OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Four students are suing Creighton University over its requirement to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to remain enrolled. 

They argue that some of them feel pushed to violate their religious beliefs against abortion. The lawsuit filed this week in Douglas County District Court also alleges that some of the four students have medical conditions that make vaccines not recommended for them. 

The Catholic university in Omaha mandated that all students get vaccinated in August. The lawsuit says the students object because vaccines were developed or tested using cells from aborted fetuses. 

The Vatican has declared that such vaccines are morally acceptable when others aren't available. The university declined comment.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Four students are suing Creighton University over its requirement to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to remain enrolled. They argue that some of them feel pushed to violate their religious beliefs against abortion. The lawsuit filed this week in Douglas County District Court also alleges that some of the four students have medical conditions that make vaccines not recommended for them. The Catholic university in Omaha mandated that all students get vaccinated in August. The lawsuit says the students object because vaccines were developed or tested using cells from aborted fetuses. The Vatican has declared that such vaccines are morally acceptable when others aren't available. The university declined comment.

4 pro-life students sue Creighton over vaccine mandate

NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden is making an appeal for the nation to reclaim the spirit of cooperation that sprung up in the days following the 9/11 terror attacks as he commemorates those who died 20 years ago.

Biden was a senator when hijackers comandeered four planes and exacted the nation’s worst terror attack in 2001. Now he marks the 9/11 anniversary for the first time as commander in chief.

The president planned to pay his respects at the trio of sites where the planes crashed, but he was leaving the speech-making to others.

Instead, the White House released a taped address late Friday in which Biden spoke of the “true sense of national unity” that emerged after the attacks, seen in “heroism everywhere — in places expected and unexpected.”

“To me that’s the central lesson of September 11,” he said. “Unity is our greatest strength.”

Biden arrived in New York on Friday night as the skyline was illuminated by the “Tribute in Light,” hauntingly marking where the towers once stood. His first stop on Saturday was to be the National September 11 Memorial, where the twin towers of the World Trade Center were toppled as a horrified world watched on television.

From there he was to visit the field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where a plane fell from the sky after heroic passengers fought terrorists to prevent it from reaching its Washington destination. And finally, he was headed to the Pentagon, where the world’s mightiest military suffered an unthinkable blow to its very home.

Biden’s task, like his predecessors before him, was to mark the moment with a mix of grief and resolve. A man who has suffered immense personal tragedy, Biden speaks of loss with power.

He gave voice to the pain that comes with memories of 9/11 in his video message, saying, “No matter how much time has passed, these commemorations bring everything painfully back as if you just got the news a few seconds ago.”

Robert Gibbs, who served as President Barack Obama’s press secretary, said that for Biden, “It’s a moment for people to see him not as Democratic president, but as president of the United States of America,.”

“The American people are somewhat conflicted about what they have seen out of Afghanistan the last couple of weeks,” Gibbs said. “For Biden, it’s a moment to try to reset some of that. Remind people of what it is to be commander in chief and what it means to be the leader of the country at a moment of such significance.”

On the 20th anniversary of the attacks, Biden now shoulders the responsibility borne by his predecessors to prevent future tragedy, and must do so against fresh fears of a rise in terror after the United States’ hasty exit last from the country from which the Sept. 11 attacks were launched.

Biden will be the fourth president to console the nation on the anniversary of that dark day, one that has shaped many of the most consequential domestic and foreign policy decisions made by the chief executives over the past two decades.

The terror attack defined the presidency of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/george-w-bush">George W. Bush</a>, who was reading a book to Florida schoolchildren when the planes slammed into the World Trade Center. He spent that day being kept out of Washington for security reasons — a decision that then-Senator Biden urged him to reconsider, the current president has written — and then delivered a brief, halting speech that night from the White House to a terrified nation.

The following year, Bush chose Ellis Island as the location to deliver his first anniversary address, the Statue of Liberty over his shoulder as he vowed, “What our enemies have begun, we will finish.”

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were still deadly when President Barack Obama visited the Pentagon to mark his first Sept. 11 in office in 2009.

“No words can ease the ache of your hearts,” said Obama.

“We recall the beauty and meaning of their lives,” he said. “No passage of time, no dark skies can dull the meaning of that moment.”

By the time Obama spoke at the 10th anniversary, attack mastermind Osama bin Laden was dead, killed in a May 2011 Navy SEAL raid. Though the nation remained entangled overseas, and vigilant against terror threats, the anniversary became more about healing.

President Donald Trump pledged to get the U.S. out of Afghanistan, but his words during his first Sept. 11 anniversary ceremony in 2017 were a vivid warning to terrorists, telling “these savage killers that there is no dark corner beyond our reach, no sanctuary beyond our grasp, and nowhere to hide anywhere on this very large earth.”

On Saturday, as Biden was making his way to all three sites, Bush was to pay his respects in Shanksville while Obama did likewise in New York. Trump planned at least one stop in Manhattan and was to deliver ringside commentary at a boxing match at a casino in Hollywood, Florida.

NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden is making an appeal for the nation to reclaim the spirit of cooperation that sprung up in the days following the 9/11 terror attacks as he commemorates those who died 20 years ago.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the horrific 9/11 attacks, President Biden honors the lives of those we lost and highlights how even at our most vulnerable – unity is our greatest strength.<a href="https://t.co/TdVhw9TVpb">pic.twitter.com/TdVhw9TVpb</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1436454819028508672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Biden was a senator when hijackers comandeered four planes and exacted the nation’s worst terror attack in 2001. Now he marks the 9/11 anniversary for the first time as commander in chief.The president planned to pay his respects at the trio of sites where the planes crashed, but he was leaving the speech-making to others.Instead, the White House released a taped address late Friday in which Biden spoke of the “true sense of national unity” that emerged after the attacks, seen in “heroism everywhere — in places expected and unexpected.”“To me that’s the central lesson of September 11,” he said. “Unity is our greatest strength.”Biden arrived in New York on Friday night as the skyline was illuminated by the “Tribute in Light,” hauntingly marking where the towers once stood. His first stop on Saturday was to be the National September 11 Memorial, where the twin towers of the World Trade Center were toppled as a horrified world watched on television.From there he was to visit the field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where a plane fell from the sky after heroic passengers fought terrorists to prevent it from reaching its Washington destination. And finally, he was headed to the Pentagon, where the world’s mightiest military suffered an unthinkable blow to its very home.Biden’s task, like his predecessors before him, was to mark the moment with a mix of grief and resolve. A man who has suffered immense personal tragedy, Biden speaks of loss with power.He gave voice to the pain that comes with memories of 9/11 in his video message, saying, “No matter how much time has passed, these commemorations bring everything painfully back as if you just got the news a few seconds ago.”Robert Gibbs, who served as President Barack Obama’s press secretary, said that for Biden, “It’s a moment for people to see him not as Democratic president, but as president of the United States of America,.”“The American people are somewhat conflicted about what they have seen out of Afghanistan the last couple of weeks,” Gibbs said. “For Biden, it’s a moment to try to reset some of that. Remind people of what it is to be commander in chief and what it means to be the leader of the country at a moment of such significance.”On the 20th anniversary of the attacks, Biden now shoulders the responsibility borne by his predecessors to prevent future tragedy, and must do so against fresh fears of a rise in terror after the United States’ hasty exit last from the country from which the Sept. 11 attacks were launched.Biden will be the fourth president to console the nation on the anniversary of that dark day, one that has shaped many of the most consequential domestic and foreign policy decisions made by the chief executives over the past two decades.The terror attack defined the presidency of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/george-w-bush">George W. Bush</a>, who was reading a book to Florida schoolchildren when the planes slammed into the World Trade Center. He spent that day being kept out of Washington for security reasons — a decision that then-Senator Biden urged him to reconsider, the current president has written — and then delivered a brief, halting speech that night from the White House to a terrified nation.The following year, Bush chose Ellis Island as the location to deliver his first anniversary address, the Statue of Liberty over his shoulder as he vowed, “What our enemies have begun, we will finish.”The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were still deadly when President Barack Obama visited the Pentagon to mark his first Sept. 11 in office in 2009.“No words can ease the ache of your hearts,” said Obama.“We recall the beauty and meaning of their lives,” he said. “No passage of time, no dark skies can dull the meaning of that moment.”By the time Obama spoke at the 10th anniversary, attack mastermind Osama bin Laden was dead, killed in a May 2011 Navy SEAL raid. Though the nation remained entangled overseas, and vigilant against terror threats, the anniversary became more about healing.President Donald Trump pledged to get the U.S. out of Afghanistan, but his words during his first Sept. 11 anniversary ceremony in 2017 were a vivid warning to terrorists, telling “these savage killers that there is no dark corner beyond our reach, no sanctuary beyond our grasp, and nowhere to hide anywhere on this very large earth.”On Saturday, as Biden was making his way to all three sites, Bush was to pay his respects in Shanksville while Obama did likewise in New York. Trump planned at least one stop in Manhattan and was to deliver ringside commentary at a boxing match at a casino in Hollywood, Florida.

🎥  Biden marks 9/11 anniversary with tribute, call for unity

By TOM SHINE <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/news/2021-09-10/29-planes-and-1-300-passengers-how-the-chaos-of-9-11-unfolded-at-mid-continent-airport">Kansas News Service</a>

Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.

Valerie Wise had just arrived at Wichita’s Mid-Continent Airport, where she worked as an administrative aide.

She
 didn’t know it yet, but in Wichita, the chaos and confusion that would 
unfold that day would be felt most acutely at Mid-Continent.

Less 
than an hour after the first tower at the World Trade Center was hit, 
the Federal Aviation Administration ordered all planes in the air to 
land.

At Mid-Continent, 22 passenger airliners and seven cargo planes landed in less than 60 minutes.

“I
 heard people from the community were commenting about how they were 
watching all these planes circling, waiting to land,” said Wise, who is 
now the Air Service &amp; Business Development manager at Eisenhower 
National Airport.

“I went over to the terminal building and went 
to the information desk to help out wherever I could. And the terminal 
was just teeming with passengers.”

More than 1,300 of them, suddenly stranded in a strange city with nowhere to go, caught up in a national tragedy.

Bob
 Knight was Wichita’s mayor in 2001. He said he had been to New York the
 week earlier for a conference, where Mayor Rudy Guiliani showed 
visitors the city’s new emergency communications center.

When 
Knight arrived at Mid-Continent, city and airport officials were 
scrambling to figure out how to house the unexpected visitors.

Knight got on the airport’s public address system.

“I
 made a couple announcements,” he recalled, “[that] the city of Wichita 
would do everything it could do to accommodate them under the 
circumstances. And they have our full attention.

“But, yeah, it was just a horrendous time.”

Among the passengers were 123 Israelis aboard an El Al flight headed 
from New York to Los Angeles. Wise said they were initially hesitant to 
get off the plane because they were uncertain what was happening.

The
 city made arrangements to send them to Camp Hiawatha, a summer camp run
 by the Salvation Army near 53rd Street North and the Little Arkansas 
River.

Jami Scott is the director of Homeless Services for the 
Salvation Army. She was part of the group that helped get the bunkhouses
 and dining hall ready for the Israeli passengers.

“We felt that 
we were doing something, even though we weren't like at ground zero, we 
were doing something to help our community, our world,” Scott said.

The
 Salvation Army enlisted the help of local synagogues and the Mid-Kansas
 Jewish Federation. Scott said the passengers shared stories about life 
in Israel, and she taught them about Wichita and Kansas.

“I don't want to say it was a good time, but it was a time where 
people came together and did what needed to happen to make sure people 
were safe,” Scott said. “But we were still able to share … our cultures 
with each other.

“I think what that taught me was that in the 
middle of chaos and fear, people will come together and people will 
figure it out and that you can still be kind in the middle of all that.”

By
 Tuesday afternoon, all of the passengers were taken care of, many of 
them driven to hotels on city buses. Security crews had completed sweeps
 of the terminal and runways and had set up new procedures for screening
 passengers.

But for the next 48 hours, before the FAA allowed airlines to begin flying again, Wise said Mid-Continent was strangely silent.

“Wednesday
 was like a ghost town,” she said. “The airfield was so eerily quiet. It
 was just like a desert with aircraft sitting there.”

Travel resumed the next day, and the passengers stranded in Wichita were allowed to continue their trips.

Twenty years later, Wise said she still recalls how she felt after she left work the evening of Sept. 11.

“I
 remember going home at night after the crazy day. I didn't have a 
chance to watch the news to see what was happening,” she said.

“It wasn't until I got home that night, exhausted, and just cried, you know?”

Tom joined KMUW in 2017 after spending 37 years with The Wichita Eagle where he held a variety of reporting and editing roles.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631292021388.png" alt="Planes parked at Mid-Continent Airport after the FAA grounded all flights following the Sept. 11 attacks. Courtesy Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Planes parked at Mid-Continent Airport after the FAA grounded all flights following the Sept. 11 attacks. Courtesy Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By TOM SHINE <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/news/2021-09-10/29-planes-and-1-300-passengers-how-the-chaos-of-9-11-unfolded-at-mid-continent-airport">Kansas News Service</a>Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.Valerie Wise had just arrived at Wichita’s Mid-Continent Airport, where she worked as an administrative aide.She
 didn’t know it yet, but in Wichita, the chaos and confusion that would 
unfold that day would be felt most acutely at Mid-Continent.Less 
than an hour after the first tower at the World Trade Center was hit, 
the Federal Aviation Administration ordered all planes in the air to 
land.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631292083534.png" alt="Valerie Wise was an administrative assistant at Mid-Continent in 2001. Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Valerie Wise was an administrative assistant at Mid-Continent in 2001. Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>At Mid-Continent, 22 passenger airliners and seven cargo planes landed in less than 60 minutes.“I
 heard people from the community were commenting about how they were 
watching all these planes circling, waiting to land,” said Wise, who is 
now the Air Service &amp; Business Development manager at Eisenhower 
National Airport.“I went over to the terminal building and went 
to the information desk to help out wherever I could. And the terminal 
was just teeming with passengers.”More than 1,300 of them, suddenly stranded in a strange city with nowhere to go, caught up in a national tragedy.Bob
 Knight was Wichita’s mayor in 2001. He said he had been to New York the
 week earlier for a conference, where Mayor Rudy Guiliani showed 
visitors the city’s new emergency communications center.When 
Knight arrived at Mid-Continent, city and airport officials were 
scrambling to figure out how to house the unexpected visitors.Knight got on the airport’s public address system.“I
 made a couple announcements,” he recalled, “[that] the city of Wichita 
would do everything it could do to accommodate them under the 
circumstances. And they have our full attention.“But, yeah, it was just a horrendous time.”Among the passengers were 123 Israelis aboard an El Al flight headed 
from New York to Los Angeles. Wise said they were initially hesitant to 
get off the plane because they were uncertain what was happening.The
 city made arrangements to send them to Camp Hiawatha, a summer camp run
 by the Salvation Army near 53rd Street North and the Little Arkansas 
River.Jami Scott is the director of Homeless Services for the 
Salvation Army. She was part of the group that helped get the bunkhouses
 and dining hall ready for the Israeli passengers.“We felt that 
we were doing something, even though we weren't like at ground zero, we 
were doing something to help our community, our world,” Scott said.The
 Salvation Army enlisted the help of local synagogues and the Mid-Kansas
 Jewish Federation. Scott said the passengers shared stories about life 
in Israel, and she taught them about Wichita and Kansas.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631292132480.png" alt="Jami Scott was part of a group that got Camp Hiawatha ready to house 123 Israeli travelers stranded in Wichita on 9/11. Courtesy" />
 <figcaption>Jami Scott was part of a group that got Camp Hiawatha ready to house 123 Israeli travelers stranded in Wichita on 9/11. Courtesy</figcaption>
 </figure>“I don't want to say it was a good time, but it was a time where 
people came together and did what needed to happen to make sure people 
were safe,” Scott said. “But we were still able to share … our cultures 
with each other.“I think what that taught me was that in the 
middle of chaos and fear, people will come together and people will 
figure it out and that you can still be kind in the middle of all that.”By
 Tuesday afternoon, all of the passengers were taken care of, many of 
them driven to hotels on city buses. Security crews had completed sweeps
 of the terminal and runways and had set up new procedures for screening
 passengers.But for the next 48 hours, before the FAA allowed airlines to begin flying again, Wise said Mid-Continent was strangely silent.“Wednesday
 was like a ghost town,” she said. “The airfield was so eerily quiet. It
 was just like a desert with aircraft sitting there.”Travel resumed the next day, and the passengers stranded in Wichita were allowed to continue their trips.Twenty years later, Wise said she still recalls how she felt after she left work the evening of Sept. 11.“I
 remember going home at night after the crazy day. I didn't have a 
chance to watch the news to see what was happening,” she said.“It wasn't until I got home that night, exhausted, and just cried, you know?”Tom joined KMUW in 2017 after spending 37 years with The Wichita Eagle where he held a variety of reporting and editing roles.&nbsp;

29 planes, 1,300 passengers: The chaos of 9/11 at Kan. airport 

By BETH REECE U.S. Department of Defense

"The size of our building was a concern to me. It could've been a 
target," Lippert said two months shy of the attack's 20th anniversary.&nbsp;

Fear flooded the building's basement as workers crowded together, 
some openly sobbing with worry that loved ones working at the Pentagon 
or on temporary duty at the World Trade Center had been caught in the 
horror. Others gazed in shock at overhead TVs, wondering how such 
tragedy and blood could spill over American soil.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.defense.gov/Explore/Spotlight/Remembering-September-11-2001/">RELATED: Remember Sept. 11, 2001</a>

John Morris, the former supervisor of the Document Automation 
Printing Service at the Pentagon, was watching news anchors report on 
the devastation in New York City when he and his staff heard what 
sounded like heavy furniture moving on the floor above. Stepping outside
 the office, Morris saw employees running, one warning of a bomb 
explosion. It was the hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 slamming into
 the building's southwest corridor.&nbsp;

Back at DLA Headquarters, Shirley Bergman, then a contract specialist
 for alternative fuels, agonized and wept knowing her husband was at a 
Marriott between the two 110-story World Trade Center towers 
interviewing senior economists for the U.S. Census Bureau. And Matthew 
Woodruff, now a general supply specialist at DLA Distribution San 
Joaquin, California, was just a sophomore in high school. All but one of
 his teachers halted class as students watched the horrific story unfold
 via news broadcasts.

