NEBRASKA STATE FAIR IS A GO

GRAND ISLAND - The Nebraska State Fair Board voted to hold a 2020 State Fair showcasing 4-H and FFA competitions and exhibitions. While the Fair will look different than it has in the past, providing an opportunity for young people to showcase the work they have been doing throughout the year as it is important to the State Fair and to the future of our state. The 2020 State Fair will include 4-H and FFA livestock competitions, contests, presentations, and static exhibits.

“All events and activities will follow the most up-to-date directive health measures,” said Beth Smith, board chair for Nebraska State Fair. Nebraska State Fair continues to work closely on public health issues with a variety of local and national public health agencies, including the Nebraska Governor, Department of Health and Human Services, Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Central District Health Department and City of Grand Island. Fair organizers will continue to collaborate with these expert partners, watching for any new developments around COVID-19 that would impact the Fair operation, and make modifications accordingly.

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OFFICIALS ADVISE CAUTION AS ‘STEEP UPTICK’ OF CASES EXPERIENCED IN MORRILL COUNTY

SCOTTSBLUFF - Morrill County is experiencing a “steep uptick” in cases of the coronavirus, with seven more cases announced by Panhandle health officials on Thursday. There are currently 34 active cases in the community, many of them tied to a golf event that had been held in the community, PPHD director Kim Engel said. Health officials say that the spread is an example of the reasons that people need to be sure to protect themselves when attending an event and the reasons for directed health measures that limit capacity and require social distancing.

Events from small barbecues to celebrations can put people at risk. Officials shared a graphic that is circulating from the Nebraska Medical Center showing the risk levels of events, ranging from zero to 10. That graphic is available on the PPHD website, and lists activities from doctors appointments to concerts.

Officials also announced a monitoring scale that will list the activity in the Panhandle and a detailed list of recommended guidance. The Panhandle is in the moderate area of the scale, with 120 active cases out of a total of 320 persons who have tested positive for the coronavirus.

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COVID-19 TEST SITE AT 50TH AND G TEMPORARILY CLOSES

OMAHA - A COVID-19 drive-thru test clinic at 50th and G Streets is temporarily closing because of a shortage of supplies, the Douglas County Health Department said in a press release Saturday. Until new materials are obtained, the department said, the clinic will remain closed.

As of Friday, Douglas County totaled 7,386 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. A total of 93 people in Douglas County have died from the virus.

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EDITORIAL: NEBRASKA MUST DO BETTER IN REACHING OUT TO RISK GROUPS ABOUT COVID-19

OMAHA - Fighting the coronavirus requires testing and medical treatment, but it also requires something else: information. Data, that is, about how the disease is affecting individual population subgroups. Armed with that information, health officials can develop the most effective strategies to combat the virus and reduce the overall risk to the public.

Nebraska has been tardy in collecting such data, but last week the state announced its initial findings. The numbers make clear the need for greater public health outreach and testing in the state’s Hispanic communities. Hispanics account for 11.2% of Nebraska’s population but almost 60% of the state’s coronavirus cases and 26.5% of deaths attributed to the virus.

This largely stems from the fact that Hispanics make up a large percentage of the workforce in packing plants. Nebraska has a particular need to increase its public health outreach to, and virus testing for, these communities. Such information is vital in helping people know whether to self-quarantine — and so reduce the community spread — and whether they should be seeking medical help.

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AREA COLLEGES ARE BEGINNING TO RESUME ON-CAMPUS VISITS FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

OMAHA - After about three months of hosting remote tours by computer, some colleges have decided it’s time to offer on-campus visits again to prospective students and their parents. In the competitive world of higher education, colleges seek an edge or don’t want to be left behind. Smaller colleges also generally don’t have to deal with the big numbers of visitors that the University of Nebraska-Lincoln or Iowa State might have to handle when hosting in-person visits. Neither of those institutions has resumed in-person prospective student visits.

However, some fairly large schools, like Creighton and the University of Nebraska at Kearney, plan to start on-campus visits soon or already have begun. They say on-campus tours give them a good trial run for bringing students back for classes in August.

At the University of Nebraska at Omaha, an assistant vice chancellor said by email that “the soonest we would consider resuming in-person visits will likely be in the fall semester.”

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CORONA LOSES ITS COOL

WASHINGTON - As of July’s high temperatures rage across the South and Southwest, so are case numbers — the country topped 50,000 new cases Wednesday, a record high for a single day. These cases are largely the product of higher temperatures. The hotter weather has driven people indoors to cool off. However, the congregation of people in places with poor air circulation provides opportunities for the virus to spread quickly.

“We know from contact tracing that very, very little transmission occurs outside. You have dilution, and the virus is not that stable outside. Indoors is the problem — touching surfaces, and also being in close proximity and rebreathing the air that people have just exhaled without dilution,” Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Edward Nardell said.

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QUESTIONS ABOUT OPS’S PLAN FOR SCHOOL? HERE ARE WHAT OFFICIALS ARE SAYING

OMAHA - Parents, students, and teachers in Omaha are looking ahead and wondering what school will look like in August. Some school districts, such as Millard, Elkhorn, Westside, and Bellevue, have announced that they expect all students will return to in-person classes this year.

The Omaha Public Schools have announced that students will be divided into two groups, with each attending school in-person part of the week. In what the district is calling the “Family 3/2 Model,” students throughout the district would be divided into two groups, each of which would attend school in-person part of the week. Students would be divided into the groups based on the first letter of their last names.

Additionally, curricula are being revised and iPads are arriving for students in five distinct waves. For employees, any employee who tests positive for COVID-19 gets 10 days of paid leave. After that, Wakefield said, the employee’s leave would be used depending on the type of medical treatment required.

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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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