SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota reported 80 new cases of COVID-19, along with two deaths from the disease. While the number of new cases is the highest recorded this week, the average number of new cases over the last two weeks has remained mostly constant. 

Pennington County, which contains Rapid City, recorded the most cases, with 25. 

The state has recorded 7,652 cases of COVID-19, but about 87% have recovered. A total of 111 people have died over the course of the pandemic.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota reported 80 new cases of COVID-19, along with two deaths from the disease. While the number of new cases is the highest recorded this week, the average number of new cases over the last two weeks has remained mostly constant. Pennington County, which contains Rapid City, recorded the most cases, with 25. The deaths were two men in their 70s. One was from Butte County. The other was from Pennington. The state has recorded 7,652 cases of COVID-19, but about 87% have recovered. A total of 111 people have died over the course of the pandemic.

South Dakota records 80 new cases, 2 deaths from COVID-19

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota National Guard helicopter was used to rescue an injured hiker from Mount Baldy in the Black Hills on Thursday. 

The 21-year-old counselor for Camp Judson lost her footing and fell on her knee, possibly with a compound fracture. 

The woman was no longer able to walk, and she was at a remote location atop a granite outcropping. 

Keystone Ambulance Service asked for help from South Dakota National Guard Hoist Operations. 

Pennington County authorities say the Guard helicopter lifted the woman to safety around 10:30 a.m.

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota National Guard helicopter was used to rescue an injured hiker from Mount Baldy in the Black Hills on Thursday. The 21-year-old counselor for Camp Judson lost her footing and fell on her knee, possibly with a compound fracture. The woman was no longer able to walk, and she was at a remote location atop a granite outcropping. Keystone Ambulance Service asked for help from South Dakota National Guard Hoist Operations. Pennington County authorities say the Guard helicopter lifted the woman to safety around 10:30 a.m.

Helicopter rescues injured hiker in the Black Hills

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas priest who pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography was sentenced Wednesday to 37 months in federal prison, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

The defendant also was ordered to pay $5,000 under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.

In his plea,&nbsp;Christopher Rossman, 47, who formerly served at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Baldwin City, Kan., admitted that investigators found child pornography on his Samsung Galaxy tablet. 

The crime occurred in September 2016 when monitoring software installed on Rossman’s computer devices reported he had visited adult pornography and child pornography websites. The archdiocese forwarded the report to law enforcement.

When investigators tried to find Rossman in Baldwin City, they learned that his sister had taken possession of the Galaxy tablet and tried to run over it a number of times. 

A forensics examination found files on the device depicting prepubescent females engaged in sexual activities.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1594837983453.png" alt="Rossman-photo KBI offender registry" />
 <figcaption>Rossman-photo KBI offender registry</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas priest who pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography was sentenced Wednesday to 37 months in federal prison, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.The defendant also was ordered to pay $5,000 under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.In his plea,&nbsp;Christopher Rossman, 47, who formerly served at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Baldwin City, Kan., admitted that investigators found child pornography on his Samsung Galaxy tablet. The crime occurred in September 2016 when monitoring software installed on Rossman’s computer devices reported he had visited adult pornography and child pornography websites. The archdiocese forwarded the report to law enforcement.When investigators tried to find Rossman in Baldwin City, they learned that his sister had taken possession of the Galaxy tablet and tried to run over it a number of times. A forensics examination found files on the device depicting prepubescent females engaged in sexual activities.

Kansas priest registers as sex offender, is sentenced to prison

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - An Omaha health clinic that offered unproven stem cell treatments for joint pain, erectile dysfunction and even Alzheimer's disease bilked consumers in Iowa and Nebraska out of at least $2.8 million, state officials said Thursday.

The attorneys general of Iowa and Nebraska each filed lawsuits against Regenerative Medicine and Anti-Aging Institutes of Omaha, alleging that company officials made misleading statements about the effectiveness of their treatments.

Company officials targeted mostly elderly customers with local television advertisements and in-person seminars with high-pressure sales tactics, the attorneys general said.

According to the lawsuits, company officials held more than 90 seminars in Iowa and 84 in Nebraska where they claimed they could reverse the aging process and treat conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, arthritis and erectile dysfunction.

Those claims have little scientific backing, the lawsuits say, but customers in Iowa were still persuaded to spend between $1,400 and $27,000 for treatments. Overall, state officials said, the company defrauded consumers out of at least $2 million in Nebraska and $800,000 in Iowa.

"Whenever a claim like this is made, it gets our attention," said Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. "It's fraud, it's audacious and it's very unlikely they're going to be able to document claims like this."

Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson said customers were essentially victimized twice because they lost money and were given an ineffective treatment that hasn't received federal approval. The treatments aren't covered by private insurance or Medicare, so customers usually end up paying out of pocket.

Peterson and Miller said they haven't found evidence that anyone was physically harmed by the treatments, but they're still investigating.

"Consumers are entitled to accurate and truthful information about any product or service, but especially those products that affect their health and well-being," Peterson said.

The lawsuits also name co-owners Travis and Emily Autor, who are married, and two other companies they own: Omaha Stem Cells, LLC, and Stem Cell Centers LLC. The Iowa lawsuit also names Michael Pavey, a partial owner of the company who lives in Spokane, Washington.

Peterson's office said the Autors have also been affiliated with clinics in Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Montana, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

Phone calls to several listed numbers for the company's Omaha office were either disconnected or met with busy signals. The office appeared to be empty on Thursday, with a sign out front saying the space was available. Another window sign identified the company as Stem Cell Centers LLC.

A man who answered the phone at the company's national corporate office said he had not seen the lawsuit but promised to relay a request for comment to the Autors.

Travis Autor defended his company against similar allegations last year in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/apr/14/stem-cell-therapy-clinics-are-big-business-but-are/" target="_blank">a story</a>&nbsp;by the Spokesman-Review newspaper in Spokane, Washington. He claimed at the time to have treated between 8,000 and 10,000 patients in the seven clinics that he and his wife own.

The newspaper also reported that he used to be known as Travis Broughton before he agreed in 2009 to allow the state of Washington to suspend his chiropractic credentials for 10 years to settle allegations of double-billing, having sex with a patient and smoking marijuana during lunch breaks at his business in Spokane Valley. He claimed he was falsely accused by an ex-girlfriend.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1594929920178.png" alt="<a href="http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/" target="_blank">CC0 Public Domain</a>" />
 <figcaption><a href="http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/" target="_blank">CC0 Public Domain</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By GRANT SCHULTE-Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - An Omaha health clinic that offered unproven stem cell treatments for joint pain, erectile dysfunction and even Alzheimer's disease bilked consumers in Iowa and Nebraska out of at least $2.8 million, state officials said Thursday.The attorneys general of Iowa and Nebraska each filed lawsuits against Regenerative Medicine and Anti-Aging Institutes of Omaha, alleging that company officials made misleading statements about the effectiveness of their treatments.Company officials targeted mostly elderly customers with local television advertisements and in-person seminars with high-pressure sales tactics, the attorneys general said.According to the lawsuits, company officials held more than 90 seminars in Iowa and 84 in Nebraska where they claimed they could reverse the aging process and treat conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, arthritis and erectile dysfunction.Those claims have little scientific backing, the lawsuits say, but customers in Iowa were still persuaded to spend between $1,400 and $27,000 for treatments. Overall, state officials said, the company defrauded consumers out of at least $2 million in Nebraska and $800,000 in Iowa."Whenever a claim like this is made, it gets our attention," said Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. "It's fraud, it's audacious and it's very unlikely they're going to be able to document claims like this."Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson said customers were essentially victimized twice because they lost money and were given an ineffective treatment that hasn't received federal approval. The treatments aren't covered by private insurance or Medicare, so customers usually end up paying out of pocket.Peterson and Miller said they haven't found evidence that anyone was physically harmed by the treatments, but they're still investigating."Consumers are entitled to accurate and truthful information about any product or service, but especially those products that affect their health and well-being," Peterson said.The lawsuits also name co-owners Travis and Emily Autor, who are married, and two other companies they own: Omaha Stem Cells, LLC, and Stem Cell Centers LLC. The Iowa lawsuit also names Michael Pavey, a partial owner of the company who lives in Spokane, Washington.Peterson's office said the Autors have also been affiliated with clinics in Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Montana, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.Phone calls to several listed numbers for the company's Omaha office were either disconnected or met with busy signals. The office appeared to be empty on Thursday, with a sign out front saying the space was available. Another window sign identified the company as Stem Cell Centers LLC.A man who answered the phone at the company's national corporate office said he had not seen the lawsuit but promised to relay a request for comment to the Autors.Travis Autor defended his company against similar allegations last year in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/apr/14/stem-cell-therapy-clinics-are-big-business-but-are/" target="_blank">a story</a>&nbsp;by the Spokesman-Review newspaper in Spokane, Washington. He claimed at the time to have treated between 8,000 and 10,000 patients in the seven clinics that he and his wife own.The newspaper also reported that he used to be known as Travis Broughton before he agreed in 2009 to allow the state of Washington to suspend his chiropractic credentials for 10 years to settle allegations of double-billing, having sex with a patient and smoking marijuana during lunch breaks at his business in Spokane Valley. He claimed he was falsely accused by an ex-girlfriend.

