WASHINGTON (AP) —As Native Americans cautiously welcome&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-europe-religion-vatican-city-08a842346f2dd0ca645571d879d3124a">Pope Francis’ historic apology&nbsp;</a>for abuses at Catholic-run boarding schools for Indigenous children in Canada, U.S. churches are bracing for an unprecedented reckoning with their own legacies of operating such schools.

Church schools are likely to feature prominently in a report from the U.S. Department of the Interior, led by the first-ever Native American cabinet secretary, Deb Haaland,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/environment-education-native-americans-59d3add24caa315551b9749eeeb3a65b">due to be released later this month.</a>&nbsp;The report, prompted by last year’s discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves at former residential school sites in Canada, will focus on the loss of life and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-denver-e5cdf892b4a2b1081aa425f9d78eb4e4">enduring traumas the U.S. system inflicted on&nbsp;</a>Indigenous children from the 19th to mid-20th centuries.

From Episcopalians to Quakers to Catholic dioceses in Oklahoma, faith groups have either started or intensified efforts in the past year to research and atone for their prior roles in the boarding school system, which Native children were forced to attend — cutting them off from their families, tribes and traditions.

While the pontiff’s April 1 apology was addressed to Indigenous groups from Canada, people were listening south of the border.

“An apology is the best way to start any conversation,” said Roy Callison, a Catholic deacon and Cherokee Nation member helping coordinate the Oklahoma Catholic Native Schools Project, which includes listening sessions for those affected by the boarding school legacy. “That’s the first step to trying to get healing.”

In his meeting with Canada’s Indigenous delegations, Francis asked forgiveness “for the role that a number of Catholics ... had in all these things that wounded you, in the abuses you suffered and in the lack of respect shown for your identity, your culture and even your spiritual values.”

Francis “did something really important, which is name the importance of being indignant at this history,” said Maka Black Elk, executive director of truth and healing for Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

That history “is shameful, and it is not something we should accept,” said Black Elk, who is Oglala Lakota.

Red Cloud, affiliated with the Catholic Jesuit order, was for generations a boarding school for Lakota children. It’s now a day school incorporating Lakota leadership, language and traditions. Black Elk is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/canada-religion-education-native-americans-887635deee770f7ac8475813f028e7c6">guiding a reckoning process that includes archival research and hearing the stories of former students.</a>

Canada underwent a much-publicized Truth and Reconciliation process in recent years. The issue gained unprecedented attention last year after a researcher using ground-penetrating radar reported finding about 200 unmarked probable burial sites at a former school in British Columbia.

That discovery, followed by others across Canada, prompted Haaland to commission her department’s report.

“This history in the United States has not been addressed in the same way it has been addressed in Canada,” Black Elk said. The Interior report “will be an important first step about the work that needs to happen in this country.”

Church leaders are getting ready. The report “will likely bring to light some very troubling information,” said a letter circulated last fall to members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops from two colleagues who chaired committees related to the issue. The letter urged bishops to build relationships with local Indigenous communities and engage “in a real and honest dialogue about reactions to the report and what steps are needed to go forward together.”

Conditions varied at boarding schools in the United States, with some described as unsafe, unsanitary and scenes of physical or sexual abuse. Other former students recall their school years as positive times of learning, friendship and extracurricular activities.

Indigenous groups note that even the better schools were part of a project to assimilate children into a predominately white, Christian society and break down their tribal identities, customs and languages — what many Indigenous groups call a cultural genocide.

“The very process of boarding schools is violent and damaging,” said Bryan Rindfleisch, an expert in Native American history at Marquette University who is helping Catholics in Oklahoma research their school legacy.

There were at least 367 boarding schools across the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries, according to the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, a Minneapolis-based advocacy group.

Most were government-run; many others were run by Catholic and Protestant churches.

The national healing coalition called Pope Francis’ comments a historic first step, but urged the Vatican to repatriate Indigenous artifacts in its museum collections and called on religious organizations to open their school archives.

In listening sessions held through the Oklahoma Catholic Native Schools Project, many participants told positive stories of school experiences, Callison said, though the church is committed to documenting the traumatic ones too. “You’re going to hear things you don’t want to hear,” he said.

The project will also include archival research and individual interviews with those affected. At least 11 Catholic boarding schools operated in Oklahoma.

“We need to get to the truth before we can deal with whatever hurt or celebrate whatever success” the schools achieved, Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley said.

Several church groups — including Quakers, Methodists and some Catholic religious orders — are backing pending legislation in Congress that would go beyond the Interior report. It would create a truth and healing commission, modeled on Canada’s, to investigate the boarding school legacy.

The New England Yearly Meeting of Friends — a regional group of congregations — issued an apology last year for Quakers’ historic sponsorship of such schools, acknowledging they were undertaken with “spiritual and cultural arrogance.”

“We are deeply sorry for our part in the vast suffering caused by this system and the continuing effects,” the New England group said.

It’s important for Quakers to accept such responsibility, said Paula Palmer, a Quaker from Colorado whose research has identified about 30 Native American boarding and day schools that were run by Quakers.

“The yearly meetings voted to support, operate and finance” the schools, she said. “So it’s really the yearly meetings who have the responsibility to respond. They were the ones who also participated in the whole project of forced assimilation of Indigenous children.”

The Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States has hired an archival researcher to document its own boarding school history.

The order is “committed to examining and sharing the truth of our history, even where that is difficult,” said the Rev. Ted Penton, secretary of the Jesuit conference’s Office of Justice and Ecology.

The Episcopal Church’s General Convention in July is expected to vote on a statement that would “acknowledge the intergenerational trauma caused by genocide, colonialism” and the operation of boarding schools and “other systems based on white supremacy.”

The convention will also consider authorizing a “comprehensive and complete investigation” of the church’s operation of such schools. The proposals came from a group appointed by denominational leaders.

Such measures are strong, but local dioceses also need to research their own histories and advocate for Indigenous peoples, said the Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Everett, Washington. Taber-Hamilton, whose heritage includes the Shackan First Nation of Canada, is an Episcopal Church representative to the worldwide Anglican Indigenous Network.

“It’s not enough to say, ‘I’m sorry, and here’s some money,’” she said. “We first have to do some very hard work of listening to the pain.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632608030678.png" alt="Agape Ranch Boarding school in missouri-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Agape Ranch Boarding school in missouri-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —As Native Americans cautiously welcome&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-europe-religion-vatican-city-08a842346f2dd0ca645571d879d3124a">Pope Francis’ historic apology&nbsp;</a>for abuses at Catholic-run boarding schools for Indigenous children in Canada, U.S. churches are bracing for an unprecedented reckoning with their own legacies of operating such schools.Church schools are likely to feature prominently in a report from the U.S. Department of the Interior, led by the first-ever Native American cabinet secretary, Deb Haaland,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/environment-education-native-americans-59d3add24caa315551b9749eeeb3a65b">due to be released later this month.</a>&nbsp;The report, prompted by last year’s discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves at former residential school sites in Canada, will focus on the loss of life and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-denver-e5cdf892b4a2b1081aa425f9d78eb4e4">enduring traumas the U.S. system inflicted on&nbsp;</a>Indigenous children from the 19th to mid-20th centuries.From Episcopalians to Quakers to Catholic dioceses in Oklahoma, faith groups have either started or intensified efforts in the past year to research and atone for their prior roles in the boarding school system, which Native children were forced to attend — cutting them off from their families, tribes and traditions.While the pontiff’s April 1 apology was addressed to Indigenous groups from Canada, people were listening south of the border.“An apology is the best way to start any conversation,” said Roy Callison, a Catholic deacon and Cherokee Nation member helping coordinate the Oklahoma Catholic Native Schools Project, which includes listening sessions for those affected by the boarding school legacy. “That’s the first step to trying to get healing.”In his meeting with Canada’s Indigenous delegations, Francis asked forgiveness “for the role that a number of Catholics ... had in all these things that wounded you, in the abuses you suffered and in the lack of respect shown for your identity, your culture and even your spiritual values.”Francis “did something really important, which is name the importance of being indignant at this history,” said Maka Black Elk, executive director of truth and healing for Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.That history “is shameful, and it is not something we should accept,” said Black Elk, who is Oglala Lakota.Red Cloud, affiliated with the Catholic Jesuit order, was for generations a boarding school for Lakota children. It’s now a day school incorporating Lakota leadership, language and traditions. Black Elk is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/canada-religion-education-native-americans-887635deee770f7ac8475813f028e7c6">guiding a reckoning process that includes archival research and hearing the stories of former students.</a>Canada underwent a much-publicized Truth and Reconciliation process in recent years. The issue gained unprecedented attention last year after a researcher using ground-penetrating radar reported finding about 200 unmarked probable burial sites at a former school in British Columbia.That discovery, followed by others across Canada, prompted Haaland to commission her department’s report.“This history in the United States has not been addressed in the same way it has been addressed in Canada,” Black Elk said. The Interior report “will be an important first step about the work that needs to happen in this country.”Church leaders are getting ready. The report “will likely bring to light some very troubling information,” said a letter circulated last fall to members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops from two colleagues who chaired committees related to the issue. The letter urged bishops to build relationships with local Indigenous communities and engage “in a real and honest dialogue about reactions to the report and what steps are needed to go forward together.”Conditions varied at boarding schools in the United States, with some described as unsafe, unsanitary and scenes of physical or sexual abuse. Other former students recall their school years as positive times of learning, friendship and extracurricular activities.Indigenous groups note that even the better schools were part of a project to assimilate children into a predominately white, Christian society and break down their tribal identities, customs and languages — what many Indigenous groups call a cultural genocide.“The very process of boarding schools is violent and damaging,” said Bryan Rindfleisch, an expert in Native American history at Marquette University who is helping Catholics in Oklahoma research their school legacy.There were at least 367 boarding schools across the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries, according to the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, a Minneapolis-based advocacy group.Most were government-run; many others were run by Catholic and Protestant churches.The national healing coalition called Pope Francis’ comments a historic first step, but urged the Vatican to repatriate Indigenous artifacts in its museum collections and called on religious organizations to open their school archives.In listening sessions held through the Oklahoma Catholic Native Schools Project, many participants told positive stories of school experiences, Callison said, though the church is committed to documenting the traumatic ones too. “You’re going to hear things you don’t want to hear,” he said.The project will also include archival research and individual interviews with those affected. At least 11 Catholic boarding schools operated in Oklahoma.“We need to get to the truth before we can deal with whatever hurt or celebrate whatever success” the schools achieved, Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley said.Several church groups — including Quakers, Methodists and some Catholic religious orders — are backing pending legislation in Congress that would go beyond the Interior report. It would create a truth and healing commission, modeled on Canada’s, to investigate the boarding school legacy.The New England Yearly Meeting of Friends — a regional group of congregations — issued an apology last year for Quakers’ historic sponsorship of such schools, acknowledging they were undertaken with “spiritual and cultural arrogance.”“We are deeply sorry for our part in the vast suffering caused by this system and the continuing effects,” the New England group said.It’s important for Quakers to accept such responsibility, said Paula Palmer, a Quaker from Colorado whose research has identified about 30 Native American boarding and day schools that were run by Quakers.“The yearly meetings voted to support, operate and finance” the schools, she said. “So it’s really the yearly meetings who have the responsibility to respond. They were the ones who also participated in the whole project of forced assimilation of Indigenous children.”The Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States has hired an archival researcher to document its own boarding school history.The order is “committed to examining and sharing the truth of our history, even where that is difficult,” said the Rev. Ted Penton, secretary of the Jesuit conference’s Office of Justice and Ecology.The Episcopal Church’s General Convention in July is expected to vote on a statement that would “acknowledge the intergenerational trauma caused by genocide, colonialism” and the operation of boarding schools and “other systems based on white supremacy.”The convention will also consider authorizing a “comprehensive and complete investigation” of the church’s operation of such schools. The proposals came from a group appointed by denominational leaders.Such measures are strong, but local dioceses also need to research their own histories and advocate for Indigenous peoples, said the Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Everett, Washington. Taber-Hamilton, whose heritage includes the Shackan First Nation of Canada, is an Episcopal Church representative to the worldwide Anglican Indigenous Network.“It’s not enough to say, ‘I’m sorry, and here’s some money,’” she said. “We first have to do some very hard work of listening to the pain.”___

First pope, now US churches face boarding-school reckoning

WASHINGTON (AP) — Medicare said Thursday it's considering a cut in enrollee premiums, after officials stuck with an earlier decision to sharply limit coverage for a pricey new Alzheimer's drug projected to drive up program costs.

The agency “is looking at that, and is still going through the process,” spokeswoman Beth Lynk said of a potential reduction in premiums, as Medicare announced its final coverage decision for Aduhelm, a drug whose benefits have been widely questioned in the medical community.

Officials said Medicare will keep coverage restrictions imposed earlier on the $28,000-a-year medication, paying for Aduhelm only when it's used in clinical trials approved by the Food and Drug Administration or the National Institutes of Health.

The projected cost of Aduhelm was a major driver behind a $22 increase in Medicare’s Part B premium this year, boosting it to $170.10 a month. That price hike is already being paid by more than 56 million Medicare recipients signed up for the program’s outpatient coverage benefit.

Thursday’s decision illustrates the impact that a single medication can have on the budgets of individuals and taxpayers. It comes as legislation to authorize Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices remains stuck in the Senate, part of President Joe Biden’s stalled social and climate agenda.

Medicare's decision included an important caveat. Officials said that if Aduhelm, or any other similar drug in its class, were to receive what's called “traditional” FDA approval, then Medicare would open up broader coverage for patients.

Aduhelm received what's known as “accelerated” approval last year because of its potential promise. But manufacturer Biogen is required to conduct a follow-up study to definitively answer whether Aduhelm truly slows the progression of Alzheimer’s. If that study is successful, FDA would grant full approval.

That would also open up Medicare coverage.

Aduhelm hit the market as the first new Alzheimer’s medication in nearly two decades. Initially priced at $56,000 a year, it was expected to quickly become a blockbuster drug, generating billions for Cambridge, Mass.-based Biogen.

But although the company slashed the price in half — to $28,000 a year — Aduhelm's rollout has been disastrous.

Pushback from politicians, physicians and insurers left the company with just $3 million in sales from Aduhelm last year. Doctors have been hesitant to prescribe it, given weak evidence that the drug slows the progression of Alzheimer's. Insurers have blocked or restricted coverage over the drug’s high price tag and uncertain benefit.

The CMS decision means that for Medicare to pay, patients taking Aduhelm medication will have to be part of clinical trials to assess the drug’s safety and effectiveness in slowing the progression of early-stage dementia.

The limits stayed on despite a massive lobbying push by the Alzheimer’s Association to change Medicare’s position, including outreach to members of Congress, online advertising and social media campaigns directed at the agency.

The association, the largest group of its kind, has received contributions from drugmakers, including Biogen.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Medicare said Thursday it's considering a cut in enrollee premiums, after officials stuck with an earlier decision to sharply limit coverage for a pricey new Alzheimer's drug projected to drive up program costs.The agency “is looking at that, and is still going through the process,” spokeswoman Beth Lynk said of a potential reduction in premiums, as Medicare announced its final coverage decision for Aduhelm, a drug whose benefits have been widely questioned in the medical community.Officials said Medicare will keep coverage restrictions imposed earlier on the $28,000-a-year medication, paying for Aduhelm only when it's used in clinical trials approved by the Food and Drug Administration or the National Institutes of Health.The projected cost of Aduhelm was a major driver behind a $22 increase in Medicare’s Part B premium this year, boosting it to $170.10 a month. That price hike is already being paid by more than 56 million Medicare recipients signed up for the program’s outpatient coverage benefit.Thursday’s decision illustrates the impact that a single medication can have on the budgets of individuals and taxpayers. It comes as legislation to authorize Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices remains stuck in the Senate, part of President Joe Biden’s stalled social and climate agenda.Medicare's decision included an important caveat. Officials said that if Aduhelm, or any other similar drug in its class, were to receive what's called “traditional” FDA approval, then Medicare would open up broader coverage for patients.Aduhelm received what's known as “accelerated” approval last year because of its potential promise. But manufacturer Biogen is required to conduct a follow-up study to definitively answer whether Aduhelm truly slows the progression of Alzheimer’s. If that study is successful, FDA would grant full approval.That would also open up Medicare coverage.Aduhelm hit the market as the first new Alzheimer’s medication in nearly two decades. Initially priced at $56,000 a year, it was expected to quickly become a blockbuster drug, generating billions for Cambridge, Mass.-based Biogen.But although the company slashed the price in half — to $28,000 a year — Aduhelm's rollout has been disastrous.Pushback from politicians, physicians and insurers left the company with just $3 million in sales from Aduhelm last year. Doctors have been hesitant to prescribe it, given weak evidence that the drug slows the progression of Alzheimer's. Insurers have blocked or restricted coverage over the drug’s high price tag and uncertain benefit.The CMS decision means that for Medicare to pay, patients taking Aduhelm medication will have to be part of clinical trials to assess the drug’s safety and effectiveness in slowing the progression of early-stage dementia.The limits stayed on despite a massive lobbying push by the Alzheimer’s Association to change Medicare’s position, including outreach to members of Congress, online advertising and social media campaigns directed at the agency.The association, the largest group of its kind, has received contributions from drugmakers, including Biogen.

Medicare weighs premium cut after limiting Alzheimer's drug

By KATIE PEIKES <a href="https://www.kcur.org/2022-04-04/the-midwest-has-lost-57-billion-metric-tons-of-topsoil-over-the-last-160-years-new-study-finds">Harvest Public Media</a>

A few years ago, Isaac Larsen attended a wedding at a pioneer church 
in Minnesota. After the ceremony, he wandered around a cemetery by the 
church.

He noticed the cemetery, which had never been tilled, was 
at least a foot higher than a corn field just on the other side of a 
fence.

“That was one of those ‘lightbulb’ moments that told me 
that a lot of soil had been eroded from that field since the founding of
 the church,” Larsen said.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst geosciences professor and his co-researchers have released a <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2021EF002396" target="_blank">new study</a>
 that found topsoil in the Midwest is eroding at an average rate of 1.9 
millimeters per year. They measured elevation differences between native
 prairie and farm fields at about 20 sites, the majority in central 
Iowa, with some in Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota, Kansas and 
Nebraska.

The researchers estimate the Midwest has lost 57.6 
billion metric tons of topsoil since farmers began tilling 160 years 
ago. This erosion, Larsen said, makes it more difficult and more 
expensive to grow crops.

“We’re going to need to feed more people 
in the future,” he said, “and degraded soils that have lost their 
organic rich horizons just aren’t as productive.”

The solution, Larsen said, is to adopt no-till farming. “It’s not some unsolvable problem.” 

In
 Iowa, never-farmed prairie is one of the rarest ecosystems besides oak 
savanna, said Emily Martin, the conservation programs coordinator for 
the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. The group helped the researchers 
identify prairie sites throughout the state where they could take 
measurements.

Martin said the study’s findings that topsoil is 
eroding at an average rate of 1.9 millimeters per year is “a shocking 
number. But it’s not surprising either.” She said conservation groups 
like the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation need to work with farmers to 
protect land and further integrate conservation with agriculture.

As
 topsoil thins, soil productivity declines. Iowa State University 
agronomy professor Richard Cruse said farmers can lose 50%-70% of their 
yield potential because of the loss of topsoil.

