<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/02/a-timeline-of-the-nebraska-legislatures-summer-property-tax-debate-april-18-to-aug-21/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN —&nbsp;Over the span of the last four months, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen lobbied energetically for significant property tax relief, with a stated goal of attaining&nbsp;<a href="https://governor.nebraska.gov/press/governor-pillen-calls-40-reduction-state-property-taxes" target="_blank">40% total property tax relief</a>&nbsp;by the end of his second year in office.

He made clear his intentions in April to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/04/18/nebraska-lawmakers-adjourn-but-break-will-be-short-lived-as-special-session-looms-this-summer/">call a special session</a>&nbsp;after his previous backed package,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=49980" target="_blank">Legislative Bill 388</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/04/18/stunning-last-minute-defeat-for-pillen-tax-shift-bill-likely-ensures-special-session/">fell short</a>. Pillen hoped for a different outcome later in the year and by the end of 2024.

“We’re behind at the end of the first half, but we still got a second half to go,” he told state senators as the regular session ended. “Enjoy halftime. We’ll see you again here soon.”

But when the Legislature completed its special session on Aug. 20, the result was an&nbsp;expanded and revamped program providing only about&nbsp;3% to 4% more property tax relief, with total relief roughly around 20%, according to Pillen.

More than&nbsp;200&nbsp;goods or services are exempt from sales taxes in Nebraska, with many of those added over time after the tax was created in 1967. Gov. Jim Pillen eyed eliminating some exemptions to pay for property tax relief, yet none were removed in an ever-evolving special session. Here’s how the ground shifted:

All sales tax exemptions&nbsp;are on the table for&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/06/10/everybodys-got-to-play-breaking-down-nebraskas-more-than-100-sales-tax-exemptions/">potential removal</a>, except food and medicine, Pillen states. By comparison,&nbsp;six exemptions&nbsp;were included in&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=49980" target="_blank">Legislative Bill 388</a>, which failed in spring 2024: lottery tickets, pet veterinary services, animal grooming (except livestock), soft drinks, candy and dry cleaning.

124 exemptions&nbsp;selected for removal:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/14/gov-pillens-property-tax-plan-would-add-new-taxes-on-120-goods-and-services-draft-indicates/">Draft closed-door materials</a>&nbsp;shared among Pillen and 17 lawmakers.

Number of exemptions set for removal drops to&nbsp;108: Part of a formal tax plan that&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/18/gov-pillen-releases-nebraskas-plan-for-property-tax-relief-with-few-new-concrete-details/">Pillen and lawmakers unveil</a>.

Still&nbsp;108 exemptions: Introduced as part of LB 1 in the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/29/drafting-errors-could-leave-gov-pillens-property-tax-relief-plan-up-to-139-million-short/">special session</a>.

68 exemptions&nbsp;now identified for removal, along with&nbsp;one additional exemption&nbsp;proposed (residential electricity): LB 34, advanced 6-1 from the Revenue Committee&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/08/12/latest-ne-property-tax-plan-would-add-sales-tax-to-another-70-plus-goods-and-services/">for floor debate</a>.

Removal list down to&nbsp;12 exemptions: State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn in&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/property-tax-debate-to-pick-up-friday-as-nebraska-lawmakers-continue-to-seek-broader-relief/">various amendments to LB 34</a>. She pulled all of them before any got to a vote.

Zero exemptions&nbsp;removed: LB 34 as&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/08/20/legislature-passes-slimmed-down-property-tax-relief-package-ends-nebraskas-special-session/">passed</a>.

Behind the scenes, plans were changing so quickly it was hard to keep up as the summer progressed. Multiple lawmakers working with Pillen said they kept up through reading various news reports.

It’s been almost two weeks since the special session ended and the new laws passed during the 17-day session took effect. Now that the dust has settled, here is a look back at what the governor wanted to achieve and how it evolved — up to the session’s final days.

Lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/08/20/legislature-passes-slimmed-down-property-tax-relief-package-ends-nebraskas-special-session/">approved</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=58075" target="_blank">LB 34</a>&nbsp;on Aug. 20 in a special session, more than four months after they went home for the first time. It added $185 million in new school tax relief, the majority of which would be paid through budget cuts. LB 34 also tied yearly property tax increases by municipal or county governments to no more than the greater of inflation or 0% in times of deflation, with a few exceptions.

Lawmakers and State Treasurer Tom Briese have celebrated a third part of LB 34 that revamps the income tax credits for property taxes paid in a program established through LB 1107 in 2020.&nbsp;

Instead of taxpayers needing to request a refund later, the credit will now appear on annual tax statements, beginning this winter.

“This is a big deal,” Pillen said after signing the legislation. “We’re making sure that 45% of Nebraskans who have not been getting that credit will now receive a 20% property tax cut.”

Many of the twists and turns of the special session came at Pillen’s instigation, including&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/13/gov-pillens-property-tax-tour-across-nebraska-didnt-lead-to-feedback-for-many-lawmakers/">26 town halls</a>&nbsp;he held as a pressure campaign on state lawmakers,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-senator-says-governor-misused-public-resources-to-promote-his-campaign-and-tax-plan/">campaign texts to constituents</a>&nbsp;and a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/18/gov-pillen-releases-nebraskas-plan-for-property-tax-relief-with-few-new-concrete-details/">self-paid brochure</a>&nbsp;to promote his ideas.&nbsp;

He had closed-door meetings with 17 lawmakers, who were told to not talk about them. Pillen publicly shared the conversations, though, and multiple senators said the group didn’t reach consensus before the session began.

Pillen talked extensively about broadening the state’s sales tax base, which includes&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/06/10/everybodys-got-to-play-breaking-down-nebraskas-more-than-100-sales-tax-exemptions/">dozens of exemptions</a>&nbsp;on various goods and services. In Nebraska, goods are taxed by default unless the Legislature rules them exempt, while services are exempt unless specifically taxed.

Upward of $7 billion worth of sales taxes are annually exempt, according to estimates from the Department of Revenue and Pillen’s staff.

Any time a senator suggested taxing a currently exempt product or service, unlikely legislative allies from across the political aisle lined up to criticize the move as one coming from Pillen.&nbsp;

This included State Sens. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln and Julie Slama of Dunbar, who called Pillen’s&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=58119" target="_blank">LB 1</a>&nbsp;and similar proposals as “<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/14/gov-pillens-property-tax-plan-would-add-new-taxes-on-120-goods-and-services-draft-indicates/">a reverse Robin Hood scheme</a>” that “<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/18/gov-pillen-releases-nebraskas-plan-for-property-tax-relief-with-few-new-concrete-details/">robs Peter to pay Pillen</a>.”

“I love Nebraska. I’ve been blessed more than I deserve in 100 lifetimes,” Pillen told the Nebraska Examiner the day before the special session began. “But I’m not going to apologize for it. We’ve worked our tails off, we took risks, still do. And the thought that I’m doing this for personal gain, it’s kind of beyond belief.”

Pillen blamed “special interests” for why LB 388 failed and said Nebraskans needed to get involved. He used that same argument for why LB 34 was a “step forward” but not far enough.

In preparation for 2025, Pillen is employing a similar strategy as before the special session:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/13/gov-pillens-property-tax-tour-across-nebraska-didnt-lead-to-feedback-for-many-lawmakers/">Get more Nebraskans involved</a>.&nbsp;

Pillen said Nebraskans need to be informed “so there’s no wiggle room, there’s no misleading with innuendos and all the silly things that go on out in that [Capitol] Rotunda,” where lobbyists often talk to senators.&nbsp;

“We’ve got a heck of a lot of rain in Nebraska,” Pillen said just before he signed the special session proposals. “I did not think we could get a swamp inside the Rotunda.”

At least&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/04/11/tributes-paid-to-15-departing-state-senators-as-session-nears-end-13-leaving-due-to-term-limits/">15 senators are term-limited or otherwise not returning to the Legislature</a>&nbsp;next year, meaning about one-third of senators in the 49-member Legislature will be learning the ropes as more tax proposals are considered.

