LOVELAND MAGAZINE

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Tag: Alabama

  • U.S. Veterans Affairs Department expands IVF access to unmarried and same-sex veterans

    U.S. Veterans Affairs Department expands IVF access to unmarried and same-sex veterans

     The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical campus in Rapid City, South Dakota. (Photo by Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight, States Newsroom.)

    BY:  – Ohio Capital Journal

    WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs expanded access to in vitro fertilization on Monday, saying that eligible unmarried veterans and veterans in same-sex marriages can now access IVF at VA health care facilities.

    The announcement notes that federal law requires the VA only provide IVF treatments to veterans whose issues having children are due to a health condition from their military service.

    “Raising a family is a wonderful thing, and I’m proud that VA will soon help more Veterans have that opportunity,” VA Secretary Denis McDonough said in a written statement. “This expansion of care has long been a priority for us, and we are working urgently to make sure that eligible unmarried Veterans, Veterans in same-sex marriages, and Veterans who need donors will have access to IVF in every part of the country as soon as possible.”

    The VA has only provided IVF care for married veterans who were able to use their own eggs or sperm during the process, but the new announcement allows veterans to use donor eggs, sperm and embryos.

    The VA noted in its announcement the department doesn’t cover surrogacy costs.

    The VA also reiterated it provides up to $2,000 in adoption expenses for veterans with a disability connected to their military service that caused infertility.

    Legislative options

    Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray said in a written statement the VA’s decision to expand access to IVF “is an important step forward that will help more veterans start and grow their families.”

    “I have fought for over a decade to expand fertility care and treatment to more veterans and servicemembers, and I’m thrilled that DoD, and now VA, are making progress toward expanding their IVF services with new policies will be life-changing for veterans and servicemembers who were for far too long excluded from care,” she said.

    Murray plans to go to the Senate floor this week to ask for quick approval through unanimous consent of a bill to further broaden access to fertility treatments.

    That bill, titled the Veteran Families Health Services Act, would allow the VA to permanently expand which veterans have access to IVF as well as provide the option for military members to freeze their eggs or sperm before deployment to combat zones or hazardous duty assignments.

    The legislation would expand adoption assistance for veterans and require both the VA and the Department of Defense to “facilitate research on the long-term reproductive health needs of veterans.”

    The Senate bill has 24 co-sponsors, all of whom are Democrats or are independents who align politically with the Democratic Party.

    House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs ranking member Mark Takano and the Health Subcommittee ranking member Julia Brownley, both California Democrats, said in a joint statement the expansion “is a step in the right direction to allow eligible unmarried veterans and veterans in same-sex marriages to receive IVF, but we think current law is still too restrictive.”

    “It is very difficult to prove that infertility has been caused by prior service to our country, and the onus is on the veteran to prove it,” the two wrote. “Most veterans with infertility have faced a difficult choice: pay the prohibitive cost of IVF out of pocket, or lose valuable treatment time pursuing a VA service connection.”

    The two then pressed for Congress to approve a different bill that would expand IVF access for veterans, dubbed the Veterans Infertility Treatment Act.

    That bill has 31 co-sponsors in the House, all of whom are Democrats.

    Takano and Brownley said that their legislation is necessary to ensure “any veteran, regardless of whether their infertility is service-connected,” has access to IVF “as part of VA’s comprehensive medical benefits package.”

    “Given what we recently saw in Alabama and the growing attacks on reproductive rights in our country, it is more clear than ever that we need to expand IVF access for veterans, regardless of where they live,” they wrote. “This new VA policy is an important step. We will continue to advocate for legislation that will ensure any veteran who wants to start a family can.”

    Jennifer Shutt
    JENNIFER SHUTT

    Jennifer covers the nation’s capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Her coverage areas include congressional policy, politics and legal challenges with a focus on health care, unemployment, housing and aid to families.