“When you’re 
talking about that, you’re also talking about sustainability or 
resilience, the potential for an area to produce under good times and 
bad,” Cruse said. “The loss of soil reduces that capacity.”

Cruse,
 who said he thought the study was “done pretty well,” added that 
topsoil isn’t gone. Most of the topsoil that moves because of erosion is
 deposited in the same field downslope. But that still affects 
production potential, he said.

“The loss from the hillslope, where
 it is progressively thinning, has a much bigger negative impact on 
production than does the accumulation of that on the soil downslope 
which already has more than adequate topsoil to produce,” he said.

Cruse added a little less than a third of Iowa’s soils are no-tilled, so “it is realistic” to stop tillage, he said.

“By
 and large, we have the technology now to make no-till work or something
 that approximates it, maybe strip till,” Cruse said. “So it's 
realistic. It’s more challenging with some soils than others.”

Some farmers are already no-till. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in August 2021 that <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2017/11/30/saving-money-time-and-soil-economics-no-till-farming" target="_blank">21% of all cultivated cropland acres are continuous no-till</a>.

Austin
 Charlson grows corn and soybeans in Wright County, Iowa. About 75%-85% 
of his acres have been no-till for seven years – primarily because when 
he started farming he had no equipment. He says he’s noticed a 
difference in the soil of his no-till acres.

“I'll take a spade 
out in the field and I'll step in, dig out a section of soil and the 
texture is evolving,” Charlson said. “For one thing, there's more 
earthworm holes, so that promotes water going down and oxygen going down
 to the roots. Earthworms add fertility and they help break up the 
soil.”

Charlson said his soils are “more crumbly” whereas other 
soils he’s seen on a field that’s been tilled and cultivated are more 
granular, “really fine like a powder,” he said.

“Right now we're 
in drought-ish conditions, but no-till is helping to reserve my water 
reserves. It’s helping to retain my subsoil moisture, or the water that 
my crops need to grow,” he said.

But Charlson said he has 
experienced some frustrations with no-till. Depending on the moisture 
conditions, the soil can be hard without tillage, which doesn’t allow 
for a good seedbed, he said.

“It’s been a challenge,” he said. “I’m constantly learning, I’m trying to modify things and make it better.”

The soil erosion study was published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021EF002396" target="_blank">Earth’s Future</a>.

Follow Katie on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/katiepeikes" target="_blank">@katiepeikes&nbsp;</a>

Harvest
 Public Media reports on food systems, agriculture and rural issues 
through a collaborative network of NPR stations throughout the Midwest 
and Plains.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649430822516.png" alt="University of Massachusetts Amherst geosciences professor Isaac Larsen stands on the drop-off separating the native prairie from farmland at Stinson Prairie, Iowa. UMass Amherst" />
 <figcaption>University of Massachusetts Amherst geosciences professor Isaac Larsen stands on the drop-off separating the native prairie from farmland at Stinson Prairie, Iowa. UMass Amherst</figcaption>
 </figure>By KATIE PEIKES <a href="https://www.kcur.org/2022-04-04/the-midwest-has-lost-57-billion-metric-tons-of-topsoil-over-the-last-160-years-new-study-finds">Harvest Public Media</a>A few years ago, Isaac Larsen attended a wedding at a pioneer church 
in Minnesota. After the ceremony, he wandered around a cemetery by the 
church.He noticed the cemetery, which had never been tilled, was 
at least a foot higher than a corn field just on the other side of a 
fence.“That was one of those ‘lightbulb’ moments that told me 
that a lot of soil had been eroded from that field since the founding of
 the church,” Larsen said.The University of Massachusetts Amherst geosciences professor and his co-researchers have released a <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2021EF002396" target="_blank">new study</a>
 that found topsoil in the Midwest is eroding at an average rate of 1.9 
millimeters per year. They measured elevation differences between native
 prairie and farm fields at about 20 sites, the majority in central 
Iowa, with some in Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota, Kansas and 
Nebraska.The researchers estimate the Midwest has lost 57.6 
billion metric tons of topsoil since farmers began tilling 160 years 
ago. This erosion, Larsen said, makes it more difficult and more 
expensive to grow crops.“We’re going to need to feed more people 
in the future,” he said, “and degraded soils that have lost their 
organic rich horizons just aren’t as productive.”The solution, Larsen said, is to adopt no-till farming. “It’s not some unsolvable problem.” In
 Iowa, never-farmed prairie is one of the rarest ecosystems besides oak 
savanna, said Emily Martin, the conservation programs coordinator for 
the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. The group helped the researchers 
identify prairie sites throughout the state where they could take 
measurements.Martin said the study’s findings that topsoil is 
eroding at an average rate of 1.9 millimeters per year is “a shocking 
number. But it’s not surprising either.” She said conservation groups 
like the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation need to work with farmers to 
protect land and further integrate conservation with agriculture.As
 topsoil thins, soil productivity declines. Iowa State University 
agronomy professor Richard Cruse said farmers can lose 50%-70% of their 
yield potential because of the loss of topsoil.“When you’re 
talking about that, you’re also talking about sustainability or 
resilience, the potential for an area to produce under good times and 
bad,” Cruse said. “The loss of soil reduces that capacity.”Cruse,
 who said he thought the study was “done pretty well,” added that 
topsoil isn’t gone. Most of the topsoil that moves because of erosion is
 deposited in the same field downslope. But that still affects 
production potential, he said.“The loss from the hillslope, where
 it is progressively thinning, has a much bigger negative impact on 
production than does the accumulation of that on the soil downslope 
which already has more than adequate topsoil to produce,” he said.Cruse added a little less than a third of Iowa’s soils are no-tilled, so “it is realistic” to stop tillage, he said.“By
 and large, we have the technology now to make no-till work or something
 that approximates it, maybe strip till,” Cruse said. “So it's 
realistic. It’s more challenging with some soils than others.”Some farmers are already no-till. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in August 2021 that <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2017/11/30/saving-money-time-and-soil-economics-no-till-farming" target="_blank">21% of all cultivated cropland acres are continuous no-till</a>.Austin
 Charlson grows corn and soybeans in Wright County, Iowa. About 75%-85% 
of his acres have been no-till for seven years – primarily because when 
he started farming he had no equipment. He says he’s noticed a 
difference in the soil of his no-till acres.“I'll take a spade 
out in the field and I'll step in, dig out a section of soil and the 
texture is evolving,” Charlson said. “For one thing, there's more 
earthworm holes, so that promotes water going down and oxygen going down
 to the roots. Earthworms add fertility and they help break up the 
soil.”Charlson said his soils are “more crumbly” whereas other 
soils he’s seen on a field that’s been tilled and cultivated are more 
granular, “really fine like a powder,” he said.“Right now we're 
in drought-ish conditions, but no-till is helping to reserve my water 
reserves. It’s helping to retain my subsoil moisture, or the water that 
my crops need to grow,” he said.But Charlson said he has 
experienced some frustrations with no-till. Depending on the moisture 
conditions, the soil can be hard without tillage, which doesn’t allow 
for a good seedbed, he said.“It’s been a challenge,” he said. “I’m constantly learning, I’m trying to modify things and make it better.”The soil erosion study was published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021EF002396" target="_blank">Earth’s Future</a>. Follow Katie on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/katiepeikes" target="_blank">@katiepeikes&nbsp;</a>Harvest
 Public Media reports on food systems, agriculture and rural issues 
through a collaborative network of NPR stations throughout the Midwest 
and Plains.

Study: Midwest has lost 57B tons of topsoil in last 160 years

First Neb. micro housing community funded by low-income housing tax credits

By CINDY GONAZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/08/omaha-tiny-house-village-aims-to-be-final-step-out-of-homelessness/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

Nebraska’s
 first modern-day tiny house village — soon to start sprouting in north 
downtown Omaha — is expected to do more than add affordable-rent 
dwellings to the trendy urban core.

The
 50 stand-alone homes, each about 250 square feet, serve a humanitarian 
purpose: They’re to be occupied by former homeless people who have 
thrived in other shelter programs and who are ready to take the next 
step toward independence.

In
 addition, the $8.2 million project provides a training ground for 
students: Seven of the houses are being built by budding construction 
trades workers enrolled at Metropolitan Community College.

“We’re
 just really excited,” said Linda Twomey of the Siena Francis House, 
which will manage and own the residential development. “It’s innovative.
 It’s a huge neighborhood improvement. It’s going to provide a home — a 
place to grill out, to have plants and a dog.”

In
 the planning stages since 2018, “the Cottages” initiative officially 
breaks ground next week at a 2.4-acre former industrial site near 17th 
and Charles Streets.&nbsp;

The
 gated village — with a community center, gardens, common laundry 
facilities and offices for on-site managers — is slated to open in 
2023.&nbsp;

Financing
 comes primarily from the federal low-income housing tax credit program 
administered by the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority and earmarked 
for residents with special needs, such as the homeless population.

NIFA’s
 Shannon Harner said the Cottages is the state’s first tiny house 
community made possible with low-income tax credits. She anticipates 
that the project could pave the path for similar Nebraska ventures in 
the future.

“We’re hoping this is a prototype project,” Harner said.

While
 located only a half-block from the Siena Francis House campus — and 
therefore close to transportation, counseling and other shelter services
 — the Cottages are intended to create an independent lifestyle for 
previously homeless residents.&nbsp;

Twomey,
 executive director of Siena Francis shelters, said about 1,400 people 
on a given day experience homelessness in Omaha and Council Bluffs.

Many
 who will be eligible and chosen to reside in the small houses likely 
will have found success in one of the more support-intensive Siena 
Francis programs and are ready for that next step out of chronic 
homelessness, she said.

An
 on-site case manager will be available to help connect residents to 
community or support services, including job or rental assistance. 
Twomey said residents will be responsible for rent and likely will 
qualify for government subsidies or vouchers where they pay 30% of their
 income for rent.

Each of the tiny houses will include a kitchen, bedroom-living area and covered porch.

Trevor Secora, an instructor at Metro’s Fort Omaha campus who is overseeing the students’ construction of seven of the tiny houses, said the Cottages developer, Arch Icon, provides materials, and the students assemble the shell to be transported to the site after completion.

It’s
 a win-win situation, he said, that offers hands-on and practical 
training for young construction workers, who will be able to drive by 
afterward with family and friends and showcase their work.

“These
 are real-world projects that are going to be delivered back to the 
community,” said Secora, a member of Metro’s Construction and Building 
Science faculty.

He
 said the students are putting in an extra effort, knowing that the 
structures will actually be used instead of torn down after completion, 
as some other practice projects are.&nbsp;

“So their effort and craftsmanship is going to be stepped up a bit,” he said.

Clearing
 the north downtown site for the Cottages also helped clean up Kellom 
Greenbelt Park and some other rough spots, Twomey said.

City
 officials have said the development should provide a boost to the 
geographical pocket and perhaps lure more private investment to the 
area, which is not far from the trendy and growing Millwork Commons 
neighborhood.&nbsp;

Darin
 Smith of developer Arch Icon said his company has done numerous 
affordable and other housing projects, but the Cottages is his team’s 
first to focus on the homeless population.

Other
 partners include the City of Omaha, Midwest Housing Equity Group, Alley
 Poyner Macchietto Architecture and American National Bank.

“It’s
 kind of cool, the way we’ve worked with Metro Community College, Siena 
Francis and other partners to bring it all together,” Smith said. “We 
can’t wait to see the finished project and the benefits to the 
community.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649445069571.png" alt="Metropolitan Community College students are constructing seven of the tiny houses for the Cottages project site. (Courtesy of Arch Icon Development)" />
 <figcaption>Metropolitan Community College students are constructing seven of the tiny houses for the Cottages project site. (Courtesy of Arch Icon Development)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>First Neb. micro housing community funded by low-income housing tax credits</h2>By CINDY GONAZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/08/omaha-tiny-house-village-aims-to-be-final-step-out-of-homelessness/">Nebraska Examiner</a>Nebraska’s
 first modern-day tiny house village — soon to start sprouting in north 
downtown Omaha — is expected to do more than add affordable-rent 
dwellings to the trendy urban core.The
 50 stand-alone homes, each about 250 square feet, serve a humanitarian 
purpose: They’re to be occupied by former homeless people who have 
thrived in other shelter programs and who are ready to take the next 
step toward independence.In
 addition, the $8.2 million project provides a training ground for 
students: Seven of the houses are being built by budding construction 
trades workers enrolled at Metropolitan Community College.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649445144581.jpeg" alt=" 50 tiny rental houses and community center will span about 2.4 acres near 17th and Charles Streets in Omaha. (Courtesy of APMA)" />
 <figcaption> 50 tiny rental houses and community center will span about 2.4 acres near 17th and Charles Streets in Omaha. (Courtesy of APMA)</figcaption>
 </figure>“We’re
 just really excited,” said Linda Twomey of the Siena Francis House, 
which will manage and own the residential development. “It’s innovative.
 It’s a huge neighborhood improvement. It’s going to provide a home — a 
place to grill out, to have plants and a dog.”In
 the planning stages since 2018, “the Cottages” initiative officially 
breaks ground next week at a 2.4-acre former industrial site near 17th 
and Charles Streets.&nbsp;<h2>‘Prototype project’</h2>The
 gated village — with a community center, gardens, common laundry 
facilities and offices for on-site managers — is slated to open in 
2023.&nbsp;Financing
 comes primarily from the federal low-income housing tax credit program 
administered by the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority and earmarked 
for residents with special needs, such as the homeless population.NIFA’s
 Shannon Harner said the Cottages is the state’s first tiny house 
community made possible with low-income tax credits. She anticipates 
that the project could pave the path for similar Nebraska ventures in 
the future.“We’re hoping this is a prototype project,” Harner said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649445178910.jpeg" alt="A rendering of the Cottages affordable housing development. (Courtesy of APMA)" />
 <figcaption>A rendering of the Cottages affordable housing development. (Courtesy of APMA)</figcaption>
 </figure>While
 located only a half-block from the Siena Francis House campus — and 
therefore close to transportation, counseling and other shelter services
 — the Cottages are intended to create an independent lifestyle for 
previously homeless residents.&nbsp;Twomey,
 executive director of Siena Francis shelters, said about 1,400 people 
on a given day experience homelessness in Omaha and Council Bluffs.<h2>Bragging rights for students</h2>Many
 who will be eligible and chosen to reside in the small houses likely 
will have found success in one of the more support-intensive Siena 
Francis programs and are ready for that next step out of chronic 
homelessness, she said.An
 on-site case manager will be available to help connect residents to 
community or support services, including job or rental assistance. 
Twomey said residents will be responsible for rent and likely will 
qualify for government subsidies or vouchers where they pay 30% of their
 income for rent.Each of the tiny houses will include a kitchen, bedroom-living area and covered porch.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649445206661.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Trevor Secora, an instructor at Metro’s Fort Omaha campus who is overseeing the students’ construction of seven of the tiny houses, said the Cottages developer, Arch Icon, provides materials, and the students assemble the shell to be transported to the site after completion.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649445239546.jpeg" alt="Here’s one of the teensy houses Metro Community College students are building for the Cottages. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Here’s one of the teensy houses Metro Community College students are building for the Cottages. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>It’s
 a win-win situation, he said, that offers hands-on and practical 
training for young construction workers, who will be able to drive by 
afterward with family and friends and showcase their work.“These
 are real-world projects that are going to be delivered back to the 
community,” said Secora, a member of Metro’s Construction and Building 
Science faculty.<h2>Students stepping up their game</h2>He
 said the students are putting in an extra effort, knowing that the 
structures will actually be used instead of torn down after completion, 
as some other practice projects are.&nbsp;“So their effort and craftsmanship is going to be stepped up a bit,” he said.Clearing
 the north downtown site for the Cottages also helped clean up Kellom 
Greenbelt Park and some other rough spots, Twomey said.City
 officials have said the development should provide a boost to the 
geographical pocket and perhaps lure more private investment to the 
area, which is not far from the trendy and growing Millwork Commons 
neighborhood.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649445264373.jpeg" alt="The 17th and Charles Streets Cottages site devoted to former homeless people. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>The 17th and Charles Streets Cottages site devoted to former homeless people. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Darin
 Smith of developer Arch Icon said his company has done numerous 
affordable and other housing projects, but the Cottages is his team’s 
first to focus on the homeless population.Other
 partners include the City of Omaha, Midwest Housing Equity Group, Alley
 Poyner Macchietto Architecture and American National Bank.“It’s
 kind of cool, the way we’ve worked with Metro Community College, Siena 
Francis and other partners to bring it all together,” Smith said. “We 
can’t wait to see the finished project and the benefits to the 
community.”

Omaha tiny-house village aims to be final step out of homelessness

WASHINGTON (AP) —The Biden administration on Wednesday announced that federal student loan payments will remain paused through Aug. 31, extending a freeze that began in 2020 but was set to end after this month.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-payment-moratorium-extended-d54907ea99a6745dc9f832435beda751">The action&nbsp;</a>is meant to help millions of borrowers regain financial footing before they’re back on the hook for payments.

The extension gives Americans another four months to get ready for student loan payments to restart. Borrowers won’t be asked to make payments until after Aug. 31, and interest rates will remain at 0% during that time. Under the new action, people who were behind on payments before the pandemic will automatically be put in good standing. That’s a change from previous policy, which required borrowers in default to make nine consecutive loan payments and apply to exit default. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said the extra time will help his agency prepare borrowers for a “smooth transition back to repayment.”

The moratorium applies to&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/covid-19/payment-pause-zero-interest" target="_blank">most federal student loan programs</a>, including the Direct Loan Program, which issues subsidized and unsubsidized student loans. It does not apply to private loans issued by banks or schools. The latest federal data show that more than 43 million Americans have student loans amounting to a combined $1.6 trillion.

The freeze has been extended multiple times as a reprieve for Americans facing financial hardship during the pandemic. In announcing the latest action, President Joe Biden said that while the nation has seen economic growth, Americans are still recovering. He said the extension will help borrowers “continue to get back on their feet after two of the hardest years this nation has ever faced.” It came amid rising fear that many borrowers would quickly fall behind if payments resumed in May. A memo from the Federal Reserve last month warned that without more time, delinquency rates “could snap back from historic lows to their previous highs.”

Colorado’s Alisa Rizo said the pause in payments has provided a path toward independence. After graduating from Colorado State University, Pueblo in 2018, she has been living with her parents in Pueblo while she pays down $24,000 in student loans. The pause has allowed her to save money in hopes of living on her own, closer to her work in Colorado Springs. “It’s lifted a huge burden from my back and it has provided me a lot of flexibility to save money,” said Rizo, who works at a housing nonprofit.

Kristin McGuire of Covina, California said the freeze has given her a break from her $50,000 in student debt, allowed her to repair her credit and refinance her home with her husband. But she said the piecemeal extensions have brought their own stress. “We still have this huge balance that’s looming over our heads, and we’re constantly just hoping and praying for reprieve,” said McGuire, executive director of Young Invincibles, which is among the groups pressing for debt cancellation as a more permanent solution. “We can put folks right back into good standing, but we’re setting them up to fail again when we have these ballooned balances,” she said.

Federal student loans have been suspended for more than two years. In March 2020, the Trump administration gave borrowers the option to pause payments for at least 60 days. Congress made it automatic soon after as part of a pandemic relief package. The moratorium was later extended multiple times by Trump and Biden.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki didn’t rule a further extension when questioned at a Wednesday briefing. “We’ll continue to assess,” she said. “While of course the economy is in better shape than it was a year ago and we have a strong recovery, we also understand that there are a range of impacts that are still longer lasting because of the pandemic.”

