NEBRASKA ATTORNEY GENERAL DOUG PETERSON WON'T SEEK REELECTION IN 2022

LINCOLN - Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson won't seek reelection in 2022, according to a note he wrote to family and friends that was obtained by the Journal Star this past weekend.

Peterson, a Republican who previously was assistant state attorney general, was first elected in 2014 and ran uncontested in 2018.

As the Attorney General, Peterson made a name for himself by opposing several Obama administration policies.

Texas, Kansas, and Louisiana first filed a federal lawsuit in October of 2015 that combatted a section of the Affordable Care Act that required states to pay a portion of the Health Insurance Providers Fee to help fund the health insurance. Nebraska and Wisconsin followed later.

Nebraska would again join several states in suing the federal government when they sought to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2018. This program prevented undocumented, immigrant children from being deported.

Peterson joined other states in a lawsuit more recently that examined the integrity of the 2020 presidential electoral process. He has also been very active in his opposition to vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last month, Peterson joined a bipartisan group of state attorney generals investigation of Instagram regarding their efforts to focus their marketing on children and young adults.

"In the last seven years it has been a unique privilege to serve our state as Attorney General," Peterson said in the note. "I have had the opportunity to work with some great people on issues that truly matter."

Sen. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln, who is the speaker of the Legislature, is among the likely Republican candidates to run for attorney general in 2022. Hilgers ran unsuccessfully in the 2014 attorney general Republican primary.

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NEBRASKA'S COVID CASES, HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS HIGHEST SINCE BEFORE VACCINES

LINCOLN- Nebraska's COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths all hit their highest point in nearly a year last week with the delta surge showing no signs of abating.

As of Dec. 16th, 611 Nebraskans statewide were hospitalized with COVID, the highest figure since Dec. 15, 2020, according to a World-Herald analysis of federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. That was a time before vaccines were available.

Nebraska posted 7,008 new cases of COVID-19, the first time weekly cases have surpassed 7,000 since the first week of January. Nebraska also reported 80 COVID-related deaths last week, the highest since the second week of January.

Nebraska's case rate put it at No. 19 among a group of mostly Northeastern and Midwestern states experiencing the fall surge. Four states now have called in their National Guards to help staff hospitals or nursing homes.

In Nebraska, the delta surge began in June, just as Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts lifted the COVID-19 state of emergency.

Ricketts again urged vaccination as the best available tool to reduce the likelihood of severe illness and hospitalization, noting that more than 90% of Nebraskans over age 65 have been vaccinated. "I encourage Nebraskans to consult their doctor about vaccination, especially those at higher risk from the virus due to age or medical condition," he said in his statement.

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SPEAKER MIKE HILGERS ANNOUNCES RUN FOR NEBRASKA ATTORNEY GENERAL

LINCOLN — State Sen. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln made it official that he will be a Republican candidate for attorney general.

The announcement, which had been anticipated, comes after current Attorney General Doug Peterson’s recent announcement that he will not seek a third term.

Hilgers, a 43-year-old lawyer who represents a district in northwest Lincoln, has run for attorney general previously. That was in 2014 when Peterson, a fellow Republican, won the GOP primary to replace then-Attorney General Jon Bruning.

“This is a match of my skill sets,” Hilgers told The World-Herald of the attorney general’s post. He said that a lot of the “battles” over issues like federal government overreach are fought by states attorneys in court.

Hilgers now serves as speaker of the Legislature, the top leadership position in the State Legislature. As a lawmaker, he has supported further restrictions on abortion rights and won the passage of a bill to expedite the construction of the South Beltway, a freeway south of Lincoln.

He first ran for the Legislature in 2012, losing to incumbent State Sen. Ken Haar. Hilgers ran again for an open seat in the Legislature in 2016 and won. He was reelected in 2020. Hilgers is barred from running for his seat again due to term limits.

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NEBRASKA TAX COLLECTIONS BEAT PROJECTIONS BY $40 MILLION IN NOVEMBER

LINCOLN- Nebraska collected more state tax revenue than expected last month, according to a report released earlier this week.

The state Department of Revenue reported net tax receipts of $546 million, which is 7.7% higher than the forecast of $506 million for the month.

