CITY OF OMAHA EXPECTS TO APPLY FOR DISASTER AID FOLLOWING WEEKEND FLOODING

OMAHA- Omaha officials expect to apply for federal disaster aid after weekend flash flooding collapsed some sewers, sent vehicles sailing into one another and pushed water into east Omaha businesses and homes.

The city has been tracking its expenses related to the storm and working with the Douglas County Emergency Management Agency to determine whether it can apply for the funding, City Engineer Todd Pfitzer told the City Council on Tuesday.

“We do anticipate at this time we’ll meet the threshold for a federal application,” Pfitzer told the council.

Few other details about the potential disaster declaration were available Tuesday. Paul Johnson, director of the county emergency management agency, was unavailable.

The weekend storm would be the second one of the summer to prompt federal disaster dollars. In July, Omaha officials said they would pursue a federal disaster declaration after a hurricane-force windstorm downed trees and power lines across the city, knocking out power to 188,000 Omaha Public Power District customers.

For the full article click HERE

NEBRASKA SENS. FISCHER, SASSE ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF VOTE ON $1 TRILLION INFRASTRUCTURE BILL

WASHINGTON D.C.- Nebraska’s two Republican senators cast differing votes on a $1 trillion infrastructure spending plan passed by the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.

Sen. Deb Fischer was among the 69 senators who voted in favor of the bill, while Sen. Ben Sasse voted alongside 29 other senators — all Republicans — opposing the bill. The package includes funding for roads, broadband internet, water pipes and public works systems.

Fischer said in a statement released after the vote that the infrastructure plan would make “long-awaited investments to rebuild and develop our nation’s core infrastructure.”

She also pointed to the bipartisan nature of the legislation and her ability to successfully advocate for several priorities, including “increased flexibility for livestock haulers and assistance for communities in rural America to meet transportation needs.”

“Additionally, the final bill included my bipartisan amendment that would create an online mapping tool for viewing the progress of federal broadband deployment projects all in one place. This will avoid duplication, maximize federal funding dollars, and help connect as many households as possible,” she said.

In a statement, Sasse criticized claims by Democrats that the bill would pay for itself. He acknowledged the importance of infrastructure, but said the bill was just one piece of unprecedented spending in Washington, D.C. — including plans by Democrats to take up a separate $3.5 trillion package proposed by President Joe Biden.

For the full article click HERE

DRONES HELP NEBRASKA STATE PATROL SPEED UP CRASH INVESTIGATIONS

NEBRASKA- The Nebraska State Patrol is turning to drone technology to speed up investigations and clear roads more quickly following crashes.

The State Patrol has trained 19 crash investigators as certified drone pilots and has already used the technology to investigate several crash scenes, according to a news release.

Participants in the drone program recently conducted training flights and reconstruction mapping tests at the site of Husker Harvest Days near Grand Island.

“This technology brings NSP crash investigations to a new level,” program coordinator Lt. Brent Bockstadter said.

“The new drones, coupled with state-of-the-art mapping systems, allow our investigators to gather investigative images and data in less than half the time it used to take.”

For the full article click HERE

MIKE PENCE, TED CRUZ, RON DESANTIS WILL HEADLINE RICKETTS EVENT IN NEBRASKA CITY

NEBRASKA CITY- Former Vice President Mike Pence, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis form an all-star lineup of guests who will join Gov. Pete Ricketts at a Nebraska Steak Fry scheduled in Nebraska City on Sept. 12.

Ricketts hosts the event annually to celebrate Nebraska agriculture.

All Three speakers are viewed as potential 2024 Republican presidential candidates.

DeSantis has been engaged over the past week in a high-profile battle with President Joe Biden over the Democrat’s efforts to vaccinate more Americans and consider masking restrictions to help battle the surge of COVID-19 infections due to the delta variant.

The steak fry will be held at Arbor Lodge Historical Park.

For the full article click HERE

NPPD SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT ON DECARBONIZATION

COLUMBUS- Another of Nebraska’s major utilities is taking a look at decarbonization and will be asking its customers to weigh in.

The Nebraska Public Power District will hold five public meetings over the next two weeks on whether it should pursue decarbonization, CEO Tom Kent said Friday. The meetings are part of a larger effort to gauge customer sentiment, he said.

Decarbonization is the process by which a utility reduces its carbon footprint, in part by reducing emissions of heat-trapping gases. Often, this involves a fuels shift, away from coal, for example, toward wind or solar.

The first meeting is Wednesday in Norfolk, and the final meeting is Aug. 18 in Kearney. The utility has already taken some stakeholder input and will post a survey on its website from Wednesday until Sept. 1.

The meetings will include a detailed presentation by the Electric Power Research Group on the business risks of decarbonizing or not, Kent said.

Scientists have long known that digging up fossil fuels — coal, oil and natural gas — and releasing their carbon dioxide into the atmosphere would change the planet’s climate. One reason scientists have become more urgent in their calls for action is that the release of carbon dioxide has a decades-long delayed effect on climate.

Kent said NPPD already has lowered its emissions.

The utility’s 2020 generations emissions on a carbon intensity basis declined 39% from 2005 levels, he said.

For the full article click HERE

WESTERN NEBRASKA WILDFIRE BURNS 2,500 ACRES

HARRISBURG- State and local agencies continued to fight a wildfire Friday that had burned an estimated 2,500 acres since it began about 7 p.m. Thursday.

The fire prompted an emergency declaration from Banner County on Friday morning as well as the deployment of a Nebraska State Emergency Response Team and an Incident Management Team to support fire containment efforts.

Incident commanders requested the use of a large Colorado air tanker. Two Nebraska Army National Guard helicopters were also headed to Banner County on Friday afternoon to provide air support.

A Nebraska air tanker and two air tankers from South Dakota were already working to fight the fire, according to a press release from the Nebraska State Emergency Response Commission.

As of Thursday night, there were 89 personnel with 18 different departments at the scene.

No injuries have been reported, and no houses are believed to be threatened by the fire, the commission said.

The Wildland Incident Response Assistance Team, a group made up of state fire marshals, has been requested to provide expert knowledge and assistance to local first responders.

Fire weather watches were in effect Friday for portions of southeast Wyoming and western Nebraska due to low humidity values and scattered thunderstorms. Fire weather watches are expected to remain elevated as dry conditions continue into the weekend.

For the full article click HERE

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA ANOUNCES NEW COVID SAFETY PROTOCOLS

LINCOLN— The University of Nebraska announced updated coronavirus protocols on Friday in response to a rising number of cases in the state and guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The university said all vaccinated faculty, staff, students and visitors to its campuses are encouraged, but not required, to wear face masks indoors. University officials said unvaccinated people should continue to wear masks. Masks are required indoors for all people at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

University officials said they strongly recommend vaccinations for everyone affiliated with the university, but won’t require them. Faculty, staff and students won’t be required to disclose their vaccination status, but those who don’t should expect to take additional safety measures.

University officials said they’ll announce campus-specific COVID-19 protocols as they’re developed with local public health departments.

For the full article click HERE

FAST, HEAVY RAINS CAUSE STREET FLOODING, PROPERTY DAMAGE IN OMAHA

OMAHA- Flash flooding washed through basement apartments, swept up cars and heaved pavement in low-lying areas of the Omaha metro area over the weekend.

Cleanup on Sunday was tedious, muddy work, but most people were counting their blessings.

Seven people had escaped with their lives after floodwaters trapped them in two elevators in the basement of the Old Market Loft apartments, 1011 Jones St.

Tony Luu, one of those who had been trapped, said he had no idea how dangerous flash flooding could be.

“I wouldn’t have stepped in the elevator if I had known,” he said, “Now I know to use a bit more caution.”

Alex Speakar was likewise awed by the power of the water that lifted up her car and carried it down Jones Street to rest against other vehicles.

“When they say how fast (flooding) comes in, it just didn’t register,” she said. The 22-year-old had packed all her possessions in her car in front of the Old Market Lofts for her planned return to the University of Kansas on Sunday. Instead, she spent the afternoon watching her uncle, a mechanic, hook it to his truck for the trip to Lawrence, Kansas.

“It could have been worse,” Speakar said. She still had a car — she hoped— and not everything in the car got soaked.

But dozens of motorists were caught in street flooding and required rescuing. Parked vehicles that had been pushed together by rushing water remained in place Sunday morning.

No injuries or deaths from the flooding were reported.

“We’re very, very lucky,” said Becky Kern, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Valley. Flooding and heat waves are the two deadliest forms of weather, Kern said.

For the full article click HERE

BULK OF NEBRASKA'S $200 MILLION IN FEDERAL RENTAL AID HAS YET TO BE DISTRIBUTED

LINCOLN — Nebraska has distributed only a fraction of the federal pandemic assistance allocated to make evictions for unpaid rent unnecessary, but a new federal eviction moratorium may give more time for the relief to reach renters and landlords.

Through the end of July, the state as a whole had paid out just $27.3 million — or 13.6% — of the $200 million in emergency rental assistance allocated for Nebraska by Congress.

The pandemic-related program was created to help keep renters in their homes and landlords in the black. For those who qualify, the aid can make a huge difference, said Jane Gordon, program director for the Christian Outreach Program — Elkhorn, which is administering rental assistance for Douglas County outside of Omaha.

“In some cases, this radically changes somebody’s life” by lifting their debt burden and giving them up to three months of breathing room, she said.

But the success of the aid varies widely between Nebraska’s large urban areas and the rest of the state. Omaha, Douglas County and Lincoln have gotten about 50% or more of their money out the door already, according to figures provided by state and local programs.

Nebraska’s two largest cities are on track to use up the rest of their allocation before the end of the year, and both have applied for a second round of assistance money.

For the full article click HERE

NEBRASKA LEGISLATIVE RACES KEEP BREAKING SPENDING RECORDS, AND THERE'S NO END IN SIGHT

LINCOLN- Running for Legislature got a lot more expensive in Nebraska last year. Candidates in the 2020 general election shattered records set just two years earlier, with average spending 30% higher than in 2018 and the top-spending campaign nearing the half-million-dollar mark.

But neither lawmakers nor campaign observers expect the trend to slow down anytime soon.

"I don’t think the spending record that was set in my race will stand for very long," said State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln, who poured an eye-popping $492,353 into his successful bid for elected office last year.

Bostar, a Democrat, the top spender in the 2020 election, won the seat being vacated by Sen. Kate Bolz.

Said Paul Landow, an associate professor of political science at the University of Nebraska at Omaha: "Politicians are in an arms race, and the currency they use is dollars rather than nuclear megatons. In the end, I think the real losers are the American public."

A World-Herald analysis of campaign finance reports filed with the Nebraska Accountability and

Disclosure Commission found that general election candidates spent an average of $144,658 on their campaigns last year, the most ever in Nebraska. The analysis combined the spending in the year before the election through the end of the election year.

The 2020 figure compares with the $111,471 average the previous election, which was the previous record.

The 2018 figure was a 28% increase from 2016, which, in turn, was up 3% from the 2014 election.

Last year, 13 candidates topped the $200,000 mark, including four who exceeded $300,000 and Bostar, who crossed the $400,000 mark.

For the full article click HERE

KYLE ARGANBRIGHT: RURAL NEBRASKA NEEDS MORE PEOPLE MORE THAN IT NEEDS NEW JOBS

NEBRASKA- After a year where remote work has become commonplace, it seemed timely and impactful. Collectively, it might have been the single greatest job creator rural Nebraska had ever seen.

Then I really thought through the local logistics of this proposal, which proved challenging. Not because of the effectiveness of remote workers, but because rural Nebraska already has unfilled jobs. Lots of them. In Valentine, for instance, we have more available jobs than people to fill them. It’s always been this way to an extent, but it’s especially pronounced post-pandemic.