"I still remember how vivid it was. There was a lot of stuff my 
parents wouldn't even let me watch on TV because of the nature of the 
event," he said, admitting that, like most Americans, he'd never even 
heard the word al-Qaida until that day.&nbsp;

Lippert made another announcement that employees should go home soon 
after Flight 93 crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Most 
were eager to return the next day even as the nation mourned and despite
 delays from increased security.

"We always talked about warfighters first, but this really brought it
 home," he said. "The whole country responded more patriotically than 
we'd seen in the past, and I think everyone felt the importance of what 
they were doing."&nbsp;

The Customer Interaction Center, where agents help callers place 
orders and find details like supply availability and delivery status, 
went to 24/7 operations on 9/11. Shamon Pratt, a customer service 
specialist who was then an agent, remembers the phone lines being eerily
 quiet for a couple of days before they rang off the hook, forcing 
management to hire more agents to handle the influx of calls.&nbsp;

"The end result is what we all want — well-equipped, well-protected warfighters," she said then.&nbsp;

Woodruff is another of the hundreds of DLA employees who've since 
left home to support forces in harm's way. He deployed for eight months 
in April 2011 to DLA Distribution's theater consolidating shipping point
 at Forward Operating Base Deh Dadi II, where he helped distribute the 
material to units on the ground.&nbsp;

The nation celebrated a victory during Woodruff's time in the 
warzone, and again, he saw it unfold via television. At breakfast in the
 chow hall On May 2, he watched President Barack Obama announce that 
U.S. Navy Seals had killed Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of 9/11.

"I could have helped deliver the helicopter part that was used to 
transport those who found him. It was the littlest things —&nbsp;screws, 
washers, o-rings —&nbsp;that had the biggest impact there," he said. "When 
you realize the part you help provide means there's one less helicopter 
down, it becomes more than just a job."

Twenty years after the tragedy that tested DLA's ability to support 
simultaneous wars, Lippert still remembers stepping into the Pentagon 
one day after the attack. He was there to meet with senior officials on 
the amount of money DLA would have for the next year, a meeting he was 
originally scheduled to attend the afternoon of 9/11.&nbsp;

"You could hear a pin drop. You could still smell the smoke, and 
there were armed guards all over the place with rifles and machine guns,
 something I never thought I'd see," he said.&nbsp;

DLA employees who've been in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past 20 
years say their pre-deployment training left no doubt their lives would 
be at risk. They deployed anyway, and all but two came home alive. 
Stephen Byus and Krissie Davis were both killed while serving in 
Afghanistan for DLA Disposition Services.&nbsp;

The vicious, unprovoked attacks that ripped apart Americans' sense of
 security 20 years ago resulted in the death of almost 3,000 people, 125
 of them service members or Defense Department civilians and 
contractors. Those attacks remain the deadliest terrorist act in 
America's history, and aftershocks of the atrocity ripple through lives 
even today.&nbsp;

Like Lippert, current DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. Michelle Skubic points to employees' courage, patriotism and resilience.&nbsp;

"Just like the workforce of today, they understood that on America's 
worst day, DLA must be at its best," she said this week in a message to 
the agency.

The sharp memories of 9/11 urge employees like Woodruff to continually
 rededicate themselves to DLA's mission. American pride is alive and 
strong among DLA's members.

"9/11 taught us that we need to be resilient and not become 
complacent," Woodruff said. "It's like a game of chess. We need to be 
steps ahead of our adversaries."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631038876655.png" alt="The World Trade Center burns in the background of New York City’s Empire State Building, Sept. 11, 2001. Both World Trade Center towers were attacked as a result of a highly coordinated al-Qaida plot. U.S. Department of Defense photo" />
 <figcaption>The World Trade Center burns in the background of New York City’s Empire State Building, Sept. 11, 2001. Both World Trade Center towers were attacked as a result of a highly coordinated al-Qaida plot. U.S. Department of Defense photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By BETH REECE U.S. Department of Defense"The size of our building was a concern to me. It could've been a 
target," Lippert said two months shy of the attack's 20th anniversary.&nbsp;Fear flooded the building's basement as workers crowded together, 
some openly sobbing with worry that loved ones working at the Pentagon 
or on temporary duty at the World Trade Center had been caught in the 
horror. Others gazed in shock at overhead TVs, wondering how such 
tragedy and blood could spill over American soil.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.defense.gov/Explore/Spotlight/Remembering-September-11-2001/">RELATED: Remember Sept. 11, 2001</a>John Morris, the former supervisor of the Document Automation 
Printing Service at the Pentagon, was watching news anchors report on 
the devastation in New York City when he and his staff heard what 
sounded like heavy furniture moving on the floor above. Stepping outside
 the office, Morris saw employees running, one warning of a bomb 
explosion. It was the hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 slamming into
 the building's southwest corridor.&nbsp;Back at DLA Headquarters, Shirley Bergman, then a contract specialist
 for alternative fuels, agonized and wept knowing her husband was at a 
Marriott between the two 110-story World Trade Center towers 
interviewing senior economists for the U.S. Census Bureau. And Matthew 
Woodruff, now a general supply specialist at DLA Distribution San 
Joaquin, California, was just a sophomore in high school. All but one of
 his teachers halted class as students watched the horrific story unfold
 via news broadcasts.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631038987065.png" alt="Matthew Woodruff, general supply specialist at Defense Logistics Agency San Joaquin, Calif., gathers supplies for a customer order April 3, 2000. He is one of hundreds of DLA employees who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan to support warfighters on the ground following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by Annette Silva, U.S. Department of Defense" />
 <figcaption>Matthew Woodruff, general supply specialist at Defense Logistics Agency San Joaquin, Calif., gathers supplies for a customer order April 3, 2000. He is one of hundreds of DLA employees who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan to support warfighters on the ground following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by Annette Silva, U.S. Department of Defense</figcaption>
 </figure>"I still remember how vivid it was. There was a lot of stuff my 
parents wouldn't even let me watch on TV because of the nature of the 
event," he said, admitting that, like most Americans, he'd never even 
heard the word al-Qaida until that day.&nbsp;Lippert made another announcement that employees should go home soon 
after Flight 93 crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Most 
were eager to return the next day even as the nation mourned and despite
 delays from increased security."We always talked about warfighters first, but this really brought it
 home," he said. "The whole country responded more patriotically than 
we'd seen in the past, and I think everyone felt the importance of what 
they were doing."&nbsp;<h2>Homeland Response</h2>The Customer Interaction Center, where agents help callers place 
orders and find details like supply availability and delivery status, 
went to 24/7 operations on 9/11. Shamon Pratt, a customer service 
specialist who was then an agent, remembers the phone lines being eerily
 quiet for a couple of days before they rang off the hook, forcing 
management to hire more agents to handle the influx of calls.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631039034891.png" alt="Customer Interaction Center agents help Defense Logistics Agency customers track down details on supply availability and delivery status. The center went to 24/7 operations Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by Beth Reece, U.S. Department of Defense" />
 <figcaption>Customer Interaction Center agents help Defense Logistics Agency customers track down details on supply availability and delivery status. The center went to 24/7 operations Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by Beth Reece, U.S. Department of Defense</figcaption>
 </figure>"The end result is what we all want — well-equipped, well-protected warfighters," she said then.&nbsp;Woodruff is another of the hundreds of DLA employees who've since 
left home to support forces in harm's way. He deployed for eight months 
in April 2011 to DLA Distribution's theater consolidating shipping point
 at Forward Operating Base Deh Dadi II, where he helped distribute the 
material to units on the ground.&nbsp;The nation celebrated a victory during Woodruff's time in the 
warzone, and again, he saw it unfold via television. At breakfast in the
 chow hall On May 2, he watched President Barack Obama announce that 
U.S. Navy Seals had killed Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of 9/11."I could have helped deliver the helicopter part that was used to 
transport those who found him. It was the littlest things —&nbsp;screws, 
washers, o-rings —&nbsp;that had the biggest impact there," he said. "When 
you realize the part you help provide means there's one less helicopter 
down, it becomes more than just a job."<h2>The Human Toll</h2>Twenty years after the tragedy that tested DLA's ability to support 
simultaneous wars, Lippert still remembers stepping into the Pentagon 
one day after the attack. He was there to meet with senior officials on 
the amount of money DLA would have for the next year, a meeting he was 
originally scheduled to attend the afternoon of 9/11.&nbsp;"You could hear a pin drop. You could still smell the smoke, and 
there were armed guards all over the place with rifles and machine guns,
 something I never thought I'd see," he said.&nbsp;DLA employees who've been in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past 20 
years say their pre-deployment training left no doubt their lives would 
be at risk. They deployed anyway, and all but two came home alive. 
Stephen Byus and Krissie Davis were both killed while serving in 
Afghanistan for DLA Disposition Services.&nbsp;<h2>The Promise: Never Forget</h2>The vicious, unprovoked attacks that ripped apart Americans' sense of
 security 20 years ago resulted in the death of almost 3,000 people, 125
 of them service members or Defense Department civilians and 
contractors. Those attacks remain the deadliest terrorist act in 
America's history, and aftershocks of the atrocity ripple through lives 
even today.&nbsp;Like Lippert, current DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. Michelle Skubic points to employees' courage, patriotism and resilience.&nbsp;"Just like the workforce of today, they understood that on America's 
worst day, DLA must be at its best," she said this week in a message to 
the agency.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631039148845.png" alt="Curtis Mitchell, operations supervisor at Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services Fort Bragg, N.C.; Rob Delong, retired site manager at Fort Drum, N.Y.; and Sandra Delong listen during a memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers and civilians at Camp Atterbury, Ind., July 3. Mitchell and Delong attended pre-deployment training with Krissie Davis in 2015 and Delong was with her when their vehicle was hit by an enemy rocket during an attack on Bagram Air Base in June 2015. Photo by Jake Joy, U.S. Department of Defense" />
 <figcaption>Curtis Mitchell, operations supervisor at Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services Fort Bragg, N.C.; Rob Delong, retired site manager at Fort Drum, N.Y.; and Sandra Delong listen during a memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers and civilians at Camp Atterbury, Ind., July 3. Mitchell and Delong attended pre-deployment training with Krissie Davis in 2015 and Delong was with her when their vehicle was hit by an enemy rocket during an attack on Bagram Air Base in June 2015. Photo by Jake Joy, U.S. Department of Defense</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631039148845.png" alt="Curtis Mitchell, operations supervisor at Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services Fort Bragg, N.C.; Rob Delong, retired site manager at Fort Drum, N.Y.; and Sandra Delong listen during a memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers and civilians at Camp Atterbury, Ind., July 3. Mitchell and Delong attended pre-deployment training with Krissie Davis in 2015 and Delong was with her when their vehicle was hit by an enemy rocket during an attack on Bagram Air Base in June 2015. Photo by Jake Joy, U.S. Department of Defense" />
 <figcaption>Curtis Mitchell, operations supervisor at Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services Fort Bragg, N.C.; Rob Delong, retired site manager at Fort Drum, N.Y.; and Sandra Delong listen during a memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers and civilians at Camp Atterbury, Ind., July 3. Mitchell and Delong attended pre-deployment training with Krissie Davis in 2015 and Delong was with her when their vehicle was hit by an enemy rocket during an attack on Bagram Air Base in June 2015. Photo by Jake Joy, U.S. Department of Defense</figcaption>
 </figure>The sharp memories of 9/11 urge employees like Woodruff to continually
 rededicate themselves to DLA's mission. American pride is alive and 
strong among DLA's members."9/11 taught us that we need to be resilient and not become 
complacent," Woodruff said. "It's like a game of chess. We need to be 
steps ahead of our adversaries."

