Amount spent on cigarette advertising increased from $7.62B in 2019 to $7.84B in 2020

The
 number of cigarettes that the largest cigarette companies in the United
 States sold to wholesalers and retailers nationwide increased from 
202.9 billion in 2019 to 203.7 billion in 2020, according to the most 
recent Federal Trade Commission <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/reports/federal-trade-commission-cigarette-report-2020-smokeless-tobacco-report-2020/p114508fy20cigarettereport.pdf">Cigarette Report</a>. This represents the first time annual cigarette sales have increased in 20 years.

According to the <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/reports/federal-trade-commission-cigarette-report-2020-smokeless-tobacco-report-2020/p114508fy20smokelesstobacco.pdf">2020 Smokeless Tobacco Report</a>,
 smokeless tobacco sales increased from 126.0 million pounds in 2019 to 
126.9 million pounds in 2020. The revenue from those sales rose from 
$4.53 billion in 2019 to $4.82 billion in 2020. For the first time, the 
Commission is reporting sales of nicotine lozenges or nicotine pouches 
not containing tobacco. In 2020, the companies sold 140.7 million units 
of such products in the United States, for $420.5 million.

The 
amount spent on cigarette advertising and promotion increased from $7.62
 billion in 2019 to $7.84 billion in 2020. Price discounts paid to 
cigarette retailers ($6.07 billion) and wholesalers ($876 million) were 
the two largest expenditure categories in 2020. Combined spending on 
price discounts accounted for 88.5 percent of industry spending.

Spending
 on advertising and promotion by the major manufacturers of smokeless 
tobacco products in the U.S. decreased from $576.1 million in 2019 to 
$567.3 million in 2020. As with cigarettes, price discounts made up the 
two largest spending categories, with $296.6 million paid to retailers 
and $83.5 million paid to wholesalers. Combined spending on price 
discounts totaled $380.1 million – or 67.4 percent of all spending in 
2020, up from the $376.0 million spent in 2019.

For the first 
time, the 2020 data include information on the flavors of the companies’
 smokeless tobacco products. Menthol flavored smokeless tobacco products
 comprised more than half of all sales revenues (54.5 percent); tobacco 
flavored products (that is, no added flavor) comprised 43.4 percent; and
 fruit flavored smokeless tobacco products comprised 2.5 percent.

The
 Commission has issued the Cigarette Report periodically since 1967 and 
the Smokeless Tobacco Report periodically since 1987. Given the 
concerning trends highlighted in this report, including the first 
increase in cigarette sales in two decades, the Commission will continue
 to expand its approach in reporting shifts in the tobacco industry. The
 FTC also will use the newly captured data regarding smokeless tobacco 
products to align the Commission’s enforcement efforts with the emergent
 realities in the tobacco industry.

The Commission vote to issue 
the reports was 5-0. (The staff contact is Michael Ostheimer, Bureau of 
Consumer Protection, 202-326-2699.)

The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and to <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection">protect and educate consumers</a>. You can <a href="https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/">learn more about consumer topics</a> and file a <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/complaint">consumer complaint online</a> or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357).&nbsp;For the latest news and resources, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/social-media">follow the FTC on social media</a>, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/stay-connected">subscribe to press releases</a> and read our <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs">blogs</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619632629588.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Amount spent on cigarette advertising increased from $7.62B in 2019 to $7.84B in 2020</h2>FTCThe
 number of cigarettes that the largest cigarette companies in the United
 States sold to wholesalers and retailers nationwide increased from 
202.9 billion in 2019 to 203.7 billion in 2020, according to the most 
recent Federal Trade Commission <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/reports/federal-trade-commission-cigarette-report-2020-smokeless-tobacco-report-2020/p114508fy20cigarettereport.pdf">Cigarette Report</a>. This represents the first time annual cigarette sales have increased in 20 years.According to the <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/reports/federal-trade-commission-cigarette-report-2020-smokeless-tobacco-report-2020/p114508fy20smokelesstobacco.pdf">2020 Smokeless Tobacco Report</a>,
 smokeless tobacco sales increased from 126.0 million pounds in 2019 to 
126.9 million pounds in 2020. The revenue from those sales rose from 
$4.53 billion in 2019 to $4.82 billion in 2020. For the first time, the 
Commission is reporting sales of nicotine lozenges or nicotine pouches 
not containing tobacco. In 2020, the companies sold 140.7 million units 
of such products in the United States, for $420.5 million.The 
amount spent on cigarette advertising and promotion increased from $7.62
 billion in 2019 to $7.84 billion in 2020. Price discounts paid to 
cigarette retailers ($6.07 billion) and wholesalers ($876 million) were 
the two largest expenditure categories in 2020. Combined spending on 
price discounts accounted for 88.5 percent of industry spending.Spending
 on advertising and promotion by the major manufacturers of smokeless 
tobacco products in the U.S. decreased from $576.1 million in 2019 to 
$567.3 million in 2020. As with cigarettes, price discounts made up the 
two largest spending categories, with $296.6 million paid to retailers 
and $83.5 million paid to wholesalers. Combined spending on price 
discounts totaled $380.1 million – or 67.4 percent of all spending in 
2020, up from the $376.0 million spent in 2019.For the first 
time, the 2020 data include information on the flavors of the companies’
 smokeless tobacco products. Menthol flavored smokeless tobacco products
 comprised more than half of all sales revenues (54.5 percent); tobacco 
flavored products (that is, no added flavor) comprised 43.4 percent; and
 fruit flavored smokeless tobacco products comprised 2.5 percent.The
 Commission has issued the Cigarette Report periodically since 1967 and 
the Smokeless Tobacco Report periodically since 1987. Given the 
concerning trends highlighted in this report, including the first 
increase in cigarette sales in two decades, the Commission will continue
 to expand its approach in reporting shifts in the tobacco industry. The
 FTC also will use the newly captured data regarding smokeless tobacco 
products to align the Commission’s enforcement efforts with the emergent
 realities in the tobacco industry.The Commission vote to issue 
the reports was 5-0. (The staff contact is Michael Ostheimer, Bureau of 
Consumer Protection, 202-326-2699.)The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and to <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection">protect and educate consumers</a>. You can <a href="https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/">learn more about consumer topics</a> and file a <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/complaint">consumer complaint online</a> or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357).&nbsp;For the latest news and resources, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/social-media">follow the FTC on social media</a>, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/stay-connected">subscribe to press releases</a> and read our <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs">blogs</a>.Cover photo courtesy Pixabay

Report: Cigarette sales up in US for first time in 20 years

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police in Omaha have made an arrest in the shooting death earlier this month of an 18-year-old man.

 Police said in a news release that the Metro Area Fugitive Task Force arrested 19-year-old Justyn Wagner on Monday and booked him into the Douglas County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder and weapons counts. 

Wagner is accused in the killing of 18-year-old KorVanta Hill. Officers called to the scene of the shooting on Oct. 18 found Hill mortally wounded on the sidewalk. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635266840654.png" alt="Wagner" />
 <figcaption>Wagner</figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police in Omaha have made an arrest in the shooting death earlier this month of an 18-year-old man. Police said in a news release that the Metro Area Fugitive Task Force arrested 19-year-old Justyn Wagner on Monday and booked him into the Douglas County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder and weapons counts. Wagner is accused in the killing of 18-year-old KorVanta Hill. Officers called to the scene of the shooting on Oct. 18 found Hill mortally wounded on the sidewalk. Hill died at an Omaha hospital.

Police make arrest in killing of 18-year-old in Omaha

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Kellogg Co. is trying to persuade its 1,400 striking cereal-making workers to return to the bargaining table.

 The Battle Creek, Michigan-based company said Monday that it sent a message to the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union that represents those workers offering to resume contract talks. 

The workers have been on strike since Oct. 5. Dan Osborn, president of the union’s local chapter in Omaha, Nebraska, said he believes the union is ready to return to the bargaining table if the company is willing to negotiate on its two-tiered wage system that offers newer employees less pay and fewer benefits.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Kellogg Co. is trying to persuade its 1,400 striking cereal-making workers to return to the bargaining table. The Battle Creek, Michigan-based company said Monday that it sent a message to the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union that represents those workers offering to resume contract talks. The workers have been on strike since Oct. 5. Dan Osborn, president of the union’s local chapter in Omaha, Nebraska, said he believes the union is ready to return to the bargaining table if the company is willing to negotiate on its two-tiered wage system that offers newer employees less pay and fewer benefits.

Kellogg Co. offers to restart talks with striking workers

WASHINGTON (AP) — Children under 18 and people from dozens of countries with a shortage of vaccines will be exempt from new rules that will require most travelers to the United States be vaccinated against COVID-19, the Biden administration announced Monday.

The government will require airlines to collect contact information on passengers regardless of whether they have been vaccinated to help with contact tracing, if that becomes necessary.

Beginning Nov. 8, foreign, non-immigrant adults traveling to the United States will need to be fully vaccinated, with only limited exceptions, and all travelers will need to be tested for the virus before boarding a plane to the U.S. There will be tightened restrictions for American and foreign citizens who are not fully vaccinated.

The new policy comes as the Biden administration moves away from restrictions that ban non-essential travel from several dozen countries — most of Europe, China, Brazil, South Africa, India and Iran — and instead focuses on classifying individuals by the risk they pose to others.

It also reflects the White House’s embrace of vaccination requirements as a tool to push more Americans to get the shots by making it inconvenient to remain unvaccinated.

Under the policy, those who are vaccinated will need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test within three days of travel, while the unvaccinated must present a test taken within one day of travel.

Children under 18 will not be required to be fully vaccinated because of delays in making them eligible for vaccines in many places. They will still need to take a COVID-19 test unless they are 2 or younger.

