As governors loosen long-lasting coronavirus restrictions, state lawmakers across the U.S. are taking actions to significantly limit the power they could wield in future emergencies.

The legislative measures are aimed not simply at undoing mask mandates and capacity limits that have been common during the pandemic. Many proposals seek to fundamentally shift power away from governors and toward lawmakers the next time there is a virus outbreak, terrorist attack or natural disaster.

“The COVID pandemic has been an impetus for a re-examination of balancing of legislative power with executive powers,” said Pam Greenberg, a policy researcher at the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Lawmakers in 45 states have proposed more than 300 measures this year related to legislative oversight of executive actions during the COVID-19 pandemic or other emergencies, according to the NCSL.

About half those states are considering significant changes, such as tighter limits on how long governors’ emergency orders can last without legislative approval, according to the American Legislative Exchange Council, an association of conservative lawmakers and businesses. It wrote a model “Emergency Power Limitation Act” for lawmakers to follow.

Though the pushback is coming primarily from Republican lawmakers, it is not entirely partisan.

Republican lawmakers have sought to limit the power of Democratic governors in states such as Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina. But they also have sought to rein in fellow Republican governors in such states as Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana and Ohio. Some Democratic lawmakers also have pushed back against governors of their own party, most notably limiting the ability of embattled New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to issue new mandates.

When the pandemic hit a year ago, many governors and their top health officials temporarily ordered residents to remain home, limited public gatherings, prohibited in-person schooling and shut down dine-in restaurants, gyms and other businesses. Many governors have been repealing or relaxing restrictions after cases declined from a winter peak and as more people get vaccinated.

But the potential remains in many states for governors to again tighten restrictions if new variants of the coronavirus lead to another surge in cases.

Governors have been acting under the authority of emergency response laws that in some states date back decades and weren’t crafted with an indefinite health crisis in mind.

“A previous legislature back in the ’60s, fearing a nuclear holocaust, granted tremendous powers” to the governor, said Idaho state Rep. Jason Monks, a Republican and the chamber’s assistant majority leader.

“This was the first time I think that those laws were really stress-tested,” he said.

Like many governors, Idaho Gov. Brad Little has repeatedly extended his monthlong emergency order since originally issuing it last spring. A pair of bills nearing final approval would prohibit him from declaring an emergency for more than 60 days without legislative approval. The Republican governor also would be barred from suspending constitutional rights, restricting the ability of people to work, or altering state laws like he did by suspending in-person voting and holding a mail-only primary election last year.

A measure that recently passed New Hampshire’s Republican-led House also would prohibit governors from indefinitely renewing emergency declarations, as GOP Gov. Chris Sununu has done every 21 days for the past year. It would halt emergency orders after 30 days unless renewed by lawmakers.

Next month, Pennsylvania voters will decide a pair of constitutional amendments to limit disaster emergency declarations to three weeks, rather than three months, and require legislative approval to extend them. The Republican-led Legislature placed the measures on the ballot after repeatedly failing to reverse the policies Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf implemented to try to contain the pandemic.

In Indiana, the Republican-led Legislature and GOP governor are embroiled in a power struggle over executive powers.

The Legislature approved a bill this past week that would give lawmakers greater authority to intervene in gubernatorially declared emergencies by calling themselves into special session. The House Republican leader said the bill was not “anti-governor” but a response to a generational crisis.

Gov. Eric Holcomb, who has issued more than 60 executive orders during the pandemic, vetoed the bill Friday. He contends the legislature’s attempt to expand its power could violate the state Constitution. Legislative leaders said they intend to override the veto, potentially setting up a legal clash between the legislative and executive branches. Unlike Congress and most states, Indiana lawmakers can override a veto with a simple majority of both houses.

Several other governors also have vetoed bills limiting their emergency authority or increasing legislative powers.

In Michigan, where new variants are fueling a rise in COVID-19 cases, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed GOP-backed legislation last month that would have ended state health department orders after 28 days unless lengthened by lawmakers.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, contended that legislation allowing lawmakers to rescind his public health orders “jeopardizes the safety of every Ohioan.” But the Republican-led Legislature overrode his veto the next day.

“It’s time for us to stand up for the legislative branch,” sponsoring Sen. Rob McColley told his colleagues.

Kentucky’s GOP-led Legislature overrode Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s vetoes of bills limiting his emergency powers, but a judge temporarily blocked the laws from taking effect. The judge said they are “likely to undermine, or even cripple, the effectiveness of public health measures.”

In some states, governors have worked with lawmakers to pare back executive powers.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, signed a law last month giving the GOP-led Legislature greater say in determining whether to end his emergency orders. It was quickly put to the test by the Arkansas Legislative Council, which decided to let Hutchinson extend his emergency declaration another two months.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, also enacted a law last month giving legislative leaders power to revoke her emergency orders. Top Republican lawmakers immediately used it to scuttle a Kelly order meant to encourage counties to keep mask mandates in place.

“The power of the executive has been emasculated when it comes to the Emergency Management Act,” Democratic state Rep. John Carmichael said. “That may have very dire consequences in other circumstances and other disasters.”

Kelly said it will be harder to persuade people to keep wearing masks without state or local mandates. She said her orders had relieved pressure on local leaders and businesses.

“Let me be the bad guy. Let me be the one who mandates so that they don’t have to make those kinds of decisions,” Kelly said.

Republican lawmakers insisted that their push to curb the governor’s power is not partisan. Lawmakers said they didn’t understand how broad the governor’s power was until she started issuing orders last spring to close K-12 schools, limit indoor worship services and regulate how businesses could reopen.

House Speaker Pro Tem Blaine Finch said he believes the changes in Kansas’ emergency management law will encourage future governors to “use that power sparingly” and collaborate with lawmakers.

