LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — In his second state of the state address to Nebraska lawmakers, Gov. Jim Pillen on Thursday covered everything from praising the state's response to recent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/midwest-snowstorm-effects-linger-tuesday-1e8f125fa357c014c6761acddb00cae0">winter storms</a>&nbsp;to supporting a divisive bill that would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nebraska-legislature-transgender-controversy-8c4f869b0e976042c4e900a421e5481a">restrict transgender student</a>&nbsp;participation in high school sports and limit trans students’ access to bathrooms and locker rooms.

But it was the Republican's plan to slash local government property taxes and possibly raise the state's 5.5% sales tax that drew the most criticism across the political spectrum.

Pillen is proposing a 40% reduction in property taxes that would slash $2 billion from the high of $5 billion collected across the state in 2022.

“First and foremost, the most important economic issue we face is out-of-control property taxes,” Pillen said.

Complaints about property taxes are nothing new for home and business owners in Nebraska, which ranked seventh in the nation in 2021 for the highest property tax rate, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

Historically, state officials have argued that the matter was not theirs to fix, pointing instead to county and city governments, which assess and allocate property taxes to fund everything from schools and libraries to police and fire departments.

But soaring housing prices in recent years have led to ballooning property tax bills for homeowners, as residential real estate in Nebraska is assessed at nearly 100% of market value. That has proven particularly challenging for residents on fixed incomes, such as the elderly, who may have already paid off their mortgage but can't afford the ever-rising tax bill.

“Fixed-income Nebraskans who have lived, worked and raised families here now face the prospect of being forced out of their homes," Pillen said.

How to reach that 40% reduction will be a challenge.

Pillen touted a series of budget adjustments, including a bill that would impose a hard spending cap on local governments that could only be increased by a vote of the people. He also backed proposals to close several tax loopholes for special interests, transfer $274 million from the accounts of some 500 state agency cash funds toward property tax relief, and raise a tax on cigarettes by as much as $2 a pack.

“It's not the job of government to hoard cash,” Pillen said. “We must give it back to the people.”

What Pillen didn't mention was his proposal to support lower property taxes by increasing the state sales tax. Earlier this month, the governor proposed boosting the sales tax by 2 percentage points, which would make it the nation's highest at 7.5%.

In cities that charge a local sales tax, that could tack on nearly 10 cents for every dollar spent on clothes, appliances, cars and other goods and services outside of groceries, which aren't taxed in Nebraska.

The governor found no one in Nebraska's unique one-chamber legislature made up of 49 lawmakers to propose such a bill. Omaha Sen. Lou Ann Linehan has proposed up to a 1-cent increase as a way to balance the 40% reduction on property taxes, drawing protest from both liberals and conservatives.

The Nebraska Democratic Party said proposals to raise the state sales tax represent “a massive shift in taxes on the backs of working and middle-class families.”

Conversely, the conservative Tax Foundation said cigarette and sales tax increases would hurt Nebraska business by sending consumers to neighboring states with lower sales taxes.

"The state should focus on revenue limits to provide property tax relief," said Manish Bhatt, an analyst with the Tax Foundation. "If lawmakers wish to broaden the sales tax base, they should do so without an increased rate.”

Asked after his speech whether a 40% reduction in property taxes could be reached without an increase in sales tax, Pillen said his plan would require "an extraordinary tax shift,' but he stopped short of fully backing a sales tax hike.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — In his second state of the state address to Nebraska lawmakers, Gov. Jim Pillen on Thursday covered everything from praising the state's response to recent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/midwest-snowstorm-effects-linger-tuesday-1e8f125fa357c014c6761acddb00cae0">winter storms</a>&nbsp;to supporting a divisive bill that would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nebraska-legislature-transgender-controversy-8c4f869b0e976042c4e900a421e5481a">restrict transgender student</a>&nbsp;participation in high school sports and limit trans students’ access to bathrooms and locker rooms.But it was the Republican's plan to slash local government property taxes and possibly raise the state's 5.5% sales tax that drew the most criticism across the political spectrum.Pillen is proposing a 40% reduction in property taxes that would slash $2 billion from the high of $5 billion collected across the state in 2022.“First and foremost, the most important economic issue we face is out-of-control property taxes,” Pillen said.Complaints about property taxes are nothing new for home and business owners in Nebraska, which ranked seventh in the nation in 2021 for the highest property tax rate, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.Historically, state officials have argued that the matter was not theirs to fix, pointing instead to county and city governments, which assess and allocate property taxes to fund everything from schools and libraries to police and fire departments.But soaring housing prices in recent years have led to ballooning property tax bills for homeowners, as residential real estate in Nebraska is assessed at nearly 100% of market value. That has proven particularly challenging for residents on fixed incomes, such as the elderly, who may have already paid off their mortgage but can't afford the ever-rising tax bill.“Fixed-income Nebraskans who have lived, worked and raised families here now face the prospect of being forced out of their homes," Pillen said.How to reach that 40% reduction will be a challenge.Pillen touted a series of budget adjustments, including a bill that would impose a hard spending cap on local governments that could only be increased by a vote of the people. He also backed proposals to close several tax loopholes for special interests, transfer $274 million from the accounts of some 500 state agency cash funds toward property tax relief, and raise a tax on cigarettes by as much as $2 a pack.“It's not the job of government to hoard cash,” Pillen said. “We must give it back to the people.”What Pillen didn't mention was his proposal to support lower property taxes by increasing the state sales tax. Earlier this month, the governor proposed boosting the sales tax by 2 percentage points, which would make it the nation's highest at 7.5%.In cities that charge a local sales tax, that could tack on nearly 10 cents for every dollar spent on clothes, appliances, cars and other goods and services outside of groceries, which aren't taxed in Nebraska.The governor found no one in Nebraska's unique one-chamber legislature made up of 49 lawmakers to propose such a bill. Omaha Sen. Lou Ann Linehan has proposed up to a 1-cent increase as a way to balance the 40% reduction on property taxes, drawing protest from both liberals and conservatives.The Nebraska Democratic Party said proposals to raise the state sales tax represent “a massive shift in taxes on the backs of working and middle-class families.”Conversely, the conservative Tax Foundation said cigarette and sales tax increases would hurt Nebraska business by sending consumers to neighboring states with lower sales taxes."The state should focus on revenue limits to provide property tax relief," said Manish Bhatt, an analyst with the Tax Foundation. "If lawmakers wish to broaden the sales tax base, they should do so without an increased rate.”Asked after his speech whether a 40% reduction in property taxes could be reached without an increase in sales tax, Pillen said his plan would require "an extraordinary tax shift,' but he stopped short of fully backing a sales tax hike.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen backs anti-LGBTQ bill and tax cuts in state of the state address

WASHINGTON (AP) —President Joe Biden on Friday signed a short-term spending bill that keeps the federal government operating until early March.

The bill averts what would’ve been a partial government shutdown starting Saturday. It does not address additional aid for Ukraine, which remains in limbo as key legislators&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-speaker-johnson-border-security-ukraine-government-shutdown-fa505e84f1ffd1767eb01a250a161393" target="_blank">continue to negotiate</a>&nbsp;a border security measure that would go in tandem with more support for Kyiv.

Congress, ahead of the winter snowstorm that struck Washington, D.C., on Friday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/budget-spending-congress-extend-shutdown-fa6958e60fd2c08880b21e091f108215" target="_blank">passed the short-term bill</a>&nbsp;with large bipartisan majorities on Thursday. The vote was 77-18 in the Senate and 314-108 in the House.

Under the bill, funding for agencies overseeing agriculture, veterans affairs, energy, transportation and housing runs through March 1. Funding for the rest of the federal government now runs through March 8. It’s meant to buy lawmakers extra time to draft full-year spending bills through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will continue to face pressure from House conservatives who want him to abandon a bipartisan agreement that sets overall spending levels for those full-year bills at $1.66 trillion. Those conservatives say that is too much money, but Democrats and moderate Republicans say Congress must abide by that deal and avoid legislative dysfunction during an election year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705691803663.png" alt="President Biden during a campaign stop Thursday in North Carolina-image from the White House video" />
 <figcaption>President Biden during a campaign stop Thursday in North Carolina-image from the White House video</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —President Joe Biden on Friday signed a short-term spending bill that keeps the federal government operating until early March.The bill averts what would’ve been a partial government shutdown starting Saturday. It does not address additional aid for Ukraine, which remains in limbo as key legislators&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-speaker-johnson-border-security-ukraine-government-shutdown-fa505e84f1ffd1767eb01a250a161393" target="_blank">continue to negotiate</a>&nbsp;a border security measure that would go in tandem with more support for Kyiv.Congress, ahead of the winter snowstorm that struck Washington, D.C., on Friday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/budget-spending-congress-extend-shutdown-fa6958e60fd2c08880b21e091f108215" target="_blank">passed the short-term bill</a>&nbsp;with large bipartisan majorities on Thursday. The vote was 77-18 in the Senate and 314-108 in the House.Under the bill, funding for agencies overseeing agriculture, veterans affairs, energy, transportation and housing runs through March 1. Funding for the rest of the federal government now runs through March 8. It’s meant to buy lawmakers extra time to draft full-year spending bills through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will continue to face pressure from House conservatives who want him to abandon a bipartisan agreement that sets overall spending levels for those full-year bills at $1.66 trillion. Those conservatives say that is too much money, but Democrats and moderate Republicans say Congress must abide by that deal and avoid legislative dysfunction during an election year.

