School, ag advocates largely endorse Nebraska school finance reform proposal
LINCOLN — Education advocacy organizations and the state's largest rural-focused organizations largely endorsed an 'incremental' proposal Monday to reform Nebraska's core school finance formula.
Legislative Bill 303, from State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward and introduced at the request of Gov. Jim Pillen, would bring down maximum school property tax rates by 3 cents, from $1.05 to $1.02.
More state funds would be funneled toward the state's 245 school districts using the state aid formula, the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act (TEEOSA) passed in 1990. TEEOSA includes many funds that amount to a district's 'equalization aid,' based on 'needs' minus 'resources.'
For the 2024-25 school year, 75% of the state's school districts did not receive equalization aid. The Hughes effort continues a push by her and Pillen to increase the number of districts receiving equalization aid. The bill also would increase recently established 'foundation aid,' by 6%, to $1,590 from $1,500 roughly per each K-12 student.
The state would invest nearly $120 million in new state funding over the next two years, which is included in Pillen's recommended budget as a strategic investment, in a year where the state must close a projected $432 million budget deficit.
In addition, LB 303 would create a 15-member School Finance Reform Commission, consisting of superintendents, the state education commissioner, lawmakers and representatives from the Nebraska Department of Education. The goal of that group is to find longer-term solutions.
'This is a little bite at the apple, and I hope we keep making chunks at it as we go forward,' Hughes told the Education Committee, where she serves as vice chair.
Hughes, a former school board member for Seward Public Schools, said school finance has been 'largely left on auto steer for decades.' She said she appreciated Pillen's willingness to start pulling some levers in the formula 'to steer us on a new course.'
Hughes has dedicated her time in the Legislature to school finance reform. In her second year last summer, for Pillen's desired special session, she proposed a 10-year plan to lower maximum property tax rates.
By the end of her 'Lower The Levy Cap' plan, the state would have taken on a majority of operational expenses for schools to reverse increasing reliance on property taxes.
Pillen had a similar goal, but his summer plan sought to take on all operational expenses, eliminating the general fund property tax rate for schools, before lawmakers pivoted to Hughes' model, which fell short in the 17-day special session.
The governor repeated his ambition Monday that the state should fund, but not run, local K-12 schools. He said the state must find a balance among federal, state and local funding.
'School districts often live under uncertain budget circumstances,' Pillen said. 'That's not the way to educate and have a focus on our kids.'
Hughes received widespread support at the hearing, including from the:
Educational Service Unit Coordinating Council (ESUCC).
Greater Nebraska Schools Association (GNSA).
Nebraska Association of School Boards (NASB).
Nebraska Council of School Administrators (NCSA).
Nebraska Rural Community Schools Association (NRCSA).
Nebraska State Educational Association (NSEA).
Schools Taking Action for Nebraska Children's Education (STANCE).
OpenSky Policy Institute.
Nebraska Farm Bureau and the Ag Leaders Working Group with Nebraska Cattlemen, Nebraska Corn Growers Association, Nebraska Pork Producers Association, Nebraska Sorghum Producers Association, Nebraska Soybean Association, Nebraska State Dairy Association, Nebraska Wheat Growers and Renewable Fuels Nebraska.
Nebraska Farmers Union.
Individual school districts: Lincoln Public Schools, Milford Public Schools, Millard Public Schools and Papillon-La Vista Community Schools.
Shane Rhian, chief financial officer for Omaha Public Schools, was the lone opponent testifying against Hughes' bill. He argued the bill would hurt OPS's budget in the near future and amount to 'another erosion of local control.'
Rhian said one variable that could impact OPS the most is the full district might no longer qualify for universal free lunch and breakfast soon, leading to a projected loss in $30 million in state aid, approximately 9 cents for property taxes.
He suggested keeping the current $1.05 lid for property tax rates, keeping foundation aid at $1,500 (which was established in 2023) but reducing the assumed portion that districts could contribute in the TEEOSA formula.
TEEOSA currently sets this 'local effort rate' as the hypothesized value that school districts could contribute as $1 per $100 of valuations in the district. This goes into the 'resources' side of the equation, essentially hurting school districts that have lower tax rates.
Hughes' bill would drop this to 97 cents, in line with her 3-cent drop in the maximum tax lid.
Rhian said it should be 96 cents, without reducing the top tax rate cap, which would put the state on the hook for more funding to schools. It would not lower how much schools can raise in property tax rates.
'We appreciate Senator Hughes and the governor for their commitment to funding public schools and stand ready to be a partner in lowering the property tax burden for our patrons,' Rhian said.
OPS has taken the stance of opposing legislation that could cause the district, the largest in the state, to be more reliant on state funding, earning the ire of some past committee members.
Andrew Rikli, superintendent of Papillion-La Vista Community Schools, the fourth largest district in the state, said dropping the maximum tax rate can provide substantive tax relief.
He and Liz Standish, associate superintendent for business affairs for Lincoln Public Schools, said they appreciated the bill represented an incremental step and that there would be a commission to help understand the complex formula.
'As much as we might want to make a major change, for those of us that work in school finance day to day, there's a lot of moving parts and you get really nervous about unintended consequences really quickly,' Standish said.
Rikli said the commission over time can best monitor and respond to changes as needed, rather than perennial updates since the law's enactment in 1990.
Tim Royers, president of the NSEA, representing 26,000 teachers statewide, recommended including school board members, chief financial officers or frontline educators and not just superintendents. He and Hughes noted the commission will need to fix the proposed group's membership so lawmakers are nonvoting members of the executive branch commission, as required under the constitutional separation of powers.
Royers described LB 303 as 'the best school funding bill to come from the governor's office in at least a decade.'
The NSEA generally stays neutral on TEEOSA-related bills, because of different district-level impacts, but NSEA supports the across-the-board increase in foundation aid.
Pillen created that model to give all districts roughly $1,500 per student. LB 303 would increase that to $1,590 under Hughes bill, while bills from State Sens. Dave Murman of Glenvil and Wendy DeBoer of Omaha could lead to greater foundation aid overall, based on inflation or a district's specific needs.
Colby Coash, on behalf of the school boards association, said his members appreciated the increased state investment in LB 303 for being an 'easily scalable bill.'
'But more than that, and in comparison to what we saw happen in the special session and previous sessions, we think this is a doable piece of legislation and it keeps local control central, which is really important to our members,' Coash said.
Hughes said that if the state has additional funds, such as through a lower-than-projected deficit or increased revenue possibly through sales taxes, it would be used to lower valuations inside TEEOSA. This includes agricultural land, which has seen valuations skyrocket.
State Sens. Tom Brandt of Plymouth and Myron Dorn of Adams, both farmers, partnered with Hughes on her bill. They identified about two dozen 'luxury' items and services, such as dating services or pet grooming, that are currently sales tax exempt that they say could be used to bring in new revenue for tax relief.
Bruce Rieker, senior director of state legislative affairs for the Farm Bureau, cautioned the committee that members must not stop. He noted that in the next two years, property taxes would increase by approximately $600 million, meaning even with LB 303, that's an increase of $475 million statewide.
Hughes said her long-term goal is moving school property tax rates statewide closer together. Over time, she said the state can focus more on student success and teacher or staff retention.
'It is a small step, but it is a step in the right direction,' Hughes said of her bill. 'If we can keep going down this path and whittling away this, I think we can get into a place where we're all in a better spot.'
Dave Welsch, a farmer and current school board president for Milford Public Schools, with more than 33 years of school board experience, told the Education Committee he's worked intensively the past 10 years around the TEEOSA formula.
He said the formula needs to be reviewed every year but encouraged a more comprehensive review and offered what he called 'The Simple Plan.' It seeks to repurpose the 'resources' side of TEEOSA and bring maximum property tax rates down to 45 cents. To do so, Welsch proposes repurposing the state's existing property tax relief programs and finding $240 million.
'LB 303 makes some steps in the right direction,' Welsch said. 'But if you don't have a target to aim at, you're going to miss it every time. Taking small steps, sometimes you get off track.'
