WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised its benchmark interest rate by a hefty three-quarters of a point for a second straight time in its most aggressive drive in three decades to tame high inflation.

The Fed’s move will raise its key rate, which affects many consumer and business loans, to a range of 2.25% to 2.5%, its highest level since 2018.

The central bank’s decision follows&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-prices-consumer-74e1a5c9bced40460e4079f62e980095">a jump in inflation to 9.1%</a>, the fastest annual rate in 41 years, and reflects its strenuous efforts to slow price gains across the economy. By raising borrowing rates, the Fed makes it costlier to take out a mortgage or an auto or business loan. Consumers and businesses then presumably borrow and spend less, cooling the economy and slowing inflation.

The Fed is tightening credit even while the economy has begun to slow, thereby heightening the risk that its rate hikes will cause a recession later this year or next. The surge in inflation and fear of a recession have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-consumer-confidence-540a7e866b29e504f67e1aec2e0ee547">eroded consumer confidence</a>&nbsp;and stirred&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-inflation-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-economy-8702782d77505f711272f5f9d988d73f">public anxiety about the economy,</a>&nbsp;which is sending&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-covid-health-prices-fb0d8b84ab2afe6b2c569c02315b7f31">frustratingly mixed signals</a>.

“I do not think the U.S. is currently in a recession,” Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday at a news conference.

With the November midterm elections nearing, Americans’ discontent has diminished&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-russia-ukraine-biden-covid-health-b6d1751b2554555f7246f9e914b87c59">President Joe Biden’s public approval ratings</a>&nbsp;and increased the likelihood that the Democrats will lose control of the House and Senate.

The Fed’s moves to sharply tighten credit have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/housing-market-cools-6618d543a9c0ac4ff6562b586cf96c9f">torpedoed the housing market</a>, which is especially sensitive to interest rate changes. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-mortgages-mortgage-rates-195888d890ceb97524eb6fd1d766bd8e">average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage</a>&nbsp;has roughly doubled in the past year, to 5.5%, and home sales have tumbled.

At the same time, consumers are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-doug-mcmillon-607096fa98a6fe0a7c67987401412e4d">showing signs of cutting spending</a>&nbsp;in the face of high prices. And business surveys suggest that sales are slowing.

The central bank is betting that it can slow growth just enough to tame inflation yet not so much as to trigger a recession — a risk that many analysts fear may end badly.

In a statement the Fed issued after its latest policy meeting ended, it acknowledged that while “indicators of spending and production have softened,” “job gains have been robust in recent months, and the unemployment rate has remained low.” The Fed typically assigns high importance to the pace of hiring and pay growth because when more people earn paychecks, the resulting spending can fuel inflation.

Ian Shepherdson of Pantheon Macroeconomics noted that point, saying, “The Fed is not ready — yet — to concede that weaker growth is a reason to slow the pace of tightening,″

On Thursday, when the government estimates the gross domestic product for the April-June period, some economists think it may show that the economy shrank for a second straight quarter. That would meet one longstanding assumption for when a recession has begun.

But economists say that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-covid-health-gross-domestic-product-economy-89cbfc145ad34a91679ffa43e617c896">wouldn’t necessarily mean a recession had started</a>. During those same six months when the overall economy might have contracted, employers added 2.7 million jobs — more than in most entire years before the pandemic. Wages are also rising at a healthy pace, with many employers still struggling to attract and retain enough workers.

Still, slowing growth puts the Fed’s policymakers in a high-risk quandary: How high should they raise borrowing rates if the economy is decelerating? Weaker growth, if it causes layoffs and raises unemployment, often reduces inflation on its own.

That dilemma could become an even more consequential one for the Fed next year, when the economy may be in worse shape and inflation will likely still exceed the central bank’s 2% target.

“How much recession risk are you willing to bear to get (inflation) back to 2%, quickly, versus over the course of several years?” asked Nathan Sheets, a former Fed economist who is global chief economist at Citi. “Those are the kinds of issues they’re going to have to wrestle with.”

Economists at Bank of America foresee a “mild” recession later this year. Goldman Sachs analysts estimate a 50-50 likelihood of a recession within two years.

Among analysts who foresee a recession, most predict that it will prove relatively mild. The unemployment rate, they note, is near a 50-year low, and households are overall in solid financial shape, with more cash and smaller debts than after the housing bubble burst in 2008.

Fed officials have suggested that at its new level, their key short-term rate will neither stimulate growth nor restrict it – what they call a “neutral” level. Powell has said the Fed wants its key rate to reach neutral relatively quickly.

Should the economy continue to show signs of slowing, the Fed may moderate the size of its rate hikes as soon as its next meeting in September, perhaps to a half-point. Such an increase, followed by possibly quarter-point hikes in November and December, would still raise the Fed’s short-term rate to 3.25% to 3.5% by year’s end -- the highest point since 2008.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1586436935167.png" alt="“I do not think the U.S. is currently in a recession,” Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday at a news conference.-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>“I do not think the U.S. is currently in a recession,” Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday at a news conference.-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised its benchmark interest rate by a hefty three-quarters of a point for a second straight time in its most aggressive drive in three decades to tame high inflation.The Fed’s move will raise its key rate, which affects many consumer and business loans, to a range of 2.25% to 2.5%, its highest level since 2018.The central bank’s decision follows&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-prices-consumer-74e1a5c9bced40460e4079f62e980095">a jump in inflation to 9.1%</a>, the fastest annual rate in 41 years, and reflects its strenuous efforts to slow price gains across the economy. By raising borrowing rates, the Fed makes it costlier to take out a mortgage or an auto or business loan. Consumers and businesses then presumably borrow and spend less, cooling the economy and slowing inflation.The Fed is tightening credit even while the economy has begun to slow, thereby heightening the risk that its rate hikes will cause a recession later this year or next. The surge in inflation and fear of a recession have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-consumer-confidence-540a7e866b29e504f67e1aec2e0ee547">eroded consumer confidence</a>&nbsp;and stirred&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-inflation-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-economy-8702782d77505f711272f5f9d988d73f">public anxiety about the economy,</a>&nbsp;which is sending&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-covid-health-prices-fb0d8b84ab2afe6b2c569c02315b7f31">frustratingly mixed signals</a>.“I do not think the U.S. is currently in a recession,” Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday at a news conference.With the November midterm elections nearing, Americans’ discontent has diminished&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-russia-ukraine-biden-covid-health-b6d1751b2554555f7246f9e914b87c59">President Joe Biden’s public approval ratings</a>&nbsp;and increased the likelihood that the Democrats will lose control of the House and Senate.The Fed’s moves to sharply tighten credit have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/housing-market-cools-6618d543a9c0ac4ff6562b586cf96c9f">torpedoed the housing market</a>, which is especially sensitive to interest rate changes. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-mortgages-mortgage-rates-195888d890ceb97524eb6fd1d766bd8e">average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage</a>&nbsp;has roughly doubled in the past year, to 5.5%, and home sales have tumbled.At the same time, consumers are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-doug-mcmillon-607096fa98a6fe0a7c67987401412e4d">showing signs of cutting spending</a>&nbsp;in the face of high prices. And business surveys suggest that sales are slowing.The central bank is betting that it can slow growth just enough to tame inflation yet not so much as to trigger a recession — a risk that many analysts fear may end badly.In a statement the Fed issued after its latest policy meeting ended, it acknowledged that while “indicators of spending and production have softened,” “job gains have been robust in recent months, and the unemployment rate has remained low.” The Fed typically assigns high importance to the pace of hiring and pay growth because when more people earn paychecks, the resulting spending can fuel inflation.Ian Shepherdson of Pantheon Macroeconomics noted that point, saying, “The Fed is not ready — yet — to concede that weaker growth is a reason to slow the pace of tightening,″On Thursday, when the government estimates the gross domestic product for the April-June period, some economists think it may show that the economy shrank for a second straight quarter. That would meet one longstanding assumption for when a recession has begun.But economists say that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-covid-health-gross-domestic-product-economy-89cbfc145ad34a91679ffa43e617c896">wouldn’t necessarily mean a recession had started</a>. During those same six months when the overall economy might have contracted, employers added 2.7 million jobs — more than in most entire years before the pandemic. Wages are also rising at a healthy pace, with many employers still struggling to attract and retain enough workers.Still, slowing growth puts the Fed’s policymakers in a high-risk quandary: How high should they raise borrowing rates if the economy is decelerating? Weaker growth, if it causes layoffs and raises unemployment, often reduces inflation on its own.That dilemma could become an even more consequential one for the Fed next year, when the economy may be in worse shape and inflation will likely still exceed the central bank’s 2% target.“How much recession risk are you willing to bear to get (inflation) back to 2%, quickly, versus over the course of several years?” asked Nathan Sheets, a former Fed economist who is global chief economist at Citi. “Those are the kinds of issues they’re going to have to wrestle with.”Economists at Bank of America foresee a “mild” recession later this year. Goldman Sachs analysts estimate a 50-50 likelihood of a recession within two years.Among analysts who foresee a recession, most predict that it will prove relatively mild. The unemployment rate, they note, is near a 50-year low, and households are overall in solid financial shape, with more cash and smaller debts than after the housing bubble burst in 2008.Fed officials have suggested that at its new level, their key short-term rate will neither stimulate growth nor restrict it – what they call a “neutral” level. Powell has said the Fed wants its key rate to reach neutral relatively quickly.Should the economy continue to show signs of slowing, the Fed may moderate the size of its rate hikes as soon as its next meeting in September, perhaps to a half-point. Such an increase, followed by possibly quarter-point hikes in November and December, would still raise the Fed’s short-term rate to 3.25% to 3.5% by year’s end -- the highest point since 2008.

