PATRICIA TIMM RESIGNS FROM STATE EDUCATION BOARD; RICKETTS TO APPOINT REPLACEMENT

BEATRICE- Patricia Timm of Beatrice has resigned from the Nebraska State Board of Education citing "personal health reasons." Timm, 74, is a former kindergarten teacher and K-12 art teacher. She had served on the board since 2004 and previously spent 16 years on the Beatrice school board. The resignation creates a vacancy in District 5. Under state law, Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts would appoint a replacement.

State law says that a person would be chosen "from among qualified persons" residing in the district. The appointee would serve for the remainder of her unexpired term and until a successor is elected.

Timm was last elected in 2018, defeating challenger Maris Bentley, and would have been up for re-election next year. She was originally appointed by Governor Mike Johanns.

District 5 covers 16 counties in southeast and eastern Nebraska and a northwestern portion of Lancaster County.

When the state education board last met on Sept. 3, Timm was absent. At that meeting, the board voted to indefinitely postpone the controversial proposed health education standards.

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NEBRASKA OFFICIALS BAR ST. FRANCIS FROM TAKING NEW CHILD WELFARE CASES TEMPORARILY

LINCOLN- State licensure officials barred a Kansas contractor from caring for any new Omaha-area children and families for 60 days starting on Friday.

The Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Division imposed the restriction Thursday along with granting St. Francis Ministries a probationary license as a child placing agency.

In the meantime, any new child welfare cases in Douglas and Sarpy Counties will be handled by state child welfare workers, according to an HHS release. The department will deploy existing staff to manage the cases, while hiring additional workers.

HHS officials said that "while St. Francis has shown improvement in key areas, the decision to restrict new referrals is the best course of action right now to allow (St. Francis) the time to work with (the department) to correct deficiencies and build appropriate staff."

“I have seen this work in other states over the course of my career. This is a way for DHHS to augment St. Francis’ resources,” said HHS CEO Dannette Smith.

St. Francis Ministries, a nonprofit based in Salina, Kansas, holds a multi-million contract with HHS to manage the care of abused and neglected children in the two-county area. The contract and St. Francis' performance under it have been controversial and are the focus of a legislative investigation this summer.

The agency has yet to meet key requirements of its contract, including the caseload limits for workers set by state law.

In addition, state health inspectors put the agency's license as a child placing agency on probation in May after the nonprofit failed a September inspection and, despite repeated opportunities, had not corrected its problems by mid-April. HHS initially gave St. Francis until Aug. 1 to correct its deficiencies, then extended the deadline to Sept. 30.

Thursday's action extends the probationary license for another 60 days but adds the restriction on accepting new cases. St. Francis has 15 days to appeal the decision.

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CONGRESS AVOIDS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN. HOW DID NEBRASKA'S DELEGATION VOTE?

WASHINGTON D.C.- Congress avoided a government shutdown Thursday, and it did so without support from the five members of Nebraska's congressional delegation.

The three members of the House and two senators joined a majority of their fellow Republicans in opposing the measure, which will fund the government through Dec. 3.

The legislation was needed to keep the government running once the current budget year ended at midnight Thursday. Its passage buys lawmakers more time to craft the spending measures that will fund federal agencies and the programs they administer.

The House approved the measure by a 254-175 vote not long after Senate passage in a 65-35 vote. A large majority of Republicans in both chambers voted against it.

In statements, Nebraska congressional members cited a range of reasons for opposing the legislation — though several directed their critiques at the spending habits of Washington.

“Congress’ broken budget process is not good for our country," Sen. Deb Fischer said. "Instead of funding the spending priorities of the past, we need to make tough decisions and pass a responsible budget that properly addresses the current needs of the nation.”

Fischer's fellow Nebraskan in the U.S. Senate, Ben Sasse, shared similar criticisms over the process.

Rep. Don Bacon, who represents the Omaha area, cited the failure to include funding for Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system.

Rep. Jeff Fortenberry pointed to late additions to the package as the reason for his "no" vote. Fortenberry represents Nebraska's 1st District, which includes Bellevue and Lincoln.

