LINCOLN, Neb. (Aug. 25, 2025) — Gov. Jim Pillen has appointed Lisa Lunz of Wakefield as the new District 4 director of the Nebraska Corn Board, succeeding Debbie Borg, who chose not to seek reappointment after serving since 2013.

Lunz, a fourth-generation farmer, has 37 years of experience raising corn and soybeans with her husband, Jim. She holds a degree in animal science from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and has served as a Dixon County supervisor and on the Nebraska Soybean Board.

“Lisa will be a valuable addition to our organization,” Nebraska Corn Board Chairman Brandon Hunnicutt said in a statement. “With her extensive farming experience and leadership background, we’re looking forward to her insights and contributions as we work together to promote the interests of Nebraska’s corn growers.”

Along with Lunz’s appointment, Pillen reappointed Dan Nerud of Crete and Adam Grabenstein of Farnam as directors for districts 1 and 5.

At its Aug. 19 meeting, the board also elected its 2025–26 officers: Hunnicutt of Giltner as chair, Andy Groskopf of Scottsbluff as vice chair, and Ted Schrock of Elm Creek as secretary/treasurer. Jay Reiners of Juniata will continue to serve as past chairman.

“The leadership elected take on great responsibility, representing all 36,000 corn farmers in the state,” Executive Director Kelly Brunkhorst said. “Their continuity and experience will serve us well as we continue to promote Nebraska’s corn industry and drive initiatives that benefit producers.”

The Nebraska Corn Board is funded through a producer checkoff and directed by nine farmer members. Its mission includes market development, research and promotion of Nebraska corn.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756120869381.jpeg" alt="New leadership was recently elected to the Nebraska Corn Board at the August meeting. (L-R), Jay Reiners, past chairman; Brandon Hunnicutt, chairman; Andy Groskopf, vice chairman; and Ted Schrock, secretary/treasurer. They assume the roles immediately." />
 <figcaption>New leadership was recently elected to the Nebraska Corn Board at the August meeting. (L-R), Jay Reiners, past chairman; Brandon Hunnicutt, chairman; Andy Groskopf, vice chairman; and Ted Schrock, secretary/treasurer. They assume the roles immediately.</figcaption>
 </figure>LINCOLN, Neb. (Aug. 25, 2025) — Gov. Jim Pillen has appointed Lisa Lunz of Wakefield as the new District 4 director of the Nebraska Corn Board, succeeding Debbie Borg, who chose not to seek reappointment after serving since 2013.Lunz, a fourth-generation farmer, has 37 years of experience raising corn and soybeans with her husband, Jim. She holds a degree in animal science from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and has served as a Dixon County supervisor and on the Nebraska Soybean Board.“Lisa will be a valuable addition to our organization,” Nebraska Corn Board Chairman Brandon Hunnicutt said in a statement. “With her extensive farming experience and leadership background, we’re looking forward to her insights and contributions as we work together to promote the interests of Nebraska’s corn growers.”Along with Lunz’s appointment, Pillen reappointed Dan Nerud of Crete and Adam Grabenstein of Farnam as directors for districts 1 and 5.At its Aug. 19 meeting, the board also elected its 2025–26 officers: Hunnicutt of Giltner as chair, Andy Groskopf of Scottsbluff as vice chair, and Ted Schrock of Elm Creek as secretary/treasurer. Jay Reiners of Juniata will continue to serve as past chairman.“The leadership elected take on great responsibility, representing all 36,000 corn farmers in the state,” Executive Director Kelly Brunkhorst said. “Their continuity and experience will serve us well as we continue to promote Nebraska’s corn industry and drive initiatives that benefit producers.”The Nebraska Corn Board is funded through a producer checkoff and directed by nine farmer members. Its mission includes market development, research and promotion of Nebraska corn.

Wakefield farmer appointed to Nebraska Corn Board

Nearly 40% of election officials administering the 2024 election weren’t around in 2020.

By:<a href="https://stateline.org/author/jshorman/">Jonathan Shorman</a>

Election officials turned over at the highest rate in at least a quarter century during the last presidential election, according to new research from the Bipartisan Policy Center.

An analysis of shifts in election officials published Tuesday found nearly 41% of election officials administering the 2024 election were different than those in 2020. Turnover has accelerated over the past two decades, rising from about 28% in 2004 to 40.9% last year.

The growing percentage of departing election officials comes after years of challenges. They navigated the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, as well as harassment and false conspiracy theories surrounding stolen elections that persist today.

The analysis&nbsp;<a href="https://bipartisanpolicy.org/issue-brief/election-official-turnover-rates-through-the-2024-election/" target="_blank">released by the Bipartisan Policy Center</a>, a Washington, D.C.-based group that seeks to foster policy cooperation across party lines, represents an updated version of a report that previously examined turnover from 2004 to 2022. The new research, which extends the data through 2024, shows the turnover rate continued to climb.

The change means that, over time, election officials have less experience. The research found that the share of chief local election officials with six or more years in their role has dropped from 60% in 2006 to 47% in 2024.

But last year, 60% of election officials had previously overseen the administration of a presidential election in their jurisdiction.

“Despite increasing turnover and loss of experience, the majority of chief election officials still have experience running at least one presidential election cycle,” the analysis said. “This is important because presidential elections typically see the highest turnout and are the most visible elections administered.”

The analysis found that over the long term, election official turnover rates have been rising gradually in small jurisdictions, defined as areas with fewer than 100,000 voting-age residents. But large jurisdictions have experienced a more sudden jump in turnover.

Small jurisdictions had a 27% turnover rate in 2004 that had risen to 40% in 2024. But large jurisdictions enjoyed a turnover rate as low as 31% in 2018 before climbing rapidly to nearly 46% last year.

Stateline reporter&nbsp;Jonathan Shorman can be reached at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:jshorman@stateline.org">jshorman@stateline.org</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756041439060.png" alt=" Election workers process ballots at the Davis County Administrative Building in Farmington, Utah, during November’s election. Research from the Bipartisan Policy Center shows turnover among election workers reached a new high in 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps/Utah News Dispatch)" />
 <figcaption> Election workers process ballots at the Davis County Administrative Building in Farmington, Utah, during November’s election. Research from the Bipartisan Policy Center shows turnover among election workers reached a new high in 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps/Utah News Dispatch)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Nearly 40% of election officials administering the 2024 election weren’t around in 2020.</h2>By:<a href="https://stateline.org/author/jshorman/">Jonathan Shorman</a>Election officials turned over at the highest rate in at least a quarter century during the last presidential election, according to new research from the Bipartisan Policy Center.An analysis of shifts in election officials published Tuesday found nearly 41% of election officials administering the 2024 election were different than those in 2020. Turnover has accelerated over the past two decades, rising from about 28% in 2004 to 40.9% last year.The growing percentage of departing election officials comes after years of challenges. They navigated the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, as well as harassment and false conspiracy theories surrounding stolen elections that persist today.The analysis&nbsp;<a href="https://bipartisanpolicy.org/issue-brief/election-official-turnover-rates-through-the-2024-election/" target="_blank">released by the Bipartisan Policy Center</a>, a Washington, D.C.-based group that seeks to foster policy cooperation across party lines, represents an updated version of a report that previously examined turnover from 2004 to 2022. The new research, which extends the data through 2024, shows the turnover rate continued to climb.The change means that, over time, election officials have less experience. The research found that the share of chief local election officials with six or more years in their role has dropped from 60% in 2006 to 47% in 2024.But last year, 60% of election officials had previously overseen the administration of a presidential election in their jurisdiction.“Despite increasing turnover and loss of experience, the majority of chief election officials still have experience running at least one presidential election cycle,” the analysis said. “This is important because presidential elections typically see the highest turnout and are the most visible elections administered.”The analysis found that over the long term, election official turnover rates have been rising gradually in small jurisdictions, defined as areas with fewer than 100,000 voting-age residents. But large jurisdictions have experienced a more sudden jump in turnover.Small jurisdictions had a 27% turnover rate in 2004 that had risen to 40% in 2024. But large jurisdictions enjoyed a turnover rate as low as 31% in 2018 before climbing rapidly to nearly 46% last year.Stateline reporter&nbsp;Jonathan Shorman can be reached at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:jshorman@stateline.org">jshorman@stateline.org</a>.

Turnover among election officials reaches new high, report finds

WASHINGTON —During a presentation and press conference with FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the Oval Office on Friday, President Trump held up a photo sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin: "I'm going to sign this for him . That's a man named Vladimir Putin who I believe will be coming to 2026 FIFA World Cup depending on what happens."