Another huge interest rate hike in push to tame soaring inflation

WW II veteran who ‘never took his foot off the gas’ dies at 97

By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/07/27/omaha-crossroads-among-numerous-properties-shaped-by-homegrown-real-estate-tycoon-frank-krejci/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

OMAHA
 — From the Gretna outlet stores to Crossroads and Oak View malls and 
beyond, Frank Krejci in his nearly 100 years made landscape-changing 
impressions on the Omaha metro area.

Not only was the homegrown real 
estate developer behind several high-profile retail ventures, he also 
took on residential projects such as the West Shores lakeside community 
in Waterloo. He&nbsp; pushed numerous industrial, commercial and charitable 
land deals.

He once placed a $1.6 million winning
 bid on a 17-room mansion in Gretna, plotted a family-themed RV park on 
230 acres of Sarpy County and bought a sprawling 31,000 acres of Wyoming
 cattle, fishing and hunting ranchland.

“The wild thing about Frank is he did
 a lot of everything — he never took his foot off the gas,” said Brian 
Kuehl, an Omaha Investors Realty broker who helped Krejci on multiple 
investments.

Up until recently, Kuehl said, Krejci
 had even picked up the pace because “he had this overwhelming desire to
 complete what he set out to do, which was to make his mark.”

Krejci died Monday at Methodist Hospital, a few weeks after his 97th birthday.

He was surrounded by family. Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Jane, and four children.

Krejci, of Century Development, told a
 reporter a few years ago that he had goals to complete before he either
 retired or died, and one was the makeover of the Crossroads shopping 
center at 72nd and Dodge Streets.

Krejci’s partner in that project, 
Chip James of Lockwood Development, said Tuesday that the redevelopment 
will continue as Krejci had wanted.

“Frank has said from the beginning of
 The Crossroads redevelopment that he wanted to create a legacy project 
for Omaha — and we will continue to strive to deliver on Frank’s 
vision,” said James.

James, Lockwood’s president, offered 
few other details Tuesday about the mixed-use campus expected to open in
 2024. He said he will miss Krecji, whom he called a business visionary 
on multiple fronts.

“His desire and determination on 
achieving the Crossroads redevelopment is a testament to his lifelong 
pursuit towards transforming his community,” James said. “Frank was 
impactful on my life. He pushed me, he taught me and he supported me. 
And I am grateful for his partnership.”

Krejci purchased the deteriorating 
Crossroads property 12 years ago, raising hope among city residents and 
leaders that Omaha’s first mall west of 42nd Street would return to its 
glory at what remains one of the area’s busiest intersections.

Numerous proposals failed before 
Krejci partnered with Lockwood on a plan to transform the 40 acres or so
 into a hub of entertainment, office, residential and retail activities.
 The cost is expected to reach around $600 million, with about $80 
million in public tax-increment financing.

Among other of Krejci’s recent 
projects is the High Point, a multiple-building commercial complex that 
Century Development assembled in the Elkhorn area near 204th Street 
north of West Dodge Road.

Kuehl helped Krejci market that 
property and said his brokerage work with Krejci spans perhaps 15 years,
 back to the Pacific Springs commercial project near 158th and Pacific 
Streets.

“I couldn’t even begin to name all the projects Frank has been involved in in the Omaha area,” he said.

Those who worked with Krejci said he was as determined as he was frank, brazen and without much of a filter.&nbsp;

“He never pulled any punches,” Kuehl said. “Even if it wasn’t right, it was the way he saw it, and he made no apologies.”

Trenton Magid, of NAI NP Dodge and 
co-host of the “Grow Omaha” radio show, helped Krejci celebrate his 90th
 birthday. Magid sent a balloon-o-gram in which he had the singer 
describe his friend as “an equal opportunity offender of everyone.”

“For somebody who had so much of it, 
he was not about money,” Magid said. “Money was just a way of keeping 
score. And he had the golden touch.”

A World War II veteran, Krejci was drafted into the Army shortly after he graduated from Omaha Technical High School.

After returning from combat, he 
bought an auto body business in Omaha and three years later, in 1950, 
used profits to buy his first real estate parcel.

A biography on a property listing 
said Krejci’s developments included Millard Business Park, Blackstone 
Centre, Nicholas Plaza, Centech Business Park and buildings in the Old 
Mill and North Park office parks.

Retail and residential projects 
included Nebraska Crossing Outlet Mall, Brentwood Square shopping 
center, Elk Ranch and Indian Pointe Estates, Valley Shores and projects 
in several other states including Arizona, Florida and Texas.

Magid said Krejci had an eye for picking the right property and for real estate projects.

“He loved land, but he also loved something that was run down and something he could improve upon,” he said.&nbsp;

Upon learning of his friend’s 
passing, Magid sent a text to some colleagues: “I’m sure he is offending
 plenty of people in line in front of the pearly gates. Tomorrow he will
 be putting up condos.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658947254037.png" alt="Standing in front of the old Crossroads Mall before it was demolished are Frank Krejci and Chip James, whose companies partnered in a multimillion-dollar redevelopment of the roughly 40 acres near 72nd and Dodge Streets. (Courtesy of Emily O’Connor)" />
 <figcaption>Standing in front of the old Crossroads Mall before it was demolished are Frank Krejci and Chip James, whose companies partnered in a multimillion-dollar redevelopment of the roughly 40 acres near 72nd and Dodge Streets. (Courtesy of Emily O’Connor)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>WW II veteran who ‘never took his foot off the gas’ dies at 97</h2>By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/07/27/omaha-crossroads-among-numerous-properties-shaped-by-homegrown-real-estate-tycoon-frank-krejci/">Nebraska Examiner</a>OMAHA
 — From the Gretna outlet stores to Crossroads and Oak View malls and 
beyond, Frank Krejci in his nearly 100 years made landscape-changing 
impressions on the Omaha metro area.Not only was the homegrown real 
estate developer behind several high-profile retail ventures, he also 
took on residential projects such as the West Shores lakeside community 
in Waterloo. He&nbsp; pushed numerous industrial, commercial and charitable 
land deals.He once placed a $1.6 million winning
 bid on a 17-room mansion in Gretna, plotted a family-themed RV park on 
230 acres of Sarpy County and bought a sprawling 31,000 acres of Wyoming
 cattle, fishing and hunting ranchland.“The wild thing about Frank is he did
 a lot of everything — he never took his foot off the gas,” said Brian 
Kuehl, an Omaha Investors Realty broker who helped Krejci on multiple 
investments.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658947313418.jpeg" alt="Frank Krejci (Courtesy of Century Development)" />
 <figcaption>Frank Krejci (Courtesy of Century Development)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Picked up the pace</h2>Up until recently, Kuehl said, Krejci
 had even picked up the pace because “he had this overwhelming desire to
 complete what he set out to do, which was to make his mark.”Krejci died Monday at Methodist Hospital, a few weeks after his 97th birthday.He was surrounded by family. Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Jane, and four children.Krejci, of Century Development, told a
 reporter a few years ago that he had goals to complete before he either
 retired or died, and one was the makeover of the Crossroads shopping 
center at 72nd and Dodge Streets.Krejci’s partner in that project, 
Chip James of Lockwood Development, said Tuesday that the redevelopment 
will continue as Krejci had wanted.“Frank has said from the beginning of
 The Crossroads redevelopment that he wanted to create a legacy project 
for Omaha — and we will continue to strive to deliver on Frank’s 
vision,” said James.<h2>‘Business visionary’</h2>James, Lockwood’s president, offered 
few other details Tuesday about the mixed-use campus expected to open in
 2024. He said he will miss Krecji, whom he called a business visionary 
on multiple fronts.“His desire and determination on 
achieving the Crossroads redevelopment is a testament to his lifelong 
pursuit towards transforming his community,” James said. “Frank was 
impactful on my life. He pushed me, he taught me and he supported me. 
And I am grateful for his partnership.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658947358931.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Krejci purchased the deteriorating 
Crossroads property 12 years ago, raising hope among city residents and 
leaders that Omaha’s first mall west of 42nd Street would return to its 
glory at what remains one of the area’s busiest intersections.Numerous proposals failed before 
Krejci partnered with Lockwood on a plan to transform the 40 acres or so
 into a hub of entertainment, office, residential and retail activities.
 The cost is expected to reach around $600 million, with about $80 
million in public tax-increment financing.Among other of Krejci’s recent 
projects is the High Point, a multiple-building commercial complex that 
Century Development assembled in the Elkhorn area near 204th Street 
north of West Dodge Road.Kuehl helped Krejci market that 
property and said his brokerage work with Krejci spans perhaps 15 years,
 back to the Pacific Springs commercial project near 158th and Pacific 
Streets.“I couldn’t even begin to name all the projects Frank has been involved in in the Omaha area,” he said.<h2>Brazen, no filter, ‘golden touch’</h2>Those who worked with Krejci said he was as determined as he was frank, brazen and without much of a filter.&nbsp;“He never pulled any punches,” Kuehl said. “Even if it wasn’t right, it was the way he saw it, and he made no apologies.”Trenton Magid, of NAI NP Dodge and 
co-host of the “Grow Omaha” radio show, helped Krejci celebrate his 90th
 birthday. Magid sent a balloon-o-gram in which he had the singer 
describe his friend as “an equal opportunity offender of everyone.”“For somebody who had so much of it, 
he was not about money,” Magid said. “Money was just a way of keeping 
score. And he had the golden touch.”A World War II veteran, Krejci was drafted into the Army shortly after he graduated from Omaha Technical High School.After returning from combat, he 
bought an auto body business in Omaha and three years later, in 1950, 
used profits to buy his first real estate parcel.<h2>Deals, lots of them</h2>A biography on a property listing 
said Krejci’s developments included Millard Business Park, Blackstone 
Centre, Nicholas Plaza, Centech Business Park and buildings in the Old 
Mill and North Park office parks.Retail and residential projects 
included Nebraska Crossing Outlet Mall, Brentwood Square shopping 
center, Elk Ranch and Indian Pointe Estates, Valley Shores and projects 
in several other states including Arizona, Florida and Texas.Magid said Krejci had an eye for picking the right property and for real estate projects.“He loved land, but he also loved something that was run down and something he could improve upon,” he said.&nbsp;Upon learning of his friend’s 
passing, Magid sent a text to some colleagues: “I’m sure he is offending
 plenty of people in line in front of the pearly gates. Tomorrow he will
 be putting up condos.”

Real estate tycoon helped shape Omaha for decades

WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday emerged from five days of isolation after contracting the coronavirus, telling Americans that “COVID isn't gone” but saying serious illness can be avoided with vaccines, booster shoots and treatments.

(click below to watch the President's comments)

“You don’t need to be president to get these tools," he said.

Biden had a mild bout with the virus that has killed millions of people around the world and disrupted daily life for more than two years.

“God bless you all, and now I get to go back to the Oval Office,” he said as he finished his remarks in the Rose Garden and returned to the West Wing.

Biden tested negative for the virus on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

“Back to the Oval,”&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1552296813230710784?s=20&amp;t=LYCxpr5Ew1UUeBgus7GcQw">Biden tweeted</a>&nbsp;after the White House released&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22121894-biden-covid-update-july-27">the latest daily update from his doctor</a>&nbsp;confirming that he was clear to end the isolation period that is required after someone tests positive for the coronavirus.

Biden’s tweet included a photo of a rapid COVID-19 test with the line showing a negative result.

“Thanks to Doc for the good care, and to all of you for your support,” the president’s tweet said.

Biden, 79,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-health-karine-jean-pierre-government-and-politics-d9dbee6cc390f648396c46dd504c31c3">tested positive</a>&nbsp;last week. He continued to work during isolation, holding meetings virtually and addressing groups through recorded messages.

Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Biden's physician, wrote in Wednesday's update that the president had completed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-pfizer-medication-f5f65e7e61d6aa9c7dfa193053e8878a">a five-day course of Paxlovid</a>, an anti-viral drug used to treat COVID-19. Biden remains free of fever and had not used Tylenol in the past 36 hours.

Biden's symptoms were almost “completely resolved,” O'Connor reported.

“Given these reassuring factors, the president will discontinue his strict isolation measures,” the doctor wrote.

Biden plans to wear a “well-fitting” face mask for five more days anytime he is around others.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;is ending his COVID-19 isolation after testing negative for the virus on Tuesday night and again on Wednesday.

That’s according to a letter the White House released Wednesday from Biden’s physician.

Dr. Kevin O’Connor writes that Biden has completed his course of treatment with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-pfizer-medication-f5f65e7e61d6aa9c7dfa193053e8878a">the drug Paxlovid</a>&nbsp;and remains free of fever. O’Connor says that given those factors and the pair of negative tests, Biden will discontinue his “strict isolation” measures.

In fact, Biden is scheduled to appear in the White House Rose Garden around midday Wednesday.

Biden, 79,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-health-karine-jean-pierre-government-and-politics-d9dbee6cc390f648396c46dd504c31c3">tested positive</a>&nbsp;for COVID-19 last week.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday emerged from five days of isolation after contracting the coronavirus, telling Americans that “COVID isn't gone” but saying serious illness can be avoided with vaccines, booster shoots and treatments.(click below to watch the President's comments)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/URBPSGL-foU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>“You don’t need to be president to get these tools," he said.Biden had a mild bout with the virus that has killed millions of people around the world and disrupted daily life for more than two years.“God bless you all, and now I get to go back to the Oval Office,” he said as he finished his remarks in the Rose Garden and returned to the West Wing.Biden tested negative for the virus on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.“Back to the Oval,”&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1552296813230710784?s=20&amp;t=LYCxpr5Ew1UUeBgus7GcQw">Biden tweeted</a>&nbsp;after the White House released&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22121894-biden-covid-update-july-27">the latest daily update from his doctor</a>&nbsp;confirming that he was clear to end the isolation period that is required after someone tests positive for the coronavirus.Biden’s tweet included a photo of a rapid COVID-19 test with the line showing a negative result.“Thanks to Doc for the good care, and to all of you for your support,” the president’s tweet said.Biden, 79,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-health-karine-jean-pierre-government-and-politics-d9dbee6cc390f648396c46dd504c31c3">tested positive</a>&nbsp;last week. He continued to work during isolation, holding meetings virtually and addressing groups through recorded messages.Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Biden's physician, wrote in Wednesday's update that the president had completed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-pfizer-medication-f5f65e7e61d6aa9c7dfa193053e8878a">a five-day course of Paxlovid</a>, an anti-viral drug used to treat COVID-19. Biden remains free of fever and had not used Tylenol in the past 36 hours.Biden's symptoms were almost “completely resolved,” O'Connor reported.“Given these reassuring factors, the president will discontinue his strict isolation measures,” the doctor wrote.Biden plans to wear a “well-fitting” face mask for five more days anytime he is around others.---------WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;is ending his COVID-19 isolation after testing negative for the virus on Tuesday night and again on Wednesday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Back to the Oval. Thanks to Doc for the good care, and to all of you for your support. <a href="https://t.co/Cfzn1zAKJF">pic.twitter.com/Cfzn1zAKJF</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1552296813230710784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>That’s according to a letter the White House released Wednesday from Biden’s physician.Dr. Kevin O’Connor writes that Biden has completed his course of treatment with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-pfizer-medication-f5f65e7e61d6aa9c7dfa193053e8878a">the drug Paxlovid</a>&nbsp;and remains free of fever. O’Connor says that given those factors and the pair of negative tests, Biden will discontinue his “strict isolation” measures.In fact, Biden is scheduled to appear in the White House Rose Garden around midday Wednesday.Biden, 79,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-health-karine-jean-pierre-government-and-politics-d9dbee6cc390f648396c46dd504c31c3">tested positive</a>&nbsp;for COVID-19 last week.

🎥Emerging from isolation, Biden urges Americans to get shots

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/07/27/state-headed-for-another-showdown-over-wages-paid-for-law-enforcement-officers/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — The state is headed for another battle over adequate pay for law enforcement officers.

In September, the union that 
represents Nebraska State Troopers will begin bargaining with the state 
over a new labor contract, and they maintain that troopers’ salaries are
 lagging far behind the pay for police officers and county deputies in 
the state.

The negotiations come as, nationally, law enforcement agencies are 
facing what some are labeling a “crisis” in recruiting new officers. 
Authorities cite the pandemic, negative impressions of police following 
the in-custody death of George Floyd in 2020 and the long training 
process required for causing the lag in attracting new police officers, 
deputies and troopers.

But low pay, according to union officials, is part of it.

