DOUGLAS COUNTY ALLOCATES UP TO $6.2 MILLION FOR MASS VACCINATION AGAINST CORONAVIRUS

OMAHA - A coronavirus vaccine remains at least a few months away, but the Douglas County Board voted Tuesday to allocate up to $6.2 million in federal funds for a mass vaccination program so it can reach the most vulnerable people as soon as a vaccine is ready.

The board granted the County Health Department’s request for $1.3 million for the effort now, and potentially an additional $4.9 million if a vaccine becomes available in 2020.

Health officials want to make sure the vaccine reaches people who have been most vulnerable to COVID-19, including Hispanic and black people and older residents. The goal is to make the vaccine “easily accessible, with no barriers,” Kerry Kernen, the County Health Department’s division chief, said.

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OMAHA RODEO CANCELED BECAUSE OF CORONAVIRUS

OMAHA - The Omaha Rodeo has canceled its event for this year. The rodeo, scheduled for Sept. 25 and 26, was canceled because of concerns surrounding COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Organizers made the decision with the health and safety of fans, contestants, volunteers and the community in mind. The rodeo is planning its 2021 event for Sept. 24 and 25 at the CHI Health Center.

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WHAT WILL COLLEGE LOOK LIKE IN A ‘PANDEMIC WORLD?’

OMAHA - College is a mix of social experimentation and some formal course work. Combined, they help young adults develop and set a course for their life. Of course, there are other ways to find direction and set a course, but the college experience is unique. But with coronavirus affecting many things in our lives, today's students and their parents might be wondering how their college experience will be affected. What is college going to look like in a pandemic world?

The truth is, no one knows. It's likely the social aspects of college will be what's missing. The learning and thinking are being provided in a virtual environment. However, students will continue to learn how to think. The pandemic will help students learn to exercise tolerance. Stress and homesickness will continue to happen. Parents need to fill a new role in their children’s lives.

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DID RICKETTS SHORTCHANGE NEBRASKA’S LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ON COVID AID?

OMAHA - The federal government, through its $150 billion CARES Act relief fund, sent Nebraska $1.25 billion in aid to help cover such expenses. But Gov. Pete Ricketts allocated only about one-fourth of the amount suggested by the federal Treasury Department for reimbursing Nebraska counties, cities, and public utility districts.

Ricketts set aside $100 million for those local governments; a federal guidance document suggested $425 million. The situation is dire for the City of Omaha, which estimates that it may have $90 million to $100 million in virus-related costs by the end of the year. The bulk of that is to finance the entire budgets for the Police and Fire Departments.

Ricketts laid out his allocations on May 28. The biggest were for stabilizing the state’s unemployment insurance fund ($427 million), grants to struggling small businesses and livestock producers ($392 million) and reimbursing state and local governments for their COVID-19 expenses ($180 million). He later generated controversy when he told counties that they won’t get any CARES Act money if they mandated that members of the public wear face masks in county buildings.

The neighboring states of Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming and Kansas — which also got $1.25 billion in CARES Act money to dole out — all provided less than the $425 million recommended for their local governments.

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PAPILLION-LA VISTA PLANS AUG. 11 START BUT BUYS 4,820 LAPTOPS JUST IN CASE

PAPILLION- Parents and students in the Papillion-La Vista Community Schools learned more Monday about their district’s plans for reopening school in the fall. District officials said they plan to start school as scheduled with kids and teachers in classrooms.

“Right now, our expectation is Aug. 11, all kids, all grade levels, every day,” Superintendent Andy Rikli said.

But officials also took action to prepare for possible closures because of COVID-19. School board members approved $1.5 million in technology spending Monday, including the purchase of 4,820 Chromebook laptop computers that could be used if health conditions require buildings to close. One question still to be decided is whether masks would be required for the district’s students and staff.

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ON HYDOXYCHLOROQUINE

WASHINGTON - The National Institutes of Health has halted its study of hydroxychloroquine, concluding the drug President Donald Trump widely touted after a panel of experts concluded it was unlikely to help hospitalized coronavirus patients. Many scientists and public health specialists are worried the whiplash of to-and-fro studies will add static and distraction for a beleaguered public.

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EXTENSION OF EMERGENCY DECLARATION?

WASHINGTON - The nation’s influential hospital lobbying group wants HHS to extend its public health emergency declaration beyond July 25, in a letter Friday.

“While not all areas of the country are seeing large numbers of COVID-19 patients, every hospital and health system is operating in a COVID-19 environment, requiring continued assistance from the federal government,” the group wrote, also setting criteria that could be used as a guide to lift the declaration.

For providers, the emergency declaration has loosened rules on privacy and telehealth reimbursement the industry long contended was holding back more widespread adoption.

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NEBRASKA TAX REVENUE SHORTFALL RAISES BUDGET ISSUES

LINCOLN - The Nebraska Department of Revenue has released the numbers for general fund receipts for May 2020. May’s number was $519 million, 1.2% below the state’s forecast of $526 million.

