OMAHA POLICE UNION CALLS OUT STATE SENATOR FOR COMMENTS ABOUT PROTESTS

Omaha — The Omaha police union is accusing a state senator from Omaha of “shamefully siding with vandals, rioters, and looters” for comments made on Twitter over the weekend. Sen.Tony Vargas criticized local police for their response to demonstrators. Sen. Vargas stated, “It is alarming and unacceptable that peaceful protesters were met with pepper balls, tear gas, and riot gear by officers sworn to protect and serve our community.”

The Omaha Police Officers Association, in turn, called the comments “false, irresponsible, and dangerous.” The union said Vargas was ignoring “criminal activity” that led to the response from authorities. The union also said that law enforcement used force only in response to the “antagonistic lawlessness and the disruptive acts of vandalism and violence that have marred what began as just and peaceful protests.”

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STATE SEN. ERNIE CHAMBERS JOINS GROUP OUTSIDE CITY HALL TO DISCUSS INJUSTICE, PROTESTS AND MORE

OMAHA - On the sixth night of protests in Omaha, Nebraska’s best-known advocate for racial justice, State Sen. Ernie Chambers, visited with about 60 mostly young people outside City Hall about injustice and civic engagement.

Sen. Chambers told those with him that the protests show that “you can have a profound impact.” He also cautioned that “You don’t have to prove anything by knocking out a window.”

Sen. Chambers calls for unfaltering efforts at reconciliation.

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RICKETTS ESTABLISHES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE IN GERMANY

LINCOLN - Theo Freye, a former executive for an ag machinery company headquartered in Germany, will lead economic development efforts for Nebraska in the European country. The decision to create Nebraska Center Germany follows Ricketts' 2019 trade mission to the nation.

Anthony Goins, the state's economic development director said, “We are incredibly pleased to have Theo Freye join the Nebraska Department of Economic Development to lead Nebraska Center Germany at a time when the state is increasingly involved in the country.” This will be Nebraska’s second international office with the first in Japan.

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HOW AMAZON IS BRINGING THE KEYSTON XL PIPELINE ONLINE; TRUMP TAKES AIM AT STATES POWER TO BLOCK PROJECTS

WASHINGTON - Amazon has cemented a partnership with the company that owns the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, recently announcing that TC Energy is “going all-in” on Amazon Web Services. The Canadian pipeline corporation, formerly known as TransCanada, has “migrated almost 90 percent of its corporate and commercial applications” to Amazon Web Services.

AWS released a statement saying, “TC Energy is going all-in on the world’s leading cloud, moving its entire infrastructure to AWS.” The announcement comes just weeks after TC Energy’s long-contested Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry some of the dirtiest, most carbon-intensive oil on the planet from the Alberta tar sands basin to Nebraska, faced a major legal setback when its permit was vacated by a federal judge.

Mitchell Browning, TC Energy’s senior developer for U.S. Real Time Systems, said months earlier at a presentation given at a tech conference held in San Francisco that AWS technology can help TC Energy maximize the profitability of its pipeline networks by combining third-party data sources, weather data, commercial data, and pipeline metered flow data into the AWS machine learning platform.

Additionally, on Monday the Trump administration finalized a rule Monday that takes aim at a powerful tool used by states to block new pipelines and coal export terminals. The final rule limits the types of issues that states can consider when using their authority under Section 401 of the CWA to block a federal permit and sets tight deadlines for them to do so. The rule also allows EPA to overrule a state's permit denial if the agency decides the action was based on issues outside the scope of the state's authority. Environmentalists have planned legal challenges to the rule, which they say conflicts directly with the Supreme Court precedent supporting states' authority under the 1972 water law. The rule will also have major implications for the relicensing of hydropower dams across the country. However, Senator John Barrasso said, “planning legal challenges to the rule, which they say conflicts directly with Supreme Court precedent supporting states' authority under the 1972 water law. The rule will also have major implications for the relicensing of hydropower dams across the country.”

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STATE OFFICIALS BACK FUND TO PLUG ORPHAN WELLS

WASHINGTON - State officials from North Dakota and New Mexico said federal funding for plugging tens of thousands of so-called orphan oil and gas wells would provide jobs to out-of-work energy service employees and reduce water and methane pollution. Some states have articulated that they lack adequate funding to plug and remediate such wells and that an oil market crunch will further exacerbate the problem if failing companies shirk cleanup duties.

