By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/02/25/mutual-of-omahas-proposed-skyscraper-carries-433-million-price-tag/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

OMAHA
 — The Mutual of Omaha skyscraper that’s proposed to start rising after 
the downtown library block is cleared now has a projected price tag: 
$433 million.

Also,
 according to newly available city documents, the Fortune 500 insurance 
company is seeking approval for about $62 million in tax-increment 
financing — marking the second highest TIF ask in the city’s history. 
The largest, $79.4 million, was approved for the Crossroads mall redo, 
which is currently underway.

Mutual’s
 construction project, in addition, is tied to the city’s proposed 
streetcar system in a way that calls for five extra years on a 15-year 
TIF term. That will produce an additional $25 million or so of property 
tax revenue to be dedicated to streetcar construction.

Such
 new details, including that the Mutual tower is to span 800,000 gross 
square feet, are to be presented next month to the Omaha City Planning 
Board. City Council approval is also needed.

Project
 Beacon, as the Mutual tower is referred to, would include 2,200 parking
 stalls on its lower levels. That garage is to be owned and financed by 
the City of Omaha.

Still
 unclear is how high the Mutual tower will rise. Mutual officials said 
earlier the building could rival downtown’s tallest office building, the
 nearby 45-level First National Tower.

Mutual told the public <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/01/26/omaha-aims-for-revamped-urban-core-with-streetcar-new-downtown-mutual-hq/">basic details</a>
 of its proposed new headquarters site a month ago, during the same 
press conference at which Mayor Jean Stothert announced the city’s plans
 to build a streetcar system from downtown to midtown.

The
 city said then that it plans to raise $306 million for the streetcar 
project. The streetcar is expected to cost about $225 million, and the 
remaining $81 million is necessary for a federally required contingency 
fund.

Mutual
 CEO James Blackledge said the 3-mile streetcar was key to the company’s
 decision to build its new home downtown. He said Stothert’s willingness
 to invest in the streetcar project drove the insurance company’s 
decision to leave for the downtown library site. Mutual has had its 
headquarters in midtown since 1939.&nbsp;

Mutual
 has developed a $365 million Midtown Crossing residential and retail 
campus near its current headquarters at 33rd and Farnam Streets. It also
 has been acquiring more property to the east.

The
 new digs at the library site are expected to open in January 2026. The 
company and its 4,000 or so local employees are to be the sole occupants
 of the high-rise.

Construction is to start swiftly after demolition of the downtown W. Dale Clark Library, which is to fall before the year’s end.

The
 city plans to relocate the downtown library to 1401 Jones St., and an 
effort is underway to perhaps redevelop a site at 72nd and Dodge Streets
 into the new central library.

About 1,200 construction jobs are to be created during the Mutual tower construction.&nbsp;

The TIF request for the Mutual project was submitted to the city by Lanoha Real Estate Co., the developer for the office tower.

TIF
 is a redevelopment tool allowed under state statute to spur economic 
activity in areas deemed as blighted. It allows property tax revenue 
generated by the new development to be diverted to pay for eligible 
redevelopment expenses. Typically, property tax revenue goes to local 
government coffers. After the TIF loan is paid, either a 15- or 20-year 
period, the property tax revenue then starts flowing to the local 
governments.

The
 TIF use for Mutual and the streetcar has raised some eyebrows, 
including from a state senator who has asked the Legislature to 
re-examine&nbsp; the “extremely blighted” definition, questioning whether the
 downtown area fits the definition that allows for an extended TIF term.

Mutual’s
 new headquarters plan calls for the city to trade the current downtown 
library site — bounded by Douglas, Farnam, 14th and 15th Streets — for a
 different block northwest of 14th and Dodge Streets, which is owned by 
Lanoha.&nbsp;

City
 officials have not said what might be planned for the long-vacant 14th 
and Dodge Streets site, which has been empty since its former occupant, 
the Union Pacific Railroad headquarters, moved across the street to the 
south.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1646059423558.png" alt="The proposed Mutual of Omaha tower is on the left. (Courtesy of Lanoha Real Estate Co.)" />
 <figcaption>The proposed Mutual of Omaha tower is on the left. (Courtesy of Lanoha Real Estate Co.)</figcaption>
 </figure>By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/02/25/mutual-of-omahas-proposed-skyscraper-carries-433-million-price-tag/">Nebraska Examiner</a>OMAHA
 — The Mutual of Omaha skyscraper that’s proposed to start rising after 
the downtown library block is cleared now has a projected price tag: 
$433 million.Also,
 according to newly available city documents, the Fortune 500 insurance 
company is seeking approval for about $62 million in tax-increment 
financing — marking the second highest TIF ask in the city’s history. 
The largest, $79.4 million, was approved for the Crossroads mall redo, 
which is currently underway.Mutual’s
 construction project, in addition, is tied to the city’s proposed 
streetcar system in a way that calls for five extra years on a 15-year 
TIF term. That will produce an additional $25 million or so of property 
tax revenue to be dedicated to streetcar construction.Such
 new details, including that the Mutual tower is to span 800,000 gross 
square feet, are to be presented next month to the Omaha City Planning 
Board. City Council approval is also needed.<h2>Project Beacon</h2>Project
 Beacon, as the Mutual tower is referred to, would include 2,200 parking
 stalls on its lower levels. That garage is to be owned and financed by 
the City of Omaha.Still
 unclear is how high the Mutual tower will rise. Mutual officials said 
earlier the building could rival downtown’s tallest office building, the
 nearby 45-level First National Tower.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1646059510511.jpeg" alt="Mutual of Omaha proposes new glassy skyscraper that could at least rival the highest building in downtown Omaha. (Courtesy of Lanoha Real Estate Co.)" />
 <figcaption>Mutual of Omaha proposes new glassy skyscraper that could at least rival the highest building in downtown Omaha. (Courtesy of Lanoha Real Estate Co.)</figcaption>
 </figure>Mutual told the public <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/01/26/omaha-aims-for-revamped-urban-core-with-streetcar-new-downtown-mutual-hq/">basic details</a>
 of its proposed new headquarters site a month ago, during the same 
press conference at which Mayor Jean Stothert announced the city’s plans
 to build a streetcar system from downtown to midtown.The
 city said then that it plans to raise $306 million for the streetcar 
project. The streetcar is expected to cost about $225 million, and the 
remaining $81 million is necessary for a federally required contingency 
fund.Mutual
 CEO James Blackledge said the 3-mile streetcar was key to the company’s
 decision to build its new home downtown. He said Stothert’s willingness
 to invest in the streetcar project drove the insurance company’s 
decision to leave for the downtown library site. Mutual has had its 
headquarters in midtown since 1939.&nbsp;<h2>2026 opening expected</h2>Mutual
 has developed a $365 million Midtown Crossing residential and retail 
campus near its current headquarters at 33rd and Farnam Streets. It also
 has been acquiring more property to the east.The
 new digs at the library site are expected to open in January 2026. The 
company and its 4,000 or so local employees are to be the sole occupants
 of the high-rise.Construction is to start swiftly after demolition of the downtown W. Dale Clark Library, which is to fall before the year’s end.The
 city plans to relocate the downtown library to 1401 Jones St., and an 
effort is underway to perhaps redevelop a site at 72nd and Dodge Streets
 into the new central library.About 1,200 construction jobs are to be created during the Mutual tower construction.&nbsp;The TIF request for the Mutual project was submitted to the city by Lanoha Real Estate Co., the developer for the office tower.<h2>Ruffled some</h2>TIF
 is a redevelopment tool allowed under state statute to spur economic 
activity in areas deemed as blighted. It allows property tax revenue 
generated by the new development to be diverted to pay for eligible 
redevelopment expenses. Typically, property tax revenue goes to local 
government coffers. After the TIF loan is paid, either a 15- or 20-year 
period, the property tax revenue then starts flowing to the local 
governments.The
 TIF use for Mutual and the streetcar has raised some eyebrows, 
including from a state senator who has asked the Legislature to 
re-examine&nbsp; the “extremely blighted” definition, questioning whether the
 downtown area fits the definition that allows for an extended TIF term.Mutual’s
 new headquarters plan calls for the city to trade the current downtown 
library site — bounded by Douglas, Farnam, 14th and 15th Streets — for a
 different block northwest of 14th and Dodge Streets, which is owned by 
Lanoha.&nbsp;City
 officials have not said what might be planned for the long-vacant 14th 
and Dodge Streets site, which has been empty since its former occupant, 
the Union Pacific Railroad headquarters, moved across the street to the 
south.

