NATIONAL COUNTERTERRORISM PROGRAM, BASED AT UNO WITH $36.5 MILLION IN FEDERAL MONEY, LAUNCHES

OMAHA- Studying, finding, tracking and stopping domestic and global terrorists are the goals of a University of Nebraska at Omaha-based research center that officially took off Wednesday.

UNO won a $36.5 million federal grant this year to serve as the hub of the National Counterterrorism, Innovation, Technology and Education Center. Seventeen other universities will participate through researchers whose expertise in counterterrorism will be supported by the project.

The 10-year grant kicks in today, so the roughly 50 researchers involved across the country can start billing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for their efforts.

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NU BUDGET WILL REMAIN FLAT THIS YEAR AS $43M IN CUTS LOOM ON THE HORIZON

As the University of Nebraska prepares for an estimated $43 million in cuts expected over the next three years, the university system's budget will remain relatively flat. The NU Board of Regents on Friday approved trimming 0.2% from the university's state-aided budget for 2020-21, funded through tuition payments and state appropriations, as it anticipates losses in both revenue sources.

Questions about the safety of students returning to campus amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic continue to linger, leaving some colleges and universities across the country to predict enrollment could plummet by as much as 15%.NU is estimating a 10% drop in the number of international students attending classes at its campuses in Lincoln, Omaha and Kearney this year. Because those students typically pay higher tuition costs, their absence will be felt more on the university's balance sheet.

Furthermore, when the Legislature reconvenes on July 20, lawmakers will likely revise the state budget to align with lower-than-expected tax receipts, meaning NU could lose nearly 4% of the $610 million initially appropriated to it for the coming year.

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INITIAL UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS TICK UP AGAIN IN NEBRASKA

LINCOLN-  According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the state received 4,631 initial claims for the week ending June 27, up 225 from the previous week's claims, which had been the lowest since the pandemic started.The good news is that continuing claims, which lag a week behind initial claims, fell by nearly 300 to 56,955.

Nationally, initial claims continued to decrease, falling 55,000 to 1,427,000. 

In a separate report Thursday, the Labor Department reported that the U.S. added 4.8 million jobs in June, and the national unemployment rate fell to 11.1%.Nebraska's June unemployment rate won't be released until later this month. Its May rate of 5.2% was the lowest in the country.

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NEBRASKA'S LEGISLATURE WILL HAVE A NEW LOOK, BUT THE SAME OLD ISSUES WHEN IT RECONVENES

LINCOLN — The Nebraska Legislature will look very different when lawmakers return to the Capitol later this month.

Clear plastic dividers have been installed between the rows of desks, hand sanitizer will be scattered around and only a few staff will be allowed into the chamber with senators. Balconies will be reserved for senators and the press, while the public and lobbyists will have to stay in the Rotunda.

But for the most part, lawmakers will confront the same issues they were wrestling with before they took a pandemic-induced break, two key lawmakers said Wednesday. “I don’t think in a lot of ways very much has changed,” said State Sen. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln, the chairman of the Legislature’s Executive Board. “We go back to where we were in March.” 

Speaker of the Legislature Jim Scheer of Norfolk joined Hilgers to talk about the rest of the session in a webinar sponsored by the Platte Institute, an Omaha-based think tank. 

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SUPREME COURT GIVES RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS MORE ACCESS TO STATE AID

WASHINGTON — A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday endorsed a Montana tax incentive program that indirectly helps private religious schools, a major victory for those who want to see more public funding of religious institutions.

Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for a conservative majority in the 5-4 ruling, said the Montana Supreme Court was wrong to strike down the program because of a provision in the state constitution that forbids public funds from going to religious institutions. The U.S. Constitution’s protection of religious freedom prevails, he said.

“A state need not subsidize private education,” Roberts wrote. “But once a state decides to do so, it cannot disqualify some private schools solely because they are religious.”

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NEBRASKA MEDICAL MARIJUANA MEASURE LIKELY TO MAKE BALLOT IN NOVEMBER

LINCOLN — Nebraska voters will likely get the chance to vote on a measure to legalize medical marijuana, based on the number of petition signatures that campaign organizers will submit to state officials on Thursday.

Organizers of the Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana campaign said they’ve gathered 182,000 signatures from all 93 counties to allow the drug for medicinal use.To qualify for the ballot, the campaign needed to turn in more than 121,000 valid signatures, representing more than 10% of the voters in the state. Campaign officials also needed to collect signatures from at least 5% of voters in at least 38 Nebraska counties.

“Today represents a huge step forward for thousands of Nebraskans who deserve compassion,” said state Sen. Anna Wishart, of Lincoln, who co-chaired the campaign committee. “We are confident that we’ve met the requirements for ballot qualification, and after seeing the outpouring of support for our petition, we’re even more confident that Nebraska’s voters will approve this initiative in November.

