'WE MISSED YOU': OPS ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS RETURN TO IN-PERSON LESSONS

OMAHA- With the culmination of the first quarter of the school year, OPS students are returning to in-person classes for the first time in over 200 days. Other school districts in the metro have been open for in-person instruction since August. Younger students returned Monday while high school students will return October 19th. Students are able to opt out of in-person instruction and continue with remote learning. An OPS spokeswoman said 21% of students have chosen to continue with all remote learning. 

Schools have been preparing for this since the summer, so school officials are confident they are prepared to teach students safely. 

Read the full article by clicking HERE

COVID TESTS COSTLIER UNDER UTAH CONTRACT WITH STARTUP, AUDIT FINDS

SALT LAKE CITY-  A multimillion-dollar coronavirus-testing contract the state of Utah signed with a startup company ended up costing significantly more per test because fewer people than expected took the tests, according to an audit released Wednesday. The agreement with Nomi Health, which also has similar contracts in Iowa and Nebraska, was for a flat fee and didn’t have a way to scale back if the number of tests was lower than planned, the audit found.

The $7.6 million contract was for up to 3,000 tests per day, which would have made them cost less than other providers, according to the Utah State Auditor. But instead there were only about 540 tests processed per day at TestUtah sites, so each one ended up costing $235 — significantly higher than the $125-per-test average of other testing companies, according to the review.

The state said it was reviewing the audit. Nomi didn’t immediately comment on the findings, which were part of a wide-ranging review of state spending in its response to the pandemic. The sometimes-critical audit comes as Republican Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox weathers criticism about the state's response to the crisis while he runs for governor. The report raised concerns about whether contracts like TestUtah were steered to tech companies that are affiliated with Silicon Slopes, a nonprofit group of tech companies that Cox and Utah Gov. Gary Herbert have “relatively close” relationships with, the audit stated.

Read the full article by clicking HERE

109 NEW CORONAVIRUS CASES REPORTED IN LANCASTER COUNTY; UNMC CHANCELLOR SAYS STATE CAN 'EXPECT AN UPTICK'

LINCOLN- For the second day in a row, Lancaster County reported triple-digit coronavirus cases Thursday as hospitalizations and the community's infection rate remain high. The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department confirmed 109 new COVID-19 cases for a pandemic total of 6,641, but it has not reported any new deaths.

Lincoln hospitals cared for 67 COVID-19 patients Thursday including 41 county residents, and 10 of the 67 patients needed ventilators, according to the Health Department.The rate of positive cases for the week remained over 14%, a level Scott Holmes of the Health Department called concerning last week.

Statewide, there have been 46,185 cases and 493 deaths linked to the disease as of Thursday evening, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.University of Nebraska Medical Center Chancellor Dr. Jeffrey Gold said Nebraska probably can "expect an uptick" in COVID-19 cases as the state moves into the fall season with increased time and activities indoors.

Read the full article by clicking HERE

COVID-19 TEST RESULTS DELAYED BY CYBERATTACK WILL SOON REACH NEBRASKA'S DASHBOARD

OMAHA- The coronavirus numbers displayed on Nebraska’s online data dashboard are expected to change significantly over the next few days as the state adds testing data that was delayed because of the cyberattack on Nebraska Medicine’s computer systems.

The Nebraska Medicine Clinical Lab and the Nebraska Public Health Lab process coronavirus tests and are housed on the Nebraska Medicine/University of Nebraska Medical Center campus. Many of Nebraska Medicine’s computer systems weren’t working after a Sept. 20 cyberattack. During the shutdown, results from tests run through those labs weren’t always being sent to the state’s COVID-19 data reporting system. The state’s COVID-19 dashboard displays key data about the coronavirus around the state, including hospitalizations, how many people are tested per week and how many tested positive. 

A spokeswoman for HHS said several thousand new results will be added, affecting the totals for tests by date, total tests, total positives and positives by date.

Read the full article by clicking HERE

NEBRASKA HEALTH EXPERTS TO WARN OF STRAINED HOSPITAL CAPACITY, AND EMPHASIZE SAFETY MEASURES

OMAHA- Rising case counts and dwindling hospital capacity have moved Nebraska into "a dangerous period" of the coronavirus pandemic, scientists and physicians from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska Medicine said Monday.

