TWO NEBRASKA TOWNS HAVE APPROVED LOCAL ABORTION BANS. DOES IT MATTER?

LINCOLN — While the debate over the right to abortion rages on the national stage and advocates prepare for battle at the state level, dozens of local governments have passed ordinances seeking to outlaw abortion locally, including two in Nebraska.

The city of Blue Hill (population roughly 900) and the village of Hayes Center (home to about 200) passed ordinances in April. Two more — the city of Curtis and the village of Dunning — have taken initial votes on their own.

These motions in Nebraska appear to be inspired by the arguments taking place in Mississippi, as they have requested the Supreme Court overrule the landmark Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey decisions.

It remains to be seen how the local ordinances will fit into the bigger picture of potentially major state legislation in the coming year.

None of the Nebraska jurisdictions that have enacted abortion bans have abortion providers within them, and none are positioned within counties that have abortion clinics.

As of 2017, 97% of Nebraska’s 93 counties had no clinics that provided abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a public policy institute that supports abortion rights.

If the Supreme Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade, constitutional law professors still do not see an obvious avenue for enforcement of the local ordinances.

The two Nebraska ordinances vary in their details, but both hope to outlaw abortion locally and "aiding or abetting" abortion. They refer to abortion as "a murderous act of violence" and assert that “abortion providers and their enablers should be regarded as murderers and treated and ostracized as such.”

For the full article click HERE

HOSPITALS IN LINCOLN, ELSEWHERE TWEAKING VACCINE MANDATES AFTER COURT RULING

LINCOLN — A court ruling that blocked implementation of a federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers in Nebraska and nine other states has some hospitals rethinking their own vaccine mandates.

A federal judge in Missouri temporarily suspended an emergency rule on November 29th that would require health workers at facilities covered by Medicare and Medicaid to at least get one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Monday, December 13th.

While the ruling does not bar health care facilities from enacting their own vaccine mandate, the two health systems that serve the Lincoln area are backing off those mandates somewhat.

St. Elizabeth and Nebraska Heart Hospital in Lincoln, both of which are owned by CHI Health, hospitals in Omaha, and in many other cities, said they are pushing back the date for compliance at least a month.

"In light of the changing legal landscape in federal courts, including the recent nationwide injunction on the CMS rule, we are suspending the (Dec. 6) deadline for compliance until at least January," Jeanette Wojtalewicz, interim president and CEO of CHI Health, said in a statement.

She went on to say that unvaccinated employees without an exemption will be allowed to keep working for this extended period, but must wear masks and submit regular COVID-19 tests.

Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson filed a lawsuit to suspend the vaccine mandate for health workers. The lawsuit, compounded with the already understaffed hospitals and health care facilities, has led many to reconsider their internal vaccine mandates.

"It all boils down to workforce," said Andy Hale, vice president of advocacy for the Nebraska Hospital Association.

The workforce issue was prevalent prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in rural areas. The problem would likely get worse with a vaccine mandate in effect.

For the full article click HERE

'TAKING AFFORDABLE HOUSING TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL': LINCOLN NONPROFIT WILL HELP COORDINATE, SUBSIDIZE CITY'S EFFORTS

LINCOLN — Call it a city-based co-op, a borrowed concept from Nebraska's agricultural roots to pool resources to get the job done.

The job, in this case, is increasing affordable housing in Lincoln by 5,000 units in the next decade, and city officials believe an important mechanism for getting there is a nonprofit financial institution called Community Development Resources.

Community Development Resources, which was created in the 1980s to benefit traditionally underserved small-business owners, will broaden its mission to include affordable housing, Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird announced.

In their effort to do so, they must first fill the financial gap developers face to build affordable houses. They plan to organize banking, business, philanthropic, and government efforts to cover the amount needed.

The irreconcilable margin between the high cost of construction while offering low rent or affordable housing requires contribution from developers.

“We are eager to change the math and achieve a bottom-line goal that benefits everyone — more high-quality homes that families can afford making neighborhoods more stable and our community more successful,” Gaylor Baird said.

By expanding Community Development Resources, they are able to meet both of the top priorities established in the city's Affordable Housing Coordinated Action Plan: creating strategic partnerships and developing a pool of funding to help developers.

The nonprofit hopes to raise $10 million, which would allow its assets to grow to $50 million. Most of this money would be used for affordable housing development, offering grants or low-interest loans.

