BIDEN TO REQUIRE COMPANIES WITH 100 OR MORE EMPLOYEES TO ENSURE WORKERS ARE VACCINATED OR TESTED WEEKLY

WASHINGTON — In his most forceful pandemic actions and words, President Joe Biden on Thursday announced sweeping new federal vaccine requirements affecting as many as 100 million Americans in an all-out effort to increase COVID-19 vaccinations and curb the surging delta variant.

Speaking at the White House, Biden sharply criticized the roughly 80 million Americans who are not yet vaccinated, despite months of availability and incentives.

"We've been patient. But our patience is wearing thin, and your refusal has cost all of us," he said, all but biting off his words. The unvaccinated minority "can cause a lot of damage, and they are."

The expansive rules mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly, affecting about 80 million Americans. And the roughly 17 million workers at health facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid also will have to be fully vaccinated.

Biden is also signing an executive order to require vaccination for employees of the executive branch and contractors who do business with the federal government — with no option to test out. That covers several million more workers.

Biden announced the new requirements in a Thursday afternoon address from the White House as part of a new "action plan" to address the latest rise in coronavirus cases and the stagnating pace of COVID-19 shots that has raised doubts among the public over his handling of the pandemic.

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FORMER GOV. HEINEMAN OPPOSES SEN. LINEHAN'S PLAN FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS

LINCOLN — A Republican-crafted plan for revamping Nebraska’s congressional districts has come under attack from an unexpected quarter.

Former Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman tweeted his opposition Thursday to the plan offered up by State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, the Republican who chairs the Legislature’s Redistricting Committee.

He took issue with the plan because it would move Saunders County from its historic home in the 1st Congressional District and make it part of the Omaha-dominated 2nd District.

“Saunders County doesn’t belong in #NE02,” he said. “I grew up in Wahoo, and Saunders Co. residents want to stay in #NE01.”

Heineman also called for the three announced GOP gubernatorial candidates — University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen, Falls City agribusinessman Charles Herbster and Sen. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha — to oppose the plan as well.

Linehan commented that, like a lot of Nebraskans, the former governor may not have had a chance to digest the whole plan and understand the reasons for the proposed moves.

“We have to make some changes,” she said.

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REDISTRICTING COMMITTEE STOPS ARGUING; WILL BRING BOTH PLANS TO PUBLIC HEARINGS

LINCOLN- Instead of continuing to argue about competing legislative and congressional redistricting plans, the Legislature's redistricting committee decided Thursday to take both Republican and Democratic proposals to public hearings already scheduled in three cities next week.

"That's good for everyone," Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, chairwoman of the committee, said after the committee agreed to her suggestion to proceed in that manner rather than continue to battle with one another.

"We're not going to fight over maps anymore," she said. Talking with the news media following a brief committee discussion, Linehan said she believes "this is good for everyone."

"We can have hearings on both bills," she said, "probably a Linehan bill and a Wayne bill. There will be no committee bill."

Linehan is one of five Republican members of the nonpartisan Legislature who sit on the special committee. Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha is one of four Democratic members and the committee's vice chairman.

The Linehan/Republican and Wayne/Democratic proposals differ dramatically in proposed new borders for metropolitan Omaha's 2nd Congressional District, the only competitive House district in the state, and in redistricting of legislative districts.

Hearings will be held in Grand Island on Tuesday, Lincoln on Wednesday and Omaha on Thursday.

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NO CAUSE DETERMINED IN HOG BARN FIRE AT PILLEN FAMILY FARMS, NO SIGN OF FOUL PLAY

PETERSBURG- The Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s Office found no sign of foul play in the barn fire that killed about 10,000 hogs at Pillen Family Farms in May.

State Fire Inspector Garrett Weidner also wrote in his report that the cause of the fire could not be determined.

The fire started at the front of the building, its south side, according to the report. That is also the side of the building where an addition was being built, but Weidner wrote that he could not pin down the exact starting point of the fire. The barn was near Albion, Nebraska.

Investigating the fire was made more difficult, he wrote, by the extensive damage and inability to inspect the interior of the collapsed barn.

The day before the fire, workers at the hog barn reported smelling smoke, according to Weidner’s report.

Marcia Medina, site leader for the farm, told Weidner that she searched for the source but was unable to find it and could not actually see any smoke or flames. Medina told Weidner that in addition to searching the rooms in the barn, she climbed into the attic to look.

The day before the fire, an area contracting company, T&J Paz Construction, had cut into the tin siding at the front of the building to attach flashing. None of the work was electrical, the contractor told Weidner.

