COUNCIL OKs SOLAR PROJECT THAT WOULD BE STATE'S LARGEST

LINCOLN - The Lincoln City Council on Monday paved the way for a solar farm east of Lincoln that would be the largest in the state.

Council members voted 6-0 to grant a special permit to Ranger Power, a New York-based company that wants to build a 230-megawatt solar farm on roughly 1,100 acres in an area bounded by 128th Street, 148th Street and O Street and Havelock Avenue.

The Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Commission voted unanimously in favor of the permit at its Sept. 4 meeting, but two neighbors opposed to the project appealed that decision to the City Council.

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COMMUNITY ACTIVIST SEEKS TO SUCCEED ERNIE CHAMBERS IN NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE

LINCOLN — Terrell McKinney, a north Omaha native and community activist, is running for the legislative seat now held by State Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha.

McKinney appears to be the first candidate seeking to succeed Chambers, who is barred by term limits from seeking reelection.

This will be the second time Chambers has been term-limited out of office. The longest-serving Nebraska lawmaker left office in 2009 after serving for 38 years in the Legislature. He sat out four years, then won his seat back in 2012 and was reelected in 2016.

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SAPRY COUNTY, NEBRASKA MEDICINE AGREE TO EXPLORE CREATION OF MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS CENTER

OMAHA - Sarpy County and Nebraska Medicine officials have agreed to explore the creation of a mental health crisis center at the Bellevue Medical Center.

The agreement, approved by the Sarpy County Board on Tuesday, is essentially a promise by both partners to continue discussing the possibility of working together on the center. It makes no financial or staffing commitments.

In late August, Nebraska Medicine officials signaled that they were prioritizing building a similar center at the medical system’s campus on 42nd Street in Omaha as opposed to one in Sarpy County.

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OMAHA SEN. CHAMBERS SENDS LONG 'OPEN LETTER' TO NEBRASKA GOV. PETE RICKETTS

LINCOLN - Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers last week delivered a 44-page "open letter" to Gov. Pete Ricketts, calling him out for what Chambers said was a "tell-tale pattern of problematic behavior."

The most serious part of Chambers' complaint, he said, implicates "respect/disrespect for the law, personal and professional integrity, the higher duty of an elected official and moral rectitude.

"If one would land a slippery fish, one must employ a net of finest mesh," he wrote. "Hence this letter, of necessity, must be detail-rich."

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OMAHA WORLD HERALD EDITORIAL: JAPAN AND TAIWAN TRADE NEWS IS POSITIVE, BUT BIG CHALLENGES ARE STILL AHEAD

OMAHA - New trade-related announcements offer a measure of encouragement to the Midlands agricultural sector, which has been hard hit this year by export woes, anemic prices and horrendous weather. Still, big uncertainties remain on the trade front regarding China as well as a new North American trade pact.

On the positive side, Japan has signed a preliminary trade agreement that will end the major price disadvantages U.S. ag producers have faced against foreign competitors. Essentially, the U.S. will face the same tariff levels as members of the trans-Pacific trade agreement from which the Trump administration withdrew in 2017. For example, the new U.S.-Japan pact means U.S. beef producers will no longer face a steep 38.5% tariff in Japan while Australia and New Zealand market their beef exports for far less.

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25-YEAR-OLD CONSERVATIVE MAY CHALLENGE FORTENBERRY IN GOP PRIMARY

LINCOLN - A 25-year-old Republican who describes himself as committed to "conservative virtues and principles" said Tuesday he may challenge Rep. Jeff Fortenberry in the 2020 GOP primary election.

Nicholas Oviatt of Yutan, who earned degrees in economics at DePaul University and the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, said he could bring conservative Republican energy to the House similar to what Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has delivered for liberal Democrats.

"We hear stories about the infamous A.O.C. nearly every day — a freshman congresswoman who, despite her sharp ideological differences with the average Nebraskan, has entered Washington politics on a wave of energy that has propelled her district's agenda into the national spotlight," Oviatt said.

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FUTURE MURKY FOR NEBRASKA CENTER FOR FEMALE JUVENILE OFFENDERS; HHS WORKING ON PLAN FOR GIRLS

GENEVA, Neb. — The future of the troubled state institution for female juvenile offenders in Geneva remains cloudy, nearly six weeks after state officials emptied the facility.

Dannette Smith, CEO of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, told a panel of state lawmakers Wednesday that she is still putting together a plan for serving the teenage girls who were removed from the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center-Geneva.

She had ordered the girls moved to a similar institution for boys in Kearney on Aug. 19, after concluding that staff shortages, inadequate programming and deteriorating buildings had combined to create an urgent situation.

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AS HARVEST BEGINS AND BIOFUEL PLANTS IDLE, ETHANOL BACKERS GROW IMPATIENT FOR DEAL

WASHINGTON — Impatience is growing among Midwestern corn farmers and ethanol plants looking for an official announcement of the long-awaited deal to boost biofuels production.

“Would we like it to happen this week? Sure, we’d like it to happen last week,” said Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association.

At issue is a federal mandate that billions of gallons of ethanol and biodiesel be blended into the nation’s fuel supply, a requirement known as the Renewable Fuel Standard.

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E-CIGARETTES 'NOT AS SAFE AS WE THOUGHT,' WARNS FAMILY OF OMAHA MAN WHOSE DEATH IS TIED TO VAPING

OMAHA - The wife and daughter of a Nebraska man whose May death now is linked to vaping are warning those still using the products.

“The message is, ‘Don’t do this until we know more,’ ” said Kathleen Fimple of Omaha.

John Steffen, Fimple’s husband of nearly 37 years, died May 10 after being hospitalized for what the family believed was pneumonia. His death certificate, Fimple said, listed the cause of death as acute respiratory failure, with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder as a contributor.

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LISA LEE, CANDIDATE FOR DISTRICT 29 SEAT, SAYS PROPERTY TAX REFORM, EDUCATION FUNDING ARE PRIORITIES

LINCOLN — Lisa Lee, who works for a Lincoln nonprofit group, has announced her candidacy for the District 29 seat in the Nebraska Legislature.

Lee, a 57-year-old registered Republican, said her work with the Lincoln Council for International Visitors gives her a unique perspective on the strengths of the state and “where we need to improve.”

She said that property tax reform is the state’s top issue but that it must be aligned with adequate funding of education. Lee, a graduate of the University of Iowa, also said greater investment in workforce development is needed.

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GENEVA RESIDENTS WANT TO SEE ITS YRTC REOPEN, WITH SOME CHANGES

GENEVA — People testifying at a legislative hearing Wednesday painted a verbal picture of the deterioration of the Geneva Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center from the point of view of insiders.

The Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee came to the main street of Geneva, filling a room that held about 80 people, to hear from former center staff, town residents who have volunteered at the facility, board members and the Fillmore County sheriff. The hearing was centered on two interim studies (LR200 and LR103), introduced by Sen. John Lowe of Kearney and Sen. Dan Quick of Grand Island, aimed at staffing for the state's YRTCs and improvement of programming.

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LINCOLN REGIONAL CENTER WILL MAKE CHANGES AS PART OF SETTLEMENT OF WOMAN'S LAWSUIT

LINCOLN - The state of Nebraska has agreed to pay $385,000 to a woman who sued the Lincoln Regional Center for delaying her physician-ordered mammogram for more than a year, then denying many radiation treatments after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

But what is profoundly important about Ruth Cecetka's case and settlement is the significant changes the regional center has agreed to make going forward, one of her lawyers said Wednesday.

"Ruth's case and the settlement that we reached won't just affect her but every single person that is a patient at the Lincoln Regional Center," said attorney Kathleen Neary, who represented Cecetka along with co-counsel Elizabeth Govaerts and Disability Rights Nebraska.

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BOLZ WILL CHALLENGE FORTENBERRY FOR DISTRICT 1 U.S. HOUSE SEAT

LINCOLN - State Sen. Kate Bolz of Lincoln has decided to challenge Republican Rep. Jeff Fortenberry's 2020 re-election bid, centering her message on health care for families and trade opportunities for Nebraska farmers.

Bolz will announce her decision to enter the Democratic primary at a news conference in Lincoln on Thursday afternoon.

The two-term state senator said she does not believe Washington is listening to Nebraska families or Nebraska farmers today.

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SUBSIDIES TOTAL $694M FOR NEBRASKA FARMERS

As the trade war between the U.S. and China drags on, Nebraska farmers have pocketed $694 million in federal payments designed to cushion the blow of tariffs leveled against American ag exports.

The bailout payments were announced by Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue in 2018 to aid farmers, already feeling the sting of low corn and soybean prices, targeted by China during the escalating economic conflict initiated by President Donald Trump.

During the first 12 months of the program — September 2018 to August 2019 — the Market Facilitation Program made 78,621 payments to nearly 40,000 farmers and businesses in Nebraska, according to data provided to the Journal Star through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Farm Service Agency Administrator Richard Fordyce said the voluntary program, which paid $8.5 billion to farmers across the U.S. in its first year, was designed to keep producers in business until the world’s top two economies can strike a new trade agreement.

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CHINA GIVES NEW WAIVERS FOR TARIFF-FREE U.S. SOYBEAN PURCHASES

The Chinese government has given new waivers to several domestic companies to buy U.S. soybeans without being subject to retaliatory tariffs, according to people familiar with the situation.

