LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Pete Ricketts is touting a Nebraska state program designed to promote health and wellness.

Ricketts led a walk around the State Capitol on Monday to encourage residents to exercise regularly and use the NE150 Challenge for motivation.

The NE150 Challenge is a year-long, web-based wellness program that lets participants track their physical activity miles and minutes. Participants earn virtual badges as they meet certain benchmarks. The program created by the Nebraska Sesquicentennial Commission has attracted more than 5,000 residents, and organizers say it will continue under the same name for the foreseeable future.

The NE150 Challenge is free for individuals and families, and companies can join a corporate competition program for $500.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Business and community leaders have formed a group to support the University of Nebraska system as budget cuts loom.

The group is called One Nebraska Coalition. It took out newspaper ads across the state over the weekend as part of its effort to share the good news of the university.

Gov. Pete Ricketts has proposed a midyear cut of 2 percent for the system, the state colleges and many state agencies. They would face another cut, of 4 percent, in 2018-19. State revenue reports have been disappointing for many months.

Former state Sen. Mike Flood is chairman of the coalition’s board, and he told the Omaha World-Herald that the coalition isn’t quarreling with the governor. Rather, the coalition wants to support the system over the long run.

SEATTLE (AP) — Amazon, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, and the New York bank JPMorgan Chase are teaming up to create healthcare company “free from profit-making incentives and constraints.”

Buffett, in a prepared statement Tuesday, called the skyrocketing costs of healthcare in the U.S. the “hungry tapeworm on the American economy.”

The ambitious goal, they say, is in the early planning stages, but the seismic nature of the announcement sent a shockwave through the health industry.

Shares of healthcare companies are falling in early trading.

J.Patrick Keenan will receive Mid-Nebraska Community Foundation’s “Above and Beyond Award” at the Foundation’s “Red & Black” recognition event Friday night, February 2.

Community Foundation president Kimberly Steger praised the personal qualities of Keenan along with his extraordinary commitment to the Community Foundation and to many other community and state organizations.

Keenan has served 14 years on the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors.  He currently serves as Vice President and has been a long-time member of investment and grant committees.  Pat and his wife Kathleen established a charitable fund at the Community Foundation that has helped a great many worthy local causes, Steger said.

Keenen was born in North Platte and graduated from St Pat’s High School and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  For many years, he worked in the soft drink industry at Great Plains Bottlers and Canner until he and his brothers sold the business in 1998.

Keenan currently is manager of Keenan Management LLC which owns and operates hotels and develops commercial property.  Locally he is involved with Hampton Inn, Fairfield Inn and with building a new Tru by Hilton Hotel.

Keenan also serves on the City’s Quality Growth Fund Committee, the statewide Economic Development Strategy Steering Committee and on the Boards of Sandhills State Bank and the Platte Institute for Economic Research.

He is past president of the Nebraska Soft Drink Association, past chair of Board of Great Plains Regional Medical Center and past president of North Platte Development Corporation.

Keenan received the William Booth Award in recognition of over 25 years of services to the Salvation Army, including leadership of the organization’s local Board of Advisors and the campaign to build the local Salvation Army Center.

Pat and his Kathleen were named to the North Platte Catholic Schools’ Wall of Honor for their long-time service and many contributions including leadership in the campaign for building McDaid Grade School and McGahan Activity Center.

Keenan commented, “We have a great community with lots of people doing things that benefit the entire community.  It is tremendous what the funds of the Community Foundation have done to help so many people in this area.”

“We are excited to honor Pat Keenan for how he has supported our mission to help worthy causes.  Both Pat and his wife Kathleen have been remarkable in making this community a better place in many ways,” said Eric Seacrest, Executive Director of the Community Foundation.

On Friday evening, February 2, Mid-Nebraska Community Foundation will hold its annual “Red & Black” buffet event at the Holiday Inn Express.  During the event there will be recognitions and entertainment.  For reservations to attend the event, call 534-3315.

The Community Foundation administers and awards scholarships and grants to nonprofit causes from more than 275 charitable funds, each with its own charitable purpose.

For more information about Mid-Nebraska Community Foundation, contact Eric Seacrest, executive director at: Office 534-3315, Cell 530-3663.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Dentistry will hold its annual Children’s Dental Day next week.

The event provides free dental care to 175 children from seven communities on Friday at the college in Lincoln.

The services provided will include cleanings, extractions, fillings, root canals and stainless steel crowns.

Since 2001, the college has treated more than 6,000 children and provided services valued at more than $3 million to low income and underserved children in the state.

This year, children from Crete, Columbus, Hastings, Grand Island, Fremont, Omaha and Lincoln are expected to attend. Some of the children will be seeing a dentist for the first time.

By GRANT SCHULTE ,  Associated Press

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska taxpayers could end up paying more to the state this year unless lawmakers halt automatic changes that were triggered by the Republican congressional tax plan, including the elimination of popular tax exemptions.

The tax law signed by President Donald Trump would result in an additional $220 million for state government this year, according to the Department of Revenue. The potential cash windfall is already dividing lawmakers, some of whom say the state should use the revenue to help balance the budget.

Nebraska’s system is changing because lawmakers have connected many parts of it to the federal tax code, leading to automatic shifts when Congress passes new tax legislation. A taxpayer’s federal adjusted gross income, which is used to calculate their tax debt, also helps determine their adjusted gross income in Nebraska.

