Summer’s just around the corner, which means you might be thinking about one of my favorite things ever: vacation! In fact, I always joke that vacation planning is basically one of my spiritual gifts. But we all know vacations can get expensive real fast, which makes them a lot less fun than they should be. So, here are a few tips that will help you plan an amazing vacation without hurting your budget:

No matter what Baby Step you’re on, you don’t have to deprive yourself of having fun this summer. But it&nbsp;is&nbsp;important to plan in a way that makes sense for your finances. If you’re on Baby Step 1 or 2 (saving a $1,000 emergency fund and getting out of debt), you’ll want to find some creative ways to have a great time without spending money. You could do a staycation and use a couple days of your paid time off to relax with your family and explore free events in your own city. You could also go camping—even if it’s just in your backyard—or stay with close friends or family. Don’t lose sight of your financial goals right now, because if you stay gazelle intense, you’ll be able to take your dream vacation a lot sooner than you might think!

If you’re on Baby Step 3 (saving 3 to 6 months of expenses in a fully funded emergency fund), you could do a smaller-scale trip like a couple nights or a long weekend away. This still isn’t the time to splurge, so take a look at some less popular (but fun) destinations like a cabin in the mountains. There can be more vacation flexibility on Baby Steps 4, 5, 6 and 7, but you should still plan to cash flow something that works with your budget and other financial goals.

Doing your research to find the best rates on hotels, flights, attractions, etc. will seriously pay off. Always compare airfare rates on sites like Google Flights, Skyscanner and Scott’s Cheap Flights, and book your tickets as far in advance as you can. And check out Groupon for deals on attractions and events. Rumor has it that if you call a hotel and ask them to price match a rate you found at a similar hotel, you could knock some money off your total bill.

Speaking of price matching, when you’re shopping around for the best deals, don’t be afraid to use the power of negotiation. I know it can feel uncomfortable in the moment, but simply asking for a discount, family rate or any promotions they might be offering can save you a ton of money. I’ve done this myself. One time, my husband and I were planning an end-of-summer trip a few weeks before the fall rates were supposed to kick in, so I asked if we could have the off-season rates a little early. And they let us! We ended up saving a lot on that trip, so I’d recommend asking. The worst they can say is no, right?

You might be tempted to get a credit card just for those airline miles and reward points, but trust me: It’s not worth it! By the time you’ve put enough stuff on a credit card to&nbsp;maybe&nbsp;rack up enough miles for a one-way flight, you’ll be deeper in debt and further away from actually being able to cash flow a vacation.

And if you’re worried about not being able to use a debit card on your trip, I promise you can do everything with a debit card that you can with a credit card—renting a car, booking a hotel, you name it. Depending on the location, you might have to ask around at a few different places to find one that accepts debit cards (my husband and I have had to do this with rental car companies), but you’ll find one. And it will be worth it to know you steered clear of debt in the process!

We’ve all heard the famous quote about comparison being the thief of joy, but you guys, it’s so true—especially when it comes to vacations. You might even want to take a break from social media for a while if you know you won’t be able to scroll without feeling jealous of your neighbors’ tropical vacation and comparing it to the trip you took (or weren’t able to take). And when you spend less time comparing, you’ll be less tempted to overspend on your own vacation.

Remember, social media doesn’t give you the full picture of reality. And at the end of the day, no matter what kind of vacation or staycation you do, you still get to take a break and spend time with the people you love. That’s something worth celebrating!

For more tips and travel hacks that will help you save on your next vacation, check out&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/saving/cheapest-places-to-travel?utm_source=cnl&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=5.1_cnl_blog_1_ramseyplus_personalities_rachel_cruze&amp;utm_term=rplus_bu&amp;utm_campaign=cnl_newsletter&amp;utm_id=cnl_newsletter&amp;cd17=RSCOM-11309_CNL-Eng&amp;_kx=23KkAjsdLRn5R6eB28Hw3V-eG_jHG8rCpuRtXk9NB5Otl8qPb2-qc9TsGz0BsKk4.RzHn5B">this article</a>.

Rachel Cruze&nbsp;is a two-time #1 national best-selling author, financial expert and host of&nbsp;The Rachel Cruze Show.&nbsp;She has appeared on Good Morning America, TODAY Show and Live! With Kelly &amp; Ryan, among others. Since 2010, Rachel has served at Ramsey Solutions, where she teaches people to avoid debt, save money, budget and how to win with money at any stage in life. Follow Rachel on&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/rachelcruze" target="_blank">Twitter</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/rachelcruze/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/rachelramseycruze" target="_blank">Facebook</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/rachelcruze" target="_blank">YouTube</a>&nbsp;or online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rachelcruze.com/" target="_blank">rachelcruze.com</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1627261014766.jpeg" alt="Cruze" />
 <figcaption>Cruze</figcaption>
 </figure>By RACHEL CRUZESummer’s just around the corner, which means you might be thinking about one of my favorite things ever: vacation! In fact, I always joke that vacation planning is basically one of my spiritual gifts. But we all know vacations can get expensive real fast, which makes them a lot less fun than they should be. So, here are a few tips that will help you plan an amazing vacation without hurting your budget:<ol>
 <li>Base your plans on the Baby Steps</li>
 </ol>No matter what Baby Step you’re on, you don’t have to deprive yourself of having fun this summer. But it&nbsp;is&nbsp;important to plan in a way that makes sense for your finances. If you’re on Baby Step 1 or 2 (saving a $1,000 emergency fund and getting out of debt), you’ll want to find some creative ways to have a great time without spending money. You could do a staycation and use a couple days of your paid time off to relax with your family and explore free events in your own city. You could also go camping—even if it’s just in your backyard—or stay with close friends or family. Don’t lose sight of your financial goals right now, because if you stay gazelle intense, you’ll be able to take your dream vacation a lot sooner than you might think!If you’re on Baby Step 3 (saving 3 to 6 months of expenses in a fully funded emergency fund), you could do a smaller-scale trip like a couple nights or a long weekend away. This still isn’t the time to splurge, so take a look at some less popular (but fun) destinations like a cabin in the mountains. There can be more vacation flexibility on Baby Steps 4, 5, 6 and 7, but you should still plan to cash flow something that works with your budget and other financial goals.<ol>
 <li>Shop around&nbsp;</li>
 </ol>Doing your research to find the best rates on hotels, flights, attractions, etc. will seriously pay off. Always compare airfare rates on sites like Google Flights, Skyscanner and Scott’s Cheap Flights, and book your tickets as far in advance as you can. And check out Groupon for deals on attractions and events. Rumor has it that if you call a hotel and ask them to price match a rate you found at a similar hotel, you could knock some money off your total bill.<ol>
 <li>Negotiate&nbsp;</li>
 </ol>Speaking of price matching, when you’re shopping around for the best deals, don’t be afraid to use the power of negotiation. I know it can feel uncomfortable in the moment, but simply asking for a discount, family rate or any promotions they might be offering can save you a ton of money. I’ve done this myself. One time, my husband and I were planning an end-of-summer trip a few weeks before the fall rates were supposed to kick in, so I asked if we could have the off-season rates a little early. And they let us! We ended up saving a lot on that trip, so I’d recommend asking. The worst they can say is no, right?<ol>
 <li>Don’t fall for the points and rewards</li>
 </ol>You might be tempted to get a credit card just for those airline miles and reward points, but trust me: It’s not worth it! By the time you’ve put enough stuff on a credit card to&nbsp;maybe&nbsp;rack up enough miles for a one-way flight, you’ll be deeper in debt and further away from actually being able to cash flow a vacation.And if you’re worried about not being able to use a debit card on your trip, I promise you can do everything with a debit card that you can with a credit card—renting a car, booking a hotel, you name it. Depending on the location, you might have to ask around at a few different places to find one that accepts debit cards (my husband and I have had to do this with rental car companies), but you’ll find one. And it will be worth it to know you steered clear of debt in the process!<ol>
 <li>Don’t compare your vacation to anyone else’s</li>
 </ol>We’ve all heard the famous quote about comparison being the thief of joy, but you guys, it’s so true—especially when it comes to vacations. You might even want to take a break from social media for a while if you know you won’t be able to scroll without feeling jealous of your neighbors’ tropical vacation and comparing it to the trip you took (or weren’t able to take). And when you spend less time comparing, you’ll be less tempted to overspend on your own vacation.Remember, social media doesn’t give you the full picture of reality. And at the end of the day, no matter what kind of vacation or staycation you do, you still get to take a break and spend time with the people you love. That’s something worth celebrating!For more tips and travel hacks that will help you save on your next vacation, check out&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/saving/cheapest-places-to-travel?utm_source=cnl&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=5.1_cnl_blog_1_ramseyplus_personalities_rachel_cruze&amp;utm_term=rplus_bu&amp;utm_campaign=cnl_newsletter&amp;utm_id=cnl_newsletter&amp;cd17=RSCOM-11309_CNL-Eng&amp;_kx=23KkAjsdLRn5R6eB28Hw3V-eG_jHG8rCpuRtXk9NB5Otl8qPb2-qc9TsGz0BsKk4.RzHn5B">this article</a>.Rachel Cruze&nbsp;is a two-time #1 national best-selling author, financial expert and host of&nbsp;The Rachel Cruze Show.&nbsp;She has appeared on Good Morning America, TODAY Show and Live! With Kelly &amp; Ryan, among others. Since 2010, Rachel has served at Ramsey Solutions, where she teaches people to avoid debt, save money, budget and how to win with money at any stage in life. Follow Rachel on&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/rachelcruze" target="_blank">Twitter</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/rachelcruze/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/rachelramseycruze" target="_blank">Facebook</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/rachelcruze" target="_blank">YouTube</a>&nbsp;or online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rachelcruze.com/" target="_blank">rachelcruze.com</a>.

CRUZE: How to vacation without breaking the budget            

By DYLAN LYSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-05-12/kansas-thinks-maybe-youre-accidently-buying-vegetarian-meat-so-it-passed-a-law">Kansas News Service</a>

The power of the Kansas cattle industry means grocery shoppers in the
 state won't be buying anything called sausage or burger unless it's 
made of animal parts.

