NEBRASKA, ST. FRANCIS OFFICIALS SAY THEY WOULDN'T SIGN CHILD WELFARE CONTRACT NOW

LINCOLN — With the benefit of hindsight, neither state officials nor the embattled nonprofit that is managing child welfare cases in the Omaha area would sign the contract that binds them together.

That's what leaders of both the Department of Health and Human Services and St. Francis Ministries of Salina, Kansas, said Friday under intense questioning from a special legislative committee.

The committee is investigating how HHS and St. Francis ended up signing a $197 million contract in July 2019, as well as how St. Francis has carried out the contract.

HHS CEO Dannette Smith said there was extensive discussion within HHS about the feasibility of the St. Francis bid before recommending that the state sign the contract.

William Clark, the interim president and CEO of St. Francis, said there was staff within St. Francis who raised concerns about the bid, especially those working in programs and finance, and believed that it would lead to financial losses. But he attributed the problems to sloppy work, not bad intentions.

Several questions Friday focused on who was ultimately responsible for deciding to sign the contract. Smith pointed to the Department of Administrative Services, which handles procurement for the state. She said that HHS made the recommendation to contract with St. Francis but that the other agency ultimately made the decision.

A report issued last month by Jennifer Carter, inspector general of Nebraska child welfare, called for the state to terminate its contract with St. Francis and end its 12-year experiment with having private entities manage child welfare cases.

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WHY WERE NEBRASKAS SEX ED STANDARDS HALTED? EMAILS OFFER BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK

NEBRASKA- The human growth and development section of the new sex ed draft, which proposed teaching children about gender identity and sexual orientation, drew a “record level of feedback,” Education Commissioner Matt Blomstedt wrote in a March 27 email to Nebraska State Board of Education members, his cabinet and staff.

The public opposition, Blomstedt wrote, had left the board and employees “feeling a little back on our heels.”

He expressed optimism, however, that there was a path forward, reminding them that “the standards are intended to be a community consensus of what we teach children.”

The only consensus now is that the writing process failed to produce standards that all Nebraskans would accept.

Protect Nebraska Children Coalition alleges that emails and text messages they obtained via a public records request show that Neary overstepped her bounds as a policymaker and behaved behind the scenes as an advocate to influence the creation of the standards.

The emails show Neary urged the department to use an advocate of comprehensive sex education, employed by the Women’s Fund of Omaha, as an adviser in the standards process and also arranged to invite the standards writers and her board colleagues to an invitation-only workshop with a national sex-ed advocate.

Neary denies involvement in writing the standards and says her actions were appropriate for a board member. She said her aim was to create standards that would prepare “our students to be successful in the complex world that they will graduate into.”

Neary blames Ricketts, who she says “completely hijacked” the process.

The emails and texts, reviewed by The World-Herald, as well as interviews, provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the writing and review process that was initiated in 2019, as well as the firestorm that erupted after the first draft went public.

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NEBRASKA MARKS INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S DAY WITH SCULPTURE, FLAG DEDICATIONS

LINCOLN- Last year, the Legislature approved a bill by State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln establishing the holiday.

President Joe Biden on Friday issued the first-ever presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, lending a significant boost to efforts to refocus the federal holiday celebrating Christopher Columbus toward an appreciation of Native peoples. The day will be observed on Monday, along with Columbus Day, which is established by Congress.

Several events were planned in Lincoln to mark the occasion. The day kicked off at 9 a.m. with a tribal flag dedication in the Nebraska State Capitol.

The flags of four federally recognized Nebraska tribes — Omaha, Ponca, Santee Sioux, and Winnebago —were placed in the Warner Chamber on the second floor of the Capitol building.

In addition, 27 flags from tribes with historic connections to Nebraska will be placed in the chamber on the 14th floor.

At 11 a.m., a sculpture of Susan La Flesche Picotte, the first Native American to earn a medical degree, was unveiled and dedicated on Heritage Plaza in Lincoln’s Centennial Mall.

Seeing the day of celebration come to fruition is bittersweet, Gaiashkibos a Nebraskan native and member of the Pona Tribe said. knowing that so many relatives and ancestors didn’t live to see it. But it’s a way to move forward and help with healing. For Gaiashkibos, the whole day was dedicated to those who lost their lives at the Genoa U.S. Indian Industrial School, a boarding school in Genoa, Nebraska.

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NEBRASKAS GOVERNORS'S OFFICE BLOCKS RELEASE OF NONPROFIT'S PRISON DATA ANALYSIS

LINCOLN- A nonprofit that’s been collecting and analyzing a trove of criminal justice data has made presentations to Nebraska officials who may use the information to shape solutions addressing critical issues in the state’s prison system. So far though, the content of those presentations, made in closed-door meetings, has not been made public despite requests, prompting concern from Nebraska’s leading civil liberties advocacy organization.

While participants have provided updates on the process when asked, their actual findings have not been disclosed.

The group of over a dozen officials — which spans branches of government and multiple levels of the justice system — is not considered a public body, according to Gov. Pete Ricketts’ spokesperson Taylor Gage.

This week, Ricketts called the current part of the process the “data collection stage.”

“If there’s any legislation that comes out of it, it will go to a hearing just like any other bill and the public will have a chance to weigh in on that,” he said. At some point, he said, data will be released in support of any prospective legislation.

The World-Herald formally requested the presentations under the state public records law from the Governor’s Office, which denied the request based on the presentations being in “draft” form, saying they’re “expected to be revised and amended.”

“Gov. Ricketts intends to release these documents and data after the information has been verified and is in its final form,” wrote administrative assistant Lana Gillming-Weber.

The presentations were “pretty heavily vetted” before CJI presented them, Engel said, but he was reluctant to comment on whether the presentations would be considered a draft.

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NEBRASKA LT. GOV. MIKE FOLEY TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID

LINCOLN- Nebraska Lt. Gov. Mike Foley has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a spokesperson.

“The Lt. Governor has tested positive for coronavirus,” Justin Pinkerman wrote in an email. “He has mild symptoms and is self-isolating as he recovers.”

Pinkerman said that a two-sentence statement was the only update the office would provide at this time, but he clarified that Gov. Pete Ricketts was not exposed. Pinkerman did not answer The World-Herald’s question regarding whether Foley was vaccinated.

Earlier Tuesday, Pinkerman had emailed an updated version of Foley’s public schedule to members of the media that showed all plans for the week had been canceled. A schedule sent last Friday showed Foley was planning to travel the state to offer remarks at “Excellence in State Service” recognition ceremonies in Kearney, North Platte, Scottsbluff, and Norfolk.

Foley has been Nebraska’s lieutenant governor since 2015 after he was elected to his position as Ricketts’ running mate. He had been a candidate for governor before Ricketts defeated him in the Republican primary that year. Before that, he was the Nebraska auditor of public accounts and a state senator.

Foley is far from the first prominent state official to test positive for the coronavirus. Toward the end of a special legislative session focused on redistricting, State Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk tested positive for COVID-19.

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BLACK NEBRASKANS JAILED AT NEARLY 9 TIMES RATE OF WHITE RESIDENTS, NATIONAL REPORT SAYS

NEBRASKA- Black Nebraskans are incarcerated at nearly nine times the per-capita rate of White residents, according to a study released Wednesday by a national research and advocacy group.

Iowa ranks slightly worse with Blacks incarcerated 9.3 times as often as Whites. That Black-White differential is tied for fifth among states. Nebraska ranks No. 8 on the list.

Both states have markedly higher rates of disparity among their incarcerated populations than the nation as a whole, where Black Americans are put in state prisons at almost five times the rate of White Americans.

The 25-page report was written by senior research analyst Ashley Nellis of The Sentencing Project, a nonprofit group that works on criminal justice advocacy.

The report has three policy recommendations: Eliminate mandatory minimum sentences, assess the racial impact of new crime legislation, and stop arrests and prosecutions in low-level drug offenses.

Ryan Spohn, the director of the Nebraska Center for Justice Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, said those suggestions are sound and what he and other researchers have recommended to Nebraska state legislators.

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SARPY COUNTY TO CONSIDER UPGRADES AT WERNER PARK TO MEET NEW MLB STANDARDS

SARPY COUNTY- Before the next time an umpire shouts “play ball” at Sarpy County’s Werner Park, the decade-old ballpark could be in line for some upgrades.

However, fans likely won’t notice the possible improvements, which are mainly targeted for player and staffing areas.

Per new standards outlined by Major League Baseball, all minor league ballparks must comply with a set of facility requirements. According to an article published on Ballpark Digest, those requirements include separate areas for female staffers, including umpires, upgraded nutrition areas, upgraded training facilities and upgraded field lights. Clubhouses for both the home and visiting teams also must be 1,000 square feet or larger.

Beyond the possibility of upgraded field lighting, Storm Chasers President Martie Cordaro said, “I don’t know if there’s any one thing that stands out that would be different from a fan’s perspective.”

The scale of the upgrades at Werner Park, located near Papillion, remains to be seen pending the completion of a $55,000 feasibility study being conducted by Omaha engineering firm DLR Group.

DLR Group is expected to present its study to the county — which owns the ballpark that the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers play in — by Oct. 31. Sarpy County entered into the contract with DLR in July after issuing a request for proposals in April.

Any upcoming renovations would be the latest in a ballpark that has seen its share of touch-ups since it opened in 2011.

In late 2019 and early 2020, the ballpark underwent a $2.4 million renovation so that it could be used as a soccer field by Union Omaha.

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US FARMERS REAP BIGGER CROP PROFITS AND BOOST STOCKPILES

MIDWEST- It turns out that 2021 was a pretty good year to be an American farmer.

After struggling through extreme weather, a trade war and tepid demand in recent years, things started to turn around this season as Chinese buying roared back.

What’s more, crops proved resilient against bouts of dryness that hit some parts of the Midwest, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture raised its estimates for domestic corn and soybean stockpiles in a key report out Tuesday in Washington.

Bumper production on the heels of record corn demand from China means farmers are finally reaping profits from what they’re growing and not having to rely as much on government subsidies, like those distributed by the Trump administration during the trade war. Bigger crops would also be welcome news to consumers that are struggling with higher grocery bills.

Still, it’s unclear how long the good times will last. Energy and fertilizer costs are going up, signaling thinner margins ahead. And meanwhile, corn and soybean prices are both down about 25% from this year’s peak in May. But for those farmers that managed to lock in sales at the start of the summer, this season is a welcome turnaround. U.S. farm income from crops is expected to jump 20% to $230.1 billion in 2021, the second-highest ever, trailing the record set in 2012, according to USDA estimates.

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NEW METRO-AREA LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT DRAWS CANDIDATE FROM GRETNA

LINCOLN — A former Gretna City Council member and small-business owner has thrown her hat in the ring for a legislative seat newly added to Sarpy County.

Angie Lauritsen announced plans Tuesday to run for Legislative District 36, which encompasses the rural southern and western parts of Sarpy County, including Gretna and a small section of Millard. The district was moved from central Nebraska to the metro area this year to accommodate the rapid population growth.

Lauritsen, a registered Democrat, said she would bring strong, balanced leadership to the position and ensure that district residents feel they have a voice in Lincoln. She was elected to the Gretna City Council in 2016. Instead of seeking reelection, she ran for mayor in 2020.

She worked in corporate banking for 13 years after earning a degree from Bellevue University. She now owns a small business with her husband. She started the Gretna Home Town Heroes program and has served on numerous boards and committees, including the Gretna Chamber of Commerce, Gretna KIDS Committee and Survivors Rising.

The district is currently represented by State Sen. Matt Williams of Gothenburg, who is term-limited. The redistricting change means that during his final year in the Legislature, Williams will not represent the people who elected him to office.

