LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska prisons officials say a Columbus man being held in a state prison on a murder charge in the October death of his 90-year-old mother has died in prison. 

The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services says in a news release that 62-year-old Bryce Kummer died Monday at the Nebraska Diagnostic and Evaluation Center in Lincoln. 

Kummer had been charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and weapons counts for the shooting death of his mother, Esther Kummer, on Oct. 1. Police say he also tried to kill another person who was critically injured during the incident.

 Officials have not stated Kummer's cause of death, but say he was being treated for a medical condition.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska prisons officials say a Columbus man being held in a state prison on a murder charge in the October death of his 90-year-old mother has died in prison. The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services says in a news release that 62-year-old Bryce Kummer died Monday at the Nebraska Diagnostic and Evaluation Center in Lincoln. Kummer had been charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and weapons counts for the shooting death of his mother, Esther Kummer, on Oct. 1. Police say he also tried to kill another person who was critically injured during the incident. Officials have not stated Kummer's cause of death, but say he was being treated for a medical condition.

Man awaiting trial in death of mother dies in Lincoln prison

ATLANTA (AP) — Democrats have won both Georgia Senate seats — and with them, the U.S. Senate majority. That's a stunning defeat for President Donald Trump in his final days in office and it dramatically improves the fate of President-elect Joe Biden’s progressive agenda. 

Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, Democratic challengers who represented the diversity of their party’s evolving coalition, defeated Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. The twin victories Wednesday end nearly two decades in which Democrats have been shut out of statewide victories in Georgia. Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state since 1992.

ATLANTA (AP) — Democrat Raphael Warnock won one of Georgia’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/election-2020">two Senate runoffs</a>&nbsp;Wednesday, becoming the first Black senator in his state’s history and putting the Senate majority within the party’s reach.

A pastor who spent the past 15 years leading the Atlanta church where Martin Luther King Jr. preached, Warnock defeated Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler. It was a stinging rebuke of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-race-and-ethnicity-elections-2f56a611445df15fb9640893bb9f7a93">outgoing President Donald Trump</a>, who made one of his final trips in office to Georgia to rally his loyal base behind Loeffler and the Republican running for the other seat, David Perdue.

Warnock said Wednesday he hadn’t yet heard from Loeffler but told CBS “This Morning” “I’m hearing from the people of Georgia. People are feeling a sense of hope this morning.”

He noted that he grew up in public housing as one of 12 children and was his family’s first college graduate. “That I am serving in the United States Senate in a few days pushes against the grain of so many expectations but this is America and I want some young person who’s watching this to know anything’s possible.”

“Georgia is in such an incredible place when you think of the arc of our history,” Warnock told ABC’s “Good Morning America.” He added: “This is the reversal of the old southern strategy that sought to divide people.”

The focus now shifts to the second race between Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff. The candidates were locked in a tight race and it was too early to call a winner. Under Georgia law, a trailing candidate may request a recount when the margin of an election is less than or equal to 0.5 percentage points.

If Ossoff wins, Democrats will have complete control of Congress, strengthening President-elect Joe Biden’s standing as he prepares to take office on Jan. 20.

Warnock’s victory is a symbol of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-georgia-rev-raphael-warnock-elections-jon-ossoff-a0be02280fcaef22fa0e65b3a5fdb056">striking shift in Georgia’s politics</a>&nbsp;as the swelling number of diverse, college-educated voters flex their power in the heart of the Deep South. It follows Biden’s victory in November, when he became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state since 1992.

Warnock, 51, acknowledged his improbable victory in a message to supporters early Wednesday, citing his family’s experience with poverty. His mother, he said, used to pick “somebody else’s cotton” as a teenager.

“The other day, because this is America, the 82-year-old hands that used to pick somebody else’s cotton picked her youngest son to be a United States senator,” he said. “Tonight, we proved with hope, hard work and the people by our side, anything is possible.”

The Associated Press declared Warnock the winner after an analysis of outstanding votes showed there was no way for Loeffler to catch up to his lead. Warnock’s edge is likely to grow as more ballots are counted, many of which were in Democratic-leaning areas.

Loeffler refused to concede in a brief message to supporters shortly after midnight.

“We’ve got some work to do here. This is a game of inches. We’re going to win this election,” insisted Loeffler, a 50-year-old former businesswoman who was appointed to the Senate less than a year ago by the state’s governor.

Loeffler, who remains a Georgia senator until the results of Tuesday’s election are finalized, said she would return to Washington on Wednesday morning to join a small group of senators planning to challenge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-elections-electoral-college-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">Congress’ vote to certify Biden’s victory</a>.

“We are going to keep fighting for you,” Loeffler said, “This is about protecting the American dream.”

Georgia’s other runoff election pitted Perdue, a 71-year-old former business executive who held his Senate seat until his term expired on Sunday, against Ossoff, a former congressional aide and journalist. At just 33 years old, Ossoff would be the Senate’s youngest member.

Trump’s false claims of voter fraud cast a dark shadow over the runoff elections, which were held only because no candidate hit the 50% threshold in the general election. He attacked the state’s election chief on the eve of the election and raised the prospect that some votes might not be counted even as votes were being cast Tuesday afternoon.

Republican state officials on the ground reported no significant problems.

This week’s elections mark the formal finale to the turbulent 2020 election season more than two months after the rest of the nation finished voting. The unusually high stakes transformed Georgia, once a solidly Republican state, into one of the nation’s premier battlegrounds for the final days of Trump’s presidency — and likely beyond.

Both contests tested whether the political coalition that fueled Biden’s November victory was an anti-Trump anomaly or part of a new electoral landscape. To win in Tuesday’s elections — and in the future — Democrats needed strong African American support.

Drawing on his popularity with Black voters, among other groups, Biden won Georgia’s 16 electoral votes by about 12,000 votes out of 5 million cast in November.

Trump’s claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election, while meritless, resonated with Republican voters in Georgia. About 7 in 10 agreed with his false assertion that Biden was not the legitimately elected president, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 3,600 voters in the runoff elections.

Election officials across the country, including the Republican governors in Arizona and Georgia, as well as Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, have confirmed that there was no widespread fraud in the November election. Nearly all the legal challenges from Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges, including two tossed by the Supreme Court, where three Trump-nominated justices preside.

Even with Trump’s claims, voters in both parties were drawn to the polls because of the high stakes. AP VoteCast found that 6 in 10 Georgia voters say Senate party control was the most important factor in their vote.

Even before Tuesday, Georgia had shattered its turnout record for a runoff with more than 3 million votes by mail or during in-person advance voting in December. Including Tuesday’s vote, more people ultimately cast ballots in the runoffs than voted in Georgia’s 2016 presidential election.

In Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood, 37-year-old Kari Callaghan said she voted “all Democrat” on Tuesday, an experience that was new for her.

“I’ve always been Republican, but I’ve been pretty disgusted by Trump and just the way the Republicans are working,” she said. “I feel like for the Republican candidates to still stand there with Trump and campaign with Trump feels pretty rotten. This isn’t the conservative values that I grew up with.”

But 56-year-old Will James said he voted “straight GOP.”

He said he was concerned by the Republican candidates’ recent support of Trump’s challenges of the presidential election results in Georgia, “but it didn’t really change the reasons I voted.”

ATLANTA (AP) — Democrat Raphael Warnock won one of Georgia’s two Senate runoffs Wednesday, becoming the first Black senator in his state’s history and putting the Senate majority within the party’s reach.

A pastor who spent the past 15 years leading the Atlanta church where Martin Luther King Jr. preached, Warnock defeated Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler. It was a stinging rebuke of outgoing President Donald Trump, who made one of his final trips in office to Georgia to rally his loyal base behind Loeffler and the Republican running for the other seat, David Perdue.

