CORRECTIONS IG OFFERS NEBRASKA PRISONS DIRECTOR IMMEDIATE STEPS TO ADDRESS DEEPENING CRISIS

LINCOLN- Inspector General Doug Koebernick on Friday sent a letter to Corrections Director Scott Frakes with more than a dozen ideas to start addressing the worsening staffing crisis at state prisons, an issue that reached a fever pitch last week with a new report and powerful testimony from staff members.

Members of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee were at times visibly stunned by what they learned Wednesday during more than six hours of testimony from current and former state prison staff.

During the session, Koebernick told The World-Herald that it was “the best and most informative hearing on Corrections” in his 20-plus years working in the Legislature. He had known for a long time that staff needed to be heard and had good ideas on how to improve the system, he said, but had not understood the depth of how unheard they felt.

The letter he sent to Frakes includes a list of 18 “potential action items” compiled as a result of staff feedback from that forum and the report published by his office last week. The Judiciary Committee, too, was copied on the letter.

Taylor Gage, Ricketts’ spokesperson, said in an email Friday, “The Governor’s Office and the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services monitored the hearing closely.”

Before the hearing, Gage said that, while the state has made “significant increases to corrections officer compensation in recent years, we recognize more needs to be done,” and they were preparing to sit down with the union that represents corrections officers and other security staff to “negotiate on additional steps” to recruit and retain the workforce needed.

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BALLOTS ON $83.75 MILLION SCHOOL BOND ISSUE MAILED TO RALSTON VOTERS

RALSTON- Voters in the Ralston Public Schools should start receiving ballots this week in the district’s first bond election in 20 years.

This time, it’s a mail-in election. The school board is asking voters to consider an $83.75 million bond issue. The money would benefit all eight schools.

Under a 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 district 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.

If the bond issue is approved, the owner of a home valued at $200,000 would pay an extra $129.60 a year in property taxes.

The Douglas County Election Commission said almost 11,000 ballots were mailed Monday to registered voters.

All ballots must be returned to the Election Commission or an official ballot drop box no later than 5 p.m. Oct. 12 — the official closing date of the election.

School board members voted Aug. 9 to hold the election, trimming about $10 million from an earlier preliminary proposal after receiving public input.

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NEBRASKA CANNABIS ASSOCIATION IS STATE'S FIRST LOBBYING GROUP FOR MARIJUANA BUSINESS

NEBRASKA- The Nebraska Cannabis Association has announced itself as the state's first organization dedicated to lobbying for cannabis policies, advising on regulatory matters and supporting entrepreneurs.

John Cartier, president of the Nebraska Cannabis Association's board of directors, which organized this month, said Nebraska is one of two states that has not legalized the use of cannabis in some form.

"It is not unreasonable to predict that some form of legalization will happen before this decade is done, and with several ballot initiatives planned for 2022, it could come as early as January 2023," he said.

Two ballot initiatives working in tandem to legalize medical marijuana were filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State's Office, and a petition to legalize all uses of marijuana remains on file.

If and when legalization happens, the association said it will work with the Legislature and other rule-making bodies in the state to develop "a robust, well-regulated cannabis industry."

The Nebraska Cannabis Association's board members include:

* Cartier, the director of voting rights for Civic Nebraska and a member of Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana.

* Andrea Holmes, a professor of chemistry at Doane University who created the state's first cannabis studies program and a co-owner of multiple CBD companies.

* Dr. Amanda McKinney, a physician who practices in Beatrice and Crete and founder of the Institute for Human and Planetary Health.

* Grant Wistrom, a former Husker and NFL defensive lineman who works in mortgage and real estate and owns two medical cannabis licenses in Missouri.

For the full article click HERE

MOTHER'S ROOM AT NEBRASKA CAPITOL TEMPORARILY CONVERTED TO OFFICE, ANGERING SOME SENATORS

LINCOLN- Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh said she was taken off-guard, but not surprised, this week when she learned a room for pregnant and nursing mothers at the Nebraska Capitol was being used as an office.

