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u.s. news Diabierna 23 September 2022

Judge blocks Indiana abortion ban week

after it took effect

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) that took effect one week ago. Indiana the first state to en-
— An Indiana judge on The injunction was sought act tighter abortion restric-
Thursday blocked the by abortion clinic operators tions since the U.S. Supreme
state's abortion ban from who argued in a lawsuit that Court eliminated federal
being enforced, putting the state constitution protects abortion protections by over-
the new law on hold as access to the medical proce- turning Roe v. Wade in June.
abortion clinic operators dure.
argue that it violates the The judge wrote "there is
state constitution. The ban was approved by reasonable likelihood that
the state's Republican-dom- this significant restriction of
Owen County Judge Kelsey inated Legislature on Aug. personal autonomy offends
Hanlon issued a preliminary 5 and signed by GOP Gov. the liberty guarantees of the
injunction against the ban Eric Holcomb. That made Indiana Constitution" and that the clinics will prevail in the lawsuit.

More consumers buying organic, but US farmers still wary

CHURDAN, Iowa (AP) — revenue pouring in. premium that accompanies land in central Iowa to organ-
In the 1970s when George organic crops. The new USDA effort would ic, noted the shift has been
Naylor said he wanted to Instead of growing to meet include $100 million toward "rocky" at times for him and
grow organic crops, the the demand, the number of According to the USDA, helping farmers learn new his farming partner, Caleb
idea didn't go over well. farmers converting to organ- the number of convention- techniques for growing or- Akin.
ic is actually dropping. Last al farms newly transition- ganic crops; $75 million for
Back then organic crops were month, the U.S. Department ing to organic production farmers who meet new con- But he and Akin recently
an oddity, destined for health of Agriculture committed up dropped by about 70% from servation practice standards; bought a grain elevator east
food stores or maybe a few to $300 million to recruit and 2008 to 2019. Organic com- $25 million to expand crop of Des Moines to use solely
farmers markets. help more farmers make the prises about 6% of overall insurance options and reduce for organic crops, the kind of
switch. food sales, but only 1% of costs; and $100 million to aid project the USDA program
"I told my dad I wanted to the country's farmland is in organic supply chains and de- can assist. They hope the el-
be an organic farmer and he The key difference is the use organic production, with for- velop markets for organics. evator will not only be a near-
goes, 'Ha, ha, ha,'" Naylor of synthetic fertilizers and eign producers making up by spot to store grain but pro-
said, noting it wasn't until pesticides as well as geneti- the gap. Nick Andrews, an Oregon vide a one-stop shop to learn
2014 that he could embrace cally modified seeds. Most State University extension about growing and marketing
his dream and begin transi- conventional farms rely on While farmers seem hesitant, agent who works with organ- organic crops.
tioning from standard to or- those practices but they are U.S. consumers aren't. An- ic farmers, called the USDA
ganic crops. banned at organic farms. In- nual sales of organic products effort a "game changer." It Seeing all the organic activ-
stead, organic farmers must have roughly doubled in the should be especially attractive ity is gratifying for George
But over the decades, some- control weeds and pests with past decade and now top $63 to farmers with small parcels and Patti Naylor, who farm
thing unexpected happened techniques such as rotating billion, according to the Or- of land because the added near the tiny central Iowa
— demand for organics start- different crops and planting ganic Trade Association. Sales value of organic crops makes community of Churdan.
ed increasing so fast that it cover crops that squeeze out are projected to climb up to it possible to make significant But they say they still value
began outstripping the sup- weeds and add nutrients to 5.5% this year. money off even 25 to 100 most the simple benefits of
ply produced in the U.S. the soil. acre (10 to 40 hectare) farms their choice, such as evenings
That growth is clear to any- — much smaller than the spent watching hundreds of
Now a new challenge has Crops can only be deemed one pushing a cart in an aver- commercial operations that rare monarch butterflies that
emerged: It's not getting organic if they are grown on age supermarket, past bins of provide most of the country's flock to their herbicide-free
consumers to pay the high- land that hasn't been treated organic apples and bananas, produce. farm.
er prices, it's convincing with synthetic substances for through dairy and egg sec-
enough farmers to get past three years. During that pe- tions and along shelves brim- Noah Wendt, who in the past As Patti Naylor put it, "It re-
their organic reluctance and riod, farmers can grow crops, ming with organic beef and few years has transitioned ally helps to believe in what
start taking advantage of the but they won't get the extra chicken. 1,500 acres (607 hectares) of you're doing."

Lawyer: Teen a worry months before Michigan school shooting

DETROIT (AP) — Some teach- year as an adult on murder and other card said in her deposition that she morial shirts for our murdered kid,"
ers and a counselor at a Michi- charges in the Nov. 30 shooting. didn't see the drawing until the day he said, holding up a blue T-shirt.
gan high school were aware of a before the shooting. There appar- "What's Oxford Community Schools
teen's troubling interest in guns One teacher said Crumbley drew ently was no follow up to the Span- doing? Nothing. Nothing."
and violence months before he what appeared to be an ammunition ish teacher's email in September ask-
was accused of fatally shooting magazine on a note card in late Au- ing the counselor to touch base with
four students and wounding oth- gust 2021. Crumbley also responded Crumbley, Johnson said.
ers, a lawyer representing victims' in a survey that his favorite books in-
families said Thursday. cluded "Making Bombs for Hitler," The day before the shooting, a teach-
while "Dexter" and "Breaking Bad" er saw Ethan Crumbley looking at
"From literally the beginning of were among his favorite television ammunition on his phone while in
school, Ethan Crumbley was evi- shows. class. School officials left a voicemail
dencing signs of being a highly trou- informing his mother about it.
bled individual, to say the least," said A week or so later, he wrote in an au-
Detroit attorney Ven Johnson, citing tobiographical poem assignment for Several parents attending John-
depositions taken in a civil lawsuit a Spanish teacher that he "feels ter- son's news conference in Detroit on
against Oxford Community Schools rible and that his family is a mistake," Thursday said they had not known
and some staff at Oxford High Johnson quoted from an email the about some of the details revealed in
School. teacher sent to a school counselor. the depositions.

Crumbley, now 16, faces trial next The teacher who received the note "Meanwhile, here we are buying me-