NEBRASKA STUDY FINDS THAT CONVENTIONAL VEHICLES CAN USE HIGHER ETHANOL BLEND

LINCOLN- A new study indicating that higher ethanol blends can be used in conventional vehicles could be a boon to corn farmers and the state's $5 billion ethanol industry. If only% of the 1.7 million vehicles in the state switched to E-30, it would increase demand by 18.5 million gallons a year. 

About 97% of the gasoline sold in the U.S. now contains some ethanol. A biomolecular engineering professor at the University of Nebraska Lincoln says that if 10% of the state's vehicles switched to E-30, greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by 64,000 tons a year. However, increased production of ethanol would increase carbon emissions from ethanol plants. The process to take action to make it legal to use E-30 in non flex-fuel vehicles could take two years.

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TEACHERS UNION NOW BACKS HANDING MANAGEMENT OF OPS PENSION SYSTEM TO STATE

OMAHA- Omaha Public Schools teachers union and a key Nebraska lawmaker may pave the way for the state to take over management of the district's troubled pension fund. LB147 cleared a huge hurdle as the Omaha Education Association reversed its original position and backed the plan. 

“The people in Omaha need to see the money is being handled properly and the plan is being run efficiently,” Kolterman said.

The change to state management would not observe the school district of the $848 million shortfall in the Retirement System. The Omaha World Herald investigation two years ago traced the shortfall to investment blunders by district-appointed trustees. The investigation further found that the trustees bailed heavily on the stock market amid the 2008 crash. They decided to move the money into exotic investments such as real estate in India and oil in Kazakhstan. Half of the system's dollars were put into investments with ties to the fund's investment adviser, despite that very obvious conflict of interest. 

This shortfall is now forcing the district to spend $25 million a year to bring the fund back to solvency, a figure that is projected to keep growing. Now that the teachers union supports the bill, the only opposition comes from an organization representing current OPS retirees. The bill will also requires OSERS to complete a compliance audit, as the organization has not completed one in over 70 years.

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AIRBORNE COMMAND CENTER PLANES NOW OPERATING OUT OF LINCOLN

LINCOLN- Modified white Boeing 747-200s with the blue stripe down the side and "United States of America" stenciled across their bodies are often mistaken for Air Force One. These planes, although not carrying the president, play an equally vital role. These planes, better known as E-4B planes operate as airborne command centers, ensuring the military is able to continue operations and the chain of commend if the country were to come under a nuclear attack. 

The four planes will be based in Lincoln until the $150 million Offutt Air Force Base runway reconstruction project is complete. The planes have been stored at Lincoln's commercial airport in 2019 after Offutt had severe flooding and did another short stint in 2006-2007 due to construction. The planes have a normal crew of about 70 people but can accommodate 112 passengers. 

The Lincoln Airport is special in that most commercial airplanes do not have the capability to store planes of this caliber. 

"I think for me the biggest thing is being able to partner with the military and with Offutt," Nick Cusick, chairman of the Lincoln Airport Authority, said.

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SCHOOL SAFETY HOTLINE PLAN ADVANCES IN NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE DESPITE PRICE TAG

LINCOLN- A step has been taken by the Nebraska Legislature to make schools safer from threats of violence, including school shootings, suicide and bullying. In a 33-5 vote, senators approved LB322, legislation that would create a statewide hotline where anyone could anonymously report concerns about students. Sen. Matt Williams of Gothenburg introduced the bill and argued the program would have a first year price tag of around $900,000. 

This would be an expansion of a successful pilot program in Douglas County. In the first year of the program, the hotline got around 500 calls-- varying in concerns such as self harm and threats to schools in the district. After someone calls, they are directed to crisis counselors at BoysTown who offer better resources immediately. 

Sen. Mike Groene is in opposition of the bill, saying this could harm young people in their futures then proceeded to compare the program to the German Nazi paramilitary group, known as the Brownshirts.

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NEBRASKA STATE SENATORS HAVE A $1 BILLION IDEA ON HOW TO SPEED CONSTRUCTION OF 4-LANE EXPRESSWAY

LINCOLN- The Legislature's Revenue Committee on Thursday authorized Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk to prepare a legislative proposal that would give authority to the governor to commit up to $1 billion to accelerate highway construction in the state. The proposal emerged during an executive session discussion on LB542. LB543 is a bill introduced by Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont which would authorize $400 million in highway bond financing to speed construction of the state's expressway system. The major push to get this construction done is the hope to better connect the state's major communities. 

There are multiple incomplete highway stretches across the state even after U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer won enactment of legislation to speed up highway construction in 2011. The Nebraska Department of Transportation opposed the bill at the public hearing.

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HUSBAND OF MAYOR JEAN STOTHERT FOUND DEAD AT COUPLE'S SOUTHWEST OMAHA HOME

OMAHA- Husband of Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert was found dead at the couple's home Friday afternoon. Authorities received a call at

1:53 p.m. about a shooting at the southwest Omaha home. The neighborhood is being blocked by an Omaha police cruiser. 

Stothert was a board-certified critical care physician at Nebraska Medicine. He and Mayor Stothert were married for 40 years. He served as the medical director for the Omaha Fire Department's paramedic's training program and continued to volunteer with the department afterwards. He had also been a surgeon on many high-profile trauma cases.

As of Friday afternoon, authorities say the cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

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NEBRASKA LAWMAKERS SPAR OVER BILL TARGETING 'DARK MONEY' IN POLITICS

LINCOLN- Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue expressed frustration Thursday about why a legislative committee did not advance a bill concerning transparency expenditures on political campaigns. The senator is sponsoring a proposal that would require independent groups that send campaign-related mailers or buy advertisements within 30 days of an election to report who they are, how much they’ve spent and in what campaigns they’ve spent money. It would also require reporting of anyone who has contributed more than $250 to such electioneering.

She said some independent groups are 'hit-and-run groups' that suddenly show up in Nebraska and distribute ads that are negative or half-truths without knowing who they are or who financially backs them. 

Sen. John Lowe of Kearney and Sen. Steve Halloran of Hastings questioned if this bill would put a dent in dirty campaigning or if anyone would even search for the information if it were made available. The ACLU also opposed the bill saying it would infringe on free speech. 21 other states have similar requirements for independent expenditures. Blood went on to say this would bring Nebraska in line with federal reporting laws. She is not pushing a debate this year, but plans to next year. 

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EX-SPEAKER RETURNS TO OPPOSE BILL THAT WOULD AMEND NEBRASKA'S NEW BUSINESS INCENTIVE PROGRAM

LINCOLN- Former Speaker Jim Scheer of Norfolk made a surprise visit to the Capitol on Friday to oppose changes to a "grand compromise" he helped forge last year on tax incentives and relief. He testified against a proposal to amend the ImagiNE Act that would allow businesses to count nonresident workers in reaching job-creation targets to qualify for tax credits. The amendment was an attempt to correct the parts of the bill which allows companies on Nebraska's borders that employ nonresident employees but can't count them to qualify for tax breaks. 

Scheer agreed that only Nebraska residents should be counted as employees because they are not paying property taxes here, shopping here and overall do not contribute to the state's economy. Sen. Mark Kolterman of Seward said the residency clause hurts the ability of companies to qualify for incentives for expansions. 

The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, the Nebraska State Bankers Association, and others supported the bill.

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RICKETTS JOINS 21 OTHER GOVERNORS IN OBJECTING TO BIDEN'S PLAN FOR DISTRIBUTING COVID AID

LINCOLN- Gov. Pete Ricketts has announced he is objecting to the way money would be distributed via President Biden's stimulus bill. 20 other GOP governors and one Democrat, Gov. Laura Kelly of Kansas said in the letter "...a state’s success in 'keeping businesses open and people employed' should not penalize them in terms of the distribution of the COVID-19 recovery money."

The new stimulus bill would allocate aid based on a state's unemployment population rather than total population. In their statement, the opposing governors said it punishes states that “took a measured approach to the pandemic and entered the crisis with healthy state budgets and strong economies.”

Biden's almost $2 trillion proposal was passed by the U.S. House of Representatitves on Saturday. 

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ADVOCATES FOR NEBRASKA MEATPACKING WORKERS TESTIFY IN SUPPORT OF INCREASED COVID PROTECTIONS

LINCOLN- Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha has been making a continuous effort to provide more pandemic-related protections to meatpacking plant workers who have been ravaged by COVID-19 for the past year. 7,072 meatpacking workers have been infected by the virus, while 225 have been hospitalized and 27 have passed away. Vargas also noted the majority of workers are Latino and immigrants, including many refugees.

