MCKEWON: WANT TO INCREASE THE CHANCES OF HUSKER FOOTBALL? WEAR A MASK

OMAHA - Do you want college football in the fall? Wear a mask. Anywhere, everywhere, even when it feels weird. You’ve heard that a lot lately, from various corners of the state and nation. Gov. Pete Ricketts again said so Thursday afternoon. The wear-a-mask admonition is related to the transmission of the coronavirus, and there is data that backs up the argument that a mask will reduce the number of positive COVID-19 tests wherever they’re consistently worn — via mandate or choice.

If you don’t wear a mask and the COVID-19 cases keep rising, or even stay at an alarmingly high rate three weeks from now, there probably isn’t going to be any college football whether you or anyone else thinks it’s safe or not. The leaders running our states, athletic conferences, universities, and the sport at large won’t think it’s safe and they’ll shut it down. Those leaders believe the science. They are worried. And they are in charge.

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COVID SPIKES SCRAMBLE CONGRESS

WASHINGTON - As the U.S. enters its sixth month dealing with the coronavirus pandemic — with cases soaring and unemployment claims hovering in the millions — Congress is again facing a double-barreled dilemma: how to address both the health and economic catastrophes threatening the country.

The two parties are still far apart on solutions. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “of course”  when asked if Congress can pull a massive relief bill together in the coming weeks. But congressional leaders have yet to have serious bipartisan discussions about the next relief package. Democrats point the finger at Republicans, saying they passed a massive relief package in May only to have the GOP-controlled Senate continue to do nothing. Senate Republicans, however, argue that the next package must be more targeted, arguing that billions of dollars that Congress already approved are still unspent.

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REQUIRING MASKS FOR SCHOOLKIDS SPLITS PARENTS, COULD SPARK LEGAL CHALLENGES

OMAHA - School attorneys are prepping for potential legal challenges from Nebraska parents who object to requiring schoolkids to wear masks. Experts have stated that school boards are on firm legal ground to require masks or, if they wish, recommend them.

Ten of 11 metro school districts said they intend to require or recommend that students wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Omaha, Westside, and Ralston districts said they would based on current health conditions, require masks. Springfield Platteview is still working out details of its plan. All said they would make exceptions for students with certain medical or other issues.

However, community feedback in the Westside Community Schools indicated about a 50-50 split for and against requiring masks, officials said. In the Omaha Public Schools, surveys last month showed 40% of students were uncomfortable with the idea of wearing masks, and 42.5% were comfortable with it.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has encouraged people to wear masks when they can’t social distance but has not issued an order requiring students to wear masks in school, nor does he plan any.

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LATINOS IN NEBRASKA HIT DISPROPORTIONATELY HARD BY COVID-19, DHHS DATA SHOWS

LINCOLN- Data released this week by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services illustrate that COVID-19 has hit people of color — particularly Latinos — disproportionately hard. Almost 60% of Nebraskans with confirmed cases identify as Hispanic, though they make up about only 11% of the state’s population. Latinos also account for more than a quarter of the state’s deaths from the coronavirus.

Part of the disparity stems from the fact that meatpacking plants were hot spots for the spread of COVID-19, and they rely on a largely immigrant labor force.

Though Gov. Pete Ricketts and some public health departments declined to identify the number of positive tests connected to specific locations, some companies and health officials chose to release figures. In a late May news conference, Ricketts said 11 meatpacking workers had died of COVID-19.

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UNMC EXPERT: DON'T BE LIKE TEXAS. WE WANT TO AVOID ROLLING BACK NEBRASKA'S REOPENING

OMAHA- It’s not that Dr. Angela Hewlett doesn’t want Nebraskans to have fun or gather with family and friends.

The infectious diseases physician with Nebraska Medicine just wants residents to take a lesson from Texas and do it safely so Nebraska can avoid rolling back its reopening. Texas and more than a half-dozen others have had to do just that in the face of rising coronavirus case counts. 

“Shouldn’t we heed warnings from Texas, where the governor had to walk back on opening due to a surge of COVID-19?” Hewlett wrote recently on Twitter. “The virus will be where people congregate, and bars with no restrictions will most certainly result in outbreaks. We need to do better.” “Even though we’re opening things up,” she said in an interview, “we need to remember that this could really backfire on us and we could end up having to backtrack on opening like they’re doing in Texas and Arizona and other southern states.” 

Hewlett, the medical director of the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, has treated patients with Ebola and people with COVID-19. She said she doesn’t want Nebraskans to become complacent and have COVID-19 take off here as it has elsewhere in the United States.

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NATIONAL GUARD POITNS TO ITS CORONAVIRUS RECORD AFTER INTERNAL COMPLAINT

LINCOLN- An anonymous Nebraska National Guard soldier has reached out to state senators to express concerns about whether Guard personnel are being adequately protected from infection by COVID-19. While the state's adjutant general has provided "clear guidance" on the need to wear masks and practice social distancing, that guidance is "widely ignored by officers and enlisted alike," the person wrote in an email sent Sunday to senators and members of the news media.

Asked to respond to those concerns, Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac, Nebraska's adjutant general, said "we are taking measures to ensure that Guard members are protected (and) while we acknowledge that we can't stop training, it may not be performed as robustly" as a result of the virus.

Twenty-eight members of the Guard have been diagnosed with COVID-19, but not all of those cases are duty-related. No Guard members have been hospitalized. Thirteen have tested positive while on duty, all but one after activation associated with law enforcement during recent civil unrest.   No one who was involved in Guard activities related to COVID-19 testing of Nebraskans at various sites throughout the state or on duty at food banks has tested positive.

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U.S. ADDED NEARLY 5 MILLION JOBS IN JUNE, BUT VIRUS LOOMS LARGE

WASHINGTON-  U.S. payrolls grew by 4.8 million in June, the Labor Department said Thursday. It was the second month of gains after a loss of more than 20 million in April, when the pandemic put a large swath of economic activity on ice.

The unemployment rate fell to 11.1 percent, down from a peak of 14.7 percent in April but still higher than in any previous period since World War II. The rate would have been about one percentage point higher had it not been for persistent data-collection problems, the Labor Department said.

There were still nearly 15 million fewer jobs in June than in February, before the pandemic forced businesses to close. And the survey was compiled in mid-June, before coronavirus cases began to spike in Arizona, Florida and several other states. Economists fear that layoffs could accelerate now that California, Texas and other states have begun ordering some businesses to close anew. 

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NEBRASKA'S CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER SAYS STATE CLOSELY WATCHING COVID-19 SPIKES IN CALIFORNIA, TEXAS

LINCOLN- Nebraska’s coronavirus cases and hospitalization rates have largely plateaued, but state officials are paying close attention to the warning bells ringing in California, Texas, Arizona and a number of other states where cases are spiking.

“Right now, we’re about as stable as we’ve ever been,” said Dr. Gary Anthone, Nebraska’s chief medical officer, during a video call to discuss the coronavirus response of St. Francis Medical Center in Grand Island.“We’re watching things very closely,” he said. “We have to be very vigilant.”

Coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and ventilator use in Nebraska have been on a slow but steady downturn since April and May. Tuesday, 120 people statewide were hospitalized with COVID-19, according to the state dashboard, down from a peak of 232 on May 27.The state averaged about 130 new cases a day last week, 150 the week before and 170 the week before that.

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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.

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