Cavanaugh had previously fought for the creation of the room and secured private funding to renovate it.

“I feel like it’s been a disrespectful process from the beginning," she told The World-Herald Wednesday.

Sen. Dan Hughes of Venango, who made the decision, said it was strictly practical: The room isn't used often, he said, and an ongoing, decade-long Capitol renovation project requires flexibility and shuffling of offices. The move is temporary, he said, and in the meantime there is an alternative.

His reasoning has done little to quell concerns voiced by Cavanaugh and others frustrated by the decision.

Cavanaugh, who represents District 6 in west-central Omaha, spoke about the issue during floor debate on Wednesday. State lawmakers are currently in Lincoln for a special session on redistricting.

“It is devastating, disappointing, disheartening," Cavanaugh said during debate. "Pro-life state, my butt. If we can’t support the working mothers in this building — man — it’s like talking out of both sides of your mouth, people."

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DOUGLAS COUNTY REPORTS ITS 1ST DEATH FROM WEST NILE VIRUS THIS SEASON

DOUGLAS COUNTY- Douglas County health officials on Wednesday reported the county’s first death from the West Nile virus.

The person who died was a man in his 80s who was hospitalized after developing symptoms in August, the Douglas County Health Department said in a press release. The man had multiple underlying conditions and died earlier this month, officials said.

“The number of West Nile cases in Douglas County is down from recent years, but the disease remains a concern,” Health Director Lindsay Huse said.

Douglas County has confirmed nine cases of the West Nile virus this year, with eight of them coming this month. All but one of the people who had West Nile were hospitalized, officials said.

People catch West Nile through the bites of mosquitoes that have fed on birds infected with the disease.

Most people who are infected with the West Nile virus have no symptoms. Roughly one in five will develop a fever, headache and a rash but are likely to fully recover, health officials said. About one person in 150 who is infected will develop a severe illness such as encephalitis or meningitis.

Douglas County had a record 71 confirmed cases of West Nile virus in 2018, but only two cases last year and 11 the previous year.

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WATCHDOG CALLS FOR END TO OMAHA-AREA CHILD WELFARE CONTRACT WITH ST. FRANCIS

LINCOLN — A top child welfare watchdog called Thursday for Nebraska to end its contract with the Kansas nonprofit managing the cases of abused and neglected children in the Omaha area.

Inspector General of Nebraska Child Welfare Jennifer Carter made the recommendation in a special report looking at the contract with St. Francis Ministries and at the state's history of privatized case management in Douglas and Sarpy Counties.

The report found that the private contractor has failed to meet key terms of its contract with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services for nearly two years. The problems include its failure to meet state-mandated caseload limits for workers, failure to meet monthly with children in care and failure to document case plans within 60 days.

"St. Francis has failed to do its job in consequential ways that affect children and families," Carter said. "The state should not continue to spend millions of public dollars on this contract when St. Francis is not meeting its terms.”

She also recommended that Nebraska end its 12-year experiment with having private contractors manage child welfare cases, saying the effort has been unsuccessful. The report said it has yielded no measurable improvement and demonstrated unacceptable risk.

"The pilot project has demonstrated the significant risk of disruption, instability, and financial uncertainty inherent in the privatization of child welfare case management," the report said. "St. Francis’ performance brought these risks into starker relief."

The inspector general's office was created as part of the Legislature's response to earlier problems with the privatization effort.

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DEPARTING NEBRASKA ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST DIRECTOR TAKES NEW JOB

LINCOLN — Mark Brohman, the departing executive director of the Nebraska Environmental Trust, has accepted a new job with a southeast Nebraska conservation group.

The Lincoln-based Wachiska Audubon Society, which focuses on preserving tallgrass prairie and native birds in a 17-county area, has hired Brohman as its first executive director.