Most categories fell below the forecast, from 18% for gross corporate income taxes to 4% for gross sales and use taxes. The only category in the black was gross individual income, coming in at 1.5% above forecast.

The Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board projects future numbers to help senators hammer out their state budget. The board’s next regular meeting is in October, but its members have agreed to come back on July 23 to help make new revenue projections.

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NU SYSTEM FACES $43 MILLION SHORTFALL; CUTS EXPECTED AT OMAHA, LINCOLN, KEARNEY CAMPUSES

LINCOLN - University of Nebraska President Ted Carter said Friday he anticipates a $43 million shortfall that he plans to remedy through cuts at four of its campuses.

The university system has seen its finance suffer because of the coronavirus pandemic. Cuts will occur over the next three years, beginning with the budget year 2020-21 at these institutions:

University of Nebraska-Lincoln — 5.5%

University of Nebraska at Omaha — 3.9%

University of Nebraska at Kearney — 3.9%

NU Medical Center — 2.9%

"This could have been so much worse," Carter said after a press conference Friday.

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NEBRASKA OFFERS 13 MORE WEEKS OF UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

LINCOLN - Because of the number of people who have lost jobs either temporarily or permanently due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state is now offering extended unemployment benefits for the first time in nearly 40 years.

The Nebraska Department of Labor said Monday the people who exhaust their regular unemployment benefits and/or Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits will be eligible for an additional 13 weeks of benefits. The weekly benefit amount will be the same as what people received for regular unemployment compensation.

Typically, you can get no more than 26 weeks of unemployment benefits during a 12-month period.

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AS CORONAVIRUS RULES EASE FURTHER, CASES ARE FALLING, BUT NEBRASKA HAS ‘NOT ACHIEVED CONTAINMENT’

OMAHA - Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has previewed a fourth phase of reopening at a yet-to-be-determined future date. And schools, colleges and universities are planning a fall return to the classroom.

Ricketts has said the easing of restrictions is supported by data indicating a declining number of cases of COVID-19 in the state. New daily case counts peaked at 677 on May 7 and generally have drifted downward since then.

Health officials caution, however, that while the decline in cases is good news, the virus is by no means gone. “We have not achieved containment of this virus,” said Dr. Ali Khan, dean of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Public Health. He said, however, that “it is possible with good public health practices.”

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TYSON FOODS CHECKING REPORTS THAT CHINA SUSPENDED POULTRY IMPORTS FROM FACILITY OVER CORONAVIRUS

OMAHA - Tyson Foods is looking into reports that China has suspended poultry imports from a Tyson facility in the United States after coronavirus cases were confirmed among its employees.

A Tyson spokesman said the plant in question is in Springdale, Arkansas. There have been several other COVID-19 outbreaks at Tyson plants around the United States, including in Nebraska, Iowa and North Carolina.

In November, China lifted a five-year ban on U.S. poultry. China had blocked U.S. poultry imports a month after an outbreak of avian influenza in December 2014, closing off a market that brought more than $500 million worth of American chicken, turkey and other poultry products in 2013.

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Q&A: WHAT TO EXPECT AS NEBRASKA EASES CORONAVIRUS RULES TODAY

OMAHA - A total of 89 counties, including the Omaha metro area and Lincoln, will move to what’s considered Phase 3 of reopening, allowing further opening of large gatherings, bars, restaurants, childcare centers and a number of other places.

Ricketts wants to “get Nebraska growing” after the economic hit from the pandemic. The governor’s approach is to reopen step by step, letting each phase prove it can happen safely.

Indoor gatherings can go up to 50% of their rated occupancy. Outdoor gatherings can go up to 75%. But in any case, they can’t exceed 10,000. But within that, individual groups can’t have more than eight people, and groups are suggested to be 6 feet apart. For places that hold 500 or more people, reopening plans or plans to expand to higher capacity must be submitted to the local health department. In Douglas County, that applies to places that hold 1,000 or more.

Restaurants can hold up to 100% of their rated occupancy — up from 50%. Instead of six people in a group, an individual party can go up to eight people. Patrons can now eat food at bar seating. Bar games are allowed.

As of late last week, hospitals around the state had 42% of their beds open and 45% of their intensive care beds available, according to state figures. Plus, 80% of all ventilators were available.

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NEBRASKA TAX RECEIPTS DROP SLIGHTLY IN MAY

LINCOLN - Nebraska’s net tax receipts dropped slightly in May, though budget watchers are still waiting to determine the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on state revenue.

In May, overall tax receipts were down 2.2%, or about $10 million, from the certified forecast made 11 months ago, the Nebraska Department of Revenue reported Monday.However, compared to the revenue forecast that was adjusted upward in February — the forecast used by the Legislature to set the state budget — the tax receipts were down 3.6%, or $16 million.

 A spokeswoman for the Revenue Department said that the full impact of COVID-19 probably won’t be known until after July 15, which is the deadline for payment of state income taxes — a deadline that was pushed back from April 15 because of the virus.