According to the inspector’s report, Armando Rodriguez of T&J said workers didn’t smell smoke, but did hose down the area where they were cutting after Medina said she was looking for the source of smoke she had smelled. When they were done for the day, they cleaned up the worksite and left at 5 p.m., he told Weidner.

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THE LOGISTICS OF THE UPCOMING REDISTRICTING SPECIAL SESSION

LINCOLN- Speaker Mike Hilgers announced the schedule of events for the upcoming special session starting in just a few days. 

The legislature will convene on September 13th, at 10:00 a.m. Prior to that date, according to Chair Linehan, the Redistricting Committee will vote on a redistricting plan (for all 7 maps), and make those maps public, to provide as much notice to the public as possible regarding the proposed plan in advance of the public hearings.

The Redistricting Committee will hold hearings in each of the three congressional districts as required by rule. Those hearings will be on September 14, 15, and 16. The information is as follows and will be posted on the appropriate public pages of the Nebraska Legislature's website:

September 14 at 1:30pm

Central Community College

3134 W. Hwy 34

Room 555, Health Science Education Center

3134 W. Hwy 34

Grand Island, NE   

September 15 at 9:00am

Nebraska State Capitol Bldg.

1445 K St.

Room 1524

Lincoln, NE

September 16

Scott Conference Center

6450 Pine St.

Omaha, NE

On September 13th, the anticipated order of events will be begin special session, introduce the redistricting plan, the plan will be read, 

referred to the Referencing Committee, then allow time for the Referencing Committee to refer the plans and have the report reported to the floor.

On September 14-16, in addition to the Redistricting Committee hearings, some standing committees will conduct hearings on gubernatorial appointments (such appointments are considered "administrative" and accordingly can be completed during the special session). At this time those committees include: Education, General Affairs, Government, HHS, Natural Resources, Judiciary, Business and Labor, and Retirement. For members not serving on any of these committees, September 14-16 will be check-in days only.

Speaker Hilgers anticipates that general file debate will begin on Friday, September 17. For the time being, Friday the 17th is expected to be a full day with a 5 p.m. adjournment (or later).

Work will extend to that Saturday, September 18, with a potential 8:00 a.m. start time. Speaker Hilgers has asked that those involved with redistricting reserve late nights every day of the week, including Friday, September 24th.

FBI SAYS IT HAS TAKEN DOWN WESTERN NEBRASKA DRUG TRAFFICKING OPERATION

WESTERN NEBRASKA- A western Nebraska drug trafficking operation was dismantled by a joint law enforcement operation last week, according to the FBI.

Five federal arrest warrants and seven state warrants were executed 6 a.m. Tuesday by the Omaha division of the FBI and the CODE Task Force, which includes the Nebraska State Patrol, the North Platte Police Department, the Lexington Police Department and the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office.

The investigation and arrests targeted a western Nebraska criminal organization, Eugene Kowel, special agent in charge of the Omaha FBI field office, said Friday in a press release.

“Drug-related crimes strangle communities in rural Nebraska," he said. "The CODE task force will continue to work to stop the violence, get drugs and weapons off the streets, and seek justice for those living in the communities they serve.”

The arrest warrants were executed in North Platte, McCook, Kearney, Lincoln, and Culbertson, as well as in northwestern Kansas, according to the FBI. Two additional federal warrants and two state warrants were served on people already in state custody.

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STATE TO DISTRIBUTE PANDEMIC RELIEF PAYMENTS TO SOME LOW INCOME NEBRASKA FAMILIES

LINCOLN — Some low-income Nebraska families will get a financial boost this month, thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act.

Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services officials announced Thursday that the department will issue a one-time $1,200 supplemental payment to families who get Aid to Dependent Children. The money will go out Tuesday to families who qualified for regular payments in July.

The payments are provided through a $4.4 million allotment to the state from the federal Administration of Children and Families. The money is to help families affected by the pandemic cover crisis needs such as emergency housing, utility payments, food, clothing and back-to-school expenses.

Families will not need to take any action to get the money, which will be provided through the same means as their regular ADC payments, whether that is through a ReliaCard or direct deposit. The supplemental funds will not affect the regular ADC payment.

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MARINE FROM OMAHA KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN AIRPORT BOMBING

KABUL- For Cpl. Daegan Page, the words etched in ink on his chest said it all. “Death Before Dishonor.”

Page, 23, of Omaha, gave his life this week while trying to give others a better one. The Marine was one of 13 U.S. service members killed Thursday in the Kabul airport bombing, along with at least 169 Afghans.

“Our hearts are broken,” his family said in a statement.

