NEBRASKA SENATORS COME UP SHORT IN CALL FOR SPECIAL SESSION TO BAN VACCINE MANDATES

LINCOLN- Nebraska legislators aren’t headed back to Lincoln to consider a prohibition on vaccine mandates — at least not yet.

An effort to convene the Legislature for a special session failed to garner enough support from state senators to move forward.

State Sens. Ben Hansen of Blair and Rob Clements of Elmwood led the push. They delivered a letter, signed by 26 state senators, to the Secretary of State’s Office on Oct. 19.

The letter requested a session to consider “legislation to prohibit employers from mandating COVID-19 vaccines,” according to a press release from Hansen’s office, as well as legislation to bar government or educational entities from mandating the vaccines “as a condition of receiving services.”

At least 33 (two-thirds) of the state’s 49 senators have to join the call to trigger a special session under state law — that’s also the number of senators needed to overcome a filibuster by opponents.

Secretary of State Bob Evnen notified the senators who hadn’t signed the letter and two additional senators ultimately did sign on, according to the Secretary of State’s Office: Sens. Rich Pahls of Omaha and Matt Williams of Gothenburg. The deadline was Novemebr 1st.

The effort fell five senators short.

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NAVY VETERAN SEEKING SARPY COUNTY SEAT IN NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE

LINCOLN - A 28-year Navy veteran and retired aerospace executive has jumped into the race for a legislative seat newly added to Sarpy County.

Rick Holdcroft announced his campaign for the District 36 seat. The district encompasses the rural southern and western parts of Sarpy County, including Gretna and Springfield, 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. It is currently represented by State Senator Matt Williams of Gothenburg, who is term-limited.

Holdcroft is a registered Republican who has backing from Governor Pete Ricketts and several sitting senators. Holdcroft plans to focus on gun rights, quality education, health care, lowering taxes on retirees, homeowners, and small businesses, as well as opposing abortion.

During his 28 years in the Navy, Holdcroft was assigned to U.S. Strategic Command as well as the command of Spruance-class destroyer. He then went on to become an aerospace executive after retiring from the military. Since then, he has been named the 2019 Knight of the Year for the Nebraska Knights of Columbus and received the 2019 Distinguished Service Award from the University of Nebraska Alumni Association.

This is not Holdcroft's first campaign; he ran an unsuccessful campaign against State Senator Carol Blood of Bellevue two years ago. So far, his only competition for the District 26 seat is Democrat Angie Lauritsen, a former Gretna City Council member, and small-business owner.

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ROSY REVENUE FORECAST BRINGS CALLS FOR TAX RELIEF, NEW PRISON IN NEBRASKA

LINCOLN - Nebraska policymakers got sunny news from the state’s economic forecasting board — $902 million worth of sunny news, to be exact.

That’s how much the board raised its projections of state tax revenues for the two-year budget period that ends June 30, 2023.

The new projected increase means that $313 million will be available for spending or tax cuts in the second year of the budget period, as opposed to the previously predicted shortcoming. The increase is also significant because $475 million will be put towards the state's rainy day fund, making the projected total $1.47 billion, a record-high.

Governor Ricketts commented on the new projection, saying "Nebraska's big economic momentum continues to translate into stronger and stronger tax receipts. Today's news means that there is even more room to work on tax relief and important projects, including replacing the aging Nebraska State Penitentiary."

The Nebraska State Penitentiary referenced is a 1,512 bed facility that Ricketts has been pushing for. In 2020, it was estimated to cost $230 million. Lawmakers approved nearly $15 million to design the facility but made no commitments to building the prison.

State Senator Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, chair of the Legislature's Revenue Committee, said “Now we are in a position to make our income taxes more competitive with neighboring states while we continue to provide significant property tax relief to all Nebraskans. We are in a fortunate fiscal position compared to most states. We need to continue to reduce the tax burden on Nebraska’s taxpayers.”

If tax revenues match the latest predictions, school property taxes could be offset by a state program that offers income tax credits. Legislative Bill 1107 established that $548 million would be set aside for credits in 2022 and 2023. In the program's first year, $125 million was set aside and future amounts are based on the growth of state tax revenue.

Despite the optimistic projections, OpenSky Policy Institute Executive Director, Renee Fry, urged lawmakers to proceed with caution. “While today’s increased revenue forecast is encouraging, the fact is federal dollars are propping up our economy considerably,” Fry said. “Eventually those funds will stop flowing and our economy will have to stand on its own. For this reason, we urge caution because enacting ongoing tax or spending proposals will force tough choices in the future when revenues fail to keep up with our state’s obligations.”