Over a two-year period beginning at the start of the pandemic, Valentine will add more than 125 jobs through new business starts. Diverse jobs, too — agriculture, retail and tourism. As my friend at The Peppermill says on his marquee, “EVERYONE IN TOWN IS HIRING.” Right now, rural Nebraska needs new people more than new jobs. The biggest current benefit of a decentralized state employee strategy, oddly, would be the potential family members who would come and might be able to fill the open jobs out here.

Economic development has long used jobs as the primary indicator of success. We absolutely need jobs and must continue that push, but maybe we ought to shift focus for a bit to a strategy to attract people. After all, in today’s world, people can bring jobs with them.

This is a moment in time when people are reprioritizing their lives in a unprecedented way. It seems that there are two schools of thought for how people choose where they live — people prioritize careers and go where the opportunity exists, or people prioritize place and work to make a life there. Younger generations are starting to favor the latter.

This shift could really favor rural communities. Sprinkle in a shrinking broadband gap with wholesome people, and this creates a huge opportunity for Nebraska. To capitalize, we must continue making our communities places where people want to be. How do we do it? I’ll share our strategy: quality of life, a system for workforce development and housing. Lots and lots of housing. 

For the full article click HERE

80-YEAR-OLD OFFUTT RUNWAY FINALLY RUNS ITS COURSE AND IS REDUCED TO RUBBLE

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE- After 80 years, the hump is gone. The 8-foot bulge near the north end of Offutt Air Force Base’s single runway was one of the airfield’s quirks, one that will now disappear during an 18-month, $198 million reconstruction project that is the most extensive in its long history.

The hump, and a corresponding 8-foot valley toward the south end, were gentle enough that they never posed a threat to pilots, said Lt. Col. Derrick Michaud, director of the 55th Wing Runway Project Management Office.

“This just makes it a straighter runway,” he said. “Our pilots got used to it, but now it will be more of a straight shot.”

For the past five months, a fleet of construction equipment has been swarming over Offutt’s 2-mile runway, chewing it to bits and depositing it into giant piles of rubble.

Much of that concrete will eventually be recycled, mixed with other fill, and compacted to form a base for the new runway, said Rob Hufford, chief of construction management for the project.

The new runway must not only absorb a pounding from Offutt’s fleet of RC-135 reconnaissance jets (with a maximum takeoff weight of almost 149 tons) but also its E-4Bs, which are among the Air Force’s heaviest jets (400 tons).

A layer of concrete 19 inches thick will eventually overlay the portions of the runway that bear the heaviest loads, at each end and where it is crossed by taxiways.

Other parts of the runway (the center and shoulders) will be paved with asphalt up to 8 inches thick, on top of 15 inches of red rock, selected for its strength and drainage qualities and hauled in by rail from a quarry in South Dakota.

For the full article click HERE

NEBRASKA LAWMAKERS CAUTION BUSINESSES TO CONSIDER LIABILITY BEFORE ESCHEWING CDC'S MASK GUIDANCE

LINCOLN- After Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts railed against new federal masking guidance this week, two lawmakers pointed out that rejecting the guidance could void protections against lawsuits included in a new state law.

The recently enacted law is aimed at providing businesses and other entities with some protection from COVID-19 lawsuits as long as there was “substantial compliance” with federal public health guidance, including from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Nebraska Legislature approved the measure, LB 139, on a 41-1 vote, and Ricketts signed it in late May.

State Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln, a Democrat in the officially nonpartisan Legislature, took aim at Ricketts for decrying recent CDC guidance, even though the governor also supported and signed the new law.

Morfeld said he’s concerned that the governor is advising people not to follow CDC guidelines when those guidelines could protect them from potential lawsuits. As an attorney, he said, lawsuits like those covered by the law would be “really tough” cases to prove. Still, he said Ricketts’ statement “flies in the face of the same bill he promoted.”

