RICKETTS EYES RESOURCES FOR HOSPTIALS AS COVID CASES RISE

LINCOLN- Gov. Pete Ricketts said Wednesday the state is "looking at how we can provide additional resources to hospitals" as COVID-19 cases continue to increase in the state. 

Ricketts said he will be in conversation with the University of Nebraska Medical Center and hospitals to "determine what their needs are" while continuing to monitor and evaluate the challenge. Earlier this month, UNMC scientists and physicians warned that the state is entering "a dangerous period" in the pandemic with record numbers of new cases and hospitalization. "It is a potential perfect storm," they wrote in a statement released at a news conference in Omaha. 

This week there were 924 new cases on Wednesday alone, and hospitalizations reached a new high of 315 on Tuesday.

Ricketts has approved $40million in CARES Act money to support hospitals in staff efforts. Dr. Gary Antone, the Chief Medical Officer of Nebraska said some money should be used to hire traveling nurses. 

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EASTMAN RAISED $1.8 MILLION LAST QUARTER, FAR MORE THAN REP. DON BACON

OMAHA- Democratic congressional candidate Kara Eastman just notched a blockbuster fundraising quarter, bringing in more than $1.8 million in her bid to unseat Republican incumbent Rep. Don Bacon. Her haul compares with Bacon’s $977,000 in total receipts for the quarter that ended on September 30th

Bacon and Eastman are vying to represent the Omaha-based 2nd District, which has featured some of the tightest House contests in the country in recent election cycles.

At the end of the quarter, the Bacon campaign had $985,000 in cash on hand, while the Eastman campaign had $329,000. Eastman's cash on hand is lower due to earlier television advertising to attempt to impact those voting early. Outside spending on the race has overall favored Rep. Bacon to the tune of $4.6 million of the total $7 million.

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OPINION: FAILED PLOT TO KIDNAP MICHIGAN GOVERNOER SHOWS DANGER OF ANTI-GOVERNMENT RHETORIC

CHICAGO TRIBUNE OPINION- It’s easy to write off people who dress up in camouflage clothing and join anti-government groups with tough-guy names like the Wolverine Watchmen as cosplaying conspiracy theorists. But we do that at our own peril. The men who plotted to harm Whitmer met in July and “discussed attacking a Michigan State Police facility” and “shooting up the Governor’s vacation home,” according to court documents.

They apparently planned to take Whitmer to a location in Wisconsin, where she would stand “trial.”

The men who threatened the governor were caught before they could harm Whitmer, as were the men plotting attacks on law enforcement. That’s law and order — brave investigators using sources within anti-government groups to halt plans before they can happen. But it’s not always enough. Before the Oklahoma City bombing, federal investigators knew the federal building was a target, and they were on top of some groups they thought posed a threat.

People like McVeigh and the men charged in Michigan can pop up anywhere. They feed on distrust in government institutions. We can’t have leaders tossing them red meat.We simply can’t feed these beasts.

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DROUGHT CONDITIONS WORSEN SLIGHTLY IN NEBRASKA

LINCOLN- The downpours throughout the state were not enough to stop the relentless drought in Nebraska. The entire state is considered abnormally dry. Western Nebraska is in an extreme drought with Eastern Nebraska just being dry with 4 inches less rainfall than average. There is not more than a 20% chance of rain on any day for the next 2 weeks. 

Various counties throughout the state are also going into frost warnings. 

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JUDICIARY COMMITTEE HEARS SIX HOURS OF TESTIMONY ON POLICING IN NEBRASKA

LINCOLN- After around four hours of testimony in the Judiciary Committee senators were informed that police can be hired in small communities across the state with no training for a year. Officers are able to work without any certifications or without any training from the Law Enforcement Training Center. The discussions were mostly centered on law enforcement testimony. Chairman of the committee, Sen. Steve Lathrop was especially taken aback by this revelation. 

Training at the academy is only offered every three or four months and is a very expensive process. Smaller jurisdictions also have a hard time recruiting, matching wages and paid time off. Sen. Tom Brandt says smaller communities are the training ground for the rest of the state and many times the officers move to the higher-paying jobs in bigger cities such as Omaha or Lincoln. 

Chief of the Lincoln Police Department Jeff Bliemeister said fixing these issues will be costly but should be a top priority.

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TRUMP 'KISSES DICTATORS' BUTTS' AND 'MOCKS EVANGELICALS,' SASSE SAYS IN CALL WITH CONSTITUENTS

WASHINGTON — Sen. Ben Sasse torched President Donald Trump during a Wednesday telephone town hall with constituents. The Washington Examiner obtained an audio clip of the conversation and was first to report Sasse’s statements. A woman on the call asked Sasse why he criticizes the president so much.

Sasse responded by first talking about areas where he agrees with Trump, such as judicial nominations. But then he said a number of the president’s values are deficient — not just for a Republican, Sasse said, but for any American.

“The way he kisses dictators’ butts. I mean, the way he ignores that the Uighurs are in literal concentration camps in Xinjiang right now,” Sasse said. “He hasn’t lifted a finger on behalf of the Hong Kongers. I mean, he and I have a very different foreign policy. “It isn’t just that he fails to lead our allies. It’s that the United States now regularly sells out our allies under his leadership. The way he treats women and spends like a drunken sailor. The ways I criticize President Obama for that kind of spending, I’ve criticized President Trump for as well. He mocks evangelicals behind closed doors. His family has treated the presidency like a business opportunity. He’s flirted with white supremacists.” 

 Rep. Don Bacon told The World-Herald: “I don’t agree with most of the comments. I hope Ben will explain himself.” 

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STATE TEACHERS UNION: DISTRICTS TAKING LIABILITY RISK IF THEY DON'T REQUIRE MASKS IN SCHOOL

LINCOLN- The Nebraska State Education Association said not all school districts are requiring faculty and students to wear masks despite the directed health measures most recently updated Sept. 1 that require masks in public settings. The same school districts are not requiring staff to quarantine after having contact with someone who is infected. Executive Director of the NSEA Maddie Fennell said it is their organization's expectation that school districts require face coverings-- it is the minimum standard of care to protect the health and health of staff. 

The insurance provided through the Nebraska Association of School Boards will not cover any claims related to COVID-19. 

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INCUMBENT DOUGLAS COUNTY CLERK FACES CHALLENGE FROM FORMER REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIR

OMAHA- Dan Esch, Douglas County Clerk is running for reelection against challenger Scott Petersen. Petersen is a former Douglas County Republican Party chairman and worked for Representative Don Bacon at one point. Esch is a lifelong Democrat and replaced longtime Country Clerk Tom Cavanaugh after his death. Esch worked for Cavanaugh and was recommended for the job from Cavanaugh. 

Petersen is 61 and owns Chase Marketing LLC and co-owns Petersen Printing. He will use Governor Ricketts' style of leadership as an example for himself. He says the office is not currently doing a bad job but that there is always room for improvement and new leadership.

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JOURNAL STAR EDITORAL BOARD ENDORSEMENT: BOLZ STANDS OUT AS BEST CHOICE FOR US HOUSE

LINCOLN- Kate Bolz has been serving the state of Nebraska through her work in the Legislature for the past eight years. She represents south-central Lincoln and most recently was the vice chair for the Appropriations Committee. The World-Herald believes her priorities are the most in line with her districts current needs. 

Her priorities begin with health care. She hopes to help lower prescription drug costs and continue to support and work on the Affordable Care Act with a special emphasis on mental health. She wants to eliminate Trump era tariffs that have hit Nebraskan farmers and economy with hundreds of millions in losses. Bringing broadband technology to rural areas is also a huge area of focus for the Senator. Current representative Jeff Fortenberry is the ranking member on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug administration. Fortenberry is now serving in a Democratic majority, which Bolz would join if elected. 

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OMAHA WORLD HERALD ENDORSEMENTS: BLOOD, MCDONNELL, VARGAS, LINEHAN DESERVE REELECTION

OMAHA-. In their most recent series of on-going endorsements, the Omaha World Herald makes recommendations on 4 of the upcoming legislative elections that will be decided by voters in November. In the Editorial Board's opinion these four legislators have contributed significantly during their first terms and deserve to continue their work in the Nebraska Legislature 

Senator Carol Blood of District 3 is a very active member of the legislature and always asks important questions. She loves the Bellevue community and always stands up for her districts needs. Blood will face Rick Holdcroft in November.

Senator Mike McDonnell of District 5 constantly reaches across the aisle to make the best possible decisions for his incumbents. He works on the Appropriations Committee and does not waste any time. McDonnell is challenged for a second time by Gilbert Ayala.

Senator Tony Vargas from South Omaha's District 7 is a leader in the legislature through his work on social justice reform in the state. He always looks at the big picture and is a key member on the Planning Committee. Vargas is challenged by Jorge Sotolongo

Senator Lou Ann Linehan from District 39 is a very hardworking senator. She is the chair of the Revenue Committee and spends much of her time studying Nebraska's fiscal and economic needs. Linehan will face Allison Heimes in the general election

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BOLZ CONFRONTS FORTENBERRY WITH STIFF CHALLENGE

LINCOLN- Republican incumbent Jeff Fortenberry is facing a very competitive reelection year. Fortenberry has served in Congress for 14 years or eight terms. Voter registration in District 1 strongly favors Republicans but there are over 90,000 nonpartisans. Campaign funding also clearly favors Fortenberry as he had over $2 million before the reelection campaign really kicked off. Bolz had $500,000 as of late June. This district has not elected a Democrat to the seat since 1964. 

The Bolz and Fortenberry debate focused heavily on health care. The approaching U.S. Supreme Court decision places great weight on the Affordable Care Act. Bolz is a strong supporter of the ACA whereas Fortenberry has voted against it on many different occasions. He says that does not mean he wants people with pre-existing conditions to have a harder time finding care, however there are better ways to reform health care in his opinion. Both candidates do not support Medicare for All. 

Read the full articles by clicking HERE and HERE

IN VIDEO, SENATOR SEEKING REELECTION MAKES FIRE KINDLING, DOG TOYS OUT OF ATTACK ADS

LINCOLN- Senator Carol Blood's challenger, Rick Holdcroft, sent out a series of campaign attack mailers that label Blood as a "radical Democrat" who is "too extreme for Nebraska". Some mailings have also said she voted to reduce jail time for pedophiles and violent convicts and goes on to say she is letting the police down. 

In response, Blood poked fun at these ads through videos posted on her social media pages including Facebook, denouncing negative campaigning and offering suggestions to constituents on how to make use of the mailings. These suggestions include starting bonfires and making dog chew toys out of the glossy paper. In response, Holdcroft says the mailings accurately depict Blood's liberal values,  which he argues do not represent her constituents. Blood won the primary with over 57% of the vote.

Other flyers against Blood have criticized her stances on taxes, immigration and gun control. Her recent ads, by comparison, have focused on her accomplishments during her first term in the Legislature. District 3 includes parts of Bellevue, Papillion and central Sarpy County in the officially nonpartisan Legislature.

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NEARLY 200,000 NEBRASKANS HAVE ALREADY VOTED IN 2020 ELECTION

OMAHA- For many Nebraskans, their role in the general election is already over. With 200,000 Nebraskans haven already voted for the upcoming November general election, that represents almost a quarter of all of those who voted in the 2016. At this point in the previous presidential election, only 75,000 Nebraskans had cast their ballots using early voting. The Election Commissioner says he expects almost 70% of all ballots cast to be early ballots in 2020. The election turnout in Douglas County alone is expected to be around 70%.

The U.S. Postal Services recommends early ballots to be placed in the mail no later than Oct. 27th. 

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SEN. TONY VARGAS, CHALLENGER JORGE SOTOLONGO SAY SOUTH OMAHA COMMUNITY DRIVES THEM

OMAHA- South Omaha's District 7's representative, Democrat Tony Vargas is being challenged by Republican candidate, Jorge Sotolongo.  Both say they are driven to serve their community, regardless of party affiliation. Vargas is the clear frontrunner after the May primary, and holds both a significant advantage in name recognition and fundraising.

Vargas is a non-profit executive and previously served on the Omaha Public Schools board. He has served one term in the Legislature, with his main focus being on healthcare. He won the two person primary election with over 80% of the vote.

Sotolongo works in real estate and wants to focus on economic development in his community. 

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DISTRICT 31 CANDIDATE TIM ROYERS, OPPONENT RICH PAHLS DENOUNCE CAMPAIGN MAILER SENT BY NEBRASKA GOP

LINCOLN- Tim Royers, former Nebraska Teacher of the Year and his opponent, Rich Pahls, have denounced a campaign mailer that attacks Royers teaching. He previously taught social studies at Millard West High School and says the mailer attacked him as a person and educator. Pahls called for the attacks by the GOP to stop and disagrees with its message. 

The mailer said, "Tim Royers has a history of teaching students to hate their country," and went on to say that he supports "anti-American propaganda". Royers says there are good and bad parts of American history and educators should be able to teach both sides. Royers wrote, “The challenge with the traditional American Exceptionalism theory is that the more you learn about United States history, the harder it is to defend,” which caused controversy. 

Ryan Hamilton, executive director for the GOP says that he does not regret the message as he feels it adequately described Royers views. 

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MAIL-IN AND ONLINE VOTER REGISTRATION DUE FRIDAY

The deadline for mail-in and online voter registration across Nebraska is Friday. Anyone who is registering to vote for the first time or who has moved, changed their name or who wants to change their political party affiliation must have the mail-in registration form postmarked no later than Friday in order for it to be effective for the Nov. 3 election.

Friday is also the deadline to register to vote when applying for a driver’s license, state identification card or at any government agency.

Online voter registration is available if a voter has a Nebraska driver’s license or state identification card at nebraska.gov/apps-sos-voter-registration/  Mail-in registration forms are available at most post offices, banks and libraries. In addition, voters may download a voter registration form many county election commissioner’s websites and mail it to the election office. 

Please help ensure that you, and those you are close to are registered to vote, and turn out either in early voting, or in-person on November 3rd to cast your ballots.

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FOUR NEW POSITIVE COVID-19 CASES IN NORTH PLATTE ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY

NORTH PLATTE- Four new staff members at the Centennial Park Retirement Village in North Platte have tested positive for COVID-19 as of last Friday. The department is working with the community and has provided testing and personal protective equipment supplies. 

Shannon Vanderheiden, the executive director of the retirement community recognizes that state cases are on the rise, along with hospitalizations and deaths. She hopes the state will go back to practicing social distancing, wearing masks and limiting large gatherings so this community can feel safer. 

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LINCOLN FIRM GETS FEDERAL FUNDS AIMED AT BOOSTING NATION'S TESTING CAPACITY

LINCOLN- Abe Oommen created a portable testing platform that was so easy to use that a farmer could use it on livestock to check for various diseases and get results fast. Both Oommen and his colleagues at  MatMaCorp knew rural Nebraskans were facing long wait times for COVID-19 results and under took development of a test and portable lab that fits in a backpack. MatMaCorp is now one of the nine companies sharing the funding that the National Institute of Health is putting into testing technologies. The companies will be sharing $129.3 million, the NIH also put out a third round of awards which brings their investment total to $476.4 million. 

Kearney Regional Medical Center is testing the device and will soon start using the technology to screen employees who have had high levels of exposure. As of now, Kearney Regional sends their tests to UNMC which requires sending the samples by courier which lengthens the wait time for test results. This testing technology will allow for underserved rural communities to get quick and reliable testing. 

MatMaCorp has previously collaborated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Homeland Security on a test for congestive heart failure and African swine fever.

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U.S. LAGS BEHIND OTHER DEVELOPED NATIONS IN CURBING COVID DEATHS

NEW YORK- Americans dying from coronavirus is the highest in the developed world. At the beginning of the pandemic, the U.S. mortality rate was lower than many other countries. But towards the end of summer the country failed to embrace public health and policy measures that helped other countries reduce deaths. If the United States had the same mortality rate as the Netherlands after the first week of may, 100,000 fewer Americans would have lost their lives. 

America's failure to control the outbreak has taken an emotional toll but also is forecast to be costly economically. When lost output and health setbacks are taken into account, the economic toll of the pandemic is expected to exceed $16 trillion, or about 90% of U.S. annual gross domestic product, according to a separate report in JAMA on Monday. 

America leads the world in coronavirus deaths with 214,776, Brazil ranks second with 150,488 as of Monday.

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SCHOOLS, BUSINESSES SEEK BETTER AIRFLOW AND VENTILATION TO KEEP CORONAVIRUS FROM SPREADING

OMAHA- Experts now say air quality and ventilation is among the most important variable in the fight against coronavirus that is being overlooked by schools, businesses and workplaces. This idea has started to gain more traction in the past week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledge that the virus can spread through airborne particles, however their data still suggests it is much more common to spread through contact with an infected person. 

Joshua Santarpia, an associate professor of pathology and microbiology at UNMC, says there is not much to worry about when it comes to individual offices. However, cubicles present more of a concern, making working from home, if possible, the best option. 

A newly published study shows there is a lower chance of contracting COVID-19 on an airplane than it is in an office building, classroom, supermarket or train. Two of the study's authors are tied to the airline industry. 

John Lowe, assistant vice chancellor for health security at UNMC, says it is important to filter indoor air with outdoor air whenever possible. The standard HVAC system uses 80% of air and brings in 20% of outdoor air. Schools have been tweaking their systems to maximize the amount of outdoor air they are able to let in, many are increasing from 30% to 50% fresh air. Older schools have been leaving windows open and installing fans in the windows to push out old air. This will obviously start to be less possible as the winter months approach. 

ACCESSbank in Omaha has been a leader in COVID-19 protocols. The bank has required employees to wear masks since the beginning and has done everything the CDC has requested businesses do. They have additional paid sick leave and pays for their employees tests.

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