CORONAVIRUS DRIVES UP NEBRASKA’S GAS TAX TO A RECORD HIGH

OMAHA - Starting July 1, the state motor fuels tax is slated to hit an all-time record of 33.2 cents per gallon. That’s up 3.9 cents per gallon from the current level, according to an announcement from the Nebraska Department of Revenue. The new rate will be in effect until Dec. 31.

Vicki Kramer, a spokeswoman for the Nebraska Department of Transportation, said the rate increase is needed to offset the coronavirus-driven loss of revenues for the state’s road-building fund. Gas tax revenues, the largest of the three, dropped by 23% as Gov. Pete Ricketts imposed travel restrictions and pushed for people to stay home to curb the spread of the virus.

Traffic dropped by double-digit percentages between March 15 and June 13, according to Transportation Department officials. At its lowest, during the week of April 12-18, traffic was down 35% from average levels in 2016 through 2018.

View article HERE.

Speaker Jim Scheer's Memorandum on the Legislature's Reconvene

Speaker Jim Scheer has published a memorandum that outlines how the Legislature will reconvene. Among other things, the memorandum states that Senators wishing to speak with lobbyists must exit the Chamber through the back north door and re-enter through the back south door. Further, it states that Senators will want to utilize text messaging, their cellphone (in a phone booth), and their intercom for communications with persons outside the Chamber.

The memorandum can be viewed HERE.

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED ABOUT RECOVERY RATES AND THE LONG-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS OF COVID-19?

WASHINGTON – Rany Conos, a pulmonologist at NYU Langone Health says, “What we're seeing is that many of them, at least at one month of follow up, are still having significant pulmonary complaints, they're short of breath. They're still having chest pain. A lot of them still have abnormal X-rays. Many of them, up to 40 to 50 percent of them, still have abnormalities in their breathing that we can measure. A lot of them are having symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Some of them have anxiety. Some of them are showing signs of depression. And the lung is not the only organ that was involved in this pandemic. Many of the patients have had neurologic abnormalities. A lot of them have kidney abnormalities. We're going to see that there is a significant health care burden that's going to be associated with the COVID pandemic for a very long time.”

View article HERE.

MARCHING BANDS, SHOW CHOIRS CAN PRACTICE AGAIN, BUT UNDER NEW CORONAVIRUS RULES

SCOTTSBLUFF - High school marching bands and show choirs in Nebraska now have a road map for how to hold summer practices and camps. New state guidance released Tuesday strongly recommends that during those activities students practice social distancing and preventive hygiene.

For bands, the guidance recommends that for all drill and on-field formations, students be spaced at least three steps apart, or about 5 1/2 feet. That would mean none of the tight, shoulder-to-shoulder marching formations, at least for now. It also recommends that kids bring their own individual water bottles, no sharing of sheet music, folders or equipment, and no food prepared by band boosters.

Students at show choir camps are advised to keep six feet apart and maintain physical distancing while singing or dancing. That means spacing risers and chairs to ensure social distancing.

View article HERE.

COVID-19 ANTIBODY TESTS NOT RELIABLE RIGHT NOW, BRYAN DOC SAYS

LINCOLN - If you are hoping antibody testing for COVID-19 might be the solution to getting back to normal until there's a vaccine, you're likely to be disappointed.

Dr. Jim Nora, medical director of infection prevention at Bryan Medical Center, said Thursday that antibody tests for the illness are still too unreliable. "COVID-19 serology testing does not work well," Nora said, especially as a diagnostic tool. He said the immune response to the virus is complex and not well understood. For example, many people with COVID-19 are thought to be asymptomatic, Nora said, and those people often don't have a strong immune response to the virus and may produce few or no antibodies. It also takes 10-14 days for those infected with COVID-19 to create antibodies, so if they are tested too early, the test will produce a false negative, he said.

These, among other factors, make the tests unreliable.

View article HERE.

COULD A BARN FULL OF DAIRY CATTLE HELP FIGHT CORONAIVIRUS?

OMAHA - Thousands of people around the world hospitalized with COVID-19 have been treated with what’s known as convalescent plasma donated by people who’ve recovered from the infection.

But a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, biotech firm thinks it has a better alternative to convalescent plasma: A barn full of dairy cattle that are producing human antibodies to COVID-19. The cattle, a Holstein mix, look just like those found on many Midwestern farms. But they’re not your basic bovine. They’ve been genetically modified to have a partially human immune system.

The company then injects them with a noninfectious portion of the novel coronavirus so they produce antibodies to fight it. “We have already shown our antibodies neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the more technical name for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19), and we have already produced a clinical material to be used for our clinical trials,” said Eddie Sullivan, the company’s president and CEO.

View article HERE.

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.

View article HERE.

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.

View article HERE.

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.

Read the full article HERE

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.

View article HERE.

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.

View article HERE.

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.

View article HERE.

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.”

View article HERE.

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.

View article HERE.

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.

View article HERE.