Great Plains News Digest
The following AP stories are planned for today or have moved. For text, photos, video, live and audio plans beyond the next 24 hours, please visit Coverage Plan.
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IOWA – NEW AND DEVELOPING – NEWS
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US–CANADA WILDFIRES-SMOKY SKIES
Air quality worsens in eastern US as Canadian wildfire smoke hangs over Midwest
SUMMARY: Smoke from Canadian wildfires is beginning to worsen air quality in the eastern U.S. as several Midwestern states battle conditions deemed unhealthy by the federal government. The fires have forced thousands of Canadians to flee their homes, with smoke extending as far as Europe. In the U.S., the worst of the unhealthy air is lingering over the Midwest. An Environmental Protection Agency map shows a swath of that region affecteed by unhealthy air quality Wednesday.
WORDS: 722 – MOVED: 06/04/2025 12:21 p.m. CDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:5bc75883add745d8f639c8566c17d745&mediaType=text
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US–CANADA WILDFIRES-AIR QUALITY
Canadian wildfire smoke causes ‘very unhealthy’ conditions in American Midwest and reaches Europe
SUMMARY: Smoke from Canadian wildfires has carried another day of poor air quality south of the border to the American Midwest. Conditions in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan were rated “very unhealthy” on Tuesday. The smell of smoke hung over the Minneapolis-St. Paul area on Tuesday morning. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued an alert for almost the entire state into Wednesday. Canada is having another bad wildfire season, and more than 27,000 people in three provinces have been forced to evacuate. The smoke is even reaching Europe, where it is causing hazy skies but isn’t expected to affect surface-air quality,
WORDS: 1018 – MOVED: 06/04/2025 2:04 a.m. CDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:24237c0043f70ed64db931cb2ce48b91&mediaType=text
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KANSAS – NEW AND DEVELOPING – NEWS
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US–SEVERE WEATHER
1 dead after severe weather tears through central US, including flooding in Texas and Kansas
SUMMARY: Dallas authorities say one man has died there after his vehicle became stuck in high water during heavy rain. His death early Wednesday morning came after a tornado touched down Tuesday in the Kansas City area and flash flooding in Kansas forced firefighters to rescue dozens of people, including stranded motorists. The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department said that the man who died was in one of two cars submerged under a bridge on Interstate 635 and that early reports indicated two people were seen getting out of the other vehicle. A National Weather Service meteorologist in Wichita, Kansas, said firefighters made about 70 water rescues in the area.
WORDS: 680 – MOVED: 06/04/2025 12:40 p.m. CDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:8b2d8a30ea995feaf3f030cfde0bc496&mediaType=text
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US-MED–MEASLES-VACCINATION RATES
Measles vaccination rates drop after COVID-19 pandemic in counties across the US
SUMMARY: Childhood vaccination rates against measles fell in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic in nearly 80% of the more than 2,000 U.S. counties with available data. That includes counties in states that are battling outbreaks this year. The Johns Hopkins University study was published in JAMA this week. It illustrates where more vulnerable communities are located. The results mirror trends established at state and national levels: Routine childhood vaccination rates are dropping. Most of the measles cases in the U.S. this year — 1,088 nationally as of Friday — are in unvaccinated people. Three people have died.
WORDS: 754 – MOVED: 06/04/2025 11:54 a.m. CDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:87cbfe44d8599b68408861f9b62421ed&mediaType=text
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US–CLIMATE-HAIL CHASING
Join scientists as they drive into hailstorms to study the costly weather extreme
SUMMARY: A team of scientists is driving into severe storms to study hail. It’s one of the nation’s costliest but least-appreciated weather dangers. Hail is rarely deadly, but it causes about $10 billion in damage each year in the U.S. To understand the weather phenomenon better, scientists from several universities are observing storms from the inside and seeing how the hail forms. The study is called Project ICECHIP. It has already collected and dissected hail the size of small cantaloupes. A team of journalists from The Associated Press is joining the scientists in the field to produce video, photos and written articles on the effort.
WORDS: 983 – MOVED: 06/04/2025 10:13 a.m. CDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:4f9b0cf8dd088508ca2ddf40d01b6519&mediaType=text
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KANSAS – UPCOMING – NEWS
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US-MED–MEASLES-VACCINATION STATUS
DESCRIPTION: ACTUAL SLOTTING TK Childhood vaccination rates against measles fell in nearly 80% of counties in 33 states after the pandemic, including several counties currently battling measles outbreaks. New research from Johns Hopkins digs into the county-level on a national trend and illustrates how some communities are more vulnerable to others when it comes to measles. By Devi Shastri and Nicky Forster. UPCOMING: 600 words, photo, graphic.
UPCOMING: By 06/04/2025 1:00 p.m. CDT, Photo, Text, DigitalPlans, Graphic
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MINNESOTA – NEW AND DEVELOPING – NEWS
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US–CANADA WILDFIRES-SMOKY SKIES
Air quality worsens in eastern US as Canadian wildfire smoke hangs over Midwest
SUMMARY: Smoke from Canadian wildfires is beginning to worsen air quality in the eastern U.S. as several Midwestern states battle conditions deemed unhealthy by the federal government. The fires have forced thousands of Canadians to flee their homes, with smoke extending as far as Europe. In the U.S., the worst of the unhealthy air is lingering over the Midwest. An Environmental Protection Agency map shows a swath of that region affecteed by unhealthy air quality Wednesday.
WORDS: 722 – MOVED: 06/04/2025 12:21 p.m. CDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:5bc75883add745d8f639c8566c17d745&mediaType=text
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US–EDUCATION-INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Trump once floated a plan to attract more foreign students. Now they feel targeted on all fronts
SUMMARY: Students from around the world say being an international student in American today comes with feelings of fear, anxiety and insecurity that have made them more cautious in their daily lives. To attract the brightest minds to America, President Donald Trump proposed during his campaign he would grant green cards to all foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges. But that promise never came to pass. International students have found themselves at the center of an escalating campaign to kick them out or keep them from coming as his administration merges a crackdown on immigration with an effort to reshape higher education.
WORDS: 1307 – MOVED: 06/04/2025 12:05 p.m. CDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:239e24aa76d8f8920b4fd3d986b8f4c3&mediaType=text
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US–CANADA WILDFIRES-AIR QUALITY
Canadian wildfire smoke causes ‘very unhealthy’ conditions in American Midwest and reaches Europe
SUMMARY: Smoke from Canadian wildfires has carried another day of poor air quality south of the border to the American Midwest. Conditions in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan were rated “very unhealthy” on Tuesday. The smell of smoke hung over the Minneapolis-St. Paul area on Tuesday morning. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued an alert for almost the entire state into Wednesday. Canada is having another bad wildfire season, and more than 27,000 people in three provinces have been forced to evacuate. The smoke is even reaching Europe, where it is causing hazy skies but isn’t expected to affect surface-air quality,
WORDS: 1018 – MOVED: 06/04/2025 2:04 a.m. CDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:24237c0043f70ed64db931cb2ce48b91&mediaType=text
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MINNESOTA – UPCOMING – SPORTS
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BBO–TWINS-ATHLETICS
DESCRIPTION: Minnesota plays Athletics at Sutter Health Park. 150 words, more on merit.
UPCOMING: By 06/04/2025 9:05 p.m. CDT, Text
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MISSOURI – NEW AND DEVELOPING – NEWS
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US–SEVERE WEATHER
1 dead after severe weather tears through central US, including flooding in Texas and Kansas
SUMMARY: Dallas authorities say one man has died there after his vehicle became stuck in high water during heavy rain. His death early Wednesday morning came after a tornado touched down Tuesday in the Kansas City area and flash flooding in Kansas forced firefighters to rescue dozens of people, including stranded motorists. The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department said that the man who died was in one of two cars submerged under a bridge on Interstate 635 and that early reports indicated two people were seen getting out of the other vehicle. A National Weather Service meteorologist in Wichita, Kansas, said firefighters made about 70 water rescues in the area.
WORDS: 680 – MOVED: 06/04/2025 12:40 p.m. CDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:8b2d8a30ea995feaf3f030cfde0bc496&mediaType=text
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MISSOURI – UPCOMING – SPORTS
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BBO–ROYALS-CARDINALS
DESCRIPTION: KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City plays St. Louis at Busch Stadium. UPCOMING: 200 words, more on merits. Game starts 6:45 p.m. CT.
UPCOMING: By 06/04/2025 6:45 p.m. CDT, Text
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NORTH DAKOTA – NEW AND DEVELOPING – NEWS
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US-MED–MEASLES-VACCINATION RATES
Measles vaccination rates drop after COVID-19 pandemic in counties across the US
SUMMARY: Childhood vaccination rates against measles fell in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic in nearly 80% of the more than 2,000 U.S. counties with available data. That includes counties in states that are battling outbreaks this year. The Johns Hopkins University study was published in JAMA this week. It illustrates where more vulnerable communities are located. The results mirror trends established at state and national levels: Routine childhood vaccination rates are dropping. Most of the measles cases in the U.S. this year — 1,088 nationally as of Friday — are in unvaccinated people. Three people have died.
WORDS: 754 – MOVED: 06/04/2025 11:54 a.m. CDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:87cbfe44d8599b68408861f9b62421ed&mediaType=text
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NORTH DAKOTA – UPCOMING – NEWS
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US-MED–MEASLES-VACCINATION STATUS
DESCRIPTION: ACTUAL SLOTTING TK Childhood vaccination rates against measles fell in nearly 80% of counties in 33 states after the pandemic, including several counties currently battling measles outbreaks. New research from Johns Hopkins digs into the county-level on a national trend and illustrates how some communities are more vulnerable to others when it comes to measles. By Devi Shastri and Nicky Forster. UPCOMING: 600 words, photo, graphic.
UPCOMING: By 06/04/2025 1:00 p.m. CDT, Photo, Text, DigitalPlans, Graphic
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OKLAHOMA – NEW AND DEVELOPING – NEWS
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US–SEVERE WEATHER
1 dead after severe weather tears through central US, including flooding in Texas and Kansas
SUMMARY: Dallas authorities say one man has died there after his vehicle became stuck in high water during heavy rain. His death early Wednesday morning came after a tornado touched down Tuesday in the Kansas City area and flash flooding in Kansas forced firefighters to rescue dozens of people, including stranded motorists. The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department said that the man who died was in one of two cars submerged under a bridge on Interstate 635 and that early reports indicated two people were seen getting out of the other vehicle. A National Weather Service meteorologist in Wichita, Kansas, said firefighters made about 70 water rescues in the area.
WORDS: 680 – MOVED: 06/04/2025 12:40 p.m. CDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:8b2d8a30ea995feaf3f030cfde0bc496&mediaType=text
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US–CLIMATE-HAIL CHASING
Join scientists as they drive into hailstorms to study the costly weather extreme
SUMMARY: A team of scientists is driving into severe storms to study hail. It’s one of the nation’s costliest but least-appreciated weather dangers. Hail is rarely deadly, but it causes about $10 billion in damage each year in the U.S. To understand the weather phenomenon better, scientists from several universities are observing storms from the inside and seeing how the hail forms. The study is called Project ICECHIP. It has already collected and dissected hail the size of small cantaloupes. A team of journalists from The Associated Press is joining the scientists in the field to produce video, photos and written articles on the effort.
WORDS: 983 – MOVED: 06/04/2025 10:13 a.m. CDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:4f9b0cf8dd088508ca2ddf40d01b6519&mediaType=text
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OKLAHOMA – UPCOMING – SPORTS
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BKN–NBA FINALS COVERAGE
FORMATS: Photo, Text
1. WITH: BKN–NBA FINALS-BETTING
2. DESCRIPTION: LAS VEGAS — The Oklahoma City Thunder are overwhelming favorites to defeat the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals. By Mark Anderson. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos.
3. UPCOMING: By 06/04/2025 4:00 p.m. CDT
4. WITH: BKN–NBA FINALS-PREVIEW
5. DESCRIPTION: OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Thunder could finish with one of the best records in NBA history. The Indiana Pacers could end up as an unlikely champion. The NBA Finals start Thursday night with two young teams who haven’t been on this stage in a long, long time. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 4 p.m.
6. UPCOMING: By 06/04/2025 4:00 p.m. CDT
7. WITH: BKN–NBA FINALS-PREVIEW CAPSULE
8. DESCRIPTION: OKLAHOMA CITY — Breaking down the NBA Finals, with stats and details. By Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney. UPCOMING: 400 words, photos.
9. UPCOMING: By 06/04/2025 4:00 p.m. CDT
10. WITH: BKN–NBA FINALS GUIDE
11. DESCRIPTION: A daily look at the NBA Finals. Moving mid-morning daily during the series.
12. UPCOMING: By 06/04/2025 4:00 p.m. CDT
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SOF–NCAA-TEXAS TECH-TEXAS
DESCRIPTION: OKLAHOMA CITY — Texas and Texas Tech will face off in Game 1 of the Women’s College World Series championship series. Texas is in the finals for the third time in four years, but has never won. Texas Tech has reached the championship series for the first time. UPCOMING: 450 words. Game time 7 p.m. Central.
UPCOMING: By 06/04/2025 7:00 p.m. CDT, Text
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SOF–NCAA-TEXAS TECH-CANADY
DESCRIPTION: OKLAHOMA CITY — NiJaree Canady signed a deal worth more than $1 million to play for Texas Tech, and the deal has paid off for the Red Raiders. Canady has pitched Tech to the championship series against Texas. Through all her struggles this season that came from the pressure, Canady has delivered. By Cliff Brunt. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos.
UPCOMING: By 06/04/2025 10:00 p.m. CDT, Text
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