ASHTON, Neb. (AP) - A woman died this week after her motorcycle collided with a tractor in central Nebraska, the Nebraska State Patrol reported.

Ava Bratten, 61, of Ashton, was one of two motorcyclists who attempted around 7: 45 p.m. Monday to pass a tractor that was pulling a baler on a rural Sherman County road, investigators said. The tractor made a sudden left turn as the motorcyclists were trying to pass, leading them to hit the tractor and baler, officials said.

Bratten was pronounced dead at the scene. The other motorcyclist, Matthew Bratten, 54, of Ashton, was flown to a hospital in Kearney. The 16-year-old tractor driver was not injured, officials said.

ASHTON, Neb. (AP) - A woman died this week after her motorcycle collided with a tractor in central Nebraska, the Nebraska State Patrol reported.Ava Bratten, 61, of Ashton, was one of two motorcyclists who attempted around 7: 45 p.m. Monday to pass a tractor that was pulling a baler on a rural Sherman County road, investigators said. The tractor made a sudden left turn as the motorcyclists were trying to pass, leading them to hit the tractor and baler, officials said.Bratten was pronounced dead at the scene. The other motorcyclist, Matthew Bratten, 54, of Ashton, was flown to a hospital in Kearney. The 16-year-old tractor driver was not injured, officials said.The crash remains under investigation.

Patrol: Nebraska motorcyclist killed in crash with tractor

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A former suburban Omaha police officer has been charged in the 2018 shooting death of his girlfriend in which he claimed she shot herself. 

The Omaha World-Herald reports that 54-year-old Craig Wiech turned himself in Tuesday on a warrant charging him with tampering with physical evidence in the Aug. 26, 2018, death of 48-year-old Carrie Brown.

Investigators say physical evidence indicates that Brown's body had been moved and manipulated after she was shot but before police arrived at the couple's Bellevue home. 

Wiech had been a Bellevue police officer at the time of the shooting. 

He was placed on administrative leave until he resigned in February 2019.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A former suburban Omaha police officer has been charged in the 2018 shooting death of his girlfriend in which he claimed she shot herself. The Omaha World-Herald reports that 54-year-old Craig Wiech turned himself in Tuesday on a warrant charging him with tampering with physical evidence in the Aug. 26, 2018, death of 48-year-old Carrie Brown.Investigators say physical evidence indicates that Brown's body had been moved and manipulated after she was shot but before police arrived at the couple's Bellevue home. Wiech had been a Bellevue police officer at the time of the shooting. He was placed on administrative leave until he resigned in February 2019.

Ex-Bellevue police officer charged in wife's 2018 death

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — The United States’ largest coal-producing region, the Powder River Basin in Wyoming, is on pace to produce less than 200 million tons of coal for the first time in three decades. 

The Gillette News Record reports production in the basin is down nearly 25% from this time in 2019. 

Last year, the U.S. produced its lowest amount of coal since 1975. 

So far this year, 568 jobs have been lost in the basin, or over 12% of the workforce.

 Experts say the coronavirus pandemic, lower natural gas prices and the emergence of renewable energies have significantly decreased demand in coal.&nbsp;

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — The United States’ largest coal-producing region, the Powder River Basin in Wyoming, is on pace to produce less than 200 million tons of coal for the first time in three decades. The Gillette News Record reports production in the basin is down nearly 25% from this time in 2019. Last year, the U.S. produced its lowest amount of coal since 1975. So far this year, 568 jobs have been lost in the basin, or over 12% of the workforce. Experts say the coronavirus pandemic, lower natural gas prices and the emergence of renewable energies have significantly decreased demand in coal.&nbsp;

Top coal-producing area in U.S. on pace for record low year

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Facing the nation’s second-most coronavirus cases per capita over the last two weeks, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has defended her coronavirus strategy as a “balanced approach” that has kept the state’s economy humming. 

The Republican governor has disparaged restrictions to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. But over the last two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases reported by South Dakota health officials has increased by 84, an increase of about 56%, according to Johns Hopkins researchers. 

In a Wednesday Fox News appearance, Noem turned attention to the pandemic’s economic impacts, saying the state's approach is balanced.&nbsp;&nbsp;

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Facing the nation’s second-most coronavirus cases per capita over the last two weeks, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has defended her coronavirus strategy as a “balanced approach” that has kept the state’s economy humming. The Republican governor has disparaged restrictions to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. But over the last two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases reported by South Dakota health officials has increased by 84, an increase of about 56%, according to Johns Hopkins researchers. In a Wednesday Fox News appearance, Noem turned attention to the pandemic’s economic impacts, saying the state's approach is balanced.&nbsp;&nbsp;

South Dakota's Noem defends coronavirus strategy amid surge

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hoping to replicate a strategy that has long been seen as key to his appeal among conservative voters, President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced he is adding 20 names to a list of Supreme Court candidates that he's pledged to choose from if he has future vacancies to fill.

The list include Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas,&nbsp; Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Josh Hawley of Missouri, Christopher Landau, the current ambassador to Mexico, and Gregory Katsas, a Trump nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and and Daniel Cameron, Kentucky Attorney General

“Every one of these individuals will ensure equal justice, equal treatment and equal rights for citizens of every race, color, religion and creed," Trump said at the White House. Trump also warned his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, would select “radical justices” who would “fundamentally transform America," even though Biden has never outlined his list of potential choices.

The release, less than two months before the election, is aimed at repeating the strategy that Trump employed during his 2016 campaign, when he released a similar list of could-be judges in a bid to win over conservative and evangelical voters who had doubts about his conservative bonafides.

“The president is very excited to share who he would nominate to the Supreme Court," White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said ahead of the announcement. She said Trump “wants Constitution-abiding judges, he wants textualists who believe the words of a statute actually are what they are, not subject to interpretation.”

The high court is currently divided 5-4 between conservatives and liberals. While there is no current vacancy on the court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, has been undergoing cancer treatment, and three others members of the court are in their 70s and 80s.

Trump has already remade the federal bench for a generation. And any vacancy in the highest court would give the president the ability to shape its future for decades to come if he is reelected in November.

Trump has stressed that power as he has campaigned, claiming that the winner of the upcoming presidential election “could have anywhere from two to four, to maybe even five” Supreme Court justices to pick, though that would require an extraordinary level of turnover.

“You will change this country around. It will be irreversible,” he said last month in Minnesota.

Trump released two lists with a total of 21 names of potential Supreme Court nominees during his previous presidential campaign and added another five names in 2017 after becoming president. Trump’s two nominees to the court, Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, were both drawn from Trump’s list.

Even in a race reshaped by the pandemic and the national reckoning over race, Trump's appointments of Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh remain among his crowning achievements and are frequently noted at his rallies.

The cultural battle over Kavanaugh’s confirmation, in particular, remains an electrifying moment for many on the right and one that Trump continues to highlight as he tries to replicate the excitement that fight generated on the right and make the race an us-vs.-them battle over American values and cancel culture.

“Did you ever see anything like that? Justice Kavanaugh. People forget. You know, time goes by, they forget. We don’t forget. I don’t forget,” Trump told a rally crowd last month in New Hampshire. “They’re destroying the livelihoods of innocent people.”

For the president's allies, the list is seen as a way to excite his base as well as well as remind voters of what's at stake come November.

“I think it's very important way for the president to reaffirm his commitment to an issue that many conservatives and Republicans see as a priority," said Leonard Leo, the longtime executive vice president of the conservative Federalist Society who participated in the Kavanaugh and Gorsuch confirmations. “This a great way to remind people pf the legacy he’s already established for himself in this area.”

Trump’s rival for the presidency, Joe Biden, has promised to nominate a Black woman to the high court if given the chance. Biden, too, has said he’s working on a list of potential nominees, but the campaign has given no indication that it will release names before the November election. Democrats believe doing so would unnecessarily distract from Biden’s focus on Trump’s handling of the pandemic and the economy, while also giving the president and his allies fresh targets to attack.

“We are putting together a list of a group of African American women who are qualified and have the experience to be in the court. I am not going to release that until we go further down the line of vetting them as well,” Biden said in June.