2025.26 TEEOSA Model LB 303
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Nebraska ed commissioner reflects on literacy, workforce, fed department
Nebraska Education Commissioner Brian Maher. June 20, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — The Nebraska Department of Education is moving ahead on priorities of literacy, chronic absenteeism and workforce development while navigating an ideologically divided governing board and federal uncertainty. The State Board of Education has selected three legislative priorities for the Education Department through 2027, focused on increasing reading proficiency among Nebraska third graders to 75%, halving the number of school staffing vacancies and halving chronic absenteeism. The State Board hopes to accomplish all three goals by 2030. Nebraska Education Commission Brian Maher says such progress might not be 'intuitive' for the average Nebraskan, considering the 4-4 split on the officially nonpartisan board between registered Republicans and Democrats, which appointed Maher beginning July 2023. However, Maher said the board has done a nice job pulling together, often unanimously, on many important topics, including what he terms 'LAW' — literacy, attendance and workforce — while differences remain. 'The occasional flare-up that might have an appearance of dysfunction really gets noticed, but what doesn't get noticed is all of the conversation, give and take on items of significance, like literacy, attendance and workforce,' Maher told the Nebraska Examiner in late June. Maher said he didn't bring the literacy improvement goal to the table, but he said if he has brought anything, it's a 'tenacity' to advance the 'laser-focused' goal of reading improvement. The state Education Department has also enacted the 'Nebraska Literacy Plan,' which is supported through funds from the Legislature and the federal government. Legislative Bill 1284 of 2024, led by former State Sens. Lynne Walz of Fremont and Lou Ann Linehan of the Elkhorn area, appropriated a few million dollars to employ regional literacy coaches statewide and to mentor teachers in grades K-3 on how to better teach reading. The focus is on training prospective teachers and getting literacy coaches directly in the classroom. Maher said 2015, his last year as Kearney superintendent, was a high-water mark for student achievement, but since then, student test scores have declined. With a focus on the 'Science of Reading,' a methodological research-focused view to teaching reading, Nebraska looks to improve the achievement trend. Maher notes that this was 'by and large' how reading was taught years ago. 'It's a little bit of going back to what we know works,' Maher said. Maher said several educational service units in the state, publicly elected boards to assist and coordinate resources with school districts, have a literacy coach in place. He said the Education Department has met with those coaches to boost consistency statewide. LB 1284 from Linehan and Walz, Maher said, 'planted the seed' for the science of reading and quality coaching in a 'very well-needed' three-year commitment. Maher said the Education Department is also engaging in the 'cross-sector' issue of preparing students in K-12 for 'whatever's next.' That includes higher education partners and also the Nebraska Department of Labor and the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, work that includes developing apprenticeships. While Nebraska's chronic absenteeism rate has flatlined, Maher said, leaders must still reverse high absenteeism rates that 'accelerated' as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic but had been declining before. Maher said there is finally more research on addressing absenteeism, in addition to how a good teacher can make 'all the difference in the world.' He noted that without students in school, it's hard to teach reading and math. 'We've got to find strategies in addition to that teacher who's a unicorn and a pied piper to get kids to come to school,' Maher said. One of the questions Maher is preparing for is what happens if the U.S. Department of Education is eliminated, a goal of President Donald Trump and some congressional Republicans. Maher said he's had good conversations with state colleges, community colleges and the University of Nebraska to ask, 'What if?' He said that has produced a rough 'skeleton plan.' 'I get the question all the time, 'What's going on in Washington, D.C.?' and I really don't know a lot more than the average citizen could know if they followed the reports coming out of D.C.,' Maher said. He continued: 'I tell people … I don't want to panic. I don't want to react on a rumor or an innuendo. I want to react on facts. To this point, I think we've done a really nice job of that. And I think our schools have done a really nice job of that.' On whether eliminating the federal department would be 'OK,' Maher says, 'I need more detail.' For example, what occurs with the Office of Special Education and associated funding, as well as funding for various Title programs that serve some of Nebraska's most vulnerable students. 'If we can get satisfactory answers to those questions, it may make a lot of sense to actually shift some of the decision-making and some of the oversight to the state level,' Maher said. 'I'm certainly not opposed to that happening, but I need a lot more of the questions answered before we dig into that.' Funding has also become tighter on the state level, and Maher said while his department has good relationships with the legislative and executive branches, more money might not always be the solution. Instead, he said support in policymaking and 'having our voice valued,' which he says the NDE voice is, is valuable. 'Let's build from that strength in that relationship that already exists,' Maher said, wanting to focus on efficiency and maximizing current resources and expertise. Maher, 63, announced his candidacy in early July for the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. He did so with the endorsement of all eight State Board of Education members. He and Lincoln entrepreneur Brent Comstock, 29, are the first to announce for the Lancaster County seat. Maher noted the Nebraska Department of Education also includes a broader focus than a traditional definition of public, private and home schools. For example, NDE includes Vocational Rehabilitation and helping Nebraskans with disabilities 'from birth to death,' including how to be employed and maintain employment while working with employers. Maher said the 'dynamic' leadership of the VR division, for example, is 'phenomenal' but also a 'best kept secret' that educational leaders want to highlight more. NDE's Disability Determination Services also helps determine taxpayers' eligibility for Social Security. The State Board of Education and Education Department are now embarking on creating a strategic plan, which Maher said will likely cover five years. The final result will include feedback after about a dozen forums held statewide earlier this year, including in Nebraska City, Omaha, Valentine, McCook and Scottsbluff. The hope is to get the plan approved by the end of the year and ready to go in January, Maher said. He would like it to focus around literacy, attendance and workforce. 'I think if we do those things really, really well, a lot of other things will fall in place,' Maher said. Maher, who played football at Midland University, echoed longtime head football coach and athletic director for the Nebraska Huskers, Tom Osborne, who used to say that if players can block and tackle well, 'winning will take care of itself.' Maher noted the 'waters didn't look perfect' when he returned to Nebraska in 2023 on a 5-3 vote (one Republican and all four Democratic members) after eight years in South Dakota, the past three as the CEO and executive director of the South Dakota Board of Regents. As he entered his latest Nebraska role, the commissioner said he heard a lot about how he would need to pull the ideologically separated board together. The 2024 elections left the same board split 4-4, plus a moderate Republican who sometimes split ties, including on Maher's appointment, declined to seek reelection. She was succeeded by a more conservative member. Maher, a previous superintendent of Kearney Public Schools and Centennial Public Schools, said he received advice when he started that administrative work in 1999: have the audacity to lead, but also remember when the superintendent is the 'hired help.' While he works for the board, Maher said he must develop relationships with each member to figure out what makes them tick, their hot buttons and issues that could be a deal breaker. He said that sometimes means walking away from some issues, too, while making significant progress for Nebraska students in other areas. Along those lines, he offers a third piece of advice: remembering he has 'eight good people' who all fit into the education equation. 'If I can figure out how audacious I should be or when to step back and let the board make board decisions, but yet treat those eight individuals like the quality humans they all are, that can go a long way,' Maher said. Maher said he felt good when, in early June, the State Board of Education extended his contract initially set to end July 2026 to July 2027 in an 8-0 vote. He also received a 3.25% pay bump, to $325,237.50. Maher has pledged to resign as education commissioner if elected regent in November 2026, meaning his tenure could end about six months sooner. The native of Hooper says he tries to use common sense and work hard, and Maher said his passion has 'never wavered, that it is about education' at all levels. 'I've loved every piece that I've been in, and when people ask me how this job is going, I say, 'I love it.' I do,' Maher said. 'Now they think I'm a little bit nuts when I tell them that, but I do, because I think the work is so meaningful, and if you can be involved in education, I just think there's something special about the impact that you can have in that space.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Solve the daily Crossword
CNBC
6 days ago
- CNBC
The race to roll out solid-state batteries is picking up steam again
The race to revolutionize the science of electric vehicles (EVs) is heating up. Often touted as the "holy grail" of sustainable driving, solid-state batteries have long been stuck between theory and the promise of commercialization in the next five to 10 years. A recent flurry of announcements from major automakers and incumbent cell producers appears to have renewed optimism. Solid-state batteries are thought to offer significantly higher energy density than conventional lithium-ion batteries, fueling expectations that they could enable the next-generation of EVs. U.K. research firm Rho Motion has flagged one catalyst for the industry's rejuvenated momentum: the launch of the first oxide-based semi-solid-state EVs by China's Nio and IM Motors in the second half of last year. A long list of key players have since doubled down on timelines for the commercial production of solid-state batteries, with mass output expected before the end of the decade. Some of the car giants jostling for pole position in this push include Germany's Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz Group, Jeep and Chrysler maker Stellantis, China's BYD and Japan's Nissan and Toyota. "Many of the players announcing movement in the space are targeting 2027/28 for commercial production, in many cases initially for semi-solid rather than full solid state," Iola Hughes, head of research at Rho Motion, told CNBC by email. "Semi-solid batteries offer improved energy density and safety over conventional lithium-ion cells and are easier to manufacture, making them a practical bridge toward solid-state technology," Hughes said. "However, they don't match the full performance potential of true solid-state batteries in terms of energy density, compactness, and long-term scalability," she added. Solid-state batteries contain a solid electrolyte, made from materials such as ceramics, as opposed to conventional lithium-ion batteries, which contain liquid electrolyte. Proponents say the technology offers safer, cheaper and more powerful batteries for EVs, while potentially providing faster charging times. Solid-state batteries may also allow Western producers to localize production — thereby weaning themselves away from China's dominant supply chains. Critics have meanwhile typically flagged relatively high production costs, the swelling of the battery during charging and the degradation of the cell after extensive charging. Some carmakers have favored the development of semi-solid-state batteries over solid-state. These cells use a hybrid design of solid electrolyte and liquid electrolyte. BYD and CATL, which already have large-scale cell manufacturing expertise, are thought to have a better shot at delivering solid-state batteries at commercial volumes compared to some of their rivals, Rho Motion's Hughes said. Among Western automakers, Hughes said that the likes of BMW and Mercedes were probably among the frontrunners in the race to roll out the technology. "They're not only investing heavily in R&D and prototype testing but also diversifying their risk through multiple partnerships. Stellantis, for instance, has tied up with Factorial Energy, which is working on semi-solid-state cells — so their first offerings will likely be hybrid technologies rather than true all-solid-state," Hughes said. For its part, Nissan has said it remains on track to deliver solid-state batteries by 2028. "We keep working on it and we keep with the plan. The question is whether the market will be ready for that and at which moment you invest heavily on deploying this kind of technology. This is what we are looking at very closely," Nisaan CEO Ivan Espinosa told CNBC last month. "You don't want to over-engage with investments when the market is not ready to welcome the new volume that you might need to have a healthy business. So, technology-wise, we keep working, and we are on track, but probably we need to have a very careful look at the right moment to start implementing massively in this technology," he added. For some, the prevailing hype over the commercialization of solid-state batteries in EVs has run aground. "Negative sentiment has been exacerbated by Western leaders like VW-backed Quantumscape delaying their product offerings and shifting timelines following persistent technological problems, so the industry feels increasingly Sisyphean despite progress continuing to be made," Connor Watts, battery raw materials analyst at Fastmarkets, told CNBC by email. Derived from Greek mythology, a so-called "Sisyphean" undertaking refers to an endless and futile task. What's more, Watts said improvements in existing technologies has further weakened interest in the continued pursuit of solid-state batteries. CATL, for instance, said in April that it had developed a lithium-ion phosphate (LFP) battery capable of adding 520 km (323 miles) of driving range from just five minutes of charging time. The blockbuster announcement came just one month after BYD surprised the industry by unveiling its own super-fast charging system. Both breakthroughs were seen to cut to the core of range anxiety — the fear that an electric car battery will run out of charge on the road and a major sticking point preventing consumers from switching to an EV.. "The high cost of solid-state batteries becomes more difficult to accept when incumbent technologies begin to see increasingly similar specifications," Watts said. "If the promises of solid-state batteries don't improve while incumbent technologies catch up, the value proposition and investment case weakens significantly," he added.
Newsweek
16-07-2025
- Newsweek
Supreme Court Called to Settle High-Stakes Water Battle Between Two States
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Nebraska is taking its long-standing water feud with Colorado to the nation's highest court, filing a lawsuit with the U.S. Supreme Court over Colorado's water usage from the South Platte River. The move marks the latest chapter in a decades-old dispute between the two states, intensified by climate change and mounting water scarcity across the American West. At a news conference Wednesday, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen and Attorney General Mike Hilgers announced the lawsuit, accusing Colorado of systematically withholding water that Nebraska is guaranteed under a 1923 interstate compact. "It's crystal clear. Colorado has been holding water back from Nebraska for almost 100 years and getting more and more egregious every single day," Pillen said, pointing to Colorado's rapidly growing population. "So today it's really, really simple: We're here to put our gloves on. We're going to fight like heck. We're going to get every drop of water." U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor talk on the House floor ahead of the annual State of the Union address by U.S. President Joe Biden before a joint session... U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor talk on the House floor ahead of the annual State of the Union address by U.S. President Joe Biden before a joint session of Congress at the Capital building on March 7, 2024, in Washington, DC. More Getty Images/AFP According to the lawsuit, Nebraska is being denied up to 1.3 million acre-feet of water that it is legally entitled to. In addition to alleged under-delivery, the suit claims Colorado officials have tried to block Nebraska's efforts to construct the Perkins County Canal, a major infrastructure project designed to divert water from Colorado to Nebraska. The canal would also include a reservoir and would require Nebraska to seize land inside Colorado—an action authorized under the terms of the compact. The water is crucial to Nebraska not only for agricultural production in its southwestern region—an area climate experts predict will become hotter and drier—but also for municipal water supplies in the east. Pillen noted that the city of Lincoln is expected to get 12 percent of its water from the proposed canal. The 1923 compact entitles Nebraska to 120 cubic feet per second of water during the irrigation season (April 1 to Oct. 15) and 500 cubic feet per second in the non-irrigation months. But Hilgers said Colorado has fallen well short of that mark this summer. "Colorado has been shortchanging Nebraska during the irrigation season, allowing only about 75 cubic feet per second of water daily into Nebraska," he said. Hilgers stressed the lawsuit's importance to Nebraska's future: "I think this may be the most consequential lawsuit that this office will be a part of in my generation. It is almost impossible to overstate the importance of the South Platte River to the future of the state of Nebraska." Colorado leaders were quick to respond. In a written statement, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser called the lawsuit "unfortunate" and said Nebraska had failed "to look for reasonable solutions." Colorado Governor Jared Polis also weighed in, describing the claims as "meritless" and denying that Colorado had violated the compact. The South Platte River, which flows from northeastern Colorado into southwestern Nebraska, has been a flashpoint between the states since 2022, when Nebraska announced plans to build the canal. Negotiations over land acquisition and implementation of the compact have stalled since then. "We are at an impasse," Hilgers said. But Weiser countered that Nebraska walked away from diplomacy. "Nebraska's actions will force Colorado water users to build additional new projects to lessen the impact of the proposed Perkins County Canal," he said. "When the dust finally settles, likely over a billion dollars will have been spent — tens of millions of that on litigation alone — and no one in Nebraska or Colorado will be better off." Because the dispute is between two states, the lawsuit was filed directly with the U.S. Supreme Court. Hilgers warned the legal process will be lengthy. "We'll probably have a special master appointed within the next 12 months, and under normal litigation timelines, that's maybe 3 to 5 years before we get a result," he said. However, that won't stop Nebraska from continuing work on permitting and design of the canal during the legal proceedings. Nebraska has a long history of litigation over water rights. In 2002, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas reached a settlement over the Republican River, though disputes persisted and led to additional agreements in 2014. As the climate warms, such legal battles may become more frequent. Dr. Carly Phillips, a research scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said climate change is reshaping the western hydrological cycle. "These patterns are all in the same direction across the board," she said. "The trends are really consistent when it comes to snowpack, stream flow, evaporation and irrigation demand." Higher temperatures are reducing snowpack—the West's main water reservoir—and causing snow to melt earlier, ultimately disrupting stream flows and increasing irrigation needs in agricultural states like Nebraska. This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