Democratic Sen. Heinrich and Representatives Luján and Torres Small called for new federal funding. Daniel Raimi, a senior associate for think tank Resources for the Future, said a $1.4 billion program could create 13,000 jobs. North Dakota Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms backed the concept, noting his state is already using CARES Act funding to put oil and gas workers in the field to plug wells.

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NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION JOINS GOP GOVERNORS CALLING FOR RENEWABLE FUEL WAIVERS

WASHINGTON - The National Wildlife Federation believes EPA's Andrew Wheeler should use the agency's waiver authority to reduce blending requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard. According to the NWF, because the environmental destruction due to the program has been so great, the Renewable Volume Obligation should be lowered.

NWF stated, “Higher blends of ethanol necessitated by unrealistic RVOs diminish public health. In light of the clear and present danger to the environment, we join with the Governors of six states in asking for a waiver to the RVO."

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OMAHA PASTORS WALK OUT ON MEETING WITH GOVERNOR RICKETTS AFTER OFFENSIVE COMMENT; LEAKED AUDIO SHOWS DIFFERENT EXCHANGE

OMAHA – A group of Omaha pastors walked out of a meeting with Governor Ricketts concerning the protests held in Omaha the last few nights. One of the pastors took to Facebook to chronicle why the pastors decided to walk out. The pastor stated, “Pete Ricketts said, 'The problem I have with you people.' Did you hear what I just said? 'The problem I have with you people.' Ladies and gentlemen, I walked out of the Police Chief's office. I walked out on Gov. Pete Ricketts as he said — he called us 'you people.’”

The Governor stated that he chose his words poorly and that he apologized after it became apparent that his diction caused offense. Preston Love Jr. of Black Votes Matter said that the Governor apologized immediately and probably meant “you guys” instead of “you people.” After a release of an leaked audio recording of the meeting shows Ricketts did not use the specific term "you people" during a heated exchange. Instead, the Governor used the phrase, “you guys.”

Nonetheless, the Governor said, “But the point being that I said, you know, 'you guys.' That was not the sensitive way to be able to say it. That was the wrong way to say it.” Ricketts said Pastor Tony Sanders took him aside after the conversation and told him what he said was a trigger for African Americans.

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WILL PROTESTS SET OFF A SECOND VIRAL WAVE?

LOS ANGELES- Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people out of their homes and onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases.

While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. The spontaneous outpouring of protests are occurring as many states have warily begun reopening after weeks of stay-at-home orders with millions of American unemployed. Restaurants, schools, beaches and parks are under scrutiny as the public tentatively practices new forms of social distancing.

In Los Angeles, where demonstrations led to the closing of virus testing sites on Saturday, Mayor Eric Garcetti warned that the protests could become “super-spreader events,” referring to the types of gatherings, usually held in indoor settings, that can lead to an explosion of secondary infections.

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NEW TELEHEALTH STATS SHOW WIDE SUPPORT

WASHINGTON - A post from McKinsey estimates that up to $250 billion of the country's current health care spending could be done virtually, considering patients' rapid adoption of telehealth.

About 76 percent of consumers were highly or moderately likely to use telehealth in the future, according to the consulting firm's recent surveys. Seventy-four percent of people who had used telehealth reported high satisfaction.

Providers are getting on board too. About 57 percent of providers said they viewed virtual care more favorably than they did before the pandemic, and 64 percent said they're more comfortable using it.

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MIDWEST AND PLAINS BUSINESS LEADERS OPTIMISTIC DESPITE CORONAVIRUS, SURVEY SHOWS

OMAHA - The overall index for the Midwest improved in May to 43.5 from April's 35.1, but it remained in negative territory. The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score below 50 suggests decline. A score above 50 suggests growth.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss said the survey shows that the coronavirus outbreak has had a greater impact on businesses tied directly to the consumer and a smaller impact on manufacturers. The monthly survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Dakota.

Nebraska’s overall index for May rose to 43.9 from 36 in April. Components of the index: new orders at 32.9, production or sales at 34.1; delivery lead time at 61.2; inventories at 49.9; and employment at 41.3. Goss said the state’s unemployment rate increased from 4.2% in March to 8.6% in April. The state lost 86,000 jobs in that period.

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BARS ACROSS SOME NEBRASKA COMMUNITIES ALLOWED TO REOPEN STARTING THIS WEEK

OMAHA - People who get off work early in the morning could have a beer and unwind starting at 6 a.m. Monday when bars reopened for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic led to their closure. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts announced last week that bars could reopen at 50% capacity.

In early May, restaurants, gyms and fitness centers, hair and nail salons, barbershops, tattoo businesses and massage studios reopened in 89 of the state's 93 counties. And in all the counties, churches were allowed to hold group services again, dentist offices could reopen for regular visits and elective surgeries could restart.

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CORONAVIRUS CASES HIT 4,300 IN DOUGLAS COUNTY, 14,1010 IN NEBRASKA

OMAHA - Douglas County’s number of coronavirus cases reached 4,300, the county reported Sunday, but there were no additional deaths. The number of cases increased by 127, or 3%, over the 4,173 reported by the county Friday.

Statewide, 14,101 cases and 170 deaths were reported as of Sunday. The state reported that 103,813 people have been tested and in 89,564 instances — 86% — the disease wasn’t detected. Under half of the 376 ventilators available to area hospitals were in use, and only about one-third of those in use were for COVID-19 patients.

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HISPANICS AND ASIAN AMERICANS HIT HARDEST BY CORONAVIRUS IN NEBRASKA, NEW DATA SHOWS

OMAHA - Only 11% of the state’s population is Latino. But those Nebraskans account for half of the coronavirus cases for which ethnic information was collected, as well as 40% of the hospitalizations and one in every five deaths.

Dannette Smith, CEO of Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services, acknowledged that the state’s information is incomplete. No racial or ethnic information was collected on about 30% of coronavirus cases. In another 10% or so, race or ethnicity was listed as unknown. Smith stated, “This is the first time, to my knowledge, we have concentrated on making sure that we are collecting racial and ethnic data.”

Nebraska remains one of only two states that do not regularly report statewide data on coronavirus cases broken down by race and ethnicity, although both the Douglas County Health Department and Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department have posted such data.

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NEBRASKA GAME AND PARKS RESTORES ALL CAMPING AND SWIMMING BEGINNING JUNE 4TH

SCOTTSBLUFF - The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will open more camping opportunities in state parks starting June 4, when previous temporary restrictions on RVs and tent camping will be removed. Designated beaches and swimming areas also will open June 4.

Director Jim Douglas stated, “With high demand for camping and outdoor recreational opportunities, and changes in the state’s Directed Health Measures, we are pleased to restore camping opportunities and allow guests to participate in activities they love – making memories in our parks.”

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WHAT WITHDRAWAL FROM THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION MEANS FOR PANDEMIC RESPONSE

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's plan to make good on his threat to withdraw from the World Health Organization has sparked worry from health experts, Brianna Ehley and Alice Miranda Ollstein report. Trump has criticized the U.N. agency for failing to quickly sound the alarm when the virus emerged and accused it of helping China cover up the threat. Friday's news follows Trump's temporary freeze last month on U.S. funding to WHO.

The American Medical Association, the nation’s largest physician group, urged Trump in the "strongest terms possible" to reverse the decision. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the head of the chamber's health committee, warned canceling U.S. membership could disrupt clinical trials for vaccines that will be in high demand around the world.

The Senator said, "Certainly there needs to be a good, hard look at mistakes the World Health Organization might have made in connection with coronavirus, but the time to do that is after the crisis has been dealt with, not in the middle of it.”

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IN NEBRASKA AND IOWA, CORONAVIRUS IS NATIONAL GUARD’S BIGGEST EMERGENCY RESPONSE IN YEARS

OMAHA - National Guard soldiers and airmen in the Midlands, and across the country, nose-swabbing is one of many unexpected duties they’re performing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 600 members in Nebraska have been put to service.

Across the two states, Guard soldiers and airmen have set up and staffed coronavirus testing sites, delivered medical supplies to hard-hit counties, ferried test samples to laboratories and boxed up supplies for food banks. In both states, the Guard response is the largest for a civil emergency in years, larger even than for the massive floods of 2019. The task force’s most visible presence has been the six mobile testing teams that have deployed around the state to collect test samples and bring them to central laboratories.

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COVID’S GLOBAL MARCH

WASHINGTON - This week the world hit a new milestone, averaging 100,000 confirmed new infections each day. The pandemic’s epicenter has shifted to Brazil. One in every two people taking a test in Brazil is positive, indicating the virus is more widespread than officially acknowledged. Even so, the country averaged 19,000 confirmed new cases each day this week and deaths frequently top 1,000 each day.