Mutual of Omaha’s proposed skyscraper carries $433M price tag

WASHINGTON —&nbsp;The Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers today 
that the fastest and easiest way to check on tax refunds is by using the
 <a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds">Where's My Refund?</a>&nbsp; tool on IRS.gov or through the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs2goapp">IRS2Go</a> mobile app.

This year, more than ever before, those who don't normally have to 
file a tax return may wish to do so to get child-related tax credits 
that were expanded by the American Rescue Plan. These include the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5585.pdf">Child Tax Credit and the Child and Dependent Care Credit</a>&nbsp;PDF.

Filing <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/e-file-options">electronically</a> and using <a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds/get-your-refund-faster-tell-irs-to-direct-deposit-your-refund-to-one-two-or-three-accounts">direct deposit</a> is the safest and fastest way to file an accurate return and receive a tax refund. Taxpayers can use <a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds">Where's My Refund?</a>&nbsp;to
 start checking their refund status within 24 hours after an e-filed 
return is received or four weeks after the taxpayer mails a paper 
return.

The tool's tracker displays progress through three phases:

Most tax refunds are issued within 21 days, however, some may take longer. There are several reasons this can happen:

The IRS will contact taxpayers by mail if more information is needed to process a return.

Earned Income Tax Credit and the Additional Child Tax Credit

Due to changes to the tax law made by the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/2029/text">Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act (PATH Act)</a>, the IRS can't issue <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit/how-to-work-with-a-tax-professional-to-claim-the-earned-income-tax-credit-eitc">Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)</a> or <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/does-my-childdependent-qualify-for-the-child-tax-credit-or-the-credit-for-other-dependents">Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC)</a>
 refunds before mid-February. This includes the entire refund, not just 
the part that's related to the credit claimed on a tax return.

<a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds">Where's My Refund?</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs2goapp">IRS2Go</a> are updated for most early EITC/ACTC filers with an estimated deposit date by February 19, if they file their taxes early.

If a filer claimed the EITC or the ACTC, they can expect to get their refund March 1 if:

Some taxpayers mistakenly believe they can expedite their refund by 
ordering a tax transcript, calling the IRS or calling their tax 
preparer. Ordering a tax transcript will not help a taxpayer get their 
refund faster or find out when they'll get their refund. The information
 available on Where's My Refund? is the same information available to 
IRS telephone assistors.

Taxpayers can find answers to questions, forms and instructions and 
easy-to-use tools at IRS.gov. This news release is part of a series 
called the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-time-guide">Tax Time Guide</a>, a resource to help taxpayers file an accurate tax return. Additional help is available in <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p17.pdf">Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax (For Individuals)</a>&nbsp;PDF.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON —&nbsp;The Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers today 
that the fastest and easiest way to check on tax refunds is by using the
 <a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds">Where's My Refund?</a>&nbsp; tool on IRS.gov or through the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs2goapp">IRS2Go</a> mobile app.This year, more than ever before, those who don't normally have to 
file a tax return may wish to do so to get child-related tax credits 
that were expanded by the American Rescue Plan. These include the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5585.pdf">Child Tax Credit and the Child and Dependent Care Credit</a>&nbsp;PDF.<h2>Refund updates</h2>Filing <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/e-file-options">electronically</a> and using <a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds/get-your-refund-faster-tell-irs-to-direct-deposit-your-refund-to-one-two-or-three-accounts">direct deposit</a> is the safest and fastest way to file an accurate return and receive a tax refund. Taxpayers can use <a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds">Where's My Refund?</a>&nbsp;to
 start checking their refund status within 24 hours after an e-filed 
return is received or four weeks after the taxpayer mails a paper 
return.The tool's tracker displays progress through three phases:<ol>
 <li>Return Received,</li><li>Refund Approved and</li><li>Refund Sent.</li>
 </ol><h2>Refund timing</h2>Most tax refunds are issued within 21 days, however, some may take longer. There are several reasons this can happen:<ul>
 <li>The return includes a claim for the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit.</li><li>The time between the IRS issuing the refund and the bank posting it
 to an account may vary since many banks do not process payments on 
weekends or holidays.</li><li>The return may require additional review.</li><li>The return may include errors or be incomplete.</li><li>The return could be affected by identity theft or fraud.</li>
 </ul>The IRS will contact taxpayers by mail if more information is needed to process a return.<h2>Earned Income Tax Credit and the Additional Child Tax Credit</h2>Due to changes to the tax law made by the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/2029/text">Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act (PATH Act)</a>, the IRS can't issue <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit/how-to-work-with-a-tax-professional-to-claim-the-earned-income-tax-credit-eitc">Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)</a> or <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/does-my-childdependent-qualify-for-the-child-tax-credit-or-the-credit-for-other-dependents">Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC)</a>
 refunds before mid-February. This includes the entire refund, not just 
the part that's related to the credit claimed on a tax return.<a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds">Where's My Refund?</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs2goapp">IRS2Go</a> are updated for most early EITC/ACTC filers with an estimated deposit date by February 19, if they file their taxes early.If a filer claimed the EITC or the ACTC, they can expect to get their refund March 1 if:<ul>
 <li>They <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/e-file-options">file their return online</a>,</li><li>They choose to get their refund by <a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds/get-your-refund-faster-tell-irs-to-direct-deposit-your-refund-to-one-two-or-three-accounts">direct deposit</a> and</li><li>No issues were found with their return.</li>
 </ul><h2>Ignore refund myths</h2>Some taxpayers mistakenly believe they can expedite their refund by 
ordering a tax transcript, calling the IRS or calling their tax 
preparer. Ordering a tax transcript will not help a taxpayer get their 
refund faster or find out when they'll get their refund. The information
 available on Where's My Refund? is the same information available to 
IRS telephone assistors.Taxpayers can find answers to questions, forms and instructions and 
easy-to-use tools at IRS.gov. This news release is part of a series 
called the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-time-guide">Tax Time Guide</a>, a resource to help taxpayers file an accurate tax return. Additional help is available in <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p17.pdf">Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax (For Individuals)</a>&nbsp;PDF.

Where's my tax refund? How to track the status of your check

The
 operators of an alleged credit card interest rate reduction scam will 
be permanently banned from the debt relief industry as part of court 
orders resolving charges by the Federal Trade Commission and the Florida
 Office of the Attorney General.

The defendants—Gino de Paz, Grace de Paz, and Shabana 
Khublal—allegedly engaged in deceptive and abusive practices violating 
the FTC Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, and the Florida Deceptive and
 Unfair Trade Practices Act in selling their credit card interest rate 
reduction services to consumers throughout the United States.

“The defendants in this case were taking advantage of Americans 
dealing with rising debt by falsely promising to permanently reduce 
their credit card interest rates,” said Samuel Levine, Acting Director 
of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “The FTC is proud to partner
 with the Florida Attorney General to stop these scams.”

“These scammers lured victims—financially distressed consumers, along
 with seniors—into signing up for their debt-relief scheme. Instead of 
receiving the promised relief, victims were brought down further into 
debt while the defendants made millions,” Florida Attorney General 
Ashley Moody said. “Now, working with the FTC, we stopped the defendants
 from bombarding consumers in Florida with deceptive telemarketing calls
 promising financial relief, and they will be forced to pay.”

In a <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/1923137yfsolutioncomplaint_0.pdf">complaint</a>
 filed in July 2020, the FTC and the Florida Office of the Attorney 
General accused the de Pazes, Khublal, and other defendants of blasting 
consumers with telemarking calls promising to permanently and 
substantially reduce their credit card interest rates. After posing as 
representatives or affiliates of consumers’ credit card companies, the 
defendants allegedly claimed they could save consumers thousands of 
dollars in credit card interest, thereby allowing them to pay off their 
debt much faster.

All these claims were false or unsubstantiated, according to the 
complaint. At most, the defendants sometimes opened new credit card 
accounts at lower introductory rates and transferred consumers’ existing
 debt to the new cards. Instead of producing the savings that customers 
expected, the defendants’ service allegedly often left people even 
deeper in debt after they paid upfront fees of between $995 and $4995, 
as well as substantial fees to transfer their existing debts to new 
cards.

Under the terms of the settlements,<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/gdpordergracedepaz.pdf"> Gino de Paz, Grace de Paz</a>, and <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/gdpordershabanakhublal.pdf">Shabana Kubhlal</a>
 are permanently banned from advertising or selling debt relief products
 and services. They also are prohibited from misrepresenting material 
facts in connection with any product or service. The order also 
prohibits deceptive and abusive telemarketing acts and practices, 
unsubstantiated claims, and prohibited payment practices.

The orders impose monetary judgments of $5.3 million, which will be 
partially suspended once the de Pazes pay $225,000 and Kublal pays 
$200,000. The full judgment would become due immediately if any of the 
defendants are found to have misrepresented their financial status. In 
addition to entering the settlements with the individual defendants, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/gdporderdefault_judgmentgdpnetwork.pdf">the court also entered a default judgment against the remaining defendants</a>
 in the case: GDP Network LLC; G &amp; G Success LLC, also doing 
business as YF Solution LLC, QSC Professionals, and G.C.D. Management 
LLC; and G &amp; N Squared LLC.

The Commission vote approving the stipulated final orders was 5-0. 
The orders were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District
 of Florida, Orlando Division. The FTC appreciates the assistance of the
 Florida Office of the Attorney General, Florida Department of 
Agriculture and Consumer Services, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. 
Secret Service, and Orange County Sheriff’s Office in bringing this 
case.

NOTE: Stipulated final orders have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619632629588.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FTC&nbsp;The
 operators of an alleged credit card interest rate reduction scam will 
be permanently banned from the debt relief industry as part of court 
orders resolving charges by the Federal Trade Commission and the Florida
 Office of the Attorney General.The defendants—Gino de Paz, Grace de Paz, and Shabana 
Khublal—allegedly engaged in deceptive and abusive practices violating 
the FTC Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, and the Florida Deceptive and
 Unfair Trade Practices Act in selling their credit card interest rate 
reduction services to consumers throughout the United States.“The defendants in this case were taking advantage of Americans 
dealing with rising debt by falsely promising to permanently reduce 
their credit card interest rates,” said Samuel Levine, Acting Director 
of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “The FTC is proud to partner
 with the Florida Attorney General to stop these scams.”“These scammers lured victims—financially distressed consumers, along
 with seniors—into signing up for their debt-relief scheme. Instead of 
receiving the promised relief, victims were brought down further into 
debt while the defendants made millions,” Florida Attorney General 
Ashley Moody said. “Now, working with the FTC, we stopped the defendants
 from bombarding consumers in Florida with deceptive telemarketing calls
 promising financial relief, and they will be forced to pay.”In a <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/1923137yfsolutioncomplaint_0.pdf">complaint</a>
 filed in July 2020, the FTC and the Florida Office of the Attorney 
General accused the de Pazes, Khublal, and other defendants of blasting 
consumers with telemarking calls promising to permanently and 
substantially reduce their credit card interest rates. After posing as 
representatives or affiliates of consumers’ credit card companies, the 
defendants allegedly claimed they could save consumers thousands of 
dollars in credit card interest, thereby allowing them to pay off their 
debt much faster.All these claims were false or unsubstantiated, according to the 
complaint. At most, the defendants sometimes opened new credit card 
accounts at lower introductory rates and transferred consumers’ existing
 debt to the new cards. Instead of producing the savings that customers 
expected, the defendants’ service allegedly often left people even 
deeper in debt after they paid upfront fees of between $995 and $4995, 
as well as substantial fees to transfer their existing debts to new 
cards.Under the terms of the settlements,<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/gdpordergracedepaz.pdf"> Gino de Paz, Grace de Paz</a>, and <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/gdpordershabanakhublal.pdf">Shabana Kubhlal</a>
 are permanently banned from advertising or selling debt relief products
 and services. They also are prohibited from misrepresenting material 
facts in connection with any product or service. The order also 
prohibits deceptive and abusive telemarketing acts and practices, 
unsubstantiated claims, and prohibited payment practices.The orders impose monetary judgments of $5.3 million, which will be 
partially suspended once the de Pazes pay $225,000 and Kublal pays 
$200,000. The full judgment would become due immediately if any of the 
defendants are found to have misrepresented their financial status. In 
addition to entering the settlements with the individual defendants, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/gdporderdefault_judgmentgdpnetwork.pdf">the court also entered a default judgment against the remaining defendants</a>
 in the case: GDP Network LLC; G &amp; G Success LLC, also doing 
business as YF Solution LLC, QSC Professionals, and G.C.D. Management 
LLC; and G &amp; N Squared LLC.The Commission vote approving the stipulated final orders was 5-0. 
The orders were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District
 of Florida, Orlando Division. The FTC appreciates the assistance of the
 Florida Office of the Attorney General, Florida Department of 
Agriculture and Consumer Services, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. 
Secret Service, and Orange County Sheriff’s Office in bringing this 
case.NOTE: Stipulated final orders have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge.Cover image courtesy Pixabay

FTC: Operators of credit card relief scam permanently banned

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average U.S. price of a gallon of regular-grade gasoline spiked 10 cents over the past two weeks to $3.64 per gallon. 

Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey says Sunday that the jump came after a rise in crude oil costs amid global supply concerns following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Lundberg says further increases are likely. 

The price at the pump is about a dollar higher than it was a year ago. Nationwide, the highest average price for regular-grade gas is in the San Francisco Bay Area, at $4.86 per gallon. 

The lowest average is in Houston, at $3.14 per gallon.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628344445340.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSCAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average U.S. price of a gallon of regular-grade gasoline spiked 10 cents over the past two weeks to $3.64 per gallon. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey says Sunday that the jump came after a rise in crude oil costs amid global supply concerns following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Lundberg says further increases are likely. The price at the pump is about a dollar higher than it was a year ago. Nationwide, the highest average price for regular-grade gas is in the San Francisco Bay Area, at $4.86 per gallon. The lowest average is in Houston, at $3.14 per gallon.

Average US gas price spikes 10 cents over 2 weeks to $3.64

NEW YORK (AP) — For the eighth time in the last two and a half months, a movie starring Tom Holland is No. 1 at the box office. &nbsp;

Studio estimates released Sunday say the Sony Pictures videogame adaptation “Uncharted” that stars Holland and Mark Wahlberg led ticket sales for its second weekend of release with $23.3 million. “Uncharted” held well and dropped a modest 46% from its $44 million debut. 

In two weeks, it’s made $83.4 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters. 

The Channing Tatum-led “Dog” remained at the number two spot. It declined just 32% with $10.1 million in its second weekend of release.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1646009366159.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSNEW YORK (AP) — For the eighth time in the last two and a half months, a movie starring Tom Holland is No. 1 at the box office. &nbsp;Studio estimates released Sunday say the Sony Pictures videogame adaptation “Uncharted” that stars Holland and Mark Wahlberg led ticket sales for its second weekend of release with $23.3 million. “Uncharted” held well and dropped a modest 46% from its $44 million debut. In two weeks, it’s made $83.4 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters. The Channing Tatum-led “Dog” remained at the number two spot. It declined just 32% with $10.1 million in its second weekend of release.

Tom Holland and 'Uncharted' stay No. 1 at box office

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha police officer is facing two more federal child pornography charges, and the department has moved to fire him.

 Officer Christopher Groth was originally charged with transporting child pornography. 

Now he is also charged with producing and possessing child pornography.

 Court documents say that Groth coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct between September and December of 2020 for the purpose of producing a visual depiction. 

An Omaha police spokesman said department officials started the process of firing the 15-year veteran shortly after his arrest earlier this month. 

He made his initial appearance in federal court on Feb. 16 and waived his right to a preliminary hearing.

By Associated PressOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha police officer is facing two more federal child pornography charges, and the department has moved to fire him. Officer Christopher Groth was originally charged with transporting child pornography. Now he is also charged with producing and possessing child pornography. Court documents say that Groth coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct between September and December of 2020 for the purpose of producing a visual depiction. An Omaha police spokesman said department officials started the process of firing the 15-year veteran shortly after his arrest earlier this month. He made his initial appearance in federal court on Feb. 16 and waived his right to a preliminary hearing.

Omaha police officer faces more child pornography charges

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaire Warren Buffett says his company has benefited from some “extraordinary luck” in finding acquisitions, but he hasn’t had much of that in recent years as Berkshire Hathaway’s cash pile has grown to nearly $147 billion. 

Buffett sought to reassure shareholders with his annual letter Saturday that he retains a strong appetite for acquisitions and stock investments, but he hasn’t found many of either that interest him at today’s inflated prices.

 So Berkshire has focused on growing the 90-odd businesses it already owns and repurchasing its own shares — something Buffett has invested $51.7 billion in over the last two years. Berkshire plans to revive its annual meeting, but this year COVID-19 vaccinations will be required.

By Associated PressOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaire Warren Buffett says his company has benefited from some “extraordinary luck” in finding acquisitions, but he hasn’t had much of that in recent years as Berkshire Hathaway’s cash pile has grown to nearly $147 billion. Buffett sought to reassure shareholders with his annual letter Saturday that he retains a strong appetite for acquisitions and stock investments, but he hasn’t found many of either that interest him at today’s inflated prices. So Berkshire has focused on growing the 90-odd businesses it already owns and repurchasing its own shares — something Buffett has invested $51.7 billion in over the last two years. Berkshire plans to revive its annual meeting, but this year COVID-19 vaccinations will be required.

Buffett still wants deals but can't find any attractive ones

For transgender Catholics across the United States, retaining their faith can entail complex calculations. They face rebukes from some fellow Catholics, including many bishops, yet find full acceptance in some premises of the church.

A small but growing number of parishes have formed LGBTQ ministries or support groups and warmly welcome transgender people on their own terms. Yet within the past two years, at least six Catholic dioceses have issued guidelines targeting trans people with restrictions and refusing to recognize their gender identity.

“Many of our bishops are anti-science. ... They are cold and cruel,” said Sister Luisa Derouen, a retired nun who has ministered to transgender people. “You can’t respect people and deny their existence at the same time.”

The latest policy targeting trans Catholics was issued by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in January. It bars church personnel from using trans people’s preferred pronouns that reflect their gender identity.

Objecting to trans-supportive “gender theory,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archmil.org/ArchMil/attachments/2022GenderTheoryfinal.pdf" target="_blank">the policy</a>&nbsp;stipulates that “all interactions and policies, parishes, organizations, and institutions are to recognize only a person’s biological sex.”

Among other measures, it says parishes, schools and other Catholic organizations in the archdiocese must require people to use bathrooms associated with their birth gender and adhere to dress codes on the same basis.

And a broader&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dioceseofmarquette.org/images/files/07-29-21%20Instruction-Created%20in%20the%20Image%20and%20Likeness%20of%20God%281%29.pdf" target="_blank">policy</a>&nbsp;issued in July by the Diocese of Marquette, which encompasses Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, said pastors should deny trans, gay and nonbinary Catholics the sacraments — such as baptism and Communion — “unless the person has repented.” It was signed by Bishop John Doerfler.

But in some other parishes around the country, a different, more welcoming face of the church is on display.

Just a few weeks before the Marquette policy was issued, the Church of Our Lady of Grace in Hoboken, New Jersey, celebrated its annual&nbsp;<a href="http://www.olghoboken.com/index.php/ministries/lgbtq-grace" target="_blank">Pride Mass</a>&nbsp;in support of the LGBTQ community. Delivering part of the homily at the invitation of the priest, Alexander Santora, was Christine Zuba, a transgender woman from New Jersey.

“We are not disordered, confused or a fad,” Zuba said, sharing with other worshippers the decades-long journey that led her to come out six years earlier at age 58. “We are not trying to defy God, nor to play God.”

“By staying visible, not only outside these walls but inside our churches, we change hearts and minds, one person at a time,” she concluded. “Once in a while we may get thrown out, but if that happens, we’re not going away. We’re coming right back in.”

Santora, a priest for 40 years, said the other worshippers rose and applauded.

“Our church was opened in 1878,” Santora said. “I wanted Christine to be on that pulpit.”

A lifelong Catholic, Zuba said she knew from age 4 that she was different. When she finally decided to come out five decades later, she was grateful that a nearby parish, Saints Peter and Paul in Turnersville, New Jersey, welcomed her. She serves there as a eucharistic minister.

Yet she knows that much of the Catholic hierarchy, including the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usccb.org/equality-act" target="_blank">U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops</a>, rejects the concept of gender transition.

“These bishops and priests don’t understand that when they turn someone away, they’re losing parents, children, groups of friends who say this is not the church we want to belong to,” Zuba said.

Lynn Discenza, a 64-year-old transgender woman, grew up in a churchgoing Italian American family in West Hartford, Connecticut, and gave seminary a try before pursuing a career in aerospace design.

She considers herself fortunate, after transitioning two years ago, to be part of a welcoming Catholic church in the area — Saint Patrick-Saint Anthony Church in Hartford. She is a co-leader of its LGBTQ ministry.

Particularly moving, Discenza said, was a Nov. 21 observance marking the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, which commemorates people killed due to anti-trans violence. She thanked the other worshippers for their support, and they responded with applause.

The pastor, Timothy Shreenan, highlighted the commemoration in the church bulletin.

“We must always stand up against hatred in all its forms, and not allow others’ fears (or phobias) to be a reason for hatred,” he wrote. “Rather, we must continue to learn more about the experience of others and to become more tolerant and accepting of one another.”

Discenza hopes that grassroots activism on behalf of greater inclusivity will accelerate as more parishes add LGBTQ ministries.

“The change is going to come from the ground up, and some of the old bishops will die away,” she said.

For young transgender Catholics, the conflicting approaches of individual churches and clergy can pose challenges to both them and their parents.

Eli Musselman of Philadelphia, who turns 19 in March and came out as transgender almost four years ago, said he felt a strong connection with his faith as a boy and many of his friends supported him.

But the pastor of the family’s longtime parish declined to refer to him with masculine pronouns and he had anxiety attacks in church due to some parishioners’ “nasty looks,” prompting the family to switch to a parish that made them feel at home.

“A place that had once been a safe haven for me had become a place of dangers,” said Musselman, now a freshman at the Jesuit-run St. Josephs University, where students and most professors, with one hurtful exception, have been supportive.

“But since coming out,” he added, “my spirituality has grown. ... I feel whole for the first time in my life.”

“I lost some really good friends,” said his mother, JoEllen Musselman. “I felt I was constantly making apologies to people, and I got tired of that.”

After embracing Catholicism as a convert after her marriage, she now has mixed feelings. Though determined to remain active in the church and advocate for greater inclusivity, she remains skeptical about the topmost Catholic leaders.

“They’re flawed,” she said. “If it wasn’t for Christ, the church would collapse, because we humans screw everything up.”

At the highest level of Catholic leadership, Pope Francis’ position can best be described as two-sided.

On one hand, he has personally ministered to trans Catholics, receiving them in the Vatican and encountering them as an archbishop in Argentina, and he has said the Catholic Church must accompany them. However, he has repeatedly denounced “gender theory” and what he calls the “ideological colonization” in some schools that teaches children they can change their biological sex at will.

Francis spoke at length on the issue during a 2016 press conference, stressing the need to avoid “gender ideology” but reasserting the need to minister to trans Catholics. “But please don’t say ‘The pope sanctifies trans!’ Please!”

Luisa Derouen, the retired nun who has ministered to more than 250 transgender people since 1999, received permission from her superiors in 2014 to write about that work. But that was on condition she not identify herself or her congregation, the Dominican Sisters of Peace. She did so under a pseudonym, which she ultimately abandoned in 2018 to&nbsp;<a href="https://lgbtqreligiousarchives.org/profiles/luisa-derouen" target="_blank">publicly speak out</a>&nbsp;on behalf of trans people and “give witness to their dignity and worth as human beings.”

In a recent interview, Derouen said friction over transgender inclusion is likely to intensify.

“There has never been a time in the American church when Catholic hierarchy has had less moral credibility,” she said. “The people in the pews are taking responsibility for doing their own homework and recognizing that we are all God’s people.”

Michael Sennett, a 26-year-old transgender man, sees that happening at the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, where he is communications director.

The unwelcoming attitude of some bishops discourages him, but he’s heartened by advances, including the formation of a support group called LGBTQ+ Catholics.

“Overall I marvel at the progress,” Sennett said. “People are speaking up as never before, joining forces. … The laity is finding more power.”

