WHISTLEBLOWER: NEBRASKA CHILD WELFARE CONTRACTOR SPENT $80K ON CUBS TICKETS

OMAHA- St. Francis Ministries, the Kansas-based private agency that oversees Nebraska's child welfare caseload, had to borrow money to pay foster parents while also spending $80,000 on Cubs tickets. During the time of the transition from Nebraska's previous oversight company, PromiseShip, St. Francis was struggling to pay weekly expenses, making questionable spending decisions and attempting to cover up a major data crash. A report outlining these problems was sent to Kansas child welfare officials and they responded by hiring an accounting firm to audit St. Francis, the report was made public after a request by the Omaha World Herald. 

After the most recent whistleblower report, the board launched an internal investigation which ended with the departure of two top officials-- the president and CEO and the COO. The Nebraska DHHS was informed about the report but has not yet seen it. 

The report did not mention if the ticket purchase was related to St. Francis' bid for the Nebraska contract, as Gov. Ricketts family owns the Cubs.  A spokesperson for the governor said the governor was unaware of the purchase of the tickets while also noting that he no longer sits on the Cubs' board. 

Quarterly state reviews show that St. Francis is continuing to struggle with overburdened case managers and most of the workers have caseloads higher than what is allowed in state law. The reports also concluded that the company has not done thorough enough background checks in which the state has barred those employees from having unsupervised contact with the children. 

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NEBRASKA AGENCY ACCUSED OF SUBMITTING IMPROPER GRANT REQUESTS TO NEBRASKA ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST

OMAHA- A watchdog group is accusing a state agency of submitting requests for environmental grants that don’t follow state law. The group, Friends of the Environmental Trust, is calling for the disqualification of three grants submitted by the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy.

The agency is seeking about $3.7 million in funding from the Nebraska Environmental Trust, which hands out grants from state lottery proceeds for projects such as dredging silted-in lakes and enhancing wildlife habitat. But the Friends group, which consists mainly of former board members of the Environmental Trust and those involved in establishing the trust, said it appears that the grants sought by the agency would fund state regulatory activities, which is not allowed under laws that set up the Environmental Trust nearly three decades ago.

The trust should disqualify the grants, the Friends group says, or seek a legal opinion from the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office before funding them. A spokeswoman for the Department of Environment and Energy said Tuesday that the agency would have no comment about the claims. But the chair of the Friends Group, Chris Beutler, a former Lincoln mayor and a state senator when the Environmental Trust was established, said that using trust grants to fund normal, regulatory activities of state government is “clearly” not allowed by state laws.

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CITY OF PAPILLION DROPS MASK MANDATE AFTER 10 DAYS FOLLOWING FALLING NUMBERS

OMAHA- Papillion, unlike other metro-area communities, tied its mask mandate to the state's rolling average for COVID-19 hospitalizations, a move given the state’s dropping rolling average of hospitalizations has allowed the city to drop its mandate only 10 days after its implementation. Papillion’s threshold to drop the mandate was 20% of hospital beds in use, which is also when Governor Rickett’s Directed Health Measures returned to guidance instead of enforceable measures.

Coronavirus experts believe this removal of the mandate and ones similar across the county early in falling numbers could lead to another spike in cases. Papillion will be without a mask mandate until at least January 5th when another public hearing will be held on the matter. Businesses in Papillion will still be able to require masks on their premises. 

“Hospitalizations are a lagging indicator, they don’t necessarily give you any insight into what’s happening right now,” Dr. James Lawler of UNMC said. “It’s like driving by looking in the rearview mirror.”

City officials are encouraging people to mask up, wash their hands and social distance. Papillion businesses will also continue to have the right to require masks on their premises.

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STARING DOWN DEADLINE, CONGRESS NEARS $900 BILLION STIMULUS DEAL

WASHINGTON — After months of stalemate, congressional leaders were on the verge on Wednesday of cementing a roughly $900 billion stimulus deal to deliver emergency aid to individuals and companies devastated by the toll of the worsening pandemic, racing to finish the details and stave off a government shutdown on Friday.