Representatives from meatpacking plants such as Smithfield Foods and Lincoln Premium Poultry spoke in opposition to the bill, saying they require social distancing at the plants. Proponents of the bill argued that the health and well-being of workers should be the primary concern. Meatpacking workers are often crowded, with one testifier saying there are some areas where social distancing is just not possible. 

And they are working “shoulder to shoulder, elbow to elbow” on the production line, said James Goodard, speaking for Nebraska Appleseed.

Vargas moved to introduce a similar bill late in the reconvened 2020 session, but failed on a motion to suspend the rules. 

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NEBRASKA LAWMAKERS ADVANCE LEGISLATION TO LIMIT SPORTS BETTING, REGULATE CASINOS

LINCOLN- The General Affairs Committee advanced a merged LB560 and LB561 which includes a constitutional amendment allowing casino gambling at licensed horse racetracks and laws regulating the casinos. The package fleshes out the gambling initiatives passed by Nebraska voters in November. These initiatives did not address sports betting though. However, former Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne says these initiatives will allow for more opportunities to gamble on sports. 

Sen. Tom Briese of Albion agreed with Osborne, saying the Legislature should set parameters for sports betting in the state. Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha, also in agreement, says not setting parameters creates a 'free-for-all' environment at the casinos. Other senators say they are unable to support the bill as long as it included provisions on sports betting as he is skeptical if voters wanted that authorization. 

Under the merged bill sports gambling would only be offered in designated areas of the casinos and would allow for betting on any Nebraska college/university and would prohibit betting on athletes under 18. The bills also include the ability for people to request they be banned from casinos because of gambling problems. Background checks will be required for people applying for gaming operator licenses. New crimes would be created for things such as cheating, manipulating machines or allowing underage people to gamble. 

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WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: NEW VIRUS CASES RISING GLOBALLY FOR FIRST TIME IN WEEKS

WASHINGTON- The World Health Organization said in a briefing Monday new COVID-19 cases are increasing worldwide for the first time in months. Officials attribute this to a combination of premature reopening efforts and circulation of new variants. U.S. cases show signs of plateauing after steadily falling through February. Michael Ryan, head of the health emergencies program for WHO, said it is unrealistic to expect the pandemic to be fully over by the end of 2021. 

“If the last week tells us anything, it’s that this virus will rebound,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead officer for COVID-19, told reporters. “This virus will rebound if we let it. We cannot allow it to take off again.”

WHO Director-General has expressed disappointment that the United Nations COVAX program began in African nations such as Ghana and the Ivory Coast just this week, almost a month after western nations began vaccinations. 

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MURTHY VOWS TO FOCUS ON MENTAL HEALTH EFFECTS OF PANDEMIC IF CONFIRMED AS SURGEON GENERAL

WASHINGTON- President Biden's pick for surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, vowed to focus on the mental health aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic if confirmed. He told CBS the US is facing a deeply concerning increase in mental illness through the past year. He would like to see increased insurance for mental health care and to integrate mental health care into primary care. 

People around the world have had trouble coping with social distancing and lockdowns. The death toll in the United States can also lend to people's deteriorating mental health. 

“I think that we will be learning over the years ahead just how deeply this pandemic has affected our children,” Murthy said. “We’ve got to study what’s happening to our kids so that we can build the right strategies to ultimately address the fallout that the pandemic has created for our children.”

There has also been a 93% increase in people searching out mental health screenings. 

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'SHE STANDS WITH US': MAYOR STOTHERT GETS OMAHA POLICE UNION'S BACKING FOR THE FIRST TIME

OMAHA- Mayor Jean Stothert of Omaha has received her first endorsement as she builds her run for her third term. The Omaha Police Union announced their support, and although they said it is earlier than usual to start to endorse candidates, the union’s members voted unanimously on this decision. 

A local activist, JaKeen Fox said he was happy to hear the union had endorsed Stothert so early as he believes the union had no other sympathetic candidate to turn to. Throughout all public discourse last summer and the Black Lives Matter movement, Mayor Stothert remained firm in her support of the police department. 

Democratic candidate RJ Neary announced his endorsement from the Omaha Federation of Labor.

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NEBRASKA LAWMAKERS GRILL UTILITY COMPANY OFFICIALS OVER FEBRUARY'S ROLLING BLACKOUTS

LINCOLN- A panel of state lawmakers were told Wednesday that Nebraska produced more electricity than the state used during the February deep freeze. Public power officials testifying before the Natural Resources Committee said the blackouts were ordered by the regional transmission organization they are members of. The blackouts, usually lasting less than 90 minutes, prevented major outages. Local power officials said this is not how they want things to go if put in the same situation again. 

