GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Firefighters were still battling a blaze Monday morning at a Grand Island meatpacking plant 12 hours after first arriving on the scene. 

Battalion Chief Scott Kuehl said crews were first called to the JBS plant just before 10 p.m. Sunday and arrived to find flames in the rendering area of the plant. 

The six-alarm fire kept firefighters at the plant all night and into late Monday morning as the fire spread in concealed spots within the plant's ceiling and walls. No injuries have been reported. 

The fire has interrupted work at the plant, with workers told not to report to work Monday. 

Officials say the cause of the fire is not yet known.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Firefighters were still battling a blaze Monday morning at a Grand Island meatpacking plant 12 hours after first arriving on the scene. Battalion Chief Scott Kuehl said crews were first called to the JBS plant just before 10 p.m. Sunday and arrived to find flames in the rendering area of the plant. The six-alarm fire kept firefighters at the plant all night and into late Monday morning as the fire spread in concealed spots within the plant's ceiling and walls. No injuries have been reported. The fire has interrupted work at the plant, with workers told not to report to work Monday. Officials say the cause of the fire is not yet known.

Crews battling large blaze at Grand Island meatpacking plant

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police say a man was killed and a woman injured in a late-night shooting outside a midtown Omaha mall. Police say the shooting at Westroads Mall happened around 11 p.m. 

Sunday in the parking lot of Dick's Sporting Goods at the mall. Arriving officers found a man and a woman who had been shot.

 The 18-year-old woman was taken to a hospital with critical injuries, but is expected to survive. 

The 18-year-old man, identified as Franco Vasquez, was declared dead at the scene. Police have not reported having any suspects and had not made any arrests in the case by Monday morning.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police say a man was killed and a woman injured in a late-night shooting outside a midtown Omaha mall. Police say the shooting at Westroads Mall happened around 11 p.m. Sunday in the parking lot of Dick's Sporting Goods at the mall. Arriving officers found a man and a woman who had been shot. The 18-year-old woman was taken to a hospital with critical injuries, but is expected to survive. The 18-year-old man, identified as Franco Vasquez, was declared dead at the scene. Police have not reported having any suspects and had not made any arrests in the case by Monday morning.

Police: Man killed, woman hurt in Omaha mall lot shooting

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://vault.fbi.gov/9-11-attacks-investigation-and-related-materials/9-11-material-released-in-response-to-executive-order-14040/april-4-2016-electronic-communication-part-01-of-01/view" target="_blank">A declassified FBI document</a>&nbsp;related to logistical support given to two of the Saudi hijackers in the run-up to the Sept. 11 attacks details contacts the men had with Saudi associates in the United States but does not provide proof that senior kingdom officials were complicit in the plot.

The document released Saturday, on the 20th anniversary of the attacks, is the first investigative record to be disclosed since President Joe Biden ordered a declassification review of materials that for years have remained out of public view. The 16-page document is a summary of an FBI interview done in 2015 with a man who had frequent contact with Saudi nationals in the U.S. who supported the first hijackers to arrive in the country before the attacks.

Biden ordered the Justice Department and other agencies to conduct a declassification review and release what documents they can over the next six months. He was under pressure from victims’ families, who have long sought the records as they pursue a lawsuit in New York alleging that Saudi government officials supported the hijackers.

The heavily blacked-out document was released hours after Biden attended Sept. 11 memorial events in New York, Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon. Victims’ relatives had said they would object to Biden’s presence at those remembrances as long as the documents remained classified.

The Saudi government has long denied any involvement in the attacks. The Saudi Embassy in Washington has it supported the full declassification of all records as a way to “end the baseless allegations against the Kingdom once and for all.” The embassy said that any allegation that Saudi Arabia was complicit was “categorically false.”

The documents have come out at a politically delicate time for the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, which have forged a strategic, if difficult, alliance, particularly on counterterrorism matters. The Biden administration in February released an intelligence assessment implicating Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the 2018 killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but drew criticism from Democrats for avoiding a direct punishment of the royal himself.

Victims’ relatives said the document’s release was a significant step in their effort to connect the attacks to Saudi Arabia. Brett Eagleson, whose father, Bruce, was killed in the World Trade Center attack, said the release of the FBI material “accelerates our pursuit of truth and justice.”

Jim Kreindler, a lawyer for the victims’ relatives, said in a statement that “the findings and conclusions in this FBI investigation validate the arguments we have made in the litigation regarding the Saudi government’s responsibility for the 9/11 attacks.

“This document, together with the public evidence gathered to date, provides a blueprint for how (al-Qaida) operated inside the US with the active, knowing support of the Saudi government,” he said.

That includes, he said, Saudi officials exchanging phone calls among themselves and al-Qaida operatives and then having “accidental meetings” with the hijackers while providing them with assistance to get settled and find flight schools.

Regarding Sept. 11, there has been speculation of official involvement since shortly after the attacks, when it was revealed that 15 of the 19 attackers were Saudis. Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaida at the time, was from a prominent family in the kingdom.

The U.S. investigated some Saudi diplomats and others with Saudi government ties who knew hijackers after they arrived in the U.S., according to previously declassified documents.

Still, the 9/11 Commission report in 2004 found “no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded” the attacks that al-Qaida masterminded, though it noted Saudi-linked charities could have diverted money to the group.

Particular scrutiny has centered on the first two hijackers to arrive in the U.S., Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar, and support they received.

In February 2000, shortly after their arrival in Southern California, they encountered at a halal restaurant a Saudi national named Omar al-Bayoumi who helped them find and lease an apartment in San Diego. He had ties to the Saudi government and had earlier attracted FBI scrutiny.

Bayoumi has described his restaurant meeting with Hazmi and Mihdhar as a “chance encounter,” and the FBI during its interview made multiple attempts to ascertain if that characterization was accurate or if the meeting had actually been arranged in advance, according to the document.

The 2015 interview that forms the basis of the FBI document was of a man who was applying for U.S. citizenship and who years earlier had repeated contacts with Saudi nationals, who investigators said, provided “significant logistical support” to several of the hijackers. Among the man’s contacts was Bayoumi, according to the document.

The man’s identity is blacked out throughout the document, but he is described as having worked at the Saudi consulate in Los Angeles.

Also referenced in the document is Fahad al-Thumairy, at the time an accredited diplomat at the Saudi Consulate in Los Angeles who investigators say led an extremist faction at his mosque. The document says communications analysis identified a seven-minute phone call in 1999 from Thumairy’s phone to the Saudi Arabian family home phone of two brothers who later were detained at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631038876655.png" alt="The World Trade Center burns in the background of New York City’s Empire State Building, Sept. 11, 2001. Both World Trade Center towers were attacked as a result of a highly coordinated al-Qaida plot. U.S. Department of Defense photo" />
 <figcaption>The World Trade Center burns in the background of New York City’s Empire State Building, Sept. 11, 2001. Both World Trade Center towers were attacked as a result of a highly coordinated al-Qaida plot. U.S. Department of Defense photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://vault.fbi.gov/9-11-attacks-investigation-and-related-materials/9-11-material-released-in-response-to-executive-order-14040/april-4-2016-electronic-communication-part-01-of-01/view" target="_blank">A declassified FBI document</a>&nbsp;related to logistical support given to two of the Saudi hijackers in the run-up to the Sept. 11 attacks details contacts the men had with Saudi associates in the United States but does not provide proof that senior kingdom officials were complicit in the plot.The document released Saturday, on the 20th anniversary of the attacks, is the first investigative record to be disclosed since President Joe Biden ordered a declassification review of materials that for years have remained out of public view. The 16-page document is a summary of an FBI interview done in 2015 with a man who had frequent contact with Saudi nationals in the U.S. who supported the first hijackers to arrive in the country before the attacks.Biden ordered the Justice Department and other agencies to conduct a declassification review and release what documents they can over the next six months. He was under pressure from victims’ families, who have long sought the records as they pursue a lawsuit in New York alleging that Saudi government officials supported the hijackers.The heavily blacked-out document was released hours after Biden attended Sept. 11 memorial events in New York, Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon. Victims’ relatives had said they would object to Biden’s presence at those remembrances as long as the documents remained classified.The Saudi government has long denied any involvement in the attacks. The Saudi Embassy in Washington has it supported the full declassification of all records as a way to “end the baseless allegations against the Kingdom once and for all.” The embassy said that any allegation that Saudi Arabia was complicit was “categorically false.”The documents have come out at a politically delicate time for the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, which have forged a strategic, if difficult, alliance, particularly on counterterrorism matters. The Biden administration in February released an intelligence assessment implicating Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the 2018 killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but drew criticism from Democrats for avoiding a direct punishment of the royal himself.Victims’ relatives said the document’s release was a significant step in their effort to connect the attacks to Saudi Arabia. Brett Eagleson, whose father, Bruce, was killed in the World Trade Center attack, said the release of the FBI material “accelerates our pursuit of truth and justice.”Jim Kreindler, a lawyer for the victims’ relatives, said in a statement that “the findings and conclusions in this FBI investigation validate the arguments we have made in the litigation regarding the Saudi government’s responsibility for the 9/11 attacks.“This document, together with the public evidence gathered to date, provides a blueprint for how (al-Qaida) operated inside the US with the active, knowing support of the Saudi government,” he said.That includes, he said, Saudi officials exchanging phone calls among themselves and al-Qaida operatives and then having “accidental meetings” with the hijackers while providing them with assistance to get settled and find flight schools.Regarding Sept. 11, there has been speculation of official involvement since shortly after the attacks, when it was revealed that 15 of the 19 attackers were Saudis. Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaida at the time, was from a prominent family in the kingdom.The U.S. investigated some Saudi diplomats and others with Saudi government ties who knew hijackers after they arrived in the U.S., according to previously declassified documents.Still, the 9/11 Commission report in 2004 found “no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded” the attacks that al-Qaida masterminded, though it noted Saudi-linked charities could have diverted money to the group.Particular scrutiny has centered on the first two hijackers to arrive in the U.S., Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar, and support they received.In February 2000, shortly after their arrival in Southern California, they encountered at a halal restaurant a Saudi national named Omar al-Bayoumi who helped them find and lease an apartment in San Diego. He had ties to the Saudi government and had earlier attracted FBI scrutiny.Bayoumi has described his restaurant meeting with Hazmi and Mihdhar as a “chance encounter,” and the FBI during its interview made multiple attempts to ascertain if that characterization was accurate or if the meeting had actually been arranged in advance, according to the document.The 2015 interview that forms the basis of the FBI document was of a man who was applying for U.S. citizenship and who years earlier had repeated contacts with Saudi nationals, who investigators said, provided “significant logistical support” to several of the hijackers. Among the man’s contacts was Bayoumi, according to the document.The man’s identity is blacked out throughout the document, but he is described as having worked at the Saudi consulate in Los Angeles.Also referenced in the document is Fahad al-Thumairy, at the time an accredited diplomat at the Saudi Consulate in Los Angeles who investigators say led an extremist faction at his mosque. The document says communications analysis identified a seven-minute phone call in 1999 from Thumairy’s phone to the Saudi Arabian family home phone of two brothers who later were detained at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison.___

FBI releases new declassified record on Sept. 11 attacks

Emergency scams, sometimes called "grandparent scams," prey on the 
willingness of an unsuspecting, worried individual to help friends and 
family in need. Often, they will impersonate their targets’ loved ones, 
make up an urgent situation, and plead for help… and money. Thanks to 
social media sites, scammers can look up information and offer plausible
 stories. They may even incorporate nicknames and real travel plans into
 the con to convince their targets.&nbsp;

Emergency scams are about a family member or friend in a dire 
situation. You get a call, email, or social media message from someone 
claiming to be a family member in distress. They may say they’ve been 
arrested while traveling overseas, or there was an accident, medical 
emergency, or other calamity. They provide convincing details, such as 
family names and school details.

