$43.5 MILLION RETAIL, RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNED FOR OMAHA'S BLACKSTONE DISTRICT

OMAHA- A new $43.5 million building, nine stories tall, is aimed at bringing more retail, apartments and parking to Omaha’s trendy Blackstone District. Developers say their planned mixed-use building, which replaces a surface parking lot and a few smaller buildings, would be a major addition to the midtown neighborhood. Proposed by developers Tom McLeay, Matt Dwyer and Jay Lund, the complex would face Farnam Street between 37th and 38th Streets. According to city documents, construction is tentatively scheduled to begin this October and be completed in September 2023.

“In some ways, this is the last big piece here on Farnam Street. In other ways, it’s the hole in the doughnut that we’re filling in for this area,” McLeay said. “I think it will be a really nice addition that will give the Blackstone a more elevated and bigger city experience. It will feel a little more like Denver or Chicago than Omaha when it’s all said and done.”

The building looks to offer over 20,000 square feet of retail space, enough room for 10 stores. It will house 161 apartments as well as 400 needed parking spaces to accompany the Blackstone District. 

“I think I speak for all three of us with 100% certainty that, without tax increment financing, the Blackstone District would be exactly the way it was 10 years ago,” McLeay said.

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CARRY-OUT ALCOHOL FROM RESTAURANTS BECOMES PERMANENTLY LEGAL IN NEBRASKA

Nebraska restaurants can now offer carry-out alcohol permanently under a new state law inspired by Gov. Pete Ricketts' efforts to help struggling businesses during the pandemic. Ricketts announced Wednesday that he signed the measure into law. It went into effect immediately.

The governor issued an executive order to allow carry-out alcohol in March 2020 to aid restaurants that were struggling financially because of the pandemic and mandatory social distancing restrictions.

The order proved popular with the public, and some restaurants reported that it had helped their sales. Ricketts said the order showed that the previous restriction on carry-out alcohol was unnecessary.

The law applies to restaurants and farm wineries with the proper liquor licenses. To-go alcohol must be sold in a sealed, tamper-evident container and not partially consumed.

Lawmakers approved the measure, 45-0.

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PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION OKs ONE COMPANY'SPLAN TO RECOUP NEBRASKA GAS COSTS FROM COLD SNAP

The Nebraska Public Service Commission has approved one natural gas company's plan to recoup costs related to the deep freeze that settled over the state in February. In an order issued May 11, the commission gave its blessing to a proposal by Northwestern Energy to recoup over a two-year period more than $25 million in gas supply costs incurred amid record-setting cold temperatures across a large swath of the central U.S.

By law, Black Hills and Northwestern Energy, the only two natural gas companies regulated by the PSC, are allowed to recoup the actual costs of the natural gas they provide to customers. However, the commission asked them to hold off adding them to bills right away and to come up with a plan to seek reimbursement over time to lessen the effects on ratepayers.

While the two companies provide natural gas to a large chunk of the state, many people get their natural gas service from municipal providers, ranging in size from Omaha Metropolitan Utilities District, which serves more than 200,000 customers, to small-town providers that have a few hundred customers.

Many of those providers faced the same astronomical cost increases to buy natural gas during the cold snap but did not have the financial wherewithal to defer repayment.

On Thursday, the Nebraska Legislature voted 40-7 to pass LB131, a bill that sets aside $4 million in emergency grants for small towns and villages that were hard-hit during the February cold snap. 

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'THERE'S MORE WORK TO DO' - RICKETTS HAILS HISTORIC LEGISLATIVE TAX CUTS IN ADDRESSING SENATORS

Lincoln-Gov. Pete Ricketts saluted the 2021 Legislature on Thursday for what he described as an historic record of tax reduction as it completed its regular session in a challenging pandemic year.

In an address to the Legislature, the governor hailed adoption of a new two-year state budget that will hold spending to 2.4% average annual growth. Legislative action in conjunction with his own budget recommendations will provide more than $430 million in property tax relief during each year of the coming biennium, he said.

Combined with increases in the current property tax relief fund and homestead tax exemptions, property tax relief will total nearly $1.7 billion over the next two years, the governor said.

Additional revenue measures approved by the Legislature, including tax cuts for retired military veterans and Social Security recipients, boost total tax reduction to more than $1.8 billion, Ricketts said.

"That's historic," he said. "That's the greatest amount of tax relief in a quarter-century," he said.

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LEGISLATURE OVERRIDES RICKETTS' VETEOS ON OPS PENSION MANAGEMENT, FOOD, AND HEATING AID

LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers went toe-to-toe with Gov. Pete Ricketts on Wednesday over three veto override motions and prevailed on all three. As a result, the state will take over the management, but not the liabilities, of the Omaha Public Schools retirement plan and more Nebraskans will be able to qualify for food aid and heating assistance.

Only a few senators changed their votes on any of the three bills, despite pressure from Ricketts for the vetoes to be sustained. His efforts include a video posted to Twitter Monday, in which he said he had vetoed “three bad bills.” He urged Nebraskans to contact state senators and ask them to back his vetoes.

Instead, lawmakers voted 31-18 to override the governor’s veto of Legislative Bill 147. The measure, introduced by State Sen. Mark Kolterman of Seward, puts the Nebraska Public Employees Retirement Systems in charge of managing the troubled OPS pension system, starting in 2024.

Earlier in the afternoon, lawmakers overrode the veto of LB 108 on a 30-19 vote. That measure, introduced by Sen. John McCollister of Omaha, increases income limits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to 165% of the federal poverty level, up from 130%, for two years.

The third measure, LB 306, was passed over the governor’s veto on a 32-15 vote. The bill, introduced by Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth, will provide federally funded heating and cooling assistance to more Nebraskans.

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NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE ADJOURNS 'HISTORIC' SESSION THAT PROVIDED TAX CUTS AND HELP FOR MILITARY FAMILIES

LINCOLN — The State Legislature on Thursday adjourned its 2021 session that state leaders labeled "historic" due to the increased tax relief provided.

Gov. Pete Ricketts said that the $1.8 billion in property tax credits and other tax cuts provided by lawmakers over the next two years were "the most, the greatest, the biggest in a quarter century and probably in the history of Nebraska."

The Legislature passed a bill that intends to phase out state income taxes on Social Security checks over 10 years, and enacted a law that will give military retirees a 100% exemption on their federal pensions.

In addition, taxpayers will see an increase in state credits offered to offset high property taxes, and will not have to pay sales taxes on residential water bills. Additional tax cuts were offered on inputs for ethanol plants and machinery used by farmers to cool livestock barns and haul combine heads.

Also passed in 2021 was a measure allocating $40 million over two years in state funds to expand broadband internet in rural areas, and a law to continue a pandemic-inspired policy that allows bars and restaurants to sell take-out cocktails.

Ricketts urged senators to keep working on one of his top priorities that failed to pass in 2021 — a bill limiting increases in property tax spending by schools and other local governments to 3% a year or less. The governor spoke a day after the Legislature overrode all three vetoes that he issued this session on unrelated bills.

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NEBRASKA PARENTS OF DISABLED CHILDREN RALLY AT ROTUNDA

Lincoln- On the last day of the legislative session, one group of Nebraskans stood over in the Rotunda as a reminder of one issue that didn’t get done. In many cases, they are the children who don’t feel the grass on their feet the same as other people, or get looks from other kids because they just don’t understand. Too many times, they feel, their voices aren’t heard. That’s what it felt again last week in the Unicameral Legislature.

For years, Nebraska families with intellectually or developmentally disabled children have been asking state legislators to help them fill a gap in coverage like other states, because the waiting line for financial assistance is too long. Shonda Knop, with Child on the Waiting List, attended the rally. “When parents think of what they want for their kids, they don’t think feeding tubes, catheters, epilepsy medications or trials for quality of life. we want our families to stay together. but with the filibuster and just 3 votes — you are asking families to divorce or give up a kid to the state or move.”

State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, who has been pushing for change, believes next year will be different. “Before you turn 15 Jacoby, we’re going make this happen,” she said. 

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UNION HEAD: TEACHERS NEED MORE INCENTIVE TO TEACH THIS SUMMER

Omaha- Omaha Public Schools teachers are exhausted after teaching through the pandemic and needed more incentive to teach through two months of summer school, according to the union representing the district’s teachers.

Robert Miller, president of the Omaha Education Association, said Thursday that his association repeatedly tried to get OPS to raise the summer school rate of pay up from $28.50, which is less than what some teachers are regularly paid.

“They’ve gone above and beyond what anyone has done in the past,” Miller said of teachers this year. “In order to feel valued, the district needed to step up and offer some incentive.”

Approximately 8,600 elementary students had signed up to attend summer school in June and July. All of the elementary students will be allowed to attend in June.

 Two school board members asked whether pay for teachers could be increased for working summer school. Board Vice President Jane Erdenberger encouraged district officials to negotiate or give a signing bonus because she said OPS owed it to the teachers and it would help staff the huge undertaking with people who are happy to be there. Charles Wakefield, the district’s chief human resources officer, said at the time that pay for summer school is a negotiated item in teachers’ contracts and that the district would have to negotiate with the OEA.

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NU SECURES $400M IN FINANCING TO BEGIN RENOVATING, REPLACING AGING FACILITIES

Lincoln- The University of Nebraska took $345 million in municipal bonds to market on Wednesday as part of its effort to tackle a growing list of facilities projects. As the largest university issuer this week, NU found investors ready to buy.

The sale netted $400 million in financing to begin addressing an $800 million backlog of renovation and replacement projects at NU campuses in Lincoln, Omaha and Kearney, as well as the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis. Wednesday’s sale was the largest issuance of new bonds in NU’s history, and the second-largest bond sale after the university refinanced $433 million in bond debt and secured an additional $130 million in 2019.

With financing in hand, NU will begin acting on priorities developed by campus leadership teams to tear down and replace aging facilities or renovate buildings with new roof, window and HVAC systems in the next few years.

A total of 20 projects are slated for “major building improvements,” according to a preliminary list used for internal discussions that was shared with the Journal Star.

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LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE OUTLINES PLAN FOR INVESTIGATION OF CHILD WELFARE CONTRACTOR

LINCOLN — A special legislative committee charged with investigating Nebraska's contract for private management of Omaha-area child welfare cases met Thursday to get started on its task. State Sen. John Arch of La Vista, who will chair the committee, laid out a work plan for the summer and fall, leading up to production of a report by the committee's Dec. 15 deadline.

The plan includes a public hearing in Omaha, surveys of key groups of people and questioning of state officials and leaders with St. Francis Ministries, the Kansas-based nonprofit that holds the contract to manage the cases of abused and neglected children in Douglas and Sarpy Counties. Arch said the committee will have access to thousands of pages of documents about the contract and how it was bid. Some of the material will come from Tom Kenney, an attorney who sued the state on behalf of PromiseShip, the Omaha-based nonprofit that held the previous state contract and came in second in the state's bidding process.

Arch said the committee will hire Kenney and a second attorney to help with its work. The committee has the power to issue subpoenas, if approved by the Legislature's Executive Board. 

"We want to have a very thorough, very deliberate process," he said. 

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NEBRASKA GOVERNOR'S OFFICE AMENDS MEDIA CREDENTIALING FORM AMID PRESS FREEDOM CONCERNS

Gov. Pete Ricketts has amended his new media credentialing procedure amid complaints that it may violate the free press guarantees of the U.S. Constitution and serve as a tool to exclude journalists with whom he disagrees. Representatives from Nebraska news outlets believe the revised application is an improvement from the one released in April, but the news outlets are still concerned. The application was brought forth in early April after NOISE (North Omaha Information Support Everyone) was denied access to press briefings and email access. Following this event the Governor’s Office issued a formal policy for obtaining access to Ricketts’ news briefings at the State Capitol. No written policy had existed before that. As freedom of press committees and officials weighed in on Gov. Ricketts' new application, the main concern was that the new policy appeared to provide a pretext to exclude media outlets based on their perceived political viewpoint. 

The new application allows media outlets who exclusively publish online are allowed to apply. Other alterations to the application include a non requirement of a notarized letter and questions surrounding how the organization is funded. Gov. Ricketts' media office did announce that if a media company is denied, they will be provided a reason. Since the applications birth in early April, there have been no events that required the new press credentials, it will first be tested on May 24th at an upcoming news event.

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AIR FORCE'S ONLY 'NUKE-SNIFFER' JET, PART OF OFFUT FLEET, WAS SIDELINED FOR TWO MONTHS

The Air Force’s only “nuke-sniffer” aircraft for detecting airborne radiation is back home in Nebraska after mechanical problems sidelined it for two months on the other side of the world. The 60-year-old WC-135 jet, part of the Offutt-based 55th Wing, landed in Lincoln at noon Friday, almost 20 hours after leaving RAAF Base Amberley, an Australian air force base near Brisbane. After seeing smoke come from one of the planes four engines, the crew landed safely and found that hydraulic fluid was leaking into the engine. The plane wouldn't fly again until April 16th when it begin a series of test flights in preparation for its return to Nebraska. The lengthy repair was due to the first replacement part failing and a second had to be flown in. It is also believed that the plane was damaged in other areas as a result of engine malfunction. 

The Constant Phoenix jets have been in demand in recent years as unpredictable regimes, such as North Korea, have developed nuclear weapons programs and tested missiles. The need is so critical that a $218 million dollar program was created to convert three former KC-135 tanker aircrafts into "nuke-sniffers." Nebraska officials Sen. Deb Fischer and Reps. Don Bacon and Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska pushed hard to secure the funding. The first batch of the converted planes is scheduled for 2022, for now the lone "nuke-sniffer" will return to its job of detecting nuclear radiation. 

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STATE SENATOR PLEDGES TO INTRODUCE BILL TO ALLOW PERMITLESS CARRY OF CONCEALED FIREARMS IN 2022

LINCOLN- After being forced to abandon his attempt to allow permitless carry of concealed firearms in most Nebraska counties, State Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon is planning a counter-offensive in 2022. Brewer, a decorated military veteran and competitive shooter, said he will seek approval of “constitutional carry” of concealed guns statewide, not just in 90 of 93 counties as his recently revised bill would have done. 

“There’s good momentum for it right now,” Brewer said. “And next year is an election year. We’ll get a really clear up-and-down vote on the Second Amendment, I think we know how the people feel," Sen. Brewer said.

Last week, Brewer had to abandon his proposal because of an adverse legal opinion from the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office. The AG’s office said allowing Nebraska counties to opt out of the requirement of obtaining a state concealed handgun permit, as Brewer’s Legislative Bill 236 would have done, was an unconstitutional delegation of power over the issue from the state to local governments.

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POLITICAL RANCOR RAMPED UP AFTER FILIBUSTER OF BILL FOR DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED NEBRASKANS

LINCOLN- Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh's LB376, a bill to allow the state to seek a federal waiver for a pilot project to provide respite care and other services to help keep developmentally disabled children at home instead of placing them in expensive care centers, died Wednesday. On a 30-11 vote, the bill fell 3 votes short of halting filibuster led by Sen. Julie Slama. The bill, a priority for the Health and Human Services, would have provided $10,000 worth of services per family and would have reduced the state's long-running waiting list for services, now containing 3,000 children and adults. 

Sen. Slama said addressing the waiting list is a worthy goal, but not one of the state's top priorities. She also questioned why the measure was not needs based and would cover everyone, even billionaires. 

The evening debate slowly turned personal, with Cavanaugh accusing Slama of disingenuous opposition and neglecting families for the sake of making tax cuts. “You did a bad thing yesterday for bad reasons,” she said, charging opponents with killing the bill on behalf of Gov. Pete Ricketts.

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FISCHER SAYS SHE WILL SEEK THIRD SENATE TERM IN 2024

Nebraska- Sen. Deb Fischer said Friday, May 14th she's already decided that she is going to seek a third term in 2024, recognizing the importance that seniority plays in determining how effective a member of the U.S. Senate can be. "If you want to get things done, seniority matters," Fischer said. A contest without an incumbent in the field is a much easier political mountain to climb, and virtually all potential Republican candidates would be highly unlikely to consider a primary challenge with Fischer seeking reelection. Although Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts has not revealed any potential political plans after he is term-limited out of office at the end of 2022, a Senate bid has been high on the speculative list along with a possible bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination if that race is wide-open.

Senator Fischer is the first Nebraskan Senator since 1990 to seek a third term in office, the first since Senator Jim Exon. Fischer said she is positioned to move up the ladder in seniority on Senate committees with a third term, and that, she said, "makes it easier to advance legislation and get things done." Fischer, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, was among a small group of Republicans who initially met with Biden at the White House for a bipartisan discussion about infrastructure legislation. "I told the president I thought the focus should be on core infrastructure," Fischer said, including roads, bridges, pipelines and broadband, instead of the broad range of topics, including child care and home care, contained in his original proposal." 

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MASK MANDATES EXPRIRING IN LINCOLN, RALSTON, AND OMAHA AS VACCINES CONTINUE AND COVID CASES DROP

OMAHA- City governments across the state are beginning to late mask mandates expire as more people become vaccinated and cases continue to go down. Lincoln's mask mandate expired at the end of the day Thursday, meaning masks will no longer be required at most indoor settings. Omaha's will expire this upcoming Tuesday. Many smaller communities such as Papillion, Bellevue and others had mandates expire in February. 

According to the CDC, anyone who is still not vaccinated should continue to wear masks indoors. Large retailers such as Walmart, Target and Hy-Vee have announced they will no longer be requiring masks for vaccinated customers unless required by a local ordinance.

50% of Nebraska's adults are vaccinated.

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UNMC SELECTS DEVELOPERS FOR $45 MILLION SADDLE CREEK PROJECT

OMAHA- The University of Nebraska Medical Center has selected a team of developers to lead the $45 million renovation and redevelopment for the west side of Saddle Creek Road. The project will become an “innovation hub” with space for offices and community amenities. Koelbel and Co., a Denver developer ad Omaha's GreenSlate Development will lead the project. There will be a food hall and market with an event center and office space as well. 

The Lund Company will handle the property management efforts for the project after being selected through a competitive bidding process. 

“We will create a space that both advances UNMC’s mission and revitalizes (the) area in a way that will benefit our neighbors and the city of Omaha,” Dr. Jeffrey Gold, UNMC’s chancellor, said in a statement.

The hope is to break ground on the project by the end of 2021. Historic preservation will be at the forefront of the developers mind.

"The innovation hub will house a number of existing operations, including UNeMed, UNMC’s tech transfer office, and UNeTech, which coordinates the creation of business startups from UNMC and University of Nebraska at Omaha research. Also on the tenant list are UNeHealth, UNMC’s contracting and fiscal arm for industry-funded clinical trials, and UNO’s Nebraska Business Development Center."

Another part of the project will be the administrative tower which will be closely tied to the university's proposed Project NExT, the project that will create a new academic medical center and federal disaster response capability. The project will cost around $2.6 billion including public and private donors and grants from the federal government. 

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SENATORS KILL MEATPACKING PLANT SAFETY BILL AND ADVANCE UNEMPLOYEMENT BENEFITS FOR IMMIGRANT WORKERS

LINCOLN- For the second time this year, a proposal to establish COVID-19 'safeguards' in meatpacking plants in Nebraska, was blocked. Nebraska is the only state that does not provide unemployment insurance to legally authorized workers. Gov. Pete Ricketts remains opposed to ensuring these benefits for workers, so if LB298 gains final approval, the governor is ready to veto.

The Meatpacking Employees COVID-19 Protection Act garnered opposition from senators that argued the pandemic is almost over and that meatpackers already have safeguards in place. Another senator, Ray Aguilar, said the constituents in his district that work at the meatpacking plant are still afraid to go to work. 

LB298 comes with an amendment that will require employers to use the 'Systemic Alien Verification for Entitlements' program in order to double-check employees' immigration status. Even with this amendment, the governor remains opposed. “LB 298 would grant state benefits to illegal immigrants,” said Ricketts’ spokesman, Taylor Gage. “Nothing about the technical amendment that was adopted changes what is a fundamentally unfair bill that undermines the rule of law.”

Sen. Mike McDonnell, the introducer of LB298, says he believes he has the votes to pass this bill but is worried there is not enough time in the legislative session to wrap it up before adjournment.

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CLASH OVER TEACHER USE OF PHYSICAL INTERVENTION KILLS PROGRAM TO TRAIN ON ALTERNATIVES

LINCOLN- A game of 'political chicken' on Tuesday killed plans to train teachers about other ways to address behavior problems in students. The programs also included training on mental health crises and would provide scholarships to students who spend time in the state's juvenile offender institutions. Sen. Lynne Walz, chair of the Education Committee, pleaded with her colleagues to support the programs. 

“It’s time to stop playing games,” she said. “I ask you to focus on the goal of the bill and that is to provide scholarships to your kids.”

The bill fell five votes short of ending a filibuster, meaning the bill is officially dead. The body amended a separate bill to continue to give lottery funds into college scholarships for three more years. Opponents of the bills dubbed the amendment the 'hit the kids' bill and used procedural motions to prevent it from being debated and potentially added to the lottery funds  measure. 

Another Omaha lawmaker, Sen. Megan Hunt, said the issue of teachers intervening physically with students was “like a zombie” that has been debated and defeated repeatedly but continues to come back.

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MEAD COMMISSION RECOMMENDS REVOKING ALTENS PERMIT WITH EXCEPTIONS FOR CLEANUP

MEAD- The Mead Planning Commission announced on Wednesday that they recommend revoking AltEn's conditional use permit to manufacture ethanol 1 mile south of the Saunders County town. The Board of Trustees on June 8 will take up the recommendation and make a final decision. The original plan was adopted in 2014. 

AltEn's ethanol manufacturing process left behind solid and wastewater byproducts that heavily contaminated the area with insecticides and fungicides which can lead to both health and environmental problems. 

Commissioner's said the company's long history of violating state regulations and the lack of communication made them leery of continuing business. However, AltEn will have to continue to clean up the site during this process. 

“The sooner we can get it cleaned up, the better,” he added. “If that means we have to let them run their digesters and other things to get the water and other stuff out there, we’ve got to do it.”

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