Starting pay for Nebraska state 
troopers is $51,105 a year, or $24.57 an hour. That is about $6 an hour 
less than what new police officers are paid in Lincoln and Papillion and
 $5 an hour less than the pay for new Omaha police officers.

All told, at least 14 law enforcement agencies in the state have higher starting pay than the State Patrol, according to  the State Law Enforcement Bargaining Council, which negotiates for the state troopers.

Even state corrections officers earn higher starting salaries than state troopers: $58,240 a year.

“Our starting wage is not competitive
 with the labor market in Nebraska that they need to be competitive 
with. Not even close,” said Gary Young, the attorney for the bargaining 
council.

State labor negotiations are typically decided based on wages paid in comparable states. And Gov.
 Pete Ricketts and other state officials say that when Nebraska’s 
trooper pay is compared with similar states, such as Iowa, Kansas, 
Indiana and Oklahoma, state trooper pay here is comparable.

Iowa and Wyoming offer lower starting
 pay ($47,757 and $48,713, respectively), while new state troopers in 
Wisconsin, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma paid more. Oklahoma pays the 
best after recently granting a 35% pay increase, raising the pay from 
$49,414 to $66,638.

In Nebraska, the salary negotiations 
with the state troopers raise the same issue faced by state corrections 
officers in recent years: While their salaries were comparable with 
nearby states, their pay was far behind what county jailers were being 
paid in nearby Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy Counties.

Corrections officers cited the lower 
wages as contributing to a shortage of officers, dangerous working 
conditions and record-high overtime expenses – factors causing officers 
to leave to work for higher paying county jail jobs.

After years of offering hiring 
bonuses and other incentives, the Ricketts administration agreed last 
year to a major hike pay for corrections corporals and caseworkers, from
 $20 an hour to $28 an hour, a 40% increase.

The result? More than 400 new 
“protective services” employees have been hired, and a staffing 
“emergency” at the State Penitentiary in Lincoln, in place since 2019 to
 allow fewer corrections officers to manage the prison, was lifted this 
month. Overall, staff vacancies among such security forces fell from a 
record-high 427 in April to 167 in June.

Young, a Lincoln attorney who 
represents SLEBC, said state troopers need the same kind of raise that 
corrections officers got to help fill the ranks.

As of early July, the State Patrol had 54 vacancies among sworn officers in an authorized force of 482.

The State Patrol recently began 
training a class of 19 new state trooper recruits and is already 
advertising for recruits for another training academy that begins in 
January. “Patrol the Good Life” is the tagline on the Patrol’s website, which touts a four-day work week.

 At a recent press conference, Col. 
John Bolduc, the superintendent of the State Patrol, said the Patrol is 
facing the same challenges as other law enforcement agencies in filling 
the ranks.

Overall, he said, recruiting has been the biggest challenge, not retention of current troopers.

“Law enforcement is challenging. It’s not for everybody,” Bolduc said.

&nbsp;A 2021 survey by the Washington, 
D.C.-based Police Executive Research Forum found that law enforcement 
agencies, on average, were filling only 93% of their authorized force.

&nbsp;While hiring was only down 5%, the 
survey found that resignations and retirements took a big jump, with 
resignations up 18% over the previous year and retirements up 45%.

Earlier this year, longtime Buffalo 
County Sheriff Neil Miller said applicants for openings in his 
central-Nebraska law enforcement agency used to fill two rooms. Now, he 
said, he’s lucky to get six or seven applicants.

Ricketts, who leaves office in January, said recently that pay for 
Nebraska state troopers is comparable with other states and that it will
 be up to the next governor to decide whether to grant pay raises 
similar to what corrections officers received.

A spokesman for the Nebraska 
Department of Administrative Services, which handles labor negotiations,
 also said that Nebraska’s wages for troopers compare favorably.

Eric Maher, the spokesman, added&nbsp;that
 updated information on wages and other matters is being collected in 
preparation for bargaining with the SLEBC union this fall.

Bolduc said Nebraska’s low 
unemployment rate, which sank to a record low of 1.9% in June, hasn’t 
helped the State Patrol’s recruitment efforts help.

Young, the union lawyer, said the 
state needs to be more aggressive in offering competitive wages and 
needs to match increases granted by competing agencies. He said the&nbsp;troopers
 union asked the state to hold labor talks a year ago, to catch up with 
other agencies that were raising pay but was turned down.&nbsp;

“The Patrol is way behind in every way, and if they don’t correct it, there’s going to be problems,” he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658935367600.png" alt="New headquarters of the Nebraska State Patrol. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>New headquarters of the Nebraska State Patrol. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/07/27/state-headed-for-another-showdown-over-wages-paid-for-law-enforcement-officers/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — The state is headed for another battle over adequate pay for law enforcement officers.In September, the union that 
represents Nebraska State Troopers will begin bargaining with the state 
over a new labor contract, and they maintain that troopers’ salaries are
 lagging far behind the pay for police officers and county deputies in 
the state.The negotiations come as, nationally, law enforcement agencies are 
facing what some are labeling a “crisis” in recruiting new officers. 
Authorities cite the pandemic, negative impressions of police following 
the in-custody death of George Floyd in 2020 and the long training 
process required for causing the lag in attracting new police officers, 
deputies and troopers.<h2>Lags behind Lincoln, Omaha police</h2>But low pay, according to union officials, is part of it.Starting pay for Nebraska state 
troopers is $51,105 a year, or $24.57 an hour. That is about $6 an hour 
less than what new police officers are paid in Lincoln and Papillion and
 $5 an hour less than the pay for new Omaha police officers.All told, at least 14 law enforcement agencies in the state have higher starting pay than the State Patrol, according to the State Law Enforcement Bargaining Council, which negotiates for the state troopers.Even state corrections officers earn higher starting salaries than state troopers: $58,240 a year.“Our starting wage is not competitive
 with the labor market in Nebraska that they need to be competitive 
with. Not even close,” said Gary Young, the attorney for the bargaining 
council.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658935443148.jpeg" alt="Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts at the Nebraska Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts at the Nebraska Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Comparable to other states</h2>State labor negotiations are typically decided based on wages paid in comparable states. And Gov.
 Pete Ricketts and other state officials say that when Nebraska’s 
trooper pay is compared with similar states, such as Iowa, Kansas, 
Indiana and Oklahoma, state trooper pay here is comparable.Iowa and Wyoming offer lower starting
 pay ($47,757 and $48,713, respectively), while new state troopers in 
Wisconsin, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma paid more. Oklahoma pays the 
best after recently granting a 35% pay increase, raising the pay from 
$49,414 to $66,638.In Nebraska, the salary negotiations 
with the state troopers raise the same issue faced by state corrections 
officers in recent years: While their salaries were comparable with 
nearby states, their pay was far behind what county jailers were being 
paid in nearby Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy Counties.Corrections officers cited the lower 
wages as contributing to a shortage of officers, dangerous working 
conditions and record-high overtime expenses – factors causing officers 
to leave to work for higher paying county jail jobs.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658935477986.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Corrections workers’ pay raise</h2>After years of offering hiring 
bonuses and other incentives, the Ricketts administration agreed last 
year to a major hike pay for corrections corporals and caseworkers, from
 $20 an hour to $28 an hour, a 40% increase.The result? More than 400 new 
“protective services” employees have been hired, and a staffing 
“emergency” at the State Penitentiary in Lincoln, in place since 2019 to
 allow fewer corrections officers to manage the prison, was lifted this 
month. Overall, staff vacancies among such security forces fell from a 
record-high 427 in April to 167 in June.Young, a Lincoln attorney who 
represents SLEBC, said state troopers need the same kind of raise that 
corrections officers got to help fill the ranks.<h2>54 trooper vacancies</h2>As of early July, the State Patrol had 54 vacancies among sworn officers in an authorized force of 482.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658935518335.jpeg" alt="Col. John Bolduc, head of the Nebraska State Patrol." />
 <figcaption>Col. John Bolduc, head of the Nebraska State Patrol.</figcaption>
 </figure>The State Patrol recently began 
training a class of 19 new state trooper recruits and is already 
advertising for recruits for another training academy that begins in 
January. “Patrol the Good Life” is the tagline on the Patrol’s website, which touts a four-day work week. At a recent press conference, Col. 
John Bolduc, the superintendent of the State Patrol, said the Patrol is 
facing the same challenges as other law enforcement agencies in filling 
the ranks.Overall, he said, recruiting has been the biggest challenge, not retention of current troopers.<h2>Retirements up nationally</h2>“Law enforcement is challenging. It’s not for everybody,” Bolduc said.&nbsp;A 2021 survey by the Washington, 
D.C.-based Police Executive Research Forum found that law enforcement 
agencies, on average, were filling only 93% of their authorized force.&nbsp;While hiring was only down 5%, the 
survey found that resignations and retirements took a big jump, with 
resignations up 18% over the previous year and retirements up 45%.Earlier this year, longtime Buffalo 
County Sheriff Neil Miller said applicants for openings in his 
central-Nebraska law enforcement agency used to fill two rooms. Now, he 
said, he’s lucky to get six or seven applicants.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658935547232.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Ricketts, who leaves office in January, said recently that pay for 
Nebraska state troopers is comparable with other states and that it will
 be up to the next governor to decide whether to grant pay raises 
similar to what corrections officers received.A spokesman for the Nebraska 
Department of Administrative Services, which handles labor negotiations,
 also said that Nebraska’s wages for troopers compare favorably.Eric Maher, the spokesman, added&nbsp;that
 updated information on wages and other matters is being collected in 
preparation for bargaining with the SLEBC union this fall.<h2>Low unemployment</h2>Bolduc said Nebraska’s low 
unemployment rate, which sank to a record low of 1.9% in June, hasn’t 
helped the State Patrol’s recruitment efforts help.Young, the union lawyer, said the 
state needs to be more aggressive in offering competitive wages and 
needs to match increases granted by competing agencies. He said the&nbsp;troopers
 union asked the state to hold labor talks a year ago, to catch up with 
other agencies that were raising pay but was turned down.&nbsp;“The Patrol is way behind in every way, and if they don’t correct it, there’s going to be problems,” he said.