Warnock’s victory is a symbol of a striking shift in Georgia’s politics as the swelling number of diverse, college-educated voters flex their power in the heart of the Deep South. It follows Biden’s victory in November, when he became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state since 1992.

Loeffler, who remains a Georgia senator until the results of Tuesday’s election are finalized, said she would return to Washington on Wednesday morning to join a small group of senators planning to challenge Congress’ vote to certify Biden’s victory.

This week’s elections mark the formal finale to the turbulent 2020 election season more than two months after the rest of the nation finished voting. The unusually high stakes transformed Georgia, once a solidly Republican state, into one of the nation’s premier battlegrounds for the final days of Trump’

“I believe in balance of power, and I don’t want either party to have a referendum, basically,” he said.

ATLANTA (AP) — Democrats have won both Georgia Senate seats — and with them, the U.S. Senate majority. That's a stunning defeat for President Donald Trump in his final days in office and it dramatically improves the fate of President-elect Joe Biden’s progressive agenda. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, Democratic challengers who represented the diversity of their party’s evolving coalition, defeated Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. The twin victories Wednesday end nearly two decades in which Democrats have been shut out of statewide victories in Georgia. Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state since 1992.--------ATLANTA (AP) — Democrat Raphael Warnock won one of Georgia’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/election-2020">two Senate runoffs</a>&nbsp;Wednesday, becoming the first Black senator in his state’s history and putting the Senate majority within the party’s reach.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">LIVE: Reverend Warnock Addresses Supporters on Election Night <a href="https://t.co/3AjHzC35qy">https://t.co/3AjHzC35qy</a>&mdash; Reverend Raphael Warnock (@ReverendWarnock) <a href="https://twitter.com/ReverendWarnock/status/1346690996839464961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>A pastor who spent the past 15 years leading the Atlanta church where Martin Luther King Jr. preached, Warnock defeated Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler. It was a stinging rebuke of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-race-and-ethnicity-elections-2f56a611445df15fb9640893bb9f7a93">outgoing President Donald Trump</a>, who made one of his final trips in office to Georgia to rally his loyal base behind Loeffler and the Republican running for the other seat, David Perdue.Warnock said Wednesday he hadn’t yet heard from Loeffler but told CBS “This Morning” “I’m hearing from the people of Georgia. People are feeling a sense of hope this morning.”He noted that he grew up in public housing as one of 12 children and was his family’s first college graduate. “That I am serving in the United States Senate in a few days pushes against the grain of so many expectations but this is America and I want some young person who’s watching this to know anything’s possible.”“Georgia is in such an incredible place when you think of the arc of our history,” Warnock told ABC’s “Good Morning America.” He added: “This is the reversal of the old southern strategy that sought to divide people.”The focus now shifts to the second race between Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff. The candidates were locked in a tight race and it was too early to call a winner. Under Georgia law, a trailing candidate may request a recount when the margin of an election is less than or equal to 0.5 percentage points.If Ossoff wins, Democrats will have complete control of Congress, strengthening President-elect Joe Biden’s standing as he prepares to take office on Jan. 20.Warnock’s victory is a symbol of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-georgia-rev-raphael-warnock-elections-jon-ossoff-a0be02280fcaef22fa0e65b3a5fdb056">striking shift in Georgia’s politics</a>&nbsp;as the swelling number of diverse, college-educated voters flex their power in the heart of the Deep South. It follows Biden’s victory in November, when he became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state since 1992.Warnock, 51, acknowledged his improbable victory in a message to supporters early Wednesday, citing his family’s experience with poverty. His mother, he said, used to pick “somebody else’s cotton” as a teenager.“The other day, because this is America, the 82-year-old hands that used to pick somebody else’s cotton picked her youngest son to be a United States senator,” he said. “Tonight, we proved with hope, hard work and the people by our side, anything is possible.”The Associated Press declared Warnock the winner after an analysis of outstanding votes showed there was no way for Loeffler to catch up to his lead. Warnock’s edge is likely to grow as more ballots are counted, many of which were in Democratic-leaning areas.Loeffler refused to concede in a brief message to supporters shortly after midnight.“We’ve got some work to do here. This is a game of inches. We’re going to win this election,” insisted Loeffler, a 50-year-old former businesswoman who was appointed to the Senate less than a year ago by the state’s governor.Loeffler, who remains a Georgia senator until the results of Tuesday’s election are finalized, said she would return to Washington on Wednesday morning to join a small group of senators planning to challenge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-elections-electoral-college-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">Congress’ vote to certify Biden’s victory</a>.“We are going to keep fighting for you,” Loeffler said, “This is about protecting the American dream.”Georgia’s other runoff election pitted Perdue, a 71-year-old former business executive who held his Senate seat until his term expired on Sunday, against Ossoff, a former congressional aide and journalist. At just 33 years old, Ossoff would be the Senate’s youngest member.Trump’s false claims of voter fraud cast a dark shadow over the runoff elections, which were held only because no candidate hit the 50% threshold in the general election. He attacked the state’s election chief on the eve of the election and raised the prospect that some votes might not be counted even as votes were being cast Tuesday afternoon.Republican state officials on the ground reported no significant problems.This week’s elections mark the formal finale to the turbulent 2020 election season more than two months after the rest of the nation finished voting. The unusually high stakes transformed Georgia, once a solidly Republican state, into one of the nation’s premier battlegrounds for the final days of Trump’s presidency — and likely beyond.Both contests tested whether the political coalition that fueled Biden’s November victory was an anti-Trump anomaly or part of a new electoral landscape. To win in Tuesday’s elections — and in the future — Democrats needed strong African American support.Drawing on his popularity with Black voters, among other groups, Biden won Georgia’s 16 electoral votes by about 12,000 votes out of 5 million cast in November.Trump’s claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election, while meritless, resonated with Republican voters in Georgia. About 7 in 10 agreed with his false assertion that Biden was not the legitimately elected president, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 3,600 voters in the runoff elections.Election officials across the country, including the Republican governors in Arizona and Georgia, as well as Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, have confirmed that there was no widespread fraud in the November election. Nearly all the legal challenges from Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges, including two tossed by the Supreme Court, where three Trump-nominated justices preside.Even with Trump’s claims, voters in both parties were drawn to the polls because of the high stakes. AP VoteCast found that 6 in 10 Georgia voters say Senate party control was the most important factor in their vote.Even before Tuesday, Georgia had shattered its turnout record for a runoff with more than 3 million votes by mail or during in-person advance voting in December. Including Tuesday’s vote, more people ultimately cast ballots in the runoffs than voted in Georgia’s 2016 presidential election.In Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood, 37-year-old Kari Callaghan said she voted “all Democrat” on Tuesday, an experience that was new for her.“I’ve always been Republican, but I’ve been pretty disgusted by Trump and just the way the Republicans are working,” she said. “I feel like for the Republican candidates to still stand there with Trump and campaign with Trump feels pretty rotten. This isn’t the conservative values that I grew up with.”But 56-year-old Will James said he voted “straight GOP.”He said he was concerned by the Republican candidates’ recent support of Trump’s challenges of the presidential election results in Georgia, “but it didn’t really change the reasons I voted.”___ATLANTA (AP) — Democrat Raphael Warnock won one of Georgia’s two Senate runoffs Wednesday, becoming the first Black senator in his state’s history and putting the Senate majority within the party’s reach.A pastor who spent the past 15 years leading the Atlanta church where Martin Luther King Jr. preached, Warnock defeated Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler. It was a stinging rebuke of outgoing President Donald Trump, who made one of his final trips in office to Georgia to rally his loyal base behind Loeffler and the Republican running for the other seat, David Perdue.The focus now shifts to the second race between Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff. The candidates were locked in a tight race and it was too early to call a winner. Under Georgia law, a trailing candidate may request a recount when the margin of an election is less than or equal to 0.5 percentage points.If Ossoff wins, Democrats will have complete control of Congress, strengthening President-elect Joe Biden’s standing as he prepares to take office on Jan. 20.Warnock’s victory is a symbol of a striking shift in Georgia’s politics as the swelling number of diverse, college-educated voters flex their power in the heart of the Deep South. It follows Biden’s victory in November, when he became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state since 1992.Warnock, 51, acknowledged his improbable victory in a message to supporters early Wednesday, citing his family’s experience with poverty. His mother, he said, used to pick “somebody else’s cotton” as a teenager.“The other day, because this is America, the 82-year-old hands that used to pick somebody else’s cotton picked her youngest son to be a United States senator,” he said. “Tonight, we proved with hope, hard work and the people by our side, anything is possible.”The Associated Press declared Warnock the winner after an analysis of outstanding votes showed there was no way for Loeffler to catch up to his lead. Warnock’s edge is likely to grow as more ballots are counted, many of which were in Democratic-leaning areas.Loeffler refused to concede in a brief message to supporters shortly after midnight.“We’ve got some work to do here. This is a game of inches. We’re going to win this election,” insisted Loeffler, a 50-year-old former businesswoman who was appointed to the Senate less than a year ago by the state’s governor.Loeffler, who remains a Georgia senator until the results of Tuesday’s election are finalized, said she would return to Washington on Wednesday morning to join a small group of senators planning to challenge Congress’ vote to certify Biden’s victory.“We are going to keep fighting for you,” Loeffler said, “This is about protecting the American dream.”Georgia’s other runoff election pitted Perdue, a 71-year-old former business executive who held his Senate seat until his term expired on Sunday, against Ossoff, a former congressional aide and journalist. At just 33 years old, Ossoff would be the Senate’s youngest member.Trump’s false claims of voter fraud cast a dark shadow over the runoff elections, which were held only because no candidate hit the 50% threshold in the general election. He attacked the state’s election chief on the eve of the election and raised the prospect that some votes might not be counted even as votes were being cast Tuesday afternoon.Republican state officials on the ground reported no significant problems.This week’s elections mark the formal finale to the turbulent 2020 election season more than two months after the rest of the nation finished voting. The unusually high stakes transformed Georgia, once a solidly Republican state, into one of the nation’s premier battlegrounds for the final days of Trump’Both contests tested whether the political coalition that fueled Biden’s November victory was an anti-Trump anomaly or part of a new electoral landscape. To win in Tuesday’s elections — and in the future — Democrats needed strong African American support.Drawing on his popularity with Black voters, among other groups, Biden won Georgia’s 16 electoral votes by about 12,000 votes out of 5 million cast in November.Trump’s claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election, while meritless, resonated with Republican voters in Georgia. About 7 in 10 agreed with his false assertion that Biden was not the legitimately elected president, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 3,600 voters in the runoff elections.Election officials across the country, including the Republican governors in Arizona and Georgia, as well as Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, have confirmed that there was no widespread fraud in the November election. Nearly all the legal challenges from Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges, including two tossed by the Supreme Court, where three Trump-nominated justices preside.Even with Trump’s claims, voters in both parties were drawn to the polls because of the high stakes. AP VoteCast found that 6 in 10 Georgia voters say Senate party control was the most important factor in their vote.Even before Tuesday, Georgia had shattered its turnout record for a runoff with more than 3 million votes by mail or during in-person advance voting in December. Including Tuesday’s vote, more people ultimately cast ballots in the runoffs than voted in Georgia’s 2016 presidential election.In Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood, 37-year-old Kari Callaghan said she voted “all Democrat” on Tuesday, an experience that was new for her.“I’ve always been Republican, but I’ve been pretty disgusted by Trump and just the way the Republicans are working,” she said. “I feel like for the Republican candidates to still stand there with Trump and campaign with Trump feels pretty rotten. This isn’t the conservative values that I grew up with.”But 56-year-old Will James said he voted “straight GOP.”He said he was concerned by the Republican candidates’ recent support of Trump’s challenges of the presidential election results in Georgia, “but it didn’t really change the reasons I voted.”“I believe in balance of power, and I don’t want either party to have a referendum, basically,” he said.