Officials: Stem cell firm bilked patients in Iowa, Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb.-Investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) have arrested a man for first degree murder in connection to a homicide that occurred between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning in Malmo.

Investigators have arrested Kolton Barnes, 25, who was the fiancé of the victim, Kayla Matulka, 27. Barnes has been lodged in Saunders County Jail for first degree murder and felony animal cruelty.

The investigation began when the Saunders County Sheriff’s Office received a report at approximately 9:30 a.m. Wednesday that a neighbor had found Matulka deceased at her home at 236 Bowen Avenue in Malmo. Matulka had suffered several stab wounds. A dog was also found deceased at the residence.

The investigation remains ongoing at this time. The investigation involves several divisions of NSP, including Investigative Services, Patrol Division, and the Technical Crimes Division, as well as the Saunders County Sheriff’s Office.

LINCOLN, Neb.-Investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) have arrested a man for first degree murder in connection to a homicide that occurred between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning in Malmo.Investigators have arrested Kolton Barnes, 25, who was the fiancé of the victim, Kayla Matulka, 27. Barnes has been lodged in Saunders County Jail for first degree murder and felony animal cruelty.The investigation began when the Saunders County Sheriff’s Office received a report at approximately 9:30 a.m. Wednesday that a neighbor had found Matulka deceased at her home at 236 Bowen Avenue in Malmo. Matulka had suffered several stab wounds. A dog was also found deceased at the residence.The investigation remains ongoing at this time. The investigation involves several divisions of NSP, including Investigative Services, Patrol Division, and the Technical Crimes Division, as well as the Saunders County Sheriff’s Office.#

Arrest made in Malmo murder investigation

JULY 16, 2020 (LINCOLN, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— Investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) have arrested a man for first degree murder in connection to a homicide that occurred between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning in Malmo.

JULY 16, 2020 (LINCOLN, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— Investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) have arrested a man for first degree murder in connection to a homicide that occurred between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning in Malmo.Investigators have arrested Kolton Barnes, 25, who was the fiancé of the victim, Kayla Matulka, 27. Barnes has been lodged in Saunders County Jail for first degree murder and felony animal cruelty.The investigation began when the Saunders County Sheriff’s Office received a report at approximately 9:30 a.m. Wednesday that a neighbor had found Matulka deceased at her home at 236 Bowen Avenue in Malmo. Matulka had suffered several stab wounds. A dog was also found deceased at the residence.The investigation remains ongoing at this time. The investigation involves several divisions of NSP, including Investigative Services, Patrol Division, and the Technical Crimes Division, as well as the Saunders County Sheriff’s Office.

Arrest Made in Malmo Murder Investigation

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Law enforcement officials in Lincoln have arrested a local orthopedic surgeon, accusing him of a ruse to feed his opioid addiction.

Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner said Dr. Keith Hughes, 55, carried out a scheme to write fraudulent oxycodone prescriptions to a patient, which he then bought from the man.

Deputies arrested Hughes on Tuesday following a monthslong investigation, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. Wagner said Hughes, a doctor at Nebraska Foot and Ankle, has written 63 prescriptions for 4,300 pills over the last two years to Colby Digilio, 32, of Lincoln. Hughes would either pay cash for the pills or swap services or items, such as food, sports memorabilia and clothing, for them, Wagner said.

Hughes and Digilio were arrested Tuesday after deputies watched Digilio pick up a prescription, then drive to meet up with Hughes in south Lincoln, Wagner said.

A recorded message at Nebraska Foot and Ankle in Lincoln said the office would be closed until Friday. A message left by The Associated Press at the office was not immediately returned Thursday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1594914370698.png" alt="Keith Hughes" />
 <figcaption>Keith Hughes</figcaption>
 </figure>LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Law enforcement officials in Lincoln have arrested a local orthopedic surgeon, accusing him of a ruse to feed his opioid addiction.Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner said Dr. Keith Hughes, 55, carried out a scheme to write fraudulent oxycodone prescriptions to a patient, which he then bought from the man.Deputies arrested Hughes on Tuesday following a monthslong investigation, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. Wagner said Hughes, a doctor at Nebraska Foot and Ankle, has written 63 prescriptions for 4,300 pills over the last two years to Colby Digilio, 32, of Lincoln. Hughes would either pay cash for the pills or swap services or items, such as food, sports memorabilia and clothing, for them, Wagner said.Hughes and Digilio were arrested Tuesday after deputies watched Digilio pick up a prescription, then drive to meet up with Hughes in south Lincoln, Wagner said.A recorded message at Nebraska Foot and Ankle in Lincoln said the office would be closed until Friday. A message left by The Associated Press at the office was not immediately returned Thursday.

Lincoln surgeon accused in opioid scheme to feed addiction

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - About 90 people staying at an Omaha homeless shelter have been put in isolation after another guest there tested positive for the coronavirus, according to officials with the Siena Francis House.

The shelter north of downtown Omaha made the move after becoming aware of the positive case on Tuesday, the Omaha World-Herald&nbsp;<a href="https://omaha.com/livewellnebraska/health/after-positive-covid-19-test-about-90-people-are-in-isolation-at-siena-francis-house/article_4114be4f-7644-5d0b-b36d-94a2073133f0.html#2" target="_blank">reported</a>. The unit where the infected man was staying has been deep-cleaned and other common areas of the shelter have been sanitized, said Siena Francis' chief development officer, Chris Knauf.

Shelter guests are now also required to wear masks and have their temperatures taken daily.

"We take the health and safety of our clients very, very seriously," Knauf said.

The development comes as state health officials announced new confirmed cases of the virus and several COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday.

The state's&nbsp;<a href="https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/ece0db09da4d4ca68252c3967aa1e9dd" target="_blank">online virus tracker&nbsp;</a>showed 262 cases were confirmed Wednesday, bringing the state's total to nearly 22,000 since the outbreak began. On Tuesday, Nebraska recorded 318 confirmed cases of the virus - the highest daily total since May 29, when 393 were confirmed. Officials say 291 Nebraskans have died from the virus.