Theresa Pella, the chairman of the board of the 1,200-member organization, said Wednesday that hiring a chief executive has been in the nonprofit’s plans for several years, but it was accelerated when it became known that Brohman was leaving his job.

“We knew it would be a good fit, if it was something he was interested in,” Pella said. “He’s well known in the conservation community, well respected, and knows the ins and outs of organizations.”

Brohman said he was “delighted to work with such a well-respected organization and one that truly cares about Nebraska’s natural resources.”

A month ago, Brohman, 57, submitted his resignation as the Environmental Trust director after 15 years leading the agency. The Trust distributes about $20 million a year in environmental grants from a portion of the proceeds of the Nebraska Lottery. His resignation is effective Nov. 10, five days before he starts the Wachiska job.

The resignation was seen as the latest fallout from months of turmoil at the Environmental Trust over decisions made by its 14-member board of directors.

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MARY RIDDER ANNOUNCES REELECTION BID FOR NEBRASKA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

LINCOLN — Mary Ridder of Callaway, who represents the western two-thirds of the state on the Nebraska Public Service Commission, has announced her reelection bid.

Ridder, a 64-year-old rancher and writer, won the 5th District seat in 2016 by edging the incumbent, Jerry Vap of McCook, by 46 votes in the Republican primary. No other candidates had sought the post.

She served as chair of the PSC in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

In a press release announcing her 2022 reelection bid, Ridder said she has enjoyed the challenge of serving on the commission, which oversees several industries, including telecommunications, taxis, natural gas utilities and grain warehouses. The PSC also hands out grants to improve wireless telephone and internet services.

Ridder served on the broadband task force formed by Gov. Pete Ricketts in 2018, and in 2017 was one of two votes against the proposed route of the Keystone XL pipeline across the state.

Her district spans 47 counties in central and western Nebraska, and is expected to grow by perhaps another handful of counties because of redistricting.

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REDISTRICTING RUNDOWN: "JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS OUT, THEY PULL ME BACK IN"

On Friday afternoon and into the evening, after facing the possibility of adjourning the special session Sine Die, and having to take up the process sin January, senators meet long into Thursday night and early on Friday morning. From these meetings the redistricting committee and other members of the legislature came to an framework to advance redistricting plans for Nebraska. 

First announced by Speaker Hilgers, the body advanced agreements contained in amendments to existing redistricting bills. LB1, containing the redistricting plans for the congressional districts as amended by AM36. The new congressional maps can be found by clicking HERE. Note- please scroll down when the link is loaded in order to view the maps contained in the amendment. 

Senators also advanced LB8, which adopts boundaries for the members of the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska on a 47-0 vote with nearly no debate, as well as LB7 which sets boundaries for the State Board of Education districts on a 44-0 vote. The boundaries for the Board of Regents can be found HERE, while the State Board of Education can be found HERE

Finally, senators considered LB3, which adopts new legislative districts. A major change from the current maps is the move of LB36 (Williams), which moves from western Nebraska to Sarpy County. View the map of the Omaha metro area HERE. View the map of the Lincoln area HERE. View the statewide map of legislative districts HERE. LB3 as amended was advanced on a vote of 43-5, with the 'nay' votes stemming from opposition to the moving of LB36 from the west to the eastern part of the state.

Senators are expected to meet again on Tuesday for Select File debate. Monday will be a recess day.

A full list of those maps considered, and those adopted and advanced Friday can be found HERE

EDITORIAL: AN UNBALANCED REDISTRICITING MAP FOR NEBRASKA? LEGISLATURE MUST SAY NO

OMAHA WORLD HERALD EDITORIAL STAFF: Question: Republican lawmakers in the Nebraska Legislature are all in lockstep support of the GOP-boosting redistricting map proposed last week for state legislative races, right? No, not at all. And that lack of unity explains much about Nebraska politics — and about a threat now hanging over the Legislature’s future.

