BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — A southeastern Nebraska police chief says a man shot by a Beatrice police officer in a confrontation following a high-speed chase has died.

 Beatrice Police Chief Bruce Lang tells radio station KWBE that 35-year-old Bradley Allen died Tuesday afternoon — nearly three days after the Saturday night shooting. 

Lang said Allen had led officers on a high-speed chase in Gage County that exceeded 100 mph at times. 

Allen eventually fled the vehicle on foot and was later confronted by a Beatrice officer. 

The officer said Allen yelled that he had a gun, then reached into his waistband, leading the officer to shoot Allen several times. 

Police had said Monday that Allen was in critical but stable condition following surgery.

By Associated PressBEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — A southeastern Nebraska police chief says a man shot by a Beatrice police officer in a confrontation following a high-speed chase has died. Beatrice Police Chief Bruce Lang tells radio station KWBE that 35-year-old Bradley Allen died Tuesday afternoon — nearly three days after the Saturday night shooting. Lang said Allen had led officers on a high-speed chase in Gage County that exceeded 100 mph at times. Allen eventually fled the vehicle on foot and was later confronted by a Beatrice officer. The officer said Allen yelled that he had a gun, then reached into his waistband, leading the officer to shoot Allen several times. Police had said Monday that Allen was in critical but stable condition following surgery.

Police chief says man shot by Beatrice officer has died

WAHOO, Neb. (AP) — A jury has found a Nebraska man guilty of first-degree murder and other counts in the stabbing death of his fiancé nearly two years ago in their home as her two young children slept upstairs. 

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that 27-year-old Kolton Barnes, of Malmo, was convicted Wednesday of first-degree murder in the July 15, 2020, death of 27-year-old Kayla Matulka at their Saunders County home.

 Investigators say Barnes kicked in the home's locked door and beat Matulka before stabbing her more than two dozen times. 

Police say he also stabbed the family dog to death and left Matulka's body for her two young children to find.

By Associated PressWAHOO, Neb. (AP) — A jury has found a Nebraska man guilty of first-degree murder and other counts in the stabbing death of his fiancé nearly two years ago in their home as her two young children slept upstairs. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that 27-year-old Kolton Barnes, of Malmo, was convicted Wednesday of first-degree murder in the July 15, 2020, death of 27-year-old Kayla Matulka at their Saunders County home. Investigators say Barnes kicked in the home's locked door and beat Matulka before stabbing her more than two dozen times. Police say he also stabbed the family dog to death and left Matulka's body for her two young children to find.

Nebraska man guilty of stabbing fiancé to death in her home

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/03/hilgers-to-seek-special-session-of-nebraska-legislature-if-roe-v-wade-is-struck-down/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN
 — The speaker of the Nebraska Legislature said Tuesday that he will 
work with Gov. Pete Ricketts to quickly call a special session if, as is
 expected, the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the landmark abortion 
rights ruling, Roe v. Wade.

State
 Sen. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln spoke Tuesday, a day after a draft Supreme
 Court opinion was leaked indicating the court will overturn Roe v. 
Wade.

Hilgers
 had prioritized the “trigger” bill debated by state lawmakers last 
month that would have immediately banned abortion in Nebraska upon a 
ruling by the court.&nbsp;

But Legislative Bill 933 was blocked by a filibuster, and the proposal died at the end of the 2022 session in April.

On
 Tuesday, when Hilgers was asked if a special session was in the offing 
given the leaked court opinion, the senator said it would be.

&nbsp;“If
 the court overturns Roe and Casey, and Nebraska reclaims its 
constitutional ability to prohibit abortion, I will work with the 
governor to schedule a special session to protect the unborn,” he said.

Hilgers,
 a Republican who is seeking election for the post of Nebraska attorney 
general, said he had made LB 933 his personal priority bill to avoid a 
special session.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The
 senator added that, as a former law clerk for a federal judge, the 
unauthorized leak of the opinion was “both unfathomable and 
unconscionable.”

Omaha Sen. Megan Hunt, who led the 
filibuster against LB 933, promised to make a special session, if 
called, “the most painful and excruciating political experience my 
colleagues have ever had.”

“Banning abortion care won’t end abortion, 
it will just make it unsafe for people who need this care,” Hunt said. 
It will also “criminalize” the patients and doctors trying to make the 
best decisions for their health and families, she said.

