NATIONAL GUARD SET TO CANCEL TRAINING UNTIL OCTOBER BECAUSE OF FUNDING IMPASSE

WASHINGTON- National Guard members in Nebraska, Iowa and across the country may lose training and pay for the next two months because Congress has failed to repay the Guard for protecting Washington, D.C., in the months following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The National Guard Bureau spent $521 million to keep about 25,000 troops in Washington, manning concrete fencing and checkpoints around the building and providing security during President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Most left within a few weeks, but some soldiers stayed until the end of May.

The bureau expected Congress would pony up funds to repay them. But the bill to cover the costs has gotten tied up with Washington’s partisan gamesmanship.

“Time is running out,” said Maj. Gen. Richard Neely, adjutant general of the Illinois National Guard, at a media briefing Friday. “The loss of these funds will have a major impact on our readiness, both for our federal missions and for state emergencies.”

The Nebraska National Guard is facing a shortfall of $3.4 million. A state marksmanship contest scheduled for August already has been scrubbed, said Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac, the state’s adjutant general, and a workshop for commanders to plan next year’s training has been postponed.

“We simply couldn’t afford to do it,” he said.

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CREIGHTON A.D. BRUCE RASMUSSEN PLANS TO RETIRE NEXT MONTH

OMAHA- Creighton Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen plans to retire next month, with his last day set for Aug. 16.

Rasmussen, 70, has spent the last 41 years in various roles at Creighton. He's been the athletic director since 1994.

During his time as A.D., Creighton has collectively won 43 regular-season conference titles and 43 conference tournament titles. He oversaw CU's transition from the Missouri Valley Conference to the Big East Conference. And he also spent five years serving on the NCAA Division I men's basketball selection committee.

Since joining the Big East, Creighton has won league titles in baseball, men’s basketball, men’s soccer, women’s basketball and volleyball. 

Creighton has undergone a wave of new athletic facility construction under Rasmussen's leadership. Morrison Stadium (soccer) and the CHI Health Center (men's basketball) opened in 2003-04. Sokol Arena (women's basketball and volleyball) opened in 2009, and TD Ameritrade Park became home to Creighton baseball in 2011. In 2014, the Championship Center was built as a practice facility for men's basketball and a headquarters for all sports.

Rasmussen steered Creighton through the pandemic. He established the Bluejays Persevere initiative, in which 50% of men's basketball season ticket holders donated all or a portion of the costs of their tickets to the athletic department.

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NEBRASKA SEEKING NEW OWNER FOR FORMER JUVENILE OFFENDER CAMPUS IN GENEVA

LINCOLN- State officials took the first formal steps Monday toward disposing of the 46-acre campus that formerly housed a juvenile offender treatment center for girls in Geneva.

The Vacant Buildings and Excess Lands Committee voted to declare the grounds and buildings “vacant and excess” and to search for an entity interested in taking over the property, which had been the longtime home of a Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center.

First dibs will go to the City of Geneva, according to Jason Jackson, director of the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services. Second choice would be another public entity.

Geneva Mayor Eric Kamler said he is excited about the economic development opportunities that the property could provide. He said some of the buildings could be used as a business incubator, while the indoor pool and ballfields could expand recreational offerings for the town.

He also wants to keep the state call center employees who are currently working out of the former administration building. The Department of Health and Human Services has about 32 workers who help process applications for Medicaid and other public assistance programs.

Kamler said the Geneva City Council was slated to start discussions about the property Monday evening.

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GROWTH CONTINUES IN RURAL PARTS OF 10 STATES INCLUDING NEBRASKA, BUT OPTIMISM SLIPS

NEBRASKA- Rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states are seeing continued economic growth, according to a monthly survey of bankers, even as nonfarm jobs in most of those states remained below pre-pandemic levels.

The overall Rural Mainstreet economic index dropped from June’s 70.0 to a still-strong 65.6 in July. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy, while a score below 50 suggests a shrinking economy.

The survey's index on new hiring decreased to 67.6 in July from 71.7 in June.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics showed nonfarm jobs across the region came in at 55,000 fewer — or 1.3% less — than before the COVID-19 pandemic began last year, said Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey from Omaha. But three states — Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota — reported nonfarm employment levels above pre-pandemic levels.

“Even in small communities like Eldora, the local businesses are having trouble finding adequate staffing," said James Brown, CEO of Hardin County Savings Bank in Eldora, Iowa.

Goss said the region continues to benefit from growing exports, solid grain prices and continued low interest rates.