Neb. troopers: Wages lag far behind other in law enforcement

By AARON SANDERFORD <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/norfolk-to-break-ground-aug-2-on-14-million-north-fork-riverfront-project/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

OMAHA — The City of Norfolk is set to break ground Aug. 2 on a $14 million riverfront project that aims to bring more recreation to the north fork of the Elkhorn River. The changes aim to make the river more accessible to the public.

The 10 a.m. ceremony will celebrate 
plans to rebuild Johnson Park, along the river, and the river itself. 
Eight 18-inch whitewater rapids-style drops will be added between the 
First Street railroad bridge and the Norfolk Avenue bridge.

Changes will provide more ways to 
enjoy the water, whether by kayak or at a beach being created. Norfolk’s
 Parks and Recreation director, Nate Powell, said the city wants to 
create a “great place” for residents and “a new destination” for 
visitors.

Norfolk’s North Fork Riverfront 
Project, much like Omaha’s Missouri River effort, includes plans for an 
amphitheater with a permanent stage, festival space and entertainment 
spaces for young people, including playground-style equipment.

“I am excited to see the efforts of 
so many come together and bring this project forward to the Norfolk 
community,” Powell said. “These are exciting times for Norfolk, and I am
 happy to be a small part of the project.”

Federal highway funds will cover 
about $3.8 million of the riverfront project’s costs, for bridge work. 
Private donors and funds will cover about $3.5 million. Federal 
coronavirus relief funds will cover about $1.4 million.&nbsp;

More than $1 million apiece will come
 from Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District funds; grants; water, 
sewer and sanitary funds; and city KENO funds.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658930303535.png" alt="Renderings from JEO Consulting Group of Norfolk show what the new Johnson Park and North Fork Riverfront could look like. (Courtesy of City of Norfolk)" />
 <figcaption>Renderings from JEO Consulting Group of Norfolk show what the new Johnson Park and North Fork Riverfront could look like. (Courtesy of City of Norfolk)</figcaption>
 </figure>By AARON SANDERFORD <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/norfolk-to-break-ground-aug-2-on-14-million-north-fork-riverfront-project/">Nebraska Examiner</a>OMAHA — The City of Norfolk is set to break ground Aug. 2 on a $14 million riverfront project that aims to bring more recreation to the north fork of the Elkhorn River. The changes aim to make the river more accessible to the public.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658930363651.jpeg" alt="Courtesy of City of Norfolk" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy of City of Norfolk</figcaption>
 </figure>The 10 a.m. ceremony will celebrate 
plans to rebuild Johnson Park, along the river, and the river itself. 
Eight 18-inch whitewater rapids-style drops will be added between the 
First Street railroad bridge and the Norfolk Avenue bridge.Changes will provide more ways to 
enjoy the water, whether by kayak or at a beach being created. Norfolk’s
 Parks and Recreation director, Nate Powell, said the city wants to 
create a “great place” for residents and “a new destination” for 
visitors.Norfolk’s North Fork Riverfront 
Project, much like Omaha’s Missouri River effort, includes plans for an 
amphitheater with a permanent stage, festival space and entertainment 
spaces for young people, including playground-style equipment.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658930392769.jpeg" alt="Courtesy of City of Norfolk" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy of City of Norfolk</figcaption>
 </figure>“I am excited to see the efforts of 
so many come together and bring this project forward to the Norfolk 
community,” Powell said. “These are exciting times for Norfolk, and I am
 happy to be a small part of the project.”Federal highway funds will cover 
about $3.8 million of the riverfront project’s costs, for bridge work. 
Private donors and funds will cover about $3.5 million. Federal 
coronavirus relief funds will cover about $1.4 million.&nbsp;More than $1 million apiece will come
 from Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District funds; grants; water, 
sewer and sanitary funds; and city KENO funds.

Norfolk to break ground on $14M North Fork Riverfront Project

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/arpa-grants/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN
 — The State of Nebraska is seeking applicants for more than $700 
million worth of grants to help the state and local economies recover 
from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nebraska received $1.04 billion from 
the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and the Nebraska Department of 
Economic Development was charged with distributing $723 million of those
 funds for things such as business development, entrepreneurship, 
internships, crime prevention and affordable housing.

On Tuesday, the DED announced it will
 open applications for the first round of programs in September, with 
additional funding opportunities continuing through the fall of 2024.

Funds allocated via ARPA, an initiative of the Biden administration, must be expended by 2026.

“The State is dedicated to using 
federal ARPA funds to strengthen Nebraska,” said Gov. Pete Ricketts in a
 press release. “Our goal is to allocate available funds efficiently, 
fairly and transparently for the maximum benefit of Nebraskans.”

DED has already awarded about $115 million in so-called 
“shovel-ready” projects by nonprofits that were disrupted by the 
pandemic.

To learn more about the programs and sign up for ongoing updates, visit the state’s Economic Recovery Program’s page at <a target="_blank" href="https://opportunity.nebraska.gov/programs/recovery/">opportunity.nebraska.gov/programs/recovery.</a>

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/arpa-grants/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN
 — The State of Nebraska is seeking applicants for more than $700 
million worth of grants to help the state and local economies recover 
from the COVID-19 pandemic.Nebraska received $1.04 billion from 
the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and the Nebraska Department of 
Economic Development was charged with distributing $723 million of those
 funds for things such as business development, entrepreneurship, 
internships, crime prevention and affordable housing.On Tuesday, the DED announced it will
 open applications for the first round of programs in September, with 
additional funding opportunities continuing through the fall of 2024.Funds allocated via ARPA, an initiative of the Biden administration, must be expended by 2026.“The State is dedicated to using 
federal ARPA funds to strengthen Nebraska,” said Gov. Pete Ricketts in a
 press release. “Our goal is to allocate available funds efficiently, 
fairly and transparently for the maximum benefit of Nebraskans.”DED has already awarded about $115 million in so-called 
“shovel-ready” projects by nonprofits that were disrupted by the 
pandemic.To learn more about the programs and sign up for ongoing updates, visit the state’s Economic Recovery Program’s page at <a target="_blank" href="https://opportunity.nebraska.gov/programs/recovery/">opportunity.nebraska.gov/programs/recovery.</a>Cover image courtesy Pixabay

Nebraska seeking applicants for $700M in ARPA grants

The acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Jesse Cody, 34 of Council Bluffs, Iowa was sentenced on July 26, 2022, for sex trafficking two teenagers between Iowa and Nebraska.&nbsp; Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr sentenced Cody to 16 years’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Cody will have to register as a sex offender and serve a five-year term of supervised release.&nbsp;

A federal jury previously convicted Cody of trafficking an eighteen year old victim in foster care and a nineteen year old woman who resided in Omaha.&nbsp; The foster care victim testified at trial that Cody forced her to have sex with men for money for Cody’s financial gain.&nbsp; The victim testified that Cody beat, raped, and choked her when she would refuse to comply with his demands.&nbsp; Cody induced the second victim, then a college student, into sex trafficking by misrepresenting to the victim the money that she could make and the lifestyle that she would lead and then Cody took most of the money for himself.&nbsp;

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov/" target="_blank">www.projectsafechildhood.gov</a>.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Omaha Police Department.