State Sen. Tom Briese of Albion, a Republican who introduced the bill, did not take aim at the governor in his comments but said any entity should consider the new law when deciding what COVID mitigation measures to adopt.

The law was passed to provide businesses, schools, health care providers, government entities and others a measure of protection from unwarranted COVID exposure lawsuits, he said. In providing that shield, it also created an incentive to follow public health guidance, Briese said.

For the full article click HERE

LAST PLANNED PARENTHOOD OFFICE WEST OF LINCOLN CLOSES IN NEBRASKA

GRAND ISLAND- Grand Island no longer has a Planned Parenthood office. Since the summer of 2019, an advocacy staff member had been working on the fourth floor of the Downtown Center at 308 N. Locust St. That person was described as an advocacy strategist for the 3rd Congressional District. The office shut down last fall.

“The Grand Island office closed during COVID due to remote work policies to keep our staff safe,” according to a statement from Andi Curry Grubb of Omaha, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska.

The organization is adding two people working under Planned Parenthood fellowships. They will be based in central and northeast Nebraska, “thereby allowing a greater opportunity for local engagement in the political process and fight for reproductive health care and rights,” Curry Grubb said.

“We have seen tremendous progress in Nebraska over the past decade in which more political candidates are vocally supporting our issues and being elected to office. The fellowship positions will permit us to gain traction in our campaign to build a healthier Nebraska and expand health care access and reproductive freedom.”

Sheena Dooley said it hasn’t been determined where the fellows will be based. Dooley, who lives in Des Moines, is the Planned Parenthood communications manager for the north-central states.

The closing of the Grand Island office leaves Lincoln and Omaha the only cities in Nebraska with a Planned Parenthood location.

For the full article click HERE

OPS GETS ADVICE ON HOW TO SPEND $300 MILLION IN FEDERAL COVID AID

OMAHA- OPS Superintendent Cheryl Logan said at a school board meeting on Monday her district is taking the federal money very seriously. The district just wrapped up a month of gathering feedback from parents, staff and students to better understand how to use the money to help students and staff.

The district held 43 in-person sessions and two virtual sessions and received 8,441 responses to a survey on how to spend the money. Collecting this type of feedback is a requirement to receive some of the federal funds.

The survey responses mostly came from 4,671 families and 3,046 staff members.

So far, the OPS efforts have focused on getting feedback from those closest to the district. But soon, members of the community at large will be able to give their opinions about how the money should be spent by visiting the district’s website, district.ops.org.

After the first COVID-19 relief bill passed, the district received $23.2 million, which was used to purchase iPads and internet connectivity for those iPads. Each student in the district was given a device.

OPS was allocated $86.4 million from the second COVID-19 relief bill. That money needs to be spent by Sept. 30, 2023.

From the third bill, OPS was given $194.1 million. Under that bill, schools must reserve 20% for summer programs and other efforts to address learning loss. The money needs to be spent by Sept. 30, 2024.

In the surveys and in-person meetings, district officials asked families and staff to weigh in on four different areas: academic recovery and supports; well-being of students and staff; infrastructure for the future; and family and community engagement.

Those responding to the survey prioritized the well-being of students and staff above all else, followed by academic recovery — specifically tutoring and early literacy.

For the full article click HERE

NEBRASKA'S REPORTING OF COVID DATA TAKES ANOTHER HIT

NEBRASKA- COVID-19 data in Nebraska, which already has been scarce since the state stopped publishing a dashboard of information at the end of June, has become even scarcer.

The expiration of an executive order on Saturday means Nebraska’s health districts can no longer publicly report COVID-19 statistics, such as case numbers and vaccinations, for counties with fewer than 20,000 people.

Khalilah LeGrand, communications director for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, said state law stipulates that data collected on communicable diseases can be released to the public as long as it’s done in a way that “ensure(s) that the identify of any individual concerned cannot be ascertained.”

A federal “safe harbor” standard sets that level at 20,000 people, which DHHS is following now that the executive order has expired.