A common version is the “grandparent scam,” where the con artist 
contacts a grandparent claiming to be their grandchild and asking for 
money. The plea is so persuasive that the grandparent wires money to the
 scammer, only to find out later their family member was safe and sound 
all along. This scam can also work in reverse, where the "grandparent" 
calls their grandchild pleading for help.

To report a scam, go to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker" target="_blank">BBB Scam Tracker</a>. Learn more about <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/21686-who-is-really-contacting-you" target="_blank">all types of impostor scams</a>.&nbsp;

To learn how to protect yourself, go to “<a href="https://www.bbb.org/avoidscams/" target="_blank">10 Steps to Avoid Scams</a>."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579883951052.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Better Business BureauEmergency scams, sometimes called "grandparent scams," prey on the 
willingness of an unsuspecting, worried individual to help friends and 
family in need. Often, they will impersonate their targets’ loved ones, 
make up an urgent situation, and plead for help… and money. Thanks to 
social media sites, scammers can look up information and offer plausible
 stories. They may even incorporate nicknames and real travel plans into
 the con to convince their targets.&nbsp;<h2>How the Scam Works:</h2>Emergency scams are about a family member or friend in a dire 
situation. You get a call, email, or social media message from someone 
claiming to be a family member in distress. They may say they’ve been 
arrested while traveling overseas, or there was an accident, medical 
emergency, or other calamity. They provide convincing details, such as 
family names and school details.A common version is the “grandparent scam,” where the con artist 
contacts a grandparent claiming to be their grandchild and asking for 
money. The plea is so persuasive that the grandparent wires money to the
 scammer, only to find out later their family member was safe and sound 
all along. This scam can also work in reverse, where the "grandparent" 
calls their grandchild pleading for help.<h2>Tips to Spot This Scam:&nbsp;</h2><ul>
 <li>Resist the urge to act immediately, no matter how 
dramatic the story is. Check out the story with other family and 
friends, but hang up or close the message and call your loved one 
directly. Don’t call the phone number provided by the caller or caller 
ID. Ask questions that would be hard for an impostor to answer 
correctly.&nbsp; </li><li>Know what your family members are sharing online. You may not have control over your family's social media accounts, but familiarize yourself with what they are sharing online. &nbsp;</li><li>Don't wire any money if there is any doubt about the call. If a person does wire money and later realizes it is a fraud, the police need to be alerted.&nbsp; </li>
 </ul><h2>For more information:</h2>To report a scam, go to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker" target="_blank">BBB Scam Tracker</a>. Learn more about <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/21686-who-is-really-contacting-you" target="_blank">all types of impostor scams</a>.&nbsp;To learn how to protect yourself, go to “<a href="https://www.bbb.org/avoidscams/" target="_blank">10 Steps to Avoid Scams</a>."

'Grandma, help!' emergency scams take advantage of loved ones

WASHINGTON — During <a href="https://www.sba.gov/nsbw/nsbw">National Small Business Week</a>,
 the Internal Revenue Service wants small business owners to know that 
information and resources to help them understand and meet their tax 
obligations are available free at IRS.gov.

Small businesses play a pivotal role in our nation's economy. The IRS
 has a variety of resources available to help employers meet their tax 
responsibilities as well as help their employees.

IRS online resources can also help employers with things like how to 
determine if workers should be classified as employees or independent 
contractors, when employment taxes are due and what forms they need to 
file.

An <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/employer-id-numbers">Employer Identification Number </a>, also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number is a must-have for a business. Applying for an EIN can be done <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/apply-for-an-employer-identification-number-ein-online">online</a> for free using an interview style application offered by the IRS. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vD0KoIS124">Five Things to Know about the EIN</a>
 is a video that helps explain why it is critical the IRS has accurate 
and current information related to EINs or business accounts.

It's important a small business <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/understanding-employment-taxes">understand employment taxes</a>
 such as federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare taxes as well 
as Federal Unemployment (FUTA) Tax. Employers must regularly report 
wages, tips and other compensation paid to an employee by filing the 
required form(s) to the IRS.

Most employers use <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-941">Form 941, Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return</a>
 to report federal income tax withheld and both the employer and 
employee Social Security and Medicare taxes. The smallest employers 
(those whose annual liability for Social Security, Medicare and withheld
 federal income taxes is $1,000 or less) file <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-944">Form 944, Employer's Annual Federal Tax Return</a>, and agricultural employers file <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-943">Form 943, Employer's Annual Federal Tax Return for Agricultural Employees</a>. Only the employer pays FUTA tax; it is not withheld from the employee's wages. Employers report their FUTA taxes by filing <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-940">Form 940, Employer's Annual Federal Unemployment (FUTA) Tax Return</a>.

If businesses compensate non-employees for services, or pay rent, 
commissions, the fees of attorneys and other professionals, or <a href="https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc307#:~:text=You%20may%20be%20subject%20to%20backup%20withholding%20and,your%20income%20tax%20return.%20...%20More%20items...%20">make certain other payments</a>, businesses must obtain the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) of the payee before
 making the payment. If businesses don't have the payee's TIN at the 
time payment is made, businesses must withhold 24% from the payment as 
backup withholding. A payer is liable for backup withholding even if the
 tax is not deducted from the payment. Payers may use <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-w-9">Form W-9</a> to request the payee's TIN. Payers use <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-945">Form 945, Annual Return of Withheld Income Tax</a>, to report backup withholding.

<a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/depositing-and-reporting-employment-taxes">There are two deposit schedules for employment taxes withheld and the employer's match</a>
 − monthly and semi-weekly. Before the beginning of each calendar year, 
employers must determine which of the two deposit schedules they're 
required to use. To determine the businesses' payment schedule, review <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-15">Publication 15</a> for Forms 941, 944 and 945, or <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-51">Publication 51</a>
 for Form 943. Deposits for FUTA Tax (Form 940) are required for the 
quarter within which the tax due exceeds $500. The tax must be deposited
 by the end of the month following the end of the quarter. Small 
business taxpayers must use&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/eftps-the-electronic-federal-tax-payment-system">electronic funds transfer (EFTPS)</a>&nbsp;to make all federal tax deposits. See the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/employment-tax-due-dates">Employment Tax Due Dates</a> page for information on when deposits are due.

<a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-as-you-go-so-you-wont-owe-a-guide-to-withholding-estimated-taxes-and-ways-to-avoid-the-estimated-tax-penalty">Taxes are pay-as-you-go</a>.
 This means taxpayers need to pay most of their tax during the year, as 
they receive income, rather than paying at the end of the year.

Small business owners, sole proprietors, partners and S corporation 
shareholders who don't have tax withheld from their earnings need to 
make <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/estimated-taxes">estimated tax payments</a>, usually quarterly. Anyone who <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f2210.pdf">pays too little tax</a>&nbsp;or does not pay on-time, may owe a penalty.

To meet payroll and employment tax responsibilities, many businesses hire a <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/outsourcing-payroll-and-third-party-payers">payroll and payroll tax company</a>.
 Most of these businesses provide quality service, however, sometimes a 
payroll service provider doesn't submit their client's payroll taxes and
 closes abruptly. The client remains legally responsible for paying the 
taxes due even if they sent funds for deposits or payments to the 
payroll service provider. <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-urges-employers-to-choose-carefully-when-selecting-a-payroll-service-provider">The IRS urges employers to choose carefully when selecting a payroll provider</a>. The IRS also encourages employers to enroll in the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/eftps-the-electronic-federal-tax-payment-system">Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS)</a>.
 It's free and when deposits are made under their EIN, it lets them 
monitor that their payroll service provider is making their tax 
deposits.

Small businesses can share the word with employees about Child Tax Credit

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, new legislation was enacted to aid not 
only struggling business owners, but also individuals. Employers have 
direct access to people who may be eligible for advance Child Tax Credit
 payments. As part of its ongoing effort to help eligible people access 
advance Child Tax Credit payments and the increased Child Tax Credit for
 the 2021 tax year; IRS will be encouraging employers to help spread the
 word during National Small Business Week 2021.

Materials for employers and others who can help are available on the IRS website at <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/2021-child-tax-credit-and-advance-child-tax-credit-payments-resources-and-guidance">2021 Child Tax Credit and Advance Child Tax Credit Payments: Resources and Guidance</a>.
 This is part of a larger effort underway at the IRS to reach people 
eligible for the payments and other credits. Individuals can check their
 eligibility for the advance payments by using the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-eligibility-assistant">Advance Child Tax Credit Eligibility Assistant</a>.