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CORRECTIONS DIRECTOR ADDRESSES STAFFING, SAFETY CONCERNS AT NEBRASKA PRISONS

LINCOLN- Nebraska’s top Corrections official on Wednesday spoke publicly about the worsening staffing shortage at state prisons for the first time since workers detailed its harrowing impacts on daily operations, safety and inmates’ well-being last month.

Scott Frakes, director of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, acknowledged the crisis, highlighted progress in union negotiations and answered a litany of questions from lawmakers on the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee.

Despite challenges, “I’m confident both short- and long-term solutions will be identified and will put NDCS on a sustainable path forward,” he said.

Sen. Anna Wishart of Lincoln proposed the study that led to Wednesday’s hearing. She’s on the Appropriations Committee, and said her goal was to understand what it will cost to adequately staff existing facilities. That’s needed, she believes, before considering additional facilities.

Gov. Pete Ricketts’ administration has proposed building a 1,600-bed, $230 million prison to replace the State Penitentiary in Lincoln.

A project already underway will add a 384-bed high-security unit and 32-bed mental health unit at the combined Lincoln facility and is expected to be complete in June 2022, according to Corrections spokesperson Laura Strimple.

If the staffing crisis does not improve enough by next summer, Corrections will close existing living units and shift to the new space at the combined Lincoln facility, Frakes said.

Staffing has been a problem since before his tenure, Frakes said, but has been especially difficult for the past few months.

He pointed to the same labor shortage faced in other industries. The state’s Inspector General for the corrections system previously said the economy has had an impact, but that the stage was set for the current crisis because of a lack of sufficient action over several years.

High turnover and a decrease in applicants have led to more than 625 staff vacancies, Frakes said. There are about 430 vacancies in protective services — security and custody staff — out of 1,300 total positions, according to Frakes. So about a third of those positions are unfilled.

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UNL SUSPENDS FIJI THROUGH 2026 FOR REPEATED ALCOHOL VIOLATIONS

LINCOLN — The University of Nebraska-Lincoln on Tuesday suspended Phi Gamma Delta through 2026 for violating the university’s rules on alcohol use, stripping the fraternity of its status as a recognized student organization.

The lengthy suspension was handed down by the University Conduct Board, a committee of students and faculty responsible for holding hearings on alleged violations of UNL’s Code of Conduct and recommending sanctions.

In a statement, UNL said the board determined Phi Gamma Delta — better known as Fiji — had broken university rules governing alcohol use at its chapter house at 1425 R St. while on probationary status for the same infraction.

A spokeswoman for UNL said Fiji was placed on probation earlier this year for an alcohol-related violation.

The conduct board’s recommended penalty was determined so as to outlast any current member of the fraternity, forcing Fiji to potentially start over in five years.

Fiji is no longer recognized as a fraternity or a student organization at UNL. As such, it cannot hold meetings or host functions on campus, nor can freshmen members live in the chapter house, which though directly across from the Nebraska Union is private property not controlled by UNL.

Furthermore, the international Phi Gamma Delta fraternity said it was closing the UNL chapter immediately following its own investigation, according to executive director Rob Caudill.

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GRANT CITY SUPERINTENDENT ANNOUNCES RUN FOR LEGISLATURE

GRANT-  With the redistricting of the Nebraska Legislature now adopted, Ed Dunn of Grant announced Monday he will be seeking the 44th District legislative seat in the 2022 election. 

Dunn said he’s been considering a run but wanted to see where the 44th District ended up before finalizing the decision. 

When the final boundaries kept Grant and a portion of Perkins County in District 44, Dunn decided it was time to announce his candidacy. Dunn, a Bartley native, said he received a lot of encouragement from Sen. Dan Hughes of Venango, who currently represents the 44th District. 

Dunn said his primary motivation to run for the 44th District seat comes from wanting to ensure rural Nebraska, and especially the 44th District, has a voice in Lincoln. Prior to his run he served two tours in Iraq, 2005 and 2009, with U.S. Army and Army Reserves during a 10-year period, 2004-2014. His political ambitions began when he ran for Grant City Council in 2018. He served on the council for five months before resigning his seat after being selected as Grant’s city superintendent. 