The measure, which has been under discussion for months as the coronavirus has ravaged the economy, is expected provide a new round of direct payments to millions of Americans as well as additional unemployment benefits, food assistance and rental aid. It would prop up sputtering businesses with federally backed loans and provide funding for schools, hospitals and the distribution of a just-approved vaccine.

While the agreement was not yet final, Republicans and Democrats alike signaled that they were ready to coalesce around the main elements, marking an extraordinary shift from just weeks ago. Republicans, for their part, were wary of any new federal spending and insisted on a much narrower plan that would extend sweeping coronavirus liability protections. They appeared to have put that demand aside in recent days in exchange for Democrats backing off their insistence on a large new infusion of state and local assistance.

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ALASKA HEALTH WORKER HAD A SERIOUS ALLERGIC REACTION AFTER PHIZER’S VACCINE

JUNEAU- A health care worker in Alaska had a serious allergic reaction after getting Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday, symptoms that emerged within minutes and required an overnight hospital stay. 

The middle-aged worker had no history of allergies, but had an anaphylactic reaction that began 10 minutes after receiving the vaccine at Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau, Alaska, a hospital official said.  She experienced a rash over her face and torso, shortness of breath and an elevated heart rate. She quickly recovered following a epinephrine shot, but symptoms returned and she was given steroids and an epinephrine drip 

When doctors tried to stop the drip, her symptoms re-emerged yet again, so the woman was moved to the intensive care unit, observed throughout the night, then weaned off the drip early Wednesday morning, Dr. Jones said. He said the woman felt well, remained enthusiastic about the vaccine and was set to be discharged later Wednesday.

Dr. Paul A. Offit, a vaccine expert and member of an outside advisory panel that recommended the Food and Drug Administration authorize the Pfizer vaccine for emergency use, said the appropriate precautions are already in place. For instance, he said, the requirement that recipients remain in place for 15 minutes after getting the vaccine helped ensure the woman was quickly treated.

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NEBRASKA HEALTHCARE WORKERS GET FIRST DOSES OF COVID-19 VACCINE; RICKETTS SAYS GENERAL POPULATION AVAILABLE IN APRIL

OMAHA- The arrival of the first batches of vaccines is just the start of what will be a long process to vaccinate enough Americans to battle the virus. Creighton University Medical Center-Began Mercy in Omaha received 3,900 doses of the vaccine on Monday. Bryan Health in Lincoln received about 975 doses. Both hospitals vaccinated over 400 frontline workers on Monday alone. Hospitals around the state will continue to receive the vaccine throughout the week to help their staff. 

Healthcare providers say this is a light at the end of the tunnel. Many workers not only worry about themselves but are also cautious about bringing the virus home to their families. 

Officials still stress that although there is now a vaccine, everyone still needs to be cautious and follow protocols. In order to achieve vaccinated herd immunity to slow the virus, it is estimated that 70% of Americans will need to get the vaccine. 

The vaccine is 95% effective after two doses. 

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NEBRASKA COVID NUMBERS HAVE FALLEN, BUT 'THINGS COULD STILL TURN SOUTH'

OMAHA- After a huge surge of cases in October and November, Nebraska maintained one of the highest rates of new cases in the nation. Now, cases are down 37% and hospitalizations are down 30%. The numbers are still much higher than they should be, officials said.

UNMC officials say the mask mandates passed outside of Omaha in Lincoln in late November are most likely having a huge impact on the state's infection rate. Nebraska has seen the nation's second-steepest reduction in hospitalizations, only trailing neighboring state Iowa. More coronavirus victims from nursing homes are also now able to be treated in the homes rather than automatically being sent to the hospital. Deaths last week were at 157, following a week of record-number deaths in the state which was 202 fatalities. Governor Ricketts would still like to see Nebraskans reduce the number of people at holiday gatherings and to continue to do what many know as right.

“Even with the improvement, the numbers where we are right now would have appalled us in the spring,” Dr. James Lawler said. “We have a vaccine rolling out, but that doesn’t change the overall picture. We’re still in a pretty dangerous spot. Things could still turn south pretty easily.”

