CUSTER, SD – Jewel Cave National Monument has received an Open OutDoors for Kids (OOK) grant from the National Park Foundation to offer virtual programs, classroom visits, and in-person field trips through the 2023-2024 school year.&nbsp;

“This grant will allow Jewel Cave to expand our reach to students in the Black Hills and surrounding areas. Some funding may also be available to Title 1 schools to provide transportation for field trips to the park,” said Chief of Interpretation, Aimee Murillo. &nbsp;

Black Hills Parks &amp; Forests Association (BHPFA), a non-profit partner with the monument will assist with the funding and programs.&nbsp; “BHPFA is looking forward to helping our partner manage these funds and bring more students to the monument.&nbsp; This is a vital tool in Jewel Cave’s outreach programming,” states BHPFA Director Patty Ressler.&nbsp; “We really hope all area schools can take advantage of this opportunity!”&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;

The National Park Foundation’s OOK program builds on a child’s innate wonder and curiosity of the natural world, immersing students in national parks through field trips, classroom engagements, and educational activities. &nbsp;

CUSTER, SD – Jewel Cave National Monument has received an Open OutDoors for Kids (OOK) grant from the National Park Foundation to offer virtual programs, classroom visits, and in-person field trips through the 2023-2024 school year.&nbsp;“This grant will allow Jewel Cave to expand our reach to students in the Black Hills and surrounding areas. Some funding may also be available to Title 1 schools to provide transportation for field trips to the park,” said Chief of Interpretation, Aimee Murillo. &nbsp;Black Hills Parks &amp; Forests Association (BHPFA), a non-profit partner with the monument will assist with the funding and programs.&nbsp; “BHPFA is looking forward to helping our partner manage these funds and bring more students to the monument.&nbsp; This is a vital tool in Jewel Cave’s outreach programming,” states BHPFA Director Patty Ressler.&nbsp; “We really hope all area schools can take advantage of this opportunity!”&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;The National Park Foundation’s OOK program builds on a child’s innate wonder and curiosity of the natural world, immersing students in national parks through field trips, classroom engagements, and educational activities. &nbsp;

Jewel Cave receives Open OutDoors for Kids grant 

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. life expectancy rose last year — by more than a year — but still isn't close to what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2022 rise was mainly due to the waning pandemic, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsrr/vsrr031.pdf">said Wednesday</a>. But even with the large increase, U.S. life expectancy is only back to 77 years, 6 months — about what it was two decades ago.

Life expectancy is an estimate of the average number of years a baby born in a given year might expect to live, assuming the death rates at that time hold constant. The snapshot statistic is considered one of the most important measures of the health of the U.S. population. The 2022 calculations released Wednesday are provisional, and could change a little as the math is finalized.

For decades, U.S. life expectancy rose a little nearly every year. But about a decade ago, the trend flattened and even declined some years — a stall blamed largely on overdose deaths and suicides.

Then came the coronavirus, which has killed&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home">more than 1.1 million people</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. since early 2020. The measure of American longevity plunged, dropping from 78 years, 10 months in 2019 to 77 years in 2020, and then to 76 years, 5 months in 2021.

“We basically have lost 20 years of gains,” said the CDC’s Elizabeth Arias.

A decline in COVID-19 deaths drove 2022’s improvement.

In 2021, COVID was the nation's third leading cause of death (after heart disease and cancer). Last year, it fell to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7218a3.htm">fourth leading cause</a>. With more than a month left in the current year, preliminary data suggests COVID-19 could end up being the ninth or 10th leading cause of death in 2023.

But the U.S. is battling other issues, including drug overdose deaths and suicides.

The number of U.S. suicides reached an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/suicides-record-2022-guns-48511d74deb24d933e66cec1b6f2d545">all-time high</a>&nbsp;last year, and the national suicide rate was the highest seen since 1941, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsrr/vsrr034.pdf">a second CDC report</a>&nbsp;released Wednesday.

Drug overdose deaths in the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-overdose-deaths-cdc-3c3848da5f8aa01d7b9f232ba5a34152">went up slightly</a>&nbsp;last year after two big leaps at the beginning of the pandemic. And through the first six months of this year, the estimated overdose death toll&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm">continued to inch up</a>.

U.S. life expectancy also continues to be lower than that of dozens of other countries. It also didn't rebound as quickly as it did in other places, including France, Italy, Spain and Sweden.

Steven Woolf, a mortality researcher at Virginia Commonwealth University, said he expects the U.S. to eventually get back to the pre-pandemic life expectancy.

But “what I’m trying to say is: That is not a great place to be,” he added.

Some other highlights from the new report:

— Life expectancy increased for both men and women, and for every racial and ethnic group.

— The decline in COVID-19 deaths drove 84% of the increase in life expectancy. The next largest contributor was a decline in heart disease deaths, credited with about 4% of the increase. But experts note that heart disease deaths increased during COVID-19, and both factored into many pandemic-era deaths.

— Changes in life expectancy varied by race and ethnicity. Hispanic Americans and American Indians and Alaska Natives saw life expectancy rise more than two years in 2022. Black life expectancy rose more than 1 1/2 years. Asian American life expectancy rose one year and white life expectancy rose about 10 months.

But the changes are relative, because Hispanic Americans and Native Americans were hit harder at the beginning of COVID-19. Hispanic life expectancy dropped more than four years between 2019 and 2021, and Native American life expectancy fell more than six years.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. life expectancy rose last year — by more than a year — but still isn't close to what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.The 2022 rise was mainly due to the waning pandemic, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsrr/vsrr031.pdf">said Wednesday</a>. But even with the large increase, U.S. life expectancy is only back to 77 years, 6 months — about what it was two decades ago.Life expectancy is an estimate of the average number of years a baby born in a given year might expect to live, assuming the death rates at that time hold constant. The snapshot statistic is considered one of the most important measures of the health of the U.S. population. The 2022 calculations released Wednesday are provisional, and could change a little as the math is finalized.For decades, U.S. life expectancy rose a little nearly every year. But about a decade ago, the trend flattened and even declined some years — a stall blamed largely on overdose deaths and suicides.Then came the coronavirus, which has killed&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home">more than 1.1 million people</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. since early 2020. The measure of American longevity plunged, dropping from 78 years, 10 months in 2019 to 77 years in 2020, and then to 76 years, 5 months in 2021.“We basically have lost 20 years of gains,” said the CDC’s Elizabeth Arias.A decline in COVID-19 deaths drove 2022’s improvement.In 2021, COVID was the nation's third leading cause of death (after heart disease and cancer). Last year, it fell to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7218a3.htm">fourth leading cause</a>. With more than a month left in the current year, preliminary data suggests COVID-19 could end up being the ninth or 10th leading cause of death in 2023.But the U.S. is battling other issues, including drug overdose deaths and suicides.The number of U.S. suicides reached an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/suicides-record-2022-guns-48511d74deb24d933e66cec1b6f2d545">all-time high</a>&nbsp;last year, and the national suicide rate was the highest seen since 1941, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsrr/vsrr034.pdf">a second CDC report</a>&nbsp;released Wednesday.Drug overdose deaths in the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-overdose-deaths-cdc-3c3848da5f8aa01d7b9f232ba5a34152">went up slightly</a>&nbsp;last year after two big leaps at the beginning of the pandemic. And through the first six months of this year, the estimated overdose death toll&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm">continued to inch up</a>.U.S. life expectancy also continues to be lower than that of dozens of other countries. It also didn't rebound as quickly as it did in other places, including France, Italy, Spain and Sweden.Steven Woolf, a mortality researcher at Virginia Commonwealth University, said he expects the U.S. to eventually get back to the pre-pandemic life expectancy.But “what I’m trying to say is: That is not a great place to be,” he added.Some other highlights from the new report:— Life expectancy increased for both men and women, and for every racial and ethnic group.— The decline in COVID-19 deaths drove 84% of the increase in life expectancy. The next largest contributor was a decline in heart disease deaths, credited with about 4% of the increase. But experts note that heart disease deaths increased during COVID-19, and both factored into many pandemic-era deaths.— Changes in life expectancy varied by race and ethnicity. Hispanic Americans and American Indians and Alaska Natives saw life expectancy rise more than two years in 2022. Black life expectancy rose more than 1 1/2 years. Asian American life expectancy rose one year and white life expectancy rose about 10 months.But the changes are relative, because Hispanic Americans and Native Americans were hit harder at the beginning of COVID-19. Hispanic life expectancy dropped more than four years between 2019 and 2021, and Native American life expectancy fell more than six years.

New life expectancy data shows slow rebound from COVID

WASHINGTON (AP) — Olympic gold medalist swimmer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/klete-keller">Klete Keller</a>, who threw his USA team jacket in a trash can after he stormed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">the U.S. Capitol</a>, was sentenced on Friday to six months of home detention for joining the mob's Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the seat of American democracy.

At 6-foot-6, Keller towered over police officers guarding the Capitol and other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;supporters who breached the building, and he was quickly identified by authorities. He pleaded guilty in 2021 to a felony charge and was one of the first rioters to publicly agree to cooperate with authorities investigating the Capitol attack.

Video captured Keller leading profane chants directed at then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, both Democrats. He also joined a chorus of rioters in singing the national anthem in the middle of the Capitol. He resisted efforts to remove him from the Capitol, ripping an elbow away and shaking off a police officer, prosecutors said.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon sentenced Keller to three years of probation, including six months of home detention, and ordered him to perform 360 hours of community service.

Keller told the judge he knew his actions on Jan. 6 left lawmakers in fear and made it more difficult for police to do their job.

“I have no excuse for why I am in front of you today,” he said. “I understand my actions were criminal and that I am fully responsible for my conduct.”

During the Jan. 6 riot, Keller wore a jacket with an American flag on a sleeve, an Olympic team patch on the front and the letters “U.S.A.” across the back. Prosecutors said he tossed the jacket into a trash can on his way back to a hotel and later smashed his cellphone with a hammer because he knew he was “fleeing a crime scene."

“Klete Derik Keller once wore the American flag as an Olympian. On January 6, 2021, he threw that flag in a trash can,”&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.227417/gov.uscourts.dcd.227417.51.0.pdf">prosecutors wrote in a court filing</a>.

Keller's lawyer said he threw away the jacket out of shame after leaving the Capitol and encountering a young boy and his father on a train. The boy asked Keller about his Olympic career and requested a photo with him, defense attorney Zachary Deubler&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.227417/gov.uscourts.dcd.227417.52.0.pdf">said in a court filing</a>.

Keller felt that “he let this young man down by behaving the way that he did, and the moment that this young man and father find out what he did, their admiration for him would be shattered,” Deubler wrote.

Investigators never recovered the jacket or any cellphone videos or photos that he recorded at the Capitol. Keller&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-joe-biden-donald-trump-klete-keller-2020-tokyo-olympics-a1845b8b2490d3642689fa877b1639d6">surrendered to authorities</a>&nbsp;about a week after returning home to Colorado.

Keller has been cooperating with investigators since he pleaded guilty to obstructing the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress for certifying President Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory. Prosecutors pointed to Keller's “substantial assistance” as grounds for leniency. Federal sentencing guidelines recommended a term of imprisonment ranging from 15 to 21 months.

Prosecutors said his early guilty plea “undoubtedly reached thousands of others weighing whether to turn themselves in, plead guilty, or even cooperate." They added that his “public acknowledgement that his interference with the peaceful transfer of power was, in fact, a serious crime provided an important counterweight to the false narrative that January 6 was a peaceful, lawful protest.”

Keller experienced personal and financial problems after retiring from professional swimming. After separating from his wife in 2014, Keller lived out of his car for nearly a year while working three jobs to pay for child support and other expenses, according to his attorney.

After the Capitol riot, he lost a job and regular visitation with his children. Last year, he signed the paperwork for his children to be adopted by their stepfather, his attorney said.

“I hope my case serves as a warning to anyone who rationalizes illegal conduct, especially in a moment of political fervor,”&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.227417/gov.uscourts.dcd.227417.52.1.pdf">Keller wrote in a letter to the judge</a>. “The consequences of my behavior will follow me and my family for the rest of our lives.”

On Jan. 6, Keller attended then-President Donald Trump's “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House with a friend before marching with a crowd to the Capitol. He entered the building through an open door on the Upper West Terrace and remained inside for nearly an hour.

Keller came within 50 feet of the Senate chamber, which lawmakers evacuated as the mob swarmed the building. Police officers had to forcibly remove Keller and other rioters from the Capitol through the East Rotunda lobby.

<a href="https://olympics.com/en/athletes/klete-keller">Keller won five medals</a>, including two golds, while competing for the U.S. at three summer Olympics. At the 2000 games in Sydney, Australia, he won an individual bronze medal in the 400-meter freestyle event and a silver medal as the anchor leg of a relay.

At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, Keller swam the anchor leg when the U.S. won gold medals in the 800-meter freestyle relay, He and teammates Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte and Peter Vanderkaay&nbsp;<a href="https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/sports/2004/08/18/keller-holds-off-thorpe/50322729007/">narrowly held off a rival Australian team.</a>&nbsp;At the 2008 games in Beijing, China, Mr. Keller won another gold medal in a freestyle relay.

Approximately 1,200 people have been charged with&nbsp;<a href="https://interactives.ap.org/jan-6-prosecutions/">Capitol riot-related federal crimes</a>. Nearly 900 of them have pleaded guilty or been convicted by a judge or jury after trials. Over 700 of them have been sentenced, with roughly two-thirds receiving prison sentences ranging from three days to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/enrique-tarrio-capitol-riot-seditious-conspiracy-sentencing-da60222b3e1e54902db2bbbb219dc3fb">22 years</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701469216678.png" alt="Keller as shown in an image from a video from the Jan. 6 committee" />
 <figcaption>Keller as shown in an image from a video from the Jan. 6 committee</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Olympic gold medalist swimmer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/klete-keller">Klete Keller</a>, who threw his USA team jacket in a trash can after he stormed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">the U.S. Capitol</a>, was sentenced on Friday to six months of home detention for joining the mob's Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the seat of American democracy.At 6-foot-6, Keller towered over police officers guarding the Capitol and other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;supporters who breached the building, and he was quickly identified by authorities. He pleaded guilty in 2021 to a felony charge and was one of the first rioters to publicly agree to cooperate with authorities investigating the Capitol attack.Video captured Keller leading profane chants directed at then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, both Democrats. He also joined a chorus of rioters in singing the national anthem in the middle of the Capitol. He resisted efforts to remove him from the Capitol, ripping an elbow away and shaking off a police officer, prosecutors said.U.S. District Judge Richard Leon sentenced Keller to three years of probation, including six months of home detention, and ordered him to perform 360 hours of community service.Keller told the judge he knew his actions on Jan. 6 left lawmakers in fear and made it more difficult for police to do their job.“I have no excuse for why I am in front of you today,” he said. “I understand my actions were criminal and that I am fully responsible for my conduct.”During the Jan. 6 riot, Keller wore a jacket with an American flag on a sleeve, an Olympic team patch on the front and the letters “U.S.A.” across the back. Prosecutors said he tossed the jacket into a trash can on his way back to a hotel and later smashed his cellphone with a hammer because he knew he was “fleeing a crime scene."“Klete Derik Keller once wore the American flag as an Olympian. On January 6, 2021, he threw that flag in a trash can,”&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.227417/gov.uscourts.dcd.227417.51.0.pdf">prosecutors wrote in a court filing</a>.Keller's lawyer said he threw away the jacket out of shame after leaving the Capitol and encountering a young boy and his father on a train. The boy asked Keller about his Olympic career and requested a photo with him, defense attorney Zachary Deubler&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.227417/gov.uscourts.dcd.227417.52.0.pdf">said in a court filing</a>.Keller felt that “he let this young man down by behaving the way that he did, and the moment that this young man and father find out what he did, their admiration for him would be shattered,” Deubler wrote.Investigators never recovered the jacket or any cellphone videos or photos that he recorded at the Capitol. Keller&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-joe-biden-donald-trump-klete-keller-2020-tokyo-olympics-a1845b8b2490d3642689fa877b1639d6">surrendered to authorities</a>&nbsp;about a week after returning home to Colorado.Keller has been cooperating with investigators since he pleaded guilty to obstructing the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress for certifying President Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory. Prosecutors pointed to Keller's “substantial assistance” as grounds for leniency. Federal sentencing guidelines recommended a term of imprisonment ranging from 15 to 21 months.Prosecutors said his early guilty plea “undoubtedly reached thousands of others weighing whether to turn themselves in, plead guilty, or even cooperate." They added that his “public acknowledgement that his interference with the peaceful transfer of power was, in fact, a serious crime provided an important counterweight to the false narrative that January 6 was a peaceful, lawful protest.”Keller experienced personal and financial problems after retiring from professional swimming. After separating from his wife in 2014, Keller lived out of his car for nearly a year while working three jobs to pay for child support and other expenses, according to his attorney.After the Capitol riot, he lost a job and regular visitation with his children. Last year, he signed the paperwork for his children to be adopted by their stepfather, his attorney said.“I hope my case serves as a warning to anyone who rationalizes illegal conduct, especially in a moment of political fervor,”&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.227417/gov.uscourts.dcd.227417.52.1.pdf">Keller wrote in a letter to the judge</a>. “The consequences of my behavior will follow me and my family for the rest of our lives.”On Jan. 6, Keller attended then-President Donald Trump's “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House with a friend before marching with a crowd to the Capitol. He entered the building through an open door on the Upper West Terrace and remained inside for nearly an hour.Keller came within 50 feet of the Senate chamber, which lawmakers evacuated as the mob swarmed the building. Police officers had to forcibly remove Keller and other rioters from the Capitol through the East Rotunda lobby.<a href="https://olympics.com/en/athletes/klete-keller">Keller won five medals</a>, including two golds, while competing for the U.S. at three summer Olympics. At the 2000 games in Sydney, Australia, he won an individual bronze medal in the 400-meter freestyle event and a silver medal as the anchor leg of a relay.At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, Keller swam the anchor leg when the U.S. won gold medals in the 800-meter freestyle relay, He and teammates Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte and Peter Vanderkaay&nbsp;<a href="https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/sports/2004/08/18/keller-holds-off-thorpe/50322729007/">narrowly held off a rival Australian team.</a>&nbsp;At the 2008 games in Beijing, China, Mr. Keller won another gold medal in a freestyle relay.Approximately 1,200 people have been charged with&nbsp;<a href="https://interactives.ap.org/jan-6-prosecutions/">Capitol riot-related federal crimes</a>. Nearly 900 of them have pleaded guilty or been convicted by a judge or jury after trials. Over 700 of them have been sentenced, with roughly two-thirds receiving prison sentences ranging from three days to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/enrique-tarrio-capitol-riot-seditious-conspiracy-sentencing-da60222b3e1e54902db2bbbb219dc3fb">22 years</a>.

Olympic gold medal swimmer sentenced for Jan. 6 Capitol riot

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An attorney for the billionaire Haslam family called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/buffett-berkshire-hathaway-haslam-pilot-truck-stops-48d768eb679661ce806c52d81bf08140">bribery allegations</a>&nbsp;leveled by Warren Buffett's company a “wild invention.

But a judge didn't decide immediately whether those allegations will be resolved at a January trial that should help determine the multibillion-dollar price Berkshire Hathaway might have to pay the Haslams for the rest of the Pilot truck stop chain.

The Haslams and Buffett's company are accusing each other of manipulating Pilot's earnings this year to affect the price Berkshire would have to pay for the Haslams' remaining 20% stake in the company if the family decides to sell.

The Haslam family — which includes Cleveland Browns owner&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cleveland-browns-dee-jimmy-haslam-749e3407f99d76456034ce45de192be1">Jimmy Haslam</a>&nbsp;and former Tennessee governor Bill Haslam —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/warren-buffett-haslam-pilot-truck-stops-lawsuit-11f34a6f0494e53c80ea8b13635eb21e">accused Berkshire</a>&nbsp;last month of trying to understate Pilot’s earnings this year by changing its accounting practices.

Berkshire responded this week with a lawsuit of its own accusing Jimmy Haslam of trying to bribe key Pilot executives with payments several times their annual salaries to inflate the company's profits.

“We called Berkshire’s allegations wild inventions in our opposition brief,” attorney Anitha Reddy, who represents the Haslams, said Thursday. “I don’t think we could have been clearer that we dispute them. And if there is any doubt in Berkshire’s mind, we think they’re false and we intend to defeat them on whatever schedule the court orders.”

The judge promised to rule by Friday whether Berkshire's lawsuit can be heard at the same time a trial on Pilot's original lawsuit is scheduled in January. Berkshire wants the court to prevent the Haslams from exercising their option to sell the rest of the company to Berkshire next year because it says there are so many doubts about the accuracy of Pilot's 2023 earnings. Even if the judge agrees, the Haslams would still have the option to sell in future years under the agreement they signed back in 2017.

Berkshire's attorney Craig Lavoie argued that it's crucial to block a sale next year because it will be hard to determine just how much Pilot's earnings have been effected by the alleged bribes. He said Berkshire believes at least 28 executives — many of whom are involved in buying and selling fuel for the nation's largest truck stop chain — were offered bribes.

Berkshire said in its lawsuit that it just learned a couple weeks ago about the Haslams’ attempts to bribe executives who used to work for the family at the company Jim Haslam — Jimmy and Bill Haslam’s father — founded before Berkshire became the majority owner at the start of this year. A senior executive who had been promised a bonus revealed that to the current Pilot CEO, according to Berkshire.

Lavoie said it's difficult for Berkshire to sort out what short-term decisions those executives might have made because of the bonuses.

“Mr. Haslam’s side promises have forced the company to investigate and interrogate many of the key employees it relies on today to operate the company,” Lavoie said.