“Our system is set up not to give one person of any party too much power over the lives of Kansans,” he said. “We’re supposed to have checks and balances.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611280712430.png" alt="Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, also enacted a law last month giving legislative leaders power to revoke her emergency orders." />
 <figcaption>Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, also enacted a law last month giving legislative leaders power to revoke her emergency orders.</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAVID A. LIEB, Associated PressAs governors loosen long-lasting coronavirus restrictions, state lawmakers across the U.S. are taking actions to significantly limit the power they could wield in future emergencies.The legislative measures are aimed not simply at undoing mask mandates and capacity limits that have been common during the pandemic. Many proposals seek to fundamentally shift power away from governors and toward lawmakers the next time there is a virus outbreak, terrorist attack or natural disaster.“The COVID pandemic has been an impetus for a re-examination of balancing of legislative power with executive powers,” said Pam Greenberg, a policy researcher at the National Conference of State Legislatures.Lawmakers in 45 states have proposed more than 300 measures this year related to legislative oversight of executive actions during the COVID-19 pandemic or other emergencies, according to the NCSL.About half those states are considering significant changes, such as tighter limits on how long governors’ emergency orders can last without legislative approval, according to the American Legislative Exchange Council, an association of conservative lawmakers and businesses. It wrote a model “Emergency Power Limitation Act” for lawmakers to follow.Though the pushback is coming primarily from Republican lawmakers, it is not entirely partisan.Republican lawmakers have sought to limit the power of Democratic governors in states such as Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina. But they also have sought to rein in fellow Republican governors in such states as Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana and Ohio. Some Democratic lawmakers also have pushed back against governors of their own party, most notably limiting the ability of embattled New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to issue new mandates.When the pandemic hit a year ago, many governors and their top health officials temporarily ordered residents to remain home, limited public gatherings, prohibited in-person schooling and shut down dine-in restaurants, gyms and other businesses. Many governors have been repealing or relaxing restrictions after cases declined from a winter peak and as more people get vaccinated.But the potential remains in many states for governors to again tighten restrictions if new variants of the coronavirus lead to another surge in cases.Governors have been acting under the authority of emergency response laws that in some states date back decades and weren’t crafted with an indefinite health crisis in mind.“A previous legislature back in the ’60s, fearing a nuclear holocaust, granted tremendous powers” to the governor, said Idaho state Rep. Jason Monks, a Republican and the chamber’s assistant majority leader.“This was the first time I think that those laws were really stress-tested,” he said.Like many governors, Idaho Gov. Brad Little has repeatedly extended his monthlong emergency order since originally issuing it last spring. A pair of bills nearing final approval would prohibit him from declaring an emergency for more than 60 days without legislative approval. The Republican governor also would be barred from suspending constitutional rights, restricting the ability of people to work, or altering state laws like he did by suspending in-person voting and holding a mail-only primary election last year.A measure that recently passed New Hampshire’s Republican-led House also would prohibit governors from indefinitely renewing emergency declarations, as GOP Gov. Chris Sununu has done every 21 days for the past year. It would halt emergency orders after 30 days unless renewed by lawmakers.Next month, Pennsylvania voters will decide a pair of constitutional amendments to limit disaster emergency declarations to three weeks, rather than three months, and require legislative approval to extend them. The Republican-led Legislature placed the measures on the ballot after repeatedly failing to reverse the policies Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf implemented to try to contain the pandemic.In Indiana, the Republican-led Legislature and GOP governor are embroiled in a power struggle over executive powers.The Legislature approved a bill this past week that would give lawmakers greater authority to intervene in gubernatorially declared emergencies by calling themselves into special session. The House Republican leader said the bill was not “anti-governor” but a response to a generational crisis.Gov. Eric Holcomb, who has issued more than 60 executive orders during the pandemic, vetoed the bill Friday. He contends the legislature’s attempt to expand its power could violate the state Constitution. Legislative leaders said they intend to override the veto, potentially setting up a legal clash between the legislative and executive branches. Unlike Congress and most states, Indiana lawmakers can override a veto with a simple majority of both houses.Several other governors also have vetoed bills limiting their emergency authority or increasing legislative powers.In Michigan, where new variants are fueling a rise in COVID-19 cases, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed GOP-backed legislation last month that would have ended state health department orders after 28 days unless lengthened by lawmakers.Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, contended that legislation allowing lawmakers to rescind his public health orders “jeopardizes the safety of every Ohioan.” But the Republican-led Legislature overrode his veto the next day.“It’s time for us to stand up for the legislative branch,” sponsoring Sen. Rob McColley told his colleagues.Kentucky’s GOP-led Legislature overrode Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s vetoes of bills limiting his emergency powers, but a judge temporarily blocked the laws from taking effect. The judge said they are “likely to undermine, or even cripple, the effectiveness of public health measures.”In some states, governors have worked with lawmakers to pare back executive powers.Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, signed a law last month giving the GOP-led Legislature greater say in determining whether to end his emergency orders. It was quickly put to the test by the Arkansas Legislative Council, which decided to let Hutchinson extend his emergency declaration another two months.Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, also enacted a law last month giving legislative leaders power to revoke her emergency orders. Top Republican lawmakers immediately used it to scuttle a Kelly order meant to encourage counties to keep mask mandates in place.“The power of the executive has been emasculated when it comes to the Emergency Management Act,” Democratic state Rep. John Carmichael said. “That may have very dire consequences in other circumstances and other disasters.”Kelly said it will be harder to persuade people to keep wearing masks without state or local mandates. She said her orders had relieved pressure on local leaders and businesses.“Let me be the bad guy. Let me be the one who mandates so that they don’t have to make those kinds of decisions,” Kelly said.Republican lawmakers insisted that their push to curb the governor’s power is not partisan. Lawmakers said they didn’t understand how broad the governor’s power was until she started issuing orders last spring to close K-12 schools, limit indoor worship services and regulate how businesses could reopen.House Speaker Pro Tem Blaine Finch said he believes the changes in Kansas’ emergency management law will encourage future governors to “use that power sparingly” and collaborate with lawmakers.“Our system is set up not to give one person of any party too much power over the lives of Kansans,” he said. “We’re supposed to have checks and balances.”___

Lawmakers seek long-term limit on governors' emergency power

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Grassroots organizers are planning to open the first Indigenous-led community school in Rapid City which will be focused on building educational equity for Native American students.

 After two years of attempting to pass legislation that would establish and fund such schools in South Dakota, the NDN Collective organization is taking steps to open the school in the fall of 2022 with 40 kindergarten students. 

NDN Collective, an Indigenous team of grassroots organizers, says the school will help close the “opportunity gap” between American Indian students and those of other races.

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Grassroots organizers are planning to open the first Indigenous-led community school in Rapid City which will be focused on building educational equity for Native American students. After two years of attempting to pass legislation that would establish and fund such schools in South Dakota, the NDN Collective organization is taking steps to open the school in the fall of 2022 with 40 kindergarten students. NDN Collective, an Indigenous team of grassroots organizers, says the school will help close the “opportunity gap” between American Indian students and those of other races.

Plans move forward for Indigenous-led school in Rapid City

PARIS (AP) — French health officials said Friday that people under 55 who received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine should get other vaccines for their second shot because of an extremely rare risk of a blood clotting disorder.

Germany is expected to recommend a similar booster dose strategy for people under age 60. The World Health Organization says it’s too early to know whether to recommend such vaccine mixing, however, and the European Medicines Agency hasn’t advised putting any age restrictions on the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

French authorities said the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company’s vaccine remains central to its vaccination plan strategy, and they urged older populations to keep taking it as France’s hospitals battle another surge in COVID-19 patients.

“It’s an effective vaccine,” Dominique Le Guludec, president of France’s High Authority for Health, told reporters. “If we want to win the battle against the virus, we must use all weapons at our disposition.”

Several European countries decided in recent weeks to limit their use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to older people because of strengthening evidence the vaccine may be linked to rare blood clots in younger populations.

Since March 19, France has only offered the vaccine to people over 55. More than half a million French people under that age — including Health Minister Olivier Veran — received a first dose before then.

France’s High Authority for Health said Friday that it is maintaining the age limit for now and recommending that younger people who received the AstraZeneca vaccine for their first dose should get booster shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines instead.

“It’s a precautionary measure,” Veran said Friday on RTL radio.

The health authority also called for more research on the effects of vaccine mixing.

Germany on March 30 recommended restricting the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to people over 60, in most cases. The country’s independent vaccine expert panel last week recommended giving a second shot of the BioNTech or Moderna vaccines to people under 60 who had received a first shot of AstraZeneca’s product.

Health ministers from Germany’s 16 states are expected to sign off on the recommendation next week.

Dr. Margaret Harris, a WHO spokeswoman, said Friday that an advisory group on immunization made recommendations about the AstraZeneca vaccine in February, but didn’t have enough information at the time to determine whether it could be used in conjunction with other vaccines.

“There is not adequate data to be able to say whether this is something that could be done,” Harris told a U.N. press briefing in Geneva.

France, which has reported one of the world’s highest virus death tolls, has closed schools and nonessential businesses for a month and imposed nationwide travel restrictions to stem the spread of new virus variants.

It’s also trying to speed up vaccinations. President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged Friday that the United States “won the bet” on coronavirus vaccines by investing massively and moving fast with experimental treatments.

Macron visited a French factory that started bottling and packaging Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines this week, and urged his compatriots to join a “national war effort” to administer and make vaccines. He promised that France would produce 250 million vaccine doses this year for domestic and global use.

PARIS (AP) — French health officials said Friday that people under 55 who received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine should get other vaccines for their second shot because of an extremely rare risk of a blood clotting disorder.Germany is expected to recommend a similar booster dose strategy for people under age 60. The World Health Organization says it’s too early to know whether to recommend such vaccine mixing, however, and the European Medicines Agency hasn’t advised putting any age restrictions on the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.French authorities said the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company’s vaccine remains central to its vaccination plan strategy, and they urged older populations to keep taking it as France’s hospitals battle another surge in COVID-19 patients.“It’s an effective vaccine,” Dominique Le Guludec, president of France’s High Authority for Health, told reporters. “If we want to win the battle against the virus, we must use all weapons at our disposition.”Several European countries decided in recent weeks to limit their use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to older people because of strengthening evidence the vaccine may be linked to rare blood clots in younger populations.Since March 19, France has only offered the vaccine to people over 55. More than half a million French people under that age — including Health Minister Olivier Veran — received a first dose before then.France’s High Authority for Health said Friday that it is maintaining the age limit for now and recommending that younger people who received the AstraZeneca vaccine for their first dose should get booster shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines instead.“It’s a precautionary measure,” Veran said Friday on RTL radio.The health authority also called for more research on the effects of vaccine mixing.Germany on March 30 recommended restricting the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to people over 60, in most cases. The country’s independent vaccine expert panel last week recommended giving a second shot of the BioNTech or Moderna vaccines to people under 60 who had received a first shot of AstraZeneca’s product.Health ministers from Germany’s 16 states are expected to sign off on the recommendation next week.Dr. Margaret Harris, a WHO spokeswoman, said Friday that an advisory group on immunization made recommendations about the AstraZeneca vaccine in February, but didn’t have enough information at the time to determine whether it could be used in conjunction with other vaccines.“There is not adequate data to be able to say whether this is something that could be done,” Harris told a U.N. press briefing in Geneva.France, which has reported one of the world’s highest virus death tolls, has closed schools and nonessential businesses for a month and imposed nationwide travel restrictions to stem the spread of new virus variants.It’s also trying to speed up vaccinations. President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged Friday that the United States “won the bet” on coronavirus vaccines by investing massively and moving fast with experimental treatments.Macron visited a French factory that started bottling and packaging Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines this week, and urged his compatriots to join a “national war effort” to administer and make vaccines. He promised that France would produce 250 million vaccine doses this year for domestic and global use.

Some countries recommend mixing COVID-19 vaccines  

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service reminds eligible residents 
of the U.S. territories that if they receive unemployment compensation 
payments that are otherwise&nbsp; subject to U.S. income tax, they may be 
eligible to exclude up to $10,200 per person of &nbsp;unemployment 
compensation from U.S. income tax for 2020, following legislation that 
was passed March 11, 2021.

Taxpayers with modified adjusted income of less than $150,000 may 
exclude the first $10,200 of unemployment compensation from their 2020 
federal income tax return. In the case of taxpayers that are married 
filing jointly, the maximum exclusion would be $10,200 for each spouse 
for a maximum of $20,400. Taxpayers who filed before the law was passed <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-to-recalculate-taxes-on-unemployment-benefits-refunds-to-start-in-may">should not file an amended return</a>.

Last year, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress passed 
legislation providing eligible individuals with two new types of 
pandemic-related unemployment compensation, which are subject to the 
same U.S. tax rules that apply to other unemployment compensation:

The $10,200 exclusion applies to these new types of unemployment compensation for U.S. income tax purposes.

The IRS also notes that for U.S. income tax purposes, unemployment 
compensation is generally considered sourced where the taxpayer 
performed the underlying services. For guidance on the U.S. income 
taxation of residents of the U.S. territories, see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-570">Publication 570, Tax Guide for Individuals with Income from U.S. Possessions</a>.

The U.S. territories are American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the 
Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the
 U.S. Virgin Islands.

U.S. territory residents should contact their territory tax 
department with questions relating to the taxation of COVID-related 
unemployment compensation at the territory level.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service reminds eligible residents 
of the U.S. territories that if they receive unemployment compensation 
payments that are otherwise&nbsp; subject to U.S. income tax, they may be 
eligible to exclude up to $10,200 per person of &nbsp;unemployment 
compensation from U.S. income tax for 2020, following legislation that 
was passed March 11, 2021.Taxpayers with modified adjusted income of less than $150,000 may 
exclude the first $10,200 of unemployment compensation from their 2020 
federal income tax return. In the case of taxpayers that are married 
filing jointly, the maximum exclusion would be $10,200 for each spouse 
for a maximum of $20,400. Taxpayers who filed before the law was passed <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-to-recalculate-taxes-on-unemployment-benefits-refunds-to-start-in-may">should not file an amended return</a>.Last year, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress passed 
legislation providing eligible individuals with two new types of 
pandemic-related unemployment compensation, which are subject to the 
same U.S. tax rules that apply to other unemployment compensation:<ul>
 <li>Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)</li><li>Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC)</li>
 </ul>The $10,200 exclusion applies to these new types of unemployment compensation for U.S. income tax purposes.The IRS also notes that for U.S. income tax purposes, unemployment 
compensation is generally considered sourced where the taxpayer 
performed the underlying services. For guidance on the U.S. income 
taxation of residents of the U.S. territories, see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-570">Publication 570, Tax Guide for Individuals with Income from U.S. Possessions</a>.The U.S. territories are American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the 
Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the
 U.S. Virgin Islands.U.S. territory residents should contact their territory tax 
department with questions relating to the taxation of COVID-related 
unemployment compensation at the territory level.

IRS: Portion of unemployment benefits tax-exempt

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Officials say three students and a sport utility vehicle driver were injured Friday when the SUV collided with a Lincoln school bus. 

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that the crash happened around 7:30 a.m. Friday. 

 Lincoln Fire &amp; Rescue Capt. Nancy Crist says the SUV's driver and three students on the bus were taken to a Lincoln hospital for treatment of minor injuries. 

Officials say eight people, including two adults, were on the bus at the time of the crash. 

Other details of what caused the crash were not immediately released.

 KOLN reports the bus was headed to Roper Elementary School when the crash occurred. 

Lincoln Public Schools says all parents were notified of the crash.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Officials say three students and a sport utility vehicle driver were injured Friday when the SUV collided with a Lincoln school bus. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that the crash happened around 7:30 a.m. Friday. Lincoln Fire &amp; Rescue Capt. Nancy Crist says the SUV's driver and three students on the bus were taken to a Lincoln hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Officials say eight people, including two adults, were on the bus at the time of the crash. Other details of what caused the crash were not immediately released. KOLN reports the bus was headed to Roper Elementary School when the crash occurred. Lincoln Public Schools says all parents were notified of the crash.

3 students, SUV driver injured in Lincoln school bus crash

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A truck driver from Mississippi has pleaded no contest to misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide in the traffic death last year of a motorcyclist in southwest Omaha.

 The Omaha World-Herald reports that 45-year-old George Sansing, of Belden, Mississippi, entered the plea Thursday in Douglas County Court.

 While Sansing doesn't admit guilt with the no contest plea, he does acknowledge that prosecutors have enough evidence to convict him in the Aug. 24 death of 24-year-old Bryan Wright, of Omaha. 

Investigators say Sansing ran a red light, leading Wright's motorcycle to crash into the side of Sansing's trailer. 

Wright died a short time later at a hospital. 

Sansing faces up to a year in jail when he's sentenced.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A truck driver from Mississippi has pleaded no contest to misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide in the traffic death last year of a motorcyclist in southwest Omaha. The Omaha World-Herald reports that 45-year-old George Sansing, of Belden, Mississippi, entered the plea Thursday in Douglas County Court. While Sansing doesn't admit guilt with the no contest plea, he does acknowledge that prosecutors have enough evidence to convict him in the Aug. 24 death of 24-year-old Bryan Wright, of Omaha. Investigators say Sansing ran a red light, leading Wright's motorcycle to crash into the side of Sansing's trailer. Wright died a short time later at a hospital. Sansing faces up to a year in jail when he's sentenced.

Mississippi man pleads to charge in motorcyclist's death

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — The National Park Service has closed a South Dakota cave after an elevator stopped working. 

The Rapid City Journal reports that Wind Cave National Park suspended tours Thursday morning after one of two elevators that drop into the cave won't move. 

A technician discovered the elevator had stopped working during a routine morning check. 

Repair crews were scheduled to arrive at the cave sometime on Thursday.

 The National Park Service resumed tours of the cave on March 20 after a 20-month hiatus. 

The tours ended in June 2019 due to another safety problem with the elevators. 

They were repaired in December 2020 but tours didn't resume immediately due to COVID-19 protocols.

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — The National Park Service has closed a South Dakota cave after an elevator stopped working. The Rapid City Journal reports that Wind Cave National Park suspended tours Thursday morning after one of two elevators that drop into the cave won't move. A technician discovered the elevator had stopped working during a routine morning check. Repair crews were scheduled to arrive at the cave sometime on Thursday. The National Park Service resumed tours of the cave on March 20 after a 20-month hiatus. The tours ended in June 2019 due to another safety problem with the elevators. They were repaired in December 2020 but tours didn't resume immediately due to COVID-19 protocols.

Federal officials close Wind Cave after elevator quits

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota’s epidemiologist says he expects the U.K. variant will become the dominant strain of the coronavirus in the state. 

South Dakota has 20 cases of COVID-19 variants, a number that hasn’t changed in two weeks. 

Neighboring Minnesota is among a handful of states with some of the highest growth of more contagious variants. 

Epidemiologist Joshua Clayton says more young people are being infected and they need to be aware that the U.K. variant spreads easier and can be more severe in some cases. 

The Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccines are still shown to be effective in fighting off the current variants.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota’s epidemiologist says he expects the U.K. variant will become the dominant strain of the coronavirus in the state. South Dakota has 20 cases of COVID-19 variants, a number that hasn’t changed in two weeks. Neighboring Minnesota is among a handful of states with some of the highest growth of more contagious variants. Epidemiologist Joshua Clayton says more young people are being infected and they need to be aware that the U.K. variant spreads easier and can be more severe in some cases. The Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccines are still shown to be effective in fighting off the current variants.

Doctor: U.K. variant will be dominant strain in SD

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 22-year-old Lincoln man has been charged with stealing more than $29,000 from his uncle who has dementia.

 An arrest warrant was issued for Darren McCain in February, but he was just brought to Lincoln this week after his arrest in Macon County, Missouri. 

Lincoln Police Officer Brad Hulse said in court records that he found more than 300 questionable transactions on the bank accounts of McCain’s uncle, which included more than $12,000 in ATM withdrawals.

 McCain told investigators that the purchases and withdrawals he made, which included buying himself a car, were done for his uncle's benefit.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 22-year-old Lincoln man has been charged with stealing more than $29,000 from his uncle who has dementia. An arrest warrant was issued for Darren McCain in February, but he was just brought to Lincoln this week after his arrest in Macon County, Missouri. Lincoln Police Officer Brad Hulse said in court records that he found more than 300 questionable transactions on the bank accounts of McCain’s uncle, which included more than $12,000 in ATM withdrawals. McCain told investigators that the purchases and withdrawals he made, which included buying himself a car, were done for his uncle's benefit.

Lincoln man charged with stealing over $29,000 from uncle

BRYAN, Texas (AP) — Authorities say a man opened fire at a Texas cabinet-making company where he worked, killing one person and wounding five others before shooting and wounding a state trooper before his arrest. 

A police statement says 27-year-old Larry Winston Bollin of Iola, Texas, has been charged with murder and is being held on a $1 million bond. 

Authorities say Bollin shot and wounded a state trooper before he was arrested. Two of the five people wounded Thursday at the cabinet business are in critical condition. 

The three others and the trooper are in serious but stable condition. 

Bryan Police Chief Eric Buske says investigators believe the man was solely responsible for the attack.

BRYAN, Texas (AP) — Authorities say a man opened fire at a Texas cabinet-making company where he worked, killing one person and wounding five others before shooting and wounding a state trooper before his arrest. A police statement says 27-year-old Larry Winston Bollin of Iola, Texas, has been charged with murder and is being held on a $1 million bond. Authorities say Bollin shot and wounded a state trooper before he was arrested. Two of the five people wounded Thursday at the cabinet business are in critical condition. The three others and the trooper are in serious but stable condition. Bryan Police Chief Eric Buske says investigators believe the man was solely responsible for the attack.

Police: Employee kills 1, wounds 5 at Texas cabinet business

NEW YORK (AP) — Verizon is recalling 2.5 million mobile hotspots after some reports of overheating and two reports of minor burns. 

The 4G hotspots were used by schools and sold by stores. They are called Ellipsis Jetpack mobile hotspots and were imported by Franklin Wireless in San Diego. 

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says the lithium-ion battery in the hotspots can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards. 

Out of the 2.5 million units, there have been 15 reports of devices overheating, including two reports of minor burns.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617972890098.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Verizon is recalling 2.5 million mobile hotspots after some reports of overheating and two reports of minor burns. The 4G hotspots were used by schools and sold by stores. They are called Ellipsis Jetpack mobile hotspots and were imported by Franklin Wireless in San Diego. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says the lithium-ion battery in the hotspots can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards. Out of the 2.5 million units, there have been 15 reports of devices overheating, including two reports of minor burns.

Verizon recalls mobile hotspots sold to schools, in stores

LONDON (AP) — Prince Philip, the irascible and tough-minded husband of Queen Elizabeth II who spent more than seven decades supporting his wife in a role that both defined and constricted his life, has died, Buckingham Palace said Friday. He was 99.

His life spanned nearly a century of European history, starting with his birth as a member of the Greek royal family and ending as Britain’s longest serving consort during a turbulent reign in which the thousand-year-old monarchy was forced to reinvent itself for the 21st century.

He was known for his occasionally racist and sexist remarks — and for gamely fulfilling more than 20,000 royal engagements to boost British interests at home and abroad. He headed hundreds of charities, founded programs that helped British schoolchildren participate in challenging outdoor adventures, and played a prominent part in raising his four children, including his eldest son, Prince Charles, the heir to the throne.

Philip spent a month in hospital earlier this year before being released on March 16 to return to Windsor Castle.

“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” the palace said. “His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.”

Philip saw his sole role as providing support for his wife, who began her reign as Britain retreated from empire and steered the monarchy through decades of declining social deference and U.K. power into a modern world where people demand intimacy from their icons.

In the 1970s, Michael Parker, an old navy friend and former private secretary of the prince, said of him: “He told me the first day he offered me my job, that his job — first, second and last — was never to let her down.”

Speaking outside 10 Downing St., Prime Minister Boris Johnson noted the support Philip provided to the queen, saying he “helped to steer the royal family and the monarchy so that it remains an institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life.”

The queen, a very private person not given to extravagant displays of affection, once called him “her rock” in public.

In private, Philip called his wife Lilibet; but he referred to her in conversation with others as “The Queen.”

Over the decades, Philip’s image changed from that of handsome, dashing athlete to arrogant and insensitive curmudgeon. In his later years, the image finally settled into that of droll and philosophical observer of the times, an elderly, craggy-faced man who maintained his military bearing despite ailments.

The popular Netflix series “The Crown” gave Philip a central role, with a slightly racy, swashbuckling image. He never commented on it in public, but the portrayal struck a chord with many Britons, including younger viewers who had only known him as an elderly man.

Philip’s position was a challenging one — there is no official role for the husband of a sovereign queen — and his life was marked by extraordinary contradictions between his public and private duties. He always walked three paces behind his wife in public, in a show of deference to the monarch, but he was the head of the family in private. Still, his son Charles, as heir to the throne, had a larger income, as well as access to the high-level government papers Philip was not permitted to see.

Philip often took a wry approach to his unusual place at the royal table.

“Constitutionally, I don’t exist,” said Philip, who in 2009 became the longest-serving consort in British history, surpassing Queen Charlotte, who married King George III in the18th century.

He frequently struggled to find his place — a friction that would later be echoed in his grandson Prince Harry’s decision to give up royal duties.

“There was no precedent,” he said in a rare interview with the BBC to mark his 90th birthday. “If I asked somebody, ‘What do you expect me to do?’ they all looked blank.”

But having given up a promising naval career to become consort when Elizabeth became queen at age 25, Philip was not content to stay on the sidelines and enjoy a life of ease and wealth. He promoted British industry and science, espoused environmental preservation long before it became fashionable, and traveled widely and frequently in support of his many charities.

In those frequent public appearances, Philip developed a reputation for being impatient and demanding and was sometimes blunt to the point of rudeness.

Many Britons appreciated what they saw as his propensity to speak his mind, while others criticized behavior they labeled offensive and out of touch.

In 1995, for example, he asked a Scottish driving instructor, “How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test?” Seven years later in Australia, when visiting Aboriginal people with the queen, he asked: “Do you still throw spears at each other?”

Many believe his propensity to speak his mind meant he provided needed, unvarnished advice to the queen.

“The way that he survived in the British monarchy system was to be his own man, and that was a source of support to the queen,” said royal historian Robert Lacey. “All her life she was surrounded by men who said, ‘yes ma’am’ and he was one man who always told her how it really was, or at least how he saw it.”

Lacey said at the time of the royal family’s difficult relations with Princess Diana after her marriage to Charles broke down, Philip spoke for the family with authority, showing that he did not automatically defer to the queen.

Philip’s relationship with Diana became complicated as her separation from Charles and their eventual divorce played out in a series of public battles that damaged the monarchy’s standing.

It was widely assumed that he was critical of Diana’s use of broadcast interviews, including one in which she accused Charles of infidelity. But letters between Philip and Diana released after her death showed that the older man was at times supportive of his daughter-in-law.

After Diana’s death in a car crash in Paris in 1997, Philip had to endure allegations by former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed that he had plotted the princess’s death. Al Fayed’s son, Dodi, also died in the crash.

During a lengthy inquest into their deaths, a senior judge acting as coroner instructed the jury that there was no evidence to support the allegations against Philip, who did not publicly respond to Al Fayed’s charges.

Philip’s final years were clouded by controversy and fissures in the royal family.

His third child, Prince Andrew, was embroiled in scandal over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, an American financier who died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

U.S. authorities accused Andrew of rebuffing their request to interview him as a witness, and Andrew faced accusations from a woman who said that she had several sexual encounters with the prince at Epstein’s behest. He denied the claim but withdrew from public royal duties amid the scandal.

At the start of 2020, Philip’s grandson Harry and his wife, the American former actress Meghan Markle, announced they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America to escape intense media scrutiny that they found unbearable.

Born June 10, 1921, on the dining room table at his parents’ home on the Greek island of Corfu, Philip was the fifth child and only son of Prince Andrew, younger brother of the king of Greece. His grandfather had come from Denmark during the 1860s to be adopted by Greece as the country’s monarch.

Philip’s mother was Princess Alice of Battenberg, a descendent of German princes. Like his future wife, Elizabeth, Philip was also a great-great-grandchild of Queen Victoria.

When Philip was 18 months old, his parents fled to France. His father, an army commander, had been tried after a devastating military defeat by the Turks. After British intervention, the Greek junta agreed not to sentence Andrew to death if he left the country.

The family was not exactly poor but, Philip said: “We weren’t well off” — and they got by with help from relatives. He later brought only his navy pay to a marriage with one of the world’s richest women.

Philip’s parents drifted apart when he was a child, and Andrew died in Monte Carlo in 1944. Alice founded a religious order that did not succeed and spent her old age at Buckingham Palace. A reclusive figure, often dressed in a nun’s habit, she was little seen by the British public. She died in 1969 and was posthumously honored by Britain and Israel for sheltering a Jewish family in Nazi-occupied Athens during the war.

Philip went to school in Britain and entered Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth as a cadet in 1939. He got his first posting in 1940 but was not allowed near the main war zone because he was a foreign prince of a neutral nation. When the Italian invasion of Greece ended that neutrality, he joined the war, serving on battleships in the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean and the Pacific.

On leave in Britain, he visited his royal cousins, and, by the end of war, it was clear he was courting Princess Elizabeth, eldest child and heir of King George VI. Their engagement was announced July 10, 1947, and they were married on Nov. 20.

After an initial flurry of disapproval that Elizabeth was marrying a foreigner, Philip’s athletic skills, good looks and straight talk lent a distinct glamour to the royal family.

Elizabeth beamed in his presence, and they had a son and daughter while she was still free of the obligations of serving as monarch.

But King George VI died of cancer in 1952 at age 56.

Philip had to give up his naval career, and his subservient status was formally sealed at the coronation, when he knelt before his wife and pledged to become “her liege man of life and limb, and of earthly worship.”

The change in Philip’s life was dramatic.

“Within the house, and whatever we did, it was together,” Philip told biographer Basil Boothroyd of the years before Elizabeth became queen. “People used to come to me and ask me what to do. In 1952, the whole thing changed, very, very considerably.”

Said Boothroyd: “He had a choice between just tagging along, the second handshake in the receiving line, or finding other outlets for his bursting energies.”

So Philip took over management of the royal estates and expanded his travels to all corners of the world, building a role for himself.

From 1956, he was Patron and Chairman of Trustees for the largest youth activity program in Britain, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, a program of practical, cultural and adventurous activities for young people that exists in over 100 countries. Millions of British children have had some contact with the award and its famous camping expeditions.

He painted, collected modern art, was interested in industrial design and planned a garden at Windsor Castle. But, he once said, “the arts world thinks of me as an uncultured, polo-playing clot.”

In time, the famous blond hair thinned and the long, fine-boned face acquired a few lines. He gave up polo but remained trim and vigorous.

To a friend’s suggestion that he ease up a bit, the prince is said to have replied, “Well, what would I do? Sit around and knit?”

But when he turned 90 in 2011, Philip told the BBC he was “winding down” his workload and he reckoned he had “done my bit.”

The next few years saw occasional hospital stays as Philip’s health flagged.

He announced in May 2017 that he planned to step back from royal duties, and he stopped scheduling new commitments — after roughly 22,000 royal engagements since his wife’s coronation. In 2019, he gave up his driver’s license after a serious car crash.

Philip is survived by the queen and their four children — Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward — as well as eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

The grandchildren are Charles’ sons, Prince William and Prince Harry; Anne’s children, Peter and Zara Phillips; Andrew’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie; and Edward’s children, Lady Louise and Viscount Severn.

The great-grandchildren are William and Kate’s children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis; Harry and Meghan’s son, Archie; Savannah and Isla, the daughters of Peter Phillips and his wife, Autumn; Mia, Lena and Lucas, the children of Zara Phillips and her husband, Mike Tindall; and Eugenie’s son, August, with her husband, Jack Brooksbank

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613578226437.png" alt="Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh during a stop in Virginia with Queen Elizabeth II in 2007 image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh during a stop in Virginia with Queen Elizabeth II in 2007 image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>LONDON (AP) — Prince Philip, the irascible and tough-minded husband of Queen Elizabeth II who spent more than seven decades supporting his wife in a role that both defined and constricted his life, has died, Buckingham Palace said Friday. He was 99.His life spanned nearly a century of European history, starting with his birth as a member of the Greek royal family and ending as Britain’s longest serving consort during a turbulent reign in which the thousand-year-old monarchy was forced to reinvent itself for the 21st century.He was known for his occasionally racist and sexist remarks — and for gamely fulfilling more than 20,000 royal engagements to boost British interests at home and abroad. He headed hundreds of charities, founded programs that helped British schoolchildren participate in challenging outdoor adventures, and played a prominent part in raising his four children, including his eldest son, Prince Charles, the heir to the throne.Philip spent a month in hospital earlier this year before being released on March 16 to return to Windsor Castle.“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” the palace said. “His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.”Philip saw his sole role as providing support for his wife, who began her reign as Britain retreated from empire and steered the monarchy through decades of declining social deference and U.K. power into a modern world where people demand intimacy from their icons.In the 1970s, Michael Parker, an old navy friend and former private secretary of the prince, said of him: “He told me the first day he offered me my job, that his job — first, second and last — was never to let her down.”Speaking outside 10 Downing St., Prime Minister Boris Johnson noted the support Philip provided to the queen, saying he “helped to steer the royal family and the monarchy so that it remains an institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life.”The queen, a very private person not given to extravagant displays of affection, once called him “her rock” in public.In private, Philip called his wife Lilibet; but he referred to her in conversation with others as “The Queen.”Over the decades, Philip’s image changed from that of handsome, dashing athlete to arrogant and insensitive curmudgeon. In his later years, the image finally settled into that of droll and philosophical observer of the times, an elderly, craggy-faced man who maintained his military bearing despite ailments.The popular Netflix series “The Crown” gave Philip a central role, with a slightly racy, swashbuckling image. He never commented on it in public, but the portrayal struck a chord with many Britons, including younger viewers who had only known him as an elderly man.Philip’s position was a challenging one — there is no official role for the husband of a sovereign queen — and his life was marked by extraordinary contradictions between his public and private duties. He always walked three paces behind his wife in public, in a show of deference to the monarch, but he was the head of the family in private. Still, his son Charles, as heir to the throne, had a larger income, as well as access to the high-level government papers Philip was not permitted to see.Philip often took a wry approach to his unusual place at the royal table.“Constitutionally, I don’t exist,” said Philip, who in 2009 became the longest-serving consort in British history, surpassing Queen Charlotte, who married King George III in the18th century.He frequently struggled to find his place — a friction that would later be echoed in his grandson Prince Harry’s decision to give up royal duties.“There was no precedent,” he said in a rare interview with the BBC to mark his 90th birthday. “If I asked somebody, ‘What do you expect me to do?’ they all looked blank.”But having given up a promising naval career to become consort when Elizabeth became queen at age 25, Philip was not content to stay on the sidelines and enjoy a life of ease and wealth. He promoted British industry and science, espoused environmental preservation long before it became fashionable, and traveled widely and frequently in support of his many charities.In those frequent public appearances, Philip developed a reputation for being impatient and demanding and was sometimes blunt to the point of rudeness.Many Britons appreciated what they saw as his propensity to speak his mind, while others criticized behavior they labeled offensive and out of touch.In 1995, for example, he asked a Scottish driving instructor, “How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test?” Seven years later in Australia, when visiting Aboriginal people with the queen, he asked: “Do you still throw spears at each other?”Many believe his propensity to speak his mind meant he provided needed, unvarnished advice to the queen.“The way that he survived in the British monarchy system was to be his own man, and that was a source of support to the queen,” said royal historian Robert Lacey. “All her life she was surrounded by men who said, ‘yes ma’am’ and he was one man who always told her how it really was, or at least how he saw it.”Lacey said at the time of the royal family’s difficult relations with Princess Diana after her marriage to Charles broke down, Philip spoke for the family with authority, showing that he did not automatically defer to the queen.Philip’s relationship with Diana became complicated as her separation from Charles and their eventual divorce played out in a series of public battles that damaged the monarchy’s standing.It was widely assumed that he was critical of Diana’s use of broadcast interviews, including one in which she accused Charles of infidelity. But letters between Philip and Diana released after her death showed that the older man was at times supportive of his daughter-in-law.After Diana’s death in a car crash in Paris in 1997, Philip had to endure allegations by former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed that he had plotted the princess’s death. Al Fayed’s son, Dodi, also died in the crash.During a lengthy inquest into their deaths, a senior judge acting as coroner instructed the jury that there was no evidence to support the allegations against Philip, who did not publicly respond to Al Fayed’s charges.Philip’s final years were clouded by controversy and fissures in the royal family.His third child, Prince Andrew, was embroiled in scandal over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, an American financier who died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.U.S. authorities accused Andrew of rebuffing their request to interview him as a witness, and Andrew faced accusations from a woman who said that she had several sexual encounters with the prince at Epstein’s behest. He denied the claim but withdrew from public royal duties amid the scandal.At the start of 2020, Philip’s grandson Harry and his wife, the American former actress Meghan Markle, announced they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America to escape intense media scrutiny that they found unbearable.Born June 10, 1921, on the dining room table at his parents’ home on the Greek island of Corfu, Philip was the fifth child and only son of Prince Andrew, younger brother of the king of Greece. His grandfather had come from Denmark during the 1860s to be adopted by Greece as the country’s monarch.Philip’s mother was Princess Alice of Battenberg, a descendent of German princes. Like his future wife, Elizabeth, Philip was also a great-great-grandchild of Queen Victoria.When Philip was 18 months old, his parents fled to France. His father, an army commander, had been tried after a devastating military defeat by the Turks. After British intervention, the Greek junta agreed not to sentence Andrew to death if he left the country.The family was not exactly poor but, Philip said: “We weren’t well off” — and they got by with help from relatives. He later brought only his navy pay to a marriage with one of the world’s richest women.Philip’s parents drifted apart when he was a child, and Andrew died in Monte Carlo in 1944. Alice founded a religious order that did not succeed and spent her old age at Buckingham Palace. A reclusive figure, often dressed in a nun’s habit, she was little seen by the British public. She died in 1969 and was posthumously honored by Britain and Israel for sheltering a Jewish family in Nazi-occupied Athens during the war.Philip went to school in Britain and entered Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth as a cadet in 1939. He got his first posting in 1940 but was not allowed near the main war zone because he was a foreign prince of a neutral nation. When the Italian invasion of Greece ended that neutrality, he joined the war, serving on battleships in the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean and the Pacific.On leave in Britain, he visited his royal cousins, and, by the end of war, it was clear he was courting Princess Elizabeth, eldest child and heir of King George VI. Their engagement was announced July 10, 1947, and they were married on Nov. 20.After an initial flurry of disapproval that Elizabeth was marrying a foreigner, Philip’s athletic skills, good looks and straight talk lent a distinct glamour to the royal family.Elizabeth beamed in his presence, and they had a son and daughter while she was still free of the obligations of serving as monarch.But King George VI died of cancer in 1952 at age 56.Philip had to give up his naval career, and his subservient status was formally sealed at the coronation, when he knelt before his wife and pledged to become “her liege man of life and limb, and of earthly worship.”The change in Philip’s life was dramatic.“Within the house, and whatever we did, it was together,” Philip told biographer Basil Boothroyd of the years before Elizabeth became queen. “People used to come to me and ask me what to do. In 1952, the whole thing changed, very, very considerably.”Said Boothroyd: “He had a choice between just tagging along, the second handshake in the receiving line, or finding other outlets for his bursting energies.”So Philip took over management of the royal estates and expanded his travels to all corners of the world, building a role for himself.From 1956, he was Patron and Chairman of Trustees for the largest youth activity program in Britain, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, a program of practical, cultural and adventurous activities for young people that exists in over 100 countries. Millions of British children have had some contact with the award and its famous camping expeditions.He painted, collected modern art, was interested in industrial design and planned a garden at Windsor Castle. But, he once said, “the arts world thinks of me as an uncultured, polo-playing clot.”In time, the famous blond hair thinned and the long, fine-boned face acquired a few lines. He gave up polo but remained trim and vigorous.To a friend’s suggestion that he ease up a bit, the prince is said to have replied, “Well, what would I do? Sit around and knit?”But when he turned 90 in 2011, Philip told the BBC he was “winding down” his workload and he reckoned he had “done my bit.”The next few years saw occasional hospital stays as Philip’s health flagged.He announced in May 2017 that he planned to step back from royal duties, and he stopped scheduling new commitments — after roughly 22,000 royal engagements since his wife’s coronation. In 2019, he gave up his driver’s license after a serious car crash.Philip is survived by the queen and their four children — Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward — as well as eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.The grandchildren are Charles’ sons, Prince William and Prince Harry; Anne’s children, Peter and Zara Phillips; Andrew’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie; and Edward’s children, Lady Louise and Viscount Severn.The great-grandchildren are William and Kate’s children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis; Harry and Meghan’s son, Archie; Savannah and Isla, the daughters of Peter Phillips and his wife, Autumn; Mia, Lena and Lucas, the children of Zara Phillips and her husband, Mike Tindall; and Eugenie’s son, August, with her husband, Jack Brooksbank

More on death of Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II

Businesses can temporarily deduct 100% beginning January 1, 2021

WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service today issued <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-21-25.pdf">Notice 2021-25&nbsp;PDF</a>
 providing guidance under the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Relief Act
 of 2020. The Act added a temporary exception to the 50% limit on the 
amount that businesses may deduct for food or beverages. The temporary 
exception allows a 100% deduction for food or beverages from 
restaurants.

Beginning January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2022, businesses can 
claim 100% of their food or beverage expenses paid to restaurants as 
long as the business owner (or an employee of the business) is present 
when food or beverages are provided and the expense is not lavish or 
extravagant under the circumstances.

Where can businesses get food and beverages and claim 100%?

Under the temporary provision, restaurants include businesses that 
prepare and sell food or beverages to retail customers for immediate 
on-premises and/or off-premises consumption. However, restaurants do not
 include businesses that primarily sell pre-packaged goods not for 
immediate consumption, such as grocery stores and convenience stores.

Additionally, an employer may not treat certain employer-operated 
eating facilities as restaurants, even if these facilities are operated 
by a third party under contract with the employer.

More <a href="https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/coronavirus-tax-relief-for-businesses-and-tax-exempt-entities">information for businesses seeking coronavirus related tax relief</a> can be found at IRS.gov.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRS<h2>Businesses can temporarily deduct 100% beginning January 1, 2021</h2>IR-2021-79, April 8, 2021WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service today issued <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-21-25.pdf">Notice 2021-25&nbsp;PDF</a>
 providing guidance under the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Relief Act
 of 2020. The Act added a temporary exception to the 50% limit on the 
amount that businesses may deduct for food or beverages. The temporary 
exception allows a 100% deduction for food or beverages from 
restaurants.Beginning January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2022, businesses can 
claim 100% of their food or beverage expenses paid to restaurants as 
long as the business owner (or an employee of the business) is present 
when food or beverages are provided and the expense is not lavish or 
extravagant under the circumstances.<h2>Where can businesses get food and beverages and claim 100%?</h2>Under the temporary provision, restaurants include businesses that 
prepare and sell food or beverages to retail customers for immediate 
on-premises and/or off-premises consumption. However, restaurants do not
 include businesses that primarily sell pre-packaged goods not for 
immediate consumption, such as grocery stores and convenience stores.Additionally, an employer may not treat certain employer-operated 
eating facilities as restaurants, even if these facilities are operated 
by a third party under contract with the employer.More <a href="https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/coronavirus-tax-relief-for-businesses-and-tax-exempt-entities">information for businesses seeking coronavirus related tax relief</a> can be found at IRS.gov.

IRS: Business meals 100% deductible through 2022

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska says he believes he caught COVID-19 late last year, developing coronavirus symptoms and prompting him to wait at least three months to get vaccinated. 

Bacon says in a statement that he was exposed to an infected person and experienced symptoms, but never got tested. 

He says he’s expected to get a vaccine shot on Friday, and encouraged others to get one as well. 

Bacon’s congressional office reported on Dec. 2 that he had been exposed to the COVID-19 virus over the week of Thanksgiving and had gone into quarantine to comply with federal guidelines.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska says he believes he caught COVID-19 late last year, developing coronavirus symptoms and prompting him to wait at least three months to get vaccinated. Bacon says in a statement that he was exposed to an infected person and experienced symptoms, but never got tested. He says he’s expected to get a vaccine shot on Friday, and encouraged others to get one as well. Bacon’s congressional office reported on Dec. 2 that he had been exposed to the COVID-19 virus over the week of Thanksgiving and had gone into quarantine to comply with federal guidelines.

Nebraska US Rep. Bacon says he believes he had COVID-19

News Release US Attorney's Office-Omaha

Acting United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that a federal jury in Lincoln, Nebraska, returned a guilty verdict on April 7, 2021, against Thomas W. Hird, age 67, of Kearney, Nebraska, for three counts of filing a false tax return. The verdict subjects Hird to a potential prison term of up to three years on each count. Chief United States District Judge John M. Gerrard presided over the trial and set sentencing for July 14, 2021.

The evidence presented at trial established that Hird has owned and operated a nail salon business, Nails Unlimited, in Kearney, Nebraska since 2009. From around February of 2009, Hird would skim the cash and check payments of the business by cashing a majority of all customer checks received at the business and by conducting currency exchanges in which he would exchange small bills for $100 bills. Credit/Debit card transactions at the business would automatically be deposited into the business bank account, however, cash and check payments were rarely deposited into the business account. Hird willfully failed to report the cashed customer checks and currency received as part of his gross income on his yearly tax return.

The nail salon customers who testified at trial indicated that they were instructed to issue checks payable to Hird personally and not the business. The salon also had signs displayed that instructed customers to make checks payable to Hird. Hird testified at trial that he knew the bank had a policy against cashing checks made payable to his business.

The Internal Revenue Service began investigating Hird’s actions sometime in 2017. In July of 2017, an IRS Special Agent interviewed Hird about his nail salon business and about his practice of cashing customer checks and exchanging customer cash payments. Hird repeatedly denied he engaged in these transactions and claimed that all customer payments were deposited into the business bank account. At trial, Hird admitted he had lied to the Special Agent.

Through the years of 2012-2016, Hird failed to report income from Nails Unlimited in the amount of $520,107. As a result, Hird’s total tax due and owing for the years 2012-2016 is $134,989.

“A jury has now found Mr. Hird intentionally did not report all of his income when he filed his tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service. He received checks and cash gross receipts while running a nail salon business for several years that he did not include income,” said David Talcott, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation division in the St. Louis Field Office. “Today, a jury has convicted Mr. Hird of filing false tax returns with the IRS.”

Acting U.S. Attorney Sharp said, “We are currently in tax season. The jury’s verdict underscores the importance of taxpayers to truthfully report income on their tax returns.”

News Release US Attorney's Office-OmahaActing United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that a federal jury in Lincoln, Nebraska, returned a guilty verdict on April 7, 2021, against Thomas W. Hird, age 67, of Kearney, Nebraska, for three counts of filing a false tax return. The verdict subjects Hird to a potential prison term of up to three years on each count. Chief United States District Judge John M. Gerrard presided over the trial and set sentencing for July 14, 2021.The evidence presented at trial established that Hird has owned and operated a nail salon business, Nails Unlimited, in Kearney, Nebraska since 2009. From around February of 2009, Hird would skim the cash and check payments of the business by cashing a majority of all customer checks received at the business and by conducting currency exchanges in which he would exchange small bills for $100 bills. Credit/Debit card transactions at the business would automatically be deposited into the business bank account, however, cash and check payments were rarely deposited into the business account. Hird willfully failed to report the cashed customer checks and currency received as part of his gross income on his yearly tax return.The nail salon customers who testified at trial indicated that they were instructed to issue checks payable to Hird personally and not the business. The salon also had signs displayed that instructed customers to make checks payable to Hird. Hird testified at trial that he knew the bank had a policy against cashing checks made payable to his business.The Internal Revenue Service began investigating Hird’s actions sometime in 2017. In July of 2017, an IRS Special Agent interviewed Hird about his nail salon business and about his practice of cashing customer checks and exchanging customer cash payments. Hird repeatedly denied he engaged in these transactions and claimed that all customer payments were deposited into the business bank account. At trial, Hird admitted he had lied to the Special Agent.Through the years of 2012-2016, Hird failed to report income from Nails Unlimited in the amount of $520,107. As a result, Hird’s total tax due and owing for the years 2012-2016 is $134,989.“A jury has now found Mr. Hird intentionally did not report all of his income when he filed his tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service. He received checks and cash gross receipts while running a nail salon business for several years that he did not include income,” said David Talcott, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation division in the St. Louis Field Office. “Today, a jury has convicted Mr. Hird of filing false tax returns with the IRS.”Acting U.S. Attorney Sharp said, “We are currently in tax season. The jury’s verdict underscores the importance of taxpayers to truthfully report income on their tax returns.”