The ACLU of Nebraska
 issued a statement Tuesday saying it will continue to fight for 
reproductive freedom. The organization also called on advocates to rally
 at the Omaha City Hall and on the steps of the State Capitol in Lincoln at 5 p.m. CDT.

“We
 believe that everyone should be able to make the personal health care 
decisions that are best for themselves, their health, and their 
futures,” the ACLU of Nebraska stated, adding that 55% of Nebraskans, 
according to the organization’s polling, oppose abortion bans.

The Nebraska Democratic Party also issued a 
statement, signed by Democratic parties in all 50 states, Washington, 
D.C., Guam and Democrats Abroad, stating they will work “tirelessly to 
recruit, train, and support Democratic candidates for state and federal 
office who will fight for the right to abortion.”

“We encourage our federal legislators to codify Roe immediately. We cannot and will not wait,” the statement said.

A special session of the State Legislature 
can either be called by the governor, or by the call of two-thirds of 
the 49-member Unicameral.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651682960285.png" alt=" State Sen. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption> State Sen. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/03/hilgers-to-seek-special-session-of-nebraska-legislature-if-roe-v-wade-is-struck-down/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN
 — The speaker of the Nebraska Legislature said Tuesday that he will 
work with Gov. Pete Ricketts to quickly call a special session if, as is
 expected, the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the landmark abortion 
rights ruling, Roe v. Wade.State
 Sen. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln spoke Tuesday, a day after a draft Supreme
 Court opinion was leaked indicating the court will overturn Roe v. 
Wade.Hilgers
 had prioritized the “trigger” bill debated by state lawmakers last 
month that would have immediately banned abortion in Nebraska upon a 
ruling by the court.&nbsp;But Legislative Bill 933 was blocked by a filibuster, and the proposal died at the end of the 2022 session in April.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651683018187.jpeg" alt="State Sen. Jen Day of Gretna spoke at a rally of opponents of a ‘trigger’ abortion bill in April. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Jen Day of Gretna spoke at a rally of opponents of a ‘trigger’ abortion bill in April. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>On
 Tuesday, when Hilgers was asked if a special session was in the offing 
given the leaked court opinion, the senator said it would be.&nbsp;“If
 the court overturns Roe and Casey, and Nebraska reclaims its 
constitutional ability to prohibit abortion, I will work with the 
governor to schedule a special session to protect the unborn,” he said.Hilgers,
 a Republican who is seeking election for the post of Nebraska attorney 
general, said he had made LB 933 his personal priority bill to avoid a 
special session.&nbsp;&nbsp;The
 senator added that, as a former law clerk for a federal judge, the 
unauthorized leak of the opinion was “both unfathomable and 
unconscionable.”Omaha Sen. Megan Hunt, who led the 
filibuster against LB 933, promised to make a special session, if 
called, “the most painful and excruciating political experience my 
colleagues have ever had.”“Banning abortion care won’t end abortion, 
it will just make it unsafe for people who need this care,” Hunt said. 
It will also “criminalize” the patients and doctors trying to make the 
best decisions for their health and families, she said.The ACLU of Nebraska
 issued a statement Tuesday saying it will continue to fight for 
reproductive freedom. The organization also called on advocates to rally
 at the Omaha City Hall and on the steps of the State Capitol in Lincoln at 5 p.m. CDT.“We
 believe that everyone should be able to make the personal health care 
decisions that are best for themselves, their health, and their 
futures,” the ACLU of Nebraska stated, adding that 55% of Nebraskans, 
according to the organization’s polling, oppose abortion bans.The Nebraska Democratic Party also issued a 
statement, signed by Democratic parties in all 50 states, Washington, 
D.C., Guam and Democrats Abroad, stating they will work “tirelessly to 
recruit, train, and support Democratic candidates for state and federal 
office who will fight for the right to abortion.”“We encourage our federal legislators to codify Roe immediately. We cannot and will not wait,” the statement said.A special session of the State Legislature 
can either be called by the governor, or by the call of two-thirds of 
the 49-member Unicameral.

Neb. speaker to seek special session if Roe v. Wade is struck down

NEW YORK (AP) — The company behind the TurboTax tax-filing program will pay $141 million to customers across the United States who were deceived by misleading promises of free tax-filing services,&nbsp;New York's attorney general announced Wednesday.

Under the terms of a settlement signed by the attorneys general of all 50 states, Mountain View,&nbsp;California-based Intuit Inc. will suspend TurboTax’s “free, free, free” ad campaign and pay restitution to nearly 4.4 million taxpayers, New York Attorney General Letitia James said.