Warnock, Ossoff win in Georgia, handing Dems Senate control

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Police in Grand Island say the grandfather of a Nebraska football player died this week in the state's first traffic fatality of 2021. 

The Omaha World-Herald reports that 75-year-old Merle Liewer, of Atkinson, died in the Monday morning crash in south Grand Island. 

Police Capt. Jim Duering says the crash happened at the intersection of U.S. Highways 281 and 34, when the semitrailer Liewer was driving hit a pickup truck and rolled. 

Liewer is the grandfather of Nebraska receiver Wyatt Liewer and the father of former Husker defensive lineman Jamie Liewer, a three-year letter winner from 1990 to 1992.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Police in Grand Island say the grandfather of a Nebraska football player died this week in the state's first traffic fatality of 2021. The Omaha World-Herald reports that 75-year-old Merle Liewer, of Atkinson, died in the Monday morning crash in south Grand Island. Police Capt. Jim Duering says the crash happened at the intersection of U.S. Highways 281 and 34, when the semitrailer Liewer was driving hit a pickup truck and rolled. Liewer is the grandfather of Nebraska receiver Wyatt Liewer and the father of former Husker defensive lineman Jamie Liewer, a three-year letter winner from 1990 to 1992.

Atkinson man state's first traffic fatality for 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — As&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-elections-electoral-college-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">Congress prepared to affirm</a>&nbsp;President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, thousands of people lined up before sunrise Wednesday to show their support for President Donald Trump and his claims of election fraud.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?507744-1/rally-electoral-college-vote-certification&amp;live">Click here to</a>&nbsp;watch 10a.m. CDT

Trump was expected to address&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-race-and-ethnicity-elections-electoral-college-47cd4321645c92f0781005143601c607">his supporters</a>&nbsp; during the rally on the Ellipse, just south of the White House.

Lou Murray, a life insurance salesman from Boston, said he and many others still hoped Congress and Vice President Mike Pence would not certify the vote. “I hope Vice President Pence has courage today, and I hope any politician who thinks he has a future shows courage to stand up and do what’s right,” Murray said.

About an hour before Trump was set to speak, there were massive, dense lines at security checkpoints near the White House. At the Lincoln Memorial, dozens of Trump supporters stood on the steps with large Trump flags.

Nirav Peterson, who flew in from Seattle to attend the rally, said there would be a groundswell of anger and activism if Trump doesn’t serve another term and said Republicans who don’t back him should face primary challenges.

“People are angry. This isn’t going to go away,” Peterson said as she took video of the large crowd gathered beyond the steel barriers at the foot of the Washington Monument. “You have a huge, huge portion of the people who aren’t going to take it anymore.”

Like many others, Peterson was not wearing a mask. She said she opposes the shutdowns prompted by the pandemic and doesn’t believe anyone has died from COVID-19. More than 350,000 people have died from the virus in the U.S.

Organizers planned an afternoon march to the Capitol, where Congress will be voting to affirm the Electoral College results, which Trump continues to dispute.

A number of prominent Trump supporters were expected to attend the protest events, which began Tuesday with a rally at Freedom Plaza near the White House. They include Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and longtime Trump ally Roger Stone, the recipient of a pardon by the president.

As temperatures dropped to the low 40s Tuesday night and a steady rain swept onto the streets, hundreds of protesters remained in Freedom Plaza.

“I’m just here to support the president,” said David Wideman, a 45-year-old firefighter who traveled from Memphis, Tennessee. Wideman acknowledged he was “confused” by a string of losses from Trump’s legal team in their attempt to overturn the results of the election and didn’t know what options Trump had left.

