JERUSALEM —U.S. Forces have overcome another significant attack in the Red Sea.

At approximately <a href="https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1777849458530648295?t=180">3</a>a.m. Tuesday, USS Mason (DDG 87) successfully engaged and destroyed one inbound anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) launched by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists from Yemen over the Gulf of Aden, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.


The missile was likely targeting the MV Yorktown, a U.S.-flagged, U.S.-owned vessel being escorted by a U.S. warship USS Laboon (DDG 58) and USS Mason (DDG 87). 

There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships.

It was determined the ABSM presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels in the region. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S, coalition, and merchant vessels.

Meanwhile,&nbsp;U.S. President Joe Biden says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the war against Hamas is mistaken.

Biden’s remarks in a television interview that aired late Tuesday deepen an already growing rift between the two staunch allies over the war, now in its seventh month. Those disagreements have compounded over the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, Israel’s expected offensive in the city of Rafah and Israel’s recent strike on a humanitarian convoy, which killed seven aid workers, most of them foreigners.

“What he’s doing is a mistake. I don’t agree with his approach,” Biden told U.S. Spanish-language broadcaster Univision in an interview conducted on April 3, two days after the strike on the World Central Kitchen aid convoy. He was responding to a question about whether Netanyahu was letting political considerations steer his decision-making in the war.

Biden said Israel should agree to a cease-fire, flood beleaguered Gaza with aid for the next six to eight weeks and allow regional countries to help distribute the aid. “It should be done now,” he said.

International efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas are taking place in Cairo this week.

Israel’s bombardment and ground offensives in Gaza over the past six months have killed at least 33,360 Palestinians and wounded 74,993, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Tuesday. The ministry&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">doesn’t differentiate</a>&nbsp;between civilians and combatants in its tally, but says&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/women-children-gaza-war-victims-un-inequality-f0f89a724543b99c2c22439e7af09405">women and children</a>&nbsp;make up two-thirds of the dead.

The war began Oct. 7 when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 people hostage.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709685344452.png" alt="File Photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>File Photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>JERUSALEM —U.S. Forces have overcome another significant attack in the Red Sea.At approximately <a href="https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1777849458530648295?t=180">3</a>a.m. Tuesday, USS Mason (DDG 87) successfully engaged and destroyed one inbound anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) launched by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists from Yemen over the Gulf of Aden, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.
The missile was likely targeting the MV Yorktown, a U.S.-flagged, U.S.-owned vessel being escorted by a U.S. warship USS Laboon (DDG 58) and USS Mason (DDG 87). There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships.

It was determined the ABSM presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels in the region. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S, coalition, and merchant vessels.Meanwhile,&nbsp;U.S. President Joe Biden says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the war against Hamas is mistaken.Biden’s remarks in a television interview that aired late Tuesday deepen an already growing rift between the two staunch allies over the war, now in its seventh month. Those disagreements have compounded over the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, Israel’s expected offensive in the city of Rafah and Israel’s recent strike on a humanitarian convoy, which killed seven aid workers, most of them foreigners.“What he’s doing is a mistake. I don’t agree with his approach,” Biden told U.S. Spanish-language broadcaster Univision in an interview conducted on April 3, two days after the strike on the World Central Kitchen aid convoy. He was responding to a question about whether Netanyahu was letting political considerations steer his decision-making in the war.Biden said Israel should agree to a cease-fire, flood beleaguered Gaza with aid for the next six to eight weeks and allow regional countries to help distribute the aid. “It should be done now,” he said.International efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas are taking place in Cairo this week.Israel’s bombardment and ground offensives in Gaza over the past six months have killed at least 33,360 Palestinians and wounded 74,993, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Tuesday. The ministry&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">doesn’t differentiate</a>&nbsp;between civilians and combatants in its tally, but says&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/women-children-gaza-war-victims-un-inequality-f0f89a724543b99c2c22439e7af09405">women and children</a>&nbsp;make up two-thirds of the dead.The war began Oct. 7 when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 people hostage.

U.S. forces stop new ballistic missile threat in the Red Sea

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/04/09/pipeline-company-environmental-group-strike-unique-community-benefits-agreement/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — The developer of a carbon-dioxide pipeline and an environmental group have struck a “one-of-a-kind” agreement to ensure “community benefits” from the pipeline as well as support for the project.

While similar CO2 pipeline projects in Iowa and the Dakotas have&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/01/09/hundreds-of-co2-pipeline-critics-converge-on-capitol-ahead-of-legislative-session/">spawned protests and harsh opposition</a>, a peace treaty of sorts has been struck for a $1.5 billion pipeline project that crosses Nebraska.

“This agreement is exactly what all communities should have,” said Jane Kleeb, founder of Bold Alliance. “Real money is being left behind in these communities.”

“This is truly remarkable,” said Steven Davidson, a spokesman for Tallgrass, who said it’s the first agreement of its kind that he’s aware of involving a pipeline project.

Kansas-based Tallgrass, which is converting a 392-mile-long natural gas pipeline to transport CO2, announced the agreement Tuesday with Bold Alliance, whose subsidiary, Bold Nebraska, was a leading opponent of the Keystone XL crude-oil pipeline.

Tallgrass is converting the former Trailblazer Pipeline — which runs from Beatrice, Nebraska, to eastern Wyoming — to carry carbon dioxide generated by ethanol plants for sequestration deep underground in Wyoming. The goal is to meet the demand for less carbon-intense biofuels in states seeking environmental benefits.

Under the “community benefits agreement,” Bold will not oppose the project in exchange for Tallgrass’ commitment to spend $600,000 to train and equip first responders on the pipeline route and to donate $500,000 to nonprofits in the counties on the route.

In addition, landowners will have the option to receive yearly royalty checks, based on the volume of carbon dioxide being shipped, rather than a lump-sum payment for right of way upfront. And they will have the option of having Tallgrass remove the pipe and reclaim the land if the pipeline is later decommissioned.

Kleeb said that Bold, realizing that most of the Tallgrass project was using existing pipeline, focused on getting the best deal for local landowners and communities, and to make sure first responders were prepared in the event of a pipeline leak.

She said Tallgrass is the first pipeline company that has been willing to “engage proactively, acknowledge the need for landowner benefits … and genuinely commit itself to addressing those benefits in a written agreement.”

“The question is, what will other pipeline companies now do?” she asked. “This sets a pretty high bar.”

The agreement, Kleeb said, “sets a standard” for future energy infrastructure projects of all kinds, including renewable energy.

Kyle Quackenbush, a segment president with Tallgrass, said the company was willing to seek “common ground,” given the importance of the project to the economy of Nebraska.

“This project is a critical element of Nebraska’s bio-economy — creating new markets and increased value for the biofuels industry, the family farms who supply them and the communities they call home,” he said.

The community benefits agreement, Quackenbush added, “is an excellent avenue for us to demonstrate our committee to safety, landowner rights and accountability.”

The agreement does not impact individual landowners who don’t want to sell right-of-way for the pipeline, the officials said. However, Kleeb said, it outlines “best practices” for negotiating with landowners that Bold had been seeking from state lawmakers.

Lawsuits over eminent domain still possible

Lawsuits over eminent domain could still happen, and Kleeb said the agreement doesn’t change Bold’s opposition to the use of eminent domain for pipelines that blaze new routes.

Quackenbush said that using a court order to obtain land is the company’s “last resort.” Already, he said, Tallgrass has worked “hundreds of reroutes” after finding landowners who didn’t want a pipeline across their land.

Unlike other carbon pipelines being proposed in the Midwest, the Tallgrass/Trailblazer project utilizes an existing pipeline that’s being converted to handle CO2, though some new laterals will be built to ethanol plants.

Officials said the total number of miles of laterals is still undetermined. So far, Tallgrass has announced agreements to serve two Nebraska ethanol plants, one in Columbus and one in Aurora, but more announcements are coming, they said.

Nebraska is second in the nation — behind Iowa — in the production of ethanol, with 24 plants that can produce up to 2.3 billion gallons of the corn-based fuel each year.

About 40% of the corn grown in the state is purchased by ethanol plants, which support 6,000 full-time jobs and contribute $4.5 billion to the state’s GDP each year.

Farmers who live close to an ethanol plant get an estimated 21 cents a bushel more for their corn and the added benefit of waste grains from the plants that are valuable livestock feed.

Ethanol advocates insist that carbon sequestration is a must for the corn-based fuel to fully expand into states that demand greener forms of energy.

The Tallgrass/Trailblazer project has a capacity of carrying and storing 10 million metric tons of CO2 annually, which the company says is equivalent to eliminating the emissions of 2 million passenger vehicles.

