CDC TO INVESTIGATE CLAIM OF NEBRASKA DEATH RELATED TO COVID-19 VACCINE

OMAHA- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating a death which listed the vaccine as one of his several causes of death. The man was in his late 40s and resided at a long-term care facility. He died between one and two weeks after receiving one dose of the vaccine, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. The death was entered into a reporting system which tracks national vaccine safety, run by the CDC and FDA. 

Dr. Gary Anthone, Nebraska's chief medical officer, says COVID-19 vaccine deaths are attributed to anaphylaxis and occur shortly after the vaccine is given. Although he did not want to speculate, Dr. Anthone believes this death was caused by other underling factors. He urges high-risk Nebraskans to speak with their physician before getting vaccinated.

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SENATORS ADVANCE PROPOSAL TO LET NEBRASKANS DECIDE ON REMOVING SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BAN

LINCOLN- Senators on the Judiciary Committee took an initial step Thursday toward removing Nebraska’s unenforceable ban on same-sex marriage. On a 5-2 vote, the committee advanced a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow voters to decide whether to remove the ban, which Nebraskans enshrined in the state Constitution in 2000 by a 70% to 30% vote.

In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court rendered the ban unenforceable, ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges that such prohibitions violated the due process and equal protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution. State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln, who introduced Legislative Resolution 20CA earlier this year, has said that opinions have changed and that the measure would allow Nebraskans to show that.

Voting to advance LR 20CA from committee, besides Pansing Brooks, were State Sens. Steve Lathrop and Terrell McKinney of Omaha, Adam Morfeld of Lincoln, and Wendy DeBoer of Bennington. Voting against advancement were Sens. Suzanne Geist of Lincoln and Tom Brandt of Plymouth. Sen. Julie Slama of Peru was absent when the vote was taken.

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LINCOLN APPEARS TO BE LEFT OUT OF PHARMACY VACCINE PROGRAM FOR NOW

LINCOLN- It is unclear if Lincoln pharmacies will offer COVID-19 vaccines as a part of the federal program. None of the state's three dozen locations that will be participating in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program will be in Lincoln. Three locations are in Omaha and the other 11 are in smaller cities and towns. 

Governor Ricketts has been critical of the federal vaccine rollout programs, however he is happy more vaccines are making their way into the state. He went on to say that pharmacies in Lincoln have applied but they just might not have been announced yet. He hopes to see the state return to normalcy 'maybe late this summer'. 

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RICKETTS DISAGREES WITH SASSE'S VOTE TO PROCEED WITH TRIAL AGAINST TRUMP

LINCOLN- Governor Ricketts announced Wednesday he disagrees with Senator Ben Sasse's decision to vote to proceed with the Senate impeachment trial of former President Trump. Ricketts said he believes going through an impeachment procedure against a former president is unconstitutional. This comes after a meeting that was scheduled by the Nebraska GOP to discuss censorship of Sasse. 

Ricketts urged Nebraskan’s who feel strongly against Sasse’s actions to reach out to the senator. Opposition to Sasse‘s position has been building with loyalists to the former president who are moving for local county GOP party organizations to pass censorship motions against the junior U.S. Senator. 

A Republican state central committee meeting that was set this coming weekend to consider county party resolutions seeking censure of Sasse, who was re-elected to a second term by a landslide margin last November, has been postponed.

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DEB, JIM SUTTLE SAY THEIR DAUGHTER WAS A PASSIONATE TEACHER, DEVOTED MOTHER OF FOUR

OMAHA- Former Nebraska State Senator Deb Suttle  and former Omaha Mayor  Jim Suttle's daughter, Amber Tjaden, was found this week having passed away after she had been missing since late January. The Suttle family remembers Amber as a great teacher and mother. She was a devoted teacher at Metro Community College's 'Gateway to College program', where she helped kids who had lost their way. Tjaden began this passion after she had been a special education teacher in the Omaha Public School system for two decades. 

“Her whole life was around her children, her students,” said Deb Suttle, a former Nebraska state senator. 

Foul play is not considered a factor in the passing of Tjaden.

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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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