Senator John Stinner echoed Fry's comments, saying "We have to make sure we don't make long-term decisions with short-term increases in tax revenue."

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REPRESENTATIVE JEFF FORTENBERRY BARRED FROM HANDLING EVIDENCE IN WORKING ON HIS DEFENSE

LINCOLN - A federal judge has signed a pretrial order barring U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry from possessing or being left alone with evidence gathered by confidential informants in a case alleging the congressman lied to the FBI during an investigation into illegal campaign contributions.

While Fortenberry’s defense attorney said that such a protection order is “not an unusual step at all” in cases involving confidential informants, a Lincoln trial attorney — who is also a former state Democratic Party chair — said it didn’t look good in a case involving an elected official.

Vince Powers practices in federal courts in Nebraska and said that he has only seen one other protection order of its kind approved which was in the case of a drug dealer and fear of harm to a witness. Powers went on to say "It’s not a good sign when a judge doesn’t trust a United States congressman to follow the rules."

John Littrell, Fortenberry's defense attorney, disputed Powers' claim, saying that such motions are not "at all" unusual in California. “The prosecution proposes an order like this in any case involving the use of confidential informants,” Littrell said. “The protective order does not limit the Congressman’s access to information, and it will not inhibit our ability to defend this case.”

The order states that Fortenberry can only view evidence and statements in the presence of his defense attorneys. He is also barred from taking any of the materials with him, memorizing, or writing down any of the information.

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A NEBRASKA COUNTY GAVE EMPLOYEES UP TO $10K IN BONUSES USING FEDERAL COVID RELIEF FUNDS

LINCOLN - One rural Nebraska county is giving a generous ‘”thank you” to employees who worked through the COVID-19 pandemic: bonuses of up to $10,000 each, using federal coronavirus recovery funds.

The bonuses, which were approved in August, were described as hazard pay for the 50 or so employees of Morrill County in the Nebraska Panhandle.

The American Rescue Plan Act that was passed in March allows the money to be used for "premium pay." Morrill County is expecting roughly $902,000 from the federal program. Half of this arrived this spring and was used for the bonuses.

Jeff Metz of Angora, the chairman of the three-member Morrill County Board, said "There were a lot of things you could not use it for. We ran across that one of the allowable expenses was hazard pay. We felt that fit with what we were trying to do. It sent a nice message to the employees."

A majority of the state's 93 counties are still discussing how they should use their portion of the roughly $376 million ARPA funds. Douglas, Lancaster, and Sarpy Counties have created committees or task forces to decide how to allocate these funds.

Governor Pete Rickets says that he will introduce a proposal in January on how to spend the $1 billion they expect to receive.

One of the main grievances expressed by most of the county officials is that the ARPA funds cannot be used for normal expenses, such as maintaining roads, replacing bridges or buying equipment. This, however, is subject to change; the U.S. Senate recently advanced a proposal to allow ARPA funding for regular government services.

The funds have to be designated by December 31st, 2024 and have to be spent by the end of 2026. Until then, the funds can be used in four general ways: responding to public health emergency and the negative impacts of COVID-19, such as providing grants to impacted businesses; maintaining government services impacted by a reduction in tax revenue caused by the pandemic; water, sewer or broadband infrastructure; and premium pay for essential employees, such as the aforementioned bonuses given in Morrill County.

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MILLARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO BE CLOSED UNTIL NOV. 15 AFTER SPIKE IN COVID CASES

MILLARD- COVID-19 may have forced the closure of an entire elementary school in the Millard Public Schools, but Superintendent Jim Sutfin said he's not recommending any changes in the district's mask-optional plan.

Black Elk Elementary, with 576 students, closed earlier this week and won't reopen for two weeks.

Sutfin said a lack of substitute teachers willing to work at the school was a factor in the decision to close the school until Nov. 15.

"We can't get a workforce because substitute teachers do not want to come to Black Elk because there is a COVID problem," he said. "The only choice we have is to close that building and clear it out."

As of November 1st, Black Elk had 34 active cases, the highest among Millard's 35 schools, according to the district's dashboard.

Sutfin said that although Black Elk is closed, the district's other 24 elementary schools are still open.

"As of right now, I do not have a recommendation for the board to change the plan that we currently have because the plan has been effective," he said.

But Sutfin said that as activities move indoors this fall and winter, it will present a "dangerous" challenge for the district.

