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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“It was pretty heart-wrenching,” Karg said. “It was one of our best bags as a team on one of the most difficult days.”

Karg and Massa ended up taking second place at Truman Lake with one day’s worth of fish, and they still had enough points to be named Team of the Year, just as they were last year.

Karg has been part of the Team of the Year five years in a row, including as an incoming high-school freshman.&nbsp;

That title also sent the team to the TBF Student Angler Federation High School National Championship, which was held at Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in June.&nbsp;

Only the top two high-school teams from each state can compete, and Karg is the only person in Missouri to have qualified for that opportunity five years in a row, according to officials for the national championship.

“To be one of the top two teams in Missouri for five consecutive years is pretty freaking amazing,” said Karl Buck, who previously led the federation’s high school program in Missouri and was also Karg’s team leader. “I’m just so proud it’s unbelievable. I mean, I can’t believe that I was involved in his upcoming as a fisherman.”

Karg began competitive fishing when he was 12 and participated in dozens of individual and team tournaments as a teen. Through it all, he struggled with an autoimmune illness that made him miss numerous days from school, he said, but he’s proud he still managed to graduate on time in May and continue fishing.

While it was grueling standing on a boat for hours under the hot sun, Karg said the national championship was exhilarating because some of the world’s top fishermen were watching.&nbsp;

“It’s the biggest tourn of the year, and a lot of people only get to go to it once, if even,” Karg said. “It really could be the biggest tournament of your life.”

Karg has loved to fish ever since he could hold a rod, said his father Rick Karg. Even as early as 5, he said Karg could catch fish when the adults around him were coming up empty.&nbsp;

“There’s a magic,” Rick said. “My scientific brain says, ‘Is there like a vibration from his heartbeat that travels down the line because he’s got his finger touching it, that the fish like?’”&nbsp;

Foree met Karg because of a life-changing promise he made to Karg’s mother, Becky Rumley.

Rumley was the nurse administering Foree’s chemotherapy treatment at St. Claire Hospital, and one day, she told him how much her nine-year-old son loved to fish. At the time, Foree thought he only had a few months to live.

“I ended up telling her that if I survive this, I’ll take him to Lake of the Ozarks and get him a five pounder because I used to be a [fishing] guide on the lake,” he said.

Foree did pull through, and when they went out fishing, Karg didn’t just catch one five-pound bass.&nbsp;

“I caught three five-pound bass and two six pounders, and like a bunch of big fish,” Karg said. “It is probably the best day of fishing in my life. And ever since then, he’s just dedicated a huge part of his life to help teach me and my partner.”

Foree was equally amazed after Karg pulled out nearly 40 pounds of fish that day.&nbsp;

“He just had the best day of fishing anybody could have,” Foree said. “That’s how I got him hooked on fishing.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Over the years, Foree taught him about tracking fish through the different seasons and how to read the water and the banks. He also helped him get his first boat.

Now, Foree said, Karg’s instincts are his fishing superpower.&nbsp;

“So many times they won a tournament when the fishing was really tough, and Luke said, ‘Let’s try over here. That bank looks good,’” Foree said. “And they’ll go over, and they’ll catch enough fish on that bank to win the tournament.”

Karg believes his instincts have developed with the dozens of tournaments and countless hours of fishing.&nbsp;

“Over time, it’s become more of an instinct, than having to think about, ‘Oh, I should make a change,’” he said. “It just naturally comes.”

For instance, at both the Truman Lake and national championship, Karg said he was painting his own custom lures while he was on the boat.

At Truman, he made the decision to color a half-inch chartreuse line on his spinner bait, he said, and he ended up catching much bigger fish, but less fish. If his lure had a straight tail, the catch was better as well, he said.

“It’s all about how the bait works in the water,” he said. “The smallest little detail that can just trigger the fish to eat. That’s where a lot of the fun comes into it for me, is all the difficulties and fun little changes you can make. You can go from catching no fish for hours on end to catching your limit in a minute.”

Karl Buck remembers meeting Karg when he was about 12 on a dock at the Peaceful Valley Lake in Owensville, where Karg’s grandparents have a lake house. Buck used to run a student program called the Owensville Anglers, and they were finishing up a tournament that day.

“When we were doing our weigh-in down at the dam, they came down to the boat ramp to inquire,” Buck said. “He’ll probably hate this, but he was the most bashful young man, super quiet and reserved.”&nbsp;

The Owensville Anglers is how Karg got his start with tournament fishing, which Buck says is much different than regular fishing.&nbsp;

In a tournament, Buck said the first rule is “find five.”&nbsp;

“You’re fishing for five fish,” Buck said. “Doesn’t matter what they weigh, they just got to be keepers,” meaning they are big enough to keep.

The fish go in the box where they’re kept alive and healthy, which is a standard conservation practice in the high-school tournaments.&nbsp;

“After you have five, then you’re going to change your game,” he said. “It’s now no longer about just catching fish. You’re looking to upgrade the fish that you already have. Big fish get big for a reason. They’re hard to catch.”

Big fish know how to hide, and that’s where casting skills come into play, Foree said. He called Karg’s casting skills “insane.”&nbsp;

“He can skip jigs and lures and put them in places nobody else can,” Foree said. “That’s why he’s so good.”

But he wasn’t always that good, Buck remembers, which is why Karg earned the nickname “Oops” after fishing with Buck and his son one day.

“Luke throws this cast — I believe it was a spinner bait — and it winds up on the roof of this dock, stuck,” Buck said. “So we go up and we get it. A little while later, he makes another cast and it gets stuck on somebody’s dock.”

After each time, Karg would just say, “Oops” and the nickname was born. Buck said when they fished together this past summer, he was blown away at his talent.&nbsp;

Karg and Massa ended up placing 56th out of more than 200 teams in the national championship in Oklahoma.&nbsp;

“We lost three three-pounders that came off the boat,” Karg said after the tournament finished. “That would have gotten us up to nine or 10 pounds. We would have been around 12th place probably.”

Karg said he’s proud of his accomplishment over this high school career, and he couldn’t have done it without his fishing partners Massa and previously Kyle Kannawurf, along with their boat captains.

“No one gives credit enough to our boat captains, which were both of our dads,” he said, “just giving the time to drive all the way out there and standing with us out the boat for eight hours straight a day.”

As boat captain, Rick said he was in “constant amazement” at his son’s skill.

“I’d just sit there and watch and think, ‘How in the world are you doing this?’” Rick said. “You’re like a super sharp shooter.”

Rick said he’s watched Karg fish for seven hours without catching anything, but he’d still have the focus and creativity change his strategy and get a big catch at the last minute. Karg’s humility and attitude are among the most impressive things about him, said Foree and Buck, particularly his ability to bounce back from setbacks.

“He never got rattled,” Foree said. “Oh, he’d get upset if he lost a big fish, but he’d just say, ‘Okay, I learned something from that,’ and go on to the next one. His ability to focus and stay focused in times of turmoil when he loses fish or the weather changes is very, very important in professional bass fishing.”

Karg&nbsp;has his own&nbsp;<a href="https://lukesboatservices.com/about-us" target="_blank">boat detail business</a>, and there are several career paths he’s interested in taking, including a professional fisherman.&nbsp;

“But for that, I would have to be away from home around 200 days of the year,” he said. “So the one I’m probably gonna go with is a natural environmentalist studying fresh water fish.”

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

Missouri teen makes history for tournament bass fishing

A Powerball ticket sold in Arkansas won an estimated $1.817 billion jackpot in the Christmas Eve drawing on Wednesday, Dec. 24, marking the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history.

The winning numbers drawn were 4, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number 19 and a 2x Power Play.

Lottery officials say the jackpot grew to approximately $1.817 billion following final ticket sales, making it the largest Powerball prize awarded in 2025 and second only to the $2.04 billion jackpot won in 2022.

The winning ticket was sold at a Murphy USA gas station in Cabot, Arkansas, near Little Rock.

The winner will have the option of taking the full annuitized prize paid out over roughly 30 years or a lump-sum cash option estimated at $834.9 million, before taxes.

Powerball tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The odds of winning the jackpot are about 1 in 292.2 million.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766811289816.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>A Powerball ticket sold in Arkansas won an estimated $1.817 billion jackpot in the Christmas Eve drawing on Wednesday, Dec. 24, marking the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history.The winning numbers drawn were 4, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number 19 and a 2x Power Play.Lottery officials say the jackpot grew to approximately $1.817 billion following final ticket sales, making it the largest Powerball prize awarded in 2025 and second only to the $2.04 billion jackpot won in 2022.The winning ticket was sold at a Murphy USA gas station in Cabot, Arkansas, near Little Rock.The winner will have the option of taking the full annuitized prize paid out over roughly 30 years or a lump-sum cash option estimated at $834.9 million, before taxes.Powerball tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The odds of winning the jackpot are about 1 in 292.2 million.

Historic Powerball Jackpot Hit on Christmas Eve

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/charleyduffin/">Charley Duffin</a>

When Jan. 1 rolls around, Missouri’s minimum wage will increase from $13.75 to $15 an hour, putting the state ahead of many others.

The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations announced that the minimum wage is set to increase by $1.25 beginning in 2026. The minimum wage rate will be in effect for all non-exempt employers.

Missouri’s HB 567, signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe into law on July 10, repealed statewide earned paid sick time while simultaneously modifying the state’s minimum wage law.

It eliminated the automatic inflation adjustments that were set to begin in 2027 and kept the $15 per hour rate for public employers. However, it is also removing voter-approved worker protections for businesses as of Aug. 28.

Lily Roberts is the managing director of economic policy at the Center for American Progress, a nonpartisan economic policy institute. She said conversations about adjusting the minimum wage reflect rising prices that have increased in recent years.

“Everybody can tell you about inflation, and everybody can tell you about the cost of rent or groceries or childcare being really expensive, but the flip side of that is wages,” Roberts said. “There are many folks who are worse off and less able to keep up with those raising prices because a major pillar of how we make wage policy hasn’t been changed since 2009.”

The federal minimum wage is $7.25 and it hasn’t been adjusted since 2009, which Roberts said is the longest it’s gone unchanged since the introduction of minimum wage in 1938.

“$7.25 is so unbelievably low that many people don’t even believe that it’s still that low,” Roberts said.

In Missouri, employers who are involved in retail or service businesses and have an annual gross income less than $500,000 are exempt from having to pay the state minimum wage rate. Instead, those employers can pay their workers any wage at their discretion, according to the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

Roberts said Missouri is unique in the fact that it raised its minimum wage to reflect inflation numbers, but when the state implements a $15 an hour minimum wage, it is no longer required to factor in inflation.

Between 2015 and 2019, Missouri’s minimum wage rose just under a dollar, from $7.65 to $8.60. Since 2019, the increase has been at least $0.75 annually every year except for 2023. The $1.25 jump will be the second straight year that the minimum wage has increased by more than a dollar.

Missouri is one of 34 U.S. states, territories and districts that has a higher minimum wage than the federal requirement.

Roberts said Missouri is in line with nearby states, such as South Dakota, Nebraska and Arkansas. All of those states, plus Missouri, have consistently been working on increasing their respective minimum wages.

“Some of them are doing it gradually over time to get to ($15 an hour) and others are passing individual laws,” Roberts said. “These longer-term predictable changes are really the trend right now, where you give businesses and employees a sense of how their wages will grow over time, and it means that it’s easier to predict and easier for employers to budget for.”

She said business owners are often fighting for higher wages, contrary to popular belief, because they need to be able to compete.

“The higher your wages that you pay, in general, the lower your turnover is,” Roberts said. “So businesses that pay really small dollars tend to have a lot of turnover. It actually gets really counterproductive and expensive very quickly because the business owner has to spend all of their time hiring, training and trying to retain folks.”

This story originally appeared in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/state_news/missouri-minimum-wage-set-to-increase-over-a-dollar-in-2026/article_3d33d784-f2f7-4fb3-a7a7-34fe23712ad8.html#tncms-source=topstory" target="_blank">Columbia Missourian</a>.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741714465522.jpeg" alt="Image Pixaby" />
 <figcaption>Image Pixaby</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/charleyduffin/">Charley Duffin</a>When Jan. 1 rolls around, Missouri’s minimum wage will increase from $13.75 to $15 an hour, putting the state ahead of many others.The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations announced that the minimum wage is set to increase by $1.25 beginning in 2026. The minimum wage rate will be in effect for all non-exempt employers.Missouri’s HB 567, signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe into law on July 10, repealed statewide earned paid sick time while simultaneously modifying the state’s minimum wage law.It eliminated the automatic inflation adjustments that were set to begin in 2027 and kept the $15 per hour rate for public employers. However, it is also removing voter-approved worker protections for businesses as of Aug. 28.Lily Roberts is the managing director of economic policy at the Center for American Progress, a nonpartisan economic policy institute. She said conversations about adjusting the minimum wage reflect rising prices that have increased in recent years.“Everybody can tell you about inflation, and everybody can tell you about the cost of rent or groceries or childcare being really expensive, but the flip side of that is wages,” Roberts said. “There are many folks who are worse off and less able to keep up with those raising prices because a major pillar of how we make wage policy hasn’t been changed since 2009.”The federal minimum wage is $7.25 and it hasn’t been adjusted since 2009, which Roberts said is the longest it’s gone unchanged since the introduction of minimum wage in 1938.“$7.25 is so unbelievably low that many people don’t even believe that it’s still that low,” Roberts said.In Missouri, employers who are involved in retail or service businesses and have an annual gross income less than $500,000 are exempt from having to pay the state minimum wage rate. Instead, those employers can pay their workers any wage at their discretion, according to the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.Roberts said Missouri is unique in the fact that it raised its minimum wage to reflect inflation numbers, but when the state implements a $15 an hour minimum wage, it is no longer required to factor in inflation.Between 2015 and 2019, Missouri’s minimum wage rose just under a dollar, from $7.65 to $8.60. Since 2019, the increase has been at least $0.75 annually every year except for 2023. The $1.25 jump will be the second straight year that the minimum wage has increased by more than a dollar.Missouri is one of 34 U.S. states, territories and districts that has a higher minimum wage than the federal requirement.Roberts said Missouri is in line with nearby states, such as South Dakota, Nebraska and Arkansas. All of those states, plus Missouri, have consistently been working on increasing their respective minimum wages.“Some of them are doing it gradually over time to get to ($15 an hour) and others are passing individual laws,” Roberts said. “These longer-term predictable changes are really the trend right now, where you give businesses and employees a sense of how their wages will grow over time, and it means that it’s easier to predict and easier for employers to budget for.”She said business owners are often fighting for higher wages, contrary to popular belief, because they need to be able to compete.“The higher your wages that you pay, in general, the lower your turnover is,” Roberts said. “So businesses that pay really small dollars tend to have a lot of turnover. It actually gets really counterproductive and expensive very quickly because the business owner has to spend all of their time hiring, training and trying to retain folks.”This story originally appeared in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/state_news/missouri-minimum-wage-set-to-increase-over-a-dollar-in-2026/article_3d33d784-f2f7-4fb3-a7a7-34fe23712ad8.html#tncms-source=topstory" target="_blank">Columbia Missourian</a>.&nbsp;

Missouri minimum wage set to increase over a dollar 

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> “Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and… <a href="https://t.co/ct7rUW128t">pic.twitter.com/ct7rUW128t</a>&mdash; Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeptofWar/status/2004351717131903272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end. The <a href="https://twitter.com/DeptofWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeptofWar</a> is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight — on Christmas. More to come… Grateful for Nigerian government support &amp; cooperation. Merry Christmas! <a href="https://t.co/k5Q3Qd4ClE">https://t.co/k5Q3Qd4ClE</a>&mdash; Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth/status/2004332431542022289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Read our press release: <a href="https://t.co/tcHZFTTrju">https://t.co/tcHZFTTrju</a>&mdash; U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) (@USAfricaCommand) <a href="https://twitter.com/USAfricaCommand/status/2004331056812761430?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

US launches strike against Islamic State militants in Nigeria

The Powerball® jackpot has been won in Arkansas, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association. A single ticket sold in Arkansas matched all six numbers drawn last night to win a $1.817 billion jackpot. The jackpot has a cash option of $834.9 million.