James said her investigation into Intuit was sparked by a 2019 ProPublica report that found the company was using deceptive tactics to steer low-income tax filers away from the federally supported free services for which they qualified — and toward its own commercial products, instead.

"For years, Intuit misled the most vulnerable among us to make a profit. Today, every state in the nation is holding Intuit accountable for scamming millions of taxpayers, and we’re putting millions of dollars back into the pockets of impacted Americans," James said in a statement. "This agreement should serve as a reminder to companies large and small that engaging in these deceptive marketing ploys is illegal."

“As part of the agreement, Intuit admitted no wrongdoing, agreed to pay $141 million to put this matter behind it, and made certain commitments regarding its advertising practices," representatives for Intuit said in a blog post Wednesday. “Intuit already adheres to most of these advertising practices and expects minimal impact to its business from implementing the remaining changes going forward."

Until last year, Intuit offered two free versions of TurboTax. One was through its participation in the Internal Revenue Service's Free File Program, geared toward taxpayers earning roughly $34,000 and members of the military. Intuit withdrew from the program in July 2021, saying in a blog post that the company could provide more benefits without the program's limitations.

The company also offers a commercial product called “TurboTax Free Edition” that is only for taxpayers with “simple returns,” as defined by Intuit.

According to documents obtained by ProPublica, Intuit executives knew they were deceiving customers by advertising free services that were not in fact free to everyone.

“The website lists Free, Free, Free and the customers are assuming their return will be free,” an internal company PowerPoint presentation said. “Customers are getting upset.”

Under the agreement, Intuit will provide restitution to consumers who started using the commercial TurboTax Free Edition for tax years 2016 through 2018 and were told that they had to pay to file even though they were eligible for the version of TurboTax offered as part of the IRS Free File program.

Consumers are expected to receive a direct payment of approximately $30 for each year that they were deceived into paying for filing services, James said. They will automatically receive notices and checks by mail.

“We empower our customers to take control of their financial lives, which includes being in charge of their own tax preparation,” an Intuit spokesperson told ProPublica in a statement in 2019.

The spokesperson added that a “government-run pre-filled tax preparation system that makes the tax collector (who is also the investigator, auditor and enforcer) the tax preparer is fraught with conflicts of interest.”

NEW YORK (AP) — The company behind the TurboTax tax-filing program will pay $141 million to customers across the United States who were deceived by misleading promises of free tax-filing services,&nbsp;New York's attorney general announced Wednesday.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fnewyorkstateag%2Fposts%2F553779282780859&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="228" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>Under the terms of a settlement signed by the attorneys general of all 50 states, Mountain View,&nbsp;California-based Intuit Inc. will suspend TurboTax’s “free, free, free” ad campaign and pay restitution to nearly 4.4 million taxpayers, New York Attorney General Letitia James said.James said her investigation into Intuit was sparked by a 2019 ProPublica report that found the company was using deceptive tactics to steer low-income tax filers away from the federally supported free services for which they qualified — and toward its own commercial products, instead."For years, Intuit misled the most vulnerable among us to make a profit. Today, every state in the nation is holding Intuit accountable for scamming millions of taxpayers, and we’re putting millions of dollars back into the pockets of impacted Americans," James said in a statement. "This agreement should serve as a reminder to companies large and small that engaging in these deceptive marketing ploys is illegal."“As part of the agreement, Intuit admitted no wrongdoing, agreed to pay $141 million to put this matter behind it, and made certain commitments regarding its advertising practices," representatives for Intuit said in a blog post Wednesday. “Intuit already adheres to most of these advertising practices and expects minimal impact to its business from implementing the remaining changes going forward."Until last year, Intuit offered two free versions of TurboTax. One was through its participation in the Internal Revenue Service's Free File Program, geared toward taxpayers earning roughly $34,000 and members of the military. Intuit withdrew from the program in July 2021, saying in a blog post that the company could provide more benefits without the program's limitations.The company also offers a commercial product called “TurboTax Free Edition” that is only for taxpayers with “simple returns,” as defined by Intuit.According to documents obtained by ProPublica, Intuit executives knew they were deceiving customers by advertising free services that were not in fact free to everyone.“The website lists Free, Free, Free and the customers are assuming their return will be free,” an internal company PowerPoint presentation said. “Customers are getting upset.”Under the agreement, Intuit will provide restitution to consumers who started using the commercial TurboTax Free Edition for tax years 2016 through 2018 and were told that they had to pay to file even though they were eligible for the version of TurboTax offered as part of the IRS Free File program.Consumers are expected to receive a direct payment of approximately $30 for each year that they were deceived into paying for filing services, James said. They will automatically receive notices and checks by mail.“We empower our customers to take control of their financial lives, which includes being in charge of their own tax preparation,” an Intuit spokesperson told ProPublica in a statement in 2019.The spokesperson added that a “government-run pre-filled tax preparation system that makes the tax collector (who is also the investigator, auditor and enforcer) the tax preparer is fraught with conflicts of interest.”