America's darkest day strengthens DoD employees' patriotism, resolve

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Thousands of people lined the procession route along Omaha streets to pay tribute to a local man and Marine who died in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan. 

The body of 23-year-old Cpl. Daegan Page was transported Friday afternoon from Eppley Airfield to Braman Mortuary in southwest Omaha.

 Page was one of 13 U.S. service members killed Aug. 26 in the bombing at the Kabul airport, which also killed at least 169 Afghans. 

Page was born in Omaha and lived his first five years in Red Oak, Iowa, before moving back to Omaha with his family.

 He graduated from Millard South High School in 2016 and enlisted the following year. 

A memorial service will be held Sept. 17.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Thousands of people lined the procession route along Omaha streets to pay tribute to a local man and Marine who died in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan. The body of 23-year-old Cpl. Daegan Page was transported Friday afternoon from Eppley Airfield to Braman Mortuary in southwest Omaha. Page was one of 13 U.S. service members killed Aug. 26 in the bombing at the Kabul airport, which also killed at least 169 Afghans. Page was born in Omaha and lived his first five years in Red Oak, Iowa, before moving back to Omaha with his family. He graduated from Millard South High School in 2016 and enlisted the following year. A memorial service will be held Sept. 17.

Thousands line Omaha streets for procession of fallen Marine

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon says he's asked the state’s attorney general to be prepared to challenge President Joe Biden’s new COVID-19 vaccine mandate, In a statement on Thursday, Gordon called it an “egregious example of big government overreach.” 

Gordon and his wife are both vaccinated but he has stressed that vaccination is an “intensely personal” decision. 

While he issued a statewide mask mandate during the winter surge, Gordon has vowed not to issue any vaccine mandates. 

Wyoming lawmakers have already been working on legislation aimed at prohibiting businesses from requiring vaccinations for their next session.

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon says he's asked the state’s attorney general to be prepared to challenge President Joe Biden’s new COVID-19 vaccine mandate, In a statement on Thursday, Gordon called it an “egregious example of big government overreach.” Gordon and his wife are both vaccinated but he has stressed that vaccination is an “intensely personal” decision. While he issued a statewide mask mandate during the winter surge, Gordon has vowed not to issue any vaccine mandates. Wyoming lawmakers have already been working on legislation aimed at prohibiting businesses from requiring vaccinations for their next session.

Wyoming governor says state will fight vaccine mandate

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police are investigating the death of a man who was held down at an Omaha bowling alley as an in-custody death. 

Omaha police say in a news release that officers were called Thursday afternoon to West Lanes Bowling Center for reports of an autistic man biting his caregiver and other people and being “out of control.” 

Police say an officer who arrived on the scene found a bowling alley employee restraining the man, later identified as 30-year-old Eric Liao. Police say the officer handcuffed Liao and then noticed Liao was unresponsive.

 The officer began CPR, and paramedics soon took Liao to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police are investigating the death of a man who was held down at an Omaha bowling alley as an in-custody death. Omaha police say in a news release that officers were called Thursday afternoon to West Lanes Bowling Center for reports of an autistic man biting his caregiver and other people and being “out of control.” Police say an officer who arrived on the scene found a bowling alley employee restraining the man, later identified as 30-year-old Eric Liao. Police say the officer handcuffed Liao and then noticed Liao was unresponsive. The officer began CPR, and paramedics soon took Liao to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Omaha man's death being investigated as in-custody death

WASHINGTON
 — The Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers today that the cost of
 home testing for COVID-19 is an eligible medical expense that can be 
paid or reimbursed under health flexible spending arrangements (health 
FSAs), health savings accounts (HSAs), health reimbursement arrangements, or Archer medical savings accounts (Archer MSAs). That is 
because the cost to diagnose COVID-19 is an eligible medical expense for
 tax purposes.

The IRS also reminds taxpayers that the costs of personal protective 
equipment, such as masks, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes, for the 
primary purpose of preventing the spread of COVID-19 are eligible 
medical expenses that can be paid or reimbursed under health FSAs, HSAs,
 HRAs, or Archer MSAs. Additional <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/face-masks-and-other-personal-protective-equipment-to-prevent-the-spread-of-covid-19-are-tax-deductible">information</a> is available on IRS.gov.

For more <a href="https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc502">information</a> regarding details and requirements on deductibility of medical expenses, taxpayers can review <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/can-i-deduct-my-medical-and-dental-expenses">Can I Deduct My Medical and Dental Expenses?</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/publications/p502">Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON
 — The Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers today that the cost of
 home testing for COVID-19 is an eligible medical expense that can be 
paid or reimbursed under health flexible spending arrangements (health 
FSAs), health savings accounts (HSAs), health reimbursement arrangements, or Archer medical savings accounts (Archer MSAs). That is 
because the cost to diagnose COVID-19 is an eligible medical expense for
 tax purposes.The IRS also reminds taxpayers that the costs of personal protective 
equipment, such as masks, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes, for the 
primary purpose of preventing the spread of COVID-19 are eligible 
medical expenses that can be paid or reimbursed under health FSAs, HSAs,
 HRAs, or Archer MSAs. Additional <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/face-masks-and-other-personal-protective-equipment-to-prevent-the-spread-of-covid-19-are-tax-deductible">information</a> is available on IRS.gov.For more <a href="https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc502">information</a> regarding details and requirements on deductibility of medical expenses, taxpayers can review <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/can-i-deduct-my-medical-and-dental-expenses">Can I Deduct My Medical and Dental Expenses?</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/publications/p502">Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses</a>.

IRS: Cost of home testing for COVID is eligible medical expense

U.S. Small Business Administration

WASHINGTON –&nbsp;On Friday,&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDUsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA5MTAuNDU3NDc1NzEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5zYmEuZ292Lz91dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Z292ZGVsaXZlcnkifQ.GToNyajdvBEt-iRwElWXwvJiUaMsKw8o-TS7s7JAoj4/s/1045497324/br/112176285071-l" target="_blank">U.S. Small Business Administration</a>&nbsp;(SBA) Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman announced major enhancements to the&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDYsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA5MTAuNDU3NDc1NzEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5zYmEuZ292L2Z1bmRpbmctcHJvZ3JhbXMvbG9hbnMvY292aWQtMTktcmVsaWVmLW9wdGlvbnMvZWlkbC9jb3ZpZC0xOS1laWRsP3V0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX3NvdXJjZT1nb3ZkZWxpdmVyeSJ9.U-TgWZS_O7pEQGk7DFi_2v5k_JTTub_ejHr-bVl4QdU/s/1045497324/br/112176285071-l" target="_blank">COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program</a>, a federal disaster relief loan designed to better serve and support our small business communities still reeling from the pandemic, especially hard-hit sectors such as restaurants, gyms, and hotels. The SBA is ready to receive new applications immediately from small businesses looking to take advantage of these new policy changes.

