Join 910KINA's Saturday Morning Show hosts Dave and Sam this Saturday from 9-11 a.m. on 910AM. 

Hear highlights about community events, public affairs, and all things happening in Salina. Their approach is friendly, informative, and entertaining. They're committed to making a difference in their community and keeping listeners up-to-date with updates from new and returning guests.

9:05 a.m.&nbsp;&nbsp;Superintendent of Schools USD305 Linn Exline on Upcoming School Year.

9:30 a.m.&nbsp;&nbsp;Saline County Public Information Officer Melissa McCoy on Choose Saline County App

10:05 a.m.&nbsp; Nate King, on location, Salina Family YMCA on Open House and Ribbon Cutting for Kids Gym.

10:30 a.m. Salina Fire Department Chief Tony Sneidar on Future 9/11 Stair Climb.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691172591916.png" alt="Dave and Sam" />
 <figcaption>Dave and Sam</figcaption>
 </figure>BY SALINA POSTJoin 910KINA's Saturday Morning Show hosts Dave and Sam this Saturday from 9-11 a.m. on 910AM. Hear highlights about community events, public affairs, and all things happening in Salina. Their approach is friendly, informative, and entertaining. They're committed to making a difference in their community and keeping listeners up-to-date with updates from new and returning guests.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691172321887.jpeg" alt="Linn Exline c lo res - Copy.jpg" />
 <figcaption>Linn Exline c lo res - Copy.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure> 9:05 a.m.&nbsp;&nbsp;Superintendent of Schools USD305 Linn Exline on Upcoming School Year.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691172399718.jpeg" alt="Melissa McCoy" />
 <figcaption>Melissa McCoy</figcaption>
 </figure>9:30 a.m.&nbsp;&nbsp;Saline County Public Information Officer Melissa McCoy on Choose Saline County App<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680807146992.png" alt="Nathan King" />
 <figcaption>Nathan King</figcaption>
 </figure>10:05 a.m.&nbsp; Nate King, on location, Salina Family YMCA on Open House and Ribbon Cutting for Kids Gym.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1645641563365.jpeg" alt="Salina Fire Chief Tony Sneidar Jr." />
 <figcaption>Salina Fire Chief Tony Sneidar Jr.</figcaption>
 </figure>10:30 a.m. Salina Fire Department Chief Tony Sneidar on Future 9/11 Stair Climb.

Lineup for this week’s Saturday Morning Show with Dave and Sam.

"The Big First" District Congressman Tracey Mann was back in Kansas this week completeing his schedule of town halls in 60 Kanas counties.

Mann's well-attended Wednesday town hall event in Salina was held in the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce annex, 120 W. Ash, on Wednesday.

Mann spoke about the <a href="https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/farm-bill">ongoing farm bill talks</a>, the listing of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken as an endangered species, special education funding, school lunches, the food supply, and protecting public lands and the current drought.

"In a good farm bill, the process is the ag committee goes and has listening sessions," Mann said. "You want to hear from producers and stakeholders in a really robust fashion. There's probably more engagement than in any other bill in Congress, you could argue."

The current farm bill expires Sept. 30. The "Big First District" stretches west from Lawrence to the Colorado border and is the third largest agriculture producer of the country's 435 total Congressional districts.

Mann, who serves on the House Agriculture Committee and comes from a farming family in Quinter, said "It's important that we get this right. It's important that we get it right for agriculture and for rural America.

Mann has hosted several listening sessions including one in Manhattan in May with U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn 'GT' Thompson (PA-15).

READ: <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/c3b26eb7-bdf4-4e8e-af46-0d93958833a0">Rep. Mann protects agricultural producers from 'unconstitutional overreach'</a>

“We came together for a listening session because we care about American agriculture, we care about getting ag policy right, and we want to see American farmers, ranchers, and producers thrive,” said Rep. Mann. “We had people with many different perspectives in attendance – people who prioritize Title 1 and people who prioritize Title 12, people who care about row crops and people who care about livestock, representatives from commodity groups, and representatives from trade associations." 

The 1933 farm bill, which was focused almost exclusively on farmers, now only represents a portion of today’s farm bill. The farm bill as we know it is aimed at funding agriculture programs packaged under a single bill with “titles” addressing specific areas.

Though the titles vary from bill to bill, the 2018 farm bill included 12 that covered commodities, conservation, trade, nutrition, credit, rural development, research, extension and related matters, forestry, energy, horticulture, crop insurance, and a catchall for miscellaneous matters.&lt;

While the list is expansive, 99 percent of farm bill spending is currently dedicated to nutrition, commodities, crop insurance, and conservation. Most has gone toward the nutrition component, primarily through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps vulnerable families purchase healthy food.

<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/89594471-b6cf-4a01-9b46-1c885270b961">READ: How the farm bill impacts everyone- not just farmers</a>

"Without a doubt, the most important part of the Farm Bill process is hearing from our farmers, ranchers, foresters, and producers," said Chairman Thompson. "The feedback we receive is necessary for crafting an effective Farm Bill. I'd like to thank Congressman Mann for being a great agriculture advocate and for bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders to learn more about the needs of rural Kansans."

Members of the public voiced their concern with the timeline surrouding this year's farm bill, "We're being told the base drafting of the text will be released later this month, early next," Mann Said. Amendments are likely to be considered by the Agriculture Committee in September after Congress returns from its summer recess. 

For Mann and many Kansas ag producers, the biggest interest and priority in the farm bill is crop insurance.

"I just think it's such an important risk management tool. Wheat harvest this year was a bad crop. Some areas were great. We had a really good April, May, and June but not enough moisture for a good stand," Mann said.

Town hall attendees voiced their concerns over the role back of free school lunches, their voices not being represented in Washington, motorcyclist rights being restricted and foreign governments acquiring farm land in Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691094278442.png" alt="Photos by Nate King/Salina Post" />
 <figcaption>Photos by Nate King/Salina Post</figcaption>
 </figure>By NATE KING Salina Post"The Big First" District Congressman Tracey Mann was back in Kansas this week completeing his schedule of town halls in 60 Kanas counties.Mann's well-attended Wednesday town hall event in Salina was held in the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce annex, 120 W. Ash, on Wednesday.Mann spoke about the <a href="https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/farm-bill">ongoing farm bill talks</a>, the listing of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken as an endangered species, special education funding, school lunches, the food supply, and protecting public lands and the current drought."In a good farm bill, the process is the ag committee goes and has listening sessions," Mann said. "You want to hear from producers and stakeholders in a really robust fashion. There's probably more engagement than in any other bill in Congress, you could argue."The current farm bill expires Sept. 30. The "Big First District" stretches west from Lawrence to the Colorado border and is the third largest agriculture producer of the country's 435 total Congressional districts.Mann, who serves on the House Agriculture Committee and comes from a farming family in Quinter, said "It's important that we get this right. It's important that we get it right for agriculture and for rural America.Mann has hosted several listening sessions including one in Manhattan in May with U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn 'GT' Thompson (PA-15).READ: <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/c3b26eb7-bdf4-4e8e-af46-0d93958833a0">Rep. Mann protects agricultural producers from 'unconstitutional overreach'</a>“We came together for a listening session because we care about American agriculture, we care about getting ag policy right, and we want to see American farmers, ranchers, and producers thrive,” said Rep. Mann. “We had people with many different perspectives in attendance – people who prioritize Title 1 and people who prioritize Title 12, people who care about row crops and people who care about livestock, representatives from commodity groups, and representatives from trade associations." The 1933 farm bill, which was focused almost exclusively on farmers, now only represents a portion of today’s farm bill. The farm bill as we know it is aimed at funding agriculture programs packaged under a single bill with “titles” addressing specific areas.Though the titles vary from bill to bill, the 2018 farm bill included 12 that covered commodities, conservation, trade, nutrition, credit, rural development, research, extension and related matters, forestry, energy, horticulture, crop insurance, and a catchall for miscellaneous matters.&lt;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691094476822.png" alt="&nbsp;Motorcyclist Jim Iverson, Lyons, speaks with Congressman Mann following the town hall event. Iverson's questions pointed to the government's mischaracterization of motorcyclists as being gang-related.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Motorcyclist Jim Iverson, Lyons, speaks with Congressman Mann following the town hall event. Iverson's questions pointed to the government's mischaracterization of motorcyclists as being gang-related.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>While the list is expansive, 99 percent of farm bill spending is currently dedicated to nutrition, commodities, crop insurance, and conservation. Most has gone toward the nutrition component, primarily through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps vulnerable families purchase healthy food.<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/89594471-b6cf-4a01-9b46-1c885270b961">READ: How the farm bill impacts everyone- not just farmers</a>"Without a doubt, the most important part of the Farm Bill process is hearing from our farmers, ranchers, foresters, and producers," said Chairman Thompson. "The feedback we receive is necessary for crafting an effective Farm Bill. I'd like to thank Congressman Mann for being a great agriculture advocate and for bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders to learn more about the needs of rural Kansans."Members of the public voiced their concern with the timeline surrouding this year's farm bill, "We're being told the base drafting of the text will be released later this month, early next," Mann Said. Amendments are likely to be considered by the Agriculture Committee in September after Congress returns from its summer recess. For Mann and many Kansas ag producers, the biggest interest and priority in the farm bill is crop insurance."I just think it's such an important risk management tool. Wheat harvest this year was a bad crop. Some areas were great. We had a really good April, May, and June but not enough moisture for a good stand," Mann said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691164263688.jpeg" alt="Congressman Tracey Mann's 'What We've Done' board he used during his remarks." />
 <figcaption>Congressman Tracey Mann's 'What We've Done' board he used during his remarks.</figcaption>
 </figure>Town hall attendees voiced their concerns over the role back of free school lunches, their voices not being represented in Washington, motorcyclist rights being restricted and foreign governments acquiring farm land in Kansas.

Congressman Mann's town hall tour stops in Salina

By David Montgomery <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>

AUSTIN, Texas — A lawsuit in Texas asserting that the state’s abortion ban imperils women by dissuading doctors from ending dangerous pregnancies could provide a template for similar challenges across the country.

Texas is one of 14 states that banned abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. The Texas ban includes an exception that allows physicians to end a pregnancy if it could result in the death of the woman or a “substantial impairment of a major bodily function.”

The plaintiffs in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://reproductiverights.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2023.05.22-Zurawski-v.-Texas-1st-Am.-Pet.pdf">the case</a>, more than a dozen Texas women, argue that doctors and hospitals denied them necessary care because the providers were afraid to run afoul of the law. Those who violate the ban could face up to 99 years in prison, a $100,000 fine and loss of their medical license.

Even before the Texas case was filed in March, the same issues were surfacing in other abortion-ban states, generating national attention and intense interest among elected officials in Washington, D.C. Attorneys for the Texas plaintiffs predict that similar suits will be filed in other states.

Nicolas Kabat, an attorney with the Center for Reproductive Rights, the New York-based advocacy group that filed the Texas suit, said “the problem is widespread across states that ban abortion.”

“We’re being contacted by dozens of women telling us similar stories,” Kabat told Stateline, saying “we’re really only scratching the surface here.”

Citing press accounts, the plaintiffs’ petition points to about two dozen women in 11 states outside Texas who have had experiences like those of the Texas women: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee.

“It’s an incredibly important lawsuit and it has implications not only in Texas but in other states that have denied people the right to safe abortion health care,” said former Texas Democratic State Sen. Wendy Davis,&nbsp;a senior adviser to Planned Parenthood Texas Votes&nbsp;who gained national attention a decade ago for her filibuster against a polarizing anti-abortion rights bill.

‘Bald attempt’ to usurp state authority

Attorneys for the Center for Reproductive Rights are asking Travis County District Judge Jessica Mangrum to grant a temporary injunction and craft a new exception to Texas’ abortion ban that gives physicians and hospitals more latitude to provide pregnancy care and perform abortions.

But lawyers for the Texas attorney general’s office, representing the state, depict the suit as a “bald attempt” to usurp state authority over abortion policy.

Mangrum, elected as a Democrat,&nbsp;presided over two days of arguments and testimony in mid-July.&nbsp;She told lawyers at the end of the hearing that it will likely be several weeks before she returns a ruling.

At last month’s hearing, the plaintiffs recounted their anguishing personal ordeals after they were refused abortions. Amanda Zurawski of Austin, the lead plaintiff, nearly died after she was refused an abortion after her water broke at 18 weeks of pregnancy.

Zurawski and her husband, Josh, had already picked the name for their unborn daughter — Willow — and were planning a baby shower when they received the devastating news that they would lose their first child before birth.&nbsp;Amanda, 36, was diagnosed with a weakening of cervical tissue and was told that Willow would not survive. But doctors initially refused to perform an abortion, she said, because they could detect fetal cardiac activity.

Several days later, she developed sepsis, a life-threatening reaction to an infection, and spent three days in intensive care, struggling to survive.

Zurawski told Stateline in a phone interview that “hundreds” of people have reached out to her via social media to share similar stories and offer support. After the hearing last month, Zurawski said, she heard from “tons and tons and tons of people … just an outpouring of support, people wanting to get involved, wanting to help.”

Other plaintiffs told similarly harrowing stories at the hearing. Taylor Edwards, also from Austin, said she learned when she was 17 weeks pregnant that her daughter had a fatal condition called encephalocele, a protrusion of the brain through an opening in the skull, and would die at or before birth. She had to leave Texas to get an abortion.

Lauren Hall, who lives near Dallas, discovered that her unborn child had anencephaly, a serious birth defect that prevents the fetus from developing parts of the brain and skull. Hall’s obstetrician refused to perform an abortion and was afraid to refer her to an abortion provider in another state. Hall eventually got an abortion at a clinic near Seattle.

Studies conducted by abortion rights university research groups suggest that abortion bans are dissuading doctors in many states from providing care they would otherwise provide.

A total of 50 anonymous surveys from health care providers in states with abortion restrictions detailed&nbsp;“cases of care that deviated from the usual standard due to new laws restricting abortion,” according to a study jointly conducted by the Texas Policy Evaluation Project at the University of Texas&nbsp;at Austin and Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health at the University of California, San Francisco.

“In several cases, patients experienced preventable complications … because clinicians reported their ‘hands were tied,’ making it impossible for them to provide treatment sooner,” according to the study.

Anti-abortion rights advocates, including some physicians, dispute the contention that Texas’ medical exception is too vague to give doctors the confidence to perform necessary procedures. The language of the exception, they say, clearly gives doctors the leeway to use their medical judgment and to intervene in an emergency.

They say they have sympathy for the plaintiffs but support the state’s contention that it would be inappropriate for Mangrum or any other judge to rewrite the abortion ban exception, since that would usurp a legislative function.

“They’re trying to have the judiciary write the law, which is not appropriate,” said Dr. Ingrid Skop, a San Antonio OB-GYN who testified for the state at last month’s hearing.&nbsp;“The current state law clearly allows a doctor to use his reasonable medical judgment to determine when to intervene in a medical emergency to protect a woman’s life.”

“There’s not a problem with the way the law is worded,” she said.&nbsp;“The problem is that the doctors have become confused, and they become frightened.&nbsp;In many cases, they have not been given guidance by medical&nbsp;societies&nbsp;or by their hospitals, and they often have been slow in offering interventions.”

Joe Pojman, founder and executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life, one of the state’s leading anti-abortion rights groups, also defended the medical exception. “The law is already clear,” he said.&nbsp;“Judges are supposed to interpret the law,&nbsp;not rewrite the law.”

The suit names the state of Texas, the Texas Medical Board and Board Executive Director Stephen Brint Carlton as defendants.&nbsp;Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, is also a defendant, though he is currently suspended pending a state Senate trial on impeachment charges alleging bribery and other wrongdoing.

Lawyers for the attorney general’s office, who could not be reached for comment,&nbsp;are asking the court to dismiss the suit. In a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://reproductiverights.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/20230712_Ds-PTJ_AMND-Apndx_Final.pdf">rebuttal petition</a>, they accuse the plaintiffs of staging “splashy news conferences and media tours” to get a favorable court ruling “after failing to convince the Legislature to adopt their preferred version of the medical exception.”

A proposed court order by the plaintiffs asks the court to give physicians discretion to use “good faith judgment” in providing abortion care to someone with&nbsp;unsafe pregnancy complications or instances in which a fetus is unlikely to survive the pregnancy or live after birth.

But attorneys for the state say the plaintiffs’ proposed exception “would, by design, swallow the rule,” permitting abortions “for pregnant females with medical conditions ranging from a headache to feelings of depression.”

Amanda Zurawski said she’s always supported abortion rights but that her personal experience molded her into an impassioned advocate of the right to an abortion.&nbsp;She and her husband, she said,&nbsp;“never wanted to be the poster family for this cause,” but now they’re in the fight wholeheartedly.

“I’d rather be at home with my newborn right now. That’s the life that I was envisioning. I would rather be on maternity leave with my daughter, not having to fight this fight,” she said.

“But, you know, I think it’s really been empowering for me.&nbsp;And it’s actually been quite healing to have a cause and a purpose to put behind our loss and our grief.”

This article first appeared in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://stateline.org/2023/08/01/lawsuit-over-texas-abortion-ban-could-be-a-model-in-other-states/">Stateline</a>,&nbsp;a sister&nbsp;site of the Nebraska Examiner in the States Newsroom network.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691079159075.png" alt="Amanda Zurawski, who developed sepsis and nearly died after being refused an abortion when her water broke at 18 weeks, center, listens to her attorney Molly Duane, right, outside the Travis County Courthouse, Wednesday, July 19, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)" />
 <figcaption>Amanda Zurawski, who developed sepsis and nearly died after being refused an abortion when her water broke at 18 weeks, center, listens to her attorney Molly Duane, right, outside the Travis County Courthouse, Wednesday, July 19, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)</figcaption>
 </figure>By David Montgomery <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>AUSTIN, Texas — A lawsuit in Texas asserting that the state’s abortion ban imperils women by dissuading doctors from ending dangerous pregnancies could provide a template for similar challenges across the country.Texas is one of 14 states that banned abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. The Texas ban includes an exception that allows physicians to end a pregnancy if it could result in the death of the woman or a “substantial impairment of a major bodily function.”The plaintiffs in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://reproductiverights.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2023.05.22-Zurawski-v.-Texas-1st-Am.-Pet.pdf">the case</a>, more than a dozen Texas women, argue that doctors and hospitals denied them necessary care because the providers were afraid to run afoul of the law. Those who violate the ban could face up to 99 years in prison, a $100,000 fine and loss of their medical license.Even before the Texas case was filed in March, the same issues were surfacing in other abortion-ban states, generating national attention and intense interest among elected officials in Washington, D.C. Attorneys for the Texas plaintiffs predict that similar suits will be filed in other states.Nicolas Kabat, an attorney with the Center for Reproductive Rights, the New York-based advocacy group that filed the Texas suit, said “the problem is widespread across states that ban abortion.”“We’re being contacted by dozens of women telling us similar stories,” Kabat told Stateline, saying “we’re really only scratching the surface here.”Citing press accounts, the plaintiffs’ petition points to about two dozen women in 11 states outside Texas who have had experiences like those of the Texas women: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee.“It’s an incredibly important lawsuit and it has implications not only in Texas but in other states that have denied people the right to safe abortion health care,” said former Texas Democratic State Sen. Wendy Davis,&nbsp;a senior adviser to Planned Parenthood Texas Votes&nbsp;who gained national attention a decade ago for her filibuster against a polarizing anti-abortion rights bill.<h2>‘Bald attempt’ to usurp state authority</h2>Attorneys for the Center for Reproductive Rights are asking Travis County District Judge Jessica Mangrum to grant a temporary injunction and craft a new exception to Texas’ abortion ban that gives physicians and hospitals more latitude to provide pregnancy care and perform abortions.But lawyers for the Texas attorney general’s office, representing the state, depict the suit as a “bald attempt” to usurp state authority over abortion policy.Mangrum, elected as a Democrat,&nbsp;presided over two days of arguments and testimony in mid-July.&nbsp;She told lawyers at the end of the hearing that it will likely be several weeks before she returns a ruling.At last month’s hearing, the plaintiffs recounted their anguishing personal ordeals after they were refused abortions. Amanda Zurawski of Austin, the lead plaintiff, nearly died after she was refused an abortion after her water broke at 18 weeks of pregnancy.Zurawski and her husband, Josh, had already picked the name for their unborn daughter — Willow — and were planning a baby shower when they received the devastating news that they would lose their first child before birth.&nbsp;Amanda, 36, was diagnosed with a weakening of cervical tissue and was told that Willow would not survive. But doctors initially refused to perform an abortion, she said, because they could detect fetal cardiac activity.Several days later, she developed sepsis, a life-threatening reaction to an infection, and spent three days in intensive care, struggling to survive.Zurawski told Stateline in a phone interview that “hundreds” of people have reached out to her via social media to share similar stories and offer support. After the hearing last month, Zurawski said, she heard from “tons and tons and tons of people … just an outpouring of support, people wanting to get involved, wanting to help.”<h2>Fatal condition</h2>Other plaintiffs told similarly harrowing stories at the hearing. Taylor Edwards, also from Austin, said she learned when she was 17 weeks pregnant that her daughter had a fatal condition called encephalocele, a protrusion of the brain through an opening in the skull, and would die at or before birth. She had to leave Texas to get an abortion.Lauren Hall, who lives near Dallas, discovered that her unborn child had anencephaly, a serious birth defect that prevents the fetus from developing parts of the brain and skull. Hall’s obstetrician refused to perform an abortion and was afraid to refer her to an abortion provider in another state. Hall eventually got an abortion at a clinic near Seattle.Studies conducted by abortion rights university research groups suggest that abortion bans are dissuading doctors in many states from providing care they would otherwise provide.A total of 50 anonymous surveys from health care providers in states with abortion restrictions detailed&nbsp;“cases of care that deviated from the usual standard due to new laws restricting abortion,” according to a study jointly conducted by the Texas Policy Evaluation Project at the University of Texas&nbsp;at Austin and Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health at the University of California, San Francisco.“In several cases, patients experienced preventable complications … because clinicians reported their ‘hands were tied,’ making it impossible for them to provide treatment sooner,” according to the study.Anti-abortion rights advocates, including some physicians, dispute the contention that Texas’ medical exception is too vague to give doctors the confidence to perform necessary procedures. The language of the exception, they say, clearly gives doctors the leeway to use their medical judgment and to intervene in an emergency.They say they have sympathy for the plaintiffs but support the state’s contention that it would be inappropriate for Mangrum or any other judge to rewrite the abortion ban exception, since that would usurp a legislative function.“They’re trying to have the judiciary write the law, which is not appropriate,” said Dr. Ingrid Skop, a San Antonio OB-GYN who testified for the state at last month’s hearing.&nbsp;“The current state law clearly allows a doctor to use his reasonable medical judgment to determine when to intervene in a medical emergency to protect a woman’s life.”“There’s not a problem with the way the law is worded,” she said.&nbsp;“The problem is that the doctors have become confused, and they become frightened.&nbsp;In many cases, they have not been given guidance by medical&nbsp;societies&nbsp;or by their hospitals, and they often have been slow in offering interventions.”<h2>‘Law is already clear’</h2>Joe Pojman, founder and executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life, one of the state’s leading anti-abortion rights groups, also defended the medical exception. “The law is already clear,” he said.&nbsp;“Judges are supposed to interpret the law,&nbsp;not rewrite the law.”The suit names the state of Texas, the Texas Medical Board and Board Executive Director Stephen Brint Carlton as defendants.&nbsp;Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, is also a defendant, though he is currently suspended pending a state Senate trial on impeachment charges alleging bribery and other wrongdoing.Lawyers for the attorney general’s office, who could not be reached for comment,&nbsp;are asking the court to dismiss the suit. In a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://reproductiverights.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/20230712_Ds-PTJ_AMND-Apndx_Final.pdf">rebuttal petition</a>, they accuse the plaintiffs of staging “splashy news conferences and media tours” to get a favorable court ruling “after failing to convince the Legislature to adopt their preferred version of the medical exception.”A proposed court order by the plaintiffs asks the court to give physicians discretion to use “good faith judgment” in providing abortion care to someone with&nbsp;unsafe pregnancy complications or instances in which a fetus is unlikely to survive the pregnancy or live after birth.But attorneys for the state say the plaintiffs’ proposed exception “would, by design, swallow the rule,” permitting abortions “for pregnant females with medical conditions ranging from a headache to feelings of depression.”Amanda Zurawski said she’s always supported abortion rights but that her personal experience molded her into an impassioned advocate of the right to an abortion.&nbsp;She and her husband, she said,&nbsp;“never wanted to be the poster family for this cause,” but now they’re in the fight wholeheartedly.“I’d rather be at home with my newborn right now. That’s the life that I was envisioning. I would rather be on maternity leave with my daughter, not having to fight this fight,” she said.“But, you know, I think it’s really been empowering for me.&nbsp;And it’s actually been quite healing to have a cause and a purpose to put behind our loss and our grief.”This article first appeared in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://stateline.org/2023/08/01/lawsuit-over-texas-abortion-ban-could-be-a-model-in-other-states/">Stateline</a>,&nbsp;a sister&nbsp;site of the Nebraska Examiner in the States Newsroom network.

Lawsuit over abortion ban could be a model in other states

BONNE TERRE, Mo. (AP) —A man who abducted a 6-year-old Missouri girl and beat her to death at an abandoned factory two decades ago was put to death Tuesday evening, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request to block the execution over arguments he was mentally incompetent.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-execution-august-06f474f368dfd5ff5c4145164b222a3b">Johnny Johnson</a>, 45, received a lethal injection dose of pentobarbital at a state prison in Bonne Terre and was pronounced dead at 6:33 p.m. CDT, authorities said. He was convicted of the July 2002 killing of Casey Williamson in the St. Louis area suburb of Valley Park.

Johnson, who had schizophrenia, expressed remorse in a brief handwritten statement released by the Department of Corrections hours before being executed.

“God Bless. Sorry to the people and family I hurt,” Johnson’s statement said.

As he lay on his back with a sheet up to his neck, Johnson turned his head to the left, appearing to listen to his spiritual adviser shortly before the injection began. He then faced forward with his eyes closed, with no further physical reaction.

Among those witnessing Johnson’s execution were several members of the girl’s family and the former prosecutor and police investigator who handled his case.

The U.S. Supreme Court, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor and two other justices dissenting, rejected a late request to stay the execution.

In recent appeals, Johnson’s attorneys have said the inmate has had delusions about the devil using his death to bring about the end of the world.

“The Court today paves the way to execute a man with documented mental illness before any court meaningfully investigates his competency to be executed,” Sotomayor and the other dissenting justices wrote in a statement when the stay was rejected. "There is no moral victory in executing someone who believes Satan is killing him to bring about the end of the world."

Former St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch called the delusions “nonsense” and said Johnson inflicted “unspeakable horrors” upon Casey.

“He's got some issues — significant issues," McCulloch said moments before witnessing the execution. But “he knew exactly what he was doing.”

The girl's disappearance from her hometown of Valley Park on July 26, 2002, had set off a frantic search before her body was found.

Casey’s mother had been best friends in childhood with Johnson’s older sister and even helped babysit him. After Johnson attended a barbecue the night before the killing, Casey's family let him sleep on a couch in the home where they also were sleeping.

In the morning, Johnson lured the girl — still in her nightgown — to the abandoned glass factory, even carrying her on his shoulders on the walk to the dilapidated site, according to court documents. When he tried to sexually assault her, Casey screamed and tried to break free. He killed her with a brick and a large rock, then washed off in the nearby Meramec River. Johnson confessed that same day to the crimes, according to authorities.

“It was more violent and brutal than any case I've ever seen,” said former St. Louis County homicide investigator Paul Neske, who questioned Johnson at length the day of Casey's murder and witnessed his execution.

After a search by first responders and volunteers, Casey's body was found in a pit, buried under rocks and debris, less than a mile (kilometer) from her home.

At Johnson's trial, defense lawyers presented testimony showing their client — an ex-convict who had been released from a state psychiatric facility six months before the crime — had stopped taking his schizophrenia medication and was acting strangely in the days before the slaying.

In June, the Missouri Supreme Court denied an appeal seeking to block the execution on arguments that Johnson's schizophrenia prevented him from understanding the link between his crime and the punishment. A three-judge federal appeals court panel last week temporary halted execution plans, but the full 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated it. Johnson's attorneys then filed appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court centered around his competency to be executed.

Gov. Mike Parson on Monday denied a request to reduce Johnson's sentence to life in prison. The clemency petition by Johnson's attorneys said Casey's father, Ernie Williamson, opposed the death penalty.

But Casey's great aunt, Della Steele, wrote an emotional plea to the governor urging the execution be carried out to “send the message that it is not okay to terrorize and murder a child.” Steele said grief from Casey's death led to destructive effects among other family members.

“He did something horrible. He took a life away from a completely innocent child, and there have to be consequences for that,” Steele said recently, speaking with The Associated Press.

The family has organized community safety fairs in Casey’s memory, including a July 22 event that drew a couple hundred people. The family gave away dozens of child identification kits along with safety tips involving fire, water and bicycles, among other items.

The execution was the 16th in the U.S. this year, including three previously in Missouri, five in Texas, four in Florida, two in Oklahoma and one in Alabama.

“It’s been a difficult day, and a difficult 21 years,” Steele said in a statement after witnessing the execution. “We will continue to honor our sweet Casey’s memory by doing our best to make a difference in the lives of other children.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690408112630.png" alt="Johnson" />
 <figcaption>Johnson</figcaption>
 </figure>BONNE TERRE, Mo. (AP) —A man who abducted a 6-year-old Missouri girl and beat her to death at an abandoned factory two decades ago was put to death Tuesday evening, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request to block the execution over arguments he was mentally incompetent.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-execution-august-06f474f368dfd5ff5c4145164b222a3b">Johnny Johnson</a>, 45, received a lethal injection dose of pentobarbital at a state prison in Bonne Terre and was pronounced dead at 6:33 p.m. CDT, authorities said. He was convicted of the July 2002 killing of Casey Williamson in the St. Louis area suburb of Valley Park.Johnson, who had schizophrenia, expressed remorse in a brief handwritten statement released by the Department of Corrections hours before being executed.“God Bless. Sorry to the people and family I hurt,” Johnson’s statement said.As he lay on his back with a sheet up to his neck, Johnson turned his head to the left, appearing to listen to his spiritual adviser shortly before the injection began. He then faced forward with his eyes closed, with no further physical reaction.Among those witnessing Johnson’s execution were several members of the girl’s family and the former prosecutor and police investigator who handled his case.The U.S. Supreme Court, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor and two other justices dissenting, rejected a late request to stay the execution.In recent appeals, Johnson’s attorneys have said the inmate has had delusions about the devil using his death to bring about the end of the world.“The Court today paves the way to execute a man with documented mental illness before any court meaningfully investigates his competency to be executed,” Sotomayor and the other dissenting justices wrote in a statement when the stay was rejected. "There is no moral victory in executing someone who believes Satan is killing him to bring about the end of the world."Former St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch called the delusions “nonsense” and said Johnson inflicted “unspeakable horrors” upon Casey.“He's got some issues — significant issues," McCulloch said moments before witnessing the execution. But “he knew exactly what he was doing.”The girl's disappearance from her hometown of Valley Park on July 26, 2002, had set off a frantic search before her body was found.Casey’s mother had been best friends in childhood with Johnson’s older sister and even helped babysit him. After Johnson attended a barbecue the night before the killing, Casey's family let him sleep on a couch in the home where they also were sleeping.In the morning, Johnson lured the girl — still in her nightgown — to the abandoned glass factory, even carrying her on his shoulders on the walk to the dilapidated site, according to court documents. When he tried to sexually assault her, Casey screamed and tried to break free. He killed her with a brick and a large rock, then washed off in the nearby Meramec River. Johnson confessed that same day to the crimes, according to authorities.“It was more violent and brutal than any case I've ever seen,” said former St. Louis County homicide investigator Paul Neske, who questioned Johnson at length the day of Casey's murder and witnessed his execution.After a search by first responders and volunteers, Casey's body was found in a pit, buried under rocks and debris, less than a mile (kilometer) from her home.At Johnson's trial, defense lawyers presented testimony showing their client — an ex-convict who had been released from a state psychiatric facility six months before the crime — had stopped taking his schizophrenia medication and was acting strangely in the days before the slaying.In June, the Missouri Supreme Court denied an appeal seeking to block the execution on arguments that Johnson's schizophrenia prevented him from understanding the link between his crime and the punishment. A three-judge federal appeals court panel last week temporary halted execution plans, but the full 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated it. Johnson's attorneys then filed appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court centered around his competency to be executed.Gov. Mike Parson on Monday denied a request to reduce Johnson's sentence to life in prison. The clemency petition by Johnson's attorneys said Casey's father, Ernie Williamson, opposed the death penalty.But Casey's great aunt, Della Steele, wrote an emotional plea to the governor urging the execution be carried out to “send the message that it is not okay to terrorize and murder a child.” Steele said grief from Casey's death led to destructive effects among other family members.“He did something horrible. He took a life away from a completely innocent child, and there have to be consequences for that,” Steele said recently, speaking with The Associated Press.The family has organized community safety fairs in Casey’s memory, including a July 22 event that drew a couple hundred people. The family gave away dozens of child identification kits along with safety tips involving fire, water and bicycles, among other items.The execution was the 16th in the U.S. this year, including three previously in Missouri, five in Texas, four in Florida, two in Oklahoma and one in Alabama.“It’s been a difficult day, and a difficult 21 years,” Steele said in a statement after witnessing the execution. “We will continue to honor our sweet Casey’s memory by doing our best to make a difference in the lives of other children.”

Killer of 6-year-old expressed remorse before his execution

NEW YORK (AP) — Randy Meisner, a founding member of the Eagles who added high harmonies to such favorites as “Take It Easy” and “The Best of My Love” and stepped out front for the waltz-time ballad “Take It to the Limit,” has died, the band said Thursday.

Meisner died Wednesday night in Los Angeles of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the Eagles said in a statement. He was 77.

The bassist had endured numerous afflictions in recent years and personal tragedy in 2016 when his wife, Lana Rae Meisner, accidentally shot herself and died. Meanwhile, Randy Meisner had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had severe issues with alcohol, according to court records and comments made during a 2015 hearing in which a judge ordered Meisner to receive constant medical care.

Called “the sweetest man in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/music">music</a>&nbsp;business” by former bandmate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/don-felder">Don Felder</a>, the baby-faced Meisner joined Don Henley,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/8169f05ac21d43dda4b1c1dd8b065e28">Glenn Frey</a>&nbsp;and Bernie Leadon in the early 1970s to form a quintessential Los Angeles band and one of the most popular acts in history.

“Randy was an integral part of the Eagles and instrumental in the early success of the band,” the Eagles’ statement said. “His vocal range was astonishing, as is evident on his signature ballad, ‘Take It to the Limit.’”

Evolving from country rock to hard rock, the Eagles turned out a run of hit singles and albums over the next decade, starting with “Take It Easy” and continuing with “Desperado,” “Hotel California” and “Life In the Fast Lane” among others. Although chastised by many critics as slick and superficial, the Eagles released two of the most popular albums of all time, “Hotel California” and “Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975),” which with sales at 38 million the Recording Industry Association of America ranked with Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” as the No. 1 seller.

Led by singer-songwriters Henley and Frey, the Eagles were initially branded as “mellow” and “easy listening.” But by their third album, the 1974 release “On the Border,” they had added a rock guitarist, Felder, and were turning away from country and bluegrass.

Leadon, an old-fashioned bluegrass picker, was unhappy with the new sound and left after the 1975 album “One of These Nights.” (He was replaced by another rock guitarist, Joe Walsh.) Meisner stayed on through the 1976 release of “Hotel California,” the band’s most acclaimed record, but was gone soon after. His departure, ironically, was touched off by the song he cowrote and was best known for, “Take It to the Limit.”

A shy Nebraskan torn between fame and family life, Meisner had been ill and homesick during the “Hotel California” tour (his first marriage was breaking up) and was reluctant to have the spotlight for “Take It to the Limit,” a showcase for his nasally tenor. His objections during a Knoxville, Tennessee, concert in the summer of 1977 so angered Frey that the two argued backstage and Meisner left soon after. His replacement, Timothy B. Schmit, remained with the group over the following decades, along with Henley, Walsh and Frey, who died in 2016.

As a solo artist, Meisner never approached the success of the Eagles, but did have hits with “Hearts On Fire” and “Deep Inside My Heart” and played on records by Walsh, James Taylor and Dan Fogelberg among others. Meanwhile, the Eagles ended a 14-year hiatus in 1994 and toured with Schmit even though Meisner had played on all but one of their earlier studio albums. He did join group members past and present in 1998 when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and performed “Take It Easy” and “Hotel California.” For a decade, he was part of World Classic Rockers, a touring act that at various times included Donovan, Spencer Davis and Denny Laine.

Meisner was married twice, the first time when he was still in his teens, and had three kids.

The son of sharecroppers and grandson of a classical violinist, Meisner was playing in local bands as a teenager and by the end of the 1960s had moved to California and joined a country rock group, Poco, along with Richie Furay and Jimmy Messina. But he would remember being angered that Furay wouldn’t let him listen to the studio mix of their first album and left the group before it came out: His successor was Timothy B. Schmit.

Meisner backed Ricky Nelson, played on Taylor’s “Sweet Baby James” album and befriended Henley and Frey when all were performing in Linda Ronstadt’s band. With Ronstadt’s blessing, they formed the Eagles, were signed up by David Geffen for his Asylum Records label and released their self-titled debut album in 1972.

Frey and Henley sang lead most of the time, but Meisner was the key behind “Take It the Limit.” It appeared on the “One of These Nights” album from 1975 and became a top 5 single, a weary, plaintive song later covered by Etta James and as a duet by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings.

“The purpose of the whole Eagles thing to me was that combination and the chemistry that made all the harmonies just sound perfect,” Meisner told the music web site www.lobstergottalent.com in 2015. “The funny thing is after we made those albums I never listened to them and it is only when someone comes over or I am at somebody’s house and it gets played in the background that is when I’ll tell myself, ‘Damn, these records are good.’”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690504367608.png" alt="“Randy was an integral part of the Eagles and instrumental in the early success of the band,” the Eagles’ statement said. “His vocal range was astonishing, as is evident on his signature ballad, ‘Take It to the Limit.’”" />
 <figcaption>“Randy was an integral part of the Eagles and instrumental in the early success of the band,” the Eagles’ statement said. “His vocal range was astonishing, as is evident on his signature ballad, ‘Take It to the Limit.’”</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Randy Meisner, a founding member of the Eagles who added high harmonies to such favorites as “Take It Easy” and “The Best of My Love” and stepped out front for the waltz-time ballad “Take It to the Limit,” has died, the band said Thursday.Meisner died Wednesday night in Los Angeles of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the Eagles said in a statement. He was 77.The bassist had endured numerous afflictions in recent years and personal tragedy in 2016 when his wife, Lana Rae Meisner, accidentally shot herself and died. Meanwhile, Randy Meisner had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had severe issues with alcohol, according to court records and comments made during a 2015 hearing in which a judge ordered Meisner to receive constant medical care.Called “the sweetest man in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/music">music</a>&nbsp;business” by former bandmate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/don-felder">Don Felder</a>, the baby-faced Meisner joined Don Henley,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/8169f05ac21d43dda4b1c1dd8b065e28">Glenn Frey</a>&nbsp;and Bernie Leadon in the early 1970s to form a quintessential Los Angeles band and one of the most popular acts in history.“Randy was an integral part of the Eagles and instrumental in the early success of the band,” the Eagles’ statement said. “His vocal range was astonishing, as is evident on his signature ballad, ‘Take It to the Limit.’”Evolving from country rock to hard rock, the Eagles turned out a run of hit singles and albums over the next decade, starting with “Take It Easy” and continuing with “Desperado,” “Hotel California” and “Life In the Fast Lane” among others. Although chastised by many critics as slick and superficial, the Eagles released two of the most popular albums of all time, “Hotel California” and “Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975),” which with sales at 38 million the Recording Industry Association of America ranked with Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” as the No. 1 seller.Led by singer-songwriters Henley and Frey, the Eagles were initially branded as “mellow” and “easy listening.” But by their third album, the 1974 release “On the Border,” they had added a rock guitarist, Felder, and were turning away from country and bluegrass.Leadon, an old-fashioned bluegrass picker, was unhappy with the new sound and left after the 1975 album “One of These Nights.” (He was replaced by another rock guitarist, Joe Walsh.) Meisner stayed on through the 1976 release of “Hotel California,” the band’s most acclaimed record, but was gone soon after. His departure, ironically, was touched off by the song he cowrote and was best known for, “Take It to the Limit.”A shy Nebraskan torn between fame and family life, Meisner had been ill and homesick during the “Hotel California” tour (his first marriage was breaking up) and was reluctant to have the spotlight for “Take It to the Limit,” a showcase for his nasally tenor. His objections during a Knoxville, Tennessee, concert in the summer of 1977 so angered Frey that the two argued backstage and Meisner left soon after. His replacement, Timothy B. Schmit, remained with the group over the following decades, along with Henley, Walsh and Frey, who died in 2016.As a solo artist, Meisner never approached the success of the Eagles, but did have hits with “Hearts On Fire” and “Deep Inside My Heart” and played on records by Walsh, James Taylor and Dan Fogelberg among others. Meanwhile, the Eagles ended a 14-year hiatus in 1994 and toured with Schmit even though Meisner had played on all but one of their earlier studio albums. He did join group members past and present in 1998 when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and performed “Take It Easy” and “Hotel California.” For a decade, he was part of World Classic Rockers, a touring act that at various times included Donovan, Spencer Davis and Denny Laine.Meisner was married twice, the first time when he was still in his teens, and had three kids.The son of sharecroppers and grandson of a classical violinist, Meisner was playing in local bands as a teenager and by the end of the 1960s had moved to California and joined a country rock group, Poco, along with Richie Furay and Jimmy Messina. But he would remember being angered that Furay wouldn’t let him listen to the studio mix of their first album and left the group before it came out: His successor was Timothy B. Schmit.Meisner backed Ricky Nelson, played on Taylor’s “Sweet Baby James” album and befriended Henley and Frey when all were performing in Linda Ronstadt’s band. With Ronstadt’s blessing, they formed the Eagles, were signed up by David Geffen for his Asylum Records label and released their self-titled debut album in 1972.Frey and Henley sang lead most of the time, but Meisner was the key behind “Take It the Limit.” It appeared on the “One of These Nights” album from 1975 and became a top 5 single, a weary, plaintive song later covered by Etta James and as a duet by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings.“The purpose of the whole Eagles thing to me was that combination and the chemistry that made all the harmonies just sound perfect,” Meisner told the music web site www.lobstergottalent.com in 2015. “The funny thing is after we made those albums I never listened to them and it is only when someone comes over or I am at somebody’s house and it gets played in the background that is when I’ll tell myself, ‘Damn, these records are good.’”

Randy Meisner, founding member of the Eagles, dies at 77

LONDON (AP) — Sinéad O'Connor, the gifted Irish singer-songwriter who became a superstar in her mid-20s but was known as much for her private struggles and provocative actions as for her fierce and expressive music, has died at 56.

"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time," the singer's family said in a statement reported Wednesday by the BBC and RTE. No cause was disclosed. O'Connor had publicly struggled with mental health in recent years.

Recognizable by her shaved head and elfin features, O'Connor began her career singing on the streets of Dublin and soon rose to international fame. She was a star from her 1987 debut album "The Lion and the Cobra" and became a sensation in 1990 with her cover of Prince's ballad "Nothing Compares 2 U," a seething, shattering performance that topped charts from Europe to Australia and was heightened by a promotional video featuring the gray-eyed O'Connor in intense close-up.

"Nothing Compares 2 U" received three Grammy nominations and was the featured track off her acclaimed album "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got," which helped lead Rolling Stone to name her Artist of the Year in 1991.

"She proved that a recording artist could refuse to compromise and still connect with millions of listeners hungry for music of substance," the magazine declared.

She was a lifelong non-conformist — she would say that she shaved her head in response to record executives pressuring her to be conventionally glamorous — but her political and cultural stances and troubled private life often overshadowed her music. She feuded with Frank Sinatra over her refusal to allow the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at one of her shows and accused Prince of physically threatening her. In 1989 she declared her support for the Irish Republican Army, a statement she retracted a year later. Around the same time, she skipped the Grammy ceremony, saying it was too commercialized.

A critic of the Catholic Church well before allegations sexual abuse were widely reported, O'Connor made headlines in October 1992 when she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II while appearing live on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and denounced the church as the enemy. The following week, Joe Pesci hosted "Saturday Night Live," held up a repaired photo of the Pope and said that if he had been on the show with O'Connor he "would have gave her such a smack." Days later, she appeared at an all-star tribute for Bob Dylan at Madison Square Garden and was immediately booed. She was supposed to sing Dylan's "I Believe in You," but switched to an a cappella version of Bob Marley's "War," which she had sung on "Saturday Night Live."

Although consoled and encouraged on stage by her friend Kris Kristofferson, she left and broke down, and her performance was kept off the concert CD. (Years later, Kristofferson recorded "Sister Sinead," for which he wrote "And maybe she's crazy and maybe she ain't/But so was Picasso and so were the saints.")

In 1999, O'Connor caused uproar in Ireland when she became a priestess of the breakaway Latin Tridentine Church — a position that was not recognized by the mainstream Catholic Church. For many years, she called for a full investigation into the extent of the church's role in concealing child abuse by clergy. In 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI apologized to Ireland to atone for decades of abuse, O'Connor condemned the apology for not going far enough and called for Catholics to boycott Mass until there was a full investigation into the Vatican's role, which by 2018 was making international headlines.

"People assumed I didn't believe in God. That's not the case at all. I'm Catholic by birth and culture and would be the first at the church door if the Vatican offered sincere reconciliation," she wrote in the Washington Post in 2010.

O'Connor announced in 2018 that she had converted to Islam and would be adopting the name Shuhada' Davitt, later Shuhada Sadaqat — although she continued to use Sinéad O'Connor professionally.

"Her music was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched and beyond compare," Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said in a statement on social media.

O'Connor was born on Dec. 8, 1966. She had a difficult childhood, with a mother whom she alleged was abusive and encouraged her to shoplift. As a teenager she spent time in a church-sponsored institution for girls, where she said she washed priests' clothes for no wages. But a nun gave O'Connor her first guitar, and soon she sang and performed on the streets of Dublin, her influences ranging from Dylan to Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Her performance with a local band caught the eye of a small record label, and, in 1987, O'Connor released "The Lion and the Cobra," which sold hundreds of thousands of copies and featured the hit "Mandinka," driven by a hard rock guitar riff and O'Connor's piercing vocals. O'Connor, 20 years old and pregnant while making "Lion and the Cobra," co-produced the album.

"I suppose I've got to say that music saved me," she said in an interview with the Independent newspaper in 2013. "I didn't have any other abilities, and there was no learning support for girls like me, not in Ireland at that time. It was either jail or music. I got lucky."

O'Connor's other musical credits included the albums "Universal Mother" and "Faith and Courage," a cover of Cole Porter's "You Do Something to Me" from the AIDS fundraising album "Red Hot + Blue" and backing vocals on Peter Gabriel's "Blood of Eden." She received eight Grammy nominations overall and in 1991 won for best alternative musical performance.

O'Connor announced she was retiring from music in 2003, but she continued to record new material. Her most recent album was " I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss," released in 2014 and she sang the theme song for Season 7 of "Outlander."

The singer married four times; her union to drug counsellor Barry Herridge, in 2011, lasted just 16 days. She was open about her private life, from her sexuality to her mental illness. She said she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and on social media wrote openly about taking her own life. When her teenage son Shane died by suicide in 2022, O'Connor tweeted there was "no point living without him" and was soon hospitalized.

In 2014, she said she was joining the Irish nationalist Sinn Fein party and called for its leaders to step aside so that a younger generation of activists could take over. She later withdrew her application.

O'Connor had four children: Jake, with her first husband John Reynolds; Roisin, with John Waters; Shane, with Donal Lunny; and Yeshua Bonadio, with Frank Bonadio.

EDITOR'S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. The U.S. national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690397085522.png" alt=""Nothing Compares 2 U" received three Grammy nominations and was the featured track off her acclaimed album "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got," which helped lead Rolling Stone to name her Artist of the Year in 1991." />
 <figcaption>"Nothing Compares 2 U" received three Grammy nominations and was the featured track off her acclaimed album "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got," which helped lead Rolling Stone to name her Artist of the Year in 1991.</figcaption>
 </figure>LONDON (AP) — Sinéad O'Connor, the gifted Irish singer-songwriter who became a superstar in her mid-20s but was known as much for her private struggles and provocative actions as for her fierce and expressive music, has died at 56."It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time," the singer's family said in a statement reported Wednesday by the BBC and RTE. No cause was disclosed. O'Connor had publicly struggled with mental health in recent years.Recognizable by her shaved head and elfin features, O'Connor began her career singing on the streets of Dublin and soon rose to international fame. She was a star from her 1987 debut album "The Lion and the Cobra" and became a sensation in 1990 with her cover of Prince's ballad "Nothing Compares 2 U," a seething, shattering performance that topped charts from Europe to Australia and was heightened by a promotional video featuring the gray-eyed O'Connor in intense close-up."Nothing Compares 2 U" received three Grammy nominations and was the featured track off her acclaimed album "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got," which helped lead Rolling Stone to name her Artist of the Year in 1991."She proved that a recording artist could refuse to compromise and still connect with millions of listeners hungry for music of substance," the magazine declared.She was a lifelong non-conformist — she would say that she shaved her head in response to record executives pressuring her to be conventionally glamorous — but her political and cultural stances and troubled private life often overshadowed her music. She feuded with Frank Sinatra over her refusal to allow the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at one of her shows and accused Prince of physically threatening her. In 1989 she declared her support for the Irish Republican Army, a statement she retracted a year later. Around the same time, she skipped the Grammy ceremony, saying it was too commercialized.A critic of the Catholic Church well before allegations sexual abuse were widely reported, O'Connor made headlines in October 1992 when she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II while appearing live on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and denounced the church as the enemy. The following week, Joe Pesci hosted "Saturday Night Live," held up a repaired photo of the Pope and said that if he had been on the show with O'Connor he "would have gave her such a smack." Days later, she appeared at an all-star tribute for Bob Dylan at Madison Square Garden and was immediately booed. She was supposed to sing Dylan's "I Believe in You," but switched to an a cappella version of Bob Marley's "War," which she had sung on "Saturday Night Live."Although consoled and encouraged on stage by her friend Kris Kristofferson, she left and broke down, and her performance was kept off the concert CD. (Years later, Kristofferson recorded "Sister Sinead," for which he wrote "And maybe she's crazy and maybe she ain't/But so was Picasso and so were the saints.")In 1999, O'Connor caused uproar in Ireland when she became a priestess of the breakaway Latin Tridentine Church — a position that was not recognized by the mainstream Catholic Church. For many years, she called for a full investigation into the extent of the church's role in concealing child abuse by clergy. In 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI apologized to Ireland to atone for decades of abuse, O'Connor condemned the apology for not going far enough and called for Catholics to boycott Mass until there was a full investigation into the Vatican's role, which by 2018 was making international headlines."People assumed I didn't believe in God. That's not the case at all. I'm Catholic by birth and culture and would be the first at the church door if the Vatican offered sincere reconciliation," she wrote in the Washington Post in 2010.O'Connor announced in 2018 that she had converted to Islam and would be adopting the name Shuhada' Davitt, later Shuhada Sadaqat — although she continued to use Sinéad O'Connor professionally."Her music was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched and beyond compare," Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said in a statement on social media.O'Connor was born on Dec. 8, 1966. She had a difficult childhood, with a mother whom she alleged was abusive and encouraged her to shoplift. As a teenager she spent time in a church-sponsored institution for girls, where she said she washed priests' clothes for no wages. But a nun gave O'Connor her first guitar, and soon she sang and performed on the streets of Dublin, her influences ranging from Dylan to Siouxsie and the Banshees.Her performance with a local band caught the eye of a small record label, and, in 1987, O'Connor released "The Lion and the Cobra," which sold hundreds of thousands of copies and featured the hit "Mandinka," driven by a hard rock guitar riff and O'Connor's piercing vocals. O'Connor, 20 years old and pregnant while making "Lion and the Cobra," co-produced the album."I suppose I've got to say that music saved me," she said in an interview with the Independent newspaper in 2013. "I didn't have any other abilities, and there was no learning support for girls like me, not in Ireland at that time. It was either jail or music. I got lucky."O'Connor's other musical credits included the albums "Universal Mother" and "Faith and Courage," a cover of Cole Porter's "You Do Something to Me" from the AIDS fundraising album "Red Hot + Blue" and backing vocals on Peter Gabriel's "Blood of Eden." She received eight Grammy nominations overall and in 1991 won for best alternative musical performance.O'Connor announced she was retiring from music in 2003, but she continued to record new material. Her most recent album was " I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss," released in 2014 and she sang the theme song for Season 7 of "Outlander."The singer married four times; her union to drug counsellor Barry Herridge, in 2011, lasted just 16 days. She was open about her private life, from her sexuality to her mental illness. She said she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and on social media wrote openly about taking her own life. When her teenage son Shane died by suicide in 2022, O'Connor tweeted there was "no point living without him" and was soon hospitalized.In 2014, she said she was joining the Irish nationalist Sinn Fein party and called for its leaders to step aside so that a younger generation of activists could take over. She later withdrew her application.O'Connor had four children: Jake, with her first husband John Reynolds; Roisin, with John Waters; Shane, with Donal Lunny; and Yeshua Bonadio, with Frank Bonadio.___EDITOR'S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. The U.S. national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

Sinéad O’Connor, gifted and provocative Irish singer, dies at 56

99KG's Shane McClintock can't wait to see you this Saturday, July 29 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the FREE Bounce-A-Roos Bounce Bash Party.

The event will take place at Eagle Radio’s studio,1825 S Ohio St, Salina, KS 67401.

According to event organizers, there will be a 24-foot water slide, water obstacle course, and a dozen other bounce inflatables

Food options at the event will include grilled all-beef jumbo hotdogs courtesy of Sam's Club, Arby's sliders, and Papa Johns Pizza.

Salina Police patrol vehicles will be on display for kids and parents to look at. All inflatables will be observed by volunteers from local charities.

"Thank you all for making 99KG the MOST listened-to country music station AGAIN &amp; AGAIN &amp; AGAIN! HUGE thanks to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salinasepticservice?__cft__[0]=AZVKxvVUA4IBhiG_pzUPVvImQjNToBuZ9kjqCV3KCVfWEmaUvrO9MPqIdTwrSgmvTJCAGsbuXwDLlTuICs8tfs1hfEuXAUq6nVqXIAWsKv9uDwIU12rv7jxf9Qg6ej6FkV8BQLxOX06p_1mFMpj414cUNRU_QNuMrr4ORokERv79IB7pNtLu6L2KnpJf6GbyoqM&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Salina Septic Service</a> &amp; Salina Waste for their contributions to this event," McClintock said.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690390330034.jpeg" alt="Summer 99KG Bounce Bash Image Courtesy 99KG" />
 <figcaption>Summer 99KG Bounce Bash Image Courtesy 99KG</figcaption>
 </figure>By SALINA POST 99KG's Shane McClintock can't wait to see you this Saturday, July 29 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the FREE Bounce-A-Roos Bounce Bash Party.The event will take place at Eagle Radio’s studio,1825 S Ohio St, Salina, KS 67401.According to event organizers, there will be a 24-foot water slide, water obstacle course, and a dozen other bounce inflatablesFood options at the event will include grilled all-beef jumbo hotdogs courtesy of Sam's Club, Arby's sliders, and Papa Johns Pizza.Salina Police patrol vehicles will be on display for kids and parents to look at. All inflatables will be observed by volunteers from local charities."Thank you all for making 99KG the MOST listened-to country music station AGAIN &amp; AGAIN &amp; AGAIN! HUGE thanks to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salinasepticservice?__cft__[0]=AZVKxvVUA4IBhiG_pzUPVvImQjNToBuZ9kjqCV3KCVfWEmaUvrO9MPqIdTwrSgmvTJCAGsbuXwDLlTuICs8tfs1hfEuXAUq6nVqXIAWsKv9uDwIU12rv7jxf9Qg6ej6FkV8BQLxOX06p_1mFMpj414cUNRU_QNuMrr4ORokERv79IB7pNtLu6L2KnpJf6GbyoqM&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Salina Septic Service</a> &amp; Salina Waste for their contributions to this event," McClintock said.&nbsp;

99KG's Bounce Bash with ‘Bounce A Roos’

&nbsp;Divine Mercy Radio is gearing up for their 13th Annual Appreciation Banquet to be held in Hays Sept. 9 and in Salina Sept. 10. A notorious couple from the Eternal Word Television Network, Jack and Johnnette Williams, will be the guest speakers.

The banquet in Hays will begin with a social hour at 6 p.m., followed by a meal and program. It will be held at the Rose Garden Banquet Hall, 2350 E. 8th St.

In Salina, the banquet will also begin with a social hour, but at 5 p.m., followed by a meal and program. It will be held in the Hall of Bishops at Sacred Heart Cathedral, 118 N. 9th St.

Jack Williams is the general manager of EWTN Radio as well as the host of “Open Line,” which airs at 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Johnnette Williams is the executive producer of the “Women of Grace” television program and host of the radio program, “Women of Grace,” which airs at 10 a.m. Monday through Thursday on Divine Mercy Radio.

“Both Jack and Johnnette have interesting stories,” said Donetta Robben, Executive Director of Divine Mercy Radio. “They both came into their faith in adulthood and they both lost their first spouses to cancer. Their mutual work at EWTN brought them together, happily united in marriage.”

The title of their talk will be “Speaking Truth to Darkness: The Call of Radio for Such a Time as This.”

Tickets are $55 if ordered before Aug. 20. After that date, the price goes up to $60. No tickets can be sold after Sept. 1. Tickets can be purchased by sending a check to: Appreciation Banquet, Divine Mercy Radio, 108 E. 12th St., Hays, KS 67601. Tickets can also be purchased online at dvmercy.com. Please state which banquet you will be attending, Hays or Salina. If attending the banquet in Salina, please indicate if your meal choice will be beef or chicken. For more information, as well as the menu, go to dvmercy.com.

Divine Mercy Radio began in 2010 with 88.1, KVDM, Hays. Five years later they expended to 88.1, KRTT, Great Bend. Then, in 2020, 101.7 KJDM, Lindsborg/Salina went on the air as well as 105.7, KMDG, Hays. The original station, KVDM in Hays, began airing Catholic classic radio.

In May, the fifth Divine Mercy Radio station went on the air – 89.1, KGOH in Colby. Divine Mercy Radio is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization relying on the generosity of its listeners as well as business underwriters.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684878858041.png" alt="Divine Mercy Radio Image" />
 <figcaption>Divine Mercy Radio Image</figcaption>
 </figure>Submitted&nbsp;Divine Mercy Radio is gearing up for their 13th Annual Appreciation Banquet to be held in Hays Sept. 9 and in Salina Sept. 10. A notorious couple from the Eternal Word Television Network, Jack and Johnnette Williams, will be the guest speakers.The banquet in Hays will begin with a social hour at 6 p.m., followed by a meal and program. It will be held at the Rose Garden Banquet Hall, 2350 E. 8th St.In Salina, the banquet will also begin with a social hour, but at 5 p.m., followed by a meal and program. It will be held in the Hall of Bishops at Sacred Heart Cathedral, 118 N. 9th St.Jack Williams is the general manager of EWTN Radio as well as the host of “Open Line,” which airs at 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Johnnette Williams is the executive producer of the “Women of Grace” television program and host of the radio program, “Women of Grace,” which airs at 10 a.m. Monday through Thursday on Divine Mercy Radio.“Both Jack and Johnnette have interesting stories,” said Donetta Robben, Executive Director of Divine Mercy Radio. “They both came into their faith in adulthood and they both lost their first spouses to cancer. Their mutual work at EWTN brought them together, happily united in marriage.”The title of their talk will be “Speaking Truth to Darkness: The Call of Radio for Such a Time as This.”Tickets are $55 if ordered before Aug. 20. After that date, the price goes up to $60. No tickets can be sold after Sept. 1. Tickets can be purchased by sending a check to: Appreciation Banquet, Divine Mercy Radio, 108 E. 12th St., Hays, KS 67601. Tickets can also be purchased online at dvmercy.com. Please state which banquet you will be attending, Hays or Salina. If attending the banquet in Salina, please indicate if your meal choice will be beef or chicken. For more information, as well as the menu, go to dvmercy.com.Divine Mercy Radio began in 2010 with 88.1, KVDM, Hays. Five years later they expended to 88.1, KRTT, Great Bend. Then, in 2020, 101.7 KJDM, Lindsborg/Salina went on the air as well as 105.7, KMDG, Hays. The original station, KVDM in Hays, began airing Catholic classic radio.In May, the fifth Divine Mercy Radio station went on the air – 89.1, KGOH in Colby. Divine Mercy Radio is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization relying on the generosity of its listeners as well as business underwriters.

Divine Mercy Radio prepares to celebrate 13th Annual Appreciation Banquet

National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United

At a public action on July 26, registered nurses at Ascension via Christi St. Joseph Hospital (Wichita, Kan.), Ascension via Christi St. Francis Hospital (Wichita, Kan.), and Ascension Seton Medical Center (Austin, Texas) will deliver petitions to hospital management demanding they take urgent action to improve patient care.

“Because of Ascension’s unsafe staffing levels and inadequate security protocols, nurses and our patients are constantly at risk,” said&nbsp;Becci Nash, RN&nbsp;in the adult behavioral health unit at Ascension via Christi St. Joseph. “Nurses continue to be assaulted at our hospital and in my unit. Our patients deserve to heal in a safe environment, and that starts with Ascension improving staffing through investments in recruitment and retention of nurses.”&nbsp;

Following&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/nurses-in-texas-and-kansas-move-forward-with-historic-strikes-resisting-ascension-union-busting" target="_blank">a historic one-day strike</a>&nbsp;by 2,000 registered nurses at the three hospitals over a patient safety and nurse recruitment and retention crisis, Ascension – despite deep financial resources, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/nonprofit-hospitals-deals-tax-breaks-11672068264" target="_blank">over $19.5 billion in cash reserves</a>&nbsp;– continues to short-staff units.&nbsp;

“Ascension management’s refusal to listen to nurses’ solutions have horrible consequences for patients,” said&nbsp;Monica Gonzalez, RN&nbsp;in the neurology unit at Ascension Seton. “Across all three hospitals, we’re seeing new graduates and temporary nurses take on full patient loads, despite having little to no experience or training.”&nbsp;

After Ascension nurses authorized a one-day strike, Ascension attempted to intimidate nurses with a punitive three-day lockout, a move that undermined patient care according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2023-07-07/post-lockout-seton-nurses-return-to-diminished-patient-care-and-hostile-management/" target="_blank">local</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.texasobserver.org/why-nurses-are-making-lone-star-labor-history/" target="_blank">news</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kut.org/health/2023-07-06/ascension-seton-nurses-say-patient-care-suffered-during-post-strike-lockout" target="_blank">reports</a>.&nbsp;

“Our patients are our top priority and we won’t stop fighting for their safety in our facilities,” said&nbsp;Shelly Rader, RN&nbsp;in the emergency department at Ascension via Christi St. Francis Hospital. “With the support of our patients and our community, nurses in Wichita and Austin will stand in unwavering unity until Ascension invests its enormous resources into fair contracts that improve staffing.”

Chronic short-staffing imposed by Ascension hospital management –&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/15/business/hospital-staffing-ascension.html" target="_blank">a practice that began well before the Covid-19 pandemic to boost profits and executive compensation</a>&nbsp;– drastically limits how much time a nurse can spend on each patient. Short-staffing also creates a revolving door of nursing staff, who suffer moral injury and distress because they can’t provide the care they know results in the best patient outcomes. Ascension is the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/lists/100-of-the-largest-hospitals-and-health-systems-in-america-2023.html" target="_blank">second-largest Catholic nonprofit health system</a>&nbsp;in the country. In fiscal year 2021, Ascension reported a net income of more than&nbsp;<a href="https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/ascension-bounces-back-with-5-7b-net-income.html#:~:text=Ascension%20ended%20the%20most%20recent,%245.7%20billion%20in%20fiscal%202021" target="_blank">$5.7 billion</a>, and the system’s CEO took home a compensation package worth more than&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/453358926/202241369349312519/full" target="_blank">$13 million</a>.

The latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing shows that in Texas, Kansas, and across the country, there is no nurse “shortage.” In fact, in Texas, there are nearly 128,000 registered nurses with active licenses who are choosing not to work at the bedside, while in Kansas, that number is almost 20,000. Nationwide, there are more than a million registered nurses with active licenses who are choosing not to work at the bedside because of the hospital industry’s unsafe working conditions.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/sites/default/files/nnu/documents/Reporter_Memo_Hospital_Staffing_Crisis.pdf" target="_blank">More data and information debunking the nurse “shortage” myth can be found here.&nbsp;</a>

Nurses at the three hospitals are negotiating for fair contracts that would improve patient care by improving working conditions for nurses.&nbsp;

Austin – Ascension Seton Medical Center

What:&nbsp;RN petition delivery to Ascension management. When:&nbsp;Wednesday, July 26, 8:00 am. Where:&nbsp;1201 W. 38th St. Austin, TX 78705, corner of Medical Pkwy. and W 35th St.

Wichita – Ascension via Christi St. Francis Hospital&nbsp;

What:&nbsp;RN petition delivery to Ascension management. When:&nbsp;Wednesday, July 26, 8:00 a.m. Where:&nbsp;929 St. Francis, Wichita, KS, 67214, corner of E. Murdock Ave. and St. Francis

Wichita – Ascension via Christi St. Joseph Hospital&nbsp;

What:&nbsp;RN petition delivery to Ascension management. When:&nbsp;Wednesday, July 26, 7:00 a.m. Where:&nbsp;3600 E. Harry St, Wichita, KS 67218, East parking lot near Harry St. and Roosevelt St.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690317578245.jpeg" alt="Image Courtesy National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United" />
 <figcaption>Image Courtesy National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United</figcaption>
 </figure>National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses UnitedAt a public action on July 26, registered nurses at Ascension via Christi St. Joseph Hospital (Wichita, Kan.), Ascension via Christi St. Francis Hospital (Wichita, Kan.), and Ascension Seton Medical Center (Austin, Texas) will deliver petitions to hospital management demanding they take urgent action to improve patient care.“Because of Ascension’s unsafe staffing levels and inadequate security protocols, nurses and our patients are constantly at risk,” said&nbsp;Becci Nash, RN&nbsp;in the adult behavioral health unit at Ascension via Christi St. Joseph. “Nurses continue to be assaulted at our hospital and in my unit. Our patients deserve to heal in a safe environment, and that starts with Ascension improving staffing through investments in recruitment and retention of nurses.”&nbsp;Following&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/nurses-in-texas-and-kansas-move-forward-with-historic-strikes-resisting-ascension-union-busting" target="_blank">a historic one-day strike</a>&nbsp;by 2,000 registered nurses at the three hospitals over a patient safety and nurse recruitment and retention crisis, Ascension – despite deep financial resources, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/nonprofit-hospitals-deals-tax-breaks-11672068264" target="_blank">over $19.5 billion in cash reserves</a>&nbsp;– continues to short-staff units.&nbsp;“Ascension management’s refusal to listen to nurses’ solutions have horrible consequences for patients,” said&nbsp;Monica Gonzalez, RN&nbsp;in the neurology unit at Ascension Seton. “Across all three hospitals, we’re seeing new graduates and temporary nurses take on full patient loads, despite having little to no experience or training.”&nbsp;After Ascension nurses authorized a one-day strike, Ascension attempted to intimidate nurses with a punitive three-day lockout, a move that undermined patient care according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2023-07-07/post-lockout-seton-nurses-return-to-diminished-patient-care-and-hostile-management/" target="_blank">local</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.texasobserver.org/why-nurses-are-making-lone-star-labor-history/" target="_blank">news</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kut.org/health/2023-07-06/ascension-seton-nurses-say-patient-care-suffered-during-post-strike-lockout" target="_blank">reports</a>.&nbsp;“Our patients are our top priority and we won’t stop fighting for their safety in our facilities,” said&nbsp;Shelly Rader, RN&nbsp;in the emergency department at Ascension via Christi St. Francis Hospital. “With the support of our patients and our community, nurses in Wichita and Austin will stand in unwavering unity until Ascension invests its enormous resources into fair contracts that improve staffing.”Chronic short-staffing imposed by Ascension hospital management –&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/15/business/hospital-staffing-ascension.html" target="_blank">a practice that began well before the Covid-19 pandemic to boost profits and executive compensation</a>&nbsp;– drastically limits how much time a nurse can spend on each patient. Short-staffing also creates a revolving door of nursing staff, who suffer moral injury and distress because they can’t provide the care they know results in the best patient outcomes. Ascension is the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/lists/100-of-the-largest-hospitals-and-health-systems-in-america-2023.html" target="_blank">second-largest Catholic nonprofit health system</a>&nbsp;in the country. In fiscal year 2021, Ascension reported a net income of more than&nbsp;<a href="https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/ascension-bounces-back-with-5-7b-net-income.html#:~:text=Ascension%20ended%20the%20most%20recent,%245.7%20billion%20in%20fiscal%202021" target="_blank">$5.7 billion</a>, and the system’s CEO took home a compensation package worth more than&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/453358926/202241369349312519/full" target="_blank">$13 million</a>.The latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing shows that in Texas, Kansas, and across the country, there is no nurse “shortage.” In fact, in Texas, there are nearly 128,000 registered nurses with active licenses who are choosing not to work at the bedside, while in Kansas, that number is almost 20,000. Nationwide, there are more than a million registered nurses with active licenses who are choosing not to work at the bedside because of the hospital industry’s unsafe working conditions.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/sites/default/files/nnu/documents/Reporter_Memo_Hospital_Staffing_Crisis.pdf" target="_blank">More data and information debunking the nurse “shortage” myth can be found here.&nbsp;</a>Nurses at the three hospitals are negotiating for fair contracts that would improve patient care by improving working conditions for nurses.&nbsp;Austin – Ascension Seton Medical CenterWhat:&nbsp;RN petition delivery to Ascension management. When:&nbsp;Wednesday, July 26, 8:00 am. Where:&nbsp;1201 W. 38th St. Austin, TX 78705, corner of Medical Pkwy. and W 35th St.Wichita – Ascension via Christi St. Francis Hospital&nbsp;What:&nbsp;RN petition delivery to Ascension management. When:&nbsp;Wednesday, July 26, 8:00 a.m. Where:&nbsp;929 St. Francis, Wichita, KS, 67214, corner of E. Murdock Ave. and St. FrancisWichita – Ascension via Christi St. Joseph Hospital&nbsp;What:&nbsp;RN petition delivery to Ascension management. When:&nbsp;Wednesday, July 26, 7:00 a.m. Where:&nbsp;3600 E. Harry St, Wichita, KS 67218, East parking lot near Harry St. and Roosevelt St.&nbsp;

Ascension nurses in Wichita to demand urgent improvements to patient safety

K-State Research and Extension News Service

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Describing herself as “a small town, rural agriculture type of girl,” Jane Schuh has taken the reins as director of research for Kansas State University’s College of Agriculture.

Schuh is a veteran of academia, having built a successful career in cellular and molecular biology. She was most recently the director of strategic initiatives for North Dakota State University’s Division of Agricultural Affairs.

<a href="https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/news/stories/2023/05/agriculture-jane-schuh-director-of-research.html">She began her duties as the director and associate dean</a>&nbsp;for the K-State College of Agriculture’s research and graduate programs on July 1.

Schuh recently answered questions on the weekday radio podcast,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.agtoday.net/">Agriculture Today</a>, produced by K-State Research and Extension. The following is a portion of that interview.

Working in agriculture seems to be a natural fit for you, considering your background, right?

Schuh:&nbsp;Yes. I am a small-town, rural agriculture type of girl. I grew up on a farm about five miles out of the tiny town of Sheldon, North Dakota… I am very familiar with rural living. Then, I graduated from a land-grant university at North Dakota State and spent a number of years there as an administrator, researcher, and teacher. So that land-grant mission of service to people is near and dear to my heart.

What are some things that you're really excited about in terms of research at Kansas State and the value it brings to farmers?

Schuh:&nbsp;Well I think there's a lot of opportunity and people have seen that in the huge investment in infrastructure and facilities that the university is making. The facilities K-State is building are going to be world class.

Facilities bring together researchers from different disciplines. One reason you go to a comprehensive research university is because it's one-stop shopping. If you've got a big problem…there are people that have the knowledge and know-how to help. In any particular project, you might be bringing in economists, or people from sociology or maybe people from engineering or many other areas of agriculture. They can work together and really be responsive to producers and people in industry.

Being able to collaborate across many disciplines for different needs is something that I think is just tremendously exciting and that reflects investment in agriculture and in the economy of the state. It's something that I can't wait to join in.

Some things stick out in what you’re saying, including your commitment not only to research, but also to teaching and outreach.

Schuh:&nbsp;Absolutely. One of the things that really drew me to this opportunity was not only the need to collaborate, but really the desire to increase collaboration across the entire university. And so when I look at my background -- being able to work with public-private partnerships, business, federal research and state agencies -- I think that really fits well into what I see as opportunities growing in Kansas right now.

As a university, we can provide the teaching and training that the workforce needs. We need to work with producers and industry to learn their needs for students that we're training, so that they’re ready to move out into the workforce.

One of the things that I have always been very proud of in working at a land-grant university is the outreach component, or extension, where not only are we extending the knowledge that is created on campus, but we're also getting knowledge from producers about what we should be doing next.

There’s no need to tell you, but water is always going to be a key topic in agriculture, right?

Schuh:&nbsp;Definitely. Water is important. I didn’t have to talk to too many people to hear water come up. But, really, it’s a tremendous opportunity for all of that university collaboration to come together around a central issue.

We can’t look at that from one perspective, because there's not just one perspective that's going to be able to fix things… It really is going to be multiple perspectives looking at challenges in different ways. It's going to be conservation, it's going to be changes in how we do things, and an understanding of why we're doing things, and outreach and extension is really important.

Kansas and Kansas State have been leaders of some national and international labs, looking at how the issues we are working on here can have impact on the global scale… One of the things that I always think about when I think about sustainability… is how does the farmer sustain a good way of life for themselves and their family and be able to pass that on to the next generation? What does that look like and how do we help support that in the land grant mission?

So, yes, we absolutely have an opportunity to be a global leader at Kansas State.

Listen to the full interview with Jane Schuh online at&nbsp;<a href="https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/27484875">https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/27484875</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690308374086.png" alt="Jane Schuh, KSRE Photo" />
 <figcaption>Jane Schuh, KSRE Photo</figcaption>
 </figure>K-State Research and Extension News ServiceMANHATTAN, Kan. – Describing herself as “a small town, rural agriculture type of girl,” Jane Schuh has taken the reins as director of research for Kansas State University’s College of Agriculture.Schuh is a veteran of academia, having built a successful career in cellular and molecular biology. She was most recently the director of strategic initiatives for North Dakota State University’s Division of Agricultural Affairs.<a href="https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/news/stories/2023/05/agriculture-jane-schuh-director-of-research.html">She began her duties as the director and associate dean</a>&nbsp;for the K-State College of Agriculture’s research and graduate programs on July 1.Schuh recently answered questions on the weekday radio podcast,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.agtoday.net/">Agriculture Today</a>, produced by K-State Research and Extension. The following is a portion of that interview.Working in agriculture seems to be a natural fit for you, considering your background, right?Schuh:&nbsp;Yes. I am a small-town, rural agriculture type of girl. I grew up on a farm about five miles out of the tiny town of Sheldon, North Dakota… I am very familiar with rural living. Then, I graduated from a land-grant university at North Dakota State and spent a number of years there as an administrator, researcher, and teacher. So that land-grant mission of service to people is near and dear to my heart.What are some things that you're really excited about in terms of research at Kansas State and the value it brings to farmers?Schuh:&nbsp;Well I think there's a lot of opportunity and people have seen that in the huge investment in infrastructure and facilities that the university is making. The facilities K-State is building are going to be world class.Facilities bring together researchers from different disciplines. One reason you go to a comprehensive research university is because it's one-stop shopping. If you've got a big problem…there are people that have the knowledge and know-how to help. In any particular project, you might be bringing in economists, or people from sociology or maybe people from engineering or many other areas of agriculture. They can work together and really be responsive to producers and people in industry.Being able to collaborate across many disciplines for different needs is something that I think is just tremendously exciting and that reflects investment in agriculture and in the economy of the state. It's something that I can't wait to join in.Some things stick out in what you’re saying, including your commitment not only to research, but also to teaching and outreach.Schuh:&nbsp;Absolutely. One of the things that really drew me to this opportunity was not only the need to collaborate, but really the desire to increase collaboration across the entire university. And so when I look at my background -- being able to work with public-private partnerships, business, federal research and state agencies -- I think that really fits well into what I see as opportunities growing in Kansas right now.As a university, we can provide the teaching and training that the workforce needs. We need to work with producers and industry to learn their needs for students that we're training, so that they’re ready to move out into the workforce.One of the things that I have always been very proud of in working at a land-grant university is the outreach component, or extension, where not only are we extending the knowledge that is created on campus, but we're also getting knowledge from producers about what we should be doing next.There’s no need to tell you, but water is always going to be a key topic in agriculture, right?Schuh:&nbsp;Definitely. Water is important. I didn’t have to talk to too many people to hear water come up. But, really, it’s a tremendous opportunity for all of that university collaboration to come together around a central issue.We can’t look at that from one perspective, because there's not just one perspective that's going to be able to fix things… It really is going to be multiple perspectives looking at challenges in different ways. It's going to be conservation, it's going to be changes in how we do things, and an understanding of why we're doing things, and outreach and extension is really important.Kansas and Kansas State have been leaders of some national and international labs, looking at how the issues we are working on here can have impact on the global scale… One of the things that I always think about when I think about sustainability… is how does the farmer sustain a good way of life for themselves and their family and be able to pass that on to the next generation? What does that look like and how do we help support that in the land grant mission?So, yes, we absolutely have an opportunity to be a global leader at Kansas State.Listen to the full interview with Jane Schuh online at&nbsp;<a href="https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/27484875">https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/27484875</a>.

K-State’s new research director sees university building on status as global leader

DENVER (AP) — An 18-year-old from suburban Denver who allegedly planned to go to Iraq to fight for the Islamic State group was arrested last week as he tried to board a flight to Turkey.

Davin Daniel Meyer of Castle Rock, who was arrested Friday, has been charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the U.S. Attorney's Office for Colorado announced late Monday.

Meyer's lawyer did not immediately return a telephone message or email seeking comment.

According to his arrest affidavit, law enforcement began investigating him in June 2022 when someone who knew him contacted the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. The person said they were concerned because, after following white supremacist ideology, Meyer, then 17, had turned to Islam and was frequently watching and listening to “radical Islamic sermons online." The FBI was notified by the sheriff's office, it said.

The person, who was not identified in the document, said Meyer said “he wanted to die in his early twenties for Allah."

“In October 2022, the individual informed the FBI that Meyer had stated that if he could not go to the Middle East, he planned to get fertilizer and build a bomb in the United States,” the arrest affidavit said.

The document noted that Meyer had previously undergone mental health treatment and has been diagnosed with conditions including autism spectrum disorder and major depressive disorder.

Soon after he turned 18 in November, Meyer began communicating online with someone he thought was an Islamic State facilitator but was actually a paid FBI informant, the document said. The following month, that person introduced Meyer to another informant who claimed to be an Islamic State travel facilitator, who met with Meyer three times to talk about his plan to pay and prepare for traveling to join the Islamic State.

Meyer talked about problems finding a job that would allow him to follow his religious practices, such as not having to interact with women or listen to music, it said. After his mother offered to pay for an apartment for him and cover some living expenses for him, he decided to use that money to pay for his trip and buy gear that he needed to become a fighter, the document said.

Concerned that his mother would worry about him, he talked about leaving a note on the counter saying he had left by his own choice.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690157195054.png" alt="Davin Daniel Meyer -photo courtesy FBI" />
 <figcaption>Davin Daniel Meyer -photo courtesy FBI</figcaption>
 </figure>DENVER (AP) — An 18-year-old from suburban Denver who allegedly planned to go to Iraq to fight for the Islamic State group was arrested last week as he tried to board a flight to Turkey.Davin Daniel Meyer of Castle Rock, who was arrested Friday, has been charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the U.S. Attorney's Office for Colorado announced late Monday.Meyer's lawyer did not immediately return a telephone message or email seeking comment.According to his arrest affidavit, law enforcement began investigating him in June 2022 when someone who knew him contacted the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. The person said they were concerned because, after following white supremacist ideology, Meyer, then 17, had turned to Islam and was frequently watching and listening to “radical Islamic sermons online." The FBI was notified by the sheriff's office, it said.The person, who was not identified in the document, said Meyer said “he wanted to die in his early twenties for Allah."“In October 2022, the individual informed the FBI that Meyer had stated that if he could not go to the Middle East, he planned to get fertilizer and build a bomb in the United States,” the arrest affidavit said.The document noted that Meyer had previously undergone mental health treatment and has been diagnosed with conditions including autism spectrum disorder and major depressive disorder.Soon after he turned 18 in November, Meyer began communicating online with someone he thought was an Islamic State facilitator but was actually a paid FBI informant, the document said. The following month, that person introduced Meyer to another informant who claimed to be an Islamic State travel facilitator, who met with Meyer three times to talk about his plan to pay and prepare for traveling to join the Islamic State.Meyer talked about problems finding a job that would allow him to follow his religious practices, such as not having to interact with women or listen to music, it said. After his mother offered to pay for an apartment for him and cover some living expenses for him, he decided to use that money to pay for his trip and buy gear that he needed to become a fighter, the document said.Concerned that his mother would worry about him, he talked about leaving a note on the counter saying he had left by his own choice.Meyer bought a ticket for July 14 to travel to Ankara, Turkey, where he believed he would meet with Islamic State members and travel on to Iraq to become a fighter, the arrest affidavit said.That day, he “repeatedly expressed anxiety and hesitation” to one of the informants, but he also “repeatedly expressed determination to go through with his plans,” it said.Meyer was arrested after showing his boarding pass to the gate agent and walking down the jet bridge to the plane, the arrest affidavit said.