EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A gunman who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-state-university-campus-shootings-b52b808c621273dcad1c233ed4080fe4">opened fire at Michigan State University</a>&nbsp;killed three students and wounded five, setting off an hourslong manhunt as frightened students hid in classrooms and cars. The shooter eventually killed himself, police announced early Tuesday.

Police at a news conference later Tuesday identified the gunman as 43-year-old Anthony McRae. They said he shot himself miles away from campus while being confronted by police.

Officials earlier said the gunman was not a student or employee and had no affiliation with the university.

The shooting began Monday night at an academic building and later moved to the nearby student union, a popular gathering spot for students to eat or study. As hundreds of officers scoured the East Lansing campus, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Detroit, students hid where they could. Four hours after the first shots were reported, police announced the man’s death.

“This truly has been a nightmare we’re living tonight,” said Chris Rozman, interim deputy chief of the campus police department.

Dominik Molotky said he was learning about Cuban history around 8:15 p.m. when he and the other students heard a gunshot outside the classroom. He told ABC’s “Good Morning America" that a few seconds later, the gunman entered and fired three to four more rounds while the students took cover.

“I was ducking and covering, and the same with the rest of the students. He let off four more rounds and when it went silent for about 30 seconds to a minute, two of my classmates started breaking open a window, and that took about 30 seconds to happen. There was glass everywhere,” Molotky said.

“After that, we broke out the window and I climbed out of there, and then I booked it back to my apartment,” he said. He was unsure whether gunfire hit any of the students.

Ryan Kunkel, 22, was attending a class in the Engineering Building when he became aware of the shooting from a university email. Kunkel and about 13 other students turned off the lights and acted like there “was a shooter right outside the door,” he said.

“Nothing came out of anyone’s mouth” for over four hours, he said.

“I wasn’t ready to accept that this is really going on next door,” Kunkel said. “This is supposed to be a place where I’m coming, learning and bettering myself. And instead, students are getting hurt.”

The shooting is the latest in what has become a deadly new year in the U.S. Dozens of people have died in mass shootings so far in 2023, most notably in California,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/monterey-park-shooting-victims-98c7124322ca58ad5911f26b2b8efbf8">where 11 people were killed</a>&nbsp;as they welcomed the Lunar New Year at a dance hall popular with older Asian Americans.

In 2022, there were more than 600 mass shootings in the U.S. in which at least four people were killed or wounded, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/past-tolls">Gun Violence Archive</a>.

“This is a uniquely American problem,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer lamented.

Rozman, of the campus police, said two people were killed at Berkey Hall and another was killed at the MSU Union, while five people were in critical condition at Sparrow Hospital.

Police eventually confronted the shooter, who then died by a “self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Rozman said.

“We have no idea why he came to campus to do this tonight. That is part of our ongoing investigation,” the deputy chief said.

Ted Zimbo said he was walking to his dorm when he encountered a woman with a “ton of blood on her.”

“She told me, ‘Someone came in our classroom and started shooting,’” Zimbo told The Associated Press. “Her hands were completely covered in blood. It was on her pants and her shoes. She said, ‘It’s my friend’s blood.’”

Zimbo said the woman left to find a friend’s car while he returned to his SUV and threw a blanket over himself to hide for three hours.

Michigan State has about 50,000 students, including 19,000 who live on campus. All classes, sports and other activities were canceled for 48 hours.

Interim university President Teresa Woodruff said it would be a time “to think and grieve and come together.”

“This Spartan community — this family — will come back together,” Woodruff said.

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A gunman who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-state-university-campus-shootings-b52b808c621273dcad1c233ed4080fe4">opened fire at Michigan State University</a>&nbsp;killed three people and wounded five, setting off an hourslong manhunt as frightened students hid in classrooms and cars. The shooter eventually killed himself, police announced early Tuesday.

Officials do not know why the 43-year-old man, whose name was not immediately released, targeted the campus. He was not a student or employee and had no affiliation with the university, according to campus police.

The shooting at Michigan State is the latest in what has become a deadly new year in the U.S. Dozens of people have died in mass shootings so far in 2023, most notably in California&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/monterey-park-shooting-victims-98c7124322ca58ad5911f26b2b8efbf8">where 11 people were killed</a>&nbsp;as they welcomed the Lunar New Year at a dance hall popular with older Asian Americans.

Ted Zimbo said he was walking to his residence hall when he encountered a woman with a “ton of blood on her.”

During the manhunt, WDIV-TV meteorologist Kim Adams, whose daughter attends Michigan State, told viewers that students were worn down by the hourslong saga.

“They’ve been hiding, all the lights off in a dark room,” Adams said.

Aedan Kelley, a junior who lives a half-mile (less than a kilometer) east of campus, said he locked his doors and covered his windows “just in case.” Sirens were constant, and a helicopter hovered overhead.