The winning numbers in the Wednesday, Dec. 24 Powerball drawing were white balls 4, 25, 31, 52, 59 and red Powerball 19. The Power Play® multiplier was 2.

With final ticket sales, the Powerball jackpot reached $1.817 billion, making it the second-largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever won and the largest Powerball prize this year.

“Congratulations to the newest Powerball jackpot winner! This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize,” said Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO. “We also want to thank all the players who joined in this jackpot streak – every ticket purchased helps support public programs and services across the country.”

This marks the second time the Powerball® jackpot has been won by a ticket sold in Arkansas; the first was in 2010.

The lucky ticket holder will have the choice between an annuitized prize of $1.817 billion or a lump sump payment of $834.9 million. Both prize options are before taxes. If a winner selects the annuity option, they will receive one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5-percent each year.

U.S. lotteries are reminding players to check their tickets carefully, as many tickets won cash prizes in last night’s drawing.

Nationwide, eight tickets matched all five white balls. The winning Match 5 tickets were sold in California, Indiana, Michigan, New York (2), Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The Match 5 prize is a set cash prize of $1 million except in California, where prize payout amounts are pari-mutuel and determined by sales and the number of winners.

The drawing also produced 114 tickets that won $50,000 prizes and 31 tickets that won $100,000 prizes.

In the Double Play® drawing, two tickets sold in Colorado and South Carolina won $500,000 prizes after matching all five black balls. Double Play is a $1 add-on feature that allows players to player their Powerball numbers, again, in a separate drawing for a chance to win up to $10 million. The Double Play drawing is live streamed on<a href="https://www.powerball.com/watch-drawing">&nbsp;Powerball.com</a>&nbsp;following the main Powerball drawing.

Last night’s Powerball drawing was the 47th in the jackpot run – a game record for the most drawings in a jackpot cycle. The Powerball jackpot was previously won on Sept. 6 by two tickets in Missouri and Texas that split a $1.787 billion prize.

For the next drawing on Saturday night, the Powerball jackpot resets to $20 million. The Power Play® 10X multiplier will be available for play since the advertised jackpot is below $150 million.

Powerball® tickets are $2 per play. Tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than half of all proceeds from the sale of a Powerball ticket remain in the jurisdiction where the ticket was sold. Since its first drawing in 1992, the Powerball game has helped generate more than $37 billion for good causes supported by U.S. lotteries.

Powerball drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee, Fla. Powerball drawings are also live streamed on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.powerball.com/watch-drawing">Powerball.com</a>.

The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.

The Powerball® jackpot has been won in Arkansas, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association. A single ticket sold in Arkansas matched all six numbers drawn last night to win a $1.817 billion jackpot. The jackpot has a cash option of $834.9 million.The winning numbers in the Wednesday, Dec. 24 Powerball drawing were white balls 4, 25, 31, 52, 59 and red Powerball 19. The Power Play® multiplier was 2.With final ticket sales, the Powerball jackpot reached $1.817 billion, making it the second-largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever won and the largest Powerball prize this year.“Congratulations to the newest Powerball jackpot winner! This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize,” said Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO. “We also want to thank all the players who joined in this jackpot streak – every ticket purchased helps support public programs and services across the country.”This marks the second time the Powerball® jackpot has been won by a ticket sold in Arkansas; the first was in 2010.The lucky ticket holder will have the choice between an annuitized prize of $1.817 billion or a lump sump payment of $834.9 million. Both prize options are before taxes. If a winner selects the annuity option, they will receive one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5-percent each year.U.S. lotteries are reminding players to check their tickets carefully, as many tickets won cash prizes in last night’s drawing.Nationwide, eight tickets matched all five white balls. The winning Match 5 tickets were sold in California, Indiana, Michigan, New York (2), Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The Match 5 prize is a set cash prize of $1 million except in California, where prize payout amounts are pari-mutuel and determined by sales and the number of winners.The drawing also produced 114 tickets that won $50,000 prizes and 31 tickets that won $100,000 prizes.In the Double Play® drawing, two tickets sold in Colorado and South Carolina won $500,000 prizes after matching all five black balls. Double Play is a $1 add-on feature that allows players to player their Powerball numbers, again, in a separate drawing for a chance to win up to $10 million. The Double Play drawing is live streamed on<a href="https://www.powerball.com/watch-drawing">&nbsp;Powerball.com</a>&nbsp;following the main Powerball drawing.Last night’s Powerball drawing was the 47th in the jackpot run – a game record for the most drawings in a jackpot cycle. The Powerball jackpot was previously won on Sept. 6 by two tickets in Missouri and Texas that split a $1.787 billion prize.For the next drawing on Saturday night, the Powerball jackpot resets to $20 million. The Power Play® 10X multiplier will be available for play since the advertised jackpot is below $150 million.Powerball® tickets are $2 per play. Tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than half of all proceeds from the sale of a Powerball ticket remain in the jurisdiction where the ticket was sold. Since its first drawing in 1992, the Powerball game has helped generate more than $37 billion for good causes supported by U.S. lotteries.Powerball drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee, Fla. Powerball drawings are also live streamed on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.powerball.com/watch-drawing">Powerball.com</a>.The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.Record U.S. Lottery Jackpots<ol>
 <li>$2.04 Billion – Powerball – Nov. 7, 2022 – CA</li><li>$1.817 Billion – Powerball – Dec. 24, 2025 – AR</li><li>$1.787 Billion – Powerball – Sept. 6, 2025 – MO, TX</li><li>$1.765 Billion – Powerball – Oct. 11, 2023 - CA</li><li>$1.602 Billion – Mega Millions – Aug. 8, 2023 – FL</li><li>$1.586 Billion – Powerball – Jan. 13, 2016 – CA, FL, TN</li><li>$1.537 Billion – Mega Millions – Oct. 23, 2018 – SC</li><li>$1.348 Billion – Mega Millions – Jan. 13, 2023 – ME</li><li>$1.337 Billion – Mega Millions – July 29, 2022 – IL</li><li>$1.326 Billion – Powerball – April 6, 2024 – OR</li>
 </ol>

Single ticket wins $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve

205 Child Victims Located and 293 Child Sex Abuse Offenders Arrested in Nationwide Crackdown, Including Two in the District of Nebraska

The Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Relentless Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track, and arrest child sex predators. The nationwide crackdown resulted in over 205 child victims being located and the arrests of over 293 child sexual abuse offenders. The coordinated effort was executed over the course of two weeks by all 56 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorneys’ offices around the country.&nbsp;

“We will not allow evil criminals who prey on children to evade justice,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Our federal agents have worked tirelessly alongside our state and local partners to track down these vile predators, and now our prosecutors will ensure they receive severe punishments to match their horrific crimes.”

“Operation Relentless Justice shows no child will be forgotten and that all predators targeting the most vulnerable amongst us will be held accountable,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This year, the FBI has led multiple nationwide surges across the U.S. to find and arrest hundreds of child predators. We will not stop until every child can live a life free of exploitation. We will utilize the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state, and local partners to protect communities across the nation from such horrific crimes.”

“FBI Omaha will continue surging resources to track and lock up child sex predators lurking in our communities. Working closely with our local, state, and federal partners, we’ll utilize every tool available to apprehend subjects, remove children from deplorable situations, and bring some measure of healing for victims,” said Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel of the FBI Omaha Field Office.

Kody Dickes, 34, of Ashland, Nebraska, has been charged in the District of Nebraska in a three-count Superseding Indictment on December 9, 2025, with distribution of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and production of visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Dickes has been in federal custody since April 30, 2025.

Dillon Summers, 54, of Cleveland, Tennessee, has been charged by complaint with felony Sexual Assault Use of a Communication Device in Douglas County, Nebraska. Summers was arrested in Tennessee on December 9, 2025.

Those arrested are alleged to have committed various crimes, including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material; online enticement and transportation of minors; and child sex trafficking. Some of the alleged offenders include an airman out of Dallas, TX, who was arrested with his wife for producing child sex abuse material (CSAM), as well as a Police Officer from Raleigh, NC, who distributed CSAM to an undercover officer while discussing his interest in engaging in sexual contact with children. In another case involving enticement of a minor, the Miami Field Office arrested a Guatemalan national who was previously deported in 2011, and had previous arrests for battery, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and carrying a concealed weapon.

As sextortion cases continue to rise, this operation highlights arrests of individuals who target vulnerable children online including the five leaders of Greggy’s Cult, as well as a Virginia man who persuaded a 14-year-old to produce CSAM.&nbsp; The victim attempted suicide after he allegedly told her to kill herself.&nbsp;

This effort follows two other successful operations, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-results-operation-restore-justice-205-child-sex-abuse-offenders" target="_blank">Operation Restore Justice</a>&nbsp;in May, which resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sex abuse offenders, including one from the District of Nebraska, and Operation Enduring Justice in August, which resulted in the rescue of 133 children and the arrests of 234 offenders, including one from the District of Nebraska.&nbsp;

The FBI’s Victim Services Division (VSD) assisted victims during this operation and provided services, to include forensic interviews, referrals for medical and mental health resources, and coordination with partners. VSD’s mission is to inform, support, and assist victims in navigating the aftermath of crime and the criminal justice process with dignity and resilience.

These operations underscore the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were&nbsp;brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. attorneys’ offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.justice.gov/psc" target="_blank">justice.gov/psc</a>.

The Department partners with and oversees funding grants for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on&nbsp;<a href="http://missingkids.org/" target="_blank">missingkids.org</a>.

The Department urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324),<a href="https://www.fbi.gov/tips" target="_blank">&nbsp;tips.fbi.gov</a>,&nbsp;or by calling your local FBI field office.

An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

For Immediate Release205 Child Victims Located and 293 Child Sex Abuse Offenders Arrested in Nationwide Crackdown, Including Two in the District of Nebraska<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730399931581.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>The Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Relentless Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track, and arrest child sex predators. The nationwide crackdown resulted in over 205 child victims being located and the arrests of over 293 child sexual abuse offenders. The coordinated effort was executed over the course of two weeks by all 56 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorneys’ offices around the country.&nbsp;“We will not allow evil criminals who prey on children to evade justice,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Our federal agents have worked tirelessly alongside our state and local partners to track down these vile predators, and now our prosecutors will ensure they receive severe punishments to match their horrific crimes.”“Operation Relentless Justice shows no child will be forgotten and that all predators targeting the most vulnerable amongst us will be held accountable,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This year, the FBI has led multiple nationwide surges across the U.S. to find and arrest hundreds of child predators. We will not stop until every child can live a life free of exploitation. We will utilize the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state, and local partners to protect communities across the nation from such horrific crimes.”“FBI Omaha will continue surging resources to track and lock up child sex predators lurking in our communities. Working closely with our local, state, and federal partners, we’ll utilize every tool available to apprehend subjects, remove children from deplorable situations, and bring some measure of healing for victims,” said Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel of the FBI Omaha Field Office.Kody Dickes, 34, of Ashland, Nebraska, has been charged in the District of Nebraska in a three-count Superseding Indictment on December 9, 2025, with distribution of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and production of visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Dickes has been in federal custody since April 30, 2025.Dillon Summers, 54, of Cleveland, Tennessee, has been charged by complaint with felony Sexual Assault Use of a Communication Device in Douglas County, Nebraska. Summers was arrested in Tennessee on December 9, 2025.Those arrested are alleged to have committed various crimes, including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material; online enticement and transportation of minors; and child sex trafficking. Some of the alleged offenders include an airman out of Dallas, TX, who was arrested with his wife for producing child sex abuse material (CSAM), as well as a Police Officer from Raleigh, NC, who distributed CSAM to an undercover officer while discussing his interest in engaging in sexual contact with children. In another case involving enticement of a minor, the Miami Field Office arrested a Guatemalan national who was previously deported in 2011, and had previous arrests for battery, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and carrying a concealed weapon.As sextortion cases continue to rise, this operation highlights arrests of individuals who target vulnerable children online including the five leaders of Greggy’s Cult, as well as a Virginia man who persuaded a 14-year-old to produce CSAM.&nbsp; The victim attempted suicide after he allegedly told her to kill herself.&nbsp;This effort follows two other successful operations, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-results-operation-restore-justice-205-child-sex-abuse-offenders" target="_blank">Operation Restore Justice</a>&nbsp;in May, which resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sex abuse offenders, including one from the District of Nebraska, and Operation Enduring Justice in August, which resulted in the rescue of 133 children and the arrests of 234 offenders, including one from the District of Nebraska.&nbsp;The FBI’s Victim Services Division (VSD) assisted victims during this operation and provided services, to include forensic interviews, referrals for medical and mental health resources, and coordination with partners. VSD’s mission is to inform, support, and assist victims in navigating the aftermath of crime and the criminal justice process with dignity and resilience.These operations underscore the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were&nbsp;brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. attorneys’ offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.justice.gov/psc" target="_blank">justice.gov/psc</a>.The Department partners with and oversees funding grants for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on&nbsp;<a href="http://missingkids.org/" target="_blank">missingkids.org</a>.The Department urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324),<a href="https://www.fbi.gov/tips" target="_blank">&nbsp;tips.fbi.gov</a>,&nbsp;or by calling your local FBI field office.An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Federal Child Exploitation Sweep Nets Nebraska Suspects, Nearly 300 Arrests Nationwide

WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security is continuing to deliver this holiday season on its promise to help illegal aliens in the United States return home.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Illegal aliens who sign up to self-deport through the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dhs.gov/cbphome" target="_blank">CBP Home app</a>&nbsp;by the end of the year will receive a $3,000 stipend in addition to a free flight home. Using the CBP Home app also qualifies recipients for forgiveness of any civil fines or penalties for failing to depart the country.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“Since January 2025, 1.9 million illegal aliens have voluntarily self-deported and tens of thousands have used the CBP Home program. During the Christmas Season, the U.S. taxpayer is so generously TRIPLING the incentive to leave voluntarily for those in this country illegally- offering a $3,000 exit bonus, but just until the end of the year,”&nbsp;said&nbsp;Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.&nbsp;“Illegal aliens should take advantage of this gift and self-deport because if they don’t, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never return.”&nbsp; &nbsp;

Self-deportation through the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dhs.gov/cbphome" target="_blank">CBP Home app</a>&nbsp;is the best gift that an illegal alien can give themselves and their families this holiday season. It’s a fast, free, and easy process: Just download the app, fill out your information, and DHS will take care of the rest – including arranging and paying for your travel back home.&nbsp;

