Midwest
How a lone Nebraska district could decide the presidential election
A single congressional district in the state of Nebraska could wind up playing a critical role in deciding the outcome of this year’s presidential election.
“It could decide who the eventual winner will be,” Jimmy Keady, president of JLK Political Strategies, a national Republican consulting firm, told Fox News Digital of Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District.
That district, which encompasses Omaha and the Council Bluffs metropolitan area, could play an outsized role in determining the next president thanks to Nebraska’s unique way of dividing up its Electoral College votes. Unlike most states that have winner-take-all systems, Nebraska awards one Electoral College vote to the candidate who wins each of its three congressional districts, while the winner of the state overall receives the remaining two votes.
Nebraska has long been forgotten about in presidential politics thanks to its longtime solidly red disposition, making it a rarely talked about location on a map full of critical swing states.
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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event at IBEW Local Union #5 on Sept. 2, 2024 in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
However, that red reputation does not always hold true in the 2nd Congressional District, which has swung back and forth in recent elections. President Biden took the district and its one electoral vote in 2020, while former President Donald Trump emerged with a victory in the district in 2016. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, won the district during his 2012 bid for president, but former President Barack Obama captured the electoral vote in 2008.
The Second Congressional District’s lone vote has never been the deciding factor in an election, but in a year in which the presidential race looks as close as ever, it could end up playing a decisive role.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump gestures as he departs a campaign event at Central Wisconsin Airport on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 in Mosinee, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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“With swing states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin continuing to be labeled as tossups and a potential 269-269 Electoral College, Republicans should prioritize securing this seat that could get them the necessary 270,” Keady said.
Though such a scenario remains unlikely, a look at the election map shows a path to the Omaha area’s potential deciding role. If Vice President Kamala Harris were to win the “Blue Wall” swing states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, while former President Donald Trump secures all the other swing states of Nevada, Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina, as well as a swing district in the similarly positioned state of Maine, the Electoral College vote would stand at 269-268 for Harris.
A Harris win in the district gets her to the needed 270 and an election victory, while Trump taking the district would result in a 269-269 tie and send an already dramatic election to the House of Representatives.
Playing such a role might just be fitting for the district, which is one of only seven in the country, the Cook Political Report gives a Partisan Voting Index Score of “EVEN,” meaning the district traditionally votes in line with the national electorate.
This map shows a hypothetical situation in which Nebraska’s Second Congressional District holds the key to who wins the election. (270 To Win)
That fact will not be lost on Republicans, Keady argued.
“With the Democrats propping up a nominee that has not earned a single vote on the national stage, Republicans have the opportunity to make a play to win this seat for President Trump,” Keady said. “By staying focused on kitchen table issues that move voters to the right – the economy, illegal immigration, and public safety – Republicans have a good shot at picking up this seat and securing the presidency.”
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Indianapolis, IN
Chase Sexton out for at least another round, Indianapolis Supercross, with practice injuries
Chase Sexton will miss at least one more round of the SuperMotocross World Championship to heal from injuries suffered in practice prior to the Daytona Supercross, the Kawasaki Racing team announced on social media. He will miss Round 9 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Sexton got off to a disappointing start with his new team, finishing eighth in the season-opener at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. He rallied to finish fourth the following week in San Diego after coming out of the gates slowly, and then won his first race with the team in the second Anaheim event.
With a forthcoming off-week following the Indianapolis Supercross, Drew Adams could return in time for the East / West Showdown in Birmingham.
Since then, his best finish has been fifth, which he scored in the Houston Triple Crown event and in Seattle.
After missing Daytona, Sexton is fifth in the championship standings, tied with Justin Cooper at 49 points behind the leader, Hunter Lawrence.
An off-week follows the Indianapolis Supercross, giving Sexton additional time to heal.
Dylan Ferrandis hurt his thumb in a Daytona heat race, but an MRI reveals there are no broken bones.
Cleveland, OH
Man who claims girl found in suitcase is his daughter says he begged courts and CPS for help
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – 19 News spoke with a man who claims he is the father of one of the two little girls found dead and buried in suitcases in Cleveland.
Deshaun Chatman shared that he was overcome with grief and anger as he came to terms with the terrible truth that his 8-year-old girl, Mila Chatman, is dead.
“I’ve been looking for my daughter for five years. I’ve been calling CPS, going to the courts, trying to get emergency custody, calling the police for welfare checks. But they denied all access,” Chatman alleged.
On Monday, she and her half-sister, Amor Wilson, 10, were found dead and partially buried, after a neighbor walking his dog near a field in the area of East 163rd and Midland Avenue called 911 after his dog picked up a scent.
Cleveland police on Wednesday detained a person of interest, whom officers later identified as Aliyah Henderson, 28, near the crime scene.
Records show Henderson was booked into the Cuyahoga County Jail on Wednesday evening.
According to Chatman, the little girl’s mother had been avoiding him and moving around a lot. The last time he said he saw her was when he helped buy clothes for kindergarten.
Chatman told 19 News that he is now working with detectives to prove he was Mila’s father.
“I’m still in contact with the detectives. We’re doing the DNA samples. So I’ll get more details within the next couple of days.”
Chatman visited the site where his little girl’s body was found with 19 News.
“What I’m feeling is hate. I’m not going to lie, I feel hate. I asked you on numerous occasions for my daughter. If it’s too much for you. I just want my daughter,” Chatman said when asked how he felt.
Chatman, so overwhelmed by the sight, needed to be comforted by a friend.
“I don’t get how you can hate your kids enough to kill them. To bury them. To do all this and go right there to that home, right there, and live there when your kids are right here. Go be a mother to another child, while you just killed your other two.”
Now, he tells 19 News that he wants changes to the system, which he said denied him a chance to be a father.
“Change these laws. Make it better. A man do have a say so in their child’s life, married or unmarried,” Chatman said.
19 News has reached out to Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services to learn if it was involved in any way and if Chatman had any contact with the office.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Illinois
Chicago property taxes jump — but unevenly
Some communities saw their bills rise 75% or more.
The median property tax bill for Chicago homeowners rose by a record last year, and some parts of the city saw much steeper increases than others.
The citywide median rise was 16.7%, according to a report from the Cook County Treasurer’s office on bills for tax year 2024.
Many poor communities in Chicago saw the largest increases. In 15 areas on the South and West sides, property taxes shot up 30% because of rising home values. In West Garfield Park, North Lawndale, Englewood, West Pullman and West Englewood, property tax bills rose 75% or more.
Chicago homeowners have suffered in recent years. While property taxes did increase in some Cook County suburbs in 2024, city homeowners felt the bulk of the pain. That’s because assessed values on downtown commercial buildings fell 7.2%, reducing taxes on those properties.
Lower commercial assessments don’t reduce what the city expects to collect in property taxes — it just means homeowners pay a larger share.
Other reasons for Chicago homeowners’ high bills this year included a 6.3% increase in the levy, or what taxing bodies request. That rise was driven by a larger request from Chicago Public Schools and a higher amount earmarked for Tax Increment Financing districts. TIF districts collected 10.4% more year over year in 2024, totaling over $1.3 billion.
For 2024 the total Cook County levy was $19.2 billion, up about 4.8% from the previous year. The Chicago-area inflation rate was closer to 3.5%.
Cook County property taxes have outpaced inflation for a long time. Since 1995, they’ve gone up 181%, from $6.8 billion in 1995 to $19.2 billion in 2024, according to the county treasurer. Adjusted for inflation, that’s a 48% increase. If property taxes had risen on pace with inflation, the 2024 levy would have been $13 billion rather than $19.2 billion.
This rising burden can’t continue. Since 2019, more than 1,000 Cook County homeowners — including 125 senior citizens — have lost their homes and all their equity over a property tax debt smaller than the price of a 10-year-old Chevy Impala.
The U.S. Supreme Court has found the practice of taking more than the tax owed to be unconstitutional, but the Illinois General Assembly has yet to change the law to stop it. Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas delayed the property tax lien sale scheduled for last August, but it’s now set for March.
Of the Illinois residents who moved out in 2024, 95% went to lower-tax states. Lawmakers must reduce the property tax burden. They should cap how long TIFs can last and limit how many times they can be extended. Returning that money to general use would bring much-needed transparency and real property tax relief for Illinois residents.
Also, legislators are allowed to work as property tax appeal lawyers, enabling them to profit from ever-growing tax hikes. Imprisoned former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan did that, as did former Chicago Ald. Ed Burke. This practice should not be prohibited.
The best way to reduce the property tax burden is to reform its largest driver: public-sector pensions. In Chicago, 80% of property taxes go toward its growing pension debt. Rather than seeking to control spending, Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently signed a “pension sweetener” for Chicago police and firefighters that will increase liabilities by $11.1 billion.
Reforming the state constitution would allow for moderate pension changes, increasing the fiscal health of those systems and reducing the property tax burden on Chicago homeowners.
Until changes are made, Cook County homeowners will continue to see their property tax bills climb.
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