    MORE FROM AUTHOR

  • Ohio’s AG Yost wants to “kickstart” the state’s stalled capital-punishment system

    Ohio’s AG Yost wants to “kickstart” the state’s stalled capital-punishment system

    Kenneth Smith, left, embraces his spiritual advisor, the Rev. Jeff Hood. (Courtesy Rev. Jeff Hood)

    After an experimental execution of inmate, Kenneth Smith, and he was pronounced dead at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama just six days ago, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost today issued a press release urging “kickstarting” the execution of Ohio Death Row inmates.

    After the Alabama execution, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said, “Alabama has done it, and now so can you. And we stand ready to assist you in implementing this method in your states”.

    Smith’s spiritual adviser, the Rev. Jeff Hood, who’d previously expressed concern that the method could be inhumane, witnessed the execution and described it in more graphic terms, saying it was “the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen.”

    Smith, wearing a tight-fitting mask that covered his entire face, convulsed when the gas was turned on, “popped up on the gurney” repeatedly, and gasped, heaved and spat, Hood said.

    “It was absolutely horrific,” he said. – (CNN)

    A Press Release from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost:

    AG Yost, Other Elected Officials Propose Legislation to Address Issues in Ohio’s Capital-Punishment System

    Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost

    (COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, together with state Reps. Brian Stewart and Phil Plummer and Executive Director Lou Tobin of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association, today announced the introduction of legislation to permit the use of nitrogen hypoxia as a method for carrying out the death penalty.

    The bill is aimed at kickstarting the state’s stalled capital-punishment system.

    “There must be accountability for offenders convicted of the most heinous crimes and prisoners who continue to flout the law behind bars,” Yost said. “The pursuit of justice is a journey, and closure remains elusive for victims’ families until a sentence is fully executed. Ensuring that the consequences align with the severity of an offense is essential to providing solace to grieving relatives.”

    Nitrogen hypoxia drew national attention last week when Alabama used this method to carry out the death sentence of murderer Kenneth Eugene Smith – the first state to employ nitrogen, a colorless and odorless gas, in an execution. With this procedure, a condemned inmate breathes only nitrogen, leading to oxygen deprivation, which results in rapid unconsciousness and death.

    Ohio last carried out an execution by lethal injection on July 18, 2018, more than five years ago. Multiple reprieves have been granted, in part due to the reluctance of pharmaceutical suppliers to provide lethal injection drugs to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction for executions.

    Attorney General Yost hopes that nitrogen — widely available and easily sourced — can break the impasse of unavailability of drugs for lethal injection.

    Under the new legislation — sponsored in the House by Stewart, R-Ashville, and Plummer, R-Dayton — manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors that provide lethal injection drugs to the state would receive indefinite confidentiality, instead of the current two-year confidentiality. Suppliers of nitrogen for executions would receive similar confidentiality.

    “As long as capital punishment remains the law in Ohio, the law should be followed – and duly enacted sentences should be carried out to give victims’ families the justice and finality they deserve,” Stewart said. “Providing an additional method for carrying out capital punishments is necessary to ensure Ohio can continue to impose these sentences in response to the most heinous crimes committed in our state.”

    Added Plummer: “By using nitrogen hypoxia, we are giving the system an additional resource for holding accountable those who have committed heinous crimes. It is time that we stop postponing executions and give the families of victims the closure that they deserve.”

    Tobin echoed those thoughts.

    “We will continue to work to ensure that the death penalty is fair, that it is accurate, and that defendants receive the due process that they deserve,” he said. “We want fairness and justice for the victims also. This legislation is about providing closure for victims and for their families.”

    Yost highlighted shortcomings in the state’s capital-punishment system in the “2022 Capital Crimes Report,” released last year. An annual mandate under state law, the report provides a procedural history and other details on every case resulting in a death sentence since 1981, the year Ohio reinstated the death penalty.

    From 1981 to Jan. 30, 2024, a total of 336 criminals convicted in Ohio received a combined 341 death sentences, the report said. Only 56 sentences — one in six — have been carried out.