Such community benefit agreements are legally binding. They are most often used to resolve differences between urban developers and local groups and landowners opposed to a project.

Under the contract between Tallgrass and Bold Alliance, non-compliance could result in a lawsuit seeking enforcement of the provisions.

Eleven farm groups also signed the 10-page, 10-year agreement as supporters, including the Nebraska Farm Bureau, the Nebraska Farmers Union and Renewable Fuels Nebraska.

Unlike the States of Iowa and South Dakota, Nebraska has no state statutes concerning the routing of carbon-dioxide pipelines, though&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/02/21/northeast-nebraska-county-delivers-blow-to-plans-for-carbon-pipeline/">some counties have set requirements</a>.

<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/01/17/owner-of-prairie-seed-farm-and-a-state-senator-say-regulations-needed-for-co2-pipelines/">A bill was introduced in the Nebraska Legislature this yea</a>r but was withdrawn by its sponsor, State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard, after he said he learned more about the pipeline projects.

Kleeb said several of the obligations made by Tallgrass were ones Bold had unsuccessfully sought in the Nebraska Legislature.

“Hopefully this will serve as an example for senators,” she said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712668801415.jpeg" alt=" An ethanol plant near Aberdeen, South Dakota. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)" />
 <figcaption> An ethanol plant near Aberdeen, South Dakota. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)</figcaption>
 </figure>Paul Hammel<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/04/09/pipeline-company-environmental-group-strike-unique-community-benefits-agreement/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — The developer of a carbon-dioxide pipeline and an environmental group have struck a “one-of-a-kind” agreement to ensure “community benefits” from the pipeline as well as support for the project.While similar CO2 pipeline projects in Iowa and the Dakotas have&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/01/09/hundreds-of-co2-pipeline-critics-converge-on-capitol-ahead-of-legislative-session/">spawned protests and harsh opposition</a>, a peace treaty of sorts has been struck for a $1.5 billion pipeline project that crosses Nebraska.“This agreement is exactly what all communities should have,” said Jane Kleeb, founder of Bold Alliance. “Real money is being left behind in these communities.”<h2>‘Truly remarkable’</h2>“This is truly remarkable,” said Steven Davidson, a spokesman for Tallgrass, who said it’s the first agreement of its kind that he’s aware of involving a pipeline project.Kansas-based Tallgrass, which is converting a 392-mile-long natural gas pipeline to transport CO2, announced the agreement Tuesday with Bold Alliance, whose subsidiary, Bold Nebraska, was a leading opponent of the Keystone XL crude-oil pipeline.Tallgrass is converting the former Trailblazer Pipeline — which runs from Beatrice, Nebraska, to eastern Wyoming — to carry carbon dioxide generated by ethanol plants for sequestration deep underground in Wyoming. The goal is to meet the demand for less carbon-intense biofuels in states seeking environmental benefits.Under the “community benefits agreement,” Bold will not oppose the project in exchange for Tallgrass’ commitment to spend $600,000 to train and equip first responders on the pipeline route and to donate $500,000 to nonprofits in the counties on the route.In addition, landowners will have the option to receive yearly royalty checks, based on the volume of carbon dioxide being shipped, rather than a lump-sum payment for right of way upfront. And they will have the option of having Tallgrass remove the pipe and reclaim the land if the pipeline is later decommissioned.Kleeb said that Bold, realizing that most of the Tallgrass project was using existing pipeline, focused on getting the best deal for local landowners and communities, and to make sure first responders were prepared in the event of a pipeline leak.She said Tallgrass is the first pipeline company that has been willing to “engage proactively, acknowledge the need for landowner benefits … and genuinely commit itself to addressing those benefits in a written agreement.”<h2>‘Sets a high bar’</h2>“The question is, what will other pipeline companies now do?” she asked. “This sets a pretty high bar.”The agreement, Kleeb said, “sets a standard” for future energy infrastructure projects of all kinds, including renewable energy.Kyle Quackenbush, a segment president with Tallgrass, said the company was willing to seek “common ground,” given the importance of the project to the economy of Nebraska.“This project is a critical element of Nebraska’s bio-economy — creating new markets and increased value for the biofuels industry, the family farms who supply them and the communities they call home,” he said.The community benefits agreement, Quackenbush added, “is an excellent avenue for us to demonstrate our committee to safety, landowner rights and accountability.”The agreement does not impact individual landowners who don’t want to sell right-of-way for the pipeline, the officials said. However, Kleeb said, it outlines “best practices” for negotiating with landowners that Bold had been seeking from state lawmakers.<h2>Lawsuits over eminent domain still possible</h2>Lawsuits over eminent domain could still happen, and Kleeb said the agreement doesn’t change Bold’s opposition to the use of eminent domain for pipelines that blaze new routes.Quackenbush said that using a court order to obtain land is the company’s “last resort.” Already, he said, Tallgrass has worked “hundreds of reroutes” after finding landowners who didn’t want a pipeline across their land.Unlike other carbon pipelines being proposed in the Midwest, the Tallgrass/Trailblazer project utilizes an existing pipeline that’s being converted to handle CO2, though some new laterals will be built to ethanol plants.Officials said the total number of miles of laterals is still undetermined. So far, Tallgrass has announced agreements to serve two Nebraska ethanol plants, one in Columbus and one in Aurora, but more announcements are coming, they said.Nebraska is second in the nation — behind Iowa — in the production of ethanol, with 24 plants that can produce up to 2.3 billion gallons of the corn-based fuel each year.About 40% of the corn grown in the state is purchased by ethanol plants, which support 6,000 full-time jobs and contribute $4.5 billion to the state’s GDP each year.Farmers who live close to an ethanol plant get an estimated 21 cents a bushel more for their corn and the added benefit of waste grains from the plants that are valuable livestock feed.Ethanol advocates insist that carbon sequestration is a must for the corn-based fuel to fully expand into states that demand greener forms of energy.<h2>Equivalent of 2 million cars</h2>The Tallgrass/Trailblazer project has a capacity of carrying and storing 10 million metric tons of CO2 annually, which the company says is equivalent to eliminating the emissions of 2 million passenger vehicles.Such community benefit agreements are legally binding. They are most often used to resolve differences between urban developers and local groups and landowners opposed to a project.Under the contract between Tallgrass and Bold Alliance, non-compliance could result in a lawsuit seeking enforcement of the provisions.Eleven farm groups also signed the 10-page, 10-year agreement as supporters, including the Nebraska Farm Bureau, the Nebraska Farmers Union and Renewable Fuels Nebraska.Unlike the States of Iowa and South Dakota, Nebraska has no state statutes concerning the routing of carbon-dioxide pipelines, though&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/02/21/northeast-nebraska-county-delivers-blow-to-plans-for-carbon-pipeline/">some counties have set requirements</a>.<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/01/17/owner-of-prairie-seed-farm-and-a-state-senator-say-regulations-needed-for-co2-pipelines/">A bill was introduced in the Nebraska Legislature this yea</a>r but was withdrawn by its sponsor, State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard, after he said he learned more about the pipeline projects.Kleeb said several of the obligations made by Tallgrass were ones Bold had unsuccessfully sought in the Nebraska Legislature.“Hopefully this will serve as an example for senators,” she said.

Pipeline company, environmental group strike unique ‘community benefits’ agreement

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A judge sentenced the parents of a Michigan school shooter to at least 10 years in prison Tuesday for failing to take steps that could have prevented a “runaway train” — the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/oxford-high-school-shooting">killing of four students in 2021</a>.

Jennifer and James Crumbley are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oxford-high-school-shooting-james-crumbley-d13192e4057ec00836e4ce99c17bd375">the first parents convicted in a U.S. mass school shooting</a>. They were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter after prosecutors presented evidence of an unsecured gun at home and indifference toward the teen’s mental health.

Ethan Crumbley drew dark images of a gun, a bullet and a wounded man on a math assignment, accompanied by despondent phrases. Staff at Oxford High School did not demand that he go home but were surprised when the Crumbleys didn’t volunteer it during a brief meeting.

Later that day, on Nov. 30, 2021, the 15-year-old pulled a handgun from his backpack and began shooting. Ethan, now 17, is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oxford-michigan-school-shooting-ethan-crumbley-sentencing-fb10065053ca542b0d443671bab53947">serving a life sentence for murder and other crimes</a>.

“These convictions are not about poor parenting,” Judge Cheryl Matthews said. "These convictions confirm repeated acts, or lack of acts, that could have halted an oncoming runaway train.

“About repeatedly ignoring things that would make a reasonable person feel the hair on the back of their neck stand up,” the judge said. “Opportunity knocked over and over again — louder and louder — and was ignored. No one answered.”

