Federal Appeals Court To Hear Case Against Texas Abortion Law Again

The Texas Tribune: Texas Abortion Law Returns To Court 
Texas’ new restrictive abortion law returns on Friday to a federal appeals court, where judges will consider a very narrow legal question: whether state medical licensing officials can discipline doctors and nurses for performing abortions in Texas after about six weeks of pregnancy. This thin challenge is the only one left to abortion providers since the Supreme Court’s 8-to-1 decision in December, which kept the uniquely designed law largely intact. At Friday’s hearing, the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will decide whether that remaining challenge should be sent to the Texas Supreme Court or proceed in federal court. (Klibanoff, 1/6)

In other news from across the U.S. —

North Carolina Health News: Contradictory State Laws Aimed At Stopping Drug Overdoses Aren’t Applied Equally 
When Sen. Stan Bingham (R-Denton) pushed for Senate Bill 20 in 2013, he said the bill meant more to him than other legislation he’d worked on. He believed the bill now known as North Carolina’s Good Samaritan Law was a way to address the spiraling overdose deaths that had tripled in the previous decade, claiming more lives than auto accidents. The Good Samaritan Law permitted people who are “acting in good faith” to seek medical help for someone who is overdosing without fear of being prosecuted. In addition, the law ensured that people would not get in trouble with their parole or probation officer for possessing small amounts of drugs or drug paraphernalia. It also made it possible to distribute and administer naloxone, a drug used to reverse an opioid overdose. (Newsome, 1/6)

Louisville Courier Journal: Western Kentucky Tornado Recovery Attention Shifts To Mental Health
Todd Hazel is a licensed social worker. He understands trauma. So when tornadoes tore through Warren County, where Hazel oversees student services for one of Kentucky’s largest school systems, he knew they needed to think about mental health immediately. Alongside tweets about where to pick up food and drop off donations, Hazel’s school district shared tip sheets on how to talk to kids about what happened and noted when families could talk to counselors. Soon after, Hazel’s district began offering free counseling to anyone in the area — whether they were affiliated with the district or not. (Krauth, 1/6)

AP: Phoenix Won't Resume Water Shut-Offs For Overdue Accounts 
Citing rising COVID-19 cases, city officials said Wednesday that Phoenix has decided to postpone a plan to resume water shut-offs next month for past due accounts. The Phoenix Water Services Department had announced Monday on its website that the shut-offs were to begin again for customers who are 31 days past due on their statements. (1/6)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: National Guard Suicides Spark Wisconsin Sen. Baldwin To Seek Answers
Responding to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation into the high suicide rate in the National Guard, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin has asked the head of the force to release specific numbers of deaths and provide details about how the Guard can provide better care for its members. In a letter to Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, Baldwin cited several findings and possible reforms highlighted in the Journal Sentinel’s investigation last month, including the need for a one-stop shop of mental health resources tailored to the force. (Ferral, 1/5)

Oklahoman: Lower Marriage And Divorce Rates Seen Locally And Nationally
Former Gov. Frank Keating will celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary this year. In his mind marriage is and always has been a lifelong commitment. While more than 20,000 marriage licenses are issued in Oklahoma each year, bliss may not be the first word some Oklahomans use to describe wedded life. Oklahoma ranks third in divorce rate in the United States. In the mid- to late-1990s, the state ranked second. That's part of what led Keating to develop a now defunct program called the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative. (Williams, 1/5)

Stateline: Census Recounts Fail To Account For COVID Chaos, Cities Say
Nelsonville, Ohio, faced a lot of the same challenges that cities around the country did during the 2020 census: renters and older people who were hard to reach, college students who left town during the pandemic and widespread distrust of government questions. The initial results showed that Nelsonville’s population had dropped below 5,000, which under Ohio law would have made it a village instead of a city. The change in status might have cost it millions of matching state and federal dollars for water, sewer and road projects granted under a program exclusively for small cities. It also hurt Nelsonville’s pride. (Henderson, 1/5)