    In releasing the report, Yost emphasized the need to broaden the death penalty conversation and give a voice to victims’ families. Among those he has engaged in the discussion is Norman Stout, husband of Mary Jane Stout, who was murdered by David Stumpf during a May 1984 robbery near the couple’s home in New Concord, Ohio.

    The Stouts allowed Stumpf and Clyde Wesley into their home to use their phone. While Wesley ransacked the house, Stumpf shot Mr. Stout twice in the head, leaving him seriously wounded, and then shot Mrs. Stout four times, killing her.

    Mr. Stout, now 93, has been seeking justice for his wife for nearly four decades, only to see Stumpf’s execution postponed several times. Mr. Stout has said he plans to witness Stumpf’s execution — currently scheduled for Aug. 13, 2024 — but he worries that his advanced age might preclude him from seeing justice prevail.

    –30–

  • Bearcats Fall to No. 1 Alabama in CFP Semifinals

    Bearcats Fall to No. 1 Alabama in CFP Semifinals

    Cincinnati finishes 13-1, wrapping up historic season at the Cotton Bowl

    by gobearcats.com/news

    Arlington, Texas – The No. 4-ranked Cincinnati football team went toe-to-toe with the defending national champions before ultimately falling to No. 1 Alabama, 27-6, in the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the 86th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Friday at AT&T Stadium. 
     
    Trailing 24-6, the Bearcats threatened in the fourth quarter after senior quarterback Desmond Ridder found Michael Young for a 28-yard catch that placed Cincinnati inside Alabama territory. Cincinnati had a 4th-and-3 play from the Crimson Tide 22, but Ridder was sacked with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game.
     
    Alabama tacked on field goal on the next drive for the final score.
     
    “It doesn’t feel great right now, but we at least had the opportunity to step back here, reflect a little bit more and recognize where it is that we’ve come from just in the last five years with this group of guys,” head coach Luke Fickell said. “I don’t know if I can see it or pick it up right now, but I promise my wife will make me, later tonight, take a couple deep breaths and recognize where these guys have taken us and what they’ve done for us.”


     
    Led by 32 seniors, the Bearcats finish 13-1, completing the greatest season in school history with their first College Football Playoff appearance, battling the defending national champions in front of a raucous sellout crowd of 76,313 inside the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium.
     
    Cincinnati finished among the nation’s Top 10 teams in scoring offense and scoring defense. UC set single-season school records for touchdowns (70) and points (516), featured the Jim Thorpe Award winner (Coby Bryant), a consensus All-American (Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner) and 12 first-team All-Conference players. Fickell also won nearly every national coach of the year award.
     
    Ridder passed for 144 yards, completing 17 of 32 attempts, and wraps up his career as the most-decorated Bearcat in school history. His 44 wins are the third-most any quarterback in college football history. 
     
    “I’ve met a lot of good, close friends that are going to be with me for the rest of my life,” Ridder said in the postgame press conference. “I’ve played a lot of great football with a lot of great players, a lot of great coaches. I’m going to remember every single year, from my true freshman year when I wasn’t playing until now. This loss I just want to thank coach Fick (head coach Luke Fickell) and all the coaching staff, all the training staff, academic staff and all of our fans who supported us even in our down years. Everyone who came out this weekend, traveled to Dallas to support us, I just want to say thank you.”
     
    Jerome Ford led the ground game with 15 rushes for 77 yards, while Young (55 yards) and Tre Tucker (43) each had four catches. Darrian Beavers, whose next game will be the Reese’s Senior Bowl in February, paced the defense with 10 tackles, including two for loss and a sack.
     
    Cincinnati battled tough and kept the game close, holding the Crimson Tide scoreless in the third quarter, and trailed 17-6 entering the fourth quarter.
     
    Perhaps Alabama head coach Nick Saban summed up the Cincinnati performance best.
     
    “There’s no doubt in my mind, Cincinnati belongs in the playoff,” Saban said. “They gave us all we could handle.”
     
    Alabama rushed for 301 yards and was led by Cotton Bowl Most Outstanding Offensive Player Brian Robinson, Jr., who had 204 yards on the ground. Crimson Tide defensive end Will Anderson, Jr. was named the Cotton Bowl Most Outstanding Defensive Player after totaling six tackles and two sacks.
     
    The Bearcats held Alabama quarterback Bryce Young to 181 yards on 17-of-28 passing with an interception, but the Heisman Trophy winner accounted for all of the game’s touchdowns with passes.
     
    Cincinnati opened the second half fast, receiving the ball and promptly marching down the field in 11 plays as Ridder completed his first five passes after the intermission and drove UC to the Tide 19-yard line. However, the Bearcats settled for a 37-yard field goal from Cole Smith that cut Alabama’s lead to 17-6 at the 9:57 mark in the third quarter. 
     
    Cincinnati and Alabama traded punts on the next two possessions before Bryce Young sailed an interception to senior safety Brian Cook while he was being hit by senior defensive tackle Curtis Brooks on a third-and-6 play with five minutes left in the third quarter. UC could not capitalize on the turnover as Ridder was sacked on third-and-16 and the Bearcats were forced to punt once again.  
     
    Alabama scored first in the game, using 11 plays to move 75 yards on its first possession. The Crimson Tide ran the ball on its first 10 plays before quarterback Bryce Young found receiver Slade Bolden for the game’s first touchdown at the 9:51 mark in the first quarter. 
     
    Ridder connected with senior wide receiver Michael Young twice on the first possession for UC, including a 19-yard first down. He found sophomore receiver Tyler Scott for a 22-yard pass that brought the Bearcats inside the 10-yard line and forced Alabama to call timeout at the 5:48 mark.  The Bearcats’ drive stalled at the 9, however. Smith drilled a 33-yard field goal – his first since Oct. 8 – to make it 7-3. 
     

    A sack for a six-yard loss by Beavers forced Alabama to kick a 26-yard field goal, which gave the Crimson Tide a 10-3 at the start of the second quarter. 
     
    After a three-and-out on their first possession of the second quarter, the Bearcats’ defense forced a three-and-out of their own. 
     
    Freshman punter Mason Fletcher pinned Alabama back inside their own 10-yard line twice in the second quarter. The first time on a 54-yard punt that had the Tide start from their own 9. The second was a  48-yard punt that was muffed by returner JoJo Earle and left Alabama starting from the 6. The results of the drives were a 44-yard missed field goal by Will Reichard and a 44-yard touchdown pass from Young to Ja’Core Brooks that made the score 17-3 just before halftime. 
     
    RESERVE YOUR 2022 SEASON TICKETS NOW
    The Cincinnati Athletics Ticket Office is now accepting deposits for 2022 football season tickets here.  
     
    FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
    For all the latest information on Cincinnati Athletics, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati Athletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

  • Game Preview: U.C. Football Wraps Up Prep, Ready to Battle Alabama

    Game Preview: U.C. Football Wraps Up Prep, Ready to Battle Alabama

    No. 4 Cincinnati will play in the CFP Semifinals at the Cotton Bowl on Friday at 2:30 CT

    Zach Stipe Associate AD / Communications for UC Football

    Arlington, Texas – The No. 4-ranked Cincinnati football team has made history all season, advancing to the College Football Playoff, while breaking countless records. 

    Desmond Ridder

    The Bearcats will look to make more history inside AT&T Stadium on Friday when they meet No. 1 Alabama in the 86th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at 2:30 p.m. CT in Arlington, Texas.

    On Thursday, UC wrapped up its final practice at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium before returning to the team hotel for final preparations. 

    The Bearcats (13-0) will face an Alabama team (12-1) that is in its seventh CFP appearance and coming off a dominant win over No. 3 Georgia in the SEC Championship. 

    Cincinnati will look to improve to 14-0 for the first time in school history and advance to the national championship game in Indianapolis on Jan. 10. 

    UC is coming off a convincing win over No. 20 Houston in the American Athletic Conference championship game, 35-20, on Dec. 4.

    “This isn’t a team that wants to ‘shock the world’ or anything like that,” said UC head coach Luke Fickell. “It’s a team that really believes in what it is that they’ve done and loves challenges. I think so far, that’s been the message for us. We understand that it’s a larger challenge than maybe anything we’ve faced in the past. The team (Alabama) has obviously been in the playoffs seven times and are, as we refer to them, the champs. I think the messaging is kind of specific to who our guys are and what they’ve been through. It’s definitely about, ‘these are the champs, and to be the champs, you’re going to have to be at your best.’” 

    Read on at UC Football…

    FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
    For all the latest information on Cincinnati Athletics, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati Athletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

  • Did you know this about Black History?

    Did you know this about Black History?

    by Barbara Kyles

    Do you know this about the Bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in 1963?

    Deana Wright tells us, “Sarah was in the bathroom with Addie Mae when the bomb exploded in the 16th Street Baptist Church, in Birmingham, Alabama on that Sunday in 1963. She lost her right eye and was hospitalized for two months after the bombing, forcing her to miss her sister’s funeral. 56 years later she is still paying doctor bills, resulting from her eye injury.”

    https://www.facebook.com/deana.wright/posts/10217870681466027

    Take a look and welcome to Black history…

  • Cincinnati Bengals Draft Targets in College Football Championship

    Cincinnati Bengals Draft Targets in College Football Championship

    By: Willie Lutz at Last Word On Sports

    Former Loveland Magazine sports writer Willie Lutz is now writing for Last Word On Sports. Here is what he says about a few exciting Cincinnati Bengals draft targets who will play in the National Championship tonight.

    In the last college football game of the 2020 season, Ohio-based fans plenty of reasons to watch. Certainly, Alabama and Ohio State are already an exciting pairing of teams in the headline-grabbing game. However, there are a few draft targets for the Cincinnati Bengals in this game, adding an extra level of excitement for those fans.

    In the National Championship, There Will Be a Few Exciting Cincinnati Bengals Draft Targets

    While the Cincinnati Bengals aren’t in the playoffs, they’re dreaming of a chance to make that splash in 2021. However, a player who could help the team cross that threshold could cap their own playoff run tomorrow. Ohio State and Alabama face off in tomorrow’s College Football Championship with a slew of top NFL prospects. Both have players on their roster that should be draft targets for the Cincinnati Bengals. With Zac Taylor returning in 2021, there are some obvious needs to fit his scheme and regime.

    Obviously, the Bengals need to target offensive line help this offseason. It seems like the team’s top priority this spring and summer.

    Read on…

  • With the first pick secured, the Bengals will go Burrow, right?

    With the first pick secured, the Bengals will go Burrow, right?

    Willie Lutz is a former Loveland resident, a graduate of Loveland High School, and former sportswriter for Loveland Magazine

    by Willie Lutz

    Those who endured the 12-minute run from the Bengals, who looked lifeless in Miami, down 23 points on a day many at home hoped to be the final loss on one of the worst seasons of the last decade in Cincinnati, despite eight losses being within one possession. 

    After a 35-38 overtime loss at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, the Cincinnati Bengals secured the first overall pick in the 2020 draft, a pick that should bring a new franchise centerpiece, Joe Burrow. LSU’s Heisman-winning quarterback won the nation’s collective hearts with a dazzling senior season, finishing with 4,715 passing yards, 48 touchdowns, completed 77.9% of passes, and averaged 10.7 yards per attempt. With only 6 interceptions and without a loss on his Tigers’ resume, he represents the nation’s top seed in the College Football Playoff as the nation’s best player.

    If the jungle kittens don’t win next Sunday…

    If the jungle kittens don’t win next Sunday against Cleveland, they’ll have the worst record of any Bengals team ever, though a win would tie the team with the Jon Kitna-led 2002 team who finished 2-14. That finish put Cincinnati in place to draft Heisman winner Carson Palmer with the top pick in the 2003 NFL Draft.

    Certainly, a narrative exists in which the Andy Dalton-led Cincinnati Bengals crush the messy Cleveland Browns in a fitting end to the 2019 season. It’ll likely be Dalton’s last game in a striped helmet and the Browns are about to wrap up one of the most embarrassing seasons of NFL football in recent memory. As we learned on Sunday against the Dolphins, Dalton is here to win; he passed for 396 yards, 4 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and completed 33-of-56 passes, nearly leading the team to the biggest comeback victory in team history. 

    It’ll likely be Dalton’s last game in a striped helmet and the Browns are about to wrap up one of the most embarrassing seasons of NFL football in recent memory.

    Dalton will want to impress the potentially red-hot quarterback market, as many teams seem ready to move a different direction with their passers. Teams like the Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are among teams that may make a change at QB in the coming months. Potentially, Dalton could head to one of those teams in a favorable trade for the Bengals, as a move could net the team a second or third-round pick if Andy continues to impress against the Browns. 

    For Cincinnati, loss to Miami made a few things pretty clear; Joe Burrow is obviously the pick at the top of the draft and that this team needs to add more good players to the roster this offseason. 

    There is obviously bound to be plenty of pressure from a central Ohio-minded fanbase to go with Burrow’s teammate and practice opponent at Ohio State in DE Chase Young. There probably won’t be as much pressure to draft QB Tua Tagovailoa from Alabama, as the 21-year-old quarterback will enter the league with a cumbersome injury resume. 

    It’s amazing to hear so many college-aged people rave not about the player, but about the human being.

    Having graduated from Ohio State in 2019 and thus meeting a handful of people who are friends or former classmates with Burrow, it’s amazing to hear so many college-aged people rave not about the player, but about the human being. What some knew before but many learned during his incredibly touching Heisman speech, Joe Burrow has the heart of a leader and the poise of a title fighter, essentially the intangibles you’d dream of in a franchise quarterback.

    I’d recommend throwing a couple bucks for this awesome Facebook fundraiser called, “Joe Burrow’s Heisman speech: Fundraiser for Athens County Food Pantry” if you’re feeling inspired by the passer and in the spirit. 

    Before the season, I think like many people, I thought Dwyane Haskins had a higher upside and was probably a better player than Joe Burrow; it’s impossible for me to feel that way after everything I’ve seen from the senior passer’s closing season at LSU. 

    Burrow does everything you’d hope from a young quarterback all before NFL refinement.

    Navigating the pocket like a pro and keeping his eyes on a level plane while reading the defense, Burrow does everything you’d hope from a young quarterback all before NFL refinement. In Cincinnati, he’ll have the chance to work with Zac Taylor and Brian Callahan, two coaches with backgrounds as quarterback coaches from their earlier days in the NFL (of course both are under 40, so those earlier days aren’t exactly ancient). 

    “New Dey” promise

    When Cincinnati comes to the blatant conclusion that they’ll take Burrow at the top of the draft and set this franchise on a brand-new trajectory, it’ll finally deliver on the “New Dey” promise that became apart of the team’s marketing pitch following Zac Taylor’s hire. As many know by now, Burrow is an Ohio kid and a willing leader; he’s more personable than Palmer ever was and doesn’t bring any baggage to a lockerroom currently loaded with likable personalities.

    If this team drifts from Joe Burrow, they’re making a mistake that the 6’3” passer will certainly find a way to make them regret in years down the road.

    If this team drifts from Joe Burrow, they’re making a mistake that the 6’3” passer will certainly find a way to make them regret in years down the road. Sure, Ohio State when got lucky when Justin Fields decided to join the Buckeyes via transfer, filling the gap left by the Burrow departure in 2018, but even they might feel the brunt of that move if they advance to the National Championship game. In the NFL, Burrow will have the chance to make the Bengals pay once every four years, at the most minimal rate.

    The pick seems obvious to this sports-watcher, draft Joe Burrow and call it a day; it’ll give your team one of the best chances in its history to construct a contending roster. However, like many others, I think this is all just preaching to a Bengals-based choir, one including Duke Tobin, Troy, and Katie Blackburn.

    It’s winter in Cincinnati, but the sun is shining on Paul…