Despite the recent uptick, space available in Nebraska hospitals remained stable, according to the tracker, which showed 38% of Nebraska's hospital beds, 38% of the intensive care beds and 80% of the ventilators still available Thursday.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - About 90 people staying at an Omaha homeless shelter have been put in isolation after another guest there tested positive for the coronavirus, according to officials with the Siena Francis House.The shelter north of downtown Omaha made the move after becoming aware of the positive case on Tuesday, the Omaha World-Herald&nbsp;<a href="https://omaha.com/livewellnebraska/health/after-positive-covid-19-test-about-90-people-are-in-isolation-at-siena-francis-house/article_4114be4f-7644-5d0b-b36d-94a2073133f0.html#2" target="_blank">reported</a>. The unit where the infected man was staying has been deep-cleaned and other common areas of the shelter have been sanitized, said Siena Francis' chief development officer, Chris Knauf.Shelter guests are now also required to wear masks and have their temperatures taken daily."We take the health and safety of our clients very, very seriously," Knauf said.The development comes as state health officials announced new confirmed cases of the virus and several COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday.The state's&nbsp;<a href="https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/ece0db09da4d4ca68252c3967aa1e9dd" target="_blank">online virus tracker&nbsp;</a>showed 262 cases were confirmed Wednesday, bringing the state's total to nearly 22,000 since the outbreak began. On Tuesday, Nebraska recorded 318 confirmed cases of the virus - the highest daily total since May 29, when 393 were confirmed. Officials say 291 Nebraskans have died from the virus.Despite the recent uptick, space available in Nebraska hospitals remained stable, according to the tracker, which showed 38% of Nebraska's hospital beds, 38% of the intensive care beds and 80% of the ventilators still available Thursday.

Omaha homeless shelter sees 90 in isolation to battle virus

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — The United States on Thursday carried out its second federal execution this week, killing by lethal injection a Kansas man whose lawyers contended he had dementia and was unfit to be executed.

Wesley Ira Purkey was put to death at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. Purkey was convicted of kidnapping and killing a 16-year-old girl before dismembering, burning and dumping her body in a septic pond. He also was convicted in a state court in Kansas after using a claw hammer to kill an 80-year-old woman who had polio.

Purkey expressed remorse right before he was executed.

“I deeply regret the pain and suffering I caused to Jennifer’s family,” he said. “I am deeply sorry. I deeply regret the pain I caused to my daughter, who I love so very much. This sanitized murder really does not serve no purpose whatsoever.”

The Supreme Court cleared the way for the execution to take place just hours before, ruling in a 5-4 decision. The four liberal justices dissented, like they did for the first case earlier this week.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that “proceeding with Purkey’s execution now, despite the grave questions and factual findings regarding his mental competency, casts a shroud of constitutional doubt over the most irrevocable of injuries.” She was joined by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan.

It was the federal government’s second execution after a 17-year hiatus. Another man,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/638826b00bba1b389756126e4cfae97a">Daniel Lewis Lee</a>, was put to death Tuesday after his eleventh hour legal bids failed.

Both executions were delayed into the day after they were scheduled as legal wrangling continued late into the night and into the next morning.

The Justice Department has been questioned for holding the executions in the middle of the worsening&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">coronavirus pandemic</a>, prompting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/1f1af3ed977d5ee94c6b2d9cc6a65bbb">lawsuits over fears those who would travel to the prison could become infected</a>. The decision to resume executions after nearly two decades was criticized as a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c9e7b0c522b3be790b0ad3121bf96b06">dangerously political move</a>&nbsp;in an election year, forcing an issue that is not high on the list of American priorities considering&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/cddec060d38eacbb708a47120d34af51">the 11% unemployment rate</a>&nbsp;and the pandemic.

Purkey’s lawyers had argued his condition had deteriorated so severely that he didn’t understand why he was being executed. They said he was repeatedly sexually assaulted as a child and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other mental health conditions.

<a href="https://apnews.com/44465354fd8219a0bc2fec0962c526ec">The issue of Purkey’s mental health</a>&nbsp;arose in the run-up to his 2003 trial and when, after the verdict, jurors had to decide whether he should be put to death in the killing of 16-year-old Jennifer Long in Kansas City, Missouri. Prosecutors said he raped and stabbed her, dismembered her with a chainsaw, burned her and dumped her ashes 200 miles (320 kilometers) away in a septic pond in Kansas. Purkey was separately convicted and sentenced to life in the beating death of 80-year-old Mary Ruth Bales, of Kansas City, Kansas.

Purkey had a long history of childhood trauma, was sexually abused by family members and a Catholic priest and was beaten by other family members, said Liz Vartkessian, a mitigation specialist who worked with Purkey’s legal team and visited him dozens of times in the last five years.

“His case is replete with instances where he has expressed a deep remorse,” she said in an interview earlier this month.

But recently, Purkey’s mental health had seriously deteriorated to the point he didn’t have the stamina for long visits with his legal team and often forgot key facts and dates, she said.

Correction officers had to help him write down a schedule to remember his visits with his lawyers, she said.

He also had a long history of paranoia and delusions and believed the Justice Department was moving forward with his execution because of many complaints and lawsuits he brought in prison, even though most had failed, Vartkessian said.

The Supreme Court also lifted a hold placed on other executions set for Friday and next month.

<a href="https://apnews.com/4cc4065b575e7b051a1adedba2ab4ca4">Dustin Honken</a>, a drug kingpin from Iowa convicted of killing five people in a scheme to silence former dealers, was scheduled for execution Friday.

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — The Supreme Court early Thursday cleared the way for a second federal execution this week. The vote to allow the execution of Wesley Ira Purkey to go forward was 5-4, with the court's four liberal members dissenting.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that “proceeding with Purkey’s execution now, despite the grave questions and factual findings regarding his mental competency, casts a shroud of constitutional doubt over the most irrevocable of injuries.” She was joined by fellow liberal justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan.

But a lower court put an emergency hold on the execution for one hour as it weighed issues in the case, further delaying what initially had been slated for Wednesday evening at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute,&nbsp;Indiana.

Purkey was convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing a 16-year-old girl before dismembering, burning and then dumping her body in a septic pond. He also was convicted in a state court in&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;after using a claw hammer to kill an 80-year-old woman who suffered from polio.

On Tuesday, Daniel Lewis Lee was put to death at the facility after his eleventh hour legal bids failed. It was the first federal execution after a 17-year hiatus.

Lawyers for the 68-year-old Purkey, of Kansas, argued that he has dementia and is unfit to be executed. They said his condition has deteriorated so severely that he didn’t understand why he was being executed. They also said that if Purkey’s execution did not take place Wednesday, the government would need to set a new date. But government lawyers said there was no obstacle to going through with the execution Thursday if the Supreme Court lifted the injunctions.

The issue of Purkey’s mental health arose in the run-up to his 2003 trial and when, after the verdict, jurors had to decide whether he should be put to death in the killing of 16-year-old Jennifer Long in Kansas City,&nbsp;Missouri. Prosecutors said he raped and stabbed her, dismembered her with a chainsaw, burned her and dumped her ashes 200 miles (320 kilometers) away in a septic pond in Kansas. Purkey was separately convicted and sentenced to life in the beating death of 80-year-old Mary Ruth Bales, of Kansas City, Kansas, who suffered from polio.

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — A judge on Wednesday halted the execution of a man, said to be suffering from dementia, who had been set to die by lethal injection in the federal government’s second execution this week after a 17-year hiatus.

Wesley Ira Purkey, convicted of a gruesome 1998 kidnapping and killing, was scheduled for execution Wednesday night at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/638826b00bba1b389756126e4cfae97a">Daniel Lewis Lee was put to death</a>&nbsp;Tuesday after his eleventh-hour legal bids failed.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington, D.C., imposed two injunctions prohibiting the federal Bureau of Prisons from moving forward with Purkey’s execution. The Justice Department immediately appealed in both cases. A separate temporary stay was already in place from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago.

The legal wrangling suggested a volley of litigation would continue in the hours ahead of Purkey’s scheduled execution, similar to what happened before the government executed Lee following a ruling from the Supreme Court. One of the injunctions imposed Wednesday halts not only Purkey’s execution, but another scheduled for Friday and one in August.

Lee, convicted of killing an Arkansas family in a 1990s plot to build a whites-only nation, was the first of four condemned men scheduled to die in July and August despite&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">the coronavirus pandemic</a>&nbsp;raging inside and outside prisons.

This competency issue is a very strong issue on paper,” said Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. “The Supreme Court has halted executions on this issue in the past. At a minimum, the question of whether Purkey dies is going to go down to the last minute.”

Judge Chutkan didn’t rule on whether Purkey was competent but said the court needed to evaluate the claim. She said there was no question he’d suffer “irreparable harm” if he was put to death before his claims could be evaluated.

Lee’s execution had gone forward a day late. It was scheduled for Monday afternoon, but the Supreme Court only gave the green light in a 5-4 ruling early Tuesday.

Repeatedly on Wednesday, a federal judge also denied a request from Dustin Lee Honkin, an Iowa drug kingpin scheduled to be executed on Friday, to delay his execution. The judge said he would not delay Honken’s execution date due to the coronavirus pandemic and said the Bureau of Prisons was in the best position to weigh the health risks.

The issue of Purkey’s mental health arose in the runup to his 2003 trial and when, after the verdict, jurors had to decide whether he should be put to death in the killing of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/bb53ffa7c8564bdd9e6f0f130e8ef21b">16-year-old Jennifer Long</a>&nbsp;in Kansas City, Missouri. Prosecutors said he raped and stabbed her, dismembered her with a chainsaw, burned the body and dumped her ashes in a pond in Kansas. Purkey was separately convicted and sentenced to life in the beating death of 80-year-old Mary Ruth Bales, of Kansas City, Kansas.

But the legal questions of whether he was mentally fit to stand trial or to be sentenced to die are different from the question of whether he’s mentally fit enough now to be put to death. Purkey’s lawyers argue he clearly isn’t,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/a494e22c8a4449118f7ee60963804f92">saying in recent filings he suffers from advancing Alzheimer’s disease</a>.

“He has long accepted responsibility for the crime that put him on death row,” one of this lawyers, Rebecca Woodman, said. “But as his dementia has progressed, he no longer has a rational understanding of why the government plans to execute him.”

Purkey believes his planned execution is part of a conspiracy involving his attorneys, Woodman said. In other filings, they describe delusions that people were spraying poison into his room and that drug dealers implanted a device in his chest meant to kill him.

While various legal issues in Purkey’s case have been hashed, rehashed and settled by courts over nearly two decades, “competency is something that is always in flux,” so the issue of mental fitness for execution can only be addressed once a date is set, according to Dunham, who teaches law school courses on capital punishment.

In a landmark 1986 decision, the Supreme Court ruled the Constitution prohibits executing someone who lacks a reasonable understanding of why he’s being executed. It involved the case of Alvin Ford, who was convicted of murder but whose mental health deteriorated behind bars to the point, according to his lawyer, he believed he was pope.

“I could say I was Napoleon,” Dunham said. “But if I say I understand that Napoleon was sentenced to death for a crime and is being executed for it — that could allow the execution to go ahead.”

Purkey’s mental issues go beyond Alzheimer’s, his lawyers have said. They say he was subject to sexual and mental abuse as a child and, at 14, was diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression and psychosis.

Last week, three mental health organizations urged U.S. Attorney William Barr to commute Purkey’s sentence to life in prison without possibility of parole. The National Alliance on Mental Illness, Mental Health America and the Treatment Advocacy Center said executing mentally ailing people like Purkey “constitutes cruel and unusual punishment and does not comport with ‘evolving standards of decency.’”

Glenda Lamont, the mother of the slain teenager, told The Kansas City Star last year she planned to attend Purkey’s execution.

“I don’t want to say that I’m happy,” Lamont said. “At the same time, he is a crazy madman that doesn’t deserve, in my opinion, to be breathing anymore.”

President Donald Trump’s campaign touted the Lee execution in an email blast, saying the president “Ensured Total Justice for the Victims of an Evil Killer” and demanded his political opponent Joe Biden explain why he now opposes capital punishment.