Others who will be exempt from the vaccination requirement include people who participated in COVID-19 clinical trials, who had severe allergic reactions to the vaccines, or are from a country where shots are not widely available.

That latter category will cover people from countries with vaccination rates below 10% of adults. They may be admitted to the U.S. with a government letter authorizing travel for a compelling reason and not just for tourism, a senior administration official said. The official estimated that there are about 50 such countries.

The U.S. will accept any vaccine approved for regular or emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the World Health Organization. That includes Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson &amp; Johnson, AstraZeneca and China’s Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines. Mixing-and-matching of approved shots will be permitted.

The Biden administration has been working with airlines, who will be required to enforce the new procedures. Airlines will be required to verify vaccine records and match them against identity information.

Quarantine officers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will spot-check passengers who arrive in the U.S. for compliance, according to an administration official. Airlines that don’t enforce the requirements could be subject to penalties of up to nearly $35,000 per violation.

The new rules will replace restrictions that began in January 2020, when President Donald Trump banned most&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-virus-outbreak-9e22f8aabe2f454593b9f9b4c67eb31f">non-U.S. citizens coming from China</a>. The Trump administration expanded that to cover Brazil, Iran, the United Kingdom, Ireland and most of continental Europe. President Joe Biden left those bans in place and expanded them to South Africa and India.

Biden came under pressure from European allies to drop the restrictions, particularly after many European countries eased limits on American visitors.

“The United States is open for business with all the promise and potential America has to offer,” Transportation Secretary Gina Raimondo said after Monday’s announcement.

The main trade group for the U.S. airline industry praised the administration’s decision.

“We have seen an increase in ticket sales for international travel over the past weeks, and are eager to begin safely reuniting the countless families, friends and colleagues who have not seen each other in nearly two years, if not longer,” Airlines for America said in a statement.

The pandemic and resulting travel restrictions have caused international travel to plunge. U.S. and foreign airlines plan to operate about 14,000 flights across the Atlantic this month, just over half the 29,000 flights they operated during October 2019, according to data from aviation-research firm Cirium.

Henry Harteveldt, a travel-industry analyst in San Francisco, said the lifting of country-specific restrictions will help, but it will be tempered by the vaccination and testing requirements.

“Anyone hoping for an explosion of international inbound visitors will be disappointed,” he said. “Nov. 8 will be the start of the international travel recovery in the U.S., but I don’t believe we see full recovery until 2023 at the earliest.”

The Biden administration has not proposed a vaccination requirement for domestic travel, which the airlines oppose fiercely, saying it would be impractical because of the large number of passengers who fly within the U.S. every day.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1618925513372.png" alt="Photo Kansas City International Airport" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas City International Airport</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Children under 18 and people from dozens of countries with a shortage of vaccines will be exempt from new rules that will require most travelers to the United States be vaccinated against COVID-19, the Biden administration announced Monday.The government will require airlines to collect contact information on passengers regardless of whether they have been vaccinated to help with contact tracing, if that becomes necessary.Beginning Nov. 8, foreign, non-immigrant adults traveling to the United States will need to be fully vaccinated, with only limited exceptions, and all travelers will need to be tested for the virus before boarding a plane to the U.S. There will be tightened restrictions for American and foreign citizens who are not fully vaccinated.The new policy comes as the Biden administration moves away from restrictions that ban non-essential travel from several dozen countries — most of Europe, China, Brazil, South Africa, India and Iran — and instead focuses on classifying individuals by the risk they pose to others.It also reflects the White House’s embrace of vaccination requirements as a tool to push more Americans to get the shots by making it inconvenient to remain unvaccinated.Under the policy, those who are vaccinated will need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test within three days of travel, while the unvaccinated must present a test taken within one day of travel.Children under 18 will not be required to be fully vaccinated because of delays in making them eligible for vaccines in many places. They will still need to take a COVID-19 test unless they are 2 or younger.Others who will be exempt from the vaccination requirement include people who participated in COVID-19 clinical trials, who had severe allergic reactions to the vaccines, or are from a country where shots are not widely available.That latter category will cover people from countries with vaccination rates below 10% of adults. They may be admitted to the U.S. with a government letter authorizing travel for a compelling reason and not just for tourism, a senior administration official said. The official estimated that there are about 50 such countries.The U.S. will accept any vaccine approved for regular or emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the World Health Organization. That includes Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson &amp; Johnson, AstraZeneca and China’s Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines. Mixing-and-matching of approved shots will be permitted.The Biden administration has been working with airlines, who will be required to enforce the new procedures. Airlines will be required to verify vaccine records and match them against identity information.Quarantine officers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will spot-check passengers who arrive in the U.S. for compliance, according to an administration official. Airlines that don’t enforce the requirements could be subject to penalties of up to nearly $35,000 per violation.The new rules will replace restrictions that began in January 2020, when President Donald Trump banned most&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-virus-outbreak-9e22f8aabe2f454593b9f9b4c67eb31f">non-U.S. citizens coming from China</a>. The Trump administration expanded that to cover Brazil, Iran, the United Kingdom, Ireland and most of continental Europe. President Joe Biden left those bans in place and expanded them to South Africa and India.Biden came under pressure from European allies to drop the restrictions, particularly after many European countries eased limits on American visitors.“The United States is open for business with all the promise and potential America has to offer,” Transportation Secretary Gina Raimondo said after Monday’s announcement.The main trade group for the U.S. airline industry praised the administration’s decision.“We have seen an increase in ticket sales for international travel over the past weeks, and are eager to begin safely reuniting the countless families, friends and colleagues who have not seen each other in nearly two years, if not longer,” Airlines for America said in a statement.The pandemic and resulting travel restrictions have caused international travel to plunge. U.S. and foreign airlines plan to operate about 14,000 flights across the Atlantic this month, just over half the 29,000 flights they operated during October 2019, according to data from aviation-research firm Cirium.Henry Harteveldt, a travel-industry analyst in San Francisco, said the lifting of country-specific restrictions will help, but it will be tempered by the vaccination and testing requirements.“Anyone hoping for an explosion of international inbound visitors will be disappointed,” he said. “Nov. 8 will be the start of the international travel recovery in the U.S., but I don’t believe we see full recovery until 2023 at the earliest.”The Biden administration has not proposed a vaccination requirement for domestic travel, which the airlines oppose fiercely, saying it would be impractical because of the large number of passengers who fly within the U.S. every day.

US details new international COVID-19 travel requirements

With all the uncertainties that come with a pandemic, more 
people are purchasing ticket insurance for concerts, festivals, and 
sports events than ever before. In fact, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/money/giggoers-should-check-terms-of-ticket-insurance-carefully-says-which-b1877461.html" target="_blank">one study</a>
 done in the United Kingdom reported that around three in 10 people 
would now be more likely to pay for ticket insurance, thanks to mass 
cancelations of big events that took place early on in the pandemic.

But is ticket insurance really worth the cost? BBB recommends the following tips if you’re considering making the purchase.

To stay safe while purchasing event tickets, be sure to read BBB's tips for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/tips/13986-bbb-tip-buying-tickets-for-the-super-bowl-or-other-events" target="_blank">buying tickets</a>&nbsp;to an event and the <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/20661-big-festivals-and-seasonal-events-fabulous-fizzled-or-fake" target="_blank">BBB Scam Alert about fake events and phony tickets</a>. For general information on avoiding scams, visit <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/8767-bbb-tips-10-steps-to-avoid-scams" target="_blank">BBB.org/AvoidScams</a>.

Report scams and dishonest businesses to <a href="https://www.BBB.org/ScamTracker" target="_blank">BBB.org/ScamTracker</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579883951052.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>BBBWith all the uncertainties that come with a pandemic, more 
people are purchasing ticket insurance for concerts, festivals, and 
sports events than ever before. In fact, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/money/giggoers-should-check-terms-of-ticket-insurance-carefully-says-which-b1877461.html" target="_blank">one study</a>
 done in the United Kingdom reported that around three in 10 people 
would now be more likely to pay for ticket insurance, thanks to mass 
cancelations of big events that took place early on in the pandemic.But is ticket insurance really worth the cost? BBB recommends the following tips if you’re considering making the purchase.<h2>Is Ticket Insurance Worth It? </h2><ul>
 <li>Read the fine print before you buy. Always take the time to read the specifics about <a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2013-may-27-la-fi-lazarus-20130528-story.html" target="_blank">what a ticket insurance covers</a>
 and what it doesn’t. Different insurances offer widely varied policies.
 For example, some ticket insurances cover illness, but not pandemic 
related illness. Others offer a refund if you test positive for 
COVID-19, but not if you were simply exposed to the virus and need to 
self-isolate. Others cover car breakdowns but not stolen tickets. Take 
into consideration the scenarios you may personally face to decide 
whether it’s worth buying the insurance. </li><li>Contact the ticket seller. If you are mainly 
concerned with an event being postponed or canceled, ask the ticket 
seller how they handle those situations. In most cases, the primary 
ticket vendor will offer you a refund if an event is canceled or 
postponed because of the pandemic. </li><li>Weigh the pros and cons of tickets to postponed events. Be
 sure you want to keep tickets to a postponed event if you are offered 
that option. Usually, once you agree to keep the tickets, you probably 
won’t get to change your mind later. </li><li>If you are traveling for the event, check your travel insurance. Your <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/18108-is-travel-insurance-right-for-you" target="_blank">travel insurance</a>
 may allow you to make a claim for a refund if you test positive for 
COVID-19, which may mean you won’t need ticket insurance from a third 
party company. </li><li>Always research the insurance company. Before 
making a purchase from a third-party company, even if they are featured 
on a trusted ticket vendor’s website, do some research. Look up the 
company on <a href="https://www.BBB.org/search">BBB.org</a> and read the business rating and customer reviews, keeping a close eye out for customer complaints. </li><li>Watch out for ticket insurance scams. Don’t fall for <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/16758-bbb-tip-phishing-scams" target="_blank">phishing emails</a>
 that promise you too good to be true deals on cheap ticket insurance, 
even if they appear legitimate. In addition, make sure you aren’t on a <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/22144-proceed-with-caution-bbb-tips-to-spot-fake-websites-and-scam-emails" target="_blank">fake website</a> if you do choose to purchase ticket insurance for an upcoming event.</li>
 </ul><h2>For More Information&nbsp;</h2>To stay safe while purchasing event tickets, be sure to read BBB's tips for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/tips/13986-bbb-tip-buying-tickets-for-the-super-bowl-or-other-events" target="_blank">buying tickets</a>&nbsp;to an event and the <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/20661-big-festivals-and-seasonal-events-fabulous-fizzled-or-fake" target="_blank">BBB Scam Alert about fake events and phony tickets</a>. For general information on avoiding scams, visit <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/8767-bbb-tips-10-steps-to-avoid-scams" target="_blank">BBB.org/AvoidScams</a>.Report scams and dishonest businesses to <a href="https://www.BBB.org/ScamTracker" target="_blank">BBB.org/ScamTracker</a>.Cover image courtesy Pixabay

