LONGTIME IOWA OFFICIAL HIRED TO LEAD NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

LINCOLN- John Selmer, a division director in the Iowa Department of Transportation, has been picked as the new head of Nebraska's transportation agency. Selmer, of Story City, Iowa, replaces Kyle Schneweis, who resigned in October to take a job with a private firm.

Selmer has been director of the Strategic Performance Division in the Iowa DOT since August 2012.  Before that, he served as the director of the agency's Statewide Operations Bureau for two years and as a district engineer for a decade. He has more than 31 years of experience in the Iowa DOT. Selmer, who holds a civil engineering degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, said his career has focused on "continuous improvement, innovation, and strategizing for the future."

“John will build upon the strong foundation the NDOT has and take it to the next level,” said Gov. Pete Ricketts, who announced the appointment Thursday. Selmer will begin his new role on March 15th.

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NEBRASKA STATE SENATOR CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION OF OMAHA-AREA CHILD WELFARE CONTRACT

INCOLN- State Senator Machaela Cavanaugh is proposing a special investigative committee that will include members from legislative committees. This committee will have the power to subpoena documents and testimony. The group will be tasked with looking into why and how the state signed another contract with St. Francis Ministries. During a hearing on the measure in the Health and Human Services Committee it was reported that three key measures of child welfare have worsened since the ministry took over management of Douglas and Sarpy Cases. These measures include 'children being reunited with their parents in a timely and permanent manner, children getting adopted in a timely manner and children leaving foster care for permanent homes.

A spokeswoman for St. Francis Ministries says the non-profit has had success. She also said that many issues the organization is being blamed for were happening before they took over. St. Francis has failed to meet federal expectations on many different issues. HHS officials have held back almost $2 million in payments to the non-profit for failing to meet contract goals. The original Nebraska and St. Francis contract was negotiated by two St. Francis executives who were removed following the whistleblower report from months ago. 

Despite these clear issues, Nebraska officials signed another contract with the ministry at the end of last month. The contract is wroth an estimated $147.3 million and will continue through February 2023. The new agreement boosts payment to St. Francis by 72%.

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PROHIBITIVE OR PROTECTIVE? LANCASTER COUNTY’S WIND TURBINE RULES SPUR DEBATE

LINCOLN-  Proponents of renewable energy development said Lancaster County shouldn't let its rules stand in the way of wind farms that could bring tax revenue, valuable jobs and aid in the local fight to address climate change.

However, Several dozen predominantly southern Lancaster County residents called on county commissioners Thursday to leave the rules governing wind turbines alone as the board weighs loosening regulations amid a renewable energy push. During a nearly five-hour public hearing, opponents of wind farm development in the county told board members that Lancaster County could support renewable energy without risking disruptions for rural families.

The County Board is considering changes that would reduce the minimum setback from a property that has not signed onto a project from 5 times the height of the turbines to 3½ times the height, effectively a change from one-half mile to one-third mile, as well as increasing the allowable noise threshold. 

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JOE KELLY RESIGNS AS TOP FEDERAL PROSECUTOR IN NEBRASKA

OMAHA- U.S. Attorney Joe Kelly has submitted his resignation as the top federal prosecutor in the state. Kelly was appointed by former President Donald Trump and was confirmed to the Senate over three years ago. This comes after the Biden Administration asked for all resignations by the end of February so the President can begin the process to find and vet possible replacements

U.S. attorneys are the chief prosecutors in their respective districts. They are also involved in civil litigation where the United States is a party.  There are 93 U.S. Attorneys throughout the United States and its territories.  Despite its large geographic size, the state of Nebraska is served by only one presidentially appointed U.S. Attorney.

Until President Biden nominates a successor and that person is confirmed by the Senate, an Acting United States Attorney designated by the Department of Justice will lead the office. Kelly was named to the role 3 years ago by then President Donald Trump, and previously served as the Lancaster County Attorney.

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PALMTAG, UNSUCCESSFUL DISTRICT 1 LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATE, SUES NEBRASKA GOP FOR DEFAMATION

LINCOLN- Janet Palmtag, a Nebraska City real estate agent, is accusing the party of running ads and robocalls that contained "intentional, reckless and false statements." The claim is that the party sent out campaign mailers claiming she broke laws to get her license. She has hired veteran litigator David Domina as her attorney. Domina is asking for damages for emotional distress, damage to her reputation and $500,000 in lost income from her business. 

Palmtag lost the race to incumbent State Sen. Julie Slama in a highly contested race between the two Republicans which ended up splitting the party. 