Rep. Adrian Smith, who represents Nebraska's vast and mostly rural 3rd District, said Thursday's vote symbolized a failure of leadership by Democrats, who currently control both chambers of Congress and the White House.

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HERBSTER CUTS TIES WITH FORMER TRUMP AIDE OVER SEXUAL HARASSMENT ALLEGATION

LINCOLN — The gubernatorial campaign of Charles W. Herbster has cut ties with longtime Donald Trump aide Corey Lewandowski after a woman accused him of sexual harassment at a Las Vegas event last weekend.

In a statement issued Thursday, Herbster said that he asked Lewandowski, who served as Trump's first campaign manager in 2016 and later as a political adviser, to "step back" from his role as a senior adviser to Herbster's Republican campaign for governor.

"Corey and his family will remain in my prayers,” Herbster said in the statement.

On Wednesday, the news outlet Politico reported that an Idaho woman, who was attending a charity event with her husband, alleged that Lewandowski had made repeated, unwanted sexual advances toward her, touching her leg and buttocks, and making lewd comments.

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NEBRASKA'S NEW CONGRESSIONAL, LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS TAKE EFFECT FRIDAY

OMAHA WORLD HERALD — Nebraska lawmakers wrapped up a special session Thursday by approving new congressional, legislative and other political district boundaries.

Gov. Pete Ricketts immediately signed the package of legislation, which passed with an emergency clause, meaning that the redrawn districts will take effect Friday.

Lawmakers had aimed to finish the once-a-decade redistricting process by Thursday, so that counties, school districts and other local subdivisions have time to redraw their election districts, and local election officials can make changes to voting precincts.

The deadline also gives potential candidates time to decide whether to run for office. Candidates can start filing on Jan. 5 for the May 10 primary election.

State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, the Republican chair of the Redistricting Committee, praised colleagues and legislative staff for their hard work in getting the job done within a compressed timetable.

"It's been a hard month for everyone," she said. "Everyone had to give, in an incredibly tight framework, and I thank you all."

Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha, the Democratic vice chair of the committee, said this year brought the most transparent and public redistricting process ever in Nebraska, despite the difficulties of getting information out in a timely manner.

"This was a very frustrating process, it was a process, but it got done," he said.

Under the new congressional plan, all of Douglas County remained in the 2nd Congressional District, along with western Sarpy County. The more rural Saunders County was added, moving out of the 1st District to the 2nd.

Gretna, Springfield and Papillion’s southern neighborhoods stayed with the Omaha-dominated district, where they are currently, and will continue to be represented by Rep. Don Bacon in Congress.

La Vista and the bulk of Papillion were shifted out of the 2nd District and into the 1st District, where they will be represented by Rep. Jeff Fortenberry. Bellevue and Offutt Air Force Base already are in the 1st District, where they would remain. Both Bacon and Fortenberry are Republicans.

The legislative plan moved District 36 from central Nebraska to western Sarpy County. The change means State Sen. Matt Williams of Gothenburg will not represent the people who elected him during his last year in office. He is term-limited.

But the shift of population from rural Nebraska to its urban areas, especially the Omaha metro area, meant that a legislative district also had to be moved. Williams agreed to the change so lawmakers could get the redistricting done.

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SECRETARY OF STATE BOB ENVEN POSTPONED RE-ELECTION EVENT AFTER TESTING POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

LINCOLN — The “unforeseen circumstances” that prevented Secretary of State Bob Evnen from attending a press conference announcing his reelection campaign was a positive test for COVID-19, his office confirmed Tuesday.

Evnen, a Republican and 68-year-old Lincoln attorney, had scheduled a press conference Monday morning to announce his reelection plans, but then his campaign postponed the event.

Multiple messages sent Monday to campaign officials, Evnen and his office seeking comment on a report that he had COVID-19 were not answered.

