NEW YORK (AP) — The Vatican plans soon to release a long-awaited report on its review of women’s religious orders throughout the United States.

The Rev. Thomas Rosica, a Vatican spokesman, told the Detroit Free Press that a Rome news conference is planned for Dec. 16 to issue the findings.

The study began in 2008 and ended about three years later. The Vatican said the review would assess the quality of life for U.S. nuns. The number of religious sisters has dropped dramatically in recent years.

The study is separate from the contentious Vatican-ordered overhaul of the largest umbrella organization for U.S. nuns, called the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.

Rosica did not reveal any findings Wednesday, but said the report’s release will be a “hopeful and encouraging” moment for religious sisters.

MARGERY A. BECK, Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Global consumption of seafood is outpacing wild fish populations, so farmers are turning from roving the world’s waters to aquaculture.

Increasingly, that includes growing fish in large indoor tanks in the Midwest — hundreds of miles from any ocean, bringing the surf to America’s turf.

Experts say fish farming in tanks — or closed containment systems — nearly eliminates fish manure runoff and waste through use of water recirculating and treatment systems. It also eliminates the chance of spreading disease or genetic mutation to wild populations.

And such tank systems can be placed almost anywhere — from Minnesota to Florida — because temperature and water quality can be controlled in an indoor environment.

Recently such operations have popped up in Nebraska and Iowa — typically cattle and corn country.

MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press

AMANDA LEE MYERS, Associated Press

A new federally funded cellphone app allows people who may have had one too many to get an idea just how drunk they are.

On the Maryland app, users enter their sex, height, and weight, and number of drinks consumed to figure out their blood-alcohol content. Two interactive games test reaction time and cognitive agility. And it uses GPS technology to call cabs and preload phone numbers for potential designated drivers.

The app is called ENDUI, or “End DUI.” Government and state officials announced its launch Thursday.

The app is funded by federal money reserved for drunken-driving education efforts. It’s among several in a handful of states to tackle drunken driving. Maryland’s is one of the most elaborate.

The app was developed by the Maryland Highway Safety Office for about $50,000. It’s available for free on Android and iPhone.

ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — First, objections by House Democrats stood in the way of passage of a $1.1 trillion catchall spending bill. Now it’s the Senate Republicans’ turn, specifically Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah.

The two lawmakers demanded a vote Friday night on a proposal to cut funds from the bill that could be used to implement President Barack Obama’s new immigration policy, ending any chance the measure could clear the Senate and be sent to the White House with a minimum of fuss.

Officials in both parties said the bill remains on track for clearance early next week. But the move led Majority Leader Harry Reid to abandon plans to adjourn the Senate for the weekend, and pointed toward a test vote shortly after midnight on Saturday.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, today released the following statement after the Senate’s passage of the annual defense bill, the National Defense Authorization Act:

“This is a win for our national security. In a time of constantly-evolving threats and priorities, we need a responsible, thorough framework for our country’s defense. This legislation further builds on our sweeping, bipartisan reforms that are changing how the military handles sexual violence, it fixes the Pentagon’s troubled POW/MIA recovery efforts, it guards against tax dollars being spent on Afghan infrastructure without any oversight, and it finally gives official designation to Kansas City’s Liberty Memorial. I’m pleased my colleagues on both sides of the aisle have gotten it across the finish line, and I look forward to the President signing it.”

McCaskill successfully won the inclusion of a number of her national security priorities into the legislation, including:

Provisions of the Victims Protection Act—a bipartisan package of additional reforms to supplement the sweeping changes passed into law by Congress last year on how the military justice system handles sexual violence. The Victims Protection Act—sponsored by McCaskill along with Republican Senators Kelly Ayotte and Deb Fischer—will:
Eliminate the “good soldier” defense for servicemembers accused of sexual assault under most circumstances,
Allow victims formal input on whether their case is tried in military or civilian court,
Allow survivors to challenge their discharge or separation from service,
Strengthen the role of the prosecutor in advising commanders on going to court-martial,
Boost accountability of commanders for setting appropriate command climate,
And extend protections to the Military Service Academies
Fixing POW/MIA recovery efforts:
Establishes a single Pentagon agency responsible for handling POW/MIA recovery and accounting efforts, which McCaskill discovered had been plagued by mismanagement and a lack of accountability
Terminating funding for unsustainable Afghan infrastructure projects:
Prohibits taxpayer funding from being used on projects in Afghanistan that cannot be overseen by American personnel
Along with Senator Roy Blunt, securing World War I memorial status for Kansas City’s Liberty Memorial:
Successfully designates the Liberty Memorial as the country’s official World War I Museum and Memorial
Establishes a World War I Memorial at Pershing Park in Washington DC, and authorizes the World War I Centennial Commission to improve and develop the site

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (AP) — A 29-year-old central Missouri man is dead after being hit by a train.

The Warrensburg Daily Star Journal reports Joseph Johnson was sitting on railroad tracks just west of Warrensburg at 9:10 a.m. Friday when the train’s engineer saw him but couldn’t get the train stopped in time to avoid hitting him.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene.
Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis says the company provided “peer support” to help the engine crew cope with the death.

File this under the heading of, who would have ever thunk it?

What I’m referring to is the notion that today’s farmers need a prescription and a degree in chemistry to apply herbicides, insecticides and fertilizers to their land in order to grow and produce the food we eat every day.

About this time, you’re probably chuckling to yourself, smiling and thinking, “Ah that can’t be happening. What’s he writing about now?”

Read on.

Some environmentalists remain mighty concerned about the plant food, bug and weed control methods our farmers use today on their wheat, corn, beans, vegetables and other crops. They’re also concerned about chemical residue and how application exposure affects them and their fellow human beings.

As technology continues to improve, the tools producers require to grow food fall under closer scrutiny. Some clamor louder for stricter control or even elimination. Others already believe pesticide use should be by prescription only.

Here’s an example.

Say a farmer has a corn borer problem. If these radical environmentalists succeed, the producer might have to call in a specialist to look over the problem. Once the situation is diagnosed, the government specialist would write the food grower a prescription for chemicals, just like a doctor would for a sick patient.

The farmer’s next step would be to call a chemical applicator who would come to the farm and apply the designated herbicide or insecticide. This additional help would subtract from the farmer’s bottom line.

If you’re thinking this may be a bit extreme – could be, however, it’s a safe bet we will see farmers losing the use of more and more chemicals. It happens every year.

Today, some chemicals are being lumped into the restricted-use category. This removes them from the hands of the general farming public. Some of these chemicals will never be used again.

It seems every year there are more stringent requirements for applicators who apply chemicals. Farmers must plan ahead and take part in the development of new rules and regulations that will strongly impact the way they grow our food in the future.

John Schlageck, a Hoxie native, is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas.