BY LAURA OLSON <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/07/05/cdc-study-finds-racial-regional-disparities-as-schools-reopened-for-in-person-learning/">Kansas Reflector</a>

WASHINGTON
 —&nbsp;After last year’s abrupt shutdown of schools due to the coronavirus 
pandemic, increasing numbers of students returned to in-person learning.

But
 a new study shows that racial and geographic gaps persisted as K-12 
students went back to their classrooms — with non-Hispanic white kids 
more often the ones attending a brick-and-mortar school full-time in 
most states.

From
 last September through April, students in the South also generally had 
greater access to full-time, in-person learning than those in other 
regions of the United States, according to the study, featured in <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7026e2.htm?s_cid=mm7026e2_w">a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report</a>.

The study’s lead author was Emily Oster, a Brown University economist who <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/22/us/emily-oster-school-reopening.html">became a cultural icon for many U.S. parents</a>
 during the COVID-19 pandemic for her data analysis of the health 
threats to children from the virus and advice on how to calculate risk.&nbsp;

At the same time, the conclusions from Oster that schools could reopen safely and that risks to children are generally low <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/brown-professor-gets-hounded-off-twitter-for-article-saying-its-okay-to-take-your-kids-on-vacation/">also drew pushback</a> as federal public health officials grappled with crafting guidance for the nation’s schools.

The
 study found that access to in-person learning varied by state: 100% of 
students in Wyoming and Montana had access to in-person instruction, 
while Hawaii, Maryland and Washington had the lowest shares of students 
in their classrooms full-time.

The
 new data also found a racial disparity in most states on whether 
students were learning online or in person. In 43 states, access to 
full-time, in-person learning was higher for non-Hispanic white students
 compared to those of color.

The
 highest racial disparities were in Ohio and Pennsylvania, where on 
average, students of color were 21% and 23% less likely to have access 
to full-time, in-person learning.&nbsp;

The
 smallest disparities were in Montana and Wyoming — where all students 
had in-person access — as well as the District of Columbia, Delaware, 
and Hawaii.&nbsp;

More
 broadly, the report shows that the prevalence of virtual-only education
 did decline across racial groups starting in January, but with a larger
 share of white students returning to their classrooms than students of 
color.

The percentage of white students with access to in-person, full-time classes rose the most by April, from 38% to nearly 75%.&nbsp;

For
 Black students, 63% were able to access in-person instruction in April,
 up from 32%, while Hispanic students’ access to in-person classes went 
up to 60%, compared to 36% at the beginning of the year.

Oster,
 who’s also written popular books on pregnancy and parenting, and her 
co-authors noted several limitations on their analysis, including that 
it only covered 46% of public K-12 enrollment in the U.S.&nbsp;

It
 also looked at access to different types of instruction, not the number
 of students who actually received their instruction in person or 
virtually.

Their
 analysis was based on data collected from school district websites, 
Facebook pages, and other public data from 1,200 school districts across
 all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The
 researchers logged whether the schools offered fully remote, hybrid, or
 fully in-person instruction, and which grades and demographic groups 
had access to each kind of instruction, tracking that data weekly from 
January to April.

They also identified differences in access by grade level.&nbsp;

In
 January 2021, 39% of students in grades K-5 had access to full-time, 
in-person learning, compared with 33% of students in grades 6-8, and 30%
 of students in grades 9-12.

That
 may reflect a challenge faced by local, state and federal officials as 
they tried to sort out how to safely reopen schools. Older students 
faced slightly different levels of risk from COVID-19 infections.&nbsp;

But
 it also was harder to keep those students in the same cohorts all day 
if they were in the school building, a practice that helped with tracing
 potential exposure if a student tested positive for infection.

The
 gap between which students were learning virtually and which were 
learning online last year could exacerbate some of the educational 
disparities that already existed, the report’s authors said, noting that
 reduced access to in-person learning is associated with poorer learning
 outcomes and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/26/health/cdc-remote-learning-kids-mental-health-wellness/index.html">adverse mental health and behavioral effects in children</a>.

“Therefore,
 disparities in access to full-time in-person learning across 
demographic groups might translate into short-term increases in 
educational disparities,” they wrote.&nbsp;

The
 report said those disparities may be driven by a number of factors, 
such as urban districts with more students of color that may have been 
less likely to open due to higher COVID-19 community infection rates.&nbsp;

As school districts look to next year, many are preparing to reopen fully if they had not yet already.&nbsp;

But
 some are waiting on the CDC to offer updated guidance on whether 
students should continue wearing face coverings, though it’s not yet 
clear when or if federal public health officials will alter those 
recommendations.

Laura covers the nation's capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom, a network of nonprofit outlets that includes Kansas Reflector.&nbsp;

BY LAURA OLSON <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/07/05/cdc-study-finds-racial-regional-disparities-as-schools-reopened-for-in-person-learning/">Kansas Reflector</a>WASHINGTON
 —&nbsp;After last year’s abrupt shutdown of schools due to the coronavirus 
pandemic, increasing numbers of students returned to in-person learning.But
 a new study shows that racial and geographic gaps persisted as K-12 
students went back to their classrooms — with non-Hispanic white kids 
more often the ones attending a brick-and-mortar school full-time in 
most states.From
 last September through April, students in the South also generally had 
greater access to full-time, in-person learning than those in other 
regions of the United States, according to the study, featured in <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7026e2.htm?s_cid=mm7026e2_w">a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report</a>.The study’s lead author was Emily Oster, a Brown University economist who <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/22/us/emily-oster-school-reopening.html">became a cultural icon for many U.S. parents</a>
 during the COVID-19 pandemic for her data analysis of the health 
threats to children from the virus and advice on how to calculate risk.&nbsp;At the same time, the conclusions from Oster that schools could reopen safely and that risks to children are generally low <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/brown-professor-gets-hounded-off-twitter-for-article-saying-its-okay-to-take-your-kids-on-vacation/">also drew pushback</a> as federal public health officials grappled with crafting guidance for the nation’s schools.The
 study found that access to in-person learning varied by state: 100% of 
students in Wyoming and Montana had access to in-person instruction, 
while Hawaii, Maryland and Washington had the lowest shares of students 
in their classrooms full-time.The
 new data also found a racial disparity in most states on whether 
students were learning online or in person. In 43 states, access to 
full-time, in-person learning was higher for non-Hispanic white students
 compared to those of color.The
 highest racial disparities were in Ohio and Pennsylvania, where on 
average, students of color were 21% and 23% less likely to have access 
to full-time, in-person learning.&nbsp;The
 smallest disparities were in Montana and Wyoming — where all students 
had in-person access — as well as the District of Columbia, Delaware, 
and Hawaii.&nbsp;More
 broadly, the report shows that the prevalence of virtual-only education
 did decline across racial groups starting in January, but with a larger
 share of white students returning to their classrooms than students of 
color.The percentage of white students with access to in-person, full-time classes rose the most by April, from 38% to nearly 75%.&nbsp;For
 Black students, 63% were able to access in-person instruction in April,
 up from 32%, while Hispanic students’ access to in-person classes went 
up to 60%, compared to 36% at the beginning of the year.Oster,
 who’s also written popular books on pregnancy and parenting, and her 
co-authors noted several limitations on their analysis, including that 
it only covered 46% of public K-12 enrollment in the U.S.&nbsp;It
 also looked at access to different types of instruction, not the number
 of students who actually received their instruction in person or 
virtually.Their
 analysis was based on data collected from school district websites, 
Facebook pages, and other public data from 1,200 school districts across
 all 50 states and the District of Columbia.The
 researchers logged whether the schools offered fully remote, hybrid, or
 fully in-person instruction, and which grades and demographic groups 
had access to each kind of instruction, tracking that data weekly from 
January to April.They also identified differences in access by grade level.&nbsp;In
 January 2021, 39% of students in grades K-5 had access to full-time, 
in-person learning, compared with 33% of students in grades 6-8, and 30%
 of students in grades 9-12.That
 may reflect a challenge faced by local, state and federal officials as 
they tried to sort out how to safely reopen schools. Older students 
faced slightly different levels of risk from COVID-19 infections.&nbsp;But
 it also was harder to keep those students in the same cohorts all day 
if they were in the school building, a practice that helped with tracing
 potential exposure if a student tested positive for infection.The
 gap between which students were learning virtually and which were 
learning online last year could exacerbate some of the educational 
disparities that already existed, the report’s authors said, noting that
 reduced access to in-person learning is associated with poorer learning
 outcomes and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/26/health/cdc-remote-learning-kids-mental-health-wellness/index.html">adverse mental health and behavioral effects in children</a>.“Therefore,
 disparities in access to full-time in-person learning across 
demographic groups might translate into short-term increases in 
educational disparities,” they wrote.&nbsp;The
 report said those disparities may be driven by a number of factors, 
such as urban districts with more students of color that may have been 
less likely to open due to higher COVID-19 community infection rates.&nbsp;As school districts look to next year, many are preparing to reopen fully if they had not yet already.&nbsp;But
 some are waiting on the CDC to offer updated guidance on whether 
students should continue wearing face coverings, though it’s not yet 
clear when or if federal public health officials will alter those 
recommendations.Laura covers the nation's capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom, a network of nonprofit outlets that includes Kansas Reflector.&nbsp;

CDC: Racial, regional disparities as schools reopened for in-person learning

BOSTON (AP) — A tomahawk once owned by Chief Standing Bear, a pioneering Native American civil rights leader, is returning to his Nebraska tribe after decades in a museum at Harvard. 