“We make every effort to balance transparency in sharing information with the public and protecting the privacy of Nebraska’s residents,” LeGrand said in an email.

Of Nebraska’s 93 counties, only 17 have at least 20,000 people. And five of the state’s 19 health districts don’t contain a single county with at least 20,000 people, meaning they can no longer report data on any of their individual counties.

For the full article click HERE

SEN. CAROL BLOOD MAY BE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR NEBRASKA GOVERNOR

LINCOLN- State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue is emerging as a potential Democratic candidate for governor in 2022.

Blood confirmed Monday that she is considering entering the race and expects to make a decision next month.

All of the attention on the 2022 gubernatorial contest to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts has centered thus far on a field of GOP candidates that includes University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen of Columbus, Sen. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha and agribusinessman Charles Herbster of Falls City.

Former Gov. Dave Heineman is also considering entering the Republican derby.

“I believe in people and policy, not party and politics,” Blood said.

For the full article click HERE

GREATER OMAHA PACKING RECALLS 295,000 POUNDS OF RAW BEEF

OMAHA- An Omaha meat processor has recalled more than 295,000 pounds of raw beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Greater Omaha Packing’s recall Thursday. The beef products, intended to be used in packages of ground beef, were produced on July 13 and bear establishment number “EST. 960A” inside the USDA mark of inspection.

The packages were distributed in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Nebraska.

The contamination was discovered when FSIS collected a routine product sample that confirmed positive for the presence of E. coli, officials said. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of the products, according to a USDA news release.

E. coli, a bacteria found in fecal matter, can be particularly dangerous to infants, young children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.

For the full article click HERE

125 NEBRASKA GROUPS APPLY FOR NEARLY $335 MILLION TO HELP FUND PANDEMIC-DELAYED PROJECTS

NEBRASKA- Well over 100 organizations in Nebraska are seeking state help to fund construction projects that were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The projects range from stadium improvements at Burke High School to an expansion of Joslyn Art Museum to a new sea otter exhibit at the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium.

For now, it’s unclear how many will receive funding.

By the July 15 end of the application period, 125 organizations had requested a total of nearly $335 million through the recently enacted “Shovel-Ready Capital Recovery & Investment Act.”

Nonprofits related to the arts, culture or the humanities, as well as nonprofits that operate sports complexes, are eligible for the grants under the legislation approved by the Nebraska Legislature.

To qualify, the organization has to be a 501©3 with a capital project that was delayed due to COVID and provide “a positive economic impact in the state of Nebraska,” according to the program website.

Awards are limited based on a project’s estimated overall costs, within four tiers: A project that costs under $5 million can receive up to $1.5 million, for example, while a project that costs $50 million or more can get up to $15 million.

For the full article click HERE

RICKETTS WOULD FIGHT FEDERAL ATTEMPTS TO DIRECT NEBRASKA'S COVID RESPONSE

LINCOLN — Gov. Pete Ricketts’ office vowed Wednesday to fight any attempt by President Joe Biden to direct the state’s management of the coronavirus pandemic.

“From floods to pandemics, our country has a long tradition of federal support for state management of emergencies,” said Ricketts spokesman, Taylor Gage. “One reason for this is there is not a one-size fits all strategy that works for every state. The president needs to support the states and respect our rights.”

The Governor’s Office commented after Biden took two other Republican governors to task for their pandemic measures. The president criticized Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas, for making decisions that were “not good for their constituents.”

DeSantis signed an executive order last week that prohibits schools from requiring masks, and Abbott signed an order that bans local governments and state agencies from mandating vaccines.

“I say to these governors: Please help. But if you aren’t going to help, at least get out of the way,” Biden said. “The people are trying to do the right thing. Use your power to save lives.”

Ricketts opposes both mask and vaccine mandates and last year his administration blocked local health departments from imposing mask mandates. Recently, he said he expects schools will open for in-person classes this fall without mask or vaccine requirements.

For the full article click HERE