Online IRS resources available to small businesses to learn their employer tax responsibilities include:

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — During <a href="https://www.sba.gov/nsbw/nsbw">National Small Business Week</a>,
 the Internal Revenue Service wants small business owners to know that 
information and resources to help them understand and meet their tax 
obligations are available free at IRS.gov.Small businesses play a pivotal role in our nation's economy. The IRS
 has a variety of resources available to help employers meet their tax 
responsibilities as well as help their employees.IRS online resources can also help employers with things like how to 
determine if workers should be classified as employees or independent 
contractors, when employment taxes are due and what forms they need to 
file.<h2>Employer Identification Number</h2>An <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/employer-id-numbers">Employer Identification Number </a>, also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number is a must-have for a business. Applying for an EIN can be done <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/apply-for-an-employer-identification-number-ein-online">online</a> for free using an interview style application offered by the IRS. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vD0KoIS124">Five Things to Know about the EIN</a>
 is a video that helps explain why it is critical the IRS has accurate 
and current information related to EINs or business accounts.<h2>Employment taxes</h2>It's important a small business <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/understanding-employment-taxes">understand employment taxes</a>
 such as federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare taxes as well 
as Federal Unemployment (FUTA) Tax. Employers must regularly report 
wages, tips and other compensation paid to an employee by filing the 
required form(s) to the IRS.Most employers use <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-941">Form 941, Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return</a>
 to report federal income tax withheld and both the employer and 
employee Social Security and Medicare taxes. The smallest employers 
(those whose annual liability for Social Security, Medicare and withheld
 federal income taxes is $1,000 or less) file <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-944">Form 944, Employer's Annual Federal Tax Return</a>, and agricultural employers file <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-943">Form 943, Employer's Annual Federal Tax Return for Agricultural Employees</a>. Only the employer pays FUTA tax; it is not withheld from the employee's wages. Employers report their FUTA taxes by filing <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-940">Form 940, Employer's Annual Federal Unemployment (FUTA) Tax Return</a>.If businesses compensate non-employees for services, or pay rent, 
commissions, the fees of attorneys and other professionals, or <a href="https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc307#:~:text=You%20may%20be%20subject%20to%20backup%20withholding%20and,your%20income%20tax%20return.%20...%20More%20items...%20">make certain other payments</a>, businesses must obtain the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) of the payee before
 making the payment. If businesses don't have the payee's TIN at the 
time payment is made, businesses must withhold 24% from the payment as 
backup withholding. A payer is liable for backup withholding even if the
 tax is not deducted from the payment. Payers may use <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-w-9">Form W-9</a> to request the payee's TIN. Payers use <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-945">Form 945, Annual Return of Withheld Income Tax</a>, to report backup withholding.<a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/depositing-and-reporting-employment-taxes">There are two deposit schedules for employment taxes withheld and the employer's match</a>
 − monthly and semi-weekly. Before the beginning of each calendar year, 
employers must determine which of the two deposit schedules they're 
required to use. To determine the businesses' payment schedule, review <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-15">Publication 15</a> for Forms 941, 944 and 945, or <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-51">Publication 51</a>
 for Form 943. Deposits for FUTA Tax (Form 940) are required for the 
quarter within which the tax due exceeds $500. The tax must be deposited
 by the end of the month following the end of the quarter. Small 
business taxpayers must use&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/eftps-the-electronic-federal-tax-payment-system">electronic funds transfer (EFTPS)</a>&nbsp;to make all federal tax deposits. See the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/employment-tax-due-dates">Employment Tax Due Dates</a> page for information on when deposits are due.<h2>Estimated tax payments</h2><a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-as-you-go-so-you-wont-owe-a-guide-to-withholding-estimated-taxes-and-ways-to-avoid-the-estimated-tax-penalty">Taxes are pay-as-you-go</a>.
 This means taxpayers need to pay most of their tax during the year, as 
they receive income, rather than paying at the end of the year.Small business owners, sole proprietors, partners and S corporation 
shareholders who don't have tax withheld from their earnings need to 
make <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/estimated-taxes">estimated tax payments</a>, usually quarterly. Anyone who <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f2210.pdf">pays too little tax</a>&nbsp;or does not pay on-time, may owe a penalty.<h2>Hiring others to prepare payroll</h2>To meet payroll and employment tax responsibilities, many businesses hire a <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/outsourcing-payroll-and-third-party-payers">payroll and payroll tax company</a>.
 Most of these businesses provide quality service, however, sometimes a 
payroll service provider doesn't submit their client's payroll taxes and
 closes abruptly. The client remains legally responsible for paying the 
taxes due even if they sent funds for deposits or payments to the 
payroll service provider. <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-urges-employers-to-choose-carefully-when-selecting-a-payroll-service-provider">The IRS urges employers to choose carefully when selecting a payroll provider</a>. The IRS also encourages employers to enroll in the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/eftps-the-electronic-federal-tax-payment-system">Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS)</a>.
 It's free and when deposits are made under their EIN, it lets them 
monitor that their payroll service provider is making their tax 
deposits.<h2>Small businesses can share the word with employees about Child Tax Credit</h2>Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, new legislation was enacted to aid not 
only struggling business owners, but also individuals. Employers have 
direct access to people who may be eligible for advance Child Tax Credit
 payments. As part of its ongoing effort to help eligible people access 
advance Child Tax Credit payments and the increased Child Tax Credit for
 the 2021 tax year; IRS will be encouraging employers to help spread the
 word during National Small Business Week 2021.Materials for employers and others who can help are available on the IRS website at <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/2021-child-tax-credit-and-advance-child-tax-credit-payments-resources-and-guidance">2021 Child Tax Credit and Advance Child Tax Credit Payments: Resources and Guidance</a>.
 This is part of a larger effort underway at the IRS to reach people 
eligible for the payments and other credits. Individuals can check their
 eligibility for the advance payments by using the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-eligibility-assistant">Advance Child Tax Credit Eligibility Assistant</a>.<h2>More information</h2>Online IRS resources available to small businesses to learn their employer tax responsibilities include:<ul>
 <li>The <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed">Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center</a> features links to a variety of useful tools, a downloadable tax calendar and common forms with instructions.</li><li>The <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/online-tax-calendar">IRS Tax Calendar for Businesses and Self-employed</a> has important tax dates, including federal tax deposit due dates.</li><li>The <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employed-individuals-tax-center">Self-Employed Individuals Tax Center</a> is for sole proprietors and others who are in an independent trade, business or profession.</li><li>The <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/gig-economy-tax-center">Gig Economy Tax Center</a> can help people find answers to tax questions, as well as helpful tips and tax forms for business taxpayers.</li><li>Information on IRS.gov may also be available in Spanish, 
Vietnamese, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Korean, Russian as 
well as Haitian Creole.</li><li><a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/multimedia-center">IRS social media</a> channels have helpful video and audio presentations.</li><li>IRS2Go is a free mobile app to find free tax help, watch IRS YouTube videos and get IRS Tax Tips by email in <a href="http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&amp;enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTkwNTA2LjU1NTMyMzEmbWVzc2FnZWlkPU1EQi1QUkQtQlVMLTIwMTkwNTA2LjU1NTMyMzEmZGF0YWJhc2VpZD0xMDAxJnNlcmlhbD0xNzIzNjc1OSZlbWFpbGlkPXN1c2FuLnZlZ2FAaXJzLmdvdiZ1c2VyaWQ9c3VzYW4udmVnYUBpcnMuZ292JmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&amp;&amp;&amp;143&amp;&amp;&amp;https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs2goapp">English</a> and <a href="http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&amp;enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTkwNTA2LjU1NTMyMzEmbWVzc2FnZWlkPU1EQi1QUkQtQlVMLTIwMTkwNTA2LjU1NTMyMzEmZGF0YWJhc2VpZD0xMDAxJnNlcmlhbD0xNzIzNjc1OSZlbWFpbGlkPXN1c2FuLnZlZ2FAaXJzLmdvdiZ1c2VyaWQ9c3VzYW4udmVnYUBpcnMuZ292JmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&amp;&amp;&amp;144&amp;&amp;&amp;https://www.irs.gov/es/newsroom/irs2goapp">Spanish</a>.</li><li>The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/irsvideos">IRS YouTube Video Channel</a> has videos for small businesses on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL82CC3BB9E78535DE">small business playlist</a>, with videos available in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/irsvideos">English</a>, <a href="http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&amp;enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTkwNTA2LjU1NTMyMzEmbWVzc2FnZWlkPU1EQi1QUkQtQlVMLTIwMTkwNTA2LjU1NTMyMzEmZGF0YWJhc2VpZD0xMDAxJnNlcmlhbD0xNzIzNjc1OSZlbWFpbGlkPXN1c2FuLnZlZ2FAaXJzLmdvdiZ1c2VyaWQ9c3VzYW4udmVnYUBpcnMuZ292JmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&amp;&amp;&amp;137&amp;&amp;&amp;https://www.youtube.com/user/IRSvideosmultilingua">Spanish</a> and <a href="http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&amp;enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTkwNTA2LjU1NTMyMzEmbWVzc2FnZWlkPU1EQi1QUkQtQlVMLTIwMTkwNTA2LjU1NTMyMzEmZGF0YWJhc2VpZD0xMDAxJnNlcmlhbD0xNzIzNjc1OSZlbWFpbGlkPXN1c2FuLnZlZ2FAaXJzLmdvdiZ1c2VyaWQ9c3VzYW4udmVnYUBpcnMuZ292JmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&amp;&amp;&amp;138&amp;&amp;&amp;https://www.youtube.com/user/irsvideosASL">American Sign Language</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.irsvideos.gov/Business/SmallBusinessWeek/virtualworkshop">Small Business Taxes: The Virtual Workshop</a> has interactive lessons designed to help new small business owners learn their tax rights and responsibilities.</li>
 </ul>

IRS Small Business Week: Resources available to help employers

The
 Federal Trade Commission sent cease-and-desist letters to 10 companies 
suspected of advertising unproven treatments or cures for diabetes, 
ordering the companies to stop making unsubstantiated claims within 15 
days or face potential legal action by the FTC.

“Out-of-control
 insulin prices are driving Americans to turn to questionable products 
rather than proven treatments,” said Samuel Levine, Acting Director of 
the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “The FTC and FDA are joining 
forces to call out 10 companies for selling supposed diabetes treatments
 that don’t appear to be supported by sound science.”

The
 FTC demands were issued jointly with U.S. Food and Drug Administration 
(FDA) warning letters, in which the FDA warned the companies that their 
diabetes products are both unapproved and misbranded, in violation of 
the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&amp;C Act). 