The state reported higher-than-expected revenues from net individual, sales-and-use and miscellaneous taxes. Net corporate income tax revenue also was above forecast.

Nebraska has collected $2.349 billion so far in the current fiscal year, which began July 1. That's 1.7% higher than the forecast of $2.31 billion at this point in the year.

The comparisons are based on projections set by the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board in October.

Thus far, projections have been beaten nearly every month.

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NEBRASKA UNEMPLOYMENT DROPS AGAIN TO LOWEST IN RECORDED U.S. HISTORY

LINCOLN - Nebraska's unemployment rate dropped once again to the lowest level on record in November, beating the previous national record it set the prior month, according to labor statistics released Friday. The State Department of Labor reported a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 1.8% last month, down from 1.9% in October. No other state has seen its rate drop below 2% since data collection began in 1976.

The average rate is even lower in Nebraska's largest cities. The Omaha area reported an unemployment rate of 1.5%, while the Lincoln area had a 1.1% rate and Grand Island recorded 1.2%. Nebraska has struggled with a chronic worker shortage even before the pandemic, a trend that has driven up wages and made it difficult for employers to hire and expand. Prominent business groups in the state have identified the lack of employees as their top concern.

Nebraska and other rural states typically have unemployment rates lower than the national average for a combination of reasons, including fewer people per job, more jobs with ties to agriculture and food production that are considered essential, and policies that discourage unemployment.

Some groups have argued that the unemployment rate is an incomplete picture of the state's economic health because it doesn't count people who have stopped looking for work.

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MANY NEBRASKA TEACHERS ARE STRESSED, OVERWORKED AND WANT TO QUIT, SURVEY FINDS

LINCOLN - Teachers across Nebraska are burned out, working more hours and losing crucial planning time amid workforce shortages and a rise in mental health concerns in schools. Those are some of the findings of a Nebraska State Education Association survey of more than 3,000 teachers released Thursday, and officials say solutions are needed now.

"This is a crisis," said NSEA President Jenni Benson.

The teachers union sent the survey earlier this school year to about 18,000 of its members, and about 17% responded, answering questions regarding personal stress, student mental health and staff shortages. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they were more stressed than last year, while 57% said they are working more compared with last year.

The survey painted a stark picture of staff shortages across the state, too, as schools struggle to fill vacant positions and find substitute teachers during the still-ongoing pandemic that has decimated the labor market.

With a limited number of subs, teachers have been forced to drop planning time to cover classes. Three-fourths said they have had to cover for colleagues, while 60% disagreed that their district is providing them with the planning time necessary to do their job.

Eighty-four percent of respondents said they've witnessed a rise in behavioral and mental health issues among students this school year, while 64% also expressed concerns about their own mental well-being.

Among the more than 4,300 comments gathered as part of the survey, one teacher put it bluntly: "This year feels worse than last year."

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EYEBROWS RAISE WHEN JIM PILLEN SAYS NEBRASKA ROADS 'NOT THAT BAD' DURING DEBATE

LINCOLN — Is it a political gaffe to describe the condition of Nebraska roads and broadband coverage as “not that bad?”

That question sparked debate in some political circles after Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Pillen offered that comment during a debate last weekend. He was responding to a question on what Nebraska should do with the $2.5 billion it expects to receive from the infrastructure bill recently signed into law by President Joe Biden.

During the Nebraska Farm Bureau’s political forum, Pillen and five other GOP candidates for governor were asked how they would use the money coming to Nebraska to help farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.

Pillen, who is a member of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, responded that while there were “great opportunities” for spending on roads and broadband internet service, federal spending was “out of whack.” He described the infrastructure bill in three words: “big, government, socialism.”

“Could we use some money for roads and broadband? Maybe, but not today; they’re not that bad,” Pillen said. “We need to wait until the conservatives get back in charge, and then we give money and use it correctly.”

Some, including Pillen’s chief opponent, Charles Herbster, seized on the comment, saying it was a mistake to describe Nebraska’s highway system and broadband coverage as “not that bad.” The comment was compared to a political gaffe in 1988 when then-Sen. David Karnes said Nebraska needed “fewer farmers.” The remark led to Karnes’ defeat and a victory by Democrat Bob Kerrey.

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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.”

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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.

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'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.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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