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NEBRASKA GOP CHAIRMAN: PARTY FLYER TARGETING LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATE ‘CROSSED THE LINE’

LINCOLN – Nebraska Republican Party Chairman, Dan Welch, stated that a campaign flyer targeting Janet Palmtag of Syracuse crossed the line. Chairman Welch stated that he hopes the campaigns stick to relevant issues moving forward. The flyer in question criticized Palmtag for opposing Gov. Ricketts’s plan to raise the salary of the director of Nebraska’s prison system. The flyer compared Palmtag to “radical,” Sen. Ernie Chambers, according to the flyer's own language.

The GOP in Nebraska is divided on the legislative race with Gov. Pete Ricketts backing incumbent Sen. Julie Slama and Congressman Jeff Fortenberry supporting Palmtag.

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DEMOCRATS FIGHT FOR RELEVANCE IN RED-STATE NEBRASKA

OMAHA – Only 29% of voters in the state of Nebraska are registered Democrats. That is the lowest that rate has been in 50 years. Additionally, the party urged its U.S. Senate candidate to resign after sexually offensive texts surfaced. Moreover, a recent Democratic nominee for governor endorsed the Republican running in the state’s sole competitive race for the House of Representatives.

Former Nebraska Democratic Party executive director, Paul Landow, stated that something “really crazy” would need to occur for a Democratic candidate to win statewide office.

Although a Democrat hasn’t won all of the electoral votes in a presidential contest since 1964, some Democrats have been competitive in other races. However, they have not remained as competitive in recent years.

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ELWORTH LEAVING DEMOCRATS FOR LEGAL MARIJUANA NOW PARTY

LINCOLN – Mark Elworth Jr., a candidate for Congressional District 3, is leaving the Nebraska Democratic Party. He will be running as the Legal Marijuana Now Party candidate. This comes after a dispute between Elworth and the Nebraska Democratic Party Chair, Jane Kleeb. Elworth stated that the NDP Chair and the NDP at-large refused to support his candidacy.

Kleeb and the NDP are actively seeking a candidate to run in the 3rd Congressional District race.

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PAYCHECK PROGRAM ENDS WITH $130 BILLION UNSPENT, AND UNCERTAINTY AHEAD

WASHINGTON- After a stumbling start three months ago, the government’s centerpiece relief program for small businesses is ending with money left over.

The Paycheck Protection Program is scheduled to wrap up on Tuesday after handing out $520 billion in loans meant to preserve workers’ jobs during the coronavirus pandemic. But as new outbreaks spike across the country and force many states to rethink their plans to reopen businesses, the program is closing down with more than $130 billion still in its coffers.

“The fact that it was able to reach so far into the small-business sector is a major achievement, and those things are worth acknowledging, and celebrating,” said John Lettieri, the chief executive of the Economic Innovation Group, a think tank focused on entrepreneurship. “But we’re still in a public health crisis, and we’re facing a long, slow, uneven return. Millions of businesses still have their survival at risk.”

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TELEHEALTH VISITS DIP AMID UNCERTAINTY

WASHINGTON - Virtual visits have begun to decline after an initial peak in mid-April, according to a new analysis from Harvard and health tech company Phreesia analyzing more than 50,000 clinicians.

Telehealth visits made up about 14 percent of visits during the week of April 19, but that number had fallen to 7 percent in mid-June. Researchers emphasized that despite the decline, telehealth use is still substantially higher than it was pre-pandemic.

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IT IS NOT JUST THE SUNBELT

WASHINGTON - Arizona, Florida, and Texas are states that have hit the brakes on reopening their economies COVID-19 surges once more.

According to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, California may follow. Gov. Newsom warned this week that the state is “prepared” to issue another stay-at-home order if necessary, though adding that “We don’t intend to do that. We don’t want to do that.”

Newsom announced that his administration had advised Imperial County, on the state’s southern border with Mexico, “to pull back and once again reinstitute their stay-at-home orders.” While he emphasized the county would be in control of the process the governor wouldn’t rule out intervening.

View article HERE.

NONPROFITS GET CARES ACT GRANTS

LINCOLN — Humanities Nebraska has awarded $429,217 in CARES Act dollars to 73 Nebraska nonprofit organizations that focus on the humanities as of late June.

Funding has been provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act economic stabilization plan. The funds were intended to help Nebraska museums, historic sites, and other cultural nonprofit organizations that are in need of general operating support in order to continue humanities activities during the COVID-19 crisis.

