TYSON FOODS TO OPEN MEDICAL CLINICS AT SOME MEAT PLANTS

OMAHA- The Arkansas-based company which processes 20% of all beef, pork and chicken in the U.S. plans to open COVID-19 testing clinics near their plants. The pilot program initially will set up seven plants, one of which is in Storm Lake, Iowa. The plants are planning to open the clinics early next year. 

Tyson is joining a long list of companies that either have clinics on their property or provide physicians for checkups for their workers and their families. Clinics help reduce health insurance costs and improves productivity. Tyson says the pandemic showed them just how important these clinics are to ensure their workers are healthy. It is especially pertinent to meatpacking plants workers as coronavirus has been a huge issue because they stand shoulder-to-shoulder for their shifts. 

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents 24,000 Tyson workers in the U.S., praised Tyson's decision to do this. 17,700 meatpacking workers have been infected with the virus and 115 have died according the the Union. Tyson has been sued for putting their workers at risk early in the pandemic. 

Now, Tyson plants put up plastic dividers between workers, handed out protective gear and take temperatures of all employees when they arrive. Now, less than 1% of their workers tested positive this past week. The clinics will be run by Marathon Health and employees will receive no charges for the services. 

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NEW STATE HEALTH MEASURE WOULD ALLOW TEACHERS EXPOSED TO POSITIVE COVID-19 CASE TO KEEP WORKING

LINCOLN- This new directed health measure allows teachers and other school staff to continue working if they've been in contact with a positive COVID-19 case as long as they don't develop symptoms. Teachers and other staff will no longer have to self-quarantine after exposed.They will be required to wear face coverings, social distance and self-monitor twice a day for a fever and other symptoms. This measure does not stop teachers from quarantining if they wish to do so.

Teachers and other school personnel are not technically essential workers, instead they are 'critical infrastructure workers' as defined by the Department of Homeland Security. There has been research suggesting that schools are having to quarantine large numbers of their teachers even though they do not end up getting sick. 

Maddie Fennell, executive director for the Nebraska State Education Association said the measure has created chaos and is only putting more people at risk to get COVID-19. NSEA plans to produce its own guidelines for what teachers should do in the case that they contract the virus. 

School districts have said they will not follow this measure and will instead continue to quarantine teachers in order to protect students and staff. The issue begins when the schools are unable to find substitutes for the infected staff. The substitutes also have not been trained in hybrid teaching with online and in-person learning. LPS is including additional incentives for substitutes such as bonuses and additional compensation because of the extra work involved. 

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RICK GALUSHA: WANT RESPECT? BE LIKE CLARE DUDA

OMAHA- The Prospect Hill Cemetery is a short walk through Omaha's history with headstones bearing names such as Levi Carter, Sorensen, Hitchcock, Hanscom and Buffett. The sense of duty to give back to their community is what makes Omaha philanthropic community special. It is not about having things named after them, rather it is about what they can do to make a change. 

Clare Duda's career as the County Board President just came to an end. To have known Duda was about laughing, smiling and being humble and confident in yourself. Her most proud achievement is the Douglas County Health Center where 250 call it home. She also helped develop the Aksarben area which was about creating jobs. 

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EDITORIAL: OMAHA ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDE IMPORTANT SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMEN

OMAHA- The Open Door Mission recently had their graduation, with 11 people bettering themselves through the New Life Recovery Program. Nebraska has been searching for ways to boost substance abuse treatment efforts for decades. The state began the shift from regional behavioral health centers to community-based services in 2004. Addiction treatment is a huge challenge in Nebraska, any efforts to help should get sustained funding. 

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$220 MILLION SEWER EXPANSION WOULD HAVE OMAHA PROCESS WASTEWATER FROM SARPY COUNTY

OMAHA- Due to massive sewer expansion, a flush from Sarpy County could end up in Omaha. The City of Omaha has said Omaha's system would be able to process the additional waste. The agency behind the project-made up of the mayors from Bellevue, Papillion, La Vista, Gretna, Springfield and the chairman of the Sarpy County Board approved the partnership with Omaha. It still needs to be approved by the Omaha City Council. 

With this partnership, the county will save millions of dollars by using the Omaha treatment plant. Omaha will benefit by receiving more revenue. The total cost is estimated to be $220 million for the project. The first phase of the project won't be completed for at least two years, with the entire project likely taking multiple decades to be finished. 

Eventually, the agency will have to seek out a private company that will build the lift stations that actually get the water to the Omaha plant. Omaha has two wastewater treatment plants, one by the Omaha Veterans Memorial Bridge and the other is close to Offutt Air Force Base. The city is planning a $50 million investment to increase its capacity at the Papillion plant. The project is expected to create 97,000 taxable properties in Sarpy County. 

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RURAL NEBRASKANS REMAIN OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE PRESENT, FUTURE

LINCOLN- Even after the catastrophic events of the flooding last spring and the present pandemic, rural Nebraskans have a positive outlook on their future. According to the 2020 Nebraska Rural Poll, 53% of rural residents said they are better off now than they were five years ago. Optimism has decreased only 3% since before the flooding. They are also have a lot of faith in their communities with 63% of people saying their respective communities have the power to control its own future. 

This poll is the largest survey of rural Nebraskans' on life and policy.

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GRAND JURY TO REVIEW SHOOTING DEATH OF JAMES SCURLOCK NEXT WEEK

OMAHA- A grand jury has been called to investigated whether charges will be brought against Jake Gardner after he shot and killed a protester, James Scurlock, on May 30. The jury will be under guidance of special prosecutor Fred Franklin III. The Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine previously decided to not bring charges against Gardner saying he shot in self defense. Kleine is not afraid of having a grand jury review his decision. 

40 Douglas County residents will be notified with the pool eventually winnowed down to 16 grand jurors and 3 alternates. It takes at least 12 jurors to indict. If Gardner is indicted by the jury he will then be tried in the Douglas County District Court.

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STOTHERT'S VETOES OF MENTAL HEALTH, HEALTH DIRECTOR BUDGET AMENDMENTS WILL STAND

OMAHA- The Omaha City Council fell short on votes to override vetoes by Mayor Jean Stothert over amendments to Omaha's 2021 budget. No council member voted to override the Mayor's veto on a budget to hire a part-time city health director. 

The Council President, Chris Jerram, introduced that amendment so the city would be able to not worry about future directed health measures. The Douglas County Health Director, Adi Pour, chose not to order a mask mandate early in July after the Attorney General challenged her ability to take those measures. 

Another amendment would have taken almost $2 million from cash reserves to pay for more mental health services such as a job program. This money would have come from the Omaha Police Department. This amendment failed on a 4-3 vote. 

The council also voted to approve the city's 2021 budget, which passed in a 5-2 vote.

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MEDICAL MARIJUANA CERTIFIED FOR INCLUSION ON NEBRASKA'S GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT

LINCOLN- Bob Evnen, Nebraska's Secretary of State announced he will allow for the proposal for a constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana will be included on the general election ballot. He says the amendment is legally sufficient and he will not restrict it from the ballot unless ordered by the court. Opponents will be taking the issue to the Nebraska Supreme Court. 

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BUDGET, BANKING CHIEFS LEAVING STATE GOVERNMENT POSTS

LINCOLN- Gerry Oligmueller, veteran state budget administrator will retire in September after 44 years in state government that has included working under six governors. Oligmueller has been the state's chief budget officer since 1995. 

The State Banking Director Mark Quandahl will also be stepping down from his post that he has held for over five years. 

Lee Will, Deputy Budget Administrator will be taking over for Oligmueller and Kelly Lammers, Deputy Banking Director will be replacing Quandahl.

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ERNIE CHAMBERS FALLS SHORT OF SIGNATURES NEEDED TO RUN FOR DOUGLAS COUNTY BOARD

OMAHA— Longtime state Senator Ernie Chambers, who will soon be leaving the Unicameral due to term limits, will not be appearing on the upcoming ballot for a spot on the Douglas County Board. A petition drive to get him on the ballot was turned in to the Douglas County Election Commission on Monday. 

According to the Commission, Chambers needed 2,000 signatures and received 2,499 but 845 of those were rejected, which means less than 2000 signatures were validated. Signatures were rejected due to the signers not being registered in the proper board district, or not being registered to vote in Douglas County.

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NEBRASKA PAYDAY LENDERS TURN TO COURT TO FIGHT BALLOT MEASURE TO CAP LOAN RATES

LINCOLN — People with ties to payday lenders have brought three lawsuits against a ballot measure seeking to cap loan rates for the quick-cash businesses.Brian Chaney of Omaha, who has worked in the payday loan industry, filed the latest legal challenge Monday in Lancaster County District Court. His lawsuit seeks to have the measure taken off the Nov. 3 ballot.

The suit is accompanied by affidavits from 188 people who say they want to withdraw their signatures from the petition to put the measure on the ballot. They claim that petition circulators did not read them the object of the petition, as required by law, and that they do not support the object of the petition.

The 188 live in 10 smaller-population counties. If their signatures were removed, the petition no longer would meet the requirement to have signatures from 5% of registered voters in each of 38 counties. As a result, Chaney’s suit argues, the payday lending proposal does not qualify for the ballot.

Secretary of State Bob Evnen announced last month that the proposal had enough signatures to go before voters at the general election. Supporters collected well over the 85,628 valid signatures needed to qualify.

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MEDICAL MARIJUANA CERTIFIED FOR INCLUSION ON NEBRASKA'S GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT; RICKETTS DOUBLES DOWN ON OPPOSITION TO MEASURE

LINCOLN- Bob Evnen, Nebraska's Secretary of State announced he will allow for the proposal for a constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana will be included on the general election ballot. He says the amendment is legally sufficient and he will not restrict it from the ballot unless ordered by the court. Opponents will be taking the issue to the Nebraska Supreme Court. 

Following the Secretary's announcement, Governor Pete Ricketts doubled down on his opposition to the medical marijuana measure that is expected to be considered on the November General Election ballot.

“There is no such thing as medical marijuana,” Ricketts said during a press conference in Lincoln. “This is not something that would be prescribed by a doctor. It’s not going to be distributed through a pharmacy. These are dispensaries that would be in your communities.” 

Ricketts argued that in other states where it has been legalized, people show up to work “stoned” and are at greater risk for accidents on the job. He also argued that the cognitive development of children is impacted when they have access to marijuana."This is not a benign thing. This is a dangerous thing," Ricketts said.

The comments come as the Nebraska Supreme Court is set to decide whether or not to let voters decide on medical marijuana in the state this November. Supporters of the measure called the legal challenge “a last-minute attempt to derail the precious right of the people.” They are confident the measure will survive the pending legal challenge. 

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OPPD BOARD CHAIRMAN CRAIG MOODY ANNOUNCES BID FOR OMAHA CITY COUNCIL

OMAHA- Craig Moody has announced his campaign for the District 3 seat on the Omaha City Council. Moody owns a small business, Verdi's Group that helps large corporations become more sustainable. His time on the OPPD Board has mostly been spent focusing on green energy initiatives. Because of his work, OPPD set a goal to be a net-zero carbon emitter by 2050. The current President, Chris Jerram will not be running for re-election. 

Moody speaks about how even before the pandemic, a lot of systems and programs have not been working for the people of District 3. He wants to focus on re-crafting budgets and questioning those currently in power. He would like to see more support for boosting diversity, equality and inclusion. He was a part of the group that lobbied to the City Council in 2012 to adopt an ordinance that would protect gay and transgender employees in the workplace. The primary election is April 6th and the general is on May 11th. 

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IN HIS FIRST TV ADS, DON BACON AND KARA EASTMAN FOCUS ON HEALTH CARE

OMAHA- Bacon's first television ad for this election cycle focused only on healthcare. He put out this commercial two weeks after his opponent, Kara Eastman, released an ad about her healthcare plans. Healthcare is the top issue for many Nebraskans right now as the pandemic is still severely impacting many lives. Both ad's make very emotional appeals to viewers, both citing family member's deaths because of health issues in the commercial. 

Bacon plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act with the Republican-led plan to preserve private insurance. Eastman supports 'Medicare for All' that would replace all private insurance with a government-run plan. Experts say Bacon's plan to repeal the ACA will have states mostly relying on their local government rather than following federal standards. 

Bacon's ad can be viewed HERE, and Eastman's HERE

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CHRIS JANICEK WON'T QUIT SENATE RACE; DEMOCRATS EYE WRITE-IN CANDIDATE

OMAHA- Chris Janicek announced Monday his intention to stay in the U.S. Senate race despite the Nebraska Democratic Party's attempts to get him to drop out. The Democratic Party of Nebraska has been asking Janicek to step aside since June when inappropriate text messages he sent came to light. 

Janicek is up against incumbent Ben Sasse in the November 3rd election. Janicek believes he is the only option Democrats have if they want to beat Senator Sasse. Democrats are now looking for a write-in option to replace Janicek, although registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by 200,000. 

Nebraska Democrats originally wanted to put up Alisha Shelton as a replacement for Janicek. Shelton is a mental health practitioner and would have been Nebraska's first black nominee from a major party for Senate. However, she is unable to be a write-in option because she was already defeated by Janicek in the primary. 

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GOVERNOR IMPLEMENTS NEW DIRECTED HEALTH MEASURES FOR INDIVIDUAL COUNTIES, EFFECTIVE TODAY

LINCOLN- Governor Pete Ricketts has implemented new Directed Health Measures across Nebraska effective on September 1st at 12:00AM. These measures impact each county differently, but pull restrictions from all 'phases' of Nebraska's reopening plans. Many communities will see some restrictions on group sizes, and occupancy allowances for venues. Additionally some areas will have new guidance for teachers who come into contact with COVID-19. 

Because of the wide range of restrictions implemented within these DHM's, we encourage you to review them carefully for the areas surrounding your interests. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Joe or Brennen.

The full list of DHM's, in their full text, can be found by clicking HERE

OMAHA MASK REQUIREMENT EXTENDED TO OCT. 20TH, LINCOLN THROUGH SEPTEMBER

OMAHA- Omaha’s mask requirement has been extended to Oct. 20. On  Tuesday the city council voted 5-2 to approve an extension of the current requirement, which was set to expire Sept. 15. The rules of the requirement, which first took effect Aug. 11, won’t functionally change. Masks are required in many public settings where 6 feet of distance cannot be maintained. It includes several other exceptions.

Mayor Jean Stothert has said she won’t veto the council’s decision to extend the requirement.

Lincoln Mayor Gaylor Baird and Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department Director Pat Lopez have said the mask mandate and current local restrictions helped contribute to three weeks where the number of new cases declined. And by continuing the restrictions, the county can avoid a dramatic spike. Wearing masks, frequent hand-washing, maintaining distance and avoiding large gatherings have continued to prove effective, the mayor said.

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NORTHWEST PUBLIC SCHOOLS REQUIRE MASKS

GRAND ISLAND- Started Monday, Northwest Public Schools are requiring all students to wear masks without exception. The Superintendent made this decision after having to quarantine a large number of students last week. Northwest schools are currently at a Tier 2 level but if they get to Tier 4 they will have to shut down again, similar to last springs decision to send all students home. The school will provide masks to students who do not have one. Students must also wear masks on the school buses who will also have masks available. 

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REGION 3 BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES GIVEN FOUR COVID, FLOOD GRANTS

GRAND ISLAND- Region 3 Behavioral Health Services has been given $625,265 in grants for coronavirus and flood support. The grants came from the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency and Federal Emergency Management Agency and it is intended to help communities recover from disasters. 

Region 3 serves 22 counties in south-central and central Nebraska, including Hall County which is around 13% of the state's population. Nebraska Disaster Recovery for Schools also awarded Region 3 with $179,579 in grants. These grants will allow the services to continue training in youth mental health in disaster-impacted counties. The grant will help provide counseling to youth and their families especially impacted by the pandemic. 

The money will also help provide support for mental health and substance abuse needs for adults who have struggled with COVID-19.  

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