent arbitrator.

Tran told the arbitrator — who acts like a judge in this type of legal dispute — that two supervisors often told him to manually clock out at 6 p.m. if he was running late while delivering the mail.

“I still haven’t unloaded my truck or empty out anything, but I would be off the clock,” he said during a closed-door hearing at the main San Jose post office.

A co-worker said managers would regularly clock him out themselves before he returned to the station. Another carrier said they instructed him to punch out before the end of his shift to avoid “unauthorized overtime.”

One of those co-workers, Rafael Zambrano-Lay, said he was so scared about returning to his post office past 6 p.m. that he would skip meals, forego rest breaks and run while carrying mail to customers’ homes.

Zambrano-Lay did not respond to a request for comment and Tran declined to discuss the case.

Their union representative told the arbitrator that nearly every supervisor in San Jose’s 12 post offices had improperly manipulated employee hours each week for at least three years. In an eight-month period in 2017, the union found that these unauthorized changes shorted mail carriers out of 77 regular hours and 1,864 overtime hours, collectively costing them anywhere from $52,000 to $90,000 in lost wages.

In the arbitration hearing, a Postal Service representative did not explain why managers changed carriers’ time cards. He said the behavior was not widespread.

Nancy Hutt, the arbitrator, disagreed. After reviewing time cards for 240 mail carriers in San Jose, Hutt said she grew alarmed. The data “reflects a widespread practice by management of willfully and repetitively deleting and altering time records of Letter Carriers,” she wrote in her decision.

Other arbitrators expressed similar shock when reviewing such allegations.

“Heinous,” an arbitrator in Nashville, Tennessee, wrote in 2018 when presented with evidence that a manager deleted carriers’ work hours. “It’s an act, in my view, on the same level as theft.”

In Boston, arbitrator Katherine Morgan called the pattern of wage theft “systemic” and “egregious.” In a 2019 decision, she described the time card changes as serious federal offenses “which cannot be treated lightly, and which could lead to fines and even imprisonment.”

In all, arbitrators found that postal managers in at least nine states illegally altered mail carriers’ time cards in recent years, cheating more than 900 mail carriers out of pay. They ordered the Postal Service to stop falsifying time cards and pay back employees they cheated.

“It’s hard to believe,” said Jennifer Williams, a former mail carrier in the Atlanta area. “This is a government job. Nobody should go to work and wonder if they’re going to get paid.”

Williams, 36, said co-workers warned her to keep track of her hours when she was hired as a mail carrier in February 2020. She said she didn’t get her first paycheck and had to file a grievance with the union to get paid. When her second paycheck arrived, Williams said, she was missing five hours of overtime. Another supervisor told Williams that her boss had deleted the hours, according to a lawsuit she filed against the Postal Service in federal court.

When she brought up the missing overtime to her boss on the phone, she said her boss berated her. A few days later, Williams said the mail truck she was driving broke down and she was fired for not finishing her route. She sued in September 2020, claiming she was illegally fired for complaining about wage theft.

“I was really upset because I was depending on working at the post office to keep myself afloat,” said Williams, who said she had to take a low-paid job at a filter factory after she was fired.

Partenheimer, the Postal Service spokesperson, declined to comment on the lawsuit. But in court records, lawyers for the agency denied that a supervisor deleted Williams’ overtime hours or that she was fired for complaining about missing pay. Both parties settled the case in June, with the Postal Service agreeing to pay Williams $2,356 in damages and $3,143 in attorney’s fees.

Williams said she misses working for the post office. She once viewed the agency the same way thousands of other Black Americans have before her: as a stable job with good benefits and decent pay.

The Postal Service has long been one of the largest employers of African Americans in the United States. During the civil rights era, it was a place where Black workers could advance their careers without as many barriers as the private sector, said Frederick Gooding, an African American studies professor at Texas Christian University.

“The (Postal Service) was in many ways a beacon of hope and opportunity,” said Gooding, author of the book “American Dream Deferred: Black Federal Workers in Washington, D.C., 1941-1981.”

To this day, Black workers are overrepresented in the Postal Service. Though 12% of the overall U.S. workforce, they make up 19% of the agency’s mail carriers, 38% of its clerks and 31% of its mail handlers. Asians also represent a larger-than-average share of the postal workforce.

Wage theft within the agency might disproportionately harm these workers, but that’s unclear. Arbitration documents and Labor Department records don’t track each employee’s race or ethnicity. Yet the repeated paycheck theft tests the notion that the Postal Service is a desirable place to work.

“I would never have expected this from the post office,” said Campos, the Texas mail carrier. “This used to be an honorable job.”

Campos, who has worked as a carrier for three years, says she filed three grievances against her supervisors for unpaid work. They have since settled the complaints, she said, and management agreed to pay her a yet-to-be determined amount, including the extra hours she worked when delivering an “overburdened route” — a long one that regularly takes more time to finish than it’s supposed to.

Several of her co-workers are also waiting to be paid for similar reasons, she said, but she suspects that no one will be punished for ripping them off.

The arbitrator in the San Jose case told the Postal Service to pay employees what they’re owed. Tran, Zambrano-Lay and other carriers sued the agency in federal court a few months later. They want cash damages in addition to back pay. As of February, the Postal Service had paid back employees in that case a total of $570,000, attorneys for both sides reported to the court.

About two dozen employees gathered for a tense meeting at a San Antonio post office in February 2019. The station manager, Ruben Vela, was agitated. He told them that union outsiders were arriving to cause trouble.