In addition to the loan pause, the Biden administration has been working to revamp certain programs that allow borrowers to have debt erased. The Education Department has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-congress-student-loans-education-cecef88ebeebe2f524022f603f22a83b">relaxed rules</a>&nbsp;for a notoriously complex program known as Public Service Loan Forgiveness and for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-f78bae481c408b19c96a7ab1a3e426da">another program</a>&nbsp;that erases student debt for Americans with disabilities. The agency has approved $2 billion in debt cancellation for people who were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-miguel-cardona-055655aebb4181aae1c2ea4042dfd333">defrauded&nbsp;</a>by their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-education-0cabfb66daddbea9e804cb2860531775">colleges</a>, plus $1 billion for students who attended the now-defunct ITT Tech for-profit college but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-business-4f20d525c72ceb76570b528d13a32042">left before graduating</a>. Some Democrats have called for additional changes to the student loan system, including an overhaul of repayment plans that critics say are overly complex and difficult to navigate.

As a presidential candidate in 2020, Biden said he would “immediately cancel a minimum of $10,000 of student debt per person.” That hasn’t happened. The White House has said Biden would sign legislation canceling up to that amount if it were passed by Congress, but it has resisted calls to erase debt using executive action. Democrats including Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Elizabeth Warren have pressed Biden to cancel $50,000 across the board, saying it would further boost the economy and address racial inequities in student debt. In a statement, those Democrats applauded the new extension but said it underscores the need for “swift executive action” to cancel debt. Asked about it Wednesday, Psaki said Biden “has not ruled out” the possibility, but had no further updates.

Borrower advocacy groups welcomed the extension, but many said it isn’t enough. The NAACP urged Biden to forgive at least $50,000 for student borrowers. “With each and every repayment extension, you make a stronger case for canceling it,” the group said. The Center for Responsible Lending made the same demand, saying that while the latest action will give some borrowers a fresh start, “their debts remain the same.” Democrats in Congress applauded the pause, while Republicans blasted it as a drain on taxpayers. Sen. Richard Burr, the ranking Republican on the Senate education committee, said the administration “wants to have their cake and eat it, too: they want to tout America’s return to normal following the pandemic, but also want to keep extending emergency relief policies.”

WASHINGTON (AP) —The Biden administration on Wednesday announced that federal student loan payments will remain paused through Aug. 31, extending a freeze that began in 2020 but was set to end after this month.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-payment-moratorium-extended-d54907ea99a6745dc9f832435beda751">The action&nbsp;</a>is meant to help millions of borrowers regain financial footing before they’re back on the hook for payments.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today, my Administration is extending the pause on federal student loan repayments through August 31st, 2022. <a href="https://t.co/xwicA1hCW3">pic.twitter.com/xwicA1hCW3</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1511705892487577606?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Here’s more on the decision:WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR BORROWERS?The extension gives Americans another four months to get ready for student loan payments to restart. Borrowers won’t be asked to make payments until after Aug. 31, and interest rates will remain at 0% during that time. Under the new action, people who were behind on payments before the pandemic will automatically be put in good standing. That’s a change from previous policy, which required borrowers in default to make nine consecutive loan payments and apply to exit default. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said the extra time will help his agency prepare borrowers for a “smooth transition back to repayment.”WHO IS ELIGIBLE?The moratorium applies to&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/covid-19/payment-pause-zero-interest" target="_blank">most federal student loan programs</a>, including the Direct Loan Program, which issues subsidized and unsubsidized student loans. It does not apply to private loans issued by banks or schools. The latest federal data show that more than 43 million Americans have student loans amounting to a combined $1.6 trillion.WHY IS IT BEING EXTENDED?The freeze has been extended multiple times as a reprieve for Americans facing financial hardship during the pandemic. In announcing the latest action, President Joe Biden said that while the nation has seen economic growth, Americans are still recovering. He said the extension will help borrowers “continue to get back on their feet after two of the hardest years this nation has ever faced.” It came amid rising fear that many borrowers would quickly fall behind if payments resumed in May. A memo from the Federal Reserve last month warned that without more time, delinquency rates “could snap back from historic lows to their previous highs.”HOW HAS IT HELPED?Colorado’s Alisa Rizo said the pause in payments has provided a path toward independence. After graduating from Colorado State University, Pueblo in 2018, she has been living with her parents in Pueblo while she pays down $24,000 in student loans. The pause has allowed her to save money in hopes of living on her own, closer to her work in Colorado Springs. “It’s lifted a huge burden from my back and it has provided me a lot of flexibility to save money,” said Rizo, who works at a housing nonprofit.Kristin McGuire of Covina, California said the freeze has given her a break from her $50,000 in student debt, allowed her to repair her credit and refinance her home with her husband. But she said the piecemeal extensions have brought their own stress. “We still have this huge balance that’s looming over our heads, and we’re constantly just hoping and praying for reprieve,” said McGuire, executive director of Young Invincibles, which is among the groups pressing for debt cancellation as a more permanent solution. “We can put folks right back into good standing, but we’re setting them up to fail again when we have these ballooned balances,” she said.HOW LONG HAVE LOANS BEEN PAUSED?Federal student loans have been suspended for more than two years. In March 2020, the Trump administration gave borrowers the option to pause payments for at least 60 days. Congress made it automatic soon after as part of a pandemic relief package. The moratorium was later extended multiple times by Trump and Biden.WILL THE FREEZE BE EXTENDED AGAIN?White House press secretary Jen Psaki didn’t rule a further extension when questioned at a Wednesday briefing. “We’ll continue to assess,” she said. “While of course the economy is in better shape than it was a year ago and we have a strong recovery, we also understand that there are a range of impacts that are still longer lasting because of the pandemic.”WHAT ELSE IS BEING DONE?In addition to the loan pause, the Biden administration has been working to revamp certain programs that allow borrowers to have debt erased. The Education Department has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-congress-student-loans-education-cecef88ebeebe2f524022f603f22a83b">relaxed rules</a>&nbsp;for a notoriously complex program known as Public Service Loan Forgiveness and for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-f78bae481c408b19c96a7ab1a3e426da">another program</a>&nbsp;that erases student debt for Americans with disabilities. The agency has approved $2 billion in debt cancellation for people who were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-miguel-cardona-055655aebb4181aae1c2ea4042dfd333">defrauded&nbsp;</a>by their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-education-0cabfb66daddbea9e804cb2860531775">colleges</a>, plus $1 billion for students who attended the now-defunct ITT Tech for-profit college but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-business-4f20d525c72ceb76570b528d13a32042">left before graduating</a>. Some Democrats have called for additional changes to the student loan system, including an overhaul of repayment plans that critics say are overly complex and difficult to navigate.WHAT ABOUT WIDER LOAN FORGIVENESS?As a presidential candidate in 2020, Biden said he would “immediately cancel a minimum of $10,000 of student debt per person.” That hasn’t happened. The White House has said Biden would sign legislation canceling up to that amount if it were passed by Congress, but it has resisted calls to erase debt using executive action. Democrats including Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Elizabeth Warren have pressed Biden to cancel $50,000 across the board, saying it would further boost the economy and address racial inequities in student debt. In a statement, those Democrats applauded the new extension but said it underscores the need for “swift executive action” to cancel debt. Asked about it Wednesday, Psaki said Biden “has not ruled out” the possibility, but had no further updates.WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING ABOUT THE PAUSE?Borrower advocacy groups welcomed the extension, but many said it isn’t enough. The NAACP urged Biden to forgive at least $50,000 for student borrowers. “With each and every repayment extension, you make a stronger case for canceling it,” the group said. The Center for Responsible Lending made the same demand, saying that while the latest action will give some borrowers a fresh start, “their debts remain the same.” Democrats in Congress applauded the pause, while Republicans blasted it as a drain on taxpayers. Sen. Richard Burr, the ranking Republican on the Senate education committee, said the administration “wants to have their cake and eat it, too: they want to tout America’s return to normal following the pandemic, but also want to keep extending emergency relief policies.”

🎥What to know on the extension of student loan payment freeze 

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the latest Senate package targeted at stopping the coronavirus, U.S. lawmakers dropped nearly all funding for curbing the virus beyond American borders, a move many health experts slammed as dangerously short-sighted.

They warn the suspension of COVID-19 aid for poorer countries could ultimately allow the kind of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-pandemics-dc99bc9f769dd6d7cb669e3d185c6261">unchecked transmission</a>&nbsp;needed for the next worrisome variant to emerge and unravel much of the progress achieved so far.

The U.S. has been the biggest contributor to the global pandemic response, delivering more than 500 million vaccines, and the lack of funding will be a major setback. The money has paid for numerous interventions, including a mass vaccination campaign in the Cameroonian capital that saw hundreds of thousands of people get their first dose, as well as the construction of a COVID-19 care facility in South Africa and the donation of 1,000 ventilators to that country.

Other U.S.-funded vaccination campaigns in dozens of countries, including Uganda, Zambia, Ivory Coast and Mali, could also come to a grinding halt.

“Any stoppage of funds will affect us,” said Misaki Wayengera, a Ugandan official who heads a technical committee advising the government on the pandemic response. He said Uganda has leaned heavily on donor help — it received more than 11 million vaccines from the U.S. — and that any cuts “would make it very difficult for us to make ends meet.”

“This is a bit of a kick in the teeth to poor countries that were promised billions of vaccines and resources last year in grand pledges made by the G7 and the G20,” said Michael Head, a global health research fellow at Britain’s Southampton University.

“Given how badly we’ve failed on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-inequality-dac9c07b324e29d3597037b8dc1d908a">vaccine equity,</a>&nbsp;it’s clear all of those promises have now been broken,” he said, adding that without concerted effort and money to fight COVID-19 in the coming months, the pandemic could persist for years.