For the full article click HERE

OMICRON VARIANT: PREVENTION STEPS REMAIN THE SAME

OMAHA — On Nov. 26, the World Health Organization classified omicron as a variant of concern. On Dec. 1, the first confirmed case of omicron was found in the United States. Additional cases have since been found, including six omicron cases in Nebraska and counting.

What we know about the omicron variant is changing rapidly. But methods of COVID-19 prevention remain the same for omicron:

• Get vaccinated (and get a booster if you’re eligible)

• Get tested if you have symptoms

• Wear a well-fitting mask in public places

• Choose outdoors over indoors whenever possible

• Wash your hands frequently

• Practice physical distancing

• Disinfect high-touch surfaces

UNMC infectious diseases expert James Lawler, MD, executive director of international programs and innovation at the UNMC Global Center for Health Security, explains the situation as of Nov. 30 in THIS VIDEO.

Additionally, UNMC is updating its guidance on international travel as the federal government changes testing requirements. 

KELLOGG'S UNION REJECTS CONTRACT; COMPANY SAYS IT WILL HIRE REPLACEMENT WORKERS

OMAHA — Unionized workers at Kellogg’s four cereal production plants, including one in Omaha, have voted “overwhelmingly” to reject a tentative agreement reached last week.

Kellogg Co., in a statement released earlier this week, said that it was disappointed and that the prolonged work stoppage has "left us no choice but to hire permanent replacement employees."

"These are great jobs and posting for permanent positions helps us find qualified people to fill them," spokesperson Kris Bahner said.

Members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers International Union went on strike Oct. 5. The vote on the new contract was held Sunday, with the results released Tuesday morning.

Dan Osborn, president of the Omaha chapter of the union, said: “The body has spoken. We will hold the line for a fair contract. With Christmas and the winter weather upon us, we must keep our resolve and band together now more than ever.”

Provisions of the rejected five-year agreement included substantial raises for transitional employees — meaning those who were hired after the previous agreement was reached in 2015 — and 3% raises for legacy employees. The proposed starting wage of $22.76 for a transitional employee included a $1.80 cost of living adjustment.

In addition to Omaha, Kellogg Co. also has cereal production plants in Battle Creek, Michigan; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and Memphis, Tennessee.

For the full article click HERE

LABOR SHORTAGE DISRUPTS DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY SERVICES; 2,866 NEBRASKANS ON WAITING LIST

LINCOLN — Nebraska's workforce crunch has stymied efforts to shrink the list of people waiting for developmental disability services, a panel of state lawmakers was told.

The state budget included enough money to add long-awaited services for 500 people this fiscal year. But five months into the fiscal year, none have been able to start services because providers don't have enough staff, according to Alana Schriver, executive director of the Nebraska Association of Service Providers.

"In fact, many providers are being forced to send notices to people already in service that their needs can no longer be safely met, let alone serve new referrals," she said. "We are in a worse position today than at this same time last year."

To hang on and compete for workers, Schriver said providers need a 30% boost in payment rates from the state. The increase, which would cost an estimated $43 million, would be similar to the pay raises recently approved for front-line employees at the Beatrice State Developmental Center, a state-run institution for people with developmental disabilities.

While workforce problems are affecting a broad range of employers, most are able to adjust by shortening hours, reducing services or raising wages, she said.

Developmental disability service providers don't have those options available because they cannot leave people without care and because wages depend on payment rates set by the state. As a result, the staff is leaving for higher-paying jobs.

It is hard to keep people, she said, "when we pay people $11 an hour and they can make $17 an hour at Target and not have to work Christmas."

For the full article click HERE

JOHN MURANTE TO SEEK SECOND TERM AS STATE TREASURER

LINCOLN — Nebraska State Treasurer John Murante announced that he will seek reelection to the office, which pays $85,000 a year.

Murante, a Republican and former state senator, ran uncontested in the 2018 general election after winning the GOP primary by about a 19,000-vote margin over Taylor Royal.

Murante, 39, said he will continue to work on a goal he set four years ago, to “bring a new level of accomplishment to the Treasurer’s Office.”

“We’ve hit many of my goals, but we have more to do,” he said in a press release.

Murante, who served the Gretna area in the Nebraska Legislature, said he already has been endorsed by Gov. Pete Ricketts, Lt. Gov. Mike Foley, and State Sen. Mike Hilgers, the speaker of the Legislature. They all are Republicans.

