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☆ Nebraska Supreme Court Upholds Voting Rights for Felons
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-16 | by ( Mitch Smith | More About Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

He argued that under the Nebraska Constitution, only the state’s Board of Pardons could restore voting rights to someone with a felony conviction. The Board of Pardons is made up of Mr. Pillen, Mr. Hilgers and Mr. Evnen. A spokeswoman for Mr. Hilgers said they were reviewing the ruling. Supporters of the law expanding voting rights sued over the implementation of Mr. Hilgers’s opinion on behalf of two people who said they were hoping to vote this year. They argued that the Legislature had been within its rights to expand voting rights and criticized Mr. Hilgers and Mr. Evnen for injecting confusion and uncertainty into the registration process just before an election.

Persons: Hilgers, Evnen, Pillen, Cindi Allen, “, ”, Jane Seu, Eric Hamilton Organizations: Nebraska Constitution, state’s, Civic, American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska Locations: Nebraska, Civic Nebraska

Left-leaning demonstrators had been preparing for months to march through downtown Milwaukee at the start of the Republican National Convention on Monday. The attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump on Saturday, protest organizers said, would not change those plans. Republican Party leaders said that Mr. Trump would still accept the nomination in person on Thursday. And protesters, a consistent presence at national political conventions, said they would be there, too. Mr. Flores said that his group intended to come “within sight and sound” of Fiserv Forum, the main convention hall.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Trump’s, ” Omar Flores, Flores Organizations: Republican National Convention, Republicans, Secret Service, Republican Party, Coalition, Organizers, Fiserv Locations: Milwaukee, Pennsylvania

☆ Crews Race to Fortify Levees as Floods Swallow Midwestern Towns
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Mitch Smith | More About Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Midwestern towns were racing this week to strengthen their levee systems as rising rivers enveloped homes, drowned farmland and led to daring water rescues across three states. In Iowa, where hundreds of properties were destroyed, rivers were receding in some places but still rising in others. And in South Dakota, where one death was linked to the floods and some residents were advised to leave their homes, Gov. The Midwest has faced a range of weather extremes over the past several years, including record-breaking floods in 2019, persistent drought and relentless rainstorms this month. As climate change causes the planet to warm, such events will become more common, scientists say.

Persons: Kristi Noem, ” Jason Westcott Organizations: National Guard Locations: In Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Union County, S.D

☆ Congressman Wins G.O.P. Nomination for North Dakota Governor
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Mitch Smith | More About Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Representative Kelly Armstrong won the Republican nomination for governor of North Dakota, The Associated Press said on Tuesday, defeating the state’s lieutenant governor, Tammy Miller, and positioning himself as the strong favorite in the general election. The primary featured two Republicans who are well known in the state and whose platforms shared many similarities. Mr. Armstrong, a lawyer and a former state Republican Party chairman, was elected to Congress in 2018 from North Dakota’s lone House district. Ms. Miller, an accountant and businesswoman, was appointed as lieutenant governor last year after working as Gov. After failing to gain traction in the Republican presidential primary, he announced in January that he would not seek another four years as governor.

Persons: Kelly Armstrong, Tammy Miller, Armstrong, Miller, Doug Burgum’s, Donald J, Trump, Mr, Burgum Organizations: Republican, The Associated Press, Republican Party Locations: North Dakota, North Dakota’s

Discontent was simmering on Indiana University’s flagship campus long before the first tent went up in Dunn Meadow, the vast green space beside the student union in Bloomington. Earlier in the academic year, faculty members and graduate students voted no confidence in the university president. The cancellation of a Palestinian artist’s exhibition and the suspension of a pro-Palestinian student organization’s faculty sponsor drew backlash. But it was only in the last week, as a national wave of pro-Palestinian encampments reached Indiana, that a year defined by tension erupted into crisis. “These guys are not able to lead in crisis,” he said of the university’s top leaders.

Persons: —, ”, Ahmad Jeddeeni Organizations: Indiana’s, Professional Student Government Locations: Indiana, Dunn, Bloomington, Israel

☆ Judge Orders Trump Removed From Illinois Primary Ballots
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Mitch Smith | More About Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A state judge in Illinois ruled Wednesday that former President Donald J. Trump had engaged in insurrection and was ineligible to appear on the state’s primary ballot. The decision by Judge Tracie R. Porter of the State Circuit Court in Cook County was stayed until Friday. Judge Porter, a Democrat, said the State Board of Elections had erred in rejecting an attempt to remove Mr. Trump and said the board “shall remove Donald J. Trump from the ballot for the General Primary Election on March 19, 2024, or cause any votes cast for him to be suppressed.”Early voting in the Illinois primary is already underway. Because Judge Porter stayed her order, Mr. Trump can remain on the ballot at least until Friday, giving him a chance to appeal the order.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Judge Tracie R, Porter, Judge Porter Organizations: Circuit Court, State Board Locations: Illinois, Cook County

☆ Turkeys Were a Marvel of Conservation. Now Their Numbers Are Dwindling.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Mitch Smith | More About Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Across the country — including in Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee — scientists are tracking turkeys, hoping to learn why they are in decline and what might fix it. Even in states like Pennsylvania, where turkey numbers are relatively stable, state officials are studying their numbers and watching for lessons from other places. Many suspect a reduction in the types of habitat conducive to turkey nesting might be driving the losses. There is general agreement that there is not just one reason, and that the specifics might vary from place to place. “There’s a lot of different things, and there are a lot of different factors.”

Persons: ”, Marcus Lashley, Andrew Little, “ Organizations: University of Florida, Wild, University of Nebraska Locations: Turkey, Georgia , Kentucky , Missouri, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Wild Turkey, Lincoln

☆ Michigan and the Auto Industry Share a Past. What About the Future?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Mitch Smith | More About Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

And young Michigan residents, though in smaller numbers than before, continue to follow relatives into jobs at the auto plants. Her overnight shift helping to build Ford Broncos is physically demanding, she said, and it pays just enough to cover her bills. From her place on the picket line this week, she said she hoped the work stoppage would lead to improvements. “I think everything is going to work, we’re going to get what we deserve,” Ms. Brown said. Still, she said, “I wonder how long this strike is going to be, how long they’re going to wait.”

Persons: ”, Tyler Theile, Detroit’s N.B.A, Heaven Brown, Ms, Brown, “ Organizations: Anderson Economic Group, Pistons, Fords, Wayne, Ford Broncos Locations: Michigan, Detroit, Flint, Lansing

☆ Teenager Who Rang Wrong Doorbell Faces Homeowner Who Shot Him
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Mitch Smith | More About Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The shooting of Ralph, a high school marching band member, by Mr. Lester, a retiree in his 80s, led to protests in Kansas City this spring and a national outcry, with President Biden inviting Ralph to visit the White House. Mr. Lester, who was 84 at the time of the shooting, is charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action, both felonies, and could face life in prison if convicted. He was allowed to remain free on bond but was ordered to appear for an arraignment on Sept. 20. The case against Mr. Lester is the rare one in which there does not seem to be much disagreement about the underlying facts. Prosecutors and Mr. Lester’s lawyer agreed that Ralph meant no harm when he rang the doorbell after mistaking the defendant’s home on Northeast 115th Street for the friend’s house, which had the same street number on nearby Northeast 115th Terrace.

Persons: Ralph, Lester, Biden, Angles’s, Lester’s Organizations: Street Locations: Kansas City, Liberty, Northeast

☆ Texas Appeals Ruling Aimed at Blocking Its Transgender Care Ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Mitch Smith | More About Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The NewsA district judge in Texas moved on Friday to temporarily block enforcement of a law banning transgender minors in the state from receiving gender transition care, including puberty blockers and hormone treatments. “The Act’s prohibitions on providing evidence-based treatment for adolescents with gender dysphoria stands directly at odds with parents’ fundamental right to make decisions concerning the care of their children,” the judge wrote. But the attorney general’s office defended the law when it appealed to the State Supreme Court. Even before the Texas legislation passed, officials in that state had taken steps to try to prevent transgender children from accessing medical transition care. Greg Abbott, a Republican, directed the state’s child protective agency to investigate parents for child abuse if their children received such treatment.

Persons: general’s, Judge Maria Cantú Hexsel, Greg Abbott Organizations: Texas Supreme, Texans, Court, Supreme, Texas, Gov, Republican Locations: Texas, Travis County, Alabama , Kentucky , Missouri , Nebraska, Tennessee

☆ Maui Officials Blame Utility for Allowing Deadly Fire to Start
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Mitch Smith | More About Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For the first time, Maui County officials publicly blamed Hawaii’s largest electric utility for the wildfires that killed at least 115 people this month, claiming in a lawsuit filed on Thursday that “intentional and malicious” mismanagement of power lines had allowed flames to spark. “Defendants knew of the extreme fire danger that the high wind gusts posed to their overhead electrical infrastructure, particularly during red flag conditions,” the lawsuit said. It said power company officials had chosen “not to de-energize their power lines,” even though they knew that power poles and power lines were falling and coming into contact with dry vegetation. The fire in Lahaina, in West Maui, became the country’s deadliest in more than a century, while smaller fires in central Maui also caused significant damage. Lawsuits filed previously by homeowners and shareholders claimed the utility had been negligent.

Persons: “ Defendants, “ Locations: Maui County, Lahaina, West Maui, Maui

☆ Trial Opens for Men Accused of Aiding Plot to Kidnap Michigan’s Governor
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Mitch Smith | More About Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Unlike the men convicted in federal court, they are not charged with planning to participate in the kidnapping itself. They suggested the men were minor players who did not know much about the plans to harm Ms. Whitmer, were egged on by F.B.I. And it’s fair to keep that in your mind when you review all of the evidence.”But prosecutors said the defendants were aiding the leaders of the plot, Barry Croft and Adam Fox. Federal jurors found that Mr. Croft and Mr. Fox had planned to kidnap Ms. Whitmer and blow up a bridge leading to her home in order to disrupt the police response. Mr. Croft is serving a nearly 20-year prison sentence, and Mr. Fox is serving a 16-year sentence.

Persons: . Molitor, Whitmer, Kristyna, William Null, Barry Croft, Adam Fox, Croft, Fox, Ms Organizations: “ Locations: Antrim County, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Jackson, Mich

“The ground is already really dry — it doesn’t take much for the heat to kind of just build up over there,” said Paul Pastelok, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather. “And that’s what makes it a bigger heat dome that we’re seeing right now.”In the Minneapolis area, better known for its foreboding winter conditions, forecasters said daily temperature records could fall on both Tuesday and Wednesday, with readings of 99 or 100 degrees possible. Meteorologists said high temperatures were forecast to reach up to 20 degrees above average throughout Iowa and neighboring states over the next few days. The humidity will make it feel even more oppressive, with heat indexes that could approach 120 degrees. Forecasters have issued heat alerts, ranging from advisories to excessive heat warnings, for roughly 100 million people across 22 states.

Persons: ”, Paul Pastelok, Tyler Hasenstein, Amy Heinz Organizations: National Weather Service Locations: Minneapolis, Minnesota, Iowa, Adel , Iowa

☆ Transgender Care Ban Allowed to Take Effect in Alabama, Appeals Panel Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Mitch Smith | More About Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A federal appellate panel said Monday that Alabama’s ban on hormone treatments and puberty blockers for transgender young people could be enforced, the latest in a series of courtroom setbacks for transgender rights advocates. The three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit said that a district court judge had erred in partly blocking enforcement of Alabama’s law, which the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature passed last year. Supporters of transgender rights have looked to the courts to block laws like Alabama’s, which have rapidly become commonplace in conservative states. More than 20 states now have laws banning or severely restricting such care for minors, most of which were passed this year. Several organizations that brought the challenge to the Alabama law criticized the appellate court’s decision on Monday and said in a joint statement that the “case is far from over.”

Persons: Donald J, ”, Barbara Lagoa Organizations: U.S ., Appeals, Circuit, Republican, Trump Locations: Alabama

☆ Inside Hawaii’s Only Burn Unit, Doctors Rushed to Treat Maui Victims
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Mitch Smith | More About Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Dr. David C. Cho’s phone rang in the middle of the night, it was an emergency room physician calling from Maui, two islands away, seeking help. “In very plain and simple terms he said, ‘Lahaina is destroyed,’” recalled Dr. Cho, a plastic surgeon who works in the burn unit at Straub Medical Center in Honolulu. “And then it just went silent.”Dr. Cho got out of bed, went to the hospital and waited. “I just knew there was going to be a pipeline of patients,” he said. Nine burn patients were flown nearly 100 miles to Honolulu and then driven by ambulance to Straub, whose burn unit is the only facility of its kind in Hawaii, and the only one in the North Pacific between California and Asia.

Persons: David C, ’ ”, Cho, Dr, “, ”, Straub Organizations: Straub Medical Locations: Maui, Lahaina, Honolulu, “, Hawaii, North Pacific, California, Asia

☆ Its Building Destroyed, a Lahaina Church Finds Sanctuary in a Cafe
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Mitch Smith | More About Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The pastor Arza Brown had long told the congregants of Grace Baptist Church that if they left the sanctuary and gathered beneath Lahaina’s mango trees, that then their church would be under the mangoes, too. “When we talk about the church,” Mr. Brown said on Sunday, “the building is not the church. The building is just where the church meets.”This weekend, Grace Baptist was not inside the handsome blue structure two blocks from the Pacific where members had worshiped for 50 years. And it was not beneath the mango trees on the lawn. In times of crisis — tsunami warnings, hurricanes, fires — Grace Baptist had been a refuge.

Persons: Arza Brown, ” Mr, Brown, Grace Baptist, Grace, — Grace Baptist, Harry Timmins Organizations: Grace Baptist Church Locations: Grace, ”, Wailuku, Lahaina

As of Saturday, officials had confirmed the identities of only two victims and had barely started searching the disaster zone with canine teams. “It’s going to make identification and notification really difficult,” she said, adding that “it’s painful just to think about that.”For days now, families have struggled to learn the status of loved ones in West Maui. Spotty-to-nonexistent phone reception, especially in the immediate aftermath, made it hard for survivors to contact loved ones. That time, she said, was “very hard, very stressful.”Others have had heard nothing. Chief John Pelletier of the Maui Police Department urged people searching for loved ones to take a DNA test that could help identify their remains.

Persons: ”, Jill Tokuda, “ It’s, Noelle Manriquez, John Pelletier of Organizations: Democrat, Maui Police Department Locations: Maui, Congress, West Maui, Lahaina

Days after the deadliest American wildfire in more than a century ignited on West Maui, killing dozens and leveling more than 2,200 buildings, increasingly frustrated residents said that they were receiving far more help from an ad hoc network of volunteers than they were from the government. After the fire destroyed the town of Lahaina, hundreds of local residents — a group that includes evacuees along with nearby residents who found themselves cut off from power and internet service — remained affected in West Maui, miles beyond the highway checkpoints. Some evacuees slept in parks; others stayed in their own homes that survived the disaster or with friends in the wider community of that part of the island. They have been searching desperately for gasoline, phone reception and hot food, especially after power outages rendered refrigerators and microwaves useless. In many cases, they have leaned on church groups, community organizations and volunteers to track down missing relatives, get rides to shelters or access supplies brought in on private boats and airplanes.

Locations: West Maui, Lahaina

☆ First Scorched, Then Soaked: Weather Whiplash Confounds Farmers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Mitch Smith | More About Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A study Dr. Lin co-wrote last year in the journal Nature Communications linked yield loss in Great Plains winter wheat since the 1980s to periods of intense heat, stiff winds and little moisture, hallmarks of climate change. Wheat is more than just a crop in Kansas, where “The Wheat State” was once stamped on license plates and where University of Kansas sports fans “wave the wheat” to celebrate a score. Though Kansas farmers plant far fewer acres of wheat now than they did a generation ago — they can often make more money growing corn or soybeans — the state remains one of the country’s leading producers of wheat. The crop is sold for flour on the domestic market and exported in large quantities to Latin America, among other places. The importance of the Plains wheat crop has only become clearer over the last year, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine created uncertainty around the global supply of the staple crop, a major source of nutrition in developing countries.

Persons: Lin, ” Organizations: Nature Communications, University of Kansas Locations: Great, Kansas, America, Ukraine, Russia

Two Michigan Republicans charged with purporting to be electors for President Donald J. Trump in 2020 appeared before a state judge on Friday, adding to a flurry of court action this week tied to efforts to overturn the last presidential election. Earlier in the week, a grand jury in another part of Michigan indicted prominent Republicans on charges connected to improper access to voting machines. Judge Kristen D. Simmons of the State District Court in Lansing agreed to give defense lawyers until October to review “voluminous” discovery materials in the felony case. From her small wood-paneled courtroom in Lansing City Hall, across the street from the State Capitol, Judge Simmons spoke over a video conference link with Ms. Maddock, Ms. Henry and their lawyers. She agreed to allow each defendant, who could face lengthy prison sentences if convicted, to take a trip out of state before trial.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, — Meshawn Maddock, Ann Henry, Kristen D, Simmons, Judge Simmons, Maddock, Henry Organizations: Michigan Republicans, Trump, Michigan Republican Party, Detroit —, Court, Lansing City Hall, State Capitol Locations: Mari, Detroit, Washington, Michigan, Lansing

☆ Michigan Judge to Weigh Whether School Shooter Could Ever Leave Prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Mitch Smith | More About Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

If Ethan Crumbley had been a few years older when he killed four students at his Michigan high school and pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, there would be no question: He would be going to prison for the rest of his life. But because he was 15 when he opened fire in 2021 in the hallways of Oxford High School, his fate is less certain. In a hearing set to begin on Thursday morning, a state judge will consider whether Mr. Crumbley should be eligible for a sentence that could allow him to one day leave prison. And it could offer a preview of prosecutors’ separate cases against Mr. Crumbley’s parents, who are charged with involuntary manslaughter and accused of missing chances to intervene before the shooting. The parents have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.

Persons: Ethan Crumbley, Crumbley, Crumbley’s Organizations: Michigan, Oxford High School, Supreme Locations: Michigan, U.S

☆ Kansas Troopers ‘Waged War on Motorists,’ Federal Judge Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Mitch Smith | More About Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

They called it the “Kansas two-step.”When a mundane traffic stop was nearing its end, a state trooper would turn to leave. Perhaps the driver would say something the trooper deemed suspicious, or perhaps the driver would just agree to a search. But that two-step, which troopers used often against out-of-state drivers, was part of a “war on motorists” waged by the Kansas Highway Patrol in violation of the Fourth Amendment, a federal judge said in a blistering opinion on Friday. “The war is basically a question of numbers: stop enough cars and you’re bound to discover drugs,” wrote Senior Judge Kathryn H. Vratil of the Federal District Court. Marijuana is illegal in Kansas.

Persons: “, ”, Kathryn H, Vratil, George H.W, George H.W . Bush Organizations: Kansas, Patrol, Federal, Court, Marijuana Locations: Kansas, George H.W ., Colorado and Missouri

☆ Detroit Takes On Problems That Were Once Beyond Reach
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Mitch Smith | More About Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Did I ever think I ever could go to a mayor eight years ago and present to him a wedding party venue? I was trying to get trash trucks.”Detroit remains a place with abundant problems. And, according to census data that the mayor disputes, Detroit’s decades-long population decline has persisted, with about 620,000 residents today. In 1950, the city’s population peaked at more than 1.8 million. The waterfront on the Detroit River, once an unwelcoming mass of concrete, now features scenic walkways and fishing spots shared by residents and tourists.

Persons: Mr, Dick said, “, ”, Mike Duggan Locations: Detroit, Chicago, ”

☆ Iowa Republicans Aim to Sharply Limit Abortion in Special Session
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Mitch Smith | More About Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Less than a month after a deadlocked Iowa Supreme Court left a six-week abortion ban unenforceable, lawmakers were set return to the State Capitol on Tuesday morning to consider a nearly identical set of restrictions on the procedure. With large Republican majorities in both legislative chambers and a Republican governor who has decried “the inhumanity of abortion,” the new restrictions seemed very likely to pass. “I believe the pro-life movement is the most important human rights cause of our time,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said last week when she called the special session on abortion. The new limits would add Iowa to a list of conservative states, which includes Indiana, North Dakota and South Carolina, that have passed abortion restrictions since the U.S. Supreme Court ended the national right to abortion last year.

Persons: “, Kim Reynolds, ” Organizations: Iowa, State Capitol, Republican, ”, Supreme Locations: Iowa, Indiana, North Dakota, South Carolina, U.S

☆ Wisconsin Judge Allows Challenge to Abortion Law to Proceed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Mitch Smith | More About Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In her preliminary ruling on Friday that allowed the case to advance, Judge Diane Schlipper indicated that she did not believe that doctors could be prosecuted for performing consensual abortions before a fetus reached viability. She wrote that “there is no such thing as an ‘1849 abortion ban’ in Wisconsin.”The decision by Judge Schlipper, of the Circuit Court in Dane County, gave credence to the legal arguments used by abortion-rights supporters and kept open a judicial path to restore abortion access. Mr. Urmanski, a Republican, had previously indicated to local reporters that he would be open to prosecuting abortion providers under the 1849 law if a case was presented to his office. Mr. Urmanski said in an email on Friday that he was in court and had not yet reviewed the ruling. Two lawyers representing him in the case did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

Persons: Diane Schlipper, ”, Judge Schlipper, “, Josh Kaul, Joel Urmanski, Urmanski Organizations: Republican Locations: Wisconsin, Dane County, Sheboygan County

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