Assuming he’s elected, Dunn stated he plans to serve both as city superintendent and state senator.  

He and his wife, Olga, have three children, son Issiah, who will soon be 15, daughter Hayley, 13, and son Victor, who will be 11 next week. 

Current Senator Dan Hughes is term-limited. 

PLATTE INSTITUTE PROMOTES PLAN TO RELY MORE ON SALES TAXES

LINCOLN- The Platte Institute on Thursday promoted its support for a proposal to dramatically overhaul Nebraska's tax system as the key to unlock the state's economic future during a legislative summit in Lincoln. The Blueprint Nebraska "tax modernization plan" would reduce state income taxes, broaden the sales tax base to include a range of exempted services and reduce the burden on local property taxes.

The plan would allow taxpayers to earn up to $50,000 free from the state income tax, dedicate an additional $2 billion to property tax relief over the next 10 years and eliminate the state's inheritance tax. While a host of sales tax exemptions would be scrapped, the plan would protect the exemption for food defined as unprepared grocery items.

Senator Lou Ann Linehan, who moderated the tax panel said: "My constituents tell me all the time that tax policy is a concern and a priority." They want a tax system that is "competitive and fair," she said.

Jim Greisch, a panelist and executive at RSM US, a company that provides financial services, said Nebraska's current sales-income-property tax system results in "overdependence on income and property taxes."

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UNL PLANS MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT WITH SENIOR HOUSING FOR RETIREES WHO WANT TO 'COME BACK HOME'

LINCOLN- The former site of Cushman Motorworks would become a $175 million development with housing for retirees and retail space under a proposal selected by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Under a redevelopment plan put forward by Woodbury Corp. of Salt Lake City and WRK Real Estate of Lincoln, Unity Commons would also include housing for the city’s international community.

Anchoring the development and serving as the front door to the UNL campus would be the Unity Cultural Center, a multipurpose facility for people of all ages, cultures and faiths, according to the proposal.

The 16.5-acre district sits at the intersection of Vine Street and Antelope Valley Parkway, with easy access to recreational trails and green space.

UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green said Unity Commons would create new opportunities for retired alumni, faculty and staff to “come back home” and live near campus — housing would not be exclusive to UNL grads — while also offering work and research space for current faculty and students.

“This proposal offers many exciting new opportunities for the university,” Green said in a statement, adding the development would provide a key connection between City Campus and the Prem Paul Research Center at Whittier School.

UNL said the project is still in the early stages, and university groups and developers are planning to engage with the Malone neighborhood, Cultural Centers Coalition of Lincoln, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and others on how Unity Commons can serve several constituencies.

The redevelopment plan is expected to go before the NU Board of Regents for approval early next year, with construction to begin in the latter half of 2022.

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ATTENDANCE AT 2021 NEBRASKA STATE FAIR DOWN FROM PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS

GRAND ISLAND- Attendance at the Nebraska State Fair was lower than in recent years, likely reflecting continued concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

Fair officials announced Wednesday that 266,245 people attended the 11-day event in Grand Island. That was about 17,000 fewer people than attended the 2019 fair, and more than 100,000 fewer than the record attendance set in 2017. The fair did not keep official attendance numbers for its scaled-down 2020 event.

Executive Director Bill Ogg said he didn’t want to use the pandemic as an excuse for the lower attendance, “but I do think there was a lingering concern there, and it adversely affected us.”

While officials “wished for more” people, the attendance numbers were satisfactory, he said.

Despite fewer people, Ogg said the fair set a record for gross sales at the carnival. He also said that food and commercial vendors reported increased sales compared with 2019, and there were a record number of competitive entries in most exhibition departments.

“There are many measurements to a successful fair,” Ogg said.

As for the overall financial success of this year’s fair, he said numbers are still being finalized. Revenues and expenses were both higher than what was budgeted, but Ogg said he expects the net result to be very close to the budgeted number.

