SALINE COUNTY —The Rolling Hills Zoo family is grieving the loss of Boo Boo, their male Andean bear, at the age of 28. 

The median lifespan of an Andean bear, also known as the spectacled bear, is 20 years old in human care, and in the wild is unknown.

As the keepers were doing their morning checks they discovered that Boo Boo was experiencing acute mobility issues. Upon further examination by the animal care staff it became clear that recovery was not possible and the quality of his life would be severely impacted. It was determined that humanly euthanizing him was the kindest option available.

Born on February 12, 1994, at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, Lincoln Neb., Boo Boo moved to Rolling Hills Zoo in 2007 on a breeding recommendation to breed with Japura, Rolling Hills Zoo’s female Andean bear. Sadly they were never able to conceive.

A long-time fan favorite at Rolling Hills Zoo, Boo Boo could often be found enjoying the cooling waters of his pool, relaxing in his hammock, or forging for special treats left for him in his yard by the keepers.

Boo Boo was a smart bear, and the keepers were convinced he could count. 

“To get him inside at night we had to give him five peanuts,” explained Vickie Musselman, Rolling Hills Zoo register. “As we would give the peanuts to him one by one, he would hold them in his mouth until you gave him five. Once you gave him the fifth one he would drop them on the ground and proceed to eat them, but not until he had five.”

“Boo Boo’s favorite food was peanut butter, honey, and salmon,” said Anna Klaas, Rolling Hills Zoo keeper. “He loved sitting in his pond for a nice soak on a hot day, and was a gentlemen to Japura, letting her sit in his hammocks even though she would vocalize at him to move. He would also call for her every morning afternoon and evening.”

“It has been a rough couple of weeks. It’s always tough to lose animals friends as they age,” said Ryan VanZant, Rolling Hills Zoo executive director. “Boo Boo was beloved by our staff and guests. He certainly embodied our mission statement by touching the hearts of our guests, and he was quite an ambassador for his species by igniting a passion to save them in the wild.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656366418979.jpeg" alt="Boo Boo the&nbsp;Andean bear. Photo courtesy Rolling Hills Zoo" />
 <figcaption>Boo Boo the&nbsp;Andean bear. Photo courtesy Rolling Hills Zoo</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —The Rolling Hills Zoo family is grieving the loss of Boo Boo, their male Andean bear, at the age of 28. The median lifespan of an Andean bear, also known as the spectacled bear, is 20 years old in human care, and in the wild is unknown.As the keepers were doing their morning checks they discovered that Boo Boo was experiencing acute mobility issues. Upon further examination by the animal care staff it became clear that recovery was not possible and the quality of his life would be severely impacted. It was determined that humanly euthanizing him was the kindest option available.Born on February 12, 1994, at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, Lincoln Neb., Boo Boo moved to Rolling Hills Zoo in 2007 on a breeding recommendation to breed with Japura, Rolling Hills Zoo’s female Andean bear. Sadly they were never able to conceive.A long-time fan favorite at Rolling Hills Zoo, Boo Boo could often be found enjoying the cooling waters of his pool, relaxing in his hammock, or forging for special treats left for him in his yard by the keepers.Boo Boo was a smart bear, and the keepers were convinced he could count. “To get him inside at night we had to give him five peanuts,” explained Vickie Musselman, Rolling Hills Zoo register. “As we would give the peanuts to him one by one, he would hold them in his mouth until you gave him five. Once you gave him the fifth one he would drop them on the ground and proceed to eat them, but not until he had five.”“Boo Boo’s favorite food was peanut butter, honey, and salmon,” said Anna Klaas, Rolling Hills Zoo keeper. “He loved sitting in his pond for a nice soak on a hot day, and was a gentlemen to Japura, letting her sit in his hammocks even though she would vocalize at him to move. He would also call for her every morning afternoon and evening.”“It has been a rough couple of weeks. It’s always tough to lose animals friends as they age,” said Ryan VanZant, Rolling Hills Zoo executive director. “Boo Boo was beloved by our staff and guests. He certainly embodied our mission statement by touching the hearts of our guests, and he was quite an ambassador for his species by igniting a passion to save them in the wild.”

Kansas zoo grieves loss of 28-year-old Andean bear Boo Boo

By LILY O'SHEA BECKER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/16/hospital-staffing-shortages-contribute-to-lower-hospital-bed-availability-across-kansas/">Kansas Reflector</a>

Hospital bed availability is lower across Kansas than it was at this time last year, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.motient.io/about/">Motient</a>, which operates <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/09/10/inside-mission-control-hospital-capacity-in-kansas-at-its-worst-with-latest-covid-19-surge/">software that assists health systems with medical transports</a>.

The Kansas Hospital Association 
attributes the bed space to a statewide staffing shortage that has 
lingered along with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“However, as I’ve been visiting with 
our hospitals, it seems as though that we’re still able to accommodate 
all the patient needs that are being requested for health care services 
at this point,” said Chad Austin, president and CEO of the association.

Motient calls approximately 40 of 
Kansas’ receiving and potential receiving hospitals — hospitals equipped
 to serve patients in critical condition — twice a day to get an update 
on hospital bed availability. Motient ranks hospital bed availability on
 a scale from one to three, with one representing hospital beds 
available and three representing low hospital bed availability.

“Last summer, going into June, July, again, we were 1.5, 1.6, 1.7. Well, now we’re 2.4, 2.3,” said Richard Watson, co-founder of Motient.

For the University of Kansas Health 
System, an academic medical hospital, bed availability is always low, as
 patients are sometimes subjected to a waiting list for advanced medical
 care, according to spokeswoman Jill Chadwick.

Chadwick wrote in an email that COVID-19 is contributing to the hospital staff shortage.

“We still have people testing positive who aren’t all that sick, but they can’t come to work,” she wrote.

The longer-term question, according to Watson, is rural hospital viability. Sixty-eight percent of hospitals in Kansas are in rural areas, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kha-net.org/DataProductsandServices/STAT/HospitalCharacteristics/CommunityHospitalsbyBedSize/">according to the Kansas Hospital Association</a>.

Rural hospitals have less staff and 
therefore are affected by staff turnover, said Ron Marshall, director of
 preparedness and regulatory affairs at the Kansas Hospital Association.

“Going into fall, if we do have a 
surge, it’s not going to take much to really put us right back in the 
spot we were last year,” Watson said. “I think that’s the message year 
on year, it just looks more fragile this fall or this summer than it did
 last summer.”

The seven-day average of Kansas 
COVID-19 hospitalizations for the week of June 14, 2021, was 138. A year
 later, the average is 140, <a target="_blank" href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/region/us/kansas">according to John Hopkins University</a>. COVID-19 cases are higher than they were at this time last year.

The Kansas Department for Health and Environment reported 3,949 new 
cases and 3 new deaths from COVID-19 last week. The virus has killed 
8,943 Kansans since the start of the pandemic, according to KDHE 
numbers.

Motient saw <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/12/15/our-greatest-challenge-latest-covid-19-surge-threatens-kansas-hospitals-again-as-omicron-looms/">a turning point in December</a>,
 when hospitals were most overwhelmed. There was a 5% increase in death 
rates while patients waited to be transferred to receiving hospitals, 
according to Watson. The company then put an emphasis on ensuring 
patients were being transferred appropriately.

“One of Motient’s biggest support or 
supportive tools to hospitals was that they were helping transfer 
patients,” said Cindy Samuelson, spokeswoman for the Kansas Hospital 
Association.

