Great Plains News Digest
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KANSAS
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US–Boeing-Spirit AeroSystems
Boeing finalizes $4.7B acquisition of key 737 Max supplier Spirit AeroSystems
SUMMARY: Boeing has completed its $4.7 billion purchase of Spirit AeroSystems, a key supplier that builds fuselages for its 737 Max jetliners. The deal announced on Monday brings Boeing’s largest supplier of spare parts in-house. CEO Kelly Ortberg calls it a “pivotal moment” for the company’s future. Boeing previously owned Spirit but spun it off in 2005. Reacquiring the company reverses Boeing’s strategy of outsourcing major work on its planes. Boeing has positioned the move as a step toward improving quality and safety, especially after a door-panel flew off a 737 Max jetliner that Spirit built. The blowout happened in January 2024 during an Alaska Airlines flight over Oregon.
WORDS: 452 – MOVED: 12/08/2025 1:10 p.m. CST
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MINNESOTA
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US–FBI-Kneeling Agents
12 FBI agents fired for kneeling during racial justice protest sue to get their jobs back
SUMMARY: Twelve former FBI agents fired after kneeling during a 2020 racial justice protest in Washington have sued to get their jobs back. They say their action had been intended to de-escalate a volatile situation and was not meant as a political gesture. The agents say in their lawsuit filed Monday that they were fired in September by Director Kash Patel because they were perceived as not being politically affiliated with President Donald Trump. But they say their decision to take a knee on June 4, 2020, days after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, has been misinterpreted as political expression. The FBI declined to comment Monday.
WORDS: 791 – MOVED: 12/08/2025 11:46 a.m. CST
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US–Minnesota-Fraud-What to Know
Trump’s attacks on Minnesota’s Somali community cast a spotlight on fraud cases
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump has linked his administration’s immigration crackdown on Minnesota’s Somali community to fraud cases involving government programs. Trump recently called Minnesota Somalis “garbage” and expressed he didn’t want them in the U.S. This comes as Republicans criticize Gov. Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate, for alleged failures in preventing the fraud. It’s a major issue in the 2026 gubernatorial race as Walz seeks a third term. Minnesota has the largest Somali population in the U.S. with about 84,000 residents. The vast majority are American citizens. The fraud cases involve hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.
WORDS: 955 – MOVED: 12/08/2025 5:00 p.m. CST
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US–UnitedHealthcare-CEO Killed
Bullets in Luigi Mangione’s bag convinced police that he was UnitedHealthcare CEO killing suspect
SUMMARY: Moments after Luigi Mangione was put in handcuffs at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s, a police officer searching his backpack found a loaded gun magazine wrapped in a pair of underwear. The discovery, recounted in court Monday as Mangione fights to exclude evidence from his state murder case in New York, convinced police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, that he was the man wanted for killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan five days earlier. Christy Wasser, a 19-year veteran of the Altoona police department, testified on the fourth day of a pretrial hearing as Mangione seeks to prevent prosecutors from using the magazine and other evidence she found in the bag, including a 9 mm handgun and a notebook that were located during a later search.
WORDS: 1064 – MOVED: 12/08/2025 12:27 p.m. CST
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US–Severe Weather
Storm systems bring heavy rain to the Pacific Northwest and a wintry mix to the Upper Midwest
SUMMARY: The first of a series of powerful storms is slamming the Pacific Northwest, dumping heavy rain and swelling rivers. KOMO-TV reports that fire crews rescued two people trapped by floodwaters at a campsite in the Gold Bar area of Snohomish County on Monday night. The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center expects several days of heavy rainfall in western Washington and northwestern Oregon with the trans-Pacific jet stream bringing heavy rain along the coast and more than a foot of new snow in northwestern Wyoming. Meanwhile, a clipper moving eastward across the Upper Midwest is forecast to bring a range of wintry weather to the region Tuesday.
WORDS: 575 – MOVED: 12/09/2025 8:47 a.m. CST
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MISSOURI
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US–Election 2026-Redistricting
Opponents of Trump-backed redistricting in Missouri submit a petition to force a public vote
SUMMARY: Opponents of Missouri’s new congressional map have submitted thousands of petition signatures calling for a statewide referendum on the plan backed by President Donald Trump. Organizers of the petition drive said they turned in about 300,000 signatures Tuesday to the secretary of state’s office. That’s well more than the roughly 110,000 signatures needed to suspend the U.S. House districts from taking effect until a public vote can be held next year. But the signatures still must be formally verified by election authorities. Republicans hope the new voting districts could help their party win additional seats in Congress in next year’s midterm elections.
WORDS: 869 – MOVED: 12/09/2025 10:04 a.m. CST
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NORTH DAKOTA
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SD–South Dakota-Rural Diversity
Hispanic population thrives in one small South Dakota town
SUMMARY: The population of Plankington, in southeastern South Dakota, is 768 — about 20% of which is Hispanic. That’s far higher than the statewide number of about 4%. In Plankington, churches are providing Spanish language services, the elementary school has an English as a Second Language program and non-Hispanic residents have said they are looking into starting adult Spanish classes. Diversity in rural communities is growing in part due to new agricultural processing plants opening, but there are also doctors, attorneys and real estate agents who speak Spanish. Some Hispanic businesses are struggling because community members fear immigration enforcement. The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is asking other residents to patronize those businesses so they can remain viable.
WORDS: 1349 – MOVED: 12/08/2025 2:02 p.m. CST
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US–Severe Weather
Storm systems bring heavy rain to the Pacific Northwest and a wintry mix to the Upper Midwest
SUMMARY: The first of a series of powerful storms is slamming the Pacific Northwest, dumping heavy rain and swelling rivers. KOMO-TV reports that fire crews rescued two people trapped by floodwaters at a campsite in the Gold Bar area of Snohomish County on Monday night. The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center expects several days of heavy rainfall in western Washington and northwestern Oregon with the trans-Pacific jet stream bringing heavy rain along the coast and more than a foot of new snow in northwestern Wyoming. Meanwhile, a clipper moving eastward across the Upper Midwest is forecast to bring a range of wintry weather to the region Tuesday.
WORDS: 575 – MOVED: 12/09/2025 8:47 a.m. CST
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SOUTH DAKOTA
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SD–South Dakota-Rural Diversity
Hispanic population thrives in one small South Dakota town
SUMMARY: The population of Plankington, in southeastern South Dakota, is 768 — about 20% of which is Hispanic. That’s far higher than the statewide number of about 4%. In Plankington, churches are providing Spanish language services, the elementary school has an English as a Second Language program and non-Hispanic residents have said they are looking into starting adult Spanish classes. Diversity in rural communities is growing in part due to new agricultural processing plants opening, but there are also doctors, attorneys and real estate agents who speak Spanish. Some Hispanic businesses are struggling because community members fear immigration enforcement. The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is asking other residents to patronize those businesses so they can remain viable.
WORDS: 1349 – MOVED: 12/08/2025 2:02 p.m. CST
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US–Severe Weather
Storm systems bring heavy rain to the Pacific Northwest and a wintry mix to the Upper Midwest
SUMMARY: The first of a series of powerful storms is slamming the Pacific Northwest, dumping heavy rain and swelling rivers. KOMO-TV reports that fire crews rescued two people trapped by floodwaters at a campsite in the Gold Bar area of Snohomish County on Monday night. The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center expects several days of heavy rainfall in western Washington and northwestern Oregon with the trans-Pacific jet stream bringing heavy rain along the coast and more than a foot of new snow in northwestern Wyoming. Meanwhile, a clipper moving eastward across the Upper Midwest is forecast to bring a range of wintry weather to the region Tuesday.
WORDS: 575 – MOVED: 12/09/2025 8:47 a.m. CST
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SPORTS
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IOWA
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FBC–Iowa St-Rogers
Rogers credits Campbell for making Iowa State job too good to pass up and setting him up for success
SUMMARY: Jimmy Rogers admired Iowa State football from afar as Matt Campbell was leading the Cyclones through the best 10 years in program history, and he had designs on the coaching job long before it was open. So much so, in fact, that when athletic director Jamie Pollard offered him the opportunity to be Campbell’s successor, Rogers accepted before he was even told what he would be paid. The 38-year-old Rogers was introduced as coach Monday. He signed a six-year contract that initially will pay him $3 million per year, about double his salary in his one season at Washington State.
WORDS: 740 – MOVED: 12/08/2025 2:35 p.m. CST
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BKC–T25-Top 25 This Week
Arizona Wildcats rise to No. 1 in AP Top 25, face another tough test against No. 18 Alabama
SUMMARY: Arizona gets another big test in its first game at No. 1 this season when it faces No. 12 Alabama on Saturday in Birmingham, Alabama, in the C.M. Newton Classic. It continues a grind for the Wildcats that already includes four wins over ranked opponents. The Crimson Tide have had a similarly tough schedule, its only losses coming to current top-10 teams Purdue and Gonzaga. Other big games in the Top 25 this week include fifth-ranked UConn taking on No. 18 Florida at Madison Square Garden.
WORDS: 851 – MOVED: 12/09/2025 12:50 a.m. CST
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BKC–Player of the Week
Duke freshman Cameron Boozer voted AP men’s basketball player of the week
SUMMARY: Cameron Boozer from No. 3 Duke has been voted the Associated Press national player of the week in men’s college basketball for Week 5. The freshman scored 29 points and grabbed six rebounds in a win over No. 18 Florida. He then added 18 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in a victory against No. 9 Michigan State. Boozer, the son of former Duke star Carlos Boozer, is the first Duke player to earn the honor since Cooper Flagg last January. The Blue Devils began the week as one of eight unbeaten teams in Division I men’s basketball. Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic was the runner-up.
WORDS: 396 – MOVED: 12/09/2025 10:14 a.m. CST
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MINNESOTA
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FBN–Vikings Analysis
Vikings relish ‘reassuring’ performance for McCarthy in team-wide romp, even if too little too late
SUMMARY: The Minnesota Vikings badly needed to stop turning the ball over. They had to figure out a way to revive their passing attack from the depths to which it had sunk during their four-game losing streak. They wanted to play well at home for their fans for once, too. Most of all, they were seeking the good vibes that had been eluding their quarterback-in-training, J.J. McCarthy. Everything on their long wish list was checked off in a chicken-soup-for-the-soul type of victory over Washington even though it came too late to salvage a playoff bid.
WORDS: 884 – MOVED: 12/08/2025 5:41 p.m. CST
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BKN–Suns-Timberwolves
Suns overcome Edwards’ 40 points and snap Timberwolves’ 5-game win streak with 108-105 victory
SUMMARY: Mark Williams had 22 points and seven rebounds, and the Phoenix Suns overcame Anthony Edwards’ 40 points to snap the Minnesota Timberwolves’ five-game winning streak with a 108-105 victory. Collin Gillespie added 19 points and Dillon Brooks had 18 for the Suns, who stunned Minnesota with a late rally in their previous meeting but had an easier time Monday. Phoenix never trailed by more than two points in its final tuneup before traveling to league-leading Oklahoma City on Wednesday for an NBA Cup quarterfinal game. Edwards shot 15 for 21 and Julius Randle had 21 points, but the rest of Minnesota’s top players struggled.
WORDS: 273 – MOVED: 12/08/2025 9:29 p.m. CST
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HKN–Wild-Kraken
Eriksson Ek has goal and 2 assists as Wild score 3 in 3rd period to beat Kraken 4-1
SUMMARY: Joel Eriksson Ek had a goal and two assists, and the Minnesota Wild scored three times in the third period to beat the Seattle Kraken 4-1. Marcus Johansson, Kirill Kaprizov and Vladimir Tarasenko also scored to help the Wild snap a two-game skid that followed a 12-game point streak (10-0-2). Filip Gustavsson stopped 23 shots to help the Wild snap a two-game skid. Jordan Eberle scored and Philipp Grubauer finished with 25 saves as the Kraken lost their sixth straight — fifth straight in regulation. Johansson gave the Wild a 2-1 lead at 8:12 of the third period, deflecting Eriksson Ek’s centering pass past Grubauer. Tye Kartye had a tying goal for Seattle overturned for high sticking on the play, and Kaprizov and Tarasenko had empty-netters in the closing minutes to seal Minnesota’s win.
WORDS: 294 – MOVED: 12/08/2025 11:51 p.m. CST
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MISSOURI
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HKN–Blues-Binnington
Blues’ goalie Binnington focused on his game with Olympic selection looming
SUMMARY: Jordan Binnington is focusing on his game as he navigates a challenging season. The goalie, who started the NHL season as a top contender for Canada’s Olympic team, has faced a sluggish start with the St. Louis Blues. On Sunday, he made 23 saves in a 4-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens, marking his seventh win this season. Despite career-low stats, Binnington emphasizes controlling his inner world and building his game daily. He hasn’t discussed Olympic selection with Canada’s management but believes his past success, including leading St. Louis to the Stanley Cup in 2019, speaks for itself.
WORDS: 579 – MOVED: 12/08/2025 5:05 p.m. CST
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FBN–Behind the Call
Kevin Stefanski and Andy Reid both make head-scratching fourth-quarter decisions that lead to losses
SUMMARY: Kevin Stefanski has chosen Shedeur Sanders as the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback for the season’s final stretch. On Sunday, Sanders led the Browns with four touchdown drives and 364 passing yards. However, he was on the sideline during a crucial 2-point conversion attempt that against Tennessee. The Browns lost the chance to tie when a Wildcat formation play failed. Stefanski took responsibility for the decision. Sanders expressed a desire to have the ball in his hands during critical moments. Meanwhile, Kansas City’s Andy Reid faced criticism for a risky fourth-down call that contributed to the Chiefs’ loss to Houston.
WORDS: 865 – MOVED: 12/09/2025 1:11 a.m. CST
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NEBRASKA
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BOX–Crawford-Police Stop
Passengers in boxing champion Terence Crawford’s vehicle allege rights violated during traffic stop
SUMMARY: The head of security for world boxing champion Terence Crawford and two other people filed a federal lawsuit against Omaha’s police chief and more than a dozen officers for their conduct during a September traffic stop. Crawford was stopped early Sept. 28 on suspicion of reckless driving hours after a parade was held in downtown Omaha to celebrate his victory over Canelo Alvarez two weeks earlier. Police ordered Crawford, bodyguard Qasim Shabazz and two other passengers out of the vehicle at gunpoint. Crawford, who was ticketed and released, is not a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
WORDS: 422 – MOVED: 12/08/2025 6:27 p.m. CST
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OKLAHOMA
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FBC–Oklahoma St-Morris
Eric Morris introduced as Oklahoma State coach, looks to revive program Gundy brought to prominence
SUMMARY: Eric Morris has been introduced as Oklahoma State’s new coach. As a former assistant at Texas Tech, he admired Mike Gundy’s success from afar. Morris believes Gundy’s winning strategies can continue in this new era. On Monday, he expressed excitement about the passionate fans at Boone Pickens Stadium. Despite Oklahoma State’s 1-11 record, the fans stayed enthusiastic. Morris aims to revive the rivalry with Oklahoma, which ended when the Sooners moved to the SEC. He enjoys rebuilding programs, having led North Texas to the American Conference title game. Morris also has a strong track record in developing quarterbacks.
WORDS: 679 – MOVED: 12/08/2025 6:40 p.m. CST
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SOUTH DAKOTA
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FBC–Iowa St-Rogers
Rogers credits Campbell for making Iowa State job too good to pass up and setting him up for success
SUMMARY: Jimmy Rogers admired Iowa State football from afar as Matt Campbell was leading the Cyclones through the best 10 years in program history, and he had designs on the coaching job long before it was open. So much so, in fact, that when athletic director Jamie Pollard offered him the opportunity to be Campbell’s successor, Rogers accepted before he was even told what he would be paid. The 38-year-old Rogers was introduced as coach Monday. He signed a six-year contract that initially will pay him $3 million per year, about double his salary in his one season at Washington State.
WORDS: 740 – MOVED: 12/08/2025 2:35 p.m. CST
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