On Dec. 30, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted kinetic strikes against three narco-trafficking vessels traveling as a convoy.

These vessels were operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and had transferred narcotics between the three vessels prior to the strikes. Three narco-terrorists aboard the first vessel were killed in the first engagement. The remaining narco-terrorists abandoned the other two vessels, jumping overboard and distancing themselves before follow-on engagements sank their respective vessels. Following the engagements, the U.S. Southern Command immediately notified the Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system.

On Dec. 31, at the direction of&nbsp; Secretary Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations.

Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and engaged in narco-trafficking. A total of five narco-terrorists were killed during these actions - three in the first vessel and two in the second

On Dec. 30, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted kinetic strikes against three narco-trafficking vessels traveling as a convoy.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">On Dec. 30, at the direction of <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecWar</a> Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted kinetic strikes against three narco-trafficking vessels traveling as a convoy. These vessels were operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence… <a href="https://t.co/NHRNIzcrFS">pic.twitter.com/NHRNIzcrFS</a>&mdash; U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/Southcom/status/2006474817076330557?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>These vessels were operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and had transferred narcotics between the three vessels prior to the strikes. Three narco-terrorists aboard the first vessel were killed in the first engagement. The remaining narco-terrorists abandoned the other two vessels, jumping overboard and distancing themselves before follow-on engagements sank their respective vessels. Following the engagements, the U.S. Southern Command immediately notified the Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system.On Dec. 31, at the direction of&nbsp; Secretary Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">On Dec. 31, at the direction of <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecWar</a> Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and… <a href="https://t.co/4AE5u4cEff">pic.twitter.com/4AE5u4cEff</a>&mdash; U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/Southcom/status/2006531145844867143?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and engaged in narco-trafficking. A total of five narco-terrorists were killed during these actions - three in the first vessel and two in the second

🎥US military strikes more drug boats killing 8 'narco-terrorists'

By Aaron Sanderford |<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/12/30/nu-regent-oconnor-resigning-effective-jan-9-in-wake-of-dui-allegation-possible-impeachment/"> Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — Embattled University of Nebraska Regent Elizabeth O’Connor, who increasingly faced likely impeachment proceedings, announced Tuesday that she is resigning her post.

O’Connor, 35, faces a felony charge of drunken driving causing bodily injury from a Douglas County crash that police say totaled two vehicles and broke the back and pelvis of a passenger.

Authorities allege the Omaha-area regent and former student regent tested with a blood alcohol content of 0.321% after the May 21 crash in the Benson area, in her&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/media/images/maps/2021/regents/omaha.pdf" target="_blank">eastern Douglas County district</a>. That’s four times the legal limit.

The father of three young children injured in the crash had lobbied the NU regent to resign and called on lawmakers and other politicians to ramp up the pressure on O’Connor to resign.

State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, a Republican in the officially nonpartisan Legislature, had pledged to pursue impeachment if O’Connor, a Democrat, didn’t resign. Impeaching her would require at least 25 votes and the approval of her removal by the Nebraska Supreme Court. The Nebraska Legislature last&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/99/PDF/Journal/r2journal.pdf#page=1554" target="_blank">impeached</a>&nbsp;a&nbsp;<a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/nebraska/supreme-court/2006/425-0.html" target="_blank">state official in 2006</a>, then-NU Regent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/07/10/nebraska-regent-ousted" target="_blank">C. David Hergert</a>.

O’Connor, who has served as an elected member of the NU board since 2019, said in a statement that she did not want to “become a distraction to the Board’s important work.”

“I am choosing to resign now because I want to do the right thing for our great university,” she said in a statement.&nbsp;

“The University of Nebraska is facing many important opportunities and challenges, and District Four must have a representative that can serve effectively on the Board.”

Kauth, a Republican, said O’Connor should have resigned immediately as she still had seven months’ worth of decisions at the university, including managing a $3.6 billion budget.

“Clearly, she does not make great decisions, so I question why she stayed in so long,” Kauth said Tuesday.&nbsp;

Kauth’s push to consider O’Connor’s possible removal appeared to have significant bipartisan support, based on a recent survey of lawmakers by the Nebraska Examiner, which had been preparing a story on the topic. The Legislature currently consists of 33 Republicans, 15 Democrats and one nonpartisan progressive.

Any Democratic support for impeachment would likely imperil her ability to continue to serve. Three Democrats had said by mid-December that they would vote to impeach, and a fourth signaled leaning toward supporting impeachment.

State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, chair of the Legislature’s Education Committee and a Republican, said he was “definitely” in favor of impeaching O’Connor and that she should have resigned “a long time ago.” He noted public video evidence of the alleged crash.

“Regents, like it or not, should be a model for student behavior, and with that serious of a felony allegation and the overwhelming evidence of what happened, she should do the right thing and resign,” Murman said Dec. 18. “If she doesn’t, I think she should be impeached.

State Sens. Merv Riepe of Ralston, a Republican, and Jane Raybould of Lincoln, a Democrat, questioned why the regents had not weighed in first on O’Connor’s fate. Under the Nebraska Constitution, only the Legislature can impeach a constitutional officer.

Gov. Jim Pillen, who had served with O’Connor for four years on the regents, also had weighed in&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/09/07/state-lawmaker-takes-steps-toward-impeaching-nu-regent-oconnor/">early September</a>, suggesting that she should resign if the allegations were true. His office had no immediate comment Tuesday on the resignation announcement.

The governor, a Republican from Columbus, would appoint her replacement, which would likely add a conservative member from one of the state’s most Democratic-leaning districts until a special election in November 2026 to serve the remainder of O’Connor’s term through the end of 2030. She was reelected in 2024 with 67% of the vote.

In O’Connor’s statement, the first to address her elected position since the charges were brought in July, she credited the work of her fellow board members and NU faculty and staff. Her resignation is effective at 11:59 p.m. Jan. 9, she and NU officials separately confirmed.

“The University of Nebraska is a very special place, and it represents the unique culture and leadership that is evident in the daily lives of Nebraskans in every community across our great state,” she said.

NU President Dr. Jeffrey Gold, in a statement of his own Tuesday afternoon, thanked O’Connor for her service and said he and NU “look forward to working with her successor to further advance and strengthen our university.”

Kauth said O’Connor should have recognized sooner that her continued service would be a “distraction,” not a week before the 2026 legislative session begins. Kauth reiterated she would have formally begun impeachment on Day One. She had briefed a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/10/27/legislative-committee-briefed-about-possible-impeachment-of-nu-regent/">legislative committee on the process</a>&nbsp;in October. Half of the committee told the Examiner they supported impeachment.

“Had we not had articles of impeachment drawn up and ready to go, would she have even thought to resign?” Kauth asked.

Charges against O’Connor were brought July 30, two months after the crash. The delay came as prosecutors awaited O’Connor’s blood test from the lab, and because the Douglas County Attorney’s Office transferred the case to the Omaha City Prosecutor’s Office to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.&nbsp;

Until early August, O’Connor served as a deputy county attorney.&nbsp;

Part of the 2026 legislative session will include plugging a projected $471 million budget deficit for the state through mid-2027. NU campus leaders have already taken steps to cut more than $40 million from NU’s systemwide budget this fall, and some lawmakers noted O’Connor’s service wouldn’t help the university system, one of the state’s largest line items in the budget.

“If the university is not living up to the standards that we think the university should, and that includes the regents, it doesn’t help,” Murman said.

Kauth said she had the 24 other votes necessary to impeach.

“No matter when that elected official chooses to misbehave and do something that deserves impeachment, we have to address it,” Kauth said. “The fact that she finally resigned means we are able to look at other issues, and we’re going to have a lot this session.”

O’Connor is next scheduled in Douglas County District Court Jan. 22. Her case appears headed to trial as her defense is subpoenaing medical records and conducting depositions.

By Aaron Sanderford |<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/12/30/nu-regent-oconnor-resigning-effective-jan-9-in-wake-of-dui-allegation-possible-impeachment/"> Nebraska Examiner</a><figure>
 <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/oconnor_ZJW_120525-04-1536x1024.jpg" alt="&nbsp;University of Nebraska Regent Elizabeth O’Connor of Omaha speaks in Lincoln at the NU Board of Regents. Dec. 5, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;University of Nebraska Regent Elizabeth O’Connor of Omaha speaks in Lincoln at the NU Board of Regents. Dec. 5, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>LINCOLN — Embattled University of Nebraska Regent Elizabeth O’Connor, who increasingly faced likely impeachment proceedings, announced Tuesday that she is resigning her post.O’Connor, 35, faces a felony charge of drunken driving causing bodily injury from a Douglas County crash that police say totaled two vehicles and broke the back and pelvis of a passenger.Authorities allege the Omaha-area regent and former student regent tested with a blood alcohol content of 0.321% after the May 21 crash in the Benson area, in her&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/media/images/maps/2021/regents/omaha.pdf" target="_blank">eastern Douglas County district</a>. That’s four times the legal limit.The father of three young children injured in the crash had lobbied the NU regent to resign and called on lawmakers and other politicians to ramp up the pressure on O’Connor to resign.<figure>
 <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/kauth_ZJW_103025-01-300x200.jpg" alt="State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of the Millard area. Oct. 30, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of the Millard area. Oct. 30, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, a Republican in the officially nonpartisan Legislature, had pledged to pursue impeachment if O’Connor, a Democrat, didn’t resign. Impeaching her would require at least 25 votes and the approval of her removal by the Nebraska Supreme Court. The Nebraska Legislature last&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/99/PDF/Journal/r2journal.pdf#page=1554" target="_blank">impeached</a>&nbsp;a&nbsp;<a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/nebraska/supreme-court/2006/425-0.html" target="_blank">state official in 2006</a>, then-NU Regent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/07/10/nebraska-regent-ousted" target="_blank">C. David Hergert</a>.O’Connor, who has served as an elected member of the NU board since 2019, said in a statement that she did not want to “become a distraction to the Board’s important work.”“I am choosing to resign now because I want to do the right thing for our great university,” she said in a statement.&nbsp;“The University of Nebraska is facing many important opportunities and challenges, and District Four must have a representative that can serve effectively on the Board.”Kauth, a Republican, said O’Connor should have resigned immediately as she still had seven months’ worth of decisions at the university, including managing a $3.6 billion budget.“Clearly, she does not make great decisions, so I question why she stayed in so long,” Kauth said Tuesday.&nbsp;Kauth’s push to consider O’Connor’s possible removal appeared to have significant bipartisan support, based on a recent survey of lawmakers by the Nebraska Examiner, which had been preparing a story on the topic. The Legislature currently consists of 33 Republicans, 15 Democrats and one nonpartisan progressive.Any Democratic support for impeachment would likely imperil her ability to continue to serve. Three Democrats had said by mid-December that they would vote to impeach, and a fourth signaled leaning toward supporting impeachment.State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, chair of the Legislature’s Education Committee and a Republican, said he was “definitely” in favor of impeaching O’Connor and that she should have resigned “a long time ago.” He noted public video evidence of the alleged crash.“Regents, like it or not, should be a model for student behavior, and with that serious of a felony allegation and the overwhelming evidence of what happened, she should do the right thing and resign,” Murman said Dec. 18. “If she doesn’t, I think she should be impeached.State Sens. Merv Riepe of Ralston, a Republican, and Jane Raybould of Lincoln, a Democrat, questioned why the regents had not weighed in first on O’Connor’s fate. Under the Nebraska Constitution, only the Legislature can impeach a constitutional officer.Gov. Jim Pillen, who had served with O’Connor for four years on the regents, also had weighed in&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/09/07/state-lawmaker-takes-steps-toward-impeaching-nu-regent-oconnor/">early September</a>, suggesting that she should resign if the allegations were true. His office had no immediate comment Tuesday on the resignation announcement.The governor, a Republican from Columbus, would appoint her replacement, which would likely add a conservative member from one of the state’s most Democratic-leaning districts until a special election in November 2026 to serve the remainder of O’Connor’s term through the end of 2030. She was reelected in 2024 with 67% of the vote.In O’Connor’s statement, the first to address her elected position since the charges were brought in July, she credited the work of her fellow board members and NU faculty and staff. Her resignation is effective at 11:59 p.m. Jan. 9, she and NU officials separately confirmed.“The University of Nebraska is a very special place, and it represents the unique culture and leadership that is evident in the daily lives of Nebraskans in every community across our great state,” she said.<figure>
 <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/gold_ZJW_110725-01-300x200.jpg" alt="University of Nebraska President Jeffrey Gold. Nov. 7, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>University of Nebraska President Jeffrey Gold. Nov. 7, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>NU President Dr. Jeffrey Gold, in a statement of his own Tuesday afternoon, thanked O’Connor for her service and said he and NU “look forward to working with her successor to further advance and strengthen our university.”Kauth said O’Connor should have recognized sooner that her continued service would be a “distraction,” not a week before the 2026 legislative session begins. Kauth reiterated she would have formally begun impeachment on Day One. She had briefed a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/10/27/legislative-committee-briefed-about-possible-impeachment-of-nu-regent/">legislative committee on the process</a>&nbsp;in October. Half of the committee told the Examiner they supported impeachment.“Had we not had articles of impeachment drawn up and ready to go, would she have even thought to resign?” Kauth asked.Charges against O’Connor were brought July 30, two months after the crash. The delay came as prosecutors awaited O’Connor’s blood test from the lab, and because the Douglas County Attorney’s Office transferred the case to the Omaha City Prosecutor’s Office to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.&nbsp;Until early August, O’Connor served as a deputy county attorney.&nbsp;Part of the 2026 legislative session will include plugging a projected $471 million budget deficit for the state through mid-2027. NU campus leaders have already taken steps to cut more than $40 million from NU’s systemwide budget this fall, and some lawmakers noted O’Connor’s service wouldn’t help the university system, one of the state’s largest line items in the budget.“If the university is not living up to the standards that we think the university should, and that includes the regents, it doesn’t help,” Murman said.Kauth said she had the 24 other votes necessary to impeach.“No matter when that elected official chooses to misbehave and do something that deserves impeachment, we have to address it,” Kauth said. “The fact that she finally resigned means we are able to look at other issues, and we’re going to have a lot this session.”O’Connor is next scheduled in Douglas County District Court Jan. 22. Her case appears headed to trial as her defense is subpoenaing medical records and conducting depositions.