When union steward Steven Ramirez showed up, Vela got in his face and berated him in front of everyone at the meeting, a witness said.

Ramirez had discovered that Vela and at least one other supervisor regularly deleted 25 employees’ work hours over a period of two years, according to an arbitration decision from later that year. In some cases, the arbitrator found, the other supervisor forged an employee’s initials approving the changes.

Employees who were at the 2019 meeting later said that Vela described the time card changes as a “simple mistake.”

Public Integrity was unable to reach Vela for comment.

Kirk Fraser, one of the mail carriers at the meeting, said he was devastated, according to the arbitration document. He called the practice an “immoral and egregious” breach of trust.

“Clearly, falsifying dozens of (USPS) forms does not equate to a simple mistake, but rather something that was done deliberately,” he told the arbitrator, according to the decision. He and some of his co-workers said they didn’t understand why Vela wasn’t fired.

Instead, the Postal Service said in arbitration that Vela was temporarily restricted from accessing the time card system until he could retake training on the proper way to handle time card changes. The agency told the arbitrator that they had paid back the employees.

Union representatives Richard Gould and Adam Reyna were incensed with the light rebuke. They asked the arbitrator to order the Postal Service to ban Vela from supervising letter carriers.

“This kind of thievery would have resulted in the immediate removal if perpetrated by a letter carrier, but inexplicably the Postal Service appears to have taken the position that (its) supervisors should be somehow held to a lower standard than the craft employees they manage,” the union representatives stated.

The Postal Service representative argued that any further punishment would impact the supervisor’s career and rob him of “due process.” The arbitrator decided not to mandate harsher discipline, agreeing with that argument.

A similar scene has played out in several closed-door hearings across the country. The Postal Service will acknowledge the unlawful time card changes and agree to pay back workers. A union advocate then asks an arbitrator to sanction the supervisors involved. The arbitrators say they can’t under the contract, ordering supervisors to take training instead.

That doesn’t always make a difference. A union representative begged an arbitrator in Chicago to take action after supervisors were found deleting employee work hours at all 11 offices in the city. Internal mediators had already ordered those supervisors to stop multiple times, but they wouldn’t.

“Cease and desist orders have not been effective in convincing Chicago Management to enforce the prohibition against stealing time,” the union advocate argued, according to the December 2020 decision. The arbitrator said she didn’t have the authority to mandate monetary penalties, and instead required post office leaders to meet with supervisors and tell them to stop. She also told the Postal Service to let the union do periodic time card reviews.

Fredric Rolando, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, declined to comment on individual cases and said the union addresses time card fraud through the grievance-arbitration system and in the courts.

“Meanwhile, we are constantly monitoring these situations to make sure USPS complies with arbitration decisions and grievance settlements,” he said in a statement to Public Integrity.

In a September 2019 newsletter, Rolando lamented that one of the biggest problems facing the Postal Service is “a toxic workplace culture that tolerates abuse and wage/time theft.”

One rural mail carrier in North Carolina compared the Postal Service to a “bank robber.”

“It just seems like the post office is above the law,” said the employee, who asked that he not be identified out of fear of retaliation from his supervisors. “They pretty much do anything they want.”

The Postal Service knows it has a problem

Postal Service leaders are well aware that many supervisors have been caught cheating employees. The agency’s inspector general — its independent watchdog — has audited time records at dozens of post offices over the years.

In a 2009 letter to Rep. Paul Hodes, the inspector general’s office confirmed complaints that supervisors at three New Hampshire post offices were changing time cards, underpaying employees by nearly $30,000. A year later, the office found more than 160 suspicious changes during a year-long audit of three post offices in Ohio, North Carolina and New Hampshire. At least 75 of the changes were not properly documented. Auditors said the Postal Service did not have adequate systems in place to make sure supervisors aren’t shorting employees.

“As a result, we could not determine with certainty the reasons supervisors altered time and attendance records,” the lead auditor wrote.

The agency watchdog recommended that the Postal Service train all supervisors periodically, create another layer of approval for each time card change and do its own periodic audits.

Dean Granholm, then the Postal Service’s head of delivery and operations, agreed to follow the recommendations.

But the wage theft didn’t stop. In 2018, the inspector general alerted postal leaders that more than 100 supervisors in the Boston area had changed time records, deleting hundreds of work hours from 814 postal employees over a period of two years. The auditors reviewed a sampling of 199 changes and found that the majority of them were improperly documented.

Granholm no longer works for the agency and did not respond to a request for comment.

Finally the inspector general looked at the problem on a national level. During a six-month period in 2019, auditors discovered that managers had deleted more than 46,000 work hours from employees across the country. Investigators then examined records at seven post offices in Illinois, Florida and the Washington, D.C., region, finding that 86% of time card changes shorted employees’ pay without proper documentation.

The inspector general made similar recommendations to those from previous audits: talk to supervisors about the time card rules and establish a process to periodically review such changes. The Postal Service agreed to do it.

Mail carriers who spoke to Public Integrity say they believe supervisors keep docking their hours because managers’ annual pay raises depend on keeping overtime spending down. Union stewards and lawyers made the same claims in legal records. The Postal Service would not say whether it does in fact link pay raises to overtime spending.

Mail carriers say the wage theft will continue unless the Postal Service punishes managers doing it.

In the meantime, some carriers take pictures of their time sheets or write down their hours in a notebook. One of the unions developed a mobile app to help with that.

Campos refuses to quit her job, despite it all.