While about 66% of the American population has been fully immunized against the coronavirus, fewer than 15% of people in poorer countries have received a single dose. Health officials working on COVID-19 vaccination in developing countries supported by the U.S. say they expect to see a reversal of progress once the funds disappear.

“Vaccination will stop or not even get started in some countries,” said Rachel Hall, executive director of U.S. government advocacy at the charity CARE. She cited estimates from USAID that the suspended funding would mean scrapping testing, treatment and health services for about 100 million people.

Although vaccines are more plentiful this year, many poorer countries have struggled to get shots into arms and hundreds of millions of donated vaccines have either expired, been returned or sat unused. To address those logistical hurdles, U.S. aid has financed critical services in countries across Africa, including the safe delivery of vaccines, training health workers and fighting vaccine misinformation.

For example, in November the U.S. Embassy in the Cameroonian capital set up a tent for mass vaccination: Within the first five days, more than 300,000 people received a dose. Those kinds of events will now be harder to conduct without American funds.

Hall also noted there would be consequences far beyond COVID-19, saying countries struggling with multiple disease outbreaks, like Congo and Mali, would face difficult choices.

“They will have to choose between fighting Ebola, malaria, polio, COVID and more,” she said.

Jeff Zients, the outgoing leader of the White House COVID-19 task force, expressed regret the legislation doesn’t include resources for the international pandemic fight, noting that would also compromise efforts to track the virus’ genetic evolution.

“It is a real disappointment that there’s no global funding in this bill,” he said. “This virus knows no borders, and it’s in our national interest to vaccinate the world and protect against possible new variants.”

Still, Zients announced the U.S. would be the first to donate “tens of millions” of doses for children to poorer countries and said more than 20 nations had already requested the shots.

J. Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, lamented that lawmakers were erring on the side of optimism about the pandemic precisely when another surge might be arriving.

“We’ve made that mistake several times in this pandemic. And we may be making that mistake again,” he said. In recent weeks, COVID-19 cases caused by the hugely infectious omicron subvariant BA.2 have surged across&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-business-immunizations-9b222cf32687808b61606391f7f7328b">Europe</a>, and American officials say they expect a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-europe-infectious-diseases-e338ab4c30b68025dbc049c36838f357">U.S. spike&nbsp;</a>soon.

Other experts worried the suspension of U.S. global support for COVID-19 might prompt officials to drop current vaccination goals. The World Health Organization had set a target of immunizing at least 70% of people in all countries by the middle of this year, but with nearly 50 countries vaccinating fewer than 20% of their populations, hitting that target is highly unlikely.

Instead, some organizations like the Rockefeller Foundation have pushed for officials to “refocus vaccination goals away from vaccinating 70% of all adults by summer to vaccinating 90% of those most at-risk in each country,” in what some critics say is an implicit acknowledgment of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-business-coronavirus-vaccine-pandemics-5053ab9a4c6288e1b70ccd67aa34c504">world’s repeated failures</a>&nbsp;to share vaccines fairly. Others point out there shouldn’t be competing vaccine targets and that health authorities simply need to do more, rather than adjusting global goals.

In Nigeria, which has so far received at least $143 million in COVID-19 aid from the U.S, authorities dismissed suggestions their coronavirus programs would suffer as a result of lost funding. The Nigerian president’s office said help from the U.S. was mostly “in kind” via capacity building, research support and donations of laboratory equipment and vaccines. “We are confident that this will not cause any disruption of our current programs,” it said.

However, others warned the U.S. decision set an unfortunate precedent for global cooperation to end the pandemic at a time when fresh concerns like the Ukraine war are drawing more attention.

U.S. President Joe Biden originally planned to convene a virtual summit in the first quarter of this year to keep international efforts on track, but no event has been scheduled.

“In light of the ongoing war in Ukraine, we don’t yet have a final date for the summit, but we are working closely with countries and international partners to advance commitments,” said a senior Biden administration official who was not authorized to comment publicly.

As of this month, WHO said it had gotten only $1.8 billion of the $16.8 billion needed from donors to speed access to coronavirus vaccines, medicines and diagnostics.

“Nobody else is stepping up to fill the void at the moment and the U.S. decision to suspend funding may lead other donor countries to act similarly,” said Dr. Krishna Udayakumar, director of Duke University’s Global Health Innovation Center.

Keri Althoff, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, described the U.S. suspension of funding as “devastating.”

“How could this possibly be what we’re debating right now?” she asked. “It’s a moral obligation to the rest of the world to continue to contribute to this global pandemic response, not only to protect ourselves but to protect people from around the world.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1627688144182.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — In the latest Senate package targeted at stopping the coronavirus, U.S. lawmakers dropped nearly all funding for curbing the virus beyond American borders, a move many health experts slammed as dangerously short-sighted.They warn the suspension of COVID-19 aid for poorer countries could ultimately allow the kind of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-pandemics-dc99bc9f769dd6d7cb669e3d185c6261">unchecked transmission</a>&nbsp;needed for the next worrisome variant to emerge and unravel much of the progress achieved so far.The U.S. has been the biggest contributor to the global pandemic response, delivering more than 500 million vaccines, and the lack of funding will be a major setback. The money has paid for numerous interventions, including a mass vaccination campaign in the Cameroonian capital that saw hundreds of thousands of people get their first dose, as well as the construction of a COVID-19 care facility in South Africa and the donation of 1,000 ventilators to that country.Other U.S.-funded vaccination campaigns in dozens of countries, including Uganda, Zambia, Ivory Coast and Mali, could also come to a grinding halt.“Any stoppage of funds will affect us,” said Misaki Wayengera, a Ugandan official who heads a technical committee advising the government on the pandemic response. He said Uganda has leaned heavily on donor help — it received more than 11 million vaccines from the U.S. — and that any cuts “would make it very difficult for us to make ends meet.”“This is a bit of a kick in the teeth to poor countries that were promised billions of vaccines and resources last year in grand pledges made by the G7 and the G20,” said Michael Head, a global health research fellow at Britain’s Southampton University.“Given how badly we’ve failed on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-inequality-dac9c07b324e29d3597037b8dc1d908a">vaccine equity,</a>&nbsp;it’s clear all of those promises have now been broken,” he said, adding that without concerted effort and money to fight COVID-19 in the coming months, the pandemic could persist for years.While about 66% of the American population has been fully immunized against the coronavirus, fewer than 15% of people in poorer countries have received a single dose. Health officials working on COVID-19 vaccination in developing countries supported by the U.S. say they expect to see a reversal of progress once the funds disappear.“Vaccination will stop or not even get started in some countries,” said Rachel Hall, executive director of U.S. government advocacy at the charity CARE. She cited estimates from USAID that the suspended funding would mean scrapping testing, treatment and health services for about 100 million people.Although vaccines are more plentiful this year, many poorer countries have struggled to get shots into arms and hundreds of millions of donated vaccines have either expired, been returned or sat unused. To address those logistical hurdles, U.S. aid has financed critical services in countries across Africa, including the safe delivery of vaccines, training health workers and fighting vaccine misinformation.For example, in November the U.S. Embassy in the Cameroonian capital set up a tent for mass vaccination: Within the first five days, more than 300,000 people received a dose. Those kinds of events will now be harder to conduct without American funds.Hall also noted there would be consequences far beyond COVID-19, saying countries struggling with multiple disease outbreaks, like Congo and Mali, would face difficult choices.“They will have to choose between fighting Ebola, malaria, polio, COVID and more,” she said.Jeff Zients, the outgoing leader of the White House COVID-19 task force, expressed regret the legislation doesn’t include resources for the international pandemic fight, noting that would also compromise efforts to track the virus’ genetic evolution.“It is a real disappointment that there’s no global funding in this bill,” he said. “This virus knows no borders, and it’s in our national interest to vaccinate the world and protect against possible new variants.”Still, Zients announced the U.S. would be the first to donate “tens of millions” of doses for children to poorer countries and said more than 20 nations had already requested the shots.J. Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, lamented that lawmakers were erring on the side of optimism about the pandemic precisely when another surge might be arriving.“We’ve made that mistake several times in this pandemic. And we may be making that mistake again,” he said. In recent weeks, COVID-19 cases caused by the hugely infectious omicron subvariant BA.2 have surged across&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-business-immunizations-9b222cf32687808b61606391f7f7328b">Europe</a>, and American officials say they expect a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-europe-infectious-diseases-e338ab4c30b68025dbc049c36838f357">U.S. spike&nbsp;</a>soon.Other experts worried the suspension of U.S. global support for COVID-19 might prompt officials to drop current vaccination goals. The World Health Organization had set a target of immunizing at least 70% of people in all countries by the middle of this year, but with nearly 50 countries vaccinating fewer than 20% of their populations, hitting that target is highly unlikely.Instead, some organizations like the Rockefeller Foundation have pushed for officials to “refocus vaccination goals away from vaccinating 70% of all adults by summer to vaccinating 90% of those most at-risk in each country,” in what some critics say is an implicit acknowledgment of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-business-coronavirus-vaccine-pandemics-5053ab9a4c6288e1b70ccd67aa34c504">world’s repeated failures</a>&nbsp;to share vaccines fairly. Others point out there shouldn’t be competing vaccine targets and that health authorities simply need to do more, rather than adjusting global goals.In Nigeria, which has so far received at least $143 million in COVID-19 aid from the U.S, authorities dismissed suggestions their coronavirus programs would suffer as a result of lost funding. The Nigerian president’s office said help from the U.S. was mostly “in kind” via capacity building, research support and donations of laboratory equipment and vaccines. “We are confident that this will not cause any disruption of our current programs,” it said.However, others warned the U.S. decision set an unfortunate precedent for global cooperation to end the pandemic at a time when fresh concerns like the Ukraine war are drawing more attention.U.S. President Joe Biden originally planned to convene a virtual summit in the first quarter of this year to keep international efforts on track, but no event has been scheduled.“In light of the ongoing war in Ukraine, we don’t yet have a final date for the summit, but we are working closely with countries and international partners to advance commitments,” said a senior Biden administration official who was not authorized to comment publicly.As of this month, WHO said it had gotten only $1.8 billion of the $16.8 billion needed from donors to speed access to coronavirus vaccines, medicines and diagnostics.“Nobody else is stepping up to fill the void at the moment and the U.S. decision to suspend funding may lead other donor countries to act similarly,” said Dr. Krishna Udayakumar, director of Duke University’s Global Health Innovation Center.Keri Althoff, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, described the U.S. suspension of funding as “devastating.”“How could this possibly be what we’re debating right now?” she asked. “It’s a moral obligation to the rest of the world to continue to contribute to this global pandemic response, not only to protect ourselves but to protect people from around the world.”