His announcement means that only one state constitutional officer has thus far failed to state his intentions. Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson has not yet said if he will seek reelection. It’s been widely speculated that he will not, making it an open seat.

For the full article click HERE

NEBRASKA MEDICINE FURTHER LIMITING SURGERIES DUE TO COVID-19 HOSPITALIZATION UPTICK

OMAHA — Nebraska Medicine is essentially implementing their own directed health measure for their hospital system as the number of COVID-19 patients continues to fill up hospital beds.

This means moving, postponing, or even canceling some procedures.

Non-emergency surgeries that require an inpatient bed have been limited since late summer, but the most recent uptick in patients has led them to implement further measures, says COO Cory Shaw.

Starting Monday, December 10th, surgeries that can wait are being reviewed and possibly canceled. There are tiers within surgeries that can wait.

Surgeries that can wait four to 12 weeks without a substantial change in outcome with be rescheduled at Nebraska Medicine at a later date and surgeries that can wait longer than 12 weeks will be postponed and reassessed in 12 weeks for rescheduling.

Nebraska Medicine will be expanding operating room capacity at Bellevue Medical Center and Fritch Surgery Center. This allows them to move patients with less-urgent needs from the main campus to open more beds for COVID-19 patients or other emergency cases.

“We’re really concerned and I think number one, we want to be available for anybody that requires service when it’s needed, and we know as the burden on our two hospitals and emergency rooms grow, that it makes it that much more difficult to care for patients that are in need of other services,” says Shaw. “Patients that have a cardiovascular problem, patients that have a neurological problem, a complex medical situation that requires hospital care, it’s increasingly difficult to get them into a facility or transferred from one facility to another if they need a higher level of care.”

Emergency departments are experiencing a 30% increase in visits and a 10% longer stay compared to this time last year.

For the full article click HERE

NEBRASKA RANKS 13TH IN NEW COVID CASES; HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE HIGHEST IN ALMOST A YEAR

LINCOLN — Nebraska continued to rank among the nation’s hot spots for COVID-19 last week, with cases and hospitalizations both rising again.

Meanwhile, a new pandemic player — the omicron variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 — appeared on the scene.

A resident of southeast Nebraska returned from Nigeria late last week and tested positive for the new variant, then seemingly spread it to the other five members of the person's household.

Despite the omicron variant now being reported in 17 states, the delta variant is responsible for more than 99% of cases in the United States.

Specifically, Nebraska reported 6,871 new cases of COVID-19 in the week prior which is 5,628 more than the previous week. Gatherings over the Thanksgiving holiday likely caused the uptick in cases.

Nebraska now looks to be averaging a little more than 6,000 new cases a week, positioning the state as the nation's 13th highest per capita case rate. Nine of the 10 highest rates are in areas where the cold forces people to stay inside and in close quarters. New Hampshire, Minnesota, and Michigan have the highest rates.

Increased hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have followed the increased cases reported. An average of 533 people were hospitalized with COVID in Nebraska on any given day last week which is a 7% increase from the week prior.

Critical care doctors have joined state health officials in pleading with Nebraskans to get vaccinated, seek booster shots, and wear masks in public indoor spaces. Ensuring hospital beds are open and available for those in need has become a priority, especially with the nursing workforce shortage.

Since late October, those who are not fully vaccinated have been 10 times more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19 than those who are fully vaccinated, according to state health officials.

For the full article click HERE

GOV. RICKETTS ANNOUNCES ALEX ALLEN REUSS AS NEW COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

LINCOLN- Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts earlier this week announced that he’s chosen a new director of strategic communications.

Alexis (Alex) Allen Reuss, 27, will start as director of strategic communications next week, according to the announcement. Last week, a longtime adviser and spokesman Taylor Gage left the role for a job leading the state Republican Party.

Reuss is originally from Bennington. Her résumé includes work on U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer’s policy team in Washington, D.C., in the USDA, and as a legislative adviser in the Office of Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Department of Justice. She shares an alma mater with her predecessor — both Reuss and Gage earned undergraduate degrees from Hillsdale College in southern Michigan.

Gage’s 2021 salary was roughly $100,000, according to a public employee salary database published by the Flatwater Free Press.

“Alex has high-powered experience working with the U.S. Attorney General in the Department of Justice, as well as with USDA in Washington,” Ricketts said in a prepared statement. “In these roles, Alex distinguished herself through her hard work, attention to detail, and communication skills. I’m excited to have her join the team.”