Intuit to pay $141M settlement over 'free' TurboTax ads

TOPEKA, KAN. – A Nebraska man pleaded guilty to one count of use of a firearm during a crime of violence, according to the United State's Attorney.

According to court documents, in February 2021, Cody Deichen, 26, of Hastings, Nebraska, admitted to aiding and abetting in the brandishing and use of a home built .223 caliber AR-15 style rifle during a bank robbery at Guaranty State Bank on South Main Street in Burr Oak, Kansas.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 27.

The FBI and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651663866778.png" alt="Deichen-photo Hall Co." />
 <figcaption>Deichen-photo Hall Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, KAN. – A Nebraska man pleaded guilty to one count of use of a firearm during a crime of violence, according to the United State's Attorney.According to court documents, in February 2021, Cody Deichen, 26, of Hastings, Nebraska, admitted to aiding and abetting in the brandishing and use of a home built .223 caliber AR-15 style rifle during a bank robbery at Guaranty State Bank on South Main Street in Burr Oak, Kansas.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612977424382.png" alt="Guaranty State Bank in Burr Oak -google image" />
 <figcaption>Guaranty State Bank in Burr Oak -google image</figcaption>
 </figure>A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 27.The FBI and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case

Nebraska man used home built AR-15 style rifle in Kan. bank robbery

WASHINGTON (AP) —The bombshell leak of a draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court is poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade case legalizing abortion nationwide has set the country on course for an even more polarized and fluctuating landscape of abortion rights.

Almost immediately, Republicans who had fostered a decades-long push to end abortion rights cheered&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-roe-v-wade-33c08858dc8b0aa5f0450858b51a648a">Roe’s potential fall.&nbsp;</a>Democrats vowed to fight the possible loss of a constitutional right that has been in place for nearly a half-century.

The Supreme Court confirmed the leaked draft, first published by Politico, was an authentic document but said Tuesday “it does not represent a decision by the court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.”

Though the draft opinion could change, Democrats and Republicans across the states pledged action&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/roe-wade-supreme-court-f6b899076faba20517b9ac1e82438c16">amid warnings such a ruling could also put other rights at risk</a>&nbsp;—battles that could likewise play out in the states.

In California, Democrats who wield control of the state Legislature and the governor’s office issued a joint statement late Monday announcing they would seek to amend the state’s constitution to enshrine abortion rights.

“California will not stand idly by as women across America are stripped of their rights and the progress so many have fought for gets erased,” California Democrats said. “We know we can’t trust the Supreme Court to protect reproductive rights, so California will build a firewall around this right in our state constitution. Women will remain protected here.”

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, said on Twitter she plans to immediately call a special legislative session “to save lives” if Roe is overturned. The state already has a so-called trigger law that would make abortion illegal if that happens and Noem’s office declined to say why a special session would be necessary. Her spokesman, Ian Fury, said the tweet, “speaks for itself.”

In Georgia, which is among several dozen states electing governors this year, candidates on both sides of the aisle proclaimed they would prioritize the issue if elected to the state’s top office.

Republican gubernatorial candidate David Perdue said he’d call state lawmakers into a special session to outlaw all abortions, while Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams said she would defend the right to abortion if she wins.

About half of U.S. states are expected to ban abortion if Roe falls, according to the abortion-rights think tank Guttmacher Institute. Twenty-two states, largely in the South and Midwest, already have total or near-total bans on the books. Aside from Texas, all are now blocked because of Roe.

States&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-donald-trump-us-supreme-court-health-religion-a9baf97e858cf27f2d143c4fd3ea1d86">have already been preparing for the protentional of the ruling being weakened or overturned</a>, and Republican-led states&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-abortion-health-covid-19-pandemic-medication-31791ed14247c4c8ad35ef078982078e">have also been working to restrict access to medication abortion</a>, which would allow women to get abortions without the burden of traveling to clinics that may be few and far between.

