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Yahoo
an hour ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ancy Morse, who died May 3, relied on resilence, humility to carve a ground-breaking legal career
May 31—ROCHESTER — In the early stages of Ancy Morse's legal career, people had a hard time wrapping their heads around the concept of a woman attorney. On her first job, Morse walked into a conference room to meet with a client, who thought she was there to bring him coffee. When Morse explained to the elderly man that she was his attorney, the man was incredulous. "By God, now I've seen everything!" he said. Disbelief was the price Morse paid in forging a legal career that had few antecedents. In the early 1960s, Morse became the first female attorney to practice law in Olmsted County. In 1983, she became the first female district judge outside the Twin Cities area when she was appointed by then-Gov. Rudy Perpich. Morse died May 3, 2025, at the Homestead Senior Living Facility in Rochester after a battle with cancer, according to her obituary. During her 16-year tenure as judge, Morse presided over thousands of cases involving child custody battles, divorces, sex abuse cases and civil disputes. But the case with which she became inextricably linked was the 1989 trial involving David Brom, a 16-year-old Lourdes High School student who killed his parents, a younger brother and sister with an ax while they slept in their rural Rochester home. Morse sentenced the teen to three consecutive life prison terms, acknowledging to a packed courtroom the emotional agony and difficulty in overseeing such a fraught case. Calling the case "inexplicable and unfathomable," Morse struck an undercurrent of sympathy in her ruling, calling Brom a "seriously mentally ill boy, driven to despair by a pathetically sick and depressed mind." She felt the law had failed to keep pace with advances in psychiatry and later joined the defense in vainly seeking changes to the state standard governing mental illness defenses. In charting her way in a male-dominated field, Morse had to get used to the many double-takes she triggered in people who had never seen a woman attorney before. In law school at the University of Minnesota, Morse was one of six women, according to a July 16, 1973, Rochester Post Bulletin article. Her classes were populated with returning veterans from World War II on the GI bill. It could be a tough crowd. It was made all the more formidable and intimidating when the professor closed the door at the start of class and declared the day "Ladies Day," meaning only women would be allowed to answer questions "She told me there was never time for pettiness, just perseverance," said her son Mark Morse said. When she was admitted to the bar, it was Morse and 166 men who took the oath. A woman attorney just didn't compute for many at the time. Early in her career, Morse represented a woman in a divorce proceeding, but the judge mistook Morse as the woman seeking the divorce. When trying to serve legal papers on a party in the jail, the guards suspected her of being a girlfriend of one of the inmates and called her office to check, according to the book "Taking The Lead: Rochester Women in Public Policy," which devotes a chapter on Morse. Morse's dream of practicing law had taken root as a young girl growing up in International Falls. Her grandfather, Aad Tone, had been a pioneer lawyer in Koochiching County whom she would accompany on trips to the courthouse. Being raised in a small town, Morse was taught to fish and hunt. In school, she had free reign to participate in a wide variety of activities and pursuits. "...and a woman will lead them," yearbook staff from International Falls High School prophetically inscribed next to her name. Her mother, Esther Olson Tone, had aspired to be a lawyer, but those dreams were dashed when Esther's Scandinavian parents' savings were looted by a banker. So those ambitions were transferred to Morse. "Maybe, I just got tired of people saying, 'You'll never do it,'" Morse told one reporter. A profoundly formative chapter in her life was her selection as one of four senior Girl Scouts to represent the U.S. at an international conference. Morse joined the Girl Scouts in the third grade and remained active for decades. The conference she attended was held in Switzerland and changed her life. She no longer felt like she was from a small town. She felt that she belonged anywhere. "It emboldened her. It gave her a community of women to support and reassure and advocate for," said a daughter, Kelly Nowicki. As she pursued her legal education, Morse often found support in a small network of men, including her uncles and her future husband, Bob Morse. Both had attended grade school together. Bob Morse would stay after class to wash down the blackboards. But beyond earning some brownie points, Bob hoped to catch the eye of the teacher's blonde-haired daughter, Ancy. Bob attended the University of Minnesota along with Ancy, becoming a psychiatrist at Mayo Clinic. After working as a lawyer for many years, Morse was encouraged by her legal peers to apply for a judge vacancy. Mark Morse said his mom didn't expect to get the appointment, but thought it would be an opportunity to let Olmsted County know that "there is a female attorney in town." To her surprise, Perpich picked her. "She was often encouraged by others to do things that she didn't necessarily think she was ready for — or good enough for," Mark Morse said. "She was very humble that way." A lifelong Minnesota Vikings fan, Morse and her family were season ticket holders for many years. A favorite story Mark Morse likes to tell is how Mark and his wife attended a Vikings game and were seated behind his mom and dad. Morse didn't like the arrangement and proceeded to convince the 30 or so other attendees in her section to scoot two seats over, including two people at the end of the row to move back one row, so Mark and his wife could sit down next to her. "She was very confident in what she felt needed to happen and very capable of making it happen," Mark Morse said. Mark Morse said he never saw his mom betray any umbrage or resentment at the slights she encountered in her legal career. As she advanced in her career, she became a role model and support to other women professionals. "You hear a lot of people demand respect. She never did," Mark Morse said at her funeral. "Her approach was the Nike of women's rights; she just did it. And that humility, tied with performance, was an amazing message to others."
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists issue dire warning after discovering why viruses and bacteria could soon become more dangerous: 'Urgent need for global cooperation'
A new study predicts that warming global temperatures could make it harder to fight infections caused by bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms. A team of Chinese scientists has projected that if we continue down a path of heavy reliance on planet-warming fuels, antimicrobial resistance — the ability of microorganisms like bacteria and viruses to survive against the drugs designed to treat them — could rise by more than 2% globally by 2050. The paper, summarized by the University of Minnesota, also predicted that if countries are able to meet sustainable development goals, AMR levels could be reduced by about 5%. But even if some of the sustainable development goals are met, the authors say an overheating planet could still raise AMR levels due to factors like more extreme weather events that bring heavy precipitation and flooding, or altered animal habitats and natural microbial ecosystems that facilitate the spread of zoonotic and vector-borne diseases. "These challenges highlight the urgent need for global cooperation in developing and implementing strategies to address the interconnected and evolving threats posed by climate change and AMR," they said. AMR "puts many of the gains of modern medicine at risk," according to the World Health Organization, which said it makes infections harder to treat and makes other medical procedures like chemotherapy riskier. In addition to death and disability, the organization also projects AMR could result in $1 trillion in additional healthcare costs by 2050, and $1-3.4 trillion in gross domestic product losses per year by 2030. Still, it is just one of the many health concerns associated with rising global temperatures. For instance, scientists say a warmer planet is likely to blame for an uptick of infections from "brain-eating" amoebas, which led to several deaths in India and Israel in 2024. Plus, warmer temperatures are helping disease-carrying ticks spread further west and north in North America. For example, Lyme disease risk doubled in the Canadian province of Quebec and tripled in Manitoba between 2000 and 2015. A number of governments are taking steps to address planet-heating pollution, which will also help clean up the air we breathe. For instance, Wales is banning most new roadway projects to cut down on traffic pollution. You can help by decreasing your reliance on dirty fuels like gas, coal, and oil. One way to do this is by riding your bike or taking public transportation more often. You can also sign up for community solar. Do you worry about air pollution in and around your home? Yes — always Yes — often Yes — sometimes No — never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
CBS News
17 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
1 in custody after shots fired at 3M Arena at Mariucci on University of Minnesota campus, school says
Police at the University of Minnesota have one person in custody after shots were fired at 3M Arena at Mariucci Friday night. The school's Department of Public Safety sent an alert at 8:41 p.m. saying that shots had been fired at the arena, and that police and medical personnel were at the scene. At 9:15 p.m., officials said the University of Minnesota Police Department had one person in custody. It wasn't immediately known if anyone was injured during the incident. Wayzata High School was scheduled to have its commencement ceremony at Mariucci starting at 6:30 p.m., according to the school's website. This is a developing story. Stay with to learn more.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Over 2 Million Americans Went 'Missing' During 2020 And 2021
In the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans were dying at much higher rates than other wealthy nations. A new analysis now estimates that in 2020 and 2021, more than two million Americans went 'missing' from the population. These are the people who would still be alive if the US had the same death rate as other high-income nations. To be clear, not all of these 'excess' deaths are due to COVID-19, but a significant portion are tied to the timing of the global pandemic. "Imagine the lives saved, the grief and trauma averted, if the US simply performed at the average of our peers," says lead author and epidemiologist Jacob Bor from Boston University. The analysis is a broad, sweeping take on a big and complicated issue, but it supports previous studies that have also found Americans suffer poor survival outcomes compared to residents in other wealthy nations. The new study compares more than 107 million deaths of any cause in the US between 1980 and 2023 to death rates in 21 other wealthy nations. The selected countries each had a 2021 GDP exceeding US $24,000 per capita, and had data available in the Human Mortality Database spanning the study period. Over those 43 years, the US experienced 14.7 million excess deaths relative to its peers, with a significant uptick starting in 2020. Long before the COVID-19 pandemic began, however, data suggest health outcomes in the US were gradually slipping compared to the rest of the world. The spread of a novel coronavirus in 2020 only widened that gap. Bor and colleagues calculated that in 2019, there was a total of 631,247 missing Americans. In 2020 and 2021, that number shot up to over a million per year. By 2022, excess deaths had slipped back to 820,396, before dropping further to 705,331 in 2023. But that is still significantly higher than in 2019. If the US experienced the same expected death rates as other nations, the authors of the study think nearly a quarter of all deaths could have been avoided in 2023, many among younger people. "One out of every two US deaths under 65 years is likely avoidable," says Bor. "Our failure to address this is a national scandal." These excess deaths are not simply due to the consequences of the coronavirus, although the pandemic certainly exacerbated the issue. Sociologist Elizabeth Wrigley-Field from the University of Minnesota says that the increase in deaths from 2019 to 2023 is also "driven by long-running crises in drug overdose, gun violence, car collisions, and preventable cardiometabolic deaths." In a previous study from 2023, researchers used global data to show that the US experiences excess mortality in every single age group compared to its wealthy peers. If the US could achieve the lower mortality rates of Japan, for example, the 2023 study suggested more than 880,000 deaths could be prevented. That's comparable to eliminating all deaths from heart disease, diabetes, and unintentional injuries. "Other countries show that investing in universal healthcare, strong safety nets, and evidence-based public health policies leads to longer, healthier lives," says senior author Andrew Stokes, demographer and sociologist at Boston University. "These deaths reflect not individual choices, but policy neglect and deep-rooted social and health system failures. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed structural weaknesses – including gaps in healthcare access and social supports – that have continued to fuel premature deaths even after the acute phase of the pandemic ended." The research letter was published in JAMA Health Forum. Blood-Brain Barrier 'Guardian' Shows Promise Against Alzheimer's Anti-Aging Cocktail Extends Mouse Lifespan by About 30 Percent Sudden Death Among Professional Bodybuilders Raises Health Concerns
Axios
3 days ago
- Health
- Axios
Dropping COVID shots from vax schedule causes uproar
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s decision to stop recommending COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children and healthy pregnant women continued a pattern of breaking with scientific precedent and leaving big segments of the medical community angry and confused. Why it matters: The announcement on Tuesday offered more indications that Kennedy could be going back on a pledge he made during his Senate confirmation hearings not to make vaccination more difficult or discourage people from taking vaccines. It also left key questions unanswered. For example, federal health officials last week cited pregnancy as a risk factor for developing severe COVID-19 when they announced steps to limit the shots to seniors and people with conditions that put them at higher risk of serious infections. Some young children who have not yet had a COVID vaccine will now likely not be covered and be at greater risk of being exposed to possible long-term effects of the virus, said Molly O'Shea, a board-certified pediatrician and member of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, said dialing back the vaccine recommendation was another example of "on the fly" policymaking without consultation or new information that's become a hallmark of Kennedy's tenure. Driving the news: The decision came on the heels of last week's overhaul of COVID-19 vaccine standards that will require drugmakers to conduct more studies on the safety and efficacy of updated boosters for healthy adults under age 65. In a video posted to social media on Tuesday, Kennedy blamed the Biden administration for encouraging healthy children to get updated COVID shots "despite the lack of any clinical data to support the repeat booster strategy in children." "We're now one step closer to realizing President Trump's promise to make America healthy again," Kennedy said. Between the lines: The move has ramifications for insurance coverage, since health plans often look to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expert recommendations to guide their payment decisions. "This decision could make it significantly harder for millions of Americans to access vaccines they want for themselves and their families," Tina Tan, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said in a statement. Dropping the recommendations also breaks with the precedent of letting federal panels of experts publicly debate scientific evidence and vote on immunization practices. The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, typically makes vaccine recommendations to the agency director, a post that's currently vacant. "It is concerning that such a significant policy change was made unilaterally outside an open, evidence-based process with no regard for the negative impact this will have on millions of Americans," Tan said.