On a brighter note, Spain has had only four deaths since Tuesday, a remarkable turnaround for a country that just eight weeks ago peaked at 961 deaths in a single day.

Trump cited alleged control by China of WHO today as his core reason for withdrawing the U.S. from the body. So far, the world is yawning, with no official reactions from other world leaders. Upon U.S. withdrawal, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will become the organization's biggest funders. The Gates provide around 12 percent of WHO’s budget, compared to just 0.2 percent coming from China.

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GOVERNOR RICKETTS ANNOUNCES PLAN TO UTILIZE FEDERAL C.A.R.E.S. DOLLARS

LINCOLN- During the his daily press conference last Wednesday, Governor Ricketts announced how he intends the state to spend the federal CARES dollars distributed to Nebraska. Please note that below is a general outline of what has been announced, and we are happy to answer any questions. More information can be expected in regards to many of these programs/actions in the coming days and weeks. 

The total package of $1.25 billion in relief to Nebraska, is planned to be distributed  into the following categories below. To view the entire powerpoint presented by the governor, please click HERE.

GOVERNMENTS: $180 MILLION

State Government $80million

Local Governments $100million

   - Dollars will be for reimbursement of direct costs associated with COVID including PPE, overtime, sanitizing spaces, dedicated payroll for COVID public safety employees. 

   - Counties, in order to be eligible, must have 'business as usual' by June 8th (open public offices and services)

COMMUNITY CARES PROGRAM: $85 MILLION

Being established by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services

   - Behavioral Health Regions $5million

   - Community Collaboratives $20million

   - Providers/Non-Profits demonstrating increased demand and lower donations $40million

   - Shelters/Housing $20million

SMALL BUSINESSES/LIVESTOCK STABILIZATION: $392 MILLION 

Distributed in $12K grants to all qualified   

   - Small businesses between 5-49 employees

   - Livestock operations between 1-10 employees

REMOTE ACCESS, WORKFORCE RETRAINING, GALLUP: $62 MILLION

Rural broadband development $40million

   - Impacting 26,285 households in 41 communities of 1K-5K in population

Workforce Retraining $16million

   - $1.1K grants for students (up to 12K total)

   - Career Coaches/Admin/Faculty $2.4million

Gallup Training $1million

UNEMPLOYMENT TRUST FUND: $427 MILLION

COMMON CAUSE NEBRASKA RELEASES ANNUAL REPORT OF LOBBYING IN NEBRASKA

LINCOLN - Common Cause Nebraska, a nonpartisan, non-profit watchdog in Nebraska published its annual report on May 20, 2020.

The report states that lobbyists in the state set a record regarding the amount of earnings that they took in. Lobbying expenditures reached $19.3 million, an increase of $1.5 million when compared with the year prior. In total, Nebraska lobby gross earnings for 2019 equaled $19.4 million. Altria Client Services spend the most on lobbying with a 2019 total of $267,287. The University of Nebraska system spent $732,072 in 2019. Others, like the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, spent roughly $96,000.

Kissel Kohout ES Associates is proud to be once again named in the top 6 firms over the past 5 years, and to remain in the top 10 for 2019. It is an honor to serve our clients in front of the Nebraska state government. 

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NEBRASKA ECONOMY FARES BETTER THAN MOST STATES AMID PANDEMIC

OMAHA - Nebraska's economy has been devastated by the coronavirus outbreak and unemployment has surged, but the state has fared better than most of the rest of the nation.

Nebraska’s April unemployment rate was 8.3%. While that is not an optimal number, it is still markedly lower than the nation’s average of 14.7%. Nebraska's unemployment rate was the third-lowest in the country. One reason for the low unemployment rate is that Nebraska’s economy is not dependent on tourism or oil.

The Journal Star furthers that the insurance, banking, and government sectors have largely been spared job losses. Unemployment figures show that only about 1 in every 50 workers in those sectors have lost their jobs. In contrast, the downturn from the virus outbreak contributed to the loss of roughly 1 in every 4 service jobs.

Some companies in the state have said that they may end up increasing the number of employees by the year’s end.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts was one of only seven governors who never issued a statewide stay-at-home order shutting down all nonessential businesses. Instead, he imposed restrictions on a regional basis throughout the state based on the number of infections and hospitalizations in each area.

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