The map may be called a “Republican” map, but it actually is skewed in major ways toward helping a certain kind of Republican: hard-shell conservatives expected to line up in support of Gov. Pete Ricketts’ approach to politics.

Nebraskans may be surprised to learn that the map would redraw districts to undercut the reelection chances of two independent-minded Republicans (Sens. Myron Dorn and Tom Brandt) who dared support overriding a gubernatorial veto. And it would eliminate outright the current District 24, west of Lincoln, whose voters for 15 years have sent independent-thinking Republicans to the Legislature (current Sen. Mark Kolterman and former Speaker Greg Adams). In addition to targeting swing-vote Republicans, the map hobbles the reelection opportunities for several Democratic incumbents in western and north-central Douglas County. The current map for the Legislature, adopted in 2011, splits seven counties. The new “Republican” map more than doubles that number — it splits 16.

Self-serving maneuvering by both parties is par for the course during Nebraska redistricting, but in the end, the Legislature must negotiate a state legislative map through responsible compromise. Nebraska, now and always, needs a Legislature whose ideological makeup generally mirrors that of the state. Such a body would contain a large contingent of staunch conservatives, but also a significant number of moderates and liberals.

For the full article click HERE

REDISTRICTING RUNDOWN: IT AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT A FAMILY THING.

LINCOLN- Lawmakers on the Nebraska Legislature’s Redistricting Committee voted along party lines Thursday to advance a congressional district map that splits Douglas County, on the heels of a day of public testimony in Omaha where most people who testified said they opposed that idea.

The bill, brought forward by committee chair Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn and other Republican lawmakers, now goes to the full Legislature. Debate among the full body is scheduled to begin Friday. The proposal would need 33 votes to overcome a filibuster, and there are 32 Republicans and 17 Democrats in the officially nonpartisan Legislature.

The five Republicans on the committee voted to advance the bill in an executive session Thursday afternoon. If redistricting were on a typical timeline, Linehan said, the committee wouldn’t have taken the vote at the end of a long public hearing. But senators need to have something to debate at the Capitol Friday morning because of this year’s compressed time frame, and the congressional map is going to be “contentious,” she said.

Prior to the vote, Senators heard hours of testimony from Nebraskans across three public hearings in all 3 congressional districts. On Tuesday, members of the Redistricting Committee were in Grand Island were testimony largely focused on opposition to removal of any legislative districts in the western half of the state. Under both maps, by Senator Linehan and Senator Wayne, at least one district would move to the Omaha metro area. on Wednesday members met at the Capitol, were testimony largely, like the hearing in Omaha on Thursday, focused on opposition to maps perceived as 'gerrymandering', especially by those who felt congressional maps may impact Nebraska's 'blue dot', referring to the 2nd district which Joe Biden received one of Nebraska's electoral votes in 2020.

Senators began debating LB1, Senator Linehan's congressional map on Friday. Members are expected to take up Legislative maps next week.

NEBRASKA DEMOCRATS' CONGRESSIONAL MAP WOULD EXCLUDE REP. BACON'S FUTURE RESIDENCE

OMAHA- Under Democrats’ proposal to redraw congressional districts in Nebraska, Rep. Don Bacon would continue residing in the Omaha-centered 2nd District — but not for very long.

Bacon, who currently lives in Papillion, purchased an undeveloped lot in southern Sarpy County in July. He and his wife plan to build and move into a home on the land sometime in 2022, Bacon told The World-Herald.

The congressman’s new home would be close to the current boundary line but still inside the 2nd Congressional District, which includes Douglas County and a portion of western Sarpy County.

Bacon’s new home would remain inside the district under the Republican redistricting proposal introduced in the Legislature earlier this month. But under the plan put forward by Democrats, Bacon’s new home would fall into District 1, currently represented by Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Lincoln, a fellow Republican.

Bacon, a three-term congressman, would not be barred from running for his current office even if he ultimately resides outside the district, though it could pose political problems for him.