Lawmakers have introduced two bills that seek to negate the effects on most taxpayers, but at least one of the proposals will face resistance from senators who want to use the extra revenue to avoid state budget cuts. Lawmakers face a projected $173.3 million shortfall that they’re required to address.

One measure by Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion would preserve Nebraska’s personal exemption, which taxpayers can claim for themselves and their dependents to reduce their taxable income. The value of each Nebraska exemption was based on the federal exemptions, which were eliminated under the congressional tax plan. Smith introduced the legislation at the request of Gov. Pete Ricketts.

If Smith’s bill passes, Nebraska taxpayers could continue to claim credits for themselves and each of their dependents. For the 2018 tax year, each credit is worth $134.

If lawmakers don’t adjust the state tax system, the credits would vanish. A family of four would then have to pay an additional $536 a year.

“We have to make an adjustment at the state level to make sure families and individuals don’t have that tax increase,” said Smith, chairman of the tax-focused Revenue Committee.

The personal exemption change is by far the largest piece of the federal tax law that would affect state tax collections. Smith’s proposal also makes a series of smaller changes that could affect individual Nebraska tax bills.

A second bill by Sen. Burke Harr of Omaha would keep Nebraska’s personal exemptions but impose income limits on who can qualify. The bill would exclude individuals with a federal adjusted gross income of more than $100,000 and married couples with incomes greater than $200,000.

Harr said the state should keep some of the excess revenue, at least temporarily, until state officials understand how the federal plan will affect Nebraska’s tax collections. He said it’s not yet clear whether the federal changes will prompt taxpayers to change their behavior.

“My bill is trying to hold as many people as possible harmless while acknowledging we’re in a fiscal crunch,” said Harr, a Revenue Committee member. “I think we need to be really cautious about what we do with tax policy based on the federal changes until we understand what all the implications are.”

Smith’s bill is expected to face opposition from state Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln, who argued the federal changes could help state lawmakers balance the budget without making cuts.

Morfeld said he supports “targeted tax cuts” in years when state tax collections aren’t lagging but argued that reducing revenue now could do long-term damage to state agencies and the University of Nebraska. Taxpayers who pay more to the state will still likely see a net savings because of the federal tax cuts, he said.

“I’m not comfortable with anything that cuts revenue when we’re in a revenue shortfall,” he said.

Sen. Paul Schumacher of Columbus said the bills to adjust Nebraska’s tax system will likely get rewritten before the session ends as lawmakers learn more about the federal tax changes. But he said it’s important for lawmakers to act this year.

“It probably would be unfair, particular to lower-income families, to take away their exemptions,” he said. “Something has to be done there.”

Lawmakers should err on the side of caution when deciding how to adjust the state tax system, said Renee Fry, executive director of the OpenSky Policy Institute, a tax policy think tank.

Fry said many of the federal law’s effects on the state remain unclear, and bills that change Nebraska’s tax system could lead to a state revenue loss.

Harr’s bill is a “nice middle ground” that doesn’t raise taxes on low- and middle-income families but gives the state a financial cushion, she said.

“It provides some flexibility if the Department of Revenue’s estimates aren’t spot on,” she said, adding that higher-income families would still get a federal tax cut.

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Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte

LEXINGTON, Neb. (AP) — Farmers in central and western Nebraska can attend a series of conferences next month on topics designed to help them manage their crops better.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Extension service is sponsoring the conferences that deal with topics like measuring soil health, managing pests and improving farm businesses.

The six conferences will be held at different locations throughout the state, including Lexington, North Platte, Hastings, McCook and Holdrege.

For more information, contact Chuck Burr with Nebraska Extension at 308-696-6783.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — University of Nebraska regents have approved a policy designed to make system campuses more conducive to the free exchange of ideas, following a political incident last year.

The proposal adopted Thursday reaffirms the university’s commitment to rights of speech and expression and calls for regular opportunities to teach about the First Amendment. It also requires NU campuses to designate spaces as public forums, limited public forums or nonpublic forums.

The Lincoln campus gained national attention in August when a graduate student lecturer confronted a student who was recruiting for a conservative group.

The regents also approved a statement decrying any legislative efforts to tell the university how it should respond to issues surrounding free speech. Regent Jim Pillen says such legislation would infringe on the regents’ independence under state law.

HEMINGFORD, Neb. (AP) — A 29-year-old Hemingford man has been charged with two felonies after officials say he shot his girlfriend’s dog to death.

Adam Swanson is charged with intentional cruelty to an animal and unlawful discharge of a firearm. He faces three years in prison if convicted.

Box Butte County deputies were called Saturday night to the home. Deputies say Swanson was intoxicated and intentionally shot and killed the dog in its kennel following an argument. Deputies say Swanson admitted during questioning to shooting the dog.

He is free after posting $2,000. His next court appearance is set for Feb. 6.

No attorney is listed for Swanson in online court records. Swanson did not immediately return a message left Friday at a phone listing for him.

NORFOLK, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission seeking information of who is responsible for killing an eagle in northeast Nebraska.

The commission issued a “wanted” poster Friday to alert the public. The poster says an immature eagle was shot 3.5 miles southeast of Norfolk.

Bald eagles are a protected species. Those who kill an eagle are subject to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine, for a first offense. Consecutive offenses can bring much steeper fines and up to two years in prison.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Nebraska Conservation Officer Andrew Heyer at 402-613-2241 or Andrew.Heyer@nebraska.gov.