The university's Peabody Museum of Archaeology &amp; Ethnology says it's been working with members of the Ponca Tribe in Nebraska and Oklahoma to repatriate the artifact. 

The tribe's chairman says its anticipated return is a powerful symbol of homecoming for the tribe. 

Standing Bear gave the tomahawk to one of his lawyers after winning the 1879 court case that made him one of the first Native Americans granted civil rights.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625591117015.png" alt="Photo: Nebraska Commission of Indian Affairs" />
 <figcaption>Photo: Nebraska Commission of Indian Affairs</figcaption>
 </figure>BOSTON (AP) — A tomahawk once owned by Chief Standing Bear, a pioneering Native American civil rights leader, is returning to his Nebraska tribe after decades in a museum at Harvard. The university's Peabody Museum of Archaeology &amp; Ethnology says it's been working with members of the Ponca Tribe in Nebraska and Oklahoma to repatriate the artifact. The tribe's chairman says its anticipated return is a powerful symbol of homecoming for the tribe. Standing Bear gave the tomahawk to one of his lawyers after winning the 1879 court case that made him one of the first Native Americans granted civil rights.

Harvard returning Standing Bear's tomahawk to Nebraska tribe

SALEM, Neb. (AP) — A man has died and woman has been hospitalized after the utility vehicle they were in was hit by a train in southeastern Nebraska. 

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that the crash happened Monday afternoon in rural Richardson County near Salem. 

The Richardson County Sheriff’s Office says 77-year-old Ralph Burns Sr., of Salem, was pronounced dead at the scene. 

A 48-year-old woman who was also in the UTV was taken to a hospital.

 Her medical condition was not available Tuesday morning.

 Investigators say the pair were in a closed-cab UTV when the crash happened at a rural crossing. 

Officials don't yet know who was driving the UTV.

SALEM, Neb. (AP) — A man has died and woman has been hospitalized after the utility vehicle they were in was hit by a train in southeastern Nebraska. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that the crash happened Monday afternoon in rural Richardson County near Salem. The Richardson County Sheriff’s Office says 77-year-old Ralph Burns Sr., of Salem, was pronounced dead at the scene. A 48-year-old woman who was also in the UTV was taken to a hospital. Her medical condition was not available Tuesday morning. Investigators say the pair were in a closed-cab UTV when the crash happened at a rural crossing. Officials don't yet know who was driving the UTV.

Nebraska man killed, woman hurt when UTV hit by train

&nbsp;KANSAS CITY (AP) — More than $7,000 behind on rent, Tyesha Young had hoped a program in Louisiana would bail her out and allow her family to avert eviction in the coming weeks.

But the 29-year-old mother of two from Jefferson Parish is still waiting to hear whether any of the $308 million available from the state for rental assistance and utility payments will give her a lifeline. She applied for money last year but never heard anything. She is waiting to hear on her latest application.

The federal money was divided between a Louisiana statewide program and its largest parishes. Neither has gone well. The state has paid out $10.5 million out of $147 million, while Jefferson Parish has only distributed $1.4 million out of $12.9 million. The parish replaced the company overseeing the program after only $236,000 was handed out by May.

“Where are we going to go?" asked Young, who lost her hospital job during the pandemic and now must stay home to care for her 7-month-old.

“This is all new, not something I thought I ever would have to deal with in my life," she said. "I have two children to think about. It’s a lot.”

Louisiana’s struggles are playing out across the country as states rush to distribute nearly $47 billion allocated by Congress for emergency rental assistance before a federal eviction moratorium&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/eviction-ban-extended-biden-coronavirus-9e7c4dc97c49cbb42a1ecb55b06e3b4c">ends July 31, putting millions at risk of losing their homes.</a>

The historic amount — more than the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual budget — was allocated in December and March.

Housing advocates blame the slow rollout partly on the Treasury Department under President Donald Trump that they say was slow to explain how the money could be spent. The criteria, while clearer under the Biden administration, was still criticized for a burdensome process that seemed more focused on preventing fraud than helping tenants.

Advocates also said states made things worse — some waited months to set up programs and others created bureaucratic hurdles.

As a result, little money has gone out. According to data released Friday from the Treasury Department, only $1.5 billion was provided to about 350,000 households by May 31. That's less than 4% of the money allotted.

Missouri Rep. Cori Bush, a Democrat who has herself experienced eviction, said her office has received calls from families “who either don’t know how to apply for the funds or who say the application is confusing and stressful.”

“It’s unconscionable that millions of dollars are sitting in the state’s bank account, while families ... across Missouri are struggling to stay in their homes,” she said.

“For many families, this assistance is the difference between coming home to an eviction notice or coming home to a safe place to lay their heads at night.”

Some 3.4 million people could face eviction in the next two months, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey — a number some advocates say could be twice that.

Many tenants will be forced out into a red-hot housing market where prices are rising and vacancy rates plummeting. They also will be stuck with eviction and delinquent back-rent records that make it almost impossible to find new housing, leaving many to turn to homeless shelters or find dwellings in low-income neighborhoods without good schools and access to transportation and jobs.

Among those at risk is Freddie Davis, a 51-year-old Miami truck driver who lost his job during the pandemic and saw his rent increase from $875 to $1,400-a-month. He is $7,000 behind on rent and fears his monthly $1,038 disability check after he lost a leg to diabetes won’t be enough to find another place. He applied for rental assistance, but his landlord refused to take it.

“I’m worried as hell. I don’t have no other place to go,” said Davis, who has worked since he was 15 and never before been evicted. “In Miami, rent is sky high. I am going to sleep in my truck and put all my stuff in storage.”

The National Low Income Housing Coalition found that of the 51 programs it has tracked so far, just 14% of funds allocated in December had been distributed. Most states aren't yet distributing the March money.

The Associated Press found states as varied as North Dakota and California facing difficulty getting assistance out. Georgia distributed only $11 million of $552 million, North Dakota provided $3.4 million of $200 million, North Carolina awarded $73 million out of $546 million and California $73 million of $1.4 billion. New York launched a $2 billion program&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nyc-state-wire-ny-state-wire-business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-8e59caa61058394780169de9ce08aafb">last month</a>&nbsp;but expects it will be four to six weeks before it distributes anything.

The hurdles vary, according to a Housing Coalition survey in April, including lack of capacity to administer the program, technical difficulties setting it up and lack of cooperation from tenants and their landlords.

Some landlords refused to participate. Tenants sometimes didn't complete applications — often because they were required to provide proof of lost jobs or other financial hardship during the pandemic.

Some of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-new-york-andrew-cuomo-coronavirus-pandemic-us-news-bfbf0744510d50a1e173247ee5f9ba1b">same problems&nbsp;</a>emerged last year when states set aside&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-government-and-politics-health-9c796ca23b611e0ed7d5e86f0fda3b5f">nearly $2.6 billion from the CARES Act for rental assistance.</a>

A common refrain was that federal requirements were too onerous and the guidelines too stringent.

Erica Boggess, executive director of the West Virginia Housing Fund, which runs the state's rental assistance program, called it “time consuming” in explaining why it had distributed only $8.7 million of $200 million from the first round of funding.

"It's labor intensive," Boggess said of requirements that include verifying a COVID-19 hardship and documenting an applicant's income before going to a landlord for acceptance of the funds.

“It's frustrating for the tenant and probably landlords as well," she said. “We have to go through the process. It's just not something that can happen overnight.”

California has made changes to its lengthy application, which could take three hours to complete. It reduced the number of required documents from as many as nine to as few as one; now it takes 30 minutes to fill out. It also expanded the languages on the program website from two to six.

Russ Heimerich, a spokesman for California's Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, said the state initially followed Treasury rules aimed at preventing duplication of benefits and ensuring applicants were entitled to what they got. “Now we simply rely on a tenant’s attestation that they had a COVID-19 financial hardship," he said.

Since March, the Treasury Department has required money to go directly to tenants, among other streamlining moves, and urged landlords be barred from evicting tenants for up to 90 days after the period covered by assistance.