NU Regent O’Connor resigning, effective Jan. 9, in wake of DUI allegation, possible impeachment

By Allison Peck | North Platte Post/Sandhills Post

Listen to the full interview with Derek Beck on our Kubota Podcast

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Derek Beck, Operations Manager at Eagle Media in North Platte, will be leaving the company effective January 1 after purchasing Your Ag Network from longtime broadcaster Monte James.

Beck confirmed his departure during a recent on-air announcement, noting he gave Eagle Media his notice about two months ago. His final day with the company is December 31.

Beck, along with business partner Parker James, has purchased Your Ag Network, an agricultural radio network that provides market and farm reports across much of the Midwest. Beck said the partnership will be a 50-50 ownership arrangement.

Your Ag Network airs on approximately 83 stations throughout the region, including Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Colorado, with plans to expand into Kansas.

Beck said one of the network’s key features is its overnight trading coverage, reflecting the global nature of today’s agricultural markets.

“One of the few networks that offers an overnight trading report,” he said. “The markets are global now… things happen overnight.”

As part of his new role, Beck will personally take over early morning market reports, with his first report airing at 6 a.m. He will also continue producing and expanding rodeo-related content, including the popular Territorial Rodeo Update.

Beck has worked closely with Monte James for several years, serving as a producer for the Territorial Rodeo Update and other reports. James will continue contributing content, including the Hot Barn Report, while stepping back from ownership.

“He’s been one of my best buds for 20-some years,” Beck said. “This opportunity, in some ways, came out of nowhere, but in a lot of ways it’s been in the background for a long time.”

Beck said the move represents a long-held goal of business ownership for himself and his wife, Carla, who will remain employed at Eagle Media.

“We’ve wanted to own our own business for years,” Beck said. “Radio makes me really happy… and this is something new.”

Although he is leaving his day-to-day role at Eagle Media, Beck said he is not leaving North Platte.

“We’re not moving. We’re not leaving town,” he said. “One of the cool things about this new gig is I don’t have to leave to do it.”

Beck described his time at Eagle Media as a highlight of his radio career and said the departure is bittersweet.

“This has really been a highlight for me at Eagle,” he said. “As I leave, it’s a little bittersweet because this was a really good stop on my radio career here with Eagle in North Platte.”

By Allison Peck | North Platte Post/Sandhills Post<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1767199539913.png" alt="Derek Beck and Parker James become 50/50 partners in Your Ag Network. The company was bought from Monte James and the deal finalized on December 30, 2025. (Left to Right: Parker James, Derek Beck, Monte James | Photo Derek Beck)" />
 <figcaption>Derek Beck and Parker James become 50/50 partners in Your Ag Network. The company was bought from Monte James and the deal finalized on December 30, 2025. (Left to Right: Parker James, Derek Beck, Monte James | Photo Derek Beck)</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="Rising Up: Derek Beck Begins Ag Network Journey" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=2urz3-1a06d8e-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Times%20New%20Roman&skin=3ab278&font-color=ffffff&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=1b1b1b" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>Listen to the full interview with Derek Beck on our Kubota PodcastNORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Derek Beck, Operations Manager at Eagle Media in North Platte, will be leaving the company effective January 1 after purchasing Your Ag Network from longtime broadcaster Monte James.Beck confirmed his departure during a recent on-air announcement, noting he gave Eagle Media his notice about two months ago. His final day with the company is December 31.Beck, along with business partner Parker James, has purchased Your Ag Network, an agricultural radio network that provides market and farm reports across much of the Midwest. Beck said the partnership will be a 50-50 ownership arrangement.Your Ag Network airs on approximately 83 stations throughout the region, including Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Colorado, with plans to expand into Kansas.Beck said one of the network’s key features is its overnight trading coverage, reflecting the global nature of today’s agricultural markets.“One of the few networks that offers an overnight trading report,” he said. “The markets are global now… things happen overnight.”As part of his new role, Beck will personally take over early morning market reports, with his first report airing at 6 a.m. He will also continue producing and expanding rodeo-related content, including the popular Territorial Rodeo Update.Beck has worked closely with Monte James for several years, serving as a producer for the Territorial Rodeo Update and other reports. James will continue contributing content, including the Hot Barn Report, while stepping back from ownership.“He’s been one of my best buds for 20-some years,” Beck said. “This opportunity, in some ways, came out of nowhere, but in a lot of ways it’s been in the background for a long time.”Beck said the move represents a long-held goal of business ownership for himself and his wife, Carla, who will remain employed at Eagle Media.“We’ve wanted to own our own business for years,” Beck said. “Radio makes me really happy… and this is something new.”Although he is leaving his day-to-day role at Eagle Media, Beck said he is not leaving North Platte.“We’re not moving. We’re not leaving town,” he said. “One of the cool things about this new gig is I don’t have to leave to do it.”Beck described his time at Eagle Media as a highlight of his radio career and said the departure is bittersweet.“This has really been a highlight for me at Eagle,” he said. “As I leave, it’s a little bittersweet because this was a really good stop on my radio career here with Eagle in North Platte.”

🎙️Derek Beck Fulfills Ownership Dream in New Chapter With Purchase of Your Ag Network

Lincoln, NE&nbsp;— A confirmed measles case in Platte County has been reported to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. The patient is an unvaccinated child with an out-of-state travel history in Arizona. Due to privacy, no further individual information will be provided.&nbsp;Individuals present at the following public locations on the indicated dates and times may have been exposed to measles and should visit and fill out the risk assessment survey at the following link:&nbsp;<a href="https://epi-dhhs.ne.gov/redcap/surveys/?s=CHAJNT3C9L9NEEY3" target="_blank">https://epi-dhhs.ne.gov/redcap/surveys/?s=CHAJNT3C9L9NEEY3&nbsp;</a>

If you do not have access to the internet or need help filling out the risk assessment survey, call the&nbsp;<a href="https://ecdhd.ne.gov/" target="_blank">East Central District Health Department&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;at (402) 562-8969. &nbsp;

Measles is an acute, highly contagious respiratory viral disease. Symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough, and rash. Although measles is usually considered a childhood disease, it can be contracted at any age. Children under the age of five, adults over the age of 20 years, non-immune pregnant and immunocompromised people are at greatest risk of developing severe complications from measles. There is no specific treatment for measles.

Immunization is the best way to protect yourself and your family against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases. Children should receive their first dose of measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine between 12 and 15 months of age and another dose at four to six years of age. DHHS recommends Platte County parents of infants from six (6) to eleven (11) months old speak with their health care provider to discuss early MMR vaccination.

If you plan to travel, particularly internationally, or live in a measles-affected county, ensure you are up to date with your MMR vaccines, which can include an early dose of MMR vaccine for children six to 11 months of age. Contact your health care provider to check your and your family's vaccination status against measles. If you have not had two doses of MMR vaccine, talk to your health care provider or local health department right away.

If you think that you are having symptoms of measles, isolate yourself from others and call your healthcare provider, emergency room, or urgent care&nbsp;BEFORE&nbsp;arriving to be tested.&nbsp;Do not arrive at a healthcare facility without giving advance notice unless it is a medical emergency.

For more information, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/index.html" target="_blank">https://www.cdc.gov/measles/index.html&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;​

Press Release<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731697519867.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Lincoln, NE&nbsp;— A confirmed measles case in Platte County has been reported to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. The patient is an unvaccinated child with an out-of-state travel history in Arizona. Due to privacy, no further individual information will be provided.&nbsp;Individuals present at the following public locations on the indicated dates and times may have been exposed to measles and should visit and fill out the risk assessment survey at the following link:&nbsp;<a href="https://epi-dhhs.ne.gov/redcap/surveys/?s=CHAJNT3C9L9NEEY3" target="_blank">https://epi-dhhs.ne.gov/redcap/surveys/?s=CHAJNT3C9L9NEEY3&nbsp;</a><ul>
 <li>Shell Creek Baptist Church, Columbus, NE, on December 24 from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.&nbsp;</li><li>Columbus Community Hospital Emergency Department, Columbus, NE, on December 29 from 2 a.m. to 6:30 a.m.</li>
 </ul>If you do not have access to the internet or need help filling out the risk assessment survey, call the&nbsp;<a href="https://ecdhd.ne.gov/" target="_blank">East Central District Health Department&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;at (402) 562-8969. &nbsp;Measles is an acute, highly contagious respiratory viral disease. Symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough, and rash. Although measles is usually considered a childhood disease, it can be contracted at any age. Children under the age of five, adults over the age of 20 years, non-immune pregnant and immunocompromised people are at greatest risk of developing severe complications from measles. There is no specific treatment for measles.Immunization is the best way to protect yourself and your family against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases. Children should receive their first dose of measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine between 12 and 15 months of age and another dose at four to six years of age. DHHS recommends Platte County parents of infants from six (6) to eleven (11) months old speak with their health care provider to discuss early MMR vaccination.If you plan to travel, particularly internationally, or live in a measles-affected county, ensure you are up to date with your MMR vaccines, which can include an early dose of MMR vaccine for children six to 11 months of age. Contact your health care provider to check your and your family's vaccination status against measles. If you have not had two doses of MMR vaccine, talk to your health care provider or local health department right away.If you think that you are having symptoms of measles, isolate yourself from others and call your healthcare provider, emergency room, or urgent care&nbsp;BEFORE&nbsp;arriving to be tested.&nbsp;Do not arrive at a healthcare facility without giving advance notice unless it is a medical emergency.For more information, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/index.html" target="_blank">https://www.cdc.gov/measles/index.html&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;​

Confirmed Measles Case Reported in Nebraska

By Juan Salinas II | Nebraska Examiner

Justice Department highlighted the indictment as a ‘nationwide crackdown’

LINCOLN — A federal grand jury in Nebraska charged 54 people with deploying malware and stealing millions of dollars from ATMs around the country, Nebraska U.S. Attorney Lesley Woods announced this month.&nbsp;

One indictment, returned Dec. 9, charges 22 people with offenses corresponding to their alleged roles in the conspiracy, including conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank burglary and fraud and related computer activity and conspiracy to commit money laundering.&nbsp;

A related indictment, returned Oct. 21, charged 32 people, alleging 56 crimes, including one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit bank burglary and computer fraud, 18 counts of bank fraud, 18 counts of bank burglary and 18 counts of damage to computers, Woods’ office said.&nbsp;

The indictments also allege that the gang Tren de Aragua used jackpotting to steal millions of dollars in the U.S. and transferred the proceeds among its members and associates to conceal the illegally obtained cash.

Tren de Aragua is a Venezuelan gang that started in a prison and has since expanded into Central America and the U.S., including to Texas,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ero-new-york-city-arrests-unlawfully-present-venezuelan-fugitive-and-tren-de-aragua" target="_blank">New York</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://denvergazette.com/news/crime/venezuelan-gang-tda-timeline/article_e0866290-7215-11ef-aa34-53af1764f2a2.html" target="_blank">Colorado</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2024/09/09/venezuelan-undocumented-immigrant-arrest-becomes-campaign-fodder-for-van-orden/" target="_blank">Wisconsin</a>.&nbsp;

According to a&nbsp;<a href="https://transparenciave.org/economias-ilicitas/tren-de-aragua/#:~:text=Se%20le%20identifica%20con%20el,una%20investigaci%C3%B3n%20publicada%20en%202021" target="_blank">report from Transparency Venezuela</a>, the group adopted its name between 2013 and 2015 but likely began operations earlier. The group has been accused of human smuggling and other criminal activity that targets migrants, including kidnapping, extortion and drug trafficking.

One of the people in indicted was&nbsp;Jimena Romina Araya Navarro, an alleged Tren De Aragua leader and Venezuelan entertainer who was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.&nbsp;

OFAC alleged that Navarro helped the notorious head of Tren de Aragua, Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, escape from a prison in Venezuela in 2012, and that others in the network laundered money for Tren de Aragua leaders.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The U.S. Attorney for Nebraska said the “case demonstrates what state, federal, and local law enforcement officers can accomplish when they fully join forces … [and] TdA members will find no safe harbor in the State of Nebraska.”&nbsp;

The Justice Department highlighted the indictment in its “Nationwide Crackdown on Tren de Aragua”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-highlights-nationwide-crackdown-tren-de-aragua" target="_blank">press release</a>.&nbsp;The announcement cited other indictments in New York, Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico.&nbsp;

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said in a social media post that this is “another recent example of why I believe Nebraska has to do our part, through setting up the ICE Detention Facility in McCook and by sending the Nebraska National Guard and State Patrol to secure our southern border, to help the federal government root out and deport criminal, illegal aliens.”&nbsp;

The State Department designated the gang as a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.state.gov/designation-of-international-cartels" target="_blank">foreign terrorist organization</a>&nbsp;in February.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/all-the-u-s-military-strikes-against-alleged-drug-boats" target="_blank">President Donald Trump has justified a U.S. military strike</a>&nbsp;on a boat in&nbsp;waters off South America because he said Tren de Aragua operated it.&nbsp;Strikes have continued and&nbsp;face scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers and human rights activists. They told the Associated Press the administration has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/u-s-strikes-another-alleged-drug-smuggling-boat-in-eastern-pacific-killing-1-person#:~:text=The%20Trump%20administration%20has%20said,strikes%20amount%20to%20extrajudicial%20killings." target="_blank">offered scant evidence</a>&nbsp;that its targets are indeed drug smugglers and say the fatal strikes amount to extrajudicial killings.&nbsp;

Trump also mentioned the gang during the 2024 campaign. It was the group Trump named when calling a Colorado city a “war zone” after&nbsp;<a href="https://coloradonewsline.com/2024/10/11/false-claims-gang-takeover-trump-aurora/" target="_blank">online right-wing reports</a>&nbsp;of Venezuelan gangs “taking over” a Colorado apartment complex, amplifying social media claims later found to be false.&nbsp;

Woods’ office said the alleged ATM conspiracy developed and&nbsp;deployed a variant of malware known as Ploutus, which was used to hack into ATMs and force the machines to dispense cash. The malware’s primary purpose was to issue unauthorized commands to the cash dispenser to force withdrawals.&nbsp;

The conspiracy relied on recruiting several individuals to deploy Ploutus malware nationwide, authorities said. Members of the conspiracy and the gang would travel in groups, using multiple vehicles, to the locations of targeted banks and credit unions, according to Woods’ office.&nbsp;Authorities say the conspiracy members would then split the proceeds into predetermined portions.&nbsp;

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum term of imprisonment ranging between 20 and 335 years.

By Juan Salinas II | Nebraska Examiner<h2>Justice Department highlighted the indictment as a ‘nationwide crackdown’</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_0240-1536x1152.jpeg" alt="&nbsp;The federal courthouse in Lincoln. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;The federal courthouse in Lincoln. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>LINCOLN — A federal grand jury in Nebraska charged 54 people with deploying malware and stealing millions of dollars from ATMs around the country, Nebraska U.S. Attorney Lesley Woods announced this month.&nbsp;One indictment, returned Dec. 9, charges 22 people with offenses corresponding to their alleged roles in the conspiracy, including conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank burglary and fraud and related computer activity and conspiracy to commit money laundering.&nbsp;A related indictment, returned Oct. 21, charged 32 people, alleging 56 crimes, including one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit bank burglary and computer fraud, 18 counts of bank fraud, 18 counts of bank burglary and 18 counts of damage to computers, Woods’ office said.&nbsp;The indictments also allege that the gang Tren de Aragua used jackpotting to steal millions of dollars in the U.S. and transferred the proceeds among its members and associates to conceal the illegally obtained cash.Tren de Aragua is a Venezuelan gang that started in a prison and has since expanded into Central America and the U.S., including to Texas,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ero-new-york-city-arrests-unlawfully-present-venezuelan-fugitive-and-tren-de-aragua" target="_blank">New York</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://denvergazette.com/news/crime/venezuelan-gang-tda-timeline/article_e0866290-7215-11ef-aa34-53af1764f2a2.html" target="_blank">Colorado</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2024/09/09/venezuelan-undocumented-immigrant-arrest-becomes-campaign-fodder-for-van-orden/" target="_blank">Wisconsin</a>.&nbsp;According to a&nbsp;<a href="https://transparenciave.org/economias-ilicitas/tren-de-aragua/#:~:text=Se%20le%20identifica%20con%20el,una%20investigaci%C3%B3n%20publicada%20en%202021" target="_blank">report from Transparency Venezuela</a>, the group adopted its name between 2013 and 2015 but likely began operations earlier. The group has been accused of human smuggling and other criminal activity that targets migrants, including kidnapping, extortion and drug trafficking.One of the people in indicted was&nbsp;Jimena Romina Araya Navarro, an alleged Tren De Aragua leader and Venezuelan entertainer who was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.&nbsp;OFAC alleged that Navarro helped the notorious head of Tren de Aragua, Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, escape from a prison in Venezuela in 2012, and that others in the network laundered money for Tren de Aragua leaders.&nbsp;&nbsp;The U.S. Attorney for Nebraska said the “case demonstrates what state, federal, and local law enforcement officers can accomplish when they fully join forces … [and] TdA members will find no safe harbor in the State of Nebraska.”&nbsp;The Justice Department highlighted the indictment in its “Nationwide Crackdown on Tren de Aragua”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-highlights-nationwide-crackdown-tren-de-aragua" target="_blank">press release</a>.&nbsp;The announcement cited other indictments in New York, Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico.&nbsp;Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said in a social media post that this is “another recent example of why I believe Nebraska has to do our part, through setting up the ICE Detention Facility in McCook and by sending the Nebraska National Guard and State Patrol to secure our southern border, to help the federal government root out and deport criminal, illegal aliens.”&nbsp;The State Department designated the gang as a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.state.gov/designation-of-international-cartels" target="_blank">foreign terrorist organization</a>&nbsp;in February.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/all-the-u-s-military-strikes-against-alleged-drug-boats" target="_blank">President Donald Trump has justified a U.S. military strike</a>&nbsp;on a boat in&nbsp;waters off South America because he said Tren de Aragua operated it.&nbsp;Strikes have continued and&nbsp;face scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers and human rights activists. They told the Associated Press the administration has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/u-s-strikes-another-alleged-drug-smuggling-boat-in-eastern-pacific-killing-1-person#:~:text=The%20Trump%20administration%20has%20said,strikes%20amount%20to%20extrajudicial%20killings." target="_blank">offered scant evidence</a>&nbsp;that its targets are indeed drug smugglers and say the fatal strikes amount to extrajudicial killings.&nbsp;Trump also mentioned the gang during the 2024 campaign. It was the group Trump named when calling a Colorado city a “war zone” after&nbsp;<a href="https://coloradonewsline.com/2024/10/11/false-claims-gang-takeover-trump-aurora/" target="_blank">online right-wing reports</a>&nbsp;of Venezuelan gangs “taking over” a Colorado apartment complex, amplifying social media claims later found to be false.&nbsp;Woods’ office said the alleged ATM conspiracy developed and&nbsp;deployed a variant of malware known as Ploutus, which was used to hack into ATMs and force the machines to dispense cash. The malware’s primary purpose was to issue unauthorized commands to the cash dispenser to force withdrawals.&nbsp;The conspiracy relied on recruiting several individuals to deploy Ploutus malware nationwide, authorities said. Members of the conspiracy and the gang would travel in groups, using multiple vehicles, to the locations of targeted banks and credit unions, according to Woods’ office.&nbsp;Authorities say the conspiracy members would then split the proceeds into predetermined portions.&nbsp;If convicted, the defendants face a maximum term of imprisonment ranging between 20 and 335 years.

Nebraska grand jury indicts alleged Tren de Aragua members in ATM jackpotting scheme

Lincoln, NE – The Nebraska Association of County Officials (NACO) recently hosted its 131st Annual Conference in Kearney, NE. The conference was held December 17-19 and brought together county leaders from across the state to discuss key issues facing local governments, participate in professional development, and celebrate outstanding public service.

NACO Executive Director Jon Cannon reflected on the Conference. “Nebraska’s counties were the very first in our great country to decide to hold an annual conference way back in 1893. The settings and technology may have changed, but what has been constant is Nebraska’s public servants seeking innovation through their shared experiences. NACO could not be prouder to bring together the leaders of our communities and work on their behalf.”

The theme of this year’s conference was “All In,” which celebrated Nebraska’s achievement of reaching 100% membership in the National Association of Counties (NACo). There to help us celebrate was NACo President J.D. Clark. Attendees also shared their “all in” stories about what drives their commitments to serving their constituents. 

Attendees took part in breakout sessions that gave them an opportunity to connect with their counterparts from across the state and discuss the challenges and priorities of their positions. 

Sessions covered a wide range of topics, including but not limited to, FEMA reform, salary guidelines, and public records. County officials also had an opportunity to connect with the more than 100 exhibitors and state and federal partners who provide resources and products that assist county government operations. 

On Thursday morning, attendees heard speeches from Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen and NACo President J.D. Clark. Both spoke about the importance of strong local leadership.

During the awards luncheon, NACO recognized the exceptional dedication of the following 2025award recipients: 

County Official of The Year Award: Darla Walther, Frontier County Clerk

Lifetime Achievement Award: Kathleen Nieveen, Johnson County Clerk

Next Generation Award: Amber Scanlon, Saunders County Treasurer

The NACO Annual Conference once again demonstrated the dedication and professionalism of Nebraska’s county officials as they continue to work together to serve their communities.