“I not sure what he can do at this point, but I want to hear what he has to say,” Wideman said.

Trump tweeted his support for the protesters: “Washington is being inundated with people who don’t want to see an election victory stolen by emboldened Radical Left Democrats. Our Country has had enough, they won’t take it anymore! We hear you (and love you) from the Oval Office.”

In a Tuesday evening tweet, Trump called on Democrats and fellow Republicans to look at the “thousands of people pouring into D.C.” In another tweet, he warned that antifa, the umbrella term for leftist militant groups that Trump has said he wants to declare a terrorist organization, should stay out of Washington.

The rallies had local officials and law enforcement bracing for potential violent street clashes. Many businesses in downtown Washington boarded up their windows, fearful that the protest could devolve into the unrest seen in May and June when dozens of businesses were vandalized.

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser called in National Guard troops to help bolster the city’s police force. She urged residents to stay away from downtown Washington and to avoid confrontations with anyone who is “looking for a fight.” But, she warned, “we will not allow people to incite violence, intimidate our residents or cause destruction in our city.”

Election officials from both political parties, governors in key battleground states and Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, have said there was no widespread fraud in the election. Nearly all the legal challenges from Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges, including two challenges rejected by the Supreme Court.

A pro-Trump rally Dec. 12 ended in violence as hundreds of Trump supporters, wearing the signature black and yellow of the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, sought out confrontations with a collective of local activists attempting to bar them from Black Lives Matter Plaza, an area near the White House. At least two local Black churches had Black Lives Matter banners torn down and set ablaze.

On Monday, police arrested the leader of the Proud Boys, Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, 36, after he arrived in Washington before this week’s protests. Tarrio was accused of burning one of the Black Lives Matter banners in December and was found with two high-capacity firearm magazines, police said. A judge signed an order Tuesday banning Tarrio from entering the District of Columbia, with very limited exceptions related to his criminal case.

In addition to the National Guard, federal agents were on standby, in case they were quickly needed in the city this week.

The federal Bureau of Prisons said about 100 “specially trained officers” were sent to the Justice Department headquarters to assist other security personnel but would remain “in a reserve capacity unless needed.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1609951430041.png" alt="Large crowds at the "Save America Rally" Wednesday near the White House -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Large crowds at the "Save America Rally" Wednesday near the White House -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — As&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-elections-electoral-college-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">Congress prepared to affirm</a>&nbsp;President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, thousands of people lined up before sunrise Wednesday to show their support for President Donald Trump and his claims of election fraud.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?507744-1/rally-electoral-college-vote-certification&amp;live">Click here to</a>&nbsp;watch 10a.m. CDTTrump was expected to address&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-race-and-ethnicity-elections-electoral-college-47cd4321645c92f0781005143601c607">his supporters</a>&nbsp; during the rally on the Ellipse, just south of the White House.Lou Murray, a life insurance salesman from Boston, said he and many others still hoped Congress and Vice President Mike Pence would not certify the vote. “I hope Vice President Pence has courage today, and I hope any politician who thinks he has a future shows courage to stand up and do what’s right,” Murray said.About an hour before Trump was set to speak, there were massive, dense lines at security checkpoints near the White House. At the Lincoln Memorial, dozens of Trump supporters stood on the steps with large Trump flags.Nirav Peterson, who flew in from Seattle to attend the rally, said there would be a groundswell of anger and activism if Trump doesn’t serve another term and said Republicans who don’t back him should face primary challenges.“People are angry. This isn’t going to go away,” Peterson said as she took video of the large crowd gathered beyond the steel barriers at the foot of the Washington Monument. “You have a huge, huge portion of the people who aren’t going to take it anymore.”Like many others, Peterson was not wearing a mask. She said she opposes the shutdowns prompted by the pandemic and doesn’t believe anyone has died from COVID-19. More than 350,000 people have died from the virus in the U.S.Organizers planned an afternoon march to the Capitol, where Congress will be voting to affirm the Electoral College results, which Trump continues to dispute.A number of prominent Trump supporters were expected to attend the protest events, which began Tuesday with a rally at Freedom Plaza near the White House. They include Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and longtime Trump ally Roger Stone, the recipient of a pardon by the president.As temperatures dropped to the low 40s Tuesday night and a steady rain swept onto the streets, hundreds of protesters remained in Freedom Plaza.“I’m just here to support the president,” said David Wideman, a 45-year-old firefighter who traveled from Memphis, Tennessee. Wideman acknowledged he was “confused” by a string of losses from Trump’s legal team in their attempt to overturn the results of the election and didn’t know what options Trump had left.“I not sure what he can do at this point, but I want to hear what he has to say,” Wideman said.Trump tweeted his support for the protesters: “Washington is being inundated with people who don’t want to see an election victory stolen by emboldened Radical Left Democrats. Our Country has had enough, they won’t take it anymore! We hear you (and love you) from the Oval Office.”In a Tuesday evening tweet, Trump called on Democrats and fellow Republicans to look at the “thousands of people pouring into D.C.” In another tweet, he warned that antifa, the umbrella term for leftist militant groups that Trump has said he wants to declare a terrorist organization, should stay out of Washington.The rallies had local officials and law enforcement bracing for potential violent street clashes. Many businesses in downtown Washington boarded up their windows, fearful that the protest could devolve into the unrest seen in May and June when dozens of businesses were vandalized.District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser called in National Guard troops to help bolster the city’s police force. She urged residents to stay away from downtown Washington and to avoid confrontations with anyone who is “looking for a fight.” But, she warned, “we will not allow people to incite violence, intimidate our residents or cause destruction in our city.”Election officials from both political parties, governors in key battleground states and Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, have said there was no widespread fraud in the election. Nearly all the legal challenges from Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges, including two challenges rejected by the Supreme Court.A pro-Trump rally Dec. 12 ended in violence as hundreds of Trump supporters, wearing the signature black and yellow of the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, sought out confrontations with a collective of local activists attempting to bar them from Black Lives Matter Plaza, an area near the White House. At least two local Black churches had Black Lives Matter banners torn down and set ablaze.On Monday, police arrested the leader of the Proud Boys, Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, 36, after he arrived in Washington before this week’s protests. Tarrio was accused of burning one of the Black Lives Matter banners in December and was found with two high-capacity firearm magazines, police said. A judge signed an order Tuesday banning Tarrio from entering the District of Columbia, with very limited exceptions related to his criminal case.In addition to the National Guard, federal agents were on standby, in case they were quickly needed in the city this week.The federal Bureau of Prisons said about 100 “specially trained officers” were sent to the Justice Department headquarters to assist other security personnel but would remain “in a reserve capacity unless needed.”

🎥  President Trump speaks to supporters at DC rally 

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — A Texas man will spend decades in prison for the 2019 shooting death of a Lincoln man in a Fairbury park.

 The Lincoln Journal Star reports that District Judge Rick Schreiner sentenced 26-year-old Jerry Gilbert of Odessa, Texas, to 45 to 60 years in the killing of Marc Jarrell.

 Gilbert told the judge at his sentencing Tuesday that not a day passed that he doesn’t think about what he did to Jarrell and his family. 

Gilbert pleaded guilty in October to second-degree murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony.

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — A Texas man will spend decades in prison for the 2019 shooting death of a Lincoln man in a Fairbury park. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that District Judge Rick Schreiner sentenced 26-year-old Jerry Gilbert of Odessa, Texas, to 45 to 60 years in the killing of Marc Jarrell. Gilbert told the judge at his sentencing Tuesday that not a day passed that he doesn’t think about what he did to Jarrell and his family. Gilbert pleaded guilty in October to second-degree murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony.