“The SBA’s COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan program offers a lifeline to millions of small businesses who are still being impacted by the pandemic,”&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDcsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA5MTAuNDU3NDc1NzEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5zYmEuZ292L3BlcnNvbi9pc2FiZWxsYS1jYXNpbGxhcy1ndXptYW4_dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWdvdmRlbGl2ZXJ5In0.fDkJAqRdiVWjAbGPQ2qerzOhfPYF7PG7tzCm7XH4whQ/s/1045497324/br/112176285071-l" target="_blank">SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman</a>&nbsp;said. “We’ve retooled this critical program – increasing the borrowing limit to $2 million, offering 24 months of deferment, and expanding flexibility to allow borrowers to pay down higher-interest business debt. We have also ramped up our outreach efforts to ensure we’re connecting with our smallest businesses as well as those from low-income communities who may also be eligible for the companion COVID EIDL Targeted Advance and Supplemental Advance grants totaling up to $15,000. &nbsp;Our mission-driven SBA team has been working around the clock to make the loan review process as user-friendly as possible to ensure every entrepreneur who needs help can get the capital they need to reopen, recover and rebuild.”

Key changes being announced by the SBA include:

The enhancements to the COVID EIDL program will allow more businesses greater and more flexible support from the over $150 billion in available COVID EIDL funds. Additionally, these changes will help entrepreneurs access capital at a time when, according to a recent Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses survey, 44 percent of small business owners report having less than three months of cash reserves, and only 31 percent reporting confidence in gaining access to funding.

Eligible small businesses, nonprofits, and agricultural businesses in all U.S. states and territories can apply. Visit&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDgsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA5MTAuNDU3NDc1NzEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnNiYS5nb3YvZWlkbD91dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Z292ZGVsaXZlcnkifQ.nyB9AcRtsEaGjYh4Noiq_l2ToMos_Edd5IE_VpFSSZM/s/1045497324/br/112176285071-l" target="_blank">www.sba.gov/eidl</a>&nbsp;to learn more about eligibility and application requirements. The last day that applications may be received is December 31, 2021. All applicants should file their applications as soon as possible.

For additional information on COVID EIDL and other recovery programs please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDksInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA5MTAuNDU3NDc1NzEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnNiYS5nb3YvcmVsaWVmP3V0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX3NvdXJjZT1nb3ZkZWxpdmVyeSJ9.KGfzHrlh9LeDmn-VI8lWY3V3dCw1gzr6G--jURhyP4U/s/1045497324/br/112176285071-l" target="_blank">www.sba.gov/relief</a>. Small business owners may call SBA’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard of hearing) or email&nbsp;<a href="mailto:DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov" target="_blank">DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov</a>&nbsp;for additional assistance. The center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST. Multilingual representatives are available. Small business owners may also contact SBA’s Resource Partners by visiting&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMTAsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA5MTAuNDU3NDc1NzEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnNiYS5nb3YvbG9jYWwtYXNzaXN0YW5jZT91dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Z292ZGVsaXZlcnkifQ.orfhuJOYmYnTHxMxWI9yK6_Oi0scmhouv8MVv57qk60/s/1045497324/br/112176285071-l" target="_blank">www.sba.gov/local-assistance</a>.

&nbsp;Application Process and Fraud Control Enhancements

In addition to the policy enhancements, the SBA has invested in optimized processes and increased capacity to improve the customer service experience for applicants. Directed by Administrator Guzman to swiftly and drastically enhance COVID EIDL, the revamped management team implemented new processes and performance management such as prioritizing personnel for COVID EIDL and increasing the average number of loan application decisions made. The SBA accelerated daily processing of loan increases from close to 2,000 applications to more than 37,000 applications daily. Loan officer productivity also went from 1.86 applications per day to 15 applications per day.&nbsp;As a result of these increased loan review rates, the 600,000+ loan increase backlog has been cleared and new applications can be processed immediately. At the same time, and to ensure taxpayer dollars are used to support businesses that need COVID EIDL funding most, the SBA has increased fraud controls and is working in collaboration with the SBA Inspector General to closely monitor the program.

All business owners that have received previous loans through the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), or Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) can still benefit from COVID EIDL. To learn more about the application process, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMTEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA5MTAuNDU3NDc1NzEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnNiYS5nb3YvZWlkbD91dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Z292ZGVsaXZlcnkifQ.zcBoBqG56vD3GvCFiZh9UW9AtLlTALjsCkOTnOucZag/s/1045497324/br/112176285071-l" target="_blank">www.sba.gov/eidl</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1584386106306.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>U.S. Small Business AdministrationWASHINGTON –&nbsp;On Friday,&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDUsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA5MTAuNDU3NDc1NzEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5zYmEuZ292Lz91dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Z292ZGVsaXZlcnkifQ.GToNyajdvBEt-iRwElWXwvJiUaMsKw8o-TS7s7JAoj4/s/1045497324/br/112176285071-l" target="_blank">U.S. Small Business Administration</a>&nbsp;(SBA) Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman announced major enhancements to the&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDYsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA5MTAuNDU3NDc1NzEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5zYmEuZ292L2Z1bmRpbmctcHJvZ3JhbXMvbG9hbnMvY292aWQtMTktcmVsaWVmLW9wdGlvbnMvZWlkbC9jb3ZpZC0xOS1laWRsP3V0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX3NvdXJjZT1nb3ZkZWxpdmVyeSJ9.U-TgWZS_O7pEQGk7DFi_2v5k_JTTub_ejHr-bVl4QdU/s/1045497324/br/112176285071-l" target="_blank">COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program</a>, a federal disaster relief loan designed to better serve and support our small business communities still reeling from the pandemic, especially hard-hit sectors such as restaurants, gyms, and hotels. The SBA is ready to receive new applications immediately from small businesses looking to take advantage of these new policy changes.“The SBA’s COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan program offers a lifeline to millions of small businesses who are still being impacted by the pandemic,”&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDcsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA5MTAuNDU3NDc1NzEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5zYmEuZ292L3BlcnNvbi9pc2FiZWxsYS1jYXNpbGxhcy1ndXptYW4_dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWdvdmRlbGl2ZXJ5In0.fDkJAqRdiVWjAbGPQ2qerzOhfPYF7PG7tzCm7XH4whQ/s/1045497324/br/112176285071-l" target="_blank">SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman</a>&nbsp;said. “We’ve retooled this critical program – increasing the borrowing limit to $2 million, offering 24 months of deferment, and expanding flexibility to allow borrowers to pay down higher-interest business debt. We have also ramped up our outreach efforts to ensure we’re connecting with our smallest businesses as well as those from low-income communities who may also be eligible for the companion COVID EIDL Targeted Advance and Supplemental Advance grants totaling up to $15,000. &nbsp;Our mission-driven SBA team has been working around the clock to make the loan review process as user-friendly as possible to ensure every entrepreneur who needs help can get the capital they need to reopen, recover and rebuild.”Key changes being announced by the SBA include:<ul>
 <li>Increasing the COVID EIDL Cap.&nbsp;The SBA will lift the COVID EIDL cap from $500,000 to $2 million. Loan funds can be used for any normal operating expenses and working capital, including payroll, purchasing equipment, and paying debt.</li><li>Implementation of a Deferred Payment Period.&nbsp;The SBA will ensure small business owners will not have to begin COVID EIDL repayment until two years after loan origination so that they can get through the pandemic without having to worry about making ends meet.</li><li>Establishment of a 30-Day Exclusivity Window. To ensure Main Street businesses have additional time to access these funds, the SBA will implement a 30-day exclusivity window of approving and disbursing funds for loans of $500,000 or less. Approval and disbursement of loans over $500,000 will begin after the 30-day period.</li><li>Expansion of Eligible Use of Funds.&nbsp;COVID EIDL funds will now be eligible to prepay commercial debt and make payments on federal business debt.</li><li>Simplification of affiliation requirements.&nbsp;To ease the COVID EIDL application process for small businesses, the SBA has established more simplified affiliation requirements to model those of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund.</li>
 </ul>The enhancements to the COVID EIDL program will allow more businesses greater and more flexible support from the over $150 billion in available COVID EIDL funds. Additionally, these changes will help entrepreneurs access capital at a time when, according to a recent Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses survey, 44 percent of small business owners report having less than three months of cash reserves, and only 31 percent reporting confidence in gaining access to funding.<h2>How to apply</h2>Eligible small businesses, nonprofits, and agricultural businesses in all U.S. states and territories can apply. Visit&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDgsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA5MTAuNDU3NDc1NzEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnNiYS5nb3YvZWlkbD91dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Z292ZGVsaXZlcnkifQ.nyB9AcRtsEaGjYh4Noiq_l2ToMos_Edd5IE_VpFSSZM/s/1045497324/br/112176285071-l" target="_blank">www.sba.gov/eidl</a>&nbsp;to learn more about eligibility and application requirements. The last day that applications may be received is December 31, 2021. All applicants should file their applications as soon as possible.For additional information on COVID EIDL and other recovery programs please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDksInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA5MTAuNDU3NDc1NzEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnNiYS5nb3YvcmVsaWVmP3V0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX3NvdXJjZT1nb3ZkZWxpdmVyeSJ9.KGfzHrlh9LeDmn-VI8lWY3V3dCw1gzr6G--jURhyP4U/s/1045497324/br/112176285071-l" target="_blank">www.sba.gov/relief</a>. Small business owners may call SBA’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard of hearing) or email&nbsp;<a href="mailto:DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov" target="_blank">DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov</a>&nbsp;for additional assistance. The center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST. Multilingual representatives are available. Small business owners may also contact SBA’s Resource Partners by visiting&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMTAsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA5MTAuNDU3NDc1NzEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnNiYS5nb3YvbG9jYWwtYXNzaXN0YW5jZT91dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Z292ZGVsaXZlcnkifQ.orfhuJOYmYnTHxMxWI9yK6_Oi0scmhouv8MVv57qk60/s/1045497324/br/112176285071-l" target="_blank">www.sba.gov/local-assistance</a>.<h2>&nbsp;Application Process and Fraud Control Enhancements</h2>In addition to the policy enhancements, the SBA has invested in optimized processes and increased capacity to improve the customer service experience for applicants. Directed by Administrator Guzman to swiftly and drastically enhance COVID EIDL, the revamped management team implemented new processes and performance management such as prioritizing personnel for COVID EIDL and increasing the average number of loan application decisions made. The SBA accelerated daily processing of loan increases from close to 2,000 applications to more than 37,000 applications daily. Loan officer productivity also went from 1.86 applications per day to 15 applications per day.&nbsp;As a result of these increased loan review rates, the 600,000+ loan increase backlog has been cleared and new applications can be processed immediately. At the same time, and to ensure taxpayer dollars are used to support businesses that need COVID EIDL funding most, the SBA has increased fraud controls and is working in collaboration with the SBA Inspector General to closely monitor the program.All business owners that have received previous loans through the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), or Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) can still benefit from COVID EIDL. To learn more about the application process, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMTEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA5MTAuNDU3NDc1NzEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnNiYS5nb3YvZWlkbD91dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Z292ZGVsaXZlcnkifQ.zcBoBqG56vD3GvCFiZh9UW9AtLlTALjsCkOTnOucZag/s/1045497324/br/112176285071-l" target="_blank">www.sba.gov/eidl</a>.