In a joint statement, the medical professionals said the decision by state and local leaders to relax restrictions first put into place in March to control the spread of COVID-19 has allowed more people to contract the virus. And now, as flu season approaches, UNMC and Nebraska Medicine professionals warned that hospitals could be overrun if Nebraskans don't take action to slow the spread by wearing masks, avoiding indoor gatherings or large groups, and observing hygiene recommendations.

"The thought of having a flu season and a COVID-19 pandemic on top of it at the same time makes us extremely uneasy," said Dr. Daniel Johnson, the division chief of critical care at Nebraska Medicine.

As the virus began an earlier surge this year, UNMC was at 50% capacity. Now, with case counts "rapidly rising" and a second surge on the horizon, capacity is already at 85%, according to Johnson. Statewide, 35% of hospital beds remain available, according to the COVID-19 dashboard, including 33% of ICU beds and 78% of ventilators.

Read the full article by clicking HERE

RISING TEMPERATURE PUT HEAT ON NEBRASKA'S $7 BILLION CORN INDUSTRY

LINCOLN- Corn farming supports around 23,000 Nebraska farmers and provides $7 billion to the state every year. But scientists are now saying climate change could be taking over the corn business. This threatens Nebraska's economic engine and an important food source for a very hungry world. Tom Hoegemeyer, a former UNL agronomy professor says if it is too hot too early in the day, corn production does not happen. Corn production is projected to drop by at least 20% when climate change really starts to pinch mid-century. 

Every negative climate consequence you could think of lends to the deterioration of corn production that could ensue. If Nebraska does not adapt soon, the economic hit will be severe. 1 in 4 jobs in the state are related to agriculture. According to a report by the WRI, food demand will increase by 50% by the same time that climate change will begin to really take hold of Nebraska's farms. 

Read the full article HERE

NEBRASKA'S WILDLIFE ALREADY FEELING THE HEAT FROM CLIMATE CHANGE

OMAHA- Hotter weather from climate change increases water evaporation, which turns streams into shallow ponds, causing fish and other aquatic animals to overheat or not be able to breathe. UNL professor of fish physiology recognized that issue while in undergraduate studies in California. Now, in Nebraska, she is noticing the same issue begin. 

Shifts in climate are easy to recognize in places like California, which has been suffering from drought for years now. The droughts have been accompanied by wildfires and mudslides. The impacts of climate change in Nebraska are not as easy to see. As these ecosystems begin to deteriorate so will economic opportunities for the state such as fewer hunting, fishing and tourism experiences. One of the most popular tourism spots within the state is the migration of the sandhill cranes, which will start to drastically change or stop soon. 

According to UNL's climate study, 2012 was the hottest and driest year Nebraska had experienced since 1895. Now, these temperatures will become the normal by 2041 at the earliest. In 2012 alone 6,000 deer died from diseases that only happen during droughts. This forced the deer harvest to drop by 25%-30%.  In 2016 wildlife viewing brought in $722 million to Nebraska while hunting and fishing brought in over $1 billion. 

Read the full article HERE

LINCOLN-BASED NELNET SELLS CONTROLLING STAKE IN ALLO TO PRIVATE EQUITY FIRM

LINCOLN- Nelnet on Friday said it sold a controlling stake in Allo Communications to a New York-based private equity firm.

The Lincoln-based financial company said in a news release that it sold a 48% stake in Allo to SDC Capital Partners, a firm that specializes in investing in companies that own fiber networks, data centers and related businesses, for $197 million. That puts Allo's value at around $400 million, which is about eight times what it was valued at in 2015 when Nelnet paid $46.5 million for a 92.5% stake.

The sale will give SDC a controlling stake in the company. After the close of the deal, which is expected by the end of this month, Nelnet will own 45% of Allo, and the company's managers will own 7%, according to a securities filing.

Read the full article HERE

NEW GENERATION OF ICBMs MEANS NEBRASKA WILL CONTINUE TO BE 'NUCLEAR SPONGE,' WARN NUKE SKEPTICS

OMAHA- If the world's nuclear powers ever decide to put those weapons to use, Nebraska would become the first place to soak up the first strikes. Missile silos containing 400 nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles in Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and wester Nebraska are sitting ducks for any adversary. They are essentially nuclear sponges, their only purpose is to be a target. 

The cost to modernize America's nuclear arsenal exceeds $300 billion and has support from both sides of the aisle. The Pentagon gave defense contractor Northrop Grumman $13.3 billion to start work on the "ground-based strategic deterrent" (GBSD). Between the US Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base on the east side of the state and the silos on the western side, Nebraska has an outsize stake in the nuclear enterprise. 

Some say the ICBMs are no longer useful and the United States would be safer if they did not exist. In an attack, the president would only have a few minutes to decide before they are destroyed, so the odds of an error are extremely high. The point of deterrence essentially says if you attack us, you will be completely destroyed, which invites the nightmare of a full-blown nuclear war. Others believe the exact opposite. 

Read the full article HERE

'IT'S A HUGE RELIEF': LONG-AWAITED MEDICAID EXPANSION BEGINS THIS WEEK IN NEBRASKA

LINCOLN- Only a few days remain before thousands of Nebraskans will be getting healthcare through an expanded Medicaid program. This program took six years of legislative debate, petitions, a Nebraska Supreme Court ruling, a ballot measure and two years of preparation to happen. 

Low-income Nebraskans say they already have doctors visits lined up after this expansion of Medicaid made new kinds of visits possible. 

Legislators all remember the heart-wrenching stories Nebraskan's talk about while speaking about themselves and loved ones who could not get the coverage they needed. The launch will be especially helpful now because of the fallout from the pandemic. The governor says the program, called Heritage Health Adult, will be done right. Many believed this kind of expansion would never happen due to lack of funding in the state. 

This expansion does not cover dental, vision or over-the-counter medications, however physical and mental healthcare as well as prescription drugs will be covered in the 'basic' tier of Medicaid benefits. Working-age adults whose incomes falls below 138% of the federal poverty level are covered, which is $17,609 for a single person or $36,156 for a family of four per year. 

Read the full article HERE

TD AMERITRADE-SCHWAB MERGER BECOME FINAL ON TUESDAY; EFFECT ON OMAHA JOBS UNCLEAR

OMAHA- Charles Schwab’s acquisition of Omaha-based TD Ameritrade has been granted final approval by federal regulators, but it will be months before it’s known how the merger will affect more than 2,000 employees here in Nebraska.

The two firms were notified Wednesday that the merger has been approved by the board of the Federal Reserve. The corporate marriage will become final Tuesday. Schwab officials said in a release that it will still take 18 to 36 months to fully integrate the two companies. Until then, the companies will continue to operate as independent brokerages.

Neither company has offered much hint as to what the merger will ultimately mean to TD Ameritrade’s Omaha operations, including its high-profile, high-rise headquarters complex near West Dodge Road and Interstate 680. 

Read the full article HERE

MEDICAL MARIJUANA SUPPORTERS FILING NEW LANGUAGE FOR 2022 NEBRASKA BALLOT

LINCOLN- The medical marijuana initiative group in Nebraska wasted no time in submitting new petition language to Secretary of State Bob Evnen. The co-chairs of the group are Sen. Anna Wishart and Sen. Adam Morfeld.

The petition simply states, “Persons in the State of Nebraska shall have the right to cannabis in all its forms for medical purposes.”

33 other states have made medical marijuana accessible and over 190,000 Nebraskans signed the petition to make that possible in the state. Wishart says a bill will be brought to the Legislature on this issue in January and will be introduced on the ballot in 2022.  The Nebraska Supreme Court removed the initiative from the ballot after stating that the petition did not meet the single-subject requirement. If the Legislature passes the introduced bill in 2021, a popular vote will not be necessary. 

Read the full article HERE

INCUMBENT STATE SENATOR, RETIRED NAVY CAPTAIN VIE FOR BELLEVUE-AREA LEGISLATIVE SEAT

BELLEVUE - Sen. Carol Blood is being challenged by retired Navy captain, Rick Holdcroft for the District 3 legislative seat covering parts of western Bellevue, eastern Papillion, and rural Sarpy County.  Holdcroft, a registered Republican, served 28 years in naval service and was eventually assigned to Offutt, where he has lived since. Blood, who is seeking a second term, is a registered Democrat and previously served on the Bellevue City Council and runs a business consulting firm.

Holdcroft will work to lower property taxes by overhauling the state's tax system as a whole and wants to protect military and retiree benefits. He is supportive of the consumption tax, 2nd Amendment and is anti-abortion. Blood noted two of her most recent bills work to protect military families, and her work to find resources for families in need during the pandemic.

Sen. Blood is endorsed by Sarpy County Sheriff Jeff Davis and the mayors of Bellevue and La Vista. 

Read the full article HERE

CHALLENGER SAYS HE CAN MAKE UP GROUND ON INCUMBENT FOR DODGE COUNTY LEGISLATIVE SEAT

FREMONT - Incumbent Sen. Lynne Walz won 69% of the vote in the May primary. Republican challenger, David Rogers, says he is still excited about his prospects as he was much less known during the primary. He believes he better encompasses the values of Dodge County. 

Sen. Walz, a Democrat, was first elected to the Legislature in 2016 after defeating former Sen. David Schnoor (an appointee by Governor Heineman) in a district where Democrats are outnumbered by almost 2 to 1. Rogers is running on platforms about reducing wasteful spending, opposing abortion and protecting the 2nd Amendment. Walz describes herself as a middle-of-the-road lawmaker. If she wins a second term she will focus on broadband internet access for the entire state and ensuring proper funding for public schools. 

Read the full article HERE

VOTERS HAVE DISTINCT CHOICE BETWEEN RIVALS IN SARPY COUNTY LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 49

GRETNA - Northwestern Sarpy County has a choice between two very different candidates to represent District 49. The incumbent is Sen. Andrew La Grone, a Republican who was appointed by Governor Ricketts in 2018. The other candidate is Jen Day, a Democrat that does not passionately identify with either party. Day won the primary by receiving 53.1% of votes in May. 

La Grone is an attorney that owns a legal practice in Gretna, while Day is a small business owner (her and her husband own a gym). Day is worried Nebraska is starting to mirror national politics even though the tradition of the Nebraska Legislature is to be nonpartisan. 

This race first got attention after a mistake by La Grone's campaign that pictured a supporter of Day, not the candidate herself, on a brochure sent to voters.  A second mailer with the wrong picture was mailed out a few days later.

Read the full article HERE

SNOW, CAVANAUGH RAISING GOOD CAMPAIGN MONEY- BUT $40,000 FROM SOMEONE IN... WISCONSIN?

OMAHA - Marque Snow, a candidate for Omaha's legislative District 9 received a $40,000 donation from a man he does not even know in Wisconsin. He has a total of $99,570 in donations according to the most recent accountability report. 

The donations for both candidates remain very diverse, including unions and former mayors. Cavanaugh has received donations from Mike Boyle, Mike Fahey and Jim Suttle. Many donors to the Cavanaugh campaign have family ties to the well-known Omaha family. Cavanaugh's father served in both the Nebraska Legislature and in Congress in 1970's and his sister, Machaela. currently serves in the Legislature representing District 6 in Omaha. 

The mystery donor to Snow is Chris Abele, a former Milwaukee County executive belongs to a board that supports LGBTQ+ candidates around the nation. Abele is a 53-year-old registered Democrat who has given millions of dollars to LGBTQ+ candidates for more than 20 years. 

Read the full article HERE

WHO PAID TO BRING DOWN THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA BALLOT PETITION HIDDEN FROM PUBLIC

LINCOLN- The question of who paid to ensure medical marijuana would not be on the ballot in November remains a mystery. Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner says even he does not know who got this issue in front of the Supreme Court. All that is known about this is that no taxpayer dollars were used for the litigation. He has openly spoken about his disapproval of medical marijuana on multiple occasions. 

Mark Fahleson, a Lincoln attorney who argued the opposition to the issue appearing on the ballot in court says who paid him  is a matter of attorney-client privilege so he is unable to disclose who brought the issue to him. The Supreme Court ruled 5-2 to reverse the opinion of the Secretary of State Bob Evnen. 

The medical marijuana initiative will try to get the issue on a ballot again in two years following an announcement by organizers that they would introduce the petition question to ensure that every Nebraskan has access to medical marijuana no matter the delivery method. The broad nature of this language is expected to make medical marijuana a large discussion topic of the 2021 legislative session that will begin on January 6th.

Read the full article HERE

NO DINNER AND DRINKS? CANDIDATES GET CREATIVE AS THE CORONAVIRUS CHANGES POLITICAL FUNDRAISING

WASHINGTON - The Morrison Exon dinner is an annual event held by the Nebraska Democratic Party to celebrate volunteers and raise money. This year, the event was moved to an online cocktail hour. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) and Cori Bush were booked to speak at the video-conference. 

Former Nebraska GOP executive director, Nancy Bocskor said campaigns are still just making things up as they go in light of the pandemic. She says fundraising virtually is a huge challenge for candidates as most donations come from events. Mega donors expect one-on-one meetings which has been an issue for candidates as the pandemic continues to run its course. Smaller donors do not necessarily need to be convinced to give $10 to a candidate, so that has been much less of an issue.  Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb said going virtual does sometimes allow for more participation. This year, the party sold tickets for less than half of what they usually go for and many new faces appeared in the video call. 

Campaign managers are speaking about the increased likelihood of prominent guests agreeing to speak at events if it means they can stay home and participate. The Eastman campaign was able to get Alexander Payne to speak on a call and the Bacon campaign had Karen Pence speak for them. 

Read the full article HERE

PROMINENT DEMOCRATS, OMAHA FEDERATION OF LABOR BACK DOUGLAS COUNTY ATTORNEY DON KLEINE, CRITICIZE STATE PARTY

OMAHA- Prominent Nebraskan Democrats Chuck Hassebrook, Bob Kerrey, Ben Gray, Brad Ashford and Bob Krist released a joint statement Tuesday that criticized the Nebraska Democratic Party for adopting a resolution that lambasted Don Kleine, the current Douglas County Attorney. On Thursday, the chorus was joined by the Omaha Federation of Labor AFL-CIO and its president, State Senator Mike McDonnell

The  Party adopted a resolution at a recent meeting denouncing the way Kleine handled the death of James Scurlock. The party says Kleine "perpetuated white supremacy and sparked deep division in Omaha". The shooting occurred on May 30th in downtown Omaha after a night of protests throughout the city. Kleine declined to indict Gardner and decided to ask for a grand jury and special prosecutor to consider the charges. The grand jury indicted Jake Gardner on manslaughter and other charges for Scurlock's death. The day he was supposed to turn himself in, Gardner was found dead.

Kleine said that he is considering changing political parties following the vote, especially given that he was unable to defend himself prior to the vote. "When you have your own party vote to say you're a white supremacist, you have to think about it," Kleine said. "I don't know most of these people and obviously, they don't know me. I've spent my whole career helping the underprivileged. Most of the high-profile cases that I have prosecuted involve minority victims." 

Read the full article HERE

SLAMA-PALMTAG LEGISLATIVE BATTLE GROWS MORE TOXIC

LINCOLN - Sen. Julie Slama and Janet Palmtag exchanged harsh words on Monday making the battle for Legislative District 1 much more toxic. Slama released copies of obscene and insulting messages from one of Palmtag's supporters, which Slama called 'a surrogate of Janet Palmtag's campaign.' The messages have been reported to the Nebraska State Patrol to investigate. 

"This attack is beyond despicable, degrades women everywhere and Janet Palmtag should be held accountable for the libel and misogyny on display," Slama said.

Janet Palmtag defended herself and campaign by saying Slama is misleading voters by saying her campaign is responsible for the attack. The individual who sent the message, a constituent of the district, has apologized for the emails, stating he let his emotions get the better of him.

Slama is strongly supported by Governor Pete Ricketts who appointed her to the seat two years ago following the resignation of now Public Service Commissioner Dan Watermeier. Former Governor Dave Heineman and Rep. Jeff Fortenberry are supporting Palmtag in the republican v. republican matchup. 

Earlier in the week, Palmtag announced her support of the gambling petition that will be considered by voters in November,. 70% of state revenue raised by casino gambling would go to funding property tax relief, which Palmtag noted brings her support. She is the first Republican candidate to support the initiative. The proposal was also noted for its claim to create 4,600 new jobs across Nebraska.

Read the full article HERE