Defense attorneys asked that the Crumbleys be spared a prison term, noting they have already served nearly 2 1/2 years in jail after failing to meet a $500,000 bond after their arrest.

The Crumbleys will be eligible for parole after serving 10 years in custody and will get credit for the jail time. If parole is denied, they can't be held longer than 15 years.

Before sentencing, family members of the slain students asked the judge for a 10-year term, condemning the parents as failures whose selfishness led to four deaths and a community tragedy.

“The blood of our children is on your hands, too,” said Craig Shilling, wearing a hoodie with the image of son Justin Shilling on his chest.

Nicole Beausoleil, the mother of Madisyn Baldwin, recalled simple things she enjoyed doing for her daughter, such as scheduling an oil change for her car or helping choose senior year classes.

“While you were purchasing a gun for your son and leaving it unlocked, I was helping her finish her college essays,” Beausoleil told the Crumbleys.

Five deputies in the courtroom stood watch over the couple and more lined the walls.

Prosecutors said simple acts by both parents could have stopped the catastrophe.

“Consider the devastating impact of their gross negligence that was foreseeable," prosecutor Karen McDonald told the judge.

She then quoted the grim handwritten lines on Ethan's math paper: “Help me. Blood everywhere. The world is dead.”

“All the while a 9 millimeter (gun) had just been purchased for him and 50 rounds of ammunition,” McDonald said.

The couple had separate trials in Oakland County court, 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of Detroit. Jurors saw the teen's violent drawing on his school assignment and heard testimony about the crucial hours before the attack.

Ethan had told a counselor he was sad — a grandmother had died and his only friend suddenly had moved away — but said the drawing only reflected his interest in creating video games.

The Crumbleys attended a meeting at the school that lasted less than 15 minutes. They did not mention that the gun resembled one James Crumbley had purchased just four days earlier — a Sig Sauer 9 mm that Ethan had described on social media as his “beauty.”

His parents didn't take him home, choosing instead to return to work and accepting a list of mental health providers. School staff said Ethan could stay on campus. A counselor, Shawn Hopkins, said he believed it would be safer for the boy than possibly being alone at home.

No one, however, checked Ethan's backpack. He pulled the gun out later that day and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-football-michigan-77eb45f22f5d9dab802e4378608ca307">killed four students</a>&nbsp;— Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana, Shilling and Baldwin — and wounded seven other people.

Before being sentenced, James Crumbley, 47, stood and insisted he did not know his son was deeply troubled.

"My heart is really broken for everybody involved. ... I have cried for you and the loss of your children more times than I can count," he said.

Jennifer Crumbley, 46, began her remarks by expressing her “deepest sorrow” about the shooting. She also said her comment at her trial about not doing anything differently was “completely misunderstood.”

“My son did seem so normal. I didn't have a reason to do anything different,” Jennifer Crumbley said. “With the benefit of hindsight and information I have now, my answer would be drastically different."

She blamed the school for not giving her the “bigger picture” about Ethan: sleeping in class, watching a video of a mass shooting, writing negative thoughts about his family.

“The prosecution has tried to mold us into the type of parents society wants to believe are so horrible only a school or mass shooter could be bred from,” Jennifer Crumbley said. “We were good parents. We were the average family."

During the trials, there was no testimony from specialists about Ethan's state of mind. But the judge, over defense objections, allowed the jury to see excerpts from his journal.

“I have zero help for my mental problems and it’s causing me to shoot up the ... school,” he wrote. “I want help but my parents don’t listen to me so I can’t get any help.”

Asked about Ethan reporting hallucinations months before the shooting, Jennifer Crumbley told jurors he was simply “messing around.”

At the close of James Crumbley's trial, the prosecutor demonstrated how a cable lock, found in a package at home, could have secured the gun.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1638621716369.png" alt="James Crumbley as shown in his 2021 booking photo from Oakland County, Michigan" />
 <figcaption>James Crumbley as shown in his 2021 booking photo from Oakland County, Michigan</figcaption>
 </figure>PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A judge sentenced the parents of a Michigan school shooter to at least 10 years in prison Tuesday for failing to take steps that could have prevented a “runaway train” — the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/oxford-high-school-shooting">killing of four students in 2021</a>.Jennifer and James Crumbley are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oxford-high-school-shooting-james-crumbley-d13192e4057ec00836e4ce99c17bd375">the first parents convicted in a U.S. mass school shooting</a>. They were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter after prosecutors presented evidence of an unsecured gun at home and indifference toward the teen’s mental health.Ethan Crumbley drew dark images of a gun, a bullet and a wounded man on a math assignment, accompanied by despondent phrases. Staff at Oxford High School did not demand that he go home but were surprised when the Crumbleys didn’t volunteer it during a brief meeting.Later that day, on Nov. 30, 2021, the 15-year-old pulled a handgun from his backpack and began shooting. Ethan, now 17, is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oxford-michigan-school-shooting-ethan-crumbley-sentencing-fb10065053ca542b0d443671bab53947">serving a life sentence for murder and other crimes</a>.“These convictions are not about poor parenting,” Judge Cheryl Matthews said. "These convictions confirm repeated acts, or lack of acts, that could have halted an oncoming runaway train.“About repeatedly ignoring things that would make a reasonable person feel the hair on the back of their neck stand up,” the judge said. “Opportunity knocked over and over again — louder and louder — and was ignored. No one answered.”Defense attorneys asked that the Crumbleys be spared a prison term, noting they have already served nearly 2 1/2 years in jail after failing to meet a $500,000 bond after their arrest.The Crumbleys will be eligible for parole after serving 10 years in custody and will get credit for the jail time. If parole is denied, they can't be held longer than 15 years.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1638621694054.png" alt="Jennifer Crumbley as shown in her 2021 booking photo from Oakland County, Michigan" />
 <figcaption>Jennifer Crumbley as shown in her 2021 booking photo from Oakland County, Michigan</figcaption>
 </figure>Before sentencing, family members of the slain students asked the judge for a 10-year term, condemning the parents as failures whose selfishness led to four deaths and a community tragedy.“The blood of our children is on your hands, too,” said Craig Shilling, wearing a hoodie with the image of son Justin Shilling on his chest.Nicole Beausoleil, the mother of Madisyn Baldwin, recalled simple things she enjoyed doing for her daughter, such as scheduling an oil change for her car or helping choose senior year classes.“While you were purchasing a gun for your son and leaving it unlocked, I was helping her finish her college essays,” Beausoleil told the Crumbleys.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1638551635768.png" alt="Ethan Crumbley as shown in his 2021 booking photo from Oakland County, Michigan" />
 <figcaption>Ethan Crumbley as shown in his 2021 booking photo from Oakland County, Michigan</figcaption>
 </figure>Five deputies in the courtroom stood watch over the couple and more lined the walls.Prosecutors said simple acts by both parents could have stopped the catastrophe.“Consider the devastating impact of their gross negligence that was foreseeable," prosecutor Karen McDonald told the judge.She then quoted the grim handwritten lines on Ethan's math paper: “Help me. Blood everywhere. The world is dead.”“All the while a 9 millimeter (gun) had just been purchased for him and 50 rounds of ammunition,” McDonald said.The couple had separate trials in Oakland County court, 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of Detroit. Jurors saw the teen's violent drawing on his school assignment and heard testimony about the crucial hours before the attack.Ethan had told a counselor he was sad — a grandmother had died and his only friend suddenly had moved away — but said the drawing only reflected his interest in creating video games.The Crumbleys attended a meeting at the school that lasted less than 15 minutes. They did not mention that the gun resembled one James Crumbley had purchased just four days earlier — a Sig Sauer 9 mm that Ethan had described on social media as his “beauty.”His parents didn't take him home, choosing instead to return to work and accepting a list of mental health providers. School staff said Ethan could stay on campus. A counselor, Shawn Hopkins, said he believed it would be safer for the boy than possibly being alone at home.No one, however, checked Ethan's backpack. He pulled the gun out later that day and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-football-michigan-77eb45f22f5d9dab802e4378608ca307">killed four students</a>&nbsp;— Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana, Shilling and Baldwin — and wounded seven other people.Before being sentenced, James Crumbley, 47, stood and insisted he did not know his son was deeply troubled."My heart is really broken for everybody involved. ... I have cried for you and the loss of your children more times than I can count," he said.Jennifer Crumbley, 46, began her remarks by expressing her “deepest sorrow” about the shooting. She also said her comment at her trial about not doing anything differently was “completely misunderstood.”“My son did seem so normal. I didn't have a reason to do anything different,” Jennifer Crumbley said. “With the benefit of hindsight and information I have now, my answer would be drastically different."She blamed the school for not giving her the “bigger picture” about Ethan: sleeping in class, watching a video of a mass shooting, writing negative thoughts about his family.“The prosecution has tried to mold us into the type of parents society wants to believe are so horrible only a school or mass shooter could be bred from,” Jennifer Crumbley said. “We were good parents. We were the average family."During the trials, there was no testimony from specialists about Ethan's state of mind. But the judge, over defense objections, allowed the jury to see excerpts from his journal.“I have zero help for my mental problems and it’s causing me to shoot up the ... school,” he wrote. “I want help but my parents don’t listen to me so I can’t get any help.”Asked about Ethan reporting hallucinations months before the shooting, Jennifer Crumbley told jurors he was simply “messing around.”At the close of James Crumbley's trial, the prosecutor demonstrated how a cable lock, found in a package at home, could have secured the gun.