There was an unofficial moratorium on federal executions after the Obama administration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/1d3518af20dc4849804c21e58b46ae15">ordered a review in 2014&nbsp;</a>following a botched execution in Oklahoma.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/7/1564080385902.png" alt="Wesley Purkey, from Kansas, one of three federal inmates scheduled to be put to death this week- photo KDOC" />
 <figcaption>Wesley Purkey, from Kansas, one of three federal inmates scheduled to be put to death this week- photo KDOC</figcaption>
 </figure>TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — The United States on Thursday carried out its second federal execution this week, killing by lethal injection a Kansas man whose lawyers contended he had dementia and was unfit to be executed.Wesley Ira Purkey was put to death at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. Purkey was convicted of kidnapping and killing a 16-year-old girl before dismembering, burning and dumping her body in a septic pond. He also was convicted in a state court in Kansas after using a claw hammer to kill an 80-year-old woman who had polio.Purkey expressed remorse right before he was executed.“I deeply regret the pain and suffering I caused to Jennifer’s family,” he said. “I am deeply sorry. I deeply regret the pain I caused to my daughter, who I love so very much. This sanitized murder really does not serve no purpose whatsoever.”His time of death was 8:19 a.m. EDT.The Supreme Court cleared the way for the execution to take place just hours before, ruling in a 5-4 decision. The four liberal justices dissented, like they did for the first case earlier this week.Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that “proceeding with Purkey’s execution now, despite the grave questions and factual findings regarding his mental competency, casts a shroud of constitutional doubt over the most irrevocable of injuries.” She was joined by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan.It was the federal government’s second execution after a 17-year hiatus. Another man,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/638826b00bba1b389756126e4cfae97a">Daniel Lewis Lee</a>, was put to death Tuesday after his eleventh hour legal bids failed.Both executions were delayed into the day after they were scheduled as legal wrangling continued late into the night and into the next morning.The Justice Department has been questioned for holding the executions in the middle of the worsening&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">coronavirus pandemic</a>, prompting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/1f1af3ed977d5ee94c6b2d9cc6a65bbb">lawsuits over fears those who would travel to the prison could become infected</a>. The decision to resume executions after nearly two decades was criticized as a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c9e7b0c522b3be790b0ad3121bf96b06">dangerously political move</a>&nbsp;in an election year, forcing an issue that is not high on the list of American priorities considering&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/cddec060d38eacbb708a47120d34af51">the 11% unemployment rate</a>&nbsp;and the pandemic.Purkey’s lawyers had argued his condition had deteriorated so severely that he didn’t understand why he was being executed. They said he was repeatedly sexually assaulted as a child and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other mental health conditions.<a href="https://apnews.com/44465354fd8219a0bc2fec0962c526ec">The issue of Purkey’s mental health</a>&nbsp;arose in the run-up to his 2003 trial and when, after the verdict, jurors had to decide whether he should be put to death in the killing of 16-year-old Jennifer Long in Kansas City, Missouri. Prosecutors said he raped and stabbed her, dismembered her with a chainsaw, burned her and dumped her ashes 200 miles (320 kilometers) away in a septic pond in Kansas. Purkey was separately convicted and sentenced to life in the beating death of 80-year-old Mary Ruth Bales, of Kansas City, Kansas.Purkey had a long history of childhood trauma, was sexually abused by family members and a Catholic priest and was beaten by other family members, said Liz Vartkessian, a mitigation specialist who worked with Purkey’s legal team and visited him dozens of times in the last five years.“His case is replete with instances where he has expressed a deep remorse,” she said in an interview earlier this month.But recently, Purkey’s mental health had seriously deteriorated to the point he didn’t have the stamina for long visits with his legal team and often forgot key facts and dates, she said.Correction officers had to help him write down a schedule to remember his visits with his lawyers, she said.He also had a long history of paranoia and delusions and believed the Justice Department was moving forward with his execution because of many complaints and lawsuits he brought in prison, even though most had failed, Vartkessian said.The Supreme Court also lifted a hold placed on other executions set for Friday and next month.<a href="https://apnews.com/4cc4065b575e7b051a1adedba2ab4ca4">Dustin Honken</a>, a drug kingpin from Iowa convicted of killing five people in a scheme to silence former dealers, was scheduled for execution Friday.---------TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — The Supreme Court early Thursday cleared the way for a second federal execution this week. The vote to allow the execution of Wesley Ira Purkey to go forward was 5-4, with the court's four liberal members dissenting.Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that “proceeding with Purkey’s execution now, despite the grave questions and factual findings regarding his mental competency, casts a shroud of constitutional doubt over the most irrevocable of injuries.” She was joined by fellow liberal justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan.But a lower court put an emergency hold on the execution for one hour as it weighed issues in the case, further delaying what initially had been slated for Wednesday evening at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute,&nbsp;Indiana.Purkey was convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing a 16-year-old girl before dismembering, burning and then dumping her body in a septic pond. He also was convicted in a state court in&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;after using a claw hammer to kill an 80-year-old woman who suffered from polio.On Tuesday, Daniel Lewis Lee was put to death at the facility after his eleventh hour legal bids failed. It was the first federal execution after a 17-year hiatus.Lawyers for the 68-year-old Purkey, of Kansas, argued that he has dementia and is unfit to be executed. They said his condition has deteriorated so severely that he didn’t understand why he was being executed. They also said that if Purkey’s execution did not take place Wednesday, the government would need to set a new date. But government lawyers said there was no obstacle to going through with the execution Thursday if the Supreme Court lifted the injunctions.The issue of Purkey’s mental health arose in the run-up to his 2003 trial and when, after the verdict, jurors had to decide whether he should be put to death in the killing of 16-year-old Jennifer Long in Kansas City,&nbsp;Missouri. Prosecutors said he raped and stabbed her, dismembered her with a chainsaw, burned her and dumped her ashes 200 miles (320 kilometers) away in a septic pond in Kansas. Purkey was separately convicted and sentenced to life in the beating death of 80-year-old Mary Ruth Bales, of Kansas City, Kansas, who suffered from polio.___TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — A judge on Wednesday halted the execution of a man, said to be suffering from dementia, who had been set to die by lethal injection in the federal government’s second execution this week after a 17-year hiatus.Wesley Ira Purkey, convicted of a gruesome 1998 kidnapping and killing, was scheduled for execution Wednesday night at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/638826b00bba1b389756126e4cfae97a">Daniel Lewis Lee was put to death</a>&nbsp;Tuesday after his eleventh-hour legal bids failed.U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington, D.C., imposed two injunctions prohibiting the federal Bureau of Prisons from moving forward with Purkey’s execution. The Justice Department immediately appealed in both cases. A separate temporary stay was already in place from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago.The legal wrangling suggested a volley of litigation would continue in the hours ahead of Purkey’s scheduled execution, similar to what happened before the government executed Lee following a ruling from the Supreme Court. One of the injunctions imposed Wednesday halts not only Purkey’s execution, but another scheduled for Friday and one in August.Lee, convicted of killing an Arkansas family in a 1990s plot to build a whites-only nation, was the first of four condemned men scheduled to die in July and August despite&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">the coronavirus pandemic</a>&nbsp;raging inside and outside prisons.This competency issue is a very strong issue on paper,” said Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. “The Supreme Court has halted executions on this issue in the past. At a minimum, the question of whether Purkey dies is going to go down to the last minute.”Judge Chutkan didn’t rule on whether Purkey was competent but said the court needed to evaluate the claim. She said there was no question he’d suffer “irreparable harm” if he was put to death before his claims could be evaluated.Lee’s execution had gone forward a day late. It was scheduled for Monday afternoon, but the Supreme Court only gave the green light in a 5-4 ruling early Tuesday.Repeatedly on Wednesday, a federal judge also denied a request from Dustin Lee Honkin, an Iowa drug kingpin scheduled to be executed on Friday, to delay his execution. The judge said he would not delay Honken’s execution date due to the coronavirus pandemic and said the Bureau of Prisons was in the best position to weigh the health risks.The issue of Purkey’s mental health arose in the runup to his 2003 trial and when, after the verdict, jurors had to decide whether he should be put to death in the killing of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/bb53ffa7c8564bdd9e6f0f130e8ef21b">16-year-old Jennifer Long</a>&nbsp;in Kansas City, Missouri. Prosecutors said he raped and stabbed her, dismembered her with a chainsaw, burned the body and dumped her ashes in a pond in Kansas. Purkey was separately convicted and sentenced to life in the beating death of 80-year-old Mary Ruth Bales, of Kansas City, Kansas.But the legal questions of whether he was mentally fit to stand trial or to be sentenced to die are different from the question of whether he’s mentally fit enough now to be put to death. Purkey’s lawyers argue he clearly isn’t,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/a494e22c8a4449118f7ee60963804f92">saying in recent filings he suffers from advancing Alzheimer’s disease</a>.“He has long accepted responsibility for the crime that put him on death row,” one of this lawyers, Rebecca Woodman, said. “But as his dementia has progressed, he no longer has a rational understanding of why the government plans to execute him.”Purkey believes his planned execution is part of a conspiracy involving his attorneys, Woodman said. In other filings, they describe delusions that people were spraying poison into his room and that drug dealers implanted a device in his chest meant to kill him.While various legal issues in Purkey’s case have been hashed, rehashed and settled by courts over nearly two decades, “competency is something that is always in flux,” so the issue of mental fitness for execution can only be addressed once a date is set, according to Dunham, who teaches law school courses on capital punishment.In a landmark 1986 decision, the Supreme Court ruled the Constitution prohibits executing someone who lacks a reasonable understanding of why he’s being executed. It involved the case of Alvin Ford, who was convicted of murder but whose mental health deteriorated behind bars to the point, according to his lawyer, he believed he was pope.“I could say I was Napoleon,” Dunham said. “But if I say I understand that Napoleon was sentenced to death for a crime and is being executed for it — that could allow the execution to go ahead.”Purkey’s mental issues go beyond Alzheimer’s, his lawyers have said. They say he was subject to sexual and mental abuse as a child and, at 14, was diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression and psychosis.Last week, three mental health organizations urged U.S. Attorney William Barr to commute Purkey’s sentence to life in prison without possibility of parole. The National Alliance on Mental Illness, Mental Health America and the Treatment Advocacy Center said executing mentally ailing people like Purkey “constitutes cruel and unusual punishment and does not comport with ‘evolving standards of decency.’”Glenda Lamont, the mother of the slain teenager, told The Kansas City Star last year she planned to attend Purkey’s execution.“I don’t want to say that I’m happy,” Lamont said. “At the same time, he is a crazy madman that doesn’t deserve, in my opinion, to be breathing anymore.”President Donald Trump’s campaign touted the Lee execution in an email blast, saying the president “Ensured Total Justice for the Victims of an Evil Killer” and demanded his political opponent Joe Biden explain why he now opposes capital punishment.There was an unofficial moratorium on federal executions after the Obama administration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/1d3518af20dc4849804c21e58b46ae15">ordered a review in 2014&nbsp;</a>following a botched execution in Oklahoma.___

Kansas child killer apologizes just before his execution

MALMO, Neb. (AP) — A woman was found stabbed to death in the small eastern Nebraska community of Malmo. 