Biden advisers acknowledge that the Supreme Court vacancy four years ago helped Trump with white evangelicals and some chamber-of-commerce Republicans who disliked the first-time candidate or were wary of his conservative credentials. This year, Biden’s team sees those same groups as less up for grabs. Many remain firmly with Trump, they reason, while others already have bailed on him and won’t be wooed back by another list of potential justices for a vacancy that doesn’t yet exist.

But Trump pushed back. He said that, apart from “matters of war and peace, the nomination of a Supreme Court justice is the most important decision an American president can make” and that, “For this reason, candidates for president owe the American people a specific list of individuals they’d consider for the United States Supreme Court."

Any list may also be meaningless. Either man’s ability to get any future choice on the court depends on having a majority in the Senate, which confirms nominees. Republicans currently hold 53 seats in the chamber to Democrats’ 45, with two independents who caucus with the Democrats.

The court’s oldest members are Justice Ginsburg and Justice Stephen Breyer, 82, both liberals, and Justice Clarence Thomas, 72, and Justice Samuel Alito, 70, two conservatives. Ginsburg made news this summer when she announced she is being treated for a recurrence of cancer but has no plans to step down.

Regardless of party, presidents tend to look for the same characteristics in potential Supreme Court picks. Stellar legal credentials are a must. All of the current justices attended Harvard or Yale law school, though Ginsburg left Harvard and graduated from Columbia. And they tend to be old enough to have a distinguished legal career but young enough to serve for decades. That generally means nominees are in their late 40s or 50s.

More recently, nominees have also previously clerked for a Supreme Court justice, an early mark of legal smarts. Five of the current justices previously clerked at the Supreme Court.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599684356428.png" alt="President Trump during Wednesday's statement on judicial appointments -photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>President Trump during Wednesday's statement on judicial appointments -photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Hoping to replicate a strategy that has long been seen as key to his appeal among conservative voters, President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced he is adding 20 names to a list of Supreme Court candidates that he's pledged to choose from if he has future vacancies to fill.The list include Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas,&nbsp; Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Josh Hawley of Missouri, Christopher Landau, the current ambassador to Mexico, and Gregory Katsas, a Trump nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and and Daniel Cameron, Kentucky Attorney General“Every one of these individuals will ensure equal justice, equal treatment and equal rights for citizens of every race, color, religion and creed," Trump said at the White House. Trump also warned his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, would select “radical justices” who would “fundamentally transform America," even though Biden has never outlined his list of potential choices.The release, less than two months before the election, is aimed at repeating the strategy that Trump employed during his 2016 campaign, when he released a similar list of could-be judges in a bid to win over conservative and evangelical voters who had doubts about his conservative bonafides.“The president is very excited to share who he would nominate to the Supreme Court," White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said ahead of the announcement. She said Trump “wants Constitution-abiding judges, he wants textualists who believe the words of a statute actually are what they are, not subject to interpretation.”The high court is currently divided 5-4 between conservatives and liberals. While there is no current vacancy on the court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, has been undergoing cancer treatment, and three others members of the court are in their 70s and 80s.Trump has already remade the federal bench for a generation. And any vacancy in the highest court would give the president the ability to shape its future for decades to come if he is reelected in November.Trump has stressed that power as he has campaigned, claiming that the winner of the upcoming presidential election “could have anywhere from two to four, to maybe even five” Supreme Court justices to pick, though that would require an extraordinary level of turnover.“You will change this country around. It will be irreversible,” he said last month in Minnesota.Trump released two lists with a total of 21 names of potential Supreme Court nominees during his previous presidential campaign and added another five names in 2017 after becoming president. Trump’s two nominees to the court, Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, were both drawn from Trump’s list.Even in a race reshaped by the pandemic and the national reckoning over race, Trump's appointments of Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh remain among his crowning achievements and are frequently noted at his rallies.The cultural battle over Kavanaugh’s confirmation, in particular, remains an electrifying moment for many on the right and one that Trump continues to highlight as he tries to replicate the excitement that fight generated on the right and make the race an us-vs.-them battle over American values and cancel culture.“Did you ever see anything like that? Justice Kavanaugh. People forget. You know, time goes by, they forget. We don’t forget. I don’t forget,” Trump told a rally crowd last month in New Hampshire. “They’re destroying the livelihoods of innocent people.”For the president's allies, the list is seen as a way to excite his base as well as well as remind voters of what's at stake come November.“I think it's very important way for the president to reaffirm his commitment to an issue that many conservatives and Republicans see as a priority," said Leonard Leo, the longtime executive vice president of the conservative Federalist Society who participated in the Kavanaugh and Gorsuch confirmations. “This a great way to remind people pf the legacy he’s already established for himself in this area.”Trump’s rival for the presidency, Joe Biden, has promised to nominate a Black woman to the high court if given the chance. Biden, too, has said he’s working on a list of potential nominees, but the campaign has given no indication that it will release names before the November election. Democrats believe doing so would unnecessarily distract from Biden’s focus on Trump’s handling of the pandemic and the economy, while also giving the president and his allies fresh targets to attack.“We are putting together a list of a group of African American women who are qualified and have the experience to be in the court. I am not going to release that until we go further down the line of vetting them as well,” Biden said in June.Biden advisers acknowledge that the Supreme Court vacancy four years ago helped Trump with white evangelicals and some chamber-of-commerce Republicans who disliked the first-time candidate or were wary of his conservative credentials. This year, Biden’s team sees those same groups as less up for grabs. Many remain firmly with Trump, they reason, while others already have bailed on him and won’t be wooed back by another list of potential justices for a vacancy that doesn’t yet exist.But Trump pushed back. He said that, apart from “matters of war and peace, the nomination of a Supreme Court justice is the most important decision an American president can make” and that, “For this reason, candidates for president owe the American people a specific list of individuals they’d consider for the United States Supreme Court."Any list may also be meaningless. Either man’s ability to get any future choice on the court depends on having a majority in the Senate, which confirms nominees. Republicans currently hold 53 seats in the chamber to Democrats’ 45, with two independents who caucus with the Democrats.The court’s oldest members are Justice Ginsburg and Justice Stephen Breyer, 82, both liberals, and Justice Clarence Thomas, 72, and Justice Samuel Alito, 70, two conservatives. Ginsburg made news this summer when she announced she is being treated for a recurrence of cancer but has no plans to step down.Regardless of party, presidents tend to look for the same characteristics in potential Supreme Court picks. Stellar legal credentials are a must. All of the current justices attended Harvard or Yale law school, though Ginsburg left Harvard and graduated from Columbia. And they tend to be old enough to have a distinguished legal career but young enough to serve for decades. That generally means nominees are in their late 40s or 50s.More recently, nominees have also previously clerked for a Supreme Court justice, an early mark of legal smarts. Five of the current justices previously clerked at the Supreme Court.___

Trump releases list of new possible Supreme Court picks

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha-area high school English teacher arrested last month on suspicion of molesting a teen in 2008 and charged with additional abuse counts now faces more charges.

 The Omaha World-Herald reports that 40-year-old Andrew McGreevy appeared in court Tuesday to face two more counts of first-degree sexual assault. 

The Millard North teacher, who is currently on leave, had already been charged with three other counts of first-degree sexual assault and one count of third-degree sexual assault of a child. 

The latest counts involve two women in separate cases who accuse McGreevy of forcing them to perform oral sex.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha-area high school English teacher arrested last month on suspicion of molesting a teen in 2008 and charged with additional abuse counts now faces more charges. The Omaha World-Herald reports that 40-year-old Andrew McGreevy appeared in court Tuesday to face two more counts of first-degree sexual assault. The Millard North teacher, who is currently on leave, had already been charged with three other counts of first-degree sexual assault and one count of third-degree sexual assault of a child. The latest counts involve two women in separate cases who accuse McGreevy of forcing them to perform oral sex.

Omaha-area teacher faces new sexual assault charges

LINCOLN — Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) removed 73 impaired drivers from the road during the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign to close out the summer driving season.