“We need relief distributed now, before the eviction moratorium expires at the end of July,” Susan Rice, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, said this week. “Renters at risk of eviction are desperate for that relief, and landlords need to cover their bills."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625411208272.png" alt="Some 3.4 million people could face eviction in the next two months, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey — a number some advocates say could be twice that-Google image" />
 <figcaption>Some 3.4 million people could face eviction in the next two months, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey — a number some advocates say could be twice that-Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;KANSAS CITY (AP) — More than $7,000 behind on rent, Tyesha Young had hoped a program in Louisiana would bail her out and allow her family to avert eviction in the coming weeks.But the 29-year-old mother of two from Jefferson Parish is still waiting to hear whether any of the $308 million available from the state for rental assistance and utility payments will give her a lifeline. She applied for money last year but never heard anything. She is waiting to hear on her latest application.The federal money was divided between a Louisiana statewide program and its largest parishes. Neither has gone well. The state has paid out $10.5 million out of $147 million, while Jefferson Parish has only distributed $1.4 million out of $12.9 million. The parish replaced the company overseeing the program after only $236,000 was handed out by May.“Where are we going to go?" asked Young, who lost her hospital job during the pandemic and now must stay home to care for her 7-month-old.“This is all new, not something I thought I ever would have to deal with in my life," she said. "I have two children to think about. It’s a lot.”Louisiana’s struggles are playing out across the country as states rush to distribute nearly $47 billion allocated by Congress for emergency rental assistance before a federal eviction moratorium&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/eviction-ban-extended-biden-coronavirus-9e7c4dc97c49cbb42a1ecb55b06e3b4c">ends July 31, putting millions at risk of losing their homes.</a>The historic amount — more than the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual budget — was allocated in December and March.Housing advocates blame the slow rollout partly on the Treasury Department under President Donald Trump that they say was slow to explain how the money could be spent. The criteria, while clearer under the Biden administration, was still criticized for a burdensome process that seemed more focused on preventing fraud than helping tenants.Advocates also said states made things worse — some waited months to set up programs and others created bureaucratic hurdles.As a result, little money has gone out. According to data released Friday from the Treasury Department, only $1.5 billion was provided to about 350,000 households by May 31. That's less than 4% of the money allotted.Missouri Rep. Cori Bush, a Democrat who has herself experienced eviction, said her office has received calls from families “who either don’t know how to apply for the funds or who say the application is confusing and stressful.”“It’s unconscionable that millions of dollars are sitting in the state’s bank account, while families ... across Missouri are struggling to stay in their homes,” she said.“For many families, this assistance is the difference between coming home to an eviction notice or coming home to a safe place to lay their heads at night.”Some 3.4 million people could face eviction in the next two months, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey — a number some advocates say could be twice that.Many tenants will be forced out into a red-hot housing market where prices are rising and vacancy rates plummeting. They also will be stuck with eviction and delinquent back-rent records that make it almost impossible to find new housing, leaving many to turn to homeless shelters or find dwellings in low-income neighborhoods without good schools and access to transportation and jobs.Among those at risk is Freddie Davis, a 51-year-old Miami truck driver who lost his job during the pandemic and saw his rent increase from $875 to $1,400-a-month. He is $7,000 behind on rent and fears his monthly $1,038 disability check after he lost a leg to diabetes won’t be enough to find another place. He applied for rental assistance, but his landlord refused to take it.“I’m worried as hell. I don’t have no other place to go,” said Davis, who has worked since he was 15 and never before been evicted. “In Miami, rent is sky high. I am going to sleep in my truck and put all my stuff in storage.”The National Low Income Housing Coalition found that of the 51 programs it has tracked so far, just 14% of funds allocated in December had been distributed. Most states aren't yet distributing the March money.The Associated Press found states as varied as North Dakota and California facing difficulty getting assistance out. Georgia distributed only $11 million of $552 million, North Dakota provided $3.4 million of $200 million, North Carolina awarded $73 million out of $546 million and California $73 million of $1.4 billion. New York launched a $2 billion program&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nyc-state-wire-ny-state-wire-business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-8e59caa61058394780169de9ce08aafb">last month</a>&nbsp;but expects it will be four to six weeks before it distributes anything.The hurdles vary, according to a Housing Coalition survey in April, including lack of capacity to administer the program, technical difficulties setting it up and lack of cooperation from tenants and their landlords.Some landlords refused to participate. Tenants sometimes didn't complete applications — often because they were required to provide proof of lost jobs or other financial hardship during the pandemic.Some of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-new-york-andrew-cuomo-coronavirus-pandemic-us-news-bfbf0744510d50a1e173247ee5f9ba1b">same problems&nbsp;</a>emerged last year when states set aside&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-government-and-politics-health-9c796ca23b611e0ed7d5e86f0fda3b5f">nearly $2.6 billion from the CARES Act for rental assistance.</a>A common refrain was that federal requirements were too onerous and the guidelines too stringent.Erica Boggess, executive director of the West Virginia Housing Fund, which runs the state's rental assistance program, called it “time consuming” in explaining why it had distributed only $8.7 million of $200 million from the first round of funding."It's labor intensive," Boggess said of requirements that include verifying a COVID-19 hardship and documenting an applicant's income before going to a landlord for acceptance of the funds.“It's frustrating for the tenant and probably landlords as well," she said. “We have to go through the process. It's just not something that can happen overnight.”California has made changes to its lengthy application, which could take three hours to complete. It reduced the number of required documents from as many as nine to as few as one; now it takes 30 minutes to fill out. It also expanded the languages on the program website from two to six.Russ Heimerich, a spokesman for California's Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, said the state initially followed Treasury rules aimed at preventing duplication of benefits and ensuring applicants were entitled to what they got. “Now we simply rely on a tenant’s attestation that they had a COVID-19 financial hardship," he said.Since March, the Treasury Department has required money to go directly to tenants, among other streamlining moves, and urged landlords be barred from evicting tenants for up to 90 days after the period covered by assistance.“We need relief distributed now, before the eviction moratorium expires at the end of July,” Susan Rice, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, said this week. “Renters at risk of eviction are desperate for that relief, and landlords need to cover their bills."

Race is on to get rental assistance out to avert evictions

LINCOLN – The body of a 16-year-old Madison, Nebraska, boy was recovered from Lake Yankton at about 8:30 p.m. on July 4 by first responders from Nebraska and South Dakota.

At 3:22 p.m., the Cedar County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call of a juvenile male drowning at the lake. Five Nebraska conservation officers responded, along with a Cedar County Sheriff's deputy, U. S. Corps of Engineers park rangers and South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks conservation officers.

It was determined the boy had tried to float across the lake from the swimming beach on an inflatable flotation device. Witnesses reported that when the boy tried to stand on the recreational floatation device, he lost his balance, fell off and did not resurface. A personal flotation device was not present.

Search and rescue efforts included deploying boats equipped with side-scan sonar and deployment of drones.

Nebraska conservation officers were assisted with recovery efforts by Cedar County Sheriff's Office, Nebraska State Patrol, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, Yankton County (South Dakota) EMS), Yankton County (South Dakota) Sheriff’s Office, Yankton Search and Rescue, Minnehaha County (South Dakota) Search and Rescue Dive Team, Davison County (South Dakota) Search and Rescue Dive Team, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cedar County Emergency Management, Yankton County Emergency Management, and Wing Air Rescue.

Lake Yankton is located on the border of Nebraska and South Dakota near Gavin's Point Dam and is managed by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers.

LINCOLN – The body of a 16-year-old Madison, Nebraska, boy was recovered from Lake Yankton at about 8:30 p.m. on July 4 by first responders from Nebraska and South Dakota.At 3:22 p.m., the Cedar County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call of a juvenile male drowning at the lake. Five Nebraska conservation officers responded, along with a Cedar County Sheriff's deputy, U. S. Corps of Engineers park rangers and South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks conservation officers.It was determined the boy had tried to float across the lake from the swimming beach on an inflatable flotation device. Witnesses reported that when the boy tried to stand on the recreational floatation device, he lost his balance, fell off and did not resurface. A personal flotation device was not present.Search and rescue efforts included deploying boats equipped with side-scan sonar and deployment of drones.Nebraska conservation officers were assisted with recovery efforts by Cedar County Sheriff's Office, Nebraska State Patrol, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, Yankton County (South Dakota) EMS), Yankton County (South Dakota) Sheriff’s Office, Yankton Search and Rescue, Minnehaha County (South Dakota) Search and Rescue Dive Team, Davison County (South Dakota) Search and Rescue Dive Team, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cedar County Emergency Management, Yankton County Emergency Management, and Wing Air Rescue.Lake Yankton is located on the border of Nebraska and South Dakota near Gavin's Point Dam and is managed by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Body of 16-year-old boy recovered from Lake Yankton

(AP)-Many millennials are now parents with jobs, car loans and mortgages. 

They have experienced a global recession and a pandemic, and some are also still paying off student loan debt. 

Five millennial parents from around the country share the money lessons they want to teach their kids, including talking to their children about money from a young age, recognizing the power of savings, paying for your own education instead of being saddled with student loan debt, not being afraid to invest, and prioritizing experiences over spending money on material things.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617807264946.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>(AP)-Many millennials are now parents with jobs, car loans and mortgages. They have experienced a global recession and a pandemic, and some are also still paying off student loan debt. Five millennial parents from around the country share the money lessons they want to teach their kids, including talking to their children about money from a young age, recognizing the power of savings, paying for your own education instead of being saddled with student loan debt, not being afraid to invest, and prioritizing experiences over spending money on material things.

Millennial Money: What will you teach your kids about money?

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are investigating the cause of an accident that killed a boy on a popular boat ride at an&nbsp;Iowa&nbsp;amusement park — the second deadly incident on the ride in five years.

