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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KANSAS – NEW AND DEVELOPING – NEWS
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US–BAR-SHOOTING-KANSAS
Man convicted in 2019 Kansas bar shooting that left 4 dead and 5 injured.
SUMMARY: A man who was on the run for two months after a Kansas bar shooting that left four people dead and five injured has been convicted of eight felonies. A judge found 35-year-old Hugo Villanueva-Morales guilty Wednesday of capital murder and other charges. Villanueva-Morales faces a sentence of life without parole when he is sentenced in July. A second gunman is serving 34 years in the October 2019 shooting in Kansas City, Kansas. Police have said the shooting apparently stemmed from an earlier dispute inside the bar, prompting the two men to return to the bar with handguns and start shooting.
WORDS: 330 – MOVED: 04/17/2025 11:26 a.m. CDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:f2a5beddb7ed3822cf8a841a07d2a383&mediaType=text
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KANSAS – UPCOMING – SPORTS
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FBC–TRANSFER PORTAL-GOLD RUSH
DESCRIPTION: The opening of the college football transfer portal has created a dash for cash. The delay in a judge approving the House v NCAA antitrust settlement has extended the window of there being no limits on the amount of money players can receive from their schools’ NIL collectives or from third-party endorsement deals. The portal opened Wednesday and closes April 25, and the athletes have leverage until the settlement is approved in days or weeks. By College Football Writer Eric Olson. 750 words, photos.
UPCOMING: By 04/17/2025 4:00 p.m. CDT, Text
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MINNESOTA – NEW AND DEVELOPING – NEWS
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US–TARGET-AL SHARPTON-MEETING
Target CEO to meet with civil rights leader Al Sharpton amid DEI cuts
SUMMARY: Target’s chief executive officer is planning to meet this week with the Rev. Al Sharpton. Sharpton’s civil rights organization has encouraged consumers to avoid U.S. retailers that scaled backed their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. A National Action Network spokesperson on Thursday confirmed that Sharpton planned to see Target CEO Brian Cornell in New York but declined to provide any details about the meeting, which was first reported by CNBC. Target couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. Target is among a slew of companies, including Walmart, Amazon and PepsiCo, that have eliminated policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity among their employees and reducing discrimination against members of minority groups, women and LGBTQ+ people.
WORDS: 346 – MOVED: 04/17/2025 10:27 a.m. CDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:520dbc23cd668b57b3bfef76d1bc7cdd&mediaType=text
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UNITEDHEALTH-GUIDANCE CUT
UnitedHealth cuts 2025 forecast after dealing with first-quarter care use spike
SUMMARY: UnitedHealth chopped its 2025 forecast after being surprised by care use from its Medicare Advantage customers in a worse-than-expected first quarter. Shares of the health care giant started tumbling early Thursday. UnitedHealth said a rise in care use from its Medicare Advantage customers came in far above what the company planned for 2025 and became apparent as the quarter ended. The company’s UnitedHealthcare insurance business is the nation’s largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans. Those are privately run versions of the federal government program mostly for people ages 65 and older.
WORDS: 527 – MOVED: 04/17/2025 10:15 a.m. CDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:c5e879fadc2fc99eee65c80dac3cda62&mediaType=text
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MINNESOTA – UPCOMING – SPORTS
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HKN–PLAYOFF MATCHUPS
DESCRIPTION: From the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers aiming for a repeat to a handful of Canadian teams looking to end the country’s title drought, a look at the first-round matchups with nearly all of the 1,312 NHL regular-season games complete and the bracket set. By Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno. 900 words, photos.
SENT: By 04/17/2025 2:00 p.m. CDT, Text
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MISSOURI – NEW AND DEVELOPING – NEWS
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US–BAR-SHOOTING-KANSAS
Man convicted in 2019 Kansas bar shooting that left 4 dead and 5 injured.
SUMMARY: A man who was on the run for two months after a Kansas bar shooting that left four people dead and five injured has been convicted of eight felonies. A judge found 35-year-old Hugo Villanueva-Morales guilty Wednesday of capital murder and other charges. Villanueva-Morales faces a sentence of life without parole when he is sentenced in July. A second gunman is serving 34 years in the October 2019 shooting in Kansas City, Kansas. Police have said the shooting apparently stemmed from an earlier dispute inside the bar, prompting the two men to return to the bar with handguns and start shooting.
WORDS: 330 – MOVED: 04/17/2025 11:26 a.m. CDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:f2a5beddb7ed3822cf8a841a07d2a383&mediaType=text
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MISSOURI – UPCOMING – SPORTS
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HKN–PLAYOFF MATCHUPS
DESCRIPTION: From the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers aiming for a repeat to a handful of Canadian teams looking to end the country’s title drought, a look at the first-round matchups with nearly all of the 1,312 NHL regular-season games complete and the bracket set. By Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno. 900 words, photos.
SENT: By 04/17/2025 2:00 p.m. CDT, Text
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FBC–TRANSFER PORTAL-GOLD RUSH
DESCRIPTION: The opening of the college football transfer portal has created a dash for cash. The delay in a judge approving the House v NCAA antitrust settlement has extended the window of there being no limits on the amount of money players can receive from their schools’ NIL collectives or from third-party endorsement deals. The portal opened Wednesday and closes April 25, and the athletes have leverage until the settlement is approved in days or weeks. By College Football Writer Eric Olson. 750 words, photos.
UPCOMING: By 04/17/2025 4:00 p.m. CDT, Text
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BBO–ROYALS-TIGERS
DESCRIPTION: DETROIT — Kansas City plays Detroit at Comerica Park. UPCOMING: 300 words
UPCOMING: By 04/17/2025 5:40 p.m. CDT, Text
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BBO–CARDINALS-METS
DESCRIPTION: NEW YORK — Griffin Canning (1-1) starts for the New York Mets and Andre Pallante (2-0) for the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a four-game series. 300 words, photos, starts 7:10 p.m.
UPCOMING: By 04/17/2025 9:10 p.m. CDT, Text
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NORTH DAKOTA – NEW AND DEVELOPING – NEWS
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US–CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION WORKERS-LAWSUIT
Judge blocks worker protections for abortion and fertility care for Catholic employers
SUMMARY: More than 9,000 Catholic employers do not need to abide by federal regulations protecting workers who seek abortions and fertility treatments under a ruling issued this week by a federal judge. The Catholic Benefits Association and the Bismarck Diocese sued the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission last year, saying it issued regulations and guidelines that “ran roughshod” over their religious rights. U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor later put a temporary block on the regulations. On Tuesday he made the block permanent. An attorney for the association and the diocese called the ruling a victory for religious freedom rights.
WORDS: 867 – MOVED: 04/17/2025 10:05 a.m. CDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:71b6cc9c25ec406832303aeb72d5b4f9&mediaType=text
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