Officials in Iowa and a handful of other states are getting access to a federal immigration database after reaching a settlement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Iowa Attorney General's Office sued the Biden Administration last December, saying they needed to be able to use the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, database in order to keep noncitizens from voting in Iowa elections. Under the agreement approved by the Trump Administration, Iowa leaders will be able to use the SAVE system for the next 20 years. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate previously said nearly 21-hundred non-U.S. citizens may have been registered to vote in the 2024 presidential election. Pate's office has since confirmed that there were 277 noncitizens registered for that election and, of those, 35 successfully cast ballots.
A missing Nebraska man is found safe. The Saunders County Sheriff's Office says 73-year-old James Allen Schlueter was found unharmed in Cass County.The Nebraska State Patrol issued an Endangered Missing Advisory for Schlueter on Sunday night.
Snow operations for major roads in Omaha are now complete. Public Works Department officials made the announcement that snow operations for major routes in the city ended yesterday at 4:00 p.m. Property owners in the city have until today at 4:00 p.m. to clear sidewalks of snow.
Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley is uncovering instances where caregivers are taking advantage of a Medicaid program and improperly billing the state. Foley says some caregivers submit inflated billing and duplicate billing to the state through the Personal Assistance Program. Foley outlined one instance where a caregiver billed the state for client work while she was working as a school bus driver.
Nebraska officials are working to change the state's school funding formula. The Nebraska Department of Education has announced a three phase plan to address the current funding system after a 30-million-dollar error led to the Omaha Public Schools being overpaid. The second phase of the project will start in 2026 with the creation of a new school funding formula to determine the ratio between state and local aid for schools.
The upcoming closure of Tyson Foods' Lexington plant is impacting other companies. Fortrex, who provides sanitation services to the Tyson plant, has announced that services at the plant will end effective January 20th, 2026.The move will impact 139 Fortrex employees. Eligible Fortrex workers will be offered transfers to other facilities in the area.