In crafting their proposal, Democrats did not intend to draw Bacon out of his district — in fact, it was the opposite, said Sen. Justin Wayne, the vice chairman of the Legislature’s Redistricting Committee. Wayne, of Omaha, introduced the proposal drafted by Democrats in the officially nonpartisan Legislature.

That initial proposal was actually drafted with the goal of keeping Bacon in the 2nd District. Wayne said he and others who worked on the proposal went out of their way to avoid excluding incumbents.

For the full article click HERE

NEBRASKA AG: BILL TO ADD 50TH SENATOR NOT ALLOWED DURING SPECIAL SESSION

LINCOLN — Attorney General Doug Peterson has concluded that a proposal to expand the Nebraska Legislature does not fit within the purpose of the Legislature’s special redistricting session.

An opinion issued Thursday said Legislative Bill 12 is “not sufficiently related to, germane to and naturally connected with” the job of redrawing district boundaries to be considered during the session that began Monday.

The measure would add one member to the 49-member body and take the Legislature to the maximum size allowed under the Nebraska Constitution.

State Sen. Mark Kolterman of Seward, who introduced the bill, said he offered it as a way to help preserve rural representation in the Legislature. Kolterman is facing the prospect that his legislative district would be moved to the Omaha metro area under the Republican redistricting plan.

Despite the attorney general’s opinion, the Legislature has scheduled a public hearing on LB 12 at 11 a.m. Friday in the State Capitol.

Speaker of the Legislature Mike Hilgers of Lincoln said that scheduling a hearing does not mean the bill will get further consideration. He said lawmakers could proceed with the bill but at the risk of a court challenge.

“The Legislature ultimately has to make an independent judgment on whether it is in or out,” he said.

For the full article click HERE

SENATOR SAYS REPUBLICAN PARTY APPEAL CASTS CONCERNS ABOUT FAIRNESS OF REDISTRICTING

LINCOLN- The first visible whiff of political party engagement in the Legislature’s redistricting process surfaced Wednesday along with battle lines forming over a rural strategy that opponents warn could lead to a court test.

This year’s redistricting plot thickened during a committee hearing in Lincoln, the second of three public airings of competing legislative and congressional redistricting plans in advance of consideration by the nonpartisan Legislature.

Sen. Mark Kolterman of Seward, whose District 24 — composed of York, Seward and Polk Counties — would be moved to Sarpy County under a plan supported by the five Republican members of the Redistricting Committee, said the Nebraska Republican Party is actively engaged in the redistricting process.

Kolterman, a Republican, pointed to an email from Ryan Hamilton, executive director of the Nebraska Republican Party, urging Republicans to “show up and support (the) fair and evenhanded” proposals crafted by Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, the committee chairwoman, and the committee majority.

“Nebraska is a conservative state with conservative values ... and our people deserve a map that enables them to have their beliefs reflected in government,” Hamilton wrote in the email.

Kolterman said Hamilton’s “full-throated endorsement of one of the legislative proposals to reflect ‘conservative values’ raises serious concerns that the proposal is neither fair nor evenhanded.”

“I’m disappointed,” he told the committee. “I didn’t take an oath to serve the Republican Party. Partisanship has no place in this process.

“Don’t tear my district apart,” Kolterman said.

For the full article click HERE

KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN REDISTRICTING PROPOSALS FOR METRO OMAHA CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS

LINCOLN- Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, the committee chairwoman, developed her plan with fellow Republicans.

Her plan moves the northwestern part of Douglas County out of the 2nd District, represented by Republican Rep. Don Bacon, into the 1st District, which includes Lincoln and is represented by Republican Rep. Jeff Fortenberry. (All of Douglas County now sits in the 2nd District, which became known as Nebraska’s “blue dot” following Democrat Joe Biden’s electoral victory there in the 2020 presidential election and Democrat Barack Obama’s win there in 2008.)