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TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TAKES KEYSTONE DISPUTE TO SUPREME COURT

GRAND ISLAND - The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to revive a permit program that would allow the disputed Keystone XL pipeline and other new oil and gas pipelines to cross waterways with little review.

Earlier this year, a Montana judge suspended the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ permit program when environmental groups seeking to block construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline argued the permit process allows companies to skirt responsibility for damage done to water bodies. Last month, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied an emergency request to block Morris' ruling filed by the U.S. government, states and industry groups.

On Monday, U.S. Solicitor General Noel Francisco asked the Supreme Court to do what the 9th Circuit court wouldn't: block Morris' ruling and let the permit program operate again while the lawsuit plays out in court.

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AN ECONOMIC RECOVERY? IF SO, WHAT IS THE SHAPE? V, W, OR A SWOOSH?

OMAHA - The May U.S. jobs report indicated the nation's economy added 2.5 million jobs, the highest monthly addition on record. This news emboldened the optimists who envisioned a V-shaped recovery, and dampened the pessimists who foresaw a W-shaped economic rebound. Other recent economic indicators support an economic recovery somewhere between the extremes, a Nike Swoosh, which would be a sharp downturn followed by a slow recovery.

Record federal deficit spending via the CARES Act, and the Federal Reserve's support for ultra-low short and long-term interest rates, are punishing savers and rewarding spenders. U.S. equity markets are pricing in an economic revival with expanding business profits indicative of a "V."

Contrary to most recessions, this one was led by the consumer and there is little evidence from consumer spending data of a return to pre-Covid spending levels. State and local regulations have limited most businesses in this industry to approximately 50% of their pre-Covid-19 capacity. This may indicate a Nike swoosh shaped recovery.

Rising U.S. Covid-19 infection and death rates would put a dagger in the heart of any economic rebound. Growth based on federal government deficit spending and Federal Reserve's ultra-low interest rates is not sustainable. The U.S. and global consumers must return to work and spending. State economic lockdowns will guarantee a return to a recession as the economy reaches the top of the V

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U.S. HOUSING SUPPLY HURT BY COVID-19

OMAHA - Covid-19 is hurting the U.S. housing supply. The number of privately-owned housing units authorized by new building permits for the month of April fell to just over 1 million, a decline of 21% from 1.3 million, the revised number for March, and is 19.2% lower than the number of permits for the same month last year

Every U.S. metropolitan area's April unemployment rate increased from March's reading.

U.S. exports and imports both posted their largest monthly decreases on record amid coronavirus-related shutdowns around the world. Imports fell 13.7% in April from March, and exports dropped 20.5%, the largest declines since record-keeping began in 1992.

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PUSH FOR PROPERTY TAX RELIEF STILL ALIVE IN NEBRASKA, DESPITE ESTIMATED LOSS OF STATE REVENUE

LINCOLN - The push for property tax relief still has a heartbeat, despite estimates delivered Tuesday that Nebraska will see a quarter-billion-dollar loss in state tax revenue from federal tax changes enacted because of the coronavirus.

The leader of the push, State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, said that nothing else will be accomplished in the remaining 17 days of the 2020 state legislative session unless a property tax bill is passed.

The senator, who chairs the tax policy-setting Revenue Committee, spoke after state revenue officials delivered some sobering news: Nebraska can expect to see a loss of $250 million in state tax revenue over the next three years because of federal tax changes instituted as part of the CARES Act, enacted by Congress to provide relief from the economic gut punch delivered by the pandemic. That includes about a $126 million loss in the next fiscal year.

Linehan said she thinks she has a path to get a property tax relief bill passed this year, but acknowledged, “I haven’t convinced enough people yet.”

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JUDGE DELIVERS BLOW TO CONTROVIERSIAL SAND HILLS TRANSMISSION LINE PROJECT

OMAHA - A federal judge has delivered a blow to a controversial project to extend a high-voltage, electrical transmission line through Nebraska's Sand Hills. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge William Martinez revoked a federal permit that would have allowed the Nebraska Public Power District to kill or severely disturb the endangered American burying beetle as a consequence of building its R-Line project. The 225-mile, 345-kilovolt transmission line would extend from near Sutherland, northward to Thedford, and then eastward to near Clearwater.

Tom Kent, the chief executive officer of NPPD, said Thursday morning that the ruling will delay but not stop the project. "The project is still very important to the people of Nebraska and critical to improve the reliability of the electrical system," Kent said.

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BLENDING IN

WASHINGTON - EPA will require an extra 500 million gallons of biofuel blending over the next two years under the Renewable Fuel Standard in an effort to meet the requirements of a 2017 court order , two biofuel industry sources told POLITICO. In 2017, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals found that EPA had improperly used waivers to lower blending requirements for years 2014 through 2016, and it told the agency to require 500 million gallons in future rules to compensate biofuel producers.

The agency would add the extra gallons over two years, though the sources weren't sure whether the extra gallons would be part of the annual blending requirements or come as part of supplemental rules. The move would be a boon for biofuel producers who have been struggling because of the drop in fuel demand during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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