FREMONT, Neb. (KLKN) — Some foods are off the table for SNAP recipients in Nebraska.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins toured Wholestone Farms, a hog processor in Fremont, on Monday alongside Gov. Jim Pillen and Rep. Adrian Smith.

There, Rollins signed a waiver allowing Nebraska to cut some foods from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps.

“This is a historic, novel demonstration project to amend the statutory definition of food for purchase by SNAP recipients,” Rollins said.

SEE ALSO: ‘Pop is not a food group’: Gov. Pillen wants to remove some items from SNAP eligibility

Recipients in Nebraska will no longer be able to buy pop and energy drinks with SNAP benefits.

This makes Nebraska the first state with such a waiver. Some neighboring states are trying to get their own waivers.

Rollins said this will save the government and taxpayers money.

She said SNAP is the “biggest budget driver” at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“It’s about $113 billion annual budget,” Rollins said. “Almost 10% of that, to supplementally provide assistance to those on the lower-income level, has for too long been used to buy things that are not nutritious.”

Pillen said this is an effort to help families eat healthier.

“This is the first step to make sure that we help people that are in a lower socioeconomic status, to make sure they can eat healthy again,” he said. “We’re not going to use government dollars to make people unhealthy.”

HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) – The 88th annual Nebraska Fire School wrapped up on Sunday. Since 1937, the event has been a cornerstone of firefighter education.

Hosted by the Nebraska State Volunteer Firefighter’s Association, the school provides essential training for those who serve their communities.

Around 85% of Nebraska’s firefighters are volunteers, and Grand Island Fire Chief Cory Schmidt said in today’s world, it’s hard to find spare time.

Schmidt respects those who volunteer their time to protect others.

“For a volunteer and the amount of training hours needed to become a safe and effective firefighter, it’s very difficult to balance a personal life, your job, and volunteering, so my hats off to them.“

Over 30 classes are provided at the school, covering a range of topics from fire investigation to leadership skills.

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The Big Ten Conference Baseball Tournament field is set, and 12 teams are embarking to Omaha.

As they do, they are also dissecting their paths to a championship. This year, that path looks a little different.

Instead of a traditional double- or single-elimination bracket, the Big Ten Tournament begins with four pools of three teams. Those three teams play the rest of their pool, with the pool winner advancing to the semifinals. From there, the tournament plays out in a classic single-elimination fashion.

As for ties, as in if all teams go 1-1 in pool play, that goes to the highest seed. This makes it imperative for the seeds 5-12 to not drop a game and leave it up to the tiebreakers.

Different seeds have different days they are playing. Below is the schedule for each seed/team in this year’s tournament.

Based on the time that they play Thursday, the top seed (Oregon) plays its first game after five other teams have finished their pool play. The Ducks get extra rest going into the tournament but then play on four consecutive days.

Every game this week will be broadcast on Big Ten Network. The full schedule of games is below.

May 20 (Pool Play)

May 21 (Pool Play)

May 22 (Pool Play)

May 23 (Pool Play)

May 24 (Semifinals)

May 26 (Championship)

Follow along for results from the entire tournament with our upcoming Big Ten Tournament Central page.

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