For Immediate Release<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1767108516193.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Lincoln, NE – The Nebraska Association of County Officials (NACO) recently hosted its 131st Annual Conference in Kearney, NE. The conference was held December 17-19 and brought together county leaders from across the state to discuss key issues facing local governments, participate in professional development, and celebrate outstanding public service.NACO Executive Director Jon Cannon reflected on the Conference. “Nebraska’s counties were the very first in our great country to decide to hold an annual conference way back in 1893. The settings and technology may have changed, but what has been constant is Nebraska’s public servants seeking innovation through their shared experiences. NACO could not be prouder to bring together the leaders of our communities and work on their behalf.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1767108221164.jpeg" alt="Lifetime Achievement Award:&nbsp;Kathleen Nieveen, Johnson County Clerk" />
 <figcaption>Lifetime Achievement Award:&nbsp;Kathleen Nieveen, Johnson County Clerk</figcaption>
 </figure>The theme of this year’s conference was “All In,” which celebrated Nebraska’s achievement of reaching 100% membership in the National Association of Counties (NACo). There to help us celebrate was NACo President J.D. Clark. Attendees also shared their “all in” stories about what drives their commitments to serving their constituents. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1767108262246.jpeg" alt="Next Generation Award:&nbsp;Amber Scanlon, Saunders County Treasurer" />
 <figcaption>Next Generation Award:&nbsp;Amber Scanlon, Saunders County Treasurer</figcaption>
 </figure>Attendees took part in breakout sessions that gave them an opportunity to connect with their counterparts from across the state and discuss the challenges and priorities of their positions. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1767108291123.jpeg" alt="County Official of the Year:&nbsp;Darla Walther, Frontier County Clerk

" />
 <figcaption>County Official of the Year:&nbsp;Darla Walther, Frontier County Clerk

</figcaption>
 </figure>Sessions covered a wide range of topics, including but not limited to, FEMA reform, salary guidelines, and public records. County officials also had an opportunity to connect with the more than 100 exhibitors and state and federal partners who provide resources and products that assist county government operations. On Thursday morning, attendees heard speeches from Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen and NACo President J.D. Clark. Both spoke about the importance of strong local leadership.During the awards luncheon, NACO recognized the exceptional dedication of the following 2025award recipients: County Official of The Year Award: Darla Walther, Frontier County ClerkLifetime Achievement Award: Kathleen Nieveen, Johnson County ClerkNext Generation Award: Amber Scanlon, Saunders County TreasurerThe NACO Annual Conference once again demonstrated the dedication and professionalism of Nebraska’s county officials as they continue to work together to serve their communities.

Nebraska Association of County Officials Hosts 2025 Annual Conference in Kearney

The Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services (CMS) on Monday announced that all 50 states will receive awards under the Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion initiative established under President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts legislation (Public Law 119-21) to strengthen and modernize health care in rural communities across the country, according to a statement from CMS.&nbsp;

In 2026, states will receive first-year awards from CMS averaging $200 million within a range of $147 million to $281 million. Nebraska will receive $218,529,075. Missouri received $216,276,818 and Kansas&nbsp;$221,898,008.

&nbsp;This unprecedented federal investment will help states expand access to care in rural communities, strengthen the rural health workforce, modernize rural facilities and technology, and support innovative models that bring high-quality, dependable care closer to home.&nbsp;

“More than 60 million Americans living in rural areas have the right to equal access to quality care,”&nbsp;said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “This historic investment puts local hospitals, clinics, and health workers in control of their communities’ healthcare. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, rural Americans will now have affordable healthcare close to home, free from bureaucratic obstacles.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

“Today marks an extraordinary milestone for rural health in America,”&nbsp;said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “Thanks to Congress establishing this investment and President Trump for his leadership, states are stepping forward with bold, creative plans to expand rural access, strengthen their workforces, modernize care, and support the communities that keep our nation running. CMS is proud to partner with every state to turn their ideas into lasting improvements for rural families.”

A Nationwide Commitment to Strengthen Rural Health Care

The Rural Health Transformation Program is a national commitment to improving the health and well-being of rural communities across the country. With this funding, states will implement comprehensive strategies to improve care delivery, support providers, and advance new approaches to coordinating health care services across rural communities. Across the country, many states are planning efforts that will:

States will advance Make Rural America Healthy Again goals by expanding preventive, primary, maternal, and behavioral health services and creating new access points that bring care closer to home and help preserve strong local health systems. Many states are implementing evidence-based, outcomes-driven strategies—such as physical fitness and nutrition programs, food-as-medicine initiatives, and chronic disease prevention models—to address root causes of diseases and manage chronic conditions. States will also strengthen rural emergency care through improved emergency medical services (EMS) communication, treat-in-place options, and coordinated transfers.

States will support clinical workforce training, residencies, recruitment and retention incentives, and new pathways that help students begin health care careers in their own communities. States are also investing in programs to train and support the existing clinical workforce and build futures close to home.&nbsp;

Investments will modernize rural facilities and equipment; strengthen cybersecurity and interoperability; and expand telehealth, remote patient monitoring, and digital tools that enable timely access to care. States are also exploring the use of technology such as AI scribes and clinical workflow improvement tools to reduce burdens on clinicians.&nbsp;

States will prioritize streamlining operations, empowering providers to enhance coordination of care and resources, and building partnerships across the state with the goal of keeping care local. This includes establishing specialized hub-and-spoke models, rural regional centers of excellence, comprehensive data-sharing platforms, and rural clinically integrated networks.

States will test new primary care and value-based care models, strengthen partnerships among rural and other providers, and promote regional collaboration that improves health sustainability and patient outcomes.

The Rural Health Transformation Program’s $50 billion in funds will be allocated to approved states over five years, with $10 billion available each year from 2026 through 2030. As directed by Public Law 119-21:

CMS made funding awards to all 50 states.&nbsp;

The Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services (CMS) on Monday announced that all 50 states will receive awards under the Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion initiative established under President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts legislation (Public Law 119-21) to strengthen and modernize health care in rural communities across the country, according to a statement from CMS.&nbsp;In 2026, states will receive first-year awards from CMS averaging $200 million within a range of $147 million to $281 million. Nebraska will receive $218,529,075. Missouri received $216,276,818 and Kansas&nbsp;$221,898,008.&nbsp;This unprecedented federal investment will help states expand access to care in rural communities, strengthen the rural health workforce, modernize rural facilities and technology, and support innovative models that bring high-quality, dependable care closer to home.&nbsp;“More than 60 million Americans living in rural areas have the right to equal access to quality care,”&nbsp;said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “This historic investment puts local hospitals, clinics, and health workers in control of their communities’ healthcare. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, rural Americans will now have affordable healthcare close to home, free from bureaucratic obstacles.”&nbsp;&nbsp;“Today marks an extraordinary milestone for rural health in America,”&nbsp;said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “Thanks to Congress establishing this investment and President Trump for his leadership, states are stepping forward with bold, creative plans to expand rural access, strengthen their workforces, modernize care, and support the communities that keep our nation running. CMS is proud to partner with every state to turn their ideas into lasting improvements for rural families.”A Nationwide Commitment to Strengthen Rural Health CareThe Rural Health Transformation Program is a national commitment to improving the health and well-being of rural communities across the country. With this funding, states will implement comprehensive strategies to improve care delivery, support providers, and advance new approaches to coordinating health care services across rural communities. Across the country, many states are planning efforts that will:<ul>
 <li>Bring More Care Within Reach</li>
 </ul>States will advance Make Rural America Healthy Again goals by expanding preventive, primary, maternal, and behavioral health services and creating new access points that bring care closer to home and help preserve strong local health systems. Many states are implementing evidence-based, outcomes-driven strategies—such as physical fitness and nutrition programs, food-as-medicine initiatives, and chronic disease prevention models—to address root causes of diseases and manage chronic conditions. States will also strengthen rural emergency care through improved emergency medical services (EMS) communication, treat-in-place options, and coordinated transfers.<ul>
 <li>Strengthen and Sustain the Rural Clinical Workforce</li>
 </ul>States will support clinical workforce training, residencies, recruitment and retention incentives, and new pathways that help students begin health care careers in their own communities. States are also investing in programs to train and support the existing clinical workforce and build futures close to home.&nbsp;<ul>
 <li>Modernize Rural Health Infrastructure and Technology</li>
 </ul>Investments will modernize rural facilities and equipment; strengthen cybersecurity and interoperability; and expand telehealth, remote patient monitoring, and digital tools that enable timely access to care. States are also exploring the use of technology such as AI scribes and clinical workflow improvement tools to reduce burdens on clinicians.&nbsp;<ul>
 <li>Driving Structural Efficiency &amp; Empowering the Community Providers</li>
 </ul>States will prioritize streamlining operations, empowering providers to enhance coordination of care and resources, and building partnerships across the state with the goal of keeping care local. This includes establishing specialized hub-and-spoke models, rural regional centers of excellence, comprehensive data-sharing platforms, and rural clinically integrated networks.<ul>
 <li>Advance Innovative Care Models and Payment Reform</li>
 </ul>States will test new primary care and value-based care models, strengthen partnerships among rural and other providers, and promote regional collaboration that improves health sustainability and patient outcomes.Awardees and Funding AmountsThe Rural Health Transformation Program’s $50 billion in funds will be allocated to approved states over five years, with $10 billion available each year from 2026 through 2030. As directed by Public Law 119-21:<ul>
 <li>50% of the funding is distributed equally among all approved states. This provides states with a strong foundation to begin implementing their Rural Health Transformation Plans; and</li><li>50% is allocated based on a variety of factors.&nbsp;As described in the&nbsp;<a href="https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/360442">Notice of Funding Opportunity</a>, those factors include individual state metrics around rurality and a state’s rural health system, current or proposed state policy actions that enhance access and quality of care in rural communities, and application initiatives or activities that reflect the greatest potential for, and scale of, impact on the health of rural communities. All scoring factors are outlined further in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.</li>
 </ul>CMS made funding awards to all 50 states.&nbsp;

Nebraska secures $218 Million in 2026 from Rural Healthcare Transformation Fund

On Dec. 29, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters, according to a statement from the U.S. Southern Command.

 Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Two male narco-terrorists were killed. No U.S. military forces were harmed.&nbsp;

On Dec. 29, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters, according to a statement from the U.S. Southern Command.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">On Dec. 29, at the direction of <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecWar</a> Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known… <a href="https://t.co/69ywxXk30N">pic.twitter.com/69ywxXk30N</a>&mdash; U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/Southcom/status/2005776276100207032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Two male narco-terrorists were killed. No U.S. military forces were harmed.&nbsp;

🎥2 dead following new U.S. strike on a drug boat

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Mar-a-Lago 🇺🇸🇺🇦 <a href="https://t.co/aRbMAiKGSF">pic.twitter.com/aRbMAiKGSF</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005346794012889166?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> delivers remarks upon meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr <a href="https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZelenskyyUa</a> at Mar-a-Lago: &quot;We had a terrific meeting. We discussed a lot of things. As you know, I had an excellent phone call with President Putin... and I do think we&#39;re getting a lot closer.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/tIHjR0wko2">pic.twitter.com/tIHjR0wko2</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005397981361566190?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/WnFGloJw2e">pic.twitter.com/WnFGloJw2e</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005320250330632410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on Russia-Ukraine peace talks: &quot;We could be very close. There are one or two very thorny issues... but I think we&#39;re doing very well. We made a lot of progress today.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/fci939K17q">pic.twitter.com/fci939K17q</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005399260355825824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;Everybody wants [the war] ended... I want it ended because I don&#39;t want to see so many people dying.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/pQ4q4lPhzy">pic.twitter.com/pQ4q4lPhzy</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005400040559284280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Q: &quot;What are the thorniest issues still unresolved?&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;The land. Some of that land has been taken... You&#39;re better off making a deal now.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/X21Zz3Tt5E">pic.twitter.com/X21Zz3Tt5E</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005400349428027582?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on the possibility of traveling to Ukraine: &quot;I&#39;m not sure that it would be really necessary, but if it would help save 25,000 lives a month... I would certainly be willing to do that.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Xxc0sEHJnE">pic.twitter.com/Xxc0sEHJnE</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005400678156394499?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">REPORTER: How long will it take to get this last little bit finished? <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;In a few weeks, we will know one way or the other... it&#39;s been a very difficult negotiation.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/iflQTfTAar">pic.twitter.com/iflQTfTAar</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005401647707484432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on his call with Putin: &quot;I saw a very interesting President Putin today... I think we&#39;re going to get there... I was on the phone with him for almost two-and-a-half hours. We discussed a lot of things. We didn&#39;t talk about the weather.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/DUilLAh6lc">pic.twitter.com/DUilLAh6lc</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005401716943106558?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;I really believe we&#39;re probably, Mr. President, closer than — by far — closer than ever before with both parties.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/ML9lMRRIIc">pic.twitter.com/ML9lMRRIIc</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005402344352346296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;The working group is going to be composed of Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, General &quot;Razin&quot; Caine, Marco Rubio, and a few other people... I think Pete Hegseth should be on that working group.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/K1dnmVq7aO">pic.twitter.com/K1dnmVq7aO</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005403021757325422?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Takeaways from Trump’s Ukraine peace talks with Zelensky in Florida

By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/bernard-j-wolfson-kff-health-news/">Bernard J. Wolfson, &nbsp;KFF Health News</a>-

As Congress debates whether to extend the temporary federal subsidies that have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/aca-marketplace-premium-payments-would-more-than-double-on-average-next-year-if-enhanced-premium-tax-credits-expire/" target="_blank">helped millions</a>&nbsp;of Americans buy health coverage, a crucial underlying reality is sometimes overlooked: Those subsidies are merely a band-aid covering the often unaffordable cost of health care.