When Berkshire bought its initial 38.6% stake in Pilot in 2017 it paid $2.758 billion. This year, it paid another $8.2 billion to give it control of 80% of the company, and it went on to install a new CEO and chief financial officer. Buffett told&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/warren-buffett-berkshire-hathaway-shareholders-meeting-munger-125f7fd2fc2830d74fb8f246727fedcd">Berkshire shareholders</a>&nbsp;this spring that he wishes he could have bought the entire company at once because the price was better in 2017, but the Haslams wouldn’t sell it all then.

Pilot's chain of more than 850 locations and roughly 30,000 employees in the United States and Canada has already provided a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/warren-buffett-berkshire-hathaway-earnings-second-quarter-9681b4761e8d81d7ca13c7d5507b1996">meaningful boost</a>&nbsp;to Berkshire’s revenue and profits this year.

The Haslams said Berkshire’s decision to shift to something called “pushdown accounting” this year forced Pilot to take on higher depreciation and amortization costs and that resulted in lower net income. The Haslams were outvoted on that change at Pilot board meetings.

In addition to Pilot, Berkshire owns an eclectic assortment of other businesses including Geico insurance, BNSF railroad and several major utilities along with a number of smaller manufacturing and retail businesses. It also holds a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/berkshire-hathaway-warren-buffett-investments-stock-portfolio-b6a3c609918155507f18301b02c76786">sizeable stock portfolio</a>&nbsp;with big stakes in Apple, Coca-Cola, American Express and Bank of America among other holdings.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701450454036.jpeg" alt="In this April 19, 2013, file photo, Jimmy Haslam, CEO of Pilot Flying J and owner of the Cleveland Browns, speaks during a news conference at the company headquarters in Knoxville, Tenn. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway says the billionaire Haslam family tried to bribe at least 15 executives at the Pilot truck stop chain with millions of dollars to inflate the company’s profits this year because that would force Berkshire to pay more for the Haslams’ remaining 20% stake in the company. (AP Photo/Wade Payne, File)" />
 <figcaption>In this April 19, 2013, file photo, Jimmy Haslam, CEO of Pilot Flying J and owner of the Cleveland Browns, speaks during a news conference at the company headquarters in Knoxville, Tenn. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway says the billionaire Haslam family tried to bribe at least 15 executives at the Pilot truck stop chain with millions of dollars to inflate the company’s profits this year because that would force Berkshire to pay more for the Haslams’ remaining 20% stake in the company. (AP Photo/Wade Payne, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An attorney for the billionaire Haslam family called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/buffett-berkshire-hathaway-haslam-pilot-truck-stops-48d768eb679661ce806c52d81bf08140">bribery allegations</a>&nbsp;leveled by Warren Buffett's company a “wild invention.But a judge didn't decide immediately whether those allegations will be resolved at a January trial that should help determine the multibillion-dollar price Berkshire Hathaway might have to pay the Haslams for the rest of the Pilot truck stop chain.The Haslams and Buffett's company are accusing each other of manipulating Pilot's earnings this year to affect the price Berkshire would have to pay for the Haslams' remaining 20% stake in the company if the family decides to sell.The Haslam family — which includes Cleveland Browns owner&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cleveland-browns-dee-jimmy-haslam-749e3407f99d76456034ce45de192be1">Jimmy Haslam</a>&nbsp;and former Tennessee governor Bill Haslam —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/warren-buffett-haslam-pilot-truck-stops-lawsuit-11f34a6f0494e53c80ea8b13635eb21e">accused Berkshire</a>&nbsp;last month of trying to understate Pilot’s earnings this year by changing its accounting practices.Berkshire responded this week with a lawsuit of its own accusing Jimmy Haslam of trying to bribe key Pilot executives with payments several times their annual salaries to inflate the company's profits.“We called Berkshire’s allegations wild inventions in our opposition brief,” attorney Anitha Reddy, who represents the Haslams, said Thursday. “I don’t think we could have been clearer that we dispute them. And if there is any doubt in Berkshire’s mind, we think they’re false and we intend to defeat them on whatever schedule the court orders.”The judge promised to rule by Friday whether Berkshire's lawsuit can be heard at the same time a trial on Pilot's original lawsuit is scheduled in January. Berkshire wants the court to prevent the Haslams from exercising their option to sell the rest of the company to Berkshire next year because it says there are so many doubts about the accuracy of Pilot's 2023 earnings. Even if the judge agrees, the Haslams would still have the option to sell in future years under the agreement they signed back in 2017.Berkshire's attorney Craig Lavoie argued that it's crucial to block a sale next year because it will be hard to determine just how much Pilot's earnings have been effected by the alleged bribes. He said Berkshire believes at least 28 executives — many of whom are involved in buying and selling fuel for the nation's largest truck stop chain — were offered bribes.Berkshire said in its lawsuit that it just learned a couple weeks ago about the Haslams’ attempts to bribe executives who used to work for the family at the company Jim Haslam — Jimmy and Bill Haslam’s father — founded before Berkshire became the majority owner at the start of this year. A senior executive who had been promised a bonus revealed that to the current Pilot CEO, according to Berkshire.Lavoie said it's difficult for Berkshire to sort out what short-term decisions those executives might have made because of the bonuses.“Mr. Haslam’s side promises have forced the company to investigate and interrogate many of the key employees it relies on today to operate the company,” Lavoie said.When Berkshire bought its initial 38.6% stake in Pilot in 2017 it paid $2.758 billion. This year, it paid another $8.2 billion to give it control of 80% of the company, and it went on to install a new CEO and chief financial officer. Buffett told&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/warren-buffett-berkshire-hathaway-shareholders-meeting-munger-125f7fd2fc2830d74fb8f246727fedcd">Berkshire shareholders</a>&nbsp;this spring that he wishes he could have bought the entire company at once because the price was better in 2017, but the Haslams wouldn’t sell it all then.Pilot's chain of more than 850 locations and roughly 30,000 employees in the United States and Canada has already provided a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/warren-buffett-berkshire-hathaway-earnings-second-quarter-9681b4761e8d81d7ca13c7d5507b1996">meaningful boost</a>&nbsp;to Berkshire’s revenue and profits this year.The Haslams said Berkshire’s decision to shift to something called “pushdown accounting” this year forced Pilot to take on higher depreciation and amortization costs and that resulted in lower net income. The Haslams were outvoted on that change at Pilot board meetings.In addition to Pilot, Berkshire owns an eclectic assortment of other businesses including Geico insurance, BNSF railroad and several major utilities along with a number of smaller manufacturing and retail businesses. It also holds a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/berkshire-hathaway-warren-buffett-investments-stock-portfolio-b6a3c609918155507f18301b02c76786">sizeable stock portfolio</a>&nbsp;with big stakes in Apple, Coca-Cola, American Express and Bank of America among other holdings.

Haslam family denies allegation from Warren Buffett's company that it bribed truck stop chain execs

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities continue to investigate a 29-year-old murder and are asking the public for help with information.

On the morning of October 29, 1994 while cleaning the ditches and tree row’s in the 5600 block of west 47th&nbsp;Street South, workers with the Kansas Gas and Electric Company came across human remains buried in a shallow grave, according to a media release from the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office.

Following an examination by the Sedgwick County Coroner’s Office and a Forensic Anthropologist the manner of death was determined to be homicide.&nbsp;

Until May of 2023 the identity of the victim has remained unknown to detectives, greatly hampering the investigation.&nbsp; In late 2022 Sgt. Michael Guthrie of the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office submitted and was awarded a grant for DNA testing of the victim by Othram Inc.

In May of 2023 Othram was able to utilize DNA technology to identify a relative of the victim and through further investigation an identification was made.&nbsp; Harold “James” Crawford, date of birth January 11th, 1973 was identified as the unknown victim.&nbsp; James was 21 at the time of his death and lived in an apartment complex on the east side of Wichita.&nbsp;

If you knew James or have any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, you’re asked to contact the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office.&nbsp; You can call the Cold Case Hotline at (316)660-3799, Crime Stoppers at (316)267-2111 or Email&nbsp;<a href="mailto:coldcase@sedgwick.gov">coldcase@sedgwick.gov</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701453422466.png" alt="Harold 'James' Crawford-photo Sedgwick Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Harold 'James' Crawford-photo Sedgwick Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities continue to investigate a 29-year-old murder and are asking the public for help with information.On the morning of October 29, 1994 while cleaning the ditches and tree row’s in the 5600 block of west 47th&nbsp;Street South, workers with the Kansas Gas and Electric Company came across human remains buried in a shallow grave, according to a media release from the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office.Following an examination by the Sedgwick County Coroner’s Office and a Forensic Anthropologist the manner of death was determined to be homicide.&nbsp;Until May of 2023 the identity of the victim has remained unknown to detectives, greatly hampering the investigation.&nbsp; In late 2022 Sgt. Michael Guthrie of the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office submitted and was awarded a grant for DNA testing of the victim by Othram Inc.In May of 2023 Othram was able to utilize DNA technology to identify a relative of the victim and through further investigation an identification was made.&nbsp; Harold “James” Crawford, date of birth January 11th, 1973 was identified as the unknown victim.&nbsp; James was 21 at the time of his death and lived in an apartment complex on the east side of Wichita.&nbsp;If you knew James or have any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, you’re asked to contact the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office.&nbsp; You can call the Cold Case Hotline at (316)660-3799, Crime Stoppers at (316)267-2111 or Email&nbsp;<a href="mailto:coldcase@sedgwick.gov">coldcase@sedgwick.gov</a>.

Sheriff IDs victim in 29-year-old Kansas unsolved murder

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/01/state-signs-no-bid-contract-to-determine-the-financial-feasibility-of-proposed-i-80-sandpit-lake/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — The state has signed a $500,000, no-bid contract with an Omaha group to determine the feasibility of raising in excess of $900 million in private money to help build a huge sandpit lake between Omaha and Lincoln.

The contract, with officials of the Omaha Philanthropic Trust and its director, Sue Morris, was signed in August employing a rarely used “sole source” exemption that allows state agencies to forgo the state bidding process when obtaining unique services or goods “available from only one source.”

While at least one state official raised concern about the no-bid deal, Tom Riley, director of the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, said he sought, and received, the sole source bypass because of the “unparalleled connections” of Morris and the Trust to major donors.

“The access to all the philanthropic dollars is not our gig,” said Riley, referring to his agency, which regulates surface water use and dam construction and safety.

State Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha, a main proponent of the lake, also defended the no-bid deal because of the expertise and experience of Morris, a former president of Heritage Services. That philanthropic organization, founded by some of Omaha’s leading business leaders, was created to financially support Joslyn Museum, the Durham Museum, the Holland Center and other major institutions.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In a letter supporting the hiring of Morris, McDonnell wrote that “the magnitude and complexity” of the proposed public-private partnership for the project makes it “crucial that we engage a firm with a deep understanding of such initiatives and the Nebraska philanthropic communitv.”

Contractor also hired for NU football stadium

If Morris’ name is familiar, it’s because she just&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/11/24/nebraskas-450-million-memorial-stadium-project-faces-fundraising-questions/">signed a $5.5 million contract</a>&nbsp;to raise at least $225 million in private money for the planned renovation of Memorial Stadium on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus.