Daegan William-Tyeler Page’s family remembered him as a “genuinely happy guy that you could always count on.”

He grew up in Red Oak, Iowa, and the Omaha metro area and was a Boy Scout.

Page’s youthful passion was hockey. He played for Omaha Westside in the Omaha Hockey Club. On the pro level, he loved the Chicago Blackhawks.

His family said Page had a “tough outer shell and giant heart.” He liked to let his younger siblings climb on him, and he had a soft spot for dogs. He enjoyed hunting and outdoor activities with his father.

Condolences for Page’s family poured in from elected leaders across Nebraska.

Rep. Don Bacon, an Afghanistan War veteran, said he was “heartbroken” over the loss of the local Marine.

“No words can express the devastation, frustration, and sorrow his family is experiencing right now,” Bacon said in a statement. “Corporal Page is an American hero who gave the last full measure of devotion. He served his country honorably, and his service will never be in vain.”

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NEBRASKA LAWMAKERS TOLD CHILDREN AT RISK UNDER STATE CONTRACT WITH KANSAS BASED NON-PROFIT

OMAHA- A child-abuse pediatrician warned Tuesday that vulnerable children and families have been falling through the cracks ever since Nebraska contracted with a Kansas-based nonprofit to manage Omaha-area child welfare cases.

Dr. Suzanne Haney, who runs the foster care program at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center, told a panel of state lawmakers that she got page after page of examples when she asked her staff for input on the care provided by that contractor, St. Francis Ministries of Salina, Kansas.

There was the kinship foster parent caring for four foster children along with her own two children and her aging parents. The family had to quarantine when the children were diagnosed with COVID and head lice. But the St. Francis case worker said he could not provide them groceries or prescriptions because he had already done his monthly visit with the family.

“I am very concerned that our current system is unworkable and is actually harming our most vulnerable children,” Haney said.

She testified at a hearing held jointly by the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee and a separate legislative committee charged with investigating the state’s contract with St. Francis.

State Sen. John Arch of La Vista said the hearing, held in Omaha, was a chance for the public to comment about the quality of care provided by the contractor.

Matt Stephens, a St. Francis vice president who attended the hearing, said he was unaware of any such threats and would look into the situation.

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NEBRASKA'S DOUG PETERSON JOINS OTHER GOP AGs IN SUIT OVER TRANSGENDER RULES

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nebraska’s Doug Peterson joined 19 other state attorneys general in suing the Biden administration over rules regarding LGBTQ people, including the participation of transgender girls in school sports and the use of bathrooms by transgender people.

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery filed the lawsuit, arguing that rules recently issued by the U.S. Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission go beyond a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

The Supreme Court ruled in June 2020 that civil rights law protects gay, lesbian and transgender people from discrimination in employment.

In June, the Education Department said discrimination based on a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity will be treated as a violation of Title IX, the 1972 federal law that protects against sex discrimination in education. A legal analysis by the department concluded that there is “no persuasive or well-founded basis” to treat education differently than employment. The policy carries the possibility of federal sanctions if schools and colleges fail to protect gay and transgender students.

The new action does not reinstate the Obama-era policy but instead clarifies that the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights will investigate complaints of discrimination involving gay or transgender students. If the department finds evidence of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, it will pursue a resolution to “address the specific compliance concerns or violations.”

Joining Nebraska and Tennessee in the lawsuit are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia.

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UNMC RESEARCH CONFIRMED COVID IS AIRBORNE, BUT MASKS PROVIDE PROTECTION

OMAHA- Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center were the first to report back in July 2020 that the virus that causes COVID-19 was present in small particles exhaled by infected people.

Initially, the idea that the coronavirus could spread through the air via airborne transmission wasn’t widely accepted. The World Health Organization at first concluded that the virus was spread by larger droplets such as those produced when people sneeze or cough.

That since has changed, with both the WHO and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledging that airborne transmission plays a role in the disease’s spread.

“At this point, it’s fairly well accepted that aerosols are a primary part of the transmission of COVID-19,” said Joshua Santarpia, an associate professor of pathology and microbiology at UNMC. He is one of three UNMC co-principal investigators involved in the study, with St. Patrick Reid and John Lowe.

Their findings about transmission, and those of others, have implications for the kind of steps people need to take to protect themselves from COVID-19.

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SECOND IN COMMAND AT DOUGLAS COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE TO RUN FOR TOP JOB

OMAHA- Wayne Hudson, the second-in-command at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, will run for the top job, becoming the second person to publicly announce his intentions for the 2022 race.

Hudson, the first Black man to serve as chief deputy sheriff in the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, said Friday that he plans to run for sheriff.

“I truly believe that our entire community is stronger when law enforcement and the community work in a collaborative manner to solve criminal justice issues,” he said in his announcement via a press release. “I’m running for this office because I deeply care for the Douglas County community and for the law enforcement profession — and I want to continue the efforts of bridging the gap between law enforcement and the community.”

Hudson, 53, has been with the Sheriff’s Office since 1994, first as a reserve deputy sheriff and soon after as a full-time deputy. Before that, he served six years in the U.S. Air Force. He was honorably discharged in 1992.

Hudson holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Wayne State College and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Hanson has been endorsed by his boss, Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer, plus Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine.

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PARTISANSHIP EXPECTED AS NEBRASKA LAWMAKERS TACKLE MATH GEOGRAPHY PUZZLE OF REDISTRICTING

LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers will dig in Monday on a set of big, challenging math and geography problems.

The first one: Even out the populations of the state’s three congressional districts by taking 47,170 residents from the Omaha-centered 2nd District and 5,981 people from the Lincoln-based 1st District and adding that total to the already vast 3rd District.

Next, do the same for 49 state legislative districts, subtracting here, adding there and redrawing boundaries in a statewide puzzle until the districts are “as nearly equal in population as may be.”

Finally, repeat the process for six Supreme Court districts, eight University of Nebraska Board of Regents and State Board of Education districts and five Public Service Commission districts.

And complete the whole task within 30 days, with the two major political parties doing everything they can to jockey for advantage and engaged citizens on alert for political shenanigans.

Normally, that process would have been completed by this time of the year. But the coronavirus pandemic slowed the 2020 national headcount and delayed distribution of population data to the states. Nebraska and other states just received the official census numbers Aug. 12.

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EVICTION MORATORIUM WILL END, BUT HELP AVAILABLE FOR NEBRASKANS STRUGGLING TO PAY RENT

NEBRASKA- The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Thursday to throw out a federal eviction moratorium “will have a devastating impact on thousands of Nebraskans struggling to pay rent and at risk of eviction,” Legal Aid of Nebraska said Friday.

But legal and financial help for Nebraskans facing eviction is still available.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reimposed the moratorium on Aug. 3. It was issued to temporarily halt evictions in counties with “substantial and high levels” of COVID-19 transmissions and was to last until Oct. 3.

But the high court said the agency lacked the authority to do so under federal law without explicit congressional authorization. The court’s action ended protections for roughly 3.5 million people in the country who said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to Census Bureau data from early August.

In Nebraska, legal and financial help for those facing eviction is still available.

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GOV. RICKETTS ANNOUNCES NEBRASKA WILL BRING BACK HOSPITAL TRANSFER CENTER

LINCOLN — Gov. Pete Ricketts announced Wednesday that the state is bringing back a transfer center to help overstretched Nebraska hospitals find places to send patients.

The move is aimed at helping hospitals cope with a new wave of COVID-19 patients, driven by the spread of the delta variant.

Angie Ling, incident commander with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, said the center will help relieve some of the stress on hospital staff by taking over the job of making call after call for an available bed.

“Our medical staff are hurting something fierce right now,” she said.

At a press briefing, Ling said Nebraska’s larger hospitals are seeing occupancy rates of 85% to 100% on a daily basis, between COVID patients and people with other types of health problems.

Opening of the transfer center marks the return of yet another step taken during the previous peak in COVID-19 cases.

Last week, Ricketts declared a hospital staffing emergency and took two actions aimed at helping address the situation. They included an executive order waiving some state licensing laws and regulations and a directed health measure limiting some types of elective surgeries.

Ling said the transfer center is being set up by Nomi Health, one of the businesses that helped put together the TestNebraska program. The center will be up and running by Saturday and be staffed by nurses in the United States and Philippines, who will be available at all hours.

Nebraska hospitals collaborated on a transfer center last fall and winter, during the height of the pandemic in the state. But the center closed as cases dropped.

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NEBRASKA, IOWA COMPANIES FINED FOR DIESEL EMISSION TAMPERING

LENEXA, Kan. — One company from Nebraska and another from Iowa have been fined for tampering with emission controls for hundreds of customers, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday.

The companies — Midwest Truck Products of Cantril, Iowa; and South Central Diesel Inc. of Holdrege, Nebraska — installed or sold “defeat devices” that disabled emission controls, the EPA said.

“Aftermarket defeat devices are a significant contributor to harmful air pollution,” said Diane Huffman, acting director of EPA Region 7’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division in Lenexa, Kansas. “These illegal practices also impede federal, state, and local efforts to implement air quality standards that protect public health.”