The companies received waivers for between 2 million and 3 million tons, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the information is private. Some firms already bought at least 20 cargoes, or about 1.2 million tons, from the U.S. Pacific Northwest on Monday, the people said.

The waivers follow a meeting between working-level officials last week in the U.S. and before top negotiators meet next month to try to resolve the trade dispute. China’s commitment to buy more U.S. agricultural products is central to the talks, with President Donald Trump looking to shore up support from American farmers.

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KEARNEY STATE SEN. JOHN LOWE ANNOUNCES REELECTION CAMPAIGN

LINCOLN — Kearney State Sen. John Lowe announced Tuesday that he will seek reelection in 2020.

Lowe, 60, a registered Republican, was elected in 2016, edging Kearney City Council member Bob Lammers.

In a press release, Lowe said that in his first term, he has worked to reduce property taxes by “putting every dollar we can find into the property tax credit relief fund and reducing government spending.”

The senator said he is endorsed by Gov. Pete Ricketts as well as former Gov. Kay Orr and the Nebraska Republican Party.

Lowe, a Kearney small-business owner, introduced bills to protect gun rights and to address staffing and security issues at the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center-Kearney.

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TRADE AGREEMENT WITH TAIWAN COULD ALSO HELP NEBRASKA FARMERS

LINCOLN — Another trade agreement announced Wednesday was trumpeted by Gov. Pete Ricketts as positioning Nebraska to grow its exports to Taiwan.

Taiwan signed letters of intent to buy more than $2.1 billion in U.S. soybeans, corn and distillers grains.

The country last year purchased about $70 million in corn from Nebraska, which was about 5% of the total corn exports from the state. Taiwan was Nebraska’s fifth-largest export market for corn in 2018.

Representatives of the Nebraska corn and soybeans boards signed letters of intent with Taiwanese firms Tuesday evening, according to a press release from the Governor’s Office. The release did not specify how much grain would be purchased from the state, though it said past agreements had resulted in “millions of dollars” of sales.

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STATE SENATORS ASK FOR PUBLIC INPUT AND 'PRESSURE' TO HELP SOLVE HIGH PROPERTY TAXES

OMAHA - A panel of state senators asked for public input, and even “pressure,” on Tuesday to help them solve Nebraska’s decades-old problem of high property taxes.

And those who filled half the seating area at the Omaha Firefighters Hall attempted to oblige, asking lawmakers why the state’s taxes pinch homeowners and landowners harder than in neighboring states like South Dakota and Iowa.

A farm manager from Waterloo provided the most dramatic testimony, saying that property taxes on cropland he oversees have risen by 278% over the past decade and gobble up 36% of the rental income from the property.

The tax burden will drive farmers out of business, said Ed Herlein, who supports shifting the tax load onto sales or other taxes. Before he stepped into the hall Tuesday evening, he signed an initiative petition that — if passed by state voters — would do that, by mandating a 35% state rebate on property taxes to all property owners. Senators have said it would force either drastic cuts in state services or steep increases in state sales and income taxes.

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LEADER LEAVES GREATER OMAHA CHAMBER AFTER 16 MONTHS

OMAHA - The Greater Omaha Chamber’s senior vice president of economic development has left the post, the chamber announced.

Dee Baird came to the Omaha chamber in May 2018. She was hired from the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Metro Economic Alliance and had worked in higher education.

Chamber President David Brown said at the time that her key challenge was attracting more workers to keep up with the Omaha area’s business expansion rate.

Finding enough skilled workers for Nebraska businesses has been described as a “crisis” and “the most pressing economic issue in the state.”

The Omaha chamber is in the second, five-year phase of its Prosper Omaha campaign that, among other things, aims to attract 10,000 new jobs paying $50,000 and above to the metro. The Omaha and Lincoln chambers in June announced an ”Opt In” campaign seeking to lure tech workers from Chicago, Detroit, Denver and Sioux Falls.

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NEBRASKA'S JUVENILE PROBATION SHOWING PROGRESS AT REDUCING SERVICES COSTS, REPORT SAYS

LINCOLN — Nebraska’s juvenile probation system has made progress on reducing the costs of services and increasing the use of home- and community-based services for juvenile offenders in the past few years, according to a new report.

The Legislature’s Performance Audit Committee released a report Wednesday that looked at the system over three years, from July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2018.

The report found that juvenile probation spent $45 million on services for youths in fiscal year 2018, a drop of $9.4 million from the amount spent two years earlier.

According to the report, a reduction in spending on group homes and institutions for treating youths accounted for almost all of the difference. The number of youths sent for such treatment dropped to 231 in fiscal year 2018, down from 424 two years earlier. In addition, the average cost of that treatment declined to $26,459 per youth, down from $33,987.

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