WASHINGTON —During a presentation and press conference with FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the Oval Office on Friday, President Trump held up a photo sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin: "I'm going to sign this for him . That's a man named Vladimir Putin who I believe will be coming to 2026 FIFA World Cup depending on what happens."<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">President Trump holds up photo sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin: &quot;I&#39;m going to sign this for him ... That&#39;s a man named Vladimir Putin who I believe will be coming (to 2026 FIFA World Cup) depending on what happens.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/K3nGniRbPN">pic.twitter.com/K3nGniRbPN</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1958948441586839821?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥President Trump shows off photo sent from Putin

In the interest of transparency, the United State's Department of Justice on Friday released the complete transcript and audio of&nbsp; Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche's interview of&nbsp; Ghislaine  Maxwell.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.justice.gov/maxwell-interview">Click here</a>&nbsp;to listen to and or read the transcripts

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755895048179.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>In the interest of transparency, the United State's Department of Justice on Friday released the complete transcript and audio of&nbsp; Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche's interview of&nbsp; Ghislaine Maxwell.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/maxwell-interview">Click here</a>&nbsp;to listen to and or read the transcripts<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704330351229.png" alt="Jeffrey Epstein photo - New York Sex Offender Registry" />
 <figcaption>Jeffrey Epstein photo - New York Sex Offender Registry</figcaption>
 </figure>

🎙Read, listen to the DOJ interview with Epstein's girlfriend

By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/aaron-sanderford/">Aaron Sanderford</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — The Nebraska State Auditor’s Office saw dead people in Nebraska’s Medicaid payments to managed care organizations as part of an audit, so it dug deeper and found 13.

The Auditor’s Office reviewed all regular monthly payments made in March to managed care groups by Nebraska’s Medicaid program under the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

It identified 83 payments worth a combined $65,554 that were made on behalf of 13 Nebraska recipients of Medicaid after they had died, according to a letter from Auditor Mike Foley’s office.

The state systems that HHS oversees are supposed to flag the Medicaid program when HHS’ own Office of Vital Records notifies its eligibility system and its payment system of a person’s death so the payments stop.

In at least two and possibly three of the 13 people’s cases, Vital Records, which handles birth and death certificates, failed to flag the system automatically about the deaths.&nbsp;

One Medicaid recipient’s managed care organization received payments for more than two years after the patient’s death — 783 days, the state auditor’s letter says.

But in seven cases, the payments continued after the Medicaid payment system had been automatically flagged about their deaths. For five people, the state listed them as ineligible rather than dead. The other two had delayed processing.

The auditor’s deeper review of the payments followed its letter in late June to HHS raising questions about the program and its ability to verify proper payments and patient deaths.

“The procedures utilized by DHHS appear to have failed to check for deceased individuals against other systems or records used by the same agency,” the Auditor’s team wrote.

Foley’s office recommended that HHS button up its processes to more quickly stop payments after a Medicaid recipient’s death and that it work more quickly to seek and collect overpayments.

HHS, in a brief response included in the letter, acknowledged that its existing processes failed to properly stop some of the payments and pledged to review its internal controls.

“While DHHS has had processes in place that have largely been effective to identify, take eligibility action and&nbsp;recoup payments made after the date of death for Medicaid recipients, this review highlights opportunities to strengthen established controls,” the agency wrote.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755873756527.png" alt="The Nebraska State Office Building on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022, in Lincoln. (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>The Nebraska State Office Building on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022, in Lincoln. (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/aaron-sanderford/">Aaron Sanderford</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — The Nebraska State Auditor’s Office saw dead people in Nebraska’s Medicaid payments to managed care organizations as part of an audit, so it dug deeper and found 13.The Auditor’s Office reviewed all regular monthly payments made in March to managed care groups by Nebraska’s Medicaid program under the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.It identified 83 payments worth a combined $65,554 that were made on behalf of 13 Nebraska recipients of Medicaid after they had died, according to a letter from Auditor Mike Foley’s office.The state systems that HHS oversees are supposed to flag the Medicaid program when HHS’ own Office of Vital Records notifies its eligibility system and its payment system of a person’s death so the payments stop.In at least two and possibly three of the 13 people’s cases, Vital Records, which handles birth and death certificates, failed to flag the system automatically about the deaths.&nbsp;One Medicaid recipient’s managed care organization received payments for more than two years after the patient’s death — 783 days, the state auditor’s letter says.But in seven cases, the payments continued after the Medicaid payment system had been automatically flagged about their deaths. For five people, the state listed them as ineligible rather than dead. The other two had delayed processing.The auditor’s deeper review of the payments followed its letter in late June to HHS raising questions about the program and its ability to verify proper payments and patient deaths.“The procedures utilized by DHHS appear to have failed to check for deceased individuals against other systems or records used by the same agency,” the Auditor’s team wrote.Foley’s office recommended that HHS button up its processes to more quickly stop payments after a Medicaid recipient’s death and that it work more quickly to seek and collect overpayments.HHS, in a brief response included in the letter, acknowledged that its existing processes failed to properly stop some of the payments and pledged to review its internal controls.“While DHHS has had processes in place that have largely been effective to identify, take eligibility action and&nbsp;recoup payments made after the date of death for Medicaid recipients, this review highlights opportunities to strengthen established controls,” the agency wrote.

Nebraska DHHS made Medicaid payments for 13 dead people in March

DAMASCUS —U.S. forces conducted a successful raid in northern Syria on August 19, killing a senior ISIS member and key financier who planned attacks in Syria and Iraq, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.

He had relationships throughout the ISIS network in the region, posing a direct threat to U.S. and Coalition forces and the new Syrian Government.

“We will continue to pursue ISIS terrorists with unwavering determination, throughout the region” said ADM Brad Cooper, Commander, Centcom. “Together with our partners and allies, Centcom remains steadfast in our commitment of ensuring the lasting defeat of ISIS and the protection of the U.S. homeland.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755822794859.png" alt="A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II conducts a combat air patrol over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. John C.B. Ennis)" />
 <figcaption>A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II conducts a combat air patrol over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. John C.B. Ennis)</figcaption>
 </figure>DAMASCUS —U.S. forces conducted a successful raid in northern Syria on August 19, killing a senior ISIS member and key financier who planned attacks in Syria and Iraq, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.He had relationships throughout the ISIS network in the region, posing a direct threat to U.S. and Coalition forces and the new Syrian Government.“We will continue to pursue ISIS terrorists with unwavering determination, throughout the region” said ADM Brad Cooper, Commander, Centcom. “Together with our partners and allies, Centcom remains steadfast in our commitment of ensuring the lasting defeat of ISIS and the protection of the U.S. homeland.”

U.S. forces kill senior ISIS official in Syria

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">“You don’t want to slip and fall like somebody else I know” 🤣 <a href="https://t.co/nfEoIsg4Ko">pic.twitter.com/nfEoIsg4Ko</a>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1958647055464714527?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">“This is a healthy, attractive looking group” 🤣 President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> thanks federal and local law enforcement helping to Make DC Safe Again 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/GmVdMyNTwR">pic.twitter.com/GmVdMyNTwR</a>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1958646088971559370?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> personally thanks and shakes hands with federal and local law enforcement helping to Make DC Safe Again! 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/c4FRxy4E7f">pic.twitter.com/c4FRxy4E7f</a>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1958651205309112704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 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 revitalizing Washington, D.C.: &quot;One of the things that we&#39;re going to be redoing is your parks... we&#39;re going to be regrassing all of your parks... It will look like Augusta. It will look like, more importantly, Trump National Golf Club — that&#39;s even better.&quot; 😂 <a href="https://t.co/4x0mbVrRjM">pic.twitter.com/4x0mbVrRjM</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1958647420557873324?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 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> speaks to the National Guard and law enforcement in D.C.: &quot;I just want to thank everybody very much for being here... We&#39;ve had some incredible results... It&#39;s like a different place. It&#39;s like a different city. It&#39;s the capital — it&#39;s going to be the best in the world.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/vXuQ6CK86B">pic.twitter.com/vXuQ6CK86B</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1958646085192122765?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥President Trump's field trip to thank police and troops in DC

By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/cindygonzalez/">Cindy Gonzalez</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/zachwendling/">Zach Wendling</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/17/lincoln-senators-clash-over-nebraska-school-retirement-bill-as-school-leaders-weigh-in/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

OMAHA — Nebraska immigrant advocates and elected officials are among those criticizing the state’s decision to host a federal detention center for migrants — and the flippant nickname the Trump administration gave the facility.&nbsp;

“The so-called ‘Cornhusker Clink’ — if that name doesn’t demonstrate the dystopian nightmare in which we now find ourselves, I don’t know what does,” says Kevin Abourezk, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe who was among protestors outside of Gov. Jim Pillen’s Office when details were announced.

“It’s meant to be funny, but in this context it is actually terrifying,” said the longtime Lincoln-based journalist. “It’s like they’re not human to them.”

Roger Garcia, the Democratic chairman of the Douglas County Board, which governs the most populous county in the state, took to social media to express concern.

“They create cute names for their pursuit of furthering their aggressive, callous efforts,” Garcia said of the federal nickname for the McCook Work Ethic Camp that is to be converted into a 300-bed immigration detention center. He referred also to the “Alligator Alcatraz” name Republicans gave the detention center in the Florida Everglades.

“But woe to you who laugh now and to those who use your power to harm instead of nurture harmony and compassion in our society,” said Garcia.

Garcia had a relative apprehended in an Omaha worksite raid in June and has been a vocal critic of ICE detaining “parents working to feed their children, community members that have been here for decades.”

A spokesperson for Pillen on Wednesday defended the Cornhusker Clink nickname and Pillen’s broader approach of supporting President Donald Trump in his campaign pledge to execute the largest deportation operation in American history.&nbsp;

Pillen told Fox News on Wednesday, “The bottom line is: We’re not worried about names. We’re worried about supporting and doing our fair share.”

He talked about how he and other Republican governors have heard “loud and clear” Trump’s call to “step up.” He said he was “really, really proud” to empower the state’s National Guard, State Patrol and Department of Correctional Services to become a part of Trump’s deportation mission.

Many Republican state senators in the officially nonpartisan Nebraska Legislature have expressed support for the governor’s stance, including State Sen. Rob Clements, chair of the Legislature’s budget-writing Appropriations Committee.&nbsp;

State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha posted on social media site X that “using ‘Cornhusker’ to brand an ICE detention camp is a disgrace” — and called for action by the University of Nebraska.

“The University of Nebraska enforces its trademark all the time,” she said. “Why not now?”

Hunt, a progressive nonpartisan who has clashed before with Pillen on immigration, wrote that NU had built its reputation around “Cornhusker,” which she described as “a symbol of pride, community and the hardworking spirit” of Nebraska.&nbsp;

She said the term belongs to Nebraskans, not to ICE, Pillen or a detention facility that she said would “separate families and harm our immigrant neighbors.”

“Cornhusker should never be associated with incarceration, cruelty or state-sanctioned violence,” Hunt wrote. “To remain silent is to allow Nebraska’s most cherished identity to be co-opted for purposes that betray our values.”

The NU Board of Regents owns the trademark to the plural version of “Cornhuskers” and other related terms largely around Huskers athletics at the flagship Lincoln campus, like “Go Big Red.” Pillen previously served as an elected member of the regents and played defensive back for the Huskers.

The Nebraska Legislature dubbed Nebraska “The Cornhusker State” in 1945.&nbsp;

An NU spokesperson told the Examiner on Wednesday that while NU has certain legal protections, including for any use of phrases that would imply an NU endorsement or connection, the State of Nebraska can use the term for official state business. She also noted that many Nebraskans have informally used the “Cornhusker” label to describe themselves and their heritage.

The spokesperson added: “The University of Nebraska has had no role in the planning, naming or future operation of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility at the McCook Work Ethic Camp and learned of it only through the federal announcement.”&nbsp;

The nickname headlined the news release announcing the immigration detention center Tuesday from the Department of Homeland Security.

On its government X account, Homeland Security posted a caricature of ears of corn with black ICE hats on in a field near a jail yard.

Marty Ramirez, co-founder of the statewide immigrant advocacy group Las Voces, took issue with State Patrol and National Guard resources aimed at immigrants. But he says he believes “messing with the Cornhusker” name will backfire in prompting community backlash beyond immigration advocates.

“Nebraska — the good life — now equals militarized and politicized,” he said.

Ramirez and others noted how state officials say that criminals will be housed in the detention facility. He pointed out that many people in ICE custody today face civil administrative charges, not criminal.

For example, the June 10 ICE-led immigration raid at Omaha’s Glenn Valley Foods plant led to the detention of 75 to 80 undocumented workers at a North Platte facility. ICE officials said the worksite operation stemmed from a federal criminal search warrant looking for more than 100 individuals believed to have worked using stolen U.S. identities.

But according to available federal court records, it appears only one of the detained workers has been criminally charged for using the Social Security number of a U.S. citizen. Immigration judges who granted bond to several of the workers noted they had no criminal past.

Abourezk said the use and definition of the term criminal appears to be expanding by the day.

For that matter, he asked, “Who decides who is an immigrant? We live in a nation of immigrants except for our indigenous people. This administration seems to focus only on the brown ones.”&nbsp;

The Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement also evoked the ‘Good Life’ theme.

“Detaining our neighbors in our own backyard doesn’t make Nebraska safer,” said Roxana Cortes-Mills, legal director of the nonprofit that provides attorneys for ICE detainees. “We’ve seen the damage detention causes when families are separated, people are cut off from their lawyer and children are left wondering when their parents will come home

The Nebraska Commission on Latino-Americans, whose nine members are appointed by the governor, said in a statement Wednesday it also was concerned with the message the decision to host the detention facility sends locally and nationally.

“It is profoundly disappointing to consider that Nebraska may increasingly be viewed as a ‘Midwest hub of incarceration,’” said the statement issued by executive director Maria Arriaga for the commission. “Such an association risks diminishing the values of openness and justice that many Nebraskans hold dear.”

The commission urged elected officials and decision makers to reflect on the long-term impact and “prioritize solutions that honor human dignity and social cohesion.”

By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/cindygonzalez/">Cindy Gonzalez</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/zachwendling/">Zach Wendling</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/17/lincoln-senators-clash-over-nebraska-school-retirement-bill-as-school-leaders-weigh-in/">Nebraska Examiner</a>OMAHA — Nebraska immigrant advocates and elected officials are among those criticizing the state’s decision to host a federal detention center for migrants — and the flippant nickname the Trump administration gave the facility.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">COMING SOON: THE CORNHUSKER CLINK 🌽 <a href="https://t.co/jGrZS8opsW">https://t.co/jGrZS8opsW</a> <a href="https://t.co/W75pCHipHm">pic.twitter.com/W75pCHipHm</a>&mdash; Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1957931320044138759?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“The so-called ‘Cornhusker Clink’ — if that name doesn’t demonstrate the dystopian nightmare in which we now find ourselves, I don’t know what does,” says Kevin Abourezk, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe who was among protestors outside of Gov. Jim Pillen’s Office when details were announced.“It’s meant to be funny, but in this context it is actually terrifying,” said the longtime Lincoln-based journalist. “It’s like they’re not human to them.”Roger Garcia, the Democratic chairman of the Douglas County Board, which governs the most populous county in the state, took to social media to express concern.“They create cute names for their pursuit of furthering their aggressive, callous efforts,” Garcia said of the federal nickname for the McCook Work Ethic Camp that is to be converted into a 300-bed immigration detention center. He referred also to the “Alligator Alcatraz” name Republicans gave the detention center in the Florida Everglades.“But woe to you who laugh now and to those who use your power to harm instead of nurture harmony and compassion in our society,” said Garcia.Garcia had a relative apprehended in an Omaha worksite raid in June and has been a vocal critic of ICE detaining “parents working to feed their children, community members that have been here for decades.”<h2>Pillen not worried</h2>A spokesperson for Pillen on Wednesday defended the Cornhusker Clink nickname and Pillen’s broader approach of supporting President Donald Trump in his campaign pledge to execute the largest deportation operation in American history.&nbsp;Pillen told Fox News on Wednesday, “The bottom line is: We’re not worried about names. We’re worried about supporting and doing our fair share.”He talked about how he and other Republican governors have heard “loud and clear” Trump’s call to “step up.” He said he was “really, really proud” to empower the state’s National Guard, State Patrol and Department of Correctional Services to become a part of Trump’s deportation mission.Many Republican state senators in the officially nonpartisan Nebraska Legislature have expressed support for the governor’s stance, including State Sen. Rob Clements, chair of the Legislature’s budget-writing Appropriations Committee.&nbsp;State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha posted on social media site X that “using ‘Cornhusker’ to brand an ICE detention camp is a disgrace” — and called for action by the University of Nebraska.“The University of Nebraska enforces its trademark all the time,” she said. “Why not now?”<h2>‘Symbol of pride’</h2>Hunt, a progressive nonpartisan who has clashed before with Pillen on immigration, wrote that NU had built its reputation around “Cornhusker,” which she described as “a symbol of pride, community and the hardworking spirit” of Nebraska.&nbsp;She said the term belongs to Nebraskans, not to ICE, Pillen or a detention facility that she said would “separate families and harm our immigrant neighbors.”“Cornhusker should never be associated with incarceration, cruelty or state-sanctioned violence,” Hunt wrote. “To remain silent is to allow Nebraska’s most cherished identity to be co-opted for purposes that betray our values.”The NU Board of Regents owns the trademark to the plural version of “Cornhuskers” and other related terms largely around Huskers athletics at the flagship Lincoln campus, like “Go Big Red.” Pillen previously served as an elected member of the regents and played defensive back for the Huskers.The Nebraska Legislature dubbed Nebraska “The Cornhusker State” in 1945.&nbsp;An NU spokesperson told the Examiner on Wednesday that while NU has certain legal protections, including for any use of phrases that would imply an NU endorsement or connection, the State of Nebraska can use the term for official state business. She also noted that many Nebraskans have informally used the “Cornhusker” label to describe themselves and their heritage.The spokesperson added: “The University of Nebraska has had no role in the planning, naming or future operation of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility at the McCook Work Ethic Camp and learned of it only through the federal announcement.”&nbsp;<h2>Corn cob caricature</h2>The nickname headlined the news release announcing the immigration detention center Tuesday from the Department of Homeland Security.On its government X account, Homeland Security posted a caricature of ears of corn with black ICE hats on in a field near a jail yard.Marty Ramirez, co-founder of the statewide immigrant advocacy group Las Voces, took issue with State Patrol and National Guard resources aimed at immigrants. But he says he believes “messing with the Cornhusker” name will backfire in prompting community backlash beyond immigration advocates.“Nebraska — the good life — now equals militarized and politicized,” he said.Ramirez and others noted how state officials say that criminals will be housed in the detention facility. He pointed out that many people in ICE custody today face civil administrative charges, not criminal.For example, the June 10 ICE-led immigration raid at Omaha’s Glenn Valley Foods plant led to the detention of 75 to 80 undocumented workers at a North Platte facility. ICE officials said the worksite operation stemmed from a federal criminal search warrant looking for more than 100 individuals believed to have worked using stolen U.S. identities.But according to available federal court records, it appears only one of the detained workers has been criminally charged for using the Social Security number of a U.S. citizen. Immigration judges who granted bond to several of the workers noted they had no criminal past.<h2>Who decides?</h2>Abourezk said the use and definition of the term criminal appears to be expanding by the day.For that matter, he asked, “Who decides who is an immigrant? We live in a nation of immigrants except for our indigenous people. This administration seems to focus only on the brown ones.”&nbsp;The Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement also evoked the ‘Good Life’ theme.“Detaining our neighbors in our own backyard doesn’t make Nebraska safer,” said Roxana Cortes-Mills, legal director of the nonprofit that provides attorneys for ICE detainees. “We’ve seen the damage detention causes when families are separated, people are cut off from their lawyer and children are left wondering when their parents will come homeThe Nebraska Commission on Latino-Americans, whose nine members are appointed by the governor, said in a statement Wednesday it also was concerned with the message the decision to host the detention facility sends locally and nationally.“It is profoundly disappointing to consider that Nebraska may increasingly be viewed as a ‘Midwest hub of incarceration,’” said the statement issued by executive director Maria Arriaga for the commission. “Such an association risks diminishing the values of openness and justice that many Nebraskans hold dear.”The commission urged elected officials and decision makers to reflect on the long-term impact and “prioritize solutions that honor human dignity and social cohesion.”

What’s in a name? Fed moniker for Nebraska immigration jail draws ire and defense

Dr.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/94982d52cefc48babc242fb0e3853a43">James Dobson</a>, founder of Focus on the Family, died on Thursday. He was 89.

His death was confirmed by the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute.

Dr.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/94982d52cefc48babc242fb0e3853a43">James Dobson</a>, founder of Focus on the Family, died on Thursday. He was 89.His death was confirmed by the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">For nearly five decades, his voice championed life, marriage, and the truth of God’s Word. As we grieve, we also give thanks — for his life, his legacy, and the mission that lives on through the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. <a href="https://t.co/TEBn59Fesy">pic.twitter.com/TEBn59Fesy</a>&mdash; Dr. James Dobson Family Institute (@DrJamesDobsonFT) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrJamesDobsonFT/status/1958497811453886630?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today we remember a hero of the faith. Our Founder, Dr. James C. Dobson, passed away this morning. Although we&#39;re sorrowful over this loss, we are thankful for his legacy of family ministry that will live on for future generations, and rejoice that he is now in the presence of… <a href="https://t.co/H8sSsXssos">pic.twitter.com/H8sSsXssos</a>&mdash; Focus on the Family (@FocusFamily) <a href="https://twitter.com/FocusFamily/status/1958532943464268014?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Legendary evangelical  leader Dr. James Dobson dead at 89

By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/jsalinas/">Juan Salinas II</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/17/lincoln-senators-clash-over-nebraska-school-retirement-bill-as-school-leaders-weigh-in/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN – The National Weather Service announced this month that it would hire back 450 meteorologists, hydrologists, and radar technicians after making sweeping cuts earlier in the year.&nbsp;

The announcement came as the agency tries to recoup losses from the Department of Government Efficiency’s effort to reshape the federal bureaucracy. While the Weather Service faced&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/15/us/politics/national-weather-service-cuts-trump.html" target="_blank">staffing issues</a>&nbsp;long before President Donald Trump’s second term, recent cuts required “urgent action,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.&nbsp;

Nebraska U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., touted the news as “a message that they’re focused on strengthening the NWS for years to come.”

“For decades, the National Weather Service has helped keep our communities safe with accurate and timely forecasts,” Flood said in a statement.

Flood&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/04/25/omaha-based-nws-office-will-deploy-weather-balloons-again-after-doge-cuts/">led the push among Nebraska’s federal delegation</a>&nbsp;to reverse a DOGE cut that caused a Weather Service office in the Omaha area and other Great Plains offices to pause the deployment of weather balloons in April.&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/usrepmikeflood/status/1925210000999219424?s=46&amp;t=B4v5xSml401BbJ1-tGAokQ" target="_blank">The station is launching two weather balloons</a>&nbsp;a day, Flood has said, but the Omaha-area Weather Service office has said it&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wowt.com/2025/05/21/local-national-weather-service-office-confirms-its-launching-balloons-twice-daily/" target="_blank">still faces staffing issues</a>.&nbsp;

Retiring U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., also sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick expressing his concerns about the NWS cuts.&nbsp;The Trump administration&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025/03/01/trump-firings-noaa-nws-weather-forecast-impacts/" target="_blank">fired roughly a combined&nbsp; 600 workers</a>&nbsp;from both agencies earlier this year. The cuts contributed to two forecasting offices that cover some rural parts of western and southwestern Nebraska to no longer monitor local weather around-the-clock, which Nebraska and local rural weather experts said&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/05/24/nws-offices-covering-parts-of-rural-nebraska-no-longer-monitor-weather-24-7/">threatens public safety</a>.

Flood has introduced bipartisan-backed legislation that would make it harder for National Weather Service employees to be fired in the future.&nbsp;

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a Republican or a Democrat or an Independent,” Flood said in June. “Everybody wants accurate weather forecasting.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755777377744.png" alt=" Nebraska U.S. Rep Mike Flood, R-Neb., during his town hall in Lincoln on Aug 4. 2025. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption> Nebraska U.S. Rep Mike Flood, R-Neb., during his town hall in Lincoln on Aug 4. 2025. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/jsalinas/">Juan Salinas II</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/17/lincoln-senators-clash-over-nebraska-school-retirement-bill-as-school-leaders-weigh-in/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN – The National Weather Service announced this month that it would hire back 450 meteorologists, hydrologists, and radar technicians after making sweeping cuts earlier in the year.&nbsp;The announcement came as the agency tries to recoup losses from the Department of Government Efficiency’s effort to reshape the federal bureaucracy. While the Weather Service faced&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/15/us/politics/national-weather-service-cuts-trump.html" target="_blank">staffing issues</a>&nbsp;long before President Donald Trump’s second term, recent cuts required “urgent action,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755777316844.png" alt="The National Weather Service office in Valley, Neb., is shown in July 2024. (Courtesy of Van DeWald/National Weather Service via NWS Omaha Facebook page)" />
 <figcaption>The National Weather Service office in Valley, Neb., is shown in July 2024. (Courtesy of Van DeWald/National Weather Service via NWS Omaha Facebook page)</figcaption>
 </figure>Nebraska U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., touted the news as “a message that they’re focused on strengthening the NWS for years to come.”“For decades, the National Weather Service has helped keep our communities safe with accurate and timely forecasts,” Flood said in a statement.Flood&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/04/25/omaha-based-nws-office-will-deploy-weather-balloons-again-after-doge-cuts/">led the push among Nebraska’s federal delegation</a>&nbsp;to reverse a DOGE cut that caused a Weather Service office in the Omaha area and other Great Plains offices to pause the deployment of weather balloons in April.&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/usrepmikeflood/status/1925210000999219424?s=46&amp;t=B4v5xSml401BbJ1-tGAokQ" target="_blank">The station is launching two weather balloons</a>&nbsp;a day, Flood has said, but the Omaha-area Weather Service office has said it&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wowt.com/2025/05/21/local-national-weather-service-office-confirms-its-launching-balloons-twice-daily/" target="_blank">still faces staffing issues</a>.&nbsp;Retiring U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., also sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick expressing his concerns about the NWS cuts.&nbsp;The Trump administration&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025/03/01/trump-firings-noaa-nws-weather-forecast-impacts/" target="_blank">fired roughly a combined&nbsp; 600 workers</a>&nbsp;from both agencies earlier this year. The cuts contributed to two forecasting offices that cover some rural parts of western and southwestern Nebraska to no longer monitor local weather around-the-clock, which Nebraska and local rural weather experts said&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/05/24/nws-offices-covering-parts-of-rural-nebraska-no-longer-monitor-weather-24-7/">threatens public safety</a>.Flood has introduced bipartisan-backed legislation that would make it harder for National Weather Service employees to be fired in the future.&nbsp;“It doesn’t matter if you’re a Republican or a Democrat or an Independent,” Flood said in June. “Everybody wants accurate weather forecasting.”

Weather Service is hiring back hundreds after Nebraska U.S. Rep. Mike Flood highlighted need

ICE facility is part of a multi-pronged state effort to help Trump enforcement expansion

By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/cindygonzalez/">Cindy Gonzalez</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/17/lincoln-senators-clash-over-nebraska-school-retirement-bill-as-school-leaders-weigh-in/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — Nebraska’s version of the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” federal immigration detention center is being created in the roughly 7,500-resident city of McCook, Gov. Jim Pillen confirmed.

His announcement Tuesday was part of a multi-pronged push to support the Trump administration and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s ramped-up approach to deportation.

“We want President Trump to know that Nebraska is supportive and grateful for his ongoing, critical work with Secretary Noem to arrest and deport” migrants who commit crimes, Pillen said in a statement.&nbsp;

He said the assistance Nebraska offered to the Trump administration from the state and its law enforcement agencies was about “keeping Nebraskans and Americans across our country safe.”

Others, including some Nebraska lawmakers, criticized the state’s participation.

State Sen. Margo Juarez of Omaha, whose district includes the food plant where a high-profile immigration raid on June 10 arrested 76 undocumented workers, said she was furious at the prospect of Nebraska becoming a home to a facility modeled after Alligator Alcatraz, the name given by Florida Republicans to an Everglades detention center.&nbsp;

She pledged protests all over the state, adding: “I don’t feel that’s an appropriate way for the immigrants to be treated. I’m pissed.”

State Sen. Dunixi Guereca of Omaha said the Governor’s Office had not shared details with him, including the type of funds or labor force numbers involved.&nbsp;Guereca said he saw better uses for the funds, wherever they might originate.

“We need to focus on building a stronger Nebraska for all,” he said. “Instead we’re ripping families apart and wreaking terror and havoc on a hard-working community that just wants to provide a better life for the next generation of Nebraskans.”

State Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood, chair of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee, said he was privy to a quick briefing on the state’s immigration enforcement efforts. He said he learned the federal government will fully reimburse Nebraska for costs, with reimbursement rates anticipated to exceed the daily costs.

Costs wouldn’t be passed on to Nebraskans, he said, adding that it’s still too early to quantify any potential savings through reduced state spending.

“I’m supportive of the president enforcing the law,” Clements said.&nbsp;

He said he was told the facility was to be used for low- to medium-security risk detainees.&nbsp;

“I was pleased that the McCook people wouldn’t be exposed to a higher level of security than what they currently have,” Clements added.

State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, who represents the McCook area, told the Examiner he was informed about the ICE plans “as soon as the governor knew.”

Murman said the people in his district are “generally in support of what the president is doing,” but said he figures some people “have some concerns.”

“President Trump does move quickly on everything he does. … He’s moving quickly to get his policies in place,” Murman said. “and that includes what he’s doing out here with the facility in McCook.”

A Homeland Security news release labeled the facility the “Cornhusker Clink” and said it would house criminal ICE detainees — “the worst of the worst.”&nbsp;

“This agreement was made possible by the One Big Beautiful Bill,” the statement said. “This law fully funded the 287(g) program and provided funding to secure 80,000 new beds for ICE to utilize when detaining and deporting the worst of the worst.”

It went on to say: “Thanks to Governor Pillen for his partnership …. If you are in America illegally … Avoid arrest and self deport now using the CBP Home App.”

Nebraska’s Correctional Services Director Rob Jeffreys, in a news conference at the Capitol, said the facility won’t house the “worst of the worst” but would be used for detainees at the “low level and medium.”

Jeffreys said the facility would be the Midwestern hub for ICE. He added that the nearby McCook Ben Nelson Airport could be used for deportations, but the logistics are still being worked out.

A handful of protesters gathered outside of the press conference that included Jeffreys, Nebraska State Patrol Superintendent Bryan Waugh and Nebraska National Guard Maj. Gen. Craig Strong.

“It’s incredibly frustrating that no matter how much it looks like people are saying, ‘Stop’ — no one actually in power is doing what needs to be done and stopping it,” said Jaci Vetro, a Lincoln resident.

Nebraska U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., said he views the move as a way to support the local community and keep jobs in McCook. “I support President Trump’s actions to protect our communities and Gov. Pillen’s work to bring DHS investment to Nebraska,” Ricketts said in a statement.

The Homeland Security statement said that the Nebraska facility marks the third state partnership to expand ICE detention space “following Alligator Alcatraz and Speedway Slammer.”

Speedway Slammer is their nickname for ICE’s new facility in Bunker Hill, Indiana, referencing the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is about 75 miles away.&nbsp;

In addition to the McCook center, Pillen announced two other state-federal partnerships with Homeland Security.&nbsp;&nbsp;

For one, the Nebraska National Guard will provide about 20 soldiers to help Nebraska-based ICE agents carry out enforcement duties. Training is to begin within the next week.

Also at Pillen’s direction, the Nebraska State Patrol announced it would sign a 287(g) agreement that empowers state troopers to help ICE arrest migrants in the country without authorization who break the law.

So named for its section of immigration law, the often-controversial program delegates state and local law enforcement officers authority to perform immigration officer functions under the federal agency’s direction and oversight.

Pillen turned to an arrest earlier this summer in Omaha when Nebraska law enforcement agents worked with ICE to arrest a person ICE described as a “drug-trafficking kingpin and murderer.”

“This stuff hits close to home — and hits every corner of this state and country,” he said. “Government’s most important job is to keep us safe, and that’s why the State of Nebraska, under my leadership, is partnering with President Trump.”

Three Nebraska county sheriff’s offices currently are authorized for the 287(g) program —&nbsp;Brown, Dakota and Wheeler.&nbsp;

The Homeland Security and Pillen confirmations of the McCook ICE facility revealed that it would provide up to 280 beds at the site of the existing Work Ethic Camp, which was built to house up to 200 people in a medium-security facility operated by the Nebraska state prison system.&nbsp;

Gene Weedin, a McCook City Council member, said he was still learning details and forming an opinion about the center coming to his city. Nebraska owns nearly 45 acres at the McCook site.&nbsp;

Weedin said Pillen was in McCook with Corrections Director Jeffreys over the weekend talking to various local officials. Weedin’s understanding is that the state prison facility would stop operating in its current form, start functioning as the federal immigration detention facility, and that those currently in the facility would be transferred to other places.

He said the people currently housed at the center have contributed to the community by picking up trash, putting up annual Christmas decorations and doing other public service.

“There are just a lot of questions,” said Weedin.

Nebraska has historically struggled to hire enough staff to use the McCook center as it was originally intended, to reform younger men who’ve committed crimes by assigning them jobs and tasks. The camp focuses its counseling and other efforts on encouraging behavior changes to reduce recidivism.

It is the least crowded of Nebraska’s adult prison facilities, running a daily census of about 184 in Fiscal Year 2025. But it is also one of the prison facilities with the greatest need for additional staffing. The department’s census says it was staffed to house an average of about 125 people in FY 2025.

Cristine Schwartz, the public information officer at the McCook Work Ethic Camp, referred calls to a state Correctional Services spokeswoman, who did not immediately return calls.&nbsp;

State Sen. Teresa Ibach of Sumner, who represents part of west-central Nebraska outside of McCook, said she only just learned about the ICE effort and was “still gathering more information.”

The state has been working around the Douglas County Jail in Omaha no longer actively participating in ICE detentions. Detainees from eastern Nebraska have been sent to Council Bluffs, Iowa, and as far away as the Lincoln County Jail in North Platte — where the 76 workers arrested in the high-profile immigration raid at Omaha’s Glenn Valley plant were transported. Many are still there.

ICE also plans to contract with jails in eastern Nebraska’s Sarpy and Cass Counties for 30 beds each and the Washington County Jail for 15, according to ICE documents the Washington Post obtained.

Pillen’s announcement is apparently Nebraska’s contribution to a plan that the federal documents showed would open or expand 125 immigration detention facilities this year.

In its detention expansion strategy, the Trump administration has revived other dormant prisons, repurposed military bases and secured partnerships with private prison contractors, local sheriffs and Republican governors to house its record number of detainees, the Post reported.

By January, the documents indicate, ICE would have capacity to hold more than 107,000 people, up from close to 50,000 currently. The documents, last updated July 30, reflected ICE intentions to rely increasingly on makeshift “soft-sided” structures that could be built in a few weeks and taken down as easily. The government is also planning to make more room for detaining parents and children.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska is among critics of the Pillen plan, calling it “a new low point and way out of step with where most Nebraskans are on this issue.”

“Imagine hearing about the cruel rights violations happening in other states’ ICE detention sites and thinking that we need our own heartland horror,” said Mindy Rush Chipman, executive director of ACLU Nebraska.

Nebraska Democratic Party officials described creation of the detention facility in McCook as a “bend the knee” moment by top Republicans in Nebraska, and the governor’s participation as disgusting.

“They promised to go after criminals and instead have locked up hardworking moms and dads who contribute their skills to our agricultural economy,” said Jane Kleeb, state party chair. “Creating fear and division … does not have to be the Cornhusker way.”

Nebraska Appleseed called the governor’s cooperation part of a “harmful, dangerous and rapid expansion” of detainment camps that “repeat a deeply ugly pattern of history.”

Darcy Tromanhauser, the advocacy agency’s immigrants and communities program director, urged officials instead to update immigration laws.

&nbsp;“Nebraskans want policy change, not punishment,” she said.

Earlier this month, Noem revealed in an interview with CBS News that Nebraska was being considered as a home to one of the state-run, federally funded migrant detention centers that the Trump administration hoped to launch across the country in the likeness of the one dubbed Alligator Alcatraz.

Noem said she had already appealed to governors and state leaders. Strimple acknowledged the possibility at the time, saying the governor would “make details public at the appropriate time.”

Nebraska Examiner’s Aaron Sanderford, Zach Wendling and Juan Salinas II contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755655048611.png" alt=" The McCook Work Ethic Camp in McCook, Nebraska. (Courtesy of Nebraska Department of Correctional Services)" />
 <figcaption> The McCook Work Ethic Camp in McCook, Nebraska. (Courtesy of Nebraska Department of Correctional Services)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>ICE facility is part of a multi-pronged state effort to help Trump enforcement expansion</h2>By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/cindygonzalez/">Cindy Gonzalez</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/17/lincoln-senators-clash-over-nebraska-school-retirement-bill-as-school-leaders-weigh-in/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — Nebraska’s version of the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” federal immigration detention center is being created in the roughly 7,500-resident city of McCook, Gov. Jim Pillen confirmed.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">COMING SOON: THE CORNHUSKER CLINK 🌽 <a href="https://t.co/jGrZS8opsW">https://t.co/jGrZS8opsW</a> <a href="https://t.co/W75pCHipHm">pic.twitter.com/W75pCHipHm</a>&mdash; Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1957931320044138759?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>His announcement Tuesday was part of a multi-pronged push to support the Trump administration and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s ramped-up approach to deportation.“We want President Trump to know that Nebraska is supportive and grateful for his ongoing, critical work with Secretary Noem to arrest and deport” migrants who commit crimes, Pillen said in a statement.&nbsp;<h2>Sparks criticism</h2>He said the assistance Nebraska offered to the Trump administration from the state and its law enforcement agencies was about “keeping Nebraskans and Americans across our country safe.”Others, including some Nebraska lawmakers, criticized the state’s participation.State Sen. Margo Juarez of Omaha, whose district includes the food plant where a high-profile immigration raid on June 10 arrested 76 undocumented workers, said she was furious at the prospect of Nebraska becoming a home to a facility modeled after Alligator Alcatraz, the name given by Florida Republicans to an Everglades detention center.&nbsp;She pledged protests all over the state, adding: “I don’t feel that’s an appropriate way for the immigrants to be treated. I’m pissed.”State Sen. Dunixi Guereca of Omaha said the Governor’s Office had not shared details with him, including the type of funds or labor force numbers involved.&nbsp;Guereca said he saw better uses for the funds, wherever they might originate.“We need to focus on building a stronger Nebraska for all,” he said. “Instead we’re ripping families apart and wreaking terror and havoc on a hard-working community that just wants to provide a better life for the next generation of Nebraskans.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755655006412.png" alt="Agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations announced a pair of arrests in Omaha they say involved MS-13 gang members. (Courtesy of ICE)" />
 <figcaption>Agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations announced a pair of arrests in Omaha they say involved MS-13 gang members. (Courtesy of ICE)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>No state expense&nbsp;</h2>State Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood, chair of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee, said he was privy to a quick briefing on the state’s immigration enforcement efforts. He said he learned the federal government will fully reimburse Nebraska for costs, with reimbursement rates anticipated to exceed the daily costs.Costs wouldn’t be passed on to Nebraskans, he said, adding that it’s still too early to quantify any potential savings through reduced state spending.“I’m supportive of the president enforcing the law,” Clements said.&nbsp;He said he was told the facility was to be used for low- to medium-security risk detainees.&nbsp;“I was pleased that the McCook people wouldn’t be exposed to a higher level of security than what they currently have,” Clements added.State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, who represents the McCook area, told the Examiner he was informed about the ICE plans “as soon as the governor knew.”Murman said the people in his district are “generally in support of what the president is doing,” but said he figures some people “have some concerns.”“President Trump does move quickly on everything he does. … He’s moving quickly to get his policies in place,” Murman said. “and that includes what he’s doing out here with the facility in McCook.”A Homeland Security news release labeled the facility the “Cornhusker Clink” and said it would house criminal ICE detainees — “the worst of the worst.”&nbsp;“This agreement was made possible by the One Big Beautiful Bill,” the statement said. “This law fully funded the 287(g) program and provided funding to secure 80,000 new beds for ICE to utilize when detaining and deporting the worst of the worst.”It went on to say: “Thanks to Governor Pillen for his partnership …. If you are in America illegally … Avoid arrest and self deport now using the CBP Home App.”<h2>Midwestern hub for ICE</h2>Nebraska’s Correctional Services Director Rob Jeffreys, in a news conference at the Capitol, said the facility won’t house the “worst of the worst” but would be used for detainees at the “low level and medium.”Jeffreys said the facility would be the Midwestern hub for ICE. He added that the nearby McCook Ben Nelson Airport could be used for deportations, but the logistics are still being worked out.A handful of protesters gathered outside of the press conference that included Jeffreys, Nebraska State Patrol Superintendent Bryan Waugh and Nebraska National Guard Maj. Gen. Craig Strong.“It’s incredibly frustrating that no matter how much it looks like people are saying, ‘Stop’ — no one actually in power is doing what needs to be done and stopping it,” said Jaci Vetro, a Lincoln resident.Nebraska U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., said he views the move as a way to support the local community and keep jobs in McCook. “I support President Trump’s actions to protect our communities and Gov. Pillen’s work to bring DHS investment to Nebraska,” Ricketts said in a statement.The Homeland Security statement said that the Nebraska facility marks the third state partnership to expand ICE detention space “following Alligator Alcatraz and Speedway Slammer.”Speedway Slammer is their nickname for ICE’s new facility in Bunker Hill, Indiana, referencing the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is about 75 miles away.&nbsp;<h2>More partnerships</h2>In addition to the McCook center, Pillen announced two other state-federal partnerships with Homeland Security.&nbsp;&nbsp;For one, the Nebraska National Guard will provide about 20 soldiers to help Nebraska-based ICE agents carry out enforcement duties. Training is to begin within the next week.Also at Pillen’s direction, the Nebraska State Patrol announced it would sign a 287(g) agreement that empowers state troopers to help ICE arrest migrants in the country without authorization who break the law.So named for its section of immigration law, the often-controversial program delegates state and local law enforcement officers authority to perform immigration officer functions under the federal agency’s direction and oversight.Pillen turned to an arrest earlier this summer in Omaha when Nebraska law enforcement agents worked with ICE to arrest a person ICE described as a “drug-trafficking kingpin and murderer.”“This stuff hits close to home — and hits every corner of this state and country,” he said. “Government’s most important job is to keep us safe, and that’s why the State of Nebraska, under my leadership, is partnering with President Trump.”Three Nebraska county sheriff’s offices currently are authorized for the 287(g) program —&nbsp;Brown, Dakota and Wheeler.&nbsp;<h2>280 beds</h2>The Homeland Security and Pillen confirmations of the McCook ICE facility revealed that it would provide up to 280 beds at the site of the existing Work Ethic Camp, which was built to house up to 200 people in a medium-security facility operated by the Nebraska state prison system.&nbsp;Gene Weedin, a McCook City Council member, said he was still learning details and forming an opinion about the center coming to his city. Nebraska owns nearly 45 acres at the McCook site.&nbsp;Weedin said Pillen was in McCook with Corrections Director Jeffreys over the weekend talking to various local officials. Weedin’s understanding is that the state prison facility would stop operating in its current form, start functioning as the federal immigration detention facility, and that those currently in the facility would be transferred to other places.He said the people currently housed at the center have contributed to the community by picking up trash, putting up annual Christmas decorations and doing other public service.“There are just a lot of questions,” said Weedin.<h2>Staffing shortage</h2>Nebraska has historically struggled to hire enough staff to use the McCook center as it was originally intended, to reform younger men who’ve committed crimes by assigning them jobs and tasks. The camp focuses its counseling and other efforts on encouraging behavior changes to reduce recidivism.It is the least crowded of Nebraska’s adult prison facilities, running a daily census of about 184 in Fiscal Year 2025. But it is also one of the prison facilities with the greatest need for additional staffing. The department’s census says it was staffed to house an average of about 125 people in FY 2025.Cristine Schwartz, the public information officer at the McCook Work Ethic Camp, referred calls to a state Correctional Services spokeswoman, who did not immediately return calls.&nbsp;State Sen. Teresa Ibach of Sumner, who represents part of west-central Nebraska outside of McCook, said she only just learned about the ICE effort and was “still gathering more information.”The state has been working around the Douglas County Jail in Omaha no longer actively participating in ICE detentions. Detainees from eastern Nebraska have been sent to Council Bluffs, Iowa, and as far away as the Lincoln County Jail in North Platte — where the 76 workers arrested in the high-profile immigration raid at Omaha’s Glenn Valley plant were transported. Many are still there.<h2>Other ICE contracts</h2>ICE also plans to contract with jails in eastern Nebraska’s Sarpy and Cass Counties for 30 beds each and the Washington County Jail for 15, according to ICE documents the Washington Post obtained.Pillen’s announcement is apparently Nebraska’s contribution to a plan that the federal documents showed would open or expand 125 immigration detention facilities this year.In its detention expansion strategy, the Trump administration has revived other dormant prisons, repurposed military bases and secured partnerships with private prison contractors, local sheriffs and Republican governors to house its record number of detainees, the Post reported.By January, the documents indicate, ICE would have capacity to hold more than 107,000 people, up from close to 50,000 currently. The documents, last updated July 30, reflected ICE intentions to rely increasingly on makeshift “soft-sided” structures that could be built in a few weeks and taken down as easily. The government is also planning to make more room for detaining parents and children.The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska is among critics of the Pillen plan, calling it “a new low point and way out of step with where most Nebraskans are on this issue.”“Imagine hearing about the cruel rights violations happening in other states’ ICE detention sites and thinking that we need our own heartland horror,” said Mindy Rush Chipman, executive director of ACLU Nebraska.Nebraska Democratic Party officials described creation of the detention facility in McCook as a “bend the knee” moment by top Republicans in Nebraska, and the governor’s participation as disgusting.“They promised to go after criminals and instead have locked up hardworking moms and dads who contribute their skills to our agricultural economy,” said Jane Kleeb, state party chair. “Creating fear and division … does not have to be the Cornhusker way.”Nebraska Appleseed called the governor’s cooperation part of a “harmful, dangerous and rapid expansion” of detainment camps that “repeat a deeply ugly pattern of history.”Darcy Tromanhauser, the advocacy agency’s immigrants and communities program director, urged officials instead to update immigration laws.&nbsp;“Nebraskans want policy change, not punishment,” she said.Earlier this month, Noem revealed in an interview with CBS News that Nebraska was being considered as a home to one of the state-run, federally funded migrant detention centers that the Trump administration hoped to launch across the country in the likeness of the one dubbed Alligator Alcatraz.Noem said she had already appealed to governors and state leaders. Strimple acknowledged the possibility at the time, saying the governor would “make details public at the appropriate time.”Nebraska Examiner’s Aaron Sanderford, Zach Wendling and Juan Salinas II contributed to this report.

Next federal immigration detention center headed to Nebraska’s McCook

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/zachwendling/">Zach Wendling</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/17/lincoln-senators-clash-over-nebraska-school-retirement-bill-as-school-leaders-weigh-in/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

Partnership between Nebraska DHHS and Iowa’s SafeNetRx is national first, targets patients at or below 200% of federal poverty line

LINCOLN —&nbsp;Donated medicine collected by Iowa’s SafeNetRx nonprofit is finally flowing back across its border with Nebraska in the nation’s first multi-state prescription drug donation program, years in the making.

<a href="https://safenetrx.org/" target="_blank">SafeNetRx</a>&nbsp;CEO Jon Rosmann confirmed the Nebraska-Iowa partnership has been operational since July 1. The initial two-year contract between the nonprofit and Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, at $475,000 per year, follows Nebraska laws passed in 2024 and 2025 that allow unexpired, pharmacist-inspected medicine to flow back to Nebraska patients.

The program serves patients at or below 200% of the federal poverty line. For a family of four, that would be an annual household income up to $64,300.

“It’s all systems go,” Rosmann told the Nebraska Examiner.

Nebraska State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward began eyeing the partnership with SafeNetRx in late 2023, her freshman year, including an October&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/13/nebraska-lawmaker-looks-to-partner-with-iowas-prescription-drug-donation-program/">tour of the nonprofit’s facility</a>. She passed legislation in April 2024,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_votes.php?KeyID=11069" target="_blank">47-0</a>, to authorize the program&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/22/flurry-of-100-new-laws-are-taking-effect-in-nebraska/">that September</a>&nbsp;before being blocked by a&nbsp;<a href="https://dscsa.pharmacy/" target="_blank">decade-old federal law</a>.

Those congressional guidelines were meant to replace a patchwork of state laws regarding the chain of custody of pharmaceutical meds and were phased in over a decade. It was unclear what the guidelines meant for drug donation programs.

Hughes had earned overwhelming legislative approval this March,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_votes.php?KeyID=11733" target="_blank">46-0</a>, to get the partnership&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/12/24/nebraska-lawmaker-seeks-federal-waiver-for-prescription-drug-donation-program-with-iowa-nonprofit/">around that final roadblock</a>&nbsp;while also adding language that Nebraska DHHS and the Nebraska governor could access the donated medicine during or in preparation for a governor-declared state of emergency, such as during a pandemic or natural disaster.

Before, medicine could flow only from the Cornhusker State to the Hawkeye State, but now the floodgates have opened the other direction.

Upon learning of the signed contract, Hughes told the Examiner:&nbsp; “Super pumped to hear this!!!!”

While federal regulations initially blocked the partnership, Gov. Jim Pillen’s mid-March signature cleared the way for the program to begin as soon as March 12.

Yet the partnership waited in the wings partly because Pillen had already asked lawmakers to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/01/15/gov-pillen-proposes-his-answer-to-432-million-projected-budget-shortfall/">defund the program two months prior</a>&nbsp;— one of many “last in, first out” cuts his administration proposed to close a major projected deficit. The budget-writing Appropriations Committee&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/04/02/funding-pulled-for-planned-nebraska-prescription-drug-donation-program-with-iowa/">initially agreed</a>.

Lawmakers also accepted a recommendation from the governor’s team to reword the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Final/LB1035A.pdf" target="_blank">authorizing language around the spending</a>.

Rather than requiring DHHS to identify a nonprofit to carry out what would effectively be a defunded program at the time, the committee forbade DHHS from absorbing the cost of the program through other state dollars.

Despite every member of the Appropriations Committee having voted for Hughes’ program, some more than once, some said they still had questions on the funding and how the program would work.

Those changes left Hughes “incredibly disappointed” but determined to fight for the program.

Hughes worked to correct some of that “misinformation,” including one that Iowa wasn’t putting in any state dollars to SafeNetRx while it had just put in $600,000 in its most recent budget. The committee voted 6-1 to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/funding-restored-for-nebraska-iowa-prescription-drug-donation-program-partnership/">restore funding</a>&nbsp;but left DHHS the flexibility to choose whether to start or maintain the program.

State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha cast the lone “no” vote as an effort to push the committee to restore the original language around the spending, which the committee ultimately adopted with her support.

Rosmann said at the time that for every dollar SafeNetRx received,&nbsp;patients and clinics received $20 in donated medicine.

“I feel like this is a long time coming!!!” Hughes said in a text. “Very excited to get this up and going.”

SafeNetRx pioneered the prescription drug donation model in 2007 and had grown to receive medicine from pharmacists and patients nationwide.

Since its inception, SafeNetRx has received donated medicine or medical supplies from 250 health care facilities nationwide, worth $155 million. This has helped more than 160,000 underserved patients receive free medication, according to SafeNetRx.

Until now, medicine could not be sent to patients beyond Iowa’s borders, and&nbsp;Nebraska is the first state SafeNetRx is partnering with.&nbsp;

SafeNetRx is already working with four Nebraska sites, Rosmann said, and when the program was delayed for a year from getting started — facing federal but also Nebraska funding roadblocks — Rosmann said SafeNetRx instead took that time to ramp up donations

Between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, Rosmann said his nonprofit gathered $28 million in donated medicine.

“All of that is available to Nebraskans now,” Rosmann said.

Before medicine is ready for redistribution, a licensed Iowa pharmacist inspects each donated drug, ensuring it is labeled correctly and usable — meaning not expired, not tampered with, not requiring refrigeration and not a controlled substance.

Rosmann said those patient safety and medication integrity standards help separate SafeNetRx from other similar organizations or nonprofits.

Nebraska pharmacists are able to access SafeNetRx inventory in real time to order meds for patients. Medicine is returned via courier, such as the United Parcel Service or Spee-Dee Delivery Service.