The FTC’s cease and desist demands were issued to the following companies: 1) <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/warning-letters/warning-letter-ar-rahmah_pharm_llc.pdf">Ar-Rahmah Pharm, LLC</a>; 2) <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/warning-letters/warning-letter-aceva_llc.pdf">Aceva, LLC</a>; 3) <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/warning-letters/warning-letter-live-good-inc.pdf">Live Good Inc.</a>;&nbsp;4) <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/warning-letters/warning-letter-holistic-healer-wellness-center_inc.pdf">Holistic Healer &amp; Wellness Center, Inc</a>.; 5) <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/warning-letters/warning-letter-lysulin_inc.pdf">Lysulin, Inc.</a>; 6) <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/warning-letters/warning-letter-metamune_inc.pdf">Metamune Inc</a>.; 7) <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/warning-letters/warning-letter-nuturna-international.pdf">Nuturna International LLC</a>; 8) <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/warning-letters/warning-letter-pharmaganics_llc.pdf">Pharmaganics LLC</a>; 9) <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/warning-letters/warning-letter-phytag-labs.pdf">Phytag&nbsp;Labs</a>; and 10) <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/warning-letters/warning-letter-radhanite_llc.pdf">Radhanite, LLC d/b/a Curalife Ltd</a>.

The
 letters state that the Commission is concerned that one or more of the 
efficacy claims in the companies’ advertisements may not be 
substantiated by competent and reliable scientific evidence, as required
 by the FTC Act. Further, the agency demands the companies stop making 
any claim that a product can prevent, treat, or cure diabetes without 
the required scientific evidence, or potentially face legal action by 
the Commission. The letters also note that marketers who make deceptive 
claims about the treatment, cure, prevention, or mitigation of a disease
 may be subject to a civil penalty of up to $43,792 per violation. They 
also may be required to pay refunds to consumers who purchased the 
deceptively marketed products under section 19(b) of the FTC Act. The 
letters order the companies to notify the FTC by email within 15 working
 days of receipt of what specific actions they have taken to address the
 FTC’s concerns.

Under
 the FD&amp;C Act, products intended to cure, treat, mitigate, or 
prevent disease are drugs and are subject to the requirements that apply
 to drugs, even if they are labeled as dietary supplements. Unlike drugs
 approved by the FDA, the agency has not evaluated whether the 
unapproved products subject to the warning letters announced today are 
effective for their intended use, what the proper dosage might be, how 
they could interact with FDA-approved drugs or other substances, or 
whether they have dangerous side effects or other safety concerns.

The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and to <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection">protect and educate consumers</a>. You can <a href="https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/">learn more about consumer topics</a> and file a <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/complaint">consumer complaint online</a> or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357).&nbsp;For the latest news and resources, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/social-media">follow the FTC on social media</a>, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/stay-connected">subscribe to press releases</a> and read our <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs">blogs</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619632629588.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FTCThe
 Federal Trade Commission sent cease-and-desist letters to 10 companies 
suspected of advertising unproven treatments or cures for diabetes, 
ordering the companies to stop making unsubstantiated claims within 15 
days or face potential legal action by the FTC.“Out-of-control
 insulin prices are driving Americans to turn to questionable products 
rather than proven treatments,” said Samuel Levine, Acting Director of 
the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “The FTC and FDA are joining 
forces to call out 10 companies for selling supposed diabetes treatments
 that don’t appear to be supported by sound science.”The
 FTC demands were issued jointly with U.S. Food and Drug Administration 
(FDA) warning letters, in which the FDA warned the companies that their 
diabetes products are both unapproved and misbranded, in violation of 
the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&amp;C Act). The FTC’s cease and desist demands were issued to the following companies: 1) <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/warning-letters/warning-letter-ar-rahmah_pharm_llc.pdf">Ar-Rahmah Pharm, LLC</a>; 2) <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/warning-letters/warning-letter-aceva_llc.pdf">Aceva, LLC</a>; 3) <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/warning-letters/warning-letter-live-good-inc.pdf">Live Good Inc.</a>;&nbsp;4) <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/warning-letters/warning-letter-holistic-healer-wellness-center_inc.pdf">Holistic Healer &amp; Wellness Center, Inc</a>.; 5) <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/warning-letters/warning-letter-lysulin_inc.pdf">Lysulin, Inc.</a>; 6) <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/warning-letters/warning-letter-metamune_inc.pdf">Metamune Inc</a>.; 7) <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/warning-letters/warning-letter-nuturna-international.pdf">Nuturna International LLC</a>; 8) <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/warning-letters/warning-letter-pharmaganics_llc.pdf">Pharmaganics LLC</a>; 9) <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/warning-letters/warning-letter-phytag-labs.pdf">Phytag&nbsp;Labs</a>; and 10) <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/warning-letters/warning-letter-radhanite_llc.pdf">Radhanite, LLC d/b/a Curalife Ltd</a>.The FTC ActThe
 letters state that the Commission is concerned that one or more of the 
efficacy claims in the companies’ advertisements may not be 
substantiated by competent and reliable scientific evidence, as required
 by the FTC Act. Further, the agency demands the companies stop making 
any claim that a product can prevent, treat, or cure diabetes without 
the required scientific evidence, or potentially face legal action by 
the Commission. The letters also note that marketers who make deceptive 
claims about the treatment, cure, prevention, or mitigation of a disease
 may be subject to a civil penalty of up to $43,792 per violation. They 
also may be required to pay refunds to consumers who purchased the 
deceptively marketed products under section 19(b) of the FTC Act. The 
letters order the companies to notify the FTC by email within 15 working
 days of receipt of what specific actions they have taken to address the
 FTC’s concerns.The FD&amp;C ActUnder
 the FD&amp;C Act, products intended to cure, treat, mitigate, or 
prevent disease are drugs and are subject to the requirements that apply
 to drugs, even if they are labeled as dietary supplements. Unlike drugs
 approved by the FDA, the agency has not evaluated whether the 
unapproved products subject to the warning letters announced today are 
effective for their intended use, what the proper dosage might be, how 
they could interact with FDA-approved drugs or other substances, or 
whether they have dangerous side effects or other safety concerns.The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and to <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection">protect and educate consumers</a>. You can <a href="https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/">learn more about consumer topics</a> and file a <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/complaint">consumer complaint online</a> or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357).&nbsp;For the latest news and resources, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/social-media">follow the FTC on social media</a>, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/stay-connected">subscribe to press releases</a> and read our <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs">blogs</a>.

'Unproven' diabetes treatment claims draws ire of FTC

HARTINGTON, Neb. (AP) — A 6-year-old rural northeast Nebraska boy has died after an all-terrain vehicle accident. 

The Sioux City, Iowa, Journal reports that the accident occurred just before 11 a.m. Saturday on a farm northwest of Hartington in Cedar County. Authorities said the boy was operating the ATV when it went over an embankment and flipped on top of him. 

Authorities did not release the boy’s name. They said he was taken to a hospital in Yankton, South Dakota, about 25 miles to the northwest of Hartington. He was pronounced dead there. 

The accident remains under investigation. 

Hartington has about 1,500 residents and is 60 miles northwest of Sioux City, Iowa.

HARTINGTON, Neb. (AP) — A 6-year-old rural northeast Nebraska boy has died after an all-terrain vehicle accident. The Sioux City, Iowa, Journal reports that the accident occurred just before 11 a.m. Saturday on a farm northwest of Hartington in Cedar County. Authorities said the boy was operating the ATV when it went over an embankment and flipped on top of him. Authorities did not release the boy’s name. They said he was taken to a hospital in Yankton, South Dakota, about 25 miles to the northwest of Hartington. He was pronounced dead there. The accident remains under investigation. Hartington has about 1,500 residents and is 60 miles northwest of Sioux City, Iowa.

6-year-old rural NE Nebraska boy dies after ATV accident

PLATTE COUNTY—A Nebraska woman died in an accident just after 1a.m. Sunday in Platte County, Missouri.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2009 Toyota passenger vehicle driven by Neima M. Ali, 54, Gladstone was&nbsp; southbound out of the commercial vehicle weight scale at Interstate 29 just south of Route HH.

The Toyota merged into the northbound lane of traffic and struck a 2009 Chevy passenger vehicle driven by Janine M. Brooks, 55, Omaha, head-on.

Brooks was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Forensics Medical Center in Kansas City. EMS transported Ali to Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph. Brooks was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

PLATTE COUNTY—A Nebraska woman died in an accident just after 1a.m. Sunday in Platte County, Missouri.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2009 Toyota passenger vehicle driven by Neima M. Ali, 54, Gladstone was&nbsp; southbound out of the commercial vehicle weight scale at Interstate 29 just south of Route HH.The Toyota merged into the northbound lane of traffic and struck a 2009 Chevy passenger vehicle driven by Janine M. Brooks, 55, Omaha, head-on.Brooks was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Forensics Medical Center in Kansas City. EMS transported Ali to Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph. Brooks was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

Nebraska woman dead after wrong-way head-on crash

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America installed its first openly transgender bishop in a service held in San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral on Saturday.

The Rev. Megan Rohrer will lead one of the church’s 65 synods, overseeing nearly 200 congregations in Northern California and northern Nevada.

“My call is ... to be up to the same messy, loving things I was up to before,” Rohrer told worshippers. “But mostly, if you’ll let me, and I think you will, my hope is to love you and beyond that, to love what you love.”

Rohrer was elected in May to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod after its current bishop announced his retirement.

“I step into this role because a diverse community of Lutherans in Northern California and Nevada prayerfully and thoughtfully voted to do a historic thing,” Rohrer said in a statement. “My installation will celebrate all that is possible when we trust God to shepherd us forward.”

Rohrer, who uses the pronoun “they,” previously served as pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in San Francisco and a chaplain coordinator for the city’s police department, and also helped minister to the city’s homeless and LGTBQ community. They studied religion at Augustana University in their hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, before moving to California to pursue master and doctoral degrees at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley.

Rohrer became one of seven LGBTQ pastors accepted by the progressive Evangelical Lutheran church in 2010 after it allowed ordination of pastors in same-sex relationships. Rohrer is married and has two children.