History: Parents of school shooter get years in prison

Lincoln, Neb. April 8, 2024 — The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is extending the application deadline for the&nbsp;<a href="https://unl233.lt.acemlnb.com/Prod/link-tracker?redirectUrl=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&amp;sig=4vFT1p8qD661Cicurj3y2WBPUvU7SLh5yXkd6f8DJtzG&amp;iat=1712587648&amp;a=%7C%7C68108822%7C%7C&amp;account=unl233%2Eactivehosted%2Ecom&amp;email=uXOLIeQjvueoi3n7xhggoAvBpFIfq1BM9rP95BkP2VNWPmqj3bRFXujRQQ%3D%3D%3Avh2RP2n6RqkBXtJ54Qfwk3pbECMfNjuC&amp;s=1c0e13334109871ac4a92aaba47fd8b6&amp;i=711A812A51A14830" target="_blank">Nebraska Elite 11 Veterinarian Program</a>&nbsp;to April 19, offering aspiring veterinarians an extended opportunity to apply for this groundbreaking scholarship initiative. Introduced on&nbsp;<a href="https://unl233.lt.acemlnb.com/Prod/link-tracker?redirectUrl=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&amp;sig=E6zoBD2jsvjgN79zZsRrNH4GtRt51baDfy1zY4wn1J7C&amp;iat=1712587648&amp;a=%7C%7C68108822%7C%7C&amp;account=unl233%2Eactivehosted%2Ecom&amp;email=uXOLIeQjvueoi3n7xhggoAvBpFIfq1BM9rP95BkP2VNWPmqj3bRFXujRQQ%3D%3D%3Avh2RP2n6RqkBXtJ54Qfwk3pbECMfNjuC&amp;s=1c0e13334109871ac4a92aaba47fd8b6&amp;i=711A812A51A14831" target="_blank">Feb. 29 by Governor Jim Pillen</a>, the Nebraska Elite 11 Veterinarian Program is designed to bolster the number of veterinarians serving livestock producers statewide.

It provides substantial financial support to Nebraska students pursuing degrees in animal science or veterinary science at UNL’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Governor Pillen emphasized the critical need for production animal veterinarians, not only in Nebraska but across the nation. "Through this collaboration with UNL, Nebraska will be a leader in boosting the number of graduates in this field," Governor Pillen stated.

Chancellor Rodney D. Bennett expressed strong support for the program, highlighting its alignment with UNL's strategic goals. "The Nebraska Elite 11 Veterinarian Program aligns with two key aims of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln — attracting, retaining, and graduating Nebraska’s best and brightest students, and contributing to resolving pressing issues within the state of Nebraska," Chancellor Bennett said. 

The scholarship initiative aims to address the shortage of food animal veterinarians, particularly in rural areas, where the livestock industry is a significant contributor to the economy. By providing financial assistance, the Elite 11 Program aims to remove barriers to veterinary training and encourage more students to pursue careers in food animal veterinary medicine.

Under the revised application timeline, up to 25 first-time freshmen will receive the Nebraska Aspiring Animal Production Veterinarians Program Scholarship, covering 50% of their tuition for the first two years. After the second year, up to 13 scholarship recipients will be awarded a continuation scholarship, covering 100% of tuition for the third and fourth years of study. Ultimately, 11 students will be selected as part of the Elite 11, receiving full tuition and fees for UNL’s professional program in veterinary medicine.

Dean Tiffany Heng-Moss expressed gratitude for the support from the state of Nebraska in making this program possible. "This is an important program that will have a big impact on our state, our agriculture industry, and on the students who take part in it," Dean Heng-Moss remarked.

Graduates of the Elite 11 Program commit to staying in Nebraska and practicing as production-animal veterinarians for eight years. Interested students are encouraged to visit the program's&nbsp;<a href="https://unl233.lt.acemlnb.com/Prod/link-tracker?redirectUrl=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&amp;sig=4vFT1p8qD661Cicurj3y2WBPUvU7SLh5yXkd6f8DJtzG&amp;iat=1712587648&amp;a=%7C%7C68108822%7C%7C&amp;account=unl233%2Eactivehosted%2Ecom&amp;email=uXOLIeQjvueoi3n7xhggoAvBpFIfq1BM9rP95BkP2VNWPmqj3bRFXujRQQ%3D%3D%3Avh2RP2n6RqkBXtJ54Qfwk3pbECMfNjuC&amp;s=1c0e13334109871ac4a92aaba47fd8b6&amp;i=711A812A51A14830" target="_blank">website</a>&nbsp;for application instructions. Applications will be accepted through April 19, with scholarship recipients to be notified in late May.&nbsp;&nbsp;

By UNLLincoln, Neb. April 8, 2024 — The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is extending the application deadline for the&nbsp;<a href="https://unl233.lt.acemlnb.com/Prod/link-tracker?redirectUrl=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&amp;sig=4vFT1p8qD661Cicurj3y2WBPUvU7SLh5yXkd6f8DJtzG&amp;iat=1712587648&amp;a=%7C%7C68108822%7C%7C&amp;account=unl233%2Eactivehosted%2Ecom&amp;email=uXOLIeQjvueoi3n7xhggoAvBpFIfq1BM9rP95BkP2VNWPmqj3bRFXujRQQ%3D%3D%3Avh2RP2n6RqkBXtJ54Qfwk3pbECMfNjuC&amp;s=1c0e13334109871ac4a92aaba47fd8b6&amp;i=711A812A51A14830" target="_blank">Nebraska Elite 11 Veterinarian Program</a>&nbsp;to April 19, offering aspiring veterinarians an extended opportunity to apply for this groundbreaking scholarship initiative. Introduced on&nbsp;<a href="https://unl233.lt.acemlnb.com/Prod/link-tracker?redirectUrl=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&amp;sig=E6zoBD2jsvjgN79zZsRrNH4GtRt51baDfy1zY4wn1J7C&amp;iat=1712587648&amp;a=%7C%7C68108822%7C%7C&amp;account=unl233%2Eactivehosted%2Ecom&amp;email=uXOLIeQjvueoi3n7xhggoAvBpFIfq1BM9rP95BkP2VNWPmqj3bRFXujRQQ%3D%3D%3Avh2RP2n6RqkBXtJ54Qfwk3pbECMfNjuC&amp;s=1c0e13334109871ac4a92aaba47fd8b6&amp;i=711A812A51A14831" target="_blank">Feb. 29 by Governor Jim Pillen</a>, the Nebraska Elite 11 Veterinarian Program is designed to bolster the number of veterinarians serving livestock producers statewide. It provides substantial financial support to Nebraska students pursuing degrees in animal science or veterinary science at UNL’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Governor Pillen emphasized the critical need for production animal veterinarians, not only in Nebraska but across the nation. "Through this collaboration with UNL, Nebraska will be a leader in boosting the number of graduates in this field," Governor Pillen stated.Chancellor Rodney D. Bennett expressed strong support for the program, highlighting its alignment with UNL's strategic goals. "The Nebraska Elite 11 Veterinarian Program aligns with two key aims of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln — attracting, retaining, and graduating Nebraska’s best and brightest students, and contributing to resolving pressing issues within the state of Nebraska," Chancellor Bennett said. The scholarship initiative aims to address the shortage of food animal veterinarians, particularly in rural areas, where the livestock industry is a significant contributor to the economy. By providing financial assistance, the Elite 11 Program aims to remove barriers to veterinary training and encourage more students to pursue careers in food animal veterinary medicine.Under the revised application timeline, up to 25 first-time freshmen will receive the Nebraska Aspiring Animal Production Veterinarians Program Scholarship, covering 50% of their tuition for the first two years. After the second year, up to 13 scholarship recipients will be awarded a continuation scholarship, covering 100% of tuition for the third and fourth years of study. Ultimately, 11 students will be selected as part of the Elite 11, receiving full tuition and fees for UNL’s professional program in veterinary medicine.Dean Tiffany Heng-Moss expressed gratitude for the support from the state of Nebraska in making this program possible. "This is an important program that will have a big impact on our state, our agriculture industry, and on the students who take part in it," Dean Heng-Moss remarked.Graduates of the Elite 11 Program commit to staying in Nebraska and practicing as production-animal veterinarians for eight years. Interested students are encouraged to visit the program's&nbsp;<a href="https://unl233.lt.acemlnb.com/Prod/link-tracker?redirectUrl=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&amp;sig=4vFT1p8qD661Cicurj3y2WBPUvU7SLh5yXkd6f8DJtzG&amp;iat=1712587648&amp;a=%7C%7C68108822%7C%7C&amp;account=unl233%2Eactivehosted%2Ecom&amp;email=uXOLIeQjvueoi3n7xhggoAvBpFIfq1BM9rP95BkP2VNWPmqj3bRFXujRQQ%3D%3D%3Avh2RP2n6RqkBXtJ54Qfwk3pbECMfNjuC&amp;s=1c0e13334109871ac4a92aaba47fd8b6&amp;i=711A812A51A14830" target="_blank">website</a>&nbsp;for application instructions. Applications will be accepted through April 19, with scholarship recipients to be notified in late May.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Nebraska Elite 11 Veterinarian Program Extends Application Deadline to April 19

JERUSALEM —U.S. forces continue to face&nbsp; terrorist obstacles in the Red Sea.

Between approximately 12:15 p.m. and 2:40 p.m. Monday, United States forces successfully engaged and destroyed an air defense system with two missiles ready to launch, a ground control station in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, and one unmanned aerial system launched by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists from Yemen over the Red Sea, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships.

Separately, at approximately 8:00 a.m. on April 7, an anti-ship ballistic missile was launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen toward the Gulf of Aden where a coalition ship was escorting M/V Hope Island, a Marshall Islands Flagged, U.K. owned, Italian operated cargo ship. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships.

This was the fifth observed missile launch against this coalition ship and M/V Hope Island.

Meanwhile,&nbsp;Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has escalated his pledge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-rafah-israel-hamas-war-photo-gallery-2a93ded7d44b9720d941f7e53c5bf45e">to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah</a>, which is filled with around 1.4 million Palestinians, most of whom are displaced from other parts of the Gaza Strip.

“It will happen. There is a date,” Netanyahu said in a video statement Monday, without elaborating.

The United States, Israel’s closest ally, has said a ground operation into Rafah would be a mistake and has demanded to see a credible plan to protect civilians. Netanyahu spoke as Israeli negotiators are in Cairo discussing international efforts to broker a cease-fire deal with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israeli troops withdrew Sunday from Khan Younis, another city in southern Gaza, ending a key phase of the war. Defense officials say they're regrouping ahead of a push into Rafah. Palestinians who visited Khan Younis on Monday said the city is now unlivable, offering them little immediate chance to return. Many have been sheltering in Rafah.

The Palestinian death toll from the war has passed 33,200, with nearly 76,000 wounded, Gaza’s Health Ministry said. The ministry&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">doesn’t differentiate</a>&nbsp;between civilians and combatants in its tally, but says&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/women-children-gaza-war-victims-un-inequality-f0f89a724543b99c2c22439e7af09405">women and children</a>&nbsp;make up two-thirds of the dead.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703990687604.png" alt="Photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>JERUSALEM —U.S. forces continue to face&nbsp; terrorist obstacles in the Red Sea.Between approximately 12:15 p.m. and 2:40 p.m. Monday, United States forces successfully engaged and destroyed an air defense system with two missiles ready to launch, a ground control station in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, and one unmanned aerial system launched by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists from Yemen over the Red Sea, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships.Separately, at approximately 8:00 a.m. on April 7, an anti-ship ballistic missile was launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen toward the Gulf of Aden where a coalition ship was escorting M/V Hope Island, a Marshall Islands Flagged, U.K. owned, Italian operated cargo ship. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships.This was the fifth observed missile launch against this coalition ship and M/V Hope Island.Meanwhile,&nbsp;Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has escalated his pledge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-rafah-israel-hamas-war-photo-gallery-2a93ded7d44b9720d941f7e53c5bf45e">to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah</a>, which is filled with around 1.4 million Palestinians, most of whom are displaced from other parts of the Gaza Strip.“It will happen. There is a date,” Netanyahu said in a video statement Monday, without elaborating.The United States, Israel’s closest ally, has said a ground operation into Rafah would be a mistake and has demanded to see a credible plan to protect civilians. Netanyahu spoke as Israeli negotiators are in Cairo discussing international efforts to broker a cease-fire deal with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.Israeli troops withdrew Sunday from Khan Younis, another city in southern Gaza, ending a key phase of the war. Defense officials say they're regrouping ahead of a push into Rafah. Palestinians who visited Khan Younis on Monday said the city is now unlivable, offering them little immediate chance to return. Many have been sheltering in Rafah.The Palestinian death toll from the war has passed 33,200, with nearly 76,000 wounded, Gaza’s Health Ministry said. The ministry&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">doesn’t differentiate</a>&nbsp;between civilians and combatants in its tally, but says&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/women-children-gaza-war-victims-un-inequality-f0f89a724543b99c2c22439e7af09405">women and children</a>&nbsp;make up two-thirds of the dead.The war began Oct. 7 when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 people hostage.

U.S. forces destroy a terrorist air defense system

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican on Monday declared gender-affirming surgery and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-surrogacy-ivf-a9229ef32f3c5b4f3b0bb7bd0e08f503">surrogacy as grave violations of human dignity</a>, putting them on par with abortion and euthanasia as practices that it said reject God’s plan for human life.

The Vatican’s doctrine office issued “Infinite Dignity,” a 20-page declaration that has been in the works for five years. After substantial revision in recent months, it was approved March 25 by Pope Francis, who ordered its publication.

From a pope who has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-lgbtq-pope-bfa5b71fa79055626e362936e739d1d8">made outreach to the LGBTQ+ community</a>&nbsp;a hallmark of his papacy, the document was received as a setback, albeit predictable, by trans Catholics. But its message was also consistent with the Argentine Jesuit's long-standing belief that while trans people should be welcomed in the church, so-called “gender ideologies” should not.

In its most eagerly anticipated section, the Vatican repeated its rejection of “gender theory,” or the idea that one’s biological sex can change. It said God created man and woman as biologically different, separate beings, and said people must not tinker with that or try to "make oneself God.”

“It follows that any sex-change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception,” the document said.

It distinguished between gender-affirming surgeries, which it rejected, and “genital abnormalities” that are present at birth or that develop later. Those abnormalities can be “resolved” with the help of health care professionals, it said.

Advocates for LGBTQ+ Catholics immediately criticized the document as outdated, harmful and contrary to the stated goal of recognizing the “infinite dignity” of all of God's children. They warned it could have real-world effects on trans people, fueling anti-trans violence and discrimination.

“While it lays out a wonderful rationale for why each human being, regardless of condition in life, must be respected, honored, and loved, it does not apply this principle to gender-diverse people,” said Francis DeBernardo of New Ways Ministry, which advocates for LGBTQ+ Catholics.

Nicolete Burbach, lead expert in social and environmental justice at the London Jesuit Centre, said the document showed the Vatican continues to fail to engage with queer and feminist approaches to the body “which it simply dismisses as supposedly subjecting both the body and human dignity itself to human whims.”

“I think the main difficulty faced by the document is that it attempts to affirm the church’s authentic commitment to human dignity in the face of a troubling history on the part of the church itself around attacks on that dignity,” said Burbach, a trans Catholic theologian who researches transness and the Catholic Church.

The document’s existence, rumored since 2019, was confirmed in recent weeks by the new prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Argentine Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, a close Francis confidant.

Fernández had cast the document as something of a nod to conservatives after he authored a more explosive document&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-lgbtq-pope-bfa5b71fa79055626e362936e739d1d8">approving blessings for same-sex couples</a>&nbsp;that sparked criticism from conservative bishops around the world, especially in Africa.

And yet, in an apparent attempt at balance, the document takes pointed aim at countries — including many in Africa — that criminalize homosexuality. It echoed Francis' assertion in a 2023 interview with The Associated Press that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-gay-rights-ap-interview-1359756ae22f27f87c1d4d6b9c8ce212">“being homosexual is not a crime</a>."

The new document denounces “as contrary to human dignity the fact that, in some places, not a few people are imprisoned, tortured, and even deprived of the good of life solely because of their sexual orientation.”

The White House said President Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, was “pleased” to see that the declaration “furthers the Vatican’s call to ensure that LGBTQ+ (individuals) are protected from violence and imprisonment around the world,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

On the specifics involving gender theory, Jean-Pierre stressed that it was not Biden’s role to “litigate internal church policy.”

Asked how its negative take on trans people squared with Francis’ message of welcome, Fernández said the welcome remained but that the pope fervently believed that the idea that gender was fluid “rather than helping to recognize dignity, impoverishes the vision” of a man and woman coming together to create new life.

The document is something of a repackaging of previously articulated Vatican positions, read now through the prism of human dignity. It restates well-known Catholic doctrine opposing abortion and euthanasia, and adds to the list some of Francis’ main concerns as pope: the threats to human dignity posed by poverty, war, human trafficking, the death penalty and forced migration.

In a newly articulated position, it says&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-surrogacy-ivf-a9229ef32f3c5b4f3b0bb7bd0e08f503">surrogacy violates both the dignity of the surrogate mother and the child</a>.

While much attention about surrogacy has focused on possible exploitation of poor women as surrogates, the Vatican asserts that the child "has the right to have a fully human (and not artificially induced) origin and to receive the gift of a life that manifests both the dignity of the giver and that of the receiver.”

“Considering this, the legitimate desire to have a child cannot be transformed into a ‘right to a child’ that fails to respect the dignity of that child as the recipient of the gift of life,” it said.

The Vatican had previously published its most articulated position on gender in 2019, when the Congregation for Catholic Education&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cb94b41d1d8046ddbde697dbba5022fc">rejected the idea that people can choose</a>&nbsp;or change their genders and insisted on the complementarity of biologically male and female sex organs to create new life.

The new document from the more authoritative Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith quotes from that 2019 education document, but tempers the tone. Significantly, it doesn’t repeat Vatican doctrine that homosexual people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect but that homosexual actions are “intrinsically disordered.”

In a news conference to introduce the document, Fernández acknowledged that the “intrinsically disordered” language was very strong. He suggested there might be a better way, "with other words," to express the church's vision of sex between husband and wife to create new life.

Francis has ministered to trans Catholics, including trans sex workers, and insisted that the Catholic Church must welcome all children of God.

But he has also denounced “gender theory” as the “worst danger” facing humanity today, an “ugly ideology” that threatens to cancel out God-given differences between man and woman. He has blasted in particular what he calls the “ideological colonization” of the West in the developing world, where development aid is sometimes conditioned on adopting Western ideas about gender.

Transgender activists immediately called the document “hurtful” and devoid of the voices and experiences of real trans people, especially in the distinction it makes between gender-affirming surgeries and surgeries on intersex people.

“The suggestion that gender-affirming health care — which has saved the lives of so many wonderful trans people and enabled them to live in harmony with their bodies, their communities and (God) — might risk or diminish trans people's dignity is not only hurtful but dangerously ignorant,” said Mara Klein, a nonbinary, transgender activist who has participated in Germany’s church reform project.

Klein said the Vatican “hypocrisy” was furthered by the document's approval of surgery on intersex people, “which if performed without consent especially on minors often cause immense physical and psychological harm.”

The document comes at a time of some backlash against transgender people, including in the United States where Republican-led state legislatures are considering a new round of bills&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-care-republican-legislatures-5d98832c0234de079263672c738e0631">restricting medical care for transgender youths</a>&nbsp;— and in some cases, adults.

“On top of the rising hostility towards our communities, we are faced with a church that does not listen and refuses to see the beauty of creation that can be found in our biographies,” Klein said in an email.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711361555231.png" alt="File photo Pope Francis at St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)" />
 <figcaption>File photo Pope Francis at St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)</figcaption>
 </figure>VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican on Monday declared gender-affirming surgery and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-surrogacy-ivf-a9229ef32f3c5b4f3b0bb7bd0e08f503">surrogacy as grave violations of human dignity</a>, putting them on par with abortion and euthanasia as practices that it said reject God’s plan for human life.The Vatican’s doctrine office issued “Infinite Dignity,” a 20-page declaration that has been in the works for five years. After substantial revision in recent months, it was approved March 25 by Pope Francis, who ordered its publication.From a pope who has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-lgbtq-pope-bfa5b71fa79055626e362936e739d1d8">made outreach to the LGBTQ+ community</a>&nbsp;a hallmark of his papacy, the document was received as a setback, albeit predictable, by trans Catholics. But its message was also consistent with the Argentine Jesuit's long-standing belief that while trans people should be welcomed in the church, so-called “gender ideologies” should not.In its most eagerly anticipated section, the Vatican repeated its rejection of “gender theory,” or the idea that one’s biological sex can change. It said God created man and woman as biologically different, separate beings, and said people must not tinker with that or try to "make oneself God.”“It follows that any sex-change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception,” the document said.It distinguished between gender-affirming surgeries, which it rejected, and “genital abnormalities” that are present at birth or that develop later. Those abnormalities can be “resolved” with the help of health care professionals, it said.Advocates for LGBTQ+ Catholics immediately criticized the document as outdated, harmful and contrary to the stated goal of recognizing the “infinite dignity” of all of God's children. They warned it could have real-world effects on trans people, fueling anti-trans violence and discrimination.“While it lays out a wonderful rationale for why each human being, regardless of condition in life, must be respected, honored, and loved, it does not apply this principle to gender-diverse people,” said Francis DeBernardo of New Ways Ministry, which advocates for LGBTQ+ Catholics.Nicolete Burbach, lead expert in social and environmental justice at the London Jesuit Centre, said the document showed the Vatican continues to fail to engage with queer and feminist approaches to the body “which it simply dismisses as supposedly subjecting both the body and human dignity itself to human whims.”“I think the main difficulty faced by the document is that it attempts to affirm the church’s authentic commitment to human dignity in the face of a troubling history on the part of the church itself around attacks on that dignity,” said Burbach, a trans Catholic theologian who researches transness and the Catholic Church.The document’s existence, rumored since 2019, was confirmed in recent weeks by the new prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Argentine Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, a close Francis confidant.Fernández had cast the document as something of a nod to conservatives after he authored a more explosive document&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-lgbtq-pope-bfa5b71fa79055626e362936e739d1d8">approving blessings for same-sex couples</a>&nbsp;that sparked criticism from conservative bishops around the world, especially in Africa.And yet, in an apparent attempt at balance, the document takes pointed aim at countries — including many in Africa — that criminalize homosexuality. It echoed Francis' assertion in a 2023 interview with The Associated Press that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-gay-rights-ap-interview-1359756ae22f27f87c1d4d6b9c8ce212">“being homosexual is not a crime</a>."The new document denounces “as contrary to human dignity the fact that, in some places, not a few people are imprisoned, tortured, and even deprived of the good of life solely because of their sexual orientation.”The White House said President Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, was “pleased” to see that the declaration “furthers the Vatican’s call to ensure that LGBTQ+ (individuals) are protected from violence and imprisonment around the world,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.On the specifics involving gender theory, Jean-Pierre stressed that it was not Biden’s role to “litigate internal church policy.”Asked how its negative take on trans people squared with Francis’ message of welcome, Fernández said the welcome remained but that the pope fervently believed that the idea that gender was fluid “rather than helping to recognize dignity, impoverishes the vision” of a man and woman coming together to create new life.The document is something of a repackaging of previously articulated Vatican positions, read now through the prism of human dignity. It restates well-known Catholic doctrine opposing abortion and euthanasia, and adds to the list some of Francis’ main concerns as pope: the threats to human dignity posed by poverty, war, human trafficking, the death penalty and forced migration.In a newly articulated position, it says&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-surrogacy-ivf-a9229ef32f3c5b4f3b0bb7bd0e08f503">surrogacy violates both the dignity of the surrogate mother and the child</a>.While much attention about surrogacy has focused on possible exploitation of poor women as surrogates, the Vatican asserts that the child "has the right to have a fully human (and not artificially induced) origin and to receive the gift of a life that manifests both the dignity of the giver and that of the receiver.”“Considering this, the legitimate desire to have a child cannot be transformed into a ‘right to a child’ that fails to respect the dignity of that child as the recipient of the gift of life,” it said.The Vatican had previously published its most articulated position on gender in 2019, when the Congregation for Catholic Education&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cb94b41d1d8046ddbde697dbba5022fc">rejected the idea that people can choose</a>&nbsp;or change their genders and insisted on the complementarity of biologically male and female sex organs to create new life.The new document from the more authoritative Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith quotes from that 2019 education document, but tempers the tone. Significantly, it doesn’t repeat Vatican doctrine that homosexual people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect but that homosexual actions are “intrinsically disordered.”In a news conference to introduce the document, Fernández acknowledged that the “intrinsically disordered” language was very strong. He suggested there might be a better way, "with other words," to express the church's vision of sex between husband and wife to create new life.Francis has ministered to trans Catholics, including trans sex workers, and insisted that the Catholic Church must welcome all children of God.But he has also denounced “gender theory” as the “worst danger” facing humanity today, an “ugly ideology” that threatens to cancel out God-given differences between man and woman. He has blasted in particular what he calls the “ideological colonization” of the West in the developing world, where development aid is sometimes conditioned on adopting Western ideas about gender.Transgender activists immediately called the document “hurtful” and devoid of the voices and experiences of real trans people, especially in the distinction it makes between gender-affirming surgeries and surgeries on intersex people.“The suggestion that gender-affirming health care — which has saved the lives of so many wonderful trans people and enabled them to live in harmony with their bodies, their communities and (God) — might risk or diminish trans people's dignity is not only hurtful but dangerously ignorant,” said Mara Klein, a nonbinary, transgender activist who has participated in Germany’s church reform project.Klein said the Vatican “hypocrisy” was furthered by the document's approval of surgery on intersex people, “which if performed without consent especially on minors often cause immense physical and psychological harm.”The document comes at a time of some backlash against transgender people, including in the United States where Republican-led state legislatures are considering a new round of bills&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-care-republican-legislatures-5d98832c0234de079263672c738e0631">restricting medical care for transgender youths</a>&nbsp;— and in some cases, adults.“On top of the rising hostility towards our communities, we are faced with a church that does not listen and refuses to see the beauty of creation that can be found in our biographies,” Klein said in an email.___

Vatican blasts gender-affirming surgery, surrogacy and gender theory 

MADISON, Wisc. (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;said Monday that college graduates would see “life-changing” relief from his new plan to ease debt burdens for more than 30 million borrowers, the latest attempt by the Democratic president to make good on a campaign promise that could buoy his standing with young voters.

(Click below to watch the President's statement)

Biden detailed the initiative, which has been in the works for months, during a trip to Wisconsin, one of a handful of battleground states that could decide the outcome of Biden's likely rematch with Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.

Biden said he wanted to “give everybody a fair shot” and the “freedom to chase their dreams” as he lamented the rising cost of higher education.

“Even when they work hard and pay their student loans, their debt increases and not diminishes," he said. "Too many people feel the strain and stress, wondering if they can get married, have their first child, start a family, because even if they get by, they still have this crushing, crushing debt.”

Biden's trip comes less than a week after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/primaries-wisconsin-connecticut-new-york-rhode-island-70c6d0bfb946af5ff4c2d5c435625f91">primary voting in Wisconsin</a>&nbsp;that highlighted political weaknesses for Biden as he prepares for the general election.

More than 48,000 Democratic voters chose “uninstructed” instead of Biden, more than double his narrow margin of victory in the state in 2020.

Trump also saw a significant number of defections during the state's primary, with nearly 119,000 Republicans voting for a different candidate than their party's presumptive nominee.

But Biden's results, which echoed similar protest votes in states like Michigan and Minnesota, have rattled Democrats who are eager to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-2024-election-nominee-polling-f80f8d7193e7901768b1bf67378c442a">solidify the coalition</a>&nbsp;that catapulted him into the White House in the first place.

A critical fracture has been the war in the Middle East. Young voters are more likely to disapprove of Biden's enduring support for Israel's military operation in Gaza, which has caused heavy casualties among Palestinian civilians.

Some have also been impatient with Biden's attempts to wipe away student loan debt. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court-653c2e9c085863bdbf81f125f87669fa">U.S. Supreme Court last year foiled</a>&nbsp;his first attempt to forgive hundreds of billions of dollars in loans, a decision that Biden called a “mistake.”

Since then, the White House has pursued debt relief through other targeted initiatives, including those for public service workers and low-income borrowers. Administration officials said they have canceled $144 billion in student loans for almost 4 million Americans.

At the same time, the Department of Education has been working on a more expansive plan to replace Biden's original effort. Although the new federal rule has not yet been issued, Monday's announcement was an opportunity to energize young voters whose support Biden will need to defeat Trump in November.

Republicans said Biden's plan shifts the financial burden of college tuition onto taxpayers who didn't take out loans to attend school.

“This is an unfair ploy to buy votes before an election and does absolutely nothing to address the high cost of education that puts young people right back into debt," said Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who chairs a committee on education and other issues.

Biden will make the announcement on Monday in Madison, the state’s liberal capital and home of the University of Wisconsin’s flagship campus. The president is scheduled to speak at a nearby technical college.

Nearly 15% of Democrats in Dane County, home to Madison, voted “uninstructed.” That is nearly double the statewide total of 8%.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, who represents Madison, said he was struck that concerns about Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza were top of mind among voters at five town halls over the past two weeks in more rural parts of his district.

“I was surprised to see the intensity on the issue of Gaza coming not from a student voice out of Madison, but older voters in more rural parts of the district,” Pocan said.

Pocan said the number of “uninstructed” votes shows the concern in Wisconsin and that Biden needs to address it. He said he planned to talk directly with Biden about it on Monday.

“I just want to make sure he knows that if we’re going to have a problem, that could be the problem in Wisconsin,” Pocan said.

Biden's new debt plan would expand federal student loan relief to new categories of borrowers through the Higher Education Act, which administration officials believe puts it on a stronger legal footing than the sweeping proposal that was killed by a 6-3 court majority last year.

The plan is expected to be smaller and more targeted than Biden's original plan, which would have canceled up to $20,000 in loans for more than 40 million borrowers. The new plan would cancel some or all federal student loans for more than 30 million Americans, the White House said. The Education Department plans to issue a formal proposal in the coming months, with plans to start implementing parts of the plan as early as this fall.

“President Biden will use every tool available to cancel student loan debt for as many borrowers as possible, no matter how many times Republican elected officials try to stand in his way,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a call with reporters.

Details the White House released on Monday largely mirror a plan drafted by the Education Department. It lays out five categories of borrowers who would be eligible to get at least some of their federal student loans canceled if the rule is approved.

The plan’s widest-reaching benefit would cancel up to $20,000 in interest for borrowers who have seen their balance grow beyond its original amount because of unpaid interest. Borrowers could get the entirety of their interest erased, with no limit, if they are enrolled in an income-driven repayment plan and have annual incomes of less than $120,000 or couples making less than $240,000.

That part of the plan would forgive at least some unpaid interest for an estimated 25 million borrowers, with 23 million getting all their interest erased, according to the White House.

An additional 2 million borrowers would automatically have their loans canceled because they’re eligible but have not applied for other forgiveness programs, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

Borrowers who have been repaying their undergraduate student loans for at least 20 years would be eligible to have any remaining debt canceled, along with those repaying their graduate school loans for 25 years or more.

The plan would forgive debt for those who were in college programs deemed to have “low financial value.” It’s meant to help those who were in programs that ended up losing eligibility to receive federal student aid or programs found to have cheated students.

A final category would cancel debt for borrowers facing hardships that prevent them from repaying their student loans, either because they’re at high risk of defaulting or are burdened with medical debt or child care expenses, among other criteria.

Cardona said in a call with reporters that the relief that would be provided under the new plan would be "on top of the $146 billion in student loan debt relief for 4 million Americans that we’ve already approved, more than any other administration in our country’s history.”

Hearings to craft the rule wrapped up in February, and the draft is under review. The Education Department will issue a formal proposal and open it to public comment before it can be finalized.

The White House web site released specifics Monday morning.

The plans if finalized as proposed, would deliver some amount of relief to:

The plans announced Monday would address the disproportionate debt burden on borrowers of color and other vulnerable borrowers.

The plans announced today, together with the Administration’s past actions, will provide relief to more than 30 million borrowers.&nbsp; These plans would fully eliminate accrued interest for 23 million borrowers, cancel the full amount of student debt for over 4 million borrowers, and provide more than 10 million borrowers with at least $5,000 in debt relief or more.&nbsp; With disproportionately high debt burdens, Black and Latino borrowers will get substantial benefits from this relief.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will announce his latest effort to broaden student loan relief this week for new categories of borrowers, according to three people familiar with the plans, nearly a year after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court-653c2e9c085863bdbf81f125f87669fa#:~:text=The%20Supreme%20Court%20rejects%20Biden's,billion%20in%20student%20loan%20debt&amp;text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20A%20sharply,debts%20for%20millions%20of%20Americans.">the Supreme Court foiled</a>&nbsp;his administration’s first attempt to cancel debt for millions who attended college.

Biden will detail the plan Monday in Madison, Wisconsin, where the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin is located. The actual federal regulations — outlining who would qualify to get their student loan debt reduced or eliminated — are not expected to be released then, said the people, who were granted anonymity to detail a proposal not yet made public.

Much of the specifics that Biden will discuss Monday have long been telegraphed through a negotiated rulemaking process at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-cancellation-debt-forgiveness-college-069753ae42ab90974eb03173b8b5910a">Department of Education</a>, which has worked for months to hash out the new categories of borrowers. The president announced immediately after the Supreme Court decision that Education Secretary Miguel Cardona would undertake the process because he would have the power under the Higher Education Act to waive or compromise student loan debt in specific cases.

Still, the effort seeks to make good on Biden’s promise after the Supreme Court struck down his initial plan in June, a $400 billion proposal to cancel or reduce federal student loan debt that a majority of justices said required congressional approval. Biden called that decision a “mistake” and “wrong.”

And the fresh announcement on student loan relief, a vital issue for younger voters, could help energize parts of Biden's political coalition who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-2024-election-nominee-polling-f80f8d7193e7901768b1bf67378c442a">have become disillusioned</a>&nbsp;over his job performance — people whose support the president will need to defeat presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump this year.

The plan that Biden will detail is set to expand federal student loan relief to new yet-targeted categories of borrowers through the Higher Education Act, which administration officials believe puts it on a stronger legal footing than the sweeping proposal that was killed by a 6-3 court majority last year. The planned announcement from Biden was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

“This new path is legally sound,” Biden said in June. “It’s going to take longer, but, in my view, it’s the best path that remains to providing for as many borrowers as possible with debt relief.”

Biden's latest attempt at cancellation is expected to be smaller and more targeted than his original plan, which would have canceled up to $20,000 in loans for more than 40 million borrowers. Details of the new plan have come into focus in recent months as the Education Department brought its ideas to a panel of outside negotiators with an interest in higher education, ranging from students to loan servicers.

Through that process, the agency laid out five categories of borrowers who would be eligible to get some or all of their federal loans canceled. The plan is focused on helping those with the greatest need for relief, including many who might otherwise never repay their loans.

Among those targeted for help are individuals whose unpaid interest has snowballed beyond the size of the original loan. The proposal would reset their balances back to the initial balance by erasing up to $10,000 or $20,000 in interest, depending on a borrower's income.

Borrowers paying down their student loans for decades would get all remaining debt erased under the department's plan. Loans used for a borrower's undergraduate education would be canceled if they had been in repayment for at least 20 years. For other types of federal loans, it's 25 years.

The plan would automatically cancel loans for those who went to for-profit college programs deemed “low-value.” Borrowers would be eligible for cancellation if, while they attended the program, the average federal student loan payment among graduates was too high compared to their average salary.

Those who are eligible for other types of cancellation but haven't applied would automatically get relief. It would apply to Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Borrower Defense to Repayment, programs that have been around for years but require infamously difficult paperwork.

Under pressure from advocates, the department also added a category for those facing “hardship.” It would offer cancellation to borrowers considered highly likely to be in default within two years. Additional borrowers would be eligible for relief under a wide-ranging definition of financial hardship.

A series of hearings to craft the rule wrapped up in February, and the draft is now under review. Before it can be finalized, the Education Department will need to issue a formal proposal and open it to a public comment period.

🎥Biden makes 2nd attempt at large-scale student loan forgiveness

UNL&nbsp;Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources

&nbsp; Lincoln, Neb. April 8, 2024 — The ethanol and ethanol co-product industry continues to be a main economic driver in Nebraska, producing near-historic averages in 2020, despite lower ethanol prices and COVID-related production issues, according to a new University of Nebraska-Lincoln study.

The study found that the positive impact of the industry is spread throughout the state, directly creating 1,758 jobs, many of which are in small communities. The 2020 report, based on the most recent data available, confirms the importance of the ethanol industry in Nebraska and points toward potential future growth. In total, the Nebraska ethanol industry was responsible for just over $4.4 billion of economic activity.

Like many industries in 2020, ethanol production was harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic through production difficulties but also by weakened output prices, a trend that has prevailed for some time. However, the industry continues to expand offerings of highly valued co-products, insulating itself from cyclical ethanol fuel prices.

As recently as 2013, co-product offerings were limited to dried distiller’s grains. Since then, additional co-product markets have emerged, placing unique values on wet distiller’s grains, modified distiller’s grains, corn oil, hand sanitizer, starches, and high fructose corn syrup.

The total value of production in the industry was $3.433 billion in 2020, of which 65.6% was the primary product (ethanol) and the remaining 35.4% of value was made up of various co-products. Over the five-year period from 2016-2020, the value of ethanol and co-product production averaged 35% of cattle production, 63% of corn production, and 141% of soybean production.

Additionally, ethanol and co-product production are directly responsible for the equivalent of 1,758 full-time jobs. This averages to 73.25 jobs per plant, with a median of 51 jobs per plant. The minimum number of jobs directly created by an ethanol plant is 27, with a maximum of 400. For reference, half of the plants included in the study are in towns with fewer than 1,900 residents.

According to Tim Meyer, a co-author of the report and associate professor in the university’s Department of Agricultural Economics, it is no surprise that ethanol plants are general economic activity drivers. Using IMPLAN, a modeling technique used to quantify indirect economic activity, the ethanol industry is responsible for creating an additional 6,242 jobs and $977 million of economic activity, on top of the $3.433 billion of direct output.

“The Nebraska ethanol and co-products industry continues to provide a positive economic impact on the state,” Meyer said. “Given the industry’s ability to persist and thrive through low ethanol prices, it is our opinion ethanol will continue to be a large driver of economic impact for an extended period of time.”

The study and report were produced by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Department of Agricultural Economics and Bureau of Business Research, in partnership with the Nebraska Ethanol Board. It is available at&nbsp;<a href="https://agecon.unl.edu/ethanolimpact" target="_blank">https://agecon.unl.edu/ethanolimpact</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

UNL&nbsp;Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources&nbsp; Lincoln, Neb. April 8, 2024 — The ethanol and ethanol co-product industry continues to be a main economic driver in Nebraska, producing near-historic averages in 2020, despite lower ethanol prices and COVID-related production issues, according to a new University of Nebraska-Lincoln study.The study found that the positive impact of the industry is spread throughout the state, directly creating 1,758 jobs, many of which are in small communities. The 2020 report, based on the most recent data available, confirms the importance of the ethanol industry in Nebraska and points toward potential future growth. In total, the Nebraska ethanol industry was responsible for just over $4.4 billion of economic activity.Like many industries in 2020, ethanol production was harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic through production difficulties but also by weakened output prices, a trend that has prevailed for some time. However, the industry continues to expand offerings of highly valued co-products, insulating itself from cyclical ethanol fuel prices.As recently as 2013, co-product offerings were limited to dried distiller’s grains. Since then, additional co-product markets have emerged, placing unique values on wet distiller’s grains, modified distiller’s grains, corn oil, hand sanitizer, starches, and high fructose corn syrup.The total value of production in the industry was $3.433 billion in 2020, of which 65.6% was the primary product (ethanol) and the remaining 35.4% of value was made up of various co-products. Over the five-year period from 2016-2020, the value of ethanol and co-product production averaged 35% of cattle production, 63% of corn production, and 141% of soybean production.Additionally, ethanol and co-product production are directly responsible for the equivalent of 1,758 full-time jobs. This averages to 73.25 jobs per plant, with a median of 51 jobs per plant. The minimum number of jobs directly created by an ethanol plant is 27, with a maximum of 400. For reference, half of the plants included in the study are in towns with fewer than 1,900 residents.According to Tim Meyer, a co-author of the report and associate professor in the university’s Department of Agricultural Economics, it is no surprise that ethanol plants are general economic activity drivers. Using IMPLAN, a modeling technique used to quantify indirect economic activity, the ethanol industry is responsible for creating an additional 6,242 jobs and $977 million of economic activity, on top of the $3.433 billion of direct output.“The Nebraska ethanol and co-products industry continues to provide a positive economic impact on the state,” Meyer said. “Given the industry’s ability to persist and thrive through low ethanol prices, it is our opinion ethanol will continue to be a large driver of economic impact for an extended period of time.”The study and report were produced by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Department of Agricultural Economics and Bureau of Business Research, in partnership with the Nebraska Ethanol Board. It is available at&nbsp;<a href="https://agecon.unl.edu/ethanolimpact" target="_blank">https://agecon.unl.edu/ethanolimpact</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;