Midwest Truck Products will pay a $75,000 penalty. South Central Diesel Inc. will pay a $50,954 fine. The EPA said the companies tampered with vehicles or sold the “defeat devices” to hundreds of customers.

The companies also certified that they have stopped disabling vehicle emission controls.

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MAHONEY AQUATIC CENTER TO CLOSE LABOR DAY BECAUSE OF LIFEGUARD SHORTAGE

ASHLAND- Mahoney State Park's aquatic center will be closed on Labor Day due to a lifeguard shortage.

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission officials warned that there may be additional wait times over the holiday weekend in other areas due to overall staff shortages at the park.

Parks administrator Jim Swenson said they are trying to meet the public's expectations for the fall and winter programming given the current staffing situation.

This announcement comes after a plea for help earlier in the summer. The Nebraska State Parks announced that they are severely understaffed and if this does not change they will be cutting down their services and hours.

Since that announcement hours within the parks have been reduced, but the closing of Mahoney aquatic center marks the first facility closed due to lack of staff.

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NEBRASKA TASK FORCE HAS HELPED EVACUATE MORE THAN 100 LOUISIANANS AFTER HURRICANE IDA

LOUISIANA- Members of Nebraska Task Force 1, an urban search and rescue team, have helped rescue more than 100 people as they wade through knee-high water sweeping through the streets of southern Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Ida.

The task force — made up of 40 private citizens and firefighters from the Lincoln and Omaha areas — were dispatched to Alexandria, Louisiana, on Friday ahead of the storm's arrival. Ida made landfall Sunday as a Category 4 storm with sustained wind speeds as high as 150 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Nebraska's task force has spent the days since assisting local first responders in rescue operations in Louisiana, where the storm left behind flooded roads and stranded residents who either refused or were unable to evacuate ahead of the hurricane, Task Force 1 Chief Brad Thavenet said in a conference call with Lincoln-area reporters Tuesday.

Crews with the Lincoln Electric Service and a 16-man contingent from the Nebraska Public Power District were dispatched this week to help restore power in the state, where more than 1 million customers remained without power Tuesday afternoon. The Omaha Public Power District sent 15 employees to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Monday.

The task force, working alongside a similar group from Texas, helped evacuate more than 100 residents Monday, Thavenet said, though those efforts were focused on houses where residents had signaled for help.

On Tuesday, the task force took a door-to-door approach, Thavenet said, inching its way through neighborhoods in an effort to evacuate residents who might otherwise not make it out.

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FORMER CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE KARA EASTMAN TAKES JOB AT HELM OF CHICAGO NONPROFIT

LINCOLN — Two-time congressional candidate Kara Eastman announced Monday that she has been named the new CEO of TPAN (Test Positive Aware Network), a Chicago-based nonprofit.

Eastman was the Democratic nominee in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District in 2018 and 2020, losing to Rep. Don Bacon both times. A Chicago native, she has a degree in social work and more than 20 years of experience leading nonprofits.

TPAN was founded in 1987 at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It now supports people living with or vulnerable to HIV and related conditions, including people who are homeless or coping with mental health or substance use problems.

“I’m honored to work with such an important organization and will do everything I can to widen its reach and continue to push the mission of self-empowerment,” Eastman said.

She and her husband, Scott, a professor of history at Creighton University, plan to split time between Omaha and Chicago.

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STATE OF NEBRASKA REJECTS DOUGLAS COUNTY'S REQUEST TO ORDER A MASK MANDATE

NEBRASKA- The State of Nebraska on Tuesday rejected a request from Douglas County’s health director who was seeking authority to implement a countywide mask mandate.

Douglas County Public Health Director Lindsay Huse asked the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services for approval to issue a directed health measure requiring people to wear face masks indoors in the county. The temporary mask mandate would have applied to school districts across Douglas County as well as other indoor settings.

Huse, in explaining her decision to send the letter Tuesday morning, cited the rising number of COVID cases in the county, including among children.

“Our kids deserve protection,” Huse said. “And they deserve an education. Our families deserve protection.”

Gary Anthone, the state’s director of public health and chief medical officer, denied the request.

Anthone wrote that the state was obligated to “balance the benefit of the public with that of individual liberty and consider the applicable state statutes.”

He noted that previous mask mandates were limited to specific circumstances when social distancing was not possible.

“Under the current circumstances, imposing restrictions on every individual at a district level is not appropriate,” Anthone wrote. “The Department has not imposed or approved restrictions on individuals unless the specific individual posed an identifiable risk to others.”

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