Watson recommends — when applicable —
 “moving patients backwards.” He said there is an ability to transfer 
patients back to local hospitals once they’ve reached a stable enough 
condition in receiving hospitals.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655487867340.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By LILY O'SHEA BECKER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/16/hospital-staffing-shortages-contribute-to-lower-hospital-bed-availability-across-kansas/">Kansas Reflector</a>Hospital bed availability is lower across Kansas than it was at this time last year, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.motient.io/about/">Motient</a>, which operates <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/09/10/inside-mission-control-hospital-capacity-in-kansas-at-its-worst-with-latest-covid-19-surge/">software that assists health systems with medical transports</a>.The Kansas Hospital Association 
attributes the bed space to a statewide staffing shortage that has 
lingered along with the COVID-19 pandemic.“However, as I’ve been visiting with 
our hospitals, it seems as though that we’re still able to accommodate 
all the patient needs that are being requested for health care services 
at this point,” said Chad Austin, president and CEO of the association.Motient calls approximately 40 of 
Kansas’ receiving and potential receiving hospitals — hospitals equipped
 to serve patients in critical condition — twice a day to get an update 
on hospital bed availability. Motient ranks hospital bed availability on
 a scale from one to three, with one representing hospital beds 
available and three representing low hospital bed availability.“Last summer, going into June, July, again, we were 1.5, 1.6, 1.7. Well, now we’re 2.4, 2.3,” said Richard Watson, co-founder of Motient.For the University of Kansas Health 
System, an academic medical hospital, bed availability is always low, as
 patients are sometimes subjected to a waiting list for advanced medical
 care, according to spokeswoman Jill Chadwick.Chadwick wrote in an email that COVID-19 is contributing to the hospital staff shortage.“We still have people testing positive who aren’t all that sick, but they can’t come to work,” she wrote.The longer-term question, according to Watson, is rural hospital viability. Sixty-eight percent of hospitals in Kansas are in rural areas, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kha-net.org/DataProductsandServices/STAT/HospitalCharacteristics/CommunityHospitalsbyBedSize/">according to the Kansas Hospital Association</a>.Rural hospitals have less staff and 
therefore are affected by staff turnover, said Ron Marshall, director of
 preparedness and regulatory affairs at the Kansas Hospital Association.“Going into fall, if we do have a 
surge, it’s not going to take much to really put us right back in the 
spot we were last year,” Watson said. “I think that’s the message year 
on year, it just looks more fragile this fall or this summer than it did
 last summer.”The seven-day average of Kansas 
COVID-19 hospitalizations for the week of June 14, 2021, was 138. A year
 later, the average is 140, <a target="_blank" href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/region/us/kansas">according to John Hopkins University</a>. COVID-19 cases are higher than they were at this time last year.The Kansas Department for Health and Environment reported 3,949 new 
cases and 3 new deaths from COVID-19 last week. The virus has killed 
8,943 Kansans since the start of the pandemic, according to KDHE 
numbers.Motient saw <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/12/15/our-greatest-challenge-latest-covid-19-surge-threatens-kansas-hospitals-again-as-omicron-looms/">a turning point in December</a>,
 when hospitals were most overwhelmed. There was a 5% increase in death 
rates while patients waited to be transferred to receiving hospitals, 
according to Watson. The company then put an emphasis on ensuring 
patients were being transferred appropriately.“One of Motient’s biggest support or 
supportive tools to hospitals was that they were helping transfer 
patients,” said Cindy Samuelson, spokeswoman for the Kansas Hospital 
Association.Watson recommends — when applicable —
 “moving patients backwards.” He said there is an ability to transfer 
patients back to local hospitals once they’ve reached a stable enough 
condition in receiving hospitals.Cover image courtesy Pixabay

Staffing shortages contribute to lack of hospital beds in Kansas

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man accused in a Super Bowl weekend killing made his first court appearance Thursday.

<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=18849204">Justin Macormac, 25 of Wichita, </a>is charged with two counts of 1st degree murder, aggravated robbery, and criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

On Valentine's Day while conducting a follow-up investigations of a drive by shooting that occurred on February 7 near 13th and Lavon in Wichita, investigators identified Macormac as the suspect, according to Officer Charley Davidson.

 Officers from the Violent Crimes Community Response Team, along with assistance from the US Marshal’s Task Force, apprehended Macormac at a Wichita gas station.&nbsp;&nbsp;

While taking him into custody, officers located a stolen 9mm carbine with a high capacity magazine. Macormac is a convicted felon prohibited from possessing a firearm. He was originally booked charges of criminal possession of a firearm, possession of controlled substances, aggravated assault and criminal discharge of a firearm.

His next court appearance is June 30.&nbsp; He remains jailed on a$250,000 bond, according to the district attorney.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655924835194.png" alt="Macormac photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Macormac photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man accused in a Super Bowl weekend killing made his first court appearance Thursday.<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=18849204">Justin Macormac, 25 of Wichita, </a>is charged with two counts of 1st degree murder, aggravated robbery, and criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655924767929.png" alt="While taking him into custody, officers located a stolen 9mm carbine with a high capacity magazine-photo Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>While taking him into custody, officers located a stolen 9mm carbine with a high capacity magazine-photo Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure>On Valentine's Day while conducting a follow-up investigations of a drive by shooting that occurred on February 7 near 13th and Lavon in Wichita, investigators identified Macormac as the suspect, according to Officer Charley Davidson. Officers from the Violent Crimes Community Response Team, along with assistance from the US Marshal’s Task Force, apprehended Macormac at a Wichita gas station.&nbsp;&nbsp;While taking him into custody, officers located a stolen 9mm carbine with a high capacity magazine. Macormac is a convicted felon prohibited from possessing a firearm. He was originally booked charges of criminal possession of a firearm, possession of controlled substances, aggravated assault and criminal discharge of a firearm.His next court appearance is June 30.&nbsp; He remains jailed on a$250,000 bond, according to the district attorney.&nbsp;

Kan. murder suspect had stolen gun with high capacity magazine

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect after a weekend chase across state lines.

Just before 5 a.m. Saturday, officers attempted to stop a pickup truck pulling a trailer in the area of 10th and U.S.59, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.&nbsp; Police were following a tip&nbsp;that the truck was stolen. 

The vehicle fled westbound on U.S.59 and subsequently into the Branchton area and then back to U.S.59 where it went eastbound and into Missouri. 

At that point an Atchison County sheriff's deputy pursued the vehicle into Missouri. The vehicle continued to flee but returned eastbound and was on the Amelia Earhart bridge when he saw APD patrol cars on the west side of the bridge and turned around on the bridge and was again eastbound on U.S.59. 

A police officer on the east end of the bridge deployed stop sticks and while doing so the stop stick cord, which the officer was holding, made contact with the fleeing vehicle and trailer and injured the officer's hand. 

&nbsp;The officer was treated for that injury at an area hospital and released, according to Wilson.

The Atchison County Sheriff's deputy continued to pursue the vehicle into Platte County where the vehicle was stopped by Platte County deputies and took the driver identified as 29-year-old Michael Diblasi0, according to online jail records,&nbsp; into custody. He remains jailed without bond.

There was a motorcycle on that trailer that had been stolen from the 200 block North 9th Street in Atchison, according to Wilson.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656342859008.png" alt="Diblasio-photo Platt County" />
 <figcaption>Diblasio-photo Platt County</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect after a weekend chase across state lines.Just before 5 a.m. Saturday, officers attempted to stop a pickup truck pulling a trailer in the area of 10th and U.S.59, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.&nbsp; Police were following a tip&nbsp;that the truck was stolen. The vehicle fled westbound on U.S.59 and subsequently into the Branchton area and then back to U.S.59 where it went eastbound and into Missouri. At that point an Atchison County sheriff's deputy pursued the vehicle into Missouri. The vehicle continued to flee but returned eastbound and was on the Amelia Earhart bridge when he saw APD patrol cars on the west side of the bridge and turned around on the bridge and was again eastbound on U.S.59. A police officer on the east end of the bridge deployed stop sticks and while doing so the stop stick cord, which the officer was holding, made contact with the fleeing vehicle and trailer and injured the officer's hand. &nbsp;The officer was treated for that injury at an area hospital and released, according to Wilson.The Atchison County Sheriff's deputy continued to pursue the vehicle into Platte County where the vehicle was stopped by Platte County deputies and took the driver identified as 29-year-old Michael Diblasi0, according to online jail records,&nbsp; into custody. He remains jailed without bond.There was a motorcycle on that trailer that had been stolen from the 200 block North 9th Street in Atchison, according to Wilson.

Suspect arrested after 2-state chase in stolen truck

HARVEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities in Newton reported&nbsp; getting questions about Facebook posts in public groups warning of dangerous criminals on the loose.

According to the police department, the original poster profiles are from Zimbabwe, a country in Africa.

Police to search the text of the post, and you will ll find the same post in community groups all across the country.

Police say they don't know the purpose of these posts, but many people share them to warn friends and wind up creating panic and fear in the community.

According to Newton Police, "If you see a post like this, please consider whether the source is credible, and feel free to reach out to us to confirm it. Our official PD page is your best source of information about public safety in our community.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656353177791.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HARVEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities in Newton reported&nbsp; getting questions about Facebook posts in public groups warning of dangerous criminals on the loose.According to the police department, the original poster profiles are from Zimbabwe, a country in Africa.Police to search the text of the post, and you will ll find the same post in community groups all across the country.Police say they don't know the purpose of these posts, but many people share them to warn friends and wind up creating panic and fear in the community.According to Newton Police, "If you see a post like this, please consider whether the source is credible, and feel free to reach out to us to confirm it. Our official PD page is your best source of information about public safety in our community.

Police warn of fake stories on facebook upsetting the community

KANSAS CITY (AP) —The Supreme Court’s decision to end the nation’s constitutional protections for abortion has catapulted businesses of all types into the most divisive corner of politics.

Some companies that stayed silent last month — when a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-07439f9fc4542f1500ab78dfd34036b1">draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito was leaked to Politico</a>&nbsp;— spoke up for the first time Friday, including The Walt Disney Company, which said it will reimburse employees who must travel out of state to get an abortion.

Facebook parent Meta, American Express, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs also said they would cover employee travel costs while others like Apple, Starbucks, Lyft and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-covid-technology-politics-health-f948ba6b05102ed11273a003b0d20de6">Yelp</a>&nbsp;reiterated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-abortion-us-supreme-court-health-business-52cbf7dd6ec4391c8e3be766bc7c6f66">previous announcements</a>&nbsp;taking similar action. Outdoor clothing maker Patagonia went so far as to post on LinkedIn Friday that it would provide “training and bail for those who peacefully protest for reproductive justice” and time off to vote.

But of the dozens of big businesses that The Associated Press reached out to Friday, many like McDonald’s, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, General Motors, Tyson and Marriott did not respond. Arkansas-based Walmart — the nation’s largest employer with a good portion of its stores in states that will immediately trigger abortion bans following the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">Friday’s Supreme Court ruling</a>&nbsp;— also kept quiet.

Meanwhile, the Business Roundtable, an organization that represents some of the nation’s most powerful companies, said it “does not have a position on the merits of the case.”

A lot is at stake for companies, many of which have publicly pledged to promote women’s equality and advancement in the workplace. For those in states with restrictive abortion laws, they could now face big challenges in attracting college-educated workers who can easily move around.

Luis von Ahn, the CEO of the language app Duolingo, sent a tweet Friday aimed at lawmakers in Pennsylvania, where the company is headquartered: “If PA makes abortion illegal, we won’t be able to attract talent and we’ll have to grow our offices elsewhere.”

The ruling and the coming patchwork of abortion bans also threatens the technology boom in places like Austin, Texas as companies like Dell -- which was already becoming more flexible to remote work because of the tight labor market -- struggle to recruit newly minted tech graduates to their corporate hubs, said Steven Pedigo, a professor who studies economic development at the University of Texas at Austin.

“Rather than stay in Austin, do you go to New York or Seattle or the Bay Area? I think that’s a real possibility,” Pedigo said. “It becomes much more challenging, particularly when you’re looking at a young, progressive workforce, which is what technology workers tend to be.”

Emily M. Dickens, chief of staff and head of government affairs for the Society for Human Resource Management, said in a statement that nearly a quarter of organizations in a recent poll agreed that offering a health savings account to cover travel for reproductive care in another state will enhance their ability to compete for talent.

“But how these policies interact with state laws is unclear, and employers should be aware of the legal risks involved,” she said.

Dickens noted that companies that use third-party administrator to process claims on their behalf — typically big employers — are subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act rather than state law. But companies that have to buy their own health insurance for their employees — typically small businesses — are subject to state regulations and have less flexibility in designing benefits.

Offering to cover travel expenses could also make companies a target for anti-abortion lawmakers. In March, Texas State Representative Briscoe Cain, a Republican, sent a cease-and-desist letter to Citigroup, saying he would propose legislation barring localities in the state from doing business with any company that provides travel benefits for employees seeking abortions.

In his concurring opinion released Friday, Justice Brett Kavanaugh suggested it would be unconstitutional for a state to bar residents from traveling to another state to get an abortion.

“In my view, the answer is no based on the constitutional right to interstate travel,” Kavanaugh wrote.

But a corporation’s right to fund what would be an illegal act in another state is still questionable, argues Teresa Collett, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas.

“That’s not an interstate commerce question, per se,” she said. “So you’d need the right plaintiff.”

Meanwhile, tech companies are facing tough questions about what they’ll do if some of their millions of customers in the U.S. are prosecuted for having an abortion. Services like Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft routinely hand over digital data sought by law enforcement agencies pursuing criminal investigations. That’s raised concerns from privacy advocates about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-technology-health-government-and-politics-f372714bd13846d62e2ac8c5d8e233d5">enforcers of abortion laws tapping into period apps</a>, phone location data and other sensitive online health information.

A letter Friday from four Democrats in Congress&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-technology-data-privacy-mobile-phones-30999c52b3144490c7c97d89f9a6451d">called on the Federal Trade Commission</a>&nbsp;to investigate the phone-tracking practices of Google and Apple, warning that location identifiers used for advertising could fall into the hands of prosecutors or bounty hunters looking “to hunt down women who have obtained or are seeking an abortion.”

The Supreme Court ruling comes at a time when companies have become increasingly reliant on women to fill jobs, and especially as they face a nationwide labor shortage. Women now account for nearly 50% of the U.S. workforce, up dramatically from 37.5% in 1970 — three years before the Supreme Court ruled abortions to be legal in Roe vs. Wade — according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Denied access to abortion could hit low-income workers the hardest because they’re typically in jobs with fewer protections and that are also demanding, from loading groceries onto store shelves to working as a health aide.

“As a direct result of this ruling, more women will be forced to choose between paying their rent or traveling long distances to receive safe abortion care,” said Mary Kay Henry, international president of the Service Employees International Union, which represents nearly 2 million janitors, health care workers and teachers in the U.S. “Working women are already struggling in poverty-wage jobs without paid leave and many are also shouldering the caregiving responsibilities for their families, typically unpaid.”

Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants told The Associated Press that the ruling was “devastating.”

“It cuts to the core of all the work that our union has done for 75 years,” she said. “This decision is not about whether or not someone supports abortion. That’s the distraction ... This is about whether or not we respect the rights of women to determine their own future.”

Maurice Schweitzer, a professor at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, said the handful of companies are taking a stand on the court’s ruling because their customers and employees are expecting them to speak out.

“We’re in this moment in time where we’re expecting corporate leaders to also be leaders in the political sphere,” he said. “A lot of employees expect to work in companies that not only pay them well, but whose values are aligned with theirs.”

But the vast majority of executives will likely avoid the thorny topic and focus on things like inflation or supply chain disruptions, he said.

“They can either support travel for out-of-state care and risk lawsuits and the ire of local politicians, or they can not include this coverage and risk the ire of employees,” Schweitzer said.

KANSAS CITY (AP) —The Supreme Court’s decision to end the nation’s constitutional protections for abortion has catapulted businesses of all types into the most divisive corner of politics.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/TvOX7rNkkr">pic.twitter.com/TvOX7rNkkr</a>&mdash; DICK&#39;S Sporting Goods (@DICKS) <a href="https://twitter.com/DICKS/status/1540399862688223234?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Some companies that stayed silent last month — when a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-07439f9fc4542f1500ab78dfd34036b1">draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito was leaked to Politico</a>&nbsp;— spoke up for the first time Friday, including The Walt Disney Company, which said it will reimburse employees who must travel out of state to get an abortion.Facebook parent Meta, American Express, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs also said they would cover employee travel costs while others like Apple, Starbucks, Lyft and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-covid-technology-politics-health-f948ba6b05102ed11273a003b0d20de6">Yelp</a>&nbsp;reiterated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-abortion-us-supreme-court-health-business-52cbf7dd6ec4391c8e3be766bc7c6f66">previous announcements</a>&nbsp;taking similar action. Outdoor clothing maker Patagonia went so far as to post on LinkedIn Friday that it would provide “training and bail for those who peacefully protest for reproductive justice” and time off to vote.But of the dozens of big businesses that The Associated Press reached out to Friday, many like McDonald’s, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, General Motors, Tyson and Marriott did not respond. Arkansas-based Walmart — the nation’s largest employer with a good portion of its stores in states that will immediately trigger abortion bans following the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">Friday’s Supreme Court ruling</a>&nbsp;— also kept quiet.Meanwhile, the Business Roundtable, an organization that represents some of the nation’s most powerful companies, said it “does not have a position on the merits of the case.”A lot is at stake for companies, many of which have publicly pledged to promote women’s equality and advancement in the workplace. For those in states with restrictive abortion laws, they could now face big challenges in attracting college-educated workers who can easily move around.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Starbucks will always ensure partners have access to quality healthcare. Enrolled partners will be offered reimbursement for eligible travel expenses when accessing abortion or gender-affirming procedures not available within 100 miles of their home. <a href="https://t.co/K2gQYdxIMZ">https://t.co/K2gQYdxIMZ</a>&mdash; Starbucks News (@StarbucksNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/StarbucksNews/status/1526200591579594753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Luis von Ahn, the CEO of the language app Duolingo, sent a tweet Friday aimed at lawmakers in Pennsylvania, where the company is headquartered: “If PA makes abortion illegal, we won’t be able to attract talent and we’ll have to grow our offices elsewhere.”The ruling and the coming patchwork of abortion bans also threatens the technology boom in places like Austin, Texas as companies like Dell -- which was already becoming more flexible to remote work because of the tight labor market -- struggle to recruit newly minted tech graduates to their corporate hubs, said Steven Pedigo, a professor who studies economic development at the University of Texas at Austin.“Rather than stay in Austin, do you go to New York or Seattle or the Bay Area? I think that’s a real possibility,” Pedigo said. “It becomes much more challenging, particularly when you’re looking at a young, progressive workforce, which is what technology workers tend to be.”Emily M. Dickens, chief of staff and head of government affairs for the Society for Human Resource Management, said in a statement that nearly a quarter of organizations in a recent poll agreed that offering a health savings account to cover travel for reproductive care in another state will enhance their ability to compete for talent.“But how these policies interact with state laws is unclear, and employers should be aware of the legal risks involved,” she said.Dickens noted that companies that use third-party administrator to process claims on their behalf — typically big employers — are subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act rather than state law. But companies that have to buy their own health insurance for their employees — typically small businesses — are subject to state regulations and have less flexibility in designing benefits.Offering to cover travel expenses could also make companies a target for anti-abortion lawmakers. In March, Texas State Representative Briscoe Cain, a Republican, sent a cease-and-desist letter to Citigroup, saying he would propose legislation barring localities in the state from doing business with any company that provides travel benefits for employees seeking abortions.In his concurring opinion released Friday, Justice Brett Kavanaugh suggested it would be unconstitutional for a state to bar residents from traveling to another state to get an abortion.“In my view, the answer is no based on the constitutional right to interstate travel,” Kavanaugh wrote.But a corporation’s right to fund what would be an illegal act in another state is still questionable, argues Teresa Collett, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas.“That’s not an interstate commerce question, per se,” she said. “So you’d need the right plaintiff.”Meanwhile, tech companies are facing tough questions about what they’ll do if some of their millions of customers in the U.S. are prosecuted for having an abortion. Services like Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft routinely hand over digital data sought by law enforcement agencies pursuing criminal investigations. That’s raised concerns from privacy advocates about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-technology-health-government-and-politics-f372714bd13846d62e2ac8c5d8e233d5">enforcers of abortion laws tapping into period apps</a>, phone location data and other sensitive online health information.A letter Friday from four Democrats in Congress&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-technology-data-privacy-mobile-phones-30999c52b3144490c7c97d89f9a6451d">called on the Federal Trade Commission</a>&nbsp;to investigate the phone-tracking practices of Google and Apple, warning that location identifiers used for advertising could fall into the hands of prosecutors or bounty hunters looking “to hunt down women who have obtained or are seeking an abortion.”The Supreme Court ruling comes at a time when companies have become increasingly reliant on women to fill jobs, and especially as they face a nationwide labor shortage. Women now account for nearly 50% of the U.S. workforce, up dramatically from 37.5% in 1970 — three years before the Supreme Court ruled abortions to be legal in Roe vs. Wade — according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.Denied access to abortion could hit low-income workers the hardest because they’re typically in jobs with fewer protections and that are also demanding, from loading groceries onto store shelves to working as a health aide.“As a direct result of this ruling, more women will be forced to choose between paying their rent or traveling long distances to receive safe abortion care,” said Mary Kay Henry, international president of the Service Employees International Union, which represents nearly 2 million janitors, health care workers and teachers in the U.S. “Working women are already struggling in poverty-wage jobs without paid leave and many are also shouldering the caregiving responsibilities for their families, typically unpaid.”Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants told The Associated Press that the ruling was “devastating.”“It cuts to the core of all the work that our union has done for 75 years,” she said. “This decision is not about whether or not someone supports abortion. That’s the distraction ... This is about whether or not we respect the rights of women to determine their own future.”Maurice Schweitzer, a professor at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, said the handful of companies are taking a stand on the court’s ruling because their customers and employees are expecting them to speak out.“We’re in this moment in time where we’re expecting corporate leaders to also be leaders in the political sphere,” he said. “A lot of employees expect to work in companies that not only pay them well, but whose values are aligned with theirs.”But the vast majority of executives will likely avoid the thorny topic and focus on things like inflation or supply chain disruptions, he said.That, too, comes with risks.“They can either support travel for out-of-state care and risk lawsuits and the ire of local politicians, or they can not include this coverage and risk the ire of employees,” Schweitzer said.___

Abortion ruling thrusts companies into divisive arena

By JOHN C. DANFORTH <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/06/27/lets-fix-our-toxic-politics/">Courtesy Missouri Independent</a>

When Eric Greitens posted <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/EricGreitens/status/1518590662777749509">his April 25 tweet</a>, I thought, “this is the craziest thing I have ever seen.”

He was on a shooting range with Donald Trump, Jr., first firing what 
appeared to be an AR-15, next a handgun with the audio messages, 
“Striking fear in the hearts of liberals,” and, “Liberals beware.”

May 25 was even crazier, when he emailed the same tweet to his supporters, this time on the day after the school <a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2022/06/25/1107626183/graduation-uvalde-high-school-class-remembers-slain-children">shooting in Uvalde, Texas</a>.

But last Monday, Greitens outdid himself. He posted a video showing him with a camouflage-clad combat team <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/06/20/eric-greitens-ad-touts-hunting-permit-for-gop-rivals-in-missouri-u-s-senate-race/">breaking down the door of a home and firing heavy weapons</a> before saying: “Join the MAGA crew. Get a RINO hunting permit.”

His short video was a scene out of a horror movie, and his message 
was unmistakable. In the wake of Uvalde and Buffalo and so much more, 
Greitens encouraged his supporters to take guns in hand and go hunting 
for fellow humans, his political opponents.

Perhaps the Greitens message shouldn’t surprise us as it comes from a man who, according to both his ex-wife and ex-lover, is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.vox.com/2018/4/11/17227132/eric-greitens-missouri-governor-rape-sexual-assault-nonconsensual-force-revenge-porn-blackmail">personally given to violence</a>.&nbsp;
 What should surprise us is that it appeals to Republicans who have put 
Greitens at or near the lead in the race for our Senate nomination.

While Greitens’ ads are the most extreme in the Senate contest, his 
theme isn’t unusual at all. Even short of descending into violence as on
 January 6, the current trend in politics is to treat adversaries as 
enemies we should attack, not as opponents we should respect.

Notice how often the words “fight” and “fighter” are used by 
candidates these days. In a recent campaign solicitation I received, 
“fight” or its derivative appeared three times in a single sentence. 
It’s as though there is no room for reasonable disagreement and 
certainly no room for compromise.

This is the state of affairs today, and it has made politics as we 
have previously understood it — a place to address and hopefully resolve
 our disagreements — unworkable.

It has rendered the U.S. Senate, where I had the privilege of serving
 for 18 years, dysfunctional. Here’s a question you might consider: What
 are senators actually doing these days besides issuing statements 
saying how angry they are?

It would be bad enough if this state of rage were contained within 
the world of professional politics. Unfortunately it is not. It has 
metastasized into our interpersonal relations.

Most of us know families and friendships that have broken up because 
of politics. I know a young woman whose father ended a phone call over 
politics and hasn’t spoken to her in two years. I know another whose 
mother disinvited her to a family Christmas gathering for the same 
reason. Then there is the 35-40% of partisans that doesn’t want their 
children to marry someone in the other party and the 33% of college 
students who “unfriended” those who voted for the wrong candidate.

For the health of our personal lives and certainly for the good of 
America, we must end this constant fighting. It won’t be enough to think
 as I did that the Greitens tweets were crazy. We will have to do something. To this purpose, we can find inspiration in the illustrious history of our nation.

Former close friends John Adams and Thomas Jefferson became so angry 
about the election of 1800 that they didn’t speak for 12 years. Then 
they were reconciled and ended their lives in a warm and respectful 
friendship.

In 1861, after seven southern states had seceded from the Union, 
Abraham Lincoln pleaded for national unity: “We are not enemies, but 
friends. We must not be enemies.”

James Madison not only understood political disagreements, he 
welcomed them, believing that offsetting one another they would protect 
us against tyranny.

From our beginning, a great project of America has been to hold 
ourselves together, with all our differences, as one united country. We 
honor this with our motto, e pluribus unum; we are many different people, and we are one. We pledge allegiance to one indivisible nation.

Today, the standard tactic of politics is to cast aside our great 
project of national unity and drive us apart.&nbsp; That tactic is pursued by
 “fighters” who on the left put our different identities above our 
common identity, and on the right claim that we shouldn’t trust that our
 leaders were legitimately elected.

The work of holding ourselves together as one people must be both 
political and personal. Politically we must elect candidates who reject 
the politics of division, and will commit themselves to work across our 
differences and hold America together.

Personally, we must commit ourselves to the reality that family and friendships are more important than politics.

John C. Danforth, a Republican, served three terms as Missouri's U.S. Senator from 1976 to 1995 and as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656360561881.png" alt="John C. Danforth" />
 <figcaption>John C. Danforth</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN C. DANFORTH <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/06/27/lets-fix-our-toxic-politics/">Courtesy Missouri Independent</a>When Eric Greitens posted <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/EricGreitens/status/1518590662777749509">his April 25 tweet</a>, I thought, “this is the craziest thing I have ever seen.”He was on a shooting range with Donald Trump, Jr., first firing what 
appeared to be an AR-15, next a handgun with the audio messages, 
“Striking fear in the hearts of liberals,” and, “Liberals beware.”May 25 was even crazier, when he emailed the same tweet to his supporters, this time on the day after the school <a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2022/06/25/1107626183/graduation-uvalde-high-school-class-remembers-slain-children">shooting in Uvalde, Texas</a>.But last Monday, Greitens outdid himself. He posted a video showing him with a camouflage-clad combat team <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/06/20/eric-greitens-ad-touts-hunting-permit-for-gop-rivals-in-missouri-u-s-senate-race/">breaking down the door of a home and firing heavy weapons</a> before saying: “Join the MAGA crew. Get a RINO hunting permit.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>His short video was a scene out of a horror movie, and his message 
was unmistakable. In the wake of Uvalde and Buffalo and so much more, 
Greitens encouraged his supporters to take guns in hand and go hunting 
for fellow humans, his political opponents.Perhaps the Greitens message shouldn’t surprise us as it comes from a man who, according to both his ex-wife and ex-lover, is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.vox.com/2018/4/11/17227132/eric-greitens-missouri-governor-rape-sexual-assault-nonconsensual-force-revenge-porn-blackmail">personally given to violence</a>.&nbsp;
 What should surprise us is that it appeals to Republicans who have put 
Greitens at or near the lead in the race for our Senate nomination.But maybe not.While Greitens’ ads are the most extreme in the Senate contest, his 
theme isn’t unusual at all. Even short of descending into violence as on
 January 6, the current trend in politics is to treat adversaries as 
enemies we should attack, not as opponents we should respect.Notice how often the words “fight” and “fighter” are used by 
candidates these days. In a recent campaign solicitation I received, 
“fight” or its derivative appeared three times in a single sentence. 
It’s as though there is no room for reasonable disagreement and 
certainly no room for compromise.This is the state of affairs today, and it has made politics as we 
have previously understood it — a place to address and hopefully resolve
 our disagreements — unworkable.It has rendered the U.S. Senate, where I had the privilege of serving
 for 18 years, dysfunctional. Here’s a question you might consider: What
 are senators actually doing these days besides issuing statements 
saying how angry they are?It would be bad enough if this state of rage were contained within 
the world of professional politics. Unfortunately it is not. It has 
metastasized into our interpersonal relations.Most of us know families and friendships that have broken up because 
of politics. I know a young woman whose father ended a phone call over 
politics and hasn’t spoken to her in two years. I know another whose 
mother disinvited her to a family Christmas gathering for the same 
reason. Then there is the 35-40% of partisans that doesn’t want their 
children to marry someone in the other party and the 33% of college 
students who “unfriended” those who voted for the wrong candidate.For the health of our personal lives and certainly for the good of 
America, we must end this constant fighting. It won’t be enough to think
 as I did that the Greitens tweets were crazy. We will have to do something. To this purpose, we can find inspiration in the illustrious history of our nation.Former close friends John Adams and Thomas Jefferson became so angry 
about the election of 1800 that they didn’t speak for 12 years. Then 
they were reconciled and ended their lives in a warm and respectful 
friendship.In 1861, after seven southern states had seceded from the Union, 
Abraham Lincoln pleaded for national unity: “We are not enemies, but 
friends. We must not be enemies.”James Madison not only understood political disagreements, he 
welcomed them, believing that offsetting one another they would protect 
us against tyranny.From our beginning, a great project of America has been to hold 
ourselves together, with all our differences, as one united country. We 
honor this with our motto, e pluribus unum; we are many different people, and we are one. We pledge allegiance to one indivisible nation.Today, the standard tactic of politics is to cast aside our great 
project of national unity and drive us apart.&nbsp; That tactic is pursued by
 “fighters” who on the left put our different identities above our 
common identity, and on the right claim that we shouldn’t trust that our
 leaders were legitimately elected.The work of holding ourselves together as one people must be both 
political and personal. Politically we must elect candidates who reject 
the politics of division, and will commit themselves to work across our 
differences and hold America together.Personally, we must commit ourselves to the reality that family and friendships are more important than politics.John C. Danforth, a Republican, served three terms as Missouri's U.S. Senator from 1976 to 1995 and as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush.

OPINION: It's time to fix our broken politics

SALINA —As a result of a pilot shortage having an acute impact on the regional airline industry, SkyWest Airlines, Inc. operator of United Express service at the Salina Regional Airport filed a notice to terminate their service at 29 regional airports across the country. Salina Regional Airport was part of this original filing on March 10, 2022.&nbsp;&nbsp;

On Friday, SkyWest Airlines, Inc. filed a Withdrawal of Termination Notice for Salina with the U.S. Department of Transportation, according to a statement from the air carrier.

 The withdrawal ends weeks of uncertainty concerning the continuation of United Express flights operated by SkyWest Airlines at the Salina Regional Airport.

Salina passengers can be reassured that United Express flights to Denver and Chicago will continue without interruption. Monthly and weekly passenger enplanements at the Salina Airport continue to set new record highs when compared to prior years.

Record passenger enplanements are a result of SkyWest’s partnership with United Airlines and Salina community leaders. SkyWest and United have demonstrated their ability to grow the Salina market and connect Salina to national and international destinations. SkyWest’s United Express service has been a key factor in Salina’s recent economic growth that has been led by the CJ Group (Seoul, South Korea) and Kubota (Osaka, Japan).

Kent Buer, Chairman of the Salina Airport Authority board of directors said “this is good news for the Salina region and for the airport.&nbsp;United Airlines has a strong following in Salina and the service offered by SkyWest Airlines has been nothing short of exemplary.&nbsp;&nbsp;We thank SkyWest leadership for their efforts to keep the Salina Airport as part of their system.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1609799151484.jpeg" alt="The withdrawal ends weeks of uncertainty concerning the continuation of United Express flights operated by SkyWest Airlines at the Salina Regional Airport.-photo courtesy Skywest" />
 <figcaption>The withdrawal ends weeks of uncertainty concerning the continuation of United Express flights operated by SkyWest Airlines at the Salina Regional Airport.-photo courtesy Skywest</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINA —As a result of a pilot shortage having an acute impact on the regional airline industry, SkyWest Airlines, Inc. operator of United Express service at the Salina Regional Airport filed a notice to terminate their service at 29 regional airports across the country. Salina Regional Airport was part of this original filing on March 10, 2022.&nbsp;&nbsp; On Friday, SkyWest Airlines, Inc. filed a Withdrawal of Termination Notice for Salina with the U.S. Department of Transportation, according to a statement from the air carrier. The withdrawal ends weeks of uncertainty concerning the continuation of United Express flights operated by SkyWest Airlines at the Salina Regional Airport.Salina passengers can be reassured that United Express flights to Denver and Chicago will continue without interruption. Monthly and weekly passenger enplanements at the Salina Airport continue to set new record highs when compared to prior years.Record passenger enplanements are a result of SkyWest’s partnership with United Airlines and Salina community leaders. SkyWest and United have demonstrated their ability to grow the Salina market and connect Salina to national and international destinations. SkyWest’s United Express service has been a key factor in Salina’s recent economic growth that has been led by the CJ Group (Seoul, South Korea) and Kubota (Osaka, Japan).Kent Buer, Chairman of the Salina Airport Authority board of directors said “this is good news for the Salina region and for the airport.&nbsp;United Airlines has a strong following in Salina and the service offered by SkyWest Airlines has been nothing short of exemplary.&nbsp;&nbsp;We thank SkyWest leadership for their efforts to keep the Salina Airport as part of their system.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

SkyWest withdraws service termination notice for Salina 

By MATT PIKE&nbsp; St. Joseph Post&nbsp;

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Nationwide farmers are having issues buying new farm equipment, which is also making it difficult to buy used farm equipment. &nbsp;

Greg
 Peterson, better known as Machinery Pete, says there are a couple 
different factors that are causing the rise in the price of used farm 
equipment. &nbsp;

"One, is that farm income is up," Peterson 
tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "Commodity prices went up in the fall of 
2020 and have been pushing to very high levels so, that's number one."&nbsp;

And number two is the current trend of high prices on new farm equipment&nbsp;

"Supply
 chain issues are actually getting worse so manufacturers like John 
Deere or Case IH, they can't make enough," Peterson explains. "Farmers 
want to buy new to update their equipment line."&nbsp;

Peterson says 
though those manufacturers can't produce enough equipment to keep up 
with the demand.&nbsp; For example, if you were looking for a new planter 
earlier this spring, all of those were pre ordered last fall. &nbsp;

Peterson says the problem is nationwide and so far, is showing no signs of letting up anytime soon&nbsp;

"Things
 are always subject to change but I don't see any tea leaves right now 
that would point to a cooling off, in fact it's getting hotter" Peterson
 points out. "In fact, our data, I've got three plus decades of tracking
 data patterns, and normally from middle of March through the summer is 
the soft time of year."&nbsp;

Peterson says that the soft time of year is while crops are in the ground and farmers can wait and see how they come out.&nbsp;

He
 says they then become aggressive near the end of the year to figure out
 what equipment they might need to replace, but right now. &nbsp;

"That's all out the window right now, you have to be proactive and plan ahead," he explains. &nbsp;

Peterson says the market has continued to go higher since April. &nbsp;

Recently,
 Peterson says he saw a 24-year-old John Deere tractor sold in Illinois 
for 21-thousand 500 dollars, selling even higher than it did brand new. &nbsp;

But is there any state where the used farm equipment problem is worse off?&nbsp;

"Nope,
 they're all on fire, and I've never seen that before," Peterson sadly 
says. "And we cover the US and Canada so usually there's always been 
somewhere where used values are softer, and there just isn't now."&nbsp;

Peterson says normally you might see prices differ depending on the region farm equipment is coming from &nbsp;

But,
 since 2021, Peterson says a data point he's seen is the tightness of 
farm equipment is making prices mostly stay the same, no matter the 
region it comes from.&nbsp;

By MATT PIKE&nbsp; St. Joseph Post&nbsp;ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Nationwide farmers are having issues buying new farm equipment, which is also making it difficult to buy used farm equipment. &nbsp;Greg
 Peterson, better known as Machinery Pete, says there are a couple 
different factors that are causing the rise in the price of used farm 
equipment. &nbsp;"One, is that farm income is up," Peterson 
tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "Commodity prices went up in the fall of 
2020 and have been pushing to very high levels so, that's number one."&nbsp;And number two is the current trend of high prices on new farm equipment&nbsp;"Supply
 chain issues are actually getting worse so manufacturers like John 
Deere or Case IH, they can't make enough," Peterson explains. "Farmers 
want to buy new to update their equipment line."&nbsp;Peterson says 
though those manufacturers can't produce enough equipment to keep up 
with the demand.&nbsp; For example, if you were looking for a new planter 
earlier this spring, all of those were pre ordered last fall. &nbsp;Peterson says the problem is nationwide and so far, is showing no signs of letting up anytime soon&nbsp;"Things
 are always subject to change but I don't see any tea leaves right now 
that would point to a cooling off, in fact it's getting hotter" Peterson
 points out. "In fact, our data, I've got three plus decades of tracking
 data patterns, and normally from middle of March through the summer is 
the soft time of year."&nbsp;Peterson says that the soft time of year is while crops are in the ground and farmers can wait and see how they come out.&nbsp;He
 says they then become aggressive near the end of the year to figure out
 what equipment they might need to replace, but right now. &nbsp;"That's all out the window right now, you have to be proactive and plan ahead," he explains. &nbsp;Peterson says the market has continued to go higher since April. &nbsp;Recently,
 Peterson says he saw a 24-year-old John Deere tractor sold in Illinois 
for 21-thousand 500 dollars, selling even higher than it did brand new. &nbsp;But is there any state where the used farm equipment problem is worse off?&nbsp;"Nope,
 they're all on fire, and I've never seen that before," Peterson sadly 
says. "And we cover the US and Canada so usually there's always been 
somewhere where used values are softer, and there just isn't now."&nbsp;Peterson says normally you might see prices differ depending on the region farm equipment is coming from &nbsp;But,
 since 2021, Peterson says a data point he's seen is the tightness of 
farm equipment is making prices mostly stay the same, no matter the 
region it comes from.&nbsp;Cover image courtesy Pixabay

Expert: Rising prices on used farm equipment won't slow anytime soon

NEW YORK (AP) — Pride parades kicked off in Kansas and around the country Sunday with glittering confetti, cheering crowds, fluttering rainbow flags and newfound fears about losing freedoms won through decades of activism.

The annual marches in Kansas City, Wichita, New York, San Francisco, Chicago and elsewhere took place just two days after one conservative justice on the Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">signaled, in a ruling on abortion,</a>&nbsp;that the court should reconsider the right to same-sex marriage recognized in 2015.

“We’re here to make a statement,” said 31-year-old Mercedes Sharpe, who traveled to Manhattan from Massachusetts. “I think it’s about making a point, rather than all the other years like how we normally celebrate it. This one’s really gonna stand out. I think a lot of angry people, not even just women, angry men, angry women.”

Thousands of people — many decked in pride colors — lined the parade route through Manhattan, cheering as floats and marchers passed by. Organizers announced this weekend that a Planned Parenthood contingent would be at the front of the parade.

In Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot called the top court ruling a “momentary setback” and said Sunday’s events were “an opportunity for us to not only celebrate Pride, but be resolved for the fight.”

“We will not live in a world, not in my city, where our rights are taken from us or rolled back,” said Lightfoot, Chicago’s first openly gay mayor, and the first Black woman to hold the office.

In San Francisco, some marchers and spectators held signs condemning the court’s abortion ruling. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who rode in a convertible holding a gavel and a rainbow fan, said the large turnout was an acknowledgement that Americans support gay rights.

“Even in spite of the majority on the court that’s anti our Constitution, our country knows and loves our LGBTQI+ community,” she told KGO-TV.

The warning shot from the nation’s top court came after a year of legislative defeats for the LGBTQ community, including the passage of laws in some states limiting the discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity with children.

As anti-gay sentiments resurface, some are pushing for the parades to return to their roots — less blocks-long street parties, more overtly civil rights marches.

“It has gone from being a statement of advocacy and protest to being much more of a celebration of gay life,” Sean Clarkin, 67, said of New York City’s annual parade while enjoying a drink recently at Julius’, one of the oldest gay bars in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village.

As he remembers things, the parade was once about defiance and pushing against an oppressive mainstream that saw gays, lesbians and transgender people as unworthy outsiders.

“As satisfying and empowering as it may be to now be accepted by the mainstream,” Clarkin said, “there was also something energizing and wonderful about being on the outside looking in.”

New York’s first Pride March, then called the Christopher Street Liberation Day March, was held in 1970 to mark the first anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion, a spontaneous street uprising triggered by a police raid on a gay bar in Manhattan.

San Francisco’s first march was in 1972 and had been held every year since, except during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Celebrations are now global, taking place throughout the year in multiple countries, with many of the biggest parades taking place in June. One of the world’s largest, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, was held June 19.

In the United States, this year’s celebrations take place amid a potential crisis.

In a Supreme Court ruling Friday striking down the right to abortion, Justice Clarence Thomas said in a concurring opinion that the court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-government-and-politics-marriage-a0cee537c6f9f10d29fa71f6e7a4d19d">should also reconsider</a>&nbsp;its 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage and a 2003 decision striking down laws criminalizing gay sex.

New York City parade spectator Jackie English said she and her fiancee Dana had yet to set a wedding date, but have a new sense of urgency.

“Now we feel a bit pressured,” she said, adding they might “jump the gun a little sooner. Because, what if that right gets taken away from us?”

More than a dozen states have recently enacted laws that go against the interests of LGBTQ communities, including a law barring any mention of sexual orientation in school curricula in Florida and threats of prosecution for parents who allow their children to get gender-affirming care in Texas.

Several states have put laws in place prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in team sports that coincide with the gender in which they identify.

According to an Anti-Defamation League survey released earlier this week, members of LGBTQ communities were more likely than any other group to experience harassment. Two-thirds of respondents said they have been harassed, a little more than half of whom said the harassment was a result of their sexual orientation.

In recent years, schisms over how to commemorate Stonewall have opened, spawning splinter groups events intended to be more protest-oriented.

In New York City, the Queer Liberation March takes place at the same time as the traditional parade, billing itself as the “antidote to the corporate-infused, police-entangled, politician-heavy Parades that now dominate pride celebrations.”

San Francisco’s parade was marked by the return of uniformed police, who were banned in 2020 after a 2019 confrontation with protesters who staged a parade-stopping sit-in. Critics accused them of using excessive force. On Sunday, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott, in full dress uniform, passed out small rainbow pride flags to spectators

Despite the criticism of growing commercialism, a strong streak of activism was apparent among attendees this year.

“The recent overturning of Roe v. Wade has caused a very strong uproar about what went down,” said Dean Jigarjian, 22, who crossed the river from New Jersey with his girlfriend to take part in the New York City parade. “So as you can see here, the crowd seems to be very energized about what could be next.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656272965048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Pride parades kicked off in Kansas and around the country Sunday with glittering confetti, cheering crowds, fluttering rainbow flags and newfound fears about losing freedoms won through decades of activism.The annual marches in Kansas City, Wichita, New York, San Francisco, Chicago and elsewhere took place just two days after one conservative justice on the Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">signaled, in a ruling on abortion,</a>&nbsp;that the court should reconsider the right to same-sex marriage recognized in 2015.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=476&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F405674204827367%2F&show_text=false&width=267&t=0" width="267" height="476" 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>“We’re here to make a statement,” said 31-year-old Mercedes Sharpe, who traveled to Manhattan from Massachusetts. “I think it’s about making a point, rather than all the other years like how we normally celebrate it. This one’s really gonna stand out. I think a lot of angry people, not even just women, angry men, angry women.”Thousands of people — many decked in pride colors — lined the parade route through Manhattan, cheering as floats and marchers passed by. Organizers announced this weekend that a Planned Parenthood contingent would be at the front of the parade.In Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot called the top court ruling a “momentary setback” and said Sunday’s events were “an opportunity for us to not only celebrate Pride, but be resolved for the fight.”“We will not live in a world, not in my city, where our rights are taken from us or rolled back,” said Lightfoot, Chicago’s first openly gay mayor, and the first Black woman to hold the office.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656352864818.png" alt="photo courtesy Wichita Pride" />
 <figcaption>photo courtesy Wichita Pride</figcaption>
 </figure>In San Francisco, some marchers and spectators held signs condemning the court’s abortion ruling. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who rode in a convertible holding a gavel and a rainbow fan, said the large turnout was an acknowledgement that Americans support gay rights.“Even in spite of the majority on the court that’s anti our Constitution, our country knows and loves our LGBTQI+ community,” she told KGO-TV.The warning shot from the nation’s top court came after a year of legislative defeats for the LGBTQ community, including the passage of laws in some states limiting the discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity with children.As anti-gay sentiments resurface, some are pushing for the parades to return to their roots — less blocks-long street parties, more overtly civil rights marches.“It has gone from being a statement of advocacy and protest to being much more of a celebration of gay life,” Sean Clarkin, 67, said of New York City’s annual parade while enjoying a drink recently at Julius’, one of the oldest gay bars in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village.As he remembers things, the parade was once about defiance and pushing against an oppressive mainstream that saw gays, lesbians and transgender people as unworthy outsiders.“As satisfying and empowering as it may be to now be accepted by the mainstream,” Clarkin said, “there was also something energizing and wonderful about being on the outside looking in.”New York’s first Pride March, then called the Christopher Street Liberation Day March, was held in 1970 to mark the first anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion, a spontaneous street uprising triggered by a police raid on a gay bar in Manhattan.San Francisco’s first march was in 1972 and had been held every year since, except during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.Celebrations are now global, taking place throughout the year in multiple countries, with many of the biggest parades taking place in June. One of the world’s largest, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, was held June 19.In the United States, this year’s celebrations take place amid a potential crisis.In a Supreme Court ruling Friday striking down the right to abortion, Justice Clarence Thomas said in a concurring opinion that the court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-government-and-politics-marriage-a0cee537c6f9f10d29fa71f6e7a4d19d">should also reconsider</a>&nbsp;its 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage and a 2003 decision striking down laws criminalizing gay sex.New York City parade spectator Jackie English said she and her fiancee Dana had yet to set a wedding date, but have a new sense of urgency.“Now we feel a bit pressured,” she said, adding they might “jump the gun a little sooner. Because, what if that right gets taken away from us?”More than a dozen states have recently enacted laws that go against the interests of LGBTQ communities, including a law barring any mention of sexual orientation in school curricula in Florida and threats of prosecution for parents who allow their children to get gender-affirming care in Texas.Several states have put laws in place prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in team sports that coincide with the gender in which they identify.According to an Anti-Defamation League survey released earlier this week, members of LGBTQ communities were more likely than any other group to experience harassment. Two-thirds of respondents said they have been harassed, a little more than half of whom said the harassment was a result of their sexual orientation.In recent years, schisms over how to commemorate Stonewall have opened, spawning splinter groups events intended to be more protest-oriented.In New York City, the Queer Liberation March takes place at the same time as the traditional parade, billing itself as the “antidote to the corporate-infused, police-entangled, politician-heavy Parades that now dominate pride celebrations.”San Francisco’s parade was marked by the return of uniformed police, who were banned in 2020 after a 2019 confrontation with protesters who staged a parade-stopping sit-in. Critics accused them of using excessive force. On Sunday, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott, in full dress uniform, passed out small rainbow pride flags to spectatorsDespite the criticism of growing commercialism, a strong streak of activism was apparent among attendees this year.“The recent overturning of Roe v. Wade has caused a very strong uproar about what went down,” said Dean Jigarjian, 22, who crossed the river from New Jersey with his girlfriend to take part in the New York City parade. “So as you can see here, the crowd seems to be very energized about what could be next.”___

Pride parades march on with new urgency in Kansas, across US

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are&nbsp;investigating a fatal pedestrian accident.

Just after 10p.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to the 1200 block of North Broadway regarding a motor vehicle accident, according to&nbsp;Officer Juan Rebolledo.

Officers located a 54-year-old woman who was pronounced deceased, at the scene.

The investigation revealed that the 54-year-old woman was crossing from the west side of North Broadway to the east side of Broadway when she was struck by a maroon, 1984 Pontiac driven by a 30-year-old&nbsp; woman and run over by a white 2010 Nissan Altima driven by a 49-year-old man. Police have not released the victim's name.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656347814024.png" alt="First responders at the scene of the incident -photo courtesy KAKE" />
 <figcaption>First responders at the scene of the incident -photo courtesy KAKE</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are&nbsp;investigating a fatal pedestrian accident.Just after 10p.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to the 1200 block of North Broadway regarding a motor vehicle accident, according to&nbsp;Officer Juan Rebolledo.Officers located a 54-year-old woman who was pronounced deceased, at the scene.The investigation revealed that the 54-year-old woman was crossing from the west side of North Broadway to the east side of Broadway when she was struck by a maroon, 1984 Pontiac driven by a 30-year-old&nbsp; woman and run over by a white 2010 Nissan Altima driven by a 49-year-old man. Police have not released the victim's name.

Police: Kansas woman dies after struck by two vehicles

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/27/kansas-gop-governor-candidate-arrested-on-felony-charge-plunges-ahead-with-campaign/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Republican gubernatorial
 candidate Arlyn Briggs recorded a campaign commercial outlining his 
vision of conservative government in Kansas only to find out a prominent
 Christian radio network had no intention of airing the advertisement.

He said an employee at Bott Radio Network in Overland Park explained 
the campaign spot couldn’t be used on the network after learning of 
Briggs’ arrest on a charge of criminal threat against a law enforcement 
officer. The arrest in Allen County was a misunderstanding that ought to
 be resolved in his favor, Briggs said, but the radio network’s rebuff 
was a setback in his primary campaign against GOP frontrunner Derek 
Schmidt, who is the state’s attorney general.

“I’m a strong Christian,” Briggs said. “My job is to be a strong reflection of Jesus Christ.”

Briggs, 64, of rural Kincaid, said the legal trouble stemmed from 
allowing a man being sought by law enforcement for an alleged stalking 
offense to stay with him in early June. Briggs noticed a sheriff’s 
department vehicle driving slowly past his home, so he called the 
department to remind authorities of the “castle doctrine,” the 
stand-your-ground right of individuals in Kansas to take reasonable 
action, including deadly force, in defense of a home.

He warned law enforcement officers not to try anything, he said, and 
pointedly added “I may shoot you.” He said he wouldn’t have actually 
fired on deputies, and nothing happened. But officers later served an 
Anderson County warrant on him for criminal threat. He was released June
 15 from Allen County Jail.

If successful in the Aug. 2 primary against Schmidt, Briggs would 
likely face Democratic frontrunner Gov. Laura Kelly as well as 
independent candidate Dennis Pyle and Libertarian Seth Cordell in 
November. If victorious in the general election, Briggs said he would 
donate his state government salary to charity.

“I feel the primary is where the contest is this year. Kelly is so 
liberal,” Briggs said. “I say vote for the person. Not what they said, 
but what they do.”

Briggs said he was disappointed with Schmidt as a political leader, 
and asserted the attorney general was too focused on getting on U.S. 
Sen. Jerry Moran’s “good list” in anticipation of eventually running for
 Moran’s seat in the U.S. Senate. Briggs said he’d challenged Schmidt to
 five debates, but hadn’t received a response.

“I think there’s growing concern among conservatives across the 
United States and Kansas with what’s happening with government and our 
leaders,” Briggs said.

On social media last year, Briggs was critical of state legislators 
who he claimed talked about the value of local government control and 
then passed bills stripping local elected officials of influence. He 
said Democratic and Republican politicians at the statehouse believed 
they were “God’s appointed Kings over the serfs.” He said they all 
should be taught a lesson by being voted out of office.

Briggs ran for the Kansas House in 2012 and 2020, but lost both 
contests. He was soundly defeated in the most recent campaign, falling 
to state Rep. Trevor Jacobs, with Jacobs securing 83% of the vote in a 
GOP primary.

He said he lived in Johnson County for about 30 years. He worked for a
 Kansas City bank and at Hallmark and has been employed as a trucker and
 farmer. He performed mission work in more than a dozen countries, he 
said.

Briggs’ lieutenant governor running mate is Abilene resident Lance 
Berland, who Briggs said recently performed community service in 
Colorado to deal with his own legal challenges.

On social media, Berland said “we the people” were engaged in a fight
 against Republican and Democrat “warmongers,” the “most bloated, 
wasteful bureaucracy in human history” and “corrupt crony capitalists.” 
He claimed businessman George Soros, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, 
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett
 were involved in demise of U.S. freedom.

“We have been played, and Americans killed, by our own government and
 the ultra-wealthy non-citizens who dominate our nation from Davos, 
Geneva, and Brussels,” he said. “These people have perpetuated and 
delivered the world only racism, eugenics, war, toxicity, disease and 
unnecessary deaths by the hundreds of millions. These people serve only 
themselves and the devil.”

He also expressed disappointment Presidents Donald Trump and Joe 
Biden were convinced by the “global health mafia” to recommend Americans
 be vaccinated against COVID-19.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656342858017.png" alt="Rural Kincaid resident Arlyn Briggs, a Republican candidate for Kansas governor, said his recent legal problems would blow over. He’s for term limits and won’t take a salary if elected governor. (Kansas Reflector screen capture of Allen County Jail photograph)" />
 <figcaption>Rural Kincaid resident Arlyn Briggs, a Republican candidate for Kansas governor, said his recent legal problems would blow over. He’s for term limits and won’t take a salary if elected governor. (Kansas Reflector screen capture of Allen County Jail photograph)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/27/kansas-gop-governor-candidate-arrested-on-felony-charge-plunges-ahead-with-campaign/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Republican gubernatorial
 candidate Arlyn Briggs recorded a campaign commercial outlining his 
vision of conservative government in Kansas only to find out a prominent
 Christian radio network had no intention of airing the advertisement.He said an employee at Bott Radio Network in Overland Park explained 
the campaign spot couldn’t be used on the network after learning of 
Briggs’ arrest on a charge of criminal threat against a law enforcement 
officer. The arrest in Allen County was a misunderstanding that ought to
 be resolved in his favor, Briggs said, but the radio network’s rebuff 
was a setback in his primary campaign against GOP frontrunner Derek 
Schmidt, who is the state’s attorney general.“I’m a strong Christian,” Briggs said. “My job is to be a strong reflection of Jesus Christ.”Briggs, 64, of rural Kincaid, said the legal trouble stemmed from 
allowing a man being sought by law enforcement for an alleged stalking 
offense to stay with him in early June. Briggs noticed a sheriff’s 
department vehicle driving slowly past his home, so he called the 
department to remind authorities of the “castle doctrine,” the 
stand-your-ground right of individuals in Kansas to take reasonable 
action, including deadly force, in defense of a home.He warned law enforcement officers not to try anything, he said, and 
pointedly added “I may shoot you.” He said he wouldn’t have actually 
fired on deputies, and nothing happened. But officers later served an 
Anderson County warrant on him for criminal threat. He was released June
 15 from Allen County Jail.If successful in the Aug. 2 primary against Schmidt, Briggs would 
likely face Democratic frontrunner Gov. Laura Kelly as well as 
independent candidate Dennis Pyle and Libertarian Seth Cordell in 
November. If victorious in the general election, Briggs said he would 
donate his state government salary to charity.“I feel the primary is where the contest is this year. Kelly is so 
liberal,” Briggs said. “I say vote for the person. Not what they said, 
but what they do.”Briggs said he was disappointed with Schmidt as a political leader, 
and asserted the attorney general was too focused on getting on U.S. 
Sen. Jerry Moran’s “good list” in anticipation of eventually running for
 Moran’s seat in the U.S. Senate. Briggs said he’d challenged Schmidt to
 five debates, but hadn’t received a response.“I think there’s growing concern among conservatives across the 
United States and Kansas with what’s happening with government and our 
leaders,” Briggs said.On social media last year, Briggs was critical of state legislators 
who he claimed talked about the value of local government control and 
then passed bills stripping local elected officials of influence. He 
said Democratic and Republican politicians at the statehouse believed 
they were “God’s appointed Kings over the serfs.” He said they all 
should be taught a lesson by being voted out of office.Briggs ran for the Kansas House in 2012 and 2020, but lost both 
contests. He was soundly defeated in the most recent campaign, falling 
to state Rep. Trevor Jacobs, with Jacobs securing 83% of the vote in a 
GOP primary.He said he lived in Johnson County for about 30 years. He worked for a
 Kansas City bank and at Hallmark and has been employed as a trucker and
 farmer. He performed mission work in more than a dozen countries, he 
said.Briggs’ lieutenant governor running mate is Abilene resident Lance 
Berland, who Briggs said recently performed community service in 
Colorado to deal with his own legal challenges.On social media, Berland said “we the people” were engaged in a fight
 against Republican and Democrat “warmongers,” the “most bloated, 
wasteful bureaucracy in human history” and “corrupt crony capitalists.” 
He claimed businessman George Soros, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, 
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett
 were involved in demise of U.S. freedom.“We have been played, and Americans killed, by our own government and
 the ultra-wealthy non-citizens who dominate our nation from Davos, 
Geneva, and Brussels,” he said. “These people have perpetuated and 
delivered the world only racism, eugenics, war, toxicity, disease and 
unnecessary deaths by the hundreds of millions. These people serve only 
themselves and the devil.”He also expressed disappointment Presidents Donald Trump and Joe 
Biden were convinced by the “global health mafia” to recommend Americans
 be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Kan. governor candidate arrested on felony charge plunges ahead with campaign

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">The Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Monday sided with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-sports-business-religion-donald-trump-d5817d75d8b3ae436ee2b66eed5ca7dc">a football coach from Washington state</a>&nbsp;who sought to kneel and pray on the field after games.

The court&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/21-418_i425.pdf" target="_blank">ruled 6-3</a>&nbsp;for the coach with the court’s conservative justices in the majority and its liberals in dissent. The justices said the coach’s prayer was protected by the First Amendment.

“The Constitution and the best of our traditions counsel mutual respect and tolerance, not censorship and suppression, for religious and nonreligious views alike,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-courts-supreme-courts-antonin-scalia-f5a557876d5546cca4ebd53b4860e2ed">Justice Neil Gorsuch</a>&nbsp;wrote for the majority.

The case forced the justices to wrestle with how to balance the religious and free speech rights of teachers and coaches with the rights of students not to feel pressured into participating in religious practices. The outcome could strengthen the acceptability of some religious practices in some other public school settings.

The decision is the latest in a line of Supreme Court rulings for religious plaintiffs. In another recent example, the court ruled that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-decision-religious-schools-aid-85645580702ed5ff125cf9760024ae89">Maine can’t exclude religious schools</a>&nbsp;from a program that offers tuition aid for private education, a decision that could ease religious organizations’ access to taxpayer money.

In a dissent in Monday, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that the coach decision “sets us further down a perilous path in forcing states to entangle themselves with religion.” She was joined in her dissent by Justice Stephen Breyer and Justice Elena Kagan.

That the court ruled for the coach is perhaps not surprising. In 2019, the court declined to take up the case at an early stage, but four of the court’s conservatives agreed that a lower court decision in favor of the school district was “troubling” for its “understanding of the free speech rights of public school teachers.”

The case before the justices involved Joseph Kennedy, a Christian and former football coach at Bremerton High School in Bremerton, Washington. Kennedy started coaching at the school in 2008 and initially prayed alone on the 50-yard line at the end of games. But students started joining him, and over time he began to deliver a short, inspirational talk with religious references. Kennedy did that for years and led students in locker room prayers. The school district learned what he was doing in 2015 and asked him to stop.

Kennedy stopped leading students in prayer in the locker room and on the field but wanted to continue praying on the field himself, with students free to join if they wished. Concerned about being sued for violating students’ religious freedom rights, the school asked him to stop his practice of kneeling and praying while still “on duty” as a coach after the game. The school tried to work out a solution so Kennedy could pray privately before or after the game. When he continued to kneel and pray on the field, the school put him on paid leave.

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">The Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Monday sided with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-sports-business-religion-donald-trump-d5817d75d8b3ae436ee2b66eed5ca7dc">a football coach from Washington state</a>&nbsp;who sought to kneel and pray on the field after games.The court&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/21-418_i425.pdf" target="_blank">ruled 6-3</a>&nbsp;for the coach with the court’s conservative justices in the majority and its liberals in dissent. The justices said the coach’s prayer was protected by the First Amendment.“The Constitution and the best of our traditions counsel mutual respect and tolerance, not censorship and suppression, for religious and nonreligious views alike,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-courts-supreme-courts-antonin-scalia-f5a557876d5546cca4ebd53b4860e2ed">Justice Neil Gorsuch</a>&nbsp;wrote for the majority.The case forced the justices to wrestle with how to balance the religious and free speech rights of teachers and coaches with the rights of students not to feel pressured into participating in religious practices. The outcome could strengthen the acceptability of some religious practices in some other public school settings.The decision is the latest in a line of Supreme Court rulings for religious plaintiffs. In another recent example, the court ruled that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-decision-religious-schools-aid-85645580702ed5ff125cf9760024ae89">Maine can’t exclude religious schools</a>&nbsp;from a program that offers tuition aid for private education, a decision that could ease religious organizations’ access to taxpayer money.In a dissent in Monday, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that the coach decision “sets us further down a perilous path in forcing states to entangle themselves with religion.” She was joined in her dissent by Justice Stephen Breyer and Justice Elena Kagan.That the court ruled for the coach is perhaps not surprising. In 2019, the court declined to take up the case at an early stage, but four of the court’s conservatives agreed that a lower court decision in favor of the school district was “troubling” for its “understanding of the free speech rights of public school teachers.”The case before the justices involved Joseph Kennedy, a Christian and former football coach at Bremerton High School in Bremerton, Washington. Kennedy started coaching at the school in 2008 and initially prayed alone on the 50-yard line at the end of games. But students started joining him, and over time he began to deliver a short, inspirational talk with religious references. Kennedy did that for years and led students in locker room prayers. The school district learned what he was doing in 2015 and asked him to stop.Kennedy stopped leading students in prayer in the locker room and on the field but wanted to continue praying on the field himself, with students free to join if they wished. Concerned about being sued for violating students’ religious freedom rights, the school asked him to stop his practice of kneeling and praying while still “on duty” as a coach after the game. The school tried to work out a solution so Kennedy could pray privately before or after the game. When he continued to kneel and pray on the field, the school put him on paid leave.Three justices on the court attended public high schools themselves while the rest attended Catholic schools.The case is Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, 21-418.