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DOZENS OF LANCASTER COUNTY CASES DISMISSED AFTER DRUGS STOLEN FROM EVIDENCE ROOM

LINCOLN — At least 66 criminal cases have been dismissed a month after authorities announced that more than $1.2 million worth of drugs had been stolen from a Nebraska State Patrol evidence room, and more dismissals are likely.

Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Bruce Prenda said his office has closed 66 cases and is still reviewing 43 more. Similar reviews are happening in 13 other counties served by the State Patrol evidence locker where the thefts occurred.

“Our office has dismissed several cases related to this issue, and we’ll continue to review cases and make decisions, as we are required to do,” Prenda told the Lincoln Journal Star.

Prenda declined to say how much of the stolen evidence was linked to active cases and how much of it was scheduled to be destroyed.

A former State Patrol evidence technician, Anna Idigima, and her boyfriend, George Weaver Jr., have been indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute the drugs. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Authorities said more than 150 pounds of marijuana, 10 pounds of fentanyl, and 3 pounds of meth disappeared from the State Patrol evidence facility in Lincoln over the summer.

The patrol said it is reviewing its evidence handling and storage procedures.

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2 CANDIDATES PLAN TO CHALLENGE MACHAELA CAVANAUGH FOR NEBRASKA LEGISLATIVE SEAT

OMAHA — At least two candidates intend to challenge Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh when she runs for reelection in 2022.

Christian Mirch, a lawyer, and police officer, and Elizabeth Hallgren, a small-business adviser, and educator, have launched campaigns for Cavanaugh’s west-central Omaha district.

District 6 is bordered, roughly, to the north and south by Maple and Pacific streets and to the east and west by 72nd and 144th streets.

Mirch worked as an Omaha police officer for 10 years and left after finishing his law degree to clerk for Nebraska Chief Justice Mike Heavican, he said. He later worked in private practice at an Omaha law firm, he said, then opened his own practice and does some work for the State Department of Labor. He still works part-time as a police officer in Yutan.

Mirch is also on the board of the Set Me Free Project, which offers a curriculum aimed at preventing human trafficking. He was chair of the Douglas County Republican Party but said he stepped down this week in accordance with party guidelines related to running for office.

Hallgren announced her campaign this week in a news release that emphasized similar issues. Her website includes four priorities: reducing taxes, supporting kids in the classroom, creating family-supporting jobs, and restoring civility.

She moved to Omaha in 2009 when her husband was stationed at Offutt Air Force Base. After he retired from the Air Force, they tried living in Colorado, she said, but came back to Nebraska to put down roots because of the community here.

“I think it’s really relevant to the conversation we’re having here in Nebraska about losing people,” she said.

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MUSEUM NAMED FOR ERNIE CHAMBERS PLANNED IN NORTH OMAHA

OMAHA — Ernie Chambers joined his daughter Gayla Lee-Chambers to cut the ribbon on a museum that will be named for him and see his name unveiled on a nearby street sign.

The commemorative street sign is at the corner of Florence Boulevard and Ames Avenue. It declares a portion of the boulevard as Ernie Chambers Sr. Drive in honor of the longest-serving state senator in Nebraska. The former lawmaker represented North Omaha in the Legislature for a total of 46 years.

The planned museum a block away at 4402 Florence Blvd. will tell the story of the firebrand senator, including his legislative history, art, and poems. It also will house other art and historical displays. Plans call for a reception area and ballroom, media center, and a theater, Lee-Chambers said. It will be called the Ernie Chambers History-Arts-Humanities Museum.

The Omaha City Council approved the street renaming last year.

Lee-Chambers, an entrepreneur and business owner, said at last week's ceremony that the street renaming and museum have been a long time coming.

“I wanted to do something very special for my father while he is still here and able to see it through his own eyes,” she said.

She pulled a rope to unveil the brown street sign, and Chambers wielded scissors to cut a red ribbon on the building.

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NEBRASKA REP. FORTENBERRY SEEKS DISMISSAL OF FEDERAL CHARGES

OMAHA— Attorneys for Republican Rep. Jeff Fortenberry asked a judge to dismiss federal charges accusing him of lying to FBI agents who were investigating illegal campaign contributions.

Attorney John Littrell argued in a court filing that the charges were incorrectly filed in California because the nine-term congressmen spoke to federal agents once in Nebraska and once in Washington, D.C.