At least one source said that raising $900 million for the big lake would likely be the state’s largest private fundraising endeavor.

The no-bid contract involving the big lake, referred to as “Lake Mike” around the State Capitol because of a trio of supportive state senators named “Mike,” did raise the eyebrows of another Mike: State Auditor Mike Foley.

Foley asked whether the Omaha Philanthropic Trust was really the only entity that could weigh whether there was sufficient interest among private donors in the big lake.

“That just sounds odd to me,” he said Thursday.

Foley added that Morris and the Trust could have just as easily submitted a bid along with other fundraising contractors to obtain the state job.

McDonnell is one of the three Mikes, along with former State Sens. Mike Hilgers, now the state attorney general, and Mike Flood, now a U.S. congressman, who were leading proponents of the big lake project.

The 4,000-acre lake — designed to rival Iowa’s Lake Okoboji — has been billed as a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/03/09/big-lake-with-500m-to-1b-pricetag-gets-a-lot-of-love-from-state-lawmakers/">“big swing” to boost economic development</a>&nbsp;and provide a long-dreamed-about recreational lake near the state’s two largest cities, though&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/02/10/big-sandpit-lake-proposal-hits-choppy-waters-one-landowner-says-hes-not-selling/">there have been detractors.</a>

Past estimates have put the cost of such a lake at $1 billion and more, with 90% of the funds coming from private developers and philanthropists.

McDonnell said determining whether there was sufficient donor interest in the big lake was the “next logical step” in deciding whether the state moves forward on the project, which he described as “an SID (sanitary and improvement district) with a large lake in the middle.”

“There’s a thousand steps and we’ve taken five (so far),” he said.

The big lake idea first emerged as one of the recommendations in a 2021 report from a special state legislative committee, the Statewide Tourism and Recreational Water Access and Resource Sustainability committee, or STARWARS.

The committee recommended $200 million worth of projects to enhance tourism and the state’s quality of life, including enhancements at Lake McConaughy, Niobrara State Park and Lewis &amp; Clark Lake.

Past proposals to dam up the Platte River near Ashland to create a massive lake have been drowned in protests from people living there. But the STARWARS group proposed a different route — digging a massive sandpit lake, using a floodplain of mostly undeveloped farm ground, rather than flooding Ashland and other housing along the river via a dam.

So far, work on the big lake has involved still-to-be completed studies on whether it would adversely impact wellfields that provide drinking water to Omaha and Lincoln and whether it would provide some flood-control benefits.

Sixteen months ago, a nonprofit corporation was created called the “Nebraska Recreational Lake Trust,” to “assist the State of Nebraska in constructing, developing and managing” the proposed lake,”which would provide needed flood control.”

Such private corporations are used by the University of Nebraska, as well as the state, for construction projects involving private money or bond financing. The Nebraska Constitution prohibits the state — but not a private corporation -—from going into debt.

Morris is listed as president of the Lake Trust as well as president of the Omaha Philanthropic Trust, and officers of the Omaha trust fill similar roles with the Lake Trust.

Typically, all state agency contracts of more than $50,000 are required to be subject of competitive bidding. But state statutes allow for exceptions for “unique or noncompetitive” services or items.

In his application for a sole source contract, Riley said the Philanthropic/Lake Trust possessed unique knowledge and skills “such as a deep understanding of public/private partnerships, efficiently and effectively facilitating meetings between government agencies and private partners, and unparalleled connections within Nebraska’s philanthropic community.”

To be sure, Morris, who worked at Heritage Services alongside Walter Scott, the late CEO of Kiewit Corporation, has been involved in some major Omaha fundraising projects. Most recently, they include the Veterans Ambulatory Center, Baxter Arena at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the redevelopment of Lake Cunningham.

The sole source exception was later approved, as required, byAmara Block, head of the Materiel Division of the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services. Block &nbsp;agreed that the service was unique.

The contract requires an evaluation of the potential for private partners on the big lake to be provided by April 30.

When asked for comment about the work of the Lake Trust and how the $500,000 fee was arrived at, Patrick Morris of the Philanthropic Trust responded in an email that he was out of town and couldn’t take a phone call.

But he emailed that his organization’s role is to determine the “viability and potential benefits of a public/private partnership,” which will help determine whether the lake project can move forward.

“Given the magnitude and complexity of this potential public private partnership, we are engaging other consultants and our fee absorbs those costs,” Morris added.

McDonnell, who sits on the legislative committee that crafts the state budget, said the $500,000 fee was a reasonable expense given the economic potential of building the big lake.

The senator said he did not think that Morris’ fundraising work on the NU stadium would conflict with the job of assessing whether the big lake is financially feasible. They’re different projects, McDonnell said.

“What we’re trying to do is really economic development, with the idea of retaining and recruiting people to the state,” he said of the big lake.

Riley said that if the Morris report concludes there’s sufficient potential for private investment, and the wellfield study says it won’t harm drinking water supplies for Omaha and Lincoln, the next step would be a full-fledged feasibility study, laying out the exact location and depth of the lake, and precise costs.

&nbsp;If the report on the big lake says private donors/developers aren’t interested, and “it’s not doable,” McDonnell said, “it’s over.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701449838847.png" alt=" This is a conceptual drawing of the proposed 4,000-acre sandpit lake between Lincoln and Omaha at its preferred site, on the east bank of the Platte River near Linoma Beach. Any construction work, if the project is deemed feasible, is said to be at least five years away. (Screenshot from a presentation by State Sen. Mike McDonnell)" />
 <figcaption> This is a conceptual drawing of the proposed 4,000-acre sandpit lake between Lincoln and Omaha at its preferred site, on the east bank of the Platte River near Linoma Beach. Any construction work, if the project is deemed feasible, is said to be at least five years away. (Screenshot from a presentation by State Sen. Mike McDonnell)</figcaption>
 </figure>Paul Hammel<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/01/state-signs-no-bid-contract-to-determine-the-financial-feasibility-of-proposed-i-80-sandpit-lake/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — The state has signed a $500,000, no-bid contract with an Omaha group to determine the feasibility of raising in excess of $900 million in private money to help build a huge sandpit lake between Omaha and Lincoln.The contract, with officials of the Omaha Philanthropic Trust and its director, Sue Morris, was signed in August employing a rarely used “sole source” exemption that allows state agencies to forgo the state bidding process when obtaining unique services or goods “available from only one source.”While at least one state official raised concern about the no-bid deal, Tom Riley, director of the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, said he sought, and received, the sole source bypass because of the “unparalleled connections” of Morris and the Trust to major donors.<h2>“Not our gig’</h2>“The access to all the philanthropic dollars is not our gig,” said Riley, referring to his agency, which regulates surface water use and dam construction and safety.State Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha, a main proponent of the lake, also defended the no-bid deal because of the expertise and experience of Morris, a former president of Heritage Services. That philanthropic organization, founded by some of Omaha’s leading business leaders, was created to financially support Joslyn Museum, the Durham Museum, the Holland Center and other major institutions.&nbsp;&nbsp;In a letter supporting the hiring of Morris, McDonnell wrote that “the magnitude and complexity” of the proposed public-private partnership for the project makes it “crucial that we engage a firm with a deep understanding of such initiatives and the Nebraska philanthropic communitv.”<h2>Contractor also hired for NU football stadium</h2>If Morris’ name is familiar, it’s because she just&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/11/24/nebraskas-450-million-memorial-stadium-project-faces-fundraising-questions/">signed a $5.5 million contract</a>&nbsp;to raise at least $225 million in private money for the planned renovation of Memorial Stadium on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus.At least one source said that raising $900 million for the big lake would likely be the state’s largest private fundraising endeavor.The no-bid contract involving the big lake, referred to as “Lake Mike” around the State Capitol because of a trio of supportive state senators named “Mike,” did raise the eyebrows of another Mike: State Auditor Mike Foley.Foley asked whether the Omaha Philanthropic Trust was really the only entity that could weigh whether there was sufficient interest among private donors in the big lake.“That just sounds odd to me,” he said Thursday.Foley added that Morris and the Trust could have just as easily submitted a bid along with other fundraising contractors to obtain the state job.<h2>Lake Mike</h2>McDonnell is one of the three Mikes, along with former State Sens. Mike Hilgers, now the state attorney general, and Mike Flood, now a U.S. congressman, who were leading proponents of the big lake project.The 4,000-acre lake — designed to rival Iowa’s Lake Okoboji — has been billed as a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/03/09/big-lake-with-500m-to-1b-pricetag-gets-a-lot-of-love-from-state-lawmakers/">“big swing” to boost economic development</a>&nbsp;and provide a long-dreamed-about recreational lake near the state’s two largest cities, though&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/02/10/big-sandpit-lake-proposal-hits-choppy-waters-one-landowner-says-hes-not-selling/">there have been detractors.</a>Past estimates have put the cost of such a lake at $1 billion and more, with 90% of the funds coming from private developers and philanthropists.McDonnell said determining whether there was sufficient donor interest in the big lake was the “next logical step” in deciding whether the state moves forward on the project, which he described as “an SID (sanitary and improvement district) with a large lake in the middle.”“There’s a thousand steps and we’ve taken five (so far),” he said.The big lake idea first emerged as one of the recommendations in a 2021 report from a special state legislative committee, the Statewide Tourism and Recreational Water Access and Resource Sustainability committee, or STARWARS.The committee recommended $200 million worth of projects to enhance tourism and the state’s quality of life, including enhancements at Lake McConaughy, Niobrara State Park and Lewis &amp; Clark Lake.<h2>Not a dam, but a sandpit lake</h2>Past proposals to dam up the Platte River near Ashland to create a massive lake have been drowned in protests from people living there. But the STARWARS group proposed a different route — digging a massive sandpit lake, using a floodplain of mostly undeveloped farm ground, rather than flooding Ashland and other housing along the river via a dam.So far, work on the big lake has involved still-to-be completed studies on whether it would adversely impact wellfields that provide drinking water to Omaha and Lincoln and whether it would provide some flood-control benefits.Sixteen months ago, a nonprofit corporation was created called the “Nebraska Recreational Lake Trust,” to “assist the State of Nebraska in constructing, developing and managing” the proposed lake,”which would provide needed flood control.”Such private corporations are used by the University of Nebraska, as well as the state, for construction projects involving private money or bond financing. The Nebraska Constitution prohibits the state — but not a private corporation -—from going into debt.<h2>Same officers</h2>Morris is listed as president of the Lake Trust as well as president of the Omaha Philanthropic Trust, and officers of the Omaha trust fill similar roles with the Lake Trust.Typically, all state agency contracts of more than $50,000 are required to be subject of competitive bidding. But state statutes allow for exceptions for “unique or noncompetitive” services or items.In his application for a sole source contract, Riley said the Philanthropic/Lake Trust possessed unique knowledge and skills “such as a deep understanding of public/private partnerships, efficiently and effectively facilitating meetings between government agencies and private partners, and unparalleled connections within Nebraska’s philanthropic community.”To be sure, Morris, who worked at Heritage Services alongside Walter Scott, the late CEO of Kiewit Corporation, has been involved in some major Omaha fundraising projects. Most recently, they include the Veterans Ambulatory Center, Baxter Arena at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the redevelopment of Lake Cunningham.The sole source exception was later approved, as required, byAmara Block, head of the Materiel Division of the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services. Block &nbsp;agreed that the service was unique.The contract requires an evaluation of the potential for private partners on the big lake to be provided by April 30.<h2>$500,000 fee worth it</h2>When asked for comment about the work of the Lake Trust and how the $500,000 fee was arrived at, Patrick Morris of the Philanthropic Trust responded in an email that he was out of town and couldn’t take a phone call.But he emailed that his organization’s role is to determine the “viability and potential benefits of a public/private partnership,” which will help determine whether the lake project can move forward.“Given the magnitude and complexity of this potential public private partnership, we are engaging other consultants and our fee absorbs those costs,” Morris added.McDonnell, who sits on the legislative committee that crafts the state budget, said the $500,000 fee was a reasonable expense given the economic potential of building the big lake.The senator said he did not think that Morris’ fundraising work on the NU stadium would conflict with the job of assessing whether the big lake is financially feasible. They’re different projects, McDonnell said.“What we’re trying to do is really economic development, with the idea of retaining and recruiting people to the state,” he said of the big lake.Riley said that if the Morris report concludes there’s sufficient potential for private investment, and the wellfield study says it won’t harm drinking water supplies for Omaha and Lincoln, the next step would be a full-fledged feasibility study, laying out the exact location and depth of the lake, and precise costs.&nbsp;If the report on the big lake says private donors/developers aren’t interested, and “it’s not doable,” McDonnell said, “it’s over.”

State signs no-bid contract to determine the ‘financial feasibility’ of proposed I-80 sandpit lake

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted on Friday to expel Republican Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/george-santos.">George Santos</a>&nbsp;of New York after a critical ethics report on his conduct that accused him of converting campaign donations for his own use. He was just the&nbsp;<a href="https://history.house.gov/Institution/Discipline/Expulsion-Censure-Reprimand/">sixth member</a>&nbsp;in the chamber's history to be ousted by colleagues.

The vote to expel was 311-114. Expulsion requires support from two-thirds of the House, a purposefully high bar, but a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ethics-congress-santos-5ebffe514d8779fbc16a77fa1ab5e0df">blistering House Ethics Committee report</a>&nbsp;that accused Santos of breaking federal law proved decisive. Nebraska Representatives Don Bacon and Mike Flood voted in favor of the measure. Rep. Adam Smith voted against it.

In a statement from his office Rep. Smith wrote "This was a very difficult vote. Members and staff from the Ethics Committee – on both sides of the aisle – conducted themselves with the utmost integrity and professionalism, and I am grateful for their service to the institution. While I have a great deal of respect for the Ethics Committee and the hard work they put into the investigation of Mr. Santos’ highly unacceptable behavior, this ultimately came down to due process. Every American citizen accused of a crime has the right to their day in court. Mr. Santos has not yet had his day in court, which is why I voted no.”

As it became clear that he would be expelled, Santos placed his overcoat over his shoulders, shook hands with conservative members who voted against his expulsion and departed the House chamber.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., soon took the gavel, quieted the chamber and solemnly instructed the House clerk to inform the governor of New York that Santos’ former House seat was now vacant.

Santos had fought the expulsion effort, leading his own defense during House floor debate and in conducting a news conference and interviews.

“I will not stand by quietly,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-house-expulsion-vote-ethics-d24b4b727da4f6b9af26e5aa902db992">Santos declared</a>&nbsp;as lawmakers on Thursday evening debated his removal. “The people of the Third District of New York sent me here. If they want me out, you’re going to have to go silence those people and go take the hard vote.”

Of the previous expulsions in the House, three were for disloyalty to the Union during the Civil War. The remaining two occurred after the lawmakers were convicted of crimes in federal court. Santos made his case for remaining in office by appealing directly to lawmakers who worry they are setting a new precedent that could make expulsions more common.

Johnson was among those who voiced concerns about removing Santos, though he has told members to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/santos-expel-house-speaker-johnson-ethics-committee-b84a4f00b92825c671b6a91061442865">vote their conscience</a>. Others in leadership agreed with his reasoning and opposed expulsion. But some Republicans, including Santos' colleagues from New York, said voters would welcome lawmakers being held to a higher standard.

“I’m pretty confident the American people would applaud that. I’m pretty confident that the American people expect that," Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, whose district adjoins Santos', said before the vote.

Santos warned lawmakers they would regret removing a member before they have had their day in court.

“This will haunt them in the future where mere allegations are sufficient to have members removed from office when duly elected by their people in their respective states and districts,” Santos said.

The expulsion was the final congressional chapter in what was a spectacular fall from grace for Santos. The first-term lawmaker initially was celebrated as an up-and-comer after he flipped a district from Democrats last year and helped Republicans win control of the House. But soon after, troubles began.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-business-queens-ae463f9ef3497ce4479f9fe5f2defde1">Reports began to emerge</a>&nbsp;that Santos had lied about having Jewish ancestry, a career at top Wall Street firms and a college degree. His presence in the House quickly became a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-lies-congress-new-york-republicans-9e4fd69b75894addb5bd2d4d5e8171ff">distraction</a>&nbsp;and an embarrassment to the party.

In early March, the House Ethics Committee announced it was launching an investigation into Santos. Then in May, the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York indicted Santos, accusing him of duping donors, stealing from his campaign and lying to Congress. Prosecutors would later add more charges in an updated 23-count indictment.

The indictment alleges he stole the identities of campaign donors and then used their credit cards to make tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges. Federal prosecutors say Santos, who has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-federal-charges-updates-33667a0900271e5002459ab748d8fdc8">pleaded not guilty</a>, wired some of the money to his personal bank account and used the rest to pad his campaign coffers.

Meanwhile, Ethics Committee investigators spent eight months investigating Santos and interviewing witnesses. When their work was complete, the panel said it had amassed “overwhelming evidence” of lawbreaking by Santos that it sent to the Justice Department.

Among other things, the committee said Santos knowingly caused his campaign committee to file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission, used campaign funds for personal purposes and violated the Ethics in Government Act with his financial disclosure statements.

Arguing against expulsion during debate on Thursday, Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., said that while he respected the committee, he had concerns about how the Santos case was handled. He said he was troubled that a Republican-led committee would submit a report that was so judgmental and publicized.

“The totality of circumstance appears biased," Higgins said. "It stinks of politics and I'll oppose this action in every way.”

While the committee does have a Republican chairman, its membership is evenly divided. Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the committee, reminded members that the decision approving the investigators' findings was unanimous.

“As the Ethics Committee's report lays out in thorough detail, Mr. Santos has repeatedly, egregiously and brazenly violated the public's trust,” Wild said. “Mr. Santos is not a victim. He is a perpetrator of a massive fraud on his constituents and the American people.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701446271001.png" alt="George Santos-photo CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>George Santos-photo CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted on Friday to expel Republican Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/george-santos.">George Santos</a>&nbsp;of New York after a critical ethics report on his conduct that accused him of converting campaign donations for his own use. He was just the&nbsp;<a href="https://history.house.gov/Institution/Discipline/Expulsion-Censure-Reprimand/">sixth member</a>&nbsp;in the chamber's history to be ousted by colleagues.The vote to expel was 311-114. Expulsion requires support from two-thirds of the House, a purposefully high bar, but a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ethics-congress-santos-5ebffe514d8779fbc16a77fa1ab5e0df">blistering House Ethics Committee report</a>&nbsp;that accused Santos of breaking federal law proved decisive. Nebraska Representatives Don Bacon and Mike Flood voted in favor of the measure. Rep. Adam Smith voted against it.In a statement from his office Rep. Smith wrote "This was a very difficult vote. Members and staff from the Ethics Committee – on both sides of the aisle – conducted themselves with the utmost integrity and professionalism, and I am grateful for their service to the institution. While I have a great deal of respect for the Ethics Committee and the hard work they put into the investigation of Mr. Santos’ highly unacceptable behavior, this ultimately came down to due process. Every American citizen accused of a crime has the right to their day in court. Mr. Santos has not yet had his day in court, which is why I voted no.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Former Rep. George Santos departs the U.S. Capitol following his expulsion. <a href="https://t.co/XZrvGdtyaU">pic.twitter.com/XZrvGdtyaU</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1730621201511334169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>As it became clear that he would be expelled, Santos placed his overcoat over his shoulders, shook hands with conservative members who voted against his expulsion and departed the House chamber.House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., soon took the gavel, quieted the chamber and solemnly instructed the House clerk to inform the governor of New York that Santos’ former House seat was now vacant.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701446532648.png" alt="House Speaker Mike Johnson, who voted against the measure, delivers the news on the final result of the vote-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>House Speaker Mike Johnson, who voted against the measure, delivers the news on the final result of the vote-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>Santos had fought the expulsion effort, leading his own defense during House floor debate and in conducting a news conference and interviews.“I will not stand by quietly,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-house-expulsion-vote-ethics-d24b4b727da4f6b9af26e5aa902db992">Santos declared</a>&nbsp;as lawmakers on Thursday evening debated his removal. “The people of the Third District of New York sent me here. If they want me out, you’re going to have to go silence those people and go take the hard vote.”Of the previous expulsions in the House, three were for disloyalty to the Union during the Civil War. The remaining two occurred after the lawmakers were convicted of crimes in federal court. Santos made his case for remaining in office by appealing directly to lawmakers who worry they are setting a new precedent that could make expulsions more common.Johnson was among those who voiced concerns about removing Santos, though he has told members to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/santos-expel-house-speaker-johnson-ethics-committee-b84a4f00b92825c671b6a91061442865">vote their conscience</a>. Others in leadership agreed with his reasoning and opposed expulsion. But some Republicans, including Santos' colleagues from New York, said voters would welcome lawmakers being held to a higher standard.“I’m pretty confident the American people would applaud that. I’m pretty confident that the American people expect that," Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, whose district adjoins Santos', said before the vote.Santos warned lawmakers they would regret removing a member before they have had their day in court.“This will haunt them in the future where mere allegations are sufficient to have members removed from office when duly elected by their people in their respective states and districts,” Santos said.The expulsion was the final congressional chapter in what was a spectacular fall from grace for Santos. The first-term lawmaker initially was celebrated as an up-and-comer after he flipped a district from Democrats last year and helped Republicans win control of the House. But soon after, troubles began.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-business-queens-ae463f9ef3497ce4479f9fe5f2defde1">Reports began to emerge</a>&nbsp;that Santos had lied about having Jewish ancestry, a career at top Wall Street firms and a college degree. His presence in the House quickly became a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-lies-congress-new-york-republicans-9e4fd69b75894addb5bd2d4d5e8171ff">distraction</a>&nbsp;and an embarrassment to the party.In early March, the House Ethics Committee announced it was launching an investigation into Santos. Then in May, the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York indicted Santos, accusing him of duping donors, stealing from his campaign and lying to Congress. Prosecutors would later add more charges in an updated 23-count indictment.The indictment alleges he stole the identities of campaign donors and then used their credit cards to make tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges. Federal prosecutors say Santos, who has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-federal-charges-updates-33667a0900271e5002459ab748d8fdc8">pleaded not guilty</a>, wired some of the money to his personal bank account and used the rest to pad his campaign coffers.Meanwhile, Ethics Committee investigators spent eight months investigating Santos and interviewing witnesses. When their work was complete, the panel said it had amassed “overwhelming evidence” of lawbreaking by Santos that it sent to the Justice Department.Among other things, the committee said Santos knowingly caused his campaign committee to file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission, used campaign funds for personal purposes and violated the Ethics in Government Act with his financial disclosure statements.Arguing against expulsion during debate on Thursday, Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., said that while he respected the committee, he had concerns about how the Santos case was handled. He said he was troubled that a Republican-led committee would submit a report that was so judgmental and publicized.“The totality of circumstance appears biased," Higgins said. "It stinks of politics and I'll oppose this action in every way.”While the committee does have a Republican chairman, its membership is evenly divided. Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the committee, reminded members that the decision approving the investigators' findings was unanimous.“As the Ethics Committee's report lays out in thorough detail, Mr. Santos has repeatedly, egregiously and brazenly violated the public's trust,” Wild said. “Mr. Santos is not a victim. He is a perpetrator of a massive fraud on his constituents and the American people.”___