It is estimated that 63% of the outages were because of supply issues, including competition for natural gas for heating, and ice that made coal unusable, while other energy sources were not weatherized. Senators asked if Nebraska could have refused to implement the blackouts, to which the president of NPPD said the state would have faced a $1 million a day federal penalty.

Nebraska regulators will intervene in the February price hikes expected on the bills of customers served by privately operated natural gas companies. Natural gas prices skyrocketed, forcing the price that utilities pass on to customers to rise as well. This past February was one of the coldest on record. 

MUD has estimated that the average residential customer could see an additional $17.21 on their February bill, a price that could have been $200 higher if not for the cost-saving moves made. The Nebraska Public Service Commission is requiring an extra 30 day grace period for delinquent bills, extending a moratorium on shutting off delinquent low-income households, investigating the price spikes and directing two utilities to withhold from bills for now. 

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FORMER USDA UNDERSECRETARY MOVES INTO NEW ROLE HELPING WITH BIOTECH AT UNL

SUMNER- Greg Ibach, former U.S. Department of Agriculture undersecretary, took time to decide what he really wanted to do next. He has spent time working on federal ag-related programs during his years with the USDA following his service as the longest sitting Nebraska Department of Agriculture director. 

Ibach has decided to join the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources as its inaugural undersecretary-in-residence.  He will help advance IANR in various areas through partnerships with the National Institute of Antimicrobial Resistance Research Education, U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services and others. 

He is excited to have more free time to spend on his family farm during harvest season and volunteer time to different ag agencies. Ibach’s name has appeared on lists of those rumored to be interested in the open governorship in 2022.

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FORMER OMAHA MAYOR, CURRENT COUNTY BOARD MEMBER MIKE BOYLE HAS CANCER

OMAHA- The 77-year-old Douglas County Board member and former mayor of Omaha, Mike Boyle has lung cancer. He plans to continue with his board duties as usual. His daughter, Maureen Boyle, said, “He doesn’t feel sick at all, he’s just plugging away like he always has been.”

He will begin radiation and chemotherapy at the Nebraska Medical Center probably next week. 

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NEBRASKA ECONOMIC FOECASTING BOARD RAISES REVENUE PROJECTIONS

LINCOLN— Nebraska is now expected to collect an additional $204 million in the current fiscal year, according to new projections approved Friday. The Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board estimated that state revenue will come in roughly 4% higher than previous projections.

The board also raised its revenue forecast by $165 million for the next fiscal year that starts July 1 and $93 million for the following fiscal year. The board's decisions determines how much money is available to state lawmakers. In a statement, Gov. Pete Ricketts said the increased forecast gives the state the opportunity to reduce property taxes.

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DIRECTOR DEFENDS NEBRASKA AGENCY'S EFFORTS TO BRING MEAD ETHANOL PLANT INTO COMPLIANCE

LINCOLN- State lawmakers have many questions regarding the recent findings that the Mead ethanol plant was violating environmental regulations. The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy defended their work saying they did all inspections and issued violation orders to the plant's oversight. The Nebraska Attorney General could be asked by the department to file charges and seek fines against AltEn. 

Most of the issues stemmed from the company not disclosing certain changes they were making dating back to 2013. The company will continue to comply throughout the process and possible charges.

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BILL WOULD PUT A DENT IN LONG LIST OF NEBRASKANS WAITING FOR DISABILITY SERVICES

LINCOLN- Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha's LB493 would appropriate $17 million in each of the next two fiscal years to put a dent in the list of people hoping to be approved for developmental disability services. Cavanaugh acknowledged the bill’s price tag. But she said lawmakers promised more than a decade ago to provide services for everyone on the waiting list. Instead, the list has continued to grow.

“We have an opportunity here to do something really great for this state,” she said. “The $17 million can tangibly change lives.”

In 2009, state lawmakers approved $15 million to help shrink the waiting list, which was at 2,006 people that year. Two weeks ago, the list stood at 2,968 people. About half are under age 21, in many cases put on the list in hopes that a spot would be available when they leave school.

A second bill called for an increase in the rates paid to developmental disability services providers. LB 225 was introduced by Sen. Robert Hilkemann of Omaha.

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