Prosecutors say Fortenberry's statements affected their California-based investigation into illegal donations. Fortenberry received illegal contributions from a Nigerian billionaire, Gilbert Chagoury, using a middleman at a 2016 fundraiser in Los Angeles.

Chagoury is forbidden from donating to federal campaigns because he's a foreign national. Both men have close ties to the group In Defense of Christians, which seeks to protect Christianity in the Middle East.

Fortenberry has pleaded not guilty, saying he cooperated with federal agents but was misled and that he didn't know the campaign contribution originated with Chagoury. One of Chagoury's conduits was Toufic Baaklini, described by prosecutors as a U.S.-based businessman and consultant for Chagoury who later agreed to cooperate with federal officials.

“The Congressman will ultimately be victorious in this case," Jim Morrell, a spokesman for Fortenberry, said in a statement. He said the case was brought by a prosecutor "who wants to drag a Republican Congressman from Nebraska all the way across the country to face a California jury.”

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BRYAN HEALTH SAYS IT LOST 10 EMPLOYEES OVER VACCINE MANDATE

LINCOLN- Bryan Health announced this week that it had only 10 employees leave over a COVID-19 vaccination mandate that became effective November 5th.

The Lincoln-based health system said that of its 5,552 employees, five resigned rather than get vaccinated, and five were terminated for not complying with the mandate.

Nearly 300 people, or roughly 5% of Bryan's staff, were granted an approved exemption and will be subject to weekly COVID-19 testing.

Of the rest of the employees, all but 54 met the October 29th deadline to be fully vaccinated, the health system said. Those employees have had one dose and are in the process of getting their second dose.

Bryan also said that more than 97% of 901 credentialed physicians and advanced practice providers, including physician assistants and nurse practitioners, are fully vaccinated, and the 25 who are not vaccinated will be subject to weekly testing requirements.

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POLITICO: TRUMP, THE BILLIONAIRE FAMILY AND THE BULL SEMEN BARON WHO DIVIDES THEM

NEBRASKA- The former president stepped into a Nebraska political battle when he endorsed Charles Herbster against Gov. Pete Ricketts' wishes.

Pete Ricketts, the governor of Nebraska and scion of one of the most powerful megadonor families in the Republican Party, had a pressing request for Donald Trump: Please stay out of my home-state politics.

In a phone call earlier this year, according to a person with direct knowledge of the discussion, Ricketts tried to dissuade Trump from anointing a political adversary, cattle-breeding executive, and Trump ally Charles Herbster, in the race to succeed Ricketts as governor in 2022. The two agreed to stay in touch about it — but they didn’t, and the pitch didn’t work. Trump leaped into the Nebraska battle last week, defying Ricketts’ wishes and endorsing Herbster in a show of force for a longtime ally.

The monthslong saga of Herbster’s rise — and Ricketts’ efforts to halt it — represents the latest unusual twist in a complicated relationship at the center of Republican politics: The ties between the former president and the billionaire, Chicago Cubs-owning Ricketts family. Most of all, the episode illustrates Trump’s primacy in the GOP and his willingness to spurn the party hierarchy, rebuffing a prominent governor in his own state to elevate one of Trump’s original political backers, a dyed-in-the-wool loyalist who was at both Trump’s 2015 presidential campaign launch and the Jan. 6 rally that preceded the deadly riot at the Capitol.

Tensions quickly boiled over as the 2022 governor’s race got underway. After Herbster launched his campaign this spring, the term-limited governor publicly came out in opposition. Meanwhile, a top Ricketts political adviser, Jessica Flanagain, took a job with a Herbster primary opponent, Jim Pillen, leading to speculation that the governor was picking sides in the primary.

A Ricketts spokesperson, Corben Waldron, said that the governor “has no personal issue at all” with Herbster, but acknowledged that Ricketts “in an honest and pointed conversation did outline multiple reasons why he believes Herbster is ill-suited to be governor of Nebraska.” Ricketts has accused Herbster of, among other things, shipping jobs out of state through his company, a charge Herbster has denied.

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DEMOCRATS REACH DEAL ON LOWERING PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES

WASHINGTON - Democrats reached an agreement on provisions designed to lower the price of some prescription drugs, appearing to resolve one of the final issues in the party’s negotiations over their $1.85 trillion healthcare, education and climate-change bill.

The agreement, which is backed by the White House, would empower Medicare to negotiate the price of some drugs, penalize drug companies for raising prices faster than the rate of inflation and cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors at $2,000 annually. It also creates a $35 out-of-pocket monthly maximum for insulin, Democrats said.