“It’s all very frightening,” Kelley said. “And then I have all these people texting me wondering if I’m OK, which is overwhelming.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676373148382.png" alt="Security camera image of the suspect released by police&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Security camera image of the suspect released by police&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A gunman who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-state-university-campus-shootings-b52b808c621273dcad1c233ed4080fe4">opened fire at Michigan State University</a>&nbsp;killed three students and wounded five, setting off an hourslong manhunt as frightened students hid in classrooms and cars. The shooter eventually killed himself, police announced early Tuesday.Police at a news conference later Tuesday identified the gunman as 43-year-old Anthony McRae. They said he shot himself miles away from campus while being confronted by police.Officials earlier said the gunman was not a student or employee and had no affiliation with the university.The shooting began Monday night at an academic building and later moved to the nearby student union, a popular gathering spot for students to eat or study. As hundreds of officers scoured the East Lansing campus, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Detroit, students hid where they could. Four hours after the first shots were reported, police announced the man’s death.“This truly has been a nightmare we’re living tonight,” said Chris Rozman, interim deputy chief of the campus police department.Dominik Molotky said he was learning about Cuban history around 8:15 p.m. when he and the other students heard a gunshot outside the classroom. He told ABC’s “Good Morning America" that a few seconds later, the gunman entered and fired three to four more rounds while the students took cover.“I was ducking and covering, and the same with the rest of the students. He let off four more rounds and when it went silent for about 30 seconds to a minute, two of my classmates started breaking open a window, and that took about 30 seconds to happen. There was glass everywhere,” Molotky said.“After that, we broke out the window and I climbed out of there, and then I booked it back to my apartment,” he said. He was unsure whether gunfire hit any of the students.Ryan Kunkel, 22, was attending a class in the Engineering Building when he became aware of the shooting from a university email. Kunkel and about 13 other students turned off the lights and acted like there “was a shooter right outside the door,” he said.“Nothing came out of anyone’s mouth” for over four hours, he said.“I wasn’t ready to accept that this is really going on next door,” Kunkel said. “This is supposed to be a place where I’m coming, learning and bettering myself. And instead, students are getting hurt.”The shooting is the latest in what has become a deadly new year in the U.S. Dozens of people have died in mass shootings so far in 2023, most notably in California,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/monterey-park-shooting-victims-98c7124322ca58ad5911f26b2b8efbf8">where 11 people were killed</a>&nbsp;as they welcomed the Lunar New Year at a dance hall popular with older Asian Americans.In 2022, there were more than 600 mass shootings in the U.S. in which at least four people were killed or wounded, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/past-tolls">Gun Violence Archive</a>.“This is a uniquely American problem,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer lamented.Rozman, of the campus police, said two people were killed at Berkey Hall and another was killed at the MSU Union, while five people were in critical condition at Sparrow Hospital.Police eventually confronted the shooter, who then died by a “self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Rozman said.“We have no idea why he came to campus to do this tonight. That is part of our ongoing investigation,” the deputy chief said.Ted Zimbo said he was walking to his dorm when he encountered a woman with a “ton of blood on her.”“She told me, ‘Someone came in our classroom and started shooting,’” Zimbo told The Associated Press. “Her hands were completely covered in blood. It was on her pants and her shoes. She said, ‘It’s my friend’s blood.’”Zimbo said the woman left to find a friend’s car while he returned to his SUV and threw a blanket over himself to hide for three hours.Michigan State has about 50,000 students, including 19,000 who live on campus. All classes, sports and other activities were canceled for 48 hours.Interim university President Teresa Woodruff said it would be a time “to think and grieve and come together.”“This Spartan community — this family — will come back together,” Woodruff said.EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A gunman who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-state-university-campus-shootings-b52b808c621273dcad1c233ed4080fe4">opened fire at Michigan State University</a>&nbsp;killed three people and wounded five, setting off an hourslong manhunt as frightened students hid in classrooms and cars. The shooter eventually killed himself, police announced early Tuesday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">UPDATE: The suspect has been located off campus. It appears he has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. There is no longer a threat to campus and the shelter-in-place has been lifted. <a href="https://t.co/6s2KGvoKpV">pic.twitter.com/6s2KGvoKpV</a>&mdash; MSU Police and Public Safety (@msupolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/msupolice/status/1625366344899100672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Officials do not know why the 43-year-old man, whose name was not immediately released, targeted the campus. He was not a student or employee and had no affiliation with the university, according to campus police.The shooting began Monday night at an academic building and later moved to the nearby student union, a popular gathering spot for students to eat or study. As hundreds of officers scoured the East Lansing campus, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Detroit, students hid where they could. Four hours after the first shots were reported, police announced the man’s death.“This truly has been a nightmare we’re living tonight,” said Chris Rozman, interim deputy chief of the campus police department.Dominik Molotky said he was learning about Cuban history around 8:15 p.m. when he and the other students heard a gunshot outside the classroom. He told ABC’s “Good Morning America" that a few seconds later, the gunman entered and fired three to four more rounds while the students took cover.“I was ducking and covering, and the same with the rest of the students. He let off four more rounds and when it went silent for about 30 seconds to a minute, two of my classmates started breaking open a window, and that took about 30 seconds to happen. There was glass everywhere,” Molotky said.“After that, we broke out the window and I climbed out of there, and then I booked it back to my apartment,” he said. He was unsure whether gunfire hit any of the students.Ryan Kunkel, 22, was attending a class in the Engineering Building when he became aware of the shooting from a university email. Kunkel and about 13 other students turned off the lights and acted like there “was a shooter right outside the door,” he said.“Nothing came out of anyone’s mouth” for over four hours, he said.“I wasn’t ready to accept that this is really going on next door,” Kunkel said. “This is supposed to be a place where I’m coming, learning and bettering myself. And instead, students are getting hurt.”The shooting is the latest in what has become a deadly new year in the U.S. Dozens of people have died in mass shootings so far in 2023, most notably in California,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/monterey-park-shooting-victims-98c7124322ca58ad5911f26b2b8efbf8">where 11 people were killed</a>&nbsp;as they welcomed the Lunar New Year at a dance hall popular with older Asian Americans.In 2022, there were more than 600 mass shootings in the U.S. in which at least four people were killed or wounded, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/past-tolls">Gun Violence Archive</a>.“This is a uniquely American problem,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer lamented.Rozman, of the campus police, said two people were killed at Berkey Hall and another was killed at the MSU Union, while five people were in critical condition at Sparrow Hospital.Police eventually confronted the shooter, who then died by a “self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Rozman said.“We have no idea why he came to campus to do this tonight. That is part of our ongoing investigation,” the deputy chief said.Ted Zimbo said he was walking to his dorm when he encountered a woman with a “ton of blood on her.”“She told me, ‘Someone came in our classroom and started shooting,’” Zimbo told The Associated Press. “Her hands were completely covered in blood. It was on her pants and her shoes. She said, ‘It’s my friend’s blood.’”Zimbo said the woman left to find a friend’s car while he returned to his SUV and threw a blanket over himself to hide for three hours.Michigan State has about 50,000 students, including 19,000 who live on campus. All classes, sports and other activities were canceled for 48 hours.Interim university President Teresa Woodruff said it would be a time “to think and grieve and come together.”“This Spartan community — this family — will come back together,” Woodruff said.___EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A gunman who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-state-university-campus-shootings-b52b808c621273dcad1c233ed4080fe4">opened fire at Michigan State University</a>&nbsp;killed three people and wounded five, setting off an hourslong manhunt as frightened students hid in classrooms and cars. The shooter eventually killed himself, police announced early Tuesday.Officials do not know why the 43-year-old man, whose name was not immediately released, targeted the campus. He was not a student or employee and had no affiliation with the university, according to campus police.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">UPDATE: All five victims at Sparrow Hospital are in critical condition. The suspect is a 43-year-old male and is not affiliated in any way with MSU. <a href="https://t.co/ckKwl72fqM">pic.twitter.com/ckKwl72fqM</a>&mdash; MSU Police and Public Safety (@msupolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/msupolice/status/1625385162547638273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The shooting began Monday night at an academic building and later moved to the nearby student union, a popular gathering spot for students to eat or study. As hundreds of officers scoured the East Lansing campus, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Detroit, students hid where they could. Four hours after the first shots were reported, police announced the man’s death.“This truly has been a nightmare we’re living tonight,” said Chris Rozman, interim deputy chief of the campus police department.Ryan Kunkel, 22, was attending a class in the Engineering Building when he became aware of the shooting from a university email. Kunkel and about 13 other students turned off the lights and acted like there “was a shooter right outside the door,” he said.“Nothing came out of anyone’s mouth” for over four hours, he said.“I wasn’t ready to accept that this is really going on next door,” Kunkel said. “This is supposed to be a place where I’m coming, learning and bettering myself. And instead, students are getting hurt.”The shooting at Michigan State is the latest in what has become a deadly new year in the U.S. Dozens of people have died in mass shootings so far in 2023, most notably in California&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/monterey-park-shooting-victims-98c7124322ca58ad5911f26b2b8efbf8">where 11 people were killed</a>&nbsp;as they welcomed the Lunar New Year at a dance hall popular with older Asian Americans.In 2022, there were more than 600 mass shootings in the U.S. in which at least four people were killed or wounded, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/past-tolls">Gun Violence Archive</a>.“This is a uniquely American problem,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer lamented.Rozman, of the campus police, said two people were killed at Berkey Hall and another was killed at the MSU Union, while five people were in critical condition at Sparrow Hospital.Police eventually confronted the shooter, who then died by a “self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Rozman said.“We have no idea why he came to campus to do this tonight. That is part of our ongoing investigation,” the deputy chief said.Ted Zimbo said he was walking to his residence hall when he encountered a woman with a “ton of blood on her.”“She told me, ‘Someone came in our classroom and started shooting,’” Zimbo told The Associated Press. “Her hands were completely covered in blood. It was on her pants and her shoes. She said, ‘It’s my friend’s blood.’”Zimbo said the woman left to find a friend’s car while he returned to his SUV and threw a blanket over himself to hide for three hours.During the manhunt, WDIV-TV meteorologist Kim Adams, whose daughter attends Michigan State, told viewers that students were worn down by the hourslong saga.“They’ve been hiding, all the lights off in a dark room,” Adams said.Aedan Kelley, a junior who lives a half-mile (less than a kilometer) east of campus, said he locked his doors and covered his windows “just in case.” Sirens were constant, and a helicopter hovered overhead.“It’s all very frightening,” Kelley said. “And then I have all these people texting me wondering if I’m OK, which is overwhelming.”Michigan State has about 50,000 students, including 19,000 who live on campus. All classes, sports and other activities were canceled for 48 hours.Interim university President Teresa Woodruff said it would be a time “to think and grieve and come together.”“This Spartan community — this family — will come back together,” Woodruff said.___

Police name gunman who killed 3 at Michigan State University

LINCOLN, Neb.-The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating an incident during which an adult male died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a call in Arlington. The incident occurred Friday afternoon, February 10.

A preliminary investigation indicates that deputies were called for a welfare check at a residence in the 300 block of N. 9th&nbsp;Street in Arlington. Upon arrival, deputies were allowed inside the residence by an occupant and observed an adult male holding a firearm. The deputies were able to evacuate multiple children from the home.

After speaking with the subject for several minutes, deputies heard a single gunshot and located the subject deceased. No deputies discharged their weapon, and no others were injured during the incident. The subject has been identified as Donald Moreno, 38.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has requested the Nebraska State Patrol to investigate the incident as an in-custody death. Nebraska state statute requires a grand jury investigation for in-custody deaths. The investigation remains ongoing.

The Douglas County Crime Lab has assisted in this investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676379576748.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By NEBRASKA STATE PATROLLINCOLN, Neb.-The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating an incident during which an adult male died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a call in Arlington. The incident occurred Friday afternoon, February 10.A preliminary investigation indicates that deputies were called for a welfare check at a residence in the 300 block of N. 9th&nbsp;Street in Arlington. Upon arrival, deputies were allowed inside the residence by an occupant and observed an adult male holding a firearm. The deputies were able to evacuate multiple children from the home.After speaking with the subject for several minutes, deputies heard a single gunshot and located the subject deceased. No deputies discharged their weapon, and no others were injured during the incident. The subject has been identified as Donald Moreno, 38.The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has requested the Nebraska State Patrol to investigate the incident as an in-custody death. Nebraska state statute requires a grand jury investigation for in-custody deaths. The investigation remains ongoing.The Douglas County Crime Lab has assisted in this investigation.

NSP investigating in-custody death in Washington County

<a href="https://stjosephpost.com/posts/9ff92816-18be-422f-b13b-d2095201b9aa">St. Joseph Post</a>

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — KFEQ celebrates 100 years on the air February 15th.

In a “Brief History of KFEQ,” longtime KFEQ engineer Kenny Lux reported John Scroggin began his first broadcast on <a href="https://stjosephpost.com/posts/9ff92816-18be-422f-b13b-d2095201b9aa">KFEQ</a> at three o’clock in the afternoon of Feb. 15, 1923. Yet, the “License for Land Radio Station” issued by the Department of Commerce contains a date of issue of Feb. 16, 1923.

No matter, KFEQ is one of the oldest radio stations in the country with its temporary 200-watt transmitter issued for three months to a University of Nebraska engineering student predating even creation of the Federal Communications Commission.