His State Capitol office issued a press release Tuesday morning confirming that he had taken a quick antigen test for COVID on Sunday and had tested positive. He also took a PCR test, but those results were not back as of Tuesday morning.

“Secretary Evnen has had both COVID vaccinations. His symptoms are not severe, and he is working from his home office,” said his office spokeswoman Cindi Allen.

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TIM McCOY, NO. 2 OFFICIAL AT NEBRASKA GAME AND PARKS, TO BE RECOMMENDED AS NEXT DIRECTOR

LINCOLN — Tim McCoy, the current deputy director of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, will be recommended by a search committee on Wednesday to take the agency’s top job.

McCoy, a native of Arapahoe, has held the No. 2 post at the commission since 2012.

If confirmed by the full commission on Wednesday, he would replace Jim Douglas, who announced in March that he would be retiring, effective Nov. 1, after 47 years with Game and Parks. Douglas’ current salary is $159,395 per year, according to the 2021 State of Nebraska Personnel Almanac, produced by the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services.

McCoy has been with the agency since 2002. Before being named deputy director, he served as the administrator of the wildlife division.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and master’s and doctorate degrees in fish and wildlife from the University of Missouri.

The agency’s search committee met last week and narrowed the pool of candidates from three to one.

The two other finalists were Jim Swenson, the state parks administrator with Nebraska Game and Parks, and Roger Kuhn, an assistant director for development at Game and Parks.

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RISK DIAL LOWERED AS COVID-19 CASES DROP IN LINCOLN, BUT MASK MANDATE EXTNEDED

LINCOLN -COVID-19 cases have continued to decline in Lancaster County, an encouraging sign that has spurred the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department to lower its risk dial for the first time in months.

But it's not enough to end the county's mask mandate.

Health Director Pat Lopez on Tuesday announced that mask mandate, set to expire on Thursday, would be extended another month as part of a new directed health measure.

At the same time, Lopez said the county's COVID-19 risk dial has dropped from mid-orange to low orange, signaling that while the risk of spread is still high, it is slightly less than it has been in recent weeks. The dial had been in mid-orange since Aug. 24 after climbing steadily since July.

COVID-19 cases have now declined nearly 35% in Lancaster County since the beginning of September. The seven-day daily average of cases dropped last week to 90, down from a high of 140.

Hospitalizations, however, have not followed the same trajectory. They had leveled off at a daily average of around 100 last week, but as of Tuesday, there were 112 patients in local hospitals, half of whom are out-of-county residents.

"Hospital capacity continues to be seriously strained," Lopez said.

Lopez said the test positivity rate continues to be high, too, hovering around 10%.

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RICKETTS APPOINTS NEW SARPY COUNTY ELECTION COMMISSIONER

LINCOLN-Emily A. Ethington, who has served as a field director for the Republican Party in Sarpy County and for her twin sister, State Sen. Julie Slama, has been named Sarpy County election commissioner.

Gov. Pete Ricketts made the appointment, which was announced Thursday.

Ethington, 25, has been a branch manager for Edward R. Jones since April, according to her LinkedIn profile. Before that, she was a commercial loan assistant at Pinnacle Bank in Lincoln for almost three years.

From July to November 2020, she was the field director for the Sarpy County Republican Party, and from July 2019 to November 2020, she served as field director for Slama.

She succeeds Michelle Andahl, who had served in the position since 2017.

The governor appoints the election commissioner for counties larger than 100,000 people — currently Douglas, Sarpy and Lancaster.

Those commissioners must then appoint a deputy of the opposite political party.

Elections in Nebraska's 90 other counties are typically run by the county clerk or someone in the clerk’s office.

Ethington, who lives in Papillion, received her bachelor's and master's degrees from Peru State College.

According to a press release from Ricketts, she has volunteered with Cornhusker Girls State as a counselor, with Meals on Wheels through Tabitha Health, and with the Food Bank of Lincoln’s Backpack Program.