The accident happened Saturday night on the Raging River at Adventureland Park in Altoona, Iowa, when a boat carrying six people flipped over.

Michael Jaramillo, 11, died Sunday from his injuries, and another minor remains hospitalized in critical condition, the Altoona Police Department said Monday. Two other riders suffered minor injuries.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Jaramillo family as they navigate the heartbreaking loss of their child,” said police spokeswoman Alyssa Wilson, adding that investigators weren't sure where the family resides.

The ride uses a conveyor belt to move large circular rafts through rapids. After the boat overturned for reasons that remain unclear, emergency responders and witnesses helped to free the riders, and four were taken to a hospital for treatment, Wilson said. Four off-duty Altoona officers and fire medics who were working at the park “quickly responded,” she said, rebutting an earlier claim by fire officials that the ride's location far from park entrances made it hard for responders to reach.

Detectives are working with Adventureland and state inspectors “to understand this tragic accident,” she said.

Adventureland said the ride has been closed since the accident and that the family-owned park is cooperating with investigators. Attorney Guy Cook, who represents Adventureland in personal injury cases and is assisting with the park’s response, said the inquiry would be comprehensive.

“Safety is the number one priority at Adventureland,” Cook wrote in a text message. “The Raging River ride has been in operation for nearly four decades. It is a safe ride.”

The ride opened for the first time during the 2021 season after a state inspection Friday found it was in sound working order, Adventureland said.

Altoona is a city of 20,000 people just east of Des Moines. The park, whose roller coasters can be seen from Interstate 80, expects around 600,000 visitors this year.

The Iowa Division of Labor is responsible for conducting safety inspections of amusement rides at least once a year. Division administrator Joseph Mullen said only that the “unfortunate incident” was under investigation.

The Raging River has been a staple of the park since 1983, when then-Gov. Terry Branstad took one of the inaugural rides. Adventureland advertises the ride as a “great way to cool off with the whole family,” warning participants may get soaked.

But the ride has been the site of two tragedies in recent years.

In June 2016, seasonal employee Steve Booher, 68, and another worker helping riders in and out of boats were jerked off their feet when the ride began moving unexpectedly. Booher fell onto the conveyor belt about 3 feet (1 meter) below and became wedged between a boat and a concrete sidewall, where his head was repeatedly rammed until the ride’s operator shut it down.

Booher died days later. An autopsy found the cause of death was trauma to the skull and brain.

The Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Adventureland $4,500 for a safety violation, saying the park should install devices to ensure that ride assistants are positioned safely before operators let boats advance.

The park's insurer last December also settled a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Booher’s wife of 47 years and their adult children for an undisclosed sum. The lawsuit alleged that the ride operator was negligent by prematurely starting the ride in violation of park rules and leaving it in operation even as Booher was down with injuries and patrons yelled at him to stop.

Cook said there was no commonality between the two accidents, but that he could not comment on Saturday’s accident until the investigation is complete.

Court records show Adventureland has been sued in recent years by people who were seriously injured on other rides, including waterslides.

Iowa OSHA records show the agency most recently fined Adventureland in 2018, after an employee working on a roller coaster was knocked off a transformer and fell to the ground when he was struck by a test ride. The employee was hospitalized with a broken arm. Adventureland settled safety violations by agreeing to pay $14,500 in 2019.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625522251378.png" alt="Michael Jaramillo, 11, died Sunday from his injuries, and another minor remains hospitalized in critical condition, according to the Altoona Police Department photo courtesy KCCI TV" />
 <figcaption>Michael Jaramillo, 11, died Sunday from his injuries, and another minor remains hospitalized in critical condition, according to the Altoona Police Department photo courtesy KCCI TV</figcaption>
 </figure>IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are investigating the cause of an accident that killed a boy on a popular boat ride at an&nbsp;Iowa&nbsp;amusement park — the second deadly incident on the ride in five years.The accident happened Saturday night on the Raging River at Adventureland Park in Altoona, Iowa, when a boat carrying six people flipped over.Michael Jaramillo, 11, died Sunday from his injuries, and another minor remains hospitalized in critical condition, the Altoona Police Department said Monday. Two other riders suffered minor injuries.“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Jaramillo family as they navigate the heartbreaking loss of their child,” said police spokeswoman Alyssa Wilson, adding that investigators weren't sure where the family resides.The ride uses a conveyor belt to move large circular rafts through rapids. After the boat overturned for reasons that remain unclear, emergency responders and witnesses helped to free the riders, and four were taken to a hospital for treatment, Wilson said. Four off-duty Altoona officers and fire medics who were working at the park “quickly responded,” she said, rebutting an earlier claim by fire officials that the ride's location far from park entrances made it hard for responders to reach.Detectives are working with Adventureland and state inspectors “to understand this tragic accident,” she said.Adventureland said the ride has been closed since the accident and that the family-owned park is cooperating with investigators. Attorney Guy Cook, who represents Adventureland in personal injury cases and is assisting with the park’s response, said the inquiry would be comprehensive.“Safety is the number one priority at Adventureland,” Cook wrote in a text message. “The Raging River ride has been in operation for nearly four decades. It is a safe ride.”The ride opened for the first time during the 2021 season after a state inspection Friday found it was in sound working order, Adventureland said.Altoona is a city of 20,000 people just east of Des Moines. The park, whose roller coasters can be seen from Interstate 80, expects around 600,000 visitors this year.The Iowa Division of Labor is responsible for conducting safety inspections of amusement rides at least once a year. Division administrator Joseph Mullen said only that the “unfortunate incident” was under investigation.The Raging River has been a staple of the park since 1983, when then-Gov. Terry Branstad took one of the inaugural rides. Adventureland advertises the ride as a “great way to cool off with the whole family,” warning participants may get soaked.But the ride has been the site of two tragedies in recent years.In June 2016, seasonal employee Steve Booher, 68, and another worker helping riders in and out of boats were jerked off their feet when the ride began moving unexpectedly. Booher fell onto the conveyor belt about 3 feet (1 meter) below and became wedged between a boat and a concrete sidewall, where his head was repeatedly rammed until the ride’s operator shut it down.Booher died days later. An autopsy found the cause of death was trauma to the skull and brain.The Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Adventureland $4,500 for a safety violation, saying the park should install devices to ensure that ride assistants are positioned safely before operators let boats advance.The park's insurer last December also settled a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Booher’s wife of 47 years and their adult children for an undisclosed sum. The lawsuit alleged that the ride operator was negligent by prematurely starting the ride in violation of park rules and leaving it in operation even as Booher was down with injuries and patrons yelled at him to stop.Cook said there was no commonality between the two accidents, but that he could not comment on Saturday’s accident until the investigation is complete.Court records show Adventureland has been sued in recent years by people who were seriously injured on other rides, including waterslides.Iowa OSHA records show the agency most recently fined Adventureland in 2018, after an employee working on a roller coaster was knocked off a transformer and fell to the ground when he was struck by a test ride. The employee was hospitalized with a broken arm. Adventureland settled safety violations by agreeing to pay $14,500 in 2019.

Amusement ride accident that killed boy is 2nd since 2016

Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/202_3111_-_kushly_final_order.pdf">final administrative consent order</a>
 against Scottsdale, Arizona-based Kushly Industries LLC (Kushly) and 
the company’s owner, Cody Alt, for allegedly making false or unsupported
 health claims during the marketing and sale of cannabidiol (CBD) 
products to consumers.

According to <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/2023111_-_kushly_complaint.pdf">the FTC’s May 2021 complaint</a>,
 Kushly and Alt made false or unsubstantiated claims that their CBD 
products could effectively treat or cure a host of conditions—from 
common ailments, like acne and psoriasis, to more serious diseases, 
including cancer and multiple sclerosis. In addition, the complaint 
alleges the respondents falsely told consumers that scientific studies 
or research prove that CBD product effectively treat, mitigate, or cure 
the diseases, including hypertension, Parkinson’s disease, and 
Alzheimer’s disease.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The final order settling the FTC’s charges bars the respondents from the illegal conduct alleged in the complaint and requires them to pay the FTC $30,583.14—the amount consumers paid Kushly for products sold using the deceptive marketing.

The Commission vote approving the final administrative consent order was 4-0-1, with Chair Lina Khan not participating.