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MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDER, FORMER PROSECUTOR ANNOUNCE CAMPAIGNS FOR OMAHA LEGISLATIVE SEAT

LINCOLN — An Omaha native with a private mental health practice, and a former prosecutor and defense attorney have announced plans to seek a legislative seat representing west-central Omaha. John Fredrickson and Stu Dornan will run in District 20, which now stretches from 72nd Street to roughly 155th Street and from Pacific Street to E Street. The district is now represented by State Sen. John McCollister, who is barred by term limits from seeking reelection.

Fredrickson said he wants to bring a new generation of leadership to the Legislature and to ensure equitable opportunities for all Nebraskans. He lists strong public education, access to health care, and fostering a welcome and inclusive economy as top issues.

A graduate of Skutt Catholic High School, he spent the past decade in New York City. There, he earned a master's degree in social work, provided treatment to a wide variety of groups, and taught as an adjunct professor of social work at Columbia University. He moved back to Nebraska in 2020. He is registered as a Democrat. The Nebraska Legislature is nonpartisan, meaning that candidates run and senators serve without regard to party affiliation.

Dornan was appointed as Douglas County Attorney in 2003 but was defeated in 2006 by the current officeholder, Don Kleine. He also spent three years on the Westside Community School Board and is currently an elected member of Educational Service Unit #3. Over the years, he has represented a number of high-profile defendants. Last year, he was one of the attorneys representing Jake Gardner, an Omaha bar owner who was indicted for manslaughter in connection with shooting James Scurlock during the summer's racial justice protests. Gardner killed himself before he could be taken into custody.

A Republican with long ties to the district, Dornan has lined up support from Kleine and from Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert. He lists education, property taxes, public safety and mental health services as key issues.

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INTEREST GROUPS PITCH PLANS TO SPEND NEBRASKA'S BILLION FROM AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT

LINCOLN- Dozens of groups on Tuesday pitched their ideas for how Nebraska should spend the more than $1 billion it is slated to receive from the federal government’s most recent COVID-19 relief package.

Representatives of business, higher education, nonprofits, agriculture, health care and other organizations offered their wish lists to the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee. They spoke to challenges that the pandemic either created or intensified, like workforce shortages, and access to basic needs such as food, housing, child care, broadband and behavioral health support.

As testifiers pitched their priorities, they used words like “transformative” and “once-in-a-lifetime” to describe the potential that lies in the state’s trough of money from the American Rescue Plan Act, which was passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden earlier this year.

Nebraska was allocated a little over $1 billion in federal relief funds, split into two equal payments. It has so far received one payment of $520 million, according to Sen. John Stinner of Gering, who chairs the Appropriations Committee. The state has until the end of 2024 to earmark the money and until the end of 2026 to spend it. Nebraska was also allocated another $128 million in funding for capital projects under the American Rescue Plan.

Agriculture groups brought a proposal totaling $607 million, including $100 million for broadband. Overall, Ken Herz, past president of the Nebraska Cattlemen, highlighted the ag leaders’ aims to boost rural economic development and supply chain resiliency.

Jeremy Nordquist with Nebraska Medicine, who spoke for a long list of health care providers, proposed keeping some of the funding in reserves to meet potential needs related to the pandemic. Among the other needs he listed were mental health support and retention incentives for health care workers.

“Our organizations believe we need to make key investments in Nebraska’s health care system to resoundingly defeat COVID, rebuild our health care workforce, and come out of the pandemic with a stronger health care system that is better-equipped to meet the physical and behavioral health needs of all Nebraskans,” he said.

Jason Hayes of the Nebraska State Education Association, for example, brought a simple proposal: A one-time $1,000 bonus payment to every K-12 public school teacher and education support employee to encourage staff recruitment and retention. Erin Feichtinger of the Omaha nonprofit Together spoke about housing needs identified by nonprofits. Their recommendations, she said, included increasing the availability of affordable housing and investing $40 million in homelessness prevention programs.

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GOV. RICKETTS JOINED OTHER GOP GOVERNORS AT SOUTHERN BORDER IN TEXAS

TEXAS- Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts on Wednesday was one of nine Republican governors to join Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for a tour of the state’s southern border and a press conference where they decried President Joe Biden’s border enforcement policies and proposed their own.

