OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A man has been charged with murder in the death of a Nebraska woman whose body was found last month in Kansas.

Aldrick Scott, 47, has previously been charged with kidnapping Cari Allen, of Omaha, who disappeared in November.

Prosecutors said during a previous court hearing that Scott and Allen dated before she broke up with him about two weeks before she was reported missing on Nov. 20.

Officers searched Scott's home in Topeka Nov. 21. He was arrested Dec. 7 in Belize. Allen’s body was found in a shallow grave Dec. 21 near Topeka.

The Douglas County Attorney’s Office announced Friday that Scott was charged with murder, use of a firearm to commit a felony and tampering with evidence. He faces earlier charges of kidnapping and accessory to a felony.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1672613639392.png" alt="Scott-photo Douglas Co." />
 <figcaption>Scott-photo Douglas Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A man has been charged with murder in the death of a Nebraska woman whose body was found last month in Kansas.Aldrick Scott, 47, has previously been charged with kidnapping Cari Allen, of Omaha, who disappeared in November.Prosecutors said during a previous court hearing that Scott and Allen dated before she broke up with him about two weeks before she was reported missing on Nov. 20.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671675092235.png" alt="Allen’s body was found in a shallow grave Dec. 21 near Topeka.-Photo Shawnee Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Allen’s body was found in a shallow grave Dec. 21 near Topeka.-Photo Shawnee Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>Officers searched Scott's home in Topeka Nov. 21. He was arrested Dec. 7 in Belize. Allen’s body was found in a shallow grave Dec. 21 near Topeka.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669587276863.png" alt="Cari Allen-photo Douglas Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Cari Allen-photo Douglas Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>Officials have not said how she died.The Douglas County Attorney’s Office announced Friday that Scott was charged with murder, use of a firearm to commit a felony and tampering with evidence. He faces earlier charges of kidnapping and accessory to a felony.

Murder: Boyfriend charged after body found in rural Kansas 

KANSAS CITY (AP) — The number of U.S. deaths dropped this 2022, but there are still more than there were before the coronavirus hit.

Preliminary data — through the first 11 months of the year — indicates 2022 will see fewer deaths than the previous two COVID-19 pandemic years. Current reports suggest deaths may be down about 3% from 2020 and about 7% vs. 2021.

U.S. deaths usually rise year-to-year, in part because the nation's population has been growing. The pandemic accelerated that trend, making last year the deadliest in U.S. history, with more than 3.4 million dying. If current trends continue, this year will mark the first annual decline in deaths since 2009.

It will be months before health officials have a full tally. The October and November numbers are not yet complete and a late-December surge could change the final picture, said Farida Ahmad, who leads mortality surveillance at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If the decline does hold, it will still be a far cry from where the nation was before the coronavirus appeared. This year's count is likely to end up at least 13% higher than what it was in 2019.

"We're (still) definitely worse off than we were before the pandemic," said Amira Roess, a George Mason University professor of epidemiology and global health.

Once again, most of the annual change is due to the ebb and flow of COVID-19, which has killed more than 1,080,000 Americans since it first was recognized in the U.S. in early 2020.

This year started off horribly, with about 73,000 COVID deaths in January alone — the third deadliest month from COVID-19 since the pandemic began. For 2022, "the bulk of mortality was concentrated during that omicron wave at the beginning of the year," said Iliya Gutin, a University of Texas researcher tracking COVID-19 mortality.

Monthly COVID-19 deaths dropped below 4,000 in April and averaged about 16,000 per month through November. The monthly average for 2021 was more than double that.

COVID-19 will nevertheless end up as the nation's third leading cause of death this year, just as it was in 2020 and 2021 — behind the perennial leader, heart disease, and cancer.

Heart disease deaths, which have tended to surge in tandem with COVID-19 deaths, are on track to be down from 2021, Ahmad said. And it's not clear whether the number of cancer deaths will change, based on preliminary data.

There may be some relatively good news regarding drug overdose deaths, which hit an all-time high last year. Provisional overdose death data posted by the CDC on Wednesday — through the first seven months of this year — suggests overdose deaths stopped climbing early this year, around last winter's end.

Also, the CDC released its first report on deaths involving long COVID — long-term symptoms after a person has recovered from coronavirus infection. The CDC estimates that about 3,500 deaths from January 2020 through June 2022 involved long COVID. That's about 1% of deaths in which COVID was deemed the underlying or contributing cause.

Experts believe pharmaceutical weapons against the coronavirus have been making a difference. The Commonwealth Fund this week released a modeling study that concluded the U.S. COVID-19 vaccination program prevented more than 3.2 million deaths.

"We all really would expect that the number of deaths — and the number of severe cases — would decrease, due to a combination of immunity from natural infection and vaccination ... and treatment," Roess said.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — The number of U.S. deaths dropped this 2022, but there are still more than there were before the coronavirus hit.Preliminary data — through the first 11 months of the year — indicates 2022 will see fewer deaths than the previous two COVID-19 pandemic years. Current reports suggest deaths may be down about 3% from 2020 and about 7% vs. 2021.U.S. deaths usually rise year-to-year, in part because the nation's population has been growing. The pandemic accelerated that trend, making last year the deadliest in U.S. history, with more than 3.4 million dying. If current trends continue, this year will mark the first annual decline in deaths since 2009.It will be months before health officials have a full tally. The October and November numbers are not yet complete and a late-December surge could change the final picture, said Farida Ahmad, who leads mortality surveillance at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.If the decline does hold, it will still be a far cry from where the nation was before the coronavirus appeared. This year's count is likely to end up at least 13% higher than what it was in 2019."We're (still) definitely worse off than we were before the pandemic," said Amira Roess, a George Mason University professor of epidemiology and global health.Once again, most of the annual change is due to the ebb and flow of COVID-19, which has killed more than 1,080,000 Americans since it first was recognized in the U.S. in early 2020.This year started off horribly, with about 73,000 COVID deaths in January alone — the third deadliest month from COVID-19 since the pandemic began. For 2022, "the bulk of mortality was concentrated during that omicron wave at the beginning of the year," said Iliya Gutin, a University of Texas researcher tracking COVID-19 mortality.Monthly COVID-19 deaths dropped below 4,000 in April and averaged about 16,000 per month through November. The monthly average for 2021 was more than double that.COVID-19 will nevertheless end up as the nation's third leading cause of death this year, just as it was in 2020 and 2021 — behind the perennial leader, heart disease, and cancer.Heart disease deaths, which have tended to surge in tandem with COVID-19 deaths, are on track to be down from 2021, Ahmad said. And it's not clear whether the number of cancer deaths will change, based on preliminary data.There may be some relatively good news regarding drug overdose deaths, which hit an all-time high last year. Provisional overdose death data posted by the CDC on Wednesday — through the first seven months of this year — suggests overdose deaths stopped climbing early this year, around last winter's end.Also, the CDC released its first report on deaths involving long COVID — long-term symptoms after a person has recovered from coronavirus infection. The CDC estimates that about 3,500 deaths from January 2020 through June 2022 involved long COVID. That's about 1% of deaths in which COVID was deemed the underlying or contributing cause.Experts believe pharmaceutical weapons against the coronavirus have been making a difference. The Commonwealth Fund this week released a modeling study that concluded the U.S. COVID-19 vaccination program prevented more than 3.2 million deaths."We all really would expect that the number of deaths — and the number of severe cases — would decrease, due to a combination of immunity from natural infection and vaccination ... and treatment," Roess said.___

US deaths fell in 2022, but not to pre-COVID levels

By D. BRIAN BLANK and RODNEY RAMCHARAN <a href="https://theconversation.com/inflation-unemployment-the-housing-crisis-and-a-possible-recession-two-economists-forecast-whats-ahead-in-2023-195797">The Conversation</a>

With the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm">current U.S. inflation rate at 7.1%</a>, <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2022/12/08/rising-interest-rates-and-inflation-have-upended-investing">interest rates rising</a> and <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-09-08/why-did-housing-costs-explode-during-the-pandemic">housing costs up</a>, many Americans are wondering if a recession is looming.

Two economists discussed that and more in a recent wide-ranging and exclusive interview for The Conversation. 
Brian Blank is a <a href="https://www.business.msstate.edu/directory/dbb109">finance professor at Mississippi State University</a> who specializes in the study of corporations and how they respond to economic downturns. Rodney Ramcharan is an <a href="https://www.marshall.usc.edu/personnel/rodney-ramcharan">economist at the University of Southern California</a> who previously held posts with the Federal Reserve and the International Monetary Fund.

Both were interviewed by Bryan Keogh, deputy managing editor and senior editor of economy and business for The Conversation.

Below are some highlights from the discussion. Answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Are we headed for a recession in 2023?

Brian Blank: The consensus view among most forecasters is that there is a recession coming at some point, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/goldman-ceo-says-reasonable-chance-us-recession-2023-2022-10-18/">maybe in the middle of next year</a>. I’m a little bit more optimistic than that consensus.

People have been calling for a recession for months now, and this 
seems to be the most anticipated recession on record. I think that it 
could still be a ways off. <a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/z1/dataviz/z1/balance_sheet/chart/">Consumer balance sheets</a> are still relatively strong, stronger than we’ve seen them for most periods.

I think that the labor market is going to remain hotter than people 
have expected. Right now, over the last eight months, the labor market 
has added more jobs than anticipated, which is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/02/business/economy/jobs-report-november.html">one of the strongest streaks on record</a>.
 And I think that until consumer balance sheets weaken considerably, we 
can expect consumer spending, which is the largest part of the economy, 
to continue to grow quickly.

[But this] doesn’t mean that a recession is not coming. There’s always a recession somewhere down the road. 

Rodney Ramcharan: Indeed, yes, there’s a likelihood 
that the economy is going to contract in the next nine months. The 
president of the New York Fed expects the unemployment rate to go up 
from 3.5% currently to somewhere <a href="https://www.globest.com/2022/11/30/unemployment-could-hit-5-next-year-says-new-york-fed-president/?">between 4% to 5% in the next year</a>. And I think that will be consistent with a recession.

In terms of how much worse it can be beyond that, it’s going to 
depend on a number of things. It could depend on whether the Fed is 
going to accept a higher inflation rate over the medium term or whether 
it’s really committed to getting the inflation rate down to the 2% rate.
 So I think that’s the trade-off.

Blank: [Unemployment] hasn’t risen much, and maybe 
it’ll pick up to somewhere close to 4%. Many are expecting something 
like four and a half percent. And I think that’s certainly possible. And
 I think that we can see small upticks in the coming months. 

But I don’t think it’s going to rise as quickly as some people are 
expecting, in part because what we’ve seen so far is a lack of labor 
force participation. Until more people enter the labor market, I think 
there are going to be plenty of jobs to go around.

What is your outlook on interest rates?

Ramcharan: As people find it more and more difficult
 to find jobs, or to get jobs as they begin to lose jobs, I think that’s
 going to dampen spending. And we’re seeing that now as the cost of 
borrowing has gone up sharply, and the Fed is expecting that. 

The expectation is the federal funds rate will <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/02/fed-raises-borrowing-costs-with-another-jumbo-interest-rate-hike.html#:">go up to 5% by next year</a>.
 If you tack on another couple of points, because of the risk involved, 
then the cost to borrow to buy a home could potentially get up to 8% for
 some people. And that could be very expensive.

And the flip side of this for businesses is there’s potentially going
 to be a slowdown in cash flow. If consumers are not spending, then the 
revenues that businesses depend on to make investments might not be 
there.

The additional piece in this puzzle is what the banks will then do. I think banks are going to begin to <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/creditcrunch.asp">curtail the extension of credit</a>.
 So not only will interest rates go up for the typical consumer and the 
typical business, it’s also likely that they are more likely to 
experience denial of credit, and so that should together begin to slow 
spending quite a bit.

After massive increases in housing prices, what caused them to suddenly drop?

Ramcharan: As the Fed lowered interest rates, there 
was a massive shift among the population for various reasons. They 
decided that housing was the right investment or the right thing. And so
 when 50 million people all collectively decide to buy homes, the supply
 of homes is reasonably constrained in the short run. And so that led to
 this massive increase in house prices and in rents. 

In the last three months, the housing market <a href="https://slate.com/business/2022/10/housing-prices-real-estate-interest-rates-federal-reserve-california.html">has cooled sharply</a>.
 We’re now seeing house prices beginning to fall. I would imagine, going
 forward, the housing market cooling is going to be a major driver 
behind the slowdown in the inflation rate and in <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/reit.asp">real estate investment trusts</a>. So that’s positive.

Our recent election just changed the composition of Congress. How will that affect the economy?

Blank: Certainly, when we have a divided Congress, 
we’re less likely to see decisions made that involve passing legislation
 that might support the economy. And I think it’s likely the Republican 
House is going to become a little bit <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/midterm-election-inflation-economy-what-it-means-rcna56473">more conservative with spending</a>.

And so if we do start to see a downturn, I think you’re less likely 
to see legislation that might help support an economy that could be in 
need of it. That is going to make the job of the Federal Reserve more 
important. 

How certain are these predictions?

Ramcharan: I just want to be careful here and let 
your viewers know that we’re making these statements based on theory, 
because the inflation that we’re experiencing now comes about from a 
pandemic, and there really is no evidence, there’s no data available, 
that people can look to to say, “What happens to an economy after a 
pandemic?” That data does not exist. 

So we’re trying to piece together the data we do have with the 
theories we do have, but there’s a huge band of uncertainty about what’s
 going to happen.

<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M-UfSnXu3k8"></iframe>
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By D. BRIAN BLANK and RODNEY RAMCHARAN <a href="https://theconversation.com/inflation-unemployment-the-housing-crisis-and-a-possible-recession-two-economists-forecast-whats-ahead-in-2023-195797">The Conversation</a>With the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm">current U.S. inflation rate at 7.1%</a>, <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2022/12/08/rising-interest-rates-and-inflation-have-upended-investing">interest rates rising</a> and <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-09-08/why-did-housing-costs-explode-during-the-pandemic">housing costs up</a>, many Americans are wondering if a recession is looming.Two economists discussed that and more in a recent wide-ranging and exclusive interview for The Conversation. 
Brian Blank is a <a href="https://www.business.msstate.edu/directory/dbb109">finance professor at Mississippi State University</a> who specializes in the study of corporations and how they respond to economic downturns. Rodney Ramcharan is an <a href="https://www.marshall.usc.edu/personnel/rodney-ramcharan">economist at the University of Southern California</a> who previously held posts with the Federal Reserve and the International Monetary Fund.Both were interviewed by Bryan Keogh, deputy managing editor and senior editor of economy and business for The Conversation.Below are some highlights from the discussion. Answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.Are we headed for a recession in 2023?Brian Blank: The consensus view among most forecasters is that there is a recession coming at some point, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/goldman-ceo-says-reasonable-chance-us-recession-2023-2022-10-18/">maybe in the middle of next year</a>. I’m a little bit more optimistic than that consensus. People have been calling for a recession for months now, and this 
seems to be the most anticipated recession on record. I think that it 
could still be a ways off. <a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/z1/dataviz/z1/balance_sheet/chart/">Consumer balance sheets</a> are still relatively strong, stronger than we’ve seen them for most periods. I think that the labor market is going to remain hotter than people 
have expected. Right now, over the last eight months, the labor market 
has added more jobs than anticipated, which is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/02/business/economy/jobs-report-november.html">one of the strongest streaks on record</a>.
 And I think that until consumer balance sheets weaken considerably, we 
can expect consumer spending, which is the largest part of the economy, 
to continue to grow quickly.[But this] doesn’t mean that a recession is not coming. There’s always a recession somewhere down the road. Rodney Ramcharan: Indeed, yes, there’s a likelihood 
that the economy is going to contract in the next nine months. The 
president of the New York Fed expects the unemployment rate to go up 
from 3.5% currently to somewhere <a href="https://www.globest.com/2022/11/30/unemployment-could-hit-5-next-year-says-new-york-fed-president/?">between 4% to 5% in the next year</a>. And I think that will be consistent with a recession. In terms of how much worse it can be beyond that, it’s going to 
depend on a number of things. It could depend on whether the Fed is 
going to accept a higher inflation rate over the medium term or whether 
it’s really committed to getting the inflation rate down to the 2% rate.
 So I think that’s the trade-off.Will unemployment go up?Blank: [Unemployment] hasn’t risen much, and maybe 
it’ll pick up to somewhere close to 4%. Many are expecting something 
like four and a half percent. And I think that’s certainly possible. And
 I think that we can see small upticks in the coming months. But I don’t think it’s going to rise as quickly as some people are 
expecting, in part because what we’ve seen so far is a lack of labor 
force participation. Until more people enter the labor market, I think 
there are going to be plenty of jobs to go around.What is your outlook on interest rates?Ramcharan: As people find it more and more difficult
 to find jobs, or to get jobs as they begin to lose jobs, I think that’s
 going to dampen spending. And we’re seeing that now as the cost of 
borrowing has gone up sharply, and the Fed is expecting that. The expectation is the federal funds rate will <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/02/fed-raises-borrowing-costs-with-another-jumbo-interest-rate-hike.html#:">go up to 5% by next year</a>.
 If you tack on another couple of points, because of the risk involved, 
then the cost to borrow to buy a home could potentially get up to 8% for
 some people. And that could be very expensive. And the flip side of this for businesses is there’s potentially going
 to be a slowdown in cash flow. If consumers are not spending, then the 
revenues that businesses depend on to make investments might not be 
there.The additional piece in this puzzle is what the banks will then do. I think banks are going to begin to <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/creditcrunch.asp">curtail the extension of credit</a>.
 So not only will interest rates go up for the typical consumer and the 
typical business, it’s also likely that they are more likely to 
experience denial of credit, and so that should together begin to slow 
spending quite a bit. After massive increases in housing prices, what caused them to suddenly drop?Ramcharan: As the Fed lowered interest rates, there 
was a massive shift among the population for various reasons. They 
decided that housing was the right investment or the right thing. And so
 when 50 million people all collectively decide to buy homes, the supply
 of homes is reasonably constrained in the short run. And so that led to
 this massive increase in house prices and in rents. In the last three months, the housing market <a href="https://slate.com/business/2022/10/housing-prices-real-estate-interest-rates-federal-reserve-california.html">has cooled sharply</a>.
 We’re now seeing house prices beginning to fall. I would imagine, going
 forward, the housing market cooling is going to be a major driver 
behind the slowdown in the inflation rate and in <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/reit.asp">real estate investment trusts</a>. So that’s positive. Our recent election just changed the composition of Congress. How will that affect the economy?Blank: Certainly, when we have a divided Congress, 
we’re less likely to see decisions made that involve passing legislation
 that might support the economy. And I think it’s likely the Republican 
House is going to become a little bit <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/midterm-election-inflation-economy-what-it-means-rcna56473">more conservative with spending</a>. And so if we do start to see a downturn, I think you’re less likely 
to see legislation that might help support an economy that could be in 
need of it. That is going to make the job of the Federal Reserve more 
important. How certain are these predictions?Ramcharan: I just want to be careful here and let 
your viewers know that we’re making these statements based on theory, 
because the inflation that we’re experiencing now comes about from a 
pandemic, and there really is no evidence, there’s no data available, 
that people can look to to say, “What happens to an economy after a 
pandemic?” That data does not exist. So we’re trying to piece together the data we do have with the 
theories we do have, but there’s a huge band of uncertainty about what’s
 going to happen.<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195797/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe></div>

🎥 Recession? Two economists forecast what’s ahead in 2023

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an officer-involved shooting.

Just after 11p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to to report of a physical disturbance in the 900 block of East Oakview Street in Olathe, according to a media release.

Officers arrived and contacted a 27-year-old white male inside the home.&nbsp; The man produced an edged weapon and advanced toward the officers. A taser was deployed with no effect. The man continued to advance on officers while armed with the edged weapon.&nbsp; One of the officers discharged their department issued handgun striking the man.&nbsp; 

The man received medical attention by responding officers as well as Johnson County Med-Act. He was pronounced deceased on scene. The officers were not injured.

The Johnson County Multi-Jurisdictional Officer Involved Shooting Investigation Team (OISIT) was activated.&nbsp; Investigators from multiple agencies are leading the investigation of the incident.&nbsp; The Johnson County Crime Lab is processing the scene.

As a matter of standard procedure, the involved Officer(s) have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation by the Johnson County Multi-Jurisdictional Officer Involved Shooting Investigation Team.&nbsp;&nbsp;

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an officer-involved shooting.Just after 11p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to to report of a physical disturbance in the 900 block of East Oakview Street in Olathe, according to a media release.Officers arrived and contacted a 27-year-old white male inside the home.&nbsp; The man produced an edged weapon and advanced toward the officers. A taser was deployed with no effect. The man continued to advance on officers while armed with the edged weapon.&nbsp; One of the officers discharged their department issued handgun striking the man.&nbsp; The man received medical attention by responding officers as well as Johnson County Med-Act. He was pronounced deceased on scene. The officers were not injured.The Johnson County Multi-Jurisdictional Officer Involved Shooting Investigation Team (OISIT) was activated.&nbsp; Investigators from multiple agencies are leading the investigation of the incident.&nbsp; The Johnson County Crime Lab is processing the scene.As a matter of standard procedure, the involved Officer(s) have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation by the Johnson County Multi-Jurisdictional Officer Involved Shooting Investigation Team.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Man dies in officer-shooting at Kan. home on New Year's Eve

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska company on Friday expanded a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-nebraska-business-salmonella-infections-iowa-63b8ab2606f8cbbd7a1839203b4c4509">recall of alfalfa sprouts</a>&nbsp;after more than a dozen cases of salmonella were linked to the food.&nbsp; The sprouts are sold in Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa.

SunSprouts Enterprises doubled its recall that was first announced Thursday, Nebraska health officials said. The 1,406 pounds of raw sprouts were distributed in 4-ounce and 2.5-pound&nbsp; packages to food service and grocery customers in the Midwest between late November and mid-December.

The recalled sprouts have best-by dates between Dec. 10, 2022, and Jan. 7, 2023.

People who have the sprouts are advised to dispose of them.

Nebraska health officials said there have been 16 confirmed cases of people becoming ill.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted 15 confirmed cases of people getting sick, including two who were hospitalized. The CDC says eight cases were reported in Nebraska, six in South Dakota and one in Oklahoma. The differing number of cases provided by the two agencies could not immediately be reconciled

The CDC said there likely are many more cases among people who didn't seek medical care. SunSprouts is based in Fremont, Nebraska.

Salmonella bacteria causes sometimes bloody diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. People with weakened immune systems, young children and older adults are especially susceptible to developing severe illnesses.

Customers with product from this lot number in &nbsp;their possession should stop using it and dispose of it immediately. Consumers are also encouraged to follow all safe handling instructions and wash their hands and all preparation surfaces after handling any raw product. If consumers have any questions, they can contact SunSprout by email at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:Admin@sunsprouts.com">Admin@sunsprouts.com</a>&nbsp;anytime, responses will be provided Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. CST.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672341087626.png" alt="Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska company on Friday expanded a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-nebraska-business-salmonella-infections-iowa-63b8ab2606f8cbbd7a1839203b4c4509">recall of alfalfa sprouts</a>&nbsp;after more than a dozen cases of salmonella were linked to the food.&nbsp; The sprouts are sold in Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa.SunSprouts Enterprises doubled its recall that was first announced Thursday, Nebraska health officials said. The 1,406 pounds of raw sprouts were distributed in 4-ounce and 2.5-pound&nbsp; packages to food service and grocery customers in the Midwest between late November and mid-December.The recalled sprouts have best-by dates between Dec. 10, 2022, and Jan. 7, 2023.People who have the sprouts are advised to dispose of them.Nebraska health officials said there have been 16 confirmed cases of people becoming ill.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted 15 confirmed cases of people getting sick, including two who were hospitalized. The CDC says eight cases were reported in Nebraska, six in South Dakota and one in Oklahoma. The differing number of cases provided by the two agencies could not immediately be reconciledThe CDC said there likely are many more cases among people who didn't seek medical care. SunSprouts is based in Fremont, Nebraska.Salmonella bacteria causes sometimes bloody diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. People with weakened immune systems, young children and older adults are especially susceptible to developing severe illnesses.Customers with product from this lot number in &nbsp;their possession should stop using it and dispose of it immediately. Consumers are also encouraged to follow all safe handling instructions and wash their hands and all preparation surfaces after handling any raw product. If consumers have any questions, they can contact SunSprout by email at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:Admin@sunsprouts.com">Admin@sunsprouts.com</a>&nbsp;anytime, responses will be provided Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. CST.

Salmonella outbreak: Sprout recall in Kansas expanded

NEW YORK (AP) — In the United States, admirers of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI remembered him warmly for his theological prowess and devotion to traditional doctrine. However, some U.S. Catholics, on learning of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-benedict-xvi-a-life-remembered-ed6ddf20f696d84ffe0680e1ef0bab0f?utm_source=apnews&amp;utm_medium=featuredcard&amp;utm_campaign=leadstory">his death Saturday</a>, recalled him as an obstacle to progress in combating clergy sex abuse and expanding the role of women in the church.

Professor Kathleen Sprows Cummings, director of the University of Notre Dame’s Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism, depicted Benedict as “a man of unwavering faith, deep conviction and towering intellect,” yet added that he left “a complicated legacy.”

She noted that last February, following a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-religion-germany-sexual-abuse-by-clergy-sexual-abuse-3461ba1b9adfcfb884027361263f1706">report that implicated him</a>&nbsp;in the cover-up of sexual abuse during the years he served as Archbishop of Munich, Benedict "acknowledged his failure to act decisively at times in confronting sexual abusers.”

Steven Millies, a professor of public theology at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, noted that Benedict – before becoming pope – had a lead role in enforcing church discipline at a time when the sex-abuse crisis was making headlines in the U.S. two decades ago.

“When he was elected to succeed John Paul II as pope in 2005, Benedict XVI was the person who was most knowledgeable about clergy sexual abuse.” Millies said via email. “Yet, the crisis continued to fester throughout Benedict’s papacy past his resignation in 2013 and even today.”

Millies suggested that Benedict’s most important legacy was his resignation, arising from “his recognition that he could not fix the abuse crisis or accomplish much else in the face of the deeply entrenched power of the Vatican’s centralized bureaucracy.”

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who heads the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, praised Benedict as “a superb theologian” and recalled how the announcement of his resignation “shocked the world.”

“He recognized the great demands made of him as the chief shepherd of the Universal Church of a billion Catholics worldwide, and his physical limitations for such a monumental task,” Broglio said in a statement. “Even in retirement, retreating to live out a life in quiet prayer and study, he continued to teach us how to be a true disciple of Christ.”

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who was appointed archbishop of New York and nominated as a cardinal by Benedict, praised the pope emeritus as a “erudite, wise, and holy man, who spoke the truth with love.”

Monsignor Kevin Irwin, dean emeritus at Catholic University of America, called Benedict a “theology professor extraordinaire... a clear thinker who was a quiet contributor to the church’s continuity after Pope John Paul II.”

Irwin said Benedict’s resignation left him stunned.

“But, in the end it was about understanding he was overwhelmed and letting him go,” Irwin said.

Monsignor Stephen Doktorczyk, vicar general for the Diocese of Orange in Southern California, remembered Benedict as a gracious leader who had the ability to build bridges and foster reconciliation.

“There was this unfair perception that he was there to cut people off at the knees,” said Doktorczyk, who served for five years -- from September 2011 to December 2016 – in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican office responsible for processing clergy sex abuse complaints. “He tried to be a peacemaker. When there was a way to reconcile, he tried to look outside the box.”

Others were more critical, including Kate McElwee, executive director of the U.S.-based Women’s Ordination Conference, which seeks to enable women to be ordained as Catholic priests.

“For many Catholics, Pope Benedict’s papacy is a chapter of our church’s history that we are still healing from,” McElwee said. Her statement asserted that Benedict, as head of the Vatican’s doctrine office and as pope, “orchestrated a rigid campaign of theological suppression on the question of women’s ordination, creating a culture of fear and pain within the church.”

Also offering a harsh judgment was David Clohessy, a longtime leader of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

“In more than 30 years as a mighty Vatican bureaucrat - nearly 10 of them as the world’s top Catholic figure - Benedict enabled countless child sex crimes and cover ups to continue by virtually refusing to publicly expose even one child molesting cleric or a complicit church official,” Clohessy said via email.

“With his extensive power and bully pulpit, he could have prevented hundreds or perhaps thousands of kids from being sexually assaulted. But he didn’t. Instead, he chose, time and time again, to side with ordained clergy over vulnerable children.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672490465534.png" alt="FILE - Pope Benedict XVI blesses the faithful as he arrives in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican to bless the nativity scene on Dec. 31, 2011. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the German theologian who will be remembered as the first pope in 600 years to resign, has died, the Vatican announced Saturday. He was 95. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - Pope Benedict XVI blesses the faithful as he arrives in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican to bless the nativity scene on Dec. 31, 2011. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the German theologian who will be remembered as the first pope in 600 years to resign, has died, the Vatican announced Saturday. He was 95. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — In the United States, admirers of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI remembered him warmly for his theological prowess and devotion to traditional doctrine. However, some U.S. Catholics, on learning of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-benedict-xvi-a-life-remembered-ed6ddf20f696d84ffe0680e1ef0bab0f?utm_source=apnews&amp;utm_medium=featuredcard&amp;utm_campaign=leadstory">his death Saturday</a>, recalled him as an obstacle to progress in combating clergy sex abuse and expanding the role of women in the church.Professor Kathleen Sprows Cummings, director of the University of Notre Dame’s Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism, depicted Benedict as “a man of unwavering faith, deep conviction and towering intellect,” yet added that he left “a complicated legacy.”She noted that last February, following a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-religion-germany-sexual-abuse-by-clergy-sexual-abuse-3461ba1b9adfcfb884027361263f1706">report that implicated him</a>&nbsp;in the cover-up of sexual abuse during the years he served as Archbishop of Munich, Benedict "acknowledged his failure to act decisively at times in confronting sexual abusers.”Steven Millies, a professor of public theology at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, noted that Benedict – before becoming pope – had a lead role in enforcing church discipline at a time when the sex-abuse crisis was making headlines in the U.S. two decades ago.“When he was elected to succeed John Paul II as pope in 2005, Benedict XVI was the person who was most knowledgeable about clergy sexual abuse.” Millies said via email. “Yet, the crisis continued to fester throughout Benedict’s papacy past his resignation in 2013 and even today.”Millies suggested that Benedict’s most important legacy was his resignation, arising from “his recognition that he could not fix the abuse crisis or accomplish much else in the face of the deeply entrenched power of the Vatican’s centralized bureaucracy.”Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who heads the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, praised Benedict as “a superb theologian” and recalled how the announcement of his resignation “shocked the world.”“He recognized the great demands made of him as the chief shepherd of the Universal Church of a billion Catholics worldwide, and his physical limitations for such a monumental task,” Broglio said in a statement. “Even in retirement, retreating to live out a life in quiet prayer and study, he continued to teach us how to be a true disciple of Christ.”Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who was appointed archbishop of New York and nominated as a cardinal by Benedict, praised the pope emeritus as a “erudite, wise, and holy man, who spoke the truth with love.”Monsignor Kevin Irwin, dean emeritus at Catholic University of America, called Benedict a “theology professor extraordinaire... a clear thinker who was a quiet contributor to the church’s continuity after Pope John Paul II.”Irwin said Benedict’s resignation left him stunned.“But, in the end it was about understanding he was overwhelmed and letting him go,” Irwin said.Monsignor Stephen Doktorczyk, vicar general for the Diocese of Orange in Southern California, remembered Benedict as a gracious leader who had the ability to build bridges and foster reconciliation.“There was this unfair perception that he was there to cut people off at the knees,” said Doktorczyk, who served for five years -- from September 2011 to December 2016 – in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican office responsible for processing clergy sex abuse complaints. “He tried to be a peacemaker. When there was a way to reconcile, he tried to look outside the box.”Others were more critical, including Kate McElwee, executive director of the U.S.-based Women’s Ordination Conference, which seeks to enable women to be ordained as Catholic priests.“For many Catholics, Pope Benedict’s papacy is a chapter of our church’s history that we are still healing from,” McElwee said. Her statement asserted that Benedict, as head of the Vatican’s doctrine office and as pope, “orchestrated a rigid campaign of theological suppression on the question of women’s ordination, creating a culture of fear and pain within the church.”Also offering a harsh judgment was David Clohessy, a longtime leader of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.“In more than 30 years as a mighty Vatican bureaucrat - nearly 10 of them as the world’s top Catholic figure - Benedict enabled countless child sex crimes and cover ups to continue by virtually refusing to publicly expose even one child molesting cleric or a complicit church official,” Clohessy said via email.“With his extensive power and bully pulpit, he could have prevented hundreds or perhaps thousands of kids from being sexually assaulted. But he didn’t. Instead, he chose, time and time again, to side with ordained clergy over vulnerable children.”___

In US, sharply contrasting views on Benedict XIV's legacy

TOPEKA —On Sunday, Kansas implemented the 'Axe the Food Tax’ legislation passed during the 2022 legislative session changing the state sales tax rate on groceries from 6.5% to 4.0%. 

Current legislation will completely eliminate the state’s sales tax on groceries by 2025. Local tax rates still apply.&nbsp; However, Governor Kelly has renewed her call for the legislature to pass a bill that immediately eliminates the state sales tax on groceries.

On December 19, Kelly released a new three-part ‘Axing Your Taxes’ plan to save Kansans more than $500 million over the next three years, according to a statement from her office.

The comprehensive plan includes a push to immediately ‘axe the tax’ on groceries and eliminate the state sales tax on diapers and feminine hygiene products.

The plan would also create an annual state sales tax holiday for school supplies; and cut taxes on social security for retirees.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636397666116.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA —On Sunday, Kansas implemented the 'Axe the Food Tax’ legislation passed during the 2022 legislative session changing the state sales tax rate on groceries from 6.5% to 4.0%. Current legislation will completely eliminate the state’s sales tax on groceries by 2025. Local tax rates still apply.&nbsp; However, Governor Kelly has renewed her call for the legislature to pass a bill that immediately eliminates the state sales tax on groceries.On December 19, Kelly released a new three-part ‘Axing Your Taxes’ plan to save Kansans more than $500 million over the next three years, according to a statement from her office.The comprehensive plan includes a push to immediately ‘axe the tax’ on groceries and eliminate the state sales tax on diapers and feminine hygiene products.The plan would also create an annual state sales tax holiday for school supplies; and cut taxes on social security for retirees.

Sales tax rate on groceries in Kansas now reduced to 4%

FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a southwest Kansas burglary have arrested four suspects.

On December 26, 2022, police&nbsp; were dispatched to a community living facility,<a href="https://rescarecommunityliving.com/our-services/"> Summit ResCare,&nbsp;</a> 2102 E. Spruce Street in Garden City for a prior burglary.

Just after 1:00 A.M. Wednesday, police arrested 20-year-old Morgan Boone and 24-year-old Ruben Rodriguez both of Garden City in connection with the burglary. Both individuals booked into the Finney County Jail on requested charges of Possession of Stolen Property.

Later that day, a search warrant was served at 1009 N. 11th Street, Apartment #2. Inside the residence, police found and recovered multiple items from the business as well as suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

While at the scene, Officers arrested two occupants of the residence, identified as 24-year-old Kaytia Town and 34-year-old and Jose Miguel Torres both of Garden City. They are jailed on requested&nbsp;charges of Burglary, Theft, Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672352937354.png" alt="Rodriguez-photo Finney County" />
 <figcaption>Rodriguez-photo Finney County</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a southwest Kansas burglary have arrested four suspects.On December 26, 2022, police&nbsp; were dispatched to a community living facility,<a href="https://rescarecommunityliving.com/our-services/"> Summit ResCare,&nbsp;</a> 2102 E. Spruce Street in Garden City for a prior burglary.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672354204460.png" alt="Boone-photo Finney Co." />
 <figcaption>Boone-photo Finney Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Just after 1:00 A.M. Wednesday, police arrested 20-year-old Morgan Boone and 24-year-old Ruben Rodriguez both of Garden City in connection with the burglary. Both individuals booked into the Finney County Jail on requested charges of Possession of Stolen Property.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672352814088.png" alt="Town-photo Finney Co." />
 <figcaption>Town-photo Finney Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Later that day, a search warrant was served at 1009 N. 11th Street, Apartment #2. Inside the residence, police found and recovered multiple items from the business as well as suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672353004692.png" alt="Torres-photo Finney County" />
 <figcaption>Torres-photo Finney County</figcaption>
 </figure>While at the scene, Officers arrested two occupants of the residence, identified as 24-year-old Kaytia Town and 34-year-old and Jose Miguel Torres both of Garden City. They are jailed on requested&nbsp;charges of Burglary, Theft, Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

4 arrested for burglary at SW Kan. community living facility

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man charged in the August 2021 murder of his uncle has entered a plea in the case.

According to the Sedgwick County District attorney's office, 33-year-old Douglass McGathy pleaded no contest to one count of second-degree murder on Dec. 22.

In August of 2021, deputies were dispatched to a stabbing in the 5600 block of south 143rd Street East in Wichita, according to Lt. Benjamin Blick.

 When deputies arrived, they located a 48-year-old as Kelly Joe Ralph in the driveway with multiple stab wounds. EMS transported&nbsp; him to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

During the investigation, deputies learned there was a physical disturbance between Ralph and and his nephew Douglass R. McGathy over a gun sale, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter. They both lived at the home.

Deputies arrested McGathy and the next day located the knife used in the murder. It was thrown on the roof of the home, according to Sheriff Jeff Easter.

McGathy is scheduled for sentencing on February 9, according to the District Attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1630426752484.png" alt="McGathy-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>McGathy-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man charged in the August 2021 murder of his uncle has entered a plea in the case.According to the Sedgwick County District attorney's office, 33-year-old Douglass McGathy pleaded no contest to one count of second-degree murder on Dec. 22.In August of 2021, deputies were dispatched to a stabbing in the 5600 block of south 143rd Street East in Wichita, according to Lt. Benjamin Blick. When deputies arrived, they located a 48-year-old as Kelly Joe Ralph in the driveway with multiple stab wounds. EMS transported&nbsp; him to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.During the investigation, deputies learned there was a physical disturbance between Ralph and and his nephew Douglass R. McGathy over a gun sale, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter. They both lived at the home.Deputies arrested McGathy and the next day located the knife used in the murder. It was thrown on the roof of the home, according to Sheriff Jeff Easter.McGathy is scheduled for sentencing on February 9, according to the District Attorney's office.

Kan. man enters plea; deputies found murder weapon on roof of home

JACKSON COUNTY&nbsp;—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on drug distribution allegations.

Just after 9:30a.m. Dec. 28, a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop on a Nissan Maxima north of 150th and U.S. Highway 75 for an alleged traffic infraction, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

Deputies seized illegal contraband during the stop.  The driver, Pablo Fabela, 27, of Omaha, Nebraska, was arrested on requested charges of distribution of cocaine, distribution of methamphetamine, possession of a hallucinogenic drug, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving while suspended. 

 The passenger, Roberto Carlos Renteria, 33, of Omaha, was arrested on requested charge of possession of cocaine.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672406357856.png" alt="Renteria-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Renteria-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY&nbsp;—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on drug distribution allegations.Just after 9:30a.m. Dec. 28, a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop on a Nissan Maxima north of 150th and U.S. Highway 75 for an alleged traffic infraction, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672406262491.png" alt="Fabela-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Fabela-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Deputies seized illegal contraband during the stop. The driver, Pablo Fabela, 27, of Omaha, Nebraska, was arrested on requested charges of distribution of cocaine, distribution of methamphetamine, possession of a hallucinogenic drug, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving while suspended. The passenger, Roberto Carlos Renteria, 33, of Omaha, was arrested on requested charge of possession of cocaine.

Suspect accused of selling cocaine, meth in Kansas 

SEDGWICK COUNTY —After a dramatic increase in crime in December that included six gang related shooting incidents and a double murder on Christmas Eve, new Wichita Police Chief Joseph Sullivan held a news conference Friday morning.

(Click below to watch the press conference)

Chief Sullivan&nbsp;acknowledged the great work of his detectives, patrol officers, K-9 officers and CSI technicians who spent time during the holidays away from their families to help solve these crimes. He also thanked the department's community based partners for their assistance this month.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —After a dramatic increase in crime in December that included six gang related shooting incidents and a double murder on Christmas Eve, new Wichita Police Chief Joseph Sullivan held a news conference Friday morning.(Click below to watch the press conference)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWichitaPolice%2Fvideos%2F717524703364613%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=97" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Chief Sullivan&nbsp;acknowledged the great work of his detectives, patrol officers, K-9 officers and CSI technicians who spent time during the holidays away from their families to help solve these crimes. He also thanked the department's community based partners for their assistance this month.

🎥New police chief responds to violent December in Wichita

Final goodbye: The influential people we lost in 2022

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Amiah Manlove used most of her savings to buy a $711 airline ticket to go home for the holidays. Then the Army private got stuck midway through the over 4,000-mile journey from Hawaii to Indianapolis and had to sleep on an airport floor.

Manlove, 20, an active-duty soldier stationed in Oahu, was among the many travelers whose holiday plans were upended when Southwest Airlines&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-plants-dallas-district-of-columbia-business-d2034f41df7a4f78de02db8aa4ba11df">canceled wave after wave of flights</a>&nbsp;across the country. Her father then spent his rent money to buy her a new flight after she was stranded at the Phoenix airport.

“This is the only time that I have to come home, the time we were going to cherish most for the next year — and to lose any of it is just devastating,” said Manlove, who was finally able to make it home the afternoon of Christmas Day. “They would have done anything in their power to get me home.”

Travelers who are in the military are often on fixed schedules that make it challenging to roll with the punches of chaotic airline breakdowns.

The Army typically shuts down basic training and advanced individual training schools for a 10-day break during the Christmas season. Active-duty soldiers can use some of their 30 days of accrued annual leave if they want to travel home during that period, but transportation costs aren't covered.

While she was stranded, Manlove's family searched frantically for solutions, and her father, a home health aide who relies on disability payments, used the $650 he saved for rent to purchase the only flight he could find — a one-way flight to Louisville, Kentucky, a two-hour drive from Indianapolis.

When he came to pick her up, they were so happy to be reunited that he was in tears before she opened the door to get in the car, she said.

Manlove, who is scheduled to fly back to Hawaii on Sunday, said she has not been able to reach Southwest on the phone to get a refund. She called more than 10 times and reached out on social media. The airline expected&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/weather-storms-natural-disasters-dallas-business-5e83632df5d78f85af37c5ed2f602fee">to resume normal operations</a>&nbsp;on Friday.

The family still doesn't know how her father is going to pay rent, she said. For now, they've just been trying to enjoy the time they have together.

“It put a lot of stress on me because I have so many friends and family to see, and 10 days is not a lot,” she said. “It’s not like I can just call my leadership and be like, ‘Oh, hey, can I have some more time?’ That’s not how that works.”

“I’m sure their hearts would be just as heavy as mine, telling them what happened, but I have a duty and a job to do, and I can’t spend all the time in the world here at home.”

Crystal and Steve Molidor in Trout Creek, Montana, said they’ve been waiting 15 months to see their son, who serves in the Air Force and just returned to the U.S. from being deployed. He is now stationed in Anchorage, Alaska, and his mother said his flight home on Southwest Airlines has been canceled at least four times already.

“We lost four plus days and Christmas with him due to their complete incompetence,” she said. “We can’t extend his trip because he can’t change up his leave dates at this point.”

Crystal Molidor said she was on hold with Southwest for six hours Tuesday night and into the early hours of Wednesday morning trying to reach a customer service representative, but wasn’t able to get through to anyone. When she woke up Wednesday, she tried again but gave up after a few more hours of silence.

She said the family finally decided to spend a couple hundred dollars to schedule a flight home for him on a different airline for Thursday, she said.

“I know this isn’t a lot of money – it’s more the stress they’ve caused our family and the principle of it,” she said. “To continue to let people rebook instead of looking at other options when they knew the flights would be canceled is wrong. Had they been honest upfront, we could have gotten him here a few days sooner.”

“I’ll just be glad when he’s home,” she said.

Veterans have faced their own challenges. Air Force veteran Kevin Moffitt was finally able to schedule a flight home to Atlanta for Thursday after being stuck since Monday in Philadelphia, where he flew last week to visit family for Christmas.

The 51-year-old, who served in Afghanistan and now works in law enforcement, said the delays caused him to miss work and a long-awaited appointment for a scan he needs for back pain at the veteran’s hospital.

He said he had to spend $579 with Delta for his new flight after being rescheduled multiple times by Southwest. He said he tried calling Southwest five times to discuss a refund but to no avail. On Wednesday, he received an email from the airline telling him he was getting a $15 refund with no context explaining what it was for.

Meanwhile, he’s been paying to park his car at the Atlanta airport on top of a $50-a-day charge to board his dog.

But he said his biggest concern was that he ran out of medication he relies on to treat his PTSD. When he misses a day, he experiences nausea, vomiting and severe headaches, among other symptoms.

“Hopefully nothing goes wrong," he said of his next flight. "I’m hoping and praying nothing happens.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672320886223.png" alt="Travelers who are in the military are often on fixed schedules that make it challenging to roll with the punches of chaotic airline breakdowns. photo courtesy KMBC" />
 <figcaption>Travelers who are in the military are often on fixed schedules that make it challenging to roll with the punches of chaotic airline breakdowns. photo courtesy KMBC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —Amiah Manlove used most of her savings to buy a $711 airline ticket to go home for the holidays. Then the Army private got stuck midway through the over 4,000-mile journey from Hawaii to Indianapolis and had to sleep on an airport floor.Manlove, 20, an active-duty soldier stationed in Oahu, was among the many travelers whose holiday plans were upended when Southwest Airlines&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-plants-dallas-district-of-columbia-business-d2034f41df7a4f78de02db8aa4ba11df">canceled wave after wave of flights</a>&nbsp;across the country. Her father then spent his rent money to buy her a new flight after she was stranded at the Phoenix airport.“This is the only time that I have to come home, the time we were going to cherish most for the next year — and to lose any of it is just devastating,” said Manlove, who was finally able to make it home the afternoon of Christmas Day. “They would have done anything in their power to get me home.”Travelers who are in the military are often on fixed schedules that make it challenging to roll with the punches of chaotic airline breakdowns.The Army typically shuts down basic training and advanced individual training schools for a 10-day break during the Christmas season. Active-duty soldiers can use some of their 30 days of accrued annual leave if they want to travel home during that period, but transportation costs aren't covered.While she was stranded, Manlove's family searched frantically for solutions, and her father, a home health aide who relies on disability payments, used the $650 he saved for rent to purchase the only flight he could find — a one-way flight to Louisville, Kentucky, a two-hour drive from Indianapolis.When he came to pick her up, they were so happy to be reunited that he was in tears before she opened the door to get in the car, she said.“It was heartbreaking,” she said.Manlove, who is scheduled to fly back to Hawaii on Sunday, said she has not been able to reach Southwest on the phone to get a refund. She called more than 10 times and reached out on social media. The airline expected&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/weather-storms-natural-disasters-dallas-business-5e83632df5d78f85af37c5ed2f602fee">to resume normal operations</a>&nbsp;on Friday.The family still doesn't know how her father is going to pay rent, she said. For now, they've just been trying to enjoy the time they have together.“It put a lot of stress on me because I have so many friends and family to see, and 10 days is not a lot,” she said. “It’s not like I can just call my leadership and be like, ‘Oh, hey, can I have some more time?’ That’s not how that works.”“I’m sure their hearts would be just as heavy as mine, telling them what happened, but I have a duty and a job to do, and I can’t spend all the time in the world here at home.”Crystal and Steve Molidor in Trout Creek, Montana, said they’ve been waiting 15 months to see their son, who serves in the Air Force and just returned to the U.S. from being deployed. He is now stationed in Anchorage, Alaska, and his mother said his flight home on Southwest Airlines has been canceled at least four times already.“We lost four plus days and Christmas with him due to their complete incompetence,” she said. “We can’t extend his trip because he can’t change up his leave dates at this point.”Crystal Molidor said she was on hold with Southwest for six hours Tuesday night and into the early hours of Wednesday morning trying to reach a customer service representative, but wasn’t able to get through to anyone. When she woke up Wednesday, she tried again but gave up after a few more hours of silence.She said the family finally decided to spend a couple hundred dollars to schedule a flight home for him on a different airline for Thursday, she said.“I know this isn’t a lot of money – it’s more the stress they’ve caused our family and the principle of it,” she said. “To continue to let people rebook instead of looking at other options when they knew the flights would be canceled is wrong. Had they been honest upfront, we could have gotten him here a few days sooner.”“I’ll just be glad when he’s home,” she said.Veterans have faced their own challenges. Air Force veteran Kevin Moffitt was finally able to schedule a flight home to Atlanta for Thursday after being stuck since Monday in Philadelphia, where he flew last week to visit family for Christmas.The 51-year-old, who served in Afghanistan and now works in law enforcement, said the delays caused him to miss work and a long-awaited appointment for a scan he needs for back pain at the veteran’s hospital.He said he had to spend $579 with Delta for his new flight after being rescheduled multiple times by Southwest. He said he tried calling Southwest five times to discuss a refund but to no avail. On Wednesday, he received an email from the airline telling him he was getting a $15 refund with no context explaining what it was for.Meanwhile, he’s been paying to park his car at the Atlanta airport on top of a $50-a-day charge to board his dog.But he said his biggest concern was that he ran out of medication he relies on to treat his PTSD. When he misses a day, he experiences nausea, vomiting and severe headaches, among other symptoms.“Hopefully nothing goes wrong," he said of his next flight. "I’m hoping and praying nothing happens.”

Airline breakdown upends holiday leave for service members

GEARY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an accidental shooting.

Just before 9p.m. Friday, the Geary County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a residence on Humboldt Creek Road for a pre-teen with a gunshot wound, according to a media release.

During the investigation it was revealed to deputies the victim received his wound as an older sibling was attempting to clean a firearm. The firearm was discharged and the victim was struck in the shoulder.&nbsp;

An ambulance transported the victim to Via Christi in Manhattan where he was treated for what appeared to be a non-life threatening injuries.

This incident appears to be accidental, according to the sheriff’s office. Check the Post for additional as they become available.

GEARY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an accidental shooting.Just before 9p.m. Friday, the Geary County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a residence on Humboldt Creek Road for a pre-teen with a gunshot wound, according to a media release.During the investigation it was revealed to deputies the victim received his wound as an older sibling was attempting to clean a firearm. The firearm was discharged and the victim was struck in the shoulder.&nbsp;An ambulance transported the victim to Via Christi in Manhattan where he was treated for what appeared to be a non-life threatening injuries.This incident appears to be accidental, according to the sheriff’s office. Check the Post for additional as they become available.

Sheriff: Juvenile injured in accidental shooting at rural Kan. home

By SHUANG-YE WU <a href="https://theconversation.com/2022s-us-climate-disasters-a-tale-of-too-much-rain-and-too-little-196713">The Conversation</a>

The year 2022 will be remembered across the U.S. for its devastating 
flooding and storms – and also for its extreme heat waves and droughts, 
including one so severe it <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/mississippi-river-reopens-barge-traffic-after-low-water-closures-us-coast-guard-2022-10-10/">briefly shut down traffic</a> on the Mississippi River.

During a period of five weeks over the summer, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/08/23/flood-united-states-climate-explainer/">five 1,000-year rainfall events</a> occurred in <a href="https://www.weather.gov/lsx/July262022Flooding">St. Louis</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-intensifying-the-water-cycle-bringing-more-powerful-storms-and-flooding-heres-what-the-science-shows-187951">eastern Kentucky</a>, <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/illinois-flash-flooding-rain-climate-change-184218523.html">southern Illinois</a>, California’s <a href="https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/news/death-valley-experiences-1-000-year-rain-event.htm">Death Valley</a> and <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2022/08/22/dallas-flooding-fort-worth/">Dallas</a>, causing devastating and sometimes deadly flash floods. Severe flooding in Mississippi <a href="https://theconversation.com/intense-heat-and-flooding-are-wreaking-havoc-on-power-and-water-systems-as-climate-change-batters-americas-aging-infrastructure-189761">knocked out Jackson’s troubled water supply</a> for weeks. A <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-making-flooding-worse-3-reasons-the-world-is-seeing-more-record-breaking-deluges-and-flash-floods-185364">historic flood in Montana</a>, brought on by heavy rain and melting snow, forced large areas of Yellowstone National Park to be evacuated.

In the fall, <a href="https://www.weather.gov/ilm/HurricaneIan">hurricanes Ian</a> and <a href="https://www.weather.gov/sju/fiona2022">Fiona</a> deluged Florida and Puerto Rico with over 2 feet (6.6 meters) of rain in areas and deadly, destructive storm surge. Ian became <a href="https://apnews.com/article/floods-europe-pakistan-climate-and-environment-87a354ddc9f2333e3175d0578c50a592">one of the most expensive</a> hurricanes in U.S. history. And a <a href="https://theconversation.com/typhoon-merbok-fueled-by-unusually-warm-pacific-ocean-pounded-alaskas-vulnerable-coastal-communities-at-a-critical-time-190898">typhoon pounded</a> 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of the Alaska coast.

While too much rainfall threatened some regions, extreme heat and too little precipitation worsened risks elsewhere.

Persistent heat waves lingered over many parts of the country, setting temperature records. Wildfires raged in <a href="https://tucson.com/news/local/photos-wildfires-in-arizona-2022/collection_6555f988-c4dd-11ec-a7da-effb4de9da49.html#1">Arizona</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/10/business/new-mexico-climate-change-wildfires-floods.html">New Mexico</a> on the background of a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-022-01290-z">megadrought in the Southwestern U.S.</a> more severe than anything the region has experienced in at least 1,200 years.

Drought also left the <a href="https://theconversation.com/record-low-water-levels-on-the-mississippi-river-in-2022-show-how-climate-change-is-altering-large-rivers-193920">Mississippi River so low</a>
 near Memphis in the fall that barges couldn’t get through without 
additional dredging and upstream water releases. That snarled grain 
shipping during the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2022-mississippi-river-drought-global-impact/?sref=Hjm5biAW">critical harvest period</a>. Along the Colorado River, officials discussed even tighter water use restrictions as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/12/17/colorado-river-crisis-conference/">water levels neared dangerously low levels</a> in the major reservoirs.

The United States was hardly alone in its climate disasters.

In Pakistan, <a href="https://theconversation.com/pakistan-floods-what-role-did-climate-change-play-189833">record monsoon rains</a> inundated more than one-third of the country, killing over 1,500 people. In <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/08/01/living-through-indias-next-level-heat-wave">India</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/07/china-reports-most-severe-heatwave-and-lowest-rainfall-on-record">China</a>,
 prolonged heat waves and droughts dried up rivers, disrupted power 
grids and threatened food security for billions of people. Widespread 
flooding and mudslides brought on by torrential rains also killed 
hundreds of people <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/13/africa/south-africa-floods-climate-intl/index.html">in South Africa</a>, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/death-toll-brazilian-floods-rises-57-thousands-displaced-2022-05-29/">Brazil</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/17/world/africa/nigeria-floods.html">Nigeria</a>.

In Europe, heat waves set record temperatures <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/28/human-caused-climate-change-made-uk-heat-wave-10-times-more-likely-study-says/">in Britain</a> and other parts of the continent, leading to severe droughts, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/13/europes-rivers-run-dry-as-scientists-warn-drought-could-be-worst-in-500-years">low river flows that slowed shipping</a>, and wildfires in many parts of the continent. Much of East Africa is still in the grips of a multiyear drought – the <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1131107">worst in over 40 years</a>, according to the United Nations – leaving millions of people vulnerable to food shortages and starvation.

This isn’t just a freak year: Such extreme events are occurring with increasing frequency and intensity.

Climate change is intensifying these disasters

The most <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-intensifying-the-water-cycle-bringing-more-powerful-storms-and-flooding-heres-what-the-science-shows-187951">recent global climate assessment</a>
 from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found
 significant increases in both the frequency and intensity of extreme 
temperature and precipitation events, leading to more droughts and 
floods.

Extreme flooding and droughts are also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04917-5">getting deadlier and more expensive</a>,
 despite an improving capacity to manage climate risks, a study 
published in 2022 found. Part of the reason is that today’s extreme 
events, enhanced by climate change, often exceed communities’ management
 capabilities.

Extreme events, by definition, occur rarely. A 100-year flood has a 
1% chance of happening in any given year. So when such events occur with
 increasing frequency and intensity, they are a clear indication of a 
changing climate state.

Much of this is well understood and consistently reproduced by climate models.

As the climate warms, a shift in temperature distribution leads to 
more extremes. For example, globally, a 1 degree Celsius increase in 
annual average temperature is associated with a 1.2 C to 1.9 C (2.1 
Fahrenheit to 3.4 F) <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_Chapter11.pdf">increase in the annual maximum temperature</a>.

In addition, global warming leads to changes in how the atmosphere 
and ocean move. The temperature difference between the equator and the 
poles is the driving force for global wind. As the polar regions warm at
 much higher rates than the equator, the reduced temperature difference 
causes a weakening of global winds and leads to a <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/global-stilling-is-climate-change-slowing-the-worlds-wind">more meandering jet stream</a>.

Some of these changes can create conditions such as persistent 
high-pressure systems and atmospheric blocking that bring more intense 
heat waves. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-heat-dome-an-atmospheric-scientist-explains-the-weather-phenomenon-baking-california-and-the-west-185569">heat domes</a> over the Southern Plains and South in June and in the West in September were both examples.

Warming can be further amplified by positive feedbacks.

For example, higher temperatures tend to dry out the soil, and less 
soil moisture reduces the land’s heat capacity, making it easier to heat
 up. More frequent and persistent heat waves lead to excessive 
evaporation, combined with decreased precipitation in some regions, 
causing more severe droughts and more frequent wildfires. 

Higher temperatures <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-i/">increase the atmosphere’s capacity</a> to hold moisture at a rate of about 7% per degree Celsius. This increased humidity leads to heavier rainfall events.

In addition, storm systems are <a href="https://thinktv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/nves.sci.earth.hurricane/water-vapor-fuels-hurricanes/">fueled by latent heat</a>
 – the large amount of energy released when water vapor condenses to 
liquid water. Increased moisture content in the atmosphere also enhances
 latent heat in storm systems, increasing their intensity. Extreme heavy
 or persistent rainfall leads to increased flooding and landslides, with
 devastating social and economic consequences.

Even though it’s difficult to link specific extreme events directly 
to climate change, when these supposedly rare events occur with greater 
frequency in a warming world, it is hard to ignore the changing state of
 our climate. 

This year might provide a glimpse of our near future, as these extreme climate events become more frequent.

To say this is the “new normal,” though, is misleading. It suggests 
that we have reached a new stable state, and that is far from the truth.
 Without serious effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions, this trend 
toward more extreme events will continue. 

This updates an article <a href="https://theconversation.com/looking-back-on-americas-summer-of-heat-floods-and-climate-change-welcome-to-the-new-abnormal-190636">originally published</a> on Sept. 21, 2022.

Shuang-Ye Wu is a Professor of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, University of Dayton.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671575094647.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By SHUANG-YE WU <a href="https://theconversation.com/2022s-us-climate-disasters-a-tale-of-too-much-rain-and-too-little-196713">The Conversation</a>The year 2022 will be remembered across the U.S. for its devastating 
flooding and storms – and also for its extreme heat waves and droughts, 
including one so severe it <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/mississippi-river-reopens-barge-traffic-after-low-water-closures-us-coast-guard-2022-10-10/">briefly shut down traffic</a> on the Mississippi River.During a period of five weeks over the summer, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/08/23/flood-united-states-climate-explainer/">five 1,000-year rainfall events</a> occurred in <a href="https://www.weather.gov/lsx/July262022Flooding">St. Louis</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-intensifying-the-water-cycle-bringing-more-powerful-storms-and-flooding-heres-what-the-science-shows-187951">eastern Kentucky</a>, <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/illinois-flash-flooding-rain-climate-change-184218523.html">southern Illinois</a>, California’s <a href="https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/news/death-valley-experiences-1-000-year-rain-event.htm">Death Valley</a> and <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2022/08/22/dallas-flooding-fort-worth/">Dallas</a>, causing devastating and sometimes deadly flash floods. Severe flooding in Mississippi <a href="https://theconversation.com/intense-heat-and-flooding-are-wreaking-havoc-on-power-and-water-systems-as-climate-change-batters-americas-aging-infrastructure-189761">knocked out Jackson’s troubled water supply</a> for weeks. A <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-making-flooding-worse-3-reasons-the-world-is-seeing-more-record-breaking-deluges-and-flash-floods-185364">historic flood in Montana</a>, brought on by heavy rain and melting snow, forced large areas of Yellowstone National Park to be evacuated. In the fall, <a href="https://www.weather.gov/ilm/HurricaneIan">hurricanes Ian</a> and <a href="https://www.weather.gov/sju/fiona2022">Fiona</a> deluged Florida and Puerto Rico with over 2 feet (6.6 meters) of rain in areas and deadly, destructive storm surge. Ian became <a href="https://apnews.com/article/floods-europe-pakistan-climate-and-environment-87a354ddc9f2333e3175d0578c50a592">one of the most expensive</a> hurricanes in U.S. history. And a <a href="https://theconversation.com/typhoon-merbok-fueled-by-unusually-warm-pacific-ocean-pounded-alaskas-vulnerable-coastal-communities-at-a-critical-time-190898">typhoon pounded</a> 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of the Alaska coast. While too much rainfall threatened some regions, extreme heat and too little precipitation worsened risks elsewhere.Persistent heat waves lingered over many parts of the country, setting temperature records. Wildfires raged in <a href="https://tucson.com/news/local/photos-wildfires-in-arizona-2022/collection_6555f988-c4dd-11ec-a7da-effb4de9da49.html#1">Arizona</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/10/business/new-mexico-climate-change-wildfires-floods.html">New Mexico</a> on the background of a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-022-01290-z">megadrought in the Southwestern U.S.</a> more severe than anything the region has experienced in at least 1,200 years. Drought also left the <a href="https://theconversation.com/record-low-water-levels-on-the-mississippi-river-in-2022-show-how-climate-change-is-altering-large-rivers-193920">Mississippi River so low</a>
 near Memphis in the fall that barges couldn’t get through without 
additional dredging and upstream water releases. That snarled grain 
shipping during the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2022-mississippi-river-drought-global-impact/?sref=Hjm5biAW">critical harvest period</a>. Along the Colorado River, officials discussed even tighter water use restrictions as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/12/17/colorado-river-crisis-conference/">water levels neared dangerously low levels</a> in the major reservoirs. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671575176537.png" alt=" The U.S. had been hit with 15 climate and weather disasters costing over US$1 billion each by the end of September 2022. The map shows disasters from January through September. NCEI/NOAA " />
 <figcaption> The U.S. had been hit with 15 climate and weather disasters costing over US$1 billion each by the end of September 2022. The map shows disasters from January through September. NCEI/NOAA </figcaption>
 </figure>The United States was hardly alone in its climate disasters.In Pakistan, <a href="https://theconversation.com/pakistan-floods-what-role-did-climate-change-play-189833">record monsoon rains</a> inundated more than one-third of the country, killing over 1,500 people. In <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/08/01/living-through-indias-next-level-heat-wave">India</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/07/china-reports-most-severe-heatwave-and-lowest-rainfall-on-record">China</a>,
 prolonged heat waves and droughts dried up rivers, disrupted power 
grids and threatened food security for billions of people. Widespread 
flooding and mudslides brought on by torrential rains also killed 
hundreds of people <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/13/africa/south-africa-floods-climate-intl/index.html">in South Africa</a>, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/death-toll-brazilian-floods-rises-57-thousands-displaced-2022-05-29/">Brazil</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/17/world/africa/nigeria-floods.html">Nigeria</a>.In Europe, heat waves set record temperatures <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/28/human-caused-climate-change-made-uk-heat-wave-10-times-more-likely-study-says/">in Britain</a> and other parts of the continent, leading to severe droughts, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/13/europes-rivers-run-dry-as-scientists-warn-drought-could-be-worst-in-500-years">low river flows that slowed shipping</a>, and wildfires in many parts of the continent. Much of East Africa is still in the grips of a multiyear drought – the <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1131107">worst in over 40 years</a>, according to the United Nations – leaving millions of people vulnerable to food shortages and starvation. This isn’t just a freak year: Such extreme events are occurring with increasing frequency and intensity.<h2>Climate change is intensifying these disasters</h2>The most <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-intensifying-the-water-cycle-bringing-more-powerful-storms-and-flooding-heres-what-the-science-shows-187951">recent global climate assessment</a>
 from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found
 significant increases in both the frequency and intensity of extreme 
temperature and precipitation events, leading to more droughts and 
floods.Extreme flooding and droughts are also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04917-5">getting deadlier and more expensive</a>,
 despite an improving capacity to manage climate risks, a study 
published in 2022 found. Part of the reason is that today’s extreme 
events, enhanced by climate change, often exceed communities’ management
 capabilities.Extreme events, by definition, occur rarely. A 100-year flood has a 
1% chance of happening in any given year. So when such events occur with
 increasing frequency and intensity, they are a clear indication of a 
changing climate state.<h2>Models showed these risks were coming</h2>Much of this is well understood and consistently reproduced by climate models.As the climate warms, a shift in temperature distribution leads to 
more extremes. For example, globally, a 1 degree Celsius increase in 
annual average temperature is associated with a 1.2 C to 1.9 C (2.1 
Fahrenheit to 3.4 F) <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_Chapter11.pdf">increase in the annual maximum temperature</a>.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667578335644.png" alt="The photo on the left shows the Cheyenne Bottoms wetlands in central Kansas filled with water and birds in 2017. The photo on the right shows the same wetlands dry and empty this year as drought parches the region. Catherine Evans / Colby Moorberg / Kansas Geological Survey / Kansas State University" />
 <figcaption>The photo on the left shows the Cheyenne Bottoms wetlands in central Kansas filled with water and birds in 2017. The photo on the right shows the same wetlands dry and empty this year as drought parches the region. Catherine Evans / Colby Moorberg / Kansas Geological Survey / Kansas State University</figcaption>
 </figure>In addition, global warming leads to changes in how the atmosphere 
and ocean move. The temperature difference between the equator and the 
poles is the driving force for global wind. As the polar regions warm at
 much higher rates than the equator, the reduced temperature difference 
causes a weakening of global winds and leads to a <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/global-stilling-is-climate-change-slowing-the-worlds-wind">more meandering jet stream</a>.Some of these changes can create conditions such as persistent 
high-pressure systems and atmospheric blocking that bring more intense 
heat waves. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-heat-dome-an-atmospheric-scientist-explains-the-weather-phenomenon-baking-california-and-the-west-185569">heat domes</a> over the Southern Plains and South in June and in the West in September were both examples.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Buckle in the jet stream can explain how it reached 38°C (100°F) in Canada while dropping significant cold down west and east coasts of North America simultaneously. Very chilly in eastern Canada and Northeast US states. Around record cold here for the time of year. <a href="https://t.co/6hY25JoTpx">pic.twitter.com/6hY25JoTpx</a>&mdash; Scott Duncan (@ScottDuncanWX) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottDuncanWX/status/1538941467686756352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>Warming can be further amplified by positive feedbacks.For example, higher temperatures tend to dry out the soil, and less 
soil moisture reduces the land’s heat capacity, making it easier to heat
 up. More frequent and persistent heat waves lead to excessive 
evaporation, combined with decreased precipitation in some regions, 
causing more severe droughts and more frequent wildfires. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671575360727.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Higher temperatures <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-i/">increase the atmosphere’s capacity</a> to hold moisture at a rate of about 7% per degree Celsius. This increased humidity leads to heavier rainfall events. In addition, storm systems are <a href="https://thinktv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/nves.sci.earth.hurricane/water-vapor-fuels-hurricanes/">fueled by latent heat</a>
 – the large amount of energy released when water vapor condenses to 
liquid water. Increased moisture content in the atmosphere also enhances
 latent heat in storm systems, increasing their intensity. Extreme heavy
 or persistent rainfall leads to increased flooding and landslides, with
 devastating social and economic consequences.Even though it’s difficult to link specific extreme events directly 
to climate change, when these supposedly rare events occur with greater 
frequency in a warming world, it is hard to ignore the changing state of
 our climate. <h2>The new abnormal</h2>This year might provide a glimpse of our near future, as these extreme climate events become more frequent.To say this is the “new normal,” though, is misleading. It suggests 
that we have reached a new stable state, and that is far from the truth.
 Without serious effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions, this trend 
toward more extreme events will continue. This updates an article <a href="https://theconversation.com/looking-back-on-americas-summer-of-heat-floods-and-climate-change-welcome-to-the-new-abnormal-190636">originally published</a> on Sept. 21, 2022.Shuang-Ye Wu is a Professor of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, University of Dayton.<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196713/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe></div>

2022 U.S. climate disasters: A tale of too much, too little rain

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the shy German theologian who tried to reawaken Christianity in a secularized Europe but will forever be remembered as the first pontiff in 600 years to resign from the job, died Saturday. He was 95.

Pope Francis will celebrate his funeral Mass in St. Peter's Square on Thursday, an unprecedented event in which a current pope will celebrate the funeral of a former one.

Benedict stunned the world on Feb. 11, 2013, when he announced, in his typical, soft-spoken Latin, that he no longer had the strength to run the 1.2 billion-strong Catholic Church that he had steered for eight years through scandal and indifference.

His dramatic decision paved the way for the conclave that elected Francis as his successor. The two popes then lived side-by-side in the Vatican gardens, an unprecedented arrangement that set the stage for future “popes emeritus” to do the same.

A statement from Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni on Saturday morning said that: “With sorrow I inform you that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesia Monastery in the Vatican. Further information will be released as soon as possible.”

The Vatican said Benedict’s remains would be on public display in St. Peter’s Basilica starting Monday for the faithful to pay their final respects. Benedict's request was that his funeral would be celebrated solemnly but with “simplicity,” Bruni told reporters.

He added that Benedict, whose health had deteriorated over Christmas, had received the sacrament of the anointing of the sick on Wednesday, after his daily Mass, in the presence of his his longtime secretary and the consecrated women who tend to his household.

The former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had never wanted to be pope, planning at age 78 to spend his final years writing in the “peace and quiet” of his native Bavaria.

Instead, he was forced to follow the footsteps of the beloved St. John Paul II and run the church through the fallout of the clerical sex abuse scandal and then a second scandal that erupted when his own butler stole his personal papers and gave them to a journalist.

Being elected pope, he once said, felt like a “guillotine” had come down on him.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672490465534.png" alt="FILE - Pope Benedict XVI blesses the faithful as he arrives in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican to bless the nativity scene on Dec. 31, 2011. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the German theologian who will be remembered as the first pope in 600 years to resign, has died, the Vatican announced Saturday. He was 95. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - Pope Benedict XVI blesses the faithful as he arrives in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican to bless the nativity scene on Dec. 31, 2011. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the German theologian who will be remembered as the first pope in 600 years to resign, has died, the Vatican announced Saturday. He was 95. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the shy German theologian who tried to reawaken Christianity in a secularized Europe but will forever be remembered as the first pontiff in 600 years to resign from the job, died Saturday. He was 95.Pope Francis will celebrate his funeral Mass in St. Peter's Square on Thursday, an unprecedented event in which a current pope will celebrate the funeral of a former one.Benedict stunned the world on Feb. 11, 2013, when he announced, in his typical, soft-spoken Latin, that he no longer had the strength to run the 1.2 billion-strong Catholic Church that he had steered for eight years through scandal and indifference.His dramatic decision paved the way for the conclave that elected Francis as his successor. The two popes then lived side-by-side in the Vatican gardens, an unprecedented arrangement that set the stage for future “popes emeritus” to do the same.A statement from Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni on Saturday morning said that: “With sorrow I inform you that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesia Monastery in the Vatican. Further information will be released as soon as possible.”The Vatican said Benedict’s remains would be on public display in St. Peter’s Basilica starting Monday for the faithful to pay their final respects. Benedict's request was that his funeral would be celebrated solemnly but with “simplicity,” Bruni told reporters.He added that Benedict, whose health had deteriorated over Christmas, had received the sacrament of the anointing of the sick on Wednesday, after his daily Mass, in the presence of his his longtime secretary and the consecrated women who tend to his household.The former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had never wanted to be pope, planning at age 78 to spend his final years writing in the “peace and quiet” of his native Bavaria.Instead, he was forced to follow the footsteps of the beloved St. John Paul II and run the church through the fallout of the clerical sex abuse scandal and then a second scandal that erupted when his own butler stole his personal papers and gave them to a journalist.Being elected pope, he once said, felt like a “guillotine” had come down on him.Nevertheless, he set about the job with a single-minded vision to rekindle the faith in a world that, he frequently lamented, seemed to think it could do without God.“In vast areas of the world today, there is a strange forgetfulness of God,” he told 1 million young people gathered on a vast field for his first foreign trip as pope, to World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany, in 2005. “It seems as if everything would be just the same even without him.”With some decisive, often controversial moves, he tried to remind Europe of its Christian heritage. And he set the Catholic Church on a conservative, tradition-minded path that often alienated progressives. He relaxed the restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass and launched a crackdown on American nuns, insisting that the church stay true to its doctrine and traditions in the face of a changing world. It was a path that in many ways was reversed by his successor, Francis, whose mercy-over-morals priorities alienated the traditionalists who had been so indulged by Benedict.Benedict’s style couldn’t have been more different from that of John Paul or Francis. No globe-trotting media darling or populist, Benedict was a teacher, theologian and academic to the core: quiet and pensive with a fierce mind. He spoke in paragraphs, not soundbites. He had a weakness for orange Fanta as well as his beloved library; when he was elected pope, he had his entire study moved — as is — from his apartment just outside the Vatican walls into the Apostolic Palace. The books followed him to his retirement home.“In them are all my advisers,” he said of his books in the 2010 book-length interview “Light of the World.” “I know every nook and cranny, and everything has its history.”It was Benedict’s devotion to history and tradition that endeared him to members of the traditionalist wing of the Catholic Church. For them, Benedict remained even in retirement a beacon of nostalgia for the orthodoxy and Latin Mass of their youth — and the pope they much preferred over Francis.In time, this group of arch-conservatives, whose complaints were amplified by sympathetic U.S.-based conservative Catholic media, would become a key source of opposition to Francis who responded to what he said were threats of division by reimposing the restrictions on the old Latin Mass that Benedict had loosened.Like his predecessor John Paul, Benedict made reaching out to Jews a hallmark of his papacy. His first official act as pope was a letter to Rome’s Jewish community and he became the second pope in history, after John Paul, to enter a synagogue.In his 2011 book, “Jesus of Nazareth,” Benedict made a sweeping exoneration of the Jewish people for the death of Christ, explaining biblically and theologically why there was no basis in Scripture for the argument that the Jewish people as a whole were responsible for Jesus’ death.“It’s very clear Benedict is a true friend of the Jewish people,” said Rabbi David Rosen, who heads the interreligious relations office for the American Jewish Committee, at the time of Benedict’s retirement.Yet Benedict also offended some Jews who were incensed at his constant defense of and promotion toward sainthood of Pope Pius XII, the World War II-era pope accused by some of having failed to sufficiently denounce the Holocaust. And they harshly criticized Benedict when he removed the excommunication of a traditionalist British bishop who had denied the Holocaust.Benedict’s relations with the Muslim world were also a mixed bag. He riled Muslims with a speech in September 2006 — five years after the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States — in which he quoted a Byzantine emperor who characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as “evil and inhuman,” particularly his command to spread the faith “by the sword.”A subsequent comment after the massacre of Christians in Egypt led the Al Azhar center in Cairo, the seat of Sunni Muslim learning, to suspend ties with the Vatican, which were only restored under Francis.The Vatican under Benedict suffered notorious PR gaffes, and sometimes Benedict himself was to blame. He enraged the United Nations and several European governments in 2009 when, en route to Africa, he told reporters that the AIDS problem couldn’t be resolved by distributing condoms.“On the contrary, it increases the problem,” Benedict said. A year later, he issued a revision saying that if a male prostitute were to use a condom to avoid passing HIV to his partner, he might be taking a first step toward a more responsible sexuality.But Benedict’s legacy was irreversibly colored by the global eruption in 2010 of the sex abuse scandal, even though as a cardinal he was responsible for turning the Vatican around on the issue.Documents revealed that the Vatican knew very well of the problem yet turned a blind eye for decades, at times rebuffing bishops who tried to do the right thing.Benedict had firsthand knowledge of the scope of the problem, since his old office — the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which he had headed since 1982 — was responsible for dealing with abuse cases.In fact, it was he who, before becoming pope, took the then-revolutionary decision in 2001 to assume responsibility for processing those cases after he realized bishops around the world weren’t punishing abusers but were just moving them from parish to parish where they could rape again.And once he became pope, Benedict essentially reversed his beloved predecessor, John Paul, by taking action against the 20th century’s most notorious pedophile priest, the Rev. Marcial Maciel. Benedict took over Maciel’s Legionaries of Christ, a conservative religious order held up as a model of orthodoxy by John Paul, after it was revealed that Maciel sexually abused seminarians and fathered at least three children.In retirement, Benedict was faulted by an independent report for his handling of four priests while he was bishop of Munich; he denied any personal wrongdoing but apologized for any “grievous faults.”As soon as the abuse scandal calmed down for Benedict, another one erupted.In October 2012, Benedict’s former butler, Paolo Gabriele, was convicted of aggravated theft after Vatican police found a huge stash of papal documents in his apartment. Gabriele told Vatican investigators he gave the documents to Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi because he thought the pope wasn’t being informed of the “evil and corruption” in the Vatican and that exposing it publicly would put the church on the right track.Once the “Vatileaks” scandal was resolved, including with a papal pardon of Gabriele, Benedict felt free to take the extraordinary decision that he had hinted at previously: He announced that he would resign rather than die in office as all his predecessors had done for almost six centuries.“After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths due to an advanced age are no longer suited” to the demands of being the pope, he told cardinals.He made his last public appearances in February 2013 and then boarded a helicopter to the papal summer retreat at Castel Gandolfo, to sit out the conclave in private. Benedict then largely kept to his word that he would live a life of prayer in retirement, emerging only occasionally from his converted monastery for special events and writing occasional book prefaces and messages.Usually they were innocuous, but one 2020 book — in which Benedict defended the celibate priesthood at a time when Francis was considering an exception — sparked demands for future “popes emeritus” to keep quiet.Despite his very different style and priorities, Francis frequently said that having Benedict in the Vatican was like having a “wise grandfather” living at home.Benedict was often misunderstood: Nicknamed “God’s Rottweiler” by the unsympathetic media, he was actually a very sweet and fiercely smart academic who devoted his life to serving the church he loved.“Thank you for having given us the luminous example of the simple and humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord,” Benedict’s longtime deputy, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, told him in one of his final public events as pope.Benedict inherited the seemingly impossible task of following in the footsteps of John Paul when he was elected the 265th leader of the Church on April 19, 2005. He was the oldest pope elected in 275 years and the first German in nearly 1,000 years.Born April 16, 1927, in Marktl Am Inn, in Bavaria, Benedict wrote in his memoirs of being enlisted in the Nazi youth movement against his will in 1941, when he was 14 and membership was compulsory. He deserted the German army in April 1945, the waning days of the war.Benedict was ordained, along with his brother, Georg, in 1951. After spending several years teaching theology in Germany, he was appointed bishop of Munich in 1977 and elevated to cardinal three months later by Pope Paul VI.His brother Georg was a frequent visitor to the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo until he died in 2020. His sister died years previously. His “papal family” consisted of Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, his longtime private secretary who was always by his side, another secretary and consecrated women who tended to the papal apartment.