Biden signs bill to avoid a partial government shutdown

TOKYO (AP) — Japan became the fifth country in history to reach the moon when its spacecraft landed on the lunar surface early Saturday, officials said. But an issue with the power supply means that the mission could be in jeopardy.

Officials also said they needed more time to analyze whether the spacecraft, which wasn't carrying astronauts, made a pinpoint landing — one of the priorities of the mission.

Hitoshi Kuninaka, head of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, said they believe that rovers were launched and data were being transmitted back to Earth from the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM.

But he said that SLIM's solar battery wasn't generating power and the battery life of the spacecraft would only last a few more hours. He said that the priority now was for the craft to gather as much moon data as possible on the remaining battery.

Japan follows the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India in reaching the moon.

Kuninaka said he believes that Japan's space program at least achieved “minimum” success.

SLIM landed on the moon at about 12:20 a.m. Tokyo time on Saturday (1520 GMT Friday).

There was a tense wait for news after the Japan space agency's mission control initially said that SLIM was on the lunar surface, but that it was still “checking its status.” No further details were given until a news conference nearly two hours later.

For the mission to be considered fully successful, space officials need to confirm whether SLIM made a pinpoint landing. Kuninaka said while more time is needed, he personally thinks it was most likely achieved, based on his observation of data showing the spacecraft's movement until the landing.

SLIM, which was aiming to hit a very small target, is a lightweight spacecraft about the size of a passenger vehicle. It was using “pinpoint landing” technology that promises far greater control than any previous moon landing.

While most previous probes have used landing zones about 10 kilometers (six miles) wide, SLIM was aiming at a target of just 100 meters (330 feet).

The project was the fruit of two decades of work on precision technology by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA.

As the spacecraft descended, JAXA's mission control said that everything was going as planned and later said that SLIM was on the lunar surface. But there was no mention of whether the landing was successful. Mission control kept repeating that it was “checking its status" and that more information would be given at the news conference.

SLIM, nicknamed "the Moon Sniper," started its descent at midnight Saturday, and within 15 minutes it was down to about 10 kilometers (six miles) above the lunar surface, according to the space agency, which is known as JAXA.

At an altitude of five kilometers (three miles), the lander was in a vertical descent mode, then at 50 meters (165 feet) above the surface, SLIM was supposed to make a parallel movement to find a safe landing spot, JAXA said.

The mission's main goal is to test new landing technology that would allow moon missions to land “where we want to, rather than where it is easy to land,” JAXA has said. The spacecraft is supposed to seek clues about the origin of the moon, including analyzing minerals with a special camera.

The SLIM, equipped with a pad to cushion impact, was aiming to land near the Shioli crater, near a region covered in volcanic rock.

The closely watched mission came only 10 days after a moon mission by a U.S. private company failed when the spacecraft&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/private-moon-lander-earth-reentry-e59645ffd5dc43f80f25a8ec34c0f449">developed a fuel leak</a>&nbsp;hours after the launch.

SLIM was launched on a Mitsubishi Heavy H2A rocket in September. It initially orbited Earth and entered lunar orbit on Dec. 25.

Japan hopes to regain confidence for its space technology after a number of failures. A spacecraft designed by a Japanese company&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/moon-lunar-landing-crash-japan-32230ba28a3c41824ec4ee9ed7d6ed4c">crashed during a lunar landing attempt</a>&nbsp;in April, and a new flagship rocket&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-space-rocket-h3-failure-observation-satellite-dc137cb55bb4b72537508f1319989ce1">failed its debut launch in March</a>.

JAXA has a track record with difficult landings. Its Hayabusa2 spacecraft, launched in 2014, touched down twice on the 900-meter-long (3,000-foot-long) asteroid Ryugu, collecting samples that were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5309328972d9456bbe0522b88c81c6bc">returned to Earth</a>.

Experts say a success of SLIM's pinpoint landing, especially on the moon, would raise Japan's profile in the global space technology race.

Takeshi Tsuchiya, aeronautics professor at the Graduate School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo, said it was important to confirm the accuracy of landing on a targeted area for the future of moon explorations.

“It is necessary to show the world that Japan has the appropriate technology in order to be able to properly assert Japan's position in lunar development,” he said. The moon is important from the perspective of explorations of resources, and it can also be used as a base to go to other planets, like Mars, he said.

SLIM is carrying two small autonomous probes — lunar excursion vehicles LEV-1 and LEV-2, which will be released just before landing.

LEV-1, equipped with an antenna and a camera, is tasked with recording SLIM's landing. LEV-2, is a ball-shaped rover equipped with two cameras, developed by JAXA together with Sony, toymaker Tomy and Doshisha University.

JAXA will broadcast a livestream of the landing, while space fans will gather to watch the historic moment on a big screen at the agency's Sagamihara campus southwest of Tokyo.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705690562751.png" alt="&nbsp;Animation of the lander courtesy Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Animation of the lander courtesy Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency</figcaption>
 </figure>TOKYO (AP) — Japan became the fifth country in history to reach the moon when its spacecraft landed on the lunar surface early Saturday, officials said. But an issue with the power supply means that the mission could be in jeopardy.Officials also said they needed more time to analyze whether the spacecraft, which wasn't carrying astronauts, made a pinpoint landing — one of the priorities of the mission.Hitoshi Kuninaka, head of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, said they believe that rovers were launched and data were being transmitted back to Earth from the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM.But he said that SLIM's solar battery wasn't generating power and the battery life of the spacecraft would only last a few more hours. He said that the priority now was for the craft to gather as much moon data as possible on the remaining battery.Japan follows the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India in reaching the moon.Kuninaka said he believes that Japan's space program at least achieved “minimum” success.SLIM landed on the moon at about 12:20 a.m. Tokyo time on Saturday (1520 GMT Friday).There was a tense wait for news after the Japan space agency's mission control initially said that SLIM was on the lunar surface, but that it was still “checking its status.” No further details were given until a news conference nearly two hours later.For the mission to be considered fully successful, space officials need to confirm whether SLIM made a pinpoint landing. Kuninaka said while more time is needed, he personally thinks it was most likely achieved, based on his observation of data showing the spacecraft's movement until the landing.SLIM, which was aiming to hit a very small target, is a lightweight spacecraft about the size of a passenger vehicle. It was using “pinpoint landing” technology that promises far greater control than any previous moon landing.While most previous probes have used landing zones about 10 kilometers (six miles) wide, SLIM was aiming at a target of just 100 meters (330 feet).The project was the fruit of two decades of work on precision technology by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA.As the spacecraft descended, JAXA's mission control said that everything was going as planned and later said that SLIM was on the lunar surface. But there was no mention of whether the landing was successful. Mission control kept repeating that it was “checking its status" and that more information would be given at the news conference.SLIM, nicknamed "the Moon Sniper," started its descent at midnight Saturday, and within 15 minutes it was down to about 10 kilometers (six miles) above the lunar surface, according to the space agency, which is known as JAXA.At an altitude of five kilometers (three miles), the lander was in a vertical descent mode, then at 50 meters (165 feet) above the surface, SLIM was supposed to make a parallel movement to find a safe landing spot, JAXA said.The mission's main goal is to test new landing technology that would allow moon missions to land “where we want to, rather than where it is easy to land,” JAXA has said. The spacecraft is supposed to seek clues about the origin of the moon, including analyzing minerals with a special camera.The SLIM, equipped with a pad to cushion impact, was aiming to land near the Shioli crater, near a region covered in volcanic rock.The closely watched mission came only 10 days after a moon mission by a U.S. private company failed when the spacecraft&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/private-moon-lander-earth-reentry-e59645ffd5dc43f80f25a8ec34c0f449">developed a fuel leak</a>&nbsp;hours after the launch.SLIM was launched on a Mitsubishi Heavy H2A rocket in September. It initially orbited Earth and entered lunar orbit on Dec. 25.Japan hopes to regain confidence for its space technology after a number of failures. A spacecraft designed by a Japanese company&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/moon-lunar-landing-crash-japan-32230ba28a3c41824ec4ee9ed7d6ed4c">crashed during a lunar landing attempt</a>&nbsp;in April, and a new flagship rocket&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-space-rocket-h3-failure-observation-satellite-dc137cb55bb4b72537508f1319989ce1">failed its debut launch in March</a>.JAXA has a track record with difficult landings. Its Hayabusa2 spacecraft, launched in 2014, touched down twice on the 900-meter-long (3,000-foot-long) asteroid Ryugu, collecting samples that were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5309328972d9456bbe0522b88c81c6bc">returned to Earth</a>.Experts say a success of SLIM's pinpoint landing, especially on the moon, would raise Japan's profile in the global space technology race.Takeshi Tsuchiya, aeronautics professor at the Graduate School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo, said it was important to confirm the accuracy of landing on a targeted area for the future of moon explorations.“It is necessary to show the world that Japan has the appropriate technology in order to be able to properly assert Japan's position in lunar development,” he said. The moon is important from the perspective of explorations of resources, and it can also be used as a base to go to other planets, like Mars, he said.SLIM is carrying two small autonomous probes — lunar excursion vehicles LEV-1 and LEV-2, which will be released just before landing.LEV-1, equipped with an antenna and a camera, is tasked with recording SLIM's landing. LEV-2, is a ball-shaped rover equipped with two cameras, developed by JAXA together with Sony, toymaker Tomy and Doshisha University.JAXA will broadcast a livestream of the landing, while space fans will gather to watch the historic moment on a big screen at the agency's Sagamihara campus southwest of Tokyo.

Japan joins elite club by landing on the moon

LINCOLN, NEB. – “We thank Governor Pillen for again recognizing high property taxes as the greatest challenge facing Nebraska and reiterating his commitment to fixing our state’s property tax problem. We greatly appreciate the urgency with which he is working to address the issue and applaud him for his understanding and openness in communicating the far-reaching negative impacts high property taxes have had and continue to have on all Nebraskans. Furthermore, we agree with the Governor that a hard cap on property tax collections is critical to achieve long-term property tax relief, and simultaneously appreciate his commitment to preserving local control.&nbsp; We look forward to working with the Governor and the Legislature to address this critical issue.”

The Nebraska Farm Bureau is a grassroots, state-wide organization dedicated to supporting farm and ranch families and working for the benefit of all Nebraskans through a wide variety of educational, service, and advocacy efforts. More than 55,000 families across Nebraska are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve rural and urban prosperity as agriculture is a key fuel to Nebraska’s economy. For more information about Nebraska Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nefb.org/" target="_blank">www.nefb.org</a>.

Nebraska Farm Bureau&nbsp;LINCOLN, NEB. – “We thank Governor Pillen for again recognizing high property taxes as the greatest challenge facing Nebraska and reiterating his commitment to fixing our state’s property tax problem. We greatly appreciate the urgency with which he is working to address the issue and applaud him for his understanding and openness in communicating the far-reaching negative impacts high property taxes have had and continue to have on all Nebraskans. Furthermore, we agree with the Governor that a hard cap on property tax collections is critical to achieve long-term property tax relief, and simultaneously appreciate his commitment to preserving local control.&nbsp; We look forward to working with the Governor and the Legislature to address this critical issue.”The Nebraska Farm Bureau is a grassroots, state-wide organization dedicated to supporting farm and ranch families and working for the benefit of all Nebraskans through a wide variety of educational, service, and advocacy efforts. More than 55,000 families across Nebraska are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve rural and urban prosperity as agriculture is a key fuel to Nebraska’s economy. For more information about Nebraska Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nefb.org/" target="_blank">www.nefb.org</a>.

Statement by Mark McHargue, NFB President, Regarding Governor’s State of the State Address

&nbsp;WASHINGTON —The Justice Department joined 10 states and the District of Columbia on Thursday in a civil antitrust lawsuit challenging the National Collegiate Athletics Association’s (NCAA) Transfer Eligibility Rule, according to a media release from the department of justice.

<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1334371/dl?inline">Click here to read </a>the complaint

The amended complaint alleges that the NCAA unreasonably restricts college athletes’ freedom to transfer between academic institutions by limiting their eligibility to participate in intercollegiate contests if they transfer more than once during their college careers. By deterring transfers, the rule also denies athletes educational opportunities.

Last month, the states of Ohio, Colorado, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia filed this lawsuit in the Northern District of West Virginia. Shortly after filing, the court granted the states’ request for a temporary restraining order, finding the NCAA’s Transfer Eligibility Rule likely violates Section 1 of the Sherman Act. Today, plaintiffs filed an amended complaint adding the United States, the states of Minnesota, Mississippi and Virginia and the District of Columbia as co-plaintiffs.

“We are proud to stand with our state law enforcement partners on behalf of college athletes across the nation,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “NCAA Division I institutions compete with each other not just on the playing field or in the arena, but to recruit and retain college athletes. College athletes should be able to freely choose the institutions that best meet their academic, personal and professional development needs without anticompetitive restrictions that limit their mobility by sacrificing a year of athletic competition.”

The amended complaint alleges that the NCAA’s one-time-transfer rule unreasonably restrains competition in the markets for athletic services in men’s and women’s Division I basketball and Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) football, as well as for athletic services in all other men’s and women’s Division I sports. The rule forces college athletes who transfer more than once to sit on the sidelines for an entire season before they are eligible to compete in NCAA athletic competitions at their new school. The amended complaint further alleges that the restriction limits college athletes’ bargaining power and harms both their educational and athletic experiences.

&nbsp;WASHINGTON —The Justice Department joined 10 states and the District of Columbia on Thursday in a civil antitrust lawsuit challenging the National Collegiate Athletics Association’s (NCAA) Transfer Eligibility Rule, according to a media release from the department of justice.<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1334371/dl?inline">Click here to read </a>the complaintThe amended complaint alleges that the NCAA unreasonably restricts college athletes’ freedom to transfer between academic institutions by limiting their eligibility to participate in intercollegiate contests if they transfer more than once during their college careers. By deterring transfers, the rule also denies athletes educational opportunities.Last month, the states of Ohio, Colorado, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia filed this lawsuit in the Northern District of West Virginia. Shortly after filing, the court granted the states’ request for a temporary restraining order, finding the NCAA’s Transfer Eligibility Rule likely violates Section 1 of the Sherman Act. Today, plaintiffs filed an amended complaint adding the United States, the states of Minnesota, Mississippi and Virginia and the District of Columbia as co-plaintiffs.“We are proud to stand with our state law enforcement partners on behalf of college athletes across the nation,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “NCAA Division I institutions compete with each other not just on the playing field or in the arena, but to recruit and retain college athletes. College athletes should be able to freely choose the institutions that best meet their academic, personal and professional development needs without anticompetitive restrictions that limit their mobility by sacrificing a year of athletic competition.”The amended complaint alleges that the NCAA’s one-time-transfer rule unreasonably restrains competition in the markets for athletic services in men’s and women’s Division I basketball and Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) football, as well as for athletic services in all other men’s and women’s Division I sports. The rule forces college athletes who transfer more than once to sit on the sidelines for an entire season before they are eligible to compete in NCAA athletic competitions at their new school. The amended complaint further alleges that the restriction limits college athletes’ bargaining power and harms both their educational and athletic experiences.

Justice Dept, more states join lawsuit over NCAA athlete transfers

LINCOLN, NE —Nebraska Families 4 Medical Cannabis, a coalition of patients, families, and other allies, are clear with their message: we are going to the 2024 ballot. Wednesday was the deadline for bill introduction in the Nebraska Legislature. This will be the first session in 10 years that no medical cannabis bill will be introduced.&nbsp;

“Patients and caregivers have&nbsp;advocated, educated and fought, trying to get our elected leaders in the Unicameral to listen, and every year we come up empty handed. Our voices have been loud and clear; you have failed to act, so we are going to the ballot to let Nebraskans vote on this,” said Crista Eggers, mom to 9-year-old Colton.&nbsp;

Nicole Hochstein’s son Jayen is 12, and has drug-resistant epilepsy, and echoes the same sentiment:

“For the past decade, the people of Nebraska have begged for help from our legislative representatives. We are no longer willing to wait on them; the ballot initiative is happening now and we are more determined than ever.”

Shelley Gillen’s son Will, who is currently hospitalized, made her feelings very clear:

“State leaders have failed us; they have failed Will and all the patients in Nebraska. We are taking the decision out of their hands and giving it to the people,” Gillen said.

Nebraska Families 4 Medical Cannabis continues to support Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana (NMM) in their signature drive, and encourage people to get involved at&nbsp;<a href="http://nebraskamarijuana.org/" target="_blank">nebraskamarijuana.org</a>, and find a place to sign the new 2024 petitions.&nbsp; NMM&nbsp;will be required to collect approximately 87,000 valid signatures per petition and signatures are due for turn in on July 3, 2024.

NF4MC expresses their appreciation for the&nbsp;work that Senator Mike McDonnell did to create a bill for introduction, but at the end of the day recognize this is only going to happen through a vote of the people.

Crista EggersLINCOLN, NE —Nebraska Families 4 Medical Cannabis, a coalition of patients, families, and other allies, are clear with their message: we are going to the 2024 ballot. Wednesday was the deadline for bill introduction in the Nebraska Legislature. This will be the first session in 10 years that no medical cannabis bill will be introduced.&nbsp;“Patients and caregivers have&nbsp;advocated, educated and fought, trying to get our elected leaders in the Unicameral to listen, and every year we come up empty handed. Our voices have been loud and clear; you have failed to act, so we are going to the ballot to let Nebraskans vote on this,” said Crista Eggers, mom to 9-year-old Colton.&nbsp;Nicole Hochstein’s son Jayen is 12, and has drug-resistant epilepsy, and echoes the same sentiment:“For the past decade, the people of Nebraska have begged for help from our legislative representatives. We are no longer willing to wait on them; the ballot initiative is happening now and we are more determined than ever.”Shelley Gillen’s son Will, who is currently hospitalized, made her feelings very clear:“State leaders have failed us; they have failed Will and all the patients in Nebraska. We are taking the decision out of their hands and giving it to the people,” Gillen said.Nebraska Families 4 Medical Cannabis continues to support Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana (NMM) in their signature drive, and encourage people to get involved at&nbsp;<a href="http://nebraskamarijuana.org/" target="_blank">nebraskamarijuana.org</a>, and find a place to sign the new 2024 petitions.&nbsp; NMM&nbsp;will be required to collect approximately 87,000 valid signatures per petition and signatures are due for turn in on July 3, 2024.NF4MC expresses their appreciation for the&nbsp;work that Senator Mike McDonnell did to create a bill for introduction, but at the end of the day recognize this is only going to happen through a vote of the people.

Not Waiting On Legislature; Nebraska patients and families are clear: we will put medical cannabis before voters in November

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress sent President Joe Biden a short-term spending bill on Thursday that would avert a looming partial government shutdown and fund federal agencies into March.

The House approved the measure by a vote of 314-108, with opposition coming mostly from the more conservative members of the Republican conference. Shortly before the vote, the House Freedom Caucus announced it “strongly opposes" the measure because it would facilitate more spending than they support.&nbsp;

Nevertheless, about half of Republicans joined with Democrats in passing the third stopgap funding measure in recent months. The action came a few hours after the Senate had voted overwhelmingly to pass the bill by a vote of 77-18.&nbsp; 

Nebraska congressman Don Bacon was the only member of the delegation to vote against the resolution.

The measure extends current spending levels and buys time for the two chambers to work out their differences over full-year spending bills for the fiscal year that began in October.

The temporary measure will run to March 1 for some federal agencies. Their funds were set to run out Friday. It extends the remainder of government operations to March 8.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president would sign the resolution and urged Republicans to quit wasting time on partisan spending bills.

“House Republicans must finally do their job and work across the aisle to pass full-year funding bills that deliver for the American people and address urgent domestic and national security priorities by passing the President’s supplemental request,” Jean-Pierre said.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has been under pressure from his right flank to scrap a $1.66 trillion budget price tag he reached with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer earlier this month for the spending bills. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said the continuing resolution passed Thursday will facilitate that agreement, and urged colleagues to vote against it.

“It's Groundhog Day in the House chamber all the time, every day, yet again spending money we don't have,” Roy said.

Johnson has insisted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-shutdown-speaker-johnson-freedom-caucus-a9683a7381563499e0ba10987e93fb92">he will stick with the deal</a>, and centrists in the party have stood behind him. They say that changing course now would be going back on his word and would weaken the speaker in future negotiations.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said Americans expect Congress to govern and work in a bipartisan fashion.

“Some of my colleagues would see that this government would shut down and don't care how hurtful that would be,” DeLauro said.

House Republicans have fought bitterly over budget levels and policy since taking the majority at the start of 2023. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555">ousted by his caucus</a>&nbsp;in October after striking an agreement with Democrats to extend current spending&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-mccarthy-congress-republicans-732baaa19c91f981e492fd0e6a76aba8">the first time</a>. Johnson has also come under criticism as he has wrestled with how to appease his members and avoid a government shutdown in an election year.

“We just needed a little more time on the calendar to do it and now that’s where we are,” Johnson said Tuesday about the decision to extend federal funding yet again. “We’re not going to get everything we want.”

Most House Republicans have so far refrained from saying that Johnson’s job is in danger. But a revolt of even a handful of Republicans could endanger his position in the narrowly divided House.

Virginia Rep. Bob Good, one of eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy, has been pushing Johnson to reconsider the deal with Schumer.

“If your opponent in negotiation knows that you fear the consequence of not reaching an agreement more than they fear the consequence of not reaching an agreement, you will lose every time,” Good said this week.

Other Republicans acknowledge Johnson is in a tough spot. “The speaker was dealt with the hand he was dealt,” said Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr, noting the constraints imposed by the party's slim majority.

In Thursday afternoon's vote, 107 House Republicans voted to keep federal agencies funded and 106 voted against the measure. To almost lose the majority of his conference underscores the challenges facing the new speaker and signals the difficulty he will have in striking a deal that will not alienate many of his GOP colleagues. They are clamoring for deeper non-defense spending cuts and myriad conservative policy mandates.

Meanwhile, 207 Democrats voted for the resolution and only two voted against.

The short-term measure comes amid negotiations on a separate spending package that would provide wartime dollars to Ukraine and Israel and strengthen security at the U.S.-Mexico border. Johnson is also under pressure from the right not to accept a deal that is any weaker than a House-passed border measure that has no Democratic support.

Johnson, Schumer and other congressional leaders and committee heads&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-speaker-johnson-border-security-ukraine-government-shutdown-fa505e84f1ffd1767eb01a250a161393">visited the White House</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday to discuss that spending legislation. Johnson used the meeting to push for stronger border security measures while Biden and Democrats detailed Ukraine’s security needs as it continues to fight Russia.

Biden has requested a $110 billion package for the wartime spending and border security.

Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri, Lisa Mascaro and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705615858646.png" alt="The U.S Capitol is seen on a sunny day in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)" />
 <figcaption>The U.S Capitol is seen on a sunny day in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress sent President Joe Biden a short-term spending bill on Thursday that would avert a looming partial government shutdown and fund federal agencies into March.The House approved the measure by a vote of 314-108, with opposition coming mostly from the more conservative members of the Republican conference. Shortly before the vote, the House Freedom Caucus announced it “strongly opposes" the measure because it would facilitate more spending than they support.&nbsp;Nevertheless, about half of Republicans joined with Democrats in passing the third stopgap funding measure in recent months. The action came a few hours after the Senate had voted overwhelmingly to pass the bill by a vote of 77-18.&nbsp; Nebraska congressman Don Bacon was the only member of the delegation to vote against the resolution.The measure extends current spending levels and buys time for the two chambers to work out their differences over full-year spending bills for the fiscal year that began in October.The temporary measure will run to March 1 for some federal agencies. Their funds were set to run out Friday. It extends the remainder of government operations to March 8.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president would sign the resolution and urged Republicans to quit wasting time on partisan spending bills.“House Republicans must finally do their job and work across the aisle to pass full-year funding bills that deliver for the American people and address urgent domestic and national security priorities by passing the President’s supplemental request,” Jean-Pierre said.Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has been under pressure from his right flank to scrap a $1.66 trillion budget price tag he reached with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer earlier this month for the spending bills. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said the continuing resolution passed Thursday will facilitate that agreement, and urged colleagues to vote against it.“It's Groundhog Day in the House chamber all the time, every day, yet again spending money we don't have,” Roy said.Johnson has insisted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-shutdown-speaker-johnson-freedom-caucus-a9683a7381563499e0ba10987e93fb92">he will stick with the deal</a>, and centrists in the party have stood behind him. They say that changing course now would be going back on his word and would weaken the speaker in future negotiations.Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said Americans expect Congress to govern and work in a bipartisan fashion.“Some of my colleagues would see that this government would shut down and don't care how hurtful that would be,” DeLauro said.House Republicans have fought bitterly over budget levels and policy since taking the majority at the start of 2023. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555">ousted by his caucus</a>&nbsp;in October after striking an agreement with Democrats to extend current spending&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-mccarthy-congress-republicans-732baaa19c91f981e492fd0e6a76aba8">the first time</a>. Johnson has also come under criticism as he has wrestled with how to appease his members and avoid a government shutdown in an election year.“We just needed a little more time on the calendar to do it and now that’s where we are,” Johnson said Tuesday about the decision to extend federal funding yet again. “We’re not going to get everything we want.”Most House Republicans have so far refrained from saying that Johnson’s job is in danger. But a revolt of even a handful of Republicans could endanger his position in the narrowly divided House.Virginia Rep. Bob Good, one of eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy, has been pushing Johnson to reconsider the deal with Schumer.“If your opponent in negotiation knows that you fear the consequence of not reaching an agreement more than they fear the consequence of not reaching an agreement, you will lose every time,” Good said this week.Other Republicans acknowledge Johnson is in a tough spot. “The speaker was dealt with the hand he was dealt,” said Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr, noting the constraints imposed by the party's slim majority.In Thursday afternoon's vote, 107 House Republicans voted to keep federal agencies funded and 106 voted against the measure. To almost lose the majority of his conference underscores the challenges facing the new speaker and signals the difficulty he will have in striking a deal that will not alienate many of his GOP colleagues. They are clamoring for deeper non-defense spending cuts and myriad conservative policy mandates.Meanwhile, 207 Democrats voted for the resolution and only two voted against.The short-term measure comes amid negotiations on a separate spending package that would provide wartime dollars to Ukraine and Israel and strengthen security at the U.S.-Mexico border. Johnson is also under pressure from the right not to accept a deal that is any weaker than a House-passed border measure that has no Democratic support.Johnson, Schumer and other congressional leaders and committee heads&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-speaker-johnson-border-security-ukraine-government-shutdown-fa505e84f1ffd1767eb01a250a161393">visited the White House</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday to discuss that spending legislation. Johnson used the meeting to push for stronger border security measures while Biden and Democrats detailed Ukraine’s security needs as it continues to fight Russia.Biden has requested a $110 billion package for the wartime spending and border security.___Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri, Lisa Mascaro and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

Only one Neb. lawmaker votes against deal to keep government open

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces on Thursday conducted a fifth strike against Iranian-backed Houthi rebel military sites in Yemen as President Joe Biden acknowledged that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-biden-retaliation-attacks-0804b93372cd5e874a0dd03513fe36a2">the American and British bombardment</a>&nbsp;had yet to stop the militants' attacks on vessels in the Red Sea that have disrupted global shipping.

The latest strikes destroyed two Houthi anti-ship missiles that “were aimed into the southern Red Sea and prepared to launch,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. They were conducted by Navy F/A-18 fighter aircraft, the Pentagon said.

Biden said the U.S. would continue the strikes, even though so far they have not stopped the Houthis from continuing to harass commercial and military vessels.

“When you say working, are they stopping the Houthis, no. Are they going to continue, yes," Biden said in an exchange with reporters before departing the White House for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-north-carolina-internet-election-270a1edc65ebad44cec44baf1f8f4f8b">a domestic policy speech</a>&nbsp;in North Carolina.

Hours after Biden spoke, Houthi Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said in a prerecorded statement that its forces had carried out another missile attack against the Marshall Islands-flagged, U.S.-owned cargo ship Chem Ranger. Saree said the attack took place in the Gulf of Aden, the waters just south of Yemen.

Earlier Thursday evening, the British military warned of a new attack on shipping some 160 kilometers (100 miles) off the coast of Yemen, also in the Gulf of Aden. The Pentagon was not immediately able to confirm the strikes but has cautioned that it anticipates the Houthis will continue their attacks.

The continued harassment of the ships has driven the U.S. and international partners to take extraordinary steps to defend them through a joint mission named Operation Prosperity Guardian, in which the consortium is trying to create a protective umbrella for the vessels by intercepting any missiles or drones that target them. It has also led the U.S. and British militaries to take measures to knock out missile sites, radars and air defense systems to try to tamp down the Houthis' ability to attack.

On Wednesday the U.S. military fired another wave of ship- and submarine-launch missile strikes against 14&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-houthis-d770a3fb0fab4c4b72e2459771833e11">Houthi-controlled sites</a>. That same day, the administration put the Houthis back on its list of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.state.gov/executive-order-13224/">specially designated global terrorists</a>. The sanctions that come with the formal designation are meant to sever violent extremist groups from their sources of financing, while also allowing vital humanitarian aid to continue flowing to impoverished Yemenis.

“These strikes will continue for as long as they need to continue,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday, adding, “I’m not going to telegraph punches one way or another.”

Despite sanctions and military strikes, including a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-biden-retaliation-attacks-0804b93372cd5e874a0dd03513fe36a2">large-scale operation</a>&nbsp;carried out Friday by U.S. and British warships and warplanes that hit more than 60 targets across Yemen, the Houthis keep harassing commercial and military ships. The U.S. has strongly warned Iran to cease providing weapons to the Houthis.

“We never said the Houthis would immediately stop,” the Pentagon's deputy press secretary, Sabrina Singh, said at a briefing, when asked why the strikes have not seemed to stop the Houthis. Since the joint U.S. and British operation got underway last Friday, hitting 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets in that initial round, the Houthis' attacks have been “lower scale,” Singh said.

For months, the Houthis have claimed attacks on ships in the Red Sea that they say are either linked to Israel or heading to Israeli ports. They say their attacks aim to end the Israeli air-and-ground offensive in the Gaza Strip that was triggered by the Palestinian militant group Hamas’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2">Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel</a>. But the links to the ships targeted in the rebel assaults have grown more tenuous as the attacks continue.

The attacks have also raised questions as to whether the conflict between Israel and Hamas has already expanded into a wider regional war.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705112808392.png" alt="View of aircraft launch for the attack Jan. 11 -image U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>View of aircraft launch for the attack Jan. 11 -image U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces on Thursday conducted a fifth strike against Iranian-backed Houthi rebel military sites in Yemen as President Joe Biden acknowledged that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-biden-retaliation-attacks-0804b93372cd5e874a0dd03513fe36a2">the American and British bombardment</a>&nbsp;had yet to stop the militants' attacks on vessels in the Red Sea that have disrupted global shipping.The latest strikes destroyed two Houthi anti-ship missiles that “were aimed into the southern Red Sea and prepared to launch,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. They were conducted by Navy F/A-18 fighter aircraft, the Pentagon said.Biden said the U.S. would continue the strikes, even though so far they have not stopped the Houthis from continuing to harass commercial and military vessels.“When you say working, are they stopping the Houthis, no. Are they going to continue, yes," Biden said in an exchange with reporters before departing the White House for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-north-carolina-internet-election-270a1edc65ebad44cec44baf1f8f4f8b">a domestic policy speech</a>&nbsp;in North Carolina.Hours after Biden spoke, Houthi Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said in a prerecorded statement that its forces had carried out another missile attack against the Marshall Islands-flagged, U.S.-owned cargo ship Chem Ranger. Saree said the attack took place in the Gulf of Aden, the waters just south of Yemen.Earlier Thursday evening, the British military warned of a new attack on shipping some 160 kilometers (100 miles) off the coast of Yemen, also in the Gulf of Aden. The Pentagon was not immediately able to confirm the strikes but has cautioned that it anticipates the Houthis will continue their attacks.The continued harassment of the ships has driven the U.S. and international partners to take extraordinary steps to defend them through a joint mission named Operation Prosperity Guardian, in which the consortium is trying to create a protective umbrella for the vessels by intercepting any missiles or drones that target them. It has also led the U.S. and British militaries to take measures to knock out missile sites, radars and air defense systems to try to tamp down the Houthis' ability to attack.On Wednesday the U.S. military fired another wave of ship- and submarine-launch missile strikes against 14&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-houthis-d770a3fb0fab4c4b72e2459771833e11">Houthi-controlled sites</a>. That same day, the administration put the Houthis back on its list of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.state.gov/executive-order-13224/">specially designated global terrorists</a>. The sanctions that come with the formal designation are meant to sever violent extremist groups from their sources of financing, while also allowing vital humanitarian aid to continue flowing to impoverished Yemenis.“These strikes will continue for as long as they need to continue,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday, adding, “I’m not going to telegraph punches one way or another.”Despite sanctions and military strikes, including a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-biden-retaliation-attacks-0804b93372cd5e874a0dd03513fe36a2">large-scale operation</a>&nbsp;carried out Friday by U.S. and British warships and warplanes that hit more than 60 targets across Yemen, the Houthis keep harassing commercial and military ships. The U.S. has strongly warned Iran to cease providing weapons to the Houthis.“We never said the Houthis would immediately stop,” the Pentagon's deputy press secretary, Sabrina Singh, said at a briefing, when asked why the strikes have not seemed to stop the Houthis. Since the joint U.S. and British operation got underway last Friday, hitting 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets in that initial round, the Houthis' attacks have been “lower scale,” Singh said.For months, the Houthis have claimed attacks on ships in the Red Sea that they say are either linked to Israel or heading to Israeli ports. They say their attacks aim to end the Israeli air-and-ground offensive in the Gaza Strip that was triggered by the Palestinian militant group Hamas’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2">Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel</a>. But the links to the ships targeted in the rebel assaults have grown more tenuous as the attacks continue.The attacks have also raised questions as to whether the conflict between Israel and Hamas has already expanded into a wider regional war.

US forces strike rebels again; bombing hasn't stopped ship attacks

DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new allegations after a high-speed chase.

A speeding truck led a short chase in North Douglas Co. before the driver, who is known to start violent pursuits, rammed into a patrol vehicle, lost control of his pickup and was soon arrested.

Just before 1:30 a.m. on Monday, police attempted to stop a Chevrolet pickup truck after the driver later identified as 48-year-old Steven Drake had been seen speeding near E. 1600 Road and Highway 24, according to a media release.

Drake initially slowed the truck and then immediately began to accelerate again and the prompted a pursuit.

During the pursuit, deputies successfully implemented a tactical-vehicle-intervention maneuver. However, Drake was able to recover and head east on the highway.

As deputies attempted to identify the driver, he rammed into a patrol vehicle which caused the truck to veer into the ditch and break off the wheel at the axle.

Deputies then took Drake into custody and booked him into the Douglas County jail on requested charges of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer and fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement. There were no injuries reported.

In June of 2022, police asked the&nbsp; public for help to locate Drake after he led police on two vehicle pursuits within a week.

Drake has previous felony convictions that include forgery, assault, theft, aggravated endangering a child, obstruction, aggravated interference with parental control, driving while suspended and three convictions for fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1654253731903.png" alt="Drake-photo Lawrence Police" />
 <figcaption>Drake-photo Lawrence Police</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new allegations after a high-speed chase.A speeding truck led a short chase in North Douglas Co. before the driver, who is known to start violent pursuits, rammed into a patrol vehicle, lost control of his pickup and was soon arrested.Just before 1:30 a.m. on Monday, police attempted to stop a Chevrolet pickup truck after the driver later identified as 48-year-old Steven Drake had been seen speeding near E. 1600 Road and Highway 24, according to a media release.Drake initially slowed the truck and then immediately began to accelerate again and the prompted a pursuit.During the pursuit, deputies successfully implemented a tactical-vehicle-intervention maneuver. However, Drake was able to recover and head east on the highway.As deputies attempted to identify the driver, he rammed into a patrol vehicle which caused the truck to veer into the ditch and break off the wheel at the axle.Deputies then took Drake into custody and booked him into the Douglas County jail on requested charges of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer and fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement. There were no injuries reported.In June of 2022, police asked the&nbsp; public for help to locate Drake after he led police on two vehicle pursuits within a week.Drake has previous felony convictions that include forgery, assault, theft, aggravated endangering a child, obstruction, aggravated interference with parental control, driving while suspended and three convictions for fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.&nbsp;

Driver rams Kan. patrol vehicle during high-speed chase

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/01/17/preston-love-jr-compares-himself-to-david-in-challenging-a-goliath-named-ricketts/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

OMAHA — Preston Love Jr., a Nebraska Democrat who managed Jesse Jackson’s groundbreaking presidential campaign at the national level in 1984, announced an upstart bid for the U.S. Senate Wednesday using similar language about the challenges ahead.

Love, an 81-year-old neighborhood advocate, civil rights activist and campaign hand, said he knows that many people will view his bid as futile: He is challenging GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts in a state where Republicans outnumber Democrats 2-to-1.

But Love urged a gathering of more than 100 people at the Highlander in North Omaha to find their faith. He described their joint effort as David to Ricketts’ Goliath. He told them to “gather their stones.”&nbsp;

“The people that I’ve been serving … need a giant killer,” he said, to applause. “Just like David. But David was something else that maybe you missed in your studies. He stood up strong and was confident. … I am confident.”

He said he needed his supporters to be just as confident as he is. He said they could work together to protect voting rights, restrict assault weapons, protect a woman’s right to choose an abortion, fight climate change and “advocate for people, not parties.”

Four years ago, Love ran for the Senate under different circumstances: He stepped in as a write-in candidate in 2020 to offer Democrats a backup choice to the Democratic nominee, who had lost the party’s backing partway through the campaign. Love said that in this year’s race, he hopes to help boost Democratic turnout in races up and down the ballot.

He has some experience in that area, having helped organize Black Votes Matter, a group aimed at raising political&nbsp; awareness in North Omaha. He said he wants all Nebraskans to exercise their power to vote.

He mentioned two other races he said he could help Nebraska Democrats win: the presidential race, where the state splits its Electoral College votes by congressional district, and the 2nd District U.S. House race, a swing district with traditionally close contests.&nbsp;

In an interview after announcing, Love said he doesn’t have an easy answer on motivating people in low-turnout communities to vote. He said he and others must work to restore people’s hope in the voting process.

Love said his goal as a senator would be to build bridges between himself and people who don’t live or think like him. He understands that many Nebraskans will disagree with him on issues, but he says they have more in common than not.

He said he knows Nebraskans on both sides of the aisle who don’t like how Ricketts got the job. Ricketts was appointed by Gov. Jim Pillen, his successor as governor, after Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., was hired as the president of the University of Florida and vacated his seat mid-term.

“You can’t just make all that stuff happen and think people don’t see it all, and that everybody just doesn’t care because they love you,” Love said of Ricketts’ appointment.

Ricketts and Pillen have denied that any conspiracy or promise was tied to his January 2023 appointment. Pillen has said he interviewed candidates and picked the best one.&nbsp;

In a statement, the Ricketts campaign said the senator is focused on pushing back on President Joe Biden’s “reckless spending and overregulation.” It said he “looks forward to continuing to serve Nebraskans in the US Senate in 2025.”

Love will face Democrat Todd Newbold of Omaha in the Democratic primary in May. Several Nebraska Democrats in recent days said they did not know Newbold. A Facebook account in his name said he is a Democrat supporting former President Donald Trump.&nbsp;

Ricketts faces Republican John Glen Weaver in May. Weaver, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, lost a 1st District House GOP primary in 2022 to U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb. He has argued Ricketts should be more supportive of Trump.

Ricketts has not endorsed in the 2024 GOP presidential race.

Local political observers, including University of Nebraska at Omaha political scientist Randall Adkins, consider Ricketts the clear frontrunner in the race. Ricketts has been elected twice statewide by nearly 20-point margins, he said.

He also has advantages in name ID, incumbency and fundraising that will be difficult for any candidate to match. But Love, citing a biblical reference, urged Democrats, independents and like-minded Republicans to pick up their stones and fight.

“Anybody can be your senator,” Love said. “It doesn’t have to be special. It might just be a David in your midst.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705604909111.jpeg" alt="U.S. Senate candidate Preston Love Jr. speaks to reporters before announcing his Senate campaign in Omaha on Wednesday. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Senate candidate Preston Love Jr. speaks to reporters before announcing his Senate campaign in Omaha on Wednesday. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Aaron Sanderford<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/01/17/preston-love-jr-compares-himself-to-david-in-challenging-a-goliath-named-ricketts/">Nebraska Examiner</a>OMAHA — Preston Love Jr., a Nebraska Democrat who managed Jesse Jackson’s groundbreaking presidential campaign at the national level in 1984, announced an upstart bid for the U.S. Senate Wednesday using similar language about the challenges ahead.Love, an 81-year-old neighborhood advocate, civil rights activist and campaign hand, said he knows that many people will view his bid as futile: He is challenging GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts in a state where Republicans outnumber Democrats 2-to-1.But Love urged a gathering of more than 100 people at the Highlander in North Omaha to find their faith. He described their joint effort as David to Ricketts’ Goliath. He told them to “gather their stones.”&nbsp;“The people that I’ve been serving … need a giant killer,” he said, to applause. “Just like David. But David was something else that maybe you missed in your studies. He stood up strong and was confident. … I am confident.”He said he needed his supporters to be just as confident as he is. He said they could work together to protect voting rights, restrict assault weapons, protect a woman’s right to choose an abortion, fight climate change and “advocate for people, not parties.”<h2>Write-in candidate last time</h2>Four years ago, Love ran for the Senate under different circumstances: He stepped in as a write-in candidate in 2020 to offer Democrats a backup choice to the Democratic nominee, who had lost the party’s backing partway through the campaign. Love said that in this year’s race, he hopes to help boost Democratic turnout in races up and down the ballot.He has some experience in that area, having helped organize Black Votes Matter, a group aimed at raising political&nbsp; awareness in North Omaha. He said he wants all Nebraskans to exercise their power to vote.He mentioned two other races he said he could help Nebraska Democrats win: the presidential race, where the state splits its Electoral College votes by congressional district, and the 2nd District U.S. House race, a swing district with traditionally close contests.&nbsp;In an interview after announcing, Love said he doesn’t have an easy answer on motivating people in low-turnout communities to vote. He said he and others must work to restore people’s hope in the voting process.Love said his goal as a senator would be to build bridges between himself and people who don’t live or think like him. He understands that many Nebraskans will disagree with him on issues, but he says they have more in common than not.<h2>Ricketts’ appointment</h2>He said he knows Nebraskans on both sides of the aisle who don’t like how Ricketts got the job. Ricketts was appointed by Gov. Jim Pillen, his successor as governor, after Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., was hired as the president of the University of Florida and vacated his seat mid-term.“You can’t just make all that stuff happen and think people don’t see it all, and that everybody just doesn’t care because they love you,” Love said of Ricketts’ appointment.Ricketts and Pillen have denied that any conspiracy or promise was tied to his January 2023 appointment. Pillen has said he interviewed candidates and picked the best one.&nbsp;In a statement, the Ricketts campaign said the senator is focused on pushing back on President Joe Biden’s “reckless spending and overregulation.” It said he “looks forward to continuing to serve Nebraskans in the US Senate in 2025.”Love will face Democrat Todd Newbold of Omaha in the Democratic primary in May. Several Nebraska Democrats in recent days said they did not know Newbold. A Facebook account in his name said he is a Democrat supporting former President Donald Trump.&nbsp;Ricketts faces Republican John Glen Weaver in May. Weaver, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, lost a 1st District House GOP primary in 2022 to U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb. He has argued Ricketts should be more supportive of Trump.Ricketts has not endorsed in the 2024 GOP presidential race.Local political observers, including University of Nebraska at Omaha political scientist Randall Adkins, consider Ricketts the clear frontrunner in the race. Ricketts has been elected twice statewide by nearly 20-point margins, he said.He also has advantages in name ID, incumbency and fundraising that will be difficult for any candidate to match. But Love, citing a biblical reference, urged Democrats, independents and like-minded Republicans to pick up their stones and fight.“Anybody can be your senator,” Love said. “It doesn’t have to be special. It might just be a David in your midst.”

Preston Love Jr. compares campaign to David in challenging a Goliath named Ricketts

UVALDE, Texas (AP) — Police officials who responded to the deadly Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting waited far too long to confront the gunman, acted with “no urgency” in establishing a command post and communicated inaccurate information to grieving families, according to a Justice Department report released Thursday that identifies “cascading failures” in law enforcement's handling of the massacre.

<a href="https://portal.cops.usdoj.gov/resourcecenter/content.ashx/cops-r1141-pub.pdf">Click here to read </a>the 600 page report

<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24366914-uvalde-report">The Justice Department report,</a>&nbsp;the most comprehensive federal accounting of the maligned police response to the May 24, 2022, shooting at Robb Elementary School, catalogs a sweeping array of training, communication, leadership and technology problems that federal officials say contributed to the crisis lasting far longer than necessary. All the while, the report says, terrified students inside the classrooms called 911 and agonized parents begged officers to go in.

“Had law enforcement agencies followed generally accepted practices in active shooter situations and gone right after the shooter and stopped him, lives would have been saved and people would have survived,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday at a news conference in Uvalde after Justice Department officials briefed family members on their findings. The Uvalde victims, he said, "deserved better."

Even for a mass shooting that has already been the subject of intense scrutiny and in-depth examinations — an earlier report by Texas lawmakers, for instance, faulted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-texas-education-violence-school-31aa135678f8118ed96d893ea77cf8ea">law enforcement at every level</a>&nbsp;with failing “to prioritize saving innocent lives over their own safety" — the nearly 600-page Justice Department report adds to the public understanding of how officers failed to stop an attack that killed 19 children and two staff members.

The flawed initial response was compounded in the following days by an ineptitude that added to family members' anguish, according to the report. One family member spent hours pulling glass out of an injured son's body because the surviving children were not screened for medical problems.

A county district attorney told families that they would need to wait for autopsy reports before death notifications were made, prompting some to yell: “What, our kids are dead? No, no!” Untrained hospital staff told family members that their loved ones had died, while in other cases, families were incorrectly told that a child had survived when they had not. At one point, an official told waiting families that another bus of survivors was coming, but that was untrue.

“Mirroring the failures of the law enforcement response, state and local agencies failed to coordinate, leading to inaccurate and incomplete information being provided to anxious family and community members and the public,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta.

The problems began almost immediately with a flawed assumption by officers at the scene that the shooter was barricaded, or otherwise contained, even as he continued to fire shots. That “mindset permeated throughout much of the incident response" as police, rather than rushing inside the classrooms to end the carnage, waited more than an hour to confront the gunman in what the report called a costly “lack of urgency.”

The gunman, Salvador Ramos, was killed roughly 77 minutes after police arrived on the scene, when a tactical team finally went into the classroom to take him down.

“An active shooter with access to victims should never be considered and treated as a barricaded subject,” the report says, with the word “never” emphasized in italics.

In other errors, the report says, police acted with “no urgency” in establishing a command center at the school, creating confusion among police about who was in charge. The then-school district police chief, Pete Arredondo, discarded his radios on arrival because he deemed them unnecessary. Though he tried to communicate by phone with officers in the school hallway, “unfortunately, on multiple occasions, he directed officers intending to gain entry into the classrooms to stop, because he appeared to determine that other victims should first be removed from nearby classrooms to prevent further injury.”

Uvalde, a community of more than 15,000 about 85 miles (140 kilometers) southwest of San Antonio, continues to struggle with the trauma left by the killings and remains divided on the issue of accountability. Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell has said she’s still considering whether to bring criminal charges.

Asked about the report and the possibility of charges Thursday, President Joe Biden said he was briefed by his staff “but I don’t know that there’s any criminal liability.”

In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott initially praised the officers’ courage, saying the reason the shooting was "not worse is because law enforcement officials did what they do" and that they had been brave in "running toward gunfire for the singular purpose of trying to save lives.

But that narrative crumbled under scrutiny, as a report from a panel of state lawmakers and investigations by journalists laid bare how a mass of officers went in and out of the school with weapons drawn but didn’t enter the classroom where the shooting was taking place.

“The actions of the responding officers, combined with the ‘heroic’ storyline that started with (a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety) and continued the next day during the Governor’s and director’s news conference, dealt a serious blow to public confidence in local and state law enforcement,” the report states.

The city of Uvalde said in a statement that it had requested and fully cooperated with the federal investigation and had “already implemented changes in leadership, new personnel, new training, and new equipment.”

The report intentionally omits the identity of the gunman or any explanation of a possible motive. But it does include page-long remembrances of each of the victims, including 10-year-old Jose Flores Jr., who loved cars and the Houston Astros, and Amerie Jo Garza, who on the morning of the shooting had celebrated her appointment to the honor roll.

And it highlights anguished and panicked quotes from a 911 call by students trapped in the classroom — “Help!” “Help!” “Help!” “I don't want to die. My teacher is dead” — experiencing “unimaginable horror” while officers stood just outside in the hallway.

“I hope that the failures end today,” said Kimberly Rubio, whose daughter Lexi Rubio was killed in the shooting. “My child, our children are named in this report because they are dead.” Of the officers who failed that day, she added: "They should be named.”

Velma Lisa Duran, whose sister&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uvalde-school-shooting-shootings-texas-education-dd7031b2ce60283a3769ebdb669fa5d2">Irma Garcia</a>&nbsp;was one of the teachers killed, said before the release of the report that she was daunted by the prospect of reliving the circumstances of her sister’s death and what she really wanted was criminal charges.

“A report doesn’t matter when there are no consequences for actions that are so vile and murderous and evil,” said Duran. “What do you want us to do with another report? ... Bring it to court,” she said.

The federal review was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-school-shooting-justice-department-reviewing-response-ed6ea4160d723c2a25cde1c909d31fa7">launched</a>&nbsp;just days after the shooting. Since then, how police respond to mass shootings around the country has come under closer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lewiston-maine-shooting-warning-signs-robert-card-e154aac79b4f9d42a5381c20cd6618dd">scrutiny</a>.

The families of some of the Uvalde victims have blasted police as cowards and demanded resignations. At least five officers have lost their jobs, including two Department of Public Safety officers and the on-site commander, Arredondo.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705594680900.png" alt="Photo U.S. Department of Justicd" />
 <figcaption>Photo U.S. Department of Justicd</figcaption>
 </figure>UVALDE, Texas (AP) — Police officials who responded to the deadly Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting waited far too long to confront the gunman, acted with “no urgency” in establishing a command post and communicated inaccurate information to grieving families, according to a Justice Department report released Thursday that identifies “cascading failures” in law enforcement's handling of the massacre.<a href="https://portal.cops.usdoj.gov/resourcecenter/content.ashx/cops-r1141-pub.pdf">Click here to read </a>the 600 page report<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24366914-uvalde-report">The Justice Department report,</a>&nbsp;the most comprehensive federal accounting of the maligned police response to the May 24, 2022, shooting at Robb Elementary School, catalogs a sweeping array of training, communication, leadership and technology problems that federal officials say contributed to the crisis lasting far longer than necessary. All the while, the report says, terrified students inside the classrooms called 911 and agonized parents begged officers to go in.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Attorney General Merrick Garland: &quot;Within minutes of arriving inside the school, officials on scene transitioned from treating the scene as an active shooter situation to treating the shooter as a barricaded subject. This was the most significant failure.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/wt392AWJsW">pic.twitter.com/wt392AWJsW</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1748095943851806971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“Had law enforcement agencies followed generally accepted practices in active shooter situations and gone right after the shooter and stopped him, lives would have been saved and people would have survived,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday at a news conference in Uvalde after Justice Department officials briefed family members on their findings. The Uvalde victims, he said, "deserved better."Even for a mass shooting that has already been the subject of intense scrutiny and in-depth examinations — an earlier report by Texas lawmakers, for instance, faulted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-texas-education-violence-school-31aa135678f8118ed96d893ea77cf8ea">law enforcement at every level</a>&nbsp;with failing “to prioritize saving innocent lives over their own safety" — the nearly 600-page Justice Department report adds to the public understanding of how officers failed to stop an attack that killed 19 children and two staff members.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Attorney General Merrick Garland: &quot;The chaos and confusion that defined the law enforcement response while the shooter remained a threat also defined the aftermath...Some families were told that their family members had survived, when they had not.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/XUebqxTIa7">pic.twitter.com/XUebqxTIa7</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1748085414022332585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The flawed initial response was compounded in the following days by an ineptitude that added to family members' anguish, according to the report. One family member spent hours pulling glass out of an injured son's body because the surviving children were not screened for medical problems.A county district attorney told families that they would need to wait for autopsy reports before death notifications were made, prompting some to yell: “What, our kids are dead? No, no!” Untrained hospital staff told family members that their loved ones had died, while in other cases, families were incorrectly told that a child had survived when they had not. At one point, an official told waiting families that another bus of survivors was coming, but that was untrue.“Mirroring the failures of the law enforcement response, state and local agencies failed to coordinate, leading to inaccurate and incomplete information being provided to anxious family and community members and the public,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta.The problems began almost immediately with a flawed assumption by officers at the scene that the shooter was barricaded, or otherwise contained, even as he continued to fire shots. That “mindset permeated throughout much of the incident response" as police, rather than rushing inside the classrooms to end the carnage, waited more than an hour to confront the gunman in what the report called a costly “lack of urgency.”The gunman, Salvador Ramos, was killed roughly 77 minutes after police arrived on the scene, when a tactical team finally went into the classroom to take him down.“An active shooter with access to victims should never be considered and treated as a barricaded subject,” the report says, with the word “never” emphasized in italics.In other errors, the report says, police acted with “no urgency” in establishing a command center at the school, creating confusion among police about who was in charge. The then-school district police chief, Pete Arredondo, discarded his radios on arrival because he deemed them unnecessary. Though he tried to communicate by phone with officers in the school hallway, “unfortunately, on multiple occasions, he directed officers intending to gain entry into the classrooms to stop, because he appeared to determine that other victims should first be removed from nearby classrooms to prevent further injury.”Uvalde, a community of more than 15,000 about 85 miles (140 kilometers) southwest of San Antonio, continues to struggle with the trauma left by the killings and remains divided on the issue of accountability. Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell has said she’s still considering whether to bring criminal charges.Asked about the report and the possibility of charges Thursday, President Joe Biden said he was briefed by his staff “but I don’t know that there’s any criminal liability.”In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott initially praised the officers’ courage, saying the reason the shooting was "not worse is because law enforcement officials did what they do" and that they had been brave in "running toward gunfire for the singular purpose of trying to save lives.But that narrative crumbled under scrutiny, as a report from a panel of state lawmakers and investigations by journalists laid bare how a mass of officers went in and out of the school with weapons drawn but didn’t enter the classroom where the shooting was taking place.“The actions of the responding officers, combined with the ‘heroic’ storyline that started with (a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety) and continued the next day during the Governor’s and director’s news conference, dealt a serious blow to public confidence in local and state law enforcement,” the report states.The city of Uvalde said in a statement that it had requested and fully cooperated with the federal investigation and had “already implemented changes in leadership, new personnel, new training, and new equipment.”The report intentionally omits the identity of the gunman or any explanation of a possible motive. But it does include page-long remembrances of each of the victims, including 10-year-old Jose Flores Jr., who loved cars and the Houston Astros, and Amerie Jo Garza, who on the morning of the shooting had celebrated her appointment to the honor roll.And it highlights anguished and panicked quotes from a 911 call by students trapped in the classroom — “Help!” “Help!” “Help!” “I don't want to die. My teacher is dead” — experiencing “unimaginable horror” while officers stood just outside in the hallway.“I hope that the failures end today,” said Kimberly Rubio, whose daughter Lexi Rubio was killed in the shooting. “My child, our children are named in this report because they are dead.” Of the officers who failed that day, she added: "They should be named.”Velma Lisa Duran, whose sister&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uvalde-school-shooting-shootings-texas-education-dd7031b2ce60283a3769ebdb669fa5d2">Irma Garcia</a>&nbsp;was one of the teachers killed, said before the release of the report that she was daunted by the prospect of reliving the circumstances of her sister’s death and what she really wanted was criminal charges.“A report doesn’t matter when there are no consequences for actions that are so vile and murderous and evil,” said Duran. “What do you want us to do with another report? ... Bring it to court,” she said.The federal review was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-school-shooting-justice-department-reviewing-response-ed6ea4160d723c2a25cde1c909d31fa7">launched</a>&nbsp;just days after the shooting. Since then, how police respond to mass shootings around the country has come under closer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lewiston-maine-shooting-warning-signs-robert-card-e154aac79b4f9d42a5381c20cd6618dd">scrutiny</a>.The families of some of the Uvalde victims have blasted police as cowards and demanded resignations. At least five officers have lost their jobs, including two Department of Public Safety officers and the on-site commander, Arredondo.

🎥Read new revelations in DOJ report on Uvalde school shooting

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is buying the remaining 20% of the Pilot truck stop business it does not already own from the Haslam family, the two announced on Tuesday.

Berkshire confirmed it now owns all of Pilot Travel Centers. Financial terms were not disclosed. The sale follows the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haslam-warren-buffett-pilot-truck-stops-berkshire-hathaway-10abae4ac96c3d0466d2fc7e8c4c805c">settlement of a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;earlier this month that pitted Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam against Buffett’s Berkshire over the Pilot stake's value.

Berkshire purchased an initial 38.6% stake in PTC in 2017 for $2.76 billion. The two sides agreed at that time that Berkshire would take control of PTC by acquiring an additional 41.4% interest in January 2023. The price tag for that control purchase was roughly $8.2 billion.

The 2017 agreements also gave Pilot Corp. an annual 60-day opportunity, beginning Jan. 1 this year, to sell its remaining 20% interest in PTC to Berkshire. The sale price would be calculated using PTC’s earnings in the prior year.

With the first sale deadline approaching, however, the two sides accused each other of trying to manipulate the company’s financial records in order to affect the price Berkshire would have to pay for the Haslam family’s remaining 20% stake in the truck-stop chain.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is buying the remaining 20% of the Pilot truck stop business it does not already own from the Haslam family, the two announced on Tuesday.Berkshire confirmed it now owns all of Pilot Travel Centers. Financial terms were not disclosed. The sale follows the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haslam-warren-buffett-pilot-truck-stops-berkshire-hathaway-10abae4ac96c3d0466d2fc7e8c4c805c">settlement of a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;earlier this month that pitted Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam against Buffett’s Berkshire over the Pilot stake's value.Berkshire purchased an initial 38.6% stake in PTC in 2017 for $2.76 billion. The two sides agreed at that time that Berkshire would take control of PTC by acquiring an additional 41.4% interest in January 2023. The price tag for that control purchase was roughly $8.2 billion.The 2017 agreements also gave Pilot Corp. an annual 60-day opportunity, beginning Jan. 1 this year, to sell its remaining 20% interest in PTC to Berkshire. The sale price would be calculated using PTC’s earnings in the prior year.With the first sale deadline approaching, however, the two sides accused each other of trying to manipulate the company’s financial records in order to affect the price Berkshire would have to pay for the Haslam family’s remaining 20% stake in the truck-stop chain.

Berkshire Hathaway buys remaining 20% stake in Pilot Travel from Haslam family for undisclosed sum

LINCOLN, NE –&nbsp;Today, Governor Pillen gave his annual State of the State address. The full address is below:

“President Kelly, Speaker Arch, and members of the 108th&nbsp;Nebraska Legislature. Family, friends, and distinguished guests. My fellow Nebraskans.

Over the past 11 days, Nebraska experienced historically brutal winter weather. Subzero temperatures, back-to-back blizzards, and unrelenting winds paralyzed much of our state, stranding hundreds of travelers, preventing farmers and ranchers from reaching their farms and feeding their animals, shuttering businesses, challenging our power grid, and threatening safety and commerce for thousands.

To meet this emergency, Nebraskans helped Nebraskans, just as they have done countless times before. State troopers, sheriff’s deputies, police officers, other first responders, and snow fighters from across the state moved swiftly to rescue those trapped by the storms, clear roads, and dig out our communities and agriculture. These brave men and women represent the best and the backbone of our state public servants who rush into the storm and into harm’s way to help their neighbors. It is because of them and because of the resilience of the toughest, hardest-working people in this land that the state of our state is as strong as ever.

In the balcony today are Nebraska State Patrol Sergeant Jesse Pfeifer, Air National Guard Major Dave Strom, and Department of Transportation District Operations Manager and Snow Fighter Tim Koenig. We thank them for their tireless service to Nebraska, and I ask you to join me in recognizing them as representatives of all of Nebraska’s law enforcement, first responders, National Guard, and highway workers.

We must never forget the reality of the hazards these public servants face every day. This past year, Nebraska lost two of our DOT highway workers in the line of duty. Their names were Mark Wells and Dave Schwartz, and I ask you all to join me in a moment of silence to honor their memories. Thank you.

One year ago, I stood before you in this magnificent Chamber and pledged to be Governor of all Nebraskans and to build relationships with&nbsp;all&nbsp;of their representatives. It has been my honor to do so. We did not agree on every issue. God forbid we ever do.

But we certainly agreed that our kids are our future, and we never ever give up on our kids. United by those principles, together in 2023 we accomplished much for Nebraska’s future. We took major steps to make sure the state meets its school funding promises to every kid in every district by investing 1 billion dollars into the Education Future Fund to support K-12 education. This included a critical step forward in foundation aid of 1500 dollars per student and overdue increases in special education funding. We invested in our workforce by guaranteeing state-funding for our dynamic community college system to help increase access to trade school degrees.

And we passed the Opportunity Scholarships Act, which will ensure that needy students from every corner of our state have a chance at a good education at a school that will be the best fit for them. To no one's surprise the success of this program is obvious, with thousands of Nebraska kids already expressing interest in the program. Several are with us today, including Opportunity Scholarship recipients Nyah Bell from Omaha and Destiny Curtis from Norfolk. Please join me in welcoming these students to their State Capitol. Sadly, union bosses and politicians are trying to rip these scholarships away from kids like Nyah and Destiny. I will fight to protect what we worked so hard to pass last year and call upon this body to do the same.

Last year included major achievements in other areas, too. We took a big first step toward addressing mental health challenges with the unanimous creation of certified community behavioral health clinics. 2023 was a groundbreaking year for fiscal conservatism, too. We agreed that state government was spending too much and taxing its people too much. We tightened our belts and passed a historic fiscal conservative budget with only 2 percent growth. We agreed that taxing our seniors’ social security is not the Nebraska way and ended it. We finally made our income tax codes competitive with our neighbors by reducing income tax rates to 3.99 percent by 2027.

Agriculture is the heart and soul of Nebraska’s economy, and we made big investments in its future and infrastructure. We supported value-added agriculture by increasing consumer ethanol access. We created and strengthened the Nebraska Broadband Office, which will leverage once-in-a-generation resources to ensure rural Nebraska businesses and farms can connect to a global economy. And we created the financing tools needed to finally finish our statewide expressway system.

We defended the unborn by restricting abortions beyond 12 weeks. We will continue to embrace life here in Nebraska with the launch of a yearlong “Culture of Life and Love Initiative” It will provide resources to expecting moms, especially those in crisis and who need support more than ever. Much work remains to be done, but this Legislature should be proud of its investments in Nebraska’s future. Thank you.

We Nebraskans are a people grounded in values: faith, family, freedom, life, and love. We are a place of rich opportunity and one of the safest places to live in the world to raise a family. We have the gift of belief. Among our greatest strengths is that we believe we can compete with anyone, anywhere in the world and we can.