History: House expels Santos; Neb. delegation split on decision

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/unk-union-asks-nu-board-of-regents-legislature-to-step-in-and-save-campus-jobs-and-programs/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — The union representing faculty at the University of Nebraska at Kearney called on the NU Board of Regents and the Legislature on Wednesday to restore part of the $4.3 million in proposed budget cuts.

The union shared a petition circulated to UNK faculty, staff, students and community boosters urging fewer cuts to the central Nebraska campus. They urged the board to reconsider its approach and accept smaller cuts to faculty posts — specifically, 15 positions instead of 24.5. A group of faculty had recommended that smaller number.&nbsp;

More than 240 people signed a statement saying they oppose “any actions that would undermine the viability and integrity of the University of Nebraska at Kearney.” It called the cuts “a very real threat to the experience UNK can provide its students.”

Political science professor Will Avilés, president of the UNK Education Association, said people outside theTri Cities might be missing “some of the pain and anger” that local supporters of music and theater at Kearney are feeling.

It’s not just people who attend shows who risk missing out, he said. It’s the people who have hired students and faculty members for music lessons, voice lessons and acting lessons who would be losing “a vital resource,” too.

“Disproportionately these cuts are affecting those parts of our campus that, for a lot of our people, they hold very dear,” he said. “They’re fearful about what’s going to be the future of these programs going forward.”

The group asked UNK supporters to pressure Kearney-area Regent Paul Kenney and State Sen. John Lowe of Kearney to do more to convince their peers of UNK’s important role in the region’s economic development and business and cultural vibrancy.

Of particular concern was the proposed elimination of the entire theater and recreation management programs and proposed elimination of eight degree programs, including geography and music theater. The university has said current students will be able to finish their degrees.

The proposed cuts in Kearney are part of a broader, university-wide effort by departing NU President Ted Carter to close a projected $58 million budget shortfall system-wide. University officials expect more cuts over the next year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1700676406243.jpeg" alt="The University of Nebraska at Kearney campus is shown. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>The University of Nebraska at Kearney campus is shown. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Aaron Sanderford<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/unk-union-asks-nu-board-of-regents-legislature-to-step-in-and-save-campus-jobs-and-programs/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — The union representing faculty at the University of Nebraska at Kearney called on the NU Board of Regents and the Legislature on Wednesday to restore part of the $4.3 million in proposed budget cuts.The union shared a petition circulated to UNK faculty, staff, students and community boosters urging fewer cuts to the central Nebraska campus. They urged the board to reconsider its approach and accept smaller cuts to faculty posts — specifically, 15 positions instead of 24.5. A group of faculty had recommended that smaller number.&nbsp;More than 240 people signed a statement saying they oppose “any actions that would undermine the viability and integrity of the University of Nebraska at Kearney.” It called the cuts “a very real threat to the experience UNK can provide its students.”Political science professor Will Avilés, president of the UNK Education Association, said people outside theTri Cities might be missing “some of the pain and anger” that local supporters of music and theater at Kearney are feeling.It’s not just people who attend shows who risk missing out, he said. It’s the people who have hired students and faculty members for music lessons, voice lessons and acting lessons who would be losing “a vital resource,” too.“Disproportionately these cuts are affecting those parts of our campus that, for a lot of our people, they hold very dear,” he said. “They’re fearful about what’s going to be the future of these programs going forward.”The group asked UNK supporters to pressure Kearney-area Regent Paul Kenney and State Sen. John Lowe of Kearney to do more to convince their peers of UNK’s important role in the region’s economic development and business and cultural vibrancy.Of particular concern was the proposed elimination of the entire theater and recreation management programs and proposed elimination of eight degree programs, including geography and music theater. The university has said current students will be able to finish their degrees.The proposed cuts in Kearney are part of a broader, university-wide effort by departing NU President Ted Carter to close a projected $58 million budget shortfall system-wide. University officials expect more cuts over the next year.

UNK union asks NU Board of Regents, Legislature to step in and save campus jobs and programs

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, an unwavering voice of moderate conservatism and the first woman to serve on the nation’s highest court, has died. She was 93.

The court says she died in Phoenix on Friday, of complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness.

In 2018, she announced that she had been diagnosed with “the beginning stages of dementia, probably Alzheimer’s disease.” Her husband, John O’Connor, died of complications of Alzheimer’s in 2009.

O’Connor’s nomination in 1981 by President Ronald Reagan and subsequent confirmation by the Senate ended 191 years of male exclusivity on the high court. A native of Arizona who grew up on her family’s sprawling ranch, O’Connor wasted little time building a reputation as a hard worker who wielded considerable political clout on the nine-member court.

The granddaughter of a pioneer who traveled west from Vermont and founded the family ranch some three decades before Arizona became a state, O’Connor had a tenacious, independent spirit that came naturally. As a child growing up in the remote outback, she learned early to ride horses, round up cattle and drive trucks and tractors.

“I didn’t do all the things the boys did,” she said in a 1981 Time magazine interview, “but I fixed windmills and repaired fences.”

On the bench, her influence could best be seen, and her legal thinking most closely scrutinized, in the court’s rulings on abortion, perhaps the most contentious and divisive issue the justices faced. O’Connor balked at letting states outlaw most abortions, refusing in 1989 to join four other justices who were ready to reverse the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that said women have a constitutional right to abortion.

Then, in 1992, she helped forge and lead a five-justice majority that reaffirmed the core holding of the 1973 ruling. “Some of us as individuals find abortion offensive to our most basic principles of morality, but that can’t control our decision," O’Connor said in court, reading a summary of the decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. “Our obligation is to define the liberty of all, not to mandate our own moral code.”

Thirty years after that decision, a more conservative court did overturn Roe and Casey, and the opinion was written by the man who took her high court seat, Justice Samuel Alito. He joined the court upon O’Connor’s retirement in 2006, chosen by President George W. Bush.

In 2000, O’Connor was part of the 5-4 majority that effectively resolved the disputed 2000 presidential election in favor of Bush, over Democrat Al Gore.

O’Connor was regarded with great fondness by many of her colleagues. When she retired, Justice Clarence Thomas, a consistent conservative, called her “an outstanding colleague, civil in dissent and gracious when in the majority.”

She could, nonetheless, express her views tartly. In one of her final actions as a justice, a dissent to a 5-4 ruling to allow local governments to condemn and seize personal property to allow private developers to build shopping plazas, office buildings and other facilities, she warned the majority had unwisely ceded yet more power to the powerful. “The specter of condemnation hangs over all property,” O’Connor wrote. “Nothing is to prevent the state from replacing ... any home with a shopping mall, or any farm with a factory.”

O’Connor, whom commentators had once called the nation’s most powerful woman, remained the court’s only woman until 1993, when, much to O’Connor’s delight and relief, President Bill Clinton nominated Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The current court includes a record four women.

Check the Post for additional details as they are released.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701444356161.png" alt="FILE - Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor poses for a photo in 1982. O'Connor joined the Supreme Court in 1981 as the nation's first female justice, has died at age 93. (AP Photo, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor poses for a photo in 1982. O'Connor joined the Supreme Court in 1981 as the nation's first female justice, has died at age 93. (AP Photo, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, an unwavering voice of moderate conservatism and the first woman to serve on the nation’s highest court, has died. She was 93.The court says she died in Phoenix on Friday, of complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701443142394.png" alt="During the dedication of Sandra Day O'Connor High School in 2003-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>During the dedication of Sandra Day O'Connor High School in 2003-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>In 2018, she announced that she had been diagnosed with “the beginning stages of dementia, probably Alzheimer’s disease.” Her husband, John O’Connor, died of complications of Alzheimer’s in 2009.O’Connor’s nomination in 1981 by President Ronald Reagan and subsequent confirmation by the Senate ended 191 years of male exclusivity on the high court. A native of Arizona who grew up on her family’s sprawling ranch, O’Connor wasted little time building a reputation as a hard worker who wielded considerable political clout on the nine-member court.The granddaughter of a pioneer who traveled west from Vermont and founded the family ranch some three decades before Arizona became a state, O’Connor had a tenacious, independent spirit that came naturally. As a child growing up in the remote outback, she learned early to ride horses, round up cattle and drive trucks and tractors.“I didn’t do all the things the boys did,” she said in a 1981 Time magazine interview, “but I fixed windmills and repaired fences.”On the bench, her influence could best be seen, and her legal thinking most closely scrutinized, in the court’s rulings on abortion, perhaps the most contentious and divisive issue the justices faced. O’Connor balked at letting states outlaw most abortions, refusing in 1989 to join four other justices who were ready to reverse the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that said women have a constitutional right to abortion.Then, in 1992, she helped forge and lead a five-justice majority that reaffirmed the core holding of the 1973 ruling. “Some of us as individuals find abortion offensive to our most basic principles of morality, but that can’t control our decision," O’Connor said in court, reading a summary of the decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. “Our obligation is to define the liberty of all, not to mandate our own moral code.”Thirty years after that decision, a more conservative court did overturn Roe and Casey, and the opinion was written by the man who took her high court seat, Justice Samuel Alito. He joined the court upon O’Connor’s retirement in 2006, chosen by President George W. Bush.In 2000, O’Connor was part of the 5-4 majority that effectively resolved the disputed 2000 presidential election in favor of Bush, over Democrat Al Gore.O’Connor was regarded with great fondness by many of her colleagues. When she retired, Justice Clarence Thomas, a consistent conservative, called her “an outstanding colleague, civil in dissent and gracious when in the majority.”She could, nonetheless, express her views tartly. In one of her final actions as a justice, a dissent to a 5-4 ruling to allow local governments to condemn and seize personal property to allow private developers to build shopping plazas, office buildings and other facilities, she warned the majority had unwisely ceded yet more power to the powerful. “The specter of condemnation hangs over all property,” O’Connor wrote. “Nothing is to prevent the state from replacing ... any home with a shopping mall, or any farm with a factory.”O’Connor, whom commentators had once called the nation’s most powerful woman, remained the court’s only woman until 1993, when, much to O’Connor’s delight and relief, President Bill Clinton nominated Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The current court includes a record four women.Check the Post for additional details as they are released.

Sandra Day O'Connor, first woman on the Supreme Court, has died 

HELENA, Mont. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/montana">Montana</a>'s first-in-the-nation law banning the video-sharing app TikTok in the state was blocked Thursday, one month before it was set to take effect, by a federal judge who called the measure unconstitutional.

The ruling delivered a temporary win for the social media company that has argued Montana's Republican-controlled Legislature went “completely overboard” in trying to regulate the app. A final ruling will come at a later date after the legal challenge moves through the courts.

U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy said the ban “oversteps state power and infringes on the Constitutional right of users and businesses" while singling out the state for its fixation on purported Chinese influence.

“Despite the state’s attempt to defend (the law) as a consumer protection bill, the current record leaves little doubt that Montana’s legislature and Attorney General were more interested in targeting China’s ostensible role in TikTok than with protecting Montana consumers,” Molloy wrote Thursday in granting the preliminary injunction. “This is especially apparent in that the same legislature enacted an entirely separate law that purports to broadly protect consumers’ digital data and privacy.”

Montana lawmakers in May made the state&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-montana-325a33578a2bbfbe53e9c251d528c5fb">the first in the U.S</a>. to pass a complete ban on the app based on the argument that the Chinese government could gain access to user information from TikTok, whose parent company, ByteDance, is based in Beijing.

The ban, which was scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, was first brought before the Montana Legislature a few weeks after a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chinese-surveillance-balloon-united-states-montana-47248b0ef2b085620fcd866c105054be">Chinese spy balloon</a>&nbsp;flew over the state.

It would prohibit downloads of TikTok in the state and fine any “entity” — an app store or TikTok — $10,000 per day for each time someone “is offered the ability” to access or download the app. There would not be penalties for users.

TikTok issued a statement saying it was pleased that “the judge rejected this unconstitutional law and hundreds of thousands of Montanans can continue to express themselves, earn a living, and find community on TikTok.”

A spokeswoman for Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, also a Republican, tried to downplay the significance of the ruling in a statement.

“The judge indicated several times that the analysis could change as the case proceeds,” said Emily Cantrell, spokeswoman for Knudsen. “We look forward to presenting the complete legal argument to defend the law that protects Montanans from the Chinese Communist Party obtaining and using their data.”

Western governments have expressed worries that the popular social media platform could put sensitive data in the hands of the Chinese government or be used as a tool to spread misinformation. Chinese law allows the government to order companies to help it gather intelligence.

More than half of U.S. states and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/why-is-tiktok-being-banned-7d2de01d3ac5ab2b8ec2239dc7f2b20d">federal government</a>&nbsp;have banned TikTok on official devices. The company has called the bans “political theatre” and says further restrictions are unnecessary due to the efforts it is taking to protect U.S. data by storing it on Oracle servers.

Attorneys for TikTok and the content creators&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-montana-lawsuit-1c58d56064f6b53992196649249e1dc8">argued on Oct. 12</a>&nbsp;that the state had gone too far in trying to regulate TikTok and is essentially trying to implement its own foreign policy over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-montana-lawsuit-security-fd4a963efb1d13f909a5b80787de9e73">unproven concerns</a>&nbsp;that TikTok might share user data with the Chinese government.

TikTok has said in court filings that Montana could have limited the kinds of data TikTok could collect from its users rather than enacting a complete ban. Meanwhile, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-montana-lawsuit-72be560de89fb87e3c677c8e0cfd9fec">content creators</a>&nbsp;say the ban violates free speech rights and could cause economic harm for their businesses.

Christian Corrigan, the state’s solicitor general, argued Montana’s law was less a statement of foreign policy and instead addresses “serious, widespread concerns about data privacy.”

Molloy noted during the hearing that TikTok users' consent to the company’s data collection policies and that Knudsen — whose office drafted the legislation — could air public service announcements warning people about the data TikTok collects.

The American Civil Liberties Union, its Montana chapter and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital privacy rights advocacy group, have submitted an amicus brief in support of the challenge. Meanwhile, 18 attorneys generals from mostly Republican-led states are backing Montana and asking the judge to let the law be implemented. Even if that happens, cybersecurity experts have said it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-montana-china-data-chinese-government-71143a3a87c9a0b692d927f72b6fec70">could be challenging to enforce</a>.

HELENA, Mont. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/montana">Montana</a>'s first-in-the-nation law banning the video-sharing app TikTok in the state was blocked Thursday, one month before it was set to take effect, by a federal judge who called the measure unconstitutional.The ruling delivered a temporary win for the social media company that has argued Montana's Republican-controlled Legislature went “completely overboard” in trying to regulate the app. A final ruling will come at a later date after the legal challenge moves through the courts.U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy said the ban “oversteps state power and infringes on the Constitutional right of users and businesses" while singling out the state for its fixation on purported Chinese influence.“Despite the state’s attempt to defend (the law) as a consumer protection bill, the current record leaves little doubt that Montana’s legislature and Attorney General were more interested in targeting China’s ostensible role in TikTok than with protecting Montana consumers,” Molloy wrote Thursday in granting the preliminary injunction. “This is especially apparent in that the same legislature enacted an entirely separate law that purports to broadly protect consumers’ digital data and privacy.”Montana lawmakers in May made the state&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-montana-325a33578a2bbfbe53e9c251d528c5fb">the first in the U.S</a>. to pass a complete ban on the app based on the argument that the Chinese government could gain access to user information from TikTok, whose parent company, ByteDance, is based in Beijing.The ban, which was scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, was first brought before the Montana Legislature a few weeks after a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chinese-surveillance-balloon-united-states-montana-47248b0ef2b085620fcd866c105054be">Chinese spy balloon</a>&nbsp;flew over the state.It would prohibit downloads of TikTok in the state and fine any “entity” — an app store or TikTok — $10,000 per day for each time someone “is offered the ability” to access or download the app. There would not be penalties for users.TikTok issued a statement saying it was pleased that “the judge rejected this unconstitutional law and hundreds of thousands of Montanans can continue to express themselves, earn a living, and find community on TikTok.”A spokeswoman for Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, also a Republican, tried to downplay the significance of the ruling in a statement.“The judge indicated several times that the analysis could change as the case proceeds,” said Emily Cantrell, spokeswoman for Knudsen. “We look forward to presenting the complete legal argument to defend the law that protects Montanans from the Chinese Communist Party obtaining and using their data.”Western governments have expressed worries that the popular social media platform could put sensitive data in the hands of the Chinese government or be used as a tool to spread misinformation. Chinese law allows the government to order companies to help it gather intelligence.More than half of U.S. states and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/why-is-tiktok-being-banned-7d2de01d3ac5ab2b8ec2239dc7f2b20d">federal government</a>&nbsp;have banned TikTok on official devices. The company has called the bans “political theatre” and says further restrictions are unnecessary due to the efforts it is taking to protect U.S. data by storing it on Oracle servers.Attorneys for TikTok and the content creators&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-montana-lawsuit-1c58d56064f6b53992196649249e1dc8">argued on Oct. 12</a>&nbsp;that the state had gone too far in trying to regulate TikTok and is essentially trying to implement its own foreign policy over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-montana-lawsuit-security-fd4a963efb1d13f909a5b80787de9e73">unproven concerns</a>&nbsp;that TikTok might share user data with the Chinese government.TikTok has said in court filings that Montana could have limited the kinds of data TikTok could collect from its users rather than enacting a complete ban. Meanwhile, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-montana-lawsuit-72be560de89fb87e3c677c8e0cfd9fec">content creators</a>&nbsp;say the ban violates free speech rights and could cause economic harm for their businesses.Christian Corrigan, the state’s solicitor general, argued Montana’s law was less a statement of foreign policy and instead addresses “serious, widespread concerns about data privacy.”Molloy noted during the hearing that TikTok users' consent to the company’s data collection policies and that Knudsen — whose office drafted the legislation — could air public service announcements warning people about the data TikTok collects.The American Civil Liberties Union, its Montana chapter and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital privacy rights advocacy group, have submitted an amicus brief in support of the challenge. Meanwhile, 18 attorneys generals from mostly Republican-led states are backing Montana and asking the judge to let the law be implemented. Even if that happens, cybersecurity experts have said it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-montana-china-data-chinese-government-71143a3a87c9a0b692d927f72b6fec70">could be challenging to enforce</a>.

Unconstitutional: Judge blocks first-in-the-nation TikTok ban 

WASHINGTON&nbsp; —U.S. health officials recalled additional brands of whole and pre-cut cantaloupes as more are reported&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cantaloupe-salmonella-malichita-recall-b0e630ffcab3aff0936d7c43d3c3b323">sickened by salmonella</a>.

Nearly 117 people in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-cantaloupes-november-2023">34 states</a> including Kansas and Missouri have gotten sick from the contaminated fruits.

Arizona, Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio have the highest number of cases. Two people have died of the infections in Minnesota, and 45 people are hospitalized nationwide.

FDA&nbsp; has posted a compiled list of these recalls on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/major-product-recalls/2023-recalls-food-products-associated-cantaloupes-due-potential-risk-salmonella">FDA website</a>. This list will be updated as the agency receives notifications of new recalls. If you cannot tell if your cantaloupe, including pre-cut cantaloupe or products containing pre-cut cantaloupe is part of the recall, do not eat or use it and throw it away.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's original recall included Malichita brand whole cantaloupe, Vinyard brand pre-cut cantaloupe and ALDI whole cantaloupe and pre-cut fruit products. Rudy brand whole cantaloupes and Freshness Guaranteed brand and RaceTrac brand pre-cut cantaloupes joined the list last week.

Health officials say anyone who bought&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/sundsvall-11-23/index.html">the recalled fruits</a>&nbsp;should throw them away and wash surfaces that touched them with hot, soapy water or in a dishwasher.