The church is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States with about 3.3 million members.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631414323854.png" alt="Bishop Megan Rohrer during Saturday's installation photo courtesy&nbsp; Grace Cathedral.&nbsp;The Evangelical Lutheran Church is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States with about 3.3 million members." />
 <figcaption>Bishop Megan Rohrer during Saturday's installation photo courtesy&nbsp; Grace Cathedral.&nbsp;The Evangelical Lutheran Church is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States with about 3.3 million members.</figcaption>
 </figure>SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America installed its first openly transgender bishop in a service held in San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral on Saturday.The Rev. Megan Rohrer will lead one of the church’s 65 synods, overseeing nearly 200 congregations in Northern California and northern Nevada.“My call is ... to be up to the same messy, loving things I was up to before,” Rohrer told worshippers. “But mostly, if you’ll let me, and I think you will, my hope is to love you and beyond that, to love what you love.”Rohrer was elected in May to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod after its current bishop announced his retirement.“I step into this role because a diverse community of Lutherans in Northern California and Nevada prayerfully and thoughtfully voted to do a historic thing,” Rohrer said in a statement. “My installation will celebrate all that is possible when we trust God to shepherd us forward.”Rohrer, who uses the pronoun “they,” previously served as pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in San Francisco and a chaplain coordinator for the city’s police department, and also helped minister to the city’s homeless and LGTBQ community. They studied religion at Augustana University in their hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, before moving to California to pursue master and doctoral degrees at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley.Rohrer became one of seven LGBTQ pastors accepted by the progressive Evangelical Lutheran church in 2010 after it allowed ordination of pastors in same-sex relationships. Rohrer is married and has two children.The church is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States with about 3.3 million members.___

Evangelical Lutheran church installs 1st transgender bishop

WASHINGTON (AP) —Hoping to prevent another school year from being upended by the pandemic, President Joe Biden visited a Washington middle school Friday to push his new COVID plan, accusing some Republican governors of being “cavalier” with the health of children.

Biden’s plan require vaccinations for up to 100 million Americans and seek to ramp up virus testing. With those measures in place, he said, schools should present little risk for transmission of the coronavirus.

“I want folks to know that we’re going to be OK,” Biden said during an appearance at Brookland Middle School, a short drive from the White House. “We know what it takes to keep our kids safe and our schools open.”

But as the surging COVID-19 delta variant casts uncertainty over the start of a new school year — in some cases prompting schools to shut down after a few days — it’s unclear whether Biden’s plan will go far enough to prevent mass disruption. Biden has little direct authority over most schools, which are generally governed at the local level, and his plan faces sharp resistance from Republicans.

Under his expanded vaccine mandate, all employers with more than 100 workers must require them to get shots or test for the virus weekly. A separate provision requires vaccines for workers in Head Start programs and at schools operated by the federal government, affecting about 300,000 workers.

The plan does not explicitly require vaccines for teachers in locally governed schools, but some education leaders believe the employer rule will effectively amount to a teacher vaccine requirement in many states.

That part of the plan is being enacted through a forthcoming rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. And in states with OSHA plans, teachers will be among those required to get the vaccine or face testing, according to an interpretation by AASA, an association of school superintendents.

It’s expected to apply to 26 states, including several with Republican governors who opposed Biden’s plan, such as South Carolina, Tennessee and Arizona.

Biden did not address that aspect of his plan on Friday. Instead, he urged states to issue their own vaccine requirements for school workers.

“About 90% of school staff and teachers are vaccinated — we should have that at 100%,” Biden said. “I’m calling on all of the governors to require vaccination for all teachers and staff.”

Governors in a few states have already ordered teachers to get vaccinated, including in California, Oregon, New Jersey and New York. But most leave it up to school districts, and some Republican-led states have barred vaccine mandates.

Biden on Friday rebuked Republican governors who vowed to fight his new rules.

“I am so disappointed that, particularly, some Republican governors have been so cavalier with the health of these kids, so cavalier with the health of their communities,” he said. “We’re playing for real here. This isn’t a game.”

But most of his remarks struck a more conciliatory tone than a Thursday speech in which Biden vented his own frustrations with those who remain unvaccinated. He returned to a message of unity on Friday, insisting that “we’ve got to come together” to beat the virus.

Speaking to students at Brookland, Biden applauded those who had already been vaccinated. If all of them get shots, Biden promised to invite them to a special visit at the White House.

He also held up Washington, D.C., as a model. The city has hosted vaccine clinics at its public schools, and 65% of children age 12 to 17 have gotten at least their first shot, a rate that Biden said is among the highest in the nation.

In a plea to America’s families, Biden urged parents to get teenagers and other eligible children vaccinated as soon as possible. He argued that it’s no different than standard vaccinations for measles, mumps, rubella and other diseases.

Among the greatest threats to his plan, however, is the large population of children who are still too young to get the shot. Most elementary and middle schools have children below age 12 who have not been approved to receive the coronavirus vaccines.

Speaking to those concerns, Biden said he supports an “independent” scientific process to review the shots but he also promised to make them available to younger children as soon as it’s safe.

“I will do everything within my power to support the Food and Drug Administration in its efforts to do the science as safely and as quickly as possible,” he said.

The expanded vaccine mandate does not apply to students, but some districts have moved to require shots for students. The Los Angeles district this week became the first major district to enact a mandate for students ages 12 and up.

In addition to vaccines, Biden’s plan aims to ramp up virus testing in schools.

Testing policies vary widely by school and state. Some districts regularly test all students, including in the Los Angeles district, while some forgo any testing. And for many, it’s getting harder to find testing supplies amid a nationwide shortage in rapid tests.

As part of the White House plan, the government is working to increase the supply of virus tests and make them available at retailers including Walmart and Amazon. Biden said it will lead to 300 million more coronavirus tests, including some for schools.

“I want all schools setting up regular testing programs to make sure we detect and isolate cases before they can spread,” Biden said.

The plan drew support from the country’s two largest teachers unions, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. Both groups have also endorsed vaccine mandates for all teachers and school staff.

Other education groups that support the plan include the National School Boards Association, which said it comes at an “extremely critical time.” The group said it welcomes Biden’s support even as education leaders face “threats, abuse and harassment” over their public health measures.

Speaking alongside Biden on Friday, first lady Jill Biden praised educators as “heroes” for their work over the past year. A longtime community college professor, the first lady said Americans have a duty to protect students as they return to the classroom.

“We owe them a promise to keep their schools open as safe as possible,” she said. “We owe them a commitment to follow the science — we owe them unity so that we can fight the virus, not each other.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631395633895.png" alt="“I want folks to know that we’re going to be OK,” Biden said during an appearance with his wife at Brookland Middle School, a short drive from the White House. “We know what it takes to keep our kids safe and our schools open.”-photo White House" />
 <figcaption>“I want folks to know that we’re going to be OK,” Biden said during an appearance with his wife at Brookland Middle School, a short drive from the White House. “We know what it takes to keep our kids safe and our schools open.”-photo White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —Hoping to prevent another school year from being upended by the pandemic, President Joe Biden visited a Washington middle school Friday to push his new COVID plan, accusing some Republican governors of being “cavalier” with the health of children.Biden’s plan require vaccinations for up to 100 million Americans and seek to ramp up virus testing. With those measures in place, he said, schools should present little risk for transmission of the coronavirus.“I want folks to know that we’re going to be OK,” Biden said during an appearance at Brookland Middle School, a short drive from the White House. “We know what it takes to keep our kids safe and our schools open.”But as the surging COVID-19 delta variant casts uncertainty over the start of a new school year — in some cases prompting schools to shut down after a few days — it’s unclear whether Biden’s plan will go far enough to prevent mass disruption. Biden has little direct authority over most schools, which are generally governed at the local level, and his plan faces sharp resistance from Republicans.Under his expanded vaccine mandate, all employers with more than 100 workers must require them to get shots or test for the virus weekly. A separate provision requires vaccines for workers in Head Start programs and at schools operated by the federal government, affecting about 300,000 workers.The plan does not explicitly require vaccines for teachers in locally governed schools, but some education leaders believe the employer rule will effectively amount to a teacher vaccine requirement in many states.That part of the plan is being enacted through a forthcoming rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. And in states with OSHA plans, teachers will be among those required to get the vaccine or face testing, according to an interpretation by AASA, an association of school superintendents.It’s expected to apply to 26 states, including several with Republican governors who opposed Biden’s plan, such as South Carolina, Tennessee and Arizona.Biden did not address that aspect of his plan on Friday. Instead, he urged states to issue their own vaccine requirements for school workers.“About 90% of school staff and teachers are vaccinated — we should have that at 100%,” Biden said. “I’m calling on all of the governors to require vaccination for all teachers and staff.”Governors in a few states have already ordered teachers to get vaccinated, including in California, Oregon, New Jersey and New York. But most leave it up to school districts, and some Republican-led states have barred vaccine mandates.Biden on Friday rebuked Republican governors who vowed to fight his new rules.“I am so disappointed that, particularly, some Republican governors have been so cavalier with the health of these kids, so cavalier with the health of their communities,” he said. “We’re playing for real here. This isn’t a game.”But most of his remarks struck a more conciliatory tone than a Thursday speech in which Biden vented his own frustrations with those who remain unvaccinated. He returned to a message of unity on Friday, insisting that “we’ve got to come together” to beat the virus.Speaking to students at Brookland, Biden applauded those who had already been vaccinated. If all of them get shots, Biden promised to invite them to a special visit at the White House.He also held up Washington, D.C., as a model. The city has hosted vaccine clinics at its public schools, and 65% of children age 12 to 17 have gotten at least their first shot, a rate that Biden said is among the highest in the nation.In a plea to America’s families, Biden urged parents to get teenagers and other eligible children vaccinated as soon as possible. He argued that it’s no different than standard vaccinations for measles, mumps, rubella and other diseases.Among the greatest threats to his plan, however, is the large population of children who are still too young to get the shot. Most elementary and middle schools have children below age 12 who have not been approved to receive the coronavirus vaccines.Speaking to those concerns, Biden said he supports an “independent” scientific process to review the shots but he also promised to make them available to younger children as soon as it’s safe.“I will do everything within my power to support the Food and Drug Administration in its efforts to do the science as safely and as quickly as possible,” he said.The expanded vaccine mandate does not apply to students, but some districts have moved to require shots for students. The Los Angeles district this week became the first major district to enact a mandate for students ages 12 and up.In addition to vaccines, Biden’s plan aims to ramp up virus testing in schools.Testing policies vary widely by school and state. Some districts regularly test all students, including in the Los Angeles district, while some forgo any testing. And for many, it’s getting harder to find testing supplies amid a nationwide shortage in rapid tests.As part of the White House plan, the government is working to increase the supply of virus tests and make them available at retailers including Walmart and Amazon. Biden said it will lead to 300 million more coronavirus tests, including some for schools.“I want all schools setting up regular testing programs to make sure we detect and isolate cases before they can spread,” Biden said.The plan drew support from the country’s two largest teachers unions, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. Both groups have also endorsed vaccine mandates for all teachers and school staff.Other education groups that support the plan include the National School Boards Association, which said it comes at an “extremely critical time.” The group said it welcomes Biden’s support even as education leaders face “threats, abuse and harassment” over their public health measures.Speaking alongside Biden on Friday, first lady Jill Biden praised educators as “heroes” for their work over the past year. A longtime community college professor, the first lady said Americans have a duty to protect students as they return to the classroom.“We owe them a promise to keep their schools open as safe as possible,” she said. “We owe them a commitment to follow the science — we owe them unity so that we can fight the virus, not each other.”