By DAVID CRARY, Associated PressFor transgender Catholics across the United States, retaining their faith can entail complex calculations. They face rebukes from some fellow Catholics, including many bishops, yet find full acceptance in some premises of the church.A small but growing number of parishes have formed LGBTQ ministries or support groups and warmly welcome transgender people on their own terms. Yet within the past two years, at least six Catholic dioceses have issued guidelines targeting trans people with restrictions and refusing to recognize their gender identity.“Many of our bishops are anti-science. ... They are cold and cruel,” said Sister Luisa Derouen, a retired nun who has ministered to transgender people. “You can’t respect people and deny their existence at the same time.”The latest policy targeting trans Catholics was issued by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in January. It bars church personnel from using trans people’s preferred pronouns that reflect their gender identity.Objecting to trans-supportive “gender theory,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archmil.org/ArchMil/attachments/2022GenderTheoryfinal.pdf" target="_blank">the policy</a>&nbsp;stipulates that “all interactions and policies, parishes, organizations, and institutions are to recognize only a person’s biological sex.”Among other measures, it says parishes, schools and other Catholic organizations in the archdiocese must require people to use bathrooms associated with their birth gender and adhere to dress codes on the same basis.And a broader&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dioceseofmarquette.org/images/files/07-29-21%20Instruction-Created%20in%20the%20Image%20and%20Likeness%20of%20God%281%29.pdf" target="_blank">policy</a>&nbsp;issued in July by the Diocese of Marquette, which encompasses Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, said pastors should deny trans, gay and nonbinary Catholics the sacraments — such as baptism and Communion — “unless the person has repented.” It was signed by Bishop John Doerfler.But in some other parishes around the country, a different, more welcoming face of the church is on display.Just a few weeks before the Marquette policy was issued, the Church of Our Lady of Grace in Hoboken, New Jersey, celebrated its annual&nbsp;<a href="http://www.olghoboken.com/index.php/ministries/lgbtq-grace" target="_blank">Pride Mass</a>&nbsp;in support of the LGBTQ community. Delivering part of the homily at the invitation of the priest, Alexander Santora, was Christine Zuba, a transgender woman from New Jersey.“We are not disordered, confused or a fad,” Zuba said, sharing with other worshippers the decades-long journey that led her to come out six years earlier at age 58. “We are not trying to defy God, nor to play God.”“By staying visible, not only outside these walls but inside our churches, we change hearts and minds, one person at a time,” she concluded. “Once in a while we may get thrown out, but if that happens, we’re not going away. We’re coming right back in.”Santora, a priest for 40 years, said the other worshippers rose and applauded.“Our church was opened in 1878,” Santora said. “I wanted Christine to be on that pulpit.”A lifelong Catholic, Zuba said she knew from age 4 that she was different. When she finally decided to come out five decades later, she was grateful that a nearby parish, Saints Peter and Paul in Turnersville, New Jersey, welcomed her. She serves there as a eucharistic minister.Yet she knows that much of the Catholic hierarchy, including the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usccb.org/equality-act" target="_blank">U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops</a>, rejects the concept of gender transition.“These bishops and priests don’t understand that when they turn someone away, they’re losing parents, children, groups of friends who say this is not the church we want to belong to,” Zuba said.Lynn Discenza, a 64-year-old transgender woman, grew up in a churchgoing Italian American family in West Hartford, Connecticut, and gave seminary a try before pursuing a career in aerospace design.She considers herself fortunate, after transitioning two years ago, to be part of a welcoming Catholic church in the area — Saint Patrick-Saint Anthony Church in Hartford. She is a co-leader of its LGBTQ ministry.Particularly moving, Discenza said, was a Nov. 21 observance marking the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, which commemorates people killed due to anti-trans violence. She thanked the other worshippers for their support, and they responded with applause.The pastor, Timothy Shreenan, highlighted the commemoration in the church bulletin.“We must always stand up against hatred in all its forms, and not allow others’ fears (or phobias) to be a reason for hatred,” he wrote. “Rather, we must continue to learn more about the experience of others and to become more tolerant and accepting of one another.”Discenza hopes that grassroots activism on behalf of greater inclusivity will accelerate as more parishes add LGBTQ ministries.“The change is going to come from the ground up, and some of the old bishops will die away,” she said.For young transgender Catholics, the conflicting approaches of individual churches and clergy can pose challenges to both them and their parents.Eli Musselman of Philadelphia, who turns 19 in March and came out as transgender almost four years ago, said he felt a strong connection with his faith as a boy and many of his friends supported him.But the pastor of the family’s longtime parish declined to refer to him with masculine pronouns and he had anxiety attacks in church due to some parishioners’ “nasty looks,” prompting the family to switch to a parish that made them feel at home.“A place that had once been a safe haven for me had become a place of dangers,” said Musselman, now a freshman at the Jesuit-run St. Josephs University, where students and most professors, with one hurtful exception, have been supportive.“But since coming out,” he added, “my spirituality has grown. ... I feel whole for the first time in my life.”“I lost some really good friends,” said his mother, JoEllen Musselman. “I felt I was constantly making apologies to people, and I got tired of that.”After embracing Catholicism as a convert after her marriage, she now has mixed feelings. Though determined to remain active in the church and advocate for greater inclusivity, she remains skeptical about the topmost Catholic leaders.“They’re flawed,” she said. “If it wasn’t for Christ, the church would collapse, because we humans screw everything up.”At the highest level of Catholic leadership, Pope Francis’ position can best be described as two-sided.On one hand, he has personally ministered to trans Catholics, receiving them in the Vatican and encountering them as an archbishop in Argentina, and he has said the Catholic Church must accompany them. However, he has repeatedly denounced “gender theory” and what he calls the “ideological colonization” in some schools that teaches children they can change their biological sex at will.Francis spoke at length on the issue during a 2016 press conference, stressing the need to avoid “gender ideology” but reasserting the need to minister to trans Catholics. “But please don’t say ‘The pope sanctifies trans!’ Please!”Luisa Derouen, the retired nun who has ministered to more than 250 transgender people since 1999, received permission from her superiors in 2014 to write about that work. But that was on condition she not identify herself or her congregation, the Dominican Sisters of Peace. She did so under a pseudonym, which she ultimately abandoned in 2018 to&nbsp;<a href="https://lgbtqreligiousarchives.org/profiles/luisa-derouen" target="_blank">publicly speak out</a>&nbsp;on behalf of trans people and “give witness to their dignity and worth as human beings.”In a recent interview, Derouen said friction over transgender inclusion is likely to intensify.“There has never been a time in the American church when Catholic hierarchy has had less moral credibility,” she said. “The people in the pews are taking responsibility for doing their own homework and recognizing that we are all God’s people.”Michael Sennett, a 26-year-old transgender man, sees that happening at the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, where he is communications director.The unwelcoming attitude of some bishops discourages him, but he’s heartened by advances, including the formation of a support group called LGBTQ+ Catholics.“Overall I marvel at the progress,” Sennett said. “People are speaking up as never before, joining forces. … The laity is finding more power.”___

Rejection or welcome: Transgender Catholics encounter both

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A handwritten log kept by nurses tells the story of the losing battle to get more people vaccinated against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic">COVID-19</a>&nbsp;in this corner of Alabama: Just 14 people showed up at the Marion County Health Department for their initial shot during the first six weeks of the year.

That was true even as hospitals in and around the county of roughly 30,000 people filled with virus patients and the death toll climbed. On many days, no one got a first shot at all, while a Mexican restaurant up the street, Los Amigos, was full of unmasked diners at lunchtime.

The vaccination drive in the U.S. is grinding to a halt, and demand has all but collapsed in places like this deeply conservative manufacturing town where many weren’t interested in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention-347bc79469ffed5f5b163ca41cf0f1c0">the shots</a>&nbsp;to begin with.

The average number of Americans getting their first shot is down to about 90,000 a day, the lowest point since the first few days of the U.S. vaccination campaign, in December 2020. And hopes of any substantial improvement in the immediate future have largely evaporated.

About 76% of the U.S. population has received at least one shot. Less than 65% of all Americans are fully vaccinated.

Vaccination incentive programs that gave away cash, sports tickets, beer and other prizes have largely gone away. Government and employer vaccine mandates have faced court challenges and may have gone as far as they ever will.

And with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-lifestyle-public-health-c64f8ba0e7885e4686e13a4d76ff49b9">COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths subsiding</a>&nbsp;across the U.S., people who are against getting vaccinated don’t see much reason to change their minds.

“People are just over it. They’re tired of it,” said Judy Smith, administrator for a 12-county public health district in northwestern Alabama.

The bottoming-out of demand for the first round of vaccinations is especially evident in conservative areas around the country.

On most days in Idaho, the number of people statewide getting their first shot rarely surpasses 500.

In Wyoming, a total of about 280 people statewide got their first shot in the past week, and the waiting area at the Cheyenne-Laramie County Health Department stood empty Tuesday morning. The head of the department fondly recalled just a few months ago, when the lobby was bustling on Friday afternoons after school with children getting their doses. But they aren’t showing up anymore either.

“People heard more stories about, well, the omicron’s not that bad,” Executive Director Kathy Emmons said. “I think a lot of people just kind of rolled the dice and decided, ‘Well, if it’s not that bad, I’m just going to kind of wait it out and see what happens.’”

Marion County, along the Mississippi line, is part of a band of Alabama counties where most people aren’t fully vaccinated more than a year after shots were rolled out. Just to the east, Winston County has the state’s lowest share of fully vaccinated residents, at 26%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 42% are fully immunized in Marion County.

The digital sign outside First National Bank flashes Bible verses along with the temperature, and many Marion County residents work in small plants that make mobile homes and components for prefab housing. Most area jobs are blue-collar, and TVs are typically turned to Fox News. A conservative, working-class ethic runs deep.

The area went heavily for President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. And yet resistance to the vaccine is so strong that two counties over, in Cullman, some booed Trump when he encouraged vaccinations during a rally that drew thousands last summer.

COVID-19 has killed almost 18,000 people in Alabama, giving the state the nation’s fourth-highest rate of deaths relative to population. Marion County’s rate exceeds the state average at 1.78%, with more than 140 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Health officials expected to have a hard time persuading Black people to get government-sponsored vaccines in Alabama, home of the infamous&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-skepticism-us-eae3315d2dfecd6443b56a2dc7bcb887">Tuskegee syphilis study</a>&nbsp;and a place where distrust of Washington runs deep. They started work on public education campaigns weeks early in mostly Black areas, which now have some of the state’s highest vaccination rates, at 60% or more.

But they didn’t expect the stiff resistance among rural whites that has kept vaccination numbers stubbornly low in places like Marion County, which is 94% white. While rural transportation difficulties, confusion over vaccine costs — they’re free — and a lack of health care access have also been factors, the partisan divide in America killed the vaccine drive for some before it really got started, officials said.

“Rural white men who identify as conservative are just not interested in this. That caught us off guard,” said Dr. Scott Harris, head of the Alabama Department of Public Health. “By the first or second month of the vaccine campaign, it became clear that those folks just weren’t going to come in.”

Richard Kitchens is among that group. The owner of a clothing and sports shoe shop on the square in Hamilton, Kitchens said he isn’t interested in the vaccine after getting COVID-19 in 2020 before vaccines were available and having relatives who contracted the illness, developed only minor symptoms and recovered.

Short of a proven guarantee against illness — which no vaccine provides — he doesn’t see the point.

“I guess if I knew I could go out and get a shot and wouldn’t get it or spread it, I would go get it, and they say it helps,” Kitchens said. “But I think that will be determined sometime down the road maybe.”

Doris Peterson is fully vaccinated, but she said she didn’t get a booster on the advice of her two adult daughters, neither of whom is vaccinated. Peterson said she is used to being one of the few people around still wearing a mask in public.

“Most of the time I am it,” she said.

Kelly Moore, a former Tennessee health official who now heads a CDC-funded vaccination advocacy organization named Immunize.org, recalled seeing data from a recent survey that hit her like a punch to the gut.

The results were presented at a CDC meeting of vaccine experts earlier this month. The January survey of about 1,000 adults asked unvaccinated participants what, if anything, would change their mind and persuade them to get a shot. Half said “nothing.”

“It was quite demoralizing to see those results, frankly,” Moore said.

With the pandemic still a mortal threat, public health workers haven’t given up on getting more people vaccinated, even if it feels like an uphill slog.

Jordan Ledbetter, a nurse who works at the Marion County Health Department, was thrilled when two people came in for first-time shots on the same day recently.

“That was exciting,” she said. “There are days when I haven’t given any vaccines.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637329411498.png" alt="Drive through vaccination drive-photo courtesy Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department" />
 <figcaption>Drive through vaccination drive-photo courtesy Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A handwritten log kept by nurses tells the story of the losing battle to get more people vaccinated against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic">COVID-19</a>&nbsp;in this corner of Alabama: Just 14 people showed up at the Marion County Health Department for their initial shot during the first six weeks of the year.That was true even as hospitals in and around the county of roughly 30,000 people filled with virus patients and the death toll climbed. On many days, no one got a first shot at all, while a Mexican restaurant up the street, Los Amigos, was full of unmasked diners at lunchtime.The vaccination drive in the U.S. is grinding to a halt, and demand has all but collapsed in places like this deeply conservative manufacturing town where many weren’t interested in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention-347bc79469ffed5f5b163ca41cf0f1c0">the shots</a>&nbsp;to begin with.The average number of Americans getting their first shot is down to about 90,000 a day, the lowest point since the first few days of the U.S. vaccination campaign, in December 2020. And hopes of any substantial improvement in the immediate future have largely evaporated.About 76% of the U.S. population has received at least one shot. Less than 65% of all Americans are fully vaccinated.Vaccination incentive programs that gave away cash, sports tickets, beer and other prizes have largely gone away. Government and employer vaccine mandates have faced court challenges and may have gone as far as they ever will.And with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-lifestyle-public-health-c64f8ba0e7885e4686e13a4d76ff49b9">COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths subsiding</a>&nbsp;across the U.S., people who are against getting vaccinated don’t see much reason to change their minds.“People are just over it. They’re tired of it,” said Judy Smith, administrator for a 12-county public health district in northwestern Alabama.The bottoming-out of demand for the first round of vaccinations is especially evident in conservative areas around the country.On most days in Idaho, the number of people statewide getting their first shot rarely surpasses 500.In Wyoming, a total of about 280 people statewide got their first shot in the past week, and the waiting area at the Cheyenne-Laramie County Health Department stood empty Tuesday morning. The head of the department fondly recalled just a few months ago, when the lobby was bustling on Friday afternoons after school with children getting their doses. But they aren’t showing up anymore either.“People heard more stories about, well, the omicron’s not that bad,” Executive Director Kathy Emmons said. “I think a lot of people just kind of rolled the dice and decided, ‘Well, if it’s not that bad, I’m just going to kind of wait it out and see what happens.’”Marion County, along the Mississippi line, is part of a band of Alabama counties where most people aren’t fully vaccinated more than a year after shots were rolled out. Just to the east, Winston County has the state’s lowest share of fully vaccinated residents, at 26%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 42% are fully immunized in Marion County.The digital sign outside First National Bank flashes Bible verses along with the temperature, and many Marion County residents work in small plants that make mobile homes and components for prefab housing. Most area jobs are blue-collar, and TVs are typically turned to Fox News. A conservative, working-class ethic runs deep.The area went heavily for President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. And yet resistance to the vaccine is so strong that two counties over, in Cullman, some booed Trump when he encouraged vaccinations during a rally that drew thousands last summer.COVID-19 has killed almost 18,000 people in Alabama, giving the state the nation’s fourth-highest rate of deaths relative to population. Marion County’s rate exceeds the state average at 1.78%, with more than 140 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.Health officials expected to have a hard time persuading Black people to get government-sponsored vaccines in Alabama, home of the infamous&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-skepticism-us-eae3315d2dfecd6443b56a2dc7bcb887">Tuskegee syphilis study</a>&nbsp;and a place where distrust of Washington runs deep. They started work on public education campaigns weeks early in mostly Black areas, which now have some of the state’s highest vaccination rates, at 60% or more.But they didn’t expect the stiff resistance among rural whites that has kept vaccination numbers stubbornly low in places like Marion County, which is 94% white. While rural transportation difficulties, confusion over vaccine costs — they’re free — and a lack of health care access have also been factors, the partisan divide in America killed the vaccine drive for some before it really got started, officials said.“Rural white men who identify as conservative are just not interested in this. That caught us off guard,” said Dr. Scott Harris, head of the Alabama Department of Public Health. “By the first or second month of the vaccine campaign, it became clear that those folks just weren’t going to come in.”Richard Kitchens is among that group. The owner of a clothing and sports shoe shop on the square in Hamilton, Kitchens said he isn’t interested in the vaccine after getting COVID-19 in 2020 before vaccines were available and having relatives who contracted the illness, developed only minor symptoms and recovered.Short of a proven guarantee against illness — which no vaccine provides — he doesn’t see the point.“I guess if I knew I could go out and get a shot and wouldn’t get it or spread it, I would go get it, and they say it helps,” Kitchens said. “But I think that will be determined sometime down the road maybe.”Doris Peterson is fully vaccinated, but she said she didn’t get a booster on the advice of her two adult daughters, neither of whom is vaccinated. Peterson said she is used to being one of the few people around still wearing a mask in public.“Most of the time I am it,” she said.Kelly Moore, a former Tennessee health official who now heads a CDC-funded vaccination advocacy organization named Immunize.org, recalled seeing data from a recent survey that hit her like a punch to the gut.The results were presented at a CDC meeting of vaccine experts earlier this month. The January survey of about 1,000 adults asked unvaccinated participants what, if anything, would change their mind and persuade them to get a shot. Half said “nothing.”“It was quite demoralizing to see those results, frankly,” Moore said.With the pandemic still a mortal threat, public health workers haven’t given up on getting more people vaccinated, even if it feels like an uphill slog.Jordan Ledbetter, a nurse who works at the Marion County Health Department, was thrilled when two people came in for first-time shots on the same day recently.“That was exciting,” she said. “There are days when I haven’t given any vaccines.”___

US vaccination drive is bottoming out as omicron subsides

By CARLA K. JOHNSON and MIKE STOBBE, Associated Press

Most Americans live in places where healthy people, including students in schools, can safely take a break from wearing masks under new U.S. guidelines released Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html" target="_blank">outlined</a>&nbsp;the new set of measures for communities where COVID-19 is easing its grip, with less of a focus on positive test results and more on what’s happening at hospitals.

The new system greatly changes the look of the CDC’s risk map and puts more than 70% of the U.S. population in counties where the coronavirus is posing a low or medium threat to hospitals. Those are the people who can stop wearing masks, the agency said.

The agency is still advising people, including schoolchildren, to wear masks where the risk of COVID-19 is high. That’s the situation in about 37% of U.S. counties, where about 28% of Americans live.

The new recommendations do not change the requirement to wear masks on public transportation and indoors in airports, train stations and bus stations. The CDC guidelines for other indoor spaces aren’t binding, meaning cities and institutions even in areas of low risk may set their own rules. And the agency says people with COVID-19 symptoms or who test positive shouldn’t stop wearing masks.

But with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-united-states-3e7ab3f74080bac8480aa6de3e65ecce">protection from immunity</a>&nbsp;rising — both from vaccination and infection — the overall risk of severe disease is now generally lower, the CDC said.

“Anybody is certainly welcome to wear a mask at any time if they feel safer wearing a mask,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a news briefing. “We want to make sure our hospitals are OK and people are not coming in with severe disease. ... Anyone can go to the CDC website, find out the volume of disease in their community and make that decision.”

Some states, including Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey, are at low to medium risk while others such as West Virginia, Kentucky, Florida and Arizona still have wide areas at high levels of concern.

CDC’s previous transmission-prevention guidance to communities focused on two measures — the rate of new COVID-19 cases and the percentage of positive test results over the previous week.

Based on those measures, agency officials advised people to wear masks indoors in counties where spread of the virus was deemed substantial or high. As of this week, more than 3,000 of the nation’s more than 3,200 counties — greater than 95% — were listed as having substantial or high transmission under those measures.

That guidance has increasingly been ignored, however, with states, cities, counties and school districts across the U.S. announcing plans to drop mask mandates amid declining COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

With many Americans already taking off their masks, the CDC’s shift won’t make much practical difference for now, said Andrew Noymer, a public health professor at the University of California, Irvine. But it will help when the next wave of infection — a likelihood in the fall or winter — starts threatening hospital capacity again, he said.

“There will be more waves of COVID. And so I think it makes sense to give people a break from masking,” Noymer said. “If we have continual masking orders, they might become a total joke by the time we really need them again.”

The CDC is offering a color-coded map — with counties designated as orange, yellow or green — to help guide local officials and residents. In green counties, local officials can drop any indoor masking rules. Yellow means people at high risk for severe disease should be cautious. Orange designates places where the CDC suggests masking should be universal.

How a county comes to be designated green, yellow or orange will depend on its rate of new COVID-19 hospital admissions, the share of staffed hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients and the rate of new cases in the community.

Taking hospital data into account has turned some counties — such as Boulder County, Colorado — from high risk to low.

Mask requirements already have ended in most of the U.S. in recent weeks. Los Angeles on Friday began allowing people to remove their masks while indoors if they are vaccinated, and indoor mask mandates in Washington state and Oregon will be lifted in late March.

In a sign of the political divisions over masks, Florida’s governor on Thursday announced new recommendations called “Buck the CDC” that actually discourage mask wearing.

In Pennsylvania, acting health secretary Keara Klinepeter urged “patience and grace” for people who choose to continue masking in public, including those with weakened immune systems. She said she’ll keep wearing a mask because she’s pregnant.

State health officials are generally pleased with the new guidance and “excited with how this is being rolled out,” said Dr. Marcus Plescia of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

“This is the way we need to go. I think this is taking us forward with a new direction going on in the pandemic,” Plescia said. “But we’re still focusing on safety. We’re still focusing on preventing death and illness.”

The CDC said the new system will be useful in predicting future surges and urged communities with wastewater surveillance systems to use that data too.

“If or when new variants emerge or the virus surges, we have more ways to protect ourselves and our communities than ever before,” Walensky said.

By CARLA K. JOHNSON and MIKE STOBBE, Associated PressMost Americans live in places where healthy people, including students in schools, can safely take a break from wearing masks under new U.S. guidelines released Friday.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html" target="_blank">outlined</a>&nbsp;the new set of measures for communities where COVID-19 is easing its grip, with less of a focus on positive test results and more on what’s happening at hospitals.The new system greatly changes the look of the CDC’s risk map and puts more than 70% of the U.S. population in counties where the coronavirus is posing a low or medium threat to hospitals. Those are the people who can stop wearing masks, the agency said.The agency is still advising people, including schoolchildren, to wear masks where the risk of COVID-19 is high. That’s the situation in about 37% of U.S. counties, where about 28% of Americans live.The new recommendations do not change the requirement to wear masks on public transportation and indoors in airports, train stations and bus stations. The CDC guidelines for other indoor spaces aren’t binding, meaning cities and institutions even in areas of low risk may set their own rules. And the agency says people with COVID-19 symptoms or who test positive shouldn’t stop wearing masks.But with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-united-states-3e7ab3f74080bac8480aa6de3e65ecce">protection from immunity</a>&nbsp;rising — both from vaccination and infection — the overall risk of severe disease is now generally lower, the CDC said.“Anybody is certainly welcome to wear a mask at any time if they feel safer wearing a mask,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a news briefing. “We want to make sure our hospitals are OK and people are not coming in with severe disease. ... Anyone can go to the CDC website, find out the volume of disease in their community and make that decision.”Some states, including Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey, are at low to medium risk while others such as West Virginia, Kentucky, Florida and Arizona still have wide areas at high levels of concern.CDC’s previous transmission-prevention guidance to communities focused on two measures — the rate of new COVID-19 cases and the percentage of positive test results over the previous week.Based on those measures, agency officials advised people to wear masks indoors in counties where spread of the virus was deemed substantial or high. As of this week, more than 3,000 of the nation’s more than 3,200 counties — greater than 95% — were listed as having substantial or high transmission under those measures.That guidance has increasingly been ignored, however, with states, cities, counties and school districts across the U.S. announcing plans to drop mask mandates amid declining COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths.With many Americans already taking off their masks, the CDC’s shift won’t make much practical difference for now, said Andrew Noymer, a public health professor at the University of California, Irvine. But it will help when the next wave of infection — a likelihood in the fall or winter — starts threatening hospital capacity again, he said.“There will be more waves of COVID. And so I think it makes sense to give people a break from masking,” Noymer said. “If we have continual masking orders, they might become a total joke by the time we really need them again.”The CDC is offering a color-coded map — with counties designated as orange, yellow or green — to help guide local officials and residents. In green counties, local officials can drop any indoor masking rules. Yellow means people at high risk for severe disease should be cautious. Orange designates places where the CDC suggests masking should be universal.How a county comes to be designated green, yellow or orange will depend on its rate of new COVID-19 hospital admissions, the share of staffed hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients and the rate of new cases in the community.Taking hospital data into account has turned some counties — such as Boulder County, Colorado — from high risk to low.Mask requirements already have ended in most of the U.S. in recent weeks. Los Angeles on Friday began allowing people to remove their masks while indoors if they are vaccinated, and indoor mask mandates in Washington state and Oregon will be lifted in late March.In a sign of the political divisions over masks, Florida’s governor on Thursday announced new recommendations called “Buck the CDC” that actually discourage mask wearing.In Pennsylvania, acting health secretary Keara Klinepeter urged “patience and grace” for people who choose to continue masking in public, including those with weakened immune systems. She said she’ll keep wearing a mask because she’s pregnant.State health officials are generally pleased with the new guidance and “excited with how this is being rolled out,” said Dr. Marcus Plescia of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.“This is the way we need to go. I think this is taking us forward with a new direction going on in the pandemic,” Plescia said. “But we’re still focusing on safety. We’re still focusing on preventing death and illness.”The CDC said the new system will be useful in predicting future surges and urged communities with wastewater surveillance systems to use that data too.“If or when new variants emerge or the virus surges, we have more ways to protect ourselves and our communities than ever before,” Walensky said.___

CDC: Many healthy Americans can take a break from masks

By GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press

CAMDEN, N.J. — Drugmaker Johnson &amp; Johnson and three major distributors have finalized a nationwide settlement over their role in the opioid addiction crisis. 

The announcement Friday clears the way for $26 billion to flow to nearly every state and local government in the U.S. It's the largest settlement to date among the many opioid-related cases that have been playing out across the country and is expected to provide a significant boost to programs aimed at reversing the crisis in places that have been devastated by it. 