The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee said that price negotiations would begin in 2023 with 10 drugs prioritized by their expense, need, and kinds of treatment. These drugs also need to have passed the exclusivity period that protects drugs from generic competition to be considered for price negotiations.

After the White House left the drug pricing issue out of its scope of focus in the broader spending package, the Democrats were forced to scramble to meet an agreement on the matter. The Democrats faced opposition from some centrists concerned with innovation being stifled as a result of such legislation.

Democrats are still working through a few issues in the bill, like immigration and reducing carbon emissions. Lawmakers also got close to repealing the limit on the deduction for state and local taxes. The final negotiations on these issues will be faced by skeptics like Senator Joe Manchin, who said he might vote to kill the legislation in the 50-50 senate.

Manchin raised concerns about the bill's impact on debt and inflation despite having previously expressed support for the government negotiating lower prices for prescription drugs.

Republicans have criticized efforts to allow Medicare to negotiate directly with drug companies, citing this could lead to fewer new drugs and higher costs.

Democrats are using a process called reconciliation to circumvent GOP opposition to the legislation. This requires the support of all 50 Democrats in the Senate and nearly every Democrat in the house.

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PAPILLION POLICE PROMOTE ORIN ORCHARD TO DEPUTY CHIEF

PAPILLION- A longtime member of the Papillion Police Department, Orin Orchard, has been promoted to deputy chief.

Orchard has been with the department for 26 years, according to the city. He succeeds Chris Whitted, who was named police chief in May.

During his tenure at the department, Orchard worked in various capacities, including on-road patrol, as a narcotics investigator, detective, uniformed services lieutenant, and administrative services lieutenant.

Orchard also served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army Reserves. He has deployed to Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He has served as the commander of the 45th Military Police Detachment and retired from the military in 2018 with the rank of major.

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OPS TO REVIEW ITS MASK POLICY IN EARLY JANUARY

OMAHA- With COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5 and upcoming soon, Omaha Public Schools officials said they will revisit the district’s mask policy in January.

At a school board meeting, OPS Superintendent Cheryl Logan encouraged all eligible people to talk to their doctor and get vaccinated against COVID-19.

An influential advisory panel on recommended kid-size doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, putting the U.S. on the brink of a major expansion of vaccinations. A final decision followed later.

The Food and Drug Administration already has paved the way for young children to get Pfizer’s COVID vaccine.

The FDA cleared kid-size doses — a third of the amount given to teens and adults — for emergency use. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave the final OK, making up to 28 million more American children eligible for vaccinations as early as this week.

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STINNER: NU PROPOSALS 'HAVE MERIT' WHEN DECIDING HOW TO SPEND NEBRASKA'S $1B IN PANDEMIC RECOVERY FUNDS

LINCOLN- Sen. John Stinner of Gering, chairman of the Legislature's Appropriations Committee, pointed to water resource and tourism development, workforce initiatives, and rural broadband development as potential beneficiaries of federal pandemic recovery funding that will be allocated by the state government next year.

"I'm 100 percent behind mental health improved access and affordability," Stinner said during a webinar question-and-answer session hosted by OpenSky Policy Institute.

Stinner said the University of Nebraska has offered "some proposals that have merit" for funding with the flow of federal stimulus dollars into state government as well as proposed initiatives promoted by community colleges.

The state government will receive more than $1 billion in federal recovery funding for distribution by the Legislature.

Wishart says pandemic funding priorities can help shape Nebraska's future

Stinner said the Legislature will need to be careful to meet federal criteria associated with the infusion of those federal dollars.

"It needs to be a one-time spend," he noted during a conversation with Renee Fry, executive director of OpenSky.

Proposed new state prison to replace the aging State Penitentiary in Lincoln was also part of the discussion.

With the state sitting on a healthy budget surplus and a recent revenue forecast of more to come, "we have the money" to build a new prison if the Legislature decides to support Gov. Pete Ricketts' proposal to do so, Stinner said.

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GARVER ANNOUNCES BID FOR SECOND TERM AS LANCASTER COUNTY TREASURER

LANCASTER COUNTY- Treasurer Rachel Garver announced she will run for a second term in office, with a focus on accountability and transparency.

“I initially ran to bring back honesty, intelligence, and integrity to the office,” she said in a prepared statement. “Since assuming the role of county treasurer at the beginning of 2019, I am proud to say that my leadership has allowed my hard-working staff to shine.”