In addition to South Dakota, 12 other states have trigger laws that would immediately ban abortion if Roe is overturned.

One is Oklahoma, where Republican House Speaker Charles McCall declared Tuesday that “decades of steadfast prayer and unwavering legislative efforts to protect the lives of the unborn are finally on the doorsteps of success.”

“For close to 50 years, the silent cries of the millions who lost their lives before even having a chance to live have been heard through the voices of those of us fighting for their rights,” McCall said. “The pro-life movement won, securing those yet unborn the future and promise that comes with being born in the United States of America.”

A few states still have pre-Roe bans on the books, including Michigan, where Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has sued to remove it and pledged on Twitter Monday to “fight like hell to make sure abortion remains safe, legal, and accessible.”

The Kansas Supreme Court in 2019 declared that the state constitution protects abortion rights, but Republican lawmakers placed on the August primary ballot an initiative to overturn it.

In New Hampshire, Gov. Chris Sununu was a rare Republican governor who said he supports abortion rights and was committed to upholding Roe v. Wade. “So long as I am governor, these health care services for women will remain safe and legal,” Sununu said.

However, last year Sununu signed into law restrictions on abortion when he approved a measure banning abortion after 24 weeks of gestation, with exceptions only for pregnancies that threaten the mother’s life or health.

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

At least eight GOP-led states have already passed new restrictions this year, expecting change from the conservative majority on the high court. Arizona and Florida banned the procedure after 15 weeks, without exceptions for rape or incest. Others,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-reproductive-rights-oklahoma-2810e6accef0fa3c6fdb0e53fed90664">like Oklahoma, went further</a>&nbsp;and made it a felony as of this summer to perform an abortion, with an exception only for the life of the mother.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-business-texas-idaho-87992ce80b3c9e55100444e34bdcb173">Idaho&nbsp;</a>followed Texas and allowed people to sue over abortions — including potential family members of the embryo.

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia, meanwhile, have protected access to abortion in state law, and several states moved to expand or strengthen those protections this year.

States like Washington and Connecticut, for example, have protected abortion providers in their states from lawsuits.

The Democratic leaders in Connecticut’s statehouse,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-lifestyle-religion-connecticut-268fa7ed40d190a0709e3d2be8e960f5">which over the weekend sent legislation&nbsp;</a>to that state’s governor that would protect abortion providers, said in a joint statement Monday night they had feared a proposed decision like the one in the draft opinion and “now this nightmare appears to be all too real.”

“America is likely headed down a dark path where individual states will adopt conflicting statutes leading to additional divisions in an already divided nation,” Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff said.

Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said her state would “welcome with open arms” those who need access to abortion.

In Hawaii, state Sen. Roz Baker, a Democrat, questioned what more the ruling, if issued by the court, could bring.

“Are they going to go back and go after the LGBTQ community next?” she said. “Are they going to go after immigrants? Are they going to go after any of the vulnerable populations?”

In some cases, abortion laws may divide states as well.

GOP-led Tennessee also has a trigger law banning abortion if Roe is overturned, but Nashville’s district attorney on Monday tweeted that he would not prosecute any doctor who performed an abortion.

WASHINGTON (AP) —The bombshell leak of a draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court is poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade case legalizing abortion nationwide has set the country on course for an even more polarized and fluctuating landscape of abortion rights.Almost immediately, Republicans who had fostered a decades-long push to end abortion rights cheered&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-roe-v-wade-33c08858dc8b0aa5f0450858b51a648a">Roe’s potential fall.&nbsp;</a>Democrats vowed to fight the possible loss of a constitutional right that has been in place for nearly a half-century.The Supreme Court confirmed the leaked draft, first published by Politico, was an authentic document but said Tuesday “it does not represent a decision by the court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.”Though the draft opinion could change, Democrats and Republicans across the states pledged action&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/roe-wade-supreme-court-f6b899076faba20517b9ac1e82438c16">amid warnings such a ruling could also put other rights at risk</a>&nbsp;—battles that could likewise play out in the states.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651593865137.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>In California, Democrats who wield control of the state Legislature and the governor’s office issued a joint statement late Monday announcing they would seek to amend the state’s constitution to enshrine abortion rights.“California will not stand idly by as women across America are stripped of their rights and the progress so many have fought for gets erased,” California Democrats said. “We know we can’t trust the Supreme Court to protect reproductive rights, so California will build a firewall around this right in our state constitution. Women will remain protected here.”South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, said on Twitter she plans to immediately call a special legislative session “to save lives” if Roe is overturned. The state already has a so-called trigger law that would make abortion illegal if that happens and Noem’s office declined to say why a special session would be necessary. Her spokesman, Ian Fury, said the tweet, “speaks for itself.”In Georgia, which is among several dozen states electing governors this year, candidates on both sides of the aisle proclaimed they would prioritize the issue if elected to the state’s top office.Republican gubernatorial candidate David Perdue said he’d call state lawmakers into a special session to outlaw all abortions, while Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams said she would defend the right to abortion if she wins.About half of U.S. states are expected to ban abortion if Roe falls, according to the abortion-rights think tank Guttmacher Institute. Twenty-two states, largely in the South and Midwest, already have total or near-total bans on the books. Aside from Texas, all are now blocked because of Roe.States&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-donald-trump-us-supreme-court-health-religion-a9baf97e858cf27f2d143c4fd3ea1d86">have already been preparing for the protentional of the ruling being weakened or overturned</a>, and Republican-led states&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-abortion-health-covid-19-pandemic-medication-31791ed14247c4c8ad35ef078982078e">have also been working to restrict access to medication abortion</a>, which would allow women to get abortions without the burden of traveling to clinics that may be few and far between.In addition to South Dakota, 12 other states have trigger laws that would immediately ban abortion if Roe is overturned.One is Oklahoma, where Republican House Speaker Charles McCall declared Tuesday that “decades of steadfast prayer and unwavering legislative efforts to protect the lives of the unborn are finally on the doorsteps of success.”“For close to 50 years, the silent cries of the millions who lost their lives before even having a chance to live have been heard through the voices of those of us fighting for their rights,” McCall said. “The pro-life movement won, securing those yet unborn the future and promise that comes with being born in the United States of America.”A few states still have pre-Roe bans on the books, including Michigan, where Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has sued to remove it and pledged on Twitter Monday to “fight like hell to make sure abortion remains safe, legal, and accessible.”The Kansas Supreme Court in 2019 declared that the state constitution protects abortion rights, but Republican lawmakers placed on the August primary ballot an initiative to overturn it.In New Hampshire, Gov. Chris Sununu was a rare Republican governor who said he supports abortion rights and was committed to upholding Roe v. Wade. “So long as I am governor, these health care services for women will remain safe and legal,” Sununu said.However, last year Sununu signed into law restrictions on abortion when he approved a measure banning abortion after 24 weeks of gestation, with exceptions only for pregnancies that threaten the mother’s life or health.Polling shows relatively few Americans want to see Roe overturned. In 2020, AP VoteCast found that 69% of voters in the presidential election said the Supreme Court should leave the Roe v. Wade decision as is; just 29% said the court should overturn the decision. In general, AP-NORC polling finds a majority of the public favors abortion being legal in most or all cases.At least eight GOP-led states have already passed new restrictions this year, expecting change from the conservative majority on the high court. Arizona and Florida banned the procedure after 15 weeks, without exceptions for rape or incest. Others,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-reproductive-rights-oklahoma-2810e6accef0fa3c6fdb0e53fed90664">like Oklahoma, went further</a>&nbsp;and made it a felony as of this summer to perform an abortion, with an exception only for the life of the mother.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-business-texas-idaho-87992ce80b3c9e55100444e34bdcb173">Idaho&nbsp;</a>followed Texas and allowed people to sue over abortions — including potential family members of the embryo.Sixteen states and the District of Columbia, meanwhile, have protected access to abortion in state law, and several states moved to expand or strengthen those protections this year.States like Washington and Connecticut, for example, have protected abortion providers in their states from lawsuits.The Democratic leaders in Connecticut’s statehouse,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-lifestyle-religion-connecticut-268fa7ed40d190a0709e3d2be8e960f5">which over the weekend sent legislation&nbsp;</a>to that state’s governor that would protect abortion providers, said in a joint statement Monday night they had feared a proposed decision like the one in the draft opinion and “now this nightmare appears to be all too real.”“America is likely headed down a dark path where individual states will adopt conflicting statutes leading to additional divisions in an already divided nation,” Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff said.Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said her state would “welcome with open arms” those who need access to abortion.In Hawaii, state Sen. Roz Baker, a Democrat, questioned what more the ruling, if issued by the court, could bring.“Are they going to go back and go after the LGBTQ community next?” she said. “Are they going to go after immigrants? Are they going to go after any of the vulnerable populations?”In some cases, abortion laws may divide states as well.GOP-led Tennessee also has a trigger law banning abortion if Roe is overturned, but Nashville’s district attorney on Monday tweeted that he would not prosecute any doctor who performed an abortion.