That includes many parts of rural America. The money is to be delivered over 18 years, and most of it must be used to fight the epidemic.

By GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated PressCAMDEN, N.J. — Drugmaker Johnson &amp; Johnson and three major distributors have finalized a nationwide settlement over their role in the opioid addiction crisis. The announcement Friday clears the way for $26 billion to flow to nearly every state and local government in the U.S. It's the largest settlement to date among the many opioid-related cases that have been playing out across the country and is expected to provide a significant boost to programs aimed at reversing the crisis in places that have been devastated by it. That includes many parts of rural America. The money is to be delivered over 18 years, and most of it must be used to fight the epidemic.Cover image courtesy Pixabay

J&J, distributors finalize $26B landmark opioid settlement

GRAND ISLAND&nbsp; — During the afternoon hours of Saturday, February 19, Nebraska State Patrol investigators conducted alcohol inspections in Adams, Webster, and Nuckolls counties.

The project was supported in whole or part by grant #0560 under the Hastings Area Substance and Alcohol Abuse Prevention program.

In total, 16 businesses were inspected. Two of those businesses sold alcohol to a minor for a non-compliance rate of 12%. Both businesses failed to check the minor’s ID. The businesses included convenience stores, restaurants, and bars.

Businesses that fail the inspections are referred to the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission. Clerks who sell alcohol to a minor are cited for procuring alcohol for a minor.

By Nebraska State Patrol&nbsp;GRAND ISLAND&nbsp; — During the afternoon hours of Saturday, February 19, Nebraska State Patrol investigators conducted alcohol inspections in Adams, Webster, and Nuckolls counties.The project was supported in whole or part by grant #0560 under the Hastings Area Substance and Alcohol Abuse Prevention program.In total, 16 businesses were inspected. Two of those businesses sold alcohol to a minor for a non-compliance rate of 12%. Both businesses failed to check the minor’s ID. The businesses included convenience stores, restaurants, and bars.The business in violation were:Discount City – HastingsPremier Stop – Blue HillBusinesses that fail the inspections are referred to the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission. Clerks who sell alcohol to a minor are cited for procuring alcohol for a minor.

Alcohol inspections held in south central Nebraska

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities are searching for a Nebraska inmate who escaped from an Omaha prison by running out the front door.

 A news release from the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services says 20-year-old Kendall McNeese was being escorted by prison staff members from his cell in the Omaha Community Corrections Center when he broke away and ran out the prison's front door. 

Officials say he later disabled an electronic monitoring device he was wearing as part of the low-security prison's programs that allow some inmates to work and attend school and religious services outside the prison.

By Associated PressOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities are searching for a Nebraska inmate who escaped from an Omaha prison by running out the front door. A news release from the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services says 20-year-old Kendall McNeese was being escorted by prison staff members from his cell in the Omaha Community Corrections Center when he broke away and ran out the prison's front door. Officials say he later disabled an electronic monitoring device he was wearing as part of the low-security prison's programs that allow some inmates to work and attend school and religious services outside the prison.

Inmate escapes from Omaha prison by running out front door

By JARED STRONG <a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/">States Newsroom</a>

The Russian invasion of Ukraine this week might drive up the costs of farm fertilizers globally — which&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://fertilizerpricing.com/priceindex/">nearly quadrupled</a>&nbsp;last
 year in price in the United States and remain high — and presents an 
opportunity for unscrupulous companies to artificially inflate those 
prices further, according to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

“That’s my biggest and deepest concern,” Vilsack said Thursday of the
 invasion’s immediate effects on U.S. agriculture, “and we’re obviously 
going to keep an eye on that.”

Last year’s fertilizer price spike has been attributed to a 
confluence of issues, including shortages of natural gas and limited 
fertilizer stockpiles. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2022/02/24/iowa-attorney-general-to-investigate-fertilizer-prices/">announced Thursday</a>&nbsp;that his office will conduct a market study in the next few months to better understand why the prices have soared.

Vilsack said his office will watch for potential price gouging as a 
result of the invasion, which began early Thursday. Russia is a major 
global supplier of farm fertilizers and is the source of about a third 
of Europe’s natural gas. President Joe Biden announced sanctions against
 Russia on Thursday that&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0608">target its financial system</a>&nbsp;and would halt technology exports to the country. It’s unclear how Russia might retaliate.

“I sincerely hope that no company out there — whether it’s fertilizer
 or any other supply that may be impacted by this — will take unfair 
advantage of the circumstances of this situation, making sure that they 
don’t use this situation as an excuse for doing something which isn’t 
necessarily justified by supply and demand,” Vilsack said.

Russia had already begun to limit its fertilizer exports late last year and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://gro-intelligence.com/insights/russia-bans-fertilizer-exports-will-weigh-on-brazil-corn-crop">recently imposed</a>&nbsp;a two-month export moratorium on ammonium nitrate, a key fertilizer for corn.

In November, Iowa farmers faced fertilizer price quotes that were&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2021/11/08/high-cost-short-supply-of-fertilizer-to-alter-2022-planting/">three to six times higher</a>&nbsp;than
 the previous year. That has led to speculation that farmers will plant 
fewer acres of corn and reduce the amount of fertilizer they apply to 
their fields. The planting season is about two months away.

Vilsack said supply shortages reinforce “the need for us to look at 
our own capacities domestically, and figure out ways in which we can be 
perhaps a little bit less reliant on outside forces.”

He doubted the potential shortages will have an immediate and 
significant effect on food prices in the United States, but “if I were a
 commissioner or an ag secretary in a European country, I would have a 
much different feeling about this.”

Ukraine has fertile soil that is comparable in richness to Iowa’s and is a major wheat and corn producer in eastern Europe.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1645798572591.png" alt=" U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack holds a press conference with reporters on Feb. 24, 2022 (Screenshot of virtual press conference)." />
 <figcaption> U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack holds a press conference with reporters on Feb. 24, 2022 (Screenshot of virtual press conference).</figcaption>
 </figure>By JARED STRONG <a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/">States Newsroom</a>The Russian invasion of Ukraine this week might drive up the costs of farm fertilizers globally — which&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://fertilizerpricing.com/priceindex/">nearly quadrupled</a>&nbsp;last
 year in price in the United States and remain high — and presents an 
opportunity for unscrupulous companies to artificially inflate those 
prices further, according to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.“That’s my biggest and deepest concern,” Vilsack said Thursday of the
 invasion’s immediate effects on U.S. agriculture, “and we’re obviously 
going to keep an eye on that.”Last year’s fertilizer price spike has been attributed to a 
confluence of issues, including shortages of natural gas and limited 
fertilizer stockpiles. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2022/02/24/iowa-attorney-general-to-investigate-fertilizer-prices/">announced Thursday</a>&nbsp;that his office will conduct a market study in the next few months to better understand why the prices have soared.Vilsack said his office will watch for potential price gouging as a 
result of the invasion, which began early Thursday. Russia is a major 
global supplier of farm fertilizers and is the source of about a third 
of Europe’s natural gas. President Joe Biden announced sanctions against
 Russia on Thursday that&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0608">target its financial system</a>&nbsp;and would halt technology exports to the country. It’s unclear how Russia might retaliate.“I sincerely hope that no company out there — whether it’s fertilizer
 or any other supply that may be impacted by this — will take unfair 
advantage of the circumstances of this situation, making sure that they 
don’t use this situation as an excuse for doing something which isn’t 
necessarily justified by supply and demand,” Vilsack said.Russia had already begun to limit its fertilizer exports late last year and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://gro-intelligence.com/insights/russia-bans-fertilizer-exports-will-weigh-on-brazil-corn-crop">recently imposed</a>&nbsp;a two-month export moratorium on ammonium nitrate, a key fertilizer for corn.In November, Iowa farmers faced fertilizer price quotes that were&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2021/11/08/high-cost-short-supply-of-fertilizer-to-alter-2022-planting/">three to six times higher</a>&nbsp;than
 the previous year. That has led to speculation that farmers will plant 
fewer acres of corn and reduce the amount of fertilizer they apply to 
their fields. The planting season is about two months away.Vilsack said supply shortages reinforce “the need for us to look at 
our own capacities domestically, and figure out ways in which we can be 
perhaps a little bit less reliant on outside forces.”He doubted the potential shortages will have an immediate and 
significant effect on food prices in the United States, but “if I were a
 commissioner or an ag secretary in a European country, I would have a 
much different feeling about this.”Ukraine has fertile soil that is comparable in richness to Iowa’s and is a major wheat and corn producer in eastern Europe.“We in the U.S. are fortunate,” Vilsack said. “We have tremendous production capacity.”