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KEYSTONE PIPELINE OPPONETS HAIL END TO EMINENT DOMAIN EFFORT

NEBRASKA- Opponents of the now-scuttled Keystone XL pipeline hailed an agreement between a Canadian company and Nebraska landowners to terminate the company’s efforts to condemn their land.

On Monday, a Madison County District Court judge accepted an agreement between TC Energy Corp. and the Johnson and Herrick families to rescind condemnation proceedings.

In June, TC Energy Corp., formerly TransCanada, said it was ending its decades-long effort to build a crude oil pipeline from Alberta to Nebraska. From there, the pipeline would have connected to a system reaching the Gulf Coast.

The company announced its decision after President Joe Biden in January revoked a necessary permit.

Jane Kleeb, founder of Bold Nebraska, credited the work of everyday Nebraskans with stopping the pipeline.

“Land justice happened only because of the hard work of citizens, grassroots organizing, and a legal team who believed the land was worth protecting,” she said.

Mark Hefflinger, also with Bold Nebraska, said about 60 landowners were in a situation similar to the Herrick and Johnson families. He said pipeline opponents hope that TC Energy will reach similar agreements with the other families.

Additionally, pipeline opponents want to see easements granted to TC Energy be revoked so that they can’t be transferred to another company.

TC Energy declined to comment on how it would handle additional terminations of condemnation proceedings or any cancellation of voluntary easements.

“It would be inappropriate to speak to matters before the courts,” the company said in a written statement. It did note that the project has been canceled.

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RICKETTS EXTENDS LIMIT ON ELECTIVE SURGERIES THROUGH OCTOBER

LINCOLN- Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts on Wednesday announced that the state is extending a directed health measure that limits elective surgeries and procedures.

It postpones inpatient surgeries that can wait four weeks or more without substantially changing a patient’s outcome. The measure has been in place since late August when Ricketts declared a hospital staffing emergency. It was set to expire Thursday and will now be in place through Oct. 31, unless the state extends it again.

Before the mandate, some health systems — including Nebraska Medicine and Bryan Health — had already limited such procedures. The measure, though, made it mandatory for all acute care hospitals, critical care hospitals and children’s hospitals.

Methodist Health System was among those that had announced a limit prior to the state’s health measure.

Dr. Garnet Blatchford, chief medical officer at Methodist Hospital and Methodist Women’s Hospital, told The World-Herald Wednesday that some surgeries canceled last month will now be canceled again.

People who are planning to have surgery may get a phone call with fairly short notice to postpone their procedure, she said.

“This involves a lot of extra work on nursing that’s already pretty stressed and pretty tired of the whole pandemic,” Blatchford said.

“As soon as it’s safe for them to come and have their surgery with good staff to take care of them, believe me, it will happen,” Blatchford said.

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FULL MEDICAID BENEFITS TO START FOR ALL EXPANSION PATIENTS IN NEBRASKA

LINCOLN — Starting Friday, Nebraska Medicaid will provide a full range of benefits to everyone enrolled under the voter-approved expansion program.

The benefits will match those covered under traditional Medicaid and fulfill the intent of the groups that backed the expansion ballot measure.

They will include physical and mental health care and prescription drugs, which have been covered previously, while adding dental, vision and over-the-counter medications, which had only been covered for some Medicaid expansion groups.

The change comes almost three years after passage of the November 2018 ballot initiative extending Medicaid eligibility to more low-income Nebraskans.

State officials have estimated that eventually 90,000 Nebraskans will sign up for the program. The state Department of Health and Human Services reported cumulative enrollment of 51,226 people through the end of August. The program was launched on Oct. 1 last year.

Medicaid officials said people currently enrolled in the Medicaid expansion program will get the new benefits automatically and will not need a new Medicaid card.

Expanded Medicaid offers coverage for working-age adults whose incomes fall below 138% of the federal poverty level — $17,774 for a single person or $36,570 for a family of four. Before the expansion, the only working-age adults who could qualify for Medicaid were very low-income people with minor children at home or low-income people who were officially determined to be disabled.

