Good afternoon,

Looks like the Trump campaign's last-minute Hail Mary plan to make Nebraska a winner-take-all state in the electoral college may be dead after a key Republican state lawmaker in Nebraska said he does not support this change. It's never a good look when a party afraid of losing tries to change the rules of the game. At the eleventh hour, Republican State Senator Mike McDonnell - a former Democrat – decided that changing election law just 43 days before election day is not in the best interest of voters.

Here are a few important updates in rural America ...

SECURING SCHOOL MEALS FOR KIDS

• Last week, student nutrition and school meals were front and center during a hearing held by the U.S. Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research. The hearing consisted of testimonies from leaders like Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding on behalf of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, Cyrstal FizSimons, interim president of the Food Research & Action Center, and more.

• Research has shown that childhood hunger can have severe and lasting physical and psychological consequences, while also leading to poor outcomes in school. The Senate hearing gave advocates across the country an opportunity to call on lawmakers to expand school meal programs and to hold the federal government accountable on the issue of child hunger.

• One Country Project has always been a staunch supporter of child nutrition programs and protecting our kids and rural communities from food insecurity. According to the Child Hunger in Rural America report, "84% of counties in the U.S. that experience the highest levels of childhood food insecurity are rural." This should no longer be a conversation; our children in rural areas and beyond deserve better.

UNPACKING THE OVERDOSE CRISIS IN RURAL AMERICA

• On a positive note, public health data shows a significant decrease in drug overdose deaths across the country, declining by roughly 10.6%. This is a surprising turn of events given that fatal overdoses have regularly increased in recent years. Experts believe the steep decline is a result of enhanced access to naloxone, expanded treatment programs for opioid use disorder, and increased public awareness about the dangers of synthetic opioids. In Wisconsin, a new program placed naloxone boxes in 19 rural communities to help reduce overdose deaths. According to the CDC, more than 1,700 Wisconsinites died from an overdose in 2023. With more support from local and federal leaders, perhaps more rural states would be able to implement programs similar to the one in Wisconsin and take the opioid epidemic head on.

• While the opioid crisis at large is still very present in American society, it feels as though we may be heading in the right direction to mitigating the crisis. However, there are still countless individuals and families grappling with opioids and struggling. Electing a president and legislators in the upcoming election who take real action to address the opioid crisis and help those with limited access to critical resources is important now more than ever.

• The vice-presidential debate between Tim Walz and J.D. Vance will take place next Tuesday, October 1, 2024.

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