“I’ve invested so much. I don’t want to leave,” she said. “I am 59 years old. Who do you think is going to hire me?”

This story was provided to The Associated Press by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit news organization based in Washington, D.C.

Report: USPS has shorted some workers’ pay for years

News Release Nebraska State Patrol

The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating a multi-vehicle crash that resulted in two fatalities and several injuries on Saturday on Interstate 80 in Lincoln.

At approximately 9:25 a.m. Saturday, units from the Nebraska State Patrol, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, Lincoln Police Department, and Lincoln Fire and Rescue were dispatched to the scene of a multi-vehicle crash on westbound Interstate 80 near the 27th&nbsp;Street interchange in Lincoln. Several bystanders also rushed to the scene to assist those involved in the crash.

The crash involved eight vehicles, resulting in two fatalities as well as several other injuries. Five additional patients were transported to Bryan Health West Campus with non-life-threatening injuries. Both fatalities were from the same vehicle.

All vehicles involved were westbound at the time of the crash. The crash remains under investigation.

Further details will be released pending notification of next of kin. I-80 has now reopened in the area.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/6/1559737258290.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>News Release Nebraska State PatrolThe Nebraska State Patrol is investigating a multi-vehicle crash that resulted in two fatalities and several injuries on Saturday on Interstate 80 in Lincoln.At approximately 9:25 a.m. Saturday, units from the Nebraska State Patrol, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, Lincoln Police Department, and Lincoln Fire and Rescue were dispatched to the scene of a multi-vehicle crash on westbound Interstate 80 near the 27th&nbsp;Street interchange in Lincoln. Several bystanders also rushed to the scene to assist those involved in the crash.The crash involved eight vehicles, resulting in two fatalities as well as several other injuries. Five additional patients were transported to Bryan Health West Campus with non-life-threatening injuries. Both fatalities were from the same vehicle.All vehicles involved were westbound at the time of the crash. The crash remains under investigation.Further details will be released pending notification of next of kin. I-80 has now reopened in the area.

8 vehicle crash in Lincoln claims 2 lives, injures others

NEW YORK (AP) — Willard Scott, the beloved weatherman who charmed viewers of NBC’s “Today” show with his self-deprecating humor and cheerful personality, has died. He was 87.

His successor on the morning news show, Al Roker, announced that Scott died peacefully Saturday morning surrounded by family. An NBC Universal spokeswoman confirmed the news. No further details were released.

“He was truly my second dad and am where I am today because of his generous spirit,” Roker wrote on Instagram. “Willard was a man of his times, the ultimate broadcaster. There will never be anyone quite like him.”

Scott began his 65-year career at NBC as an entry-level page at an affiliate station in Washington, D.C., and rose to become the weather forecaster on the network’s flagship morning show for more than three decades. His trademark was giving on-air congratulations to viewers who turned 100 years old.

NEW YORK (AP) — Willard Scott, the beloved weatherman who charmed viewers of NBC’s “Today” show with his self-deprecating humor and cheerful personality, has died. He was 87.His successor on the morning news show, Al Roker, announced that Scott died peacefully Saturday morning surrounded by family. An NBC Universal spokeswoman confirmed the news. No further details were released.“He was truly my second dad and am where I am today because of his generous spirit,” Roker wrote on Instagram. “Willard was a man of his times, the ultimate broadcaster. There will never be anyone quite like him.”Scott began his 65-year career at NBC as an entry-level page at an affiliate station in Washington, D.C., and rose to become the weather forecaster on the network’s flagship morning show for more than three decades. His trademark was giving on-air congratulations to viewers who turned 100 years old.

Willard Scott, weatherman on NBC's “Today” show, dies 

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Veteran-led rescue groups say the Biden administration’s estimate that no more than 200 U.S. citizens were left behind in Afghanistan is too low and also overlooks hundreds of other people they consider to be equally American: permanent legal residents with green cards.

Some groups say they continue to be contacted by American citizens in Afghanistan who did not register with the U.S. Embassy before it closed and by others not included in previous counts because they expressed misgivings about leaving loved ones behind.

As for green card holders, they have lived in the U.S. for years, paid taxes, become part of their communities and often have children who are U.S. citizens. Yet the administration says it does not have an estimate on the number of such permanent residents who are in Afghanistan and desperately trying to escape Taliban rule.

“The fear is that nobody is looking for them,” said Howard Shen, spokesman for the Cajon Valley Union School District in the San Diego area that is in contact with one such family who says they cannot get out.

“They are thousands of miles away under an oppressive regime and we’re leaving them behind,” he said. “That’s not right.”

Stung by the U.S. military’s chaotic and deadly retreat, President Biden has promised that evacuation efforts will continue for the 100 to 200 American citizens who want to leave, most of whom he said are dual citizens. And Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that extends to green card holders and Afghans who supported the U.S. government during the 20-year war.

It’s unclear how that will work without an active U.S. military presence in the country and the Taliban-controlled Kabul airport, a major way out of the country, now closed. But an undersecretary of state said this past week that all American citizens and permanent residents who could not get evacuation flights or were otherwise stranded had been contacted and told to expect further details about routes out once those have been arranged.

Three school districts in California say they know of more than 30 children enrolled in their schools who have not been able to return. One family who has lived in Sacramento for years has been texting daily with their children’s elementary school principal while trying to escape.

The parents and three children — all legal U.S. residents — went to Afghanistan in April to care for their sick grandmother after being unable to do so for months because of COVID-19 restrictions. Caught by surprise by the quick Taliban takeover, the family members were unable to get through the crush of thousands of people at the airport in Kabul before the last U.S. plane left Aug. 31.