California, Massachusetts, Connecticut and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milbank.org/publications/beyond-public-reporting-strengthening-accountability-to-states-cost-growth-targets-and-leveraging-targets-in-health-care-oversight/" target="_blank">five other states</a>&nbsp;have set caps on health care spending in a bid to rein in the intense financial pressure felt by many families, individuals and employers who every year face increases in premiums, deductibles and other health-related expenses.

Hospitals and other health care providers are citing Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by President Donald Trump in July, as one more reason to challenge those limits.

The law is expected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/medicaid-enrollment-spending-growth-fy-2025-2026/" target="_blank">more than $900 billion</a>&nbsp;over a decade, which mathematically should help the overall health care system meet the caps. But the law is also expected to increase the number of uninsured Americans, mostly Medicaid beneficiaries, by an estimated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/uninsured/how-will-the-2025-reconciliation-law-affect-the-uninsured-rate-in-each-state/" target="_blank">10 million people</a>. Health care analysts predict hospitals and other providers will raise prices to cover the double whammy of lost Medicaid revenue and the cost of caring for an influx of newly uninsured patients.

Whether regulators in some states will allow providers to justify higher prices and exceed the spending caps is unclear. Only&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milbank.org/publications/beyond-public-reporting-strengthening-accountability-to-states-cost-growth-targets-and-leveraging-targets-in-health-care-oversight/" target="_blank">California and Oregon</a>&nbsp;can penalize providers financially if they fail to meet targets.

“Are we going to say, ‘That’s OK’? Or are we going to say, ‘Well, you exceeded the target. We’re still going to penalize you for that’?” said Richard Pan, a former state lawmaker and a member of the California Office of Health Care Affordability’s board. “That has not yet been decided.”

The California Hospital Association, the industry’s main state lobbying group,&nbsp;<a href="https://calhospital.org/file/ohca-petition-for-writ-of-mandate/?_cldee=A8GhrcOY_cTuDPfqPGEYnuTgoZXm3szCgl31GFGm7Rb9gSK_2LWVhcwpQwK8EuuJ&amp;recipientid=contact-e10e51f96e20eb11a813000d3a375a4d-5668c9ec73c54063bd98803095e124ac&amp;esid=7bd201ea-8aa4-f011-bbd3-6045bd03d69a" target="_blank">filed a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;in October asking a state court to strike down the spending caps, which it argued fail to account for all the cost pressures hospitals face. Those pressures, it said, include an aging, sicker population; the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Health-Care-Worker-Minimum-Wage-FAQ.htm" target="_blank">rising cost</a>&nbsp;of labor; expensive advances in medical technology; large capital outlays on required seismic retrofitting; and changes in federal policy, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The hospital group’s lawsuit also asserted that the state affordability office, by hastily imposing ill-considered cost-cutting targets, was undermining its other key mission of improving health care access, quality and equity.

California’s affordability office last year set a&nbsp;<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/health-brief-california-annual-health-spending-caps/" target="_blank">five-year target</a>&nbsp;to cap statewide spending growth, starting at 3.5% in 2025 and declining to 3% by 2029. The annual caps apply to a wide range of health care entities, including hospitals, medical groups, insurers and other payers.

Earlier this year, it imposed much lower spending growth caps — starting at 1.8% in 2026 and declining to 1.6% by 2029 — for&nbsp;<a href="https://hcai.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Update-to-Draft-Motions-Presented-April-2025.pdf" target="_blank">seven “high-cost” hospitals</a>.

“The spending caps set by politically appointed bureaucrats could force cuts that result in many Californians traveling farther for care, facing longer emergency room wait times, experiencing more overcrowding and losing access to critical services,” Carmela Coyle, the hospital association’s president and CEO, said in an October press release.

The California attorney general’s office, which will represent the affordability agency, has not yet filed a response to the hospital group’s complaint and did not respond to a request for comment.

California is not the only state taking a close look at hospital prices, which are widely considered a&nbsp;<a href="https://tobin.yale.edu/research/who-pays-rising-health-care-prices-evidence-hospital-mergers" target="_blank">primary driver</a>&nbsp;of health care costs.

“States, armed with information that points to payments to hospitals as a driver of what is way beyond affordable commercial premiums, have begun to take increasingly targeted actions focused on commercial hospital prices,” said Michael Bailit, founder of the Needham, Massachusetts-based consultancy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bailit-health.com/team/michael-bailit.php" target="_blank">Bailit Health</a>, which has advised multiple states, including California, on ways to tame health care spending. “It is not surprising that the hospital industry is going to oppose such state actions.”

In its lawsuit, the California Hospital Association said the affordability office’s own report showed that pharmaceutical and insurance companies are largely responsible for high costs.

Hospitals in some states with cost growth limits, including&nbsp;<a href="https://cthosp.org/advocacy/healthcare-legislation-and-policy/healthcare-cost-growth-benchmarking/" target="_blank">Connecticut</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mhalink.org/mondayreport/is-benchmark-good-too-weak-or-irrelevant/" target="_blank">Massachusetts</a>, have expressed objections similar to the ones raised in the California lawsuit. They could follow their counterparts in California if their lawsuit succeeds, said Peter Lee, who led California’s Affordable Care Act marketplace, Covered California, for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coveredca.com/newsroom/news-releases/2021/09/16/peter-v-lee-to-leave-as-executive-director-of-covered-california-after-10-years-leading-the-nations-largest-state-based-marketplace/" target="_blank">over a decade</a>&nbsp;and is now a&nbsp;<a href="https://med.stanford.edu/cerc/about/affiliates-advisors.html" target="_blank">senior scholar</a>&nbsp;at Stanford Medicine’s Clinical Excellence Research Center.

Lee said the work of California’s affordability office and similar agencies in other states is just about the only systemwide effort being made to cut health care costs. They are basically saying, “‘Look, health care is taking money away from education, it is taking money away from the environment, it is taking money away from everything in the public sector, and in the private sector it is taking money away from wages,’” he said. “‘We don’t know how you, the health system, are going to do it, but it is your job not just to provide quality but to lower costs. Here’s the target.’”

To be sure, achieving the cost savings that California and those other states are seeking is no easy lift. It will ultimately require persuading large, financially powerful players that compete fiercely for health care dollars to adopt a different mindset and begin cooperating to reduce costs instead. And that, in many cases, will mean lower revenue.

But the status quo, as many people know all too well, means continued financial pain for millions.

In early 2020, Estevan Rodriguez, a bartender at California’s Monterey Beach Hotel, had surgery for a staph infection in his leg. The bill came to nearly $168,000. His insurance paid most of it, but he still owed $5,665, which took him two years to pay, more than $200 every month. “It may not be a lot to some people, but it was a lot to me,” Rodriguez said.

He said he dropped his Hulu subscription, switched to a lower-cost cellphone, and got cheaper car insurance. He started going to food banks rather than the grocery store, he said, and had a lot less time with his kids, because he was constantly working to pay off the hospital bill.

<a href="https://www.montagehealth.org/locations/profile/community-hospital-monterey-peninsula/" target="_blank">Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula</a>, where Rodriguez had his surgery, is one of the seven hospitals identified by California’s affordability office as high-cost. A&nbsp;<a href="https://hcai.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/OHCA-Investigative-Study-of-Hospital-Market-Competition-in-Monterey-County-1.pdf" target="_blank">study by the office</a>&nbsp;attributed high hospital prices in Monterey County to a lack of market competition “rather than higher operating costs or superior quality of care.”

The Monterey hospital referred a request for comment about its “high-cost” designation to the California Hospital Association. CHA spokesperson Jan Emerson-Shea declined to comment beyond the language of the lawsuit and Coyle’s press release statement.

Health care analysts worry the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will reduce market competition even further by stressing already weak hospitals, leading some to shut services, merge with larger health systems, or close. One study estimates&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2838483" target="_blank">338 rural hospitals</a>&nbsp;are at risk of closing nationwide.

Less competition, in addition to fewer Medicaid dollars and an increase in uninsured patients, will only strengthen the incentive of health systems with the requisite market clout to raise their commercial prices, increasing premiums for employers and individuals.

“We think commercial prices will continue to increase as health care providers, and hospitals in particular, will seek to preserve or increase their revenue,” said Rachel Block, a program officer at the Milbank Memorial Fund, a foundation that focuses on health equity.

That in turn could pose a challenge to state affordability regulators tasked with overseeing compliance with growth targets for health care spending.

California’s affordability office is required to consider mitigating factors, including changes in federal and state laws. But some of its board members have expressed skepticism about letting hospitals offset Medicaid losses with higher commercial prices.

“There’s a lot of talk about using HR 1 and other federal policies as an excuse to raise prices on commercial payers,” Ian Lewis, an affordability office board member and policy director for UNITE HERE Local 2, a hospitality workers union in the Bay Area, said at the agency’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEKO4RfH2Y4" target="_blank">July board meeting</a>, referring to the One Big Beautiful Bill. “There’s no more blood to be squeezed from this stone.”

<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/about-us" target="_blank">KFF Health News</a>&nbsp;is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — an independent source of health policy research, polling and journalism. Learn more about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/about-us" target="_blank">KFF</a>.