Experts: US suspension of COVID aid will prolong pandemic

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/nebraska-college-administrator-selected-president-of-pittsburg-state-university/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — A Nebraska higher education administrator was chosen to 
serve as the 10th president of Pittsburg State University, the Kansas 
Board of Regents said Friday.

Daniel Shipp, with a doctorate in educational leadership from 
University of the Pacific, is vice chancellor for strategic initiatives 
at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and executive vice 
president and provost of the four-campus University of Nebraska system.

He replaces PSU president Steve Scott, who was appointed president of
 the southeast Kansas university in 2009. Scott has worked at the 
university for three decades and plans to retire in June.

“I am excited to join the Pittsburg State family and take on the role
 of president at this wonderful institution,” Shipp said in a statement.
 “I’m eager to meet the members of ‘Gorilla Nation’ and work alongside 
them to serve students, the city of Pittsburg and all of southeast 
Kansas.”

He said Scott created a “remarkable and enduring legacy” at Pittsburg
 State. It’s public university with about 6,000 students in the Kansas 
Board of Regents system.

Cheryl Harrison-Lee, chairwoman of the state Board of Regents, said 
Shipp had a proven track record of developing and implementing 
initiatives designed to drive student enrollment. Those initiatives 
included removal of barriers faced by underserved student populations, 
she said.

“He also brings extensive experience in helping students succeed in 
their academic careers and after graduation,” Harrison-Lee said.

Prior to his current job in Nebraska, Shipp was vice chancellor for 
student success at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and the University 
of Nebraska Medical Center. he also was vice chancellor for student 
affairs and enrollment management at University of Nebraska-Omaha.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from University of 
Nebraska-Lincoln, a master’s in education at University of 
Nebraska-Omaha and the education doctorate at University of the Pacific.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649444902028.png" alt="Daniel Shipp, a Nebraska higher education administrator, was selected Friday to serve as president of Pittsburg State University in southeast Kansas. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Pittsburg State University)" />
 <figcaption>Daniel Shipp, a Nebraska higher education administrator, was selected Friday to serve as president of Pittsburg State University in southeast Kansas. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Pittsburg State University)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/nebraska-college-administrator-selected-president-of-pittsburg-state-university/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — A Nebraska higher education administrator was chosen to 
serve as the 10th president of Pittsburg State University, the Kansas 
Board of Regents said Friday.Daniel Shipp, with a doctorate in educational leadership from 
University of the Pacific, is vice chancellor for strategic initiatives 
at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and executive vice 
president and provost of the four-campus University of Nebraska system.He replaces PSU president Steve Scott, who was appointed president of
 the southeast Kansas university in 2009. Scott has worked at the 
university for three decades and plans to retire in June.“I am excited to join the Pittsburg State family and take on the role
 of president at this wonderful institution,” Shipp said in a statement.
 “I’m eager to meet the members of ‘Gorilla Nation’ and work alongside 
them to serve students, the city of Pittsburg and all of southeast 
Kansas.”He said Scott created a “remarkable and enduring legacy” at Pittsburg
 State. It’s public university with about 6,000 students in the Kansas 
Board of Regents system.Cheryl Harrison-Lee, chairwoman of the state Board of Regents, said 
Shipp had a proven track record of developing and implementing 
initiatives designed to drive student enrollment. Those initiatives 
included removal of barriers faced by underserved student populations, 
she said.“He also brings extensive experience in helping students succeed in 
their academic careers and after graduation,” Harrison-Lee said.Prior to his current job in Nebraska, Shipp was vice chancellor for 
student success at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and the University 
of Nebraska Medical Center. he also was vice chancellor for student 
affairs and enrollment management at University of Nebraska-Omaha.He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from University of 
Nebraska-Lincoln, a master’s in education at University of 
Nebraska-Omaha and the education doctorate at University of the Pacific.

Neb. college administrator named president of Pittsburg State

WASHINGTON (AP) — A sweeping overhaul of the U.S. Postal Service meant to shore up the popular but beleaguered agency’s financial future and cement six-days-a-week mail delivery was signed into law Wednesday by President Joe Biden.

The legislation cleared Congress last month after fully a dozen years of discussion that took on a new sense of urgency amid widespread complaints about mail service delays. Officials had repeatedly warned that without congressional action, the Postal Service would run out of cash by 2024.

“The Postal Service is central to our economy and essential to rural America,” Biden said. He added that mailmen and women deliver 4 million prescriptions per day, along with letters, consumer goods and even live animals, “often to parts of the country that private carriers can’t or won’t or aren’t required to reach.”

The final legislation achieved rare, bipartisan support by scrapping some of the more controversial proposals and settling on core ways to save the service. Delivering the mail is among the most popular things the government does, with 91% of Americans having a favorable opinion of the Postal Service, according to a Pew Research Center poll released in 2020.

The bill signing came the same day the Postal Service announced it plans to raise rates effective July 10. Under the proposal submitted to the Postal Regulatory Commission, the cost of a first-class Forever stamp would increase by 2 cents to 60 cents.

The Postal Service said the increase, which is less than the annual rate of inflation, will help the agency implement Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s 10-year plan to stabilize agency finances.

Lawmakers from both parties attended the signing ceremony and the mood was jovial, a big improvement from Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran previously saying the service was in a “death spiral” that was particularly hard on rural Americans.

The Postal Service Reform Act lifts budget requirements that have contributed to the agency’s red ink, and spells out that mail must be delivered six days a week, except for federal holidays, natural disasters and some other situations.

Postage sales and other services were supposed to sustain the Postal Service, but it has suffered 14 straight years of losses. Growing worker compensation and benefit costs, plus steady declines in mail volume, have exacerbated losses, even as the service delivers to 1 million additional locations every year.

The new law ends a requirement that the Postal Service finance workers’ health care benefits ahead of time for the next 75 years — an obligation that private companies and federal agencies do not face. Biden said that rule had “stretched the Postal Service’s finances almost to the breaking point.”

Now, future retirees will enroll in Medicare, while other health plans and the Postal Service cover only current retirees’ actual health care costs that aren’t paid for by the federal health insurance program for older people,

“In recent years we saw how unfair policies forced this treasured institution to cut costs and delayed the delivery of medication, financial documents and other critical mail,” Michigan Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who helped write the legislation, said in a statement. “These long overdue reforms will undo these burdensome financial requirements.”

To measure the agency’s progress in improving its service, the law requires it to set up an online dashboard that would be searchable by ZIP code to show how long it takes to deliver letters and packages.

Dropped from the package as it neared actual legislation were efforts to cut back mail delivery. Also set aside — for now — were other proposals that have been floated over the years to change operations, including to privatize some services.

Criticism of the Postal Service peaked in 2020, amid the COVID-19 crisis and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-elections-us-news-ap-top-news-postal-service-d52e51e5392d2f4d32a56a2060446847">ahead of the presidential election</a>, as cutbacks delayed service at a time when millions of Americans were relying on mail-in ballots during the pandemic. Then-President Donald Trump acknowledged he was trying to financially pinch the service to limit its processing ability for an expected surge of mail-in ballots, which he worried could cost him the election he eventually lost.

Dominated by Trump appointees, the agency’s board of governors had tapped&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-health-coronavirus-pandemic-election-2020-business-c89012efd497def7e2a896e9dfb3f552">DeJoy, a major GOP donor</a>, as postmaster general. He proposed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-louis-dejoy-f8052b959746800b11fdc2992f0fdc91">10-year plan</a>&nbsp;to stabilize the service’s finances with steps like additional mail slowdowns, cuts in some offices’ hours and perhaps higher rates.

Biden said Wednesday that more needs to be done to reform the Postal Service, including investing in an electrified vehicle fleet that could save money while helping combat climate change. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-postal-service-electric-vehicles-environment-559e01de44123d779a69e277609f231d">is examining a Postal Service contract to replace its huge fleet of mail-delivery trucks with a mix of gas and electric vehicles</a>, which the Environmental Protection Agency and Democratic lawmakers argue has too few electric vehicles.

“Today we enshrine into law our recognition that the Postal Service is fundamental to our economy, to our democracy, to our health and the very sense of who we are as a nation,” Biden said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649344226702.png" alt="“The Postal Service is central to our economy and essential to rural America,” Biden said.-photo courtesy White House&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>“The Postal Service is central to our economy and essential to rural America,” Biden said.-photo courtesy White House&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — A sweeping overhaul of the U.S. Postal Service meant to shore up the popular but beleaguered agency’s financial future and cement six-days-a-week mail delivery was signed into law Wednesday by President Joe Biden.The legislation cleared Congress last month after fully a dozen years of discussion that took on a new sense of urgency amid widespread complaints about mail service delays. Officials had repeatedly warned that without congressional action, the Postal Service would run out of cash by 2024.“The Postal Service is central to our economy and essential to rural America,” Biden said. He added that mailmen and women deliver 4 million prescriptions per day, along with letters, consumer goods and even live animals, “often to parts of the country that private carriers can’t or won’t or aren’t required to reach.”The final legislation achieved rare, bipartisan support by scrapping some of the more controversial proposals and settling on core ways to save the service. Delivering the mail is among the most popular things the government does, with 91% of Americans having a favorable opinion of the Postal Service, according to a Pew Research Center poll released in 2020.The bill signing came the same day the Postal Service announced it plans to raise rates effective July 10. Under the proposal submitted to the Postal Regulatory Commission, the cost of a first-class Forever stamp would increase by 2 cents to 60 cents.The Postal Service said the increase, which is less than the annual rate of inflation, will help the agency implement Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s 10-year plan to stabilize agency finances.Lawmakers from both parties attended the signing ceremony and the mood was jovial, a big improvement from Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran previously saying the service was in a “death spiral” that was particularly hard on rural Americans.The Postal Service Reform Act lifts budget requirements that have contributed to the agency’s red ink, and spells out that mail must be delivered six days a week, except for federal holidays, natural disasters and some other situations.Postage sales and other services were supposed to sustain the Postal Service, but it has suffered 14 straight years of losses. Growing worker compensation and benefit costs, plus steady declines in mail volume, have exacerbated losses, even as the service delivers to 1 million additional locations every year.The new law ends a requirement that the Postal Service finance workers’ health care benefits ahead of time for the next 75 years — an obligation that private companies and federal agencies do not face. Biden said that rule had “stretched the Postal Service’s finances almost to the breaking point.”Now, future retirees will enroll in Medicare, while other health plans and the Postal Service cover only current retirees’ actual health care costs that aren’t paid for by the federal health insurance program for older people,“In recent years we saw how unfair policies forced this treasured institution to cut costs and delayed the delivery of medication, financial documents and other critical mail,” Michigan Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who helped write the legislation, said in a statement. “These long overdue reforms will undo these burdensome financial requirements.”To measure the agency’s progress in improving its service, the law requires it to set up an online dashboard that would be searchable by ZIP code to show how long it takes to deliver letters and packages.Dropped from the package as it neared actual legislation were efforts to cut back mail delivery. Also set aside — for now — were other proposals that have been floated over the years to change operations, including to privatize some services.Criticism of the Postal Service peaked in 2020, amid the COVID-19 crisis and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-elections-us-news-ap-top-news-postal-service-d52e51e5392d2f4d32a56a2060446847">ahead of the presidential election</a>, as cutbacks delayed service at a time when millions of Americans were relying on mail-in ballots during the pandemic. Then-President Donald Trump acknowledged he was trying to financially pinch the service to limit its processing ability for an expected surge of mail-in ballots, which he worried could cost him the election he eventually lost.Dominated by Trump appointees, the agency’s board of governors had tapped&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-health-coronavirus-pandemic-election-2020-business-c89012efd497def7e2a896e9dfb3f552">DeJoy, a major GOP donor</a>, as postmaster general. He proposed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-louis-dejoy-f8052b959746800b11fdc2992f0fdc91">10-year plan</a>&nbsp;to stabilize the service’s finances with steps like additional mail slowdowns, cuts in some offices’ hours and perhaps higher rates.Biden said Wednesday that more needs to be done to reform the Postal Service, including investing in an electrified vehicle fleet that could save money while helping combat climate change. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-postal-service-electric-vehicles-environment-559e01de44123d779a69e277609f231d">is examining a Postal Service contract to replace its huge fleet of mail-delivery trucks with a mix of gas and electric vehicles</a>, which the Environmental Protection Agency and Democratic lawmakers argue has too few electric vehicles.“Today we enshrine into law our recognition that the Postal Service is fundamental to our economy, to our democracy, to our health and the very sense of who we are as a nation,” Biden said.

6-days-a-week mail delivery to continue, rates going up

CUSTER, S.D. (AP) — Federal, state and local fire crews are fighting a wildfire, fueled by strong winds, in Custer County.

 The U.S. Forest Service says approximately 50 to 100 acres have burned just west of Custer with about 30% containment. 

An evacuation center has been opened in the Custer Armory gym for those residents wishing to leave their homes because of the fire danger.

 Winds in excess of 40 mph temporarily closed Highway 16 from Custer to Pleasant Valley Road. 

The fire is being managed by a unified command between South Dakota Wildland Fire and The Black Hills National Forest.

 Crews are using dozers to stop the fire’s progression.

By Associated PressCUSTER, S.D. (AP) — Federal, state and local fire crews are fighting a wildfire, fueled by strong winds, in Custer County. The U.S. Forest Service says approximately 50 to 100 acres have burned just west of Custer with about 30% containment. An evacuation center has been opened in the Custer Armory gym for those residents wishing to leave their homes because of the fire danger. Winds in excess of 40 mph temporarily closed Highway 16 from Custer to Pleasant Valley Road. The fire is being managed by a unified command between South Dakota Wildland Fire and The Black Hills National Forest. Crews are using dozers to stop the fire’s progression.

Fire crews fight wildfire fueled by strong winds near Custer

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — President Joe Biden’s requirement that all&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-us-supreme-court-health-business-4b627f784e59e82e59ed66ed17cc8b67">federal employees be vaccinated</a>&nbsp;against COVID-19 was upheld Thursday by a federal appeals court.

In a 2-1 ruling, a panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-health-business-new-orleans-eb37276842a8c64ade009957fc225f56">reversed a lower court</a>&nbsp;and ordered dismissal of a lawsuit challenging the mandate. The ruling, a rare win for the administration at the New Orleans-based appellate court, said that the federal judge didn’t have jurisdiction in the case and those challenging the requirement could have pursued administrative remedies under Civil Service law.

Biden issued an executive order Sept. 9 ordering vaccinations for all executive branch agency employees, with exceptions for medical and religious reasons. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown, who was appointed to the District Court for the Southern District of Texas by then-President Donald Trump, issued a nationwide injunction against the requirement in January.

When the case was argued at the 5th Circuit last month, administration lawyers had noted that district judges in a dozen jurisdictions had rejected a challenge to the vaccine requirement for federal workers before Brown ruled.

The administration argued that the Constitution gives the president, as the head of the federal workforce, the same authority as the CEO of a private corporation to require that employees be vaccinated.

Lawyers for those challenging the mandate had pointed to a recent Supreme Court opinion that the government cannot force private employers to require employee vaccinations.

Twelve of 17 active judges at the 5th Circuit were nominated to the court by Republicans, including six Trump appointees.

Judges Carl Stewart and James Dennis, both nominated to the court by President Bill Clinton, were in the majority. Judge Rhesa Barksdale, a senior judge nominated by President George H.W. Bush, dissented, saying the relief the challengers sought does not fall under the Civil Service Reform Act cited by the administration.

The case marked ideological divides at the appeals court even before Thursday’s ruling.

A different panel had refused in February to block Brown’s ruling pending the appeal. That panel’s vote was 2-1. There were no reasons given by the majority — Judge Jerry Smith, a President Ronald Reagan nominee, and Don Willett, a Trump nominee.

But there was a lengthy dissent by Judge Stephen Higginson, a nominee of President Barack Obama, who said a single district judge “lacking public health expertise and made unaccountable through life tenure,” should not be able to block the president from ordering the same type of COVID-19 safety measures many private sector CEOs have ordered.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648688148561.png" alt="President Biden, 79, received the first series of two doses of the coronavirus vaccine shortly before taking office and a first booster shot in September. The additional booster dose was administered by a member of the White House Medical Unit-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>President Biden, 79, received the first series of two doses of the coronavirus vaccine shortly before taking office and a first booster shot in September. The additional booster dose was administered by a member of the White House Medical Unit-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW ORLEANS (AP) — President Joe Biden’s requirement that all&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-us-supreme-court-health-business-4b627f784e59e82e59ed66ed17cc8b67">federal employees be vaccinated</a>&nbsp;against COVID-19 was upheld Thursday by a federal appeals court.In a 2-1 ruling, a panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-health-business-new-orleans-eb37276842a8c64ade009957fc225f56">reversed a lower court</a>&nbsp;and ordered dismissal of a lawsuit challenging the mandate. The ruling, a rare win for the administration at the New Orleans-based appellate court, said that the federal judge didn’t have jurisdiction in the case and those challenging the requirement could have pursued administrative remedies under Civil Service law.Biden issued an executive order Sept. 9 ordering vaccinations for all executive branch agency employees, with exceptions for medical and religious reasons. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown, who was appointed to the District Court for the Southern District of Texas by then-President Donald Trump, issued a nationwide injunction against the requirement in January.When the case was argued at the 5th Circuit last month, administration lawyers had noted that district judges in a dozen jurisdictions had rejected a challenge to the vaccine requirement for federal workers before Brown ruled.The administration argued that the Constitution gives the president, as the head of the federal workforce, the same authority as the CEO of a private corporation to require that employees be vaccinated.Lawyers for those challenging the mandate had pointed to a recent Supreme Court opinion that the government cannot force private employers to require employee vaccinations.Twelve of 17 active judges at the 5th Circuit were nominated to the court by Republicans, including six Trump appointees.Judges Carl Stewart and James Dennis, both nominated to the court by President Bill Clinton, were in the majority. Judge Rhesa Barksdale, a senior judge nominated by President George H.W. Bush, dissented, saying the relief the challengers sought does not fall under the Civil Service Reform Act cited by the administration.The case marked ideological divides at the appeals court even before Thursday’s ruling.A different panel had refused in February to block Brown’s ruling pending the appeal. That panel’s vote was 2-1. There were no reasons given by the majority — Judge Jerry Smith, a President Ronald Reagan nominee, and Don Willett, a Trump nominee.But there was a lengthy dissent by Judge Stephen Higginson, a nominee of President Barack Obama, who said a single district judge “lacking public health expertise and made unaccountable through life tenure,” should not be able to block the president from ordering the same type of COVID-19 safety measures many private sector CEOs have ordered.