Possible overturning of Roe sends abortion fight to states

WASHINGTON
 — The Internal Revenue Service today urged business taxpayers to begin 
planning now to take advantage of the enhanced 100% deduction for 
business meals and other tax benefits available to them when they file 
their 2022 federal income tax return.

During <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/small-business-week">National Small Business Week</a>,
 May 1 to 7, the IRS is highlighting tax benefits and resources tied to 
the theme for this year's celebration: "Building a Better America 
through Entrepreneurship." With next year's filing deadline nearly a 
year away, any entrepreneur still has time to identify possible tax 
benefits, take action to qualify for them and then claim them when they 
file in 2023.

For 2021 and 2022 only, businesses can generally deduct the full cost
 of business-related food and beverages purchased from a restaurant. 
Otherwise, the limit is usually 50% of the cost of the meal.

To qualify for the higher limit, the business owner or an employee of
 the business must be present when food or beverages are provided. 
Moreover, the expense cannot be lavish or extravagant. Restaurants 
include businesses that prepare and sell food or beverages to retail 
customers for immediate on-premises or off-premises consumption.

For this purpose, grocery stores, convenience stores and other 
businesses that primarily sell pre-packaged goods not for immediate 
consumption, do not qualify as restaurants. Additionally, an employer 
may not treat certain employer-operated eating facilities as 
restaurants, even if they are operated under contract by a third party.

For more information about this provision, as well as details on the 
special recordkeeping rules that apply to business meals, see IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-463">Publication 463, Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses</a>.

With a growing number of business owners now working from home, many 
may qualify for the home office deduction, also known as the deduction 
for business use of a home.

Usually, a business owner must use a room or other identifiable 
portion of the home exclusively for business on a regular basis. 
Exceptions to the exclusive-use standard apply to home-based daycare 
facilities and to portions of the home used for business storage, where 
the home is the only fixed location for that business.

Those eligible can figure the deduction using either the regular method or the simplified method.

To choose the regular method, fill out and attach <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-8829">Form 8829, Expenses for Business Use of Your Home</a>.
 In general, this form divides the expenses of operating the home 
between personal and business use. Direct business expenses are fully 
deductible. On the other hand, the business portion of indirect 
expenses, such as real estate taxes, mortgage interest, rent, casualty 
losses, utilities, insurance, depreciation, maintenance and repairs, is 
figured on this form, based on the percentage of the home used for 
business.

Alternatively, instead of filling out the 44-line Form 8829, business
 owners can choose the simplified method, based on a 6-line worksheet 
found in the instructions to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-schedule-c-form-1040">Schedule C</a>,
 the tax form for sole proprietors. This method has a prescribed rate of
 $5 a square foot for business use of the home. The maximum deduction is
 $1,500, based on business use of at least 300 square feet.

Though homeowners choosing the simplified option cannot depreciate 
the portion of their home used for business, they can still claim 
allowable home mortgage interest, real estate taxes and casualty losses 
as itemized deductions on <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-schedule-a-form-1040">Schedule A</a>.
 These deductions need not be allocated between personal and business 
use, as is required under the regular method. Business expenses 
unrelated to the home, such as advertising, supplies and wages paid to 
employees, are still fully deductible.

Under both the regular and simplified methods, business expenses in 
excess of the gross income limitation are not deductible. For more 
information about this limit along with other details on the home office
 deduction and both methods for figuring it, see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-587">Publication 587, Business Use of Your Home</a>.

From business start-up expenses to the qualified business income 
deduction to the health-insurance deduction for self-employed 
individuals, there are a variety of other tax benefits that are often 
available to entrepreneurs and other business owners.