Now they fear they will be forgotten by the U.S. government, especially since they are not American citizens.

“I’m loosing the hope,” the mother, who is not being named to protect her safety, texted in broken English to Principal Nate McGill, who urged her to not give up.

McGill said California Democratic Rep. Doris Matsui, who has been working to free the family, tried to help them board a flight in Afghanistan. But they were pushed back. The family, whose three children are in first, third and fourth grade, fled amid tear gas and gunfire as U.S. forces and the Taliban tried to control the crowd.

“We run away from the gate. Situation is very scary. Kids are crying because of these firing,” the mother texted, later adding: “I totally lost my mind sir ... today I saw my death.”

Mohammad Faizi, a green card holder from the San Diego suburb of El Cajon, said he and his wife and five children were stopped by the Taliban at a checkpoint on their way to the airport. His wife is a U.S. citizen.

Faizi, whose family got out just before the last U.S. flight left, said he was asked at the checkpoint why he was trying to leave Afghanistan. “I told him, ‘That’s our country. That’s my nation. We’re living there. So we have to get out of here.’″

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629817206585.png" alt="Evacuees board a C-17 Globemaster III at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.-photo courtesy U.S. Dept. of Defense" />
 <figcaption>Evacuees board a C-17 Globemaster III at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.-photo courtesy U.S. Dept. of Defense</figcaption>
 </figure>SAN DIEGO (AP) — Veteran-led rescue groups say the Biden administration’s estimate that no more than 200 U.S. citizens were left behind in Afghanistan is too low and also overlooks hundreds of other people they consider to be equally American: permanent legal residents with green cards.Some groups say they continue to be contacted by American citizens in Afghanistan who did not register with the U.S. Embassy before it closed and by others not included in previous counts because they expressed misgivings about leaving loved ones behind.As for green card holders, they have lived in the U.S. for years, paid taxes, become part of their communities and often have children who are U.S. citizens. Yet the administration says it does not have an estimate on the number of such permanent residents who are in Afghanistan and desperately trying to escape Taliban rule.“The fear is that nobody is looking for them,” said Howard Shen, spokesman for the Cajon Valley Union School District in the San Diego area that is in contact with one such family who says they cannot get out.“They are thousands of miles away under an oppressive regime and we’re leaving them behind,” he said. “That’s not right.”Stung by the U.S. military’s chaotic and deadly retreat, President Biden has promised that evacuation efforts will continue for the 100 to 200 American citizens who want to leave, most of whom he said are dual citizens. And Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that extends to green card holders and Afghans who supported the U.S. government during the 20-year war.It’s unclear how that will work without an active U.S. military presence in the country and the Taliban-controlled Kabul airport, a major way out of the country, now closed. But an undersecretary of state said this past week that all American citizens and permanent residents who could not get evacuation flights or were otherwise stranded had been contacted and told to expect further details about routes out once those have been arranged.Three school districts in California say they know of more than 30 children enrolled in their schools who have not been able to return. One family who has lived in Sacramento for years has been texting daily with their children’s elementary school principal while trying to escape.The parents and three children — all legal U.S. residents — went to Afghanistan in April to care for their sick grandmother after being unable to do so for months because of COVID-19 restrictions. Caught by surprise by the quick Taliban takeover, the family members were unable to get through the crush of thousands of people at the airport in Kabul before the last U.S. plane left Aug. 31.Now they fear they will be forgotten by the U.S. government, especially since they are not American citizens.“I’m loosing the hope,” the mother, who is not being named to protect her safety, texted in broken English to Principal Nate McGill, who urged her to not give up.McGill said California Democratic Rep. Doris Matsui, who has been working to free the family, tried to help them board a flight in Afghanistan. But they were pushed back. The family, whose three children are in first, third and fourth grade, fled amid tear gas and gunfire as U.S. forces and the Taliban tried to control the crowd.“We run away from the gate. Situation is very scary. Kids are crying because of these firing,” the mother texted, later adding: “I totally lost my mind sir ... today I saw my death.”Mohammad Faizi, a green card holder from the San Diego suburb of El Cajon, said he and his wife and five children were stopped by the Taliban at a checkpoint on their way to the airport. His wife is a U.S. citizen.Faizi, whose family got out just before the last U.S. flight left, said he was asked at the checkpoint why he was trying to leave Afghanistan. “I told him, ‘That’s our country. That’s my nation. We’re living there. So we have to get out of here.’″

Rescue groups: US tally misses hundreds left in Afghanistan

BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — Civil rights advocates and federal public defenders have urged the White House to intervene to ensure that a privately run federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, shuts down when its contract expires at the end of this year. 

The letter emailed Thursday to a White House office and local Leavenworth officials contends that the Leavenworth Detention Center is dangerously understaffed, unsafe and poorly managed.

 It details stabbings, suicides and a homicide that have happened there this year. The prison's operator, CoreCivic, says its critics' claims are “false and defamatory." 

The letter was signed by officials from the American Civil Liberties Union's affiliates in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska, and by the heads of several federal public defender offices.

BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — Civil rights advocates and federal public defenders have urged the White House to intervene to ensure that a privately run federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, shuts down when its contract expires at the end of this year. The letter emailed Thursday to a White House office and local Leavenworth officials contends that the Leavenworth Detention Center is dangerously understaffed, unsafe and poorly managed. It details stabbings, suicides and a homicide that have happened there this year. The prison's operator, CoreCivic, says its critics' claims are “false and defamatory." The letter was signed by officials from the American Civil Liberties Union's affiliates in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska, and by the heads of several federal public defender offices.

White House urged to shutter privately run Kansas prison

PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — Law enforcement officials in Sarpy County have announced measures to help police the police. 

The county announced in a news release this week that several agencies within the county — including the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office, Papillion, La Vista ad Bellevue police departments and the Sarpy County Attorney's Office — have collaborated to create the Sarpy County Force Investigation Team. 

The team's focus will primarily be on officer use-of-force incidents that result in serious bodily injury or death, and team members will receive ongoing specialized training in use-of-force. 

The Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office also announced Thursday that it will issue 42 body-worn cameras for each of its road patrol deputies.

PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — Law enforcement officials in Sarpy County have announced measures to help police the police. The county announced in a news release this week that several agencies within the county — including the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office, Papillion, La Vista ad Bellevue police departments and the Sarpy County Attorney's Office — have collaborated to create the Sarpy County Force Investigation Team. The team's focus will primarily be on officer use-of-force incidents that result in serious bodily injury or death, and team members will receive ongoing specialized training in use-of-force. The Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office also announced Thursday that it will issue 42 body-worn cameras for each of its road patrol deputies.

Sarpy County creates force to monitor use of force by police

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has denied a postconviction appeal by a man serving three life sentences for the 2012 shooting deaths of three Omaha men in a botched drug robbery. 

The state's high court on Friday said Timothy Britt failed to show in his appeal that he was entitled to an evidentiary hearing on his claims that his trial lawyer was ineffective for failing to call witnesses who could have helped exonerate him.

The high court said one of those witnesses would have been barred from testifying, and the other's testimony likely would not have changed the trial's outcome. 

Britt and an accomplice were convicted of killing 44-year-old Miguel Avalos Sr. and Avalos' sons, 18-year-old Miguel Avalos Jr., and 16-year-old Jose Avalos, in their home in July 2012.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1630756515099.png" alt="Britt" />
 <figcaption>Britt</figcaption>
 </figure>LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has denied a postconviction appeal by a man serving three life sentences for the 2012 shooting deaths of three Omaha men in a botched drug robbery. The state's high court on Friday said Timothy Britt failed to show in his appeal that he was entitled to an evidentiary hearing on his claims that his trial lawyer was ineffective for failing to call witnesses who could have helped exonerate him.The high court said one of those witnesses would have been barred from testifying, and the other's testimony likely would not have changed the trial's outcome. Britt and an accomplice were convicted of killing 44-year-old Miguel Avalos Sr. and Avalos' sons, 18-year-old Miguel Avalos Jr., and 16-year-old Jose Avalos, in their home in July 2012.

Appeal denied for Omaha man serving 3 life sentences

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A parole officer who shot a suspect in a confrontation that saw the officer also injured has been cleared by a prosecutor of wrongdoing. 

The Daily Nonpareil reports that Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber issued a report clearing Officer Mike Brown in the Aug. 20 shooting in Council Bluffs. 

The report says the shooting stemmed from officers' attempts to arrest Brandon Hines and a woman on warrants. 

Investigators say Hines rammed an officer's car and drove toward Brown as officers tried to arrest him on warrants. 

Investigators say Brown fired his gun six times, hitting Hines in the shoulder and hand, before Hine's car hit Brown. Hines was later arrested in neighboring Omaha, Nebraska, where he was taken to a hospital.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/8/1567093537444.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A parole officer who shot a suspect in a confrontation that saw the officer also injured has been cleared by a prosecutor of wrongdoing. The Daily Nonpareil reports that Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber issued a report clearing Officer Mike Brown in the Aug. 20 shooting in Council Bluffs. The report says the shooting stemmed from officers' attempts to arrest Brandon Hines and a woman on warrants. Investigators say Hines rammed an officer's car and drove toward Brown as officers tried to arrest him on warrants. Investigators say Brown fired his gun six times, hitting Hines in the shoulder and hand, before Hine's car hit Brown. Hines was later arrested in neighboring Omaha, Nebraska, where he was taken to a hospital.

Iowa prosecutor clears parole officer who shot suspect

MILFORD, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating after a Milford police officer fired at a fleeing car. 

No one was injured in the confrontation on Thursday in Milford. 

Patrol spokesman Cody Thomas said the officer approached a vehicle at a storage business early Thursday. 

Thomas says the car's occupants were uncooperative and the driver sped away as the officer was standing in front of the vehicle. 

The officer fired his weapon, hitting a tire. 

The patrol said the vehicle stopped north of Milford because of the flat tire. A 21-year-old man from Kansas City, Missouri, was arrested and is being held in the Seward County jail pending charges.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1630756091701.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>MILFORD, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating after a Milford police officer fired at a fleeing car. No one was injured in the confrontation on Thursday in Milford. Patrol spokesman Cody Thomas said the officer approached a vehicle at a storage business early Thursday. Thomas says the car's occupants were uncooperative and the driver sped away as the officer was standing in front of the vehicle. The officer fired his weapon, hitting a tire. The patrol said the vehicle stopped north of Milford because of the flat tire. A 21-year-old man from Kansas City, Missouri, was arrested and is being held in the Seward County jail pending charges.

Patrol investigating shooting involving Milford officer

The Cybersecurity and Infastructure Security Agency (CISA) along with the FBI recommend consumers and businesses <a href="https://www.cisa.gov/news/2021/08/31/cisa-and-fbi-urge-organizations-remain-vigilant-ransomware-threats-holidays" target="_blank">take steps to protect electronic devices against cyber attacks.</a>

Ransomware attacks are becoming a regular occurrence, locking 
computers and networks using file encryption software, with hackers 
demanding payment by Bitcoin or other non-traceable crypto-currency to 
release the data. The attack typically enters through a phishing email 
and then spreads to other machines on the same network.&nbsp;

BBB joins with the <a href="http://www.staysafeonline.org/" target="_blank">National Cyber Security Alliance</a>&nbsp;in suggesting the following cyber hygiene defenses:

Businesses need to take special precautions when it comes to protecting their customers’ information. One of the <a href="https://www.bbb.org/standards-for-trust" target="_blank">BBB Standards for Trust</a>
 is "Safeguard Privacy: Protect any data collected against mishandling 
and fraud, collect personal information only as needed, and respect the 
preferences of consumers regarding the use of their information."

&nbsp;BBB recommends the following <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/business/23641-bbb-business-tip-cybersecurity-practices-every-small-business-needs-to-do-now" target="_blank">cybersecurity tips for U.S. small businesses</a> and <a href="https://cyber.gc.ca/en/" target="_blank">Cyber Security tips for Canada</a>

Consumers can learn more about avoiding scams and fraud at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/8767-bbb-tips-10-steps-to-avoid-scams" target="_blank">10 Steps to Avoid Scams</a>.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579883951052.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Better Business BureauThe Cybersecurity and Infastructure Security Agency (CISA) along with the FBI recommend consumers and businesses <a href="https://www.cisa.gov/news/2021/08/31/cisa-and-fbi-urge-organizations-remain-vigilant-ransomware-threats-holidays" target="_blank">take steps to protect electronic devices against cyber attacks.</a>Ransomware attacks are becoming a regular occurrence, locking 
computers and networks using file encryption software, with hackers 
demanding payment by Bitcoin or other non-traceable crypto-currency to 
release the data. The attack typically enters through a phishing email 
and then spreads to other machines on the same network.&nbsp;BBB joins with the <a href="http://www.staysafeonline.org/" target="_blank">National Cyber Security Alliance</a>&nbsp;in suggesting the following cyber hygiene defenses:<ul>
 <li>Don’t click on links&nbsp;from unfamiliar sources. Even 
if you think you know the sender, be cautious about clicking on email 
links. When in doubt, delete it. Be especially wary of messages 
requiring you to act quickly, asking for personal information, or 
threatening you in any way.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Keep clean machines and stay up-to-date with software:&nbsp;Prevent
 infections by updating critical software as soon as patches or new 
operating system versions are available. This includes mobile and other 
internet-connected devices.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Use strong authentication, requiring more than a 
username and password to access accounts, especially critical networks, 
to prevent access through stolen or hacked credentials.&nbsp;</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Conduct regular backups of systems:&nbsp;Systems can be restored in cases of ransomware and having current backup of all data speeds the recovery process.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Make better passwords:&nbsp;In cases where passwords are
 still used, require long, strong and unique passwords to better harden 
accounts against intrusions.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Enable popup blockers.&nbsp;Popups are regularly used by
 scammers to spread malware. Prevent them from appearing in the first 
place by adjusting your browser settings.</li>
 </ul> Businesses need to take special precautions when it comes to protecting their customers’ information. One of the <a href="https://www.bbb.org/standards-for-trust" target="_blank">BBB Standards for Trust</a>
 is "Safeguard Privacy: Protect any data collected against mishandling 
and fraud, collect personal information only as needed, and respect the 
preferences of consumers regarding the use of their information."&nbsp;BBB recommends the following <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/business/23641-bbb-business-tip-cybersecurity-practices-every-small-business-needs-to-do-now" target="_blank">cybersecurity tips for U.S. small businesses</a> and <a href="https://cyber.gc.ca/en/" target="_blank">Cyber Security tips for Canada</a>Consumers can learn more about avoiding scams and fraud at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/8767-bbb-tips-10-steps-to-avoid-scams" target="_blank">10 Steps to Avoid Scams</a>.&nbsp;

BBB Warning: Update software to help prevent ransomware

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Two of the industry's biggest poultry companies have agreed to pay nearly $35 million to settle a lawsuit that accused them and several other firms of conspiring to dominate the industry and fix the prices paid to farmers who raise the chickens. 

Tyson Foods and Perdue Farms agreed to the settlements last week without admitting any wrongdoing while the lawsuit remains pending against several other industry giants, including Pilgrim’s Pride, Koch Foods and Sanderson Farms. 

The lawsuit says the contract grower system the meat companies created pushed them deep into debt to build and maintain chicken barns that met company standards.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1588259947500.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Two of the industry's biggest poultry companies have agreed to pay nearly $35 million to settle a lawsuit that accused them and several other firms of conspiring to dominate the industry and fix the prices paid to farmers who raise the chickens. Tyson Foods and Perdue Farms agreed to the settlements last week without admitting any wrongdoing while the lawsuit remains pending against several other industry giants, including Pilgrim’s Pride, Koch Foods and Sanderson Farms. The lawsuit says the contract grower system the meat companies created pushed them deep into debt to build and maintain chicken barns that met company standards.

Tyson, Perdue to pay $35M to settle with chicken farmers

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities&nbsp; investigating several recent vehicle burglaries and stolen credit cards being used from the burglaries have made an arrest.

On Wednesday, police identified 54-year-old Glen Moler as a suspect and located him at his home, according to Officer Charley Davidson.