She told The World-Herald that she’s excited to help out the state and Ricketts.

For the full article click HERE

OMAHA CONVENIENCE STORES CHALLENGE STATE'S NEW 'TAKE-OUT' LIQUOR LAW

OMAHA — A lawyer for an Omaha convenience store chain said it was unfair to allow Nebraska bars and restaurants to sell "to-go" cocktails, while prohibiting convenience stores from peddling beer through their take-out windows.

James Carson, an attorney for Mega Saver stores, told a state liquor board that a new state law — passed this spring to continue a COVID-related exception — was unconstitutional "special legislation" that favors bars and restaurants but discriminates against convenience stores.

Carson is pushing for nine charges of illegal sales of alcohol to occupants of motor vehicles through Mega Saver take-out windows to be dismissed.

The violations occurred roughly one month after Governor Pete Ricketts passed a law that would allow bars and restaurants to sell to-go cocktails and beer in sealed containers. This was an attempt to help keep bars and restaurants afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic which disproportionately impacted these establishments.

Over 20 states also legalized similar laws to aid those businesses.

Carson, however, argued that if the law had been designed to limit the amount of people entering into an establishment for these to-go beverages, then Mega Saver and other gas stations with drive through windows should also be allowed to sell to-go beverages.

Carson said that the Mega Saver stores had sold beer and liquor through its take-out windows while the governor's emergency order, enacted in March 2020, was in effect. But he said that store managers were unaware that Ricketts had rescinded his order in March of this year, and they had continued the practice.

Their continuation of sale after the order had been rescinded caused a state trooper to purchase alcohol through nine different Mega Saver drive throughs on July 1.

Carson argued the law was unconstitutional "special legislation" to no avail.

For the full article click HERE

FORMER HERBSTER STAFFER SAYS VIDEO OF FORMER RICKETTS SPOKESMAN WAS A 'SET UP' AND 'DIRTY TRICK'

LINCOLN — A political spat erupted over a six-month-old video circulating on social media that shows Taylor Gage, then Gov. Pete Ricketts’ communications director, uprooting a yard sign promoting Charles W. Herbster for governor and tossing it into a dumpster.

Tyler Henningsen, who had worked for the Herbster campaign until August, said that the short video was a “set-up” and “dirty trick” by the Herbster camp to show that Gage — who resigned from his role with the governor earlier this month to work as executive director of the Nebraska Republican Party — and the Ricketts administration oppose Herbster’s candidacy.

Tyler Henningsen was working as a political director on the Herbster campaign in June. While dropping off signs at a Ricketts 30 for 30 land conservation rally, Henningsen was asked to put up Herbster signs outside the event.

Taylor Gage asked that they be removed since they were on public property. Henningsen removed the signs and informed his boss. Henningsen was then instructed to put the signs back up, following this Gage is recorded uprooting the Herbster signs.

“It was definitely a set-up,” Henningsen said in an interview.

He said he had told Gage about the video a month or two ago and apologized for his role in it, then texted him recently when the video was posted by the Nebraska Freedom Coalition, a conservative group.

In a text message responding to questions, Gage said that he had told Henningsen outside of the 30-by-30 rally that the Herbster contingent could attend the event, but could not campaign at it. Gage said he gave the same instructions to an animal rights group that was attempting to hand out leaflets at the governor’s town hall.

He emphasized that the Nebraska Republican Party is neutral in the GOP primary for governor, “and I have reached out to establish lines of communication with each of the announced candidates.”

For the full article click HERE

LAWMAKERS RESTORING MOTHER'S ROOM IN NEBRASKA STATE CAPITOL WITH LIMITS

LINCOLN- The Nebraska Legislature will once again provide a specially outfitted room for the use of pregnant and nursing mothers under a policy adopted earlier this week.

The room, which had been turned into an office over the summer, will be restored before the new legislative session starts Jan. 5.

But the policy, approved 5-2 by the Legislature's Executive Board, means the space will only be available for state senators and legislative staff, and access will be limited outside of normal business hours.

Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, who fought to get the room initially and then fought to get it back, said she was happy it would be available again but unhappy it would be limited to people with connections to the Legislature. She also objected to plans to let the Legislature's volunteer "doctor of the day" do consultations in the room.

"It's extremely disappointing that they altered the intention and purpose of the room for arbitrary reasons," she said.

Sen. Dan Hughes of Venango, the board chairman, acknowledged that not everyone was satisfied with the limits. He said lawmakers could amend the policy later after more senators get a chance to digest the situation.

For the full article click HERE

FEDERAL JUDGE STRIKES BLOW IN MADEN'S LEGAL FIGHT AGAINST CITY OF LINCOLN OVER CORONAVIRUS DHMs

LINCOLN- A federal judge struck a blow to Madsen's Bowling & Billiards' legal fight against the city alleging its directed health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic were a violation of constitutional rights.

"The need to prevent the spread of COVID-19 was severe, and the DHMs provided legitimate ways to limit community spread," Chief United States District Judge Robert Rossiter Jr. said in his order striking down a substantial portion of the claims raised.

A number of state claims remain, alleging violations of the Nebraska Opening Meetings Act and abuse of power.

But the judge dismissed the federal constitutional claims against the City of Lincoln, Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Director Pat Lopez, and former Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister from the case, leaving only Lancaster County.

In his order, Smith said Madsen's spent considerable time alleging the DHMs issued by the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department were void because they exceeded the state's rules. The judge said he was skeptical there was support for a finding that they were illegal, given state statutes that give the health department its powers, but declined to make determinations then.

Not long after, the case moved to U.S. District Court.

For the full article click HERE

TAKE FIVE: DON BACON

LINCOLN — Don Bacon, Republican, acknowledges his brand of pragmatic politics that prizes compromise and decency may be a bit of a throwback in these aggressively partisan times. But in an interview last month with CQ Roll Call, the Nebraska Republican said that’s what voters — at least, swing voters in the suburbs — want.

When was asked why the pragmatic conservative brand appears to be disappearing, Bacon responded by saying that we have become more divided and pitted against each other in politics, to the point where compromising has become a bad thing. He said that he wants the country to not only remain competitive but to improve and be the strongest country in the world.

It is extremely difficult to achieve this when we are battling each other internally. The only way forward is by finding what we agree on and moving in that direction.

Bacon does not want to sacrifice his conservative values for this goal, but he is willing to find areas of agreement. He realized that they needed to start reaching across the aisle in the House when very few bills were passing through the Senate.

This is why he became a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus; he wants to be more effective. A recent example of this increased productivity is the infrastructure bill which started in the Problem Solvers. This led to the creation of the For Country Caucus that includes both Republicans and Democrats.

Bacon is one of nine Republicans who represents a district that voted for Joe Biden. He was asked what fellow Republicans should be doing, and what they shouldn't be doing, to reproduce his political success in similar districts. Bacon responded by saying that Republicans need to start winning the suburbs, which they started doing the last cycle, and focus on issues of education and security.

Bacon also noted that people want somebody who is polite and respectful. "You can get half of your votes on policy, but the other half really comes down to, do they like you as a person? We need to be what I call 'decency conservatives' if we want to win back the majority and compete in the suburbs," Bacon said.

For the full article click HERE

RECORDS SHOW STATE EMPLOYEES KNEW NEBRASKA WOULDN'T BE REIMBURSED FOR BOARD DEPLOYMENT

LINCOLN - When Nebraska sent state troopers to the Texas-Mexico border over the summer, spokespeople said the state may be reimbursed for the cost. But behind the scenes, there was an understanding among state employees that Nebraska would pay for the deployment, according to emails and text messages obtained by The World-Herald.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts was one of multiple Republican governors who responded to a call for help at the border from Texas and Arizona via the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, commonly referred to as EMAC, a mutual aid agreement among states. Ricketts said at the time that the state was “happy to step up” and that the federal government had fallen short in its response at the border.

The World-Herald reported in July that Nebraska had agreed not to seek reimbursement from Texas for costs, most recently estimated at $500,000.

The World-Herald has since reviewed dozens of pages of emails and text messages, obtained under the state’s public records law, between state officials and employees in the days leading up to the original deployment and the deployment’s extension. Some show that employees understood, even before the deployment was announced, that the state would not be reimbursed.

Read the full article HERE

NEBRASKA TO SPEND NEARLY $15 BILLION ON STATE HIGHWAYS OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS

LINCOLN- Nebraska transportation officials expect to spend nearly $15 million maintaining and improving the state’s highway system over the next 20 years, but it remains unclear how federal infrastructure money will factor into those plans.

John Selmer, who started as director of the Nebraska Department of Transportation in March, told state lawmakers that he is “pleased to find the agency and its current environment much more favorable” than in years past.