Most people infected with salmonella develop diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps within six hour to six days after consuming food contaminated with the bacteria. Illnesses typically last four to seven days. Vulnerable people, including children, people older than 65 and those with weakened immune systems may develop severe illnesses that require medical care or hospitalization.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701430941052.png" alt="States with Cases:&nbsp;AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Product Distribution: Nationwide and Canada-FDA map" />
 <figcaption>States with Cases:&nbsp;AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Product Distribution: Nationwide and Canada-FDA map</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON&nbsp; —U.S. health officials recalled additional brands of whole and pre-cut cantaloupes as more are reported&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cantaloupe-salmonella-malichita-recall-b0e630ffcab3aff0936d7c43d3c3b323">sickened by salmonella</a>.Nearly 117 people in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-cantaloupes-november-2023">34 states</a> including Kansas and Missouri have gotten sick from the contaminated fruits. Arizona, Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio have the highest number of cases. Two people have died of the infections in Minnesota, and 45 people are hospitalized nationwide.FDA&nbsp; has posted a compiled list of these recalls on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/major-product-recalls/2023-recalls-food-products-associated-cantaloupes-due-potential-risk-salmonella">FDA website</a>. This list will be updated as the agency receives notifications of new recalls. If you cannot tell if your cantaloupe, including pre-cut cantaloupe or products containing pre-cut cantaloupe is part of the recall, do not eat or use it and throw it away.&nbsp;&nbsp;The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's original recall included Malichita brand whole cantaloupe, Vinyard brand pre-cut cantaloupe and ALDI whole cantaloupe and pre-cut fruit products. Rudy brand whole cantaloupes and Freshness Guaranteed brand and RaceTrac brand pre-cut cantaloupes joined the list last week.Health officials say anyone who bought&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/sundsvall-11-23/index.html">the recalled fruits</a>&nbsp;should throw them away and wash surfaces that touched them with hot, soapy water or in a dishwasher.Most people infected with salmonella develop diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps within six hour to six days after consuming food contaminated with the bacteria. Illnesses typically last four to seven days. Vulnerable people, including children, people older than 65 and those with weakened immune systems may develop severe illnesses that require medical care or hospitalization.___

Salmonella: Cantaloupe recall expands to Nebraska, 33 other states

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas freed eight Israeli hostages Thursday in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners under a last-minute deal to extend their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">cease-fire in Gaza</a>&nbsp;by another day. But any further renewal of the truce, now in its seventh day, could prove more daunting since Hamas is expected to set a higher price for many of the remaining hostages.

Hamas freed two Israeli women Thursday afternoon, and in the evening six more hostages were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza and were being brought to Israel, the Israeli military said.

At least 10 Israelis a day, along with other nationals, have been released during the truce, in return for Israel’s release of at least 30 Palestinian prisoners.

Israel was to free 30 Palestinian prisoners later in the evening under the deal.

International pressure has mounted for the truce to continue as long as possible after weeks of Israeli bombardment and a ground campaign following Hamas’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinian-war-hamas-attack-border-wall-aa0b0f5f3613b6c6882cf37168e8e8ed">deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war</a>. Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and more than three-quarters of the population of 2.3 million have been uprooted, leading to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/palestinians-gaza-israel-bombing-destruction-hamas-reconstruction-f299a28410b70ee05dd764df97d8d3a0">humanitarian crisis</a>.

Israel has vowed to resume the fighting — with the goal of dismantling Hamas — once the cease-fire ends.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701381267971.png" alt="U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Thursday with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah about the conflict in Gaza and measures to improve security and freedom for Palestinians in the West Bank. Blinken reiterated the U.S. commitment to advancing the establishment of a Palestinian state.-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Thursday with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah about the conflict in Gaza and measures to improve security and freedom for Palestinians in the West Bank. Blinken reiterated the U.S. commitment to advancing the establishment of a Palestinian state.-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas freed eight Israeli hostages Thursday in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners under a last-minute deal to extend their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">cease-fire in Gaza</a>&nbsp;by another day. But any further renewal of the truce, now in its seventh day, could prove more daunting since Hamas is expected to set a higher price for many of the remaining hostages.Hamas freed two Israeli women Thursday afternoon, and in the evening six more hostages were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza and were being brought to Israel, the Israeli military said.At least 10 Israelis a day, along with other nationals, have been released during the truce, in return for Israel’s release of at least 30 Palestinian prisoners.Israel was to free 30 Palestinian prisoners later in the evening under the deal.International pressure has mounted for the truce to continue as long as possible after weeks of Israeli bombardment and a ground campaign following Hamas’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinian-war-hamas-attack-border-wall-aa0b0f5f3613b6c6882cf37168e8e8ed">deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war</a>. Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and more than three-quarters of the population of 2.3 million have been uprooted, leading to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/palestinians-gaza-israel-bombing-destruction-hamas-reconstruction-f299a28410b70ee05dd764df97d8d3a0">humanitarian crisis</a>.Israel has vowed to resume the fighting — with the goal of dismantling Hamas — once the cease-fire ends.The cease-fire is set to expire early Friday, though international mediators are working to extend it. The talks appear to be growing tougher, with Hamas having already freed most of the women and children it kidnapped on Oct. 7. The militants are expected to make greater demands in return for freeing scores of civilian men and soldiers. Roughly 140 hostages are believed to remain in Hamas captivity.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-nato-ukraine-russia-balkans-blinken-69ecd14aed1962e1283965cc80879234">his third visit to the region</a>&nbsp;since the start of the war, said he hoped the cease-fire could be extended and more hostages could be released.Blinken also said that if Israel resumes the war and moves against southern Gaza to pursue Hamas, it must do so in “compliance with international humanitarian law" and must have “a clear plan in place” to protect civilians. He said Israeli leaders understood that ”the massive levels of civilian life and displacement scale we saw in the north not be repeated in the south.”Most of Gaza's population is now crammed into the south with no exit, however, raising questions over how an Israeli ground assault backed by bombardment can avoid heavy civilian casualties.Qatar and Egypt, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/qatar-palestinians-israel-negotiation-hostages-6a11f09dd0968de8eb232260d7aca90d">have played a key role</a>&nbsp;in mediating, are seeking to prolong the deal by another two days, according to Diaa Rashwan, the head of Egypt’s State Information Service.Thursday morning, Palestinian gunmen opened fire on people waiting for buses along a main highway entering Jerusalem, killing at least three people and wounding several others, according to Israeli police.The two attackers, brothers from a neighborhood in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-98e4ad57e0784e05b9fdde2e0ffd7439">annexed east Jerusalem</a>, were killed. After the attack, six other members of the family were detained, and the government ordered their house be demolished. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, casting it as retaliation for the killing of women and children in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and other Israeli “crimes.”The attack did not appear to threaten the truce in Gaza. But escalating violence — including Israeli raids — in the West Bank and east Jerusalem could blow back to wreck the quiet in Gaza, even though these areas are not covered under the cease-fire. On Wednesday, Israeli troops killed two Palestinian boys during a raid in Jenin, according to Palestinian health officials. The Israeli military separately said the raid killed two Islamic Jihad militants.INCREASINGLY TENSE HOSTAGE TALKSNetanyahu is under intense pressure from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-hostages-families-protest-war-netanyahu-9846d568b3021582b5c588e28850cbea">families of the hostages</a>&nbsp;to bring them home. But his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-religion-jerusalem-israel-benjamin-netanyahu-189ef3fc8c82d7163c1339e64bb1e40f">far-right governing partners</a>&nbsp;are also pushing him to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed, and could abandon his coalition if he is seen as making too many concessions.Israel says it will maintain the truce until Hamas stops releasing captives, at which point it will resume military operations aimed at eliminating the group, even as the Biden administration has urged it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-displacement-south-operation-biden-788b05c51b5582b39aeb2466b7825525">to operate with far greater precision</a>&nbsp;if it does so.The initial truce, which began Friday and has now been extended twice, called for the release of women and children. Israeli officials said before Thursday's hostage releases that Gaza militants still hold around 30 women and children, who would all be released within a few days at the current rate.The two women released earlier on Thursday — who are 21 and 40 years old — have returned to Israel. Hamas said it handed them over to the Red Cross in Gaza City, suggesting they may have been held in northern Gaza, where Israeli troops have controlled much of the area for weeks and have been searching for hostages.It’s not clear how many of the remaining women hostages might be soldiers. For soldiers and the civilian men still in captivity, Hamas is expected to demand the release of high-profile Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks, something Israel has strongly resisted in the past.Israel says around 125 men are still held hostage, including several dozen soldiers.The 30 Palestinians due to be released by Israel on Thursday include 22 teenagers and eight Israeli Palestinian women who were arrested since the war started, most of them for pro-Palestinian social media posts, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Club, which advocates for prisoners. Israeli authorities have carried out&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-palestinian-citizens-dissent-b0a85e866c8a2ee9235ed4452d3185a7">a crackdown on such posts,</a>&nbsp;arresting more than 270 Palestinian citizens on allegations of inciting violence, according to rights groups.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/palestinians-israel-prisoner-exchange-hostage-92545883b1fef86fb9b34549b7deca58">The 210 Palestinians released</a>&nbsp;so far under the cease-fire have mostly been teenagers accused of throwing stones and firebombs during confrontations with Israeli forces. Several of the freed women were convicted by military courts of attempting to attack soldiers, some of them after being found carrying scissors or knives near security positions.Before Thursday’s releases, a total of 75 Israelis, including dual nationals, had been freed during the truce, most of whom&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hostage-gaza-freed-israel-captive-408f65fcc1b8f016f3735cd5022163eb">appear physically well but shaken</a>. Another 24 hostages — 23 Thais and one Filipino — have also been released, including several men.Before the cease-fire, Hamas released four hostages, and the Israeli army rescued one. Two others were found dead in Gaza. On Thursday, the military confirmed the death of Ofir Tzarfati, who was believed to be among the hostages, without providing any further details. The 27-year-old attended&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-music-festival-6a55aae2375944f10ecc4c52d05f2ffe">a music festival where at least 360 people were killed</a>&nbsp;and several others were kidnapped on Oct. 7.Hamas and other Palestinian militants killed over 1,200 people — mostly civilians — in their wide-ranging attack across southern Israel that day and took around 240 people captive. Authorities have only ever provided approximate figures.Israel’s bombardment and ground invasion in Gaza have killed more than 13,300 Palestinians, roughly two-thirds of them women and minors, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza</a>, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.The toll is likely much higher, as officials have only&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/palestinians-israel-health-ministry-gaza-hamas-fe30cbc76479fa437d5f5a0e96c36e52">sporadically updated</a>&nbsp;the count since Nov. 11. The ministry says thousands more people are feared dead under the rubble.Israel says 77 of its soldiers have been killed in the ground offensive. It claims to have killed thousands of militants, without providing evidence.IN GAZA, AN ANXIOUS RESPITEPalestinians in Gaza have been calling for a permanent end to the war, saying the temporary truces don’t resolve the humanitarian catastrophe across the territory. Over 1.8 million people, around 80% of the territory’s population, have fled their homes, with more than 1 million sheltering in U.N. schoolsIn the central city of Deir al-Balah, life’s daily struggle now consists of hunting down basic commodities such as flour and cooking gas that remain scarce despite increased aid entering during the truce.“People want the war to stop ... to see what happened in our homes and to our families,” said Samir Yaghi, who fled from Gaza City. He said he’s been searching for flour but can’t find any.___Jeffery reported from Cairo, Lidman from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Tel Aviv, Israel; Josef Federman in Jerusalem; Najib Jobain in Rafah, Gaza Strip; and Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed.