By DAVID CRARY and LUIS ANDRES HENAO, Associated Press

The Vatican’s declaration that same-sex unions are a sin the Roman Catholic Church cannot bless was no surprise for LGBTQ Catholics in the United States — yet it stung deeply nonetheless.

Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA, said her organization’s membership includes same-sex couples who have been together for decades, persevering in their love for one another in the face of bias and family rejection.

“The fact that our church at its highest levels cannot recognize the grace in that and cannot extend any sort of blessing to these couples is just tragic,” she said.

She was responding to a formal statement Monday from the Vatican’s orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, saying Roman Catholic clergy may not bless such unions since God “cannot bless sin.” It was approved by Pope Francis.

“Having sin be explicitly included in this statement kind of brings us back to zero,” said Ross Murray, who oversees religious issues for the LGBTQ rights group GLAAD.

He expressed dismay that “the ability for us to live out our lives fully and freely is still seen as an affront to the church or, worse yet, an affront to God, who created us and knows us and loves us.”

Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, which advocates for greater LGBTQ acceptance in the church, said that if those priests who have already been blessing same-sex unions now stop doing so, lay Catholics could be moved to take their place.

“If priests and pastoral ministers no longer feel they can perform such a blessing, the Catholic laity will step in and perform their own rituals,” DeBernardo said. “The toothpaste is out of the tube, and it can’t be put back inside.”

The Rev. Bryan Massingale, an openly gay Catholic priest and professor of theology and social ethics at Fordham University, said priests who want to engage in pastoral outreach to the gay and lesbian community “will continue to do so, except that it will be even more under the table ... than it was before.”

For Catholics in same-sex relationships, he said, the Vatican’s new message will hurt.

“Every human being is born with this innate desire to love,” he said. “For those who are oriented toward members of the same sex ... to have it being described as inherently or innately sinful without any qualification, that is crushing.”

Vatican doctrine holds that gays and lesbians should be treated with dignity and respect, but that gay sex is “intrinsically disordered” and that same-sex unions are sinful.

Natalia Imperatori-Lee, a professor of religious studies at Manhattan College, said those teachings, put together, are problematic.

“It boggles the mind that the hierarchy can affirm that LGBTQ+ persons are made in the image of God but that their unions are a sin,” she said via email. “Are they made in God’s image with the exception of their hearts? With the exception of their abilities and inclinations to love?”

Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of the U.S.-based NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice and an advocate for greater LGBTQ inclusion in the church, said she was relieved the Vatican statement wasn’t harsher.

She interpreted it as saying, “You can bless the individuals (in a same-sex union), you just can’t bless the contract.”

“So it’s possible you could have a ritual where the individuals get blessed to be their committed selves.”

The Vatican’s pronouncement was welcomed by some church conservatives, however, such as Bill Donohue, president of the New York-based Catholic League.

“There will be no recognition of homosexual unions or marriage by the Catholic Church. It is non-negotiable. End of story,” he said.

“Pope Francis has been under considerable pressure by gay activists, in and out of the church, to give the green light to gay marriage,” Donohue added, calling Monday’s statement “the most decisive rejection of those efforts ever written.”

Francis has endorsed providing legal protections for same-sex couples, but that is in the civil sphere and not the church.

Juan Carlos Cruz, a Chilean advocate for sex-abuse victims who is gay, reported in 2018 that when he met with Francis, the pope had told him, “God made you like this, and he loves you.”

On Monday, Cruz said the Vatican officials who issued the new statement “are completely in a world of their own, away from people and trying to defend the indefensible.”

He called for a change in the leadership of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, saying it was undermining efforts by Francis to create a more inclusive church.

“If the church and the CDF do not advance with the world ... Catholics will continue to flee.” he said.

In Francis’ homeland of Argentina, LGBTQ activist Esteban Paulon said earlier statements by the pontiff conveying empathy and understanding for gays and lesbians were mere gestures, lacking any official weight.

“They were not institutional pronouncements,” said Paulon, executive director of the Institute of Public Policies LGBT+. “Saying that homosexual practice is a sin takes us back 200 years and promotes hate speech that unfortunately in Latin America and Europe is on the rise.”

Chile’s largest LGBTQ rights group, the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation, condemned the decree as a “homophobic and anti-Christian action” from the Catholic hierarchy.

Spokesman Oscar Rementería contrasted the Vatican’s stern rhetoric against same-sex marriage with the many documented cases of Catholic leaders covering up child sex abuse committed by clergy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615845367722.png" alt="Pope Francis-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Pope Francis-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAVID CRARY and LUIS ANDRES HENAO, Associated PressThe Vatican’s declaration that same-sex unions are a sin the Roman Catholic Church cannot bless was no surprise for LGBTQ Catholics in the United States — yet it stung deeply nonetheless.Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA, said her organization’s membership includes same-sex couples who have been together for decades, persevering in their love for one another in the face of bias and family rejection.“The fact that our church at its highest levels cannot recognize the grace in that and cannot extend any sort of blessing to these couples is just tragic,” she said.She was responding to a formal statement Monday from the Vatican’s orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, saying Roman Catholic clergy may not bless such unions since God “cannot bless sin.” It was approved by Pope Francis.“Having sin be explicitly included in this statement kind of brings us back to zero,” said Ross Murray, who oversees religious issues for the LGBTQ rights group GLAAD.He expressed dismay that “the ability for us to live out our lives fully and freely is still seen as an affront to the church or, worse yet, an affront to God, who created us and knows us and loves us.”Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, which advocates for greater LGBTQ acceptance in the church, said that if those priests who have already been blessing same-sex unions now stop doing so, lay Catholics could be moved to take their place.“If priests and pastoral ministers no longer feel they can perform such a blessing, the Catholic laity will step in and perform their own rituals,” DeBernardo said. “The toothpaste is out of the tube, and it can’t be put back inside.”The Rev. Bryan Massingale, an openly gay Catholic priest and professor of theology and social ethics at Fordham University, said priests who want to engage in pastoral outreach to the gay and lesbian community “will continue to do so, except that it will be even more under the table ... than it was before.”For Catholics in same-sex relationships, he said, the Vatican’s new message will hurt.“Every human being is born with this innate desire to love,” he said. “For those who are oriented toward members of the same sex ... to have it being described as inherently or innately sinful without any qualification, that is crushing.”Vatican doctrine holds that gays and lesbians should be treated with dignity and respect, but that gay sex is “intrinsically disordered” and that same-sex unions are sinful.Natalia Imperatori-Lee, a professor of religious studies at Manhattan College, said those teachings, put together, are problematic.“It boggles the mind that the hierarchy can affirm that LGBTQ+ persons are made in the image of God but that their unions are a sin,” she said via email. “Are they made in God’s image with the exception of their hearts? With the exception of their abilities and inclinations to love?”Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of the U.S.-based NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice and an advocate for greater LGBTQ inclusion in the church, said she was relieved the Vatican statement wasn’t harsher.She interpreted it as saying, “You can bless the individuals (in a same-sex union), you just can’t bless the contract.”“So it’s possible you could have a ritual where the individuals get blessed to be their committed selves.”The Vatican’s pronouncement was welcomed by some church conservatives, however, such as Bill Donohue, president of the New York-based Catholic League.“There will be no recognition of homosexual unions or marriage by the Catholic Church. It is non-negotiable. End of story,” he said.“Pope Francis has been under considerable pressure by gay activists, in and out of the church, to give the green light to gay marriage,” Donohue added, calling Monday’s statement “the most decisive rejection of those efforts ever written.”Francis has endorsed providing legal protections for same-sex couples, but that is in the civil sphere and not the church.Juan Carlos Cruz, a Chilean advocate for sex-abuse victims who is gay, reported in 2018 that when he met with Francis, the pope had told him, “God made you like this, and he loves you.”On Monday, Cruz said the Vatican officials who issued the new statement “are completely in a world of their own, away from people and trying to defend the indefensible.”He called for a change in the leadership of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, saying it was undermining efforts by Francis to create a more inclusive church.“If the church and the CDF do not advance with the world ... Catholics will continue to flee.” he said.In Francis’ homeland of Argentina, LGBTQ activist Esteban Paulon said earlier statements by the pontiff conveying empathy and understanding for gays and lesbians were mere gestures, lacking any official weight.“They were not institutional pronouncements,” said Paulon, executive director of the Institute of Public Policies LGBT+. “Saying that homosexual practice is a sin takes us back 200 years and promotes hate speech that unfortunately in Latin America and Europe is on the rise.”Chile’s largest LGBTQ rights group, the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation, condemned the decree as a “homophobic and anti-Christian action” from the Catholic hierarchy.Spokesman Oscar Rementería contrasted the Vatican’s stern rhetoric against same-sex marriage with the many documented cases of Catholic leaders covering up child sex abuse committed by clergy.___

LGBTQ Catholics stung by church rebuff of same-sex unions

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The parents of a 2-year-old Nebraska boy who was killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World nearly five years ago want more families to consider donating their children’s organs.

 Matt and Melissa Graves created the Lane Thomas Foundation after their son’s death in 2016. 

The Omaha couple has said they decided to focus on pediatric organ donation because they wanted to help other families fighting for their children’s lives. 

The Graves’ foundation is trying to move beyond the small-scale donations it has been making so far to individual families with children undergoing transplants to raise awareness nationally about the need for pediatric organ donation.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The parents of a 2-year-old Nebraska boy who was killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World nearly five years ago want more families to consider donating their children’s organs. Matt and Melissa Graves created the Lane Thomas Foundation after their son’s death in 2016. The Omaha couple has said they decided to focus on pediatric organ donation because they wanted to help other families fighting for their children’s lives. The Graves’ foundation is trying to move beyond the small-scale donations it has been making so far to individual families with children undergoing transplants to raise awareness nationally about the need for pediatric organ donation.

Family of boy killed at Disney World urges organ donation

AP - An Omaha woman was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to charges stemming from a fatal accident last year on Interstate 80 in eastern Nebraska’s Sarpy County.

 Prosecutors said in a news release that 25-year-old Kenisha Prentice was ordered on Monday to serve five to 10 years in prison for felony motor vehicle homicide. 

She also was sentenced to another 18 months to 3 years in prison for DUI causing serious bodily injured, with the sentences to be served consecutively.

AP - An Omaha woman was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to charges stemming from a fatal accident last year on Interstate 80 in eastern Nebraska’s Sarpy County. Prosecutors said in a news release that 25-year-old Kenisha Prentice was ordered on Monday to serve five to 10 years in prison for felony motor vehicle homicide. She also was sentenced to another 18 months to 3 years in prison for DUI causing serious bodily injured, with the sentences to be served consecutively.

Nebraska woman sentenced to prison for fatal accident

The statewide law enforcement agencies of several neighboring states are joining together to urge motorists to slow down after a year of excessive speeding across the region, according to a media release from the Kansas Highway Patrol.

The Arkansas State Police, Iowa State Patrol, Kansas Highway Patrol, Missouri State Highway Patrol, and Nebraska State Patrol all report a dramatic increase in excessive speeding, coinciding with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp;

“Over the last year there has been a common theme while speaking with our law enforcement partners in neighboring states; the increase in excessive speeding,” said Colonel Herman T. Jones, Superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol. “KHP is proud to partner with our neighboring states in reminding motorists of the dangers of excessive speeding and the need for us to all work together to make our state and region safe.” Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska comprise Region 7 of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Each state tracked the increase of excessive speeding in different ways, but every method told the same story: A year that felt incredibly long was also the fastest on the roads in recent memory.

As the winter months give way to more favorable driving conditions and busiest travel seasons, each agency is asking all motorists to do their part in the effort to keep the roads safe. Obey the posted speed limits, eliminate distractions, never drive impaired, and always buckle up. Troopers in each state will continue to patrol day and night to enforce traffic safety laws and help any motorist in need of assistance.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615901024980.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The statewide law enforcement agencies of several neighboring states are joining together to urge motorists to slow down after a year of excessive speeding across the region, according to a media release from the Kansas Highway Patrol.The Arkansas State Police, Iowa State Patrol, Kansas Highway Patrol, Missouri State Highway Patrol, and Nebraska State Patrol all report a dramatic increase in excessive speeding, coinciding with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The last year has been one of the fastest on the roads in recent memory. We&#39;re joining <a href="https://twitter.com/ARStatePolice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ARStatePolice</a><a href="https://twitter.com/MSHPTrooperGHQ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MSHPTrooperGHQ</a><a href="https://twitter.com/iowastatepatrol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@iowastatepatrol</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/kshighwaypatrol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kshighwaypatrol</a> to remind drivers to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ObeyTheSign?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ObeyTheSign</a>. Our five states have had an average increase of 83% in excessive speeding citations. <a href="https://t.co/HRtNYFrlg8">pic.twitter.com/HRtNYFrlg8</a>&mdash; Nebraska State Patrol (@NEStatePatrol) <a href="https://twitter.com/NEStatePatrol/status/1371521244307292160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“Over the last year there has been a common theme while speaking with our law enforcement partners in neighboring states; the increase in excessive speeding,” said Colonel Herman T. Jones, Superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol. “KHP is proud to partner with our neighboring states in reminding motorists of the dangers of excessive speeding and the need for us to all work together to make our state and region safe.” Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska comprise Region 7 of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Each state tracked the increase of excessive speeding in different ways, but every method told the same story: A year that felt incredibly long was also the fastest on the roads in recent memory.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615900441122.png" alt="The increases in excessive speeding citations, as tracked by each statewide agency." />
 <figcaption>The increases in excessive speeding citations, as tracked by each statewide agency.</figcaption>
 </figure>As the winter months give way to more favorable driving conditions and busiest travel seasons, each agency is asking all motorists to do their part in the effort to keep the roads safe. Obey the posted speed limits, eliminate distractions, never drive impaired, and always buckle up. Troopers in each state will continue to patrol day and night to enforce traffic safety laws and help any motorist in need of assistance.

Nebraska, 4 other states join forces against excessive speeding

Lincoln – Hank Layman of Beatrice won $58,000 playing Nebraska Pick 5 from the Nebraska Lottery. He’s splitting the prize with Bonnie Jannsen, also of Beatrice, who goes in with him on tickets daily.

Layman purchased his ticket at Mom’s Corner at 566 W Court Street in Beatrice. The ticket contained three plays for the March 12 drawing, one of which matched the winning numbers 10, 18, 21, 34 and 35.

Layman and Jannsen have been lucky before. Jannsen won $5,000 on MyDaY back in 2008 and Layman won $7,000 on a Scratch ticket way back in 1996.

They said they’ve been going in on tickets together for about a year and were thrilled to see their numbers come up.

Layman said he’s going to pay some bills with his share of the winnings but Jannsen isn’t quite sure what she’s going to do yet, though this may be her last Pick 5 jackpot.

“She’s quitting,” Layman said. “But I’m still going to play.”

Nebraska Pick 5 is Nebraska’s unique Lottery game: all the proceeds from Nebraska Pick 5 stay in Nebraska, and all the winning tickets are sold in Nebraska at Nebraska Lottery Lotto game retailers. The odds of winning the Nebraska Pick 5 jackpot, which starts at $50,000 and grows by $4,000 each drawing that is not won, are 1 in 501,942 while the overall odds of winning a prize in the game, which has drawings seven nights a week, are 1 in 8.

The mission of the Nebraska Lottery is to generate proceeds for good causes while providing quality entertainment options to Nebraskans. Over $803 million has been raised for the Nebraska Lottery’s beneficiary funds since the Lottery began in 1993. All 93 counties in Nebraska have benefited from projects funded with these Nebraska Lottery proceeds.

Lincoln – Hank Layman of Beatrice won $58,000 playing Nebraska Pick 5 from the Nebraska Lottery. He’s splitting the prize with Bonnie Jannsen, also of Beatrice, who goes in with him on tickets daily.Layman purchased his ticket at Mom’s Corner at 566 W Court Street in Beatrice. The ticket contained three plays for the March 12 drawing, one of which matched the winning numbers 10, 18, 21, 34 and 35.Layman and Jannsen have been lucky before. Jannsen won $5,000 on MyDaY back in 2008 and Layman won $7,000 on a Scratch ticket way back in 1996.They said they’ve been going in on tickets together for about a year and were thrilled to see their numbers come up.Layman said he’s going to pay some bills with his share of the winnings but Jannsen isn’t quite sure what she’s going to do yet, though this may be her last Pick 5 jackpot.“She’s quitting,” Layman said. “But I’m still going to play.”Nebraska Pick 5 is Nebraska’s unique Lottery game: all the proceeds from Nebraska Pick 5 stay in Nebraska, and all the winning tickets are sold in Nebraska at Nebraska Lottery Lotto game retailers. The odds of winning the Nebraska Pick 5 jackpot, which starts at $50,000 and grows by $4,000 each drawing that is not won, are 1 in 501,942 while the overall odds of winning a prize in the game, which has drawings seven nights a week, are 1 in 8.The mission of the Nebraska Lottery is to generate proceeds for good causes while providing quality entertainment options to Nebraskans. Over $803 million has been raised for the Nebraska Lottery’s beneficiary funds since the Lottery began in 1993. All 93 counties in Nebraska have benefited from projects funded with these Nebraska Lottery proceeds.

Beatrice man wins $58,000 playing Nebraska Pick 5

LAS VEGAS (AP) — President Joe Biden is joining top messengers already crisscrossing the country to highlight the benefits of his massive COVID-19 rescue plan, in his case by promoting aid for small businesses.

Biden is set to visit a small business in suburban Philadelphia on Tuesday, his initial trip outside Washington for the “Help is here” tour that got underway Monday. Vice President Kamala Harris dropped in on a COVID-19 vaccination site and a culinary academy in Las Vegas while <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?509907-1/lady-jill-biden-speaks-covid-relief-aid-reopening-schools&amp;live=">first lady Jill Biden toured a New Jersey elementary school.</a>

“We want to avoid a situation where people are unaware of what they’re entitled to,” Harris said at the culinary academy. “It’s not selling it; it literally is letting people know their rights. Think of it more as a public education campaign.”

The White House is wasting no time promoting the $1.9 trillion relief plan, which Biden signed into law last week, looking to build momentum for the rest of his agenda and anxious to avoid the mistakes of 2009 in boosting that year’s recovery effort. Even veterans of Barack Obama’s administration acknowledge they did not do enough then to showcase their massive economic stimulus package.

“Hope is here in real and tangible ways,” Biden said Monday at the White House. He said the new government spending will bankroll efforts that could allow the nation to emerge from the pandemic’s twin crises, health and economic.