The Saunders County Sheriff’s Office reported the death about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday to the Nebraska State Patrol. 

The woman, who was stabbed several times, was later identified as 27-year-old Kayla Matulka. 

She lived at the home where her body was found.

 The state patrol says the investigation was continuing and that investigators didn’t believe there was a threat to the public. 

Malmo is a village of about 120 people, located 34 miles north of Lincoln.

MALMO, Neb. (AP) — A woman was found stabbed to death in the small eastern Nebraska community of Malmo. The Saunders County Sheriff’s Office reported the death about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday to the Nebraska State Patrol. The woman, who was stabbed several times, was later identified as 27-year-old Kayla Matulka. She lived at the home where her body was found. The state patrol says the investigation was continuing and that investigators didn’t believe there was a threat to the public. Malmo is a village of about 120 people, located 34 miles north of Lincoln.

Woman found stabbed to death in village north of Lincoln

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Police have announced an arrest in the stabbing death of a Lincoln man.

 Police said in news release Wednesday that 27-year-old Roy Wyrick, of Lincoln, was arrested Tuesday in the death of 37-year-old Jeremy Lane. 

Wyrick is being held on suspicion of second-degree murder and a weapons count. 

Police say the stabbing happened around 8:30 p.m. Monday, when officers were called to a residential area several blocks south of downtown for reports of a fight. 

Arriving officers found Lane suffering from a stab wound and unresponsive. 

Lane was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Investigators say Lane was stabbed during a fight with Wyrick.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Police have announced an arrest in the stabbing death of a Lincoln man. Police said in news release Wednesday that 27-year-old Roy Wyrick, of Lincoln, was arrested Tuesday in the death of 37-year-old Jeremy Lane. Wyrick is being held on suspicion of second-degree murder and a weapons count. Police say the stabbing happened around 8:30 p.m. Monday, when officers were called to a residential area several blocks south of downtown for reports of a fight. Arriving officers found Lane suffering from a stab wound and unresponsive. Lane was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Investigators say Lane was stabbed during a fight with Wyrick.

Lincoln police make arrest in Monday stabbing death

By Dacona Smith, Chief Operating Officer, Walmart U.S., and Lance de la Rosa, Chief Operating Officer, Sam’s Club

From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, our focus and priority has been and continues to be on the health and safety of our associates, members and customers.

As the number of confirmed cases has spiked in communities across the country recently, so too have the number and types of face covering mandates being implemented. Currently about 65 percent of our more than 5,000 stores and clubs are located in areas where there is some form of government mandate on face coverings. To help bring consistency across stores and clubs, we will require all shoppers to wear a face covering starting Monday, July 20. This will give us time to inform customers and members of the changes, post signage and train associates on the new protocols.

While we’re certainly not the first business to require face coverings, we know this is a simple step everyone can take for their safety and the safety of others in our facilities. According to the CDC, face coverings help decrease the spread of COVID-19, and because the virus can be spread by people who don’t have symptoms and don’t know they are infected, it’s critically important for everyone to wear a face covering in public and social distance.

In addition to posting clear signage at the front of our stores, Walmart has created the role of Health Ambassador and will station them near the entrance to remind those without a mask of our new requirements. Our ambassadors will receive special training to help make the process as smooth as possible for customers. The ambassadors, identifiable by their black polo shirts, will work with customers who show up at a store without a face covering to try and find a solution. We are currently considering different solutions for customers when this requirement takes effect on July 20.

To help ensure consistency with this new process, all stores will have a single entrance.

At Sam’s Clubs, associates at the entrance will follow the same process with members, politely reminding them of our requirement to wear a face covering when shopping with us. Complimentary masks will be provided if the member doesn’t have one. Or members can purchase masks in the club.

We know it may not be possible for everyone to wear a face covering. Our associates will be trained on those exceptions to help reduce friction for the shopper and make the process as easy as possible for everyone.

As we have seen in states and municipalities with mask mandates, virtually everyone either brings a mask or readily complies with the requirement, and we anticipate that to happen in other areas as well.

We know some people have differing opinions on this topic. We also recognize the role we can play to help protect the health and well-being of the communities we serve by following the evolving guidance of health officials like the CDC. We appreciate the understanding and cooperation of our customers and members in wearing face coverings to protect their safety and the safety of our associates.

By Dacona Smith, Chief Operating Officer, Walmart U.S., and Lance de la Rosa, Chief Operating Officer, Sam’s ClubFrom the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, our focus and priority has been and continues to be on the health and safety of our associates, members and customers.As the number of confirmed cases has spiked in communities across the country recently, so too have the number and types of face covering mandates being implemented. Currently about 65 percent of our more than 5,000 stores and clubs are located in areas where there is some form of government mandate on face coverings. To help bring consistency across stores and clubs, we will require all shoppers to wear a face covering starting Monday, July 20. This will give us time to inform customers and members of the changes, post signage and train associates on the new protocols.<figure>
 <img src="https://cdn.corporate.walmart.com/dims4/WMT/847f298/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5472x3648+0+0/resize/5472x3648!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.corporate.walmart.com%2F6b%2F7f%2F17cd0c39495fa05269dee142e9b5%2Fwalmart-fayetteville-232.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>While we’re certainly not the first business to require face coverings, we know this is a simple step everyone can take for their safety and the safety of others in our facilities. According to the CDC, face coverings help decrease the spread of COVID-19, and because the virus can be spread by people who don’t have symptoms and don’t know they are infected, it’s critically important for everyone to wear a face covering in public and social distance.In addition to posting clear signage at the front of our stores, Walmart has created the role of Health Ambassador and will station them near the entrance to remind those without a mask of our new requirements. Our ambassadors will receive special training to help make the process as smooth as possible for customers. The ambassadors, identifiable by their black polo shirts, will work with customers who show up at a store without a face covering to try and find a solution. We are currently considering different solutions for customers when this requirement takes effect on July 20.To help ensure consistency with this new process, all stores will have a single entrance.At Sam’s Clubs, associates at the entrance will follow the same process with members, politely reminding them of our requirement to wear a face covering when shopping with us. Complimentary masks will be provided if the member doesn’t have one. Or members can purchase masks in the club.<figure>
 <img src="https://cdn.corporate.walmart.com/dims4/WMT/0e24169/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5472x3648+0+0/resize/5472x3648!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.corporate.walmart.com%2F90%2Fa4%2Ffe0aeccb4426991773ec1ea240f3%2Fsams-club-fayetteville-213.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>We know it may not be possible for everyone to wear a face covering. Our associates will be trained on those exceptions to help reduce friction for the shopper and make the process as easy as possible for everyone.As we have seen in states and municipalities with mask mandates, virtually everyone either brings a mask or readily complies with the requirement, and we anticipate that to happen in other areas as well.We know some people have differing opinions on this topic. We also recognize the role we can play to help protect the health and well-being of the communities we serve by following the evolving guidance of health officials like the CDC. We appreciate the understanding and cooperation of our customers and members in wearing face coverings to protect their safety and the safety of our associates.

Walmart, Sam's Club to require masks

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming will again extend public health orders to contain the coronavirus amid a resurgence of the illness. 