At the press conference in Mission, Texas, speakers framed the issue as a far-reaching federal failure that has forced states to step in to help.

“President Biden thinks that he can ignore this humanitarian and security crisis and it will go away,” Ricketts said. “But we are here today to shine a light on what is going on here at the southern border and how it is impacting all of our states, not just the state of Texas.”

Ricketts was among the GOP governors who deployed state troopers to the Del Rio area earlier this year in response to a joint request by Texas and Arizona. Documents obtained by The World-Herald showed Nebraska agreed to pay the cost, last estimated at $500,000.

A total of 190 Nebraska National Guard soldiers deployed to the southwestern border earlier this month at the direction of the federal government, according to Maj. Scott Ingalsbe, spokesperson for the Nebraska National Guard.

Alongside Abbott and Ricketts Wednesday were other Texas officials and the Republican governors of Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma and Wyoming.

Abbott, Ricketts, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds talked about pieces of a “10-point plan” the GOP governors say they think would solve the issue. The suggestions include continuing to build a border wall, allotting more resources to address human trafficking and drug trafficking, and reinstating the Trump-era program often referred to as the “remain in Mexico” policy, which requires asylum seekers to await court hearings outside the U.S.

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NEBRASKA STATE SENATOR CALLS FOR 50-STATE AUDIT OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

LINCOLN — A Nebraska lawmaker has joined colleagues from across the country in calling for a 50-state audit of the 2020 presidential election results.

State Sen. Rob Clements, a Republican from Elmwood, signed on to a letter addressed “To the American People” that seeks a forensic audit of every state election, similar to the just-completed audit in Maricopa County, Arizona.

That months-long review, conducted by allies of former President Donald Trump, concluded last month with presidential vote counts virtually identical to the county’s official tally. However, Trump backers point to other findings, which are disputed by local election officials, as justification for continued questioning of the election results.

The letter, dated Monday and signed by 92 state legislators from multiple states, pointed to the Arizona audit as a key basis for seeking a nationwide review. It calls for states to decertify their presidential electors if the audit shows an inaccurate election was held. It also calls for scrubbing the voter rolls through a canvass of voters.

“Our representative republic suffered a corrupted 2020 election,” the letter said. “This is our historic obligation to restore the election integrity of the vote as the bedrock of our constitutional republic.”

Clements said Tuesday that he doesn’t have evidence of problems or corruption with Nebraska’s election. But he said a number of constituents have raised concerns about election security and have questioned whether their votes were counted correctly.

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COLUMBUS STATE OFFICIALS MOURN DEATH OF BEHLEN MANUFACTURING CEO PHIL RAIMONDO

COLUMBUS — Employees are treated differently at Columbus-based Behlen Manufacturing.

They’re called “partners in progress” instead of workers. Years ago, the time clock was removed and employees were trusted to document their own hours.

Profit-sharing and other incentives for workers are part of the culture at Behlen, one of the world’s leading makers of steel buildings, grain storage systems and farm and ranch equipment.

As CEO of the company, Phil Raimondo embraced that culture. Last Christmas, Raimondo upped the ante, granting profit-sharing bonuses to Behlen partners that amounted to more than three weeks of paychecks.

“We’ve always said — and Phil lived it — if we make our employees better off, we will be better off. That’s our family philosophy,” said TR Raimondo, Phil’s father and chairman emeritus of Behlen.

Phil Raimondo died Sunday, shortly after being diagnosed with liver cancer. He was 59.

He is being remembered as the leader of one of Nebraska’s most prominent manufacturing firms, who was involved in local, state and national efforts to train a new generation of workers in the tech and manufacturing fields.

“He was a great community leader,” said Columbus banker Rick Chochon, a longtime friend.

On Friday and Saturday, Raimondo was still making calls on behalf of his company, to China and Brazil, his father said.

Phil Raimondo is survived by his wife of 37 years, Mary, and five children, his father, a brother, and two sisters. Funeral services are scheduled at 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Isidore Catholic Church in Columbus.

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