SBA enhances COVID loan program for hard-hit business sectors

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?514532-1/president-biden-outlines-plan-combat-delta-variant">Click here to watch</a>&nbsp;a replay of the President's comments&nbsp;

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has announced sweeping new federal vaccine requirements affecting as many as 100 million Americans in an all-out effort to increase COVID-19 vaccinations and curb the surging delta variant. 

The government's expansive new rules, announced Thursday, mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly, affecting about 80 million Americans. 

Biden is also signing an executive order requiring vaccination for all employees of the executive branch and contractors who do business with the federal government. No testing opt-out is expected to be included for the executive branch requirement.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is announcing sweeping new federal vaccine requirements affecting as many as 100 million Americans in an all-out effort to increase COVID-19 vaccinations and curb the surging delta variant that is killing thousands each week and jeopardizing the nation’s economic recovery.

The expansive rules mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly, affecting about 80 million Americans. And the roughly 17 million workers at health facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid also will have to be fully vaccinated.

Biden is also signing an executive order to require vaccination for employees of the executive branch and contractors who do business with the federal government — with no option to test out. That covers several million more workers.

Biden was to announce the new requirements in a Thursday afternoon address from the White House as part of a new “action plan” to address the latest rise in coronavirus cases and the stagnating pace of COVID-19 shots that has raised doubts among the public over his handling of the pandemic.

Just two months ago Biden prematurely declared the nation’s “independence” from the virus. Now, despite more than 208 million Americans having at least one dose of the vaccines, the U.S. is seeing about 300% more new COVID-19 infections a day, about two-and-a-half times more hospitalizations, and nearly twice the number of deaths compared to the same time last year.

Biden’s plans were previewed Thursday afternoon by White House press secretary Jen Psaki and other senior administration officials ahead of the speech.

After months of using promotions to drive the vaccination rate, Biden is taking a much firmer hand, as his aides blame people who have not yet received shots for the sharp rise in cases that is killing more than 1,000 people per day and imperiling a fragile economic rebound.

Psaki said Biden’s “overarching objective here is to reduce the number of unvaccinated Americans,” noting about 80 million adults remain unvaccinated.

An AP-NORC poll conducted in August found that 54% of Americans approved of Biden’s stewardship of the public health crisis, down from 66% the month before, driven by a drop in support from Republicans and political independents.

In addition to the vaccination requirements, Biden is moving to double federal fines for airline passengers who refuse to wear masks on flights or to maintain face covering requirements on federal property in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

Biden was also to announce that the federal government will work to increase the supply of virus tests, and that the White House has secured concessions from retailers including Walmart, Amazon, and Kroger to sell at-home testing kits at cost beginning this week.

The administration is also to send additional federal support to assist schools in safely operating, including additional funding for testing. And Biden will call for large entertainment venues and arenas to require vaccinations or proof of a negative test for entry.

The requirement for large companies to mandate vaccinations or weekly testing for employees will be enacted through a forthcoming rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that carries penalties of $14,000 per violation, an administration official said. The White House did not immediately say when it would take effect, but said workers would have sufficient time to get vaccinated.

The rule would also require that large companies provide paid time off for vaccination.

Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services will extend a vaccination requirement issued earlier this summer — for nursing home staff — to other healthcare settings including hospitals, home-health agencies and dialysis centers.

Separately, the Department of Health and Human Services will require vaccinations in Head Start Programs, as well as schools run by the Department of Defense and Bureau of Indian Education, affecting about 300,000 employees.

Biden’s order for executive branch workers and contractors includes exceptions for workers seeking religious or medical exemptions from vaccination, according to Psaki. Federal workers and contractors will have 75 days to get fully vaccinated. Workers who don’t comply will be referred to their agencies’ human resources departments for counseling and discipline, to include potential termination.

“We would like to be a model” to other organizations and business around country, Psaki said of the federal workforce. The AP-NORC poll found 55% of Americans in favor of requiring government workers to be fully vaccinated, compared with 21% opposed.

Biden has encouraged COVID-19 vaccine requirements in settings like schools, workplaces and university campuses, and the White House hopes the strengthened federal mandate will inspire more businesses to follow suit. On Thursday, the Los Angeles Board of Education was expected to vote on requiring all students 12 and older to be fully vaccinated in the the nation’s second-largest school district.

The Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services, the Indian Health Service, and the National Institutes of Health have previously announced vaccine requirements for much of their staffs, and the Pentagon moved last month to require all servicemembers to get vaccinated. Combined, the White House estimates those requirements cover 2.5 million Americans. Thursday’s order is expected to impact nearly 2 million more federal workers and potentially millions of contractors.

More than 177 million are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, but confirmed cases of the virus have shot up in recent weeks to an average of about 140,000 per day with on average about 1,000 Americans dying from the virus daily, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Most of the spread — and the vast majority of severe illness and death — is occurring among those not yet fully vaccinated against the virus. So-called breakthrough infections in vaccinated people occur, but tend to be far less dangerous.

“We cannot accept this to be the new normal,” said Dr. Leana Wen, a former Baltimore health commissioner who comments regularly on the pandemic.. If the pandemic continues unabated, it will mean 500,000 deaths a year. “Surely no one wants that.”

Wen has been urging the White House to take a stronger line on vaccine requirements, including the use of so-called vaccine “passports” for travel and workplace mandates that leave little wiggle room.

“I want to see the full power of the federal government here, and not more half measures,” she said. “I want to see a hard reset from the Biden administration, not more nibbling around the edges.”

Federal officials are moving ahead with plans to begin administering booster shots of the mRNA vaccines to bolster protection against the more transmissible delta variant of the virus. Last month Biden announced plans to make them available beginning on Sept. 20, but only the Pfizer vaccine will likely have received regulatory approval for a third dose by that time. Federal regulators are seeking additional data from Moderna that will likely delay its booster approval until October.