Texas man faces decades in prison for Nebraska shooting

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wednesday’s congressional joint session to count electoral votes has taken on added importance this year as congressional Republicans allied with President Donald Trump are pledging to try and undo Democrat Joe Biden’s victory.

The Republicans — a dozen senators and many more House members — are citing Trump’s repeated, charges of widespread fraud. They say they will officially object to the results, forcing votes in the Republican-run Senate and the Democratic-controlled House that will almost certainly fail.

The congressional meeting on Jan. 6 is the final step in reaffirming Biden’s win, after the Electoral College&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-270-electoral-college-vote-d429ef97af2bf574d16463384dc7cc1e">officially elected him</a>&nbsp;in December. The meeting is required by the Constitution and includes several distinct steps.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CONGRESS MEETS WEDNESDAY?

Under federal law, Congress must meet Jan. 6 to open sealed certificates from each state that contain a record of their electoral votes. The votes are brought into the chamber in special mahogany boxes used for the occasion.

Bipartisan representatives of both chambers read the results out loud and do an official count. The president of the Senate, Vice President Mike Pence, presides over the session and declares the winner. The session begins at 1 p.m. EST.

The Constitution requires Congress to meet and count the electoral votes. If there is a tie, then the House decides the presidency, with each congressional delegation having one vote. That hasn’t happened since the 1800s, and Biden’s electoral&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">win over Trump</a>&nbsp;was decisive, 306-232.

The two chambers meet together midday to count the votes . If the vice president cannot preside, there is precedent for the Senate pro-tempore, or the longest-serving senator in the majority party, to lead the session. That’s currently Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

The presiding officer opens and presents the certificates of the electoral votes in alphabetical order of the states. The appointed “tellers” from the House and Senate, members of both parties, then read each certificate out loud and record and count the votes. At the end, the presiding officer announces who has won the majority votes for both president and vice president.

After a teller reads the certificate from a state, any member can stand up and object to that state’s vote on any grounds. But the presiding officer will not hear the objection unless it is in writing and signed by both a member of the House and a member of the Senate.

If there is such a request, then the joint session suspends and the House and Senate go into separate sessions to consider it. For the objection to be sustained, both chambers must agree to it by a simple majority vote. If they do not both agree, the original electoral votes are counted with no changes.

The last time such an objection was considered was 2005, when Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio and Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, both Democrats, objected to Ohio’s electoral votes, claiming there were voting irregularities. Both the House and Senate debated the objection and easily rejected it. It was only the second time such a vote had occurred.

Dozens of House Republicans and a smaller group of GOP senators are expected to object to the count from some swing states where Trump has alleged fraud, despite the consensus of nonpartisan election officials and even Trump’s former attorney general that there was none. None of the members have presented detailed evidence and none of them objected to the swearing-in of congressional lawmakers who won election on the same ballots.

In the Senate, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley was the first to say he would join with the House Republicans. On Saturday, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas announced a coalition of 11 additional senators who vowed to vote against unspecified state electors on Wednesday unless Congress appoints an electoral commission to immediately conduct an audit of the election results. Hawley and Cruz are both among potential 2024 presidential contenders.

The challenges have split the party. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has urged his colleagues not to object, saying last month on a private call that the vote would be “terrible.”

Several other Senate Republicans have criticized the effort as well, including Texas Sen. John Cornyn and South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican. Thune said last month that any objections will go down “like a shot dog” in the Senate.

On Sunday, Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse said the challenge is “’bad for the country and bad for the party.”

Pence’s role is largely ceremonial and he has no power to affect the outcome, despite Trump’s wishes to the contrary.

The role of the vice president as presiding officer is often an awkward one, as it will be for Pence, who will be charged with announcing Biden’s victory — and his own defeat — once the electoral votes are counted.

Pence won’t be the first vice president put in an uncomfortable situation. In 2001, Vice President Al Gore presided over the counting of the 2000 presidential election he narrowly lost to Republican George W. Bush. Gore had to gavel several Democrats’ objections out of order. In 2017, Biden presided over the count that declared Trump the winner. Biden also shot down objections from House Democrats that did not have any Senate support.

ONCE CONGRESS COUNTS THE VOTES, WHAT’S NEXT?

The joint session is the last official chance for objections, beyond court cases that have so far proven ineffective for Trump and his team.

“I think there comes a time when you have to realize that, despite your best efforts you’ve been unsuccessful,” Cornyn said earlier this month.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1609864889446.png" alt="The president of the Senate, Vice President Mike Pence, presides over Wednesday's session and declares the winner. Photo courtesy office of the Vice President" />
 <figcaption>The president of the Senate, Vice President Mike Pence, presides over Wednesday's session and declares the winner. Photo courtesy office of the Vice President</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Wednesday’s congressional joint session to count electoral votes has taken on added importance this year as congressional Republicans allied with President Donald Trump are pledging to try and undo Democrat Joe Biden’s victory.The Republicans — a dozen senators and many more House members — are citing Trump’s repeated, charges of widespread fraud. They say they will officially object to the results, forcing votes in the Republican-run Senate and the Democratic-controlled House that will almost certainly fail.The congressional meeting on Jan. 6 is the final step in reaffirming Biden’s win, after the Electoral College&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-270-electoral-college-vote-d429ef97af2bf574d16463384dc7cc1e">officially elected him</a>&nbsp;in December. The meeting is required by the Constitution and includes several distinct steps.A look at the joint session:WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CONGRESS MEETS WEDNESDAY?Under federal law, Congress must meet Jan. 6 to open sealed certificates from each state that contain a record of their electoral votes. The votes are brought into the chamber in special mahogany boxes used for the occasion.Bipartisan representatives of both chambers read the results out loud and do an official count. The president of the Senate, Vice President Mike Pence, presides over the session and declares the winner. The session begins at 1 p.m. EST.WHAT DOES THE CONSTITUTION REQUIRE?The Constitution requires Congress to meet and count the electoral votes. If there is a tie, then the House decides the presidency, with each congressional delegation having one vote. That hasn’t happened since the 1800s, and Biden’s electoral&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">win over Trump</a>&nbsp;was decisive, 306-232.HOW DOES THE SESSION UNFOLD?The two chambers meet together midday to count the votes . If the vice president cannot preside, there is precedent for the Senate pro-tempore, or the longest-serving senator in the majority party, to lead the session. That’s currently Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.The presiding officer opens and presents the certificates of the electoral votes in alphabetical order of the states. The appointed “tellers” from the House and Senate, members of both parties, then read each certificate out loud and record and count the votes. At the end, the presiding officer announces who has won the majority votes for both president and vice president.WHAT IF THERE’S AN OBJECTION?After a teller reads the certificate from a state, any member can stand up and object to that state’s vote on any grounds. But the presiding officer will not hear the objection unless it is in writing and signed by both a member of the House and a member of the Senate.If there is such a request, then the joint session suspends and the House and Senate go into separate sessions to consider it. For the objection to be sustained, both chambers must agree to it by a simple majority vote. If they do not both agree, the original electoral votes are counted with no changes.The last time such an objection was considered was 2005, when Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio and Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, both Democrats, objected to Ohio’s electoral votes, claiming there were voting irregularities. Both the House and Senate debated the objection and easily rejected it. It was only the second time such a vote had occurred.WHO IS EXPECTED TO OBJECT?Dozens of House Republicans and a smaller group of GOP senators are expected to object to the count from some swing states where Trump has alleged fraud, despite the consensus of nonpartisan election officials and even Trump’s former attorney general that there was none. None of the members have presented detailed evidence and none of them objected to the swearing-in of congressional lawmakers who won election on the same ballots.In the Senate, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley was the first to say he would join with the House Republicans. On Saturday, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas announced a coalition of 11 additional senators who vowed to vote against unspecified state electors on Wednesday unless Congress appoints an electoral commission to immediately conduct an audit of the election results. Hawley and Cruz are both among potential 2024 presidential contenders.The challenges have split the party. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has urged his colleagues not to object, saying last month on a private call that the vote would be “terrible.”Several other Senate Republicans have criticized the effort as well, including Texas Sen. John Cornyn and South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican. Thune said last month that any objections will go down “like a shot dog” in the Senate.On Sunday, Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse said the challenge is “’bad for the country and bad for the party.”WHAT IS PENCE’S ROLE?Pence’s role is largely ceremonial and he has no power to affect the outcome, despite Trump’s wishes to the contrary.The role of the vice president as presiding officer is often an awkward one, as it will be for Pence, who will be charged with announcing Biden’s victory — and his own defeat — once the electoral votes are counted.Pence won’t be the first vice president put in an uncomfortable situation. In 2001, Vice President Al Gore presided over the counting of the 2000 presidential election he narrowly lost to Republican George W. Bush. Gore had to gavel several Democrats’ objections out of order. In 2017, Biden presided over the count that declared Trump the winner. Biden also shot down objections from House Democrats that did not have any Senate support.ONCE CONGRESS COUNTS THE VOTES, WHAT’S NEXT?The joint session is the last official chance for objections, beyond court cases that have so far proven ineffective for Trump and his team.“I think there comes a time when you have to realize that, despite your best efforts you’ve been unsuccessful,” Cornyn said earlier this month.___

How Congress will count Electoral College votes

Hot Springs, SD —Fall River Health Services continues to remain ready to confront the COVID-19 virus, meet the healthcare needs of our patients, and protect our communities from the spread of the disease. FRHS is happy to announce that Seven Sisters Living Center (SSLC) residents will be receiving COVID vaccinations on 1/12/21.

SSLC is currently allowing compassionate care visitation which is dependent on our County Positivity rate per the SD Department of Health. As this rate decreases, visitation by appointment will resume. SSLC will keep the community abreast as these changes occur. In the meantime, we will continue our efforts in providing the best possible care to our most vulnerable during this time.

As a reminder, the State Department of Health (DOH) oversees determining when other groups will be offered the vaccine and when FRHS will be able to provide it to the public (Phase 1D.) We recommend those who are identified as Phase 1D continue to pay attention to communications from the Department of Health and Fall River Health Services for more information as it becomes available.

FRHS reminds their community of their curbside COVID testing and provides information on the Free at-home COVID-19 testing at <a href="http://www.frhssd.org/covid">www.frhssd.org/covid</a>.

Hot Springs, SD —Fall River Health Services continues to remain ready to confront the COVID-19 virus, meet the healthcare needs of our patients, and protect our communities from the spread of the disease. FRHS is happy to announce that Seven Sisters Living Center (SSLC) residents will be receiving COVID vaccinations on 1/12/21.SSLC is currently allowing compassionate care visitation which is dependent on our County Positivity rate per the SD Department of Health. As this rate decreases, visitation by appointment will resume. SSLC will keep the community abreast as these changes occur. In the meantime, we will continue our efforts in providing the best possible care to our most vulnerable during this time.As a reminder, the State Department of Health (DOH) oversees determining when other groups will be offered the vaccine and when FRHS will be able to provide it to the public (Phase 1D.) We recommend those who are identified as Phase 1D continue to pay attention to communications from the Department of Health and Fall River Health Services for more information as it becomes available.FRHS reminds their community of their curbside COVID testing and provides information on the Free at-home COVID-19 testing at <a href="http://www.frhssd.org/covid">www.frhssd.org/covid</a>.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1609877568159.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Seven Sisters Living Center to receive COVID-19 vaccinations

KEYSTONE, S.D. (AP) — An Indiana woman has pleaded guilty to climbing Mount Rushmore, a federal violation. 

Twenty-year-old Molly Venderley entered the plea at a hearing in federal court in Rapid City, South Dakota Monday. 

Two other misdemeanor charges were dropped as part of a plea deal. 

Venderley, from Bloomington, Indiana, was fined $1,250 after entering her plea. 

A report from a park ranger says Venderley told him she climbed in the dark Sunday because she knew it was against the law to scale the monument and knew the park was closed. 

The ranger saw the woman’s flashlight on a security camera and found she had made it to the base of George Washington’s lapel.

KEYSTONE, S.D. (AP) — An Indiana woman has pleaded guilty to climbing Mount Rushmore, a federal violation. Twenty-year-old Molly Venderley entered the plea at a hearing in federal court in Rapid City, South Dakota Monday. Two other misdemeanor charges were dropped as part of a plea deal. Venderley, from Bloomington, Indiana, was fined $1,250 after entering her plea. A report from a park ranger says Venderley told him she climbed in the dark Sunday because she knew it was against the law to scale the monument and knew the park was closed. The ranger saw the woman’s flashlight on a security camera and found she had made it to the base of George Washington’s lapel.

Indiana woman pleads guilty to climbing Mount Rushmore

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 43-year-old Omaha man has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a real estate agent. 

Ross Lorello III was charged Monday in the death of 70-year-old Mickey Sodoro on Dec. 28. 

Court documents say Sodoro was shot at close range in the back of the head and his body was hidden in a garage crawl space of the rental home where he met with Lorello to exchange keys and payment.

 Lorello told police he gave Sodoro the rent money and signed the lease agreement, and the real estate agent then drove away with someone else.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 43-year-old Omaha man has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a real estate agent. Ross Lorello III was charged Monday in the death of 70-year-old Mickey Sodoro on Dec. 28. Court documents say Sodoro was shot at close range in the back of the head and his body was hidden in a garage crawl space of the rental home where he met with Lorello to exchange keys and payment. Lorello told police he gave Sodoro the rent money and signed the lease agreement, and the real estate agent then drove away with someone else.

Man charged in shooting death of Omaha real estate agent

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — As lawmakers around the U.S. convene this winter to deal with the COVID-19 crisis, statehouses themselves could prove to be hothouses for infection. 

Many legislatures will start the year meeting remotely, but some Republican-controlled statehouses, from Montana to Pennsylvania, plan to hold at least part of their sessions in person, without requiring masks.

 Public health officials say that move endangers the safety of other lawmakers, staffers, lobbyists, the public and the journalists responsible for holding politicians accountable. 

The risk is more than mere speculation: An ongoing tally by The Associated Press finds that more than 230 state lawmakers across the country have contracted COVID-19, and at least seven have died.

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — As lawmakers around the U.S. convene this winter to deal with the COVID-19 crisis, statehouses themselves could prove to be hothouses for infection. Many legislatures will start the year meeting remotely, but some Republican-controlled statehouses, from Montana to Pennsylvania, plan to hold at least part of their sessions in person, without requiring masks. Public health officials say that move endangers the safety of other lawmakers, staffers, lobbyists, the public and the journalists responsible for holding politicians accountable. The risk is more than mere speculation: An ongoing tally by The Associated Press finds that more than 230 state lawmakers across the country have contracted COVID-19, and at least seven have died.

Statehouses could prove to be hothouses for virus infection

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska officials who are leading the state’s pandemic response expect a large increase in coronavirus vaccinations over the next two weeks after a slowdown over the holidays.

 New data from the state's tracking portal shows that Nebraska has given 36,360 vaccinations so far out of the 94,697 doses in its possession. 

Most who have received initial doses at this point are front-line health care workers who were given first priority. 

Nebraska began vaccinating people on Dec. 15 but saw sharp drops in daily doses administered on Dec. 25 and the two following days. 