When Garver was elected in 2018, she became the first woman elected to that office and the first Democrat in almost 40 years. She replaced Andy Stebbing, who had been charged with multiple felonies related to privately selling used cars and ultimately pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors.

Garver said improvements during her term include participating in the state’s modernization of the Department of Motor Vehicles system; initiating an easy-to-use appointment system; allowing customers to avoid lines to process their motor vehicle transactions, and restructuring and updating job duties to improve services.

Garver said the office is also working with a new vendor to improve services for credit card and online payments that will generally lower processing fees. The new service will begin early next year.

The county treasurer is the chief custodian of county funds and tax enforcement officer for Lancaster County. The job includes safeguarding all county monies, collecting taxes, disbursing payments due to subdivisions, and providing motor vehicle services to county residents.

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CASINO RULES SET TO COME OUT NEXT WEEK; VOTE SET FOR DEC. 17TH

LINCOLN- A year after Nebraska voters approved casino gambling at the state's horse racing tracks, there's finally a light at the end of the tunnel for the tracks hoping to get gaming licenses.

Tom Sage, executive director of the Nebraska Racing & Gaming Commission, said this week that a final draft of casino regulations is set to be released Nov. 12.

Sage said the commission has been working on the rules for the past couple of months after it received a consultant's report in early September. It has fielded comments from the public and the gaming industry and has incorporated some of the suggestions into its draft regulations, he said.

Commissioners will hold a public hearing on the proposed rules at their next scheduled meeting on Dec. 17. Because of the expected interest from industry members and the public, the commission plans to hold the meeting at Nebraska Innovation Campus.

All six existing horse tracks in the state, including the Lincoln Race Course, have announced plans to build casinos. There also have been proposals announced for new tracks in Bellevue, Gering, Kimball, Norfolk, North Platte, and York, all of which are likely to seek casino licenses as well.

Under Nebraska law, horse tracks must host at least one day of live racing annually to be able to host simulcasting, which all tracks except the one in South Sioux City do.

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REPORT FINDS 258 NEBRASKA VICTIMS OF CLERGY SEX ABUSE SINCE 1978

LINCOLN- The Nebraska Attorney General's Office released its report on clergy sex abuse in the Catholic Church, finding 258 documented victims across the three dioceses in Nebraska.

Attorney General Doug Peterson said many of the cases found during the three-year-long probe were gut-wrenching. Few had been prosecuted.

He said no additional prosecutions could come from the cases found in the report because the statute of limitations on filing charges has passed or because the alleged perpetrator has died. But Peterson expressed hope that at least victims' voices had been heard.

“We have been unable to bring our own justice system to bear on these predators,” Peterson said. “That’s extremely frustrating.”

He said he would support legislation to change Nebraska’s statute of limitation laws.

The 182-page report found that the Lincoln Diocese had 97 victims, the Omaha Diocese had 158 victims, and the Grand Island Diocese had three victims. Two priests, Msgr. Leonard Kalin, who served on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and an Omaha priest, the Rev. Daniel Herek, committed many of the abuse and misconduct cases, Peterson said.

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OMAHA TRIBE TO PROVIDE HOUSING ASSISTANCE FOR TRIBAL RESIDENTS; BUYS WALTHILL GROCERY STORE

MACY- The Omaha Tribe of Nebraska said it will start providing as much as $20,000 per household in housing assistance for tribal members who live on the reservation in Northeast Nebraska.

The tribe also announced it has purchased a combination grocery store, gas station, and restaurant in Walthill.

About $1 million has been budgeted for the tribe's new Homeowner Assistance Fund Plan. In the first phase, eligible households would receive up to $2,000 in assistance to pay utility bills. In later phases, residents could qualify for up to $6,000 for mortgage assistance, up to $3,000 for delinquent property taxes, and, eventually, as much as $10,000 in home-improvement assistance.

The direct assistance would be financed with the tribe's share of $41 million from the American Rescue Plan Act. The COVID-relief package passed by Congress in March also will finance the tribe's purchase of the Walthill grocery store, Heritage Foodtown. The purchase price was not disclosed at a news conference in Macy.

Melissa Henscheid, housing director with the Omaha Tribe, said the tribe has been working on the new housing assistance program for months. The first phase, the utility assistance, is expected to begin in a week or so, while the subsequent phases will start at a later date.

Henscheid said at least 180 families living on the reservation should benefit from the assistance, though she acknowledged that figure is a "guesstimate."

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