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ETHANOL PLANT NEAR MEAD ORDERED TO SHUT DOWN

MEAD- A troubled ethanol plant near Mead that uses chemically treated seed corn has been ordered to shut down until it can dispose of excess, contaminated wastewater generated by the facility. On Thursday, the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy issued an emergency order to AltEn, the operator of the plant, to immediately cease discharges into its wastewater lagoons, saying that the company was "likely to cause and may have already caused" pollution of the air, land and water.

The department's order said that inspections of the ethanol plant's three lagoons on Monday indicated that all were holding more wastewater than permitted, and that liners on two of the lagoons were badly damaged and had not been repaired, as required by a state order in 2019. The company, AltEn, have been given 30 days to develop a plan to dispose of the water, which had unsafe levels of pesticides and fungicides used to coat seed corn. AltEn was also ordered to cease more discharge into the lagoons, which normally averages 100,000 gallons per day. 

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LEGISLATURE DEBATES WHAT NEWLY LEGALIZED GAMING WILL LOOK LIKE IN NEBRASKA

LINCOLN- Members of the Legislature's General Affairs Committee dug into those details Monday in a public hearing focused on the soon-to-arrive casinos. Some of the proposals considered would prohibit casino visitors from using credit cards to gamble, allow misdemeanor charges for people who cheat and require casinos to set up a way for gambling addicts to voluntarily bar themselves from the facilities.

Lance Morgan, the president and CEO of Ho-Chunk, said the industry needs some regulations to clarify issues that couldn't be placed on the ballot measure, such as sports betting. He said the casinos will help Lincoln and Omaha by providing jobs for residents.Sen. Tom Briese, chairman of the General Affairs Committee, said it's important for lawmakers to move quickly to set up clear rules for the casinos, even though he personally opposes gambling.

“It's our responsibility to ensure that the will of the voters is respected,” said Briese of Albion.

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AUDITOR CITES $21 BILLION IN ERRORS, PUTS RARE DISCLAIMER ON NEBRASKA'S FINANCIAL REPORT

LINCOLN- The State Auditor's Office released a report on Tuesday that shows more than $21 billion in errors on the state's end-of-the-year financial report. Because of this, the office made an extremely rare decision to put a disclaimer on the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report as auditors could not verify the accuracy. The problem came from the state's accounting process, not a mismanagement of funds. 

“We didn’t see big issues with money missing or fraud,” Assistant Deputy Auditor Craig Kubicek said. “But when the state doesn’t get a clean audit opinion, it’s a big deal.”

The letter showed that the accounting division made 52 major errors including mostly errors in financial statement entries, footnote disclosures and others. The total is particularly concerning because the auditors only checked a sample of transactions, meaning the actual total is most likely much higher. Governmental accounting standards were not met whatsoever. Tax dollars were not a part of these errors.

Many of the people dealing with the $900 million from the federal government were very new and are taking this experience as a learning opportunity. The auditor's office is also concerned about the financial statements from the unemployment insurance fund and about DHHS accounts. 

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BILL SEEKS $75M MORE IN FUNDING, WHICH COULD GO TO FUTURE ARENA UPGRADES

LINCOLN- Omaha officials say the city's downtown convention center will need renovations and new parking options within the decade. With that, Omaha is advocating for the passage of LB181, a bill introduced by Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, which would partially fund facility improvements by doubling the amount of arena financing incentive money the city can receive. This would amend the Convention Center Facility Financing Assistance Act to raise the cap available turn back tax from $75 million to $150 million. 

The state turns back 70% of state sales tax from hotels and sales inside the facility to Omaha. The same tax has been used to fund the Pinnacle Bank Arena and the Ralston Arena. At the end of 2019, Omaha had received $38 million in state turnback taxes.

A hearing for this bill has not yet been scheduled. 

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SOME IN NEBRASKA GOP WANT TO CENSURE SASSE; HE SLAMS 'WEIRD WORSHIP' OF TRUMP

OMAHA- Some Nebraska Republicans want to formally censure Sen. Ben Sasse because of his recent criticism's of former President Trump. Party officials in western Nebraska have sent proposals to censure Sasse at the Republican State Central Committee meeting which will take place on Feb. 13th. 

Sasse, most recently, had a lot to say about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Republican leaders from Hitchcock County and Scotts Bluff County submitted their proposals to censure Sasse after his comments on the riot. Chairman of the Nebraska GOP, Dan Welch, says all proposals will be consolidated then will be debated at the meeting. Welch also said he has been disappointed by some comments made by Sasse but is not sure how he will vote. 

Sen. Sasse has previously been censured by his party in May 2016 for not being 'supportive enough of Donald Trump'. 