KFEQ now operates with a&nbsp;5,000 watt&nbsp;directional antennae&nbsp;at 680 AM&nbsp;that serves St. Joseph, northwest Missouri, northeast Kansas, southeast Nebraska, and southwest Iowa.&nbsp;The powerhouse radio station serving the Midland Empire is a leader in providing commodity market reports, agricultural news, as well as news, talk, and sports.

And, it all began 100 years ago in tiny Oak, Neb.

Scroggin had been an engineering student&nbsp;at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln when a bout of measles forced him to return home to Oak. While recuperating, Scroggin began experimenting with a new medium called radio, first building a ham radio before starting KFEQ in the back of his father’s bank building in Oak. Scroggin moved the station to his home, broadcasting farm market reports from throughout the Midwest and entertainment from local musicians.

In 1926, the St. Joseph Booster Club, the St. Joseph Grain Exchange, and the St. Joseph Livestock Exchange convinced Scroggin to move his station to St. Joseph where it would grow to become one of the heritage agricultural market stations in the nation.

KFEQ has been serving St. Joseph and the region ever since, providing comprehensive agricultural reports, news about the community and the four-state region, as well as talk through the KFEQ Hotline, and sports, especially as the voice of the Missouri Western State University Griffons, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Kansas City Royals.

One hundred years ago, KFEQ received a license from the federal Department of Commerce “for broadcasting entertainment and like matter” and continues to stay true to that vision and more.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676320696365.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://stjosephpost.com/posts/9ff92816-18be-422f-b13b-d2095201b9aa">St. Joseph Post</a>ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — KFEQ celebrates 100 years on the air February 15th.Or 16th.It depends on the source.In a “Brief History of KFEQ,” longtime KFEQ engineer Kenny Lux reported John Scroggin began his first broadcast on <a href="https://stjosephpost.com/posts/9ff92816-18be-422f-b13b-d2095201b9aa">KFEQ</a> at three o’clock in the afternoon of Feb. 15, 1923. Yet, the “License for Land Radio Station” issued by the Department of Commerce contains a date of issue of Feb. 16, 1923.No matter, KFEQ is one of the oldest radio stations in the country with its temporary 200-watt transmitter issued for three months to a University of Nebraska engineering student predating even creation of the Federal Communications Commission.KFEQ now operates with a&nbsp;5,000 watt&nbsp;directional antennae&nbsp;at 680 AM&nbsp;that serves St. Joseph, northwest Missouri, northeast Kansas, southeast Nebraska, and southwest Iowa.&nbsp;The powerhouse radio station serving the Midland Empire is a leader in providing commodity market reports, agricultural news, as well as news, talk, and sports.And, it all began 100 years ago in tiny Oak, Neb.Scroggin had been an engineering student&nbsp;at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln when a bout of measles forced him to return home to Oak. While recuperating, Scroggin began experimenting with a new medium called radio, first building a ham radio before starting KFEQ in the back of his father’s bank building in Oak. Scroggin moved the station to his home, broadcasting farm market reports from throughout the Midwest and entertainment from local musicians.In 1926, the St. Joseph Booster Club, the St. Joseph Grain Exchange, and the St. Joseph Livestock Exchange convinced Scroggin to move his station to St. Joseph where it would grow to become one of the heritage agricultural market stations in the nation.KFEQ has been serving St. Joseph and the region ever since, providing comprehensive agricultural reports, news about the community and the four-state region, as well as talk through the KFEQ Hotline, and sports, especially as the voice of the Missouri Western State University Griffons, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Kansas City Royals.One hundred years ago, KFEQ received a license from the federal Department of Commerce “for broadcasting entertainment and like matter” and continues to stay true to that vision and more.

Eagle Radio station marks its 100th anniversary this month

DENVER (AP) — On Colorado’s northeastern plains, where the pencil-straight horizon divides golden fields and blue sky, a farmer named Danny Wood scrambles to plant and harvest proso millet, dryland corn and winter wheat in short, seasonal windows. That is until his high-tech Steiger 370 tractor conks out.

The tractor's manufacturer doesn't allow Wood to make certain fixes himself, and last spring his fertilizing operations were stalled for three days before the servicer arrived to add a few lines of missing computer code for $950.

“That’s where they have us over the barrel, it’s more like we are renting it than buying it,” said Wood, who spent $300,000 on the used tractor.

Wood's plight, echoed by farmers across the country, has pushed lawmakers in Colorado and 10 other states to introduce bills that would force manufacturers to provide the tools, software, parts and manuals needed for farmers to do their own repairs — thereby avoiding steep labor costs and delays that imperil profits.

"The manufacturers and the dealers have a monopoly on that repair market because it’s lucrative," said Rep. Brianna Titone, a Democrat and one of the bill's sponsors. “(Farmers) just want to get their machine going again.”

In Colorado, the legislation is largely being pushed by Democrats while their Republican colleagues find themselves stuck in a tough spot: torn between right-leaning farming constituents asking to be able to repair their own machines and the manufacturing businesses that oppose the idea.

The manufacturers argue that changing the current practice with this type of legislation would would force companies to expose trade secrets. They also say it would make it easier for farmers to tinker with the software and illegally crank up the horsepower and bypass the emissions controller — risking operators' safety and the environment.

Similar arguments around intellectual property have been leveled against the broader campaign called ‘right to repair,’ which has picked up steam across the country — crusading for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-technology-business-apple-inc-smartphones-afb6e6603bdb5c0bb510de5b4c685f69">right to fix everything from iPhones</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-nevada-coronavirus-pandemic-laws-5ade405a7befdf16e9f0107b7e142be3">hospital ventilators</a>&nbsp;during the pandemic.

In 2011, Congress passed a law ensuring that car owners and independent mechanics — not just authorized dealerships — had access to the necessary tools and information to fix problems.

Ten years later, the Federal Trade Commission&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-joe-biden-business-government-and-politics-7e5d6c82ee4f1b66fd4c3b78d1ddd18e">pledged to beef up its right to repair enforcement</a>&nbsp;at the direction of President Joe Biden. And just last year, Titone sponsored and passed Colorado's first right to repair law, empowering people who use wheelchairs with the tools and information to fix them.

For the right to repair farm equipment — from thin tractors used between grape vines to behemoth combines for harvesting grain that can cost over half a million dollars — Colorado is joined by 10 states including Florida, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Texas and Vermont.

Many of the bills are finding bipartisan support, said Nathan Proctor, who leads Public Interest Research Group's national right to repair campaign. But in Colorado's House committee on agriculture, Democrats pushed the bill forward in a 9-4 vote along party lines, with Republicans in opposition even though the bill's second sponsor is Republican Rep. Ron Weinberg.

“That’s really surprising, and that upset me,” said the Republican Wood.

Wood's tractor, which flies an American flag reading “Farmers First,” isn't his only machine to break down. His grain harvesting combine was dropping into idle, but the servicer took five days to arrive on Wood's farm — a setback that could mean a hail storm decimates a wheat field or the soil temperature moves beyond the Goldilocks zone for planting.

“Our crop is ready to harvest and we can’t wait five days, but there was nothing else to do,” said Wood. “When it’s broke down you just sit there and wait and that’s not acceptable. You can be losing $85,000 a day.”

Rep. Richard Holtorf, the Republican who represents Wood's district and is a farmer himself, said he's being pulled between his constituents and the dealerships in his district covering the largely rural northeast corner of the state. He voted against the measure because he believes it will financially impact local dealerships in rural areas and could jeopardize trade secrets.

“I do sympathize with my farmers," said Holtorf, but added, “I don’t think it’s the role of government to be forcing the sale of their intellectual property.”

At the packed hearing last week that spilled into a second room in Colorado's Capitol, the core concerns raised in testimony were farmers illegally slipping around the emissions control and cranking up the horsepower.

“I know growers, if they can change horsepower and they can change emissions they are going to do it,” said Russ Ball, sales manager at 21st Century Equipment, a John Deere dealership in Western states.

The bill's proponents acknowledged that the legislation could make it easier for operators to modify horsepower and emissions controls, but argued that farmers are already able to tinker with their machines and doing so would remain illegal.

This January, the Farm Bureau and the farm equipment manufacturer John Deere did&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-san-juan-moline-831b374a4f820dcde5ee2d647093e207">sign a memorandum of understanding</a>&nbsp;— a right to repair agreement made in the free market and without government intervention. The agreement stipulates that John Deere will share some parts, diagnostic and repair codes, and manuals to allow farmers to do their own fixes.

The Colorado bill's detractors laud that agreement as a strong middle ground while Titone said it wasn't enough, evidenced by six of Colorado's biggest farmworker associations that support the bill.

Proctor, who is tracking 20 right to repair proposals in a number of industries across the country, said the memorandum of understanding has fallen far short.

“Farmers are saying no," Proctor said. “We want the real thing.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625596705829.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>DENVER (AP) — On Colorado’s northeastern plains, where the pencil-straight horizon divides golden fields and blue sky, a farmer named Danny Wood scrambles to plant and harvest proso millet, dryland corn and winter wheat in short, seasonal windows. That is until his high-tech Steiger 370 tractor conks out.The tractor's manufacturer doesn't allow Wood to make certain fixes himself, and last spring his fertilizing operations were stalled for three days before the servicer arrived to add a few lines of missing computer code for $950.“That’s where they have us over the barrel, it’s more like we are renting it than buying it,” said Wood, who spent $300,000 on the used tractor.Wood's plight, echoed by farmers across the country, has pushed lawmakers in Colorado and 10 other states to introduce bills that would force manufacturers to provide the tools, software, parts and manuals needed for farmers to do their own repairs — thereby avoiding steep labor costs and delays that imperil profits."The manufacturers and the dealers have a monopoly on that repair market because it’s lucrative," said Rep. Brianna Titone, a Democrat and one of the bill's sponsors. “(Farmers) just want to get their machine going again.”In Colorado, the legislation is largely being pushed by Democrats while their Republican colleagues find themselves stuck in a tough spot: torn between right-leaning farming constituents asking to be able to repair their own machines and the manufacturing businesses that oppose the idea.The manufacturers argue that changing the current practice with this type of legislation would would force companies to expose trade secrets. They also say it would make it easier for farmers to tinker with the software and illegally crank up the horsepower and bypass the emissions controller — risking operators' safety and the environment.Similar arguments around intellectual property have been leveled against the broader campaign called ‘right to repair,’ which has picked up steam across the country — crusading for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-technology-business-apple-inc-smartphones-afb6e6603bdb5c0bb510de5b4c685f69">right to fix everything from iPhones</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-nevada-coronavirus-pandemic-laws-5ade405a7befdf16e9f0107b7e142be3">hospital ventilators</a>&nbsp;during the pandemic.In 2011, Congress passed a law ensuring that car owners and independent mechanics — not just authorized dealerships — had access to the necessary tools and information to fix problems.Ten years later, the Federal Trade Commission&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-joe-biden-business-government-and-politics-7e5d6c82ee4f1b66fd4c3b78d1ddd18e">pledged to beef up its right to repair enforcement</a>&nbsp;at the direction of President Joe Biden. And just last year, Titone sponsored and passed Colorado's first right to repair law, empowering people who use wheelchairs with the tools and information to fix them.For the right to repair farm equipment — from thin tractors used between grape vines to behemoth combines for harvesting grain that can cost over half a million dollars — Colorado is joined by 10 states including Florida, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Texas and Vermont.Many of the bills are finding bipartisan support, said Nathan Proctor, who leads Public Interest Research Group's national right to repair campaign. But in Colorado's House committee on agriculture, Democrats pushed the bill forward in a 9-4 vote along party lines, with Republicans in opposition even though the bill's second sponsor is Republican Rep. Ron Weinberg.“That’s really surprising, and that upset me,” said the Republican Wood.Wood's tractor, which flies an American flag reading “Farmers First,” isn't his only machine to break down. His grain harvesting combine was dropping into idle, but the servicer took five days to arrive on Wood's farm — a setback that could mean a hail storm decimates a wheat field or the soil temperature moves beyond the Goldilocks zone for planting.“Our crop is ready to harvest and we can’t wait five days, but there was nothing else to do,” said Wood. “When it’s broke down you just sit there and wait and that’s not acceptable. You can be losing $85,000 a day.”Rep. Richard Holtorf, the Republican who represents Wood's district and is a farmer himself, said he's being pulled between his constituents and the dealerships in his district covering the largely rural northeast corner of the state. He voted against the measure because he believes it will financially impact local dealerships in rural areas and could jeopardize trade secrets.“I do sympathize with my farmers," said Holtorf, but added, “I don’t think it’s the role of government to be forcing the sale of their intellectual property.”At the packed hearing last week that spilled into a second room in Colorado's Capitol, the core concerns raised in testimony were farmers illegally slipping around the emissions control and cranking up the horsepower.“I know growers, if they can change horsepower and they can change emissions they are going to do it,” said Russ Ball, sales manager at 21st Century Equipment, a John Deere dealership in Western states.The bill's proponents acknowledged that the legislation could make it easier for operators to modify horsepower and emissions controls, but argued that farmers are already able to tinker with their machines and doing so would remain illegal.This January, the Farm Bureau and the farm equipment manufacturer John Deere did&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-san-juan-moline-831b374a4f820dcde5ee2d647093e207">sign a memorandum of understanding</a>&nbsp;— a right to repair agreement made in the free market and without government intervention. The agreement stipulates that John Deere will share some parts, diagnostic and repair codes, and manuals to allow farmers to do their own fixes.The Colorado bill's detractors laud that agreement as a strong middle ground while Titone said it wasn't enough, evidenced by six of Colorado's biggest farmworker associations that support the bill.Proctor, who is tracking 20 right to repair proposals in a number of industries across the country, said the memorandum of understanding has fallen far short.“Farmers are saying no," Proctor said. “We want the real thing.”

States consider 'right to repair' for farming equipment

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/coalition-forms-to-oppose-right-to-farm-revisions-says-they-favor-industrial-farms-over-family-operations/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — A coalition of environmental and farm groups has formed to 
oppose the latest effort to amend Nebraska’s “right to farm” act.

The groups, ranging from the Nebraska Farmers Union to Nebraskans for Peace, say that<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Intro/LB662.pdf"> Legislative Bill 662</a>,
 which is up for a public hearing Tuesday, is an attempt to relax 
regulation of large, industrial livestock operations at the expense of 
rural residents and family farmers.

“This proposed legislation exempts large corporate farms from being a
 good neighbor,” said Ron Todd-Meyer, a retired farmer and a Nebraskans 
for Peace board member.&nbsp; “This legislation should be pitched into the 
manure pile for composting.”

The bill<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Intro/LB662.pdf" target="_blank">,</a>
 sponsored by State Sen. Beau Ballard of Lincoln, will be the subject of
 a public hearing before the Legislature’s Agriculture Committee at 1:30
 p.m. Tuesday.

The bill would narrow who, and when, nuisance lawsuits could be filed
 against farm operations for issues such as excessive odors and dust.

Only landowners who live within a half-mile of agricultural 
operation, and only those landowners who have a majority interest in 
their land, could file nuisance lawsuits, under LB 662.

Such lawsuits would be disallowed if an operation was utilizing 
“commonly accepted” practices and was in “material compliance” with 
applicable laws and regulations, under the proposal. The statute of 
limitations would be shortened from the current two years to one.

Officials from the Farmers Union, GC Resolve, Nebraska Interfaith 
Power and Light and Nebraska Communities United, in a press release last
 week, all indicated they will oppose the bill.

Ballard, whose district extends into rural Lancaster County, has said
 that agricultural producers deserve extra protection from nuisance 
lawsuits.

His district was the site of a proposed multi-barn chicken farm with a
 capacity of 380,000 birds that was denied a construction permit in 
2021. The farm was intended to supply broilers for Costco, via a 
processing plant built in Fremont.

Randy Ruppert of Nebraska Communities United said LB 662 would 
restrict the rights that rural residents were granted in the U.S. 
Constitution for “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

“Large corporations nor elected officials have the right to diminish those rights,” he said.

Nancy Meyer, a resident of rural Cedar Bluffs, said the proliferation
 of confined-animal feeding operations in Nebraska poses a threat “to 
our good life and our property rights.”

Meyer said the issue has her family considering leaving Nebraska.

The state’s Right to Farm Act was last amended in 2019 when, in a 
compromise, the timeframe for filing a nuisance lawsuit was shortened to
 two years.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674486165693.png" alt="Dozens of chicken barns, like this complex southwest of David City, were built in Butler County to supply broilers for Costco. The county became a popular location because it has no zoning ordinances. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Dozens of chicken barns, like this complex southwest of David City, were built in Butler County to supply broilers for Costco. The county became a popular location because it has no zoning ordinances. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/coalition-forms-to-oppose-right-to-farm-revisions-says-they-favor-industrial-farms-over-family-operations/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — A coalition of environmental and farm groups has formed to 
oppose the latest effort to amend Nebraska’s “right to farm” act.The groups, ranging from the Nebraska Farmers Union to Nebraskans for Peace, say that<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Intro/LB662.pdf"> Legislative Bill 662</a>,
 which is up for a public hearing Tuesday, is an attempt to relax 
regulation of large, industrial livestock operations at the expense of 
rural residents and family farmers.“This proposed legislation exempts large corporate farms from being a
 good neighbor,” said Ron Todd-Meyer, a retired farmer and a Nebraskans 
for Peace board member.&nbsp; “This legislation should be pitched into the 
manure pile for composting.”The bill<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Intro/LB662.pdf" target="_blank">,</a>
 sponsored by State Sen. Beau Ballard of Lincoln, will be the subject of
 a public hearing before the Legislature’s Agriculture Committee at 1:30
 p.m. Tuesday.The bill would narrow who, and when, nuisance lawsuits could be filed
 against farm operations for issues such as excessive odors and dust.Only landowners who live within a half-mile of agricultural 
operation, and only those landowners who have a majority interest in 
their land, could file nuisance lawsuits, under LB 662.<h2>‘Material compliance’</h2>Such lawsuits would be disallowed if an operation was utilizing 
“commonly accepted” practices and was in “material compliance” with 
applicable laws and regulations, under the proposal. The statute of 
limitations would be shortened from the current two years to one.Officials from the Farmers Union, GC Resolve, Nebraska Interfaith 
Power and Light and Nebraska Communities United, in a press release last
 week, all indicated they will oppose the bill.Ballard, whose district extends into rural Lancaster County, has said
 that agricultural producers deserve extra protection from nuisance 
lawsuits.<h2>Chicken farm rejected</h2>His district was the site of a proposed multi-barn chicken farm with a
 capacity of 380,000 birds that was denied a construction permit in 
2021. The farm was intended to supply broilers for Costco, via a 
processing plant built in Fremont.Randy Ruppert of Nebraska Communities United said LB 662 would 
restrict the rights that rural residents were granted in the U.S. 
Constitution for “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”“Large corporations nor elected officials have the right to diminish those rights,” he said.Nancy Meyer, a resident of rural Cedar Bluffs, said the proliferation
 of confined-animal feeding operations in Nebraska poses a threat “to 
our good life and our property rights.”Meyer said the issue has her family considering leaving Nebraska.The state’s Right to Farm Act was last amended in 2019 when, in a 
compromise, the timeframe for filing a nuisance lawsuit was shortened to
 two years.

Nebraska coalition forms to oppose ‘right to farm’ revisions

By ZACH WENDLING <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/10/nebraska-lawmaker-renews-bill-to-protect-physicians-right-of-conscience/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN —&nbsp;A revived legislative 
proposal would protect health care providers’ “right of conscience,” 
allowing physicians to decline to provide a service if it would violate 
their beliefs.

<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=50633">Legislative Bill 810</a>,
 proposed by State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, would adopt the “Medical
 Ethics and Diversity Act,” defining a “right of conscience” violation 
as a service a provider objects to based on moral, religious or ethical 
beliefs.

Murman told the Health and Human 
Services Committee on Friday that his legislation is focused on 
individual services, not patients. So if providers offer a service to 
some, they must offer it to others.

The bill would only apply to non-emergent care.

“This legislation recognizes that 
those serving in health care are moral agents,” Murman said. “They are 
individual and personal human beings with consciences that deserve 
protection.”

Testifiers said the legislation could
 apply to abortion, physician-assisted suicide, gene editing, 
gender-affirming care, counseling for LGBTQ Nebraskans and more.

Murman introduced <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=47021">similar legislation</a> in 2022 but it did not leave committee.

Any practitioner ‘who has a conscience’

Dr. Dale Michels, a retired family 
physician and the Nebraska representative of the American Academy of 
Medical Ethics, said professionals should be able to act on their deeply
 held beliefs to determine the correct course of care, not just if the 
care is legal.&nbsp;

“This is a good bill that will take 
any health care practitioner who has a conscience, which means it will 
protect every health care practitioner,” Michels said.

Michels said he used to prescribe 
IUDs to women but eventually stopped after doing more research. He said 
patients can usually find someone else to give the care regardless.

Dr. Lloyd Pierre, who co-founded a 
faith-based health clinic in Omaha, said the right of conscience in the 
medical field is as fundamental as those for speech, religion and the 
press.

Pierre said he was “shocked” to learn
 that some medical schools no longer require doctors to take the 
Hippocratic Oath to do no harm and that science and that some providers’
 conscience rights were no longer priorities, which he said has led to 
fewer medical students entering the field.

He pointed to the torture of Jewish 
people during the Holocaust and to experiments on Black men with 
syphilis as extremes when doctors do not follow ethical practices.

“Removing people’s right to freedom of conscience opens the doors to a holocaust,” Pierre told the committee.

Dr. David Hilger, a diagnostic 
radiologist, said conscience is formed by physicians’ values, medical 
knowledge and experience, and it’s impossible to separate those.

When situations are complex or 
unclear in medical science, Hilger said clinicians differ in their 
responses, and conscience becomes “essential” in times of uncertainty.

Dr. Leslie Spry, representing the 
Nebraska Medical Association, said doctors have a “duty” to facilitate 
care, which includes arranging for care.

The bill does not require doctors to 
refer patients to another provider but does require the “prompt” 
transfer of patient records.

Spry said the referral must be to a specific entity, such as the medical association or trusted physician.

“If I just turn that patient away and say, ‘I can’t do this,’ I’m not caring for that patient,” Spry said.

Murman said he would continue working with the medical association on an amendment to address referrals.

Dr. John Trapp, chief medical officer
 of Bryan Medical Center, who testified representing the Nebraska 
Hospital Association, said that rights of conscience are already 
respected and that there is a process hospitals go through.

“I ask that you do not take action on
 LB 810, allowing hospitals and medical professionals to continue their 
great work unencumbered by state statutes such as this,” Trapp said.

Should the bill pass, Trapp said, the “unnecessary government oversight” would create more problems than it hopes to solve.

The bill lacks a specific list of 
services that could fall under its definitions, which Stephanie Nichols,
 legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, said is by design.

Nichols said health care is rapidly 
changing, so any list could become obsolete. She pointed to gene 
editing, which has grown in prevalence recently but was not as prevalent
 when the first right of conscience bill was approved in Illinois in 
1977.

Mississippi adopted legislation in 
2004, while Arkansas, Ohio and South Carolina adopted right of 
conscience bills in the past two years. Nichols said nearly a dozen 
bills are being considered around the country this year, including in 
Nebraska, Texas and Florida.

“The conscience bills work by drawing
 a line in the sand that conscience needs to be respected and that 
institutions, patients and doctors are able to work together to this 
end,” Nichols said.

Dr. Edward DeSimone, a pharmacist, 
said conscience rights should include whether pharmacists are required 
to give medications such as abortifacients or opioids.

Dr. Elizabeth Heidt Kozisek, a 
clinical psychologist, said mental health providers need protection, 
too, or patients could receive worse care from providers who violate 
their beliefs.

Dr. Echo Koehler, representing the 
Nebraska Nurses Association, said the bill could lead to “dysfunctional”
 health care delivery and could “compromise” quality of care.

“No patient should ever be obstructed
 from receiving legal health care based solely on a provider’s personal 
biases,” Koehler said.&nbsp;

She added that the legislation could 
also further harm marginalized communities, such as LGBTQ, low-income or
 people from racial or ethnic minorities.

Jane Seu of the ACLU of Nebraska, 
Abbi Swatsworth with OutNebraska, Nyomi Thompson of I Be Black Girl, 
Lacie Bolte of the Nebraska AIDS Project and Sarah Maresh with Nebraska 
Appleseed echoed Koehler’s comments.

“Let’s ​​do what we
 can to ensure that all Nebraskans regardless of background or 
circumstance have access to the best possible health care,” Seu said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676314418437.png" alt="State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil introduces legislation to protect health care workers’ “right of conscience” on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023, in Lincoln, Neb. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil introduces legislation to protect health care workers’ “right of conscience” on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023, in Lincoln, Neb. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By ZACH WENDLING <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/10/nebraska-lawmaker-renews-bill-to-protect-physicians-right-of-conscience/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN —&nbsp;A revived legislative 
proposal would protect health care providers’ “right of conscience,” 
allowing physicians to decline to provide a service if it would violate 
their beliefs.<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=50633">Legislative Bill 810</a>,
 proposed by State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, would adopt the “Medical
 Ethics and Diversity Act,” defining a “right of conscience” violation 
as a service a provider objects to based on moral, religious or ethical 
beliefs.Murman told the Health and Human 
Services Committee on Friday that his legislation is focused on 
individual services, not patients. So if providers offer a service to 
some, they must offer it to others.The bill would only apply to non-emergent care.“This legislation recognizes that 
those serving in health care are moral agents,” Murman said. “They are 
individual and personal human beings with consciences that deserve 
protection.”Testifiers said the legislation could
 apply to abortion, physician-assisted suicide, gene editing, 
gender-affirming care, counseling for LGBTQ Nebraskans and more.Murman introduced <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=47021">similar legislation</a> in 2022 but it did not leave committee.<h2>Any practitioner ‘who has a conscience’</h2>Dr. Dale Michels, a retired family 
physician and the Nebraska representative of the American Academy of 
Medical Ethics, said professionals should be able to act on their deeply
 held beliefs to determine the correct course of care, not just if the 
care is legal.&nbsp;“This is a good bill that will take 
any health care practitioner who has a conscience, which means it will 
protect every health care practitioner,” Michels said.Michels said he used to prescribe 
IUDs to women but eventually stopped after doing more research. He said 
patients can usually find someone else to give the care regardless.Dr. Lloyd Pierre, who co-founded a 
faith-based health clinic in Omaha, said the right of conscience in the 
medical field is as fundamental as those for speech, religion and the 
press.Pierre said he was “shocked” to learn
 that some medical schools no longer require doctors to take the 
Hippocratic Oath to do no harm and that science and that some providers’
 conscience rights were no longer priorities, which he said has led to 
fewer medical students entering the field.He pointed to the torture of Jewish 
people during the Holocaust and to experiments on Black men with 
syphilis as extremes when doctors do not follow ethical practices.“Removing people’s right to freedom of conscience opens the doors to a holocaust,” Pierre told the committee.Dr. David Hilger, a diagnostic 
radiologist, said conscience is formed by physicians’ values, medical 
knowledge and experience, and it’s impossible to separate those.When situations are complex or 
unclear in medical science, Hilger said clinicians differ in their 
responses, and conscience becomes “essential” in times of uncertainty.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676314488662.jpeg" alt="Dr. Leslie Spry, representing the Nebraska Medical Association, testifies against legislation that aims to protect physicians’ “right of coscience” in law on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023, in Lincoln, Neb. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Leslie Spry, representing the Nebraska Medical Association, testifies against legislation that aims to protect physicians’ “right of coscience” in law on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023, in Lincoln, Neb. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>‘Duty’ to facilitate care</h2>Dr. Leslie Spry, representing the 
Nebraska Medical Association, said doctors have a “duty” to facilitate 
care, which includes arranging for care.The bill does not require doctors to 
refer patients to another provider but does require the “prompt” 
transfer of patient records.Spry said the referral must be to a specific entity, such as the medical association or trusted physician.“If I just turn that patient away and say, ‘I can’t do this,’ I’m not caring for that patient,” Spry said.Murman said he would continue working with the medical association on an amendment to address referrals.Dr. John Trapp, chief medical officer
 of Bryan Medical Center, who testified representing the Nebraska 
Hospital Association, said that rights of conscience are already 
respected and that there is a process hospitals go through.“I ask that you do not take action on
 LB 810, allowing hospitals and medical professionals to continue their 
great work unencumbered by state statutes such as this,” Trapp said.Should the bill pass, Trapp said, the “unnecessary government oversight” would create more problems than it hopes to solve.<h2>‘Line in the sand’</h2>The bill lacks a specific list of 
services that could fall under its definitions, which Stephanie Nichols,
 legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, said is by design.Nichols said health care is rapidly 
changing, so any list could become obsolete. She pointed to gene 
editing, which has grown in prevalence recently but was not as prevalent
 when the first right of conscience bill was approved in Illinois in 
1977.Mississippi adopted legislation in 
2004, while Arkansas, Ohio and South Carolina adopted right of 
conscience bills in the past two years. Nichols said nearly a dozen 
bills are being considered around the country this year, including in 
Nebraska, Texas and Florida.“The conscience bills work by drawing
 a line in the sand that conscience needs to be respected and that 
institutions, patients and doctors are able to work together to this 
end,” Nichols said.Dr. Edward DeSimone, a pharmacist, 
said conscience rights should include whether pharmacists are required 
to give medications such as abortifacients or opioids.Dr. Elizabeth Heidt Kozisek, a 
clinical psychologist, said mental health providers need protection, 
too, or patients could receive worse care from providers who violate 
their beliefs.<h2>‘Dysfunctional’ health care</h2>Dr. Echo Koehler, representing the 
Nebraska Nurses Association, said the bill could lead to “dysfunctional”
 health care delivery and could “compromise” quality of care.“No patient should ever be obstructed
 from receiving legal health care based solely on a provider’s personal 
biases,” Koehler said.&nbsp;She added that the legislation could 
also further harm marginalized communities, such as LGBTQ, low-income or
 people from racial or ethnic minorities.Jane Seu of the ACLU of Nebraska, 
Abbi Swatsworth with OutNebraska, Nyomi Thompson of I Be Black Girl, 
Lacie Bolte of the Nebraska AIDS Project and Sarah Maresh with Nebraska 
Appleseed echoed Koehler’s comments.“Let’s ​​do what we
 can to ensure that all Nebraskans regardless of background or 
circumstance have access to the best possible health care,” Seu said.

Neb. senator renews bill to protect doctors’ ‘right of conscience’

By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/13/nebraskas-shifting-workforce-demands-amid-brain-drain-should-sound-alarm-researcher-says/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN
 — More people have continued to leave than enter Nebraska from other 
states, and the loss is heavily those with an education level of at 
least a bachelor’s degree.

The worsening trend over the past 
decade is particularly alarming as 65% of jobs in the state and nation 
by 2030 likely will require at least some higher education, researcher 
Josie Schafer told a gathering of top education officials last week.

She said that, today, about 33% of Nebraska jobs are filled by people with bachelor’s degrees.

“We are losing people,” Schafer said. “And the trend is actually getting worse post-COVID.”

Schafer, who heads the Center for 
Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, 
presented an analysis of the state’s workforce shifts and challenges 
Friday to the NU Board of Regents.

The upshot is that high-skilled jobs 
are “growing at unbelievably unexpected rates” and that the pressure is 
on Nebraska educational institutions to train the next generation of 
workers — and on the entire state to attract and retain talent.

Ted Carter, president of the 
University of Nebraska system, underscored the urgency, saying that the 
majority of the nation’s jobs likely to be in action by 2040 haven’t 
even been invented yet.

“We don’t even know what they are,” he said.

Schafer’s overview of future labor and education demands was based on census data and other research.&nbsp;

Good news, Schafer said, is that 
Nebraskans are hard working. She pointed to the state’s unemployment 
rate, one of the lowest in the country, and its high labor participation
 rate.&nbsp;

Nebraska, she noted, is tied for 
second in the nation for its 90% labor force participation rate for 
people with a bachelor’s degree or higher. (That compares with about a 
70% rate for the state as a whole.)

Still, she said, the job openings 
rate is 6.7% — which is why entities such as the Nebraska Chamber of 
Commerce &amp; Industry have been <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/07/nebraska-chamber-raising-states-tech-profile-is-one-key-to-filling-worker-void/">focused on addressing</a> the up to 80,000 positions the state has been unable to fill.&nbsp;

“We have a challenge — and there’s no pool of workers that we can suddenly inject into that workforce,” said Schafer.&nbsp;

While the state’s population overall 
since 2010 has grown about 7%, the bulk of counties, 69 of 93, have lost
 residents. That has created uneven growth, with most Nebraskans living 
in the three largest counties, Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy.

Relative to other states, Nebraska 
actually fares well in growing its own population: Huskers ranked 
seventh nationally in 2021 for natural growth rate, or births minus 
deaths.

Problems stack up, though, as little Huskers mature.

Nebraska’s prime age worker group, 
25- to 54-year-olds, makes up about 43% of the state’s population, and a
 more ideal share is over 50%, Schafer said. “Because that (would mean) 
we have lots of people in the workforce supporting the young and 
supporting our retiring population, letting people age in place here in 
Nebraska.”

The 15- to 19-year-old cohort heading
 into the higher education stage and then the prime workforce stage, she
 said, has remained fairly steady in number and lopsided in representing
 urban areas.&nbsp;

&nbsp;“What you can really see is there’s 
no huge pool of folks coming into this prime age workforce,” she said. 
“The challenges we have today are very likely the challenges we have 
tomorrow.”

The scenario becomes more grim with 
domestic migration, as more people have exited the state than have 
settled in Nebraska from other states each year since 2010.

For people with four-year degrees, 
the net out migration has been persistent and negative, Schafer said, 
prompting the term “brain drain.”

For perspective, she said, about 
400,000 people with bachelor’s degrees or more are working in Nebraska, 
so losing about 4,500 last year was not “huge.” But she said the 
troubling trend should be reckoned with.

“Job opportunities are a big driver of that outmigration,” Schafer said.

In contrast, a positive population 
influx&nbsp; — “a clear and consistent source of growth for Nebraska” — has 
come from international immigration, she said.

Last year, CPAR data shows, the state
 saw a net increase of about 4,000 international residents, many drawn 
by the university system.&nbsp;

Schafer also noted the contrast in current labor demands and those projected in the future.

Today, more Nebraskans work in 
lower-wage jobs (about 553,000) such as food preparation, office support
 and production than in high-wage occupations (about 466,000) such as 
computers, engineering and law, she said.&nbsp;

“That’s a difficult growth position 
for the economy,” said Schafer, adding that low-wage earners have less 
spending power to help churn the local economy. (Low-wage earnings are 
considered less than the median income, about $41,000 a year, for people
 in the labor force.)

But that balance is “changing 
dramatically,” Schafer said, “in Nebraska and everywhere” with increased
 demand for a more educated workforce.

In terms of college degrees, she said
 Nebraska currently ranks in the middle of the nation, 26th among 
states, for people 25 years and older with a bachelor’s degree.

Workforce concerns rising among lawmakers&nbsp; 

To be sure, the share of college 
graduates and professional degrees has grown in Nebraska. But, said 
Schafer, “We would really have to dramatically grow to keep up with that
 national demand for a high-skilled workforce.”

CPAR research shows that about a 
third of the state’s working population has acquired some college 
credits or an associate degree. That’s a key group for the University of
 Nebraska to recruit for further preparation for four-year degrees or 
more, as they began college coursework and are already in Nebraska, she 
said. “An opportunity for us for sure.”

International populations and underserved people of color are labor force growth opportunities as well, she said.&nbsp;

Carter counts about 307,000 Nebraskans with a partial college education and agreed: “It’s a huge target for us to get after.”

He said Nebraska has made strides recently with the <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-promise-will-offer-tuition-free-undergraduate-education-to-additional-students/">Nebraska Promise</a> tuition break, online education offerings and a legislative boost for internship programs.

State Sen. John Arch, speaker of the 
Legislature, in earlier remarks told the Regents that the state’s 
workforce and the university system’s role is a topic that has risen in 
appreciation in the Unicameral.

“We must have workforce,” the La 
Vista lawmaker said. “The keeping, the attracting, all of that is just 
essential to our future as a state.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676306898091.png" alt="Students on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Kearney. (Courtesy of the University of Nebraska) 0.47.52 AM.png" />
 <figcaption>Students on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Kearney. (Courtesy of the University of Nebraska) 0.47.52 AM.png</figcaption>
 </figure>By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/13/nebraskas-shifting-workforce-demands-amid-brain-drain-should-sound-alarm-researcher-says/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN
 — More people have continued to leave than enter Nebraska from other 
states, and the loss is heavily those with an education level of at 
least a bachelor’s degree.The worsening trend over the past 
decade is particularly alarming as 65% of jobs in the state and nation 
by 2030 likely will require at least some higher education, researcher 
Josie Schafer told a gathering of top education officials last week.She said that, today, about 33% of Nebraska jobs are filled by people with bachelor’s degrees.“We are losing people,” Schafer said. “And the trend is actually getting worse post-COVID.”<h2>‘Unbelievably unexpected rates’ </h2>Schafer, who heads the Center for 
Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, 
presented an analysis of the state’s workforce shifts and challenges 
Friday to the NU Board of Regents.The upshot is that high-skilled jobs 
are “growing at unbelievably unexpected rates” and that the pressure is 
on Nebraska educational institutions to train the next generation of 
workers — and on the entire state to attract and retain talent.Ted Carter, president of the 
University of Nebraska system, underscored the urgency, saying that the 
majority of the nation’s jobs likely to be in action by 2040 haven’t 
even been invented yet.“We don’t even know what they are,” he said.Schafer’s overview of future labor and education demands was based on census data and other research.&nbsp;Good news, Schafer said, is that 
Nebraskans are hard working. She pointed to the state’s unemployment 
rate, one of the lowest in the country, and its high labor participation
 rate.&nbsp;Nebraska, she noted, is tied for 
second in the nation for its 90% labor force participation rate for 
people with a bachelor’s degree or higher. (That compares with about a 
70% rate for the state as a whole.)<h2>Little Huskers grow up </h2>Still, she said, the job openings 
rate is 6.7% — which is why entities such as the Nebraska Chamber of 
Commerce &amp; Industry have been <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/07/nebraska-chamber-raising-states-tech-profile-is-one-key-to-filling-worker-void/">focused on addressing</a> the up to 80,000 positions the state has been unable to fill.&nbsp;“We have a challenge — and there’s no pool of workers that we can suddenly inject into that workforce,” said Schafer.&nbsp;While the state’s population overall 
since 2010 has grown about 7%, the bulk of counties, 69 of 93, have lost
 residents. That has created uneven growth, with most Nebraskans living 
in the three largest counties, Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy.Relative to other states, Nebraska 
actually fares well in growing its own population: Huskers ranked 
seventh nationally in 2021 for natural growth rate, or births minus 
deaths.Problems stack up, though, as little Huskers mature.Nebraska’s prime age worker group, 
25- to 54-year-olds, makes up about 43% of the state’s population, and a
 more ideal share is over 50%, Schafer said. “Because that (would mean) 
we have lots of people in the workforce supporting the young and 
supporting our retiring population, letting people age in place here in 
Nebraska.”<h2>Challenges of tomorrow</h2>The 15- to 19-year-old cohort heading
 into the higher education stage and then the prime workforce stage, she
 said, has remained fairly steady in number and lopsided in representing
 urban areas.&nbsp;&nbsp;“What you can really see is there’s 
no huge pool of folks coming into this prime age workforce,” she said. 
“The challenges we have today are very likely the challenges we have 
tomorrow.”The scenario becomes more grim with 
domestic migration, as more people have exited the state than have 
settled in Nebraska from other states each year since 2010.Who’s leaving and staying?For people with four-year degrees, 
the net out migration has been persistent and negative, Schafer said, 
prompting the term “brain drain.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676306984524.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>For perspective, she said, about 
400,000 people with bachelor’s degrees or more are working in Nebraska, 
so losing about 4,500 last year was not “huge.” But she said the 
troubling trend should be reckoned with.“Job opportunities are a big driver of that outmigration,” Schafer said.<h2>Immigration is key growth </h2>In contrast, a positive population 
influx&nbsp; — “a clear and consistent source of growth for Nebraska” — has 
come from international immigration, she said.Last year, CPAR data shows, the state
 saw a net increase of about 4,000 international residents, many drawn 
by the university system.&nbsp;Schafer also noted the contrast in current labor demands and those projected in the future.Today, more Nebraskans work in 
lower-wage jobs (about 553,000) such as food preparation, office support
 and production than in high-wage occupations (about 466,000) such as 
computers, engineering and law, she said.&nbsp;“That’s a difficult growth position 
for the economy,” said Schafer, adding that low-wage earners have less 
spending power to help churn the local economy. (Low-wage earnings are 
considered less than the median income, about $41,000 a year, for people
 in the labor force.)But that balance is “changing 
dramatically,” Schafer said, “in Nebraska and everywhere” with increased
 demand for a more educated workforce.In terms of college degrees, she said
 Nebraska currently ranks in the middle of the nation, 26th among 
states, for people 25 years and older with a bachelor’s degree.<h2>Workforce concerns rising among lawmakers&nbsp; </h2>To be sure, the share of college 
graduates and professional degrees has grown in Nebraska. But, said 
Schafer, “We would really have to dramatically grow to keep up with that
 national demand for a high-skilled workforce.”CPAR research shows that about a 
third of the state’s working population has acquired some college 
credits or an associate degree. That’s a key group for the University of
 Nebraska to recruit for further preparation for four-year degrees or 
more, as they began college coursework and are already in Nebraska, she 
said. “An opportunity for us for sure.”International populations and underserved people of color are labor force growth opportunities as well, she said.&nbsp;Carter counts about 307,000 Nebraskans with a partial college education and agreed: “It’s a huge target for us to get after.”He said Nebraska has made strides recently with the <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-promise-will-offer-tuition-free-undergraduate-education-to-additional-students/">Nebraska Promise</a> tuition break, online education offerings and a legislative boost for internship programs.State Sen. John Arch, speaker of the 
Legislature, in earlier remarks told the Regents that the state’s 
workforce and the university system’s role is a topic that has risen in 
appreciation in the Unicameral.“We must have workforce,” the La 
Vista lawmaker said. “The keeping, the attracting, all of that is just 
essential to our future as a state.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676307027286.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Researcher: Nebraska 'brain drain' should sound alarm

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/10/committee-advances-permitless-concealed-carry-bill-but-some-want-amendments/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — Lawmakers on Friday set
 up a resumption of the hot-button debate over allowing Nebraskans to 
carry concealed handguns without a background check, training or a state
 permit.

On a 5-0 vote, with two senators not present and one “present but not voting,” the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee advanced <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Intro/LB77.pdf">Legislative Bill 77</a>.

The measure, a longtime goal of State Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, 
would authorize the carrying of a concealed handgun without purchasing a
 $100 state permit, undergoing a criminal background check or passing a 
gun safety course.

At least 25 other states have passed similar bills, which supporters 
call “constitutional carry,” and Brewer has maintained that Nebraskans 
shouldn’t have to pay or go through other hoops to exercise a 
constitutional right to bear arms.

He has 25 cosponsors for LB 77 and has already made it his personal 
priority bill, which gives it priority in being debated by the full 
Legislature sooner. The conservative shift in the Unicameral, some 
observers believe, gives the measure a better chance of passage this 
year. It <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/11/concealed-carry-handgun-bill-comes-up-two-votes-short-and-fails-to-advance/">fell two votes short in 2022</a> of fending off a filibuster and advancing.

Brewer has portrayed this year’s bill as “cleaner” and lacking 
amendments that had been added last year to earn support of law 
enforcement officials in Omaha and Lincoln.

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/01/26/omaha-lincoln-police-chiefs-call-constitutional-carry-of-concealed-weapons-dangerous/">Police chiefs inboth Omaha and Lincoln, as well as gun control groups, have opposed</a>
 LB 77, calling it dangerous and contrary to efforts to reduce violent 
crime. Others testified that the founding fathers didn’t envision the 
kind of semi-automatic weapons of today when they wrote the 2nd 
Amendment.

The chiefs also objected to a clause in the bill that would nullify gun control ordinances in Omaha and Lincoln.

Omaha Sen. Justin Wayne, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, said he 
voted to advance the bill to retain some leverage in seeking amendments 
to the bill.

Brewer had threatened to “pull” the bill from the Judiciary Committee
 — which requires 25 votes — if it wasn’t advanced from the committee by
 Wednesday.

Wayne said that by advancing the bill, he retains some leverage in 
seeking changes. For instance, he said he wants tougher penalties in the
 bill for gun owners who fail to inform a law enforcement officer when 
they are pulled over for a traffic stop that they are carrying a 
concealed weapon.

That “duty to inform” is a current requirement of those who are legally carrying concealed guns.

Wayne said he also wants some high-level misdemeanors, such as those 
involving domestic violence, to generate a felony charge if someone used
 a concealed handgun in the commission of the offense.

As of the beginning of the year, 89,622 Nebraskans have obtained state concealed carry permits.

Omaha Sen. Wendy DeBoer was present and not voting on advancing LB 
77. &nbsp;Sens. Carol Blood of Bellevue and Suzanne Geist of Lincoln had 
excused absences.

Blood was caring for a family member in the hospital Friday morning, 
and Geist was at a meeting of the Legislature’s Executive Board when the
 Judiciary Committee voted on the gun bill.

Geist, who is seeking election as mayor of Lincoln, said she supports
 the concept of permitless concealed carry but has concerns about the 
current form of LB 77.

One concern, she said, was ensuring that “prohibited persons,” such 
as felons, minors (other than those in the military) and those 
adjudicated as mentally ill, receive stiff penalties if they are caught 
carrying a concealed weapon.

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/02/10/committee-advances-permitless-concealed-carry-bill-but-some-want-amendments/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — Lawmakers on Friday set
 up a resumption of the hot-button debate over allowing Nebraskans to 
carry concealed handguns without a background check, training or a state
 permit.On a 5-0 vote, with two senators not present and one “present but not voting,” the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee advanced <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Intro/LB77.pdf">Legislative Bill 77</a>.The measure, a longtime goal of State Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, 
would authorize the carrying of a concealed handgun without purchasing a
 $100 state permit, undergoing a criminal background check or passing a 
gun safety course.<h2>25 states allow it</h2>At least 25 other states have passed similar bills, which supporters 
call “constitutional carry,” and Brewer has maintained that Nebraskans 
shouldn’t have to pay or go through other hoops to exercise a 
constitutional right to bear arms.He has 25 cosponsors for LB 77 and has already made it his personal 
priority bill, which gives it priority in being debated by the full 
Legislature sooner. The conservative shift in the Unicameral, some 
observers believe, gives the measure a better chance of passage this 
year. It <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/11/concealed-carry-handgun-bill-comes-up-two-votes-short-and-fails-to-advance/">fell two votes short in 2022</a> of fending off a filibuster and advancing.Brewer has portrayed this year’s bill as “cleaner” and lacking 
amendments that had been added last year to earn support of law 
enforcement officials in Omaha and Lincoln.<h2>Omaha, Lincoln police chiefs opposed</h2><a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/01/26/omaha-lincoln-police-chiefs-call-constitutional-carry-of-concealed-weapons-dangerous/">Police chiefs inboth Omaha and Lincoln, as well as gun control groups, have opposed</a>
 LB 77, calling it dangerous and contrary to efforts to reduce violent 
crime. Others testified that the founding fathers didn’t envision the 
kind of semi-automatic weapons of today when they wrote the 2nd 
Amendment.The chiefs also objected to a clause in the bill that would nullify gun control ordinances in Omaha and Lincoln.Omaha Sen. Justin Wayne, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, said he 
voted to advance the bill to retain some leverage in seeking amendments 
to the bill.Brewer had threatened to “pull” the bill from the Judiciary Committee
 — which requires 25 votes — if it wasn’t advanced from the committee by
 Wednesday.Wayne said that by advancing the bill, he retains some leverage in 
seeking changes. For instance, he said he wants tougher penalties in the
 bill for gun owners who fail to inform a law enforcement officer when 
they are pulled over for a traffic stop that they are carrying a 
concealed weapon.That “duty to inform” is a current requirement of those who are legally carrying concealed guns.Wayne said he also wants some high-level misdemeanors, such as those 
involving domestic violence, to generate a felony charge if someone used
 a concealed handgun in the commission of the offense.<h2>Nearly 90,000 permits issued</h2>As of the beginning of the year, 89,622 Nebraskans have obtained state concealed carry permits.Omaha Sen. Wendy DeBoer was present and not voting on advancing LB 
77. &nbsp;Sens. Carol Blood of Bellevue and Suzanne Geist of Lincoln had 
excused absences.Blood was caring for a family member in the hospital Friday morning, 
and Geist was at a meeting of the Legislature’s Executive Board when the
 Judiciary Committee voted on the gun bill.Geist, who is seeking election as mayor of Lincoln, said she supports
 the concept of permitless concealed carry but has concerns about the 
current form of LB 77.One concern, she said, was ensuring that “prohibited persons,” such 
as felons, minors (other than those in the military) and those 
adjudicated as mentally ill, receive stiff penalties if they are caught 
carrying a concealed weapon.

Neb. committee advances permitless concealed carry bill

BEIJING (AP) — The United States Navy and Marine Corps are holding joint exercises in the South China Sea at a time of heightened tensions with Beijing over the shooting down of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-montana-north-carolina-302134762e8aeae53314ebd9fdb327e4">suspected Chinese spy balloon.</a>

The 7th Fleet based in Japan said Sunday that the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit have been conducting “integrated expeditionary strike force operations” in the South China Sea.

It said exercises involving ships, ground forces and aircraft took place Saturday but gave no details on when the began or whether they had ended.

China claims virtually the entire South China Sea and strongly objects to military activity by other nations in the contested waterway through which $5 trillion in goods are shipped every year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676220729193.png" alt="The 7th Fleet said the joint operation had “established a powerful presence in the region, which supports peace and stability.”photo courtesy Nimitz Carrier Strike Group U.S. 7th Fleet" />
 <figcaption>The 7th Fleet said the joint operation had “established a powerful presence in the region, which supports peace and stability.”photo courtesy Nimitz Carrier Strike Group U.S. 7th Fleet</figcaption>
 </figure>BEIJING (AP) — The United States Navy and Marine Corps are holding joint exercises in the South China Sea at a time of heightened tensions with Beijing over the shooting down of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-montana-north-carolina-302134762e8aeae53314ebd9fdb327e4">suspected Chinese spy balloon.</a>The 7th Fleet based in Japan said Sunday that the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit have been conducting “integrated expeditionary strike force operations” in the South China Sea.It said exercises involving ships, ground forces and aircraft took place Saturday but gave no details on when the began or whether they had ended.China claims virtually the entire South China Sea and strongly objects to military activity by other nations in the contested waterway through which $5 trillion in goods are shipped every year.The U.S. takes no official position on sovereignty in the South China Sea, but maintains that freedom of navigation and overflight must be preserved. Several times a year, it sends ships sailing past fortified Chinese outposts in the Spratly Islands, prompting protests from Beijing.The U.S. has also been strengthening its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-politics-united-states-government-philippines-manila-7889867cb056cf365c5a8fd49d16b52d">defense alliance with the Philippines,</a>&nbsp;which has faced encroachment on islands and fisheries by the Chinese coast guard and nominally civilian but government-backed fleets.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675373155059.png" alt="Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin in the Philippines last month -photo courtesy Defense Department" />
 <figcaption>Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin in the Philippines last month -photo courtesy Defense Department</figcaption>
 </figure>The U.S. military exercises were planned in advance. They come as already tense relations between Washington and Beijing have been exacerbated by a diplomatic row sparked by the balloon, which was shot down last weekend in U.S. airspace off the coast of South Carolina.The U.S. said the unmanned balloon was equipped to detect and collect intelligence signals, but Beijing insists it was a weather research airship that had accidently blown off course.The balloon prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to abruptly cancel a high-stakes trip to Beijing aimed at easing tensions.After first issuing a highly rare expression of regret over the balloon, China has toughened its rhetoric, calling the U.S. shootdown an overreaction and a violation of international norms.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-lloyd-austin-china-9d1b7c9aa40b22d0bda497ba29be8d9b">China's defense minister refused to take a phone call</a>&nbsp;from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to discuss the matter.The United States has since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-china-beijing-business-cdf319c71f097f7f8ef176b6d7b9526c">blacklisted six Chinese entities</a>&nbsp;it said were linked to Beijing’s aerospace programs as part of its response to the incident. The House of Representatives also voted unanimously to condemn China for a “brazen violation” of U.S. sovereignty and efforts to “deceive the international community through false claims about its intelligence collection campaigns.”The balloon was part of a large surveillance program that China has been conducting for several years, the Pentagon said. The U.S. says Chinese balloons have flown over dozens of countries across five continents in recent years, and it learned more about the balloon program after closely monitoring the one shot down near South Carolina.In its news release, the 7th Fleet said the joint operation had “established a powerful presence in the region, which supports peace and stability."“As a ready response force, we underpin a broad spectrum of missions including landing Marines ashore, humanitarian disaster relief, and deterring potential adversaries through visible and present combat power," the release said.------------