Gov. Laura Kelly recently signed a bill into
 law requiring meat substitutes to be sold with labeling that makes 
clear they come from plants, not livestock.

It's part of a 
national effort from the meat industry to stave off competition from a 
range of products cutting into its market share. The Kansas Livestock 
Association <a href="https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2020-01-24/the-kansas-cattle-industry-wants-tighter-labeling-guidelines-for-fake-meats" target="_blank">pushed for the law for years</a>, arguing it will spare consumers from confusion.

“It
 became pretty clear they were using deceptive labels to market their 
products,” KLA lobbyist Aaron Popekla said of meat alternative 
producers.

The law had bipartisan support, receiving a unanimous vote in both the Kansas House and Senate.

Similar
 to other states, Kansas law now prohibits the substitute products from 
using terms associated with animal meat unless they also provide a 
this-is-not meat disclaimer — like “meat-free,” “vegan,” or 
“plant-based.”

Plant-based meat products continue to grow in 
popularity. Recent retail data shows plant-based food sales imitating 
animal products have grown 54%, to a total of $7.4 billion, over the 
last three years, <a href="https://gfi.org/2021-market-research-preview/" target="_blank">according to the Good Food Institute</a>.

Many
 meat alternatives sold in Kansas already used disclaimer language on 
packaging, including the big brand names of the meat alternative market —
 Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat.

In fact, the Impossible Foods 
mission is one of the reasons the KLA pursued the legislation. Popelka 
pointed to the Impossible Foods CEO Patrick Brown, who said in 2020 that
 the company wants to replace all animal-based meat products by 2035, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/23/impossible-foods-ceo-meat-industry-will-be-obsolete-within-15-years.html" target="_blank">according to CNBC</a>.

Popelka said he took that to mean fake meat products are marketed to meat eaters, not vegans and vegetarians.

“(We’re) just making sure when consumers go to the grocery store, they know exactly what they are buying,” Popelka said.

The
 Kansas Chamber of Commerce opposed the bill for placing restrictions on
 businesses that sell fake meat products, including the need for 
companies to make labels specific for Kansas.

Dylan Lysen 
reports on politics for the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on 
Twitter @DylanLysen or email him at dlysen@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652459067695.png" alt="A new Kansas law requires meat alternative products to include disclaimers showing they are made from plants, not animals. Dylan Lysen / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>A new Kansas law requires meat alternative products to include disclaimers showing they are made from plants, not animals. Dylan Lysen / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By DYLAN LYSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-05-12/kansas-thinks-maybe-youre-accidently-buying-vegetarian-meat-so-it-passed-a-law">Kansas News Service</a>The power of the Kansas cattle industry means grocery shoppers in the
 state won't be buying anything called sausage or burger unless it's 
made of animal parts.Gov. Laura Kelly recently signed a bill into
 law requiring meat substitutes to be sold with labeling that makes 
clear they come from plants, not livestock.It's part of a 
national effort from the meat industry to stave off competition from a 
range of products cutting into its market share. The Kansas Livestock 
Association <a href="https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2020-01-24/the-kansas-cattle-industry-wants-tighter-labeling-guidelines-for-fake-meats" target="_blank">pushed for the law for years</a>, arguing it will spare consumers from confusion.“It
 became pretty clear they were using deceptive labels to market their 
products,” KLA lobbyist Aaron Popekla said of meat alternative 
producers.The law had bipartisan support, receiving a unanimous vote in both the Kansas House and Senate.Similar
 to other states, Kansas law now prohibits the substitute products from 
using terms associated with animal meat unless they also provide a 
this-is-not meat disclaimer — like “meat-free,” “vegan,” or 
“plant-based.”Plant-based meat products continue to grow in 
popularity. Recent retail data shows plant-based food sales imitating 
animal products have grown 54%, to a total of $7.4 billion, over the 
last three years, <a href="https://gfi.org/2021-market-research-preview/" target="_blank">according to the Good Food Institute</a>.Many
 meat alternatives sold in Kansas already used disclaimer language on 
packaging, including the big brand names of the meat alternative market —
 Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat.In fact, the Impossible Foods 
mission is one of the reasons the KLA pursued the legislation. Popelka 
pointed to the Impossible Foods CEO Patrick Brown, who said in 2020 that
 the company wants to replace all animal-based meat products by 2035, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/23/impossible-foods-ceo-meat-industry-will-be-obsolete-within-15-years.html" target="_blank">according to CNBC</a>.Popelka said he took that to mean fake meat products are marketed to meat eaters, not vegans and vegetarians.“(We’re) just making sure when consumers go to the grocery store, they know exactly what they are buying,” Popelka said.The
 Kansas Chamber of Commerce opposed the bill for placing restrictions on
 businesses that sell fake meat products, including the need for 
companies to make labels specific for Kansas.Dylan Lysen 
reports on politics for the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on 
Twitter @DylanLysen or email him at dlysen@kcur.org.

Kansas thinks you're accidentally buying vegetarian 'meat,' so it passed a law

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/16/still-among-the-lucky-ones-even-after-catching-covid/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — For months on end, I have been among the lucky ones.

I
 followed the advice of the health experts and the governor and kept my 
distance, sang “Happy Birthday” twice while washing my hands, limited my
 travel and wore a mask when out to shop or reporting at the Capitol.&nbsp;

When
 the vaccine came out, I was among the throngs who swept through 
Lincoln’s Pinnacle Bank Arena for two incredibly well-choreographed 
vaccination clinics.

And when the booster was recommended for us “seasoned” Nebraskans, I rolled up my sleeve for another shot last fall.

My main goal was always “don’t give it to someone else.”

So
 when I got even a slightly sore throat or congestion, I went and got 
tested. More than a dozen times I drove through the free, Test Nebraska 
testing sites. When they went away, it meant a trip to a local drug 
store for a test. More recently, it was using a home test.

I
 did not want to be the guy who gave it to someone else, someone who 
really got sick, or had to go to the hospital, or heaven forbid, ended 
up on a ventilator or worse.

Since
 the pandemic arrived in Nebraska in March 2020, I’ve had a front-row 
seat to the pandemic, covering dozens of governor’s press conferences 
while masked and distanced, writing about Nebraska’s first COVID-19 
patient and about small towns struggling through lockdowns and the 
uncertainty.

More
 recently, I’ve covered stories about doctors and nurses, desperately 
trying to save lives of those gasping for breath while dealing with the 
divisions in our world over using masks, taking precautions and trusting
 medical professionals.

After
 all that, I can honestly say that being cautious and taking precautions
 has worked for me. Neighbors got it, friends got it, relatives got it. 
Not me.&nbsp;

My lucky streak ended April 26 when a home test showed positive.&nbsp;

Like
 a lot of people, I’ve let my guard down, put away the N-95 masks and 
tried to live a little in the past couple of months. Case counts were 
down, masking requirements were going away.

My
 wife and I went to an Elton John concert recently. It was sold out, and
 few people wore masks. There was a certain novelty, and feeling of 
freedom, for not masking up. And I was fine after the concert.

The
 week before I tested positive I covered the final days of the 
Legislature’s session, went to a bill signing at the Capitol Rotunda, 
attended a funeral visitation and drove to central Nebraska’s Calamus 
Lake to visit an old buddy — all without masking.

A
 friend had come up to our family farm nine days before I tested 
positive, and he told me later that he’d turned up positive just after 
our visit. But we were mostly outside, seemingly far enough apart.&nbsp;

I write this to make a couple of points. The first is that COVID-19 is still out there.&nbsp;

As one widely known public health expert said recently, “We may be done with it, but it isn’t done with us.”

This
 is a disease that has killed more than 4,200 Nebraskans. Nineteen more 
Nebraskans died last week. And cases, nationwide, are on the rise again,
 according to the New York Times. That’s also according to the health 
director in Lincoln, where I live.

Think of it – 4,200 dead. That’s about the 
population of cities like Aurora, Wahoo, Ogallala and Falls City. Pick 
one of those towns. Gone.

In
 Lincoln and Lancaster County, cases have increased in each of the past 
five weeks. A surge seen nationwide is showing up here, said Pat Lopez, 
the city-county health director, who said she’s seeing an increase in 
older residents who haven’t gotten their second booster shot yet.

About
 1 million Americans have died since March 2020. And for the first time 
since World War I, the life expectancy for Americans has dropped, from 
78.9 years in 2019 to 76.6 years in 2021.

(And
 we need to consider that the number of people infected with COVID-19 is
 probably a major undercount. That’s because we’re all using home tests 
now. And I have stopped counting the people who told me they probably 
got COVID but never got tested. Wonder if they spread it.)

Here’s my second takeaway: I do believe that getting the shots made my symptoms manageable, and mostly mild.&nbsp;

Sure,
 the shots didn’t prevent COVID — I got it — but getting vaccinated, 
wearing a mask, etc., might have kept it at bay for me through months of
 continuing to work, continuing to shop at the grocery store and 
elsewhere, and doing things like ushering at church.

(One
 note: I did test “positive” in December 2020, but I never had any 
symptoms other than a scratchy nose. And a month later, two tests showed
 I didn’t have any antibodies. So it was a “false positive.”)

Meanwhile,
 I’ve heard story after story of friends, relatives and neighbors — some
 vaxed, but several not — getting COVID and dealing with high fevers, 
the loss of taste and smell, and the lingering after-effects, like a 
foggy brain or lack of energy.

But
 my symptoms were no worse than a typical flu. I was run down for a day 
or two, had a slight sore throat and was a bit achy. But, except for one
 morning sleeping in, I continued to work from my isolation at home.

My ability to taste and smell was impacted, but for only a couple of days, and only for the blandest food.&nbsp;

The best news is this: besides my wife, who luckily also had mild symptoms, I didn’t spread it to the wider world.&nbsp;

As
 soon as I tested positive, I called everyone I came in contact with to 
let them know. I still haven’t heard from anyone beyond my wife who got 
it, and I am hoping that I didn’t spread it to anyone else.

From
 friends, relatives and neighbors, I’ve heard of much more serious 
fights with COVID, of real sickness, trips to the ER, the awful funerals
 and regrets.

I’ve
 tried to do my part by trying to avoid getting it and spreading it. 
I’ve urged others to get the shots, but in our world today, some people 
don’t trust what the experts are telling reporters, or what we are 
reporting. I get it. I don’t understand it, but I get it.&nbsp;

Still,
 when an unvaccinated buddy got a bad case, I tried to help him track 
down a monoclonal antibody treatment. I even made a mad dash through a 
blizzard to Beatrice to pick up a home test because they were all sold 
out in his town. He needed a test.&nbsp;

So
 now I’m among the majority of Americans who have had COVID-19. It 
knocked me down for a day or two, but I got over it, and hopefully I 
didn’t become a super spreader.

I still think I’m still among the lucky ones.

Senior Reporter Paul Hammel has covered the Nebraska Legislature and Nebraska state government for decades. He started his career reporting for the Omaha Sun and was named editor of the Papillion Times in 1982. He later worked as a sports enterprise reporter at the Lincoln Journal-Star. He joined the Omaha World-Herald in 1990, working as a legislative reporter, then roving state reporter and finally Lincoln bureau chief.&nbsp;

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/05/16/still-among-the-lucky-ones-even-after-catching-covid/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — For months on end, I have been among the lucky ones.Never got COVID.&nbsp;I
 followed the advice of the health experts and the governor and kept my 
distance, sang “Happy Birthday” twice while washing my hands, limited my
 travel and wore a mask when out to shop or reporting at the Capitol.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>When
 the vaccine came out, I was among the throngs who swept through 
Lincoln’s Pinnacle Bank Arena for two incredibly well-choreographed 
vaccination clinics.And when the booster was recommended for us “seasoned” Nebraskans, I rolled up my sleeve for another shot last fall.<h2>“Don’t give it to others’</h2>My main goal was always “don’t give it to someone else.”So
 when I got even a slightly sore throat or congestion, I went and got 
tested. More than a dozen times I drove through the free, Test Nebraska 
testing sites. When they went away, it meant a trip to a local drug 
store for a test. More recently, it was using a home test.I
 did not want to be the guy who gave it to someone else, someone who 
really got sick, or had to go to the hospital, or heaven forbid, ended 
up on a ventilator or worse.Since
 the pandemic arrived in Nebraska in March 2020, I’ve had a front-row 
seat to the pandemic, covering dozens of governor’s press conferences 
while masked and distanced, writing about Nebraska’s first COVID-19 
patient and about small towns struggling through lockdowns and the 
uncertainty.More
 recently, I’ve covered stories about doctors and nurses, desperately 
trying to save lives of those gasping for breath while dealing with the 
divisions in our world over using masks, taking precautions and trusting
 medical professionals.After
 all that, I can honestly say that being cautious and taking precautions
 has worked for me. Neighbors got it, friends got it, relatives got it. 
Not me.&nbsp;Until two weeks ago.&nbsp;My lucky streak ended April 26 when a home test showed positive.&nbsp;Where I got it is anyone’s guess.Like
 a lot of people, I’ve let my guard down, put away the N-95 masks and 
tried to live a little in the past couple of months. Case counts were 
down, masking requirements were going away.<h2>A concert and few masks</h2>My
 wife and I went to an Elton John concert recently. It was sold out, and
 few people wore masks. There was a certain novelty, and feeling of 
freedom, for not masking up. And I was fine after the concert.The
 week before I tested positive I covered the final days of the 
Legislature’s session, went to a bill signing at the Capitol Rotunda, 
attended a funeral visitation and drove to central Nebraska’s Calamus 
Lake to visit an old buddy — all without masking.A
 friend had come up to our family farm nine days before I tested 
positive, and he told me later that he’d turned up positive just after 
our visit. But we were mostly outside, seemingly far enough apart.&nbsp;I write this to make a couple of points. The first is that COVID-19 is still out there.&nbsp;As one widely known public health expert said recently, “We may be done with it, but it isn’t done with us.”This
 is a disease that has killed more than 4,200 Nebraskans. Nineteen more 
Nebraskans died last week. And cases, nationwide, are on the rise again,
 according to the New York Times. That’s also according to the health 
director in Lincoln, where I live.Think of it – 4,200 dead. That’s about the 
population of cities like Aurora, Wahoo, Ogallala and Falls City. Pick 
one of those towns. Gone.In
 Lincoln and Lancaster County, cases have increased in each of the past 
five weeks. A surge seen nationwide is showing up here, said Pat Lopez, 
the city-county health director, who said she’s seeing an increase in 
older residents who haven’t gotten their second booster shot yet.About
 1 million Americans have died since March 2020. And for the first time 
since World War I, the life expectancy for Americans has dropped, from 
78.9 years in 2019 to 76.6 years in 2021.<h2>Depressing facts</h2>Those are cold, hard, depressing facts.(And
 we need to consider that the number of people infected with COVID-19 is
 probably a major undercount. That’s because we’re all using home tests 
now. And I have stopped counting the people who told me they probably 
got COVID but never got tested. Wonder if they spread it.)Here’s my second takeaway: I do believe that getting the shots made my symptoms manageable, and mostly mild.&nbsp;Sure,
 the shots didn’t prevent COVID — I got it — but getting vaccinated, 
wearing a mask, etc., might have kept it at bay for me through months of
 continuing to work, continuing to shop at the grocery store and 
elsewhere, and doing things like ushering at church.(One
 note: I did test “positive” in December 2020, but I never had any 
symptoms other than a scratchy nose. And a month later, two tests showed
 I didn’t have any antibodies. So it was a “false positive.”)<h2>Others got it</h2>Meanwhile,
 I’ve heard story after story of friends, relatives and neighbors — some
 vaxed, but several not — getting COVID and dealing with high fevers, 
the loss of taste and smell, and the lingering after-effects, like a 
foggy brain or lack of energy.But
 my symptoms were no worse than a typical flu. I was run down for a day 
or two, had a slight sore throat and was a bit achy. But, except for one
 morning sleeping in, I continued to work from my isolation at home.My ability to taste and smell was impacted, but for only a couple of days, and only for the blandest food.&nbsp;The best news is this: besides my wife, who luckily also had mild symptoms, I didn’t spread it to the wider world.&nbsp;As
 soon as I tested positive, I called everyone I came in contact with to 
let them know. I still haven’t heard from anyone beyond my wife who got 
it, and I am hoping that I didn’t spread it to anyone else.<h2>Tried to do my part</h2>From
 friends, relatives and neighbors, I’ve heard of much more serious 
fights with COVID, of real sickness, trips to the ER, the awful funerals
 and regrets.I’ve
 tried to do my part by trying to avoid getting it and spreading it. 
I’ve urged others to get the shots, but in our world today, some people 
don’t trust what the experts are telling reporters, or what we are 
reporting. I get it. I don’t understand it, but I get it.&nbsp;Still,
 when an unvaccinated buddy got a bad case, I tried to help him track 
down a monoclonal antibody treatment. I even made a mad dash through a 
blizzard to Beatrice to pick up a home test because they were all sold 
out in his town. He needed a test.&nbsp;So
 now I’m among the majority of Americans who have had COVID-19. It 
knocked me down for a day or two, but I got over it, and hopefully I 
didn’t become a super spreader.I still think I’m still among the lucky ones.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652728478329.jpeg" alt="Paul Hammel" />
 <figcaption>Paul Hammel</figcaption>
 </figure>Senior Reporter Paul Hammel has covered the Nebraska Legislature and Nebraska state government for decades. He started his career reporting for the Omaha Sun and was named editor of the Papillion Times in 1982. He later worked as a sports enterprise reporter at the Lincoln Journal-Star. He joined the Omaha World-Herald in 1990, working as a legislative reporter, then roving state reporter and finally Lincoln bureau chief.&nbsp;

OPINION: Still among the lucky ones, even after catching COVID

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal weekend motorcycle crash have identified the victim as a 40-year-old Adam Higgins of Hutchinson.&nbsp;

Just before 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Wichita Accident Follow Up detectives along with the Critical Accident Team were completing work on another fatal collision on Kellogg and were allowing traffic to proceed east, according to Officer Trevor Macy.

A Higgins was on a motorcycle eastbound in the lane for the off ramp to Woodlawn when Kellogg was reopened.

Higgins changed lanes into the outside lane of eastbound Kellogg, where he collided with a black Chevy pickup truck driven by a 42-year-old woman. The motorcycle struck the passenger side front of the truck. Higgins was ejected from the motorcycle, went underneath the truck and was then run over.

EMS transported&nbsp; Higgins to area hospital with critical injuries where he was later pronounced deceased, according to Macy.

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal weekend motorcycle crash have identified the victim as a 40-year-old Adam Higgins of Hutchinson.&nbsp;Just before 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Wichita Accident Follow Up detectives along with the Critical Accident Team were completing work on another fatal collision on Kellogg and were allowing traffic to proceed east, according to Officer Trevor Macy.A Higgins was on a motorcycle eastbound in the lane for the off ramp to Woodlawn when Kellogg was reopened.Higgins changed lanes into the outside lane of eastbound Kellogg, where he collided with a black Chevy pickup truck driven by a 42-year-old woman. The motorcycle struck the passenger side front of the truck. Higgins was ejected from the motorcycle, went underneath the truck and was then run over. EMS transported&nbsp; Higgins to area hospital with critical injuries where he was later pronounced deceased, according to Macy.

Police ID Kan. motorcyclist who died after run over by pickup

WASHINGTON (AP) — Under fire from parents and politicians, President Joe Biden is offering formula manufacturers and retailers transportation and logistics support to ease the nationwide shortage of baby formula, as the administration works to bring the largest domestic plant back on line after it was shut down early this year due to safety issues.

The<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/05/12/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-additional-steps-to-address-infant-formula-shortage/"> White House said </a>it is working with all major formula producers to boost production, including reaching out to their suppliers to encourage them to prioritize production and delivery of formula ingredients. It comes as the Biden administration has come under intense pressure over the last week to do more to ease&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/baby-formula-shortage-what-to-know-735cef06e68ed9c5a46233bdfcf0573d">the shortage of formula</a>&nbsp;that has forced parents of infants to go to significant lengths to feed their children.

The shortage stems from a February recall by Abbott, the nation’s largest formula maker, that shuttered the company’s Michigan plant and exacerbated ongoing supply chain disruptions among formula makers, leaving fewer options on stores shelves across much of the country. The shortage has led retailers like CVS and Target to limit how many containers customers can purchase per visit and forced some parents to swap and sell formula online.

<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/formula/index.html">Click here to view </a>the government infant formula web site.

On Monday, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf told ABC News’ “Good Morning America” that the federal agency is “working really closely with Abbott” to reopen the closed Michigan factory and he expects that “in a very short period of time we’re going to have an announcement about the path forward.”

Califf said an announcement is forthcoming about importing baby formula from abroad, noting that the key is making sure the instructions for the formula are in languages that mothers and caregivers can understand.

The FDA warned families against making their own baby formula because it has 30 distinct constituents that have to be in the right amount, otherwise the formula can possibly be dangerous to consume.

Abbott’s voluntary recall was triggered by four illnesses reported in babies who had consumed powdered formula from the Michigan plant. All four infants were hospitalized with a rare type of bacterial infection and two died.

Abbott is one of just four companies that produce roughly 90% of U.S. formula, so its shutdown squeezed already tight supplies.

After a six-week inspection, FDA investigators published&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-business-health-michigan-a4205025fc781b1fb902cdd9e1264b41">a list of problems</a>&nbsp;in March, including lax safety and sanitary standards and a history of bacterial contamination in several parts of the plant.

But Chicago-based Abbott has emphasized that its products have not been directly linked to the bacterial infections in children. Samples of the bacteria found at its plant did not match the strains collected from the babies by federal investigators. The company has repeatedly stated it is ready to resume manufacturing, pending an FDA decision.

Former FDA officials say fixing the type of problems uncovered at Abbott’s plant takes time, and infant formula facilities receive more scrutiny than other food facilities. Companies need to exhaustively clean the facility and equipment, retrain staff, repeatedly test and document there is no contamination.

Even if the facility reopens soon, the FDA will still face scrutiny for its handling of the issues at the plant.

FDA inspectors visited the factory in September for a routine inspection, around the time that the first bacterial infection was reported in an infant. Although inspectors uncovered several violations— including standing water and unsanitary conditions— the FDA did not shut down the plant or issue any formal warning.

Only after several more illnesses were reported did the FDA return to the plant in January, this time finding a history of bacterial contamination in several parts of the plant. Abbott then shut down the facility and recalled several powdered formulas in mid-February.

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro reported last month that a whistleblower had contacted the FDA in October about unsafe conditions and practices at the plant, including falsifying plant records and failing to properly test formula for contamination.

She and other lawmakers are set to question FDA Commissioner Califf about that issue and others at a hearing scheduled for Thursday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652447550275.png" alt="On Thursday, President Biden spoke with retailers and manufacturers to discuss ways to do more to help families access infant formula." />
 <figcaption>On Thursday, President Biden spoke with retailers and manufacturers to discuss ways to do more to help families access infant formula.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Under fire from parents and politicians, President Joe Biden is offering formula manufacturers and retailers transportation and logistics support to ease the nationwide shortage of baby formula, as the administration works to bring the largest domestic plant back on line after it was shut down early this year due to safety issues.The<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/05/12/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-additional-steps-to-address-infant-formula-shortage/"> White House said </a>it is working with all major formula producers to boost production, including reaching out to their suppliers to encourage them to prioritize production and delivery of formula ingredients. It comes as the Biden administration has come under intense pressure over the last week to do more to ease&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/baby-formula-shortage-what-to-know-735cef06e68ed9c5a46233bdfcf0573d">the shortage of formula</a>&nbsp;that has forced parents of infants to go to significant lengths to feed their children.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648164055231.png" alt="In February Abbott, one of the country’s largest infant formula makers announced a recall of Similac-FDA image" />
 <figcaption>In February Abbott, one of the country’s largest infant formula makers announced a recall of Similac-FDA image</figcaption>
 </figure>The shortage stems from a February recall by Abbott, the nation’s largest formula maker, that shuttered the company’s Michigan plant and exacerbated ongoing supply chain disruptions among formula makers, leaving fewer options on stores shelves across much of the country. The shortage has led retailers like CVS and Target to limit how many containers customers can purchase per visit and forced some parents to swap and sell formula online.<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/formula/index.html">Click here to view </a>the government infant formula web site.On Monday, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf told ABC News’ “Good Morning America” that the federal agency is “working really closely with Abbott” to reopen the closed Michigan factory and he expects that “in a very short period of time we’re going to have an announcement about the path forward.”Califf said an announcement is forthcoming about importing baby formula from abroad, noting that the key is making sure the instructions for the formula are in languages that mothers and caregivers can understand.The FDA warned families against making their own baby formula because it has 30 distinct constituents that have to be in the right amount, otherwise the formula can possibly be dangerous to consume.Abbott’s voluntary recall was triggered by four illnesses reported in babies who had consumed powdered formula from the Michigan plant. All four infants were hospitalized with a rare type of bacterial infection and two died.Abbott is one of just four companies that produce roughly 90% of U.S. formula, so its shutdown squeezed already tight supplies.After a six-week inspection, FDA investigators published&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-business-health-michigan-a4205025fc781b1fb902cdd9e1264b41">a list of problems</a>&nbsp;in March, including lax safety and sanitary standards and a history of bacterial contamination in several parts of the plant.But Chicago-based Abbott has emphasized that its products have not been directly linked to the bacterial infections in children. Samples of the bacteria found at its plant did not match the strains collected from the babies by federal investigators. The company has repeatedly stated it is ready to resume manufacturing, pending an FDA decision.Former FDA officials say fixing the type of problems uncovered at Abbott’s plant takes time, and infant formula facilities receive more scrutiny than other food facilities. Companies need to exhaustively clean the facility and equipment, retrain staff, repeatedly test and document there is no contamination.Even if the facility reopens soon, the FDA will still face scrutiny for its handling of the issues at the plant.FDA inspectors visited the factory in September for a routine inspection, around the time that the first bacterial infection was reported in an infant. Although inspectors uncovered several violations— including standing water and unsanitary conditions— the FDA did not shut down the plant or issue any formal warning.Only after several more illnesses were reported did the FDA return to the plant in January, this time finding a history of bacterial contamination in several parts of the plant. Abbott then shut down the facility and recalled several powdered formulas in mid-February.Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro reported last month that a whistleblower had contacted the FDA in October about unsafe conditions and practices at the plant, including falsifying plant records and failing to properly test formula for contamination.She and other lawmakers are set to question FDA Commissioner Califf about that issue and others at a hearing scheduled for Thursday.

Biden offers logistics support to ease baby formula shortage

BARTON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged child sex crimes.

Just after 11 a.m. May 13, police received a report of a sex offense involving two juvenile females occurring at a residence in Great Bend, according to a media release.

Officers and detectives began compiling details and evidence of the report alleging multiple sex offenses in Kansas starting in 2015 and 2016. 

It was reported that the suspect involved in this investigation had left his residence in a black 2013 Dodge Ram pickup, with most of his belongings, in an unknown direction of travel.

During the course of the investigation, detectives requested a ping of his location using the suspect's cellular phone. A number of locations were checked and the suspect identified as 41-year-old Joseph Cruse&nbsp; was located a short time later by officers in a motel parking lot in the 700 block of 10th Street in Great Bend.

Cruse was arrested without further incident and transported to the Barton County Detention Center where he was booked on requested charges of rape, aggravated indecent liberties with a child and aggravated criminal sodomy. He is being held on a $1,000,000 bond.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652717589648.jpeg" alt="Cruse photo Barton Co." />
 <figcaption>Cruse photo Barton Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>BARTON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged child sex crimes.Just after 11 a.m. May 13, police received a report of a sex offense involving two juvenile females occurring at a residence in Great Bend, according to a media release.Officers and detectives began compiling details and evidence of the report alleging multiple sex offenses in Kansas starting in 2015 and 2016. It was reported that the suspect involved in this investigation had left his residence in a black 2013 Dodge Ram pickup, with most of his belongings, in an unknown direction of travel.During the course of the investigation, detectives requested a ping of his location using the suspect's cellular phone. A number of locations were checked and the suspect identified as 41-year-old Joseph Cruse&nbsp; was located a short time later by officers in a motel parking lot in the 700 block of 10th Street in Great Bend.Cruse was arrested without further incident and transported to the Barton County Detention Center where he was booked on requested charges of rape, aggravated indecent liberties with a child and aggravated criminal sodomy. He is being held on a $1,000,000 bond.

Police track child sex crime suspect to motel in Great Bend

HARVEY COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after a Sunday incident that involved throwing household items from his apartment window and threatening the rest of the building.

At 7:15p.m.&nbsp; Sunday night, police were dispatched to Midtown Towers, 115 W. Ninth Street in Newton on a report of someone throwing items from a seventh-story window at people below, according to a media release.

Newton officers had been to this location multiple times in the past two days attempting to contact a person reported to be suicidal and breaking personal property.

Officers made contact with the suspect, who made homicidal, suicidal and threatening statements toward the apartment building. Out of caution, officers asked other residents of the building to voluntarily evacuate or shelter in place.

A Newton Police negotiator arrived and began speaking with the suspect by phone. For about four hours, the negotiator tried to de-escalate the situation and offered the suspect any help he needed. The suspect refused help and continued throwing household items from the window and barricading the apartment doors.

Officers learned that the suspect had multiple felony warrants for his arrest for aggravated burglary, theft and two counts of stalking.

Just before midnight, the Harvey County Emergency Response Team forced entry into the apartment and took the suspect into custody without incident.

The suspect,&nbsp; 58-year-old Lyle Gulick of Newton, was taken to NMC Health, where he was medically cleared, and he was booked into the Harvey County Detention Center. In addition to the warrants, Gulick was booked on requested charges of&nbsp; aggravated assault, felony obstruction to official duty, criminal damage and disorderly conduct. He has previous convictions for aggravated assault and criminal damage to property, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652746294221.png" alt="Gulick has previous convictions for aggravated assault and criminal damage to property, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Gulick has previous convictions for aggravated assault and criminal damage to property, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>HARVEY COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after a Sunday incident that involved throwing household items from his apartment window and threatening the rest of the building.At 7:15p.m.&nbsp; Sunday night, police were dispatched to Midtown Towers, 115 W. Ninth Street in Newton on a report of someone throwing items from a seventh-story window at people below, according to a media release.Newton officers had been to this location multiple times in the past two days attempting to contact a person reported to be suicidal and breaking personal property.Officers made contact with the suspect, who made homicidal, suicidal and threatening statements toward the apartment building. Out of caution, officers asked other residents of the building to voluntarily evacuate or shelter in place.A Newton Police negotiator arrived and began speaking with the suspect by phone. For about four hours, the negotiator tried to de-escalate the situation and offered the suspect any help he needed. The suspect refused help and continued throwing household items from the window and barricading the apartment doors.Officers learned that the suspect had multiple felony warrants for his arrest for aggravated burglary, theft and two counts of stalking.Just before midnight, the Harvey County Emergency Response Team forced entry into the apartment and took the suspect into custody without incident.The suspect,&nbsp; 58-year-old Lyle Gulick of Newton, was taken to NMC Health, where he was medically cleared, and he was booked into the Harvey County Detention Center. In addition to the warrants, Gulick was booked on requested charges of&nbsp; aggravated assault, felony obstruction to official duty, criminal damage and disorderly conduct. He has previous convictions for aggravated assault and criminal damage to property, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Police: Kan. felon jailed after throwing objects from 7th story window

The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 hit 1 million on Monday, a once-unimaginable figure that only hints at the multitudes of loved ones and friends staggered by grief and frustration.

The confirmed number of dead is equivalent to a 9/11 attack every day for 336 days. It is roughly equal to how many Americans died in the Civil War and World War II combined. It’s as if Boston and Pittsburgh were wiped out.

“It is hard to imagine a million people plucked from this earth,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, who leads a new pandemic center at the Brown University School of Public Health in Providence, Rhode Island. “It’s still happening and we are letting it happen.”

Some of those left behind say they cannot return to normal. They replay their loved ones’ voicemail messages. Or watch old videos to see them dance. When other people say they are done with the virus, they bristle with anger or ache in silence.

“‘Normal.’ I hate that word,” said Julie Wallace, 55, of Elyria, Ohio, who lost her husband to COVID-19 in 2020. “All of us never get to go back to normal.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-native-americans-hispanics-d2234e9d7df7ca8026faf9f88c7baeac">Three out of every four deaths</a>&nbsp;were people 65 and older. More men died than women. White people made up most of the deaths overall. But Black, Hispanic and Native American people have been roughly twice as likely to die from COVID-19 as their white counterparts.

Most deaths happened in urban areas, but rural places — where opposition to masks and vaccinations tends to run high — paid a heavy price at times.

The death toll less than 2 1/2 years into the outbreak is based on death certificate data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. But the real number of lives lost to COVID-19, either directly or indirectly, as a result the disruption of the health care system in the world’s richest country, is believed to be far higher.

The milestone comes more than three months after the U.S. reached 900,000 dead. The pace has slowed since a harrowing winter surge fueled by the omicron variant. The U.S. is averaging about 300 COVID-19 deaths per day, compared with a peak of about 3,400 a day in January 2021.

The largest bell at Washington National Cathedral in the nation’s capital tolled 1,000 times a week ago, once for every 1,000 deaths. President Joe Biden on Thursday ordered flags lowered to half-staff and called each life “an irreplaceable loss.”

“As a nation, we must not grow numb to such sorrow,” he said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/05/12/statement-from-president-joe-biden-marking-one-million-american-lives-lost-to-covid-19/" target="_blank">statement</a>. “To heal, we must remember.”

More than half the deaths occurred since vaccines became available in December of 2020. Two-thirds of Americans are fully vaccinated, and nearly half of them have had at least one booster dose. But demand for the vaccine has plummeted, and the campaign to put shots in arms has been plagued by misinformation, distrust and political polarization.

Unvaccinated people have a 10 times greater risk of dying of COVID-19 than the fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

“To me, that is what is just so particularly heartbreaking,” Nuzzo said. Vaccines are safe and greatly reduce the likelihood of severe illness, she said. They “largely take the possibility of death off the table.”

Angelina Proia, 36, of New York, lost her father to COVID-19 in April 2020. She runs a support group for grieving families on Facebook and has seen it divided over vaccinations. She has booted people from the group for spreading misinformation.

“I don’t want to hear conspiracy theories. I don’t want to hear anti-science,” said Proia, who wishes her father could have been vaccinated.

Sara Atkins, 42, of Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, channels her grief into fighting for global vaccination and better access to health care to honor her father, Andy Rotman-Zaid, who died of COVID-19 in December 2020.

“My father gave me marching orders to end it and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Atkins said of the pandemic. “He told me, ‘Politicize the hell out of my death if I die of this.’”

Julie Wallace and her husband, Lewis Dunlap, had cellphone numbers one digit apart. She continues paying to keep his number. She calls it just to hear his voice.

“It’s just so important to hear that sometimes,” she said. “It gives you a little bit of reassurance while also tearing your heart out.”

Some have offered solace in poetry. In Philadelphia, poet and social worker Trapeta Mayson, created a&nbsp;<a href="https://philadelphiacontemporary.org/projects/healing-verse-poetry-line" target="_blank">24-hour poetry hotline called Healing Verse</a>. Traffic to the Academy of American Poets’&nbsp;<a href="https://poets.org/" target="_blank">poets.org website</a>&nbsp;rose during the pandemic.

Brian Sonia-Wallace, poet laureate of West Hollywood, California, has traveled the country&nbsp;<a href="https://rentpoet.com/" target="_blank">writing poems for hire</a>. He imagines a memorial of a million poems, written by people who don’t normally write poetry. They would talk to those who are grieving and listen for points of connection.

“What we need as a nation is empathy,” said Tanya Alves, 35, of Weston, Florida, who lost her 24-year-old sister to COVID-19 in October. “Over two years into the pandemic, with all the cases and lives lost, we should be more compassionate and respectful when talking about COVID. Thousands of families changed forever. This virus is not just a cold.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652709604973.png" alt="COVID deaths by county. Not all states report the same information on COVID -Map courtesy John Hopkins Covid Research Center&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>COVID deaths by county. Not all states report the same information on COVID -Map courtesy John Hopkins Covid Research Center&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>By CARLA K. JOHNSON, Associated PressThe U.S. death toll from COVID-19 hit 1 million on Monday, a once-unimaginable figure that only hints at the multitudes of loved ones and friends staggered by grief and frustration.The confirmed number of dead is equivalent to a 9/11 attack every day for 336 days. It is roughly equal to how many Americans died in the Civil War and World War II combined. It’s as if Boston and Pittsburgh were wiped out.“It is hard to imagine a million people plucked from this earth,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, who leads a new pandemic center at the Brown University School of Public Health in Providence, Rhode Island. “It’s still happening and we are letting it happen.”Some of those left behind say they cannot return to normal. They replay their loved ones’ voicemail messages. Or watch old videos to see them dance. When other people say they are done with the virus, they bristle with anger or ache in silence.“‘Normal.’ I hate that word,” said Julie Wallace, 55, of Elyria, Ohio, who lost her husband to COVID-19 in 2020. “All of us never get to go back to normal.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652709580859.png" alt="Map courtesy John Hopkins " />
 <figcaption>Map courtesy John Hopkins </figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-native-americans-hispanics-d2234e9d7df7ca8026faf9f88c7baeac">Three out of every four deaths</a>&nbsp;were people 65 and older. More men died than women. White people made up most of the deaths overall. But Black, Hispanic and Native American people have been roughly twice as likely to die from COVID-19 as their white counterparts.Most deaths happened in urban areas, but rural places — where opposition to masks and vaccinations tends to run high — paid a heavy price at times.The death toll less than 2 1/2 years into the outbreak is based on death certificate data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. But the real number of lives lost to COVID-19, either directly or indirectly, as a result the disruption of the health care system in the world’s richest country, is believed to be far higher.The milestone comes more than three months after the U.S. reached 900,000 dead. The pace has slowed since a harrowing winter surge fueled by the omicron variant. The U.S. is averaging about 300 COVID-19 deaths per day, compared with a peak of about 3,400 a day in January 2021.The largest bell at Washington National Cathedral in the nation’s capital tolled 1,000 times a week ago, once for every 1,000 deaths. President Joe Biden on Thursday ordered flags lowered to half-staff and called each life “an irreplaceable loss.”“As a nation, we must not grow numb to such sorrow,” he said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/05/12/statement-from-president-joe-biden-marking-one-million-american-lives-lost-to-covid-19/" target="_blank">statement</a>. “To heal, we must remember.”More than half the deaths occurred since vaccines became available in December of 2020. Two-thirds of Americans are fully vaccinated, and nearly half of them have had at least one booster dose. But demand for the vaccine has plummeted, and the campaign to put shots in arms has been plagued by misinformation, distrust and political polarization.Unvaccinated people have a 10 times greater risk of dying of COVID-19 than the fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.“To me, that is what is just so particularly heartbreaking,” Nuzzo said. Vaccines are safe and greatly reduce the likelihood of severe illness, she said. They “largely take the possibility of death off the table.”Angelina Proia, 36, of New York, lost her father to COVID-19 in April 2020. She runs a support group for grieving families on Facebook and has seen it divided over vaccinations. She has booted people from the group for spreading misinformation.“I don’t want to hear conspiracy theories. I don’t want to hear anti-science,” said Proia, who wishes her father could have been vaccinated.Sara Atkins, 42, of Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, channels her grief into fighting for global vaccination and better access to health care to honor her father, Andy Rotman-Zaid, who died of COVID-19 in December 2020.“My father gave me marching orders to end it and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Atkins said of the pandemic. “He told me, ‘Politicize the hell out of my death if I die of this.’”Julie Wallace and her husband, Lewis Dunlap, had cellphone numbers one digit apart. She continues paying to keep his number. She calls it just to hear his voice.“It’s just so important to hear that sometimes,” she said. “It gives you a little bit of reassurance while also tearing your heart out.”Some have offered solace in poetry. In Philadelphia, poet and social worker Trapeta Mayson, created a&nbsp;<a href="https://philadelphiacontemporary.org/projects/healing-verse-poetry-line" target="_blank">24-hour poetry hotline called Healing Verse</a>. Traffic to the Academy of American Poets’&nbsp;<a href="https://poets.org/" target="_blank">poets.org website</a>&nbsp;rose during the pandemic.Brian Sonia-Wallace, poet laureate of West Hollywood, California, has traveled the country&nbsp;<a href="https://rentpoet.com/" target="_blank">writing poems for hire</a>. He imagines a memorial of a million poems, written by people who don’t normally write poetry. They would talk to those who are grieving and listen for points of connection.“What we need as a nation is empathy,” said Tanya Alves, 35, of Weston, Florida, who lost her 24-year-old sister to COVID-19 in October. “Over two years into the pandemic, with all the cases and lives lost, we should be more compassionate and respectful when talking about COVID. Thousands of families changed forever. This virus is not just a cold.”___

CDC: US deaths from COVID hit 1 million

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal hit and run have made an arrest.

Just before 3:30 a.m., Sunday, responded to a report of a motorcycle vs passenger vehicle at SE 6th Street and SE Chandler Street in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Jerry Monasmith.

Officers arrived on scene and found one victim in the roadway. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Following an investigation by the Topeka Police Department Accident Reconstruction Team, police arrested 23-year-old&nbsp;Geovany Arellano of Topeka, on requested charges of&nbsp;Murder in the 1st Degree, Aggravated Assault and&nbsp;Reckless Driving, according to Monasmith.&nbsp; Police have not released the victim's name.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652662672522.png" alt="Arellano-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Arellano-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal hit and run have made an arrest.Just before 3:30 a.m., Sunday, responded to a report of a motorcycle vs passenger vehicle at SE 6th Street and SE Chandler Street in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Jerry Monasmith.Officers arrived on scene and found one victim in the roadway. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene.Following an investigation by the Topeka Police Department Accident Reconstruction Team, police arrested 23-year-old&nbsp;Geovany Arellano of Topeka, on requested charges of&nbsp;Murder in the 1st Degree, Aggravated Assault and&nbsp;Reckless Driving, according to Monasmith.&nbsp; Police have not released the victim's name.

Police: Kan. driver facing murder charge for crash with motorcycle

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting early Sunday morning that sent one to the hospital.

At approximately 2a.m., police were dispatched to a disturbance with shots fired near Lincoln and Crestway in Wichita, according to Officer Trevor Macy.

As officers arrived in the area, they located a 32-year-old man walking eastbound on Lincoln at Pershing with three gunshot wounds. EMS transported him to an area hospital for treatment of serious injuries. He is expected to survive, according to Macy.

Police investigators located a shooting scene in the 800 block of S. Crestway. The victim did not cooperate with investigators.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting early Sunday morning that sent one to the hospital.At approximately 2a.m., police were dispatched to a disturbance with shots fired near Lincoln and Crestway in Wichita, according to Officer Trevor Macy.As officers arrived in the area, they located a 32-year-old man walking eastbound on Lincoln at Pershing with three gunshot wounds. EMS transported him to an area hospital for treatment of serious injuries. He is expected to survive, according to Macy.Police investigators located a shooting scene in the 800 block of S. Crestway. The victim did not cooperate with investigators.

Police: Kan. man with gunshot wounds won't cooperate with investigators

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden urged unity Sunday to address the “hate that remains a stain on the soul of America” after a deadly mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, while state officials pleaded for federal action to end the ”uniquely American phenomenon” of mass shootings.

(Click below to watch the President's comments)

Addressing an annual law enforcement ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, Biden said he and his wife, Jill, pray for those who were shot “by a lone gunman, armed with weapons of war and hate-filled soul,” and their families.

Authorities say a white 18-year-old male in military gear opened fire on shoppers and workers at the supermarket on Saturday, killing 10 people, including a retired Buffalo police officer, and wounding three others. Most of the victims were Black.

Law enforcement officials said Sunday that the gunman had researched the local demographics while looking for places with a high concentration of Black people.

“We must all work together to address the hate that remains a stain on the soul of America,” Biden said at the 41st annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service honoring fallen law enforcement officers. “Our hearts are heavy once again, but the resolve must never, ever waver.”

“No one understands this more than the people sitting in front of me,” he added.

Biden, speaking at the ceremony for the second time as president, did not address the calls by New York officials — Gov. Kathy Hochul and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown — for strong federal action to end what Brown said is the ”uniquely American phenomenon” of mass shootings.

The president also did not mention gun control efforts that have stalled in Washington.

Brown expressed frustration that “thoughts and prayers” and pledges to act are offered after every mass shooting, only to be be blocked by “some on one side of the aisle.”

“It seems like there are those that believe owning a gun is more precious than the sanctity of human life,” the mayor told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “So I think people all across this country have to rise up. They have to speak more loudly and more clearly that there must be gun control in this country. This is a uniquely American phenomenon. These mass shootings don’t happen in other countries across the world.”

Brown said he would like to see “sensible gun control.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said tighter gun measures are “a huge priority” for Democrats and the White House. She bemoaned the 60-vote threshold needed in the 50-50 Senate that has made it difficult to advance such legislation, but she pledged on CNN’s “State of the Union” that “we are not going away until the job is done.”

Hochul said most of the illegal guns being used on the streets of her cities come from other states. “We need a national response,” she told NBC.

“We need other states to step up. We need the federal government on our side,” said Hochul, a Buffalo native.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden urged unity Sunday to address the “hate that remains a stain on the soul of America” after a deadly mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, while state officials pleaded for federal action to end the ”uniquely American phenomenon” of mass shootings.(Click below to watch the President's comments)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F1912091172315320%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=343" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Addressing an annual law enforcement ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, Biden said he and his wife, Jill, pray for those who were shot “by a lone gunman, armed with weapons of war and hate-filled soul,” and their families.Authorities say a white 18-year-old male in military gear opened fire on shoppers and workers at the supermarket on Saturday, killing 10 people, including a retired Buffalo police officer, and wounding three others. Most of the victims were Black.Law enforcement officials said Sunday that the gunman had researched the local demographics while looking for places with a high concentration of Black people.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Jill and I will travel to Buffalo on Tuesday to grieve with the community that lost ten lives in a senseless and horrific mass shooting.&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1526003099529355264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“We must all work together to address the hate that remains a stain on the soul of America,” Biden said at the 41st annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service honoring fallen law enforcement officers. “Our hearts are heavy once again, but the resolve must never, ever waver.”“No one understands this more than the people sitting in front of me,” he added.Biden, speaking at the ceremony for the second time as president, did not address the calls by New York officials — Gov. Kathy Hochul and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown — for strong federal action to end what Brown said is the ”uniquely American phenomenon” of mass shootings.The president also did not mention gun control efforts that have stalled in Washington.Brown expressed frustration that “thoughts and prayers” and pledges to act are offered after every mass shooting, only to be be blocked by “some on one side of the aisle.”“It seems like there are those that believe owning a gun is more precious than the sanctity of human life,” the mayor told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “So I think people all across this country have to rise up. They have to speak more loudly and more clearly that there must be gun control in this country. This is a uniquely American phenomenon. These mass shootings don’t happen in other countries across the world.”Brown said he would like to see “sensible gun control.”House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said tighter gun measures are “a huge priority” for Democrats and the White House. She bemoaned the 60-vote threshold needed in the 50-50 Senate that has made it difficult to advance such legislation, but she pledged on CNN’s “State of the Union” that “we are not going away until the job is done.”Hochul said most of the illegal guns being used on the streets of her cities come from other states. “We need a national response,” she told NBC.“We need other states to step up. We need the federal government on our side,” said Hochul, a Buffalo native.

🎥Biden urges unity to stem racial hate after weekend shootings

DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal hit and run accident and asking the public for help to locate a van and driver that fled the scene.

Just after 5p.m. Saturday, police responded to a two-vehicle crash in the 1300 Block of East 1900 Road on the ramp over Kansas 10 Highway between Lawrence and Eudora, according to the Douglas County Sheriff.

According to a preliminary investigation, a 54-year-old man was driving a motorcycle northbound on East 1900 Road with a 9-year-old girl as passenger. As the approached the overpass, an unknown possibly a 2013-19 white Ford Transit van moved forward from the stop sign and the top of the eastbound off ramp from K-10 and into the intersection.

The van struck the motorcycle which overturned. EMS transported the man and the girl to Overland Park Regional Medical Center. He had serious but non life threatening injuries. The girl, who was wearing a helmet suffered critical injuries and died Sunday morning, according the sheriff's department.

Witnesses reported that after the collision, the driver of the white van proceeded down the ramp leaving its black front bumper cover behind and returned to eastbound K-10.&nbsp;

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Douglas Co. Sheriff.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652713174349.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal hit and run accident and asking the public for help to locate a van and driver that fled the scene.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">EAST 1900 Road Fatality Accident After further investigation, Sheriff&#39;s Office detectives now believe the vehicle that left the scene yesterday was a Ford Transit Connect XL Model 2013-2019, more likely a 2018-19. Anyone with info is asked to call the DGSO, 785-843-0250. <a href="https://t.co/NazzZWkS2O">pic.twitter.com/NazzZWkS2O</a>&mdash; Douglas Co. Sheriff (@DGSOSheriff) <a href="https://twitter.com/DGSOSheriff/status/1525963802629505037?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Just after 5p.m. Saturday, police responded to a two-vehicle crash in the 1300 Block of East 1900 Road on the ramp over Kansas 10 Highway between Lawrence and Eudora, according to the Douglas County Sheriff.According to a preliminary investigation, a 54-year-old man was driving a motorcycle northbound on East 1900 Road with a 9-year-old girl as passenger. As the approached the overpass, an unknown possibly a 2013-19 white Ford Transit van moved forward from the stop sign and the top of the eastbound off ramp from K-10 and into the intersection.The van struck the motorcycle which overturned. EMS transported the man and the girl to Overland Park Regional Medical Center. He had serious but non life threatening injuries. The girl, who was wearing a helmet suffered critical injuries and died Sunday morning, according the sheriff's department.Witnesses reported that after the collision, the driver of the white van proceeded down the ramp leaving its black front bumper cover behind and returned to eastbound K-10.&nbsp;Anyone with information is asked to contact the Douglas Co. Sheriff.

Search continues for van in crash that killed 9-year-old Kan. girl

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Two men who participated in an elaborate phone scam that cheated people from across the nation have agreed to repay their victims but avoided time behind bars, Massachusetts prosecutors said.

Ajaykumar Chaudhari, 26, of Pownal, Vermont, and Jitendra Chaudhari, 29, of Williamstown, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in Berkshire Superior Court to larceny and attempt to commit larceny, according to a statement Wednesday from the office of Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington. They were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5a039563a11c5d22b1f1974d199a05ee">arrested in June 2020</a>.

The guilty pleas were filed by the court, meaning the defendants won't be sent to jail as long as they stay out of additional legal trouble.

They, together with a third defendant, have agreed to pay more than $200,000 in restitution. That&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-massachusetts-vermont-pittsfield-b6be2c31953b01374a93289866775db8">third defendant, Parth Chaudhari, pleaded guilty to the same charges in December</a>&nbsp;and was sentenced to time served. The restitution money has already been secured, prosecutors said.

All three men are members of the same family, the district attorney's office said.

“The victims in this case overwhelmingly supported a resolution that would return the most money in the most timely manner while sparing them, many of whom are aging and live out of state, from having to travel to Massachusetts to testify,” Harrington said in a statement.

The three men, sometimes posing as government employees, targeted about 20 victims, some of whom sent packages of cash, often to an address in Adams, Massachusetts, prosecutors said.

In one case, they told the victim their Social Security number had been compromised and they needed to send money to fix the problem, according to the DA's office. Victims came from multiple states including California, Missouri, Ohio and Virginia, prosecutors said.

Adams police started investigating in March 2020 after getting tips from out-of-state law enforcement agencies.

During the investigation, victims and law enforcement intercepted packages of cash together worth more than $100,000.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619452442605.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>PITTSFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Two men who participated in an elaborate phone scam that cheated people from across the nation have agreed to repay their victims but avoided time behind bars, Massachusetts prosecutors said.Ajaykumar Chaudhari, 26, of Pownal, Vermont, and Jitendra Chaudhari, 29, of Williamstown, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in Berkshire Superior Court to larceny and attempt to commit larceny, according to a statement Wednesday from the office of Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington. They were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5a039563a11c5d22b1f1974d199a05ee">arrested in June 2020</a>.The guilty pleas were filed by the court, meaning the defendants won't be sent to jail as long as they stay out of additional legal trouble.They, together with a third defendant, have agreed to pay more than $200,000 in restitution. That&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-massachusetts-vermont-pittsfield-b6be2c31953b01374a93289866775db8">third defendant, Parth Chaudhari, pleaded guilty to the same charges in December</a>&nbsp;and was sentenced to time served. The restitution money has already been secured, prosecutors said.All three men are members of the same family, the district attorney's office said.“The victims in this case overwhelmingly supported a resolution that would return the most money in the most timely manner while sparing them, many of whom are aging and live out of state, from having to travel to Massachusetts to testify,” Harrington said in a statement.The three men, sometimes posing as government employees, targeted about 20 victims, some of whom sent packages of cash, often to an address in Adams, Massachusetts, prosecutors said.In one case, they told the victim their Social Security number had been compromised and they needed to send money to fix the problem, according to the DA's office. Victims came from multiple states including California, Missouri, Ohio and Virginia, prosecutors said.Adams police started investigating in March 2020 after getting tips from out-of-state law enforcement agencies.During the investigation, victims and law enforcement intercepted packages of cash together worth more than $100,000.

Two men admit to role in nationwide phone scam

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a weekend shooting in Wichita.&nbsp;

Just after 11:30 p.m. Saturday, police responded to a shooting call in the 500 block of South Lulu in Wichita, according to Officer Trevor Macy.

At the scene, police located a 16-year-old boy with a gunshot wound. EMS transported him to an area hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.

Officers learned that an unknown suspect shot the boy after the teen had approached the suspect's vehicle in front of the apartments on Lulu. The suspect vehicle then fled the scene southbound.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a weekend shooting in Wichita.&nbsp;Just after 11:30 p.m. Saturday, police responded to a shooting call in the 500 block of South Lulu in Wichita, according to Officer Trevor Macy.At the scene, police located a 16-year-old boy with a gunshot wound. EMS transported him to an area hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.Officers learned that an unknown suspect shot the boy after the teen had approached the suspect's vehicle in front of the apartments on Lulu. The suspect vehicle then fled the scene southbound.

Police search for suspect who killed 16-year-old Kansas boy

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on multiple charges after an incident in northeast Kansas.

Just before 10a.m. Friday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center broadcasted information regarding a woman attempting to jump out of a vehicle near SE 22nd Street and SE California Avenue, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

A deputy that was patrolling in the southeast part of Shawnee County responded to the area. She observed a red 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt drive towards oncoming traffic while passing multiple vehicles in an intersection.

The deputy immediately conducted a traffic stop near SE 38th Street and SE Adams Street. During the investigation, illegal narcotics were located.

The driver, Brent A. Haverkamp, 32, of Goff, Kan., was placed into custody and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The passenger, Amber K. Bloomquist, 30, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections for two warrants for her arrest, one felony warrant and one misdemeanor warrant. Bloomquist was also booked on a requested charge of felony interference with law enforcement.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652628706174.png" alt="Haverkamp" />
 <figcaption>Haverkamp</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on multiple charges after an incident in northeast Kansas.Just before 10a.m. Friday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center broadcasted information regarding a woman attempting to jump out of a vehicle near SE 22nd Street and SE California Avenue, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.A deputy that was patrolling in the southeast part of Shawnee County responded to the area. She observed a red 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt drive towards oncoming traffic while passing multiple vehicles in an intersection.The deputy immediately conducted a traffic stop near SE 38th Street and SE Adams Street. During the investigation, illegal narcotics were located.The driver, Brent A. Haverkamp, 32, of Goff, Kan., was placed into custody and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.The passenger, Amber K. Bloomquist, 30, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections for two warrants for her arrest, one felony warrant and one misdemeanor warrant. Bloomquist was also booked on a requested charge of felony interference with law enforcement.

Sheriff: Wanted Kan. woman tried to jump from moving car

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — “Y’all here to protect me,” the youth asked the officers, beseechingly. “Right?”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642856231058.png" alt="Image from the security camera video released by Sedgwick County." />
 <figcaption>Image from the security camera video released by Sedgwick County.</figcaption>
 </figure>By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTHMISSION, Kan. (AP) — “Y’all here to protect me,” the youth asked the officers, beseechingly. “Right?”The 17-year-old’s foster father, unable to deal with a teen who seemed to be in the throes of schizophrenia, had called Wichita police. When they arrived, Cedric “C.J.” Lofton refused to leave the porch and go with them; he was obstinate but afraid, meek but frantic.After an hourlong stalemate, the police lost patience. It was time to take him away -- by force, if necessary.And so began the last two days of a life plagued by family dysfunction, brushes with the law, years in foster care and, finally, mental illness. The events leading to C.J.’s death, just a day short of his 18th birthday, would be captured on video; the result would be litigation, pleas for reform, cries that the system had failed yet another Black youth.Authorities would decide against any prosecutions in connection with his death. But there were crucial errors, and vital holes in the safety net that had fatal consequences.Owing to the hour, a team that included a mental health worker was unavailable to respond on that night last September; police alone responded. And C.J. was taken not to a mental hospital but to the county Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center, where for about 40 minutes he was held face down, resulting in his death.C.J. “went from crisis to death because we got involved,” said Sedgwick County Commissioner Jim Howell.“We all need to own what we did right and what we did wrong,” he added. “And the reality is there’s things that happened that were wrong.”___Friends who met C.J. in foster care described him as a goofball, fun loving, with a dark childhood that he hinted at but never talked about much.“He would dance everywhere, just wiggly, just you know, no coordination at all. Just dancing just to dance,” said Skylar Mannie, 16, of Wichita.But under the surface, she sensed anxieties. “He worried about making sure that he was safe, making sure everybody around him was safe and that they were good at all times.”He was raised with the help of his grandmother. His father, Chadrick Lofton, racked up multiple convictions for domestic assault; one case sent him to prison for a year and a half when C.J. was 2, and after that, C.J. told friends, his father wasn’t around. His mother, Sarah Harrison, also had a criminal record, including a theft conviction in Texas that carried a 400-day sentence.As he entered his teen years, C.J. was living with his mother in Junction City, a Kansas town of about 22,000 near the Fort Riley military base. In the summer of 2018, at age 14, he began to get in trouble.He was accused first of using a stolen debit card, then with stealing a car and tools, court records show. At a football game that fall, he was caught with a BB gun and suspended from school; he was truant often, the court filings show.Then, in November, he was accused of battery and stealing a video game from a Walmart and was sent to a juvenile detention facility. Court records noted that his “behavior is escalating and there is no parental control,” but he was released to his mother that December.He broke curfew again and again. Ultimately, a judge signed an order removing Lofton from his home, noting there was “no parent/guardian present.” By August 2019, a court filing found that he was doing “very well” in foster care.C.J. moved around at first, friends said. But in December 2020, he was placed in Wichita with a foster father that his friend, Marquez Patton, described as “one of the good ones.”By all accounts, they got along. C.J.’s foster father told investigators that he had been doing fine in school and that there were no major issues until their final weeks together, according to a report by Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett.The foster father, whose name hasn’t been released, declined an interview request through DCCCA Inc., a private foster care agency that contracts with the state’s Department of Children and Families.During the pandemic-disrupted 2020-21 school year, C.J. became a favorite of Traci Kallhoff, a zoology teacher at Wichita Southeast High School. He was always asking questions, sometimes tossing a blanket over his head to liven up virtual instruction.“Some of those kids, like when they’re kind of like that, you know, like a little ornery, but really just so full of life, they just kind of grab your heart,” she said, adding that they grew so close that he emailed over summer break and hugged her when classes resumed in the fall.Patton, 22, met C.J. when they worked at the same McDonald’s. He said among other things, the pair bonded over music -- C.J. posted his own classic gangster rap on YouTube, full of references to shootings and bloodshed.Indeed, C.J. had been part of a Junction City gang, friends said. “Gangs are like a family,” Patton said, but C.J. had vowed to leave that behind and “do better.” The lyrics were merely what sold, he told friends.He started dating Kyanya Hardyway in June 2021. Her family “loved him,” she said, because he was so respectful. They went to the mall, the YMCA and church together.Eventually, though, he started telling her and other friends that he was hearing things, that the world was going to end soon. It worried her. But she added: “I was just glad that he was just telling me stuff.”Friends said C.J. planned to remain in foster care until he finished high school. But he was growing restless as he prepared to age out of the system. Two friends had already been forced from the foster placement after getting in trouble, Patton said.Then, last August, his grandmother died in Texas. Cassandra Harrison’s death was a blow.His foster father said when Cedric returned from the funeral in September, “it got progressively worse,” according to the prosecutor’s report. He described him as “paranoid.”Friends saw the difference, too.“He was really sad. He felt like he didn’t really have anybody,” said Angelee Phillips, an 18-year-old who also had spent time in foster care.She said she knew he was smoking weed. His foster brothers also suspected he was doing drugs, possibly the synthetic marijuana known as K2, although none had witnessed it firsthand. Partly, their suspicions stemmed from his strange behavior; one foster brother heard C.J. saying that his classmates were robots intent on hurting him.Tests conducted as part of the autopsy report came up positive for marijuana, nothing else.By Sept. 22, the situation was escalating. C.J. walked away from school that day and his foster father called police to report him as a runaway.“He has been telling people not to look in the mirror because it takes your soul,” he told a dispatcher, adding that C.J. thought security guards were secret agents that were spying on him and that he doesn’t want anyone to come into his room because he says the house is bugged.Hardyway said he called her around 2 the next morning. She could tell he was outside, but he refused to tell her where.“He was just telling me like he loved me and stuff and then he just hung up because his phone was about to die,” she recalled. They never spoke again.___When C.J. returned home around 11:30 a.m. that Friday morning, the foster father immediately took him to the county’s mental health provider for an evaluation. But they never made it inside.“He started freaking out and then ran off on me again,” the foster father told police.He said C.J. had mentioned “he can get access to a gun.” He suspected the teen had schizophrenia. Although C.J. hadn’t been diagnosed, a cousin had told the foster father that the condition ran in the family.It was all too much. The foster father told a caseworker he couldn’t handle C.J. anymore.C.J. didn’t realize that when he returned around 1 a.m. on Sept. 24. His foster father told C.J. to stay on the porch, that he was worried about him. He called police.The community operates a program in which a mental health professional, a law enforcement officer and a paramedic respond to emergent mental health crisis. But it only operates from noon to 10 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays.That meant the unit was not available when the foster father called, and police had to go instead -- one of the first big missteps, said Sedgwick County Commissioner Lacey Cruse: “We’re expecting law enforcement to do way too much.”Officers approached the house. What followed plays out on body camera video:While the foster father attempts to reach the after-hours foster care contacts, officers try to persuade C.J. -- who was also sick with COVID-19 -- to let them take him to a mental hospital.“Hell no,” C.J. says.Over and over, for nearly an hour, they beg him to submit. C.J. offers to sleep outside. He points at things he alone sees, things that do not exist.C.J., who had told his foster father that he feared police would shoot him, empties his pockets at one point -- apparently, to show the officers he is unarmed. Change clatters to the ground.“We don’t want your stuff,” an officer tells him.An officer asks him again about the hospital.“The hospital,” C.J. says. “I thought you was talking about jail.”The officer responds: “Not jail, just the hospital. ... I promise you we would go there.”But C.J. will have none of it. At 2:15 a.m., officers call for assistance. The 5-foot-10, 135-pound teenager is still refusing to budge.The sergeant who responded to the scene would later explain that he wasn’t willing to just leave C.J. alone outside, according to the prosecutor’s report: “We can’t walk away.”They decide to take C.J. forcibly.This was another mistake, said Cruse and fellow commissioner Howell. “Where is this impatience coming from?” Howell asked.In the video, C.J. screams and yells “help” over and over again as officers grab for his arms.“This is illegal,” C.J. says. “Isn’t it?”Breathing heavily, the officers order C.J. not to bite, they are there to help.Eventually the officers restrain him in something called the WRAP, a device comprised of a locking shoulder harness, leg restraints and ankle straps. The sheriff’s office describes it as a way to restrain a person who is out of control so that they don’t hurt themselves or others.C.J. is frantic. “They are going to kill me,” he screams, biting at the straps.As the teen is carried to the police cruiser, he can be heard muttering, repeatedly, “Kill yourself.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1633046927211.png" alt="CJ Lofton courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>CJ Lofton courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>___The destination was no longer the mental hospital. The sergeant later explained that he believed C.J. was too combative to take there, according to the prosecutor’s report.Instead, the vehicle headed for the juvenile intake center. C.J. was accused of multiple counts of battering law enforcement officers.“It shocks me how this child is telling you they are seeing things that don’t exist and an alternate decision, aside from taking him to the hospital, was made,” said Brittany Brest, a community psychologist who is overseeing a grant from the National Alliance on Mental Illness to better support Kansas inmates.Even one of the officers can be heard questioning the change of destination during the drive, arguing that C.J. would fare better at the mental hospital.“It fixes whatever is wrong with him,” the officer says. The officers C.J. bit, he said, were “putting themselves in positions of being battered” because they were putting their hands in front of his mouth.A second officer responds, simply, “It is not our call.”They pull into the juvenile center at 2:44 a.m. and multiple officers carry him inside. C.J. continues repeating “kill yourself” when he was removed from the WRAP restraint around 3:40 a.m. Officers cautiously back out of the holding cell, leaving C.J. alone inside.A juvenile worker later opened the door to the cell and told C.J. he “won’t be here that long” if he cooperated with being weighed and fingerprinted.C.J., though, was still agitated. He walked out of his holding cell and tried to grab a computer monitor from the intake counter, the prosecutor’s report said.Surveillance video from inside the facility shows him resisting attempts to place him back in the cell. At one point, he can be seen punching one of the juvenile detention employees in the head, knocking his glasses to the ground.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642880340757.png" alt="Image from the security camera video released by Sedgwick County." />
 <figcaption>Image from the security camera video released by Sedgwick County.</figcaption>
 </figure>The video, which contains no audio, shows detention workers wrestling him into the cell. The camera angle doesn’t offer a clear view of what happened next.But the prosecutor’s office said staff shackled Lofton’s ankles around 4:29 a.m. and put him on his stomach on the floor a few minutes later. One worker held C.J.’s ankles, another his thighs and two others held down his arms.C.J. struggled, saying he would “hex” staff and that he was Jesus, according to the report.A worker can be heard calling dispatch: The teen needed to be taken to a hospital for mental evaluation.Around 5:08 a.m., the workers managed to put C.J. in handcuffs so he would be ready to be transported when police arrived, according to the prosecutor’s report. He remained face down. The workers then heard what sounded like snoring; they assumed he had had tired himself out and fallen asleep.But C.J. was far from fine. The snoring was likely agonal breathing, a common sign of cardiac arrest, explained Dr. Michael Freeman, a forensic epidemiologist who testified in the George Floyd case.“I think the biggest problem here is that the people who do the restraint don’t understand how dangerous what they’re doing is,” he said.C.J.’s COVID-19 infection also would “contribute and make it even more dangerous,” said Dr. Victor Weedn, a forensic science professor at George Washington University. Weedn said the problem is that people can’t breathe fast enough or deep enough when they are restrained face down to get rid of carbon dioxide, especially if they are under stress.But the workers knew none of this, insisting later that they were using restraints that they had been taught. It took them about 5 minutes longer to notice something was wrong, roll C.J. on his back and start chest compressions, according to the prosecutor’s report.They called for help. When the emergency crew arrived, he had no pulse. “I have one 17-year-old male post code red coming to you,” a paramedic called in, after the crew managed to restart his heart.But his condition was grave, his blood pressure just 62 over 24. And two days later, he was dead. He never regained consciousness.___The final autopsy, released in December, listed C.J.’s cause of death as “complications of cardiopulmonary arrest sustained after physical struggle while restrained in the prone position.” The death was declared a homicide.Andrew M. Stroth, the family’s attorney, said he is preparing a “robust legal filing,” describing what happened as “tragic on so many levels.”Sedgwick County Corrections Director Glenda Martens also described what happened as “tragic” in a news conference but said that the corrections workers “acted well within the policy and the requirements of that policy” in restraining the teen.Meanwhile, interim Wichita Police Chief Lem Moore said his department is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-kansas-wichita-4a5aacdb2d18f75894034eef86ebd90a">looking into the actions officers took</a>&nbsp;when booking the teen. The FBI also is investigating, and Kansas’ governor ordered a review of how the foster care system handled the case.ADVERTISEMENTA task force assembled jointly by the city and county reviewed C.J.’s death. Its members, who include a local NAACP official and a 20-year-old youth organizer, recommended a series of changes, including improving training and mental health services.Bennett, the district attorney, said he struggled with whether an involuntary manslaughter charge was justified, but concluded in January that the state’s “stand-your-ground” law prevented him from pursuing it because staff members were protecting themselves.Robert Spitzer, author of “Guns Across America: Reconciling Gun Rules and Rights,” said Bennett’s interpretation is a “perfectly logical application” of a law that he described as “deeply problematic.”Bennett agrees, calling on the Legislature to change the law and raising questions about nearly everyone involved in C.J.’s care, from the juvenile workers to the foster care system.“This,” he said, “should never have happened.”