The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and to <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection">protect and educate consumers</a>. You can <a href="https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/">learn more about consumer topics</a> and report scams, fraud, and bad business practices online at <a href="https://reportfraud.ftc.gov">ReportFraud.ftc.gov</a>. Like the FTC on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/federaltradecommission">Facebook(link is external)</a>, follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/FTC">Twitter(link is external)</a>, get <a href="http://ftc.gov/subscribe">consumer alerts</a>, read our <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs">blogs</a>, and <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/stay-connected">subscribe to press releases</a> for the latest FTC news and resources.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619632629588.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FTCFollowing a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/202_3111_-_kushly_final_order.pdf">final administrative consent order</a>
 against Scottsdale, Arizona-based Kushly Industries LLC (Kushly) and 
the company’s owner, Cody Alt, for allegedly making false or unsupported
 health claims during the marketing and sale of cannabidiol (CBD) 
products to consumers.According to <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/2023111_-_kushly_complaint.pdf">the FTC’s May 2021 complaint</a>,
 Kushly and Alt made false or unsubstantiated claims that their CBD 
products could effectively treat or cure a host of conditions—from 
common ailments, like acne and psoriasis, to more serious diseases, 
including cancer and multiple sclerosis. In addition, the complaint 
alleges the respondents falsely told consumers that scientific studies 
or research prove that CBD product effectively treat, mitigate, or cure 
the diseases, including hypertension, Parkinson’s disease, and 
Alzheimer’s disease.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The final order settling the FTC’s charges bars the respondents from the illegal conduct alleged in the complaint and requires them to pay the FTC $30,583.14—the amount consumers paid Kushly for products sold using the deceptive marketing.The Commission vote approving the final administrative consent order was 4-0-1, with Chair Lina Khan not participating.The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and to <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection">protect and educate consumers</a>. You can <a href="https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/">learn more about consumer topics</a> and report scams, fraud, and bad business practices online at <a href="https://reportfraud.ftc.gov">ReportFraud.ftc.gov</a>. Like the FTC on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/federaltradecommission">Facebook(link is external)</a>, follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/FTC">Twitter(link is external)</a>, get <a href="http://ftc.gov/subscribe">consumer alerts</a>, read our <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs">blogs</a>, and <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/stay-connected">subscribe to press releases</a> for the latest FTC news and resources.

FTC issues order against company for false CBD claims

BENNET, Neb. (AP) — Officials in southeastern Nebraska have identified a man fatally injured last week in a head-on crash near Bennett. 

The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office reports that the crash happened Thursday on state Highway 43 when a northbound car driven by Roger Hoback, 58, of Nebraska City, crossed the center line and hit a southbound semitrailer. 

Hoback was flown with critical injuries to a Lincoln hospital, where he died Sunday. 

The 47-year-old driver of the semi suffered only minor injuries in the crash.

BENNET, Neb. (AP) — Officials in southeastern Nebraska have identified a man fatally injured last week in a head-on crash near Bennett. The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office reports that the crash happened Thursday on state Highway 43 when a northbound car driven by Roger Hoback, 58, of Nebraska City, crossed the center line and hit a southbound semitrailer. Hoback was flown with critical injuries to a Lincoln hospital, where he died Sunday. The 47-year-old driver of the semi suffered only minor injuries in the crash.

Man killed in head-on crash with semitrailer near Bennet

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) — Rockabilly and country performer Sanford Clark, who had a Top 10 hit with “The Fool” in 1956, has died in a Missouri hospital from COVID-19. He was 85.

Clark died Sunday at Mercy Hospital in Joplin, where he had been receiving cancer treatment before he contracted the coronavirus, his publicist and fellow performer Johnny Vallis said Monday.

Clark was born on Oct. 24, 1935, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and raised in Phoenix, where he first began performing in the early 1950s. “The Fool” reached No. 7 on the Billboard Top 100. The song was later recorded by several other well-known artists, including Elvis Presley and The Animals.

Presley actually recorded the song twice, the first time as part of his personal recordings while he was serving in the Army, then again for professional release in the 1970s, Vallis said.

“You can hear that he's trying to emulate Sanford's sound,” Vallis said. “You know, most people I know want to impersonate Elvis, and here Elvis was trying to impersonate him.”

Clark recorded several other songs in the 1950s and 1960s that saw minor success before he left the music business to work in construction, though he occasionally recorded in later decades on his own label, Desert Sun Records.

Sanford is survived by his wife, Marsha, and several children.

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) — Rockabilly and country performer Sanford Clark, who had a Top 10 hit with “The Fool” in 1956, has died in a Missouri hospital from COVID-19. He was 85.Clark died Sunday at Mercy Hospital in Joplin, where he had been receiving cancer treatment before he contracted the coronavirus, his publicist and fellow performer Johnny Vallis said Monday.Clark was born on Oct. 24, 1935, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and raised in Phoenix, where he first began performing in the early 1950s. “The Fool” reached No. 7 on the Billboard Top 100. The song was later recorded by several other well-known artists, including Elvis Presley and The Animals.Presley actually recorded the song twice, the first time as part of his personal recordings while he was serving in the Army, then again for professional release in the 1970s, Vallis said.“You can hear that he's trying to emulate Sanford's sound,” Vallis said. “You know, most people I know want to impersonate Elvis, and here Elvis was trying to impersonate him.”Clark recorded several other songs in the 1950s and 1960s that saw minor success before he left the music business to work in construction, though he occasionally recorded in later decades on his own label, Desert Sun Records.Sanford is survived by his wife, Marsha, and several children.

Rockabilly performer Sanford Clark dead from COVID-19

BOSTON (AP) — Cybersecurity teams worked feverishly Sunday to stem the impact of the single biggest global ransomware attack on record, with some details emerging about how the Russia-linked gang responsible breached the company whose software was the conduit.

An affiliate of the notorious REvil gang, best known for extorting $11 million from the meat-processor JBS after a Memorial Day attack, infected thousands of victims in at least 17 countries on Friday, largely through firms that remotely manage IT infrastructure for multiple customers, cybersecurity researchers said.

REvil was demanding ransoms of up to $5 million, the researchers said. But late Sunday it offered in a posting on its dark web site a universal decryptor software key that would unscramble all affected machines in exchange for $70 million in cryptocurrency.

Earlier, the FBI said in&nbsp;<a href="https://go.usa.gov/x6Hzc" target="_blank">a statement&nbsp;</a>that while it was investigating the attack its scale “may make it so that we are unable to respond to each victim individually.” Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger later issued a statement saying President Joe Biden had “directed the full resources of the government to investigate this incident” and urged all who believed they were compromised to alert the FBI.

Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/07/03/remarks-by-president-biden-after-visiting-king-orchards/" target="_blank">suggested Saturday&nbsp;</a>the U.S. would respond if it was determined that the Kremlin is at all involved.

Less than a month ago, Biden pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop giving safe haven to REvil and other ransomware gangs whose&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-europe-government-and-politics-technology-business-3b81e8116c42439566040a052617ad55">unrelenting extortionary attacks&nbsp;</a>the U.S. deems a national security threat.

A broad array of businesses and public agencies were hit by the latest attack, apparently on all continents, including in financial services, travel and leisure and the public sector — though few large companies, the cybersecurity firm Sophos reported. Ransomware criminals infiltrate networks and sow malware that cripples them by scrambling all their data. Victims get a decoder key when they pay up.

The Swedish grocery chain Coop said most of its 800 stores would be closed for a second day Sunday because their cash register software supplier was crippled. A Swedish pharmacy chain, gas station chain, the state railway and public broadcaster SVT were also hit.

In Germany, an unnamed IT services company told authorities several thousand of its customers were compromised, the news agency dpa reported. Also among reported victims were two big Dutch IT services companies — VelzArt and Hoppenbrouwer Techniek. Most ransomware victims don’t publicly report attacks or disclose if they’ve paid ransoms.

CEO Fred Voccola of the breached software company, Kaseya, estimated the victim number in the low thousands, mostly small businesses like “dental practices, architecture firms, plastic surgery centers, libraries, things like that.”

Voccola said in an interview that only between 50-60 of the company’s 37,000 customers were compromised. But 70% were managed service providers who use the company’s hacked VSA software to manage multiple customers. It automates the installation of software and security updates and manages backups and other vital tasks.

Experts say it was no coincidence that REvil launched the attack at the start of the Fourth of July holiday weekend, knowing U.S. offices would be lightly staffed. Many victims may not learn of it until they are back at work on Monday. Most end users of managed service providers “have no idea” whose software keep their networks humming, said Voccola,

Kaseya said it sent a detection tool to nearly 900 customers on Saturday night.

The REvil offer to offer blanket decryption for all victims of the Kaseya attack in exchange for $70 million suggested its inability to cope with the sheer quantity of infected networks, said Allan Liska, an analyst with the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. Although analysts reported seeing demands of $5 million and $500,000 for bigger targets, it was apparently demanding $45,000 for most.

“This attack is a lot bigger than they expected and it is getting a lot of attention. It is in REvil’s interest to end it quickly,” said Liska. “This is a nightmare to manage.”

Analyst Brett Callow of Emsisoft said he suspects REvil is hoping insurers might crunch the numbers and determine the $70 million will be cheaper for them than extended downtime.

Sophisticated ransomware gangs on REvil’s level usually examine a victim’s financial records — and insurance policies if they can find them — from files they steal before activating the ransomware. The criminals then threaten to dump the stolen data online unless paid. In this attack, that appears not to have happened.

<a href="https://csirt.divd.nl/2021/07/04/Kaseya-Case-Update-2/" target="_blank">Dutch researchers&nbsp;</a>said they alerted Miami-based Kaseya to the breach and said the criminals used a “zero day,” the industry term for a previous unknown security hole in software. Voccola would not confirm that or offer details of the breach — except to say that it was not phishing.

“The level of sophistication here was extraordinary,” he said.

When the cybersecurity firm Mandiant finishes its investigation, Voccola said he is confident it will show that the criminals didn’t just violate Kaseya code in breaking into his network but also exploited vulnerabilities in third-party software.

It was not the first ransomware attack to leverage managed services providers. In 2019, criminals hobbled the networks of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/81d1de758c7b4f5aac0a6dc792702bda">22 Texas municipalities&nbsp;</a>through one. That same year,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/29/politics/ransomware-attack-dental-offices/index.html" target="_blank">400 U.S. dental practices</a>&nbsp;were crippled in a separate attack.

One of the Dutch vulnerability researchers, Victor Gevers, said his team is worried about products like Kaseya’s VSA because of the total control of vast computing resources they can offer. “More and more of the products that are used to keep networks safe and secure are showing structural weaknesses,” he wrote in a blog Sunday.

The cybersecurity firm ESET identified victims in least 17 countries, including the United Kingdom, South Africa, Canada, Argentina, Mexico, Indonesia, New Zealand and Kenya.

Kaseya says the attack only affected “on-premise” customers, organizations running their own data centers, as opposed to its cloud-based services that run software for customers. It also shut down those servers as a precaution, however.

Kaseya, which called on customers Friday to shut down their VSA servers immediately, said Sunday it hoped to have a patch in the next few days.

Active since April 2019, REvil provides ransomware-as-a-service, meaning it develops the network-paralyzing software and leases it to so-called affiliates who infect targets and earn the lion’s share of ransoms. U.S. officials say the most potent ransomware gangs are based in Russia and allied states and operate with Kremlin tolerance and sometimes collude with Russian security services.

Cybersecurity expert Dmitri Alperovitch of the Silverado Policy Accelerator think tank said that while he does not believe the Kaseya attack is Kremlin-directed, it shows that Putin “has not yet moved” on shutting down cybercriminals.

BOSTON (AP) — Cybersecurity teams worked feverishly Sunday to stem the impact of the single biggest global ransomware attack on record, with some details emerging about how the Russia-linked gang responsible breached the company whose software was the conduit.An affiliate of the notorious REvil gang, best known for extorting $11 million from the meat-processor JBS after a Memorial Day attack, infected thousands of victims in at least 17 countries on Friday, largely through firms that remotely manage IT infrastructure for multiple customers, cybersecurity researchers said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">If you believe your systems have been compromised from the Kaseya ransomware incident, we urge you to shut down your VSA servers &amp; contact CISA, our partners at the <a href="https://twitter.com/FBI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBI</a>, &amp; file a report at <a href="https://t.co/V1Z2YzlPTW">https://t.co/V1Z2YzlPTW</a> We are working with Kaseya &amp; the <a href="https://twitter.com/FBI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBI</a> to assist those impacted. <a href="https://t.co/vFwJ6iyKog">https://t.co/vFwJ6iyKog</a>&mdash; Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (@CISAgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/CISAgov/status/1411821930521497600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>REvil was demanding ransoms of up to $5 million, the researchers said. But late Sunday it offered in a posting on its dark web site a universal decryptor software key that would unscramble all affected machines in exchange for $70 million in cryptocurrency.Earlier, the FBI said in&nbsp;<a href="https://go.usa.gov/x6Hzc" target="_blank">a statement&nbsp;</a>that while it was investigating the attack its scale “may make it so that we are unable to respond to each victim individually.” Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger later issued a statement saying President Joe Biden had “directed the full resources of the government to investigate this incident” and urged all who believed they were compromised to alert the FBI.Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/07/03/remarks-by-president-biden-after-visiting-king-orchards/" target="_blank">suggested Saturday&nbsp;</a>the U.S. would respond if it was determined that the Kremlin is at all involved.Less than a month ago, Biden pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop giving safe haven to REvil and other ransomware gangs whose&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-europe-government-and-politics-technology-business-3b81e8116c42439566040a052617ad55">unrelenting extortionary attacks&nbsp;</a>the U.S. deems a national security threat.A broad array of businesses and public agencies were hit by the latest attack, apparently on all continents, including in financial services, travel and leisure and the public sector — though few large companies, the cybersecurity firm Sophos reported. Ransomware criminals infiltrate networks and sow malware that cripples them by scrambling all their data. Victims get a decoder key when they pay up.The Swedish grocery chain Coop said most of its 800 stores would be closed for a second day Sunday because their cash register software supplier was crippled. A Swedish pharmacy chain, gas station chain, the state railway and public broadcaster SVT were also hit.In Germany, an unnamed IT services company told authorities several thousand of its customers were compromised, the news agency dpa reported. Also among reported victims were two big Dutch IT services companies — VelzArt and Hoppenbrouwer Techniek. Most ransomware victims don’t publicly report attacks or disclose if they’ve paid ransoms.CEO Fred Voccola of the breached software company, Kaseya, estimated the victim number in the low thousands, mostly small businesses like “dental practices, architecture firms, plastic surgery centers, libraries, things like that.”Voccola said in an interview that only between 50-60 of the company’s 37,000 customers were compromised. But 70% were managed service providers who use the company’s hacked VSA software to manage multiple customers. It automates the installation of software and security updates and manages backups and other vital tasks.Experts say it was no coincidence that REvil launched the attack at the start of the Fourth of July holiday weekend, knowing U.S. offices would be lightly staffed. Many victims may not learn of it until they are back at work on Monday. Most end users of managed service providers “have no idea” whose software keep their networks humming, said Voccola,Kaseya said it sent a detection tool to nearly 900 customers on Saturday night.The REvil offer to offer blanket decryption for all victims of the Kaseya attack in exchange for $70 million suggested its inability to cope with the sheer quantity of infected networks, said Allan Liska, an analyst with the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. Although analysts reported seeing demands of $5 million and $500,000 for bigger targets, it was apparently demanding $45,000 for most.“This attack is a lot bigger than they expected and it is getting a lot of attention. It is in REvil’s interest to end it quickly,” said Liska. “This is a nightmare to manage.”Analyst Brett Callow of Emsisoft said he suspects REvil is hoping insurers might crunch the numbers and determine the $70 million will be cheaper for them than extended downtime.Sophisticated ransomware gangs on REvil’s level usually examine a victim’s financial records — and insurance policies if they can find them — from files they steal before activating the ransomware. The criminals then threaten to dump the stolen data online unless paid. In this attack, that appears not to have happened.<a href="https://csirt.divd.nl/2021/07/04/Kaseya-Case-Update-2/" target="_blank">Dutch researchers&nbsp;</a>said they alerted Miami-based Kaseya to the breach and said the criminals used a “zero day,” the industry term for a previous unknown security hole in software. Voccola would not confirm that or offer details of the breach — except to say that it was not phishing.“The level of sophistication here was extraordinary,” he said.When the cybersecurity firm Mandiant finishes its investigation, Voccola said he is confident it will show that the criminals didn’t just violate Kaseya code in breaking into his network but also exploited vulnerabilities in third-party software.It was not the first ransomware attack to leverage managed services providers. In 2019, criminals hobbled the networks of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/81d1de758c7b4f5aac0a6dc792702bda">22 Texas municipalities&nbsp;</a>through one. That same year,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/29/politics/ransomware-attack-dental-offices/index.html" target="_blank">400 U.S. dental practices</a>&nbsp;were crippled in a separate attack.One of the Dutch vulnerability researchers, Victor Gevers, said his team is worried about products like Kaseya’s VSA because of the total control of vast computing resources they can offer. “More and more of the products that are used to keep networks safe and secure are showing structural weaknesses,” he wrote in a blog Sunday.The cybersecurity firm ESET identified victims in least 17 countries, including the United Kingdom, South Africa, Canada, Argentina, Mexico, Indonesia, New Zealand and Kenya.Kaseya says the attack only affected “on-premise” customers, organizations running their own data centers, as opposed to its cloud-based services that run software for customers. It also shut down those servers as a precaution, however.Kaseya, which called on customers Friday to shut down their VSA servers immediately, said Sunday it hoped to have a patch in the next few days.Active since April 2019, REvil provides ransomware-as-a-service, meaning it develops the network-paralyzing software and leases it to so-called affiliates who infect targets and earn the lion’s share of ransoms. U.S. officials say the most potent ransomware gangs are based in Russia and allied states and operate with Kremlin tolerance and sometimes collude with Russian security services.Cybersecurity expert Dmitri Alperovitch of the Silverado Policy Accelerator think tank said that while he does not believe the Kaseya attack is Kremlin-directed, it shows that Putin “has not yet moved” on shutting down cybercriminals.

Details emerge of massive holiday weekend ransomware attack 

WASHINGTON&nbsp;—&nbsp;The Internal Revenue Service today extended the tax 
relief provided in Notice 2020-46 for calendar year 2021 for employers 
whose employees forgo sick, vacation or personal leave because of the 
COVID-19 pandemic.

<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-21-42.pdf">Notice 2021-42&nbsp;PDF</a>
 provides that cash payments employers make to charitable organizations 
that provide relief to victims of the COVID-19 pandemic in exchange for 
sick, vacation or personal leave which their employees forgo will not be
 treated as compensation. Similarly, the employees will not be treated 
as receiving the value of the leave as income and cannot claim a 
deduction for the leave that they donated to their employer.