Should you purchase ticket insurance for your next event?

Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested two people after locating more than 130 pounds of marijuana and a loaded handgun during a traffic stop on Interstate 80.

Friday, October 22, at approximately 1:50 p.m., a trooper observed an eastbound Mitsubishi Outlander following another vehicle too closely on Interstate 80 near Aurora, at mile marker 327. During the traffic stop, the trooper detected the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.

A search of the vehicle revealed 132 pounds of marijuana in several duffel bags in the rear of the vehicle. The Trooper also located a loaded handgun in the passenger door compartment.

The driver, Darius Rice, 24, and passenger, Alexus Webber, 21, both of&nbsp; Columbia, South Carolina, were arrested for possession of marijuana – more than one pound, possession with intent to deliver, no drug tax stamp, and possession of a firearm during a drug violation. Both were lodged in Hamilton County Jail.

News Release Nebraska State PatrolTroopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested two people after locating more than 130 pounds of marijuana and a loaded handgun during a traffic stop on Interstate 80.Friday, October 22, at approximately 1:50 p.m., a trooper observed an eastbound Mitsubishi Outlander following another vehicle too closely on Interstate 80 near Aurora, at mile marker 327. During the traffic stop, the trooper detected the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.A search of the vehicle revealed 132 pounds of marijuana in several duffel bags in the rear of the vehicle. The Trooper also located a loaded handgun in the passenger door compartment.The driver, Darius Rice, 24, and passenger, Alexus Webber, 21, both of&nbsp; Columbia, South Carolina, were arrested for possession of marijuana – more than one pound, possession with intent to deliver, no drug tax stamp, and possession of a firearm during a drug violation. Both were lodged in Hamilton County Jail.

Troopers find over 130 pounds of weed in stop near Aurora

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police in Omaha say a pedestrian on U.S. Highway 75 in north Omaha died after being hit by two vehicles. 

Police say in a news release that the accident happened just before 8 p.m. Sunday, when 32-year-old Cody Stiles, of Omaha, was hit by a Ford Escape in the northbound lanes of the highway, then hit again by another SUV. 

Stiles was pronounced dead at the scene. No occupants in the vehicles involved were injured. 

The crash shut down a section of the highway for about two hours.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police in Omaha say a pedestrian on U.S. Highway 75 in north Omaha died after being hit by two vehicles. Police say in a news release that the accident happened just before 8 p.m. Sunday, when 32-year-old Cody Stiles, of Omaha, was hit by a Ford Escape in the northbound lanes of the highway, then hit again by another SUV. Stiles was pronounced dead at the scene. No occupants in the vehicles involved were injured. The crash shut down a section of the highway for about two hours.

Pedestrian dies after being struck by 2 vehicles in Omaha

WASHINGTON (AP) — To supporters of the child tax credit, there has always been an “aha moment” — the recognition that as little as a few hundred dollars a month could be life-changing.

For Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, it was several years ago when he was working as Denver’s school superintendent. One high schooler kept falling asleep in morning classes. When Bennet asked why he was so exhausted, the student said he worked the midnight shift at McDonald’s so that his family had enough money.

For Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, it was the childhood memory of her parents being evicted and finding their furniture on the street.

Bennet and DeLauro are among the Democratic lawmakers who have pushed to make permanent an expanded child tax credit, which President Joe Biden’s coronavirus relief package transformed into a monthly payment that would be available to almost any child. But Biden could not convince even enough of his fellow Democrats that they should extend these payments through 2025, and in negotiations for his broader package of economic and social programs he appears to have settled for a one-year extension that runs through next year.

Despite the concession, the president is still fighting for a legacy-making policy that could become the equivalent of Social Security for children. Biden dubbed the start of payments in July as “historic,” saying that the reduction to child poverty would be transformative and that he intended to make the credit permanent.

The steady evolution of the child tax credit reflects a fundamental split on how lawmakers think about human nature. Do payments from the government make people lazier or give them the resources to become more responsible? Established with bipartisan support in 1997, the credit has changed in ways that challenge many of the assumptions of political identities, as Democrats would be the ones calling on Republicans to cut taxes.

Republican critics and West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin — the decisive Democratic vote — worry that the payments could discourage parents from working, while supporters say the money would make it easier to afford the child care and transportation needed to find jobs.

“It’s a flat-out tax cut for ordinary people,” Biden said in a Wednesday speech in Scranton. “That’s what it does. I make no apologies for it.”

The continuation of the payments of at least $300 a month per child is as much about a political transformation as an economic one.

For the purposes of the federal budget, it is a tax cut aimed squarely at the middle class as median family incomes are at $86,372. The credit’s evolution since being created in 1997 speaks to the power of using the tax code for social policy.

It allows Democrats to claim the mantle of middle-class tax cutters, while Republicans who oppose the idea could be criticized for favoring tax hikes on this key group of voters ahead of the 2022 elections. That is a sharp reversal from the Ronald Reagan-era identity of Republicans as committed to tax cuts for aiding growth.

“A lot of its initial success was that it did fit into the frame of tax relief,” said Gene Sperling, a Biden aide who worked on economic policy in both the Clinton and Obama White Houses. “This is one place where progressives have over a period of 30 years kind of won the conceptual war.”

The child tax credit was initially bipartisan, a unique policy overlap between former President Bill Clinton and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Republicans made it part of their 1994 “Contract with America,” a list of polices that former Georgia Rep. Gingrich rode to the House speakership. Gingrich said in an interview that former Illinois Rep. Henry Hyde, a staunch abortion opponent, emphasized that the GOP needed to show that it cared about children after they were born, not just when they were in the womb. The tax credit was the chosen vehicle.

Clinton separately proposed it in December 1994 in his “middle class bill of rights” speech. The convergence ultimately led to the 1997 overhaul of welfare that established a $500 tax credit for children. Future administrations expanded the credit. But until this year the credit was not “fully refundable” — which meant that parents with low incomes might not earn enough to receive the full payment.

What Biden and Democratic lawmakers did with their coronavirus relief package was remove that limit, effectively turning the tax credit into a monthly child allowance. Their planned extension would make this change permanent.

Gingrich and Republicans say people would quit their jobs because they would be able to receive payments without working, depriving children of working parents who can serve as role models.

He calls that “an enormously dangerous thing for our culture.”

Backing that argument is a paper by University of Chicago economists that assumes the expanded tax credits would cause 1.5 million parents to ditch their jobs because the credits would no longer be tied to working.

“It’s a policy that’s been transformed from one that encourages self reliance and work to one that doesn’t,” said Bruce Meyer, the University of Chicago professor who co-wrote the analysis.

However, real world economic data shows no correlation between the payments and people leaving work so far. Researchers at Columbia University have found that the expanded child tax credit payments that began in July had no impact on labor and that models claiming otherwise are overly simplified. Workers often need to spend money in order to get a job, they reason.

“You have to make an investment in order to be able to work,” said Elizabeth Ananat, an economist at Barnard College who co-wrote the Columbia paper. “You do have to get your car fixed. You have to get your phone turned back on. You have to buy a month supply of diapers in order to secure your spot in the preschool.”

Democratic lawmakers believe the payments reduce poverty and improve educational outcomes, making it more likely that the children will hold steady jobs as adults.

Colorado Sen. Bennet backed the idea of a child tax credit after he found as a school administrator that more resources were needed to ensure kids had the stability to succeed.

“Most of the parents are working incredibly hard, some of them working two and three jobs. And no matter what they do, they couldn’t keep the kids out of poverty,” Bennet said.

DeLauro says the breakthrough on expanding the credit came as a result of the coronavirus showing how economically fragile many families are and Biden’s own choice as a presidential candidate to support the policy. She believes that beneficiaries will keep their jobs because work is part of who they are.

“People identify themselves by their work,” she said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634989828010.png" alt="The tax credit allows Democrats to claim the mantle of middle-class tax cutters-photo courtesy Senate Majority Leader&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>The tax credit allows Democrats to claim the mantle of middle-class tax cutters-photo courtesy Senate Majority Leader&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — To supporters of the child tax credit, there has always been an “aha moment” — the recognition that as little as a few hundred dollars a month could be life-changing.For Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, it was several years ago when he was working as Denver’s school superintendent. One high schooler kept falling asleep in morning classes. When Bennet asked why he was so exhausted, the student said he worked the midnight shift at McDonald’s so that his family had enough money.For Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, it was the childhood memory of her parents being evicted and finding their furniture on the street.Bennet and DeLauro are among the Democratic lawmakers who have pushed to make permanent an expanded child tax credit, which President Joe Biden’s coronavirus relief package transformed into a monthly payment that would be available to almost any child. But Biden could not convince even enough of his fellow Democrats that they should extend these payments through 2025, and in negotiations for his broader package of economic and social programs he appears to have settled for a one-year extension that runs through next year.Despite the concession, the president is still fighting for a legacy-making policy that could become the equivalent of Social Security for children. Biden dubbed the start of payments in July as “historic,” saying that the reduction to child poverty would be transformative and that he intended to make the credit permanent.The steady evolution of the child tax credit reflects a fundamental split on how lawmakers think about human nature. Do payments from the government make people lazier or give them the resources to become more responsible? Established with bipartisan support in 1997, the credit has changed in ways that challenge many of the assumptions of political identities, as Democrats would be the ones calling on Republicans to cut taxes.Republican critics and West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin — the decisive Democratic vote — worry that the payments could discourage parents from working, while supporters say the money would make it easier to afford the child care and transportation needed to find jobs.“It’s a flat-out tax cut for ordinary people,” Biden said in a Wednesday speech in Scranton. “That’s what it does. I make no apologies for it.”The continuation of the payments of at least $300 a month per child is as much about a political transformation as an economic one.For the purposes of the federal budget, it is a tax cut aimed squarely at the middle class as median family incomes are at $86,372. The credit’s evolution since being created in 1997 speaks to the power of using the tax code for social policy.It allows Democrats to claim the mantle of middle-class tax cutters, while Republicans who oppose the idea could be criticized for favoring tax hikes on this key group of voters ahead of the 2022 elections. That is a sharp reversal from the Ronald Reagan-era identity of Republicans as committed to tax cuts for aiding growth.“A lot of its initial success was that it did fit into the frame of tax relief,” said Gene Sperling, a Biden aide who worked on economic policy in both the Clinton and Obama White Houses. “This is one place where progressives have over a period of 30 years kind of won the conceptual war.”The child tax credit was initially bipartisan, a unique policy overlap between former President Bill Clinton and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.Republicans made it part of their 1994 “Contract with America,” a list of polices that former Georgia Rep. Gingrich rode to the House speakership. Gingrich said in an interview that former Illinois Rep. Henry Hyde, a staunch abortion opponent, emphasized that the GOP needed to show that it cared about children after they were born, not just when they were in the womb. The tax credit was the chosen vehicle.Clinton separately proposed it in December 1994 in his “middle class bill of rights” speech. The convergence ultimately led to the 1997 overhaul of welfare that established a $500 tax credit for children. Future administrations expanded the credit. But until this year the credit was not “fully refundable” — which meant that parents with low incomes might not earn enough to receive the full payment.What Biden and Democratic lawmakers did with their coronavirus relief package was remove that limit, effectively turning the tax credit into a monthly child allowance. Their planned extension would make this change permanent.Gingrich and Republicans say people would quit their jobs because they would be able to receive payments without working, depriving children of working parents who can serve as role models.He calls that “an enormously dangerous thing for our culture.”Backing that argument is a paper by University of Chicago economists that assumes the expanded tax credits would cause 1.5 million parents to ditch their jobs because the credits would no longer be tied to working.“It’s a policy that’s been transformed from one that encourages self reliance and work to one that doesn’t,” said Bruce Meyer, the University of Chicago professor who co-wrote the analysis.However, real world economic data shows no correlation between the payments and people leaving work so far. Researchers at Columbia University have found that the expanded child tax credit payments that began in July had no impact on labor and that models claiming otherwise are overly simplified. Workers often need to spend money in order to get a job, they reason.“You have to make an investment in order to be able to work,” said Elizabeth Ananat, an economist at Barnard College who co-wrote the Columbia paper. “You do have to get your car fixed. You have to get your phone turned back on. You have to buy a month supply of diapers in order to secure your spot in the preschool.”Democratic lawmakers believe the payments reduce poverty and improve educational outcomes, making it more likely that the children will hold steady jobs as adults.Colorado Sen. Bennet backed the idea of a child tax credit after he found as a school administrator that more resources were needed to ensure kids had the stability to succeed.“Most of the parents are working incredibly hard, some of them working two and three jobs. And no matter what they do, they couldn’t keep the kids out of poverty,” Bennet said.DeLauro says the breakthrough on expanding the credit came as a result of the coronavirus showing how economically fragile many families are and Biden’s own choice as a presidential candidate to support the policy. She believes that beneficiaries will keep their jobs because work is part of who they are.“People identify themselves by their work,” she said.

Child tax credit tussle reflects debate over work incentives

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Waterloo volunteer firefighter has been charged with sexual assault after authorities say he drugged a woman and attacked her while she was incapacitated. 

The Douglas County Attorney has charged 27-year-old Brandon Hanusek with first-degree sexual assault of a mentally or physically incompetent person. 

Waterloo Volunteer Fire Department Chief Travis Harlow said he placed Hanusek on administrative leave after he was charged in May. 

Hanusek posted $2.500 bond after he was arrested in early June and he remains free while the case is pending.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635169766407.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Waterloo volunteer firefighter has been charged with sexual assault after authorities say he drugged a woman and attacked her while she was incapacitated. The Douglas County Attorney has charged 27-year-old Brandon Hanusek with first-degree sexual assault of a mentally or physically incompetent person. Waterloo Volunteer Fire Department Chief Travis Harlow said he placed Hanusek on administrative leave after he was charged in May. Hanusek posted $2.500 bond after he was arrested in early June and he remains free while the case is pending.

Authorities charge Waterloo volunteer firefighter with sexual assault

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today reminded families, teens and senior citizens about the continued importance of <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5461.pdf">protecting personal and financial information</a>&nbsp;PDF online. Although the IRS and its <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/security-summit">Security Summit</a> partners continue making strides in fighting identity theft and fraudulent tax returns, help is needed.

The <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/security-summit">Security Summit</a>
 works to protect taxpayers from criminals that file fraudulent returns 
for refunds. The Summit coalition includes representatives of the 
software industry, tax preparation firms, payroll and tax financial 
product processors as well as state tax administrators and the IRS, 
which work together year-round to protect taxpayers.

During National Cybersecurity Month, the IRS is asking parents, families and others to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-scams-consumer-alerts">be mindful</a>
 of the pitfalls that can be found by sharing devices at home, shopping 
online and through navigating various social media platforms. Often, 
those who are less experienced can put themselves and others at risk by 
leaving an unnecessary trail of personal information for fraudsters.

Here are a few common-sense suggestions that can make a difference 
for children, teens and other vulnerable groups to potential dangers to 
protect their personal data:

Remember, the IRS does not use text messages or social media to 
discuss personal tax issues, such as those involving tax refunds, 
stimulus payments or tax bills. For more information, visit the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/phishing-identity-theft-and-scams">Tax Scams and Consumer Alerts</a> page on IRS.gov. Additional information about tax scams is also available on IRS social media sites, including <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmBDJeCI_h4">YouTube videos</a>. Also see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4524.pdf">Publication 4524, Security Awareness for Taxpayers</a>&nbsp;PDF.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today reminded families, teens and senior citizens about the continued importance of <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5461.pdf">protecting personal and financial information</a>&nbsp;PDF online. Although the IRS and its <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/security-summit">Security Summit</a> partners continue making strides in fighting identity theft and fraudulent tax returns, help is needed.The <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/security-summit">Security Summit</a>
 works to protect taxpayers from criminals that file fraudulent returns 
for refunds. The Summit coalition includes representatives of the 
software industry, tax preparation firms, payroll and tax financial 
product processors as well as state tax administrators and the IRS, 
which work together year-round to protect taxpayers.During National Cybersecurity Month, the IRS is asking parents, families and others to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-scams-consumer-alerts">be mindful</a>
 of the pitfalls that can be found by sharing devices at home, shopping 
online and through navigating various social media platforms. Often, 
those who are less experienced can put themselves and others at risk by 
leaving an unnecessary trail of personal information for fraudsters.<h2>Staying safe online</h2>Here are a few common-sense suggestions that can make a difference 
for children, teens and other vulnerable groups to potential dangers to 
protect their personal data:<ul>
 <li>Teach them to recognize and avoid scams. 
Phishing emails, threatening phone calls and texts from thieves posing 
as the IRS or legitimate organizations pose ongoing risks. Do not click 
on links or download attachments from unknown or <a href="https://www.irs.gov/privacy-disclosure/report-phishing">suspicious emails</a>.</li><li>Remind them why security is important. Be careful 
not to reveal too much personal information. Keeping data secure and 
only providing what is necessary minimizes online exposure to scammers 
and criminals. Birthdates, addresses, age, financial information such as
 bank account and Social Security numbers are among things that should 
not be shared freely.</li><li>Teach them about public Wi-Fi networks. Connection
 to Wi-Fi in a mall or coffee shop is convenient but it may not be safe.
 Hackers and cybercriminals can easily intercept personal information. 
Always use a virtual private network when connecting to public Wi-Fi.</li><li>Always use security software with firewall and anti-virus protections.
 Make sure the security software is always turned on and can 
automatically update. Remember, to encrypt sensitive files such as tax 
records stored on computers. Be sure all family members have 
comprehensive protection especially if devices are being shared. Use 
strong, unique passwords for each account.</li>
 </ul>Remember, the IRS does not use text messages or social media to 
discuss personal tax issues, such as those involving tax refunds, 
stimulus payments or tax bills. For more information, visit the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/phishing-identity-theft-and-scams">Tax Scams and Consumer Alerts</a> page on IRS.gov. Additional information about tax scams is also available on IRS social media sites, including <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmBDJeCI_h4">YouTube videos</a>. Also see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4524.pdf">Publication 4524, Security Awareness for Taxpayers</a>&nbsp;PDF.

Make online safety a priority during National Cybersecurity Month

WASHINGTON — To help address COVID-related labor shortages, the 
Internal Revenue Service today reminded employers that they generally 
will not jeopardize the tax status of their pension plans if they rehire
 retirees or permit distributions of retirement benefits to current 
employees who have reached age 59 ½ or the plan's normal retirement age.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, many employers, including governmental 
employers (such as public school districts), are looking for ways to 
encourage retirees to return to the workforce to fill open positions and
 experienced employees to stay on the job.

The IRS is providing help to these employers in <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/coronavirus-related-relief-for-retirement-plans-and-iras-questions-and-answers#rehires">two new frequently asked questions (FAQs)</a>,
 designed to offer technical guidance to public and private employers 
who sponsor pension plans for their employees. The FAQs highlight 
existing ways that employers can meet their employment objectives and 
still comply with the plan qualification rules.

Under the FAQs, an employer can generally choose to address 
unforeseen hiring needs by rehiring former employees, even if those 
employees have already retired and begun receiving pension benefit 
payments. Also, if permitted under plan terms, those employees may 
continue receiving the benefits after they are rehired. Moreover, an 
employer can generally choose to make retirement distributions available
 to existing employees who have reached age 59 ½ or the plan's normal 
retirement age. This may assist in the retention of employees eligible 
for retirement.

Further details can be found in the two new FAQs now posted on 
IRS.gov. Also, next Wednesday and Thursday (October 27 and 28) from 4-5 
p.m. ET, the Department of the Treasury and the Department of Education 
will be holding webinars for education leaders and other stakeholders to
 discuss approaches to addressing school staff labor shortages, 
including a discussion about these new FAQs.

Webinar 1: Teacher and substitute teacher shortages&nbsp;

Webinar 2: Staff shortages, such as school bus drivers and food service workers

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — To help address COVID-related labor shortages, the 
Internal Revenue Service today reminded employers that they generally 
will not jeopardize the tax status of their pension plans if they rehire
 retirees or permit distributions of retirement benefits to current 
employees who have reached age 59 ½ or the plan's normal retirement age.With the COVID-19 pandemic, many employers, including governmental 
employers (such as public school districts), are looking for ways to 
encourage retirees to return to the workforce to fill open positions and
 experienced employees to stay on the job.The IRS is providing help to these employers in <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/coronavirus-related-relief-for-retirement-plans-and-iras-questions-and-answers#rehires">two new frequently asked questions (FAQs)</a>,
 designed to offer technical guidance to public and private employers 
who sponsor pension plans for their employees. The FAQs highlight 
existing ways that employers can meet their employment objectives and 
still comply with the plan qualification rules.Under the FAQs, an employer can generally choose to address 
unforeseen hiring needs by rehiring former employees, even if those 
employees have already retired and begun receiving pension benefit 
payments. Also, if permitted under plan terms, those employees may 
continue receiving the benefits after they are rehired. Moreover, an 
employer can generally choose to make retirement distributions available
 to existing employees who have reached age 59 ½ or the plan's normal 
retirement age. This may assist in the retention of employees eligible 
for retirement.Further details can be found in the two new FAQs now posted on 
IRS.gov. Also, next Wednesday and Thursday (October 27 and 28) from 4-5 
p.m. ET, the Department of the Treasury and the Department of Education 
will be holding webinars for education leaders and other stakeholders to
 discuss approaches to addressing school staff labor shortages, 
including a discussion about these new FAQs.<h2>Webinars:</h2><h2>Webinar 1: Teacher and substitute teacher shortages&nbsp;</h2><ul>
 <li>October 27, 2021, 4&nbsp;p.m. Eastern Time</li><li><a href="https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsd-2sqzkpH2KJhWPp_Vv7Iy7vjInHSBM">Participants should pre-register</a></li>
 </ul><h2>Webinar 2: Staff shortages, such as school bus drivers and food service workers</h2><ul>
 <li>October 28, 2021 at 4 p.m. Eastern Time</li><li><a href="https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsd-2sqzkpH2KJhWPp_Vv7Iy7vjInHSBM">Participants should pre-register</a></li>
 </ul>

Employers get help from feds rehiring retired workers, retaining older workers

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Authorities say a driver lost control during a Texas drag racing event and slammed into a crowd of spectators, killing two children and injuring eight other people. 

A 6-year-old boy and an 8-year-old boy were killed Saturday at an event called “Airport Race Wars 2” at the Kerrville-Kerr County Airport. 

The organized event was attended by thousands and involved drivers speeding down a runway as they competed for cash. 

The injured victims were taken to various hospitals, including a 46-year-old woman who was in critical condition. The majority of the other injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

 Kerville is about 60 miles northwest of San Antonio.

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Authorities say a driver lost control during a Texas drag racing event and slammed into a crowd of spectators, killing two children and injuring eight other people. A 6-year-old boy and an 8-year-old boy were killed Saturday at an event called “Airport Race Wars 2” at the Kerrville-Kerr County Airport. The organized event was attended by thousands and involved drivers speeding down a runway as they competed for cash. The injured victims were taken to various hospitals, including a 46-year-old woman who was in critical condition. The majority of the other injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. Kerville is about 60 miles northwest of San Antonio.

Texas drag race driver slams into spectators, killing 2 kids

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is allowing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-health-abortion-government-and-politics-ba02cd7c3f02b1eb5c87094257ee4db2">the Texas law that bans most abortions</a>&nbsp;to remain in place, but has agreed to hear arguments in the case in early November.

The justices said Friday they will decide whether the Justice Department and abortion providers can sue in federal court over a law that Justice Sonia Sotomayor said was “enacted in open disregard of the constitutional rights of women seeking abortion care in Texas.”

Answering that question will help determine whether the law should be blocked while legal challenges continue. The court is moving at an unusually fast pace that suggests it plans to make a decision quickly. Arguments are set for Nov. 1.

The court’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/21a85_5h25.pdf" target="_blank">action</a>&nbsp;leaves in place for the time being a law that clinics say has led to an 80% reduction in abortions in the nation’s second-largest state.

The justices said in their order that they were deferring action on a request from the Justice Department to put the law on hold. Sotomayor wrote that she would have blocked the law now.

“The promise of future adjudication offers cold comfort, however, for Texas women seeking abortion care, who are entitled to relief now,” Sotomayor wrote.

Sotomayor was the only justice to make her views clear, but it seems there were not five votes on the nine-member court to immediately block the law Friday. It takes just four justices to decide to hear a case.

The court first declined to block the law in September, in response to an emergency filing by the abortion providers. The vote was 5-4 vote, with the three appointees of former President Donald Trump joining two other conservatives in the majority. Chief Justice John Roberts joined Sotomayor and the other two liberal justices in voting to keep the law on hold while the legal fight goes on in lower courts.

Now, though, the justices, in a rare move, have decided to weigh in before lower courts definitively decide the issues.

Kimberlyn Schwartz, a spokeswoman for Texas Right to Life, said she was happy the law remains in effect. “This is a great development for the Pro-Life movement because the law will continue to save an estimated 100 babies per day, and because the justices will actually discuss whether these lawsuits are valid in the first place,” Schwartz said in a statement.

Amy Hagstrom Miller, the chief executive of Whole Woman’s Health, said Friday’s order means patients will continue to be denied care at her four clinics in Texas, on top of the hundreds who already have been turned away. Providers say the ability of Texas’ nearly two dozen clinics to stay open is threatened the longer the law stays in effect, although Hagstrom Miller said she was not aware of any imminent closures.

But she said clinics are trying “to band together and get resources” to keep doors open. In 2013, another restrictive Texas anti-abortion law led to the closing of half the state’s 40-plus clinics. The Supreme Court ultimately struck down that law in 2016, but some clinics never reopened.

“It’s a matter of time if this law continues to be enforced,” Hagstrom Miller said. “It will cause clinics to close and further decimate the fabric of care that is needed to take care of people across the state.”

The law has been in effect since September, aside from a district court-ordered pause that lasted just 48 hours, and bans abortions once cardiac activity is detected, usually around six weeks and before some women know they are pregnant.

That’s well before the Supreme Court’s major abortion decisions allow states to prohibit abortion,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-15-week-ban-5d066a9dc0030a4f8297711f341c9f5a">although the court has agreed to hear an appeal from Mississippi asking it to overrule those decisions, in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey</a>.

But the Texas law was written to evade early federal court review by putting enforcement of it into the hands of private citizens, rather than state officials.

The focus of the high court arguments will not be on the abortion ban, but whether the Justice Department and the providers can sue and obtain a court order that effectively prevents the law from being enforced, the Supreme Court said in its brief order.

If the law stays in effect, “no decision of this Court is safe. States need not comply with, or even challenge, precedents with which they disagree. They may simply outlaw the exercise of whatever rights they disfavor,” the Biden administration wrote in a brief filed earlier in the day.

Other state-enforced bans on abortion before the point at which a fetus can survive outside the womb, around 24 weeks, have been blocked by courts because they conflict with Supreme Court precedents.

“Texas should not obtain a different result simply by pairing its unconstitutional law with an unprecedented enforcement scheme designed to evade the traditional mechanisms for judicial review,” the administration wrote.

A day earlier, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/21/21A85/197064/20211021113524436_21A85_United%20States%20v.%20Texas_Opposition.pdf" target="_blank">state urged the court to leave the law in place</a>, saying the federal government lacked the authority to file its lawsuit challenging the Texas ban.

The Justice Department filed suit over the law after the Supreme Court rejected the earlier effort by abortion providers to put the measure on hold temporarily.

In early October, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman ruled for the administration, putting the law on hold and allowing abortions to resume.

Two days later, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put the law back into effect.

The court already is hearing arguments on Dec. 1 in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-courts-coronavirus-pandemic-us-supreme-court-b2399021aa925d655be3942c8e2edd2b">the Mississippi case</a>&nbsp;in which that state is calling for the court to overrule the Roe and Casey decisions.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634041318695.png" alt="Abortion protesters in Kansas City in September 2021-photo Planned Parenthood" />
 <figcaption>Abortion protesters in Kansas City in September 2021-photo Planned Parenthood</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is allowing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-health-abortion-government-and-politics-ba02cd7c3f02b1eb5c87094257ee4db2">the Texas law that bans most abortions</a>&nbsp;to remain in place, but has agreed to hear arguments in the case in early November.The justices said Friday they will decide whether the Justice Department and abortion providers can sue in federal court over a law that Justice Sonia Sotomayor said was “enacted in open disregard of the constitutional rights of women seeking abortion care in Texas.”Answering that question will help determine whether the law should be blocked while legal challenges continue. The court is moving at an unusually fast pace that suggests it plans to make a decision quickly. Arguments are set for Nov. 1.The court’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/21a85_5h25.pdf" target="_blank">action</a>&nbsp;leaves in place for the time being a law that clinics say has led to an 80% reduction in abortions in the nation’s second-largest state.The justices said in their order that they were deferring action on a request from the Justice Department to put the law on hold. Sotomayor wrote that she would have blocked the law now.“The promise of future adjudication offers cold comfort, however, for Texas women seeking abortion care, who are entitled to relief now,” Sotomayor wrote.Sotomayor was the only justice to make her views clear, but it seems there were not five votes on the nine-member court to immediately block the law Friday. It takes just four justices to decide to hear a case.The court first declined to block the law in September, in response to an emergency filing by the abortion providers. The vote was 5-4 vote, with the three appointees of former President Donald Trump joining two other conservatives in the majority. Chief Justice John Roberts joined Sotomayor and the other two liberal justices in voting to keep the law on hold while the legal fight goes on in lower courts.Now, though, the justices, in a rare move, have decided to weigh in before lower courts definitively decide the issues.Kimberlyn Schwartz, a spokeswoman for Texas Right to Life, said she was happy the law remains in effect. “This is a great development for the Pro-Life movement because the law will continue to save an estimated 100 babies per day, and because the justices will actually discuss whether these lawsuits are valid in the first place,” Schwartz said in a statement.Amy Hagstrom Miller, the chief executive of Whole Woman’s Health, said Friday’s order means patients will continue to be denied care at her four clinics in Texas, on top of the hundreds who already have been turned away. Providers say the ability of Texas’ nearly two dozen clinics to stay open is threatened the longer the law stays in effect, although Hagstrom Miller said she was not aware of any imminent closures.But she said clinics are trying “to band together and get resources” to keep doors open. In 2013, another restrictive Texas anti-abortion law led to the closing of half the state’s 40-plus clinics. The Supreme Court ultimately struck down that law in 2016, but some clinics never reopened.“It’s a matter of time if this law continues to be enforced,” Hagstrom Miller said. “It will cause clinics to close and further decimate the fabric of care that is needed to take care of people across the state.”The law has been in effect since September, aside from a district court-ordered pause that lasted just 48 hours, and bans abortions once cardiac activity is detected, usually around six weeks and before some women know they are pregnant.That’s well before the Supreme Court’s major abortion decisions allow states to prohibit abortion,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-15-week-ban-5d066a9dc0030a4f8297711f341c9f5a">although the court has agreed to hear an appeal from Mississippi asking it to overrule those decisions, in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey</a>.But the Texas law was written to evade early federal court review by putting enforcement of it into the hands of private citizens, rather than state officials.The focus of the high court arguments will not be on the abortion ban, but whether the Justice Department and the providers can sue and obtain a court order that effectively prevents the law from being enforced, the Supreme Court said in its brief order.If the law stays in effect, “no decision of this Court is safe. States need not comply with, or even challenge, precedents with which they disagree. They may simply outlaw the exercise of whatever rights they disfavor,” the Biden administration wrote in a brief filed earlier in the day.Other state-enforced bans on abortion before the point at which a fetus can survive outside the womb, around 24 weeks, have been blocked by courts because they conflict with Supreme Court precedents.“Texas should not obtain a different result simply by pairing its unconstitutional law with an unprecedented enforcement scheme designed to evade the traditional mechanisms for judicial review,” the administration wrote.A day earlier, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/21/21A85/197064/20211021113524436_21A85_United%20States%20v.%20Texas_Opposition.pdf" target="_blank">state urged the court to leave the law in place</a>, saying the federal government lacked the authority to file its lawsuit challenging the Texas ban.The Justice Department filed suit over the law after the Supreme Court rejected the earlier effort by abortion providers to put the measure on hold temporarily.In early October, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman ruled for the administration, putting the law on hold and allowing abortions to resume.Two days later, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put the law back into effect.The court already is hearing arguments on Dec. 1 in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-courts-coronavirus-pandemic-us-supreme-court-b2399021aa925d655be3942c8e2edd2b">the Mississippi case</a>&nbsp;in which that state is calling for the court to overrule the Roe and Casey decisions.___

Court fast tracks showdown on nation's most restrictive abortion law

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a fire in a housing unit at the Lincoln Correctional Center has sent one person to the hospital. 

The Lincoln Journal-Star reported that Lincoln Fire and Rescue responded to the facility fire at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday. The extent of the injuries to the person taken to the hospital wasn’t known as of early Saturday afternoon. 

Details about damages and the cause of the fire also were not immediately available. 

The State Fire Marshal’s office will investigate since it occurred at a state facility.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a fire in a housing unit at the Lincoln Correctional Center has sent one person to the hospital. The Lincoln Journal-Star reported that Lincoln Fire and Rescue responded to the facility fire at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday. The extent of the injuries to the person taken to the hospital wasn’t known as of early Saturday afternoon. Details about damages and the cause of the fire also were not immediately available. The State Fire Marshal’s office will investigate since it occurred at a state facility.

Fire at Nebraska prison sends 1 person to hospital

By DAVID CONDOS <a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2021-10-25/how-a-meatpacking-plant-changed-one-kansas-town-40-years-ago-and-left-a-colorado-community-behind">Kansas News Service</a>

GARDEN CITY&nbsp;— Drivers approaching this cattle city on 
Kansas 156 watch as the scenery changes from a patchwork of southwest 
Kansas crop fields, pastures and feedlots to a collage of suburban 
sprawl.

The Home Depot stands next to the Dick’s Sporting Goods, 
which shares a parking lot with the Old Navy that just opened this 
summer.

Across the street, one of the town’s two Burger Kings 
serves up Whoppers in the shadow of the only Target store for a 
three-hour drive in any direction.

One hundred miles west, Russ Baldwin makes a left turn off Main Street into an empty parking lot in Lamar, Colorado.

“Behold: the former Burger King,” Baldwin said, lifting his hand from the steering wheel. “Home of the ex-Whopper.”

Plywood boards cover the drive-thru window. Next door, the old K-Mart sits vacant.

Within minutes, he drives past the airport that <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2014/02/07/more-on-the-cover-story-wayne-sidebar.html" target="_blank">lost its last commercial flight</a> in the early 2000s. Then the factory that used to be the town’s largest employer — until it abruptly shut down 15 years ago.

“That was pretty much the perfect storm,” Baldwin said. “You’re sitting there going, ‘What’s next, a locust invasion?’ ”

Just a few decades ago, the two outposts were basically Kansas and Colorado versions of each other. But in 1980, the <a href="https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/4939/research.pdf?sequence=3&amp;isAllowed=y" target="_blank">world’s largest meatpacking plant</a> opened on the outskirts of Garden City. Almost overnight, it became the fastest growing part of Kansas.

Thousands of new jobs. Billions of dollars in new industry. A boomtown in a region that has <a href="https://ipsr.ku.edu/ksdata/ksah/population/popmax.pdf" target="_blank">lost residents</a> for generations.

The
 plant’s arrival marked a milestone for Garden City, making it the 
epicenter of the High Plains beef industry. And the city’s decision to 
open its doors to the thousands of immigrant and refugee workers who 
would accompany the plant has — at least so far — helped it escape the 
fate of the many surrounding towns that still see an unending exodus.&nbsp;

What’s more, the diverging trajectories of Garden City and Lamar over the past 40-some years offer a glimpse at the knife’s edge between prosperity and decline in rural America.

That’s because the town that Garden City beat out to win the meatpacking plant was Lamar.

Garden City and Lamar share the same 
river, the same highway, the same railroad line and the same Dust Bowl 
past. And through the 1960s, they were roughly the same size.

But the population of Finney County — home to Garden City — has <a href="https://ipsr.ku.edu/ksdata/ksah/population/population.pdf" target="_blank">doubled</a> since 1970. It’s now over <a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/finneycountykansas/PST045219" target="_blank">38,000</a>.

The number of people living in Prowers County — home to Lamar — has slowly <a href="https://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cph2/cph-2-7.pdf" target="_blank">slipped</a> under <a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/prowerscountycolorado" target="_blank">12,000</a>.

Larry
 Jones has watched the transformation of western Kansas’ largest city 
from his farm and cattle company that sits just outside of town.

“If you’d been here 20 years ago and looked at it,” he said, “you wouldn't recognize the town.”

Next
 door to Jones’ milo field sits the giant, boxy structure that 
resuscitated Garden City: Tyson Foods’ Finney County beef plant. Inside,
 more than 3,000 workers — most of them immigrants and refugees — 
butcher <a href="https://www.meatpoultry.com/articles/22036-the-smoldering-impact-of-tyson-holcomb-fire" target="_blank">6,000 head of cattle</a> every day.

So what made Garden City and Lamar the two finalists to win this sprawling slaughterhouse in the first place?

As often happens on the High Plains, it comes back to water.

Meatpacking
 plants historically operated in urban centers, such as Kansas City and 
Chicago. But in the 1960s, packers began to build plants in the 
countryside — away from big city unions and closer to cattle and the 
grain that fattens them through the last few months of their lives.

Around
 that same time, the number of water wells drilled into the Ogallala 
Aquifer underneath this region skyrocketed. Those wells plus new center 
pivot irrigation technology allowed farmers to grow more water-intensive
 crops in places that get hardly any rain.

It created an ecosystem. The aquifer waters the corn. The corn feeds the cows. The cows supply the meatpackers.

“The
 way to add value to grain is to put it in an animal,” Don Stull said. 
”And the way to add value to an animal is to slaughter it.”

Stull has <a href="http://www.ipsr.ku.edu/conferen/kepc11/HarvestofChange.pdf" target="_blank">tracked</a> the beef industry’s impact on Garden City for more than three decades as a University of Kansas professor and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Slaughterhouse-Blues-Poultry-Industry-Contemporary/dp/1111828784" target="_blank">author</a>.
 He calls it the first of rural America’s food-processing boomtowns — 
quickly transforming from what he described as a white agrarian 
community in 1980 to one of the <a href="https://www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/kansas-population-change-between-census-decade.html" target="_blank">most diverse</a> places in Kansas.

Yet
 the city’s metamorphosis came with growing pains. Rapid expansion 
brought plenty of challenges that it’s still dealing with, like strains 
on housing, health care, education and social services. And because many
 of the plant workers were, and are, immigrants and refugees, the type 
of growth the city experienced also worried some white residents.

“But if you ask anybody,” Stull said, “they'd rather have the problems of growth than the problems of decline.”

That’s
 why local leaders pushed hard to land the plant four decades ago — 
offering a “better package” than Lamar, Stull said — to help secure the 
town’s future economically. And so far, it has.

The beef industry now pumps around <a href="https://agriculture.ks.gov/economic-development-statistics/county-statistics-(a-h)/finney-county" target="_blank">$2 billion</a> into the county’s economy each year. The city has parlayed its growth into becoming the <a href="https://www.garden-city.org/home/showdocument?id=62" target="_blank">region’s retail hub</a>, regularly drawing shoppers from more than 100 miles away — including many from Lamar.

So what would Garden City look like today if the plant had been built somewhere else?

“Well,” Stull said, “look at Lamar.”

Russ Baldwin moved to Lamar the same year the meatpacking plant opened in Garden City. He now runs the local weekly newspaper.

As
 he ends his driving tour of shuttered businesses, he rolls to a stop in
 a parking lot on the east edge of town. Weeds grow high along the 
cracks in the pavement.

The four-story building on the other side of a chain-link fence used to house a German <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/25/us/colorado-town-looks-to-better-days-with-a-german-bus-factory.html" target="_blank">bus manufacturer</a>. At its peak, it had roughly 600 people on the payroll. In 2006, it laid off the last 300.

“There
 were no more paychecks. Things were not being bought at grocery 
stores,” Baldwin said. “People were scrambling, and there just wasn't 
another job.”

Between 2000 and 2020, Lamar’s county lost 17% of its population.

It’s a vicious cycle that’s repeated across rural America. Having 
fewer jobs and businesses makes it hard for towns to attract and retain 
residents. Having fewer residents makes it hard for towns to get and 
keep jobs and businesses.

Today, Baldwin described Lamar as a mix 
of people who want to help turn things around for the town and those who
 still cling to the fading memory of what the town used to be.

“There’s
 an element in town that reveres the status quo and doesn’t really want 
to see too much change,” he said. “But you can’t stop change, I don’t 
care how hard you try.”

Stephanie Gonzales wants to change that outlook. She heads the regional economic development organization, <a href="https://www.seced.net/mission.html" target="_blank">SECED</a>, that tries to tempt employers to move to town.

“We have wide-open spaces, so lots of places to put a business,” she said. “You can’t beat rural America.”

She
 grew up in Lamar in the 1980s. Her parents, brothers, uncles and 
cousins were among those laid off from the bus-making plant.&nbsp;

Fifteen
 years later, she said Lamar now fights the perception that the town 
doesn’t have enough people to make it worthwhile for businesses to set 
up shop there.

Meanwhile, residents often drive over an hour to shop in Garden City, essentially dooming the few businesses left in Lamar.

“The
 growth that (Garden City has) experienced, could have ... really 
benefited Lamar,” Gonzales said, “had there been maybe some different 
mentality at the time.”

That mentality was a fear of change. Some 
people in Lamar were worried about the influx of immigrant and refugee 
workers. She said that kept Lamar from pushing harder to try to get the 
plant.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635186722644.png" alt="Local officials and meatpacking executives shovel dirt at the groundbreaking of the meatpacking plant just outside Garden City in 1979. Finney County Historical Society" />
 <figcaption>Local officials and meatpacking executives shovel dirt at the groundbreaking of the meatpacking plant just outside Garden City in 1979. Finney County Historical Society</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAVID CONDOS <a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2021-10-25/how-a-meatpacking-plant-changed-one-kansas-town-40-years-ago-and-left-a-colorado-community-behind">Kansas News Service</a>GARDEN CITY&nbsp;— Drivers approaching this cattle city on 
Kansas 156 watch as the scenery changes from a patchwork of southwest 
Kansas crop fields, pastures and feedlots to a collage of suburban 
sprawl.The Home Depot stands next to the Dick’s Sporting Goods, 
which shares a parking lot with the Old Navy that just opened this 
summer.Across the street, one of the town’s two Burger Kings 
serves up Whoppers in the shadow of the only Target store for a 
three-hour drive in any direction.One hundred miles west, Russ Baldwin makes a left turn off Main Street into an empty parking lot in Lamar, Colorado.“Behold: the former Burger King,” Baldwin said, lifting his hand from the steering wheel. “Home of the ex-Whopper.”Plywood boards cover the drive-thru window. Next door, the old K-Mart sits vacant.Within minutes, he drives past the airport that <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2014/02/07/more-on-the-cover-story-wayne-sidebar.html" target="_blank">lost its last commercial flight</a> in the early 2000s. Then the factory that used to be the town’s largest employer — until it abruptly shut down 15 years ago.“That was pretty much the perfect storm,” Baldwin said. “You’re sitting there going, ‘What’s next, a locust invasion?’ ”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635186799155.png" alt="Lamar (left) has seen some of its businesses, like this Burger King, close over the past two decades. Garden City's Burger King (right) stands in the middle of the city's growing retail district, next to the region's only Target store. David Condos" />
 <figcaption>Lamar (left) has seen some of its businesses, like this Burger King, close over the past two decades. Garden City's Burger King (right) stands in the middle of the city's growing retail district, next to the region's only Target store. David Condos</figcaption>
 </figure>Just a few decades ago, the two outposts were basically Kansas and Colorado versions of each other. But in 1980, the <a href="https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/4939/research.pdf?sequence=3&amp;isAllowed=y" target="_blank">world’s largest meatpacking plant</a> opened on the outskirts of Garden City. Almost overnight, it became the fastest growing part of Kansas.Thousands of new jobs. Billions of dollars in new industry. A boomtown in a region that has <a href="https://ipsr.ku.edu/ksdata/ksah/population/popmax.pdf" target="_blank">lost residents</a> for generations.The
 plant’s arrival marked a milestone for Garden City, making it the 
epicenter of the High Plains beef industry. And the city’s decision to 
open its doors to the thousands of immigrant and refugee workers who 
would accompany the plant has — at least so far — helped it escape the 
fate of the many surrounding towns that still see an unending exodus.&nbsp;What’s more, the diverging trajectories of Garden City and Lamar over the past 40-some years offer a glimpse at the knife’s edge between prosperity and decline in rural America.That’s because the town that Garden City beat out to win the meatpacking plant was Lamar.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635186831709.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Fork in the road</h2>Garden City and Lamar share the same 
river, the same highway, the same railroad line and the same Dust Bowl 
past. And through the 1960s, they were roughly the same size.But the population of Finney County — home to Garden City — has <a href="https://ipsr.ku.edu/ksdata/ksah/population/population.pdf" target="_blank">doubled</a> since 1970. It’s now over <a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/finneycountykansas/PST045219" target="_blank">38,000</a>.The number of people living in Prowers County — home to Lamar — has slowly <a href="https://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cph2/cph-2-7.pdf" target="_blank">slipped</a> under <a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/prowerscountycolorado" target="_blank">12,000</a>.Larry
 Jones has watched the transformation of western Kansas’ largest city 
from his farm and cattle company that sits just outside of town.“If you’d been here 20 years ago and looked at it,” he said, “you wouldn't recognize the town.”Next
 door to Jones’ milo field sits the giant, boxy structure that 
resuscitated Garden City: Tyson Foods’ Finney County beef plant. Inside,
 more than 3,000 workers — most of them immigrants and refugees — 
butcher <a href="https://www.meatpoultry.com/articles/22036-the-smoldering-impact-of-tyson-holcomb-fire" target="_blank">6,000 head of cattle</a> every day.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635186871760.png" alt="Larry Jones' farm is so close to the Tyson Foods' meatpacking plant that beef trucks often take wrong turns into his fields. The plant can be seen in the distance over his right shoulder. David Condos" />
 <figcaption>Larry Jones' farm is so close to the Tyson Foods' meatpacking plant that beef trucks often take wrong turns into his fields. The plant can be seen in the distance over his right shoulder. David Condos</figcaption>
 </figure>So what made Garden City and Lamar the two finalists to win this sprawling slaughterhouse in the first place?As often happens on the High Plains, it comes back to water.Meatpacking
 plants historically operated in urban centers, such as Kansas City and 
Chicago. But in the 1960s, packers began to build plants in the 
countryside — away from big city unions and closer to cattle and the 
grain that fattens them through the last few months of their lives.Around
 that same time, the number of water wells drilled into the Ogallala 
Aquifer underneath this region skyrocketed. Those wells plus new center 
pivot irrigation technology allowed farmers to grow more water-intensive
 crops in places that get hardly any rain.It created an ecosystem. The aquifer waters the corn. The corn feeds the cows. The cows supply the meatpackers.“The
 way to add value to grain is to put it in an animal,” Don Stull said. 
”And the way to add value to an animal is to slaughter it.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635186911563.png" alt="In this photo from 1990, two meatpacking workers trim beef carcasses inside the plant near Garden City. Finney County Historical Society" />
 <figcaption>In this photo from 1990, two meatpacking workers trim beef carcasses inside the plant near Garden City. Finney County Historical Society</figcaption>
 </figure>Stull has <a href="http://www.ipsr.ku.edu/conferen/kepc11/HarvestofChange.pdf" target="_blank">tracked</a> the beef industry’s impact on Garden City for more than three decades as a University of Kansas professor and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Slaughterhouse-Blues-Poultry-Industry-Contemporary/dp/1111828784" target="_blank">author</a>.
 He calls it the first of rural America’s food-processing boomtowns — 
quickly transforming from what he described as a white agrarian 
community in 1980 to one of the <a href="https://www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/kansas-population-change-between-census-decade.html" target="_blank">most diverse</a> places in Kansas.Yet
 the city’s metamorphosis came with growing pains. Rapid expansion 
brought plenty of challenges that it’s still dealing with, like strains 
on housing, health care, education and social services. And because many
 of the plant workers were, and are, immigrants and refugees, the type 
of growth the city experienced also worried some white residents.“But if you ask anybody,” Stull said, “they'd rather have the problems of growth than the problems of decline.”That’s
 why local leaders pushed hard to land the plant four decades ago — 
offering a “better package” than Lamar, Stull said — to help secure the 
town’s future economically. And so far, it has.The beef industry now pumps around <a href="https://agriculture.ks.gov/economic-development-statistics/county-statistics-(a-h)/finney-county" target="_blank">$2 billion</a> into the county’s economy each year. The city has parlayed its growth into becoming the <a href="https://www.garden-city.org/home/showdocument?id=62" target="_blank">region’s retail hub</a>, regularly drawing shoppers from more than 100 miles away — including many from Lamar.So what would Garden City look like today if the plant had been built somewhere else?“Well,” Stull said, “look at Lamar.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635186977245.png" alt="The population of Garden City's county has doubled since 1970 to more than 38,000. But the number of people living in Lamar's county has slipped under 12,000. David Condos" />
 <figcaption>The population of Garden City's county has doubled since 1970 to more than 38,000. But the number of people living in Lamar's county has slipped under 12,000. David Condos</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The other side</h2>Russ Baldwin moved to Lamar the same year the meatpacking plant opened in Garden City. He now runs the local weekly newspaper.As
 he ends his driving tour of shuttered businesses, he rolls to a stop in
 a parking lot on the east edge of town. Weeds grow high along the 
cracks in the pavement.The four-story building on the other side of a chain-link fence used to house a German <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/25/us/colorado-town-looks-to-better-days-with-a-german-bus-factory.html" target="_blank">bus manufacturer</a>. At its peak, it had roughly 600 people on the payroll. In 2006, it laid off the last 300.“There
 were no more paychecks. Things were not being bought at grocery 
stores,” Baldwin said. “People were scrambling, and there just wasn't 
another job.”Between 2000 and 2020, Lamar’s county lost 17% of its population.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635187023255.png" alt="This building used to be home to Lamar's Neoplan bus manufacturing plant before it laid off its last 300 workers in 2006. David Condos" />
 <figcaption>This building used to be home to Lamar's Neoplan bus manufacturing plant before it laid off its last 300 workers in 2006. David Condos</figcaption>
 </figure>It’s a vicious cycle that’s repeated across rural America. Having 
fewer jobs and businesses makes it hard for towns to attract and retain 
residents. Having fewer residents makes it hard for towns to get and 
keep jobs and businesses.Today, Baldwin described Lamar as a mix 
of people who want to help turn things around for the town and those who
 still cling to the fading memory of what the town used to be.“There’s
 an element in town that reveres the status quo and doesn’t really want 
to see too much change,” he said. “But you can’t stop change, I don’t 
care how hard you try.”<h2>‘Hindsight’s always 20/20’</h2>Stephanie Gonzales wants to change that outlook. She heads the regional economic development organization, <a href="https://www.seced.net/mission.html" target="_blank">SECED</a>, that tries to tempt employers to move to town.“We have wide-open spaces, so lots of places to put a business,” she said. “You can’t beat rural America.”She
 grew up in Lamar in the 1980s. Her parents, brothers, uncles and 
cousins were among those laid off from the bus-making plant.&nbsp;Fifteen
 years later, she said Lamar now fights the perception that the town 
doesn’t have enough people to make it worthwhile for businesses to set 
up shop there.Meanwhile, residents often drive over an hour to shop in Garden City, essentially dooming the few businesses left in Lamar.“The
 growth that (Garden City has) experienced, could have ... really 
benefited Lamar,” Gonzales said, “had there been maybe some different 
mentality at the time.”That mentality was a fear of change. Some 
people in Lamar were worried about the influx of immigrant and refugee 
workers. She said that kept Lamar from pushing harder to try to get the 
plant.“We should have welcomed the diverse numbers of people,” she said. “that would have been employed in a facility like that.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635187070106.png" alt="An old convenience store sign on Lamar's Main Street misses some letters it has lost over the years. David Condos" />
 <figcaption>An old convenience store sign on Lamar's Main Street misses some letters it has lost over the years. David Condos</figcaption>
 </figure>County Commissioner Ron Cook said Lamar has missed out on several 
opportunities over the years — in addition to the meatpacking plant — 
because of those fears. So the town has had to adjust.“We’ve
 learned. We’re more open to diversity and changing things in the 
county,” Cook said. “I wish they were possibly a little more open with 
that back in the day.”Lamar has seen some modest successes. A couple of data and call centers have relocated to town recently. A new $500,000 <a href="https://theprowersjournal.com/2021/09/fall-sod-covering-escondido-park-for-2022/" target="_blank">sports complex</a> plans to open early next spring. Residents will soon <a href="https://theprowersjournal.com/2021/07/lamar-marijuana-ballot-questions-approved-on-first-reading/" target="_blank">decide</a> if Lamar will join Colorado’s lucrative recreational marijuana market.But Wendy Buxton-Andrade, another county commissioner, said the loss of the meatpacking plant continues to haunt Lamar.“Forty years later, hindsight’s always 20/20,” Buxton-Andrade said. “It’s a shame. … We missed a huge opportunity.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635187098980.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>County Commissioner Ron Cook said Lamar has missed out on several 
opportunities over the years — in addition to the meatpacking plant — 
because of those fears. So the town has had to adjust.“We’ve
 learned. We’re more open to diversity and changing things in the 
county,” Cook said. “I wish they were possibly a little more open with 
that back in the day.”Lamar has seen some modest successes. A couple of data and call centers have relocated to town recently. A new $500,000 <a href="https://theprowersjournal.com/2021/09/fall-sod-covering-escondido-park-for-2022/" target="_blank">sports complex</a> plans to open early next spring. Residents will soon <a href="https://theprowersjournal.com/2021/07/lamar-marijuana-ballot-questions-approved-on-first-reading/" target="_blank">decide</a> if Lamar will join Colorado’s lucrative recreational marijuana market.But Wendy Buxton-Andrade, another county commissioner, said the loss of the meatpacking plant continues to haunt Lamar.“Forty years later, hindsight’s always 20/20,” Buxton-Andrade said. “It’s a shame. … We missed a huge opportunity.”<h2>Going bust</h2>Yet in the High Plains, prosperity is no given — even for Garden City.“If the Tyson plant were to close tomorrow,” said Stull, the KU professor, “Garden City would be in a world of hurt.”It won’t close tomorrow. But Stull said it’s just a matter of time before this boomtown goes bust.The end will come when the water — it’s irrigating those crops that 
feed the cows that end up in the giant slaughterhouses — runs out. Some 
meatpacking plants have <a href="https://www.manufacturing.net/operations/news/13173458/meatpackers-close-with-fewer-us-cows" target="_blank">already moved out</a> of the southern High Plains in search of <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/121558/what-climate-change-doing-texas-cattle-ranch" target="_blank">more reliable water</a> sources.And eventually — likely <a href="http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Publications/pic18/" target="_blank">just decades</a> from now — the Ogallala Aquifer under southwest Kansas will go dry, parching Garden City’s beef industry along with it.“Unless
 something can be done to turn that trend around,” Stull said, 
“ultimately, western Kansas will look like eastern Colorado.”David Condos covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/davidcondos" target="_blank">@davidcondos</a>.