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NEBRASKA IS LIKELY HEADED FOR ANOTHER PIPELINE CONTROVERSY - THIS TIME OVER CARBON DIOXIDE

LINCOLN — While the controversy over the Keystone XL pipeline has finally ended, another pipeline punching match is looming on the horizon in Nebraska.

Two environmental groups say they will fight proposals to build two high-pressure pipelines to capture carbon dioxide generated by Nebraska ethanol plants and transport it in liquid form for permanent storage deep underground in North Dakota and Illinois.

At least one of those projects, by Summit Carbon Solutions, has already begun contacting landowners in northeast Nebraska.

That Alden, Iowa-based company is planning to build 314 miles of pipeline to six ethanol plants as part of a $4.5 billion carbon-capture project covering five Midwestern states.

Dallas-based Navigator CO2 Ventures is also planning a five-state carbon dioxide pipeline that would extend from near Sioux City, Iowa, to an ethanol plant in Albion, Nebraska, as part of its 1,200-mile carbon-capture project. Some fertilizer plants may be added as customers as well.

Officials with the Nebraska Ethanol Board and the two pipeline companies said these projects are vital to the future of ethanol, by lowering the carbon impact of the corn-based fuel and opening up new markets in states like California and Oregon that have adopted goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to combat global warming.

"This is a critical step to ensure the long-term viability of ethanol," said Jesse Harris, a spokesperson for Summit Carbon Solutions.

Ethanol is a huge economic driver in Nebraska, consuming about 38% of the corn grown in the state and providing 1,400 jobs at 25 ethanol plants. Gov. Pete Ricketts, an avid supporter of ethanol, has already expressed support for the Summit Carbon Solutions project, which is being spearheaded by Bruce Rastetter, the former head of the Iowa Board of Regents and a major GOP donor in Iowa, whose company is a major ethanol producer.

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STATEWIDE ABORTION BAN FOR NEBRASKA MAY BE IN THE WORKS

HASTINGS — Nebraska legislators may be considering a statewide abortion ban in 2022, much like the ban adopted in Texas in May.

Lt. Gov. Mike Foley spoke Saturday to 22 people who gathered at a “Remember the Unborn” event hosted by South Central Nebraska Right to Life at Parkview Cemetery in Hastings.

Legislation is dependent on the state’s “pro-life” groups, he said, such as Nebraska Catholic Conference, Nebraskan Family Alliance and Nebraska Right to Life.

“Those three groups convene before each session, strategize on what they want to do, and then they get a senator to put their bills in,” Foley said. “I know they’re strategizing right now, and I have no doubt that that bill is in the mix of discussion.”

He added, “I think we may see that. There’s a lot of interest in what’s happening in Texas.”

Mark Lee Dickson, a Texas-based anti-abortion lobbyist, speaking at Saturday’s event, called for local governments to pass their own anti-abortion ordinances to make cities into “sanctuaries” for unborn children.

Eighteen cities in the United States have passed such ordinances, Dickson said.

“We need to see more cities stand up. We need to see more states pass the strongest laws possible,” he said. “I’ve never been more convinced that now is the time. Now is the time to fight like we’ve never fought before.”

Dickson added, “Conservatives can stand up and make sure ordinances are passed that represent their beliefs and values.”

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ASTRO THEATER, A NEW $23.6 MILLION CONCERT VENUE, BREAKS GROUND IN LA VISTA

LA VISTA- Come January 2023, La Vista will have a new concert venue aimed at being a “crown jewel” for the ongoing City Centre development.

The Astro Theater, just off 84th Street in La Vista, is expected to be capable of hosting 2,500 people in its indoor theater and 5,000 people in the adjacent outdoor amphitheater that will overlook a 34-acre public park.

“It’s meant to be kind of the heartbeat of the entertainment component to City Centre,” said Chris Erickson, co-founder of Omaha-based City+Ventures, which is developing the City Centre project.

Omaha’s 1% Productions and Kansas-based Mammoth also are behind the $23.6 million theater. Marc Leibowitz, co-owner of 1% Productions, told reporters Wednesday at the groundbreaking ceremony that the theater’s flexibility will be unique among Omaha-area venues.