Investigators arrested him and recovered a stolen vehicle and other stolen items. Those stolen items were returned to their owners.&nbsp;

Moler is being held on requested charges of criminal use of a financial card, six counts of burglary, three counts of theft, one count of auto theft, one count of theft of a firearm and&nbsp; two counts of attempted burglary.

 Moler has been arrested and convicted 19 times for burglary, theft, DUI and criminal damage to property, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. He had been out of prison since July.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1630664216838.png" alt="Moler has 19 previous convictions for burglary, theft, DUI and criminal damage to property, according to the Kansas Dpt. of Corrections-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Moler has 19 previous convictions for burglary, theft, DUI and criminal damage to property, according to the Kansas Dpt. of Corrections-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities&nbsp; investigating several recent vehicle burglaries and stolen credit cards being used from the burglaries have made an arrest.On Wednesday, police identified 54-year-old Glen Moler as a suspect and located him at his home, according to Officer Charley Davidson.Investigators arrested him and recovered a stolen vehicle and other stolen items. Those stolen items were returned to their owners.&nbsp;Moler is being held on requested charges of criminal use of a financial card, six counts of burglary, three counts of theft, one count of auto theft, one count of theft of a firearm and&nbsp; two counts of attempted burglary. Moler has been arrested and convicted 19 times for burglary, theft, DUI and criminal damage to property, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. He had been out of prison since July.

Kan. man with 19 previous convictions jailed for burglary

KANSAS CITY (AP)—The COVID-19 pandemic has created a nurse staffing crisis that is forcing many U.S. hospitals to pay top dollar to get the help they need to handle the crush of patients this summer.

The problem, health leaders say, is twofold: Nurses are quitting or retiring, exhausted or demoralized by the crisis. And many are leaving for lucrative temporary jobs with traveling-nurse agencies that can pay $5,000 or more a week.

It’s gotten to the point where doctors are saying, “Maybe I should quit being a doctor and go be a nurse,” said Dr. Phillip Coule, chief medical officer at Georgia’s Augusta University Medical Center, which has on occasion seen 20 to 30 resignations in a week from nurses taking traveling jobs.

“And then we have to pay premium rates to get staff from another state to come to our state,” Coule said.

The average pay for a traveling nurse has soared from roughly $1,000 to $2,000 per week before the pandemic to $3,000 to $5,000 now, said Sophia Morris, a vice president at San Diego-based health care staffing firm Aya Healthcare. She said Aya has 48,000 openings for traveling nurses to fill.

At competitor SimpliFi, President James Quick said the hospitals his company works with are seeing unprecedented levels of vacancies.

“Small to medium-sized hospitals generally have dozens of full-time openings, and the large health systems have hundreds of full-time openings,” he said.

The explosion in pay has made it hard on hospitals without deep enough pockets.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly lamented recently that the state’s hospitals risk being outbid for nurses by other states that pay a “fortune.” She said Wednesday that several hospitals, including one in Topeka, had open beds but no nurses to staff them.

In Kansas City, Missouri, Truman Medical Centers has lost about 10 nurses to travel jobs in recent days and is looking for travelers to replace them, said CEO Charlie Shields.

He said it is hard to compete with the travel agencies, which are charging hospitals $165 to $170 an hour per nurse. He said the agencies take a big cut of that, but he estimated that nurses are still clearing $70 to $90 an hour, which is two to three times what the hospital pays its staff nurses.

“I think clearly people are taking advantage of the demand that is out there,” Shields said. “I hate to use `gouged’ as a description, but we are clearly paying a premium and allowing people to have fairly high profit margins.”

In Texas, more than 6,000 travel nurses have flooded the state to help with the surge through a state-supported program. But on the same day that 19 of them went to work at a hospital in the northern part of the state, 20 other nurses at the same place gave notice that they would be leaving for a traveling contract, said Carrie Kroll, a vice president at the Texas Hospital Association.

“The nurses who haven’t left, who have stayed with their facilities, they are seeing these other people come in now who are making more money. It provides a tense working environment,” Kroll said.

The pandemic was in its early stages when Kim Davis, 36, decided to quit her job at an Arkansas hospital and become a travel nurse. She said she has roughly doubled her income in the 14 months that she has been treating patients in intensive care units in Phoenix; San Bernardino, California; and Tampa, Florida.

“Since I’ve been traveling, I’ve paid off all my debt. I paid off about $50,000 in student loans,” she said.

Davis said many of her colleagues are following the same path.

“They’re leaving to go travel because why would you do the same job for half the pay?” she said. “If they’re going to risk their lives, they should be compensated.”

Health leaders say nurses are bone-tired and frustrated from being asked to work overtime, from getting screamed at and second-guessed by members of the community, and from dealing with people who chose not to get vaccinated or wear a mask.

“Imagine going to work every day and working the hardest that you have worked and stepping out of work and what you see every day is denied in the public,” said Julie Hoff, chief nurse executive at OU Health in Oklahoma. “The death that you see every day is not honored or recognized.”

Meanwhile, hospitals are getting squeezed by the revolving door of departures and new hires from traveling agencies.

Coule cited a recent example in which his hospital in Georgia hired a respiratory therapist through an agency to replace a staff member who had decided to accept a traveling gig. The replacement came from the same hospital where his respiratory therapist had just gone to work.

“Essentially we swapped personnel but at double the cost,” he said.

Patricia Pittman, director of the Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity at George Washington University, said many nurses still harbor resentment toward their employers from the early stages of the pandemic, in part from being forced to work without adequate protective gear.