For details on these and other tax benefits, see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-535">Publication 535, Business Expenses</a>. Details on another major expense for most businesses, depreciation of buildings, equipment and other assets, can be found in <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-946">Publication 946, How to Depreciate Property</a>. Yet another worthwhile resource for any small business is the agency's Tax Guide for Small Business, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-334">Publication 334</a>. All these publications are available on IRS.gov.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON
 — The Internal Revenue Service today urged business taxpayers to begin 
planning now to take advantage of the enhanced 100% deduction for 
business meals and other tax benefits available to them when they file 
their 2022 federal income tax return.During <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/small-business-week">National Small Business Week</a>,
 May 1 to 7, the IRS is highlighting tax benefits and resources tied to 
the theme for this year's celebration: "Building a Better America 
through Entrepreneurship." With next year's filing deadline nearly a 
year away, any entrepreneur still has time to identify possible tax 
benefits, take action to qualify for them and then claim them when they 
file in 2023.<h2>Enhanced business meal deduction</h2>For 2021 and 2022 only, businesses can generally deduct the full cost
 of business-related food and beverages purchased from a restaurant. 
Otherwise, the limit is usually 50% of the cost of the meal.To qualify for the higher limit, the business owner or an employee of
 the business must be present when food or beverages are provided. 
Moreover, the expense cannot be lavish or extravagant. Restaurants 
include businesses that prepare and sell food or beverages to retail 
customers for immediate on-premises or off-premises consumption.For this purpose, grocery stores, convenience stores and other 
businesses that primarily sell pre-packaged goods not for immediate 
consumption, do not qualify as restaurants. Additionally, an employer 
may not treat certain employer-operated eating facilities as 
restaurants, even if they are operated under contract by a third party.For more information about this provision, as well as details on the 
special recordkeeping rules that apply to business meals, see IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-463">Publication 463, Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses</a>.<h2>Home office deduction</h2>With a growing number of business owners now working from home, many 
may qualify for the home office deduction, also known as the deduction 
for business use of a home.Usually, a business owner must use a room or other identifiable 
portion of the home exclusively for business on a regular basis. 
Exceptions to the exclusive-use standard apply to home-based daycare 
facilities and to portions of the home used for business storage, where 
the home is the only fixed location for that business.Those eligible can figure the deduction using either the regular method or the simplified method.To choose the regular method, fill out and attach <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-8829">Form 8829, Expenses for Business Use of Your Home</a>.
 In general, this form divides the expenses of operating the home 
between personal and business use. Direct business expenses are fully 
deductible. On the other hand, the business portion of indirect 
expenses, such as real estate taxes, mortgage interest, rent, casualty 
losses, utilities, insurance, depreciation, maintenance and repairs, is 
figured on this form, based on the percentage of the home used for 
business.Alternatively, instead of filling out the 44-line Form 8829, business
 owners can choose the simplified method, based on a 6-line worksheet 
found in the instructions to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-schedule-c-form-1040">Schedule C</a>,
 the tax form for sole proprietors. This method has a prescribed rate of
 $5 a square foot for business use of the home. The maximum deduction is
 $1,500, based on business use of at least 300 square feet.Though homeowners choosing the simplified option cannot depreciate 
the portion of their home used for business, they can still claim 
allowable home mortgage interest, real estate taxes and casualty losses 
as itemized deductions on <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-schedule-a-form-1040">Schedule A</a>.
 These deductions need not be allocated between personal and business 
use, as is required under the regular method. Business expenses 
unrelated to the home, such as advertising, supplies and wages paid to 
employees, are still fully deductible.Under both the regular and simplified methods, business expenses in 
excess of the gross income limitation are not deductible. For more 
information about this limit along with other details on the home office
 deduction and both methods for figuring it, see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-587">Publication 587, Business Use of Your Home</a>.<h2>Other tax benefits</h2>From business start-up expenses to the qualified business income 
deduction to the health-insurance deduction for self-employed 
individuals, there are a variety of other tax benefits that are often 
available to entrepreneurs and other business owners.For details on these and other tax benefits, see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-535">Publication 535, Business Expenses</a>. Details on another major expense for most businesses, depreciation of buildings, equipment and other assets, can be found in <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-946">Publication 946, How to Depreciate Property</a>. Yet another worthwhile resource for any small business is the agency's Tax Guide for Small Business, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-334">Publication 334</a>. All these publications are available on IRS.gov.

Business meal, home office tax deductions changing for 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

CDC restates recommendation for masks on planes, trains

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kansas felon jailed for alleged DUI, meth possession

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Native Americans want ‘meaningful engagement’ before project moves ahead

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Officials with the Diocese could not be reached Monday evening.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Protest camp rises at proposed site of Lincoln housing development

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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