“Shots in arms and money in pockets,” the president said. “That’s important. The American Rescue Plan is already doing what it was designed to do: make a difference in people’s everyday lives. We’re just getting started.”

Biden said that within the next 10 days, his administration will clear two important benchmarks: distributing 100 million stimulus payments and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-19-vaccine-waste-largely-unknown-d2624a6dfefaa4b6a10cc0704ab5ab9d">administering 100 million vaccine doses</a>&nbsp;since he took office. To commemorate those milestones, Biden and his top representatives are embarking on their most ambitious travel schedule of his young presidency, visiting a series of potential election battleground states this week.

The sales pitch was leaving Republicans cold.

Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell dismissed the target of doses that Biden set when he took office as “not some audacious goal” but just the pace that he inherited. And he mocked Biden’s talk of Americans working toward merely being able to gather in small groups by July 4th as “bizarre.”

The Biden plan cleared Congress without any backing from Republicans, despite polling that found broad public support. Republicans argued the bill was too expensive, especially with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/germany-suspends-astrazeneca-vaccine-blood-clotting-0ab2c4fe13370c96c873e896387eb92f">vaccinations making progress against the virus,</a>&nbsp;and included too many provisions not directly linked to the pandemic.

After beginning the sales campaign with high-profile speeches, Biden will head to Pennsylvania on Tuesday and then join Harris in Georgia on Friday. Others on his team are visiting the electorally important states of Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and New Hampshire. The trip Monday marked Harris’ first official journey in office and included an unscheduled stop at a vegan taco stand as well as a coffee stand at the Culinary Academy Las Vegas.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “We want to take some time to engage directly with the American people and make sure they understand the benefits of the package and how it is going to help them get through this difficult period of time.”

The White House has detailed a theme for each day, focusing on small businesses, schools, home evictions and direct checks to most Americans. 

Jill Biden was joined by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on a tour Monday of Samuel Smith Elementary School in Burlington, where she highlighted steps the school took to reopen.

But her tour revealed the challenges ahead: In one classroom she visited, only two students were in attendance for in-person learning while the other 17 were virtual. The first lady sat down at a computer to say hello to the remote learners.

“I just I love being here at a school again: Educators, parents and students, the entire school has come together to bring kids back to the classroom,” she said. “But even with your best efforts, students can’t come, they can’t come in every day, which means that their parents are still having to take time off of work, or figure out childcare solutions. And this school like schools across this country can’t fully reopen without help.”

The president on Monday also announced that he had chosen Gene Sperling, a longtime Democratic economic policy expert, to oversee the massive stimulus package, the role Biden himself had played for the 2009 economic rescue package. The goal, Biden said, is to “stay on top of every dollar spent.”

“I learned from my experience implementing the Recovery Act just how important it is to have someone who can manage all the moving parts with efficiency, speed and integrity and accountability,” said the president.

The plan’s key features include direct payments of $1,400 for most single taxpayers, or $2,800 for married couples filing jointly, plus $1,400 per dependent — a total of $5,600 for a married couple with two children. The payments phase out for people with higher incomes.

An extension of federal unemployment benefits will continue through Sept. 6 at $300 a week. There’s $350 billion for state, local and tribal governments, $130 billion for K-12 schools and about $50 billion to expand COVID-19 testing, among other provisions.

Restaurants and bars that were forced to close or limit service can take advantage of a new multibillion-dollar grant program, and the plan also has tens of billions of dollars to help people who have fallen behind on rent and mortgage payments.

Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, joined his wife for the Western trip, visiting a food relief organization Monday in Las Vegas and participating in a listening session with the organization’s partners. In addition to the president, vice president and their spouses, Cabinet secretaries will also be out on the tour. Hundreds of mayors and governors, including Republicans, are being lined up to give interviews to discuss what the plan means for their communities.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg went first, touring a UPS distribution center in Landover, Maryland, on Monday that also delivers vaccines in the Washington area.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615895142496.png" alt="Jill Biden was joined by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on a tour Monday of Samuel Smith Elementary School in Burlington, where she highlighted steps the school took to reopen- photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Jill Biden was joined by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on a tour Monday of Samuel Smith Elementary School in Burlington, where she highlighted steps the school took to reopen- photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>LAS VEGAS (AP) — President Joe Biden is joining top messengers already crisscrossing the country to highlight the benefits of his massive COVID-19 rescue plan, in his case by promoting aid for small businesses.Biden is set to visit a small business in suburban Philadelphia on Tuesday, his initial trip outside Washington for the “Help is here” tour that got underway Monday. Vice President Kamala Harris dropped in on a COVID-19 vaccination site and a culinary academy in Las Vegas while <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?509907-1/lady-jill-biden-speaks-covid-relief-aid-reopening-schools&amp;live=">first lady Jill Biden toured a New Jersey elementary school.</a>“We want to avoid a situation where people are unaware of what they’re entitled to,” Harris said at the culinary academy. “It’s not selling it; it literally is letting people know their rights. Think of it more as a public education campaign.”The White House is wasting no time promoting the $1.9 trillion relief plan, which Biden signed into law last week, looking to build momentum for the rest of his agenda and anxious to avoid the mistakes of 2009 in boosting that year’s recovery effort. Even veterans of Barack Obama’s administration acknowledge they did not do enough then to showcase their massive economic stimulus package.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615895078268.png" alt="The Biden plan’s key features include direct payments of $1,400 for most single taxpayers, or $2,800 for married couples filing jointly, plus $1,400 per dependent — a total of $5,600 for a married couple with two children.-photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>The Biden plan’s key features include direct payments of $1,400 for most single taxpayers, or $2,800 for married couples filing jointly, plus $1,400 per dependent — a total of $5,600 for a married couple with two children.-photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>“Hope is here in real and tangible ways,” Biden said Monday at the White House. He said the new government spending will bankroll efforts that could allow the nation to emerge from the pandemic’s twin crises, health and economic.“Shots in arms and money in pockets,” the president said. “That’s important. The American Rescue Plan is already doing what it was designed to do: make a difference in people’s everyday lives. We’re just getting started.”Biden said that within the next 10 days, his administration will clear two important benchmarks: distributing 100 million stimulus payments and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-19-vaccine-waste-largely-unknown-d2624a6dfefaa4b6a10cc0704ab5ab9d">administering 100 million vaccine doses</a>&nbsp;since he took office. To commemorate those milestones, Biden and his top representatives are embarking on their most ambitious travel schedule of his young presidency, visiting a series of potential election battleground states this week.The sales pitch was leaving Republicans cold.Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell dismissed the target of doses that Biden set when he took office as “not some audacious goal” but just the pace that he inherited. And he mocked Biden’s talk of Americans working toward merely being able to gather in small groups by July 4th as “bizarre.”The Biden plan cleared Congress without any backing from Republicans, despite polling that found broad public support. Republicans argued the bill was too expensive, especially with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/germany-suspends-astrazeneca-vaccine-blood-clotting-0ab2c4fe13370c96c873e896387eb92f">vaccinations making progress against the virus,</a>&nbsp;and included too many provisions not directly linked to the pandemic.After beginning the sales campaign with high-profile speeches, Biden will head to Pennsylvania on Tuesday and then join Harris in Georgia on Friday. Others on his team are visiting the electorally important states of Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and New Hampshire. The trip Monday marked Harris’ first official journey in office and included an unscheduled stop at a vegan taco stand as well as a coffee stand at the Culinary Academy Las Vegas.White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “We want to take some time to engage directly with the American people and make sure they understand the benefits of the package and how it is going to help them get through this difficult period of time.”The White House has detailed a theme for each day, focusing on small businesses, schools, home evictions and direct checks to most Americans. Jill Biden was joined by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on a tour Monday of Samuel Smith Elementary School in Burlington, where she highlighted steps the school took to reopen.But her tour revealed the challenges ahead: In one classroom she visited, only two students were in attendance for in-person learning while the other 17 were virtual. The first lady sat down at a computer to say hello to the remote learners.“I just I love being here at a school again: Educators, parents and students, the entire school has come together to bring kids back to the classroom,” she said. “But even with your best efforts, students can’t come, they can’t come in every day, which means that their parents are still having to take time off of work, or figure out childcare solutions. And this school like schools across this country can’t fully reopen without help.”The president on Monday also announced that he had chosen Gene Sperling, a longtime Democratic economic policy expert, to oversee the massive stimulus package, the role Biden himself had played for the 2009 economic rescue package. The goal, Biden said, is to “stay on top of every dollar spent.”“I learned from my experience implementing the Recovery Act just how important it is to have someone who can manage all the moving parts with efficiency, speed and integrity and accountability,” said the president.The plan’s key features include direct payments of $1,400 for most single taxpayers, or $2,800 for married couples filing jointly, plus $1,400 per dependent — a total of $5,600 for a married couple with two children. The payments phase out for people with higher incomes.An extension of federal unemployment benefits will continue through Sept. 6 at $300 a week. There’s $350 billion for state, local and tribal governments, $130 billion for K-12 schools and about $50 billion to expand COVID-19 testing, among other provisions.Restaurants and bars that were forced to close or limit service can take advantage of a new multibillion-dollar grant program, and the plan also has tens of billions of dollars to help people who have fallen behind on rent and mortgage payments.Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, joined his wife for the Western trip, visiting a food relief organization Monday in Las Vegas and participating in a listening session with the organization’s partners. In addition to the president, vice president and their spouses, Cabinet secretaries will also be out on the tour. Hundreds of mayors and governors, including Republicans, are being lined up to give interviews to discuss what the plan means for their communities.Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg went first, touring a UPS distribution center in Landover, Maryland, on Monday that also delivers vaccines in the Washington area.

Shots in arms, money in pockets: Bidens promote relief plan 

BY NICOLE LEWIS OF THE&nbsp;Marshall Project and MICHAEL R. SISAK of The Associated Press

A&nbsp;Florida&nbsp;correctional officer polled his colleagues earlier this year in a private Facebook group: “Will you take the COVID-19 vaccine if offered?”

The answer from more than half: “Hell no.” Only 40 of the 475 respondents said yes.

In&nbsp;Massachusetts, more than half the people employed by the Department of Correction declined to be immunized. A statewide survey in&nbsp;California&nbsp;showed that half of all correction employees will wait to be vaccinated. In&nbsp;Rhode Island, prison staff have refused the vaccine at higher rates than the incarcerated, according to medical director Dr. Justin Berk. And in&nbsp;Iowa, early polling among employees showed a little more than half the staff said they’d get vaccinated.

As states have begun COVID-19 inoculations at prisons across the country, corrections employees are refusing vaccines at alarming rates, causing some public health experts to worry about the prospect of controlling the pandemic both inside and outside. Infection rates in prisons are more than three times as high as in the general public. Prison staff helped accelerate outbreaks by refusing to wear masks, downplaying people’s symptoms, and haphazardly enforcing social distancing and hygiene protocols in confined, poorly ventilated spaces ripe for viral spread.

This story is a collaboration between The Associated Press and The Marshall Project exploring the state of the prison system in the coronavirus pandemic. Nicole Lewis, Beth Schwartzapfel and Tom Meagher reported for The Marshall Project.

The Marshall Project and The Associated Press spoke with correctional officers and union leaders nationwide, as well as with public health experts and doctors working inside prisons, to understand why officers are declining to be vaccinated, despite being at higher risk of contracting COVID-19. Many employees spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared they would lose their jobs if they spoke out.

In December and January, at least 37 prison systems began to offer vaccines to their employees, particularly front-line correctional officers and those who work in health care. More than 106,000 prison employees in 29 systems, including the Federal Bureau of Prisons, have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to data compiled by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press since December. And some states are not tracking employees who get vaccinated in a community setting such as a clinic or pharmacy.

Still, some correctional officers are refusing the vaccine because they fear both short- and long-term side effects of the immunizations. Others have embraced conspiracy theories about the vaccine. Distrust of the prison administration and its handling of the virus has also discouraged officers from being immunized. In some instances, correctional officers said they would rather be fired than be vaccinated.

The resistance to the vaccine is not unique to correctional officers. Health care workers, caretakers in nursing homes and police officers — who have witnessed the worst effects of the pandemic — have declined to be vaccinated at unexpectedly high rates.

The refusal of prison workers to take the vaccine threatens to undermine efforts to control the pandemic both inside and outside of prisons, according to public health experts. Prisons are coronavirus hot spots, so when staff move between the prisons and their home communities after work, they create a pathway for the virus to spread. More than 388,000 incarcerated people and 105,000 staff members have contracted the coronavirus over the last year. In states like&nbsp;Michigan,&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;and&nbsp;Arizona, that’s meant 1 in 3 staff members have been infected. In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/maine">Maine</a>, the state with the lowest infection rate, 1 in 20 staff members tested positive for COVID-19. Nationwide, those infections proved fatal for 2,474 prisoners and at least 193 staff members.

“People who work in prisons are an essential part of the equation that will lead to reduced disease and less chance of renewed explosive COVID-19 outbreaks in the future,” said Brie Williams, a correctional health expert at the University of California, San Francisco, or UCSF.

At FCI Miami, a federal prison in Florida, fewer than half the facility’s 240 employees had been fully vaccinated as of March 11, according to Kareen Troitino, the local corrections officer union president. Many of the workers who refused had expressed concerns about the vaccine’s efficacy and side effects, Troitino said.

In January, Troitino and FCI Miami warden Sylvester Jenkins sent an email to employees saying that “in an act of solidarity,” they had agreed to get vaccinated and encouraged staff to do the same. “Even though we recognize and respect that this motion is not mandatory; nevertheless, with the intent of promoting staff safety, we encourage all staff to join us,” the Jan. 27 email said.

Only 25 employees signed up. FCI Miami has had two major coronavirus outbreaks, Troitino said: last July, when more than 400 prisoners out of 852 were suspected of having the disease, and in December, when about 100 people were affected at the facility’s minimum-security camp.

Because so many correctional officers and prisoners haven’t been vaccinated, there are fears that could happen again. “Everybody is on edge,” Troitino said. Though he’s gotten the shot, he’s worried about another outbreak and the impact on already stretched staffing at the prison.

The pandemic has strained prisons already struggling with low staffing rates and subpar health care. Low vaccination rates among officers could push prisons to their breaking point. At the height of the outbreak behind bars, several states had to call in the National Guard to temporarily run the facilities because so many staff members had called out sick or refused to work.

At FCI Miami, officers are constantly shuttling sick and elderly prisoners to the hospital, Troitino said. As a result, a skeleton crew of staff is left to operate the prison. Unvaccinated staff only compound the problem as they run the risk of getting sick when outbreaks crop up in the prisons.

“A lot of employees get scared when they find out, ‘Oh, we had an outbreak in a unit, 150 inmates have COVID,’” Troitino said. “Everybody calls in sick.”

Part of the resistance to the vaccine is widespread misinformation among correctional staff, said Brian Dawe, a former correctional officer and national director of One Voice United, a policy and advocacy group for officers. A majority of people in law enforcement lean right, Dawe said. “They get a lot of their information from the right-wing media outlets,” he said. “A lot of them believe you don’t have to wear masks. That it’s like the flu.” National polls have shown that Republicans without college degrees are the most resistant to the vaccine.

Several correctional officers in Florida, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they are not permitted to talk to the press, said many of their colleagues believe that the vaccine could give them the virus. Some have latched onto debunked conspiracy theories circulating on social media, the officers said, believing the vaccine contains tracking devices produced by former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, who has donated to coronavirus treatment research. (The vaccine does not contain tracking devices.) Others believe the vaccine was hastily produced without enough time to understand the long-term side effects.

“I wouldn’t care if I worked in a dorm with every inmate having COVID, I still wouldn’t get (vaccinated),” said a correctional sergeant who has worked for the Florida Department of Corrections for more than a decade. “If I’m wearing a mask, gloves, washing my hands and being careful — I’d still feel better working like that than putting the vaccine in my body.”

Officer attitudes about the vaccine are so widespread that researchers at UCSF have created a frequently asked questions flyer for the incarcerated that includes: “I heard the guards/officers … at my facility are refusing to get the vaccine. If they aren’t getting it, why should I?” The researchers encourage the incarcerated to learn as much as they can about the vaccine and to make their own decision “regardless of what other people are doing.”

Public health experts have urged states to prioritize vaccinations in prisons and jails but cautioned against prioritizing staff over prisoners. Though numbers aren’t available from many states, at least 15 began vaccinating staff before the incarcerated, The Marshall Project and Associated Press found. “We know they have anti-vax ideations and attitudes,” said Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, who leads the COVID Prison Project, which tracks correction officials’ responses to the pandemic. “We have said again and again, we shouldn’t have this two-tier system.”

But guards’ refusal to be vaccinated has been a blessing for some incarcerated people. The vaccines have a short shelf life after being thawed out, so officials have offered the leftover vaccines to prisoners instead of letting them go to waste. Julia Ann Poff is incarcerated at FMC Carswell, a federal prison in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/texas">Texas</a>&nbsp;for women with special medical and mental health needs, for sending bombs to state and federal officials. She said she received her first shot in mid-December, after several officers declined.

“I consider myself very blessed to have received it,” she wrote, using the prison’s email system. “I have lupus and a recent diagnosis of heart disease, so there was no way I could afford to let myself get (sick).”

Misinformation and conspiracy theories aside, some officers in federal prisons say they are refusing the vaccine because they do not trust the prison administration. The Federal Bureau of Prisons has come under fire by employees and the incarcerated for its response to the coronavirus. Among the criticisms: a lack of masks and soap in the pandemic’s early days, broken thermometers at one facility and sick prisoners who say they were bunched together without social distancing.

At FCI Mendota, a medium-security federal prison near Fresno, California, officials closed off the main employee entrance in January, funneled the employees through a visiting room turned vaccination clinic and forced them to decide on the spot whether to get vaccinated. Employees weren’t allowed to proceed to their posts without either getting vaccinated or signing a form declaring they refused the vaccine.

Aaron McGlothin, a local corrections officers’ union president, said he refused the vaccine citing medical issues, adding that he doesn’t trust prison officials’ motives.

Employers cannot mandate that staff get vaccinated. So correctional officers’ refusal puts incarcerated people at risk as they have no way of protecting themselves from unmasked and unvaccinated officers. By December, 1 in 5 incarcerated people had contracted the coronavirus, according to data compiled by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press.

Correctional officers can bring the virus home from work and infect family members, too. In extreme cases, those family members themselves become seriously ill or even die. At least five family members of correctional employees have died of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to the online memorial Mourning Our Losses, which tracks COVID-19 deaths among those who live and work in prisons and jails. In one instance, a Florida correctional officer and his wife died in side-by-side intensive care rooms on the same day.

For some officers, these life and death experiences are a wake-up call. At FCI Miami, where Troitino leads the local officers’ union, several employees contracted the virus or were hospitalized for COVID-19 after officials encouraged them to get vaccinated in late January but they refused. Some of those employees have expressed a change of heart about the vaccine.

“They have called me begging to have the vaccine reserved for them upon their return,” Troitino said. “A few faced life and death and are totally devastated by their experience.”

BY NICOLE LEWIS OF THE&nbsp;Marshall Project and MICHAEL R. SISAK of The Associated PressA&nbsp;Florida&nbsp;correctional officer polled his colleagues earlier this year in a private Facebook group: “Will you take the COVID-19 vaccine if offered?”The answer from more than half: “Hell no.” Only 40 of the 475 respondents said yes.In&nbsp;Massachusetts, more than half the people employed by the Department of Correction declined to be immunized. A statewide survey in&nbsp;California&nbsp;showed that half of all correction employees will wait to be vaccinated. In&nbsp;Rhode Island, prison staff have refused the vaccine at higher rates than the incarcerated, according to medical director Dr. Justin Berk. And in&nbsp;Iowa, early polling among employees showed a little more than half the staff said they’d get vaccinated.As states have begun COVID-19 inoculations at prisons across the country, corrections employees are refusing vaccines at alarming rates, causing some public health experts to worry about the prospect of controlling the pandemic both inside and outside. Infection rates in prisons are more than three times as high as in the general public. Prison staff helped accelerate outbreaks by refusing to wear masks, downplaying people’s symptoms, and haphazardly enforcing social distancing and hygiene protocols in confined, poorly ventilated spaces ripe for viral spread.___This story is a collaboration between The Associated Press and The Marshall Project exploring the state of the prison system in the coronavirus pandemic. Nicole Lewis, Beth Schwartzapfel and Tom Meagher reported for The Marshall Project.___The Marshall Project and The Associated Press spoke with correctional officers and union leaders nationwide, as well as with public health experts and doctors working inside prisons, to understand why officers are declining to be vaccinated, despite being at higher risk of contracting COVID-19. Many employees spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared they would lose their jobs if they spoke out.In December and January, at least 37 prison systems began to offer vaccines to their employees, particularly front-line correctional officers and those who work in health care. More than 106,000 prison employees in 29 systems, including the Federal Bureau of Prisons, have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to data compiled by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press since December. And some states are not tracking employees who get vaccinated in a community setting such as a clinic or pharmacy.Still, some correctional officers are refusing the vaccine because they fear both short- and long-term side effects of the immunizations. Others have embraced conspiracy theories about the vaccine. Distrust of the prison administration and its handling of the virus has also discouraged officers from being immunized. In some instances, correctional officers said they would rather be fired than be vaccinated.The resistance to the vaccine is not unique to correctional officers. Health care workers, caretakers in nursing homes and police officers — who have witnessed the worst effects of the pandemic — have declined to be vaccinated at unexpectedly high rates.The refusal of prison workers to take the vaccine threatens to undermine efforts to control the pandemic both inside and outside of prisons, according to public health experts. Prisons are coronavirus hot spots, so when staff move between the prisons and their home communities after work, they create a pathway for the virus to spread. More than 388,000 incarcerated people and 105,000 staff members have contracted the coronavirus over the last year. In states like&nbsp;Michigan,&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;and&nbsp;Arizona, that’s meant 1 in 3 staff members have been infected. In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/maine">Maine</a>, the state with the lowest infection rate, 1 in 20 staff members tested positive for COVID-19. Nationwide, those infections proved fatal for 2,474 prisoners and at least 193 staff members.“People who work in prisons are an essential part of the equation that will lead to reduced disease and less chance of renewed explosive COVID-19 outbreaks in the future,” said Brie Williams, a correctional health expert at the University of California, San Francisco, or UCSF.At FCI Miami, a federal prison in Florida, fewer than half the facility’s 240 employees had been fully vaccinated as of March 11, according to Kareen Troitino, the local corrections officer union president. Many of the workers who refused had expressed concerns about the vaccine’s efficacy and side effects, Troitino said.In January, Troitino and FCI Miami warden Sylvester Jenkins sent an email to employees saying that “in an act of solidarity,” they had agreed to get vaccinated and encouraged staff to do the same. “Even though we recognize and respect that this motion is not mandatory; nevertheless, with the intent of promoting staff safety, we encourage all staff to join us,” the Jan. 27 email said.Only 25 employees signed up. FCI Miami has had two major coronavirus outbreaks, Troitino said: last July, when more than 400 prisoners out of 852 were suspected of having the disease, and in December, when about 100 people were affected at the facility’s minimum-security camp.Because so many correctional officers and prisoners haven’t been vaccinated, there are fears that could happen again. “Everybody is on edge,” Troitino said. Though he’s gotten the shot, he’s worried about another outbreak and the impact on already stretched staffing at the prison.The pandemic has strained prisons already struggling with low staffing rates and subpar health care. Low vaccination rates among officers could push prisons to their breaking point. At the height of the outbreak behind bars, several states had to call in the National Guard to temporarily run the facilities because so many staff members had called out sick or refused to work.At FCI Miami, officers are constantly shuttling sick and elderly prisoners to the hospital, Troitino said. As a result, a skeleton crew of staff is left to operate the prison. Unvaccinated staff only compound the problem as they run the risk of getting sick when outbreaks crop up in the prisons.“A lot of employees get scared when they find out, ‘Oh, we had an outbreak in a unit, 150 inmates have COVID,’” Troitino said. “Everybody calls in sick.”Part of the resistance to the vaccine is widespread misinformation among correctional staff, said Brian Dawe, a former correctional officer and national director of One Voice United, a policy and advocacy group for officers. A majority of people in law enforcement lean right, Dawe said. “They get a lot of their information from the right-wing media outlets,” he said. “A lot of them believe you don’t have to wear masks. That it’s like the flu.” National polls have shown that Republicans without college degrees are the most resistant to the vaccine.Several correctional officers in Florida, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they are not permitted to talk to the press, said many of their colleagues believe that the vaccine could give them the virus. Some have latched onto debunked conspiracy theories circulating on social media, the officers said, believing the vaccine contains tracking devices produced by former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, who has donated to coronavirus treatment research. (The vaccine does not contain tracking devices.) Others believe the vaccine was hastily produced without enough time to understand the long-term side effects.“I wouldn’t care if I worked in a dorm with every inmate having COVID, I still wouldn’t get (vaccinated),” said a correctional sergeant who has worked for the Florida Department of Corrections for more than a decade. “If I’m wearing a mask, gloves, washing my hands and being careful — I’d still feel better working like that than putting the vaccine in my body.”Officer attitudes about the vaccine are so widespread that researchers at UCSF have created a frequently asked questions flyer for the incarcerated that includes: “I heard the guards/officers … at my facility are refusing to get the vaccine. If they aren’t getting it, why should I?” The researchers encourage the incarcerated to learn as much as they can about the vaccine and to make their own decision “regardless of what other people are doing.”Public health experts have urged states to prioritize vaccinations in prisons and jails but cautioned against prioritizing staff over prisoners. Though numbers aren’t available from many states, at least 15 began vaccinating staff before the incarcerated, The Marshall Project and Associated Press found. “We know they have anti-vax ideations and attitudes,” said Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, who leads the COVID Prison Project, which tracks correction officials’ responses to the pandemic. “We have said again and again, we shouldn’t have this two-tier system.”But guards’ refusal to be vaccinated has been a blessing for some incarcerated people. The vaccines have a short shelf life after being thawed out, so officials have offered the leftover vaccines to prisoners instead of letting them go to waste. Julia Ann Poff is incarcerated at FMC Carswell, a federal prison in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/texas">Texas</a>&nbsp;for women with special medical and mental health needs, for sending bombs to state and federal officials. She said she received her first shot in mid-December, after several officers declined.“I consider myself very blessed to have received it,” she wrote, using the prison’s email system. “I have lupus and a recent diagnosis of heart disease, so there was no way I could afford to let myself get (sick).”Misinformation and conspiracy theories aside, some officers in federal prisons say they are refusing the vaccine because they do not trust the prison administration. The Federal Bureau of Prisons has come under fire by employees and the incarcerated for its response to the coronavirus. Among the criticisms: a lack of masks and soap in the pandemic’s early days, broken thermometers at one facility and sick prisoners who say they were bunched together without social distancing.At FCI Mendota, a medium-security federal prison near Fresno, California, officials closed off the main employee entrance in January, funneled the employees through a visiting room turned vaccination clinic and forced them to decide on the spot whether to get vaccinated. Employees weren’t allowed to proceed to their posts without either getting vaccinated or signing a form declaring they refused the vaccine.Aaron McGlothin, a local corrections officers’ union president, said he refused the vaccine citing medical issues, adding that he doesn’t trust prison officials’ motives.Employers cannot mandate that staff get vaccinated. So correctional officers’ refusal puts incarcerated people at risk as they have no way of protecting themselves from unmasked and unvaccinated officers. By December, 1 in 5 incarcerated people had contracted the coronavirus, according to data compiled by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press.Correctional officers can bring the virus home from work and infect family members, too. In extreme cases, those family members themselves become seriously ill or even die. At least five family members of correctional employees have died of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to the online memorial Mourning Our Losses, which tracks COVID-19 deaths among those who live and work in prisons and jails. In one instance, a Florida correctional officer and his wife died in side-by-side intensive care rooms on the same day.For some officers, these life and death experiences are a wake-up call. At FCI Miami, where Troitino leads the local officers’ union, several employees contracted the virus or were hospitalized for COVID-19 after officials encouraged them to get vaccinated in late January but they refused. Some of those employees have expressed a change of heart about the vaccine.“They have called me begging to have the vaccine reserved for them upon their return,” Troitino said. “A few faced life and death and are totally devastated by their experience.”

US prison guards refusing vaccine despite COVID-19 outbreaks

WASHINGTON&nbsp;—&nbsp;The Internal Revenue Service announced today that the 
third round of Economic Impact Payments will begin reaching Americans 
over the next week.

Following approval of the American Rescue Plan Act, the first batch 
of payments will be sent by direct deposit, which some recipients will 
start receiving as early as this weekend, and with more receiving this 
coming week.

Additional batches of payments will be sent in the coming weeks by 
direct deposit and through the mail as a check or debit card. The vast 
majority of these payments will be by direct deposit.

No action is needed by most taxpayers; the payments will be automatic
 and, in many cases, similar to how people received the first and second
 round of Economic Impact Payments in 2020. People can check the&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment">Get My Payment</a>&nbsp;tool on IRS.gov on Monday to see the payment status of the third stimulus payment.

"Even though the tax season is in full swing, IRS employees again 
worked around the clock to quickly deliver help to millions of Americans
 struggling to cope with this historic pandemic," said IRS 
Commissioner&nbsp;Chuck Rettig. "The payments will be delivered automatically
 to taxpayers even as the IRS continues delivering regular tax refunds. 
We urge people to visit IRS.gov for the latest details on the stimulus 
payments, other new tax law provisions and tax season updates."

Highlights of the third round of Economic Impact Payments; IRS will automatically calculate amounts

In general, most people will get $1,400 for themselves and $1,400 for
 each of their qualifying dependents claimed on their tax return. As 
with the first two Economic Impact Payments in 2020, most Americans will
 receive their money without having to take any action. Some Americans 
may see the direct deposit payments as pending or as provisional 
payments in their accounts before the official payment date of March 17.

Because these payments are automatic for most eligible people, 
contacting either financial institutions or the IRS&nbsp;on payment timing 
will not speed up their arrival. Social Security and other federal 
beneficiaries will generally receive this third payment the same way as 
their regular benefits. A payment date for this group will be announced 
shortly.

The third round of Economic Impact Payments (EIP3) will be based on 
the taxpayer's latest processed tax return from either 2020 or 2019. 
This includes anyone who successfully registered online at IRS.gov using
 the agency's Non-Filers tool last year, or alternatively, submitted a 
special simplified tax return to the IRS. If the IRS has received and 
processed a taxpayer's 2020 return, the agency will instead make the 
calculation based on that return.

In addition, the IRS will automatically send EIP3 to people who 
didn't file a return but receive Social Security retirement, survivor or
 disability benefits (SSDI), Railroad Retirement benefits, Supplemental 
Security Income (SSI) or Veterans Affairs benefits. This is similar to 
the first and second rounds of Economic Impact Payments, often referred 
to as EIP1 and EIP2.

For those who&nbsp;received EIP1 or EIP2 but don't receive&nbsp;a payment via 
direct deposit, they will generally receive a check or, in some 
instances, a prepaid debit card (referred to as an "EIP Card). A payment
 will not be added to an existing EIP card mailed for the first or 
second round of stimulus payments.

Under the new law, an EIP3 cannot be offset to pay various past-due federal debts or back taxes.

The IRS reminds taxpayers that the income levels in this new round of
 stimulus payments have changed. This means that some people won't be 
eligible for the third payment even if they received a first or second 
Economic Impact Payment or claimed a 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit. 
Payments will begin to be reduced for individuals making $75,000 or 
above in Adjusted Gross Income ($150,000 for married filing jointly.) 
The reduced payments end at $80,000 for individuals ($160,000); people 
above these levels are ineligible for a payment. More information is 
available on IRS.gov.

New payments differ from earlier Economic Impact Payments

The third round of stimulus payments, those authorized by the 2021 
American Rescue Plan Act, differs from the earlier payments in several 
respects:

For additional information, see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/more-details-about-the-third-round-of-economic-impact-payments">More details about the third round of Economic Impact Payments</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON&nbsp;—&nbsp;The Internal Revenue Service announced today that the 
third round of Economic Impact Payments will begin reaching Americans 
over the next week.Following approval of the American Rescue Plan Act, the first batch 
of payments will be sent by direct deposit, which some recipients will 
start receiving as early as this weekend, and with more receiving this 
coming week.Additional batches of payments will be sent in the coming weeks by 
direct deposit and through the mail as a check or debit card. The vast 
majority of these payments will be by direct deposit.No action is needed by most taxpayers; the payments will be automatic
 and, in many cases, similar to how people received the first and second
 round of Economic Impact Payments in 2020. People can check the&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment">Get My Payment</a>&nbsp;tool on IRS.gov on Monday to see the payment status of the third stimulus payment."Even though the tax season is in full swing, IRS employees again 
worked around the clock to quickly deliver help to millions of Americans
 struggling to cope with this historic pandemic," said IRS 
Commissioner&nbsp;Chuck Rettig. "The payments will be delivered automatically
 to taxpayers even as the IRS continues delivering regular tax refunds. 
We urge people to visit IRS.gov for the latest details on the stimulus 
payments, other new tax law provisions and tax season updates."<h2>Highlights of the third round of Economic Impact Payments; IRS will automatically calculate amounts</h2>In general, most people will get $1,400 for themselves and $1,400 for
 each of their qualifying dependents claimed on their tax return. As 
with the first two Economic Impact Payments in 2020, most Americans will
 receive their money without having to take any action. Some Americans 
may see the direct deposit payments as pending or as provisional 
payments in their accounts before the official payment date of March 17.Because these payments are automatic for most eligible people, 
contacting either financial institutions or the IRS&nbsp;on payment timing 
will not speed up their arrival. Social Security and other federal 
beneficiaries will generally receive this third payment the same way as 
their regular benefits. A payment date for this group will be announced 
shortly.The third round of Economic Impact Payments (EIP3) will be based on 
the taxpayer's latest processed tax return from either 2020 or 2019. 
This includes anyone who successfully registered online at IRS.gov using
 the agency's Non-Filers tool last year, or alternatively, submitted a 
special simplified tax return to the IRS. If the IRS has received and 
processed a taxpayer's 2020 return, the agency will instead make the 
calculation based on that return.In addition, the IRS will automatically send EIP3 to people who 
didn't file a return but receive Social Security retirement, survivor or
 disability benefits (SSDI), Railroad Retirement benefits, Supplemental 
Security Income (SSI) or Veterans Affairs benefits. This is similar to 
the first and second rounds of Economic Impact Payments, often referred 
to as EIP1 and EIP2.For those who&nbsp;received EIP1 or EIP2 but don't receive&nbsp;a payment via 
direct deposit, they will generally receive a check or, in some 
instances, a prepaid debit card (referred to as an "EIP Card). A payment
 will not be added to an existing EIP card mailed for the first or 
second round of stimulus payments.Under the new law, an EIP3 cannot be offset to pay various past-due federal debts or back taxes.The IRS reminds taxpayers that the income levels in this new round of
 stimulus payments have changed. This means that some people won't be 
eligible for the third payment even if they received a first or second 
Economic Impact Payment or claimed a 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit. 
Payments will begin to be reduced for individuals making $75,000 or 
above in Adjusted Gross Income ($150,000 for married filing jointly.) 
The reduced payments end at $80,000 for individuals ($160,000); people 
above these levels are ineligible for a payment. More information is 
available on IRS.gov.<h2>New payments differ from earlier Economic Impact Payments</h2>The third round of stimulus payments, those authorized by the 2021 
American Rescue Plan Act, differs from the earlier payments in several 
respects:<ul>
 <li>The third stimulus payment will be larger for most people. Most 
families will get $1,400 per person, including all dependents claimed on
 their tax return. Typically, this means a single person with no 
dependents will get $1,400, while a family of four (married couple with 
two dependents) will get $5,600.</li><li>Unlike the first two payments, the third stimulus payment is not 
restricted to children under 17. Eligible families will get a payment 
based on all of their qualifying dependents claimed on their return, 
including older relatives like college students, adults with 
disabilities, parents and grandparents.</li>
 </ul>For additional information, see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/more-details-about-the-third-round-of-economic-impact-payments">More details about the third round of Economic Impact Payments</a>.

IRS begins delivering third round of COVID payments to Americans

GREELEY, Neb. (AP) — State troopers say a Scotia man has died in a rollover crash in central Nebraska. 

The Omaha World-Herald reports the crash happened around 10:45 p.m. Saturday on U.S. Highway 281 in rural Greeley County when a southbound vehicle went off the road and rolled several times. 

The crash threw driver Nathan Marshall from the vehicle. 

The Nebraska State Patrol says the 36-year-old Marshall died at the scene of the crash.

GREELEY, Neb. (AP) — State troopers say a Scotia man has died in a rollover crash in central Nebraska. The Omaha World-Herald reports the crash happened around 10:45 p.m. Saturday on U.S. Highway 281 in rural Greeley County when a southbound vehicle went off the road and rolled several times. The crash threw driver Nathan Marshall from the vehicle. The Nebraska State Patrol says the 36-year-old Marshall died at the scene of the crash.

Nebraska State Patrol says Scotia man killed in crash

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. effort in World War II was off the charts. Battles spread over three continents and four years, 16 million served in uniform and the government shoved levers of the economy full force into defeating Nazi Germany and imperial Japan.

All of that was cheaper for American taxpayers than this pandemic.

The $1,400 federal payments going into millions of people’s bank accounts are but one slice of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-inside-covid-19-bill-relief-package-52fa93ac75d38eae4cd3dbb6402e7eba">nearly $2 trillion relief package made law</a>&nbsp;this past week. With that, the United States has spent or committed to spend nearly $6 trillion to crush the coronavirus, recover economically and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-19-relief-bill-social-safety-net-3bff45f1be9d5f7eb8cd7c14a51c6732">take a bite out of child poverty.</a>

Set in motion over one year, that’s warp-speed spending in a capital known for gridlock, ugly argument and now an episode of violent insurrection.

For a year now, Americans have grappled with numbers beyond ordinary comprehension: some 30 million infected, more than half a million dead, millions of jobs lost, vast sums of money sloshing through government pipelines to try to set things right.

How high can you count? At one turn after another, that may be the rhetorical question of these COVID-19 times.

Once, the attack on Pearl Harbor was the modern marker for national trauma. About 2,400 Americans died in the assault on the naval base in Hawaii that drew the United States into the Pacific war. The nearly 3,000 dead from the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2001, became the new point of comparison as the ravages of COVID-19 grew.

The U.S. reached a total of 3,000 COVID-19 deaths even before March 2020 was out. By December, the country was experiencing the toll of 9/11 day after day after day. In that time, COVID-19 was killing more Americans than any other disease, any other single cause.

“COVID-19 now is the leading cause of death, surpassing heart disease,” Dr. Robert Redfield, then leading the Centers for Disease and Prevention,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cfr.org/event/conversation-robert-redfield" target="_blank">said Dec. 10</a>. Looking to the weeks ahead, he said “it’s going to be the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation.”

So it was, even with the vaccine rollout five days later.

With deaths now moderating — so that a 9/11 toll comes cumulatively every few days — the U.S. death toll now has surpassed 530,000,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/factsheets/fs_americas_wars.pdf" target="_blank">exceeding U.S. combat deaths</a>&nbsp;of all of the last century’s wars.

A new marker looms: the estimated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-pandemic-h1n1.html" target="_blank">675,000 Americans who died in the 1918-19 pandemic</a>&nbsp;misnamed the Spanish flu.

That milestone may not be reached, if worst-case scenarios are avoided. Yet this much is clear — the United States has taken a proportionally worse hit in this pandemic.

The U.S. has experienced 1 in 5 deaths worldwide, compared with 1 in 75 deaths globally by the rough estimates of the pandemic a century ago.

The blame game is on, exacerbated by the record of a president, Donald Trump, who rarely acknowledged the gravity of the crisis and routinely distorted it. He told Americans in March 2020 the country would be “just raring to go by Easter” and declared on the cusp of soaring infections that the U.S. was “rounding the final turn” on the virus.

“We were hit with a virus that was met with silence and spread unchecked,” President Joe Biden said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-religion-pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-holidays-e01c6d13db6a28a06fe770e1c6d46122">in his prime-time address</a>&nbsp;Thursday. “Denials for days, weeks, then months.”

But while Trump persisted in sunny side up, he also opened the coffers on vaccine development and pandemic relief, backing $4 trillion in aid, equal to 20% of the U.S. economy.

And he pulled together a Star Wars-sounding effort that pretty much lived up to the hyperbole of its name. By the usual yearslong lag in coming up with a vaccine, the authorization to release two vaccines — now three — proved something of an Operation Warp Speed.

The Trump administration’s striking success in backing the invention of coronavirus vaccines through direct spending or advance purchase commitments has been followed by the Biden administration’s nascent success in spurring the production and delivery of those shots.

On this Trump-Biden continuum, shots have risen from 48,757 the first day, Dec. 15, to an average of 1.5 million to 2 million per day the first week of March, raising hope that a persistent bottleneck and vaccine shortages can be overcome. More than 100 million doses have been administered; 35 million people have been fully vaccinated.

Back in February 2020, when the financial markets showed strain from the pandemic and oil prices started to plunge, many economists began to predict that the U.S. government would need to borrow sums unimaginable to older generations.

Biden’s $1.9 trillion package follows five others in the past year, altogether worth almost $6 trillion. That’s about $1 trillion more than U.S military expenditures in World War II, all in today’s dollars. It’s more than the government’s entire budget just two years ago, $4.4 trillion.

About two-thirds of the money in Biden’s plan is to be spent in one year, a hefty infusion that has some economists worried about inflation.

The cost of servicing the debt last year was only&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2020-12/56780-Net-Interest-Primer.pdf" target="_blank">1.6% of the gross domestic product</a>&nbsp;— a bargain compared with the 1990s, when the total debt was much lower. Back then, the federal government spent about 3% of GDP on net interest costs.

Bargain, of course, is relative. Debt is historically high, up 130% over 10 years even before the latest relief package, a burden made manageable by historically low interest rates.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-coronavirus-relief-infrastructure-66f5f5a3de700941aa41f675157f8748">Big-ticket plans on infrastructure&nbsp;</a>and more are still to come.

And they are bound to come with 12 zeroes. It’s a world of trillions now.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608071469793.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. effort in World War II was off the charts. Battles spread over three continents and four years, 16 million served in uniform and the government shoved levers of the economy full force into defeating Nazi Germany and imperial Japan.All of that was cheaper for American taxpayers than this pandemic.The $1,400 federal payments going into millions of people’s bank accounts are but one slice of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-inside-covid-19-bill-relief-package-52fa93ac75d38eae4cd3dbb6402e7eba">nearly $2 trillion relief package made law</a>&nbsp;this past week. With that, the United States has spent or committed to spend nearly $6 trillion to crush the coronavirus, recover economically and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-19-relief-bill-social-safety-net-3bff45f1be9d5f7eb8cd7c14a51c6732">take a bite out of child poverty.</a>Set in motion over one year, that’s warp-speed spending in a capital known for gridlock, ugly argument and now an episode of violent insurrection.For a year now, Americans have grappled with numbers beyond ordinary comprehension: some 30 million infected, more than half a million dead, millions of jobs lost, vast sums of money sloshing through government pipelines to try to set things right.How high can you count? At one turn after another, that may be the rhetorical question of these COVID-19 times.THE TOLLOnce, the attack on Pearl Harbor was the modern marker for national trauma. About 2,400 Americans died in the assault on the naval base in Hawaii that drew the United States into the Pacific war. The nearly 3,000 dead from the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2001, became the new point of comparison as the ravages of COVID-19 grew.The U.S. reached a total of 3,000 COVID-19 deaths even before March 2020 was out. By December, the country was experiencing the toll of 9/11 day after day after day. In that time, COVID-19 was killing more Americans than any other disease, any other single cause.“COVID-19 now is the leading cause of death, surpassing heart disease,” Dr. Robert Redfield, then leading the Centers for Disease and Prevention,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cfr.org/event/conversation-robert-redfield" target="_blank">said Dec. 10</a>. Looking to the weeks ahead, he said “it’s going to be the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation.”So it was, even with the vaccine rollout five days later.With deaths now moderating — so that a 9/11 toll comes cumulatively every few days — the U.S. death toll now has surpassed 530,000,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/factsheets/fs_americas_wars.pdf" target="_blank">exceeding U.S. combat deaths</a>&nbsp;of all of the last century’s wars.A new marker looms: the estimated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-pandemic-h1n1.html" target="_blank">675,000 Americans who died in the 1918-19 pandemic</a>&nbsp;misnamed the Spanish flu.That milestone may not be reached, if worst-case scenarios are avoided. Yet this much is clear — the United States has taken a proportionally worse hit in this pandemic.The U.S. has experienced 1 in 5 deaths worldwide, compared with 1 in 75 deaths globally by the rough estimates of the pandemic a century ago.___THE RESPONSEThe blame game is on, exacerbated by the record of a president, Donald Trump, who rarely acknowledged the gravity of the crisis and routinely distorted it. He told Americans in March 2020 the country would be “just raring to go by Easter” and declared on the cusp of soaring infections that the U.S. was “rounding the final turn” on the virus.“We were hit with a virus that was met with silence and spread unchecked,” President Joe Biden said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-religion-pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-holidays-e01c6d13db6a28a06fe770e1c6d46122">in his prime-time address</a>&nbsp;Thursday. “Denials for days, weeks, then months.”But while Trump persisted in sunny side up, he also opened the coffers on vaccine development and pandemic relief, backing $4 trillion in aid, equal to 20% of the U.S. economy.And he pulled together a Star Wars-sounding effort that pretty much lived up to the hyperbole of its name. By the usual yearslong lag in coming up with a vaccine, the authorization to release two vaccines — now three — proved something of an Operation Warp Speed.The Trump administration’s striking success in backing the invention of coronavirus vaccines through direct spending or advance purchase commitments has been followed by the Biden administration’s nascent success in spurring the production and delivery of those shots.On this Trump-Biden continuum, shots have risen from 48,757 the first day, Dec. 15, to an average of 1.5 million to 2 million per day the first week of March, raising hope that a persistent bottleneck and vaccine shortages can be overcome. More than 100 million doses have been administered; 35 million people have been fully vaccinated.The bill for it all is stratospheric.Back in February 2020, when the financial markets showed strain from the pandemic and oil prices started to plunge, many economists began to predict that the U.S. government would need to borrow sums unimaginable to older generations.Now that’s reality.Biden’s $1.9 trillion package follows five others in the past year, altogether worth almost $6 trillion. That’s about $1 trillion more than U.S military expenditures in World War II, all in today’s dollars. It’s more than the government’s entire budget just two years ago, $4.4 trillion.About two-thirds of the money in Biden’s plan is to be spent in one year, a hefty infusion that has some economists worried about inflation.How can the U.S. possibly afford this?At least for now, debt is cheap.The cost of servicing the debt last year was only&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2020-12/56780-Net-Interest-Primer.pdf" target="_blank">1.6% of the gross domestic product</a>&nbsp;— a bargain compared with the 1990s, when the total debt was much lower. Back then, the federal government spent about 3% of GDP on net interest costs.Bargain, of course, is relative. Debt is historically high, up 130% over 10 years even before the latest relief package, a burden made manageable by historically low interest rates.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-coronavirus-relief-infrastructure-66f5f5a3de700941aa41f675157f8748">Big-ticket plans on infrastructure&nbsp;</a>and more are still to come.And they are bound to come with 12 zeroes. It’s a world of trillions now.___

How high can you count? Surreal stats of COVID times

NORTH PLATTE — Visitors to Victoria Springs, Nebraska’s first state recreation area, will enjoy upgrades at this oasis in the Sandhills just in time for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission parks system centennial celebration.

Recent improvements mean campers will have 50-amp electrical service at 21 new camping sites. Additional basic camping sites are available on the south end of the campground. Later this spring, two new concrete latrines also will be installed to enhance the shower house and restroom.

The two, two-bedroom rental cabins will undergo renovations as well this spring to make them accessible, increase living space and create new decks with views of the lake.

When complete, about $374,000 of Capitol Maintenance Funds will have been put into Victoria Springs for improvements. Victoria Springs is located 6 miles east of Anselmo and 9 miles north of Merna.

The park, which features mineral springs, historic buildings and plenty of outdoor opportunity, will be featured in a Game and Parks signature centennial event July 10 for its role in Nebraska parks’ history. Explore more at&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTAzMTIuMzY4OTE4OTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3BhcmtzMTAwLm91dGRvb3JuZWJyYXNrYS5nb3YvIn0.A_eVznLlK0PET0bAMxMqhmzzrVu2Mp1jDtlQzJIUe_c/s/497221906/br/99839251677-l" target="_blank">YourNebraskaParks100.org</a>.

To learn more about improvements made at Nebraska state parks, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTAzMTIuMzY4OTE4OTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOi8vb3V0ZG9vcm5lYnJhc2thLmdvdi9wYXJrc3Byb2plY3RzLyJ9.ERi9Cz8dBhKnePPgjh4-8nv3TCjkJEwiq8DZ41Jq8U0/s/497221906/br/99839251677-l" target="_blank">OutdoorNebraska.org/parksprojects</a>.

NORTH PLATTE — Visitors to Victoria Springs, Nebraska’s first state recreation area, will enjoy upgrades at this oasis in the Sandhills just in time for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission parks system centennial celebration.Recent improvements mean campers will have 50-amp electrical service at 21 new camping sites. Additional basic camping sites are available on the south end of the campground. Later this spring, two new concrete latrines also will be installed to enhance the shower house and restroom.The two, two-bedroom rental cabins will undergo renovations as well this spring to make them accessible, increase living space and create new decks with views of the lake.When complete, about $374,000 of Capitol Maintenance Funds will have been put into Victoria Springs for improvements. Victoria Springs is located 6 miles east of Anselmo and 9 miles north of Merna.The park, which features mineral springs, historic buildings and plenty of outdoor opportunity, will be featured in a Game and Parks signature centennial event July 10 for its role in Nebraska parks’ history. Explore more at&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTAzMTIuMzY4OTE4OTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3BhcmtzMTAwLm91dGRvb3JuZWJyYXNrYS5nb3YvIn0.A_eVznLlK0PET0bAMxMqhmzzrVu2Mp1jDtlQzJIUe_c/s/497221906/br/99839251677-l" target="_blank">YourNebraskaParks100.org</a>.To learn more about improvements made at Nebraska state parks, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTAzMTIuMzY4OTE4OTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOi8vb3V0ZG9vcm5lYnJhc2thLmdvdi9wYXJrc3Byb2plY3RzLyJ9.ERi9Cz8dBhKnePPgjh4-8nv3TCjkJEwiq8DZ41Jq8U0/s/497221906/br/99839251677-l" target="_blank">OutdoorNebraska.org/parksprojects</a>.

Victoria Springs gets spruced up in time for centennial celebration

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police in Omaha are looking for suspects in the shooting death of a man early in the weekend. 

Police say in a news release that officers were called to a north Omaha neighborhood around 8 p.m. Friday, where they found  59-year-old Larry Thompson suffering from gunshot wounds.

 Thompson was taken to an area hospital, where he later died. 

Police have not released other details about the shooting, and had not announced any arrests or named any suspects in the shooting by Monday morning.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police in Omaha are looking for suspects in the shooting death of a man early in the weekend. Police say in a news release that officers were called to a north Omaha neighborhood around 8 p.m. Friday, where they found 59-year-old Larry Thompson suffering from gunshot wounds. Thompson was taken to an area hospital, where he later died. Police have not released other details about the shooting, and had not announced any arrests or named any suspects in the shooting by Monday morning.

Omaha police seeking suspects in weekend shooting death

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say an Omaha police officer was shot and wounded during a confrontation with a man who was suspected of shoplifting T-shirts. 

The Omaha World-Herald reports that 21-year-old Kenya Lamont Jenkins Jr. was booked into the Douglas County Jail early Saturday on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder and use of a gun to commit a felony.

 Officials said Officer Jeffrey Wittstruck was “stable and recovering" after being shot around 4 p.m. Friday in the JC Penney department store security office.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say an Omaha police officer was shot and wounded during a confrontation with a man who was suspected of shoplifting T-shirts. The Omaha World-Herald reports that 21-year-old Kenya Lamont Jenkins Jr. was booked into the Douglas County Jail early Saturday on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder and use of a gun to commit a felony. Officials said Officer Jeffrey Wittstruck was “stable and recovering" after being shot around 4 p.m. Friday in the JC Penney department store security office.

T-shirt shoplifting suspect arrested in shooting of officer

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer says a police officer was shot and critically injured at the Westroads Mall.

 The chief said two officers responded to a call at the shopping center Friday afternoon and one was shot. 

Police Lt. Sherie Thomas said the suspect was later arrested after a chase along Interstate 80 that reached high speeds. 

She said the gun used in the shooting was found when the suspect was arrested.

 The officer was alert Friday evening and will have to undergo surgery.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer says a police officer was shot and critically injured at the Westroads Mall. The chief said two officers responded to a call at the shopping center Friday afternoon and one was shot. Police Lt. Sherie Thomas said the suspect was later arrested after a chase along Interstate 80 that reached high speeds. She said the gun used in the shooting was found when the suspect was arrested. The officer was alert Friday evening and will have to undergo surgery.

Omaha officer shot, critically injured at shopping mall

ROME (AP) — The Vatican decreed Monday that the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions since God “cannot bless sin.”

The Vatican’s orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a formal response Monday to a question about whether Catholic clergy can bless gay unions.

The answer, contained in a two-page explanation published in seven languages and approved by Pope Francis, was “negative.”

The decree distinguished between the church’s welcoming and blessing of gay people, which it upheld, but not their unions.

<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 decreed Monday that the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions since God “cannot bless sin.”The Vatican’s orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a formal response Monday to a question about whether Catholic clergy can bless gay unions.The answer, contained in a two-page explanation published in seven languages and approved by Pope Francis, was “negative.”The decree distinguished between the church’s welcoming and blessing of gay people, which it upheld, but not their unions.The Vatican holds that gays much be treated with dignity and respect, but that gay sex is “intrinsically disordered.” Catholic teaching holds that marriage between a man and woman is part of God’s plan and is intended for the sake of creating new life.Since gay unions are not intended to be part of that plan, they cannot be blessed by the church, the document said.“The presence in such relationships of positive elements, which are in themselves to be valued and appreciated, cannot justify these relationships and render them legitimate objects of an ecclesial blessing, since the positive elements exist within the context of a union not ordered to the Creator’s plan,” the response said.God “does not and cannot bless sin: He blesses sinful man, so that he may recognize that he is part of his plan of love and allow himself to be changed by him,” it said.Francis has endorsed providing gay couples with legal protections in same-sex unions, but that is in reference to the civil sphere, not within the church. His comments were made during an interview with a Mexican television station, Televisa, in 2019, but were cut by the Vatican until they appeared in a documentary last year.