Officials are aiming to administer the booster shots about eight months after the second dose of the two-dose vaccines.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631222423974.png" alt="The expansive rules mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly, affecting about 80 million Americans." />
 <figcaption>The expansive rules mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly, affecting about 80 million Americans.</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?514532-1/president-biden-outlines-plan-combat-delta-variant">Click here to watch</a>&nbsp;a replay of the President's comments&nbsp;WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has announced sweeping new federal vaccine requirements affecting as many as 100 million Americans in an all-out effort to increase COVID-19 vaccinations and curb the surging delta variant. The government's expansive new rules, announced Thursday, mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly, affecting about 80 million Americans. Biden is also signing an executive order requiring vaccination for all employees of the executive branch and contractors who do business with the federal government. No testing opt-out is expected to be included for the executive branch requirement.WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is announcing sweeping new federal vaccine requirements affecting as many as 100 million Americans in an all-out effort to increase COVID-19 vaccinations and curb the surging delta variant that is killing thousands each week and jeopardizing the nation’s economic recovery.The expansive rules mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly, affecting about 80 million Americans. And the roughly 17 million workers at health facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid also will have to be fully vaccinated.Biden is also signing an executive order to require vaccination for employees of the executive branch and contractors who do business with the federal government — with no option to test out. That covers several million more workers.Biden was to announce the new requirements in a Thursday afternoon address from the White House as part of a new “action plan” to address the latest rise in coronavirus cases and the stagnating pace of COVID-19 shots that has raised doubts among the public over his handling of the pandemic.Just two months ago Biden prematurely declared the nation’s “independence” from the virus. Now, despite more than 208 million Americans having at least one dose of the vaccines, the U.S. is seeing about 300% more new COVID-19 infections a day, about two-and-a-half times more hospitalizations, and nearly twice the number of deaths compared to the same time last year.Biden’s plans were previewed Thursday afternoon by White House press secretary Jen Psaki and other senior administration officials ahead of the speech.After months of using promotions to drive the vaccination rate, Biden is taking a much firmer hand, as his aides blame people who have not yet received shots for the sharp rise in cases that is killing more than 1,000 people per day and imperiling a fragile economic rebound.Psaki said Biden’s “overarching objective here is to reduce the number of unvaccinated Americans,” noting about 80 million adults remain unvaccinated.An AP-NORC poll conducted in August found that 54% of Americans approved of Biden’s stewardship of the public health crisis, down from 66% the month before, driven by a drop in support from Republicans and political independents.In addition to the vaccination requirements, Biden is moving to double federal fines for airline passengers who refuse to wear masks on flights or to maintain face covering requirements on federal property in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.Biden was also to announce that the federal government will work to increase the supply of virus tests, and that the White House has secured concessions from retailers including Walmart, Amazon, and Kroger to sell at-home testing kits at cost beginning this week.The administration is also to send additional federal support to assist schools in safely operating, including additional funding for testing. And Biden will call for large entertainment venues and arenas to require vaccinations or proof of a negative test for entry.The requirement for large companies to mandate vaccinations or weekly testing for employees will be enacted through a forthcoming rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that carries penalties of $14,000 per violation, an administration official said. The White House did not immediately say when it would take effect, but said workers would have sufficient time to get vaccinated.The rule would also require that large companies provide paid time off for vaccination.Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services will extend a vaccination requirement issued earlier this summer — for nursing home staff — to other healthcare settings including hospitals, home-health agencies and dialysis centers.Separately, the Department of Health and Human Services will require vaccinations in Head Start Programs, as well as schools run by the Department of Defense and Bureau of Indian Education, affecting about 300,000 employees.Biden’s order for executive branch workers and contractors includes exceptions for workers seeking religious or medical exemptions from vaccination, according to Psaki. Federal workers and contractors will have 75 days to get fully vaccinated. Workers who don’t comply will be referred to their agencies’ human resources departments for counseling and discipline, to include potential termination.“We would like to be a model” to other organizations and business around country, Psaki said of the federal workforce. The AP-NORC poll found 55% of Americans in favor of requiring government workers to be fully vaccinated, compared with 21% opposed.Biden has encouraged COVID-19 vaccine requirements in settings like schools, workplaces and university campuses, and the White House hopes the strengthened federal mandate will inspire more businesses to follow suit. On Thursday, the Los Angeles Board of Education was expected to vote on requiring all students 12 and older to be fully vaccinated in the the nation’s second-largest school district.The Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services, the Indian Health Service, and the National Institutes of Health have previously announced vaccine requirements for much of their staffs, and the Pentagon moved last month to require all servicemembers to get vaccinated. Combined, the White House estimates those requirements cover 2.5 million Americans. Thursday’s order is expected to impact nearly 2 million more federal workers and potentially millions of contractors.More than 177 million are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, but confirmed cases of the virus have shot up in recent weeks to an average of about 140,000 per day with on average about 1,000 Americans dying from the virus daily, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Most of the spread — and the vast majority of severe illness and death — is occurring among those not yet fully vaccinated against the virus. So-called breakthrough infections in vaccinated people occur, but tend to be far less dangerous.“We cannot accept this to be the new normal,” said Dr. Leana Wen, a former Baltimore health commissioner who comments regularly on the pandemic.. If the pandemic continues unabated, it will mean 500,000 deaths a year. “Surely no one wants that.”Wen has been urging the White House to take a stronger line on vaccine requirements, including the use of so-called vaccine “passports” for travel and workplace mandates that leave little wiggle room.“I want to see the full power of the federal government here, and not more half measures,” she said. “I want to see a hard reset from the Biden administration, not more nibbling around the edges.”Federal officials are moving ahead with plans to begin administering booster shots of the mRNA vaccines to bolster protection against the more transmissible delta variant of the virus. Last month Biden announced plans to make them available beginning on Sept. 20, but only the Pfizer vaccine will likely have received regulatory approval for a third dose by that time. Federal regulators are seeking additional data from Moderna that will likely delay its booster approval until October.Officials are aiming to administer the booster shots about eight months after the second dose of the two-dose vaccines.

🎥 Pres. Biden issues new vaccine rules for 100M Americans

ELK POINT, S.D. (AP) — Sheriff’s officials say a man accused of killing four people in Missouri, including a mother and her 11-year-old daughter, has been found dead in South Dakota. 

According to the Union County Sheriff’s Office, 45-year-old J.T. McLean, 45 was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a car parked at a motel near Dakota Dunes late Wednesday night. 

McLean is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his girlfriend, Allison Abitz, 43, and her 11-year-old daughter, Jozee. 

Their bodies were found Aug. 22 at their home south of Columbia. The Union County Sheriff’s Office says McLean was also wanted for the slaying of two other people in Miller County, Missouri.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629988465629.png" alt="McLean photo Boone Co.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>McLean photo Boone Co.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>ELK POINT, S.D. (AP) — Sheriff’s officials say a man accused of killing four people in Missouri, including a mother and her 11-year-old daughter, has been found dead in South Dakota. According to the Union County Sheriff’s Office, 45-year-old J.T. McLean, 45 was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a car parked at a motel near Dakota Dunes late Wednesday night. McLean is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his girlfriend, Allison Abitz, 43, and her 11-year-old daughter, Jozee. Their bodies were found Aug. 22 at their home south of Columbia. The Union County Sheriff’s Office says McLean was also wanted for the slaying of two other people in Miller County, Missouri.

Missouri man sought in 4 killings found dead in South Dakota

PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha-area gymnastics coach has been arrested and charged with two counts of sexually assaulting a child.

 Police say 30-year-old Alexander Thomas was arrested Wednesday and booked into the Sarpy County Jail in Papillion. 

Investigators say Thomas was a coach at Metro Stars Gymnastics in Papillion when he assaulted a student younger than 14 at that location sometime in January.

 A judge on Thursday set Thomas' bail at $250,000. 

Metro Stars officials say they learned of the charges Wednesday and immediately fired Thomas.

 He had coached at the Papillion location for four years.

Metro Stars sent an email to customers Wednesday asking families to report any concerns to the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office.

PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha-area gymnastics coach has been arrested and charged with two counts of sexually assaulting a child. Police say 30-year-old Alexander Thomas was arrested Wednesday and booked into the Sarpy County Jail in Papillion. Investigators say Thomas was a coach at Metro Stars Gymnastics in Papillion when he assaulted a student younger than 14 at that location sometime in January. A judge on Thursday set Thomas' bail at $250,000. Metro Stars officials say they learned of the charges Wednesday and immediately fired Thomas. He had coached at the Papillion location for four years.Metro Stars sent an email to customers Wednesday asking families to report any concerns to the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office.

Omaha-area gymnastics coach charged with child sex assault

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police have announced the procession route through Omaha for the body of a Marine who died in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan. 

The body of 23-year-old Cpl. Daegan Page will be transported starting at 1:30 p.m. Friday from Eppley Airfield in Omaha to Braman Mortuary in southwest Omaha.

 Police have encouraged the public the line the streets of the route to pay their respects to the fallen Marine.

A memorial service will be held Sept. 17 for Page.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police have announced the procession route through Omaha for the body of a Marine who died in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan. The body of 23-year-old Cpl. Daegan Page will be transported starting at 1:30 p.m. Friday from Eppley Airfield in Omaha to Braman Mortuary in southwest Omaha. Police have encouraged the public the line the streets of the route to pay their respects to the fallen Marine. Page was one of 13 U.S. service members killed Aug. 26 in the bombing at the Kabul airport, which also killed at least 169 Afghans. A memorial service will be held Sept. 17 for Page.

Procession route set for Nebraska man killed in Afghanistan

MULESHOE, Texas (AP) — To avoid Dust Bowl conditions, more farmers are restoring native grasslands in areas where the nation's largest aquifer is drying up and rainfall is often scarce. 

Groundwater from the Ogallala aquifer has sustained farming for generations in the Plains states, even through droughts. But it's becoming increasingly difficult to grow crops that require irrigation. 

A recent study projects that more than half of currently irrigated land in portions of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma could be lost by the end of the century. 

And the U.S. Department of Agriculture has identified a Dust Bowl zone where grasslands conservation is a priority.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1618585950140.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>MULESHOE, Texas (AP) — To avoid Dust Bowl conditions, more farmers are restoring native grasslands in areas where the nation's largest aquifer is drying up and rainfall is often scarce. Groundwater from the Ogallala aquifer has sustained farming for generations in the Plains states, even through droughts. But it's becoming increasingly difficult to grow crops that require irrigation. A recent study projects that more than half of currently irrigated land in portions of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma could be lost by the end of the century. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture has identified a Dust Bowl zone where grasslands conservation is a priority.