Employers, however, may deduct these cash payments as a business 
expense or as a charitable contribution deduction if the employer 
otherwise meets the respective requirements of either section.

<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-20-46.pdf">Notice 2020-46&nbsp;PDF</a> and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-21-42.pdf">Notice 2021-42&nbsp;PDF</a> provide further details for employers with leave-based donation programs

Additional information about tax relief for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic can be found at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/coronavirus-tax-relief-for-businesses-and-tax-exempt-entities">Coronavirus Tax Relief for Businesses and Tax-Exempt Entities</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON&nbsp;—&nbsp;The Internal Revenue Service today extended the tax 
relief provided in Notice 2020-46 for calendar year 2021 for employers 
whose employees forgo sick, vacation or personal leave because of the 
COVID-19 pandemic.<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-21-42.pdf">Notice 2021-42&nbsp;PDF</a>
 provides that cash payments employers make to charitable organizations 
that provide relief to victims of the COVID-19 pandemic in exchange for 
sick, vacation or personal leave which their employees forgo will not be
 treated as compensation. Similarly, the employees will not be treated 
as receiving the value of the leave as income and cannot claim a 
deduction for the leave that they donated to their employer.Employers, however, may deduct these cash payments as a business 
expense or as a charitable contribution deduction if the employer 
otherwise meets the respective requirements of either section.<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-20-46.pdf">Notice 2020-46&nbsp;PDF</a> and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-21-42.pdf">Notice 2021-42&nbsp;PDF</a> provide further details for employers with leave-based donation programsAdditional information about tax relief for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic can be found at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/coronavirus-tax-relief-for-businesses-and-tax-exempt-entities">Coronavirus Tax Relief for Businesses and Tax-Exempt Entities</a>.

IRS extends tax relief for employers for lost vacation, sick time during pandemic

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration this month began putting in place consumer protections against “surprise” medical bills enacted in bipartisan legislation signed last year by former President Donald Trump.

Regulations jointly issued by four federal agencies spell out protections for insured patients against surprise billing in medical emergencies, and unexpected charges from out-of-network doctors at an in-network facility. Out-of-network clinicians and service providers would also be barred from billing patients for the difference between their charges and what insurance paid.

Surprise medical bills are a common and frustrating problem for people with health insurance, even if they thought they were protected. Charges that can run from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars come from doctors and hospitals outside the network of a patient’s health insurance plan. It’s estimated that about 1 in 5 emergency visits and 1 in 6 inpatient admissions triggers a surprise bill.

Thursday’s action signaled that the Biden administration is committed to having the new protections in place for consumers by Jan. 1, as the law requires. Work continues on another major piece of the new framework, a process to resolve billing disputes between insurers and medical providers without dragging patients into them.

It’s a rare demonstration of bipartisanship on health care, one of the most politically polarized issues of the past decade, as Republicans repeatedly and unsuccessfully tried to repeal the Obama-era Affordable Care Act.

“It’s about getting good health care at a good price for all Americans — it’s a bipartisan effort,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, whose department is working on the issue with Treasury, Labor and the federal government’s personnel agency. “You will no longer be stuck in the middle of a payments dispute because you were blindsided by a charge you weren’t expecting.”

Consumer advocates, insurers and medical and hospital associations are poring over the complicated fine print of the Biden administration’s 400-page rule. Arcane definitions pertaining to such issues as payment levels can translate to millions of dollars of economic impact. Also under the rule, insurers and health care providers would have to notify patients about their new protections.

“They are clearly pulling out the stops to get this implemented in a timely manner,” said Karen Pollitz, a health insurance expert with the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. “We know this has been a problem that people put at the top of their list of worries.”

Pollitz said it could take until well into next year to see how the new system works in real life. Currently millions of surprise bills are sent every year. “Even if 90% of them are handled perfectly the first year, you could still have hundreds of thousands that go through to the patient,” she said.

The advocacy group Families USA, leading a coalition that has urged the administration to take a pro-consumer approach to implementing the rule, said in a statement the details will take time to digest “but at first blush it appears to recognize the significance of ensuring strong transparency and easily understandable patient notice and consent standards.”

Although many states have passed curbs on surprise billing, federal action was needed to protect patients covered by large employer plans regulated at the national level. The Biden administration is allowing 60 days for public comment on its rule.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-bill-end-surprise-medical-bills-d17da7204ade433d20ea8305c2d0538c">The surprise billing law passed by Congress last year</a>&nbsp;takes patients and their families out of the financial equation by limiting what they can be billed for out-of-network services to a fee that’s based on in-network charges. That amount gets counted toward their in-network annual deductible.

The central provisions of the legislation include:

— Holding patients harmless from surprise bills resulting from emergency medical care. Protections apply if the patient is seen at an out-of-network facility, or if they are treated by an out-of-network clinician at an in-network hospital. In either case, the patient can only be billed based on their plan’s in-network rate.

— Protecting patients admitted to an in-network hospital for a planned procedure when an out-of-network clinician gets involved and submits a bill.

— Requiring out-of-network service providers to give patients 72-hour notice of their estimated charges. Patients would have to agree to receive out-of-network care for the hospital or doctor to then bill them.

— Barring air ambulance services from sending patients surprise bills for more than the in-network cost sharing amount.

Surprise bills are a direct of result of high health care costs. To try to keep premiums in check, insurers set up networks of hospitals and doctors who agree in advance on payment levels. But some high-demand clinicians, such as emergency room doctors and anesthesiologists, have an incentive to stay out of at least some networks, to maximize their earnings.

Public programs like Medicare and Medicaid prohibit or restrict such billing practices.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration this month began putting in place consumer protections against “surprise” medical bills enacted in bipartisan legislation signed last year by former President Donald Trump.Regulations jointly issued by four federal agencies spell out protections for insured patients against surprise billing in medical emergencies, and unexpected charges from out-of-network doctors at an in-network facility. Out-of-network clinicians and service providers would also be barred from billing patients for the difference between their charges and what insurance paid.Surprise medical bills are a common and frustrating problem for people with health insurance, even if they thought they were protected. Charges that can run from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars come from doctors and hospitals outside the network of a patient’s health insurance plan. It’s estimated that about 1 in 5 emergency visits and 1 in 6 inpatient admissions triggers a surprise bill.Thursday’s action signaled that the Biden administration is committed to having the new protections in place for consumers by Jan. 1, as the law requires. Work continues on another major piece of the new framework, a process to resolve billing disputes between insurers and medical providers without dragging patients into them.It’s a rare demonstration of bipartisanship on health care, one of the most politically polarized issues of the past decade, as Republicans repeatedly and unsuccessfully tried to repeal the Obama-era Affordable Care Act.“It’s about getting good health care at a good price for all Americans — it’s a bipartisan effort,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, whose department is working on the issue with Treasury, Labor and the federal government’s personnel agency. “You will no longer be stuck in the middle of a payments dispute because you were blindsided by a charge you weren’t expecting.”Consumer advocates, insurers and medical and hospital associations are poring over the complicated fine print of the Biden administration’s 400-page rule. Arcane definitions pertaining to such issues as payment levels can translate to millions of dollars of economic impact. Also under the rule, insurers and health care providers would have to notify patients about their new protections.“They are clearly pulling out the stops to get this implemented in a timely manner,” said Karen Pollitz, a health insurance expert with the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. “We know this has been a problem that people put at the top of their list of worries.”Pollitz said it could take until well into next year to see how the new system works in real life. Currently millions of surprise bills are sent every year. “Even if 90% of them are handled perfectly the first year, you could still have hundreds of thousands that go through to the patient,” she said.The advocacy group Families USA, leading a coalition that has urged the administration to take a pro-consumer approach to implementing the rule, said in a statement the details will take time to digest “but at first blush it appears to recognize the significance of ensuring strong transparency and easily understandable patient notice and consent standards.”Although many states have passed curbs on surprise billing, federal action was needed to protect patients covered by large employer plans regulated at the national level. The Biden administration is allowing 60 days for public comment on its rule.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-bill-end-surprise-medical-bills-d17da7204ade433d20ea8305c2d0538c">The surprise billing law passed by Congress last year</a>&nbsp;takes patients and their families out of the financial equation by limiting what they can be billed for out-of-network services to a fee that’s based on in-network charges. That amount gets counted toward their in-network annual deductible.The central provisions of the legislation include:— Holding patients harmless from surprise bills resulting from emergency medical care. Protections apply if the patient is seen at an out-of-network facility, or if they are treated by an out-of-network clinician at an in-network hospital. In either case, the patient can only be billed based on their plan’s in-network rate.— Protecting patients admitted to an in-network hospital for a planned procedure when an out-of-network clinician gets involved and submits a bill.— Requiring out-of-network service providers to give patients 72-hour notice of their estimated charges. Patients would have to agree to receive out-of-network care for the hospital or doctor to then bill them.— Barring air ambulance services from sending patients surprise bills for more than the in-network cost sharing amount.Surprise bills are a direct of result of high health care costs. To try to keep premiums in check, insurers set up networks of hospitals and doctors who agree in advance on payment levels. But some high-demand clinicians, such as emergency room doctors and anesthesiologists, have an incentive to stay out of at least some networks, to maximize their earnings.Public programs like Medicare and Medicaid prohibit or restrict such billing practices.