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BILL WOULD SHORTEN PATH TO SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT BY LIMITING INSURANCE PRACTICE CALLED STEP THERAPY

LINCOLN- Families from across Nebraska expressed their support of a measure in the legislature which would provide that those with certain medical conditions could benefit from Nebraska setting limits on an insurance policy known as step therapy. Step therapy is the practice of requiring patients to start with the cheapest medication before being able to qualify for coverage of more expensive medications by insurance. Insurers use this to keep costs lower on their end. The process obviously requires a lot of time and paperwork many working families do not have the time to complete. 

The bill highlights certain situations in which overrides of this practice could be approved, while also setting a time for insurers to approve or deny this request in which they must also include information on how to appeal the decision. Fifty health associations in this state urged the senator to bring the bill for consideration. 

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VACCINATION OPPONENTS ARGUE FOR RIGHT TO REFUSE SHOTS AT LEGISLATIVE HEARING

LINCOLN — Nebraskans opposed to vaccinations filled all available hearing room seats and crowded the Capitol hallway Thursday from mandatory immunizations.

Parents, nurses, chiropractors, business owners and others came out in favor of one bill guaranteeing people the right to decline mandatory vaccination during a public health emergency and against another bill that would narrow parents’ ability to exempt their child from vaccinations. Legislative Bill 643, introduced by State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, would declare that citizens have the right to decline a mandatory vaccine directive from the state government. It would also give parents the right to decline vaccination for their dependents and employers the right to decline for their employees.

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STOTHERT IN 'GOOD POSITION' IN OMAHA MAYORAL RACE, WITH $660,000 ON HAND

OMAHA- Current Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert is widening her fundraising margin over her opponents. Political observers say her finances are on 'solid ground'. Omaha's spring election will include the mayoral race and the seven seats for the next four years of the City Council. 

One of Stothert's main challengers, R.J. Neary, has raised close to $300,000. Around nine others are also pursuing mayoral campaigns. Thus far, Stothert, Neary, Jasmine Harris and Mark Gudgel have filed the paperwork to be named on the ballot. Harris says she is focusing on prioritizing smaller donations and grassroots organizing. In 2017, during her first reelection campaign, Stothert raised a total of around $1.5 million. 

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NEW COMMERCIAL CORRIDOR NEAR NFM EXPECTED TO BRING $43 MILLION IN INVESTMENT

OMAHA- The new retail and apartment corridor proposed area will remain around the 72nd to 78th and Dodge area and is expected to cost almost $44 million. 

A plan recently submitted to the cart includes a request for $2 million in tax-increment financing. The apartments that are supposed to pop up will cost $30 million alone. The first couple phases will redevelop 11 acres of the 26-acre plot. Developers hope to see new businesses starting to open in spring of 2022. 

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RICKETTS QUARANTINING AFTER COVID-19 EXPOSURE; STATE’S VACCINE ROLLOUT CONTINUES, MAY TAKE MONTHS FOR 65+ POPULATION

LINCOLN- The governor has yet again been exposed to COVID-19, thus having to skip his annual Walk for Wellness. Lieutenant Governor Mike Foley appeared in his absence. The governor is not experiencing any symptoms and is following all federal coronavirus guidelines. He said that he was quarantining after coming into contact with someone during a business meeting last week who later tested positive for the virus. 

While in quarantine the governor announced that 45,000 people in the state were vaccinated last week in the state, bringing the total to almost 185,000 since the vaccines were rolled out to the public. The governor cautioned Friday that it could take a few months to work through the state’s priority group of people 65 and older.

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BILL TO TRIPLE FINES AGAINST OFFICIALS WHO ENACT, THEN VIOLATE, HEALTH MEASURES DRAWS NO SUPPORT

LINCOLN — No one testified Thursday in support of a legislative bill that would triple fines against public officials who enact mask mandates and other public health measures and then violate them.

The state senator who introduced the proposal, Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, didn’t cite any examples of that happening in Nebraska, instead calling his Legislative Bill 645 a “proactive” measure against what he called “egregious oversteps” by local officials during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While Hansen didn’t cite any examples Thursday of missteps by Nebraska officials, the issue of public officials violating restrictions they signed has come up nationally. A recall effort against California Gov. Gavin Newson gained steam in November after he was seen dining at a pricey Napa Valley restaurant, without masks or socially distanced, in violation of restrictions he helped set.

Hansen said that directed health measures have hurt businesses and caused political turmoil.

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NEBRASKA CENSUS EXPERT GIVES EXAMPLES OF HOW CONGRESSIONAL, LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS COULD SHIFT

LINCOLN- Census expert, David Drozd, although not on the redistricting committee, makes some observations about how the process should go. The 2nd District will have around 43,700 more residents than what is expected to be the new apportionment for each district and the 3rd District will be short 51,400. 

