Great Plains News Digest
To see stories that have already moved, please visit AP Newsroom. For text, photos, video, live and audio plans beyond the next 24 hours, please visit Coverage Plan
——————————-—
IOWA
————-———————
ENT–Book Review-The Tiny Things Are Heavier
Book Review: ‘The Tiny Things Are Heavier’ is a reflection on young adulthood and migration
SUMMARY: Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo’s “The Tiny Things Are Heavier” is a reflection on young adulthood, migration, cultural misunderstanding and family relationships, says Associated Press reviewer Anita Snow. The debut novel follows the lonesome and homesick Nigerian graduate student Sommy as she tries to fit in as a newcomer in Iowa. Sommy is haunted by guilt over leaving home after her brother attempts suicide. She engages in a complicated relationship with her Nigerian roommate before falling for Bryan, a biracial man with a Nigerian father. The pair travel to Nigeria, where Sommy hopes to repair her relationship with her brother and Bryan plans to look for his father. An unexpected tragedy changes everything.
WORDS: 316 – MOVED: 06/23/2025 12:32 p.m. CDT
——————————
——————————-—
MINNESOTA
————-———————
US–Heat Wave
Eastern half of US sweltering again, with dangerous heat wave expected to last until midweek
SUMMARY: Tens of millions of people across the Midwest and East are enduring another sweltering day of dangerously hot temperatures as a sprawling June heat wave grips much of the U.S. Most of the northeastern quadrant of the country from Minnesota to Maine was under some type of heat advisory Sunday. So were parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi. Twin 6-year-old girls were among three people killed when thunderstorms brought trees down onto homes in central New York. Sunday marked the second straight day of extreme heat across the Midwest and East Coast.
WORDS: 965 – MOVED: 06/22/2025 8:43 a.m. CDT
——————————
——————————-—
MISSOURI
————-———————
US-Mideast-Wars-Bombers-Return
B-2 bombers involved in US strike on Iran nuclear facilities return to Missouri Air Force base
SUMMARY: The B-2 stealth bombers that dropped massive bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear facilities have began returning to their U.S. base in Missouri. An Associated Press journalist watched on a clear afternoon as seven of the B-2 Spirit bombers came in for landing at Whiteman Air Force Base. The day before, the B-2s had been part of a wide-ranging plan involving deception and decoys to deliver what American military leaders believe is a knockout blow to a nuclear program that Israel views as an existential threat and has been pummeling for more than a week.
WORDS: 343 – MOVED: 06/22/2025 3:53 p.m. CDT
——————————
US–Mideast Wars-US Reaction
Americans react to US strikes on Iran with worry as well as support for Israel
SUMMARY: Across the U.S. Americans are expressing a mixture of support, apprehension and anxiety over President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb nuclear sites in Iran. Administration officials say the strikes give Iran the chance to return to negotiations over its nuclear program. Yet if the conflict spirals, it could test Trump’s foreign diplomacy skills and his support at home. At Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, the B-2 bombers that participated in the weekend strikes returned home on Sunday. Nearby retired Air Force veteran Ken Slabaugh said he was “100% supportive” of Trump’s decision.
WORDS: 988 – MOVED: 06/22/2025 6:26 p.m. CDT
——————————
——————————-—
SOUTH DAKOTA
————-———————
SD–Missing Activist-Search
Tribe asked to allow search for civil rights activist at Wounded Knee
SUMMARY: A South Dakota man is asking the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council to approve a search for the remains of a Black civil rights activist who disappeared during the 1973 Wounded Knee standoff. He is likely buried on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Perry Ray Robinson Jr. was 35 years old when joined the American Indian Movement for the standoff and never returned home. He was later declared dead without his body being found. Mission resident Justin Baker started the latest effort to search for Robinson’s body. He plans to present a resolution and letters of support that call for all Lakota tribes to create a working group to oversee a non-invasive search for Robinson’s remains.
WORDS: 1299 – MOVED: 06/23/2025 12:38 p.m. CDT
——————————
——————————
SPORTS
——————————
——————————-—
KANSAS
————-———————
BBO–Reds-Cardinals
Abbott throws 7 strong innings, lifts Reds to 4-1 win over the Cardinals
SUMMARY: Andrew Abbott retired the final 18 batters he faced in seven commanding innings, and the Cincinnati Reds avoided a three-game sweep with a 4-1 win against the St. Louis Cardinals. Jose Trevino, Jake Fraley and Elly de la Cruz each doubled and scored, and Matt McLain hit his ninth home run for the Reds. The Cardinals had a five-game winning streak snapped. Abbott (7-1) allowed only three singles, including Yohel Pozo’s RBI single in the second inning. Abbott had three strikeouts and lowered his ERA to 1.79.
WORDS: 426 – MOVED: 06/22/2025 4:09 p.m. CDT
——————————
BBO–Royals-Padres
Jose Iglesias drives in the tying and winning runs as the Padres beat the Royals 3-2
SUMMARY: Jose Iglesias tied the game with two-run, two-out, bases-loaded pinch-hit single in the seventh inning and then drove in the winning run with a grounder in the ninth for the San Diego Padres, who beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 to take two of three. Iglesias hit a soft bouncer to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who fielded it, spun around and threw home too late to get Luis Arraez. Arraez started the decisive rally with a single off Daniel Lynch IV and took third on Xander Bogaerts’ double. John Schreiber came on and allowed Iglesias’ grounder.
WORDS: 381 – MOVED: 06/22/2025 6:03 p.m. CDT
——————————
——————————-—
MINNESOTA
————-———————
BBO–Brewers-Twins
Brewers pound 17 hits to complete 3-game sweep of Twins with 9-8 win
SUMMARY: Rhys Hoskins homered, doubled and drove in two runs as the Milwaukee Brewers completed a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins with a 9-8 victory. Brice Turang hit a three-run homer and Caleb Durbin had three hits for the Brewers, who won their fourth straight and sit a season-high eight games over .500 at 43-35. Byron Buxton homered twice, giving him six home runs in his last six games, while Brooks Lee and Carlos Correa each had four hits for the Twins, who have lost five straight series and 13 of their last 16 games.
WORDS: 356 – MOVED: 06/22/2025 4:42 p.m. CDT
——————————
HKW–PWHL Vancouver-Idalski
St. Cloud State’s Brian Idalski hired as first coach of PWHL’s expansion team in Vancouver
SUMMARY: Brian Idalski is leaving St. Cloud State after being hired as coach of the PWHL’s expansion team in Vancouver. The 54-year-old has more than 20 years of women’s hockey coaching experience, including overseeing China’s national team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. Idalski also coached the KRS Vanke Rays to two Russian-women’s league ZhHL championships over a three-year period. Vancouver’s inaugural roster includes former Vanke Rays players, Michela Cava and Hannah Miller, who also played for China in 2022. Idalski’s hiring comes a day before the PWHL draft.
WORDS: 309 – MOVED: 06/23/2025 12:04 p.m. CDT
——————————
——————————-—
MISSOURI
————-———————
BBO–Reds-Cardinals
Abbott throws 7 strong innings, lifts Reds to 4-1 win over the Cardinals
SUMMARY: Andrew Abbott retired the final 18 batters he faced in seven commanding innings, and the Cincinnati Reds avoided a three-game sweep with a 4-1 win against the St. Louis Cardinals. Jose Trevino, Jake Fraley and Elly de la Cruz each doubled and scored, and Matt McLain hit his ninth home run for the Reds. The Cardinals had a five-game winning streak snapped. Abbott (7-1) allowed only three singles, including Yohel Pozo’s RBI single in the second inning. Abbott had three strikeouts and lowered his ERA to 1.79.
WORDS: 426 – MOVED: 06/22/2025 4:09 p.m. CDT
——————————
BBO–Royals-Padres
Jose Iglesias drives in the tying and winning runs as the Padres beat the Royals 3-2
SUMMARY: Jose Iglesias tied the game with two-run, two-out, bases-loaded pinch-hit single in the seventh inning and then drove in the winning run with a grounder in the ninth for the San Diego Padres, who beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 to take two of three. Iglesias hit a soft bouncer to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who fielded it, spun around and threw home too late to get Luis Arraez. Arraez started the decisive rally with a single off Daniel Lynch IV and took third on Xander Bogaerts’ double. John Schreiber came on and allowed Iglesias’ grounder.
WORDS: 381 – MOVED: 06/22/2025 6:03 p.m. CDT
——————————
——————————-—
NEBRASKA
————-———————
BBC–CWS Finals
LSU sweeps Coastal Carolina in CWS finals for its 2nd national title in 3 years and 8th overall
SUMMARY: LSU knocked previously unbeaten Coastal Carolina ace Jacob Morrison out of the game with a four-run fourth inning and the Tigers won their second national championship in three years with a 5-3 victory in the College World Series finals. The Tigers completed a two-game sweep of the Chanticleers, who entered the finals on a 26-game win streak and on Sunday saw coach Kevin Schnall and first base coach Matt Schilling ejected in the bottom of the first inning. LSU gave the Southeastern Conference its sixth straight national title in baseball and 11th in 16 years.
WORDS: 1056 – MOVED: 06/22/2025 4:46 p.m. CDT
——————————
BBC–CWS-Coaches Ejected
Coastal Carolina coach says CWS ejection was unwarranted and he was wrongly accused of bumping ump
SUMMARY: Coastal Carolina coach Kevin Schnall was ejected along with first base coach Matt Schilling in the first inning of Game 2 of the College World Series finals. He said his ejection was unwarranted and that he was wrongly accused of bumping an umpire. Schnall went to the top steps of the dugout, gestured at plate umpire Angel Campos with three fingers and began shouting at him. When Schnall was arguing with Campos, one of the base umpires ran toward the confrontation and fell on his back.
WORDS: 634 – MOVED: 06/22/2025 2:20 p.m. CDT
——————————
BBC–LSU-Champion Tigers
National champion LSU Tigers pack punch offensively, but they hang hats on pitching under Johnson
SUMMARY: During its rise as a national power in the 1990s, LSU built its identity on prodigious home run numbers. The Tigers still have plenty of offense, but pitching is the name of the game in the bayou nowadays. LSU’s pitching prowess was omnipresent in the College World Series as the Tigers won their second national championship in three years with a two-game sweep of Coastal Carolina in the finals. The Tigers posted a CWS-best 2.60 ERA over five games and opponents batted .205 and just .145 with runners in scoring position. Kade Anderson was selected Most Outstanding Player.
WORDS: 698 – MOVED: 06/23/2025 12:08 p.m. CDT
——————————
——————————-—
OKLAHOMA
————-———————
BKN–NBA Finals-Game 7 Quotes
Game 7 memories from stars and celebs: Kobe Bryant stands out
SUMMARY: Game 7 of the NBA Finals had a number of sports celebrities — from outside the basketball world, even — thinking of one player. His name was Kobe Bryant. Bryant played in only one Game 7 of a finals, that coming in 2010, but for plenty in the sports world his 23-point, 15-rebound effort that led the Los Angeles Lakers to an 83-79 win over the Boston Celtics for his fifth and final championship stands out as the quintessential moment from ultimate games.
WORDS: 506 – MOVED: 06/22/2025 6:58 p.m. CDT
——————————
BKN–NBA Finals-Kristin Chenoweth
Oklahoma native, Thunder fan Kristin Chenoweth performs national anthem before Game 7 of NBA Finals
SUMMARY: At 4-foot-11, Kristin Chenoweth is still making it to the NBA Finals. The award-winning actress, singer, Oklahoma native, Oklahoma Hall of Fame inductee and unabashed Oklahoma City Thunder fan performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” before Game 7 of the title series between the Thunder and the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night. Chenoweth’s performance aired live on ABC shortly before tipoff of the season’s final game.
WORDS: 685 – MOVED: 06/22/2025 10:19 a.m. CDT
——————————
BKN–NBA Finals-Shai’s Season
MVP. Finals MVP. Scoring champ. NBA champ. OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander now holds all those titles
SUMMARY: He’s the most valuable player. The scoring champion. And now, an NBA champion along with NBA Finals MVP. All in one season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has entered one of the game’s most elite clubs. The 26-year-old Canadian is atop the basketball world now in almost every way imaginable. Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder captured the NBA title on Sunday night, beating the Indiana Pacers 103-91 to win the finals in a seven-game thriller.
WORDS: 1018 – MOVED: 06/22/2025 10:20 p.m. CDT
——————————
BKN–NBA Finals-Pacers-Haliburton
Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton suffers right leg injury in Game 7 loss. His father says it’s an Achilles
SUMMARY: Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton, who was playing with a strained right calf, went down with a lower right leg injury in the first quarter of the Pacers’ Game 7 loss in the NBA Finals to the Oklahoma City Thunder and immediately began punching the court in frustration. Haliburton was taken to the Pacers’ locker room for evaluation while putting no weight on the leg. Virtually the entire Indiana playing, coaching and medical staff surrounded him on the court once he got hurt. He was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game. Haliburton’s father, John, told ABC it was an Achilles tendon injury. The Thunder won 103-91.
WORDS: 942 – MOVED: 06/22/2025 7:35 p.m. CDT
——————————
BKN–NBA Finals-Thunder-Champagne
The Thunder had one more opponent after winning the NBA title. The champagne corks were formidable
SUMMARY: The Oklahoma City Thunder had just won the NBA championship, the on-court ceremony was over and they were heading to the locker room to start the party. This typically includes the traditional spraying of champagne all over everyone and everything. And the Thunder were ready to partake in all that. Problem was, nobody knew how to pop corks. That meant a team that won 84 games had one more thing to learn this season.
WORDS: 314 – MOVED: 06/22/2025 11:28 p.m. CDT
——————————
BKN–Pacers-Fan Reaction
No ‘Cers: Indiana fans left gasping as Haliburton’s injury dooms title hopes in Game 7 loss
SUMMARY: Indiana Pacers fans arrived at Gainbridge Fieldhouse ready to celebrate their first NBA title. Seven minutes into the game came the hush. As star point guard Tyrese Haliburton fell to the floor in Oklahoma City on Sunday night with what his father, John, later called an Achilles tendon injury, fans gasped as the replay was shown and they saw the anguished look on John Haliburton’s face. The moment may go down as another cruel chapter in the franchise’s long, painful history. Pacers play-by-play announcer Chris Denari told the crowd that Haliburton would want the team to continue to fight.
WORDS: 866 – MOVED: 06/22/2025 9:19 p.m. CDT
——————————
BKN–NBA Finals-Thunder Defense
Oklahoma City Thunder win first NBA title with dominant defense in Game 7
SUMMARY: The Oklahoma City Thunder won their first NBA title with a heavy dose of an old standby — their stingy defense. The Thunder, who led the league in defensive rating in the regular season and the playoffs, turned in another gem in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, a 103-91 victory. Oklahoma City held the Pacers to 41.4% shooting in the deciding game, far below the 48.4% Indiana shot in the playoffs overall. The Thunder forced 21 turnovers and blocked eight shots. The defensive effort, combined with another strong offensive performance by Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, put the Thunder over the top.
WORDS: 554 – MOVED: 06/23/2025 12:11 a.m. CDT
——————————
BKN–NBA Finals-Champion Thunder
The Thunder are NBA champions, and they might be just getting started
SUMMARY: The promise came three years ago from Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti. It might have been overlooked for a couple of reasons. One, the Thunder were awful at the time. Two, he was speaking Latin. “Labor omnia vincit,” Presti said after the 2021-22 season, quoting a motto of Oklahoma. Depending on how Presti was translating it, it could have been “hard work conquers all” or “slow work conquers all.” Either way, it applies to the Thunder. They did hard work. They did slow work. They conquered all.
WORDS: 868 – MOVED: 06/23/2025 1:30 a.m. CDT
——————————
BKN–NBA Finals
Game 7: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 29 points and Thunder beat Pacers 103-91 for NBA title
SUMMARY: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished off his MVP season with 29 points and 12 assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled away in the second half to beat the Indiana Pacers 103-91 and win the NBA championship. Jalen Williams scored 21 for the Thunder, who were pushed to a Game 7 brink in the NBA Finals — but finished off a season for the ages. Oklahoma City won 84 games between the regular season and the playoffs, tying the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls for third-most in any season. The Pacers lost star Tyrese Haliburton early in Game 7 to a serious lower right leg injury.
WORDS: 649 – MOVED: 06/22/2025 8:25 a.m. CDT
——————————
If you have a coverage enquiry, please contact Editorial Support (available 24/7) via editorialsupport@ap.org
<END>