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NEBRASKA RECEIVES FIRST SHIPMENT OF COVID-19 VACCINE

LINCOLN- Nearly 5,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Nebraska on Monday. By the end of the week, the state is expected to have received 15,600 doses, as more deliveries of the vaccine are expected over time. Two of the state's largest hospital systems following delivery of doses began administering vaccines on Monday, with many other systems following Tuesday. 

The state is not mandating the vaccine, however the Department of Health and Human Services is strongly urging people to be vaccinated as soon as they are able. While some have expressed worries on social media about the vaccine, proven side effects of the vaccine are similar to that of a flu shot, tens of millions of which are given each year. The Pfizer vaccine has also shown high effective rates of 90%, an outstanding number while considering the flu vaccine, which is highly effective, sits around 60%.

The state has devised a tiered strategy based on the ACIP's recommendations to distribute the vaccines to Nebraskans, with frontline healthcare workers scheduled to receive the first dose of the vaccine as early as possible. The state is currently in Phase 1A, Tier 1 of it’s multiple step plan for vaccinating Nebraskans. 

Read the News Release of the vaccination plan as published by the Department of Health and Human Services HERE

CENTRAL CITY FARMER IS NEW FARM BUREAU PRESIDENT

LINCOLN- Mark McHargue, a farmer with a diversified agricultural operation has been selected to lead the Nebraska Farm Bureau. The organization is the state's largest and most influential agricultural organization with over 58,000 member families. McHargue wants to focus on the diversification and development and expansion of new markets. He wants to see more trade opportunities and for Nebraska agriculture to consider how it could help grow smaller meat processing facilities.

He is happy with President-elect Biden's decision to appoint Tom Vilsack, former Iowa governor as Secretary of Agriculture. Vislack also served as President Obama's agriculture secretary. He is happy that someone from the Midwest is representing the agricultural industry. McHargue is looking forward to working with officials on exploring new trade agreements. This could include some form of participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which was abandoned by the Trump Administration.

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DEMOLITION UNDERWAY AT CROSSROADS; NEW $500 MILLION PROJECT 'WILL REVIVE THIS CORNER'

OMAHA- Demolition finally began Wednesday on the former Sears Auto Center at Crossroads Mall, a major step in the redevelopment of the corner at one of Omaha's busiest areas. Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert said the mall that originally opened in the 60's will be a part of Omaha's history, but needs to be revived. The demolition should be completed in June and should open in 2024. 

The new venture, “The Crossroads,” could reach 10 stories at its high point. O’Connor said work is going according to schedule.

Demolition of the mall (minus the Target store that will remain) should be done next June, James said. The 2,200-stall parking garage to the north also will remain intact. Already torn down are the former Best Buy and Applebee’s buildings to the west. Lockwood’s Emily O’Connor said some demolition work already had begun inside the mall structure. In its new form, The Crossroads is to include a series of structures containing offices; apartments; hotel rooms; retail stores; fitness, dining and entertainment venues; and a “signature” pavilion.

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GROWING MEDICAL STAFFING COMPANY BUILDS NEW $18 MILLION HEADQUARTERS

FREMONT- RTG Medical, the Fremont-based company that has connected traveling medical professionals to job sites nationwide for two decades is now building a new headquarters in the town. The 54,000-square-foot building will be triples the size of the old building and is near Highway 275 and Highway 30.

A majority of the new jobs that will be housed in the new headquarters will be six-figure salaries. 

The Fremont City Council approved LB840, a $700,000 forgivable economic development loan to support the project, which also received new market federal tax credits to provide jobs in non-metro Fremont. Many of the employees commute from Omaha but the community is welcoming and will be able to provide more people for the workforce. 

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ATTORNEY GENERAL: ACLU FAILED TO PROVE CLAIMS ABOUT NEBRASKA PRISONS

LINCOLN- The ACLU of Nebraska dropped a major lawsuit over the state's prison conditions Friday. Attorney General Doug Peterson praised his attorneys after they proved the ACLU did not prove any of their claims of overcrowding, substandard mental and healthcare, overuse of solitary confinement and did not provide accommodations for prisoners with disabilities. 