Farmers restore native grasslands as groundwater disappears

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday is toughening COVID-19 vaccine requirements for federal workers and contractors with no option of being regularly tested to opt out.

The plan aims to boost vaccinations and curb the surging delta variant that is killing thousands each week and jeopardizing the nation’s economic recovery.

Just weeks after he mandated federal workers get a shot or face rigorous testing and masking protocols, Biden has signed an new executive order to require vaccination for employees of the executive branch and contractors that do business with the federal government, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The step comes ahead of the president’s speech Thursday afternoon outlining a six-pronged plan to address the latest rise in coronavirus cases and the stagnating pace of COVID-19 shots.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Biden’s order includes exceptions for workers or contractors seeking religious or medical exemptions from vaccination. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Biden’s plans before they were publicly released.

Biden is also expected to outline plans to increase virus testing in schools, in an effort to keep them open safely, amid other measures to show that his administration working to tackle the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases, which Biden has blamed for last month’s weaker-than-expected jobs report. He’s warned could further imperil the nation’s economy as some pandemic safety net protections are expiring.

Biden has encouraged COVID-19 vaccine requirements in settings likes schools, workplaces and university campuses, and the White House hopes the strengthened federal mandate will inspire more businesses to follow suit.

More than 208 million Americans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 177 million are fully vaccinated, but confirmed cases of the virus have shot up in recent weeks to an average of about 140,000 per day with on average about 1,000 Americans dying from the virus daily, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday is toughening COVID-19 vaccine requirements for federal workers and contractors with no option of being regularly tested to opt out.The plan aims to boost vaccinations and curb the surging delta variant that is killing thousands each week and jeopardizing the nation’s economic recovery.Just weeks after he mandated federal workers get a shot or face rigorous testing and masking protocols, Biden has signed an new executive order to require vaccination for employees of the executive branch and contractors that do business with the federal government, according to a person familiar with the matter.The step comes ahead of the president’s speech Thursday afternoon outlining a six-pronged plan to address the latest rise in coronavirus cases and the stagnating pace of COVID-19 shots.It wasn’t immediately clear if Biden’s order includes exceptions for workers or contractors seeking religious or medical exemptions from vaccination. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Biden’s plans before they were publicly released.Biden is also expected to outline plans to increase virus testing in schools, in an effort to keep them open safely, amid other measures to show that his administration working to tackle the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases, which Biden has blamed for last month’s weaker-than-expected jobs report. He’s warned could further imperil the nation’s economy as some pandemic safety net protections are expiring.Biden has encouraged COVID-19 vaccine requirements in settings likes schools, workplaces and university campuses, and the White House hopes the strengthened federal mandate will inspire more businesses to follow suit.More than 208 million Americans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 177 million are fully vaccinated, but confirmed cases of the virus have shot up in recent weeks to an average of about 140,000 per day with on average about 1,000 Americans dying from the virus daily, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Most of the spread — and the vast majority of severe illness and death — is occurring among those not yet fully vaccinated against the virus. So-called breakthrough infections in vaccinated people occur, but tend to be far less dangerous.Federal officials are moving ahead with plans to begin administering booster shots of the mRNA vaccines to bolster protection against the more transmissible delta variant of the virus. Last month Biden announced plans to make them available beginning on Sept. 20, but only the Pfizer vaccine will likely have received regulatory approval for a third dose by that time. Federal regulators are seeking additional data from Moderna that will likely delay its booster approval until October.Officials are aiming to administer the booster shots about eight months after the second dose of the two-dose vaccines.

Biden to mandate vaccine for all federal workers; no test option

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A leading Republican lawmaker has unveiled a new, proposed Nebraska congressional map that would split Douglas County in half.

 That would likely dilute Democratic strength in the only area where Democratic congressional candidates are competitive. 

The proposed map is one of several presented to the Legislature’s Redistricting Committee. 

The panel will consider its options and unveil its final recommendations to the public on Friday, ahead of next week’s special legislative session.

 It would keep southern Douglas County in the 2nd Congressional District, while adding all of Republican-friendly Sarpy and Saunders counties. Northern Douglas County would move into the 1st Congressional District, which leans Republican.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A leading Republican lawmaker has unveiled a new, proposed Nebraska congressional map that would split Douglas County in half. That would likely dilute Democratic strength in the only area where Democratic congressional candidates are competitive. The proposed map is one of several presented to the Legislature’s Redistricting Committee. The panel will consider its options and unveil its final recommendations to the public on Friday, ahead of next week’s special legislative session. It would keep southern Douglas County in the 2nd Congressional District, while adding all of Republican-friendly Sarpy and Saunders counties. Northern Douglas County would move into the 1st Congressional District, which leans Republican.

1 proposed congressional map would split Douglas County

St. Charles, Mo. (AP) — Waiting for the hearse carrying one of the 13 U.S. service members killed in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan two weeks ago, Faye Hillis thought about all the military veterans she had mourned at her hometown's lone funeral home.

Her father who came home from World War II. Her cousin who died in Vietnam. Too many friends and neighbors to count.

“I’m having all these flashbacks,” she said Wednesday as school children, families and veterans lined the village's two main streets to honor Navy Corpsman Maxton Soviak.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631189418721.png" alt="Thousands lined Interstate 70 to pay respects Wednesday to Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, 20, whose body was escorted from the airport to a funeral home in St. Charles, Missouri. -Photo courtesy KTVI" />
 <figcaption>Thousands lined Interstate 70 to pay respects Wednesday to Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, 20, whose body was escorted from the airport to a funeral home in St. Charles, Missouri. -Photo courtesy KTVI</figcaption>
 </figure>St. Charles, Mo. (AP) — Waiting for the hearse carrying one of the 13 U.S. service members killed in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan two weeks ago, Faye Hillis thought about all the military veterans she had mourned at her hometown's lone funeral home.Her father who came home from World War II. Her cousin who died in Vietnam. Too many friends and neighbors to count.“I’m having all these flashbacks,” she said Wednesday as school children, families and veterans lined the village's two main streets to honor Navy Corpsman Maxton Soviak.While the war in Afghanistan is over, its harsh reality is still coming home as Americans now are beginning to honor and bury&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-kabul-islamic-state-group-14ffbf5bcf4b67596420bd95e89785f6">the last casualties</a>&nbsp;to come back from a 20-year war that claimed more than 2,400 American lives.Stars and Stripes of all sizes and homemade signs saying “thank you for your service” decorated the procession route through northern Ohio where Soviak, 22, grew up before joining the Navy.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1630194515800.png" alt="Jared Schmitz United States Marine Corps " />
 <figcaption>Jared Schmitz United States Marine Corps </figcaption>
 </figure>In suburban St Louis, thousands lined Interstate 70 to pay respects Wednesday to Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, 20, whose body was escorted from the airport to a funeral home in St. Charles, Missouri. Many people brought American flags, and massive flags flew from the aerial ladders of fire trucks. The procession, which included about 1,000 motorcyclists from the Patriot Guard, was so long the Missouri State Highway Patrol closed the interstate to westbound traffic over the 8 1/2-mile route.Among those paying his respects was 60-year-old Luther Loughridge, a retired lieutenant with the U.S. Coast Guard, who stood in uniform at salute for more than 20 minutes.“It’s the last of the Afghanistan war, and he’s the last victim,” Loughridge said. “He gave his entire life and as a veteran, we respond to that.”These are scenes that will repeat in the coming days in places including Omaha, Nebraska; Laredo, Texas; Logansport, Indiana; and Sacramento, California; for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/42e66fb3b72492dbec3ef070b73cf018">the 13 who died</a>&nbsp;in the bomb attack Aug. 26 at Afghanistan’s Kabul airport during the frantic airlift in the conflict's final days.On a clear morning in rural Ohio, military veterans on motorcycles escorted Soviak’s remains the final 8 miles to his hometown, first passing through the neighboring village where inventor Thomas Edison was born and then by the stadium where just five years ago, Soviak was a football captain for the Edison High Chargers.One final turn took the procession by the Soviak family’s home and onto a road dedicated to Army Sgt. David Sexton, who was killed in the Vietnam War, which up until now had been America’s longest war.Right across the street from the funeral home, some of Soviak’s relatives watched from their front porch as a military honor guard carried his casket inside — just a week after the United States completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan.The community will come together in a few days to honor Soviak at a public visitation Sunday at the high school. The funeral will be Monday morning at the school’s football stadium.“We’re all struggling a bit,” said Kami Neuberger, a neighbor who thought of “Max” like another brother. “I just never thought it would happen."Just one year younger than Soviak, her older brother, who's now a Marine, graduated from high school with him in 2017.“He was always right alongside my brother, making fun of me, teasing, being goofy,” she said. “He tried to make everyone smile.”A few houses down, Elyse Colwell sat on a blanket with her two toddlers. She thought about when she was in middle school and her father left for Afghanistan with his Ohio National Guard unit.And she thought about how Soviak and many of the others killed in the bombing would have been right around the age of her own two children when the war in Afghanistan began shortly after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.“These kids were toddlers when this began. It's almost like they grew up with it,” said Colwell, adding that she's worried about what will come next. “Just because we left doesn't mean it's over.”___