This story was originally produced by&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/2025/12/26/one-big-beautiful-bill-act-complicates-state-health-care-affordability-efforts/" target="_blank">Stateline</a>, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Nebraska Examiner, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766884539415.jpg" alt="Pixaby" />
 <figcaption>Pixaby</figcaption>
 </figure>By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/bernard-j-wolfson-kff-health-news/">Bernard J. Wolfson, &nbsp;KFF Health News</a>-As Congress debates whether to extend the temporary federal subsidies that have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/aca-marketplace-premium-payments-would-more-than-double-on-average-next-year-if-enhanced-premium-tax-credits-expire/" target="_blank">helped millions</a>&nbsp;of Americans buy health coverage, a crucial underlying reality is sometimes overlooked: Those subsidies are merely a band-aid covering the often unaffordable cost of health care.California, Massachusetts, Connecticut and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milbank.org/publications/beyond-public-reporting-strengthening-accountability-to-states-cost-growth-targets-and-leveraging-targets-in-health-care-oversight/" target="_blank">five other states</a>&nbsp;have set caps on health care spending in a bid to rein in the intense financial pressure felt by many families, individuals and employers who every year face increases in premiums, deductibles and other health-related expenses.Hospitals and other health care providers are citing Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by President Donald Trump in July, as one more reason to challenge those limits.The law is expected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/medicaid-enrollment-spending-growth-fy-2025-2026/" target="_blank">more than $900 billion</a>&nbsp;over a decade, which mathematically should help the overall health care system meet the caps. But the law is also expected to increase the number of uninsured Americans, mostly Medicaid beneficiaries, by an estimated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/uninsured/how-will-the-2025-reconciliation-law-affect-the-uninsured-rate-in-each-state/" target="_blank">10 million people</a>. Health care analysts predict hospitals and other providers will raise prices to cover the double whammy of lost Medicaid revenue and the cost of caring for an influx of newly uninsured patients.Whether regulators in some states will allow providers to justify higher prices and exceed the spending caps is unclear. Only&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milbank.org/publications/beyond-public-reporting-strengthening-accountability-to-states-cost-growth-targets-and-leveraging-targets-in-health-care-oversight/" target="_blank">California and Oregon</a>&nbsp;can penalize providers financially if they fail to meet targets.“Are we going to say, ‘That’s OK’? Or are we going to say, ‘Well, you exceeded the target. We’re still going to penalize you for that’?” said Richard Pan, a former state lawmaker and a member of the California Office of Health Care Affordability’s board. “That has not yet been decided.”The California Hospital Association, the industry’s main state lobbying group,&nbsp;<a href="https://calhospital.org/file/ohca-petition-for-writ-of-mandate/?_cldee=A8GhrcOY_cTuDPfqPGEYnuTgoZXm3szCgl31GFGm7Rb9gSK_2LWVhcwpQwK8EuuJ&amp;recipientid=contact-e10e51f96e20eb11a813000d3a375a4d-5668c9ec73c54063bd98803095e124ac&amp;esid=7bd201ea-8aa4-f011-bbd3-6045bd03d69a" target="_blank">filed a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;in October asking a state court to strike down the spending caps, which it argued fail to account for all the cost pressures hospitals face. Those pressures, it said, include an aging, sicker population; the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Health-Care-Worker-Minimum-Wage-FAQ.htm" target="_blank">rising cost</a>&nbsp;of labor; expensive advances in medical technology; large capital outlays on required seismic retrofitting; and changes in federal policy, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The hospital group’s lawsuit also asserted that the state affordability office, by hastily imposing ill-considered cost-cutting targets, was undermining its other key mission of improving health care access, quality and equity.California’s affordability office last year set a&nbsp;<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/health-brief-california-annual-health-spending-caps/" target="_blank">five-year target</a>&nbsp;to cap statewide spending growth, starting at 3.5% in 2025 and declining to 3% by 2029. The annual caps apply to a wide range of health care entities, including hospitals, medical groups, insurers and other payers.Earlier this year, it imposed much lower spending growth caps — starting at 1.8% in 2026 and declining to 1.6% by 2029 — for&nbsp;<a href="https://hcai.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Update-to-Draft-Motions-Presented-April-2025.pdf" target="_blank">seven “high-cost” hospitals</a>.“The spending caps set by politically appointed bureaucrats could force cuts that result in many Californians traveling farther for care, facing longer emergency room wait times, experiencing more overcrowding and losing access to critical services,” Carmela Coyle, the hospital association’s president and CEO, said in an October press release.The California attorney general’s office, which will represent the affordability agency, has not yet filed a response to the hospital group’s complaint and did not respond to a request for comment.<h2>Hospitals’ pushback</h2>California is not the only state taking a close look at hospital prices, which are widely considered a&nbsp;<a href="https://tobin.yale.edu/research/who-pays-rising-health-care-prices-evidence-hospital-mergers" target="_blank">primary driver</a>&nbsp;of health care costs.“States, armed with information that points to payments to hospitals as a driver of what is way beyond affordable commercial premiums, have begun to take increasingly targeted actions focused on commercial hospital prices,” said Michael Bailit, founder of the Needham, Massachusetts-based consultancy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bailit-health.com/team/michael-bailit.php" target="_blank">Bailit Health</a>, which has advised multiple states, including California, on ways to tame health care spending. “It is not surprising that the hospital industry is going to oppose such state actions.”In its lawsuit, the California Hospital Association said the affordability office’s own report showed that pharmaceutical and insurance companies are largely responsible for high costs.Hospitals in some states with cost growth limits, including&nbsp;<a href="https://cthosp.org/advocacy/healthcare-legislation-and-policy/healthcare-cost-growth-benchmarking/" target="_blank">Connecticut</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mhalink.org/mondayreport/is-benchmark-good-too-weak-or-irrelevant/" target="_blank">Massachusetts</a>, have expressed objections similar to the ones raised in the California lawsuit. They could follow their counterparts in California if their lawsuit succeeds, said Peter Lee, who led California’s Affordable Care Act marketplace, Covered California, for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coveredca.com/newsroom/news-releases/2021/09/16/peter-v-lee-to-leave-as-executive-director-of-covered-california-after-10-years-leading-the-nations-largest-state-based-marketplace/" target="_blank">over a decade</a>&nbsp;and is now a&nbsp;<a href="https://med.stanford.edu/cerc/about/affiliates-advisors.html" target="_blank">senior scholar</a>&nbsp;at Stanford Medicine’s Clinical Excellence Research Center.Lee said the work of California’s affordability office and similar agencies in other states is just about the only systemwide effort being made to cut health care costs. They are basically saying, “‘Look, health care is taking money away from education, it is taking money away from the environment, it is taking money away from everything in the public sector, and in the private sector it is taking money away from wages,’” he said. “‘We don’t know how you, the health system, are going to do it, but it is your job not just to provide quality but to lower costs. Here’s the target.’”To be sure, achieving the cost savings that California and those other states are seeking is no easy lift. It will ultimately require persuading large, financially powerful players that compete fiercely for health care dollars to adopt a different mindset and begin cooperating to reduce costs instead. And that, in many cases, will mean lower revenue.But the status quo, as many people know all too well, means continued financial pain for millions.In early 2020, Estevan Rodriguez, a bartender at California’s Monterey Beach Hotel, had surgery for a staph infection in his leg. The bill came to nearly $168,000. His insurance paid most of it, but he still owed $5,665, which took him two years to pay, more than $200 every month. “It may not be a lot to some people, but it was a lot to me,” Rodriguez said.He said he dropped his Hulu subscription, switched to a lower-cost cellphone, and got cheaper car insurance. He started going to food banks rather than the grocery store, he said, and had a lot less time with his kids, because he was constantly working to pay off the hospital bill.<a href="https://www.montagehealth.org/locations/profile/community-hospital-monterey-peninsula/" target="_blank">Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula</a>, where Rodriguez had his surgery, is one of the seven hospitals identified by California’s affordability office as high-cost. A&nbsp;<a href="https://hcai.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/OHCA-Investigative-Study-of-Hospital-Market-Competition-in-Monterey-County-1.pdf" target="_blank">study by the office</a>&nbsp;attributed high hospital prices in Monterey County to a lack of market competition “rather than higher operating costs or superior quality of care.”The Monterey hospital referred a request for comment about its “high-cost” designation to the California Hospital Association. CHA spokesperson Jan Emerson-Shea declined to comment beyond the language of the lawsuit and Coyle’s press release statement.<h2>Reduced competition</h2>Health care analysts worry the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will reduce market competition even further by stressing already weak hospitals, leading some to shut services, merge with larger health systems, or close. One study estimates&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2838483" target="_blank">338 rural hospitals</a>&nbsp;are at risk of closing nationwide.Less competition, in addition to fewer Medicaid dollars and an increase in uninsured patients, will only strengthen the incentive of health systems with the requisite market clout to raise their commercial prices, increasing premiums for employers and individuals.“We think commercial prices will continue to increase as health care providers, and hospitals in particular, will seek to preserve or increase their revenue,” said Rachel Block, a program officer at the Milbank Memorial Fund, a foundation that focuses on health equity.That in turn could pose a challenge to state affordability regulators tasked with overseeing compliance with growth targets for health care spending.California’s affordability office is required to consider mitigating factors, including changes in federal and state laws. But some of its board members have expressed skepticism about letting hospitals offset Medicaid losses with higher commercial prices.“There’s a lot of talk about using HR 1 and other federal policies as an excuse to raise prices on commercial payers,” Ian Lewis, an affordability office board member and policy director for UNITE HERE Local 2, a hospitality workers union in the Bay Area, said at the agency’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEKO4RfH2Y4" target="_blank">July board meeting</a>, referring to the One Big Beautiful Bill. “There’s no more blood to be squeezed from this stone.”<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/about-us" target="_blank">KFF Health News</a>&nbsp;is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — an independent source of health policy research, polling and journalism. Learn more about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/about-us" target="_blank">KFF</a>.This story was originally produced by&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/2025/12/26/one-big-beautiful-bill-act-complicates-state-health-care-affordability-efforts/" target="_blank">Stateline</a>, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Nebraska Examiner, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

State health care affordability pushes complicated by One Big Beautiful Bill

Dawson County Cattle Feeder Leads Cattlemen

Lincoln, Neb. (Dec. 22, 2025) – During their Annual Business Meeting, the Nebraska Cattlemen (NC) membership elected Craig Uden to serve as president.

Craig stated,&nbsp;"When it comes to the beef cattle industry, there will always be issues to solve. The true meaning of sustainability is learning and adapting to the challenges we face.We must come together to solve the important issues and educate producers in order for our business to thrive. I look forward to tackling industry issues with like-minded people over the next year."

A fourth-generation cattleman from Johnson Lake, Nebraska, Craig Uden has always been active in helping shape the ever-challenging and changing beef industry. Craig is a partner in Darr Feedlot Inc., a commercial cattle feeding operation in central Nebraska. Craig and his wife, Terri, also own and manage three commercial cow-calf operations. He believes in giving back to an industry that has been good to him, and while he has stepped aside from the day-to-day management, he still enjoys buying and selling cattle and his customer relations title, because it is the relationships that are built in the cattle industry that make this business so rewarding. People work toward a common goal to improve and learn so that their industry is sustainable for future generations.

Craig and Terri have a daughter, Blair, who is involved in agribusiness and her and husband own a registered Red Angus operation and help oversee the family cow-calf operation. His son, Andrew, and his wife reside in Seward, Nebraska, and Andrew works with his own high tech animal information company. Craig graduated from the University of Nebraska. He has been involved with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) since the mid-1980s and has served on several committees throughout the organization. 

Craig served as NCBA President in 2017; he had previously served as the President-elect, Policy Division Chairman and Federation Division Chairman. He has been involved in a number of functions on a local and state basis, including past chairman and elder of Trinity Lutheran Church in Lexington, Nebraska, member and past chair of the Dawson County Cattlemen, and a 4-H leader. Along with serving on the Nebraska Beef Council, the Nebraska Cattlemen Research &amp; Education Foundation, and the Nebraska Feedlot Council, Craig has served on the Nebraska Cattlemen Board of Directors as a committee chairman and vice chairman, vice president, and president-elect. Craig is also a member of Nebraska Ag Builders and sits on the Foundation Board of Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity.

Craig Uden began his one-year term as Nebraska Cattlemen President on Friday, December 12, 2025.

Press Release<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766811058431.jpeg" alt="Craig Uden" />
 <figcaption>Craig Uden</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Dawson County Cattle Feeder Leads Cattlemen</h2>Lincoln, Neb. (Dec. 22, 2025) – During their Annual Business Meeting, the Nebraska Cattlemen (NC) membership elected Craig Uden to serve as president.Craig stated,&nbsp;"When it comes to the beef cattle industry, there will always be issues to solve. The true meaning of sustainability is learning and adapting to the challenges we face.We must come together to solve the important issues and educate producers in order for our business to thrive. I look forward to tackling industry issues with like-minded people over the next year."A fourth-generation cattleman from Johnson Lake, Nebraska, Craig Uden has always been active in helping shape the ever-challenging and changing beef industry. Craig is a partner in Darr Feedlot Inc., a commercial cattle feeding operation in central Nebraska. Craig and his wife, Terri, also own and manage three commercial cow-calf operations. He believes in giving back to an industry that has been good to him, and while he has stepped aside from the day-to-day management, he still enjoys buying and selling cattle and his customer relations title, because it is the relationships that are built in the cattle industry that make this business so rewarding. People work toward a common goal to improve and learn so that their industry is sustainable for future generations.Craig and Terri have a daughter, Blair, who is involved in agribusiness and her and husband own a registered Red Angus operation and help oversee the family cow-calf operation. His son, Andrew, and his wife reside in Seward, Nebraska, and Andrew works with his own high tech animal information company. Craig graduated from the University of Nebraska. He has been involved with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) since the mid-1980s and has served on several committees throughout the organization. Craig served as NCBA President in 2017; he had previously served as the President-elect, Policy Division Chairman and Federation Division Chairman. He has been involved in a number of functions on a local and state basis, including past chairman and elder of Trinity Lutheran Church in Lexington, Nebraska, member and past chair of the Dawson County Cattlemen, and a 4-H leader. Along with serving on the Nebraska Beef Council, the Nebraska Cattlemen Research &amp; Education Foundation, and the Nebraska Feedlot Council, Craig has served on the Nebraska Cattlemen Board of Directors as a committee chairman and vice chairman, vice president, and president-elect. Craig is also a member of Nebraska Ag Builders and sits on the Foundation Board of Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity.Craig Uden began his one-year term as Nebraska Cattlemen President on Friday, December 12, 2025.