“On the inside specifically, it can be seated. It can be general admission. The stage moves so the room could be shrunk so it can do shows from 900 (people) to 2,500,” he said, adding that the permanent backstage areas will serve both the indoor and outdoor venues. “We just put a lot of thought into making sure that we put all of the things into this facility that we could to make this flexible.”

According to Jeff Dolezal, a principal at TACKarchitects in Omaha, the Astro Theater will be primarily constructed out of steel and concrete. The exterior will be cladded with bricks and metal panels. An emphasis will be put on exterior lighting.

“We want to light the building in a really sophisticated way because a lot of the concerts will be at night,” Dolezal said.

The City Centre development currently has almost 400 apartments and will also feature retail shopping, office space and perhaps a hotel.

Erickson said developers expect to spend about $250 million to complete the City Centre by the end of this decade. Just over $100 million has been invested so far.

The City of La Vista has helped facilitate development of the City Centre with a number of economic measures. That includes the previous establishment of a tax increment financing district.

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STATE SENATOR TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID DURING SPECAIL SESSION

LINCOLN — Nebraska State Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk has tested positive for COVID-19.

Flood, who confirmed the positive test Wednesday, is the second state official this week to publicly share a positive test result. Secretary of State Bob Evnen postponed a press conference announcing his reelection campaign Monday morning because of a positive test.

The State Legislature is nearing the end of a special session that brought Nebraska’s 49 lawmakers from across the state to Lincoln to redraw maps for voting districts. Much of last week was spent in intense negotiations that culminated Friday with the passage of compromise plans for congressional and legislative districts. The final round of consideration for bills is expected to start Thursday.

Flood told The World-Herald that he noticed he had a stuffy nose while driving home from the Capitol Friday. Over the next couple of days, he said, he developed more symptoms, including chills, loss of taste and smell, and tiredness.

Monday morning, he said, he got tested with a rapid test and it came back positive. He told Sen. Mike Hilgers, speaker of the Legislature, immediately, Flood said. Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Director Pat Lopez reached out to him to talk through the days leading up to Friday and whom he interacted with so they could be contacted.

Flood said he is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and credits the vaccination for his lack of more serious symptoms. Aside from the minor symptoms, Flood said he felt fine Wednesday.

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EDITORIAL: LEGISLATURE MUSTN'T DRAG OUT ITS REDISTRICTING WORK INTO NEXT YEAR

OMAHA WORLD HERALD- Twice over the past week, factions in the Nebraska Legislature have demonstrated they have the numbers to stymie each other in their redistricting fights. The result: Stalemate over how to redraw the three U.S. House districts. Stalemate over how to reconfigure the 49 districts for the Legislature.

There’s only one way out of this bind: compromise. Serious, responsible compromise.

That’s a hard concession for many senators to make, regardless of party or ideology. Present-day politics urges lawmakers to “be a fighter.” Partisan politics presses hard for full victory.

But that way of thinking has led the Legislature down a cul-de-sac. True, the Census Bureau contributed greatly to this problem by not releasing final figures till August. Nebraska lawmakers have had to compress their redistricting duties into mere weeks, in contrast to the months their predecessors had in past decades.

But there’s no getting around the fact that protracted delay on redistricting threatens grievous harm to Nebraska’s election process next year. That damage will be especially great if lawmakers stay in their corners now and delay the redistricting decisions till the 2022 legislative session. State and local election officials have tremendous responsibilities in working with the new maps in preparation for the 2022 primary and general elections. Many Nebraskans are waiting on the final maps in order to decide whether to run.

Senators have legitimate grounds for disagreement in many instances. Some proposed reconfigurations of state legislative districts are so radical they’re patently unfair — such as the removal of 10 of the 14 neighborhoods in the current district for Sen. Anna Wishart of Lincoln.

That said, redistricting is an enormously complex endeavor with difficult choices. If the Legislature is to move beyond the current deadlock, all parties must be willing to give.

