Nebraska
Federal cuts pause Nebraska opioid reduction program
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The 12-month opioid reduction program was introduced in Nebraska hospitals back in September of 2024 as a way to prevent patients who needed painkillers after surgery from developing an addiction to them.
Less than a year later, and as those behind it say work was just beginning, funding for the program has been cut.
The program provided those undergoing an operation in Nebraska hospitals with a nurse before and after surgery, as well as at-home pain relief kits in an effort to prescribe the least amount of opioids to patients possible.
The $3 million of grant money used to fund that program was terminated by the federal government just last week, putting operations on pause. With that money being recalled, the pause on the program in its current form could be permanent.
The program was modeled to last until September 2025 and be implemented on over 4,000 patients. This cut comes just past the halfway point. In that time, those behind it say only 107 patients were able to be helped through it.
“Now you’re stopping it and you’re kind of wasting the money you’ve invested by not finishing the program completely,” Jeremy Nordquist, the president of the Nebraska Hospital Association, who represents more than 90 hospitals in the state, said. “If they wanted to stop it at the end of the fiscal year in September when the program was supposed to be done, and then now renew it after that, that would make a lot of sense. Then, at least you would have a baseline of data that you could use.”
Last Thursday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the cancellation of the funds that this program falls under. That case is still active, and the Nebraska’s opioid program will remain on pause until a final decision on the funding is made.
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LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Like his father, Zack Erstad is a Husker. Erstad, the son of Hall of Fame baseball player Darin Erstad, joined the Nebraska men’s golf program on Tuesday.
Zack signed with the Huskers one month after winning a state championship at Lincoln East. With the Spartans, Erstad was a two-time NSAA champion. He was Class A’s individual runner-up in 2026. The previous year, Erstad claimed the Nebraska Junior PGA Championship title.
Erstad said joining the Huskers is a dream come true. The Nebraska newcomer grew up playing baseball and hockey. However, he focused solely on golf while in high school.
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Nebraska
Hilgers says Nebraska, Colorado water dispute could take years, but Perkins County Canal should progress
It could take years for the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve Nebraska’s water dispute with Colorado. But Attorney General Mike Hilgers said in the meantime, work on the Perkins County Canal should continue.
Hilgers’ comments on Tuesday came one day after the Supreme Court said it will consider Nebraska’s complaints that Colorado’s not sending enough water across the state line on the South Platte River and is blocking Nebraska’s attempt to build a canal to bring more. Hilgers said it could take three to five years for a special master to make a recommendation and the court to decide. And he said while it’s up to the Legislature, it would make sense to proceed with planning and construction on the canal.
“We need to be able to show the court, which is ultimately true, which is Nebraska is committed to doing this. I do see the policy wisdom, but even more importantly… from our perspective, it’s critical from a litigation perspective to really be able to push forward on this,” Hilgers said.
The Legislature has set aside $630 million for the canal. Separate from the court case, the Army Corps of Engineers must still decide whether to issue a permit for the project.
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