Pres. Biden: States should mandate vaccine for all teachers

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Four students are suing Creighton University over its requirement to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to remain enrolled. 

They argue that some of them feel pushed to violate their religious beliefs against abortion. The lawsuit filed this week in Douglas County District Court also alleges that some of the four students have medical conditions that make vaccines not recommended for them. 

The Catholic university in Omaha mandated that all students get vaccinated in August. The lawsuit says the students object because vaccines were developed or tested using cells from aborted fetuses. 

The Vatican has declared that such vaccines are morally acceptable when others aren't available. The university declined comment.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Four students are suing Creighton University over its requirement to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to remain enrolled. They argue that some of them feel pushed to violate their religious beliefs against abortion. The lawsuit filed this week in Douglas County District Court also alleges that some of the four students have medical conditions that make vaccines not recommended for them. The Catholic university in Omaha mandated that all students get vaccinated in August. The lawsuit says the students object because vaccines were developed or tested using cells from aborted fetuses. The Vatican has declared that such vaccines are morally acceptable when others aren't available. The university declined comment.

4 pro-life students sue Creighton over vaccine mandate

NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden is making an appeal for the nation to reclaim the spirit of cooperation that sprung up in the days following the 9/11 terror attacks as he commemorates those who died 20 years ago.

Biden was a senator when hijackers comandeered four planes and exacted the nation’s worst terror attack in 2001. Now he marks the 9/11 anniversary for the first time as commander in chief.

The president planned to pay his respects at the trio of sites where the planes crashed, but he was leaving the speech-making to others.

Instead, the White House released a taped address late Friday in which Biden spoke of the “true sense of national unity” that emerged after the attacks, seen in “heroism everywhere — in places expected and unexpected.”

“To me that’s the central lesson of September 11,” he said. “Unity is our greatest strength.”

Biden arrived in New York on Friday night as the skyline was illuminated by the “Tribute in Light,” hauntingly marking where the towers once stood. His first stop on Saturday was to be the National September 11 Memorial, where the twin towers of the World Trade Center were toppled as a horrified world watched on television.

From there he was to visit the field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where a plane fell from the sky after heroic passengers fought terrorists to prevent it from reaching its Washington destination. And finally, he was headed to the Pentagon, where the world’s mightiest military suffered an unthinkable blow to its very home.

Biden’s task, like his predecessors before him, was to mark the moment with a mix of grief and resolve. A man who has suffered immense personal tragedy, Biden speaks of loss with power.

He gave voice to the pain that comes with memories of 9/11 in his video message, saying, “No matter how much time has passed, these commemorations bring everything painfully back as if you just got the news a few seconds ago.”

Robert Gibbs, who served as President Barack Obama’s press secretary, said that for Biden, “It’s a moment for people to see him not as Democratic president, but as president of the United States of America,.”

“The American people are somewhat conflicted about what they have seen out of Afghanistan the last couple of weeks,” Gibbs said. “For Biden, it’s a moment to try to reset some of that. Remind people of what it is to be commander in chief and what it means to be the leader of the country at a moment of such significance.”

On the 20th anniversary of the attacks, Biden now shoulders the responsibility borne by his predecessors to prevent future tragedy, and must do so against fresh fears of a rise in terror after the United States’ hasty exit last from the country from which the Sept. 11 attacks were launched.

Biden will be the fourth president to console the nation on the anniversary of that dark day, one that has shaped many of the most consequential domestic and foreign policy decisions made by the chief executives over the past two decades.

The terror attack defined the presidency of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/george-w-bush">George W. Bush</a>, who was reading a book to Florida schoolchildren when the planes slammed into the World Trade Center. He spent that day being kept out of Washington for security reasons — a decision that then-Senator Biden urged him to reconsider, the current president has written — and then delivered a brief, halting speech that night from the White House to a terrified nation.

The following year, Bush chose Ellis Island as the location to deliver his first anniversary address, the Statue of Liberty over his shoulder as he vowed, “What our enemies have begun, we will finish.”

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were still deadly when President Barack Obama visited the Pentagon to mark his first Sept. 11 in office in 2009.

“No words can ease the ache of your hearts,” said Obama.

“We recall the beauty and meaning of their lives,” he said. “No passage of time, no dark skies can dull the meaning of that moment.”

By the time Obama spoke at the 10th anniversary, attack mastermind Osama bin Laden was dead, killed in a May 2011 Navy SEAL raid. Though the nation remained entangled overseas, and vigilant against terror threats, the anniversary became more about healing.

President Donald Trump pledged to get the U.S. out of Afghanistan, but his words during his first Sept. 11 anniversary ceremony in 2017 were a vivid warning to terrorists, telling “these savage killers that there is no dark corner beyond our reach, no sanctuary beyond our grasp, and nowhere to hide anywhere on this very large earth.”

On Saturday, as Biden was making his way to all three sites, Bush was to pay his respects in Shanksville while Obama did likewise in New York. Trump planned at least one stop in Manhattan and was to deliver ringside commentary at a boxing match at a casino in Hollywood, Florida.

NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden is making an appeal for the nation to reclaim the spirit of cooperation that sprung up in the days following the 9/11 terror attacks as he commemorates those who died 20 years ago.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the horrific 9/11 attacks, President Biden honors the lives of those we lost and highlights how even at our most vulnerable – unity is our greatest strength.<a href="https://t.co/TdVhw9TVpb">pic.twitter.com/TdVhw9TVpb</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1436454819028508672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Biden was a senator when hijackers comandeered four planes and exacted the nation’s worst terror attack in 2001. Now he marks the 9/11 anniversary for the first time as commander in chief.The president planned to pay his respects at the trio of sites where the planes crashed, but he was leaving the speech-making to others.Instead, the White House released a taped address late Friday in which Biden spoke of the “true sense of national unity” that emerged after the attacks, seen in “heroism everywhere — in places expected and unexpected.”“To me that’s the central lesson of September 11,” he said. “Unity is our greatest strength.”Biden arrived in New York on Friday night as the skyline was illuminated by the “Tribute in Light,” hauntingly marking where the towers once stood. His first stop on Saturday was to be the National September 11 Memorial, where the twin towers of the World Trade Center were toppled as a horrified world watched on television.From there he was to visit the field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where a plane fell from the sky after heroic passengers fought terrorists to prevent it from reaching its Washington destination. And finally, he was headed to the Pentagon, where the world’s mightiest military suffered an unthinkable blow to its very home.Biden’s task, like his predecessors before him, was to mark the moment with a mix of grief and resolve. A man who has suffered immense personal tragedy, Biden speaks of loss with power.He gave voice to the pain that comes with memories of 9/11 in his video message, saying, “No matter how much time has passed, these commemorations bring everything painfully back as if you just got the news a few seconds ago.”Robert Gibbs, who served as President Barack Obama’s press secretary, said that for Biden, “It’s a moment for people to see him not as Democratic president, but as president of the United States of America,.”“The American people are somewhat conflicted about what they have seen out of Afghanistan the last couple of weeks,” Gibbs said. “For Biden, it’s a moment to try to reset some of that. Remind people of what it is to be commander in chief and what it means to be the leader of the country at a moment of such significance.”On the 20th anniversary of the attacks, Biden now shoulders the responsibility borne by his predecessors to prevent future tragedy, and must do so against fresh fears of a rise in terror after the United States’ hasty exit last from the country from which the Sept. 11 attacks were launched.Biden will be the fourth president to console the nation on the anniversary of that dark day, one that has shaped many of the most consequential domestic and foreign policy decisions made by the chief executives over the past two decades.The terror attack defined the presidency of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/george-w-bush">George W. Bush</a>, who was reading a book to Florida schoolchildren when the planes slammed into the World Trade Center. He spent that day being kept out of Washington for security reasons — a decision that then-Senator Biden urged him to reconsider, the current president has written — and then delivered a brief, halting speech that night from the White House to a terrified nation.The following year, Bush chose Ellis Island as the location to deliver his first anniversary address, the Statue of Liberty over his shoulder as he vowed, “What our enemies have begun, we will finish.”The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were still deadly when President Barack Obama visited the Pentagon to mark his first Sept. 11 in office in 2009.“No words can ease the ache of your hearts,” said Obama.“We recall the beauty and meaning of their lives,” he said. “No passage of time, no dark skies can dull the meaning of that moment.”By the time Obama spoke at the 10th anniversary, attack mastermind Osama bin Laden was dead, killed in a May 2011 Navy SEAL raid. Though the nation remained entangled overseas, and vigilant against terror threats, the anniversary became more about healing.President Donald Trump pledged to get the U.S. out of Afghanistan, but his words during his first Sept. 11 anniversary ceremony in 2017 were a vivid warning to terrorists, telling “these savage killers that there is no dark corner beyond our reach, no sanctuary beyond our grasp, and nowhere to hide anywhere on this very large earth.”On Saturday, as Biden was making his way to all three sites, Bush was to pay his respects in Shanksville while Obama did likewise in New York. Trump planned at least one stop in Manhattan and was to deliver ringside commentary at a boxing match at a casino in Hollywood, Florida.