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UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT KEARNEY CUTS 15 POSITIONS IN FIRST STEP TO OFFSET DEFICIT OF $2.8 MILLION

KEARNEY — The University of Nebraska at Kearney announced more than a dozen staff positions had been cut. This is the first step in overcoming a $2.8 million budget deficit outlined and affirmed by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents.

A total of 15 state-funded salary positions were eliminated Wednesday. Those positions added up to $800,000 in state-funded salary and benefit savings.

UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen said in a press release, “There are few things that are more difficult than sharing the news with colleagues that we can no longer afford their position.”

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BRYAN HEALTH DOWN TO JUST FOUR COVID-19 PATIENTS

LINCOLN - Bryan Health continues to see a steady decline in the number of patients in its hospitals with COVID-19. The health system said Monday that only four people with COVID-19 were hospitalized, and only one patient was on a ventilator. That's the lowest number of ventilated patients since April 13 and the lowest number of overall patients since April 19.

Additionally, Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department Director Pat Lopez said that the decline in hospitalizations is due to an increase in infections of people under 40.

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EDITORIAL: OPS STRIKES A DIFFICULT BALANCE FOR ITS FALL REOPENING. FLEXIBILITY WILL BE KEY

OMAHA – Omaha Public Schools is busy working in an effort to resume classes this fall. OPS has a strategy that “aims to address student and staff health needs, bolster academic instruction from the spring and pay heed to students’ emotional health.

Superintendent Cheryl Logan said, “It is really important for us to be back in school.” However, OPS won’t be able to bring all students back to class on the same days, given the coronavirus threat, crowded buildings and the district’s large population of 54,000 students. Instead, the district will reduce the number of students in the classroom by half by using a combination of in-class instruction on certain days and remote learning on others.

Such accommodations show the need for flexibility — and for further adjustments to meet ever-changing conditions.

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COLUMBUS STATE SENATOR TALKS ABOUT FIVE WEEKS IN HOSPITAL BATTLING COVID-19

LINCOLN – State Sen. Mike Moser represents District 22 that encompasses Platte and parts of Colfax and Stanton counties. Sen. Moser was doing fine until he tested positive for COVID-19. Sen. Moser was admitted to the emergency room at Columbus Community Hospital.

Sen. Moser stated, “At first the symptoms weren’t all that severe, but I suddenly got really winded and couldn’t get my breath back.” On Mother’s Day, Moser was taken to Nebraska Medicine in Omaha, where he spent five weeks under medical care until getting released on June 13. Since then, he’s been back at his Columbus home doing his best to rebound as quickly as possible. But, as he said, it’s a process.

Moser praised the medical teams in Columbus and Omaha for their top-notch service, noting they were all “on the ball” and provided “first-class care."

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‘NEXT FEW WEEKS WILL BE TELLING’ WITH HIGH SCHOOL CONTACT SPORTS ALLOWED TO RESUME WORKOUTS JULY 1

LINCOLN – On Wednesday, high school contact sports will have the ok to resume workouts. Nebraska School Activities Association assistant director, Nate Neuhaus, said that these next few weeks will be especially telling.

NSAA executive director Jay Bellar said the board may have to add a meeting before the next scheduled one in August to address the reopening of NSAA activities. Spring sports were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

As for fan attendance this fall, no plans have been made.

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FLUSHING OUT CORONAVIRUS: WASTEWATER TESTING COULD HELP PREDICT SURGES

OMAHA – Researchers have been collecting rainwater since April with the intention of developing a method to detect signs of the novel coronavirus. This may give public health officials a leg up on responding to the coronavirus if the research is successful.

Shannon Bartelt-Hunt, professor and chair of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, stated that “This might be able to help predict what’s coming and direct where to put testing centers or where to put (other) resources.”

Wastewater monitoring already is catching on in other countries and in parts of the United States. Researchers in the Netherlands, Australia, and now the United States have demonstrated that testing can pick up on the virus about a week before the first clinical case.

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BIOFUELS ENTER IOWA SENATE RACE:

WASHINGTON - Republican Sen. Joni Ernst's Democratic challenger is hammering her in tweets and a new radio spot for her votes to confirm EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, who she says has undermined the federal biofuels program by issuing dozens of exemptions to the Renewable Fuel Standard, Pro's Eric Wolff reports.

Businesswoman Theresa Greenfield, the Democrat trying to unseat Ernst, launched the radio ad Wednesday as part of a statewide buy slamming Ernst for backing Wheeler, who she referred to as a "fossil fuel lobbyist" because of his past work. The attacks followed tweets in which she called for Wheeler to resign and asked Ernst to join her demand.

While Ernst did vote to confirm Wheeler twice, she has a long record of vocally advocating for the RFS, including holding up the confirmation of former EPA assistant administrator Bill Wehrum over what she viewed as the agency's weak support for biofuels.

View article HERE.