“This summer driving season has been unique, but our troopers’ dedication to keeping Nebraska roads safe has been steadfast,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “As we move into the final months of the year, we encourage all drivers to do their part as well. For whatever reason you’re traveling, drive safely and drive sober.”

The effort, which ran from August 21 through September 7, was part of a national campaign involving law enforcement agencies throughout the country. NSP’s portion of the effort was made possible thanks in part to the grant for $20,000 from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office.

In addition to the 73 arrests for driving under the influence, troopers also issued citations for speeding (1,196), driving under suspension (97), no proof of insurance (54), open container (24), minor in possession (17), no seat belt (26), and improper child restraint (13). Troopers also performed 767 motorist assists for drivers in need of help on the road.

The campaign also marks the end of NSP’s “100 Days of Summer” annual campaign focused on safe driving during the summer months. Between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend, troopers performed dozens of enforcement and education operations to keep Nebraska roads safe. Troopers assisted more than 4,700 motorists in need of help during the summer campaign and arrested 320 people for driving under the influence.

During the “100 Days of Summer”, excessive speeding continued to be an issue on Nebraska roads. Troopers issued 390 speeding citations for motorists exceeding 100 miles per hour. That figure is more than double the 192 such speeding citations during the same period last year.

LINCOLN — Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) removed 73 impaired drivers from the road during the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign to close out the summer driving season.“This summer driving season has been unique, but our troopers’ dedication to keeping Nebraska roads safe has been steadfast,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “As we move into the final months of the year, we encourage all drivers to do their part as well. For whatever reason you’re traveling, drive safely and drive sober.”The effort, which ran from August 21 through September 7, was part of a national campaign involving law enforcement agencies throughout the country. NSP’s portion of the effort was made possible thanks in part to the grant for $20,000 from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office.In addition to the 73 arrests for driving under the influence, troopers also issued citations for speeding (1,196), driving under suspension (97), no proof of insurance (54), open container (24), minor in possession (17), no seat belt (26), and improper child restraint (13). Troopers also performed 767 motorist assists for drivers in need of help on the road.The campaign also marks the end of NSP’s “100 Days of Summer” annual campaign focused on safe driving during the summer months. Between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend, troopers performed dozens of enforcement and education operations to keep Nebraska roads safe. Troopers assisted more than 4,700 motorists in need of help during the summer campaign and arrested 320 people for driving under the influence.During the “100 Days of Summer”, excessive speeding continued to be an issue on Nebraska roads. Troopers issued 390 speeding citations for motorists exceeding 100 miles per hour. That figure is more than double the 192 such speeding citations during the same period last year.

Troopers arrest 73 impaired drivers in Drive Sober Campaign

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has suspended six sorority and fraternity chapters after photos and videos showed students in those organizations violating local public health and university policies. 

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that the suspensions were handed down Tuesday. The chapters suspended include Alpha Omicron Phi, Alpha Xi Delta, Delta Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta, Phi Delta Thea and Sigma Phi Epsilon.

 UNL administrators learned several Greek houses had hosted large gatherings Monday, which was bid day for several sororities. 

UNL officials say attendees were not wearing face coverings or observing social distancing guidelines.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has suspended six sorority and fraternity chapters after photos and videos showed students in those organizations violating local public health and university policies. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that the suspensions were handed down Tuesday. The chapters suspended include Alpha Omicron Phi, Alpha Xi Delta, Delta Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta, Phi Delta Thea and Sigma Phi Epsilon. UNL administrators learned several Greek houses had hosted large gatherings Monday, which was bid day for several sororities. UNL officials say attendees were not wearing face coverings or observing social distancing guidelines.

UNL suspends sororities, frats over COVID-19 violations

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s administration is using federal coronavirus relief funds to pay for a $5 million tourism ad campaign aimed at drawing people to the state, even as it emerges as one of the nation’s top hot spots for COVID-19 infections. 

The 30-second advertisement features the governor saying that “with our breathtaking landscapes and wide-open spaces, we’re a place to safely explore.” But the state currently ranks second in the country for new cases per capita over the last two weeks. 

The governor's spokesman says the ad will help promote an industry vital to the state.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s administration is using federal coronavirus relief funds to pay for a $5 million tourism ad campaign aimed at drawing people to the state, even as it emerges as one of the nation’s top hot spots for COVID-19 infections. The 30-second advertisement features the governor saying that “with our breathtaking landscapes and wide-open spaces, we’re a place to safely explore.” But the state currently ranks second in the country for new cases per capita over the last two weeks. The governor's spokesman says the ad will help promote an industry vital to the state.

Amid virus surge, Noem pushes tourism with CARES Act funds

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate prepared to vote this week on a trimmed-down Republican coronavirus relief package, though it only has a slim chance of passage in the face of Democrats’ insistence for more sweeping aid.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released the approximately $500 billion measure on Tuesday as senators returned to Washington for an abbreviated pre-election session, but hopes were dimming for another coronavirus relief bill — or much else.

Republicans struggling to retain their Senate majority this fall have been divided, with some GOP senators in close races anxious to respond further to the pandemic, even as conservatives are tiring of all the spending and passing legislation in concert with liberal House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

McConnell called the package “a targeted proposal that focuses on several of the most urgent aspects of this crisis, the issues where bipartisanship should be especially possible.” They included school aid, new money for vaccines and testing, and a second round of the popular Paycheck Protection Program for smaller businesses.

Democrats demanded a far larger bill, including hundreds of billions of dollars for state and local governments, more generous jobless benefits, and help for renters and homeowners, along with other provisions in the House Democrats’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/3c1ea3456f7d906dabf3ed336f6c1ad0">$3.5 billion relief bill</a>&nbsp;that passed in May.

“Get real, Mitch McConnell,” Pelosi said during a Bloomberg interview. “It’s only a ‘check the box’ so that some of his endangered Republican senators can go home and say, ‘Well, see, I tried.’ But it isn’t trying. It is not even an attempt to do the right thing.”

Republican senators such as Susan Collins of Maine are eager to show constituents they are continuing to work to ease the pandemic’s disastrous impact on jobs, businesses and health. But many Senate Republicans are resisting more spending, and the scaled-back bill is roughly half the size of a measure McConnell unveiled earlier this summer.

McConnell’s move Tuesday would clear the way for a Thursday test vote in which Democrats were sure to block the legislation. Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement that the bill “doesn’t come close to addressing the problems and is headed nowhere.”

McConnell’s bill would provide $105 billion to help schools reopen, enact a shield against lawsuits for businesses and others that are powering ahead to reopen, create a scaled-back $300-per-week supplemental jobless benefit, and write off $10 billion in earlier debt at the U.S. Postal Service. There’s $31 billion for a coronavirus vaccine, $16 billion for virus testing and $15 billion to help child care providers reopen. There is additionally $20 billion for farmers.

The package will also include a school choice initiative sought by Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz and others that would provide a tax break, for two years, for people who donate to nonprofit organizations offering private school scholarships.

It would also provide for a $258 billion second round of paycheck protection subsidies.

But it won’t contain another round of $1,200 direct payments going out under President Donald Trump’s name and the new $300 weekly jobless benefit would expire just after Christmas, on Dec. 27. The GOP bill also lacks funding for election security that lawmakers from both parties have supported.

At least one Republican, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, said Tuesday he would oppose the bill, refusing new spending that piles on debt. It’s a sign of the troubles McConnell has faced in crafting a bill his own party would support.

Pelosi, D-Calif., continues to demand a package totaling $2.2 trillion, and while Trump’s negotiators have signaled a willingness to inch further in her direction, a significant gap remains.

Talks between top Democrats and the Trump administration broke off last month and remain off track, with the bipartisan unity that drove almost $3 trillion in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/2099a53bb8adf2def7ee7329ea322f9d">COVID-19 rescue legislation into law</a>&nbsp;this spring replaced by toxic partisanship and a return to Washington dysfunction.

Expectations in July and August that a fifth bipartisan pandemic response bill would eventually be birthed despite increased obstacles has been replaced by genuine pessimism. Recent COVID-related conversations among key players have led to nothing.

Democrats seem secure in their political position, with Trump and several Senate GOP incumbents lagging in the polls. Trump is seeking to sideline the pandemic as a campaign issue, and Republicans aren’t interested in a deal on Democratic terms — even as needs like school aid enjoy widespread support.

Poisonous relationships among key leaders like Pelosi and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows give little reason for confidence about overcoming obstacles on the cost, scope and details of a potential relief bill. Pelosi recently referred to Meadows as “whatever his name is,” while the Meadows-run White House during a press briefing ran a video loop of Pelosi’s controversial visit to a San Francisco hair salon.

The relationship between Pelosi and her preferred negotiating partner, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, is civil but isn’t generating much in the way of results, other than a promise to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/2c635b4e14e17ec6db0b13dfb089aa8c">avoid a government shutdown</a>&nbsp;at the end of the month by keeping a government-wide temporary spending bill free of controversy. That measure is likely to keep the government running into December. It’s likely to contain a bunch of lower-profile steps, such as an extension of the federal flood insurance program and a temporary reauthorization of spending from the highway trust fund.

But if talks continue to falter, there’s little to keep lawmakers in Washington long, particularly with the election fast approaching.

One Republican in leadership, Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, said he was “disappointed” they had not reached agreement sooner. “On all of this money, the longer we wait the less effective it is, whether it’s money for elections — which particularly have one day that’s the target — or money for back to school,” said Blunt.

The Senate returned Tuesday to resume its diet of judicial and administration nominations. The House doesn’t come back until Sept. 14 for a schedule laden with lower-profile measures such as clean-energy legislation and a bill to decriminalize marijuana. Some Democrats are expected to continue to take advantage of remote voting and may not return to Washington at all.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599653805831.png" alt="Members of the U.S. Senate discuss the legislation Tuesday afternoon -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Members of the U.S. Senate discuss the legislation Tuesday afternoon -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate prepared to vote this week on a trimmed-down Republican coronavirus relief package, though it only has a slim chance of passage in the face of Democrats’ insistence for more sweeping aid.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released the approximately $500 billion measure on Tuesday as senators returned to Washington for an abbreviated pre-election session, but hopes were dimming for another coronavirus relief bill — or much else.Republicans struggling to retain their Senate majority this fall have been divided, with some GOP senators in close races anxious to respond further to the pandemic, even as conservatives are tiring of all the spending and passing legislation in concert with liberal House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.McConnell called the package “a targeted proposal that focuses on several of the most urgent aspects of this crisis, the issues where bipartisanship should be especially possible.” They included school aid, new money for vaccines and testing, and a second round of the popular Paycheck Protection Program for smaller businesses.Democrats demanded a far larger bill, including hundreds of billions of dollars for state and local governments, more generous jobless benefits, and help for renters and homeowners, along with other provisions in the House Democrats’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/3c1ea3456f7d906dabf3ed336f6c1ad0">$3.5 billion relief bill</a>&nbsp;that passed in May.“Get real, Mitch McConnell,” Pelosi said during a Bloomberg interview. “It’s only a ‘check the box’ so that some of his endangered Republican senators can go home and say, ‘Well, see, I tried.’ But it isn’t trying. It is not even an attempt to do the right thing.”Republican senators such as Susan Collins of Maine are eager to show constituents they are continuing to work to ease the pandemic’s disastrous impact on jobs, businesses and health. But many Senate Republicans are resisting more spending, and the scaled-back bill is roughly half the size of a measure McConnell unveiled earlier this summer.McConnell’s move Tuesday would clear the way for a Thursday test vote in which Democrats were sure to block the legislation. Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement that the bill “doesn’t come close to addressing the problems and is headed nowhere.”McConnell’s bill would provide $105 billion to help schools reopen, enact a shield against lawsuits for businesses and others that are powering ahead to reopen, create a scaled-back $300-per-week supplemental jobless benefit, and write off $10 billion in earlier debt at the U.S. Postal Service. There’s $31 billion for a coronavirus vaccine, $16 billion for virus testing and $15 billion to help child care providers reopen. There is additionally $20 billion for farmers.The package will also include a school choice initiative sought by Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz and others that would provide a tax break, for two years, for people who donate to nonprofit organizations offering private school scholarships.It would also provide for a $258 billion second round of paycheck protection subsidies.But it won’t contain another round of $1,200 direct payments going out under President Donald Trump’s name and the new $300 weekly jobless benefit would expire just after Christmas, on Dec. 27. The GOP bill also lacks funding for election security that lawmakers from both parties have supported.At least one Republican, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, said Tuesday he would oppose the bill, refusing new spending that piles on debt. It’s a sign of the troubles McConnell has faced in crafting a bill his own party would support.Pelosi, D-Calif., continues to demand a package totaling $2.2 trillion, and while Trump’s negotiators have signaled a willingness to inch further in her direction, a significant gap remains.Talks between top Democrats and the Trump administration broke off last month and remain off track, with the bipartisan unity that drove almost $3 trillion in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/2099a53bb8adf2def7ee7329ea322f9d">COVID-19 rescue legislation into law</a>&nbsp;this spring replaced by toxic partisanship and a return to Washington dysfunction.Expectations in July and August that a fifth bipartisan pandemic response bill would eventually be birthed despite increased obstacles has been replaced by genuine pessimism. Recent COVID-related conversations among key players have led to nothing.Democrats seem secure in their political position, with Trump and several Senate GOP incumbents lagging in the polls. Trump is seeking to sideline the pandemic as a campaign issue, and Republicans aren’t interested in a deal on Democratic terms — even as needs like school aid enjoy widespread support.Poisonous relationships among key leaders like Pelosi and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows give little reason for confidence about overcoming obstacles on the cost, scope and details of a potential relief bill. Pelosi recently referred to Meadows as “whatever his name is,” while the Meadows-run White House during a press briefing ran a video loop of Pelosi’s controversial visit to a San Francisco hair salon.The relationship between Pelosi and her preferred negotiating partner, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, is civil but isn’t generating much in the way of results, other than a promise to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/2c635b4e14e17ec6db0b13dfb089aa8c">avoid a government shutdown</a>&nbsp;at the end of the month by keeping a government-wide temporary spending bill free of controversy. That measure is likely to keep the government running into December. It’s likely to contain a bunch of lower-profile steps, such as an extension of the federal flood insurance program and a temporary reauthorization of spending from the highway trust fund.But if talks continue to falter, there’s little to keep lawmakers in Washington long, particularly with the election fast approaching.One Republican in leadership, Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, said he was “disappointed” they had not reached agreement sooner. “On all of this money, the longer we wait the less effective it is, whether it’s money for elections — which particularly have one day that’s the target — or money for back to school,” said Blunt.The Senate returned Tuesday to resume its diet of judicial and administration nominations. The House doesn’t come back until Sept. 14 for a schedule laden with lower-profile measures such as clean-energy legislation and a bill to decriminalize marijuana. Some Democrats are expected to continue to take advantage of remote voting and may not return to Washington at all.

Senate to vote on trimmed-down virus relief package

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A man is accused of using a hammer to kill a father who was asleep with his young children and seriously injure two others in a Rapid City home.

 Relatives say the victim, 39-year-old Rich Montanez, was letting the man, who was the friend of a friend, stay at his house because he was homeless.

 Twenty-eight-year-old Allac “AJ” Dismounts Thrice is charged with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder in the Sept. 3 attack. 

Family members say Montanez was a single father of three children, 3- and 7-year-old boys and a 6-year-old daughter. 

Two women in the home, Montanez’s roommate and the roommate’s friend, were also attacked and are hospitalized in intensive care.&nbsp;

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A man is accused of using a hammer to kill a father who was asleep with his young children and seriously injure two others in a Rapid City home. Relatives say the victim, 39-year-old Rich Montanez, was letting the man, who was the friend of a friend, stay at his house because he was homeless. Twenty-eight-year-old Allac “AJ” Dismounts Thrice is charged with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder in the Sept. 3 attack. Family members say Montanez was a single father of three children, 3- and 7-year-old boys and a 6-year-old daughter. Two women in the home, Montanez’s roommate and the roommate’s friend, were also attacked and are hospitalized in intensive care.&nbsp;

Father fatally attacked with hammer, 2 others injured

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A far-right Norwegian lawmaker said Wednesday that he has nominated U.S. President Donald Trump for <a href="https://www.nobelpeaceprize.org/">the Nobel Peace Prize</a> for his efforts in the Middle East.

Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament for the far-right Progress Party, said Trump should be considered because of his work “for a peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel which opens up for possible peace in the Middle East.”

“No matter how Trump acts at home and what he says at press conferences, he has absolutely a chance at getting the Nobel Peace Prize,” Tybring-Gjedde, told The Associated Press.

He said he nominated Trump on Wednesday, adding that “Donald Trump meets the criteria” for<a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/"> the Nobel Peace Prize</a>.

Tybring-Gjedde was also one of two Norwegian lawmakers who nominated Trump for the peace prize in 2018 for his efforts to bring reconciliation between North and South Korea.

Any national lawmaker can nominate someone for the<a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/"> Nobel Peace Prize.</a>

The process of considering candidates and awarding the prize is done in Norway, in contrast to the other Nobel Prizes, which are awarded in neighboring Sweden. Nominations must be sent to the Norwegian Nobel Committee by Feb. 1.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee doesn’t publicly comment on nominees. Under its rules, the information is required to be kept secret for 50 years.

“It is now to hope that the Nobel Committee is able to consider what Trump has achieved internationally and that it does not stumble in established prejudice against the US President,” Tybring-Gjedde said in a Facebook post.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597334632566.png" alt="President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House August 13 to announce the United Arab Emirates and Israel agreed to establish full diplomatic ties as part of a deal to halt the annexation of occupied land sought by the Palestinians for their future state.- Photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House August 13 to announce the United Arab Emirates and Israel agreed to establish full diplomatic ties as part of a deal to halt the annexation of occupied land sought by the Palestinians for their future state.- Photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A far-right Norwegian lawmaker said Wednesday that he has nominated U.S. President Donald Trump for <a href="https://www.nobelpeaceprize.org/">the Nobel Peace Prize</a> for his efforts in the Middle East.Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament for the far-right Progress Party, said Trump should be considered because of his work “for a peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel which opens up for possible peace in the Middle East.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Thank you! <a href="https://t.co/S2kgsPh77l">https://t.co/S2kgsPh77l</a>&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1303678141173575680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“No matter how Trump acts at home and what he says at press conferences, he has absolutely a chance at getting the Nobel Peace Prize,” Tybring-Gjedde, told The Associated Press.He said he nominated Trump on Wednesday, adding that “Donald Trump meets the criteria” for<a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/"> the Nobel Peace Prize</a>.Tybring-Gjedde was also one of two Norwegian lawmakers who nominated Trump for the peace prize in 2018 for his efforts to bring reconciliation between North and South Korea.Any national lawmaker can nominate someone for the<a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/"> Nobel Peace Prize.</a>The process of considering candidates and awarding the prize is done in Norway, in contrast to the other Nobel Prizes, which are awarded in neighboring Sweden. Nominations must be sent to the Norwegian Nobel Committee by Feb. 1.The Norwegian Nobel Committee doesn’t publicly comment on nominees. Under its rules, the information is required to be kept secret for 50 years.“It is now to hope that the Nobel Committee is able to consider what Trump has achieved internationally and that it does not stumble in established prejudice against the US President,” Tybring-Gjedde said in a Facebook post.

President Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Late-stage studies of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate are on temporary hold while the company investigates whether a recipient’s “potentially unexplained” illness is a side effect of the shot.

In a statement issued Tuesday evening, the company said its “standard review process triggered a pause to vaccination to allow review of safety data.”

AstraZeneca didn’t reveal any information about the possible side effect except to call it “a potentially unexplained illness.” The health news site STAT first reported the pause in testing, saying the possible side effect occurred in the United Kingdom.

An AstraZeneca spokesperson confirmed the pause in vaccinations covers studies in the U.S. and other countries. Late last month, AstraZeneca began recruiting 30,000 people in the U.S. for its largest study of the vaccine. It also is testing the vaccine, developed by Oxford University, in thousands of people in Britain, and in smaller studies in Brazil and South Africa.

Two other vaccines are in huge, final-stage tests in the United States, one made by Moderna Inc. and the other by Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech. Those two vaccines work differently than AstraZeneca’s, and the studies already have recruited about two-thirds of the needed volunteers.

Temporary holds of large medical studies aren’t unusual, and investigating any serious or unexpected reaction is a mandatory part of safety testing. AstraZeneca pointed out that it’s possible the problem could be a coincidence; illnesses of all sorts could arise in studies of thousands of people.

“We are working to expedite the review of the single event to minimize any potential impact on the trial timeline,” the company statement said.

It’s likely the unexplained illness was serious enough to require hospitalization and not a mild side effect such as fever or muscle pain, said Deborah Fuller, a University of Washington researcher who is working on a different COVID-19 vaccine that has not yet started human testing.

“This is not something to be alarmed about,” Fuller said. Instead, it’s reassuring that the company is pausing the study to figure out what’s happening and carefully monitoring the health of study participants.

Dr. Ashish Jha of Brown University said via Twitter that the significance of the interruption was unclear but that he was “still optimistic” that an effective vaccine will be found in the coming months.

“But optimism isn’t evidence,” he wrote. “Let’s let science drive this process.”

Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University in New York, tweeted that the illness may be unrelated to the vaccine, “but the important part is that this is why we do trials before rolling out a vaccine to the general public.”

During the third and final stage of testing, researchers look for any signs of possible side effects that may have gone undetected in earlier patient research. Because of their large size, the studies are considered the most important study phase for picking up less common side effects and establishing safety.

The trials also assess effectiveness by tracking who gets sick and who doesn’t between patients getting the vaccine and those receiving a dummy shot.

The development came&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/91f3c0d94fd9e9bcb645110c7d2e05a0">the same day</a>&nbsp;that AstraZeneca and eight other drugmakers issued an unusual pledge, vowing to uphold the highest ethical and scientific standards in developing their vaccines.

The announcement follows worries that President Donald Trump will pressure the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve a vaccine before it’s proven to be safe and effective.

The U.S. has invested billions of dollars in efforts to quickly develop multiple vaccines against COVID-19. But public fears that a vaccine is unsafe or ineffective could be disastrous, derailing the effort to vaccinate millions of Americans.

Representatives for the FDA did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday evening.

AstraZeneca’s U.S.-traded shares fell more than 6% in after-hours trading following reports of the trial being paused.