<a href="https://northplattepost.com/posts/2ddcec21-000f-4ace-b19e-4250120d6629">&nbsp;&nbsp;Download The Post app for iOs or Android</a>

By UNITES STATES ATTORNEY-OMAHAThe acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Jesse Cody, 34 of Council Bluffs, Iowa was sentenced on July 26, 2022, for sex trafficking two teenagers between Iowa and Nebraska.&nbsp; Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr sentenced Cody to 16 years’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Cody will have to register as a sex offender and serve a five-year term of supervised release.&nbsp;A federal jury previously convicted Cody of trafficking an eighteen year old victim in foster care and a nineteen year old woman who resided in Omaha.&nbsp; The foster care victim testified at trial that Cody forced her to have sex with men for money for Cody’s financial gain.&nbsp; The victim testified that Cody beat, raped, and choked her when she would refuse to comply with his demands.&nbsp; Cody induced the second victim, then a college student, into sex trafficking by misrepresenting to the victim the money that she could make and the lifestyle that she would lead and then Cody took most of the money for himself.&nbsp;This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov/" target="_blank">www.projectsafechildhood.gov</a>.This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Omaha Police Department.<a href="https://northplattepost.com/posts/2ddcec21-000f-4ace-b19e-4250120d6629">&nbsp;&nbsp;Download The Post app for iOs or Android</a><figure>
 <img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/mOfCt74XiABF6NHi5mz_6Tu_1KfzDtwkhu58qOR9R_Ry6b_ftTSyYgvFbBSFodQMFctqKC0G8DYAbSKgSMC9Zg_HeLBSE0l-bnTwxGy166DcrOGJLBT9D-_b5BVznSdNrzHLuHF0Iw7Odi0ng8JEkw" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Council Bluffs man sentenced for sex trafficking teenagers

By SCOTT CARLSON North Platte Post

BENNINGTON, Neb.-Authorities said three people were injured in a boating accident on Bennington Lake.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said at around 11:13 a.m. on July 25, deputies along with Bennington Fire and Rescue and Omaha Fire and Rescue responded to Newport Landing, 176th St. and Island Cir., at Bennington Lake.

Authorities said the reporting party said an inflatable being towed by a boat had struck a sea wall near a bridge.

Deputies arrived and found the inflatable as well as three injured individuals. They were identified as Wyatt Moore, 47, Anne Moore, 8, both of Flower Mound, Texas, and Katelyn Dossett, 15, of Bennington.

All three were transported to Nebraska Medicine with critical injuries. Their conditions at this time are unknown.

Authorities said alcohol and drugs were not a factor in the accident which remains under investigation.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658925102743.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By SCOTT CARLSON North Platte PostBENNINGTON, Neb.-Authorities said three people were injured in a boating accident on Bennington Lake.The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said at around 11:13 a.m. on July 25, deputies along with Bennington Fire and Rescue and Omaha Fire and Rescue responded to Newport Landing, 176th St. and Island Cir., at Bennington Lake.Authorities said the reporting party said an inflatable being towed by a boat had struck a sea wall near a bridge.Deputies arrived and found the inflatable as well as three injured individuals. They were identified as Wyatt Moore, 47, Anne Moore, 8, both of Flower Mound, Texas, and Katelyn Dossett, 15, of Bennington.All three were transported to Nebraska Medicine with critical injuries. Their conditions at this time are unknown.Authorities said alcohol and drugs were not a factor in the accident which remains under investigation.&nbsp;<a href="https://northplattepost.com/posts/2ddcec21-000f-4ace-b19e-4250120d6629">&nbsp;&nbsp;Download The Post app for iOs or Android</a><figure>
 <img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/mOfCt74XiABF6NHi5mz_6Tu_1KfzDtwkhu58qOR9R_Ry6b_ftTSyYgvFbBSFodQMFctqKC0G8DYAbSKgSMC9Zg_HeLBSE0l-bnTwxGy166DcrOGJLBT9D-_b5BVznSdNrzHLuHF0Iw7Odi0ng8JEkw" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Boating accident at Bennington Lake injures 3, including 2 children

By JENNIFER SHUTT <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/07/26/gop-support-for-same-sex-marriage-protections-builds-in-u-s-senate/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate appears 
on track to send President Joe Biden a bill in the coming weeks that 
would guarantee that same-sex and interracial couples can marry, even if
 the Supreme Court overturns the landmark cases that enshrined those 
rights.&nbsp;

“I think we’re very close,” Maine 
Republican Sen. Susan Collins said Tuesday of efforts to get at least 10
 GOP senators on board with the House-passed legislation. Sixty senators
 in the evenly divided Senate would be needed to advance the bill past a
 filibuster and to a final vote.

“I’ve had a number of conversations 
with my colleagues. And this bill is very straightforward,” Collins 
continued. “All it does is put in to federal law the protection for the 
million same-sex marriages that are out there today.”

Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy 
Baldwin, tasked by her party with getting the necessary GOP votes, said 
that the bill is gaining more support each day and that she doesn’t 
expect it would be held over until closer to the election so that 
Democrats could make a political point.&nbsp;

“I don’t want this to be 
politicized,” Baldwin said. “I think that we simply have to codify 
Obergefell because there’s such uncertainty since Roe v. Wade was 
overturned about most people’s marriages. But we’ll do it when we have 
the votes and the time.”

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling 
overturning the nationwide right to an abortion last month included a 
separate opinion from Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, in which he 
wrote the justices “should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive 
due process precedents” that applied the same legal reasoning that was 
used in Roe v. Wade.&nbsp;

Thomas specified three cases he 
believes are ripe to be overturned, including Griswold v. Connecticut, 
which recognized a married couple’s right to use contraception; Lawrence
 v. Texas, which legalized adult private consensual sexual 
relationships; and Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex 
marriage.&nbsp;

The Thomas opinion raised alarm bells
 with women’s rights and LGBTQ groups over how the current 6-3 
conservative-dominated Supreme Court might undo other rights and led 
Democratic lawmakers to bring up legislation that would ensure those 
rights.&nbsp;

Baldwin said on Tuesday the timing of
 the Senate vote on the marriage equality bill might depend less on when
 there’s enough bipartisan support and more on the number of Democrats 
and GOP supporters who are absent due to COVID-19.&nbsp;

Both West Virginia Democratic Sen. 
Joe Manchin III and Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced 
Monday they’d be isolating after testing positive. Murkowski, who<a target="_blank" href="https://alaskabeacon.com/2022/07/22/murkowski-favors-congressional-vote-on-same-sex-marriage-protections-while-sullivan-is-noncommittal/"> told CNN</a> she is in favor of the legislation, has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/senator-lisa-murkowski-endorses-marriage-equality">long supported</a> marriage equality.&nbsp;

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer,
 a New York Democrat, said Tuesday the bill remains a priority, though 
he didn’t say if he’d bring it up before the chamber breaks for its 
August recess at the end of next week.

“The bottom line is that we care very
 much about the marriage equality act,” Schumer said. “We are working 
real hard to get 10 Republican senators. Between that and the illnesses,
 we’re not there yet.”

So far, most Senate Republicans are remaining quiet about how they’d vote on the bill.&nbsp;

North Carolina Republican Sen. 
Richard Burr said Tuesday that he hasn’t decided how he’ll actually 
vote, even though he said last week that he “was leaning in opposition 
to” the bill.&nbsp;

When asked what more he needed to 
know before making a decision, Burr responded: “I don’t even know if 
it’s coming up. Is that too much to ask?”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch 
McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said Tuesday he didn’t want to make 
“an observation” on the bill until it’s actually brought to the floor.

Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines 
came out forcefully against the bill this week, saying he believes 
“marriage is between a man and a woman.”&nbsp;

“I’m opposed to this bill and believe
 it’s another attempt by Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats to distract 
the American people from the inflation crisis, energy crisis and the 
southern border crisis they’ve created,” Daines said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.daines.senate.gov/news/press-releases/daines-democrats-same-sex-marriage-bill-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-crises-caused-by-biden-the-left">statement</a>.

The U.S. House vote on the bill was broadly bipartisan, with 267 members, including 47 Republicans, voting to<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-bipartisan-vote-passes-bill-protecting-right-same-sex-marriage"> approve</a> the measure last week.

The<a target="_blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8404?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22H.R.+8404%22%2C%22H.R.%22%2C%228404%22%5D%7D&amp;s=3&amp;r=1"> legislation</a>,
 known as the Respect for Marriage Act, would repeal a 1996 federal law 
known as the Defense of Marriage Act that defined marriage as between 
one man and one woman.