Consumer relief: Surprise medical bills will soon end

ROME (AP) — The Vatican said Monday that Pope Francis is “in good condition, alert and breathing on his own,” a day after he underwent a three-hour operation that involved removing half his colon.

Francis, 84, is expected to stay in Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic, a Catholic hospital, for about seven days “barring complications,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.

The brief medical bulletin contained the first details the Vatican released, coming more than 12 hours after the end of Sunday’s surgery. The procedure was necessitated by what the Holy See said was a diverticular stenosis, or narrowing the pope’s sigmoid portion of the large intestine.

“His Holy Father is in good, general condition, alert and breathing spontaneously,” Bruni said in a written statement. “The operation for the diverticular stenosis, performed during the evening of July 4, involved a left hemicolectomy and lasted for about three hours,” Bruni said.

That procedure entails removing the left side of the colon and attaching the remaining parts of the large intestine.

Francis was spending his first morning convalescing in a Rome hospital following the surgery on the left side of his large intestine.

Before Monday’s statement, the Vatican had given scant details about the operation at Gemelli Polyclinic. an capital.

Earlier, an Italian cardinal told reporters he had been informed that Francis was doing OK post-operatively.

“Our prayer and our closeness are very great,” Cardinal Enrico Feroci said at Rome’s airport where he was catching a flight. The Italian news agency ANSA quoted him as saying that he had heard earlier in the morning from another cardinal, Angelo De Donatis, “and he told me that the pope is well.” De Donatis is the vicar of the Rome diocese.

Francis is staying in special, 10th floor suite that the hospital keeps available for use by a pontiff, after Pope John Paul II stayed there several times for various medical problems.

When the Vatican announced on Sunday afternoon that Francis had been admitted to hospital for a planned operation, it said that he needed surgery because he had developed a narrowing of the sigmoid portion of the large intestine.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603292366279.png" alt="Pope Francis enters the House chamber ahead of an address to a joint session of Congress in 2015- image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Pope Francis enters the House chamber ahead of an address to a joint session of Congress in 2015- image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>ROME (AP) — The Vatican said Monday that Pope Francis is “in good condition, alert and breathing on his own,” a day after he underwent a three-hour operation that involved removing half his colon.Francis, 84, is expected to stay in Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic, a Catholic hospital, for about seven days “barring complications,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.The brief medical bulletin contained the first details the Vatican released, coming more than 12 hours after the end of Sunday’s surgery. The procedure was necessitated by what the Holy See said was a diverticular stenosis, or narrowing the pope’s sigmoid portion of the large intestine.“His Holy Father is in good, general condition, alert and breathing spontaneously,” Bruni said in a written statement. “The operation for the diverticular stenosis, performed during the evening of July 4, involved a left hemicolectomy and lasted for about three hours,” Bruni said.That procedure entails removing the left side of the colon and attaching the remaining parts of the large intestine.Francis was spending his first morning convalescing in a Rome hospital following the surgery on the left side of his large intestine.Before Monday’s statement, the Vatican had given scant details about the operation at Gemelli Polyclinic. an capital.Earlier, an Italian cardinal told reporters he had been informed that Francis was doing OK post-operatively.“Our prayer and our closeness are very great,” Cardinal Enrico Feroci said at Rome’s airport where he was catching a flight. The Italian news agency ANSA quoted him as saying that he had heard earlier in the morning from another cardinal, Angelo De Donatis, “and he told me that the pope is well.” De Donatis is the vicar of the Rome diocese.Francis is staying in special, 10th floor suite that the hospital keeps available for use by a pontiff, after Pope John Paul II stayed there several times for various medical problems.When the Vatican announced on Sunday afternoon that Francis had been admitted to hospital for a planned operation, it said that he needed surgery because he had developed a narrowing of the sigmoid portion of the large intestine.Without citing sources, Rome daily Il Messaggero reported that “complications” arose during the surgery. Without specifying what happened, the newspaper said that the surgeons, after starting to operate via laparoscopy, ended up having to do incisions.Laparoscopy is a kind of surgical procedure often dubbed “keyhole surgery” since it allows the surgeon access to the inside of the abdomen without requiring large incisions. In the kind of surgery the Vatican said the pope was getting, laparoscopy is commonly used, experts have said.Patients having laparoscopic surgery generally require shorter hospital stays.Twice daily updates on Francis’ condition were expected to be issued by the Vatican.Doctors not connected to the pope’s hospitalization have said it is common to perform a re-sectioning of the affected part of the bowel in such cases.Get-well messages continued to arrive for the pope. Italian Premier Mario Draghi’s office said the leader “expresses affectionate wishes for a rapid convalescence and quick healing.”---------VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican says Pope Francis has “reacted well” to planned intestinal surgery at a Rome hospital. In a statement late Sunday, a Holy See spokesman says the 84-year-old Francis had general anesthesia during the surgery necessitated by a narrowing of the sigmoid portion of the large intestine. The Vatican gave little detail about the pontiff’s condition. Spokesman Matteo Bruni didn’t say how long Sunday's surgery lasted or give any other details of the procedure. Bruni also didn't say for how long the pope was unconsciousness under anesthesia or how long Francis is expected to stay in Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic. Francis is expected to convalesce in a special 10th floor suite reserved for popes.VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis was hospitalized in Rome on Sunday afternoon for scheduled surgery on his large intestine, the Vatican said. The news came just three hours after Francis had cheerfully greeted the public in St. Peter’s Square and told them he will go to Hungary and Slovakia in September.It was the pope’s first known hospitalization since he was elected to the papacy in 2013.The brief statement from the Holy See’s press office promised a medical update after the surgery was complete at Gemelli Polyclinic, a Catholic teaching hospital. The Vatican didn’t say when the surgery would begin, only indicating it would take place later in the day.By 9 p.m., there was no indication when the Vatican might issue the update.The Vatican said the 84-year-old pope had been diagnosed with “symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon,” a reference to a narrowing in the large intestine. The surgery was to be performed by Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the director of Gemelli’s digestive surgery department.A week earlier, Francis had used his same Sunday appearance to ask the public for special prayers for himself, which may have been related to the planned surgery.“I ask you to pray for the pope, pray in a special way,” Francis had asked the faithful in the square on June 27. “The pope needs your prayers,” he said, adding his thanks and saying “I know you will do that.”A diverticulum is pouch-like protrusion through the muscular wall of the intestine.When diverticula become inflamed — a common condition, especially in older people — part of the intestine can sometimes narrow and surgery might be required, according to gastroenterologists. Such surgery can be performed under general anesthesia, possibly with a laparoscopic intervention. Sometimes a re-sectioning of the affected part of the intestine is needed.Francis is in generally good health, but he did have part of one lung removed as a young man. He also suffers from sciatica, in which a nerve affects the lower back and leg, a painful condition that has forced him at times to skip scheduled appearances.A 10th-floor papal suite is kept available at the hospital in case of need.While Church law provides for a prelate to take over the administration of the Roman Catholic Church if a pope dies, there is no known provision for a delegation of powers if a pope is temporarily incapacitated, such while under anesthesia.The pope had a particularly demanding set of appointments last week, including celebrating a Mass on Tuesday to mark the Catholic feast day honoring Saints Peter and Paul, and later in the week, presiding at a special prayer service for Lebanon. On June 28, he also had a long private audience at the Vatican with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Throughout all those engagements, Francis appeared to be in good spirits.Usually, besides the traditional Sunday noon blessing and remarks from a window of the Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peter’s Square, the pontiff holds a public audience every Wednesday. But, in deference to Rome’s heat, the Wednesday appointment gets suspended during July.Get-well wishes began arriving immediately for Francis. Italian President Sergio Mattarella, as soon as he landed in Paris for a state visit in France, offered an “affectionate thought” on behalf of all Italians. Mattarella said he was wishing for “a good convalescence and even a speedier recovery” for the pope.Gemelli doctors have performed surgery before on popes, notably Pope John Paul II, who had what the Vatican said was a benign tumor in his colon removed in 1992. John Paul had several other surgeries at the hospital, including after being shot by a gunman in St. Peter’s Square in 1981.John Paul also had several medical issues in his final years, including severe complications from Parkinson’s disease, and had numerous stays at Gemelli.--------VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican says Pope Francis has gone to a Rome hospital for scheduled surgery for a stenosis, or restriction, of the large intestine. The brief announcement Sunday afternoon didn’t say when the surgery would be performed but it said there would be an announcement when the surgery is complete. Just three hours earlier, Francis had cheerfully greeted the public in St. Peter’s Square in keeping with a Sunday tradition and told them he will go to Hungary and Slovakia in September. A week earlier, Francis, 84, had used the same appearance to ask the public for special prayers for himself, which, in hindsight might have been hinting at the planned surgery at Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic.