Great Plains News Digest
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KANSAS
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US–Election 2026 Redistricting Glance
Trump urged GOP-led states to redraw US House districts. Now other states also are gerrymandering
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump has called for Republican states to redraw their U.S. House districts ahead of next year’s elections. Now a growing number of both Republican and Democratic states are entering the battle to gerrymander voting maps. Republican officials in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio all have adopted new congressional districts that could help Republicans win more seats. Meanwhile, California voters have adopted new districts that could help Democrats win more seats. And a Utah judge has imposed a new congressional map that could allow Democrats to win a seat. Nationally, Democrats need to gain just three seats to take control of the House.
WORDS: 921 – MOVED: 10/27/2025 2:56 p.m. CDT
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MINNESOTA
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US-UnitedHealthcare-CEO-Killed
A judge said Luigi Mangione could have a laptop to view evidence in jail. He still hasn’t gotten it
SUMMARY: Months after a judge said Luigi Mangione could have a laptop in jail to review evidence, lawyers for the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson say the device has yet to be delivered. The delay, Mangione’s lawyers said in a court filing made public Thursday, is putting the 27-year-old suspect in a time crunch with little more than two weeks before an important hearing in his state murder case. Mangione, who is also facing a federal death penalty case, has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal jail in Brooklyn, since his arrest last December. He has pleaded not guilty.
WORDS: 799 – MOVED: 11/13/2025 12:30 p.m. CST
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US–Fitzgerald Shipwreck-Relic
Relic from the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is returned, plus $600,000 from Michigan
SUMMARY: The state of Michigan has agreed to return a life ring from the famous Edmund Fitzgerald shipwreck to its owner. The rare relic had become a key part of a settlement in a lawsuit that had nothing to do with the Edmund Fitzgerald. State police backed away from the initial deal after The Associated Press reported on it in October. Larry Orr says he will get the life ring back — and Michigan will still pay $600,000 to settle his federal lawsuit over police misconduct. The misconduct case had no connection to what Orr found on shore after the ship sank in Lake Superior in 1975.
WORDS: 438 – MOVED: 11/13/2025 10:48 a.m. CST
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MISSOURI
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US–Starbucks-Strike
Starbucks workers kick off 65-store US strike on company’s busy Red Cup Day
SUMMARY: More than 1,000 unionized Starbucks workers are on strike Thursday at 65 U.S. stores. The strike has closed some stores on Starbucks’ Red Cup Day, which is typically one of the company’s busiest days of the year. Starbucks gives away free, reusable cups to customers who buy a holiday drink. The union organizing Starbucks baristas says the striking workers are protesting a lack of progress in labor negotiations with the company. Starbucks Workers United says the walkout will impact stores in 45 cities, including New York, Philadelphia, Minneapolis and Dallas. Starbucks says fewer than 4% of its U.S. stores are unionized and sales were exceeding its expectations Thursday morning.
WORDS: 999 – MOVED: 11/12/2025 5:36 p.m. CST
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US–Government Shutdown-Food Aid
States scramble to send full SNAP food benefits to millions of people after government shutdown ends
SUMMARY: State officials are working to restore full SNAP benefits to millions of people after the long U.S. government shutdown has finally ended. Some state officials said Thursday that full November SNAP benefits should be available to spend on groceries by Friday, if not sooner. A series of court rulings and shifting policies from the Trump administration had led to inconsistent distribution of November benefits. About two-thirds of states had issued only partial or no benefits before the shutdown ended Wednesday night. The federal food program serves about 42 million people in lower-income households.
WORDS: 849 – MOVED: 11/13/2025 10:53 a.m. CST
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US–Election 2026 Redistricting Glance
Trump urged GOP-led states to redraw US House districts. Now other states also are gerrymandering
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump has called for Republican states to redraw their U.S. House districts ahead of next year’s elections. Now a growing number of both Republican and Democratic states are entering the battle to gerrymander voting maps. Republican officials in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio all have adopted new congressional districts that could help Republicans win more seats. Meanwhile, California voters have adopted new districts that could help Democrats win more seats. And a Utah judge has imposed a new congressional map that could allow Democrats to win a seat. Nationally, Democrats need to gain just three seats to take control of the House.
WORDS: 921 – MOVED: 10/27/2025 2:56 p.m. CDT
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US–Election 2026-Redistricting-Missouri
Different needs but similar fears arise in communities on both ends of Missouri’s redistricting
SUMMARY: The rush to redraw America’s congressional maps has put a historically Black neighborhood in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and a mostly white farming community 100 miles away in the same district. The 18th and Vine area in Kansas City is known for a museum telling the story of segregated professional baseball. To the east, Boonville wants federal help rebuilding an old railroad bridge to improve a popular biking trail. Republican lawmakers redrew districts this summer to meet President Donald Trump’s call for states to help the GOP ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The redrawing could mean a significant shift in priorities by its representatives.
WORDS: 1293 – MOVED: 11/14/2025 7:10 a.m. CST
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US–Frost Flowers
With one touch, they vanish. Meet the delicate, icy wonders called frost flowers
SUMMARY: The first major blast of wintry weather in the U.S. this week brought snow, frigid temperatures and in some places something a little more magical: Frost flowers. Made of thin ribbons of ice that extend out in intricate patterns when frozen water breaks through the slits of certain types of plant stems, the icy blooms can disintegrate with a single touch and only appear for hours at a time. They are found most often in the Eastern half of the U.S., especially in the upper half of the country where hard freezes are more common. The patterns resemble clouds of cotton candy or spun glass.
WORDS: 619 – MOVED: 11/13/2025 10:43 p.m. CST
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NEBRASKA
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US–Transcontinental Railroad Merger
Shareholders of Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern support $85 billion rail merger
SUMMARY: Shareholders of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern backed the railroads’ proposed $85 billion merger to create the nation’s first coast-to-coast rail network. Investors in both railroads voted to support the deal Friday, but the U.S. Surface Transportation Board must still approve it before the deal can be completed. UP CEO Jim Vena wants to file the formal merger application later this month or early December, and that will initiate the lengthy review process. The merger has picked up the support of the largest rail union and hundreds of shippers, but chemical manufacturers and competing railroad BNSF have raised concerns about whether the merger would hurt competition and lead to higher rates.
WORDS: 546 – MOVED: 11/14/2025 8:30 a.m. CST
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OKLAHOMA
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US–Oklahoma Execution-Wood
Oklahoma governor spares the life of inmate just before he was to be executed
SUMMARY: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has spared the life of a death row inmate just before he was set to receive a lethal injection. Stitt granted clemency on Thursday to 46-year-old Tremane Wood, who was sentenced to die for the stabbing death of a man during a botched robbery on New Year’s Day 2002. It is just the second time the Republican governor has granted clemency during his nearly seven years in office. Wood’s attorneys argued that it was Wood’s brother who actually stabbed 19-year-old Ronnie Wipf during the robbery. Wood acknowledged his role in the robbery, but said he was never a killer. His brother got a life sentence and died in prison.
WORDS: 744 – MOVED: 11/12/2025 11:04 p.m. CST
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US–Ammonia Gas Leak-What to Know
What to know about a chemical leak in Oklahoma
SUMMARY: A tanker truck carrying anhydrous ammonia has leaked hazardous gas in a city in Oklahoma. The leak happened Wednesday night when the truck was parked outside a hotel in Weatherford, about 70 miles west of Oklahoma City. Hundreds of people were evacuated from nearby homes, and dozens were hospitalized. Authorities lifted a shelter-in-place order Thursday morning. More than 80% of the anhydrous ammonia produced in the U.S. is used for fertilizer. It can cause burns if touched in gas or liquid form. Similar leaks have occurred recently, including a deadly incident in Illinois in 2023.
WORDS: 383 – MOVED: 11/13/2025 12:26 p.m. CST
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US–Florida Execution
Florida man executed for the 1979 killing of a girl, 6, who was abducted from her bedroom
SUMMARY: A man convicted of killing a 6-year-old girl he abducted from her bedroom has been executed in Florida. Bryan Frederick Jennings received a lethal injection Thursday evening at Florida State Prison near Starke for the 1979 murder of Rebecca Kunash, who was raped and drowned in a canal. The 66-year-old ex-Marine was sentenced to death twice in Brevard County, both of which were reversed on appeal. A final trial in 1986 brought a third death sentence. Florida has now carried out a record 16 executions thus far in 2025 with two more scheduled this year. Meanwhile, South Carolina is planning an execution by firing squad on Friday.
WORDS: 791 – MOVED: 11/12/2025 11:03 p.m. CST
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US–Ammonia Gas Leak-Oklahoma
Ammonia gas leak from a tanker truck in Oklahoma sickens dozens and forces evacuations
SUMMARY: A tanker truck spewing hazardous gas in an Oklahoma hotel parking lot forced hotel guests and hundreds of residents to evacuate in the overnight hours. Authorities say dozens of people were treated after being overcome by fumes. Some were flown to hospitals in Oklahoma City. The anhydrous ammonia leak happened late Wednesday in Weatherford. Schools closed, and several nursing homes evacuated. A shelter-in-place order was lifted Thursday morning. The city’s police chief said the leak happened after the truck driver had parked behind a Holiday Inn Express for the night. Officials said the leak might be due to a mechanical failure. Cleanup efforts could take several days.
WORDS: 730 – MOVED: 11/13/2025 7:14 a.m. CST
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SPORTS
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KANSAS
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SOC–MLS-Calendar Shift
MLS owners vote to shift soccer season to a summer-to-spring calendar in 2027
SUMMARY: Major League Soccer’s owners have voted to shift the league’s season to a summer to spring calendar in 2027, bringing it more in line with its international counterparts. The shift aims to put MLS in a more competitive position for player transfers, while also freeing up players for national team duty during the summer, when many major international tournaments take place. The vote came at the Board of Governors meeting in Palm Beach, Florida. Under the new calendar, league play would kick off in mid- to late July, with the final day of the regular season in April. The playoffs would take place in May.
WORDS: 624 – MOVED: 11/13/2025 3:26 p.m. CST
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MINNESOTA
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FBN–Bears-Vikings Preview Capsule
Vikings try to get back on track at home against on-the-rise Bears after winning opener on the road
SUMMARY: The Chicago Bears visit the Minnesota Vikings in a rematch of the season opener won by the Vikings in quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s debut. The Bears have won six of their last seven games behind improving quarterback Caleb Williams and matched their best nine-game start at 6-3 since the 2018 team that won the NFC North. Williams has only four turnovers this season. The six teams the Bears have beaten currently have a combined record of 15-41-1. The Vikings are 4-5 this season and 1-3 at home. McCarthy has seven turnovers in four games including at least one interception in each.
WORDS: 1085 – MOVED: 11/13/2025 1:53 p.m. CST
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SOC–MLS-Calendar Shift
MLS owners vote to shift soccer season to a summer-to-spring calendar in 2027
SUMMARY: Major League Soccer’s owners have voted to shift the league’s season to a summer to spring calendar in 2027, bringing it more in line with its international counterparts. The shift aims to put MLS in a more competitive position for player transfers, while also freeing up players for national team duty during the summer, when many major international tournaments take place. The vote came at the Board of Governors meeting in Palm Beach, Florida. Under the new calendar, league play would kick off in mid- to late July, with the final day of the regular season in April. The playoffs would take place in May.
WORDS: 624 – MOVED: 11/13/2025 3:26 p.m. CST
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MISSOURI
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FBC–Purdue-Family & Friends Battle
Purdue coach Barry Odom ready to face brother, Brian, and longtime friend Ryan Walters at Washington
SUMMARY: When Purdue coach Barry Odom walks onto the field Saturday in Seattle, he’ll see some familiar faces. Sure, he may chat with Washington defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, a longtime friend who spent four seasons on Odom’s defensive staff at Missouri. He’ll also almost certainly mingle with Huskies inside linebackers coach Brian Odom. Barry Odom also knows how difficult those three-plus hours inside Husky Stadium will be as he faces his younger brother and Walters, who held the title of Purdue coach the previous two years.
WORDS: 729 – MOVED: 11/14/2025 10:22 a.m. CST
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