🎥  Biden marks 9/11 anniversary with tribute, call for unity

By BETH REECE U.S. Department of Defense

"The size of our building was a concern to me. It could've been a 
target," Lippert said two months shy of the attack's 20th anniversary.&nbsp;

Fear flooded the building's basement as workers crowded together, 
some openly sobbing with worry that loved ones working at the Pentagon 
or on temporary duty at the World Trade Center had been caught in the 
horror. Others gazed in shock at overhead TVs, wondering how such 
tragedy and blood could spill over American soil.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.defense.gov/Explore/Spotlight/Remembering-September-11-2001/">RELATED: Remember Sept. 11, 2001</a>

John Morris, the former supervisor of the Document Automation 
Printing Service at the Pentagon, was watching news anchors report on 
the devastation in New York City when he and his staff heard what 
sounded like heavy furniture moving on the floor above. Stepping outside
 the office, Morris saw employees running, one warning of a bomb 
explosion. It was the hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 slamming into
 the building's southwest corridor.&nbsp;

Back at DLA Headquarters, Shirley Bergman, then a contract specialist
 for alternative fuels, agonized and wept knowing her husband was at a 
Marriott between the two 110-story World Trade Center towers 
interviewing senior economists for the U.S. Census Bureau. And Matthew 
Woodruff, now a general supply specialist at DLA Distribution San 
Joaquin, California, was just a sophomore in high school. All but one of
 his teachers halted class as students watched the horrific story unfold
 via news broadcasts.

"I still remember how vivid it was. There was a lot of stuff my 
parents wouldn't even let me watch on TV because of the nature of the 
event," he said, admitting that, like most Americans, he'd never even 
heard the word al-Qaida until that day.&nbsp;

Lippert made another announcement that employees should go home soon 
after Flight 93 crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Most 
were eager to return the next day even as the nation mourned and despite
 delays from increased security.

"We always talked about warfighters first, but this really brought it
 home," he said. "The whole country responded more patriotically than 
we'd seen in the past, and I think everyone felt the importance of what 
they were doing."&nbsp;

The Customer Interaction Center, where agents help callers place 
orders and find details like supply availability and delivery status, 
went to 24/7 operations on 9/11. Shamon Pratt, a customer service 
specialist who was then an agent, remembers the phone lines being eerily
 quiet for a couple of days before they rang off the hook, forcing 
management to hire more agents to handle the influx of calls.&nbsp;

"The end result is what we all want — well-equipped, well-protected warfighters," she said then.&nbsp;

Woodruff is another of the hundreds of DLA employees who've since 
left home to support forces in harm's way. He deployed for eight months 
in April 2011 to DLA Distribution's theater consolidating shipping point
 at Forward Operating Base Deh Dadi II, where he helped distribute the 
material to units on the ground.&nbsp;

The nation celebrated a victory during Woodruff's time in the 
warzone, and again, he saw it unfold via television. At breakfast in the
 chow hall On May 2, he watched President Barack Obama announce that 
U.S. Navy Seals had killed Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of 9/11.

"I could have helped deliver the helicopter part that was used to 
transport those who found him. It was the littlest things —&nbsp;screws, 
washers, o-rings —&nbsp;that had the biggest impact there," he said. "When 
you realize the part you help provide means there's one less helicopter 
down, it becomes more than just a job."

Twenty years after the tragedy that tested DLA's ability to support 
simultaneous wars, Lippert still remembers stepping into the Pentagon 
one day after the attack. He was there to meet with senior officials on 
the amount of money DLA would have for the next year, a meeting he was 
originally scheduled to attend the afternoon of 9/11.&nbsp;

"You could hear a pin drop. You could still smell the smoke, and 
there were armed guards all over the place with rifles and machine guns,
 something I never thought I'd see," he said.&nbsp;

DLA employees who've been in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past 20 
years say their pre-deployment training left no doubt their lives would 
be at risk. They deployed anyway, and all but two came home alive. 
Stephen Byus and Krissie Davis were both killed while serving in 
Afghanistan for DLA Disposition Services.&nbsp;

The vicious, unprovoked attacks that ripped apart Americans' sense of
 security 20 years ago resulted in the death of almost 3,000 people, 125
 of them service members or Defense Department civilians and 
contractors. Those attacks remain the deadliest terrorist act in 
America's history, and aftershocks of the atrocity ripple through lives 
even today.&nbsp;

Like Lippert, current DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. Michelle Skubic points to employees' courage, patriotism and resilience.&nbsp;

"Just like the workforce of today, they understood that on America's 
worst day, DLA must be at its best," she said this week in a message to 
the agency.

The sharp memories of 9/11 urge employees like Woodruff to continually
 rededicate themselves to DLA's mission. American pride is alive and 
strong among DLA's members.

"9/11 taught us that we need to be resilient and not become 
complacent," Woodruff said. "It's like a game of chess. We need to be 
steps ahead of our adversaries."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631038876655.png" alt="The World Trade Center burns in the background of New York City’s Empire State Building, Sept. 11, 2001. Both World Trade Center towers were attacked as a result of a highly coordinated al-Qaida plot. U.S. Department of Defense photo" />
 <figcaption>The World Trade Center burns in the background of New York City’s Empire State Building, Sept. 11, 2001. Both World Trade Center towers were attacked as a result of a highly coordinated al-Qaida plot. U.S. Department of Defense photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By BETH REECE U.S. Department of Defense"The size of our building was a concern to me. It could've been a 
target," Lippert said two months shy of the attack's 20th anniversary.&nbsp;Fear flooded the building's basement as workers crowded together, 
some openly sobbing with worry that loved ones working at the Pentagon 
or on temporary duty at the World Trade Center had been caught in the 
horror. Others gazed in shock at overhead TVs, wondering how such 
tragedy and blood could spill over American soil.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.defense.gov/Explore/Spotlight/Remembering-September-11-2001/">RELATED: Remember Sept. 11, 2001</a>John Morris, the former supervisor of the Document Automation 
Printing Service at the Pentagon, was watching news anchors report on 
the devastation in New York City when he and his staff heard what 
sounded like heavy furniture moving on the floor above. Stepping outside
 the office, Morris saw employees running, one warning of a bomb 
explosion. It was the hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 slamming into
 the building's southwest corridor.&nbsp;Back at DLA Headquarters, Shirley Bergman, then a contract specialist
 for alternative fuels, agonized and wept knowing her husband was at a 
Marriott between the two 110-story World Trade Center towers 
interviewing senior economists for the U.S. Census Bureau. And Matthew 
Woodruff, now a general supply specialist at DLA Distribution San 
Joaquin, California, was just a sophomore in high school. All but one of
 his teachers halted class as students watched the horrific story unfold
 via news broadcasts.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631038987065.png" alt="Matthew Woodruff, general supply specialist at Defense Logistics Agency San Joaquin, Calif., gathers supplies for a customer order April 3, 2000. He is one of hundreds of DLA employees who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan to support warfighters on the ground following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by Annette Silva, U.S. Department of Defense" />
 <figcaption>Matthew Woodruff, general supply specialist at Defense Logistics Agency San Joaquin, Calif., gathers supplies for a customer order April 3, 2000. He is one of hundreds of DLA employees who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan to support warfighters on the ground following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by Annette Silva, U.S. Department of Defense</figcaption>
 </figure>"I still remember how vivid it was. There was a lot of stuff my 
parents wouldn't even let me watch on TV because of the nature of the 
event," he said, admitting that, like most Americans, he'd never even 
heard the word al-Qaida until that day.&nbsp;Lippert made another announcement that employees should go home soon 
after Flight 93 crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Most 
were eager to return the next day even as the nation mourned and despite
 delays from increased security."We always talked about warfighters first, but this really brought it
 home," he said. "The whole country responded more patriotically than 
we'd seen in the past, and I think everyone felt the importance of what 
they were doing."&nbsp;<h2>Homeland Response</h2>The Customer Interaction Center, where agents help callers place 
orders and find details like supply availability and delivery status, 
went to 24/7 operations on 9/11. Shamon Pratt, a customer service 
specialist who was then an agent, remembers the phone lines being eerily
 quiet for a couple of days before they rang off the hook, forcing 
management to hire more agents to handle the influx of calls.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631039034891.png" alt="Customer Interaction Center agents help Defense Logistics Agency customers track down details on supply availability and delivery status. The center went to 24/7 operations Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by Beth Reece, U.S. Department of Defense" />
 <figcaption>Customer Interaction Center agents help Defense Logistics Agency customers track down details on supply availability and delivery status. The center went to 24/7 operations Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by Beth Reece, U.S. Department of Defense</figcaption>
 </figure>"The end result is what we all want — well-equipped, well-protected warfighters," she said then.&nbsp;Woodruff is another of the hundreds of DLA employees who've since 
left home to support forces in harm's way. He deployed for eight months 
in April 2011 to DLA Distribution's theater consolidating shipping point
 at Forward Operating Base Deh Dadi II, where he helped distribute the 
material to units on the ground.&nbsp;The nation celebrated a victory during Woodruff's time in the 
warzone, and again, he saw it unfold via television. At breakfast in the
 chow hall On May 2, he watched President Barack Obama announce that 
U.S. Navy Seals had killed Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of 9/11."I could have helped deliver the helicopter part that was used to 
transport those who found him. It was the littlest things —&nbsp;screws, 
washers, o-rings —&nbsp;that had the biggest impact there," he said. "When 
you realize the part you help provide means there's one less helicopter 
down, it becomes more than just a job."<h2>The Human Toll</h2>Twenty years after the tragedy that tested DLA's ability to support 
simultaneous wars, Lippert still remembers stepping into the Pentagon 
one day after the attack. He was there to meet with senior officials on 
the amount of money DLA would have for the next year, a meeting he was 
originally scheduled to attend the afternoon of 9/11.&nbsp;"You could hear a pin drop. You could still smell the smoke, and 
there were armed guards all over the place with rifles and machine guns,
 something I never thought I'd see," he said.&nbsp;DLA employees who've been in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past 20 
years say their pre-deployment training left no doubt their lives would 
be at risk. They deployed anyway, and all but two came home alive. 
Stephen Byus and Krissie Davis were both killed while serving in 
Afghanistan for DLA Disposition Services.&nbsp;<h2>The Promise: Never Forget</h2>The vicious, unprovoked attacks that ripped apart Americans' sense of
 security 20 years ago resulted in the death of almost 3,000 people, 125
 of them service members or Defense Department civilians and 
contractors. Those attacks remain the deadliest terrorist act in 
America's history, and aftershocks of the atrocity ripple through lives 
even today.&nbsp;Like Lippert, current DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. Michelle Skubic points to employees' courage, patriotism and resilience.&nbsp;"Just like the workforce of today, they understood that on America's 
worst day, DLA must be at its best," she said this week in a message to 
the agency.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631039148845.png" alt="Curtis Mitchell, operations supervisor at Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services Fort Bragg, N.C.; Rob Delong, retired site manager at Fort Drum, N.Y.; and Sandra Delong listen during a memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers and civilians at Camp Atterbury, Ind., July 3. Mitchell and Delong attended pre-deployment training with Krissie Davis in 2015 and Delong was with her when their vehicle was hit by an enemy rocket during an attack on Bagram Air Base in June 2015. Photo by Jake Joy, U.S. Department of Defense" />
 <figcaption>Curtis Mitchell, operations supervisor at Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services Fort Bragg, N.C.; Rob Delong, retired site manager at Fort Drum, N.Y.; and Sandra Delong listen during a memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers and civilians at Camp Atterbury, Ind., July 3. Mitchell and Delong attended pre-deployment training with Krissie Davis in 2015 and Delong was with her when their vehicle was hit by an enemy rocket during an attack on Bagram Air Base in June 2015. Photo by Jake Joy, U.S. Department of Defense</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631039148845.png" alt="Curtis Mitchell, operations supervisor at Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services Fort Bragg, N.C.; Rob Delong, retired site manager at Fort Drum, N.Y.; and Sandra Delong listen during a memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers and civilians at Camp Atterbury, Ind., July 3. Mitchell and Delong attended pre-deployment training with Krissie Davis in 2015 and Delong was with her when their vehicle was hit by an enemy rocket during an attack on Bagram Air Base in June 2015. Photo by Jake Joy, U.S. Department of Defense" />
 <figcaption>Curtis Mitchell, operations supervisor at Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services Fort Bragg, N.C.; Rob Delong, retired site manager at Fort Drum, N.Y.; and Sandra Delong listen during a memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers and civilians at Camp Atterbury, Ind., July 3. Mitchell and Delong attended pre-deployment training with Krissie Davis in 2015 and Delong was with her when their vehicle was hit by an enemy rocket during an attack on Bagram Air Base in June 2015. Photo by Jake Joy, U.S. Department of Defense</figcaption>
 </figure>The sharp memories of 9/11 urge employees like Woodruff to continually
 rededicate themselves to DLA's mission. American pride is alive and 
strong among DLA's members."9/11 taught us that we need to be resilient and not become 
complacent," Woodruff said. "It's like a game of chess. We need to be 
steps ahead of our adversaries."

