LINCOLN JUDGE HEARS ARGUMENTS OVER WHETHER ELECTION COMMISSIONERS SHOULD BE ELECTED

LINCOLN- Election Commissioners in Lancaster, Douglas and Sarpy counties went to court Wednesday for arguments in a legal squabble over whether they and their chief deputies should be elected rather than appointed. They currently are appointed by the governor in the three largest counties, and county boards appoint them in four others.

But Gov. Pete Ricketts has said he wouldn't make the appointments in the future based on his reliance on a written opinion by the Nebraska Attorney General's Office last year, which called them "constitutionally suspect."

The opinion had come in response to two questions posed by Sen. Matt Hansen of Lincoln. One, whether election commissioners are county officers under the Nebraska Constitution. Two, if they are, whether the appointment of election commissioners and their deputies violates the state constitution. 

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HUNDREDS OF NEBRASKANS POTENTIALLY FALSELY TOLD THEY COULD NOT VOTE

LINCOLN- Hundreds of eligible voters may have been mistakenly told that they can’t participate in the 2020 election because of problems with the handling of a Nebraska law requiring a two-year waiting period to restore felons’ voting rights.

At least 51 Nebraskans eligible and registered to vote received county letters saying they were ineligible to vote, Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen told the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska. 

Nebraska’s county election officials sent letters in recent years to about 6,000 felons suggesting that they were ineligible to vote based on the law. ACLU Nebraska reviewed half of those cases individually. The ACLU flagged problems in nearly 300 of the cases and asked the state to review them. Some people were excluded for misdemeanors, instead of felonies. Others were booted from probation and excluded, a reason not meant by the law to keep someone from voting.

“It’s a perfect storm of confusion and errors in the system,” ACLU of Nebraska Executive Director Danielle Conrad said of problems with calculating the two-year waiting period required for felons after they complete their sentences. “Unfortunately, we don’t know the impact that that perfect storm may have.”

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RICKETTS OPENS SECOND ROUND OF COVID-19 FUNDING AID

LINCOLN- Gov. Pete Ricketts announced Monday a second round of coronavirus pandemic funding support that would make full use of the more than a billion dollars of federal assistance previously granted while targeting emerging needs.

Included in the new designation is additional funding for business stabilization funding. Among newly designated targets are hospital staffing and support for convention and event centers.

Application for assistance opens Wednesday and will close Nov. 13 with expenditure of the funding required by Dec. 30 under federal government provisions.

Among the new designations are a total of $11 million for the Food Bank of Lincoln and the Food Bank for the Heartland in Omaha and $6 million for the Lincoln Children's Zoo, the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha and the Riverside Discovery Center in Scottsbluff. The new list includes up to $500,000 in grants to event centers and sports arenas, while Movie theaters can receive $10,000 in assistance per screen. Additional resources are also available to bars and restaurants for a second round of assistance, and to local governments to assist in payroll for employees on the frontline of fighting the virus.

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NEBRASKA UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FALLS TO LOWEST LEVEL DURING THE PANDEMIC

LINCOLN- Local and state unemployment rates fell last month to their lowest levels since the coronavirus pandemic started.

According to data released Tuesday by the Nebraska Department of Labor, Nebraska's unemployment rate in September was 3.5%, while the rate for the Lincoln area was 3.2%. Those rates were both significantly higher than they were a year ago, but they are at their lowest levels since February. The state rate was the lowest in the nation for the second month in a row.

Commissioner of Labor John Albin said job numbers have continued to climb, with Nebraska topping 1 million jobs in September for the first time since March. “Not only does the unemployment rate continue to drop, but Nebraska’s non-farm job count continues to increase,” he said in a news release.

Eric Thompson, director of the Bureau of Business Research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said Current Employment Statistics data shows Nebraska has recovered only about 70% of the total jobs lost since April.

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'ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK': BARS AND RESTAURANTS PREPARE FOR NEW HEALTH MEASURE ADJUSTMENTS

LINCOLN- Governor Ricketts announced all indoor gatherings will be limited to 50% capacity starting Wednesday. Restaurants will also have to start enforcing rules such as all patrons must be seated, eight people maximum per table and more. 

Rich Anderson began offering dine-in services at his restaurant, Trini's Mexican Restaurant in Omaha, starting at the end of June. He personally opened at half-capacity and has stuck with it since then. "I just kept it that way thinking that nobody really knows what's going on," he said. Anderson said his restaurant in the Old Market Passageway used to serve 17 tables. Now, he's only seating nine. "I thought all along we could go backwards at any time," he said. "And we're here."

Red Lion Lounge general manager Koty Embree said he predicts his staff will be impacted by the DHM. "It feels like one step forward, two steps back," he said.  He said he watches coronavirus dashboard data, and was not surprised by the Ricketts' decision.

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NEBRASKA'S SURGE IN COVID-19 CASES SPURS DEBATE OVER HOW BEST TO FIGHT PANDEMIC

OMAHA- In the past week, Nebraska broke their record for cases and hospitalizations. With that, the governor has reintroduced directed health measures to attempt to slow the spread. The average return rate of test has been slowed to 4.3 days on average. This means people who are possibly infected are waiting almost an entire workweek to know for sure. 

The governor is continuing to be reluctant in creating a statewide mask mandate, however new DHM’s have been issued requiring bars and restaurants to not allow any standing room, and limit their seating. Governor Ricketts stated he wanted to get this measure out before Husker football begins this week. UNMC officials say that the current COVID-19 conditions do not allow for businesses and schools to be open as usual. The White House Coronavirus Task Force has asked the state to increase restrictions, which the state has failed to do. 

Governor Ricketts is continuing to hope Nebraskans will take personal responsibility for wearing masks instead of mandating them. 

This week Nebraska is ranked number 7 for new cases per capita In the United States. On May 8th, the average rate of infection was at 23.2, that figure is now at 35.3 cases per 100,000 residents. Dr. Birx and Governor Ricketts know the majority of cases are now coming from small family gatherings. Officials from UNMC say the state is now entering a very dangerous period of the pandemic. This is especially potent in rural Nebraska as cases have skyrocketed in the past few days. In Hamilton County, the rate of infection is at 53.6 per 100,000 people.

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342 GRETNA HIGH STUDENTS TESTED FOR CORONAVIRUS AFTER CLUSTER REPORTED

OMAHA- More than 300 Gretna High School students were tested for COVID-19 on Thursday.  The mass testing effort by the Gretna Public Schools, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and the Nebraska Public Health Lab followed reports that more than 40 cases among students were traced to one event.

A note sent to families by Superintendent Rich Beran said the cases have been traced back to a large gathering on Oct. 3. On Wednesday evening, Beran declined to identify the event attended by Gretna students.

At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Douglas County Health Director Adi Pour cited a homecoming party attended by 200 people, hosted by a parent outside Omaha, that has been linked to a “huge outbreak” of the virus.

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INMATE WITH COVID-19 DIES AT LINCOLN HOSPITAL, OTHER COVID-19 DEATHS

LINCOLN- An inmate died Sunday after being diagnosed with COVID-19. The inmate was in his 60s and had underlying health conditions. The grand jury has began their investigation on the matter. 

On the same day as 93 new cases were reported in the state, there were two deaths due to the virus. The deaths were a woman in her 70s and a man in his 60s who had both been hospitalized. The Lincoln-Lancaster death toll is now at 37. Lincoln hospitals are caring for over 50 COVID-19 patients, with half of those patients being on ventilators. 554 people in the state have died. 

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LAWSUIT SEEKS TO STOP NEBRASKA ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST'S $1.8 MILLION GRANT FOR ETHANOL PUMPS

LINCOLN- A lawsuit is being brought against the decision that the Nebraska Environmental Trust board made to award almost $2 million to a project installing ethanol blender pumps and storage tanks at gas stations. Critics of the decision have filed the lawsuit in the Lancaster County District Court and are asking for an injunction to stop the award and names the trust board as the defendant. 

The challenge claims the board lacked the votes to approve the award. Eight votes are needed to take action on the 14 member board. At the February vote to approve the award the votes were 7-2 with two members abstaining. In June when the vote officially "passed" three members abstained, the vote was 7-2 again. 

Controversy over this decision started in February when the recommendation was made to switch the funds from other more environmentally sustainable programs to this one. The board's grant committee advised against switching to the ethanol project. The board usually allocates $20 million a year from the Nebraska Lottery. 

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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. 

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