“The Nebraska Department of Transportation is more agile and resilient because of the lessons learned during the 2019 floods and the lingering COVID pandemic,” Selmer said.

The majority of the estimated $14.8 billion in spending over the next 20 years is expected for maintaining roads and bridges — patching, sealing cracks, resurfacing and more. That's projected to cost $9.5 billion.

According to the department’s analysis, about 82% of total highway miles in the state are rated at least “good,” which meets the department’s goal. For state-owned bridges, 58% are in “good” condition, about 39% are “fair” and about 3% are “poor."

For the full article click HERE

OMAHA NATIVE SYMONE SANDERS LEAVING WHITE HOUSE JOB

WASHINGTON D.C.- Omaha native Symone Sanders is stepping down from her role as a senior adviser and chief spokeswoman for Vice President Kamala Harris at the end of the year.

Multiple national news outlets reported Sanders' departure, including CNN and The Washington Post. It was first reported by Politico.

Sanders, a Black political strategist, grew up in North Omaha and graduated from Mercy High School and Creighton University.

She was Bernie Sanders' press secretary during his 2016 presidential campaign, and a senior adviser to President Joe Biden's successful 2020 campaign.

Prior to her role under Harris, observers had considered Sanders a top candidate to be press secretary for Biden.

Her mother, Terri Sanders, confirmed that her daughter will leave the role Dec. 31. She hasn't made any decisions about what's next, Sanders said, but her daughter won't be coming back to Nebraska.

"I am very proud of her work," she said. "She always acknowledges Omaha, Nebraska, as her home and North Omaha as where she was raised. And she is certainly a beacon to show people that you can make it.”

For the full article click HERE

EDITORIAL: NEBRASKANS SHOULD REJECT RADICAL OVERHAUL OF STATE EDUCATION BOARD, DEPARTMENT

NEBRASKA - Societies should hold fast to an important guiding principle for government: avoid a heavy centralizing of power. This is why our country’s founders emphasized the need for a separation of powers in the federal government. It’s why they insisted that state governments retain robust authority separate from federal control.

The latest Nebraska petition drive promotes changes that are in direct conflict with this principle. The petition organizers seek to centralize state education policy-making under the governor's authority. This would not be in the best interest of the public.

This move to centralize government authority is typically what conservatives combat, yet they are the ones making the push.

Under the proposal, Nebraska would create a new Office of Education accountable to the governor, replacing the State Board of Education, education commissioner, and Nebraska Department of Education. The governor would appoint the director of the office, subject to confirmation by a majority of state senators.

Amending the Nebraska Constitution would be necessary to make the change; an indication of how sweeping the move would be, and why Nebraskans should take a closer look at the proposal.

Only one other state, Oregon, designates the governor as its chief education officer which demonstrates the rarity of the potential move.

Instead, the sound and rational way to provide the needed accountability of public officials is to continue elections for the State Board of Education. Incumbent members are required to explain and defend how they have handled their responsibilities if they want to be re-elected. Voters then decide whether those answers and whether the job has been done well in the ballot box. This is a far better method to determine whether a member should be re-elected than by letting the governor make a unilateral decision.

The last thing that Nebraskans want is a governor making political decisions and not educational decisions regarding the State Board of Education that negatively impact their children. This is a real possibility given governors are term-limited and the policies could be subject to change every few years.

For the full article click HERE

TWO NEBRASKA COUNTY GOP ORGANIZATIONS CENSURE SEN. DEB FISCHER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE VOTE

NEBRASKA- The Dawes and Sheridan County Republican parties in northwestern Nebraska's Panhandle voted to censure Republican Sen. Deb Fischer for her vote to enact the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.

The two-party organizations met in a joint session in Rushville in October and voted 23-2 to censure the senator.

"This vote was taken after (an earlier meeting in September) that included a conference call with Senator Fischer and her explanation of why she voted for this bill," the county organizations stated in a news release.

Fischer was one of 19 Senate Republicans who voted for the bill that was approved by the Senate on a 69-30 vote.

The bill, proposed by the Biden administration, included $2.5 billion in federal funding for Nebraska roads and bridges.

In Dawes County, 61.1% of the 5,324 registered voters are Republicans, according to the Nebraska Secretary of State's office. In Sheridan County, that figure is 72.1% of 3,641 registered voters.

For the full article click HERE