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NEBRASKA TOOK IN ALMOST $6 BILLION IN TAX REVENUE LAST FISCAL YEAR, A BIG INCREASE

LINCOLN — Nebraska ended its fiscal year with a historic spike in revenue that will mean record relief for property taxpayers next year.

The State Department of Revenue reported Thursday that Nebraska collected $5.959 billion in taxes in the year that ended June 30. That’s up more than $1 billion compared with the previous fiscal year — a 20.6% boost.

As a result, the state’s new property tax relief program will more than quadruple in size, growing from $125 million in the just-ended fiscal year to $548 million in the current year. The program provides income tax credits to Nebraska property owners to offset a portion of their school property tax bills.

Through the program, property taxpayers got back about 6% of their school tax bill when they filed their 2020 income taxes. The year-end state revenue figure means that those same property owners will get credits equal to about a quarter of school property taxes when they file their 2021 income taxes.

Gov. Pete Ricketts celebrated the news, which means that the state would provide almost $1 billion worth of property tax relief in the current fiscal year. In addition to the new program, the state will provide $300 million through a longstanding separate property tax credit program and $104 million through a homestead exemption program benefiting low-income elderly and disabled homeowners.

“Nebraskans weathered the pandemic with grit and determination,” he said in a statement. “Our economy has powered through the uncertainty of the last year, and that is resulting in significant growth in state revenues. Thanks to (Legislative Bill) 1107, which I signed into law last year, higher state revenues have created record property tax relief for our farmers, ranchers, homeowners and small businesses.”

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OMAHA NONPROFITS TEAM UP FOR $13.6 MILLION HOUSING EFFORT

OMAHA-  Seven Omaha nonprofits will receive $13.6 million in state and private funding to boost home construction and renovation under a new state law aimed at creating more owner-occupied, middle-income workforce housing in older urban areas.

Half of the money comes from Nebraska’s Middle Income Workforce Housing Investment Fund, which the Nebraska Legislature created last year as part of Legislative Bill 866, introduced by State Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha. The Nebraska Department of Economic Development administers the fund. The other half comprises matching dollars from the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority and local businesses and philanthropic foundations.

The Omaha nonprofits, which often compete for grants, worked together to apply for the state money and raise the matching funds required by the law. The organizations will use the money to help finance new construction or renovation of houses in designated parts of North and South Omaha.

They hope the money will lead to building or renovating about 70 homes, said Jamie Berglund, executive director of Spark, one of the organizations that will receive the funding and that helped put the collaboration together. The other organizations are Canopy South, Habitat for Humanity of Omaha, Holy Name Housing Corp., Omaha Economic Development Corp., Omaha 100 and Seventy-Five North Revitalization Corp.

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NU LEADERS SAY THEY HAVE 'SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS' ABOUT RESOLUTION OPPOSING CIRITCAL RACE THEORY

LINCOLN- Top administrators at the University of Nebraska said Wednesday they have "significant concerns" about a proposed resolution from Regent Jim Pillen seeking to curb the teaching of critical race theory on campus.

In an email to students, faculty and staff, President Ted Carter and chancellors from each campus said university leaders would work to "vigorously protect and defend academic freedom" at NU.

Pillen, a regent from Columbus who is running for governor, said he'll introduce a resolution at the board's Aug. 13 meeting calling on regents to "oppose any imposition of critical race theory in curriculum" at NU.

But in what they called a "unified statement in defense of freedom of expression," Carter, UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green, UNO Chancellor Joanne Li, UNMC Chancellor Jeff Gold and UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen joined with faculty and student-athletes opposing Pillen's plan.

"As we have shared with Regent Pillen, we have significant concerns about the resolution and how it would be interpreted by the faculty, staff and students we hope to recruit and retain," the email states.

"The free and open pursuit of ideas is a cherished principle in higher education, and its preservation is vital for any great university," administrators said. "We support and defend the liberties our teachers and learners have to freely discuss ideas in and outside of the classroom."

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HUNDREDS OF OMAHA POLICE, FIREFIGHTERS SKIP COVID VACCINATION

OMAHA- After access to the vaccine came — in late December for firefighters and early February for most police officers — a majority of the first responders got the shot. Yet records provided by the city after a World-Herald records request indicate that 27% of Omaha firefighters and 41% of Omaha police officers remain unvaccinated. 

Dr. Mark Rupp, the chief of the University of Nebraska Medical Center's infectious diseases division, commended those workers who have been vaccinated but expressed disappointment that so many have yet to get the shots. He likened the coronavirus vaccine to needed safety gear — the heavy coat that firefighters wear while battling flames or the bulletproof vest that officers wear to felony drug busts.