“The nurses say, ’Hey, if I am not going to be treated with respect, I might as well go be a travel nurse,’” she said. “‘That way I can go work in a hellhole for 13 weeks, but then I can take off a couple months or three months and go do whatever.’”

KANSAS CITY (AP)—The COVID-19 pandemic has created a nurse staffing crisis that is forcing many U.S. hospitals to pay top dollar to get the help they need to handle the crush of patients this summer.The problem, health leaders say, is twofold: Nurses are quitting or retiring, exhausted or demoralized by the crisis. And many are leaving for lucrative temporary jobs with traveling-nurse agencies that can pay $5,000 or more a week.It’s gotten to the point where doctors are saying, “Maybe I should quit being a doctor and go be a nurse,” said Dr. Phillip Coule, chief medical officer at Georgia’s Augusta University Medical Center, which has on occasion seen 20 to 30 resignations in a week from nurses taking traveling jobs.“And then we have to pay premium rates to get staff from another state to come to our state,” Coule said.The average pay for a traveling nurse has soared from roughly $1,000 to $2,000 per week before the pandemic to $3,000 to $5,000 now, said Sophia Morris, a vice president at San Diego-based health care staffing firm Aya Healthcare. She said Aya has 48,000 openings for traveling nurses to fill.At competitor SimpliFi, President James Quick said the hospitals his company works with are seeing unprecedented levels of vacancies.“Small to medium-sized hospitals generally have dozens of full-time openings, and the large health systems have hundreds of full-time openings,” he said.The explosion in pay has made it hard on hospitals without deep enough pockets.Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly lamented recently that the state’s hospitals risk being outbid for nurses by other states that pay a “fortune.” She said Wednesday that several hospitals, including one in Topeka, had open beds but no nurses to staff them.In Kansas City, Missouri, Truman Medical Centers has lost about 10 nurses to travel jobs in recent days and is looking for travelers to replace them, said CEO Charlie Shields.He said it is hard to compete with the travel agencies, which are charging hospitals $165 to $170 an hour per nurse. He said the agencies take a big cut of that, but he estimated that nurses are still clearing $70 to $90 an hour, which is two to three times what the hospital pays its staff nurses.“I think clearly people are taking advantage of the demand that is out there,” Shields said. “I hate to use `gouged’ as a description, but we are clearly paying a premium and allowing people to have fairly high profit margins.”In Texas, more than 6,000 travel nurses have flooded the state to help with the surge through a state-supported program. But on the same day that 19 of them went to work at a hospital in the northern part of the state, 20 other nurses at the same place gave notice that they would be leaving for a traveling contract, said Carrie Kroll, a vice president at the Texas Hospital Association.“The nurses who haven’t left, who have stayed with their facilities, they are seeing these other people come in now who are making more money. It provides a tense working environment,” Kroll said.The pandemic was in its early stages when Kim Davis, 36, decided to quit her job at an Arkansas hospital and become a travel nurse. She said she has roughly doubled her income in the 14 months that she has been treating patients in intensive care units in Phoenix; San Bernardino, California; and Tampa, Florida.“Since I’ve been traveling, I’ve paid off all my debt. I paid off about $50,000 in student loans,” she said.Davis said many of her colleagues are following the same path.“They’re leaving to go travel because why would you do the same job for half the pay?” she said. “If they’re going to risk their lives, they should be compensated.”Health leaders say nurses are bone-tired and frustrated from being asked to work overtime, from getting screamed at and second-guessed by members of the community, and from dealing with people who chose not to get vaccinated or wear a mask.“Imagine going to work every day and working the hardest that you have worked and stepping out of work and what you see every day is denied in the public,” said Julie Hoff, chief nurse executive at OU Health in Oklahoma. “The death that you see every day is not honored or recognized.”Meanwhile, hospitals are getting squeezed by the revolving door of departures and new hires from traveling agencies.Coule cited a recent example in which his hospital in Georgia hired a respiratory therapist through an agency to replace a staff member who had decided to accept a traveling gig. The replacement came from the same hospital where his respiratory therapist had just gone to work.“Essentially we swapped personnel but at double the cost,” he said.Patricia Pittman, director of the Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity at George Washington University, said many nurses still harbor resentment toward their employers from the early stages of the pandemic, in part from being forced to work without adequate protective gear.“The nurses say, ’Hey, if I am not going to be treated with respect, I might as well go be a travel nurse,’” she said. “‘That way I can go work in a hellhole for 13 weeks, but then I can take off a couple months or three months and go do whatever.’”___

US hospitals hit with nurse staffing crisis amid COVID

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Authorities in Grand Island say a woman has died in a house fire.

Television station KSNB reports that firefighters were called around 6 p.m. Wednesday to a multi-family building on Ada Street. 

Arriving crews found heavy smoke coming from the structure and flames inside a bedroom in one of the units. 

Firefighters extinguished the flames within minutes, but found the body of 71-year-old Barbara Seymour, of Grand Island, inside. 

The Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s office is leading the investigation into the cause of the fire.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Authorities in Grand Island say a woman has died in a house fire.Television station KSNB reports that firefighters were called around 6 p.m. Wednesday to a multi-family building on Ada Street. Arriving crews found heavy smoke coming from the structure and flames inside a bedroom in one of the units. Firefighters extinguished the flames within minutes, but found the body of 71-year-old Barbara Seymour, of Grand Island, inside. The Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s office is leading the investigation into the cause of the fire.