Those illegal aliens who don’t take advantage of this special offer today have only one alternative: They will be arrested, deported, and they will never be able to return to the United States.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766422617160.png" alt="Homeland Security" />
 <figcaption>Homeland Security</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security is continuing to deliver this holiday season on its promise to help illegal aliens in the United States return home.&nbsp;&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">ILLEGAL ALIENS: Avoid ICE Air and go Ho Ho Home this Christmas using the CBP Home app! <a href="https://t.co/8UqOwg0Dhb">pic.twitter.com/8UqOwg0Dhb</a>&mdash; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICEgov/status/2002912253772026218?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Illegal aliens who sign up to self-deport through the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dhs.gov/cbphome" target="_blank">CBP Home app</a>&nbsp;by the end of the year will receive a $3,000 stipend in addition to a free flight home. Using the CBP Home app also qualifies recipients for forgiveness of any civil fines or penalties for failing to depart the country.&nbsp;&nbsp;“Since January 2025, 1.9 million illegal aliens have voluntarily self-deported and tens of thousands have used the CBP Home program. During the Christmas Season, the U.S. taxpayer is so generously TRIPLING the incentive to leave voluntarily for those in this country illegally- offering a $3,000 exit bonus, but just until the end of the year,”&nbsp;said&nbsp;Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.&nbsp;“Illegal aliens should take advantage of this gift and self-deport because if they don’t, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never return.”&nbsp; &nbsp;Self-deportation through the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dhs.gov/cbphome" target="_blank">CBP Home app</a>&nbsp;is the best gift that an illegal alien can give themselves and their families this holiday season. It’s a fast, free, and easy process: Just download the app, fill out your information, and DHS will take care of the rest – including arranging and paying for your travel back home.&nbsp;Those illegal aliens who don’t take advantage of this special offer today have only one alternative: They will be arrested, deported, and they will never be able to return to the United States.&nbsp;

DHS offers cash stipend for illegal aliens to go ‘Home for the Holidays’

OMAHA – On December 9, 2025, FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel presented the Nebraska Farm Bureau with the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA) for its service to the people of Nebraska. Katie Olson, first vice president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau, accepted the award on behalf of the organization. The mission of the Nebraska Farm Bureau is to enrich the lives of Nebraska farm and ranch families and enhance Nebraska agriculture through meaningful advocacy, education, and leadership development.

The FBI established the DCLA in 1990 to publicly acknowledge the achievements of those&nbsp;working to make a difference in their communities through the promotion of education and the prevention of crime and violence. Each year, one person or organization from each of the FBI’s&nbsp;56 field offices is chosen to receive this prestigious award.

“Wherever in Nebraska you might live, from Scottsbluff to Kearney to Omaha to points in&nbsp;between, the cyber, criminal, terrorism, and national security risk to our farms, our ranches, and our food processing facilities is growing exponentially,” said SAC Kowel. “Here in our state, agriculture is more than just an industry—it’s the backbone of our economic prosperity, it’s the&nbsp;foundation of our rural communities, and a critical component of our national security. We are honored to recognize the Nebraska Farm Bureau for their outstanding partnership, leadership, and foresight in securing this vital segment of our nation’s critical infrastructure.”

Significant accomplishments and contributions by the Nebraska Farm Bureau included: bringing farmers and ranchers together to tackle shared challenges, find practical solutions, and advocate for the safety and security of the agricultural industry; the Collegiate Farm Bureau, a student organization that offers opportunities for students in leadership and citizenship engagement, career development, service learning and professional networking; the Nebraska Young Farmers and Ranchers Program, which is comprised of men and women ages 18-35 who are Farm Bureau members and looking to develop their leadership skills while also meeting and networking with their peers; and the Leadership Academy, a program designed to equip the future leaders of Farm Bureau with the tools they need to successfully advocate for agriculture, connect with members, and embody the grassroots mission.

Through FBI Omaha’s sustained partnership with the Nebraska Farm Bureau, the FBI increased our ability to mitigate cyber, counterintelligence, counterterrorism, and criminal threats to the industry. The Nebraska Farm Bureau’s assistance hosting FBI Omaha’s 2024 Agriculture Threats Symposium impacted more than 400 agricultural sector representatives from 30 states who learned about current security threats in agriculture and the value of partnering with law enforcement.

“We are deeply grateful to the FBI for this recognition and for the strong partnership we share. This collaboration has allowed us to raise awareness and drive meaningful action to protect Nebraska’s farms, ranches, and food processing facilities from growing security threats. Safeguarding our agriculture and food system is essential not only to our rural communities, but to our state and national security, and we are proud to work alongside the FBI to help keep our members and our food supply safe,” said Katie Olson, first vice president of Nebraska Farm Bureau.

The FBI recognizes the important role that community partnerships play in keeping our shared communities safe. These partnerships – as exemplified by the breadth of the work by the DCLA recipients – have led to a host of crime prevention programs that protect the most vulnerable in our communities, educate families and businesses about cyber threats, and work to reduce violent crime in our neighborhoods. Learn more about the Director’s Community Leadership Award program, the FBI Agriculture Threats Symposium, the FBI’s general outreach efforts, and the Omaha Field Office on our website.

For Immediate Release<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766509902548.png" alt="SAC Kowel and First VP Olson" />
 <figcaption>SAC Kowel and First VP Olson</figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA – On December 9, 2025, FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel presented the Nebraska Farm Bureau with the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA) for its service to the people of Nebraska. Katie Olson, first vice president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau, accepted the award on behalf of the organization. The mission of the Nebraska Farm Bureau is to enrich the lives of Nebraska farm and ranch families and enhance Nebraska agriculture through meaningful advocacy, education, and leadership development.The FBI established the DCLA in 1990 to publicly acknowledge the achievements of those&nbsp;working to make a difference in their communities through the promotion of education and the prevention of crime and violence. Each year, one person or organization from each of the FBI’s&nbsp;56 field offices is chosen to receive this prestigious award.“Wherever in Nebraska you might live, from Scottsbluff to Kearney to Omaha to points in&nbsp;between, the cyber, criminal, terrorism, and national security risk to our farms, our ranches, and our food processing facilities is growing exponentially,” said SAC Kowel. “Here in our state, agriculture is more than just an industry—it’s the backbone of our economic prosperity, it’s the&nbsp;foundation of our rural communities, and a critical component of our national security. We are honored to recognize the Nebraska Farm Bureau for their outstanding partnership, leadership, and foresight in securing this vital segment of our nation’s critical infrastructure.”Significant accomplishments and contributions by the Nebraska Farm Bureau included: bringing farmers and ranchers together to tackle shared challenges, find practical solutions, and advocate for the safety and security of the agricultural industry; the Collegiate Farm Bureau, a student organization that offers opportunities for students in leadership and citizenship engagement, career development, service learning and professional networking; the Nebraska Young Farmers and Ranchers Program, which is comprised of men and women ages 18-35 who are Farm Bureau members and looking to develop their leadership skills while also meeting and networking with their peers; and the Leadership Academy, a program designed to equip the future leaders of Farm Bureau with the tools they need to successfully advocate for agriculture, connect with members, and embody the grassroots mission.Through FBI Omaha’s sustained partnership with the Nebraska Farm Bureau, the FBI increased our ability to mitigate cyber, counterintelligence, counterterrorism, and criminal threats to the industry. The Nebraska Farm Bureau’s assistance hosting FBI Omaha’s 2024 Agriculture Threats Symposium impacted more than 400 agricultural sector representatives from 30 states who learned about current security threats in agriculture and the value of partnering with law enforcement.“We are deeply grateful to the FBI for this recognition and for the strong partnership we share. This collaboration has allowed us to raise awareness and drive meaningful action to protect Nebraska’s farms, ranches, and food processing facilities from growing security threats. Safeguarding our agriculture and food system is essential not only to our rural communities, but to our state and national security, and we are proud to work alongside the FBI to help keep our members and our food supply safe,” said Katie Olson, first vice president of Nebraska Farm Bureau.The FBI recognizes the important role that community partnerships play in keeping our shared communities safe. These partnerships – as exemplified by the breadth of the work by the DCLA recipients – have led to a host of crime prevention programs that protect the most vulnerable in our communities, educate families and businesses about cyber threats, and work to reduce violent crime in our neighborhoods. Learn more about the Director’s Community Leadership Award program, the FBI Agriculture Threats Symposium, the FBI’s general outreach efforts, and the Omaha Field Office on our website.

FBI Honors the Nebraska Farm Bureau with National Award

For nearly seven decades, the North American Aerospace Defense Command — better known as NORAD — has taken on one of its most beloved missions: tracking Santa Claus as he delivers presents around the world on Christmas Eve.

The tradition dates back to 1955, when NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD), first began tracking Santa by accident. When a phone number was misprinted in a local newspaper, and Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, the commander on duty that night who answered the child's call, was quick to realize the mistake and, not wanting to let down the child, played along. Since NORAD replaced CONAD in 1958, the organization has continued the mission every year, making it one of the longest-running holiday traditions tied to national defense.

NORAD is a bi-national United States and Canada organization responsible for aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning for North America. While its year-round mission focuses on monitoring airspace, missiles, and maritime approaches, NORAD officials say tracking Santa is a unique way to connect with families around the world.

“We’re the only organization that has the technology, the qualifications, and the people to do it,” NORAD states. “And, we love it. NORAD is honored to be Santa’s official tracker.”

The website has changed with the times as much as one can expect. On <a href="https://www.noradsanta.org/en/">noradsanta.org</a> you can now find the history of Santa, daily games, Christmas music, movies, a gift shop and a place to learn about NORAD.&nbsp;

NORAD uses the same advanced systems it relies on for real-world defense missions to follow Santa’s flight.

It begins with the North Warning System, a powerful radar network made up of 49 installations across Canada’s north and Alaska. Once radar indicates Santa has lifted off from the North Pole, NORAD turns to satellites positioned in geosynchronous orbit more than 22,000 miles above Earth. These satellites use infrared sensors capable of detecting heat — and according to NORAD, Rudolph’s bright red nose gives off an infrared signature similar to a missile launch.

As Santa approaches North America, Canadian CF-18 fighter jets escort him through Canadian airspace. In the United States, American NORAD pilots flying F-15s, F-16s, or F-22s take over the escort. While Santa flies faster than any jet, NORAD says he slows down so pilots can safely fly alongside him.

Over the years, fighter pilots have intercepted Santa many times, tipping their wings in greeting. Santa, NORAD says, always waves back.

Historically, Santa begins his journey at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean, traveling west. He typically visits the South Pacific first, followed by New Zealand, Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe, and then North, Central, and South America. Weather conditions can affect his route, making the journey unpredictable.

NORAD tracks Santa’s location but cannot predict exactly when he will arrive at individual homes. Based on history, officials say Santa usually arrives between 9 p.m. and midnight on December 24 — but only when children are asleep.

On December 24, families can track Santa in real time through NORAD’s Santa Cams and live updates at noradsanta.org. Videos and photos captured from space and escort aircraft are posted throughout the day.

The NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center also opens at 4 a.m. Mountain Standard Time on Christmas Eve. Volunteers answer hundreds of thousands of calls from around the world at 1-877-HI-NORAD, providing updates on Santa’s current location until midnight MST.

More than 1,000 Canadian and American military members, civilians, and volunteers support the effort each year. NORAD notes the program is made possible through volunteers and corporate supporters, with virtually all costs covered outside of government funding.

While NORAD’s primary mission remains defending North America 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, officials say tracking Santa is a reminder of the joy behind the technology — and a tradition they’re proud to continue.

As NORAD puts it simply: “We have the watch.”

By Allison Peck&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766520092034.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>For nearly seven decades, the North American Aerospace Defense Command — better known as NORAD — has taken on one of its most beloved missions: tracking Santa Claus as he delivers presents around the world on Christmas Eve.The tradition dates back to 1955, when NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD), first began tracking Santa by accident. When a phone number was misprinted in a local newspaper, and Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, the commander on duty that night who answered the child's call, was quick to realize the mistake and, not wanting to let down the child, played along. Since NORAD replaced CONAD in 1958, the organization has continued the mission every year, making it one of the longest-running holiday traditions tied to national defense.NORAD is a bi-national United States and Canada organization responsible for aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning for North America. While its year-round mission focuses on monitoring airspace, missiles, and maritime approaches, NORAD officials say tracking Santa is a unique way to connect with families around the world.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766519407864.png" alt="NORAD's website hosts a North Pole Village with The Arcade, with daily games, The Library to learn about Santa, The Theater to watch Christmas videos, The Gift Shop, The Music Stage, and NORAD HQ.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>NORAD's website hosts a North Pole Village with The Arcade, with daily games, The Library to learn about Santa, The Theater to watch Christmas videos, The Gift Shop, The Music Stage, and NORAD HQ.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>“We’re the only organization that has the technology, the qualifications, and the people to do it,” NORAD states. “And, we love it. NORAD is honored to be Santa’s official tracker.”The website has changed with the times as much as one can expect. On <a href="https://www.noradsanta.org/en/">noradsanta.org</a> you can now find the history of Santa, daily games, Christmas music, movies, a gift shop and a place to learn about NORAD.&nbsp;<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fnoradsanta%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0fUjuxpsAkCNQUdH9UCCygm9cByxrYCDaoGxsxvb9hqE8XHakUtNMMqA6xC9rn78Sl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="475" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div><h2>How NORAD Tracks Santa</h2>NORAD uses the same advanced systems it relies on for real-world defense missions to follow Santa’s flight.It begins with the North Warning System, a powerful radar network made up of 49 installations across Canada’s north and Alaska. Once radar indicates Santa has lifted off from the North Pole, NORAD turns to satellites positioned in geosynchronous orbit more than 22,000 miles above Earth. These satellites use infrared sensors capable of detecting heat — and according to NORAD, Rudolph’s bright red nose gives off an infrared signature similar to a missile launch.As Santa approaches North America, Canadian CF-18 fighter jets escort him through Canadian airspace. In the United States, American NORAD pilots flying F-15s, F-16s, or F-22s take over the escort. While Santa flies faster than any jet, NORAD says he slows down so pilots can safely fly alongside him.Over the years, fighter pilots have intercepted Santa many times, tipping their wings in greeting. Santa, NORAD says, always waves back.<h2>Santa’s Route and Timing</h2>Historically, Santa begins his journey at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean, traveling west. He typically visits the South Pacific first, followed by New Zealand, Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe, and then North, Central, and South America. Weather conditions can affect his route, making the journey unpredictable.NORAD tracks Santa’s location but cannot predict exactly when he will arrive at individual homes. Based on history, officials say Santa usually arrives between 9 p.m. and midnight on December 24 — but only when children are asleep.<h2>How the Public Can Follow Along</h2>On December 24, families can track Santa in real time through NORAD’s Santa Cams and live updates at noradsanta.org. Videos and photos captured from space and escort aircraft are posted throughout the day.The NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center also opens at 4 a.m. Mountain Standard Time on Christmas Eve. Volunteers answer hundreds of thousands of calls from around the world at 1-877-HI-NORAD, providing updates on Santa’s current location until midnight MST.More than 1,000 Canadian and American military members, civilians, and volunteers support the effort each year. NORAD notes the program is made possible through volunteers and corporate supporters, with virtually all costs covered outside of government funding.While NORAD’s primary mission remains defending North America 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, officials say tracking Santa is a reminder of the joy behind the technology — and a tradition they’re proud to continue.As NORAD puts it simply: “We have the watch.”

NORAD Marks 70 Years of Tracking Santa’s Christmas Eve Journey

By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/aaron-sanderford/">Aaron Sanderford</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/jay-waagmeester/">Jay Waagmeester</a>- <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

OMAHA — Former Nebraska Republican U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse is dying of “metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer,” he announced on social media Tuesday.

“Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a death sentence. But I already had a death sentence before last week too — we all do,” Sasse wrote.

Most of the political world knows Sasse from his time tussling with President Donald Trump over the direction of the Republican Party, including being one of seven Republicans who voted to convict the president following his impeachment in 2021.&nbsp;

Sasse has been, in many ways, a traditional small-government conservative with an intellectual bent. He often critiqued the GOP’s turn toward populism under Trump and paid a price in public.

He made waves as a candidate running from academia, as then-president of Midland University in Fremont before being elected to the Senate in 2014. His friends describe him as an intense and philosophical thinker.

His foes describe him as a man who likes to prove he is the smartest person in the room. He and his family had discussed moving back to Nebraska, to the lakes, from Florida.