"Many first responders take all kinds of actions to maintain their safety and their health," Rupp said. "Why wouldn't you want to have the equivalent of that to protect from an unseen virus?" Being vaccinated, he said, is especially important for health care providers and first responders who come into contact with hundreds of people every day.  

The City of Omaha has not required its workers to get the vaccine, and no plans are in place to do so. But officials have kept track of first responders who have been vaccinated. And a new city policy effective this month gives those who are vaccinated an additional benefit, a change that some first responders say is essentially forcing them to get the shot. 

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NEBRASKA AG LAND VALUES RISE 6% THIS YEAR

LINCOLN- Ag land values in Nebraska rose 6% this year, according to the final report from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s 2021 Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Survey.

The average value of ag land in the state is $2,895 per acre, but values vary greatly across the state, from $6,840 an acre in the eastern part of the state, an area that includes Lancaster County, to as little as $715 an acre in the Panhandle. Rates of increase were highest in the north, northeast, central and southeast districts of the state, with average increases of 6% to 8% over the prior year. Western regions reported smaller increases, between 3% and 5%. Values for cropland, both irrigated and unirrigated, also increased more than those for haying and grazing land.

The report found that current crop prices, interest rates and purchases for farm expansion contributed to higher land values, as did non-farm investor land purchases and federal farm program payments

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SENATORS TO HOLD SEPTEMBER 13TH-30TH (INCLUDING SATURDAYS) FOR SPECIAL SESSION ON REDISTRICTING

LINCOLN- In a memo sent to senators this week, Speaker Mike Hilgers noted that he has received a number of inquires regarding hte timing, format, and procedures surrounding the upcoming special session on redistricting. While some details cannot be finalized until closer to the session, Hilgers’ noted that it is prudent for the body to start preparing for when they re-convene, and his memo is meant to address many of the common issues and questions.

The most significant question Hilgers’ received has been in regards to the timing. He has provided additional context in the memo, which can be read using the hyperlink below, but for the legislature’s special session he asked senators please be available September 13th through September 30th. In addition, as in special sessions in the past, the legislature will likely meeat on Saturday September 18th and Saturday September 25th if needed. 

While these dates will be held on senators calendars, Speaker Hilgers also noted that because the start of the special session is dependent on forces outside of the body’s control (namely, receipt of data from the federal government), he asks members to retain flexibility and understand that circumstances may dictate a change in dates of the session. 

To read the memo in its entirety, including information regarding the scope of the session, and additional details on timing PLEASE CLICK HERE.

$93.8M BOND ISSUE AIMS TO UPGRADE AGING RALSTON SCHOOLS, ADD BASEBALL, SOFTBALL FIELDS

RALSTON- Schools in one of metro Omaha’s smallest districts would undergo major construction and renovation if voters approve a proposed $93.8 million bond issue.

Under the plan dubbed “Future Ready Ralston,” one elementary school would be demolished and rebuilt, others would be upgraded to modern security systems and floor plans, and the high school would get new competition baseball and softball fields. The last time Ralston Public Schools officials put a bond issue in front of voters was in 2001. At that time, voters approved a $26.5 million bond issue to renovate Ralston High School.

Superintendent Mark Adler said the goal of the new plan is to create modern learning environments, utilize space better, improve air quality and give students facilities comparable to those in other metro area districts. “We just want that for our kids and our teachers,” Adler said. The district’s enrollment is about 3,350 including prekindergarten.

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FORTENBERRY SCORES ADDITIONAL FEDERAL FUNDING FOR USDA CENTER AT UNL

LINCOLN- The Appropriations Committee of the U.S. House has given its approval to an additional $20 million for construction of a new U.S. Department of Agriculture research center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The new recommended funding follows an earlier allocation of $11.2 million for planning and design of the multiyear project.

If full funding for a new federal ag research center ultimately is acquired, that would signal the end of a long quest that began more than a decade ago for a USDA presence at Nebraska Innovation Campus.  

In 2010, then-Sen. Ben Nelson had championed the location of a $60 million USDA research center as a vital catalyst and anchor for the new UNL campus, but that effort collapsed when Congress eliminated the use of earmarks to fund projects.

The new USDA center at UNL would focus on "strategic research investments in areas such as agricultural innovation and precision agriculture," Rep. Jeff Fortenberry has said.

Fortenberry, Nebraska's 1st District Republican congressman, is the ranking member of the House appropriations subcommittee on agriculture, rural development and the Food and Drug Administration. He hailed elements of the ag-related funding proposal that provide "important support for our highly productive farmers and ranchers and those facing food insecurity in America and around the world."

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DEBORAH WARD NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF OMAHA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREA

OMAHA- Deborah Ward, who has served as the interim director of the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau since July 2020, has been promoted to executive director of the bureau.

“During the most challenging year for the tourism and hospitality businesses, Deb managed the OCVB and did a tremendous job,” Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert said Friday in a prepared statement. “She is innovative, connected and respected, qualities I believe are critical to this position.”

In her 14 years with the organization, the city said, Ward has developed marketing campaigns targeting convention planners and led an effort to target Kansas City, Des Moines, Minneapolis and Sioux Falls with the bureau’s advertising message, resulting in a 25% increase in visits from these cities before the pandemic.

Ward’s annual salary will be $180,000.

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SLAMA, GOP LEADERS LAUNCH VOTER ID PETITION DRIVE IN NEBRASKA

LINCOLN- Republican leaders, spearheaded by Sen. Julie Slama of Sterling, have decided to take the party's long-sought quest for voter photo ID requirements in Nebraska to a vote of the people. The GOP trio -- including Republican National Committeewoman Lydia Brasch of West Point, a former state senator, and former Douglas County Republican Chairwoman Nancy McCabe of Omaha -- filed an initiative petition with the secretary of state's office launching the Citizens for Voter ID drive. The proposal would place the issue on the 2022 general election ballot in the form of a constitutional amendment.

"What's clear to me, after working on this issue as a state lawmaker, is that Nebraskans want voter ID and special interests do not," Slama said. "The special interests may have influence in the Capitol, but the voters and Nebraska's Second House will have the last word. Slama is a member of the nonpartisan Legislature.

Recent Republican efforts to change election laws have been stymied in the Legislature's closely divided Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee.

The proposed constitutional amendment would "make sure that not only do elections in Nebraska stay free and fair, but ensure voters have confidence in Nebraska's election process," supporters said in a written statement

Voter photo ID provisions have been opposed by Democratic leaders because of the disproportionate impact they may have on lower-income, elderly, Black and Latino voters who may not have photo identification.

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TED TURNER PLANS 'ECOAGRICULTURE' INSTITUTE ON NEBRASKA RANCH

LINCOLN- Neighbors of Ted Turner’s Nebraska ranches have long worried that after he’s gone, his nearly half-million acres of Sand Hills property will be donated to a nonprofit and drop off the property tax rolls, leaving them to pick up the tax-paying slack.

Turns out, it appears, they were half right — but he does plan to continue paying taxes.

Last week, Turner announced that he was turning over an 80,000-acre ranch north of Gordon to a nonprofit he formed that will conduct research and develop strategies to conserve ecosystems while raising bison and generating income off grazing lands.

Four other ranches in Nebraska’s Sand Hills owned by the CNN founder/philanthropist/bison rancher, he announced, might later be turned over to the same nonprofit, the Turner Institute for Ecoagriculture.

But Turner, one of the largest private landowners in the U.S., stated that the ranches will continue to pay property taxes, despite the new ownership by a nonprofit that could claim a tax exemption.

“I believe that local property taxes provide essential support for services on which our ranches and communities depend. The Institute will continue to pay its share of taxes to support the local communities,” said the 82-year-old Turner.

Turner, on his three ranches in Sheridan County, paid $459,240 in property taxes last year. 

Turner, in the announcement about the Institute, said this: “Our company’s passion for the environment, conservation and sustainable practices continues to drive our mission of innovatively managing our lands to unite economic viability with ecological sustainability.” 

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RICKETTS STARTS OPPOSITION TOUR AGAINST DRAFT HEALTH EDUCATION STANDARDS

GRAND ISLAND— Gov. Pete Ricketts found a receptive audience Thursday as he started a tour to rally opposition to proposed health education standards.

At the Ramada Midtown Conference Center, Ricketts repeated his opposition to a draft of the standards released in March by the State Department of Education. The standards, among other things, call for teaching children as young as 6 about gender identity and gender stereotypes as a part of sex education. Supporters argue that the draft standards will reduce bullying, prevent suicides and make schools more welcoming for all students.

Opponents, including the governor and at least 30 state senators, contend that the draft standards are inappropriate. Ricketts specifically opposes standards under “Human Growth & Development” that include teaching elementary and middle-school age children about anal and oral sex, gender identity and nontraditional family structures.

Multiple people at the town hall expressed concern about the age-appropriateness of the subject matter being proposed. There were an estimated 150 people at the meeting — the first of two held by the governor Thursday. 

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NEW U.S. RULES TO PROTECT ANIMAL FARMERS EXPECTED SOON

OMAHA— The Biden administration plans to issue a new rule to protect the rights of farmers who raise cows, chickens and hogs against the country's largest meat processors as part of a plan to encourage more competition in the agriculture sector.

The new rule that will make it easier for farmers to sue companies they contract with over unfair, discriminatory or deceptive practices is one of several steps that the White House plans to announce in the next few days. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is also expected to tighten the definition of what it means for meat to be labeled a “Product of USA” to exclude when animals are raised in other countries and simply processed in the United States.

Some farmer advocacy groups have pressed for these changes for several years but Congress and the meat processing industry have resisted the changes in the past. A USDA official familiar with the White House’s plan said an executive order is expected to be announced this week that will clear the way for the new rules that will follow later.

The regulation that will make it easier for farmers to bring complaints under the Packers and Stockyards Act is similar to one the Trump administration killed four years ago. That rule was first proposed in 2010.

Currently, several court rulings have interpreted federal law as saying a farmer must prove a company’s actions harm competition in the entire industry before a lawsuit can move forward. The new rule would ease that high burden of proof.

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ALISHA SHELTON ANNOUNCES BID TO CHALLANGE REP. DON BACON IN 2ND DISTRICT

OMAHA- Democrat Alisha Shelton announced Tuesday that she plans to challenge Republican Rep. Don Bacon in Nebraska’s competitive 2nd Congressional District. The district covers all of Douglas County, including Omaha, and western Sarpy County.

“I’m running for Congress because working Nebraskans need good jobs, affordable health care, and higher wages,” Shelton said in a statement. “Growing up, my mom would say, ‘We have to pay attention. When somebody needs us, we have to be there for them.’ That has been my mantra my whole life.” Shelton, a 39-year-old mental health practitioner, was among seven candidates who sought the Democratic nomination to run against Republican Sen. Ben Sasse last year. She received the state Democratic Party’s backing after the winner of the primary lost its support.

Omaha baker Chris Janicek won the nomination, but the state’s Democratic Party pulled its support over explicit comments he made about a staffer. The party’s state central committee then voted to replace him with Shelton, but Janicek never backed out and his name remained on the ballot. Sasse won reelection handily.

Tuesday, Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb tweeted her support for Shelton: “We are going to flip” the 2nd Congressional District “... red to blue — and we have a great candidate who announced today.”

Bacon is in his third House term and will seek reelection in 2022, his campaign confirmed Tuesday.

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HARVARD UNIVERSITY MUSEUM AGREES TO RETURN STANDING BEAR'S TOMAHAWK

CAMBRIDGE, MA- A Harvard University museum has agreed to return to the Ponca people a ceremonial tomahawk that once belonged to Standing Bear. Once finalized, the move, which was requested by descendants of the legendary Ponca chief, as well as tribal leadership and the Nebraska Legislature, will mark the homecoming of an important part of Ponca history. The saga also could serve as an example of a nonconfrontational process for returning native belongings, according to members of the Ponca Tribe.

“I think this could be an example for sure,” said Larry Wright Jr., chairman of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and a participant in the repatriation discussions. The Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma also are involved in the repatriation talks.

Calls to return the tomahawk emerged earlier this year when Brett Chapman, a lawyer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, brought awareness to the fact that the tomahawk was at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Chapman, a descendant of Standing Bear, contended that the tomahawk should be returned to the Ponca people.

The Nebraska Legislature joined the chorus calling for the tomahawk’s return in May when it adopted, on a 42-0 vote, a resolution encouraging the Peabody Museum to fulfill commitments to repatriate native artifacts. 

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JEFF FORTENBERRY INITIATIVE PROVIDES NEW MIDDLE EAST PEACE TOOL

WASHINGTON D.C.- As the long and deadly conflict between Israelis and Palestinians heats up once again, a freshly designed peace and development initiative with Rep. Jeff Fortenberry's fingerprints all over it begins to take effect. The Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act, named in honor of former Democratic Rep. Nita Lowey of New York, was enacted by Congress last December. It will provide $250 million over five years to expand "people to people" Israeli and Palestinian grassroots programs that generate peace and reconciliation while also helping bolster Palestinian economic development. 

As the initiative begins to be implemented, the 1st District Republican congressman from Lincoln has been in direct contact with Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the new program.

"He assured me he was very much aware of it," Fortenberry said by telephone from Washington.

"It's being looked at now as a new initiative," he said, appearing in the wake of the newest outbreak of violence in May that left at least 256 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead. 

"Protection for Israelis, possibilities for Palestinians," he said. 

During his dialogue with Blinken, the congressman said, he sensed that "they (the Biden administration) were eager for a new tool" in addressing the long and intractable Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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