Peterson said they turned over a lot of stones to try to disprove the 28 tours of state prisons by experts, including depositions by 42 prison staffers and the 400,000 pages of documents. The case took a major hit in June after a federal judge refused to give the case a class-action status. The Attorney General maintains that many of the improvements the ACLU wanted to see in the lawsuit have already been started.

Danielle Conrad, the executive director for the ACLU, said Peterson's claims are simply untrue. Peterson acknowledges that the state has more work to do, especially with the issue of overcrowding. The state saved a large sum of money through the dismissal of the case. Arizona, which faced a similar ACLU challenge, spent $11 million and ended up settling the case. Nebraska spent $688,000 on this case.

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OUTGOING DOUGLAS COUNTY BOARD MEMBERS SEEK $10 MILLION MORE FOR JUSTICE CENTER

OMAHA- Clare Duda and Marc Craft, outgoing members on the Douglas County Board, proposed to commit another $10 million to the $120 million justice center project. This resolution would  direct money from the county's financial reserves. 

Maureen Boyle and Mike Friend, the council members preparing to take their new seats, have questioned the project. Friend believes the funding should have gone before voters. Duda said part of the $10 million would fund the changes that had to be made during the pandemic. 

The project has faced delays relating to a lawsuit that questioned the legal authority and financing for the project. The work was supposed to begin on the project last year but that was pushed back so it is now scheduled to be finished in August of 2023. 

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NEBRASKA AG JOINS TEXAS' LONG-SHOT EFFORT TO OVERTURN BIDEN WIN; SASSE SAYS SUPREME COURT WILL 'SWAT AWAY' SUIT.

LINCOLN- Nebraska is among 17 states that signed a brief which is a long-shot bid to overturn the results of the presidential election. The lawsuit was originally filed by the Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and seeks to invalidate the Electoral College votes in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The lawsuit contains a list of unsupported allegations that have failed in court about mail-in ballots. Nebraska Attorneys General Doug Peterson signed on to the case, bringing Nebraska into the move. 

The Wisconsin Attorney General, Josh Paul said, “I feel sorry for Texans that their tax dollars are being wasted on such a genuinely embarrassing lawsuit.”

Jane Kleeb, the head of the Nebraska Democratic Party said that the claim is outrageous and is disappointed that Gov. Ricketts is using taxpayer dollars to endorse. The Texas lawsuit, if successful, will set aside the above listed states vote totals and will leave the decision to the legislatures. 

On Thursday Senator Ben Sasse said that he expects that the U.S. Supreme Court 'swats away' this latest suit. In remarks to the Washington Examiner, Sasse said it appeared that the lawsuit may have been engineered by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in an attempt to gain a pardon from President Donald Trump for allegations of criminal behavior. Representatives Fortenberry and Smith have both signed onto the amicus brief in support of the Texas suit. 

Read the full articles HERE and HERE

LPS RECORDS HIGHEST NUMBER OF STAFF TESTING POSITIVE FOR COVID-19, NEARS HIGH FOR STUDENTS

LINCOLN- As students and faculty returned from Thanksgiving break, Lincoln Public Schools passed their previous record of positive COVID-19 cases in staff and will soon pass the record of positive tests for students. The student absence rate was at 4% the past week. This is a similar number to previous years peak flu season. 196 staff members are currently quarantining and this is thought to come from the holiday.

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PAPILLION CITY COUNCIL PASSES MASK MANDATE

OMAHA- Papillion is the latest city to enact a mask mandate. Their City Council passed the mandate with a 7-1 vote and will not expire until the amount of beds occupied by COVID-19 patients in the state drops below 20% for 14 days straight. The last time the rates were that low was before Halloween weekend. 

Thursday’s vote followed two public hearings on the mandate that drew more than 40 supporters and opponents. The measure states thatMasking is not required when people can maintain 6 feet of distance, for those seated at a bar or restaurant, or for those seeking government services, among other exceptions.

The other cities that have passed similar mandates are Lincoln, Hastings, Kearney, Grand Island, Fremont Beatrice, Norfolk and Columbus. Most of the cities that have adopted mask requirements did so after State Sen. Justin Wayne pointed to a state law that gives cities of all sizes the authority to make regulations to prevent the introduction and spread of infectious diseases. Gov. Pete Ricketts has opposed a statewide mask mandate and had previously threatened to block the efforts of some communities.

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UNMC'S DR. ALI KHAN PROPOSES 'COVID-19 EXIT STRATEGY' CALLING FOR MORE RESTRICTIONS, FINANCIAL AID

OMAHA- UNMC epidemiologist Dr. Ali Khan cited an alarming projection from the CDC on the COVID-19 death toll at a Douglas County Commissioners Health and Human Services Committee meeting. 

Dr. Khan said 'herd immunity' is not a defense against the virus. He proposed a three step strategy that would make leaders add more restrictions-- including a mask mandate. He would like to see health leaders collect more data and make it available to the public as well as giving an incentive to people who test positive as a way to make them stay home. 

He also said if bars, restaurants and places of worship would close for three to four weeks the cases would dramatically decline. 

"Dr. [Robert] Redfield has projected 450,000 deaths," said Khan. "We are currently at 275,000. 450,000 preventable deaths by the end of February."

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PAPILLION LA VISTA COMMUNITY SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID

OMAHA- Andy Rikli, superintendent of Papillion La Vista Community Schools has tested positive for the virus. He has been experiencing mild symptoms and will be in isolation until Thursday. His rapid test came back negative, but the normal test was positive. 

Eyman said Rikli does not know how he contracted the disease.

In a memo to his staff, Rikli wrote that he started to experience symptoms Monday evening. He said he stayed home from work Tuesday and was tested through TestNebraska. He said he did not get results back immediately, so he stayed home again Wednesday.He then had a rapid test conducted that came back negative. But then he received a positive result from TestNebraska.

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BRITAIN BEGINS MASS INOCULATION CAMPAIGN WITH FULLY TESTED VACCINE; EFFECTIVE PROTECTION REPORTED

LONDON- Britain has become the first nation to begin a mass inoculation campaign using a fully tested vaccine, kicking off a global effort to fight Covid-19. Doctors, nurses, certain people aged 80 or over and nursing home workers will be among the first to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

At 6:31 a.m. Tuesday, Margaret Keenan, 90, a former jewelry shop assistant, rolled up the sleeve of her “Merry Christmas” T-shirt to receive the first shot, and her image quickly became an emblem of the remarkable race to produce a vaccine and the global effort to end a pandemic that has killed 1.5 million people worldwide.

Following the first round of vaccinations, England’s National Health Service warned that those with significant allergic reaction history to a vaccine, medicine, or food, should not be given the Pfizer for Germany’s BioNTech vaccines. The warning came after two workers who received the vaccine Tuesday had reactions. Both had history’s of allergic reactions, and recovered following treatment. There have been no other reports of significant reactions.

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COMPUTER GLITCH CAUSES SOME NEBRASKANS TO MISS OUT ON COVID RELIEF AID

LINCOLN- When state officials announced that they would be giving out relief funds to small businesses on a first-come, first-served basis,  an Omaha business owner applied within three hours of the applications opening. However, she, among others, were caught in a computer glitch that allowed for their applications to slip through the cracks and not be reviewed by officials. The business owners were elected to the problem, but they barely even got another chance to apply before the deadline closed. These people are now worried they will receive no aid because the applications were discovered too late.

This aid would have come from the $1.084 billion Nebraska received from the federal government. Thus far, the state has paid out $648.3 million in aid. The first round of relief came in May and mostly helped local governments, health and human services agencies, small businesses, farmers and rural broadband access projects. In mid-October the second round began and targeted hospitals, charities and businesses. 

The glitch was fixed the day after it happened and affected 31 applications. Governor Ricketts has stated that those applicants are still able to access rewards through another source. 

Read the full article HERE