Craig Uden Starts Term as President of Nebraska Cattlemen

By Erin Bamer | Nebraska Examiner

Balancing the budget, tax reform, scheduling among top priorities for Arch heading into final session as speaker

Lincoln, Neb. — Heading into his final legislative session as a term-limited Nebraska state senator, Speaker of the Legislature John Arch of La Vista said he expects the short, 60-day session to fly by.

The session begins Jan. 7, and between the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/12/17/state-sen-dan-mckeon-changes-plea-to-not-guilty-on-misdemeanor-disturbing-the-peace-charge/">possible expulsion of a senator</a>, discord over the repurposing of a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/12/15/nebraska-lawmakers-tour-mccook-ice-jail-call-it-orderly-clean-and-say-it-holds-100-150-migrants/">state prison facility into an ICE detention center</a>&nbsp;and a continued&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/08/25/petition-effort-seeks-to-halve-nebraska-property-taxes-cap-valuations/">push for property tax relief</a>, Arch acknowledged there are more than enough issues to occupy lawmakers’ time before they adjourn in April.

Arch’s top priority among those issues is filling a $471 million budget hole by Day 50, he said, the deadline lawmakers have to complete budget adjustments and send the proposal to Gov. Jim Pillen’s desk.

“Honestly, there is the budget, and then there’s everything else,” Arch said.

Budget struggles also took precedence during the Legislature’s 90-day session this spring, when lawmakers worked to fill a budget deficit that at one point grew to $432 million. After making numerous cuts that senators acknowledged were painful, the session concluded with the state’s two-year budget projecting a modest $4 million surplus.

That surplus didn’t last long, because new economic projections made in July put Nebraska back into a projected deficit of $95 million. When Nebraska’s Economic Forecasting Advisory Board met again in October, projections&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/11/19/nebraskas-projected-budget-deficit-grows-to-471-million-ahead-of-2026-legislative-session/">brought the expected shortfall to $471 million</a>.

Arch said balancing Nebraska’s budget is more difficult than normal, because the state’s revenue streams continue to evolve. Passage of the federal “One Big Beautiful Bill” in July is expected to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/09/02/one-big-beautiful-bill-projected-to-cost-nebraska-over-216-million-in-tax-revenue-in-state-budget/">cost Nebraska’s state government about $406 million</a>&nbsp;over the next four fiscal years, according to the state Department of Revenue.

Additionally, Nebraska is in the midst of scaling down its individual income tax rates to eventually hit 3.99% in 2027. Once lawmakers reach 2027, Arch expects state revenue sources to stabilize, which he said should make managing the budget a bit easier.

“After we flatten out in ‘27, there is a very simple formula, and that is: You spend less than you bring in,” Arch said.

The looming budget challenge is on the minds of many senators, and Arch said there may be fewer new bills introduced in 2026. Recent sessions have established a trend of a higher-than-average number of new bills introduced within the first 10 days of a legislative session, and there are still 240 bills carrying over from 2025, according to legislative records.

At the very least, Arch said lawmakers are aware that there needs to be extremely good cause to introduce any bill with an appropriation attached.

“I’ll emphasize ‘extremely,’” Arch said. “Because it’s just going to be very difficult for a bill to pass that has an A-bill attached.”

Aside from balancing the budget, the speaker said another one of his goals in setting the session’s agenda is scheduling as many priority bills as possible.

However, he acknowledged multiple other issues that could make staying on that track more challenging. He said any extraneous matters could mean priority bills suffer.

During the legislative break, Arch reset all existing priority bills from 2025 back to normal status. He said this was because he felt not all were “ready,” and he intends to start 2026’s floor debates with worksheet order bills before focusing on senators’ personal priorities. He noted that senators could still reprioritize the reset bills.

Even with less time for bills, Arch said there is still value to introducing bills on important topics for the sake of starting conversations. He noted that his recent bills on government efficiencies and legislative oversight took years to pass.

Arch said he intends to bring a smaller government efficiency bill in 2026 that would continue to eliminate certain government reports he views as “obsolete.” He said lawmakers should always keep government efficiency on their mind, because there is always something worth addressing.

On legislative oversight, Arch’s Legislative Bill 298&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/05/28/nebraska-advances-bill-codifying-legislative-oversight-role-dealing-with-executive-branch-agencies/">established a new Division of Legislative Oversight and a new Legislative Oversight Committee</a>. This being a significant change to Nebraska’s governmental structure, Arch said it needs time to settle before further bills with changes should be brought.

Arch anticipates that property taxes will remain a top issue for lawmakers in 2026. While it is also one of his goals to make progress on tax reform, he said he doubts there will be enough revenue to pass new tax relief.

In recent sessions, Arch said senators have been more focused on quick fixes for immediate tax relief, mostly through allocating state dollars to local governments.

Arch said he would like to shift the focus to structural reforms that address the root causes of rising taxes. Arch identified several factors that he believes contributes to higher taxes — rising property valuations, unfunded government mandates, and local government spending.

He said the Legislature ought to revisit its discussion on spending caps, and encourage local governments to be stricter about how it spends money. Though that may take more than one session to accomplish, he argued it will be better for the state in the long run.

Arch, who will be term-limited after 2026, said he hopes people look back on his legacy and view him as a speaker who put the institution first.

The 2023 session — his first as speaker — was contentious from start to finish, and Arch said he was pushed in multiple directions in regard to his scheduling. In those instances, he believed ceding to the pressure would not be good for the institution, so he stuck to the Legislature’s policies and held strong to those principles in subsequent sessions.

“You have to have the opportunity to debate what is important in our society, and we as senators have to learn how to do that well,” Arch said. “Some days we do that well, some days we don’t.”

By Erin Bamer | Nebraska Examiner <h2>Balancing the budget, tax reform, scheduling among top priorities for Arch heading into final session as speaker</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/arch-sine-die_ZJW_060225-02-1536x1024.jpg" alt="Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature John Arch of La Vista addresses state senators on the final day of the 2025 legislative session. June 2, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature John Arch of La Vista addresses state senators on the final day of the 2025 legislative session. June 2, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Lincoln, Neb. — Heading into his final legislative session as a term-limited Nebraska state senator, Speaker of the Legislature John Arch of La Vista said he expects the short, 60-day session to fly by.The session begins Jan. 7, and between the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/12/17/state-sen-dan-mckeon-changes-plea-to-not-guilty-on-misdemeanor-disturbing-the-peace-charge/">possible expulsion of a senator</a>, discord over the repurposing of a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/12/15/nebraska-lawmakers-tour-mccook-ice-jail-call-it-orderly-clean-and-say-it-holds-100-150-migrants/">state prison facility into an ICE detention center</a>&nbsp;and a continued&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/08/25/petition-effort-seeks-to-halve-nebraska-property-taxes-cap-valuations/">push for property tax relief</a>, Arch acknowledged there are more than enough issues to occupy lawmakers’ time before they adjourn in April.Arch’s top priority among those issues is filling a $471 million budget hole by Day 50, he said, the deadline lawmakers have to complete budget adjustments and send the proposal to Gov. Jim Pillen’s desk.<figure>
 <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/arch_ZJW_080224-01-300x200.jpg" alt="Speaker John Arch of La Vista. Aug. 2, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Speaker John Arch of La Vista. Aug. 2, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>“Honestly, there is the budget, and then there’s everything else,” Arch said.Budget struggles also took precedence during the Legislature’s 90-day session this spring, when lawmakers worked to fill a budget deficit that at one point grew to $432 million. After making numerous cuts that senators acknowledged were painful, the session concluded with the state’s two-year budget projecting a modest $4 million surplus.That surplus didn’t last long, because new economic projections made in July put Nebraska back into a projected deficit of $95 million. When Nebraska’s Economic Forecasting Advisory Board met again in October, projections&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/11/19/nebraskas-projected-budget-deficit-grows-to-471-million-ahead-of-2026-legislative-session/">brought the expected shortfall to $471 million</a>.Arch said balancing Nebraska’s budget is more difficult than normal, because the state’s revenue streams continue to evolve. Passage of the federal “One Big Beautiful Bill” in July is expected to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/09/02/one-big-beautiful-bill-projected-to-cost-nebraska-over-216-million-in-tax-revenue-in-state-budget/">cost Nebraska’s state government about $406 million</a>&nbsp;over the next four fiscal years, according to the state Department of Revenue.Additionally, Nebraska is in the midst of scaling down its individual income tax rates to eventually hit 3.99% in 2027. Once lawmakers reach 2027, Arch expects state revenue sources to stabilize, which he said should make managing the budget a bit easier.“After we flatten out in ‘27, there is a very simple formula, and that is: You spend less than you bring in,” Arch said.The looming budget challenge is on the minds of many senators, and Arch said there may be fewer new bills introduced in 2026. Recent sessions have established a trend of a higher-than-average number of new bills introduced within the first 10 days of a legislative session, and there are still 240 bills carrying over from 2025, according to legislative records.At the very least, Arch said lawmakers are aware that there needs to be extremely good cause to introduce any bill with an appropriation attached.“I’ll emphasize ‘extremely,’” Arch said. “Because it’s just going to be very difficult for a bill to pass that has an A-bill attached.”Aside from balancing the budget, the speaker said another one of his goals in setting the session’s agenda is scheduling as many priority bills as possible.However, he acknowledged multiple other issues that could make staying on that track more challenging. He said any extraneous matters could mean priority bills suffer.During the legislative break, Arch reset all existing priority bills from 2025 back to normal status. He said this was because he felt not all were “ready,” and he intends to start 2026’s floor debates with worksheet order bills before focusing on senators’ personal priorities. He noted that senators could still reprioritize the reset bills.Even with less time for bills, Arch said there is still value to introducing bills on important topics for the sake of starting conversations. He noted that his recent bills on government efficiencies and legislative oversight took years to pass.<figure>
 <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/conrad-speaker_ZJW_032625-01-300x200.jpg" alt="State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, center, meets with Speaker John Arch of La Vista, Clerk of the Legislature Brandon Metzler and State Sen. John Fredrickson, from left, at the front of the Legislature. March 26, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, center, meets with Speaker John Arch of La Vista, Clerk of the Legislature Brandon Metzler and State Sen. John Fredrickson, from left, at the front of the Legislature. March 26, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Arch said he intends to bring a smaller government efficiency bill in 2026 that would continue to eliminate certain government reports he views as “obsolete.” He said lawmakers should always keep government efficiency on their mind, because there is always something worth addressing.On legislative oversight, Arch’s Legislative Bill 298&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/05/28/nebraska-advances-bill-codifying-legislative-oversight-role-dealing-with-executive-branch-agencies/">established a new Division of Legislative Oversight and a new Legislative Oversight Committee</a>. This being a significant change to Nebraska’s governmental structure, Arch said it needs time to settle before further bills with changes should be brought.Arch anticipates that property taxes will remain a top issue for lawmakers in 2026. While it is also one of his goals to make progress on tax reform, he said he doubts there will be enough revenue to pass new tax relief.In recent sessions, Arch said senators have been more focused on quick fixes for immediate tax relief, mostly through allocating state dollars to local governments.Arch said he would like to shift the focus to structural reforms that address the root causes of rising taxes. Arch identified several factors that he believes contributes to higher taxes — rising property valuations, unfunded government mandates, and local government spending.He said the Legislature ought to revisit its discussion on spending caps, and encourage local governments to be stricter about how it spends money. Though that may take more than one session to accomplish, he argued it will be better for the state in the long run.Arch, who will be term-limited after 2026, said he hopes people look back on his legacy and view him as a speaker who put the institution first.The 2023 session — his first as speaker — was contentious from start to finish, and Arch said he was pushed in multiple directions in regard to his scheduling. In those instances, he believed ceding to the pressure would not be good for the institution, so he stuck to the Legislature’s policies and held strong to those principles in subsequent sessions.“You have to have the opportunity to debate what is important in our society, and we as senators have to learn how to do that well,” Arch said. “Some days we do that well, some days we don’t.”

Budget first: Speaker John Arch breaks down biggest tasks for Nebraska Legislature

Luke Karg is the only Missouri student to qualify for the high school national bass fishing championship five times, including as an incoming freshman

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rebecca-rivas/">REBECCA RIVAS</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/"></a>The water on Truman Lake was colder and muddier than normal this April, making for some tough fishing conditions.&nbsp;

Luke Karg, of House Springs, had one last shot before graduating to win the Missouri TBF High School Trail Super Tournament for bass fishing – which he and his then 16-year-old fishing partner, A.J. Massa, had won the year before.

It’s the last tournament of the season for the Missouri student program of The Bass Federation, and it’s also the final opportunity to earn enough points to be named Team of the Year — the top-scoring duo in the state.

“The tournament itself meant a lot to us, with it being our last state tournament together,” Karg said. “It was very tough. There was, at most, two inches of visibility in the water, but a lot of fishing is just adapting to the changes.”

Karg and Massa headed out on the water for two days for eight hours each. At the end of each day, they weighed their top five fish.&nbsp;

“The first day, they caught almost enough bass to win the tournament,” said Gary Foree, Karg’s mentor and family friend, who is a former professional fisherman. “They had almost 19 pounds, which is insane. There hasn’t been a tournament in three years over 17 pounds on Truman Lake.”

They brought in 16 pounds on the second day, which would have brought their total up to nearly 35 pounds. But unfortunately it didn’t count. Their boat malfunctioned, making them miss the weigh in.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766854627766.png" alt=" Luke Karg and his mentor Gary Foree fish together at Peaceful Valley Lake in Owensville in 2021 (Photo submitted)." />
 <figcaption> Luke Karg and his mentor Gary Foree fish together at Peaceful Valley Lake in Owensville in 2021 (Photo submitted).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Luke Karg is the only Missouri student to qualify for the high school national bass fishing championship five times, including as an incoming freshman</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rebecca-rivas/">REBECCA RIVAS</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/"></a>The water on Truman Lake was colder and muddier than normal this April, making for some tough fishing conditions.&nbsp;Luke Karg, of House Springs, had one last shot before graduating to win the Missouri TBF High School Trail Super Tournament for bass fishing – which he and his then 16-year-old fishing partner, A.J. Massa, had won the year before.It’s the last tournament of the season for the Missouri student program of The Bass Federation, and it’s also the final opportunity to earn enough points to be named Team of the Year — the top-scoring duo in the state.“The tournament itself meant a lot to us, with it being our last state tournament together,” Karg said. “It was very tough. There was, at most, two inches of visibility in the water, but a lot of fishing is just adapting to the changes.”Karg and Massa headed out on the water for two days for eight hours each. At the end of each day, they weighed their top five fish.&nbsp;“The first day, they caught almost enough bass to win the tournament,” said Gary Foree, Karg’s mentor and family friend, who is a former professional fisherman. “They had almost 19 pounds, which is insane. There hasn’t been a tournament in three years over 17 pounds on Truman Lake.”They brought in 16 pounds on the second day, which would have brought their total up to nearly 35 pounds. But unfortunately it didn’t count. Their boat malfunctioned, making them miss the weigh in.&nbsp;&nbsp;“It was pretty heart-wrenching,” Karg said. “It was one of our best bags as a team on one of the most difficult days.”But it wasn’t all lost.&nbsp;Karg and Massa ended up taking second place at Truman Lake with one day’s worth of fish, and they still had enough points to be named Team of the Year, just as they were last year.Karg has been part of the Team of the Year five years in a row, including as an incoming high-school freshman.&nbsp;That title also sent the team to the TBF Student Angler Federation High School National Championship, which was held at Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in June.&nbsp;Only the top two high-school teams from each state can compete, and Karg is the only person in Missouri to have qualified for that opportunity five years in a row, according to officials for the national championship.“To be one of the top two teams in Missouri for five consecutive years is pretty freaking amazing,” said Karl Buck, who previously led the federation’s high school program in Missouri and was also Karg’s team leader. “I’m just so proud it’s unbelievable. I mean, I can’t believe that I was involved in his upcoming as a fisherman.”Karg began competitive fishing when he was 12 and participated in dozens of individual and team tournaments as a teen. Through it all, he struggled with an autoimmune illness that made him miss numerous days from school, he said, but he’s proud he still managed to graduate on time in May and continue fishing.While it was grueling standing on a boat for hours under the hot sun, Karg said the national championship was exhilarating because some of the world’s top fishermen were watching.&nbsp;“It’s the biggest tourn of the year, and a lot of people only get to go to it once, if even,” Karg said. “It really could be the biggest tournament of your life.”<h2>A promise</h2>Karg has loved to fish ever since he could hold a rod, said his father Rick Karg. Even as early as 5, he said Karg could catch fish when the adults around him were coming up empty.&nbsp;“There’s a magic,” Rick said. “My scientific brain says, ‘Is there like a vibration from his heartbeat that travels down the line because he’s got his finger touching it, that the fish like?’”&nbsp;Foree met Karg because of a life-changing promise he made to Karg’s mother, Becky Rumley.Rumley was the nurse administering Foree’s chemotherapy treatment at St. Claire Hospital, and one day, she told him how much her nine-year-old son loved to fish. At the time, Foree thought he only had a few months to live.“I ended up telling her that if I survive this, I’ll take him to Lake of the Ozarks and get him a five pounder because I used to be a [fishing] guide on the lake,” he said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766854595349.png" alt="Luke Karg stands with a paddlefish he caught in Owensville (Photo submitted)." />
 <figcaption>Luke Karg stands with a paddlefish he caught in Owensville (Photo submitted).</figcaption>
 </figure>Foree did pull through, and when they went out fishing, Karg didn’t just catch one five-pound bass.&nbsp;“I caught three five-pound bass and two six pounders, and like a bunch of big fish,” Karg said. “It is probably the best day of fishing in my life. And ever since then, he’s just dedicated a huge part of his life to help teach me and my partner.”Foree was equally amazed after Karg pulled out nearly 40 pounds of fish that day.&nbsp;“He just had the best day of fishing anybody could have,” Foree said. “That’s how I got him hooked on fishing.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Over the years, Foree taught him about tracking fish through the different seasons and how to read the water and the banks. He also helped him get his first boat.Now, Foree said, Karg’s instincts are his fishing superpower.&nbsp;“So many times they won a tournament when the fishing was really tough, and Luke said, ‘Let’s try over here. That bank looks good,’” Foree said. “And they’ll go over, and they’ll catch enough fish on that bank to win the tournament.”Karg believes his instincts have developed with the dozens of tournaments and countless hours of fishing.&nbsp;“Over time, it’s become more of an instinct, than having to think about, ‘Oh, I should make a change,’” he said. “It just naturally comes.”For instance, at both the Truman Lake and national championship, Karg said he was painting his own custom lures while he was on the boat.At Truman, he made the decision to color a half-inch chartreuse line on his spinner bait, he said, and he ended up catching much bigger fish, but less fish. If his lure had a straight tail, the catch was better as well, he said.“It’s all about how the bait works in the water,” he said. “The smallest little detail that can just trigger the fish to eat. That’s where a lot of the fun comes into it for me, is all the difficulties and fun little changes you can make. You can go from catching no fish for hours on end to catching your limit in a minute.”<h2>‘Find five’</h2>Karl Buck remembers meeting Karg when he was about 12 on a dock at the Peaceful Valley Lake in Owensville, where Karg’s grandparents have a lake house. Buck used to run a student program called the Owensville Anglers, and they were finishing up a tournament that day.“When we were doing our weigh-in down at the dam, they came down to the boat ramp to inquire,” Buck said. “He’ll probably hate this, but he was the most bashful young man, super quiet and reserved.”&nbsp;The Owensville Anglers is how Karg got his start with tournament fishing, which Buck says is much different than regular fishing.&nbsp;In a tournament, Buck said the first rule is “find five.”&nbsp;“You’re fishing for five fish,” Buck said. “Doesn’t matter what they weigh, they just got to be keepers,” meaning they are big enough to keep.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766854558899.png" alt="Luke Karg, left, and A.J. Massa hold up their top three fish at the TBF Student Angler Federation High School National Championship, which was held at Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in June (photo submitted)." />
 <figcaption>Luke Karg, left, and A.J. Massa hold up their top three fish at the TBF Student Angler Federation High School National Championship, which was held at Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in June (photo submitted).</figcaption>
 </figure>The fish go in the box where they’re kept alive and healthy, which is a standard conservation practice in the high-school tournaments.&nbsp;“After you have five, then you’re going to change your game,” he said. “It’s now no longer about just catching fish. You’re looking to upgrade the fish that you already have. Big fish get big for a reason. They’re hard to catch.”Big fish know how to hide, and that’s where casting skills come into play, Foree said. He called Karg’s casting skills “insane.”&nbsp;“He can skip jigs and lures and put them in places nobody else can,” Foree said. “That’s why he’s so good.”But he wasn’t always that good, Buck remembers, which is why Karg earned the nickname “Oops” after fishing with Buck and his son one day.“Luke throws this cast — I believe it was a spinner bait — and it winds up on the roof of this dock, stuck,” Buck said. “So we go up and we get it. A little while later, he makes another cast and it gets stuck on somebody’s dock.”After each time, Karg would just say, “Oops” and the nickname was born. Buck said when they fished together this past summer, he was blown away at his talent.&nbsp;Karg and Massa ended up placing 56th out of more than 200 teams in the national championship in Oklahoma.&nbsp;“We lost three three-pounders that came off the boat,” Karg said after the tournament finished. “That would have gotten us up to nine or 10 pounds. We would have been around 12th place probably.”Karg said he’s proud of his accomplishment over this high school career, and he couldn’t have done it without his fishing partners Massa and previously Kyle Kannawurf, along with their boat captains.“No one gives credit enough to our boat captains, which were both of our dads,” he said, “just giving the time to drive all the way out there and standing with us out the boat for eight hours straight a day.”As boat captain, Rick said he was in “constant amazement” at his son’s skill.“I’d just sit there and watch and think, ‘How in the world are you doing this?’” Rick said. “You’re like a super sharp shooter.”Rick said he’s watched Karg fish for seven hours without catching anything, but he’d still have the focus and creativity change his strategy and get a big catch at the last minute. Karg’s humility and attitude are among the most impressive things about him, said Foree and Buck, particularly his ability to bounce back from setbacks.“He never got rattled,” Foree said. “Oh, he’d get upset if he lost a big fish, but he’d just say, ‘Okay, I learned something from that,’ and go on to the next one. His ability to focus and stay focused in times of turmoil when he loses fish or the weather changes is very, very important in professional bass fishing.”Karg&nbsp;has his own&nbsp;<a href="https://lukesboatservices.com/about-us" target="_blank">boat detail business</a>, and there are several career paths he’s interested in taking, including a professional fisherman.&nbsp;“But for that, I would have to be away from home around 200 days of the year,” he said. “So the one I’m probably gonna go with is a natural environmentalist studying fresh water fish.”