In the early days, he pressed his fellow Republicans to offer solutions to issues like health care instead of just talking about what they were against.

In practice, he told reporters he found the Senate and its politically limiting ways stifling to the sort of committee work and legislative progress he sought.

He did not ever repeal and replace Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act, nor did he muster support for a clear legislative alternative.

But he found his legislative niche pushing back against the rise of China and the malfeasance of Russia online and in the real world, the changing face of war.

He told Americans early and often about the societal and economic disruption artificial intelligence would bring, calling it the next industrial revolution.

Much of his late Senate work focused on what he called “the future of work,” and he spoke often about the need to change education and training to meet new needs.

In 2022, Sasse was&nbsp;<a href="https://floridaphoenix.com/2022/11/01/u-s-sen-sasse-sole-finalist-in-uf-presidential-search-to-lead-floridas-flagship-university/" target="_blank">named sole finalist</a>&nbsp;for the University of Florida presidency, leaving the Senate for the role in early 2023. Secrecy around the search and concerns about Sasse’s political background stirred campus before he took office.&nbsp;

The UF Faculty Senate voted “no confidence” in the presidential search process, citing a law passed earlier that year to close presidential searches to the public until the final stage.

<a href="https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/07/19/ben-sasse-resigns-his-university-of-florida-presidency-after-wifes-condition-worsens/" target="_blank">Sasse left office</a>&nbsp;after 17 months, amid concerns about his spending habits as president among&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/mattgaetz/status/1823684508987662490" target="_blank">lawmakers</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alligator.org/article/2024/08/desantis-administration-calls-for-investigation-into-former-uf-president-ben-sasse-s-exorbitant-spending" target="_blank">Governor’s Office</a>, and then-Chief Financial Officer<a href="https://x.com/JimmyPatronis/status/1824151429873012749" target="_blank">&nbsp;Jimmy Patronis</a>.

The Independent Florida Alligator&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alligator.org/article/2024/08/sasse-s-spending-spree-former-uf-president-channeled-millions-to-gop-allies-secretive-contracts" target="_blank">reported</a>&nbsp;after Sasse resigned, that he had “channeled millions to GOP allies, secretive contracts, tripling spending by the previous president.

“A majority of the spending surge was driven by lucrative contracts with big-name consulting firms and high-salaried, remote positions for Sasse’s former U.S. Senate staff and Republican officials,” the newspaper reported.

Sasse then became a professor at the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education at UF, a hub with a “classical” mission that aims to produce people working in law, government, public policy, finance, health and nonprofits.&nbsp;

His&nbsp;<a href="https://hamilton.ufl.edu/people/ben-sasse/" target="_blank">bio</a>&nbsp;on the Florida website points to his “service-leadership posture” and the university’s response to “post-October 7th campus unrest” during his presidency. It also mentions his implementing post-tenure review and launching of the&nbsp;<a href="https://news.ufl.edu/2023/10/strategic-funding-awardees/" target="_blank">President’s Strategic Initiative</a>, targeted funding for student experience and interdisciplinary scholarship.

Florida State Rep. Allison Tant, a Democrat from Tallahassee,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/AllisonTantFL/status/2003509774013681854" target="_blank">replied</a>&nbsp;to Sasse’s social media post, saying, “Praying for your strength and peace.”

Sasse has said he resigned from the Florida presidency to help care for his wife, Melissa, who had been ill.

Sasse typically dealt with her epilepsy and other ailments quietly, telling friends that his teens would be fine because they were a family that would work together.

He celebrated his closeness with Melissa since stepping back in the 185-word statement he posted, calling her “the best friend a man could ever have.”

“This is hard for someone wired to work and build, but harder still as a husband and a dad,” he wrote. “I can’t begin to describe how great my people are.”&nbsp;

Sasse has three children, two daughters and a son. His post referenced his joy in their successes — one in the Air Force, one teaching and one learning to drive.

In it, he spoke about the situation his health would put his family through, not getting to walk his daughter down the aisle, burying him.

But he layered his message as he did in some of his speeches, with themes and reflections on the faith that buttressed him during difficult times with his wife and kids.

Sasse said he wouldn’t go down without a fight. He said he finds comfort in the idea of Christmas. And “gallows humor.” He said death and dying are not the same.

“We hope in a real Deliverer — a rescuing God, born at a real time, in a real place,” he said.”But the eternal city — with foundations and without cancer — is not yet.”

This is a developing story.&nbsp;Nebraska Examiner Reporter Juan Salinas II contributed to this story.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/8/1564937419455.png" alt="File photo former U.S. Senator Ben Sasse- image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>File photo former U.S. Senator Ben Sasse- image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/aaron-sanderford/">Aaron Sanderford</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/jay-waagmeester/">Jay Waagmeester</a>- <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/">Nebraska Examiner</a>OMAHA — Former Nebraska Republican U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse is dying of “metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer,” he announced on social media Tuesday.“Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a death sentence. But I already had a death sentence before last week too — we all do,” Sasse wrote.Most of the political world knows Sasse from his time tussling with President Donald Trump over the direction of the Republican Party, including being one of seven Republicans who voted to convict the president following his impeachment in 2021.&nbsp;Sasse has been, in many ways, a traditional small-government conservative with an intellectual bent. He often critiqued the GOP’s turn toward populism under Trump and paid a price in public.<h2>Intellectual senator</h2>He made waves as a candidate running from academia, as then-president of Midland University in Fremont before being elected to the Senate in 2014. His friends describe him as an intense and philosophical thinker.His foes describe him as a man who likes to prove he is the smartest person in the room. He and his family had discussed moving back to Nebraska, to the lakes, from Florida.In the early days, he pressed his fellow Republicans to offer solutions to issues like health care instead of just talking about what they were against.In practice, he told reporters he found the Senate and its politically limiting ways stifling to the sort of committee work and legislative progress he sought.He did not ever repeal and replace Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act, nor did he muster support for a clear legislative alternative.But he found his legislative niche pushing back against the rise of China and the malfeasance of Russia online and in the real world, the changing face of war.He told Americans early and often about the societal and economic disruption artificial intelligence would bring, calling it the next industrial revolution.Much of his late Senate work focused on what he called “the future of work,” and he spoke often about the need to change education and training to meet new needs.<h2>University of Florida presidency</h2>In 2022, Sasse was&nbsp;<a href="https://floridaphoenix.com/2022/11/01/u-s-sen-sasse-sole-finalist-in-uf-presidential-search-to-lead-floridas-flagship-university/" target="_blank">named sole finalist</a>&nbsp;for the University of Florida presidency, leaving the Senate for the role in early 2023. Secrecy around the search and concerns about Sasse’s political background stirred campus before he took office.&nbsp;The UF Faculty Senate voted “no confidence” in the presidential search process, citing a law passed earlier that year to close presidential searches to the public until the final stage.<a href="https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/07/19/ben-sasse-resigns-his-university-of-florida-presidency-after-wifes-condition-worsens/" target="_blank">Sasse left office</a>&nbsp;after 17 months, amid concerns about his spending habits as president among&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/mattgaetz/status/1823684508987662490" target="_blank">lawmakers</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alligator.org/article/2024/08/desantis-administration-calls-for-investigation-into-former-uf-president-ben-sasse-s-exorbitant-spending" target="_blank">Governor’s Office</a>, and then-Chief Financial Officer<a href="https://x.com/JimmyPatronis/status/1824151429873012749" target="_blank">&nbsp;Jimmy Patronis</a>.The Independent Florida Alligator&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alligator.org/article/2024/08/sasse-s-spending-spree-former-uf-president-channeled-millions-to-gop-allies-secretive-contracts" target="_blank">reported</a>&nbsp;after Sasse resigned, that he had “channeled millions to GOP allies, secretive contracts, tripling spending by the previous president.“A majority of the spending surge was driven by lucrative contracts with big-name consulting firms and high-salaried, remote positions for Sasse’s former U.S. Senate staff and Republican officials,” the newspaper reported.Sasse then became a professor at the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education at UF, a hub with a “classical” mission that aims to produce people working in law, government, public policy, finance, health and nonprofits.&nbsp;His&nbsp;<a href="https://hamilton.ufl.edu/people/ben-sasse/" target="_blank">bio</a>&nbsp;on the Florida website points to his “service-leadership posture” and the university’s response to “post-October 7th campus unrest” during his presidency. It also mentions his implementing post-tenure review and launching of the&nbsp;<a href="https://news.ufl.edu/2023/10/strategic-funding-awardees/" target="_blank">President’s Strategic Initiative</a>, targeted funding for student experience and interdisciplinary scholarship.Florida State Rep. Allison Tant, a Democrat from Tallahassee,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/AllisonTantFL/status/2003509774013681854" target="_blank">replied</a>&nbsp;to Sasse’s social media post, saying, “Praying for your strength and peace.”<h2>Family health fight</h2>Sasse has said he resigned from the Florida presidency to help care for his wife, Melissa, who had been ill.Sasse typically dealt with her epilepsy and other ailments quietly, telling friends that his teens would be fine because they were a family that would work together.He celebrated his closeness with Melissa since stepping back in the 185-word statement he posted, calling her “the best friend a man could ever have.”“This is hard for someone wired to work and build, but harder still as a husband and a dad,” he wrote. “I can’t begin to describe how great my people are.”&nbsp;Sasse has three children, two daughters and a son. His post referenced his joy in their successes — one in the Air Force, one teaching and one learning to drive.In it, he spoke about the situation his health would put his family through, not getting to walk his daughter down the aisle, burying him.But he layered his message as he did in some of his speeches, with themes and reflections on the faith that buttressed him during difficult times with his wife and kids.Sasse said he wouldn’t go down without a fight. He said he finds comfort in the idea of Christmas. And “gallows humor.” He said death and dying are not the same.“We hope in a real Deliverer — a rescuing God, born at a real time, in a real place,” he said.”But the eternal city — with foundations and without cancer — is not yet.”This is a developing story.&nbsp;Nebraska Examiner Reporter Juan Salinas II contributed to this story.

Former U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse announces terminal stage-four cancer diagnosis

By Allison Peck | North Platte Post/Sandhills Post

LINCOLN, Neb. — Gov. Jim Pillen is signaling Nebraska’s support for Union Pacific’s proposed merger with Norfolk Southern, pointing to job growth and the potential creation of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad.

The statement follows Union Pacific’s announcement that it and Norfolk Southern have filed an application with the Surface Transportation Board seeking federal approval. In its submission, Union Pacific projects the addition of more than 500 new managerial positions at its Omaha headquarters.

“With continued investment in its Omaha-based headquarters and the people of this great state, we are proud to support Union Pacific’s efforts to create the nation’s first transcontinental railroad,” Pillen said. “A Nebraska-born and grown business, UP helps our farming and ranching families feed the world and transports the materials that are building the future of our country. Nebraska — a friend to business and perfectly located to serve as a nationwide transportation hub — is proud to be home of UP’s past and future successes.”

Union Pacific’s ties to Nebraska date back more than 160 years. The railroad was created in 1862 after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act, and the company laid its first track in Omaha in 1865. Since then, Union Pacific has maintained its headquarters and long-standing presence in the state.

According to Union Pacific, approval of the merger would reshape freight rail service nationwide by transforming “10,000 existing lanes from interline service into faster, more efficient single-line service – eliminating time-consuming handoffs between railroads.”

The proposed merger now awaits review by the Surface Transportation Board, which will evaluate its potential economic, transportation, and competitive impacts before issuing a decision.

By Allison Peck | North Platte Post/Sandhills Post<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766500797370.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>LINCOLN, Neb. — Gov. Jim Pillen is signaling Nebraska’s support for Union Pacific’s proposed merger with Norfolk Southern, pointing to job growth and the potential creation of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad.The statement follows Union Pacific’s announcement that it and Norfolk Southern have filed an application with the Surface Transportation Board seeking federal approval. In its submission, Union Pacific projects the addition of more than 500 new managerial positions at its Omaha headquarters.“With continued investment in its Omaha-based headquarters and the people of this great state, we are proud to support Union Pacific’s efforts to create the nation’s first transcontinental railroad,” Pillen said. “A Nebraska-born and grown business, UP helps our farming and ranching families feed the world and transports the materials that are building the future of our country. Nebraska — a friend to business and perfectly located to serve as a nationwide transportation hub — is proud to be home of UP’s past and future successes.”Union Pacific’s ties to Nebraska date back more than 160 years. The railroad was created in 1862 after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act, and the company laid its first track in Omaha in 1865. Since then, Union Pacific has maintained its headquarters and long-standing presence in the state.According to Union Pacific, approval of the merger would reshape freight rail service nationwide by transforming “10,000 existing lanes from interline service into faster, more efficient single-line service – eliminating time-consuming handoffs between railroads.”The proposed merger now awaits review by the Surface Transportation Board, which will evaluate its potential economic, transportation, and competitive impacts before issuing a decision.

Pillen Voices Nebraska’s Support for Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern Merger, Citing Jobs and Rail Expansion

By Aaron Sanderford | Nebraska Examiner

Decision follows review of program impact, administrative freeze

By Aaron Sanderford | Nebraska Examiner<h2>Decision follows review of program impact, administrative freeze</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_1105-1536x1024.jpg" alt="&nbsp;Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen talking at St. Teresa Catholic School in Lincoln on Sep. 29. 2025. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen talking at St. Teresa Catholic School in Lincoln on Sep. 29. 2025. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA — On the same day the Greater Omaha Chamber released a report seeking updates to Nebraska business incentives, Gov. Jim Pillen announced plans Monday to restore funding to a state program that invests early in local startups.Pillen’s proposal to restore funding to $15 million for the state’s Business Incentive Act — which provides seed capital for local businesses — reverses course on state money he previously proposed cutting. He originally proposed trims of $5 million a year and directed his Department of Economic Development to evaluate the program’s effectiveness.Earlier this year, the Legislature accepted most of Pillen’s proposed cut. During budget negotiations, lawmakers restored about $1.25 million a year after statewide testimony from business leaders.The state also briefly paused grants under the program late this year, spurring concerns from Nebraska’s startup community.<h2>Research backs funding</h2>Pillen on Monday said his team’s research now backs up what many in the business community had told him about the return on state investment, which strengthened his support for the program.&nbsp;One twist: He wants to shift the state support for the program from general funds to cash funds earmarked for workforce development, which would help the state avoid increasing bottom-line spending tallies in a tight budget cycle. The “general fund” is the state’s main checkbook, mainly sales and income taxes.Pillen said he wants the state to take a greater role in seeding such public-private partnerships with solid returns. The program returns nearly $6 private investment dollars for every $1 of state funds spent, he said.A 2020 study of the program by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Bureau of Business Research found that the program’s investments had created more than 1,100 jobs at an average wage of $67,000.“It’s important to continually assess the performance of any government program to ensure it is making good use of taxpayer dollars,” Pillen said. “We did so, and the result is that we are going to significantly enhance and strengthen this program.”<h2>Chamber grateful</h2>Heath Mello, president and CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, applauded the state’s embrace of the program. His group released a report this week calling on the state to modernize its business tax incentive programs, including this one.&nbsp;The chamber and other business groups say the Omaha and Lincoln areas must grow faster if Nebraska wants to provide meaningful tax relief. They argue that growth needs state help.“We have appreciated the governor’s willingness to collaborate on this issue,” Mello said in a statement. “Nebraska has seen an incredible ROI with this program and this expanded commitment will only accelerate that impact.”Pillen did not directly address the chamber’s push to modernize state incentive programs. He has said previously that he does not want the state to fund what he believes private companies could do themselves.The next legislative session starts Jan. 7.Nebraska Examiner Reporter Zach Wendling and Senior Reporter Cindy Gonzalez contributed to this report.