Gov. Mark Gordon announced Monday the latest orders set to expire Wednesday will now be in effect through the end of July. 

Gordon says he's disappointed to see case numbers rise in Wyoming. 

The statewide orders prohibit more than 50 people at a time from gathering in confined spaces without restrictions. 

A range of exceptions include grocery stories and people traveling in groups to work. 

Up to 500 participants and audience members may attend events with adequate social-distancing and sanitizing measures.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming will again extend public health orders to contain the coronavirus amid a resurgence of the illness. Gov. Mark Gordon announced Monday the latest orders set to expire Wednesday will now be in effect through the end of July. Gordon says he's disappointed to see case numbers rise in Wyoming. The statewide orders prohibit more than 50 people at a time from gathering in confined spaces without restrictions. A range of exceptions include grocery stories and people traveling in groups to work. Up to 500 participants and audience members may attend events with adequate social-distancing and sanitizing measures.

Wyoming extends COVID-19 public health orders through July

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota health officials report 48 cases of COVID-19 as the average number of daily cases has increased slightly over the last two weeks.

 Even as Midwestern states like Minnesota and Wisconsin dealt with surges in cases, the number of cases in South Dakota remained mostly steady. 

The state has yet to report a death from COVID-19 this week, though last week brought a high-mark for the number of deaths recorded in a single day with six. 

State officials have counted 109 deaths from the coronavirus, but 87% of confirmed cases have recovered.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota health officials report 48 cases of COVID-19 as the average number of daily cases has increased slightly over the last two weeks. Even as Midwestern states like Minnesota and Wisconsin dealt with surges in cases, the number of cases in South Dakota remained mostly steady. The state has yet to report a death from COVID-19 this week, though last week brought a high-mark for the number of deaths recorded in a single day with six. State officials have counted 109 deaths from the coronavirus, but 87% of confirmed cases have recovered.

South Dakota reports 48 COVID-19 cases, no deaths

Centennial Public School Superintendent arrested on child sex assault allegations

By GREG ECHLIN <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/college-football-schedules-unsettled-coronavirus-cases-spike-kansas-and-us">Kansas News Service</a>

BALDWIN CITY, Kansas — College athletics departments
 in Kansas are needing to make a call as the number of coronavirus cases
 climb across the country and in their own ranks: Cancel fall sports, 
delay them until the spring, try in-conference games only or something 
in between.

At the center of it all is football — the 
high-contact sport that brings in money from the top college level to 
the small schools.&nbsp;

Dozens of schools have reported coronavirus 
cases among team members at voluntary workouts. And earlier this summer,
 Kansas State became one of the first major college teams in the country
 to shut the workouts down because of a high number of positive tests. 
The University of Kansas soon followed suit.

Already, three of 
the five major college conferences (Big Ten, Atlantic Coast Conference 
and Pac-12) have said they’ll only play against teams in their 
conference. The Ivy and Patriot leagues are calling off their fall 
seasons entirely. The National Junior College Athletic Association voted
 to move football to the spring.

The Big 12, which includes KU and K-State, is expected to make its decision at the end of the month.

Without
 the money from big-time sports, universities that are already hurting 
financially after having to shift fully online in the spring will 
suffer. But so will the college towns.

Baker University drives 
the economy in Baldwin City, Kansas, a town of more than 4,700 that’s 
about a half-hour from Lawrence. Of the roughly 800-plus students on 
campus at Baker, 66% play one of the school’s 24 varsity sports.

In
 early June, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics 
(NAIA) announced that all of its schools — Baker included — would be 
reduced to nine regular-season games from 11. It’s still uncertain if 
fans will be allowed to attend the home games because the NAIA is 
leaving it up to schools to follow state and local requirements.

“The potential of not having our family at games, it’s something 
that’s going to be very, very different,” Baker athletics director Nate 
Houser said.

Already, Baldwin City’s 63rd annual Maple Leaf 
Festival has been cancelled for the fall. Apryl Strawn, the manager of 
Jo’s Diner in town, said the possibility of football without fans could 
be devastating to their business.&nbsp;

“It’ll be awful,” Strawn said. “It’ll be absolutely awful.”&nbsp;

The athletes’ health vs. financial health&nbsp;

Whether
 football is played in Baldwin City or at KU, the issue is the same: How
 do you avoid transmission of coronavirus in a sport where you’re lined 
up next to each other and hit other players constantly?

It’s a question KU Director of Athletics Jeff Long has been pondering all summer, and hasn’t been able to answer.

"We
 don’t know what the impact of practicing, closed-quarters hitting, 
tackling, all those things will have on a team,” Long said during a 
Kansas City Public Library virtual forum last month.

Players came
 back to campus for voluntary workouts from all over the country, 
including Texas, which has seen a dramatic spike in cases.&nbsp;

But epidemiologist Dr. Chris Hostler, who is a consultant for the NFL
 and the Big 12 (which KU and K-State are a part of), said coronavirus 
can be anywhere.

“We’re going to continue to have athletes and 
staff who are positives, who are coming from different areas of the 
country,” said Hostler, who is based in Durham, North Carolina. “Or even
 just remaining in their communities.”

And there’s another thing 
to consider: If any scholarship athlete, man or woman, chooses to sit 
out this fall as a health precaution, would he or she lose that full 
ride to college? The Pac-12 says no. With the Big 12 leaving it up to 
its members — K-State says it will honor scholarships but is still 
working out the terms of the language, while KU hadn’t provided its 
policy by the time this story went to print.&nbsp;

But more than 
anything, college administrators are aware of the added financial pinch 
if there are no college football games this fall.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“When people 
ask, ‘Why is it so important for you to play football, play basketball?”
 It’s to generate the revenue to fund that program,” Long said.

A major college football program like KU or K-State generates an average of $78 million according to a <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2020/04/14/college-football-major-programs-could-see-billions-revenue-go-away/2989466001/">recent study by USA Today</a>.

Within
 the Big 12, the Texas schools (Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor and TCU) 
figure to already see less money. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently 
mandated that no schools can have more than 50% fan capacity at home 
games.

But Hostler said what’s happening in Texas won’t dictate a uniform set of recommendations.

“What
 happens in West Virginia is going to be very different than what 
happens a couple states away in Iowa or in Oklahoma,” he said.

Greg Echlin is a freelance sports reporter.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1594758329334.png" alt=" Kansas State's football team had several players test positive for COVID-19 this summer. Greg Echlin / KCUR 89.3 file photo" />
 <figcaption> Kansas State's football team had several players test positive for COVID-19 this summer. Greg Echlin / KCUR 89.3 file photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By GREG ECHLIN <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/college-football-schedules-unsettled-coronavirus-cases-spike-kansas-and-us">Kansas News Service</a>BALDWIN CITY, Kansas — College athletics departments
 in Kansas are needing to make a call as the number of coronavirus cases
 climb across the country and in their own ranks: Cancel fall sports, 
delay them until the spring, try in-conference games only or something 
in between.At the center of it all is football — the 
high-contact sport that brings in money from the top college level to 
the small schools.&nbsp;Dozens of schools have reported coronavirus 
cases among team members at voluntary workouts. And earlier this summer,
 Kansas State became one of the first major college teams in the country
 to shut the workouts down because of a high number of positive tests. 
The University of Kansas soon followed suit.Already, three of 
the five major college conferences (Big Ten, Atlantic Coast Conference 
and Pac-12) have said they’ll only play against teams in their 
conference. The Ivy and Patriot leagues are calling off their fall 
seasons entirely. The National Junior College Athletic Association voted
 to move football to the spring.The Big 12, which includes KU and K-State, is expected to make its decision at the end of the month.Without
 the money from big-time sports, universities that are already hurting 
financially after having to shift fully online in the spring will 
suffer. But so will the college towns.Baker University drives 
the economy in Baldwin City, Kansas, a town of more than 4,700 that’s 
about a half-hour from Lawrence. Of the roughly 800-plus students on 
campus at Baker, 66% play one of the school’s 24 varsity sports.In
 early June, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics 
(NAIA) announced that all of its schools — Baker included — would be 
reduced to nine regular-season games from 11. It’s still uncertain if 
fans will be allowed to attend the home games because the NAIA is 
leaving it up to schools to follow state and local requirements.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1594758388532.jpeg" alt=" Nate House is Baker University's athletic director. Credit Greg Echlin / KCUR 89.3" />
 <figcaption> Nate House is Baker University's athletic director. Credit Greg Echlin / KCUR 89.3</figcaption>
 </figure>“The potential of not having our family at games, it’s something 
that’s going to be very, very different,” Baker athletics director Nate 
Houser said.Already, Baldwin City’s 63rd annual Maple Leaf 
Festival has been cancelled for the fall. Apryl Strawn, the manager of 
Jo’s Diner in town, said the possibility of football without fans could 
be devastating to their business.&nbsp;“It’ll be awful,” Strawn said. “It’ll be absolutely awful.”&nbsp;The athletes’ health vs. financial health&nbsp;Whether
 football is played in Baldwin City or at KU, the issue is the same: How
 do you avoid transmission of coronavirus in a sport where you’re lined 
up next to each other and hit other players constantly?It’s a question KU Director of Athletics Jeff Long has been pondering all summer, and hasn’t been able to answer."We
 don’t know what the impact of practicing, closed-quarters hitting, 
tackling, all those things will have on a team,” Long said during a 
Kansas City Public Library virtual forum last month.Players came
 back to campus for voluntary workouts from all over the country, 
including Texas, which has seen a dramatic spike in cases.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1594758418685.jpeg" alt=" The field before last year's KU vs. K-State rivarly game. Credit Greg Echlin / KCUR 89.3 file photo" />
 <figcaption> The field before last year's KU vs. K-State rivarly game. Credit Greg Echlin / KCUR 89.3 file photo</figcaption>
 </figure>But epidemiologist Dr. Chris Hostler, who is a consultant for the NFL
 and the Big 12 (which KU and K-State are a part of), said coronavirus 
can be anywhere.“We’re going to continue to have athletes and 
staff who are positives, who are coming from different areas of the 
country,” said Hostler, who is based in Durham, North Carolina. “Or even
 just remaining in their communities.”And there’s another thing 
to consider: If any scholarship athlete, man or woman, chooses to sit 
out this fall as a health precaution, would he or she lose that full 
ride to college? The Pac-12 says no. With the Big 12 leaving it up to 
its members — K-State says it will honor scholarships but is still 
working out the terms of the language, while KU hadn’t provided its 
policy by the time this story went to print.&nbsp;But more than 
anything, college administrators are aware of the added financial pinch 
if there are no college football games this fall.&nbsp;&nbsp;“When people 
ask, ‘Why is it so important for you to play football, play basketball?”
 It’s to generate the revenue to fund that program,” Long said.A major college football program like KU or K-State generates an average of $78 million according to a <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2020/04/14/college-football-major-programs-could-see-billions-revenue-go-away/2989466001/">recent study by USA Today</a>.Within
 the Big 12, the Texas schools (Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor and TCU) 
figure to already see less money. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently 
mandated that no schools can have more than 50% fan capacity at home 
games.But Hostler said what’s happening in Texas won’t dictate a uniform set of recommendations.“What
 happens in West Virginia is going to be very different than what 
happens a couple states away in Iowa or in Oklahoma,” he said.Greg Echlin is a freelance sports reporter.

College football schedules unsettled as virus cases spike

CODY, Wyo. (AP) — Kanye West plans to use a former drug-manufacturing warehouse in Wyoming to create his Yeezy brand clothing and shoes. 

The Cody planning and zoning board is scheduled to review the proposal Tuesday. 

West is a 43-year-old Grammy-winning rapper, record producer and fashion designer who owns a ranch near Cody. 

West announced in November he was moving Yeezy headquarters to the ranch from Calabasas, California. 

West has since announced business partnerships with Adidas and Gap. 

He seeks to remodel a Cody warehouse as an Adidas Yeezy sample lab. 

The building was part of a different company's now-defunct plan to make generic drugs in Cody.

CODY, Wyo. (AP) — Kanye West plans to use a former drug-manufacturing warehouse in Wyoming to create his Yeezy brand clothing and shoes. The Cody planning and zoning board is scheduled to review the proposal Tuesday. West is a 43-year-old Grammy-winning rapper, record producer and fashion designer who owns a ranch near Cody. West announced in November he was moving Yeezy headquarters to the ranch from Calabasas, California. West has since announced business partnerships with Adidas and Gap. He seeks to remodel a Cody warehouse as an Adidas Yeezy sample lab. The building was part of a different company's now-defunct plan to make generic drugs in Cody.

Kanye West seeking to use Wyoming warehouse for Yeezy

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Police are investigating a stabbing death in Lincoln - the second homicide in Nebraska's capital city in less than a day.

Officers were called around 8:30 p.m. Monday to a residential area several blocks south of downtown for reports of a fight, police said in a news release. Arriving officers found Jeremy Lane, 37, of Lincoln, suffering from a stab wound and unresponsive.

Lane was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Investigators who interviewed witnesses and reviewed video from the area said Lane was stabbed in a fight with another man. No arrests had been reported by Tuesday morning. An autopsy has been ordered.

Lane was the second homicide in Lincoln on Monday. Police said the first occurred around around 5 a.m., when a 48-year-old man was shot and killed at a home in a separate incident.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Police are investigating a stabbing death in Lincoln - the second homicide in Nebraska's capital city in less than a day.Officers were called around 8:30 p.m. Monday to a residential area several blocks south of downtown for reports of a fight, police said in a news release. Arriving officers found Jeremy Lane, 37, of Lincoln, suffering from a stab wound and unresponsive.Lane was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Investigators who interviewed witnesses and reviewed video from the area said Lane was stabbed in a fight with another man. No arrests had been reported by Tuesday morning. An autopsy has been ordered.Lane was the second homicide in Lincoln on Monday. Police said the first occurred around around 5 a.m., when a 48-year-old man was shot and killed at a home in a separate incident.

Lincoln police investigate 2nd homicide in single day

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A man killed at a Lincoln home this week was shot by his son, police said.

Lincoln police said in a news release Tuesday that Adolfo Aguado, 48, of Lincoln, was killed in the shooting that occurred around 5 a.m. near 13th and Washington streets. Officers called to the area found Aguado suffering from a gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Police said in the release that Aguado's son, 21-year-old Adolfo Ortiz, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder and a weapons count in his father's death.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1594742440743.png" alt="Adolfo Ortiz (Lancaster County Jail)" />
 <figcaption>Adolfo Ortiz (Lancaster County Jail)</figcaption>
 </figure>LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A man killed at a Lincoln home this week was shot by his son, police said.Lincoln police said in a news release Tuesday that Adolfo Aguado, 48, of Lincoln, was killed in the shooting that occurred around 5 a.m. near 13th and Washington streets. Officers called to the area found Aguado suffering from a gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.Police said in the release that Aguado's son, 21-year-old Adolfo Ortiz, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder and a weapons count in his father's death.Police said an investigation showed Ortiz had become agitated and was being escorted from the house by family members when he pulled and fired a handgun, hitting Aguado.