FORMER STATE SENATORS PLAN TO GIVE $1M FOR UPKEEP OF CAPITOL COURTYARDS

LINCOLN- After raising money to complete the restoration of the Capitol courtyards, the Nebraska Association of Former State Legislators has turned its eye to maintaining the features well into the future. The organization will ask the Office of the Nebraska Capitol Commission next week to accept a $1 million gift to create an endowment to maintain the courtyards  when they are finished, former Sen. Tom Carlson of Holdrege said.

Carlson said the former state senators raised $1 million among themselves as well as people without any ties to state government who felt "keeping the Capitol nice is a worthy expenditure."

If the Capitol Commission accepts the gift at its meeting next Thursday, the former state senators said money from the endowment will be used to cover the costs of work in the gardens, which is estimated to be about $40,000 annually, and would cover the cost of cutting back roses and perennials in April, applying herbicide and spreading mulch throughout the four courtyards, as well as regular work cleaning up the gardens through the summer months. The endowed funds also will pay for the planting of 1,096 petunias each May and their removal in October, as well as 4,384 tulip bulbs to be planted in the fall for blooming in the spring, according to an estimate provided to the Capitol Commission.

Read the full article HERE

SEN. GROENE SAYS 'AN IGNORANT MOB' SHAMED HIM OVER CORONAVIRUS

LINCOLN- Sen. Mike Groene of North Platte said a group of people shamed him for his comments about catching COVID-19. In a column directed towards his constituents, he said the individuals that wrote to him following his comments are told what to think by Twitter and the 'biased media'.

“I was told I was selfish, irresponsible and ignorant besides many other colorful terms,” he said.

The senator recovered fully from the virus and only had minor flu-like symptoms. In his original comments, he said he 'finally got his wish' when he contracted coronavirus. Sen. Groene does not wear masks in legislative settings and said he relies fully on social distancing. He has also recently come under fire after calling some of his constituents 'fanatics' and 'stupid'. 

Groene said the “hate email” started after his email to colleagues was made public on Twitter, along with “false accusations that I was irresponsible,” which he blamed on a senator “who is antagonistic toward me.” Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln retweeted Groene’s email along with a comment that the senator had chaired the Oct. 27 Education Committee hearing “where he presided without a mask and coughing the entire time.

Read Sen. Groene's letter about his experience with the virus HERE

Read the full article HERE

BIDEN'S LEADING PICK FOR COVID-19 CZAR WORRIES SOME PROGRESSIVES

WASHINGTON — Five years ago, Jeffrey D. Zients was the head of the Obama administration’s National Economic Council, working to push across the finish line a federal rule that would prevent financial advisers from taking advantage of retirees. He won praise from progressives for fending off fierce resistance from Wall Street and for fighting for consumer protections.

These days, Mr. Zients is a co-chairman of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s transition team who is being watched warily by members of Democratic Party’s left wing. Progressive advocacy groups such as the Revolving Door Project and Justice Democrats, concerned that he would defend corporate America if given a top economic policy job in the Biden administration, pushed to keep him out of such a role. They view his recent work running an investment fund — Cranemere — and sitting on the board of Facebook as a detriment.

In a sign of the pushback to come, the Revolving Door Project has been urging Mr. Biden to keep corporate influence out of his administration, has compiled a 13-page document about Mr. Zients. The file highlights his wealth, his appetite for deficit reduction during the Obama years and his recent work as chief executive of Cranemere. 

Read the full article HERE

RICKETTS SAYS HIS COVID-19 PLAN IS RIGHT FOR NEBRASKA DESPITE WHITE HOUSE TASK FORCE ASSESSMENTS

LINCOLN- Gov. Ricketts rejected a series of White House COVID-19 task force assessments that told Nebraska it needs to issue a mask mandate in order to control the spread of the virus. "This is a plan that's right for Nebraska," the governor said during a COVID-19 news briefing. "We listen to all kinds of experts. This plan is tailored specifically for Nebraska."

He continues to ask people to wear a mask and social distance, but will not pass a statewide mandate. As the governor spoke, the state was only 100 hospitalizations away from the 25% of hospital patients being infected with COVID threshold that will force the governor to release more directed health measures. 

The governor also believes it is unlikely that more federal coronavirus funding will be available this year, saying "..it's unlikely until the new president is sworn in."

Read the full article HERE

NEBRASKA SAW DROP IN COVID-19 CASES LAST WEEK; WILL THANKSGIVING GET-TOGETHERS REVERSE THAT?

OMAHA- Last week, Nebraska ended an eight-week streak of record COVID-19 cases while also passing 1,000 deaths. Cases were down 26% from the previous week and now puts Nebraska at No. 6 in new cases per capita. There were 12,405 new cases, with 16,739 the previous week. Public health experts have cautioned that downturns could mean an uptick in cases will arise after Thanksgiving. 

“The concern is that Thanksgiving gatherings over the weekend may have negated all of those gains already and given us an additional surge,” Lawler said. “We’ll have to see how things play out over the next couple of weeks.”

Hospitalizations are down 8% from last week, meaning the 25% threshold of patients that will make Gov. Ricketts put out new directed health measures, will not come for awhile. The state still ranks No. 4 on overall hospitalizations in the nation. Douglas County also broke their streak of record new cases. Dr. James Lawler, an UNMC official, said the state will also probably see an increase as test results from the weekend will be reported. “Overall, it’s clear that we’ve had a bit of a let-up,” Lawler said. “It’s not completely clear why.”

The dip in new cases occurred before the recent flurry of new mask mandates in communities across the state. So the decrease may reflect the fact that more Nebraskans now know someone who has been ill with or has died of COVID-19 and have taken more precautions.

Read the full article HERE

7 OF NEBRASKA'S 10 LARGEST CITIES NOW MANDATE MASKS

OMAHA- Seven of Nebraska’s 10 largest cities have now passed local mask mandates, as Gov. Pete Ricketts continues to resist a statewide requirement. City leaders, including local public health officials, have imposed mandates in response to rising coronavirus cases and deaths across the state. With the flurry of new mandates, more than half of Nebraska’s 1.95 million people now live in a community that requires a mask to be worn indoors.

Most cities with mandates are in eastern and central Nebraska. Eleven of the state’s 25 most populous cities have a mandate. None is west of Kearney.

Gering, which does not have a mandate but encourages use similar to Governor Ricketts, has seen a dramatic spike in cases over the last month. Fire Chief Nathan Flowers, in a recent press release, noted that call volumes for local volunteer paramedics have surged 42%. He pleaded for the public’s help in wearing masks so ambulances aren’t delayed. Bree Robbins, city attorney in Nebraska’s third-largest city, Bellevue, has questioned whether a local mask ordinance would be legal. But Bellevue Mayor Rusty Hike said his city is considering its options, including a ban, as more cities adopt mandates. One other possibility: providing signs for businesses that want them recommending that masks be worn.

The number of communities enacting mask ordinances snowballed after State Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha said in mid-November that state law gives cities of all sizes the authority to “make regulations to prevent the introduction and spread of contagious, infectious or malignant diseases into the city.”

Read the full article HERE

GOVERNOR SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER WAIVING PROVISIONS OF OPEN MEETINGS ACT, EFFECTIVE DECEMBER 1st

LINCOLN- Governor Pete Ricketts signed Executive Order No. 20-36, which when it become effective today will again allow virtual meetings for governing bodies. 

“All governing bodies may meet by videoconference or by telephone conferencing or by conferencing by other electronic communication so long as there is made available at such meeting access to members of the public and to members of the media.  Public notice requirements and agenda requirements are still in place, with the order expiring January 31st, 2021. The order comes as Nebraska sees a dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases, causing heartburn for elected officials and governing boards who worry about exposures and spreading of the virus at in-person meetings. 

Read the full Executive Order as signed by Governor Ricketts by clicking HERE (This link will commence a PDF file download) 

HEALTHCARE LEADERS DEVELOP PLAN FOR NEBRASKA'S HOSPITALS POTENTIALLY BECOMING OVERWHELMED

LINCOLN- Healthcare leaders started looking ahead to the grim possibility that the hospital system would become completely overwhelmed. Things such as ventilator or dialysis machines all being used, oxygen running short, rooms all being filled and more are possibilities the state needs to avoid. A group of officials from CHI, Methodist and Nebraska Medicine has since developed the state's first "crisis standards of care plan". 

Nebraska is not yet at the point where this would need to be activated, however COVID patients account for 23% of hospitalizations. 

The plan calls for making decisions based on patients’ likelihood of surviving their current illness, as well as their likelihood of living at least another year. Triage teams would measure survival chances using a system that assigns points for the number and severity of organ failures, with some adjustments for people with chronic medical conditions. Those with the best chances would get the highest priority for care. All patients would get basic care and supportive counseling. The plan, which was based on a Massachusetts model, specifically bars the use of other factors, including a person’s disability, in deciding who gets care. 

Sen. Howard, Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, fell short on her attempt to convene a special session to give the governor authority to back the plan. She said government backing will make sure all healthcare officials are on the same page and will give them legal protection. 

Read the full article HERE

PARENTS OF SETH RICH SETTLE LAWSUIT AGAINST FOX NEWS

The parents of Omaha native Seth Rich have settled their lawsuit against Fox News.

Rich, a former intern at Kissel Kohout ES Associates, was working at the Democratic National Committee in July 2016 when he was fatally shot in the early-morning hours near his home in Washington, D.C in what authorities believe was a botched robbery attempt.

The internet and others quickly spawned conspiracy theories that were then fanned by a now-retracted Fox News story that Rich had been responsible for leaking DNC emails to WikiLeaks.  Joel and Mary Rich sued the network, saying it had exploited their son's death.

You can read more of the coverage HERE.

BIDEN NAMES CLIMATE STATESMAN JOHN KERRY AS CLIMATE ENVOY

WASHINGTON- John Kerry who has one of the leading names destining the Paris climate agreement has been named as the climate envoy for national security. He is the first member of the National Security Council to focus only on climate change. This was President-elect Biden's first step in adhering to a campaign pledge that confronts climate-damage from fossil fuel emissions. 

“America will soon have a government that treats the climate crisis as the urgent national security threat it is,” Kerry tweeted. “I’m proud to partner with the President-elect, our allies, and the young leaders of the climate movement to take on this crisis as the President’s Climate Envoy.”

Kerry has a long track record with his career-long fight to put climate-change at the forefront of people's minds. President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord four years ago which dismantled the eight years of work the Obama Administration did to decrease fossil-fuel emissions. Biden has pledged to get the U.S. back into the accord and has promised a $2 trillion plan to overhaul transportation and power sectors to curb fossil fuel emissions. 

Kerry is a former senator from Massachusetts, a Democratic presidential candidate (2004) and Obama's Secretary of State from 2013-2017. Environmental advocates from around the nation are mixed on their opinions of Kerry with some people saying his ideas are from years past and will not actually help the modern climate crisis.

Read the full article HERE

PRO- AND ANTI-POLICE DEMONSTRATORS CLASH OUTSIDE OMAHA POLICE HEADQUARTERS

OMAHA- This past weekend, a black Omaha man named Kenneth Jones was fatally shot by an Omaha police officer during a traffic stop. This event obviously allowed protests to erupt across the city, with the largest coming to a head outside of the Omaha Police Headquarters in downtown Omaha at about 10:30 P.M. 

Opponents of the protest say they support protesting and understand they are an important part of society, but they do not believe these protesters were 'doing it right'. Greg Murray arrived to the protest with a sign reading "I (heart symbol) OPD!" which garnered an immense amount of negative reactions from the crowd. A couple of protesters were arrested for disorderly conduct and destruction of property. 

Officers fired pepper balls at the crowds to diffuse the situation. 

Read the full article HERE

HANK BOUNDS EARNING $250,000 A YEAR TO RAISE MONEY FOR NEBRASKA ATHLETICS PROJECT-- FROM ALABAMA

LINCOLN- Former president of the University of Nebraska system Hank Bounds, quit his job last year and is now a professor in Alabama. But he is still earning $250,000 a year from Nebraska. On contract, he is working as a fundraising consultant for UNL's $155 million football complex. 

The university already has a huge foundation to handle donations including the athletic department's own fundraising effort. Bounds, however, was hired by the Nebraska University Board of Regents on a three-year contract in which he will be paid through private funds. A source close to Bounds says the NU leadership believed Bounds would be more reliable in pulling off a fundraising project of this size over Bill Moos, the Athletic Director. 

The goal of this project is to bring Nebraska to a competitive advantage over other Big Ten schools that will result in national prominence for the entire school. 

Regents say Bounds made many relationships with people during his time at UNL and those relationships will benefit the project greatly. Ted Carter, former superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy has taken over for Bounds. 

Read the full article HERE

RICKETTS JOINS SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM TRENDY AMONG CONSERVATIVES

LINCOLN- Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has signed up for a new social media platform where political conservatives have flocked to in recent weeks. Ricketts announced in a news release Wednesday that he had joined Parler.

The application, touting itself as the premier free speech platform, has signed up millions of members this year following concerns of politically biased censoring of conservatives on the social media giants Facebook and Twitter. It has, however, come under fire as a meeting place for white supremacists to share their views that were banned from major social media platforms. When asked about the connection during his press conference on Monday, Ricketts’ noted that not limiting free speech is a competitive advantage for Parler.

Earlier this week, Parler told National Public Radio it has 10 million members, double the amount it had around Election Day. Facebook currently has over 2.7 billion active users every month. 

Read the full article HERE

NONPROFIT PHYSICIANS GROUP SUPPORTS ‘BEANS OVER BEEF’ IN NEBRASKA

LINCOLN- A group of doctors, including 34 in Nebraska, are urging The Beef State to change its ways. 

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is launching a campaign in Nebraska, asking the state Department of Health and Human Services in a request filed Friday, to help the state transition to what the doctors believe is cleaner, safer food, and to have meatpacking facilities produce plant-based proteins. 

It is also sponsoring two billboards in Lincoln that address Gov. Pete Ricketts. One at 25th and Randolph streets and the other at 1501 South St. will be installed this week. They are positioned close to both the Governor's Mansion and the state Capitol and will remain until Dec. 20. The message on the billboards: "Governor Ricketts: Can Nebraska Switch to a Safer Food Supply Like Beans Over Beef?

Ricketts commented Monday at a news conference on the campaign, saying there isn't a more nutritionally dense food source than beef, the state's largest industry, and he doesn't support the physicians' campaign to switch to beans and plant-based products. It would take three cups of quinoa or lentils to get the same nutritional value from three ounces of beef, which is a part of an overall healthy diet, he said.  

Read the full article HERE

NEBRASKA RAMPS UP COVID TESTING PROGRAM, BUT RECOMMENDS SMALL THANKSGIVING GATHERINGS

LINCOLN- Even though the state has ramped up testing capacity, officials are calling on Nebraskans to keep Thanksgiving small. The number of tests performed by TestNebraska, the organization doing the majority of testing in the state, has increased by 25% in the past month. Taylor Gage, a spokesman for the governor, said the state increased testing capacity in anticipation for a surge after the holiday. 

Testing capacity has increased along with some sites now expanding hours and some hiring more people to do tests at the site to speed up the testing process. The state has also added a new lab to process tests at CHI Health- St. Elizabeth in Lincoln which now allows the state to process double the amount of tests daily. 

In a press conference, Gov. Ricketts said a negative test does not mean a person is immune, so the best bet to slow the spread is to lower the numbers at Thanksgiving dinner. A negative test also does not release someone from needing to quarantine for 14 days.

TestNebraska garnered criticism in the early days of the pandemic after failing to meet original goals such as performing 3,000 tests per day and more. Along with that there have also been some technological shortcomings that have forced some people's test results to be delayed by days. Even with the recent uptick in the amount of tests being requested, Nebraskans are still able to get a test within 24 to 48 hours with the turnaround for results being at an average of 43 hours. 

Earlier this week 1,700 medical professionals from all practices signed a letter making an appeal to Nebraskans to take this virus seriously. Nebraska currently has one of the fastest-growing outbreaks of the virus in the country. 

The letter states that UNMC has 10 units full of COVID-19 patients and will no longer be able to add more space or have enough workers to care for more patients. Healthcare workers on the frontline are "scared" and "exhausted". The letter was drafted by Drs. Christopher Miller, Thomas Marston and Daniel Hershberger. 

Read the full letter by clicking HERE

Read the full articles HERE and HERE

SCHOOLS TAP COLLEGE STUDENTS, ADMINISTRATORS TO FILL IN FOR SICK, QUARANTINING TEACHERS

OMAHA- Leaders from the Nebraska State Education Association adopted a resolution that aimed at pushing the governor to take a a more aggressive approach to the pandemic. They are calling on the governor to impose mask mandates, limit outdoor gatherings and temporarily close bars. They also want a lower density of students in the classroom and in cafeterias, when masks are off, especially. 

Nebraska schools are now in an all-hands-on-deck situation with administrators covering classrooms and college students substitute teaching during their winter break. Teaching students are being recruited to work after Thanksgiving during the extended winter break many colleges have. The Principal at Pine Creek Elementary in Bennington, NE has been subbing a few times a week, which is leaving her to do all duties of a principal at night.  

Finding substitute teachers is a seemingly impossible task right now, especially if the school is on hybrid learning. COVID-19 has only worsened the problem that schools have been speaking about for years now. If schools want to stay open, they need more teachers. Districts have now been forced to work with college students to get the license to substitute teach. This helps college students build their resume while being paid and it helps the schools out during this high-pressure time.

“They [college students] now can literally work every day until they come back to the university, which is a good two months,” said Sara Skretta, certification officer at UNL. 

Read the full articles HERE and HERE

EDITORIAL: RICKETTS MUST ORDER A STATEWIDE MASK MANDATE TO HELP US GET THROUGH WINTER

OMAHA WORLD HERALD- The cries for help from healthcare workers has sparked a new conversation about the importance of a mask mandate-- especially with the winter coming fast. It is now eight months into this pandemic and cases are at unprecedented levels. 10 Nebraskans a day are dying with this virus and a quarter of total deaths have come within the last month. 

As the governor continues to refuse to mandate masks, he is watching as towns and cities take it into their own hands. Governors from Utah, North Dakota and Iowa that had once opposed mandates, now have them. 37 states currently have a mask mandate of some form.  Science says masks work, they may not be foolproof, but they can save a close family member from getting the virus and passing away too early because of it. 

A mask mandate says our leaders are serious and will no longer abet resistance by disregarding medical advice and health workers’ pleas.When people are sick, they should follow doctors’ orders. Growing numbers of Nebraskans are sick and dying. It’s time, Gov. Ricketts, to follow doctors’ advice and order a statewide mask mandate.

Read the full article HERE

LOCAL NEBRASKA DOCTORS PROVIDE CORONAVIRUS INFORMATION TO SPANISH-SPEAKING COMMUNITY

OMAHA- During the summer months, the Hispanic community accounted for over half of the Douglas County COVID-19 cases. However, the Hispanic share of cases has dropped by nearly 17% in the past two weeks. Measures such as protecting meatpacking plant workers, increased testing availability and following best practice standards have helped immensely. 

Armando De Alba Rosales, Adi Pour and other Spanish-speaking doctors held a virtual forum that spoke to the community about what to do if a family member tests positive, future plans for the vaccine and more. Dr. De Alba Rosales went on to talk about the current hospital crisis, saying if cases continue to climb how they are now, there will be no available hospital beds for anyone. He urged everyone to avoid places that allow for masks to be taken off and especially avoid superspreader events like weddings. 

Everyone needs to be cautious as they were at the beginning of the pandemic, everyone is sick of it, but that does not mean it is not real. 

Read the full article HERE

GRETNA, RALSTON OFFICIALS PASS FACEMASK ORDINANCES, BOTH IN EFFECT WEDNESDAY; OTHER CITIES CONSIDERING THEIR OWN

OMAHA- Ralston and Gretna city council's have officially passed facemask ordinances while the governor continues to not pass a statewide mandate. Both cities called a special meeting for Monday evening to pass a vote. Within 15 minutes of Gretna's meeting starting, the matter had passed. Ralston's mandate also includes a penalty for any violations of the new mask mandate. 

Mayor Roger Steele of Grand Island has made a formal recommendation to the city council for a mask requirement. He said it is not about politics but about controlling a deadly virus. He is calling on his community to step up and act responsibly. 

Sen. Justin Wayne, an attorney and chairman of the Legislature's Urban Affairs Committee pointed out state law that allows cities of all sizes the ability to impost regulations that prevent and manage diseases. Attorneys that represent cities are having a hard time deciding whether it actually is state law that allows them to implement these kinds of mandates. Ralston Mayor said the city's original interpretation was that they could not pursue a mandate. 

Masks are not the only tool to slow the spread, but they are an essential part of a larger picture to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Read the full articles HERE, HERE and HERE

'HE'S FIGHTING,' OMAHA POLICE UNION PRESIDENT ON VENTILATOR BATTLING COVID-19

OMAHA- Anthony Conner, the president of the Omaha Police Officer's Association, is fighting for his life after testing positive for COVID-19. He is also a sergeant in the Omaha Police Department and is 42 years old. 

His wife, Linda, had coronavirus first and said she had it so bad she thought she was going to die. Just a few days later, Tony tested positive. She slowly started getting better, and then got significantly worse. Conners went to the hospital, but got to come home a short while later with supplemental oxygen. But, he took a turn for the worst  and Linda had to call an ambulance for him on Friday evening. Linda Conners now reports that Tony remains the hospital, and  is now on a ventilator in the ICU. 

Read the full article HERE