View a timeline below created by the Nebraska Examiner on the trajectory of the 2024 summer special session and debate on property taxes.&nbsp;<a href="https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/timeline3/latest/embed/index.html?source=1Pmtb5eOuvxvudvt54B55NRKaH4pMM6cyRKTul7zCfps&amp;font=Default&amp;lang=en&amp;initial_zoom=2&amp;height=700" target="_blank">Or visit the timeline in a new tab online</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725281433497.jpeg" alt="Gov. Jim Pillen is joined by two dozen lawmakers for a news conference at the end of the Legislature’s special session to address property taxes that begin almost one month prior. Aug. 20, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Gov. Jim Pillen is joined by two dozen lawmakers for a news conference at the end of the Legislature’s special session to address property taxes that begin almost one month prior. Aug. 20, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Zach Wendling<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/02/a-timeline-of-the-nebraska-legislatures-summer-property-tax-debate-april-18-to-aug-21/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN —&nbsp;Over the span of the last four months, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen lobbied energetically for significant property tax relief, with a stated goal of attaining&nbsp;<a href="https://governor.nebraska.gov/press/governor-pillen-calls-40-reduction-state-property-taxes" target="_blank">40% total property tax relief</a>&nbsp;by the end of his second year in office.He made clear his intentions in April to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/04/18/nebraska-lawmakers-adjourn-but-break-will-be-short-lived-as-special-session-looms-this-summer/">call a special session</a>&nbsp;after his previous backed package,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=49980" target="_blank">Legislative Bill 388</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/04/18/stunning-last-minute-defeat-for-pillen-tax-shift-bill-likely-ensures-special-session/">fell short</a>. Pillen hoped for a different outcome later in the year and by the end of 2024.“We’re behind at the end of the first half, but we still got a second half to go,” he told state senators as the regular session ended. “Enjoy halftime. We’ll see you again here soon.”But when the Legislature completed its special session on Aug. 20, the result was an&nbsp;expanded and revamped program providing only about&nbsp;3% to 4% more property tax relief, with total relief roughly around 20%, according to Pillen.<h2>Evolving sales tax debate</h2>More than&nbsp;200&nbsp;goods or services are exempt from sales taxes in Nebraska, with many of those added over time after the tax was created in 1967. Gov. Jim Pillen eyed eliminating some exemptions to pay for property tax relief, yet none were removed in an ever-evolving special session. Here’s how the ground shifted:May and June:All sales tax exemptions&nbsp;are on the table for&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/06/10/everybodys-got-to-play-breaking-down-nebraskas-more-than-100-sales-tax-exemptions/">potential removal</a>, except food and medicine, Pillen states. By comparison,&nbsp;six exemptions&nbsp;were included in&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=49980" target="_blank">Legislative Bill 388</a>, which failed in spring 2024: lottery tickets, pet veterinary services, animal grooming (except livestock), soft drinks, candy and dry cleaning.July 14:124 exemptions&nbsp;selected for removal:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/14/gov-pillens-property-tax-plan-would-add-new-taxes-on-120-goods-and-services-draft-indicates/">Draft closed-door materials</a>&nbsp;shared among Pillen and 17 lawmakers.July 18:Number of exemptions set for removal drops to&nbsp;108: Part of a formal tax plan that&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/18/gov-pillen-releases-nebraskas-plan-for-property-tax-relief-with-few-new-concrete-details/">Pillen and lawmakers unveil</a>.July 25:&nbsp;Still&nbsp;108 exemptions: Introduced as part of LB 1 in the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/29/drafting-errors-could-leave-gov-pillens-property-tax-relief-plan-up-to-139-million-short/">special session</a>.Aug. 12:&nbsp;68 exemptions&nbsp;now identified for removal, along with&nbsp;one additional exemption&nbsp;proposed (residential electricity): LB 34, advanced 6-1 from the Revenue Committee&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/08/12/latest-ne-property-tax-plan-would-add-sales-tax-to-another-70-plus-goods-and-services/">for floor debate</a>.Aug. 16:&nbsp;Removal list down to&nbsp;12 exemptions: State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn in&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/property-tax-debate-to-pick-up-friday-as-nebraska-lawmakers-continue-to-seek-broader-relief/">various amendments to LB 34</a>. She pulled all of them before any got to a vote.Aug. 20:&nbsp;Zero exemptions&nbsp;removed: LB 34 as&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/08/20/legislature-passes-slimmed-down-property-tax-relief-package-ends-nebraskas-special-session/">passed</a>.Behind the scenes, plans were changing so quickly it was hard to keep up as the summer progressed. Multiple lawmakers working with Pillen said they kept up through reading various news reports.It’s been almost two weeks since the special session ended and the new laws passed during the 17-day session took effect. Now that the dust has settled, here is a look back at what the governor wanted to achieve and how it evolved — up to the session’s final days.<h2>Automatic tax credit</h2>Lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/08/20/legislature-passes-slimmed-down-property-tax-relief-package-ends-nebraskas-special-session/">approved</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=58075" target="_blank">LB 34</a>&nbsp;on Aug. 20 in a special session, more than four months after they went home for the first time. It added $185 million in new school tax relief, the majority of which would be paid through budget cuts. LB 34 also tied yearly property tax increases by municipal or county governments to no more than the greater of inflation or 0% in times of deflation, with a few exceptions.Lawmakers and State Treasurer Tom Briese have celebrated a third part of LB 34 that revamps the income tax credits for property taxes paid in a program established through LB 1107 in 2020.&nbsp;Instead of taxpayers needing to request a refund later, the credit will now appear on annual tax statements, beginning this winter.“This is a big deal,” Pillen said after signing the legislation. “We’re making sure that 45% of Nebraskans who have not been getting that credit will now receive a 20% property tax cut.”<h2>A pressure campaign and sales taxes</h2>Many of the twists and turns of the special session came at Pillen’s instigation, including&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/13/gov-pillens-property-tax-tour-across-nebraska-didnt-lead-to-feedback-for-many-lawmakers/">26 town halls</a>&nbsp;he held as a pressure campaign on state lawmakers,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-senator-says-governor-misused-public-resources-to-promote-his-campaign-and-tax-plan/">campaign texts to constituents</a>&nbsp;and a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/18/gov-pillen-releases-nebraskas-plan-for-property-tax-relief-with-few-new-concrete-details/">self-paid brochure</a>&nbsp;to promote his ideas.&nbsp;He had closed-door meetings with 17 lawmakers, who were told to not talk about them. Pillen publicly shared the conversations, though, and multiple senators said the group didn’t reach consensus before the session began.Pillen talked extensively about broadening the state’s sales tax base, which includes&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/06/10/everybodys-got-to-play-breaking-down-nebraskas-more-than-100-sales-tax-exemptions/">dozens of exemptions</a>&nbsp;on various goods and services. In Nebraska, goods are taxed by default unless the Legislature rules them exempt, while services are exempt unless specifically taxed.Upward of $7 billion worth of sales taxes are annually exempt, according to estimates from the Department of Revenue and Pillen’s staff.Any time a senator suggested taxing a currently exempt product or service, unlikely legislative allies from across the political aisle lined up to criticize the move as one coming from Pillen.&nbsp;This included State Sens. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln and Julie Slama of Dunbar, who called Pillen’s&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=58119" target="_blank">LB 1</a>&nbsp;and similar proposals as “<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/14/gov-pillens-property-tax-plan-would-add-new-taxes-on-120-goods-and-services-draft-indicates/">a reverse Robin Hood scheme</a>” that “<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/18/gov-pillen-releases-nebraskas-plan-for-property-tax-relief-with-few-new-concrete-details/">robs Peter to pay Pillen</a>.”“I love Nebraska. I’ve been blessed more than I deserve in 100 lifetimes,” Pillen told the Nebraska Examiner the day before the special session began. “But I’m not going to apologize for it. We’ve worked our tails off, we took risks, still do. And the thought that I’m doing this for personal gain, it’s kind of beyond belief.”<h2>‘A swamp inside the Rotunda’</h2>Pillen blamed “special interests” for why LB 388 failed and said Nebraskans needed to get involved. He used that same argument for why LB 34 was a “step forward” but not far enough.In preparation for 2025, Pillen is employing a similar strategy as before the special session:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/13/gov-pillens-property-tax-tour-across-nebraska-didnt-lead-to-feedback-for-many-lawmakers/">Get more Nebraskans involved</a>.&nbsp;Pillen said Nebraskans need to be informed “so there’s no wiggle room, there’s no misleading with innuendos and all the silly things that go on out in that [Capitol] Rotunda,” where lobbyists often talk to senators.&nbsp;“We’ve got a heck of a lot of rain in Nebraska,” Pillen said just before he signed the special session proposals. “I did not think we could get a swamp inside the Rotunda.”At least&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/04/11/tributes-paid-to-15-departing-state-senators-as-session-nears-end-13-leaving-due-to-term-limits/">15 senators are term-limited or otherwise not returning to the Legislature</a>&nbsp;next year, meaning about one-third of senators in the 49-member Legislature will be learning the ropes as more tax proposals are considered.View a timeline below created by the Nebraska Examiner on the trajectory of the 2024 summer special session and debate on property taxes.&nbsp;<a href="https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/timeline3/latest/embed/index.html?source=1Pmtb5eOuvxvudvt54B55NRKaH4pMM6cyRKTul7zCfps&amp;font=Default&amp;lang=en&amp;initial_zoom=2&amp;height=700" target="_blank">Or visit the timeline in a new tab online</a>.

A timeline of the Nebraska Legislature’s summer property tax debate: April 18 to Aug. 21

WASHINGTON –&nbsp;Two foreign nationals are charged by indictment, unsealed this week, with being part of a years-long conspiracy to perpetrate “swatting” attacks and bomb threats against U.S. victims that included senior government officials, according to a media release from the U.S. Secret Service.

Thomasz Szabo, 26, of Romania, and Nemanja Radovanovic, 21, of Serbia, are each charged with one count of conspiracy, 29 counts of threats and false information regarding explosives, and four counts of transmitting threats in interstate and foreign commerce.

The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Matt McCool of the Washington Field Office, FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the Washington Field Office, U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston, Sr., of the Minneapolis Field Office.

According to the indictment, Szabo, Radovanovic, and others, were part of a conspiracy that began no later than December of 2020 and continued through January of 2024. The conspirators obtained personal identifying information, including home addresses, for their intended victims, and then carried out “swatting” attacks by falsely reporting emergencies for the purpose of provoking a police response at the victim’s home.

Szabo was allegedly the organizer and moderator of chat groups where the conspirators communicated with one another. They used monikers to communicate including, for Szabo, “Jonah,” “Jonah Goldberg,” “Plank,” “Rambler,” “War Lord,” “Shovel,” “Cypher,” “Kollectivist,” “Mortenberg Shekelstorms,” and “NotThuggin2”; and for Radovanovic, “XBD31,” “XDR,” “Angus,” “Thuggin,” “Thug Hunter,” “NotThuggin,” “DCL,” and “AOD.”

The indictment alleges that, in furtherance of the conspiracy, the defendants committed swatting attempts against 40 private victims and 61 official victims, including members of Congress, cabinet-level executive branch officials, senior official of federal law enforcement agencies, and state officials. The indictment also alleges that the defendants committed bomb threats against four victim businesses, four victim religious institutions, and one victim university.

“Swatting is not a victimless prank—it endangers real people, wastes precious police resources, and inflicts significant emotional trauma,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “We will use every tool at our disposal to find the perpetrators and hold them accountable, no matter where they might be.”

“I am proud of the extraordinary investigative work done by Secret Service agents at the Washington Field Office in this case,” said Special Agent in Charge McCool. “The perpetrators of these crimes left a trail of victims across the United States, abusing critical law enforcement resources to terrorize elected officials, public figures, and private citizens. We will never waver in our commitment to bring individuals like this to justice.”

"The charges demonstrate how seriously the FBI takes the crime of swatting, which can prevent law enforcement resources from getting to people who actually need them, as well as put lives in danger,” said Assistant Director in Charge Sundberg. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to pursue and bring to justice those who commit this dangerous crime, no matter where they reside.”

WASHINGTON –&nbsp;Two foreign nationals are charged by indictment, unsealed this week, with being part of a years-long conspiracy to perpetrate “swatting” attacks and bomb threats against U.S. victims that included senior government officials, according to a media release from the U.S. Secret Service.Thomasz Szabo, 26, of Romania, and Nemanja Radovanovic, 21, of Serbia, are each charged with one count of conspiracy, 29 counts of threats and false information regarding explosives, and four counts of transmitting threats in interstate and foreign commerce.The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Matt McCool of the Washington Field Office, FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the Washington Field Office, U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston, Sr., of the Minneapolis Field Office.According to the indictment, Szabo, Radovanovic, and others, were part of a conspiracy that began no later than December of 2020 and continued through January of 2024. The conspirators obtained personal identifying information, including home addresses, for their intended victims, and then carried out “swatting” attacks by falsely reporting emergencies for the purpose of provoking a police response at the victim’s home.Szabo was allegedly the organizer and moderator of chat groups where the conspirators communicated with one another. They used monikers to communicate including, for Szabo, “Jonah,” “Jonah Goldberg,” “Plank,” “Rambler,” “War Lord,” “Shovel,” “Cypher,” “Kollectivist,” “Mortenberg Shekelstorms,” and “NotThuggin2”; and for Radovanovic, “XBD31,” “XDR,” “Angus,” “Thuggin,” “Thug Hunter,” “NotThuggin,” “DCL,” and “AOD.”The indictment alleges that, in furtherance of the conspiracy, the defendants committed swatting attempts against 40 private victims and 61 official victims, including members of Congress, cabinet-level executive branch officials, senior official of federal law enforcement agencies, and state officials. The indictment also alleges that the defendants committed bomb threats against four victim businesses, four victim religious institutions, and one victim university.“Swatting is not a victimless prank—it endangers real people, wastes precious police resources, and inflicts significant emotional trauma,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “We will use every tool at our disposal to find the perpetrators and hold them accountable, no matter where they might be.”“I am proud of the extraordinary investigative work done by Secret Service agents at the Washington Field Office in this case,” said Special Agent in Charge McCool. “The perpetrators of these crimes left a trail of victims across the United States, abusing critical law enforcement resources to terrorize elected officials, public figures, and private citizens. We will never waver in our commitment to bring individuals like this to justice.”"The charges demonstrate how seriously the FBI takes the crime of swatting, which can prevent law enforcement resources from getting to people who actually need them, as well as put lives in danger,” said Assistant Director in Charge Sundberg. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to pursue and bring to justice those who commit this dangerous crime, no matter where they reside.”

2 charged in swatting conspiracy targeting lawmakers, houses of worship 

With eviction filings leaving a lasting mark on renters’ records, many states are reconsidering how much information landlords really need.

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/author/rsequeira/">ROBBIE SEQUEIRA</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>

When&nbsp;pandemic-era tenant protections expired, rents immediately soared, and eviction filings surged last year more than 50% over pre-pandemic levels in some U.S. cities.

These filings can cast long shadows. Simply being named in an eviction complaint, regardless of the outcome, can severely limit future housing options and prolong housing insecurity,&nbsp;<a href="https://poverty.umich.edu/2024/07/16/research-shows-far-reaching-costs-of-eviction-filings-to-tenants-regardless-of-the-outcome-in-court/" target="_blank">according to a recent University of Michigan study</a>.

The situation underscores a growing debate across the country: Should&nbsp;<a href="https://americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Eviction-Record-Expungement-Can-Remove-Barriers.pdf" target="_blank">eviction records</a>&nbsp;be shielded from public access to offer tenants a cleaner shot at finding another home?

In recent years, more states are saying, “yes — at least in some cases.”

Eviction filings are public court records. Landlords and property owners can buy databases of the records to screen potential tenants.

Property owners argue that sealing data on eviction filings — most of which are for nonpayment of rent — eliminates crucial insights into rental history. Housing advocates, however, warn that any filing can unfairly block renters from future housing because the outcome may not be an eviction.

An eviction filing doesn’t provide enough information to determine a tenant’s ability to honor their next lease, said Katie Fallon, a principal policy associate with the Urban Institute, a research and advocacy think tank focusing on urban policies.

“Given the low quality of this eviction filing data and the lack of outcomes in the filings themselves, it is a very open question of how accurate these filings are and what information they really provide to landlords,” she said.

This year,&nbsp;<a href="https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2024/legislation/S1327/" target="_blank">Idaho</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/sb0019" target="_blank">Maryland</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mass.gov/info-details/the-affordable-homes-act-smart-housing-livable-communities" target="_blank">Massachusetts</a>&nbsp;enacted laws to seal certain eviction records from public scrutiny and from tenant screening companies.

Last year,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/ACT/PA/PDF/2023PA-00207-R00SB-00998-PA.PDF" target="_blank">Connecticut</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText23/SenateText23/S0912Aaa.pdf" target="_blank">Rhode Island</a>&nbsp;also enacted laws that allow for the sealing of certain eviction cases. Arizona, meanwhile,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/55leg/2R/bills/HB2485H.pdf" target="_blank">enacted a law</a>&nbsp;in 2022 requiring courts to seal eviction records if cases are dismissed, dropped or adjudicated in the tenant’s favor.

In total, 17 states and Washington, D.C., have measures&nbsp;<a href="https://www.policylink.org/mapping-the-growth-of-eviction-record" target="_blank">sealing</a>&nbsp;at least some eviction records, according to PolicyLink, a national research and advocacy group with a focus on housing.

Zafar Shah, assistant director of advocacy for Maryland Legal Aid, said lawmakers are starting to understand how&nbsp;eviction records can prevent tenants from finding another home.

“We have clients that know they will lose their eviction case, but they want us to shield the information so that the next potential housing provider is not going to use it against them,” said Shah.

“That has really been the impetus for shielding and sealing across the country. These filings don’t tell us a lot, but they carry so much weight in the search for housing.”

An eviction filing could be resolved in a number of ways: A case might be dismissed if the landlord and tenant reach an agreement. The judge might rule in favor of the tenant, allowing them to stay in their home. Or the judge could side with the landlord, evicting the tenant.

Regardless of the outcome, the records live on in online court databases.

Third-party tenant screening companies scan court records for eviction cases, then sell the data to landlords to use in their leasing decisions.

Housing advocates say the data is often inaccurate and misleading. In one state — Illinois — less than half of eviction filings led to actual evictions, according to a 2019&nbsp;<a href="https://housingactionil.org/downloads/EvictionBrief_February2019.pdf" target="_blank">review</a>&nbsp;by Housing Action Illinois, an advocacy group.

Alexandra Alvarado, director of education and marketing at the American Apartment Owners Association, a tenant screening provider, told Stateline that the group’s database only displays eviction records with a completed judgment that were filed within the past seven years, which is the time limit set by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act.

“It can be a monetary or non-monetary judgment, but there must be a judgment. So, if an eviction case is filed, but the parties settled outside of court or the tenant won, then it wouldn’t show up in our reports, even though technically it is public record,” Alvarado said. “Our members are getting evictions that have merit and weren’t erroneously filed.”

According to researchers at the Eviction Lab at Princeton University, of the 3.6 million eviction court records in the 12 states they tracked from 2011 to 2015, more than 1 in 5 eviction cases contained little information on the resolution of a case. Ambiguous data can also&nbsp;<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201029055456id_/https:/www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10511482.2020.1748084?needAccess=true" target="_blank">falsely represent</a>&nbsp;a tenant’s eviction history, affecting both renters and scholarly researchers, according to a 2020 study by the group.

“While many people think an eviction filing is evidence of late rent payment, nonpayment of rent or a violation of the lease terms, this is not necessarily true,” said Fallon, of the Urban Institute. “Filings can include inaccurate data, such as the parties named in the eviction filing and inaccurate name spellings.”

Alvarado, of the American Apartment Owners Association, said landlords have mixed views about laws that allow courts to seal cases that have been dismissed or ruled in a tenant’s favor. What’s more important to landlords, she said, is that their screening process can look back the full seven years for problem evictions.

Laws that limit the lookback period — such as in&nbsp;<a href="https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2019R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB873/Enrolled" target="_blank">Oregon</a>, where tenants can request an expungement after five years — affect the tenant screening process more, she said.

The system is problematic, Eviction Lab found in a&nbsp;<a href="https://evictionlab.org/demographics-of-eviction/" target="_blank">2020 study</a>&nbsp;of eviction cases filed between 2012 and 2016 in 39 states. In addition to inaccurate information, Black households are overrepresented in eviction filings,&nbsp;Eviction Lab found, as are women — especially Black and Latina women.

“When landlords say they need to use eviction filings, which we know aren’t the most reliable information, to make housing decisions, we need to push back on that,” said Jasmine Rangel, senior housing associate for PolicyLink.

She and other advocates want eviction court records to be sealed as soon as a landlord files an eviction notice. Otherwise, she said, “third-party services can still scrape that eviction record from online databases and into their tenant screening algorithms.”

Advocates point out that eviction records could be made public later if a judge rules in the landlord’s favor.

But Shuntera Brown, who lost her home in Phoenix in 2021, said in an interview that any eviction record hurts single moms like herself.

Brown, who has three children, has struggled to pay rent even with a full-time job. In December 2020, a bout of COVID-19 caused her to miss work shifts, a paycheck disruption that eventually put her over the edge months later.

“It’s a Scarlet ‘E.’ You have this record, you have this thing on your file of an eviction, but there’s no understanding of the context or circumstances behind it,” Brown said. “I remember pleading with the judge that I’ve usually paid on time and that my kids need a home, but he sided with the landlord in, like, seven minutes, and the eviction immediately was on my credit.”

State by state, the laws differ on the details: Many states allow for eviction records to be sealed almost immediately if the case was dismissed or dropped, or if the tenant won the case. Other states have a waiting period, often several years, during which the tenant must demonstrate good behavior before a record is sealed.

Under Maryland’s new law, which takes effect in October, courts must shield records within 60 days of a resolution that doesn’t end in a tenant losing possession of their home. The state also will increase the eviction&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marylandbusinesslitigationlawyerblog.com/renters-rights-stabilization-act-2024/" target="_blank">filing fee</a>&nbsp;from $8 to $43.

Maryland landlords filed roughly 400,000 “failure to pay rent” cases in the state’s 2023 fiscal year, according to housing advocates who testified in favor of the new law. In some cases, landlords would file monthly failure to pay rent cases against tenants prematurely and tack on illegal fees on top of the back rent,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.publicjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/PJC-AR_2023_FINAL_web.pdf" target="_blank">according to a report</a>&nbsp;from the Maryland-based advocacy group Public Justice Center.

“The low cost and low barrier to entry have driven the massive quantity of filings, with many cases simply being leveraged to get rent money out of tenants quickly,” said Shah, of Maryland Legal Aid. “I think that the court overall has become more receptive to shielding these cases, recognizing that if a case was dismissed or settled, there’s no reason to hold it against the renter.

“This attitude has shifted significantly over the past decade,” he said.

In&nbsp;<a href="http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/15-16/bill/asm/ab_2801-2850/ab_2819_cfa_20160620_154723_sen_comm.html" target="_blank">California</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb20-1009" target="_blank">Colorado</a>, as in Maryland, an eviction lawsuit can be automatically sealed as soon as it’s been filed unless the landlord wins the case within 60 days.&nbsp;<a href="https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2022/bills/house/1214/details" target="_blank">Indiana</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/484.014" target="_blank">Minnesota</a>&nbsp;require a tenant to formally petition for sealing once a court reaches judgment.

Idaho’s new law shields dismissed eviction cases after three years. And in Massachusetts, tenants can request their case be sealed for a variety of reasons, no matter the outcome, after a period of time ranging from a few months to several years.

In Rhode Island, a tenant can only make a request once every five years.

Researchers at Eviction Lab told Stateline that state laws should still allow data access for scientists. The 2022&nbsp;<a href="https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/laws/24-115" target="_blank">eviction-sealing law</a>&nbsp;in Washington, D.C., for example, specifies that records can be unsealed for scholarly, educational, journalistic or governmental purposes.

“There is an important public right to know what is going on in the housing market, and this is one of our data points into the eviction crisis,” said Carl Gershenson, lab director at Eviction Lab. “There is a balance that can be achieved that is in the best interest of tenants and how these filings can be used as datapoints to understand the housing crisis.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641238301184.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>With eviction filings leaving a lasting mark on renters’ records, many states are reconsidering how much information landlords really need.</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/author/rsequeira/">ROBBIE SEQUEIRA</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>When&nbsp;pandemic-era tenant protections expired, rents immediately soared, and eviction filings surged last year more than 50% over pre-pandemic levels in some U.S. cities.These filings can cast long shadows. Simply being named in an eviction complaint, regardless of the outcome, can severely limit future housing options and prolong housing insecurity,&nbsp;<a href="https://poverty.umich.edu/2024/07/16/research-shows-far-reaching-costs-of-eviction-filings-to-tenants-regardless-of-the-outcome-in-court/" target="_blank">according to a recent University of Michigan study</a>.The situation underscores a growing debate across the country: Should&nbsp;<a href="https://americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Eviction-Record-Expungement-Can-Remove-Barriers.pdf" target="_blank">eviction records</a>&nbsp;be shielded from public access to offer tenants a cleaner shot at finding another home?In recent years, more states are saying, “yes — at least in some cases.”Eviction filings are public court records. Landlords and property owners can buy databases of the records to screen potential tenants.Property owners argue that sealing data on eviction filings — most of which are for nonpayment of rent — eliminates crucial insights into rental history. Housing advocates, however, warn that any filing can unfairly block renters from future housing because the outcome may not be an eviction.An eviction filing doesn’t provide enough information to determine a tenant’s ability to honor their next lease, said Katie Fallon, a principal policy associate with the Urban Institute, a research and advocacy think tank focusing on urban policies.“Given the low quality of this eviction filing data and the lack of outcomes in the filings themselves, it is a very open question of how accurate these filings are and what information they really provide to landlords,” she said.This year,&nbsp;<a href="https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2024/legislation/S1327/" target="_blank">Idaho</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/sb0019" target="_blank">Maryland</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mass.gov/info-details/the-affordable-homes-act-smart-housing-livable-communities" target="_blank">Massachusetts</a>&nbsp;enacted laws to seal certain eviction records from public scrutiny and from tenant screening companies.Last year,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/ACT/PA/PDF/2023PA-00207-R00SB-00998-PA.PDF" target="_blank">Connecticut</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText23/SenateText23/S0912Aaa.pdf" target="_blank">Rhode Island</a>&nbsp;also enacted laws that allow for the sealing of certain eviction cases. Arizona, meanwhile,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/55leg/2R/bills/HB2485H.pdf" target="_blank">enacted a law</a>&nbsp;in 2022 requiring courts to seal eviction records if cases are dismissed, dropped or adjudicated in the tenant’s favor.In total, 17 states and Washington, D.C., have measures&nbsp;<a href="https://www.policylink.org/mapping-the-growth-of-eviction-record" target="_blank">sealing</a>&nbsp;at least some eviction records, according to PolicyLink, a national research and advocacy group with a focus on housing.Zafar Shah, assistant director of advocacy for Maryland Legal Aid, said lawmakers are starting to understand how&nbsp;eviction records can prevent tenants from finding another home.“We have clients that know they will lose their eviction case, but they want us to shield the information so that the next potential housing provider is not going to use it against them,” said Shah.“That has really been the impetus for shielding and sealing across the country. These filings don’t tell us a lot, but they carry so much weight in the search for housing.”An eviction filing could be resolved in a number of ways: A case might be dismissed if the landlord and tenant reach an agreement. The judge might rule in favor of the tenant, allowing them to stay in their home. Or the judge could side with the landlord, evicting the tenant.Regardless of the outcome, the records live on in online court databases.Third-party tenant screening companies scan court records for eviction cases, then sell the data to landlords to use in their leasing decisions.Housing advocates say the data is often inaccurate and misleading. In one state — Illinois — less than half of eviction filings led to actual evictions, according to a 2019&nbsp;<a href="https://housingactionil.org/downloads/EvictionBrief_February2019.pdf" target="_blank">review</a>&nbsp;by Housing Action Illinois, an advocacy group.Alexandra Alvarado, director of education and marketing at the American Apartment Owners Association, a tenant screening provider, told Stateline that the group’s database only displays eviction records with a completed judgment that were filed within the past seven years, which is the time limit set by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act.“It can be a monetary or non-monetary judgment, but there must be a judgment. So, if an eviction case is filed, but the parties settled outside of court or the tenant won, then it wouldn’t show up in our reports, even though technically it is public record,” Alvarado said. “Our members are getting evictions that have merit and weren’t erroneously filed.”<h2>A Scarlet ‘E’</h2>According to researchers at the Eviction Lab at Princeton University, of the 3.6 million eviction court records in the 12 states they tracked from 2011 to 2015, more than 1 in 5 eviction cases contained little information on the resolution of a case. Ambiguous data can also&nbsp;<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201029055456id_/https:/www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10511482.2020.1748084?needAccess=true" target="_blank">falsely represent</a>&nbsp;a tenant’s eviction history, affecting both renters and scholarly researchers, according to a 2020 study by the group.“While many people think an eviction filing is evidence of late rent payment, nonpayment of rent or a violation of the lease terms, this is not necessarily true,” said Fallon, of the Urban Institute. “Filings can include inaccurate data, such as the parties named in the eviction filing and inaccurate name spellings.”Alvarado, of the American Apartment Owners Association, said landlords have mixed views about laws that allow courts to seal cases that have been dismissed or ruled in a tenant’s favor. What’s more important to landlords, she said, is that their screening process can look back the full seven years for problem evictions.Laws that limit the lookback period — such as in&nbsp;<a href="https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2019R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB873/Enrolled" target="_blank">Oregon</a>, where tenants can request an expungement after five years — affect the tenant screening process more, she said.The system is problematic, Eviction Lab found in a&nbsp;<a href="https://evictionlab.org/demographics-of-eviction/" target="_blank">2020 study</a>&nbsp;of eviction cases filed between 2012 and 2016 in 39 states. In addition to inaccurate information, Black households are overrepresented in eviction filings,&nbsp;Eviction Lab found, as are women — especially Black and Latina women.“When landlords say they need to use eviction filings, which we know aren’t the most reliable information, to make housing decisions, we need to push back on that,” said Jasmine Rangel, senior housing associate for PolicyLink.She and other advocates want eviction court records to be sealed as soon as a landlord files an eviction notice. Otherwise, she said, “third-party services can still scrape that eviction record from online databases and into their tenant screening algorithms.”Advocates point out that eviction records could be made public later if a judge rules in the landlord’s favor.But Shuntera Brown, who lost her home in Phoenix in 2021, said in an interview that any eviction record hurts single moms like herself.Brown, who has three children, has struggled to pay rent even with a full-time job. In December 2020, a bout of COVID-19 caused her to miss work shifts, a paycheck disruption that eventually put her over the edge months later.“It’s a Scarlet ‘E.’ You have this record, you have this thing on your file of an eviction, but there’s no understanding of the context or circumstances behind it,” Brown said. “I remember pleading with the judge that I’ve usually paid on time and that my kids need a home, but he sided with the landlord in, like, seven minutes, and the eviction immediately was on my credit.”<h2>Sealing the records</h2>State by state, the laws differ on the details: Many states allow for eviction records to be sealed almost immediately if the case was dismissed or dropped, or if the tenant won the case. Other states have a waiting period, often several years, during which the tenant must demonstrate good behavior before a record is sealed.Under Maryland’s new law, which takes effect in October, courts must shield records within 60 days of a resolution that doesn’t end in a tenant losing possession of their home. The state also will increase the eviction&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marylandbusinesslitigationlawyerblog.com/renters-rights-stabilization-act-2024/" target="_blank">filing fee</a>&nbsp;from $8 to $43.Maryland landlords filed roughly 400,000 “failure to pay rent” cases in the state’s 2023 fiscal year, according to housing advocates who testified in favor of the new law. In some cases, landlords would file monthly failure to pay rent cases against tenants prematurely and tack on illegal fees on top of the back rent,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.publicjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/PJC-AR_2023_FINAL_web.pdf" target="_blank">according to a report</a>&nbsp;from the Maryland-based advocacy group Public Justice Center.“The low cost and low barrier to entry have driven the massive quantity of filings, with many cases simply being leveraged to get rent money out of tenants quickly,” said Shah, of Maryland Legal Aid. “I think that the court overall has become more receptive to shielding these cases, recognizing that if a case was dismissed or settled, there’s no reason to hold it against the renter.“This attitude has shifted significantly over the past decade,” he said.In&nbsp;<a href="http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/15-16/bill/asm/ab_2801-2850/ab_2819_cfa_20160620_154723_sen_comm.html" target="_blank">California</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb20-1009" target="_blank">Colorado</a>, as in Maryland, an eviction lawsuit can be automatically sealed as soon as it’s been filed unless the landlord wins the case within 60 days.&nbsp;<a href="https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2022/bills/house/1214/details" target="_blank">Indiana</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/484.014" target="_blank">Minnesota</a>&nbsp;require a tenant to formally petition for sealing once a court reaches judgment.Idaho’s new law shields dismissed eviction cases after three years. And in Massachusetts, tenants can request their case be sealed for a variety of reasons, no matter the outcome, after a period of time ranging from a few months to several years.In Rhode Island, a tenant can only make a request once every five years.Researchers at Eviction Lab told Stateline that state laws should still allow data access for scientists. The 2022&nbsp;<a href="https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/laws/24-115" target="_blank">eviction-sealing law</a>&nbsp;in Washington, D.C., for example, specifies that records can be unsealed for scholarly, educational, journalistic or governmental purposes.“There is an important public right to know what is going on in the housing market, and this is one of our data points into the eviction crisis,” said Carl Gershenson, lab director at Eviction Lab. “There is a balance that can be achieved that is in the best interest of tenants and how these filings can be used as datapoints to understand the housing crisis.”

Landlords cry foul as more states seal eviction records

BAGHDAD —U.S. forces and Iraqi Security Forces conducted a partnered raid in Western Iraq in the early hours of Friday resulting in the death of 15 ISIS operatives, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.

 The ISIS element was armed with numerous weapons, grenades, and explosive "suicide" belts. There is no indication of civilian casualties.

This operation targeted ISIS leaders to disrupt and degrade ISIS' ability to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against Iraqi civilians, as well as U.S. citizens, allies, and partners throughout the region and beyond.

Iraqi Security Forces continue to further exploit the locations raided.

"ISIS remains a threat to the region, our allies, as well as our homeland. U.S. CENTCOM alongside our coalition and Iraqi partners, will continue to aggressively pursue these terrorists"

The U.S. Central command indicated they would provide more information as it becomes available.

BAGHDAD —U.S. forces and Iraqi Security Forces conducted a partnered raid in Western Iraq in the early hours of Friday resulting in the death of 15 ISIS operatives, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command. The ISIS element was armed with numerous weapons, grenades, and explosive "suicide" belts. There is no indication of civilian casualties.This operation targeted ISIS leaders to disrupt and degrade ISIS' ability to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against Iraqi civilians, as well as U.S. citizens, allies, and partners throughout the region and beyond.Iraqi Security Forces continue to further exploit the locations raided."ISIS remains a threat to the region, our allies, as well as our homeland. U.S. CENTCOM alongside our coalition and Iraqi partners, will continue to aggressively pursue these terrorists"The U.S. Central command indicated they would provide more information as it becomes available.

U.S. military raid in Iraq kills 15 ISIS operatives

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/janellestecklein/">JANELLE STECKLEIN</a>&nbsp;

OKLAHOMA CITY — State agricultural officials were investigating Friday whether a feed shipment is responsible for the death of dozens of horses at one of the nation’s top rodeo stock providers.

The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry said in a statement that it is investigating whether the feed, which originated in Kansas, is responsible for the “tragic loss of horses” at Beutler and Son Rodeo Co.

<a href="https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2024/08/29/beutler-ranch-oklahoma-loses-over-40-horses-contaminated-feed-beutler-and-sons-rodeo-company/74994001007/" target="_blank">The Oklahoman</a>&nbsp;reported that between 40 and 70 horses died at the Elk City business last week.

The agency said it was notified Aug. 23 by a veterinarian of “a potential issue” related to a single bulk feed order. It sent an inspector to the business. The inspector collected a feed sample, which has been sent to two state-certified labs for analysis.

Oklahoma agriculture officials said they’re coordinating with the Kansas Department of Agriculture during the investigation.

Officials did not identify the feed provider.

However, they’re urging livestock owners to review the labels on feed and contact their veterinarian if they have any questions about the safety of the ingredients.

Oklahoma Voice, a States Newsroom affiliate,&nbsp;<a href="https://oklahomavoice.com/briefs/oklahoma-agricultural-officials-investigating-whether-feed-shipment-killed-dozens-of-rodeo-horses/" target="_blank">produced this story</a>.

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/janellestecklein/">JANELLE STECKLEIN</a>&nbsp;OKLAHOMA CITY — State agricultural officials were investigating Friday whether a feed shipment is responsible for the death of dozens of horses at one of the nation’s top rodeo stock providers.The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry said in a statement that it is investigating whether the feed, which originated in Kansas, is responsible for the “tragic loss of horses” at Beutler and Son Rodeo Co.<a href="https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2024/08/29/beutler-ranch-oklahoma-loses-over-40-horses-contaminated-feed-beutler-and-sons-rodeo-company/74994001007/" target="_blank">The Oklahoman</a>&nbsp;reported that between 40 and 70 horses died at the Elk City business last week.The agency said it was notified Aug. 23 by a veterinarian of “a potential issue” related to a single bulk feed order. It sent an inspector to the business. The inspector collected a feed sample, which has been sent to two state-certified labs for analysis.Oklahoma agriculture officials said they’re coordinating with the Kansas Department of Agriculture during the investigation.Officials did not identify the feed provider.However, they’re urging livestock owners to review the labels on feed and contact their veterinarian if they have any questions about the safety of the ingredients.Oklahoma Voice, a States Newsroom affiliate,&nbsp;<a href="https://oklahomavoice.com/briefs/oklahoma-agricultural-officials-investigating-whether-feed-shipment-killed-dozens-of-rodeo-horses/" target="_blank">produced this story</a>.

Ag officials investigating whether feed shipment killed dozens of rodeo horses

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday defended her values and vowed, if elected, to appoint a Republican to her cabinet in her first major sit-down interview since her presidential campaign began just over a month ago.

Harris, who rose to the top of the Democratic ticket after President Joe Biden dropped his bid in July, spoke to CNN’s Dana Bash in Savannah, Georgia, for roughly 30 minutes with her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz by her side.

The interview came a week after Harris&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/lets-fight-it-harris-vows-chart-new-way-forward-defeat-trump" target="_blank">formally accepted</a>&nbsp;the party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Harris had recently become the target of criticism for not yet participating in an unscripted interview with a major news outlet.

Harris and Walz&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/29/politics/kamala-harris-tim-walz-cnntv/index.html" target="_blank">sat down</a>&nbsp;with the network anchor Thursday afternoon in Georgia during a pause in the pair’s two-day bus tour through the southeastern region of the battleground state.

Harris told Bash that she envisions building an “opportunity economy” for the middle class, including expanding the child tax credit to up to $6,000, providing a $25,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers, and combating “price gouging,” to which Harris attributed high grocery prices.

The vice president ticked off Democratic accomplishments under Biden, including capping the price of insulin and reducing child poverty under a pandemic-era temporary expansion of the child tax credit that eliminated the work requirement and paid families in monthly installments.

“I’ll say that that’s good work, there’s more to do, but that’s good work,” Harris said.

The CNN anchor pressed Harris on her changes in policy positions, including immigration and fracking.

Republicans have pounced on Harris’ past statements and accuse her of changing her tune to appeal to more centrist voters. Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday dubbed her “FLIP-FLOPPING KAMALA” on his Truth Social platform, where the current GOP presidential nominee posts numerous times a day.

“​​Let’s be clear, in this race I’m the only person who has prosecuted transnational criminal organizations who traffic in guns, drugs and human beings,” Harris said when asked about her past position on decriminalizing the border. “I’m the only person in this race who actually served a border state as attorney general to enforce our laws, and I would enforce our laws as president going forward, I recognize the problem.”

Harris also defended her switch from opposing fracking to supporting it.

“I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed. I have always believed, and I have worked on it, that the climate crisis is real,” Harris said.

Despite attacks from Republicans, Bash noted that the Democratic National Convention featured quite a few speakers from the GOP side of the aisle.

Prompted to the idea by Bash, Harris said “it would be a benefit to the American public” to appoint a Republican to her administration cabinet, if elected — though she didn’t name names.

“I have spent my career inviting diversity of opinion. I think it’s important to have people at the table when some of the most important decisions are being made that have different views, different experiences,” she said.

The interview revealed for many that Harris and Trump have never met face-to-face.They will do so for the first time on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-agrees-sept-10-debate-harris-claims-two-more-upcoming" target="_blank">debate stage</a>&nbsp;on Sept. 10, an event that will air on ABC News.

As for her thoughts on Trump, Harris told Bash that the former president is “diminishing the character and the strength of who we are as Americans.”

When Bash asked Harris to respond to Trump’s attacks, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-insults-harris-makes-false-claims-quarrels-black-journalists-conference" target="_blank">questioning her race</a>, the vice president only briefly addressed them.

“Same old tired playbook, next question please,” she said.

Bash then moved to the topic of the Israel-Hamas war to which Harris responded that she is “unequivocal and unwavering in my commitment to Israel’s defense and its ability to defend itself,” adding that “how it does so matters.”

She reiterated her plea for a peace deal that includes rescuing hostages who remain in Hamas captivity.

“​​A deal is not only the right thing to do to end this war, but will unlock so much of what must happen next. I remain committed, since I’ve been on October 8, to what we must do to work toward a two-state solution where Israel is secure, and in equal measure, the Palestinians have security and self-determination and dignity.”

Bash asked Walz to respond to controversy around how he described his military service that spanned more than two decades in the Army National Guard, but never included combat deployment. Questions arose when Walz said he carried weapons “in war” in a 2018 video where he was speaking about gun violence,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/walz-military-record-weapons-harris-video-89fc6fa0c5f51c0ba657b8f808afcd87" target="_blank">according</a>&nbsp;to The Associated Press.

Walz, who also worked as a public school teacher and high school football coach, said he misspoke and that his “grammar is not always correct.”

“I wear my emotions on my sleeve, I speak especially passionately about our children being shot in schools and around guns. So I think people know me. They know who I am. They know where my heart is, and again, my record has been out there for over 40 years to speak for itself,” Walz said.

Bash also asked Walz about his mix-up when describing he and wife’s fertility method; he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tim-walz-ivf-fertility-jd-vance-fc5ebf8f37adb28cf45d0af51224a938" target="_blank">said</a>&nbsp;it was in vitro fertilization — a&nbsp;<a href="https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2024/06/13/u-s-senate-republicans-reject-democrats-bill-on-ivf-protections/" target="_blank">topic</a>&nbsp;that has fractured anti-abortion voters — while in reality the couple used artificial insemination.

Walz told Bash, “I certainly own my mistakes when I make them.”

“I spoke about our infertility issues because it’s hell, and families know this. And I spoke about the treatments that were available to us, that had those beautiful children. That’s quite a contrast in folks that are trying to take those rights away from us,” he said.

Just as the interview ended, Trump posted to his Truth Social platform the word “BORING!!!”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724983318602.png" alt="Image courtesy CNN via Harris campaign for President" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy CNN via Harris campaign for President</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday defended her values and vowed, if elected, to appoint a Republican to her cabinet in her first major sit-down interview since her presidential campaign began just over a month ago.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The American people are ready for a new way forward. Our former president has pushed an agenda that diminishes the character and strength of who we are as Americans, and divides our nation. People are ready to turn the page.<a href="https://t.co/yyd4tBqdMu">pic.twitter.com/yyd4tBqdMu</a>&mdash; Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1829330275823702247?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Harris, who rose to the top of the Democratic ticket after President Joe Biden dropped his bid in July, spoke to CNN’s Dana Bash in Savannah, Georgia, for roughly 30 minutes with her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz by her side.The interview came a week after Harris&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/lets-fight-it-harris-vows-chart-new-way-forward-defeat-trump" target="_blank">formally accepted</a>&nbsp;the party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Harris had recently become the target of criticism for not yet participating in an unscripted interview with a major news outlet.Harris and Walz&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/29/politics/kamala-harris-tim-walz-cnntv/index.html" target="_blank">sat down</a>&nbsp;with the network anchor Thursday afternoon in Georgia during a pause in the pair’s two-day bus tour through the southeastern region of the battleground state.Harris told Bash that she envisions building an “opportunity economy” for the middle class, including expanding the child tax credit to up to $6,000, providing a $25,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers, and combating “price gouging,” to which Harris attributed high grocery prices.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">On day one of my administration, I will implement my plan for an opportunity economy. This plan will bring down the cost of everyday goods, invest in America&#39;s small businesses, and extend the Child Tax Credit.<a href="https://t.co/jAQwsUl8QS">pic.twitter.com/jAQwsUl8QS</a>&mdash; Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1829334166749491420?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Donald Trump killed our bill to secure the border in order to help himself politically. It would have added more border agents and allowed us to increase fentanyl seizures. As President, I will make sure that bill gets back to my desk—and I will sign it.<a href="https://t.co/psDbSdDSMG">pic.twitter.com/psDbSdDSMG</a>&mdash; Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1829338662854656424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The vice president ticked off Democratic accomplishments under Biden, including capping the price of insulin and reducing child poverty under a pandemic-era temporary expansion of the child tax credit that eliminated the work requirement and paid families in monthly installments.“I’ll say that that’s good work, there’s more to do, but that’s good work,” Harris said.The CNN anchor pressed Harris on her changes in policy positions, including immigration and fracking.Republicans have pounced on Harris’ past statements and accuse her of changing her tune to appeal to more centrist voters. Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday dubbed her “FLIP-FLOPPING KAMALA” on his Truth Social platform, where the current GOP presidential nominee posts numerous times a day.“​​Let’s be clear, in this race I’m the only person who has prosecuted transnational criminal organizations who traffic in guns, drugs and human beings,” Harris said when asked about her past position on decriminalizing the border. “I’m the only person in this race who actually served a border state as attorney general to enforce our laws, and I would enforce our laws as president going forward, I recognize the problem.”Harris also defended her switch from opposing fracking to supporting it.“I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed. I have always believed, and I have worked on it, that the climate crisis is real,” Harris said.Despite attacks from Republicans, Bash noted that the Democratic National Convention featured quite a few speakers from the GOP side of the aisle.Prompted to the idea by Bash, Harris said “it would be a benefit to the American public” to appoint a Republican to her administration cabinet, if elected — though she didn’t name names.“I have spent my career inviting diversity of opinion. I think it’s important to have people at the table when some of the most important decisions are being made that have different views, different experiences,” she said.<h2>Harris brushes off Trump’s insults</h2>The interview revealed for many that Harris and Trump have never met face-to-face.They will do so for the first time on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-agrees-sept-10-debate-harris-claims-two-more-upcoming" target="_blank">debate stage</a>&nbsp;on Sept. 10, an event that will air on ABC News.As for her thoughts on Trump, Harris told Bash that the former president is “diminishing the character and the strength of who we are as Americans.”When Bash asked Harris to respond to Trump’s attacks, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-insults-harris-makes-false-claims-quarrels-black-journalists-conference" target="_blank">questioning her race</a>, the vice president only briefly addressed them.“Same old tired playbook, next question please,” she said.Bash then moved to the topic of the Israel-Hamas war to which Harris responded that she is “unequivocal and unwavering in my commitment to Israel’s defense and its ability to defend itself,” adding that “how it does so matters.”She reiterated her plea for a peace deal that includes rescuing hostages who remain in Hamas captivity.“​​A deal is not only the right thing to do to end this war, but will unlock so much of what must happen next. I remain committed, since I’ve been on October 8, to what we must do to work toward a two-state solution where Israel is secure, and in equal measure, the Palestinians have security and self-determination and dignity.”<h2>Walz defense</h2>Bash asked Walz to respond to controversy around how he described his military service that spanned more than two decades in the Army National Guard, but never included combat deployment. Questions arose when Walz said he carried weapons “in war” in a 2018 video where he was speaking about gun violence,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/walz-military-record-weapons-harris-video-89fc6fa0c5f51c0ba657b8f808afcd87" target="_blank">according</a>&nbsp;to The Associated Press.Walz, who also worked as a public school teacher and high school football coach, said he misspoke and that his “grammar is not always correct.”“I wear my emotions on my sleeve, I speak especially passionately about our children being shot in schools and around guns. So I think people know me. They know who I am. They know where my heart is, and again, my record has been out there for over 40 years to speak for itself,” Walz said.Bash also asked Walz about his mix-up when describing he and wife’s fertility method; he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tim-walz-ivf-fertility-jd-vance-fc5ebf8f37adb28cf45d0af51224a938" target="_blank">said</a>&nbsp;it was in vitro fertilization — a&nbsp;<a href="https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2024/06/13/u-s-senate-republicans-reject-democrats-bill-on-ivf-protections/" target="_blank">topic</a>&nbsp;that has fractured anti-abortion voters — while in reality the couple used artificial insemination.Walz told Bash, “I certainly own my mistakes when I make them.”“I spoke about our infertility issues because it’s hell, and families know this. And I spoke about the treatments that were available to us, that had those beautiful children. That’s quite a contrast in folks that are trying to take those rights away from us,” he said.Just as the interview ended, Trump posted to his Truth Social platform the word “BORING!!!”

🎥Harris, Walz defend past statements, promise ‘opportunity economy’ in CNN interview

Nebraska Department of Transportation

(Lincoln, Neb.) — Weather permitting on Tuesday evening, Sept. 10, the eastbound lanes of I-80 will be closed at 8:00 p.m., according to the Nebraska Department of Transportation. 

Hawkins Construction, Co. of Omaha is the contractor for the project. Eastbound I-80 traffic will be detoured at the Milford Interchange (Exit 382) and routed north to Hwy 34 and then east on Hwy 34. They will reenter I-80 at the 401 Interchange. 

Detours will be removed and I-80 traffic will resume by 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11. The closure is for the placement of bridge girders over I-80 on the NW 126th Street and NW 98th Street overhead bridges. In the event of inclement weather conditions, this schedule will be revised. 

Motorists are reminded to drive cautiously in and near work zones, to buckle up, put phones down.

Nebraska Department of Transportation(Lincoln, Neb.) — Weather permitting on Tuesday evening, Sept. 10, the eastbound lanes of I-80 will be closed at 8:00 p.m., according to the Nebraska Department of Transportation. Hawkins Construction, Co. of Omaha is the contractor for the project. Eastbound I-80 traffic will be detoured at the Milford Interchange (Exit 382) and routed north to Hwy 34 and then east on Hwy 34. They will reenter I-80 at the 401 Interchange. Detours will be removed and I-80 traffic will resume by 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11. The closure is for the placement of bridge girders over I-80 on the NW 126th Street and NW 98th Street overhead bridges. In the event of inclement weather conditions, this schedule will be revised. Motorists are reminded to drive cautiously in and near work zones, to buckle up, put phones down.

 I-80 westbound closure for bridge work near Lincoln set for September

&nbsp;(Lincoln, Neb.) — Weather permitting on Monday evening, Sept. 9, the westbound lanes of I-80 will be closed at 8 p.m., according to the Nebraska Department of Transportation. 

Hawkins Construction, Co. of Omahais the contractor for the project. Westbound I-80 traffic will be detoured at the I-80 / I-180 Interchange (Exit 401) and routed west on Hwy 34 to Matzke Highway, turning south and accessing I-80 at the Milford Interchange (Exit 382). 

Detours will be removed and I-80 traffic will resume by 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10. The closure is for the placement of bridge girders over I-80 on the NW 126th Street and NW 98th Street overhead bridges. In the event of inclement weather conditions, this schedule will be revised. Motorists are reminded to drive cautiously in and near work zones, to buckle up, put phones down

Nebraska Department of Transportation&nbsp;(Lincoln, Neb.) — Weather permitting on Monday evening, Sept. 9, the westbound lanes of I-80 will be closed at 8 p.m., according to the Nebraska Department of Transportation. Hawkins Construction, Co. of Omahais the contractor for the project. Westbound I-80 traffic will be detoured at the I-80 / I-180 Interchange (Exit 401) and routed west on Hwy 34 to Matzke Highway, turning south and accessing I-80 at the Milford Interchange (Exit 382). Detours will be removed and I-80 traffic will resume by 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10. The closure is for the placement of bridge girders over I-80 on the NW 126th Street and NW 98th Street overhead bridges. In the event of inclement weather conditions, this schedule will be revised. Motorists are reminded to drive cautiously in and near work zones, to buckle up, put phones down

OMAHA, NE,&nbsp;(August 29, 2024) —&nbsp;As AAA prepares to rescue more than 300,000 drivers nationwide with car trouble this Labor Day weekend, it will also provide a free service in effort to keep impaired drivers off the road.&nbsp;The Auto Club Group is activating its&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.b00YhNV2Nr0-2BaZn7eVNAddyRkUINOOu85WlgpeOlm4TJh2Tz10WNXWxWNmSGBXk0ww2J_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEu9ForkbU2BMNTBWH3XP7OdT44Bbe46bKr8Wrm-2FRs-2FzyNpAOGWBtNKBasrXMt86ANttahENv-2FIFWd48-2F8BH6IULZwb8V0C2HlTJB4QertPLduKynU62AELcoBvBztJHk02B9UqCo0cmeZttpcpstKBPIejhwcibXQkPObY-2Ff7cMZJBJk2NHTn1BQa3x9RQKpbEdkgUzdg8bopYSZhuamF-2BF17XDLA7-2FgBS-2BmOwTjNxB1NKGwNb9-2FrQ87-2F9-2FwUIRcHubfVCn7QIz2i3RPOwvdcnbeS-2BfIOsH7E-2BL9zkCoVwfs-3D">Tow to Go</a>&nbsp;program in Nebraska, Iowa and other select states (see below), offering a safe ride for would-be impaired drivers and their vehicles.

The Auto Club Group has provided the&nbsp;Tow to Go&nbsp;program for more than 25 years, removing nearly 30,000 impaired drivers from U.S. roadways. When someone calls Tow to Go, a tow truck is dispatched to transport the vehicle and its owner to a safe location within a 10-mile radius. This service is free, regardless of whether the caller is a AAA member.

“By providing this program, AAA leaves drivers with no excuse for driving under the influence of drugs, alcohol or impairing medications,” said Brian Ortner, Public Affairs Specialist, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “However, we remind people to treat Tow to Go as a last resort. Instead, make advanced plans for a safe ride home.”

Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, North Dakota, Nebraska, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Colorado (Denver), North Carolina (Charlotte), and Indiana (Fort Wayne/South Bend)

AAAOMAHA, NE,&nbsp;(August 29, 2024) —&nbsp;As AAA prepares to rescue more than 300,000 drivers nationwide with car trouble this Labor Day weekend, it will also provide a free service in effort to keep impaired drivers off the road.&nbsp;The Auto Club Group is activating its&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.b00YhNV2Nr0-2BaZn7eVNAddyRkUINOOu85WlgpeOlm4TJh2Tz10WNXWxWNmSGBXk0ww2J_zEOLHw6mHPpUboszb4lxzn-2FWfgiGZZljUWwyilPPfcrXXfmVBzHnavjtNkTOYjqEu9ForkbU2BMNTBWH3XP7OdT44Bbe46bKr8Wrm-2FRs-2FzyNpAOGWBtNKBasrXMt86ANttahENv-2FIFWd48-2F8BH6IULZwb8V0C2HlTJB4QertPLduKynU62AELcoBvBztJHk02B9UqCo0cmeZttpcpstKBPIejhwcibXQkPObY-2Ff7cMZJBJk2NHTn1BQa3x9RQKpbEdkgUzdg8bopYSZhuamF-2BF17XDLA7-2FgBS-2BmOwTjNxB1NKGwNb9-2FrQ87-2F9-2FwUIRcHubfVCn7QIz2i3RPOwvdcnbeS-2BfIOsH7E-2BL9zkCoVwfs-3D">Tow to Go</a>&nbsp;program in Nebraska, Iowa and other select states (see below), offering a safe ride for would-be impaired drivers and their vehicles.The Auto Club Group has provided the&nbsp;Tow to Go&nbsp;program for more than 25 years, removing nearly 30,000 impaired drivers from U.S. roadways. When someone calls Tow to Go, a tow truck is dispatched to transport the vehicle and its owner to a safe location within a 10-mile radius. This service is free, regardless of whether the caller is a AAA member.<ul>
 <li>Tow to Go is active from&nbsp;6 p.m. Friday, August 30th&nbsp;to 6 a.m. Tuesday, September 3rd.</li><li>Free confidential rides are available to AAA members and non-members.</li>
 </ul>“By providing this program, AAA leaves drivers with no excuse for driving under the influence of drugs, alcohol or impairing medications,” said Brian Ortner, Public Affairs Specialist, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “However, we remind people to treat Tow to Go as a last resort. Instead, make advanced plans for a safe ride home.”Service AreaFlorida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, North Dakota, Nebraska, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Colorado (Denver), North Carolina (Charlotte), and Indiana (Fort Wayne/South Bend)Phone Number(855) 2-TOW-2-GO or (855) 286-9246Guidelines<ul>
 <li>Provided&nbsp;from&nbsp;6 p.m. Friday, August 30th&nbsp;to 6 a.m. Tuesday, September 3rd.&nbsp;</li><li>Free and available to AAA members and non-members.&nbsp;</li><li>Confidential local ride for one person and their vehicle to a safe location&nbsp;within a 10-mile radius&nbsp;</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Appointments&nbsp;cannot&nbsp;be scheduled in advance to use Tow to Go. It is designed as a safety net for those that did not plan ahead. Always choose a designated driver before celebrating.</li>
 </ul>

AAA Activates 'Tow to Go' in Nebraska and Iowa  for Labor Day Weekend

LINCOLN, NE –&nbsp;Governor Jim Pillen is accepting applications to fill positions on the Underground Excavation Safety Committee. Created through the passage of LB683 (2023), the committee is charged with reviewing complaints filed with the state fire marshal when there is an alleged violation of the Nebraska One-Call Notification System. State law requires that anyone involved in excavating or digging must call 8-1-1 to have all underground utilities identified in advance of that work. &nbsp;&nbsp;

In addition to the state fire marshal, the seven-member committee is made up of three excavators and three operators. An alternate excavator and an alternate operator are also appointed, should a regular committee member not be available for a meeting. All gubernatorial appointments are subject to legislative confirmation. The committee is effective Sept. 1, 2024.

Prospective applicants can apply through the Governor's Boards and Commissions portal at&nbsp;<a href="https://governor.nebraska.gov/board-comm-req">https://governor.nebraska.gov/board-comm-req</a>.&nbsp; Applications can also be mailed to the Governor’s Office, P.O Box 94848, Lincoln, NE 68509.

Office of Governor Jim PillenLINCOLN, NE –&nbsp;Governor Jim Pillen is accepting applications to fill positions on the Underground Excavation Safety Committee. Created through the passage of LB683 (2023), the committee is charged with reviewing complaints filed with the state fire marshal when there is an alleged violation of the Nebraska One-Call Notification System. State law requires that anyone involved in excavating or digging must call 8-1-1 to have all underground utilities identified in advance of that work. &nbsp;&nbsp;In addition to the state fire marshal, the seven-member committee is made up of three excavators and three operators. An alternate excavator and an alternate operator are also appointed, should a regular committee member not be available for a meeting. All gubernatorial appointments are subject to legislative confirmation. The committee is effective Sept. 1, 2024.Prospective applicants can apply through the Governor's Boards and Commissions portal at&nbsp;<a href="https://governor.nebraska.gov/board-comm-req">https://governor.nebraska.gov/board-comm-req</a>.&nbsp; Applications can also be mailed to the Governor’s Office, P.O Box 94848, Lincoln, NE 68509.

Gov. Pillen Seeks Applicants for Underground Excavation Safety Committee  

GRAND ISLAND, NEB. (Aug. 28, 2024)&nbsp;— Growers and producers are gearing up to network, connect and experience the latest farm technology when Husker Harvest Days reconvenes Sept. 10-12, in Grand Island, Nebraska. Over 10,000 attendees have preregistered for the event, with an average of 2,000 acres farmed per attendee.

Exhibitors are also enthusiastic about the world’s largest irrigated outdoor farm show, selling out nearly every single lot. Select spaces are still available in the BEEF Building at the time of publication. Potential exhibitors are encouraged to contact Farm Progress immediately if they would like to reserve a booth.

With hundreds of exhibitors, this year’s show will allow farmers to engage with cutting-edge agriculture products, equipment and ideas. They’ll also get to meet the people who design and develop them.

Here are FIVE must-sees for Husker Harvest Days 2024:

Field Demos: Gain priceless operational insights and see technology in action at field demos, including harvesting, haying and tillage.&nbsp;Get up close and personal with the latest and greatest the ag industry has to offer.

BEEF Showcase: Producers can find everything beef-related, including exhibitors, live cattle-handling demos, educational seminars and more in the BEEF Showcase, located in the Northwest Quadrant.

Autonomy Showcase: The Autonomy Showcase provides a "hands-off" demonstration experience beyond auto-steering. At least two autonomous machines will be operating each day of the show.

The Husker Harvest Days Stage:&nbsp;Take a seat by the Husker Harvest Days Stage, where industry experts share their insights. From Farm Futures market updates to question-and-answer sessions with Nebraska government officials, these speakers delve into the latest trends and innovations.

Women in the Field:&nbsp;&nbsp;Visit the&nbsp;University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s (UNL) Vice Chancellor’s Tent on lot 827 for a&nbsp;special programming series presented by Farm Progress in partnership with UNL The series will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 11, and will feature an inspiring&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u12097671.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.vdEqlqwOcmUVNskYN6obREjO4BNllZZsfIbttJgRXlzsKLPM-2FgpTxCX0U5tQ-2ByBdo10zSnTt2dLgm-2B2-2F2CjDN3kvFr-2BxoK0DctAEU8AeHk8-3DT1ZV_DTTmFYtQViI5ZMt5lmIaEIqDa90-2ByPplIqOxjwg0lU4E-2Bs0yftv7HDkMdpRpVs0L3GY2yoysh8IlnVCQMCsTED9HRlDBvkCrPLnbTdxWmS0kTnvi3ZsHMLA3517KqVWYsu-2Fytvt3r7kEGZKtX-2BdKrXqcrX5zfMfjazL8USEynwHH-2Bs0Qx9KqlFxh-2F-2FIeg7-2FuMUvg-2FA9kAHiM6F-2B2dHPQ2uFlCyyZg3OZ00pcs-2FOKl4KIehC7e9oaLJdGS1fv4DtqGOarWXhaOIwv1ueXJldJ6XhZwJNXSgzrnR8aRPudEmAGteepp8UtR5KWT-2BS26IuPFDUxUFklXRzW7IRG-2FmUiUUWZcJmx1iuDtf2ZH8ZSlYHNzvcuJ2JtWy0N7GhEG5LzAMqtie8NyPaHiKMMrVJ0mAyw5SBwzIARQSbvoQLJQoATsepKpKefFoOGq3uCu0g1tKgnjhxoFmz2zM2D8M5M3rArIokgnfhvD1TroyGPVhZvDmlMGNCH-2Fn-2BkOVQ2-2FsuPcTN1BYp7BYjl55YN8W29Q1QJ6XAjBuy3d2PQwez-2FHXAWig4vKqpEr-2BOUcTRQWK0c">line-up of speakers</a>.

To register for complimentary&nbsp;three-day admission and more information, visit the official website at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u12097671.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.vdEqlqwOcmUVNskYN6obREjO4BNllZZsfIbttJgRXlyMIP9T5dgaRxOG2D5MC2A5eteTtKuqinnocDoLu6PaJw-3D-3DHyzv_DTTmFYtQViI5ZMt5lmIaEIqDa90-2ByPplIqOxjwg0lU4E-2Bs0yftv7HDkMdpRpVs0L3GY2yoysh8IlnVCQMCsTED9HRlDBvkCrPLnbTdxWmS0kTnvi3ZsHMLA3517KqVWYsu-2Fytvt3r7kEGZKtX-2BdKrXqcrX5zfMfjazL8USEynwHH-2Bs0Qx9KqlFxh-2F-2FIeg7-2FuMUvg-2FA9kAHiM6F-2B2dHPQ2uFlCyyZg3OZ00pcs-2FOKl4KIehC7e9oaLJdGS1fv4DtqGOarWXhaOIwv1ueXJldJ6XhZwJNXSgzrnR8aRPudEmAGteepp8UtR5KWT-2BS26IuPFDUxUFklXRzW7IRG-2FmUiUUWZcJmx1iuDtf2ZH8ZSlYHNzvcuJ2JtWy0N7GhEG5LzAMqtie8NyPaHiKMMrVJ0mJGXKZAsAC41xQu4-2BqMk38a-2BigX4uUSJXus4bM0nTqbdngmw2C1J1PWUmxpOYybPoxGKD8bgvM-2BChYpZPSO66-2BGXbqHiOYKP3A5f1sRd3rH9JqUSN20choVJqoHzm1hGWBfsHQGOnckE2npuuGzhi-2Bj44YH4rCS7Nb7RFxtz4uqa">www.HuskerHarvestDays.com</a>.

About Farm ProgressAs part of Informa Markets, Farm Progress is the largest, most diversified agriculture information business in North America. Through a robust network of live events, digital products, data, marketing services, broadcasting and local and national publications, Farm Progress enables the nation’s most economically significant farmers,&nbsp;growers&nbsp;and ranchers to connect and do business. It serves 80% of the 2 million farms and ranches in the U.S., and an estimated 85% of the nation’s annual agricultural gross domestic product. Visit our website at&nbsp;FarmProgress.com.

Husker Harvest Days&nbsp;GRAND ISLAND, NEB. (Aug. 28, 2024)&nbsp;— Growers and producers are gearing up to network, connect and experience the latest farm technology when Husker Harvest Days reconvenes Sept. 10-12, in Grand Island, Nebraska. Over 10,000 attendees have preregistered for the event, with an average of 2,000 acres farmed per attendee.Exhibitors are also enthusiastic about the world’s largest irrigated outdoor farm show, selling out nearly every single lot. Select spaces are still available in the BEEF Building at the time of publication. Potential exhibitors are encouraged to contact Farm Progress immediately if they would like to reserve a booth.With hundreds of exhibitors, this year’s show will allow farmers to engage with cutting-edge agriculture products, equipment and ideas. They’ll also get to meet the people who design and develop them.Here are FIVE must-sees for Husker Harvest Days 2024:Field Demos: Gain priceless operational insights and see technology in action at field demos, including harvesting, haying and tillage.&nbsp;Get up close and personal with the latest and greatest the ag industry has to offer.BEEF Showcase: Producers can find everything beef-related, including exhibitors, live cattle-handling demos, educational seminars and more in the BEEF Showcase, located in the Northwest Quadrant.Autonomy Showcase: The Autonomy Showcase provides a "hands-off" demonstration experience beyond auto-steering. At least two autonomous machines will be operating each day of the show.The Husker Harvest Days Stage:&nbsp;Take a seat by the Husker Harvest Days Stage, where industry experts share their insights. From Farm Futures market updates to question-and-answer sessions with Nebraska government officials, these speakers delve into the latest trends and innovations.Women in the Field:&nbsp;&nbsp;Visit the&nbsp;University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s (UNL) Vice Chancellor’s Tent on lot 827 for a&nbsp;special programming series presented by Farm Progress in partnership with UNL The series will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 11, and will feature an inspiring&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u12097671.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.vdEqlqwOcmUVNskYN6obREjO4BNllZZsfIbttJgRXlzsKLPM-2FgpTxCX0U5tQ-2ByBdo10zSnTt2dLgm-2B2-2F2CjDN3kvFr-2BxoK0DctAEU8AeHk8-3DT1ZV_DTTmFYtQViI5ZMt5lmIaEIqDa90-2ByPplIqOxjwg0lU4E-2Bs0yftv7HDkMdpRpVs0L3GY2yoysh8IlnVCQMCsTED9HRlDBvkCrPLnbTdxWmS0kTnvi3ZsHMLA3517KqVWYsu-2Fytvt3r7kEGZKtX-2BdKrXqcrX5zfMfjazL8USEynwHH-2Bs0Qx9KqlFxh-2F-2FIeg7-2FuMUvg-2FA9kAHiM6F-2B2dHPQ2uFlCyyZg3OZ00pcs-2FOKl4KIehC7e9oaLJdGS1fv4DtqGOarWXhaOIwv1ueXJldJ6XhZwJNXSgzrnR8aRPudEmAGteepp8UtR5KWT-2BS26IuPFDUxUFklXRzW7IRG-2FmUiUUWZcJmx1iuDtf2ZH8ZSlYHNzvcuJ2JtWy0N7GhEG5LzAMqtie8NyPaHiKMMrVJ0mAyw5SBwzIARQSbvoQLJQoATsepKpKefFoOGq3uCu0g1tKgnjhxoFmz2zM2D8M5M3rArIokgnfhvD1TroyGPVhZvDmlMGNCH-2Fn-2BkOVQ2-2FsuPcTN1BYp7BYjl55YN8W29Q1QJ6XAjBuy3d2PQwez-2FHXAWig4vKqpEr-2BOUcTRQWK0c">line-up of speakers</a>.Other exciting daily events include:<ul>
 <li>Horse Training demonstrations</li><li>Canine Stars</li><li>Ride and Drive opportunities</li><li>And much more! View the full schedule of events&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u12097671.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.vdEqlqwOcmUVNskYN6obROHo9k9IDvIwPpGlRzzjtBkqj3Z6Ts1OBPWTzybey5VicbcmvCPsmib7-2FPNH-2FgIsRNWDl69ePeLmmPPdyiATfUg-3D_IXF_DTTmFYtQViI5ZMt5lmIaEIqDa90-2ByPplIqOxjwg0lU4E-2Bs0yftv7HDkMdpRpVs0L3GY2yoysh8IlnVCQMCsTED9HRlDBvkCrPLnbTdxWmS0kTnvi3ZsHMLA3517KqVWYsu-2Fytvt3r7kEGZKtX-2BdKrXqcrX5zfMfjazL8USEynwHH-2Bs0Qx9KqlFxh-2F-2FIeg7-2FuMUvg-2FA9kAHiM6F-2B2dHPQ2uFlCyyZg3OZ00pcs-2FOKl4KIehC7e9oaLJdGS1fv4DtqGOarWXhaOIwv1ueXJldJ6XhZwJNXSgzrnR8aRPudEmAGteepp8UtR5KWT-2BS26IuPFDUxUFklXRzW7IRG-2FmUiUUWZcJmx1iuDtf2ZH8ZSlYHNzvcuJ2JtWy0N7GhEG5LzAMqtie8NyPaHiKMMrVJ0mG6-2FBR1kMUHPCvdNwW6Ceg266SV9tij4o-2FvCXbbdz5GDFcWURT-2FMdcwCk2FzKQ5C145pQqq831g9myFNe5L4oOynxAYZ58xgck5N4c-2FScW68gDl2vAgOQp-2B6ZmTvnIihkl60aiODaJpwuX0nWOSLMSoUUNbgmnUXAVPtKNc9C9za">online here</a>.</li>
 </ul>To register for complimentary&nbsp;three-day admission and more information, visit the official website at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u12097671.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.vdEqlqwOcmUVNskYN6obREjO4BNllZZsfIbttJgRXlyMIP9T5dgaRxOG2D5MC2A5eteTtKuqinnocDoLu6PaJw-3D-3DHyzv_DTTmFYtQViI5ZMt5lmIaEIqDa90-2ByPplIqOxjwg0lU4E-2Bs0yftv7HDkMdpRpVs0L3GY2yoysh8IlnVCQMCsTED9HRlDBvkCrPLnbTdxWmS0kTnvi3ZsHMLA3517KqVWYsu-2Fytvt3r7kEGZKtX-2BdKrXqcrX5zfMfjazL8USEynwHH-2Bs0Qx9KqlFxh-2F-2FIeg7-2FuMUvg-2FA9kAHiM6F-2B2dHPQ2uFlCyyZg3OZ00pcs-2FOKl4KIehC7e9oaLJdGS1fv4DtqGOarWXhaOIwv1ueXJldJ6XhZwJNXSgzrnR8aRPudEmAGteepp8UtR5KWT-2BS26IuPFDUxUFklXRzW7IRG-2FmUiUUWZcJmx1iuDtf2ZH8ZSlYHNzvcuJ2JtWy0N7GhEG5LzAMqtie8NyPaHiKMMrVJ0mJGXKZAsAC41xQu4-2BqMk38a-2BigX4uUSJXus4bM0nTqbdngmw2C1J1PWUmxpOYybPoxGKD8bgvM-2BChYpZPSO66-2BGXbqHiOYKP3A5f1sRd3rH9JqUSN20choVJqoHzm1hGWBfsHQGOnckE2npuuGzhi-2Bj44YH4rCS7Nb7RFxtz4uqa">www.HuskerHarvestDays.com</a>.About Farm ProgressAs part of Informa Markets, Farm Progress is the largest, most diversified agriculture information business in North America. Through a robust network of live events, digital products, data, marketing services, broadcasting and local and national publications, Farm Progress enables the nation’s most economically significant farmers,&nbsp;growers&nbsp;and ranchers to connect and do business. It serves 80% of the 2 million farms and ranches in the U.S., and an estimated 85% of the nation’s annual agricultural gross domestic product. Visit our website at&nbsp;FarmProgress.com.

Husker Harvest Days Insider’s Guide to 2024 Husker Harvest Days

August 28, 2024 (Lincoln, Neb.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— A new Husker football season kicks off Saturday at Memorial Stadium and Nebraska State Troopers will be partnering with several agencies to keep fans safe on the roads, in the stadium, on the radio, and with an eye in the sky.

“An exciting Husker football season is here and our troopers want to make sure fans from across Nebraska make it to the game and home safely,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “Husker Saturday is all about teamwork, from the team on the field, to the support of the fans, to tremendous partnerships with several police agencies to keep the event safe. Our troopers are proud to be a part of this effort in numerous capacities.”

The Nebraska State Patrol works closely with partner agencies on several aspects of gameday operations. Troopers partner with the Lincoln Police Department, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, UNL Police Department, and the Nebraska Department of Transportation to keep fans safe as they travel to and from the game, as well as in and around Memorial Stadium.

Troopers in the NSP Aviation Support Unit will provide an eye in the sky to relay information to troopers on the ground to assist with traffic flow coming into Lincoln. Fans can also hear live radio traffic reports from Trooper Brett before and after the game on Huskers Radio Network stations throughout the state.

Inside the stadium, troopers, deputies, and officers, team-up to keep the gameday experience safe. Any fan in need of assistance during the game can contact any member of law enforcement or event staff. Fans can also text 402-472-0800 to get assistance inside the stadium.

Anyone who observes a reckless driver or anyone in need of non-emergency roadside assistance can call *55 to reach the Nebraska State Patrol Highway Helpline. NSP’s portion of this effort is made possible thanks in part to grant funding from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724859415500.jpeg" alt="NSP Cruiser at Stadium (Courtesy of Nebraska State Patrol)" />
 <figcaption>NSP Cruiser at Stadium (Courtesy of Nebraska State Patrol)</figcaption>
 </figure>Cody ThomasNebraska State PatrolAugust 28, 2024 (Lincoln, Neb.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— A new Husker football season kicks off Saturday at Memorial Stadium and Nebraska State Troopers will be partnering with several agencies to keep fans safe on the roads, in the stadium, on the radio, and with an eye in the sky.“An exciting Husker football season is here and our troopers want to make sure fans from across Nebraska make it to the game and home safely,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “Husker Saturday is all about teamwork, from the team on the field, to the support of the fans, to tremendous partnerships with several police agencies to keep the event safe. Our troopers are proud to be a part of this effort in numerous capacities.”The Nebraska State Patrol works closely with partner agencies on several aspects of gameday operations. Troopers partner with the Lincoln Police Department, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, UNL Police Department, and the Nebraska Department of Transportation to keep fans safe as they travel to and from the game, as well as in and around Memorial Stadium.Troopers in the NSP Aviation Support Unit will provide an eye in the sky to relay information to troopers on the ground to assist with traffic flow coming into Lincoln. Fans can also hear live radio traffic reports from Trooper Brett before and after the game on Huskers Radio Network stations throughout the state.Inside the stadium, troopers, deputies, and officers, team-up to keep the gameday experience safe. Any fan in need of assistance during the game can contact any member of law enforcement or event staff. Fans can also text 402-472-0800 to get assistance inside the stadium.Anyone who observes a reckless driver or anyone in need of non-emergency roadside assistance can call *55 to reach the Nebraska State Patrol Highway Helpline. NSP’s portion of this effort is made possible thanks in part to grant funding from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office.

Husker Gameday Means Teamwork on and off the Field

Offutt Air Force Base Press Release

Offutt AFB, NE – The 2024 Defenders of Freedom Air &amp; Space Show successfully concluded this past weekend, drawing nearly 80,000 attendees. After a six-year hiatus due to the 2019 flood, COVID-19, and runway construction, this year’s air show faced several unique challenges, yet it ultimately showcased the resilience and dedication of the men and women of the 55th Wing.

Saturday’s events highlighted the need for quick adjustments, particularly in transportation logistics, as the air show had to implement an off-base parking system due to the loss of 5,000 on-base parking spaces, a lingering effect of the flood recovery efforts. Despite these initial challenges, Sunday saw a significant improvement in shuttle operations, ensuring smooth transportation for all off-base parking guests.

Sunday also brought extreme heat, with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees. To ensure the safety and comfort of attendees, the air show distributed 16 pallets of free bottled water throughout the day and had over 80 medical professionals on hand to support guests with medical needs. Only eight guests required transport to hospitals on Sunday, a slight increase from the seven transported on Saturday. The show's organizers greatly appreciated the feedback received via social media, which allowed for rapid adjustments and improvements as the show progressed.

The event featured 36 aircraft displays and 15 dynamic demonstration acts, all executed with precision and professionalism. Over 1,000 volunteers played a crucial role in making the air show a success, embodying the spirit and dedication of the Air Force community.

“The tremendously successful execution of the air show on Sunday is a testament to the quality and commitment of the men and women who wear the Air Force uniform,” said Kris Pierce, Chief of Public Affairs for Offutt AFB. “We may have faced some challenges after a six-year break, but our ability to pivot and adapt demonstrates our unwavering readiness and capability.”

The 2024 Defenders of Freedom Air &amp; Space Show not only showcased the strength and innovation of the 55th Wing but also reinforced Offutt AFB's crucial role as a member of the Bellevue/Greater Omaha metropolitan area.

Offutt Air Force Base Press ReleaseOffutt AFB, NE – The 2024 Defenders of Freedom Air &amp; Space Show successfully concluded this past weekend, drawing nearly 80,000 attendees. After a six-year hiatus due to the 2019 flood, COVID-19, and runway construction, this year’s air show faced several unique challenges, yet it ultimately showcased the resilience and dedication of the men and women of the 55th Wing.Saturday’s events highlighted the need for quick adjustments, particularly in transportation logistics, as the air show had to implement an off-base parking system due to the loss of 5,000 on-base parking spaces, a lingering effect of the flood recovery efforts. Despite these initial challenges, Sunday saw a significant improvement in shuttle operations, ensuring smooth transportation for all off-base parking guests.Sunday also brought extreme heat, with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees. To ensure the safety and comfort of attendees, the air show distributed 16 pallets of free bottled water throughout the day and had over 80 medical professionals on hand to support guests with medical needs. Only eight guests required transport to hospitals on Sunday, a slight increase from the seven transported on Saturday. The show's organizers greatly appreciated the feedback received via social media, which allowed for rapid adjustments and improvements as the show progressed.The event featured 36 aircraft displays and 15 dynamic demonstration acts, all executed with precision and professionalism. Over 1,000 volunteers played a crucial role in making the air show a success, embodying the spirit and dedication of the Air Force community.“The tremendously successful execution of the air show on Sunday is a testament to the quality and commitment of the men and women who wear the Air Force uniform,” said Kris Pierce, Chief of Public Affairs for Offutt AFB. “We may have faced some challenges after a six-year break, but our ability to pivot and adapt demonstrates our unwavering readiness and capability.”The 2024 Defenders of Freedom Air &amp; Space Show not only showcased the strength and innovation of the 55th Wing but also reinforced Offutt AFB's crucial role as a member of the Bellevue/Greater Omaha metropolitan area.

2024 Defenders of Freedom Air & Space Show Recap   

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/08/26/audit-finds-prison-system-could-save-at-least-3-8-million-with-better-processes/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — Nebraska’s prison system could save about $3.9 million by better controlling how it handles health care, health insurance and pharmacy services for prisoners, a state audit found.

And inmates and crime victims could get compensated sooner from jobs inmates do while in prison and on work release if the state did a better job of checking its own records, the audit reads.

“We take recommendations from this comprehensive audit report seriously,” said Rob Jeffreys, the department’s director. “During the audit period, the agency was in the process of implementing many of these changes, and we will continue to evaluate and alter processes to enhance efficiencies.”

State Auditor Mike Foley credited the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services for working to address the costliest concern, $3.5 million, forfeited because not all eligible inmates have applied for Medicaid.

That matters because both federal and state taxpayers share the cost of medical care for inmates who are eligible for Medicaid coverage. Foley said the corrective action could save “several million” dollars.

Since the audit, all eligible prisoners have been applying for Medicaid when processed into prison, the department said in its response to the audit. The state said it also is working to recover funds for those missed.

The audit identified issues with how the prison system verifies health insurance claims through Blue Cross Blue Shield, saying claims and payments need to be more stringently reviewed for accuracy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724773670203.jpeg" alt="The Nebraska State Penitentiary on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022, in Lincoln. (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>The Nebraska State Penitentiary on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022, in Lincoln. (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Aaron Sanderford<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/08/26/audit-finds-prison-system-could-save-at-least-3-8-million-with-better-processes/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — Nebraska’s prison system could save about $3.9 million by better controlling how it handles health care, health insurance and pharmacy services for prisoners, a state audit found.And inmates and crime victims could get compensated sooner from jobs inmates do while in prison and on work release if the state did a better job of checking its own records, the audit reads.“We take recommendations from this comprehensive audit report seriously,” said Rob Jeffreys, the department’s director. “During the audit period, the agency was in the process of implementing many of these changes, and we will continue to evaluate and alter processes to enhance efficiencies.”State Auditor Mike Foley credited the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services for working to address the costliest concern, $3.5 million, forfeited because not all eligible inmates have applied for Medicaid.<h2>Why Medicaid matters</h2>That matters because both federal and state taxpayers share the cost of medical care for inmates who are eligible for Medicaid coverage. Foley said the corrective action could save “several million” dollars.Since the audit, all eligible prisoners have been applying for Medicaid when processed into prison, the department said in its response to the audit. The state said it also is working to recover funds for those missed.The audit identified issues with how the prison system verifies health insurance claims through Blue Cross Blue Shield, saying claims and payments need to be more stringently reviewed for accuracy.In one case, the state paid for a $2,985 claim for health services received after an inmate had been released, the audit alleged. Department officials said they will do a better job checking the insurance claims and payments.<h2>Inmate accounts off</h2>Foley’s office found delays in crediting inmate accounts with about $530,000 in direct deposits for work while imprisoned. Prison officials said they are working on a new recordkeeping system to help.Inmates earn about $0.53 to $1.55 an hour, the audit said, earning $1.26 to $8.69 a day. Correction officials said they are trying to cross-train more staff. They blamed shortages and technology for the troubles revealed by the audit.Prisoners get to keep part of the money they earn and send some to their families. They also must contribute to the cost of being housed and fed by the state and contribute to a fund to help their victims.A spot review of those so-called “maintenance fees” the department charges inmates also appear to have collected $310,000 too little from prisoners because of higher minimum wage payments, the audit found.Department officials said they are&nbsp; working to update the fee rates and charges to match inflation, higher base pay and other factors and will more frequently review them to meet state law.<h2>Pharmacy troubles and overtime</h2>In the state-run prison pharmacy, the audit found too few formal explanations for inventory adjustments being recorded by hand, hinting that some medicines had gone missing and were unaccounted for.Department officials said they would review and tighten up controls of who has access to pharmacy records and how the records are kept to make sure there are electronic records that are harder to alter without leaving a trace.Once again, a Correctional Services audit highlighted the pressing need for the state to hire more prison staff, pointing to about $22 million in overtime pay and too many employees working too many hours.Officials said they were&nbsp; working on trying to require fewer employees to work so much overtime but said the safety and security of inmates and other staff often dictate what they can do.The auditor also found some continued problems with overpayments to employees, both current and former. One employee who left was overpaid nearly $18,000. The state said it’s working on better processes.“Nobody could argue that running the Department of Corrections is anything but an enormously challenging … task,” Foley said in a statement. “Nevertheless, there is always room for improvement.”