As of this writing on Wednesday, we are hearing of constructive conversations among key lawmakers. Most important is the focus on reaching agreement on which rural district must move to the east. This is a time for Speaker Mike Hilgers and key figures on the Redistricting Committee to provide leadership, and for senators to move beyond rancor.

In all those endeavors, the watchword is clear.

Compromise.

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UNMC EXPERTS: COVID VACCINE OFFERS MORE PROTECTION THAN NATURAL IMMUNITY

OMAHA- Since the COVID-19 vaccines began rolling out last winter, some people who have had COVID have questioned their need to get shots, concluding that they have acquired natural immunity that will protect them from future infection.

One study of people who had had COVID, published this month by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, indicated that more than a third did not develop antibodies to the virus. Other studies show that natural immunity wanes more quickly than vaccine immunity.

At present, there’s no reliable way for someone to know whether a prior infection will provide protection, particularly in the face of the highly infectious delta variant, according to University of Nebraska Medical Center experts.

The upshot: Federal health officials recommend that everyone who is eligible get vaccinated — including those who have had COVID-19 — as the best way to protect themselves and the larger community from COVID.

“There’s so many gray zones in this, it’s difficult to give people iron-clad advice,” said Dr. Mark Rupp, chief of UNMC’s infectious diseases division. “The easiest approach from a population standpoint is oftentimes, when in doubt, vaccinate.”

A Q&A posted recently by Nebraska Medicine, compiled from interviews with Rupp and Dr. Richard Hankins, outlined recent studies on the topic. The experts concluded that COVID-19 vaccines create more effective and long-lasting immunity than natural immunity from infection. Like Rupp, Hankins is a Nebraska Medicine infectious diseases physician.

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RICKETTS SAYS NEBRASKA IS BRINGING BACK COVID DASHBOARD

LINCOLN — With hospitalizations rising and some hospitals increasingly stretched to the limit, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts on Monday signed an order reinstating the state’s online COVID-19 information dashboard.

Health care officials applauded the move, saying it will make it easier to plan for and manage local outbreaks.

“You can’t make good decisions without good data,” said Dr. Bob Rauner, president of Partnership for a Healthy Lincoln.

New daily hospitalizations in Nebraska rose more than 20% last week to 50 per day, according to figures from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, an average of nearly 400 hospital beds were occupied by COVID patients on any given day last week.

At a Monday press conference, Ricketts said state officials are bringing back the dashboard because COVID hospitalizations have topped 10% of the state’s total staffed hospital beds. Ricketts said the dashboard would be dropped again if the percentage drops below 10%.

Ricketts said he enabled the creation of the dashboard by signing an executive order that waives some of the health care privacy restrictions in state law.

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CERTIFICATION HURDLES AMONG FACTORS DRIVING RACIAL DISPARITIES IN TEACHERS, SPEAKERS TELL LAWMAKERS

LINCOLN- Recruiting and retaining more teachers of color across Nebraska holds myriad benefits for students — including closing racial achievements gaps — a number of school officials told the Legislature's Education Committee at a recent hearing.

But obstacles — including certification and teacher pay — are driving disparities, said people invited to speak at a hearing on an interim study resolution from Lincoln Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks to examine the issue.

The study outlined in Legislative Resolution 157 explores how Nebraska schools can do more to recruit and retain teachers and administrators that better represent the number of students of color.

Having a diverse workforce has been shown to close achievement gaps among students of color, Pansing Brooks said, but Nebraska's teachers and school leaders are not as diverse as the children attending school.

"We need to rectify that imbalance," she said.

A number of solutions put forward at the Sept. 16 hearing included offering scholarships and incentives to people of color, increasing teacher pay, eliminating burdensome certification hurdles — such as required Praxis exams — and recruiting out of state.

"The requirement of taking the Praxis again or paying a $500 fee does not say we want you in Nebraska," said Marian Holstein of the Nebraska Indian Education Association, who added that the number of Native teachers in the state does not match the need.

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