The bill would also ensure that if 
the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1967 Loving v. Virginia opinion 
that legalized interracial marriages or the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling 
from 2015 that legalized same-sex marriages, states would have to 
recognize out-of-state marriages from states where same-sex or 
interracial marriages remained legal.&nbsp;

But the bill wouldn’t ensure same-sex
 and interracial couples have the exact same rights that they have under
 the two Supreme Court rulings.&nbsp;

David Stacy, government affairs 
director at the Human Rights Campaign, said while “Congress can’t 
technically codify Obergefell without a constitutional amendment,” the 
marriage equality bill would do three important things.&nbsp;

It would repeal the Defense of 
Marriage Act, it would set a “state of celebration” standard for the 
federal government to recognize same-sex marriages for federal benefits 
such as Social Security, and it would try to get states to recognize 
marriages from other states.&nbsp;

The state recognition issue, however, might be somewhat tricky.&nbsp;

The Full Faith and Credit Clause of 
the Constitution, Stacy said, requires states to recognize judicial 
decisions from other states — but there is a public policy exception.&nbsp;

For example, if a state doesn’t allow
 people to legally marry until 18, a couple can travel to another state 
where they can legally marry at 16. But after couples return to their 
home state, the state government can choose not to recognize that 
marriage under the public policy exception, Stacy said.&nbsp;

“Obviously, the courts would still 
have to determine whether a state has a valid public policy exception 
reason for this,” Stacy said. “But [the bill] would provide a mechanism 
to get an answer to those questions quickly. And we think ultimately the
 courts would determine that those should be recognized. But obviously 
it’s not an ironclad guarantee.”

Same-sex couples, he said, would once
 again be required to travel to get married, if the Supreme Court 
overturned Obergefell and if their home state choses not to allow those 
marriages.&nbsp;

“You would have to travel, which is 
obviously suboptimal,” Stacy. “And then, of course, those states would 
not recognize those marriages, presumably for state benefits. So there’s
 lots of obvious benefits that flow from state law, and rights and 
responsibilities that flow from state law. And so we’d be back to a 
patchwork of protections.”

Adoptions could also become problematic, he noted.&nbsp;

“It would be a really complicated 
legal landscape, and it would depend on the state and what that looks 
like,” Stacy said. “And that’s one of the reasons why marriage equality 
is really so important.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658869695319.png" alt="U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, talks with reporters about the Respect for Marriage Act, on Tuesday, July 26, 2022. (Jennifer Shutt)" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, talks with reporters about the Respect for Marriage Act, on Tuesday, July 26, 2022. (Jennifer Shutt)</figcaption>
 </figure>By JENNIFER SHUTT <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/07/26/gop-support-for-same-sex-marriage-protections-builds-in-u-s-senate/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate appears 
on track to send President Joe Biden a bill in the coming weeks that 
would guarantee that same-sex and interracial couples can marry, even if
 the Supreme Court overturns the landmark cases that enshrined those 
rights.&nbsp;“I think we’re very close,” Maine 
Republican Sen. Susan Collins said Tuesday of efforts to get at least 10
 GOP senators on board with the House-passed legislation. Sixty senators
 in the evenly divided Senate would be needed to advance the bill past a
 filibuster and to a final vote.“I’ve had a number of conversations 
with my colleagues. And this bill is very straightforward,” Collins 
continued. “All it does is put in to federal law the protection for the 
million same-sex marriages that are out there today.”Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy 
Baldwin, tasked by her party with getting the necessary GOP votes, said 
that the bill is gaining more support each day and that she doesn’t 
expect it would be held over until closer to the election so that 
Democrats could make a political point.&nbsp;“I don’t want this to be 
politicized,” Baldwin said. “I think that we simply have to codify 
Obergefell because there’s such uncertainty since Roe v. Wade was 
overturned about most people’s marriages. But we’ll do it when we have 
the votes and the time.”<h2>Thomas opinion</h2>The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling 
overturning the nationwide right to an abortion last month included a 
separate opinion from Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, in which he 
wrote the justices “should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive 
due process precedents” that applied the same legal reasoning that was 
used in Roe v. Wade.&nbsp;Thomas specified three cases he 
believes are ripe to be overturned, including Griswold v. Connecticut, 
which recognized a married couple’s right to use contraception; Lawrence
 v. Texas, which legalized adult private consensual sexual 
relationships; and Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex 
marriage.&nbsp;The Thomas opinion raised alarm bells
 with women’s rights and LGBTQ groups over how the current 6-3 
conservative-dominated Supreme Court might undo other rights and led 
Democratic lawmakers to bring up legislation that would ensure those 
rights.&nbsp;<h2>Murkowski absent due to COVID-19&nbsp;</h2>Baldwin said on Tuesday the timing of
 the Senate vote on the marriage equality bill might depend less on when
 there’s enough bipartisan support and more on the number of Democrats 
and GOP supporters who are absent due to COVID-19.&nbsp;Both West Virginia Democratic Sen. 
Joe Manchin III and Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced 
Monday they’d be isolating after testing positive. Murkowski, who<a target="_blank" href="https://alaskabeacon.com/2022/07/22/murkowski-favors-congressional-vote-on-same-sex-marriage-protections-while-sullivan-is-noncommittal/"> told CNN</a> she is in favor of the legislation, has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/senator-lisa-murkowski-endorses-marriage-equality">long supported</a> marriage equality.&nbsp;Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer,
 a New York Democrat, said Tuesday the bill remains a priority, though 
he didn’t say if he’d bring it up before the chamber breaks for its 
August recess at the end of next week.“The bottom line is that we care very
 much about the marriage equality act,” Schumer said. “We are working 
real hard to get 10 Republican senators. Between that and the illnesses,
 we’re not there yet.”So far, most Senate Republicans are remaining quiet about how they’d vote on the bill.&nbsp;North Carolina Republican Sen. 
Richard Burr said Tuesday that he hasn’t decided how he’ll actually 
vote, even though he said last week that he “was leaning in opposition 
to” the bill.&nbsp;When asked what more he needed to 
know before making a decision, Burr responded: “I don’t even know if 
it’s coming up. Is that too much to ask?”Senate Minority Leader Mitch 
McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said Tuesday he didn’t want to make 
“an observation” on the bill until it’s actually brought to the floor.Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines 
came out forcefully against the bill this week, saying he believes 
“marriage is between a man and a woman.”&nbsp;“I’m opposed to this bill and believe
 it’s another attempt by Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats to distract 
the American people from the inflation crisis, energy crisis and the 
southern border crisis they’ve created,” Daines said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.daines.senate.gov/news/press-releases/daines-democrats-same-sex-marriage-bill-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-crises-caused-by-biden-the-left">statement</a>.The U.S. House vote on the bill was broadly bipartisan, with 267 members, including 47 Republicans, voting to<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-bipartisan-vote-passes-bill-protecting-right-same-sex-marriage"> approve</a> the measure last week.<h2>States and marriages</h2>The<a target="_blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8404?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22H.R.+8404%22%2C%22H.R.%22%2C%228404%22%5D%7D&amp;s=3&amp;r=1"> legislation</a>,
 known as the Respect for Marriage Act, would repeal a 1996 federal law 
known as the Defense of Marriage Act that defined marriage as between 
one man and one woman.The bill would also ensure that if 
the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1967 Loving v. Virginia opinion 
that legalized interracial marriages or the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling 
from 2015 that legalized same-sex marriages, states would have to 
recognize out-of-state marriages from states where same-sex or 
interracial marriages remained legal.&nbsp;But the bill wouldn’t ensure same-sex
 and interracial couples have the exact same rights that they have under
 the two Supreme Court rulings.&nbsp;David Stacy, government affairs 
director at the Human Rights Campaign, said while “Congress can’t 
technically codify Obergefell without a constitutional amendment,” the 
marriage equality bill would do three important things.&nbsp;It would repeal the Defense of 
Marriage Act, it would set a “state of celebration” standard for the 
federal government to recognize same-sex marriages for federal benefits 
such as Social Security, and it would try to get states to recognize 
marriages from other states.&nbsp;The state recognition issue, however, might be somewhat tricky.&nbsp;The Full Faith and Credit Clause of 
the Constitution, Stacy said, requires states to recognize judicial 
decisions from other states — but there is a public policy exception.&nbsp;For example, if a state doesn’t allow
 people to legally marry until 18, a couple can travel to another state 
where they can legally marry at 16. But after couples return to their 
home state, the state government can choose not to recognize that 
marriage under the public policy exception, Stacy said.&nbsp;“Obviously, the courts would still 
have to determine whether a state has a valid public policy exception 
reason for this,” Stacy said. “But [the bill] would provide a mechanism 
to get an answer to those questions quickly. And we think ultimately the
 courts would determine that those should be recognized. But obviously 
it’s not an ironclad guarantee.”Same-sex couples, he said, would once
 again be required to travel to get married, if the Supreme Court 
overturned Obergefell and if their home state choses not to allow those 
marriages.&nbsp;“You would have to travel, which is 
obviously suboptimal,” Stacy. “And then, of course, those states would 
not recognize those marriages, presumably for state benefits. So there’s
 lots of obvious benefits that flow from state law, and rights and 
responsibilities that flow from state law. And so we’d be back to a 
patchwork of protections.”Adoptions could also become problematic, he noted.&nbsp;“It would be a really complicated 
legal landscape, and it would depend on the state and what that looks 
like,” Stacy said. “And that’s one of the reasons why marriage equality 
is really so important.”

GOP Senate support for same-sex marriage protection builds

Back-to-school season means shopping, whether your children learn at home or head to school in person.&nbsp;

Before determining what students may need for the year, <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/tips/4666-create-a-budget-and-stick-to-it" target="_blank">set a budget</a>. Planning ahead as much as possible will help keep expenses to a minimum and help everyone involved stay on task.

Most retailers have dropped mask mandates, but some pharmacies or local stores may still have them. <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/26584-supply-chain-challenges-coping-strategies-for-consumers-and-businesses" target="_blank">Supply chain issues</a>
 could also impact shopping. When getting ready to shop, contact the 
store directly if you have questions about hours, policies, or to see if
 supplies are in stock.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Whether
 your children are learning in-person at school or online from home, 
technology has come to the forefront over the past two years. When 
buying new equipment, check with your child's school to learn about any 
technical requirements and determine if any changes are necessary to the
 home's high-speed internet.&nbsp;

Before purchasing an expensive 
laptop, tablet or another computer accessory, research the brands, 
warranty, customer reviews and prices at various stores to make sure the
 best deal can be had. Also, look up the retailer's reputation on <a href="https://www.bbb.org/search" target="_blank">BBB.org</a>.

Shop smart with&nbsp;sales and tax-free weekends

Compare
 prices between different retail stores, save coupons, sign up for email
 alerts and redeem any cash-back or rebate offers. This will help get 
the best deals and stay within budget. Also, your state may have a 
tax-free weekend, enabling you to buy clothes, school supplies and other
 items without paying sales tax. Check out <a href="https://www.taxadmin.org/2022-sales-tax-holiday" target="_blank">this resource from the Federation of Tax Administrators</a> to see what your state offers.&nbsp;

Many
 stores and software companies offer discounts. Some are available to 
students with either a ".edu" email address or a student ID. Others may 
have a discount for signing up for marketing materials or surf the 
internet for online coupons and discounts (make sure they are affiliated
 with the retailer). It doesn't hurt to ask, even if you don’t see a 
deal advertised at the store.

If
 meeting in person, some teachers may ask parents to buy bulk items 
(paper towels, tissues, wipes, hand sanitizer) for the entire classroom 
to use throughout the year. Compare lists with other parents and see if 
costs can be shared.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/tips/14040-bbb-tip-smart-shopping-online" target="_blank">When shopping online</a>,
 be wary of "clickbait" ads that feature items that imply that you may 
want or need them based on your search history. Scammers could be trying
 to drive you to a different website to potentially steal personal 
information. Take note of the ad and go to the store's website by 
directly typing into the search bar. Make note of the website's privacy 
policy, and contact information, and always use a credit card when 
making a purchase.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.bbb.org/all/back-to-school" target="_blank">BBB Back to School HQ</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658937573221.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>Back-to-school season means shopping, whether your children learn at home or head to school in person.&nbsp;Before determining what students may need for the year, <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/tips/4666-create-a-budget-and-stick-to-it" target="_blank">set a budget</a>. Planning ahead as much as possible will help keep expenses to a minimum and help everyone involved stay on task.Here are some useful&nbsp; tips:In-person shoppingMost retailers have dropped mask mandates, but some pharmacies or local stores may still have them. <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/26584-supply-chain-challenges-coping-strategies-for-consumers-and-businesses" target="_blank">Supply chain issues</a>
 could also impact shopping. When getting ready to shop, contact the 
store directly if you have questions about hours, policies, or to see if
 supplies are in stock.&nbsp;&nbsp;Research big ticket itemsWhether
 your children are learning in-person at school or online from home, 
technology has come to the forefront over the past two years. When 
buying new equipment, check with your child's school to learn about any 
technical requirements and determine if any changes are necessary to the
 home's high-speed internet.&nbsp;Before purchasing an expensive 
laptop, tablet or another computer accessory, research the brands, 
warranty, customer reviews and prices at various stores to make sure the
 best deal can be had. Also, look up the retailer's reputation on <a href="https://www.bbb.org/search" target="_blank">BBB.org</a>.Shop smart with&nbsp;sales and tax-free weekendsCompare
 prices between different retail stores, save coupons, sign up for email
 alerts and redeem any cash-back or rebate offers. This will help get 
the best deals and stay within budget. Also, your state may have a 
tax-free weekend, enabling you to buy clothes, school supplies and other
 items without paying sales tax. Check out <a href="https://www.taxadmin.org/2022-sales-tax-holiday" target="_blank">this resource from the Federation of Tax Administrators</a> to see what your state offers.&nbsp;Ask for discountsMany
 stores and software companies offer discounts. Some are available to 
students with either a ".edu" email address or a student ID. Others may 
have a discount for signing up for marketing materials or surf the 
internet for online coupons and discounts (make sure they are affiliated
 with the retailer). It doesn't hurt to ask, even if you don’t see a 
deal advertised at the store.Consider buying in bulkIf
 meeting in person, some teachers may ask parents to buy bulk items 
(paper towels, tissues, wipes, hand sanitizer) for the entire classroom 
to use throughout the year. Compare lists with other parents and see if 
costs can be shared.&nbsp;Shop wisely, safely online<a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/tips/14040-bbb-tip-smart-shopping-online" target="_blank">When shopping online</a>,
 be wary of "clickbait" ads that feature items that imply that you may 
want or need them based on your search history. Scammers could be trying
 to drive you to a different website to potentially steal personal 
information. Take note of the ad and go to the store's website by 
directly typing into the search bar. Make note of the website's privacy 
policy, and contact information, and always use a credit card when 
making a purchase.&nbsp;<h2>For more information</h2><a href="https://www.bbb.org/all/back-to-school" target="_blank">BBB Back to School HQ</a>

Online or in-person: Back-to-school shopping tips

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Police have arrested a 29-year-old man they say fired at officers who were responding to a disturbance at a home in suburban Denver on Sunday night.

Police said Monday that the 29-year-old was arrested “for his role shooting at police officers last night.”

Police did not specifically mention the 29-year-old man in their initial statement on the shooting. In it, they said officers were met with gunfire when they responded to the home and shot at the person who was firing at them. They said a 22-year-old man was killed as a result of the incident but have not explained his role, including whether he fired any shots.

A police spokesman, Investigator Scot Allen, said he could not comment on his role because the shooting is under investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658854965441.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Police have arrested a 29-year-old man they say fired at officers who were responding to a disturbance at a home in suburban Denver on Sunday night.Police said Monday that the 29-year-old was arrested “for his role shooting at police officers last night.”Police did not specifically mention the 29-year-old man in their initial statement on the shooting. In it, they said officers were met with gunfire when they responded to the home and shot at the person who was firing at them. They said a 22-year-old man was killed as a result of the incident but have not explained his role, including whether he fired any shots.A police spokesman, Investigator Scot Allen, said he could not comment on his role because the shooting is under investigation.

Man arrested for allegedly firing at suburban Denver police

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has improved enough from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-health-government-and-politics-e29cb0a0a2135f9cc9ecd0967a2bc345">his coronavirus infection</a>&nbsp;that he’s able to resume his regular exercise routine, according to an update Tuesday from his doctor.

Dr. Kevin O’Connor wrote in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Update-7.26.pdf">a new note</a>&nbsp;that Biden’s COVID-19 symptoms “have now almost completely resolved,” and all of his vital signs are good.

Biden took his fifth and final dose of Paxlovid, which is intended to prevent severe symptoms from COVID-19, on Monday night.

Tuesday is Biden's fifth full day of isolation, and he plans to test for the virus on Wednesday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658854706773.png" alt="Tuesday is Biden's fifth full day of isolation, and he plans to test for the virus on Wednesday.-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>Tuesday is Biden's fifth full day of isolation, and he plans to test for the virus on Wednesday.-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has improved enough from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-health-government-and-politics-e29cb0a0a2135f9cc9ecd0967a2bc345">his coronavirus infection</a>&nbsp;that he’s able to resume his regular exercise routine, according to an update Tuesday from his doctor.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658854614980.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Dr. Kevin O’Connor wrote in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Update-7.26.pdf">a new note</a>&nbsp;that Biden’s COVID-19 symptoms “have now almost completely resolved,” and all of his vital signs are good.Biden took his fifth and final dose of Paxlovid, which is intended to prevent severe symptoms from COVID-19, on Monday night.Tuesday is Biden's fifth full day of isolation, and he plans to test for the virus on Wednesday.If he tests negative, he will return to working in person.“The moment that he turns negative, he’ll return to work,” said Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, during Monday's briefing at the White House.