Midday Roundup: Ebola doc dies at Nebraska hospital

Despite every effort. Dr. Martin Salia, a Sierra Leone native who held permanent residency in the United States, died of the Ebola virus after being transferred to a hospital in Nebraska. Salia, a surgeon, worked as a medical missionary at Kissy United Methodist Hospital in the Sierra Leone capital of Freetown. It is unclear whether he treated Ebola patients there. He tested positive for the virus Nov. 10, and arrived at Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha on Saturday. Doctors there said Salia’s illness was advanced when he arrived. Salia’s wife, Isatu Salia, said today, “We are so appreciative of the opportunity for my husband to be treated here and believe he was in the best place possible.” Salia died at the same hospital where Dr. Rick Sacra, an American who contracted Ebola in Liberia, was successfully treated. Salia is the second person in the United States to die of Ebola. Liberian Thomas Eric Duncan died last month at a hospital in Dallas.

Women of the cloth. The Church of England formally voted today to allow female bishops. The first women could be appointed as bishops as soon as January 2015. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said the change signaled “a new way of being the church,” BBC News reported. Many churches in the worldwide Anglican Communion already allow female bishops, including those in Australia, Canada, and Ireland, and The Episcopal Church in the United States. The Church of England has allowed the ordination of female priests for 20 years, but women were not allowed to hold high-level leadership roles in the clergy.

Pipeline play. Republican lawmakers are criticizing outgoing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for using a vote on the Keystone XL pipeline to accomplish ulterior motives. Holding a vote on the pipeline before Louisiana’s runoff Senate election on Dec. 6 could give Louisiana voters a good reason to reelect Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu. Energy is an important sector in her home state’s economy, and a “test vote” on the pipeline could help her chances against Republican challenger Rep. Bill Cassidy. But Cassidy is working hard to take credit for the pipeline vote, too; he sponsored the bill that passed last week in the House.

Drug bust? The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency unexpectedly inspected the medical staffs of three professional football teams Sunday looking for evidence they mishandled prescription painkillers. No one was arrested. Sunday’s inspections targeted the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Investigators say they chose those teams not because of specific allegations but to see whether traveling teams were complying with the law. The investigation stems from a lawsuit brought by more than 1,200 former National Football League players. They say league doctors improperly prescribed them painkillers without disclosing the nature of their injuries. The allegations detail numerous alleged violations of players’ medical rights and mishandling of controlled substances.

Pitching in. How dire is the financial situation of America’s newspapers? One newsroom has asked its reporters to pitch in delivering the paper, too. According to Slate, the Orange County Register appealed to reporters for help after a change in distributors caused major problems. The paper offers Visa gift cards worth $100-150 for each paper route worked.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.