The Republican map would split Douglas County roughly along Interstate 680 and West Dodge Road. Areas north and west of those main thoroughfares would move into the 1st District. Among the areas affected: the northern part of the former town of Elkhorn, Bennington, Waterloo, Valley and the Cunningham Lake and Standing Bear Lake areas.

All of Sarpy County would be in the 2nd District. Currently, the county is divided between the 1st and 2nd Districts. Generally, the Bellevue area now is in the 1st District; areas to the west, including Papillion, La Vista and Gretna, are in the 2nd District.

In addition, all of heavily rural Saunders County, which is currently in the 1st District, would become the western part of the 2nd District.

The geographic size of the 2nd District would more than double.

State Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha developed his plan working with fellow Democrats.

Wayne’s plan would leave all of Douglas County in the 2nd District and continue splitting Sarpy County.

The Democrats’ plan would have the 2nd District take the eastern parts of La Vista and Papillion — generally dividing those cities along 84th Street — and much of Bellevue. The rest, including most areas south of Highway 370 and west of 84th Street, would go into the 1st District. Offutt Air Force Base and Gretna would be in the 1st District.

For the full article click HERE

NORTHPOINT RECOVERY OPENS 44-BED INPATIENT TREATMENT FACILITY IN OMAHA

OMAHA- Mark Jones walked down the hallway of the Northpoint Recovery facility with Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and a small crowd of political and health officials by his side.

He pointed out patient rooms, a nurse station, the cafeteria and other features of the 44-bed inpatient treatment facility that will soon provide addiction recovery services to Nebraskans.

“We want to be a longtime provider in this community,” said Jones, a vice president with Northpoint. “We think access to care is very important.”

Wednesday’s grand opening of the Omaha facility took about two years and $10 million, which included the purchase of the building at 7215 Ontario St., said Northpoint CEO John Flanagan.

The Omaha center is the fourth built by Northpoint Recovery. Others are based in Boise, Idaho; Seattle; and Denver.

“Northpoint’s mission is saving lives and restoring relationships, and this is the fourth building we’ve restored,” Flanagan said. “You take an old building, renovate it, really make it nice, and then you start treating people in it. It’s a whole transformative process.”

A few patients are already lined up to begin treatment at the center, which will officially open Thursday, Flanagan said.

For the full article click HERE

FOUR CREIGHTON STUDENTS SUE OVER COVID VACCINE MANDATE

OMAHA- A group of students has filed a civil lawsuit against Creighton University in response to the university’s mandate of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The lawsuit filed by four students on Wednesday alleges that Creighton “refused to consider or grant religious exemptions” in mandating the vaccine for all students.

The university announced July 7 that the vaccine would be required for all students attending classes or events on campus. On Aug. 23, a waiver that allowed students to opt out of the vaccine was withdrawn after the Food and Drug Administration approval of the Pfizer vaccine.

Students were required to provide proof of vaccination by Sept. 7 to be allowed on campus.

Lauren Ramaekers, a Creighton student named as a plaintiff in the suit, is the president of Creighton’s anti-abortion group, Students For Life. In a press release, Ramaekers said she is opposed to taking the vaccine “because of the use of abortion-derived fetal cells in the research and development of the vaccines.”

In an affidavit filed with the court, Ramaekers said, “…the use of fetal tissue, fetal cells, or any ‘product’ of abortion in the development and/or testing of a vaccine or any other medical treatment, is abhorrent to me. This is a sincerely held religious belief, which impacts my moral and ethical views of the world.”

In a press release announcing the students’ lawsuit, their attorney Robert Sullivan said, “A Catholic university should never be placing its students in such a position where they may be required to violate the teachings of the Church.”

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RICKETTS APPOINTS PROSECUTOR, ARMY VETERAN AS DOUGLAS COUNTY DISTRICT JUDGE

DOUGLAS COUNTY- The State's newest judge is a longtime prosecutor and an Army veteran who thinks that his military service will help him in a growing part of the justice system: veterans treatment courts.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts announced Friday that Jeff Lux, 50, will become Douglas County’s next district court judge. The state’s biggest county, which has operated for at least two decades with 16 judges, is expanding because of increasing caseloads. Lux will be the county’s 17th district judge.

Lux — a 1989 graduate of Creighton Prep, a 1994 graduate of Creighton University and a 2000 graduate of Creighton Law School — has practiced in several areas of the law. Before his 20 years as a prosecutor, he clerked for the Nebraska Supreme Court. He worked on the civil side of the Douglas County Attorney’s Office, defending the county in civil claims. He then prosecuted felonies and handled appellate work both in the County Attorney’s Office and in the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office.

Lux said he looks forward to the variety of cases a judge handles.

“To be able to give somebody their day in court — to make sure they know they were heard — that to me is special,” he said.

Kleine said Lux is analytical, even-keeled and fundamentally fair.

“He’s solid, he’s smart, he makes decisions for the right reasons,” Kleine said. “He’ll give everyone the right to be heard and a fair shake. We’re going to miss him.”

For the full article click HERE

EMPLOYEES AT NEBRASKA STATE PRISONS DESCRIBE REALITIES OF UNDER STAFFING

NEBRASKA- In a packed hearing room on Wednesday, person after person — corrections corporals, a librarian, a lieutenant, a parent of an inmate, a nurse, caseworkers, staff members who’ve resigned and others — gave powerful testimony of what record-high vacancies and other troubling issues at the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services have meant for their daily work, safety and inmates’ lives.

“Decreases in staff have always led to violence; they’ve always led to death,” said Jeff Seeley, a lieutenant at the prison in Tecumseh. “We have to do something about it.”

Lawmakers on the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee listened and asked questions. Those who testified detailed emergency lockdowns that keep inmates in their cells and away from rehabilitative programming, legitimate fears for safety, low wages, increases in drugs and other contraband, and an illogical decision-making structure.

The forum was scheduled to accommodate shift changes at the facilities, offering workers a chance to come share their experiences after shift-change at 7 p.m. The situation, many emphasized, is urgent.

“This is our Hail Mary pass,” said Cpl. Chris Bergner, who said he’s bused from Omaha to work at the state penitentiary in Lincoln. Bergner told The World-Herald that, just the day before, he had worked an 18-hour shift.

Rhonda Wilson said her son is in the general population at Lincoln Correctional Center but was locked in his cell for 2½ weeks straight. He wasn’t let out for showers or to talk to his young son. She’s concerned for his mental and physical health.

“It’s barbaric,” she said. “It’s inhumane.”

Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha asked nearly every — if not every — person who testified whether a new prison would be a solution or good idea. Some said it could help or is necessary, but nearly all also said there’s no way it could be adequately staffed under the current conditions. Others rejected the idea outright.

For the full article click HERE

DON KLEINE WILL SEEK ANOTHER TERM AS DOUGLAS COUNTY ATTORNEY, THIS TIME AS A REPUBLICAN

DOUGLAS COUNTY- Don Kleine is in his 43rd year as an attorney, his 33rd year as a prosecutor and his 15th as the Douglas County attorney.

But he’s in his first as a Republican after a year of turmoil, with COVID-19 in the courts and protests in the streets, sometimes outside his own home.

Despite that “tough” year, Kleine said, he feels energized and as passionate as ever about the job ahead. He announced on Thursday his intention to run for reelection in November 2022.

First elected in 2006, Kleine, 68, said party politics don’t matter in his job. Evidence, facts and trying to do right by people do, he said.

“I still have the fire, the desire to do this work,” Kleine said. “This is such a critical job, when you talk about community, about making our community a better place to live, about trying to help people and making sure society is protected from the people who do terrible things.”

Kleine is the first to announce a candidacy. No attorney has announced from the Democratic Party — of which Kleine was a longtime fixture and was sometimes courted for higher office such as the U.S. Senate.

For the full article click HERE