He says that if the process goes like it did in 2011, it will mean moving more territory from Sarpy County out of the 2nd District and into the 1st. Drozd suggests that two districts in southern Lancaster could be condensed in order to allow for two more legislative districts in the metro. 

In the Elkhorn/Bennington area, things will get more complicated as the area continues to grow. Relocations usually target legislative districts where the senator will be term limited. 

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KYLE ARGANBRIGHT: NEBRASKA SHOULD BE TO BEEF WHAT NAPA IS TO WINE, WHAT WISCONSIN IS TO CHEESE

OMAHA- How did the Beef State run out of beef during the pandemic? The beef supply chain somehow broke, and had been for a long time before the pandemic brought the issue to light. Infrastructure has grown to match natural resources which should allow the Sand Hills to produce a lot world-class cattle. 

Packing plants once had to be hyperlocal as refrigerated transport was not around. Now, plants have moved away from those areas and have come to places like South Omaha and Chicago. 80% of the market is made up of only four packers. Nebraskans deserve to continue to earn premium prices for their product. Everyone in the state should support new packing plants/lockers in order to insure that supply chain remain intact and also creates more jobs. 

Creating a state inspection program could help packers go through less work to sell their product and could allow families to buy directly from ranches. This is the state's largest industry and it need support. 

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FROM COVID TO IMMIGRATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE, BIDEN COULD AFFECT NEBRASKA IN MANY WAYS

OMAHA- America has found itself to be in a dark hole with 400,000 Americans dead from a pandemic, an economic crisis and a nation so divided an angry mob overran the U.S. Capitol after being stirred up by former President Trump. Omaha Federation of Labor President Terry Moore though, is hopeful that Biden can lift the country up and move it ahead. He believes the President will deliver on his promise to improve national infrastructure that will bring thousands of jobs to blue-collar workers in Nebraska. 

Obviously, getting COVID-19 under control is a huge hurdle President Biden is facing and will continue to face for quite some time. The president of the Nebraska State Chamber of Commerce, Bryan Slone says getting the pandemic under control will not only help the health of people but the health of the economy. 

Biden has already impacted Nebraskans as he pulled the plug on the Keystone XL pipeline, which was first rejected by the Obama Administration then revived by Trump. State Senator John Cavanaugh also believes Biden will take another look at the placement for the U.S. Space Command which Trump hurriedly named Alabama as the home. 

Ben Nelson, who served with President Biden when he was in the Senate, says he is hopeful the president will mend the highly polarized Senate and House population. 

Climate

Biden, as mentioned before, already stopped production of the pipeline, his first task with global climate change in mind. He also plans for the country to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement. John Hansen, the president of the Nebraska Farmers Union says this decision will produce economic opportunity in Nebraska. He predicts wind power generation will continue to grow in the state. 

Immigration

Immigrants play an integral role in the economy as they fill many jobs that would otherwise go unfilled, especially in the agriculture, hospitality and construction sectors. Immigrants also spend billions of dollars every year. 

“We can’t do our jobs without immigrant labor in agriculture,” said Mark McHargue, president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau. “We need to find a way so those who want to come and work hard can do so under legal status.” 

Trade and international relations

After the Trump Administration placed regulatory tariffs on American agriculture products, the Farm Bureau has lost $1 billion in sales. Trump then gave direct payments to these farmers. However, the Trump Administration then landed a good deal with China and they are now buying like crazy. 

Infrastructure 

The need to fix aging highways throughout the country is imperative. The president has pledged to do something about the issue by promising a $2 trillion package to accelerate rebuilding roads, bridges and modern mass transit. 

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NEBRASKA'S NEXT GOVERNOR: WHO’S IN, WHO’S THINKING, WHO’S OUT OF CAMPAIGN FOR GOVERNOR

OMAHA- Nebraska will get a new top executive in 2023, when term limits evict Gov. Pete Ricketts from the Governor's Mansion.

It's not yet clear whether Ricketts will seek another elected office or reclaim his private life. It's even harder to tell who might be governor after he leaves office. The field of potential 2022 contenders is growing. The World-Herald built a list of who might run by talking to political consultants, party leaders and others.

Those likely running include businessman Charles Herbster, and Sen. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha. Some names of those considering a run for the state’s top seat include sitting United State Senator Deb Fischer, Regent Jim Pillen, Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, and State Chamber President Bryan Slone. Some other names being rumored include Rep. Don Bacon, Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk, Former Undersecretyary of Agriculture Greg Ibach, Speaker Mike Hilgers, Lt. Governor Mike Foley, and Dave Nabity. On the Democratic side, former Sen. Bob Krist is rumored to be interested in a second run for the seat. 

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