Rosmann said the focus now is on education and enrollment, a task SafeNetRx is subcontracting with the Nebraska Pharmacists Association to fulfill, including recruiting participating clinics and pharmacies.&nbsp;

There also is an emphasis on “safety net” providers, Rosmann said —&nbsp;federally qualified health centers, free clinics and community mental health centers — “those organizations that are on the front line of taking care of our most vulnerable patients.”

Haley Pertzborn, the CEO of the Pharmacists Association, said of the partnership: “We are feeling super excited for this to be able to finally hit the ground and start helping Nebraskans!”&nbsp;

Pertzborn is an Iowa native who previously volunteered for SafeNetRx. She helped Hughes get the Nebraska-Iowa partnership off the ground that both have noted could provide cost savings and shore up health care gaps.

Those wishing to donate medicine or participate can learn more at&nbsp;<a href="https://safenetrx.org/Nebraska" target="_blank">safenetrx.org/Nebraska</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755608829279.png" alt=" State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward, center right, proposes partnering with Iowa nonprofit SafeNetRx to get safe, non-expired donated medications back to Nebraska. Multiple Nebraskans toured the facility Oct. 30, 2023. From left to right, Hughes’ legislative aide Matt Howe, Matthew Schaefer of Mueller Robak, State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston, SafeNetRx CEO Jon Rosmann, Hughes, Nebraska Pharmacists Association Haley Pertzborn and Amy Holman, and Iowa Rep. John Forbes, D-Urbandale. (Courtesy of State Sen. Jana Hughes)" />
 <figcaption> State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward, center right, proposes partnering with Iowa nonprofit SafeNetRx to get safe, non-expired donated medications back to Nebraska. Multiple Nebraskans toured the facility Oct. 30, 2023. From left to right, Hughes’ legislative aide Matt Howe, Matthew Schaefer of Mueller Robak, State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston, SafeNetRx CEO Jon Rosmann, Hughes, Nebraska Pharmacists Association Haley Pertzborn and Amy Holman, and Iowa Rep. John Forbes, D-Urbandale. (Courtesy of State Sen. Jana Hughes)</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/zachwendling/">Zach Wendling</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/17/lincoln-senators-clash-over-nebraska-school-retirement-bill-as-school-leaders-weigh-in/">Nebraska Examiner</a><h2>Partnership between Nebraska DHHS and Iowa’s SafeNetRx is national first, targets patients at or below 200% of federal poverty line</h2>LINCOLN —&nbsp;Donated medicine collected by Iowa’s SafeNetRx nonprofit is finally flowing back across its border with Nebraska in the nation’s first multi-state prescription drug donation program, years in the making.<a href="https://safenetrx.org/" target="_blank">SafeNetRx</a>&nbsp;CEO Jon Rosmann confirmed the Nebraska-Iowa partnership has been operational since July 1. The initial two-year contract between the nonprofit and Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, at $475,000 per year, follows Nebraska laws passed in 2024 and 2025 that allow unexpired, pharmacist-inspected medicine to flow back to Nebraska patients.The program serves patients at or below 200% of the federal poverty line. For a family of four, that would be an annual household income up to $64,300.“It’s all systems go,” Rosmann told the Nebraska Examiner.<h2>Overwhelming legislative approval</h2>Nebraska State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward began eyeing the partnership with SafeNetRx in late 2023, her freshman year, including an October&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/12/13/nebraska-lawmaker-looks-to-partner-with-iowas-prescription-drug-donation-program/">tour of the nonprofit’s facility</a>. She passed legislation in April 2024,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_votes.php?KeyID=11069" target="_blank">47-0</a>, to authorize the program&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/22/flurry-of-100-new-laws-are-taking-effect-in-nebraska/">that September</a>&nbsp;before being blocked by a&nbsp;<a href="https://dscsa.pharmacy/" target="_blank">decade-old federal law</a>.Those congressional guidelines were meant to replace a patchwork of state laws regarding the chain of custody of pharmaceutical meds and were phased in over a decade. It was unclear what the guidelines meant for drug donation programs.Hughes had earned overwhelming legislative approval this March,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_votes.php?KeyID=11733" target="_blank">46-0</a>, to get the partnership&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/12/24/nebraska-lawmaker-seeks-federal-waiver-for-prescription-drug-donation-program-with-iowa-nonprofit/">around that final roadblock</a>&nbsp;while also adding language that Nebraska DHHS and the Nebraska governor could access the donated medicine during or in preparation for a governor-declared state of emergency, such as during a pandemic or natural disaster.Before, medicine could flow only from the Cornhusker State to the Hawkeye State, but now the floodgates have opened the other direction.Upon learning of the signed contract, Hughes told the Examiner:&nbsp; “Super pumped to hear this!!!!”<h2>‘A long time coming’</h2>While federal regulations initially blocked the partnership, Gov. Jim Pillen’s mid-March signature cleared the way for the program to begin as soon as March 12.Yet the partnership waited in the wings partly because Pillen had already asked lawmakers to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/01/15/gov-pillen-proposes-his-answer-to-432-million-projected-budget-shortfall/">defund the program two months prior</a>&nbsp;— one of many “last in, first out” cuts his administration proposed to close a major projected deficit. The budget-writing Appropriations Committee&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/04/02/funding-pulled-for-planned-nebraska-prescription-drug-donation-program-with-iowa/">initially agreed</a>.Lawmakers also accepted a recommendation from the governor’s team to reword the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Final/LB1035A.pdf" target="_blank">authorizing language around the spending</a>.Rather than requiring DHHS to identify a nonprofit to carry out what would effectively be a defunded program at the time, the committee forbade DHHS from absorbing the cost of the program through other state dollars.Despite every member of the Appropriations Committee having voted for Hughes’ program, some more than once, some said they still had questions on the funding and how the program would work.Those changes left Hughes “incredibly disappointed” but determined to fight for the program.Hughes worked to correct some of that “misinformation,” including one that Iowa wasn’t putting in any state dollars to SafeNetRx while it had just put in $600,000 in its most recent budget. The committee voted 6-1 to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/funding-restored-for-nebraska-iowa-prescription-drug-donation-program-partnership/">restore funding</a>&nbsp;but left DHHS the flexibility to choose whether to start or maintain the program.State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha cast the lone “no” vote as an effort to push the committee to restore the original language around the spending, which the committee ultimately adopted with her support.Rosmann said at the time that for every dollar SafeNetRx received,&nbsp;patients and clinics received $20 in donated medicine.“I feel like this is a long time coming!!!” Hughes said in a text. “Very excited to get this up and going.”<h2>A commitment to safety</h2>SafeNetRx pioneered the prescription drug donation model in 2007 and had grown to receive medicine from pharmacists and patients nationwide.Since its inception, SafeNetRx has received donated medicine or medical supplies from 250 health care facilities nationwide, worth $155 million. This has helped more than 160,000 underserved patients receive free medication, according to SafeNetRx.Until now, medicine could not be sent to patients beyond Iowa’s borders, and&nbsp;Nebraska is the first state SafeNetRx is partnering with.&nbsp;SafeNetRx is already working with four Nebraska sites, Rosmann said, and when the program was delayed for a year from getting started — facing federal but also Nebraska funding roadblocks — Rosmann said SafeNetRx instead took that time to ramp up donationsBetween July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, Rosmann said his nonprofit gathered $28 million in donated medicine.“All of that is available to Nebraskans now,” Rosmann said.Before medicine is ready for redistribution, a licensed Iowa pharmacist inspects each donated drug, ensuring it is labeled correctly and usable — meaning not expired, not tampered with, not requiring refrigeration and not a controlled substance.Rosmann said those patient safety and medication integrity standards help separate SafeNetRx from other similar organizations or nonprofits.Nebraska pharmacists are able to access SafeNetRx inventory in real time to order meds for patients. Medicine is returned via courier, such as the United Parcel Service or Spee-Dee Delivery Service.<h2>‘It’s time to get cracking’</h2>Rosmann said the focus now is on education and enrollment, a task SafeNetRx is subcontracting with the Nebraska Pharmacists Association to fulfill, including recruiting participating clinics and pharmacies.&nbsp;There also is an emphasis on “safety net” providers, Rosmann said —&nbsp;federally qualified health centers, free clinics and community mental health centers — “those organizations that are on the front line of taking care of our most vulnerable patients.”Haley Pertzborn, the CEO of the Pharmacists Association, said of the partnership: “We are feeling super excited for this to be able to finally hit the ground and start helping Nebraskans!”&nbsp;Pertzborn is an Iowa native who previously volunteered for SafeNetRx. She helped Hughes get the Nebraska-Iowa partnership off the ground that both have noted could provide cost savings and shore up health care gaps.Those wishing to donate medicine or participate can learn more at&nbsp;<a href="https://safenetrx.org/Nebraska" target="_blank">safenetrx.org/Nebraska</a>.“It’s time to get cracking,” Rosmann said. “We’ve got a huge inventory of medicine, and now we need to get it to the patients that need it.”