Nebraska Update

More grocery stores are closing, and high transportation costs combined with spotty internet service can prevent rural residents from accessing and using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP benefits.

While corn and soybeans dominate the Midwestern landscape today, some farmers are integrating strips of native prairie back into their fields. This conservation practice has expanded to more than a dozen states.

Republican Congressman Don Bacon visited Ukraine last week and met with the country’s leadership, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He said Ukrainians are asking for additional weapons, for help improving their air defense system and a path to join NATO. Bacon said abandoning Ukraine could embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin to take over other former Soviet Republics like Georgia and Moldova, costing the U.S. more money defending NATO countries.

After Texas Gov. Greg Abbott launched Operation Lone Star in 2021, the governors of Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska answered his call to tackle crime and illegal immigration along the state’s border with Mexico. Their efforts are failing, critics say.

Supporters of Kamala Harris spoke in Omaha Thursday about their fear that former President Donald Trump would repeal the Affordable Care Act if elected. During the September presidential debate, Trump said he was going to replace the the legislation, but didn’t offer specifics about an alternative plan. Nebraska State Sen. Jen Day, a registered Democrat who represents Sarpy County in the Unicameral, said repealing the act would force patients to choose between putting food on the table and getting the care they need.

Bennington middle school teacher will be the 2025 Teacher of the Year. Nebraska Education Commissioner Brian Maher surprised her with the honor on Thursday.

The Nebraska Cornhusker football squad opens Big Ten play against Illinois Friday. This will also be the 400th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium and one of the most important games in recent memory.

Nebraska Senator Pete Ricketts is calling for an investigation into the U.S. Secret Service following the second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. Ricketts said the public should be confident that all presidential nominees will be protected equally. He also said Democrats need to "stop the violent rhetoric they’ve used against Donald Trump."

Commercial chicken farmers literally bet the farm, spending millions of dollars on land and enormous chicken houses to raise birds they never own — putting their livelihoods in the hands of a single company that is both their supplier and sole buyer. When Tyson closed a processing plant in southeast Missouri, some farmers facing bankruptcy decided to sue.

Nebraska's plans to build a canal to bring water from Colorado come amid that state's own plans for water.