America's darkest day strengthens DoD employees' patriotism, resolve

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Thousands of people lined the procession route along Omaha streets to pay tribute to a local man and Marine who died in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan. 

The body of 23-year-old Cpl. Daegan Page was transported Friday afternoon from Eppley Airfield to Braman Mortuary in southwest Omaha. 

Page was one of 13 U.S. service members killed Aug. 26 in the bombing at the Kabul airport, which also killed at least 169 Afghans. 

Page was born in Omaha and lived his first five years in Red Oak, Iowa, before moving back to Omaha with his family. 

He graduated from Millard South High School in 2016 and enlisted the following year. A memorial service will be held Sept. 17.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631304458539.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Thousands of people lined the procession route along Omaha streets to pay tribute to a local man and Marine who died in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan. The body of 23-year-old Cpl. Daegan Page was transported Friday afternoon from Eppley Airfield to Braman Mortuary in southwest Omaha. Page was one of 13 U.S. service members killed Aug. 26 in the bombing at the Kabul airport, which also killed at least 169 Afghans. Page was born in Omaha and lived his first five years in Red Oak, Iowa, before moving back to Omaha with his family. He graduated from Millard South High School in 2016 and enlisted the following year. A memorial service will be held Sept. 17.

Thousands line Omaha streets for procession of fallen Marine

OMAHA, Neb.-The Nebraska State Patrol continues its investigation into the disappearance of Linda Dillard and has new information that may be of assistance in locating her.

Dillard, 55, was last seen on June 16 in the rural Table Rock area and was believed to be wearing a white tank top, jean shorts, and brown sandal boots. As part of the investigation, NSP has recovered those clothes and has learned that Dillard was last seen wearing a different outfit.

Investigators now believe that when she was last seen on June 16, Dillard was wearing a black t-shirt, black DKNY boxer brief shorts, and brown Birkenstock-type sandals. Dillard is described as a white female, 5’0”, 130 lbs., with blue eyes and brown hair (possibly dyed or wearing a wig).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631301880207.png" alt="" />
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 </figure>OMAHA, Neb.-The Nebraska State Patrol continues its investigation into the disappearance of Linda Dillard and has new information that may be of assistance in locating her.Dillard, 55, was last seen on June 16 in the rural Table Rock area and was believed to be wearing a white tank top, jean shorts, and brown sandal boots. As part of the investigation, NSP has recovered those clothes and has learned that Dillard was last seen wearing a different outfit.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631301905577.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Investigators now believe that when she was last seen on June 16, Dillard was wearing a black t-shirt, black DKNY boxer brief shorts, and brown Birkenstock-type sandals. Dillard is described as a white female, 5’0”, 130 lbs., with blue eyes and brown hair (possibly dyed or wearing a wig).

Search continues for Jefferson County woman missing since June

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police are investigating the death of a man who was held down at an Omaha bowling alley as an in-custody death. 

Omaha police say in a news release that officers were called Thursday afternoon to West Lanes Bowling Center for reports of an autistic man biting his caregiver and other people and being “out of control.” 

Police say an officer who arrived on the scene found a bowling alley employee restraining the man, later identified as 30-year-old Eric Liao. 

Police say the officer handcuffed Liao and then noticed Liao was unresponsive. 

The officer began CPR, and paramedics soon took Liao to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631301796378.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police are investigating the death of a man who was held down at an Omaha bowling alley as an in-custody death. Omaha police say in a news release that officers were called Thursday afternoon to West Lanes Bowling Center for reports of an autistic man biting his caregiver and other people and being “out of control.” Police say an officer who arrived on the scene found a bowling alley employee restraining the man, later identified as 30-year-old Eric Liao. Police say the officer handcuffed Liao and then noticed Liao was unresponsive. The officer began CPR, and paramedics soon took Liao to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Omaha man's death being investigated as in-custody death

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon says he's asked the state’s attorney general to be prepared to challenge President Joe Biden’s new COVID-19 vaccine mandate, In a statement on Thursday, Gordon called it an “egregious example of big government overreach.” 

Gordon and his wife are both vaccinated but he has stressed that vaccination is an “intensely personal” decision. 

While he issued a statewide mask mandate during the winter surge, Gordon has vowed not to issue any vaccine mandates. 

Wyoming lawmakers have already been working on legislation aimed at prohibiting businesses from requiring vaccinations for their next session.

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon says he's asked the state’s attorney general to be prepared to challenge President Joe Biden’s new COVID-19 vaccine mandate, In a statement on Thursday, Gordon called it an “egregious example of big government overreach.” Gordon and his wife are both vaccinated but he has stressed that vaccination is an “intensely personal” decision. While he issued a statewide mask mandate during the winter surge, Gordon has vowed not to issue any vaccine mandates. Wyoming lawmakers have already been working on legislation aimed at prohibiting businesses from requiring vaccinations for their next session.

Wyoming governor says state will fight vaccine mandate

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Missouri's Republican-led Legislature could soon be considering legislation similar to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-technology-health-texas-us-supreme-court-85f0a113234774771bb6c2a7e51391cc">new Texas law that bans most abortions</a>, and abortion-rights advocates protested that prospect Thursday before a bill was even written.

About 200 abortion-rights protesters rallied on the steps of the old St. Louis courthouse against the possibility of further restrictions on the procedure.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631271480870.png" alt="Abortion-rights protesters rallied Thursday in Missouri-photo courtesy ACLU Missouri" />
 <figcaption>Abortion-rights protesters rallied Thursday in Missouri-photo courtesy ACLU Missouri</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — Missouri's Republican-led Legislature could soon be considering legislation similar to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-technology-health-texas-us-supreme-court-85f0a113234774771bb6c2a7e51391cc">new Texas law that bans most abortions</a>, and abortion-rights advocates protested that prospect Thursday before a bill was even written.About 200 abortion-rights protesters rallied on the steps of the old St. Louis courthouse against the possibility of further restrictions on the procedure.Karla Stribling, 56, of Warrenton, said she's worried that the Texas law — the most restrictive in the nation —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-religion-us-supreme-court-laws-23c373f3252d511f15ccc170887c30e2">would become a blueprint</a>&nbsp;for Missouri and other states.The Texas law prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, which usually happens around six weeks, before some women know they’re pregnant.The Justice Department on Thursday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-abortion-justice-department-lawsuit-851b4ef55da816bda704be491bfc032c">sued to overturn the Texas law</a>, and courts have blocked similar restrictions elsewhere. But Texas’ law leaves enforcement up to private citizens through civil lawsuits, which could help it survive legal challenges.“At less than six weeks, a lot of women don’t know they’re pregnant,” Stribling said. “It’s going to be so hard to get an abortion and only the wealthy will be able to get one, like in the past. It’s all going backward.”Republican Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, of Arnold, said she plans to file a bill based partly on the new Texas law. It's likely many others will follow suit in the heavily Republican state Legislature, especially heading into 2022 elections as GOP candidates look to capitalize on their conservative credentials.Missouri lawmakers in 2019 passed a bill that would ban abortions as early as the eighth week of pregnancy, but it's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-courts-michael-brown-1ec915d56429b8273af7f9c9d7e0a51d">entangled in legal battles</a>. A hearing on the case in federal appeals court is scheduled for Sept. 21.Coleman said she hopes to enact legislation that won't perpetually be tied up in legal challenges. She plans to craft a bill that, as in Texas, would allow private citizens to sue abortion providers.“It would be the next piece of making sure that Missouri is abortion free," Coleman said. “We’re doing everything we can to realize that goal and will continue to do so.”Any legislative action on abortion is still months away.Republican Gov. Mike Parson has said he doesn't plan to call lawmakers back for a special session before their regular legislative session begins in January. Parson’s spokeswoman repeated that he has no plans for a special session on abortion following the U.S. Supreme Court’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-courts-michael-brown-1ec915d56429b8273af7f9c9d7e0a51d">decision this month</a>&nbsp;to allow the Texas law to take effect.Republican lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-religion-us-supreme-court-laws-23c373f3252d511f15ccc170887c30e2">in at least half a dozen states&nbsp;</a>have said they planned to introduce bills using the Texas law as a model, hoping it provides a pathway to enacting the kind of abortion crackdown they have sought for years.____