The numbers rose to roughly 3,000 per day afterward but dropped again to 1,579 on Jan. 1.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska officials who are leading the state’s pandemic response expect a large increase in coronavirus vaccinations over the next two weeks after a slowdown over the holidays. New data from the state's tracking portal shows that Nebraska has given 36,360 vaccinations so far out of the 94,697 doses in its possession. Most who have received initial doses at this point are front-line health care workers who were given first priority. Nebraska began vaccinating people on Dec. 15 but saw sharp drops in daily doses administered on Dec. 25 and the two following days. The numbers rose to roughly 3,000 per day afterward but dropped again to 1,579 on Jan. 1.

Nebraska expects ramp up of vaccinations after slow start

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic stretch into 2021, millions of U.S. renters are bracing for the possibility of having to show up in housing court to avoid getting evicted. But unlike their landlords, only a small fraction of them will do so flanked by an attorney.

Fewer than 10 cities and counties nationwide guarantee tenants the right to a lawyer in housing-related disputes, and for people struggling to make ends meet, an attorney is beyond their means, leaving many to skip their court hearings or walk in knowing they have little chance. Unlike criminal cases, an attorney won’t be assigned if someone can’t afford one. Legal aid organizations and pro bono lawyers represent many renters every year, but the need outpaces what they can handle.

While housing advocates have primarily pushed for rent relief from the government, experts also expect more cities to join the movement to give tenants the right to an attorney.

“The push for right to counsel preceded the pandemic, but it’s particularly acute and particularly urgent in light of the pandemic, given just the overall precarity that renters are facing,” said Gretchen Purser, an associate professor of sociology at Syracuse University who specializes in housing, homelessness and urban poverty.

She said legal representation “is going to be one of the most important things that groups around the country can be pushing for.”

Many people owe months of back rent, having lost their jobs or faced mounting medical bills during the health crisis. By January, renters will owe as much as $34 billion, according to estimates by the global investment bank and advisory firm Stout. An estimated 23 million people are at risk of getting evicted.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-health-care-reform-legislation-immigration-coronavirus-pandemic-3ba55f6ae819ad2be2319dfa218012b8">federal COVID-19 relief package</a>&nbsp;includes $25 billion for rental assistance and an extension of an eviction moratorium through January.

The moratorium is what Zachary Kettering thought would protect him when he lost two jobs during the pandemic, fell behind on rent and received a notice in October to vacate his one-bedroom apartment in the Dallas suburb of McKinney.

But he fell victim to a caveat that housing attorneys have warned about: The order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is not a blanket moratorium; tenants must sign a declaration and give a copy to their landlord. By early December, Kettering, a disabled veteran, owed $6,900 in rent and a constable knocked on his door with an eviction notice.

A friend loaned him the money to cover his debt, and he agreed to sign a document from his landlord saying he won’t renew his lease in February in exchange for dropping the case.

“I just kind of acquiesce to whatever they wanted,” said Kettering, 33, who is now raising money online. “It’s like you’re playing a game, and one of the people involved doesn’t know the rules of the game. And that game is a very high stakes, to the point where, like, you will be homeless if you don’t play the game.”

The federal relief bill also includes $20 million for legal assistance for renters.

In Baltimore, only 1% of tenants have legal representation in eviction cases, compared with 96% of landlords. But this month, Maryland’s largest city became the latest U.S. jurisdiction to grant renters a right to counsel in those cases. A Stout report estimated that 92% of tenants represented by lawyers in Baltimore would avoid having to leave their homes.

The new ordinance requires the city’s Department of Housing and Community Development to hire nonprofit legal organizations and calls for funding to help spread the word and educate tenants. It gives the city four years to fully implement the requirements.

Attorney Matthew Hill with the Public Justice Center, which advocated for the new ordinance, said Baltimore could draw from general funds and federal money to cover the program’s costs. He said a measure proposing a right to counsel also will be introduced in the Maryland Legislature, potentially making state funds available for Baltimore’s effort.

“This is really supposed to level the playing field and really provide tenants access, because eviction court often is just about evictions, but tenants have a lot of defenses,” Hill said, including whether the place is livable and if landlords are licensed. “So, we want to try and change eviction court into housing court and make sure we enforce tenants’ rights to safe, stable, healthy housing.”

The Stout report estimated that an investment of $5.7 million a year to get legal representation for Baltimore renters would result in $35.6 million in savings to the city and state on homeless shelters, Medicaid spending, school funding and foster care costs.

In 2017, New York became the first U.S. city to guarantee the right to an attorney in housing court. Between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 86% of tenants represented by lawyers were able to stay in their homes, according to a city report released this fall.

Other cities with similar laws include San Francisco, Philadelphia and Newark, New Jersey.

Before the pandemic, about 300,000 evictions were filed in the U.S. in an average month, according to the Eviction Lab at Princeton University. A patchwork of local and state guidelines combined with the federal moratorium have provided some protections for people unable to pay rent. But in some places, including cities in South Carolina, Ohio, Florida and Virginia, renters are losing their homes.

Pablo Estupiñan, interim co-coordinator of Right to Counsel NYC Coalition, said eviction filings dropped in New York since its right-to-counsel ordinance took effect three years ago. But he said landlords’ attorneys have increased pressure on tenants and sometimes people choose to leave because they may not know their rights.

“As a result of right to counsel, we saw landlords changing their tactics, and we definitely heard from community members that landlord attorneys were threatening them, saying, ‘If you get an attorney to represent you, then I will fight your case harder and not give you a fair settlement,’” Estupiñan said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic stretch into 2021, millions of U.S. renters are bracing for the possibility of having to show up in housing court to avoid getting evicted. But unlike their landlords, only a small fraction of them will do so flanked by an attorney.Fewer than 10 cities and counties nationwide guarantee tenants the right to a lawyer in housing-related disputes, and for people struggling to make ends meet, an attorney is beyond their means, leaving many to skip their court hearings or walk in knowing they have little chance. Unlike criminal cases, an attorney won’t be assigned if someone can’t afford one. Legal aid organizations and pro bono lawyers represent many renters every year, but the need outpaces what they can handle.While housing advocates have primarily pushed for rent relief from the government, experts also expect more cities to join the movement to give tenants the right to an attorney.“The push for right to counsel preceded the pandemic, but it’s particularly acute and particularly urgent in light of the pandemic, given just the overall precarity that renters are facing,” said Gretchen Purser, an associate professor of sociology at Syracuse University who specializes in housing, homelessness and urban poverty.She said legal representation “is going to be one of the most important things that groups around the country can be pushing for.”Many people owe months of back rent, having lost their jobs or faced mounting medical bills during the health crisis. By January, renters will owe as much as $34 billion, according to estimates by the global investment bank and advisory firm Stout. An estimated 23 million people are at risk of getting evicted.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-health-care-reform-legislation-immigration-coronavirus-pandemic-3ba55f6ae819ad2be2319dfa218012b8">federal COVID-19 relief package</a>&nbsp;includes $25 billion for rental assistance and an extension of an eviction moratorium through January.The moratorium is what Zachary Kettering thought would protect him when he lost two jobs during the pandemic, fell behind on rent and received a notice in October to vacate his one-bedroom apartment in the Dallas suburb of McKinney.But he fell victim to a caveat that housing attorneys have warned about: The order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is not a blanket moratorium; tenants must sign a declaration and give a copy to their landlord. By early December, Kettering, a disabled veteran, owed $6,900 in rent and a constable knocked on his door with an eviction notice.A friend loaned him the money to cover his debt, and he agreed to sign a document from his landlord saying he won’t renew his lease in February in exchange for dropping the case.“I just kind of acquiesce to whatever they wanted,” said Kettering, 33, who is now raising money online. “It’s like you’re playing a game, and one of the people involved doesn’t know the rules of the game. And that game is a very high stakes, to the point where, like, you will be homeless if you don’t play the game.”The federal relief bill also includes $20 million for legal assistance for renters.In Baltimore, only 1% of tenants have legal representation in eviction cases, compared with 96% of landlords. But this month, Maryland’s largest city became the latest U.S. jurisdiction to grant renters a right to counsel in those cases. A Stout report estimated that 92% of tenants represented by lawyers in Baltimore would avoid having to leave their homes.The new ordinance requires the city’s Department of Housing and Community Development to hire nonprofit legal organizations and calls for funding to help spread the word and educate tenants. It gives the city four years to fully implement the requirements.Attorney Matthew Hill with the Public Justice Center, which advocated for the new ordinance, said Baltimore could draw from general funds and federal money to cover the program’s costs. He said a measure proposing a right to counsel also will be introduced in the Maryland Legislature, potentially making state funds available for Baltimore’s effort.“This is really supposed to level the playing field and really provide tenants access, because eviction court often is just about evictions, but tenants have a lot of defenses,” Hill said, including whether the place is livable and if landlords are licensed. “So, we want to try and change eviction court into housing court and make sure we enforce tenants’ rights to safe, stable, healthy housing.”The Stout report estimated that an investment of $5.7 million a year to get legal representation for Baltimore renters would result in $35.6 million in savings to the city and state on homeless shelters, Medicaid spending, school funding and foster care costs.In 2017, New York became the first U.S. city to guarantee the right to an attorney in housing court. Between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 86% of tenants represented by lawyers were able to stay in their homes, according to a city report released this fall.Other cities with similar laws include San Francisco, Philadelphia and Newark, New Jersey.Before the pandemic, about 300,000 evictions were filed in the U.S. in an average month, according to the Eviction Lab at Princeton University. A patchwork of local and state guidelines combined with the federal moratorium have provided some protections for people unable to pay rent. But in some places, including cities in South Carolina, Ohio, Florida and Virginia, renters are losing their homes.Pablo Estupiñan, interim co-coordinator of Right to Counsel NYC Coalition, said eviction filings dropped in New York since its right-to-counsel ordinance took effect three years ago. But he said landlords’ attorneys have increased pressure on tenants and sometimes people choose to leave because they may not know their rights.“As a result of right to counsel, we saw landlords changing their tactics, and we definitely heard from community members that landlord attorneys were threatening them, saying, ‘If you get an attorney to represent you, then I will fight your case harder and not give you a fair settlement,’” Estupiñan said.

Virus relief: Renters get right to lawyers in housing court

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police say 22-year-old a man shot outside a barbershop over the weekend has died.

 Jumeez Sherman was shot Saturday in front of Transitions Barber &amp; Beauty shop. 

Police said in a news release that he died Sunday. 

Another man, 21-year-old Desmond Edwards, was shot and hospitalized with injuries that were not considered life threatening. 

Police continue to investigate the shooting and have not released further details.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police say 22-year-old a man shot outside a barbershop over the weekend has died. Jumeez Sherman was shot Saturday in front of Transitions Barber &amp; Beauty shop. Police said in a news release that he died Sunday. Another man, 21-year-old Desmond Edwards, was shot and hospitalized with injuries that were not considered life threatening. Police continue to investigate the shooting and have not released further details.

Man shot Saturday outside Omaha barbershop has died

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The economy continues improving in nine Midwest and Plains states but business leaders are less optimistic after the latest surge in coronavirus cases in the region, according to a new monthly survey released Monday. 

The overall index for the region suggests strong growth even though it dipped to 64.1 in December from November’s 69.

 Any score above 50 on the survey’s indexes suggests growth, while a score below 50 suggests recession. 

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, said the survey’s confidence index suggests business leaders are worried about the economy after the recent growth in virus cases across the region.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The economy continues improving in nine Midwest and Plains states but business leaders are less optimistic after the latest surge in coronavirus cases in the region, according to a new monthly survey released Monday. The overall index for the region suggests strong growth even though it dipped to 64.1 in December from November’s 69. Any score above 50 on the survey’s indexes suggests growth, while a score below 50 suggests recession. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, said the survey’s confidence index suggests business leaders are worried about the economy after the recent growth in virus cases across the region.

Midwest economy improving but businesses less optimistic

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Authorities say a SkyWest flight from Milwaukee to Denver made an emergency landing in South Dakota after the flight crew reported a cracked windshield. 

The Federal Aviation Administration says the twin-engine aircraft was diverted to Joe Foss Field in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and landed without incident at 10:45 a.m. Saturday. 

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says the FAA is investigating the incident

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Authorities say a SkyWest flight from Milwaukee to Denver made an emergency landing in South Dakota after the flight crew reported a cracked windshield. No injuries were reported. The Federal Aviation Administration says the twin-engine aircraft was diverted to Joe Foss Field in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and landed without incident at 10:45 a.m. Saturday. No other details were available. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says the FAA is investigating the incident

Milwaukee flight makes emergency landing in South Dakota

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — Tourists flocked to Wyoming's Devils Tower National Monument this fall despite the coronavirus. 

The national monument closed in March because of the pandemic but reopened in May. 

The Gillette News Record reports more than 113,000 people visited the park in August, some 13,000 more than in August, 2019. September, October and November set visitation records. 

Overall, more than 420,000 people visited Devils Tower through November. 

That was down by just 7% compared to the number of visitors during that period in 2019. 

Devils Tower KOA campground owner Ogden Driskill says many visitors were eager to get outside and away from cities.

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — Tourists flocked to Wyoming's Devils Tower National Monument this fall despite the coronavirus. The national monument closed in March because of the pandemic but reopened in May. The Gillette News Record reports more than 113,000 people visited the park in August, some 13,000 more than in August, 2019. September, October and November set visitation records. Overall, more than 420,000 people visited Devils Tower through November. That was down by just 7% compared to the number of visitors during that period in 2019. Devils Tower KOA campground owner Ogden Driskill says many visitors were eager to get outside and away from cities.

Devils Tower visitation up in fall after coronavirus closure

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — A Beatrice man is in custody after a fatal shooting outside the suspect's home. Police say Alex Rader, of Beatrice, died after being shot late Wednesday. 

Police Chief Bruce Lang says the suspect, 25-year-old Brandon Long, told officers he heard a disturbance outside his home. He said he went outside, saw a man standing next to his house, and shot him. 

Lang says the men knew each other and the shooting does not appear to be related to an attempted burglary or self defense. 

KWBE reports Long was booked into the Gage County jail on suspicion of second-degree murder, and two weapons charges.

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — A Beatrice man is in custody after a fatal shooting outside the suspect's home. Police say Alex Rader, of Beatrice, died after being shot late Wednesday. Police Chief Bruce Lang says the suspect, 25-year-old Brandon Long, told officers he heard a disturbance outside his home. He said he went outside, saw a man standing next to his house, and shot him. Lang says the men knew each other and the shooting does not appear to be related to an attempted burglary or self defense. KWBE reports Long was booked into the Gage County jail on suspicion of second-degree murder, and two weapons charges.

Police arrest suspect after fatal shooting in Beatrice

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a 26-year-old man was fatally shot on New Year’s Day in Omaha. 

The Omaha World Herald reports that police responded around 3 a.m. Friday to a hotel, where they found James Reed dead and another man suffering from non-life threatening wounds. 

No suspect information was immediately released.

 Police are urging anyone with information to come forward.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a 26-year-old man was fatally shot on New Year’s Day in Omaha. The Omaha World Herald reports that police responded around 3 a.m. Friday to a hotel, where they found James Reed dead and another man suffering from non-life threatening wounds. No suspect information was immediately released. Police are urging anyone with information to come forward.