By LAURAN NEERGAARD, Associated PressLate-stage studies of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate are on temporary hold while the company investigates whether a recipient’s “potentially unexplained” illness is a side effect of the shot.In a statement issued Tuesday evening, the company said its “standard review process triggered a pause to vaccination to allow review of safety data.”AstraZeneca didn’t reveal any information about the possible side effect except to call it “a potentially unexplained illness.” The health news site STAT first reported the pause in testing, saying the possible side effect occurred in the United Kingdom.An AstraZeneca spokesperson confirmed the pause in vaccinations covers studies in the U.S. and other countries. Late last month, AstraZeneca began recruiting 30,000 people in the U.S. for its largest study of the vaccine. It also is testing the vaccine, developed by Oxford University, in thousands of people in Britain, and in smaller studies in Brazil and South Africa.Two other vaccines are in huge, final-stage tests in the United States, one made by Moderna Inc. and the other by Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech. Those two vaccines work differently than AstraZeneca’s, and the studies already have recruited about two-thirds of the needed volunteers.Temporary holds of large medical studies aren’t unusual, and investigating any serious or unexpected reaction is a mandatory part of safety testing. AstraZeneca pointed out that it’s possible the problem could be a coincidence; illnesses of all sorts could arise in studies of thousands of people.“We are working to expedite the review of the single event to minimize any potential impact on the trial timeline,” the company statement said.It’s likely the unexplained illness was serious enough to require hospitalization and not a mild side effect such as fever or muscle pain, said Deborah Fuller, a University of Washington researcher who is working on a different COVID-19 vaccine that has not yet started human testing.“This is not something to be alarmed about,” Fuller said. Instead, it’s reassuring that the company is pausing the study to figure out what’s happening and carefully monitoring the health of study participants.Dr. Ashish Jha of Brown University said via Twitter that the significance of the interruption was unclear but that he was “still optimistic” that an effective vaccine will be found in the coming months.“But optimism isn’t evidence,” he wrote. “Let’s let science drive this process.”Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University in New York, tweeted that the illness may be unrelated to the vaccine, “but the important part is that this is why we do trials before rolling out a vaccine to the general public.”During the third and final stage of testing, researchers look for any signs of possible side effects that may have gone undetected in earlier patient research. Because of their large size, the studies are considered the most important study phase for picking up less common side effects and establishing safety.The trials also assess effectiveness by tracking who gets sick and who doesn’t between patients getting the vaccine and those receiving a dummy shot.The development came&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/91f3c0d94fd9e9bcb645110c7d2e05a0">the same day</a>&nbsp;that AstraZeneca and eight other drugmakers issued an unusual pledge, vowing to uphold the highest ethical and scientific standards in developing their vaccines.The announcement follows worries that President Donald Trump will pressure the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve a vaccine before it’s proven to be safe and effective.The U.S. has invested billions of dollars in efforts to quickly develop multiple vaccines against COVID-19. But public fears that a vaccine is unsafe or ineffective could be disastrous, derailing the effort to vaccinate millions of Americans.Representatives for the FDA did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday evening.AstraZeneca’s U.S.-traded shares fell more than 6% in after-hours trading following reports of the trial being paused.___

Late stage COVID-19 vaccine study paused after illness

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Summer has come to an abrupt halt in parts of the Rocky Mountains as temperatures reaching into the 90s have plunged about 60 degrees in less than 24 hours. 

A powerful surge of cold air from Canada is unleashing snow and damaging winds in several states Tuesday. 

The roller coaster weather ripped up trees by their roots and knocked out power to tens of thousands in Utah. 

It piled up snow that shut down parts of the scenic road through Glacier National Park in Montana and a key highway in Wyoming. But the temperature drop is helping with wildfires in Colorado and Montana that had ballooned in hot, windy weather.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Summer has come to an abrupt halt in parts of the Rocky Mountains as temperatures reaching into the 90s have plunged about 60 degrees in less than 24 hours. A powerful surge of cold air from Canada is unleashing snow and damaging winds in several states Tuesday. The roller coaster weather ripped up trees by their roots and knocked out power to tens of thousands in Utah. It piled up snow that shut down parts of the scenic road through Glacier National Park in Montana and a key highway in Wyoming. But the temperature drop is helping with wildfires in Colorado and Montana that had ballooned in hot, windy weather.

From heat to snow: Rocky Mountains see 60-degree plunge

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A teenager accused of shooting a police officer two weeks ago in a Nebraska city was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder one day after the officer died, authorities said.

The charges were upgraded against Felipe Vazquez, 17, in the Aug. 26 shooting of Lincoln police investigator Luis "Mario" Herrera, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/58c5b8fab8b4cd1ce7f3605f8f568697" target="_blank">died on Monday</a>.

The teenager has already been charged with second-degree assault of a peace officer.

Herrera, a plainclothes officer,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/cbad32b6704db60483b18861256e8aaa" target="_blank">was shot</a>&nbsp;as he sought to serve an arrest warrant on Vazquez&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/adee2f84a1b01bd38dd9ddc2f7a4f33e" target="_blank">in the March stabbing death</a>&nbsp;of 36-year-old Edward Varejcka. Authorities said they have tied at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/4c558451efa6c65c3acf53da09af2b37" target="_blank">least three people</a>&nbsp;to Varejcka's death.

News of Herrera's shooting and death drew an outpouring of support from the community. On Monday, Omaha police helped transport his body back to Lincoln from the hospital where he had been treated. The procession drew large crowds of people, who honored Hererra by standing along roadsides and atop highway overpasses in Omaha and Lincoln.

"Lincoln is a city of compassion and kindness, and in the coming days, weeks and months, we will do our best to heal from this grief together," Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said at Tuesday's police news conference.

Assistant Lincoln Police Chief Brian Jackson described Herrera, a 23-year police veteran, as one of the city's "most dedicated and selfless police officers" who played an important role in solving burglaries, robberies, assaults and homicides. He said Herrera was also active in his church, coached youth sports and mentored younger police officers. He leaves behind behind a wife and four children.

"Devastated does not begin to describe the gaping hole left in our hearts, our police department and our community," Jackson said.

Herrera is the first Lincoln police officer killed in the line of duty since 1968, and the seventh in the city's history.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599583746689.png" alt="Felipe Vasquez" />
 <figcaption>Felipe Vasquez</figcaption>
 </figure>LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A teenager accused of shooting a police officer two weeks ago in a Nebraska city was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder one day after the officer died, authorities said.The charges were upgraded against Felipe Vazquez, 17, in the Aug. 26 shooting of Lincoln police investigator Luis "Mario" Herrera, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/58c5b8fab8b4cd1ce7f3605f8f568697" target="_blank">died on Monday</a>.The teenager has already been charged with second-degree assault of a peace officer.Herrera, a plainclothes officer,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/cbad32b6704db60483b18861256e8aaa" target="_blank">was shot</a>&nbsp;as he sought to serve an arrest warrant on Vazquez&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/adee2f84a1b01bd38dd9ddc2f7a4f33e" target="_blank">in the March stabbing death</a>&nbsp;of 36-year-old Edward Varejcka. Authorities said they have tied at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/4c558451efa6c65c3acf53da09af2b37" target="_blank">least three people</a>&nbsp;to Varejcka's death.News of Herrera's shooting and death drew an outpouring of support from the community. On Monday, Omaha police helped transport his body back to Lincoln from the hospital where he had been treated. The procession drew large crowds of people, who honored Hererra by standing along roadsides and atop highway overpasses in Omaha and Lincoln."Lincoln is a city of compassion and kindness, and in the coming days, weeks and months, we will do our best to heal from this grief together," Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said at Tuesday's police news conference.Assistant Lincoln Police Chief Brian Jackson described Herrera, a 23-year police veteran, as one of the city's "most dedicated and selfless police officers" who played an important role in solving burglaries, robberies, assaults and homicides. He said Herrera was also active in his church, coached youth sports and mentored younger police officers. He leaves behind behind a wife and four children."Devastated does not begin to describe the gaping hole left in our hearts, our police department and our community," Jackson said.Herrera is the first Lincoln police officer killed in the line of duty since 1968, and the seventh in the city's history.

Teen accused of shooting Lincoln officer charged with murder

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Nebraska's second-largest school district is adding clear plastic barriers to school lunch tables in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, as the number of cases in the state reached nearly 36,000 and deaths from COVID-19 surpassed 400.

Lincoln Public Schools - which has about 42,000 students - plans to outfit all of its school lunchrooms with the barriers over the coming weeks, the Lincoln Journal Star&nbsp;<a href="https://journalstar.com/news/local/education/lps-installing-plastic-barriers-on-lunch-tables-for-more-protection/article_2bb1e4e4-9cd9-50c6-a4ec-0113f29f5eb2.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1" target="_blank">reported&nbsp;</a>Tuesday. That comes after the district outfitted most of its middle schools with the barriers as part of a trial run.

The district will spend up to $150,000 of federal virus funding to add the barriers in lunchrooms, said Scott Wieskamp, the district's operations director.

"I think through our conversations with the health department and looking at how our buildings are functioning, that was probably the one area we had the most exposure," Wieskamp said.

Since school began, the Lincoln district has reported 41 positive cases of staff, students or school visitors, but district officials say none of the cases were caused by community spread within the schools.

As of Tuesday, the&nbsp;<a href="https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/ece0db09da4d4ca68252c3967aa1e9dd" target="_blank">state's online virus tracker</a>&nbsp;showed 35,975 confirmed coronavirus cases and 404 COVID-19 deaths.

