Midday Roundup: Nebraska court boosts Keystone pipeline's chances

Power to the pipeline. The Nebraska Supreme Court issued a ruling in favor of the Keystone XL oil pipeline today, a move that could influence the president’s vow to veto legislation on the issue. The court upheld a state law forcing landowners to sell their property to make way for the pipeline. The House is expected to vote today on a bill to approve completion of the project, and the Senate is scheduled to take up the issue next week. The ongoing litigation in Nebraska was one of the reasons President Barack Obama said he would veto any Keystone bill that made it to his desk.

Going to see the King. Andrae Crouch, the gospel singer whose pioneering tunes paved the way for contemporary Christian music, died Thursday. He was 72. Crouch penned famous gospel favorites such as “Soon and Very Soon,” “My Tribute (To God Be the Glory),” and “The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power.” He won seven Grammy awards and had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His talent crossed over into pop music, too, and singers such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Elvis Presley, and Paul Simon performed work he wrote or contributed to. Crouch struggled with dyslexia throughout his life and used pictures and images to help him memorize songs. “So when I finish a song, I thank God for bringing me through,” he said in a 2011 interview. “You have to press on and know your calling. That’s what I’ve been doing for all my life. I just went forward.” Here he is telling part of his testimony and performing at a 1975 Billy Graham crusade in New Mexico:

A novel idea. President Barack Obama announced Thursday a proposal to provide U.S. students two free years at publicly funded community colleges. The federal government would pay 75 percent of the cost and states the other 25 percent. The tab for such a program could cost tens of billions of dollars, though the president did not disclose any funding details in a conference call with reporters Thursday evening. The White House said those would come out with the president’s budget proposal next month. The idea got a chilly response from congressional Republicans. “With no details or information on the cost, this seems more like a talking point than a plan,” said Cory Fritz, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. It might be just that: The president proposed universal preschool in his 2013 State of the Union address, a plan Congress never adopted. But some states took notice and have acted on their own to expand preschool.

Unintended consequences. A bridal shop where Ebola patient Amber Vinson shopped just before she got sick is closing. Vinson visited Coming Attractions Bridal and Formal in Akron, Ohio, on a weekend trip to her hometown after she cared for Thomas Eric Duncan, the first man to be diagnosed with the Ebola virus in the United States. After Vinson herself was diagnosed with the virus, the shop had to close for a few days as a precaution. The owner told the local NBC News affiliate she had lost hundreds of thousands of dollars since then due to the closure and the stigma of the disease.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.