Over the past seven days, the state averaged nearly 263 new confirmed cases a day, compared with a seven-day average of nearly 217 the week prior, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University's COVID-19 tracking project.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Nebraska's second-largest school district is adding clear plastic barriers to school lunch tables in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, as the number of cases in the state reached nearly 36,000 and deaths from COVID-19 surpassed 400.Lincoln Public Schools - which has about 42,000 students - plans to outfit all of its school lunchrooms with the barriers over the coming weeks, the Lincoln Journal Star&nbsp;<a href="https://journalstar.com/news/local/education/lps-installing-plastic-barriers-on-lunch-tables-for-more-protection/article_2bb1e4e4-9cd9-50c6-a4ec-0113f29f5eb2.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1" target="_blank">reported&nbsp;</a>Tuesday. That comes after the district outfitted most of its middle schools with the barriers as part of a trial run.The district will spend up to $150,000 of federal virus funding to add the barriers in lunchrooms, said Scott Wieskamp, the district's operations director."I think through our conversations with the health department and looking at how our buildings are functioning, that was probably the one area we had the most exposure," Wieskamp said.Since school began, the Lincoln district has reported 41 positive cases of staff, students or school visitors, but district officials say none of the cases were caused by community spread within the schools.As of Tuesday, the&nbsp;<a href="https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/ece0db09da4d4ca68252c3967aa1e9dd" target="_blank">state's online virus tracker</a>&nbsp;showed 35,975 confirmed coronavirus cases and 404 COVID-19 deaths.Over the past seven days, the state averaged nearly 263 new confirmed cases a day, compared with a seven-day average of nearly 217 the week prior, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University's COVID-19 tracking project.

Lincoln schools adding lunch tables barriers to fight virus

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A teenager accused of shooting a police officer in a Nebraska city two weeks ago will face a first-degree murder charge now that the officer has died. 

Assistant Lincoln Police Chief Brian Jackson says authorities expect to file the charge Tuesday afternoon against 17-year-old Felipe Vazquez in the shooting of Lincoln police investigator Luis “Mario” Herrera. 

Herrera was shot on Aug. 26 while serving an arrest warrant on Vazquez, and he died on Monday. 

Vazquez has already been charged with second-degree assault of a peace officer.&nbsp;

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A teenager accused of shooting a police officer in a Nebraska city two weeks ago will face a first-degree murder charge now that the officer has died. Assistant Lincoln Police Chief Brian Jackson says authorities expect to file the charge Tuesday afternoon against 17-year-old Felipe Vazquez in the shooting of Lincoln police investigator Luis “Mario” Herrera. Herrera was shot on Aug. 26 while serving an arrest warrant on Vazquez, and he died on Monday. Vazquez has already been charged with second-degree assault of a peace officer.&nbsp;

Murder charge expected in shooting of Lincoln police officer

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Rapid City police say they’ve identified a suspect in a weekend homicide.Officials are looking for a 22-year-old man in Sunday’s fatal shooting of 31-year-old William Clifford of Box Elder.

 Police say the shooting happened at a Rapid City residence and also injured another person.Investigators say preliminary evidence indicates drugs may have been involved in the crime.

Clifford’s death is the ninth homicide this year in Rapid City and the seventh since last month.

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Rapid City police say they’ve identified a suspect in a weekend homicide.Officials are looking for a 22-year-old man in Sunday’s fatal shooting of 31-year-old William Clifford of Box Elder. Police say the shooting happened at a Rapid City residence and also injured another person.Investigators say preliminary evidence indicates drugs may have been involved in the crime.Clifford’s death is the ninth homicide this year in Rapid City and the seventh since last month.

Suspect identified in fatal weekend shooting in Rapid City

WASHINGTON (AP) — At least there won’t be a government shutdown.

But as lawmakers straggle back to Washington for an abbreviated preelection session, hopes are dimming for another coronavirus relief bill — or much else.

Talks between top Democrats and the Trump administration broke off last month and remain off track, with the bipartisan unity that drove almost $3 trillion in COVID-19 rescue legislation into law this spring replaced by toxic partisanship and a return to Washington dysfunction.

Democrats seem secure in their political position, with President Donald Trump and several Senate GOP incumbents lagging in the polls. Trump is seeking to sideline the pandemic as a campaign issue, and Republicans aren’t interested in a deal on Democratic terms — even as needs like school aid enjoy widespread support.

Poisonous relationships among key leaders like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows give little reason for confidence about overcoming obstacles on the cost, scope and details of a potential relief bill. Pelosi recently referred to Meadows as “whatever his name is,” while the Meadows-run White House during a press briefing ran a video loop of Pelosi’s controversial visit to a San Francisco hair salon.

Trump said Monday that Democrats “don’t want to make a deal because they think that if the country does as badly as possible ... that’s good for the Democrats.”

“I am taking the high road,” he told reporters at the White House. “I’m taking the high road by not seeing them.”

All of this imperils the chances for another round of $1,200 direct payments delivered under Trump’s name, the restoration of more generous unemployment benefits to those who’ve lost their jobs because of the pandemic, updates to a popular business subsidy program, and money to help schools reopen and states and local governments avoid layoffs.

“I personally would like to see one more rescue package, but I must tell you the environment in Washington right now is exceedingly partisan because of the proximity to the election,” said GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell at an appearance in Kentucky last week. “We’ve been in discussion now for the last month or so with no results so far. So I can’t promise one final package.″

McConnell had been a force for a deal but does not appear eager to force a vote that exposes division in his ranks.

Many Senate Republicans are also wary or opposed outright to another major chunk of debt-financed virus relief, even as GOP senators imperiled in the election like Susan Collins of Maine and Cory Gardner of Colorado plead for more. Republicans are struggling to coalesce around a unified party position — and that’s before they engage with Democratic leaders, who are demanding far more.

The relationship between Pelosi and her preferred negotiating partner, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, is civil but isn’t generating much in the way of results, other than a promise to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month by keeping a government-wide temporary spending bill free of controversy. That measure is likely to keep the government running into December. It’s likely to contain a bunch of lower-profile steps, such as an extension of the federal flood insurance program and a temporary reauthorization of spending from the highway trust fund.

The decision for a “clean,” controversy-free stopgap bill, known as a continuing resolution, means that both sides will forgo gamesmanship that uses the threat of a government shutdown to try to gain leverage. Trump forced a shutdown in 2018-2019 in a failed attempt to extract money for his U.S.-Mexico border wall, while Democrats lost a shutdown encounter in 2017 over legislation to help immigrants brought illegally to the country as children win permanent legal status.

“Now we can focus just on another relief bill, and we’re continuing to do that in good faith,” Vice President Mike Pence said Friday on CNBC.

The Senate returns on Tuesday to resume its diet of judicial and administration nominations. The House doesn’t come back until Sept. 14 for a schedule laden with lower-profile measures such as clean energy legislation and a bill to decriminalize marijuana. Some Democrats are expected to continue to take advantage of remote voting and may not return to Washington at all.

WASHINGTON (AP) — At least there won’t be a government shutdown.But as lawmakers straggle back to Washington for an abbreviated preelection session, hopes are dimming for another coronavirus relief bill — or much else.Talks between top Democrats and the Trump administration broke off last month and remain off track, with the bipartisan unity that drove almost $3 trillion in COVID-19 rescue legislation into law this spring replaced by toxic partisanship and a return to Washington dysfunction.Expectations in July and August that a fifth bipartisan pandemic response bill would eventually be birthed despite increased obstacles has been replaced by genuine pessimism. Recent COVID-related conversations among key players have led to nothing.Democrats seem secure in their political position, with President Donald Trump and several Senate GOP incumbents lagging in the polls. Trump is seeking to sideline the pandemic as a campaign issue, and Republicans aren’t interested in a deal on Democratic terms — even as needs like school aid enjoy widespread support.Poisonous relationships among key leaders like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows give little reason for confidence about overcoming obstacles on the cost, scope and details of a potential relief bill. Pelosi recently referred to Meadows as “whatever his name is,” while the Meadows-run White House during a press briefing ran a video loop of Pelosi’s controversial visit to a San Francisco hair salon.Trump said Monday that Democrats “don’t want to make a deal because they think that if the country does as badly as possible ... that’s good for the Democrats.”“I am taking the high road,” he told reporters at the White House. “I’m taking the high road by not seeing them.”All of this imperils the chances for another round of $1,200 direct payments delivered under Trump’s name, the restoration of more generous unemployment benefits to those who’ve lost their jobs because of the pandemic, updates to a popular business subsidy program, and money to help schools reopen and states and local governments avoid layoffs.“I personally would like to see one more rescue package, but I must tell you the environment in Washington right now is exceedingly partisan because of the proximity to the election,” said GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell at an appearance in Kentucky last week. “We’ve been in discussion now for the last month or so with no results so far. So I can’t promise one final package.″McConnell had been a force for a deal but does not appear eager to force a vote that exposes division in his ranks.Many Senate Republicans are also wary or opposed outright to another major chunk of debt-financed virus relief, even as GOP senators imperiled in the election like Susan Collins of Maine and Cory Gardner of Colorado plead for more. Republicans are struggling to coalesce around a unified party position — and that’s before they engage with Democratic leaders, who are demanding far more.The relationship between Pelosi and her preferred negotiating partner, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, is civil but isn’t generating much in the way of results, other than a promise to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month by keeping a government-wide temporary spending bill free of controversy. That measure is likely to keep the government running into December. It’s likely to contain a bunch of lower-profile steps, such as an extension of the federal flood insurance program and a temporary reauthorization of spending from the highway trust fund.The decision for a “clean,” controversy-free stopgap bill, known as a continuing resolution, means that both sides will forgo gamesmanship that uses the threat of a government shutdown to try to gain leverage. Trump forced a shutdown in 2018-2019 in a failed attempt to extract money for his U.S.-Mexico border wall, while Democrats lost a shutdown encounter in 2017 over legislation to help immigrants brought illegally to the country as children win permanent legal status.“Now we can focus just on another relief bill, and we’re continuing to do that in good faith,” Vice President Mike Pence said Friday on CNBC.But if talks continue to falter, there’s little to keep lawmakers in Washington long, particularly with the election fast approaching.The Senate returns on Tuesday to resume its diet of judicial and administration nominations. The House doesn’t come back until Sept. 14 for a schedule laden with lower-profile measures such as clean energy legislation and a bill to decriminalize marijuana. Some Democrats are expected to continue to take advantage of remote voting and may not return to Washington at all.

Hopes fading for coronavirus deal as Congress returns

KANSAS CITY (AP) —The Lost Summer of 2020 drew to a close Monday with many big Labor Day gatherings canceled across the U.S. and health authorities pleading with people to keep their distance from others so as not to cause another coronavirus surge like the one that followed Memorial Day.

Downtown Atlanta was quiet as the 85,000 or so people who come dressed as their favorite superheroes or sci-fi characters for the annual Dragon Con convention met online instead. Huge football stadiums at places like Ohio State and the University of Texas sat empty. Many Labor Day parades marking the unofficial end of summer were called off, and masks were usually required at the few that went on.

In Kansas health officials reported on Monday four new coronavirus-related deaths and 1,694 new cases of COVID-19 in the state since Friday. That raises the death toll from the pandemic in Kansas to 485 deaths and 46,914 known cases.

The state also reported 181 clusters. Colleges account for 27 coronavirus outbreaks and 420 cases, but no deaths. Five school clusters account for 39 cases and no deaths, according to the health department.

Missouri health officials added another 906 COVID-19 cases to the state’s count on Monday as the number of people known to have contracted the virus reached at least 94,340.

“Please, please do not make the same mistakes we all made on Memorial Day weekend. Wear your masks, watch your distance and wash your hands,” urged Dr. Raul Pino, state health director in Orange County, Florida,&nbsp; which includes the Orlando area.

The U.S. had about 1.6 million confirmed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak">COVID-19 cases&nbsp;</a>around Memorial Day, before backyard parties and other gatherings contributed to a summertime surge. It now has more than 6.2 million cases, according to the count kept by Johns Hopkins University. Deaths from the virus more than doubled over the summer to nearly 190,000.

In New Orleans, which had one of the largest outbreaks outside of New York City this spring, city officials reminded residents that COVID-19 doesn’t take a holiday after they received 36 calls about large gatherings and 46 calls about businesses not following safety rules on Friday and Saturday.

“This is not who we are, and this is not how we — as a community — get back to where we want to be,” the city said.

In South Carolina, which was a hot spot of contagion over the summer before cases started to decline in early August, 8,000 fans, including Gov. Henry McMaster, were allowed to attend the NASCAR race at the Darlington Raceway on Sunday. State officials approved a socially distant attendance plan at the track, which can hold 47,000 people.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591911691981.png" alt="Summer started with this Snap Chat image of the crowded Memorial weekend pool party at Lake of the Ozarks.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Summer started with this Snap Chat image of the crowded Memorial weekend pool party at Lake of the Ozarks.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>By JEFFREY COLLINSKANSAS CITY (AP) —The Lost Summer of 2020 drew to a close Monday with many big Labor Day gatherings canceled across the U.S. and health authorities pleading with people to keep their distance from others so as not to cause another coronavirus surge like the one that followed Memorial Day.Downtown Atlanta was quiet as the 85,000 or so people who come dressed as their favorite superheroes or sci-fi characters for the annual Dragon Con convention met online instead. Huge football stadiums at places like Ohio State and the University of Texas sat empty. Many Labor Day parades marking the unofficial end of summer were called off, and masks were usually required at the few that went on.In Kansas health officials reported on Monday four new coronavirus-related deaths and 1,694 new cases of COVID-19 in the state since Friday. That raises the death toll from the pandemic in Kansas to 485 deaths and 46,914 known cases.The state also reported 181 clusters. Colleges account for 27 coronavirus outbreaks and 420 cases, but no deaths. Five school clusters account for 39 cases and no deaths, according to the health department.Missouri health officials added another 906 COVID-19 cases to the state’s count on Monday as the number of people known to have contracted the virus reached at least 94,340.“Please, please do not make the same mistakes we all made on Memorial Day weekend. Wear your masks, watch your distance and wash your hands,” urged Dr. Raul Pino, state health director in Orange County, Florida,&nbsp; which includes the Orlando area.The U.S. had about 1.6 million confirmed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak">COVID-19 cases&nbsp;</a>around Memorial Day, before backyard parties and other gatherings contributed to a summertime surge. It now has more than 6.2 million cases, according to the count kept by Johns Hopkins University. Deaths from the virus more than doubled over the summer to nearly 190,000.In New Orleans, which had one of the largest outbreaks outside of New York City this spring, city officials reminded residents that COVID-19 doesn’t take a holiday after they received 36 calls about large gatherings and 46 calls about businesses not following safety rules on Friday and Saturday.“This is not who we are, and this is not how we — as a community — get back to where we want to be,” the city said.In South Carolina, which was a hot spot of contagion over the summer before cases started to decline in early August, 8,000 fans, including Gov. Henry McMaster, were allowed to attend the NASCAR race at the Darlington Raceway on Sunday. State officials approved a socially distant attendance plan at the track, which can hold 47,000 people.It was the biggest gathering in the state since the outbreak started six months ago. Many rows and seats were kept empty to keep groups of fans apart, and people were asked to wear masks.Debbie Katsanos drove down from New Hampshire with her husband, her father and a friend. It was their first trip out of state since COVID-19 started spreading. They had time off because the Labor Day weekend fair where they typically sell concessions canceled this year.Katsanos said they wore masks at all times when they were away from their motor home, ate in a restaurant only once on the way down and tried to stay socially distant when visiting with other people at their campground.“It’s probably our only chance to get somewhere before the summer ends, ” Katsanos said Monday as she sat in traffic on Interstate 95 in North Carolina on the long trip home. “I saw it as the turning of the corner. We survived this. Let’s live life a little.”___