NEBRASKA NEEDS MORE MENTAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS, SAYS RETIRING STATE MEDICAL OFFICER

LINCOLN - A top medical officer for the State of Nebraska sees opportunities and challenges ahead for the state’s ability to deliver mental health resources, and they both boil down to the same factor: people.

Janine Fromm has served as executive medical officer in Nebraska's Department of Health and Human Services for the last few years. The position capped off decades of work after spending most of her career in her home state of California.

Fromm, a Stanford University-educated psychiatrist, came to Nebraska in 2001 after accepting a job at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

She now oversees the clinical functions of all DHHS departments aside from public health, working to ensure people in the state's care get the most cost-effective and appropriate care available.

She said that Nebraska is short on mental health providers, like other places in the country. It is also short on facilities, levels of care, and options for housing and vocational rehabilitation.

Similar observations were documented in the 2021 report from the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska. Though that report noted some positive developments, it found that Nebraska continues to experience a shortage of care providers, and the existing provider workforce is aging.

Fromm repeatedly stressed that the state needs to recruit more people.

“We just need to figure out ways to incentivize people to come to Nebraska, to stay in Nebraska to grow our services to meet the needs of the population here,” she said.

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'WASTEWATER EPIDEMIOLOGY' HELPING TO TRACK SPREAD AND PREVALENCE OF COVID-19

LINCOLN — Call it “CSI of the sewers,” but public works employees in Lincoln, Omaha and at least 11 other Nebraska communities are conducting surveillance of city wastewater to track the incidence of COVID-19.

Testing of this kind is a relatively new method in the world of public health and is giving epidemiologists and other health officials a new tool to track the spread of the coronavirus and decide the best strategies to deal with it.

Scott Holmes of the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department said a rise in COVID-19 in wastewater can be an early warning sign of an increase in positive tests in the community.

“It’s an additional test that gives us a little better heads up” on what’s ahead, Holmes said.

For the past year in Lincoln, the treatment plant has drawn a sample from incoming wastewater every half hour.

There was a rise in COVID cases in April, which raised readings in Lincoln to about 713,000 viral copies. The most recent tests, though, have been in the 600,000 range, Holmes said.

Other factors including positive tests, the positivity rate, hospital usage, and COVID deaths have been used to determine the local response.

The state is also tracking the mutation and evolution of COVID-19 through “genomic” testing to determine which variants are present in Nebraska.

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RICKETTS OPPOSES GAS TAX HOLIDAY, CALLS IT A 'BAND-AID'

LINCOLN — Gov. Pete Ricketts hit the brakes on the idea of using a gas tax holiday to give Nebraska drivers relief from rising fuel prices.

He said such a solution would not solve the problem and, whether done by the federal or state government, would not leave the state with enough money to maintain and expand its roads and bridges.

“I’m actually against Band-Aid type solutions,” he said. “At the end of the day, that money is still going to have to be made up.”

Eight states, however, have temporarily suspended their gas tax or a gas tax increase this year, while several other states have considered the proposal.

The 18.4-cent federal gas tax could have been cut to zero for the rest of the year under a proposal introduced in Congress, but the measure has failed to gain traction so far.

Drivers could see a little more savings from suspending the state gas tax. Nebraska’s gas tax rate is at 24.8 cents a gallon for the first six months of the year. Under state law, it will be adjusted July 1 based on fuel prices and legislative appropriations.

Ricketts blames the rise in gas prices on the Biden administration, specifically the president's decision to block the construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

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WILL IT BE 'EVERY STATE FOR THEMSELVES' AS THE FEDERAL COVID CASH DRIES UP?

WASHINGTON — State and local health departments remain in limbo over whether they’ll need to single-handedly fund their own COVID-19 vaccines and treatments as a stalemate in Congress drags into its fourth month.

The Biden administration has raised alarm bells about the risk of inaction after sending Congress a request for $22.5 billion in early March. U.S. lawmakers continue to be unable to pass two bipartisan agreements, however.

State and local health departments are now left wondering if they'll have to bid against one another and even compete with other nations to purchase tests, treatments, and vaccines - a costly endeavor.

“If we get to a place where it’s every state for themselves, that’s going to cause major problems,” said Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

State and local health departments have contributed significant resources toward fighting COVID-19, but the federal government has shouldered the cost of free vaccines and therapeutics as well.

“If you live in New York or California, you’ll have very good access to these things. If you live in a Southern state or a Midwestern state that is less wealthy, then it’s going to be a real problem for those people,” Plescia said.

“And ultimately that has a bearing on all of us, because we are one nation, and we travel around, and we really have to look out for all of the states.”

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JUDGE IN MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAWSUIT ISSUES INJUNCTION AGAINST NEBRASKA'S BALLOT REQUIREMENT

LINCOLN - In a win for proponents of medical marijuana, a U.S. district judge ruled to temporarily suspend enforcement of a multi-county signature requirement that likely would have kept the initiative off the ballot in November.

In accordance with Nebraska's constitution, ballot initiatives or referendum campaigns in Nebraska must gather signatures from 5% of registered voters in 38 of the state's 93 counties.

Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Bob Evnen in May, citing the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and the 14th Amendment right to equal protection and due process.

The plaintiffs claim that, due to varying populations in Nebraska's counties, the signature distribution requirement violates the 14th Amendment by giving "disproportionate influence to voters in sparsely populated counties." This disparity is exemplified in the lawsuit, which claims that 16 votes in Arthur County hold power equal to 19,462 votes in Douglas County.

A preliminary injunction was sought to suspend enforcement of the requirement until the case is decided in further legal proceedings. In a 47-page opinion, U.S. District Judge John Gerrard granted the injunction.

“The plaintiffs, in this case, argue, among other things, that the 38-county rule violates the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution, because it gives more power to voters in rural counties than in urban counties,” Gerrard’s opinion reads. “And it does.”

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TIME COULD BE SHORT FOR LINCOLN AIRPORT'S LONG RUNWAY

LINCOLN - The main runway at the Lincoln Airport is almost 13,000 feet long, making it one of the longest runways at any commercial airport in the U.S.

The nearly 2.5-mile-long strip has allowed jumbo jets to land, served as an emergency landing site for the space shuttle, and allowed Offutt Air Force Base to station planes during projects.

But, as part of a 10-year master planning process, airport officials have determined that the runway, which has been rehabbed several times but never reconstructed, needs to be completely rebuilt. This potentially presents a problem.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which pays for 90% of most airport-related capital projects, will only pay to reconstruct a runway long enough and wide enough to accommodate so-called "critical" aircraft — defined as those that have a minimum of 500 operations annually. And it only includes civilian flights in those calculations.

"The best way to look at it is the FAA is a civilian agency, and so when they look at it, they want to see what is the civilian usage of your airport," said Chad Lay, the airport's director of planning and development.

Lay went on to say that given the parameters, his best estimation is that the FAA would only be willing to pay for a runway that's somewhere between 60% and 80% of its current length.

That would be plenty long enough for the United planes that fly out of the airport daily, but it's unclear whether it would suffice for some other flights.

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CONCRETE PLANT GAINS OK TO BURN BIOMASS FOR FUEL VOWS NOT TO USE ALTENS 'WET CAKE'

LINCOLN- A massive concrete plant in Louisville, Nebraska, has won state approval to burn “biomass,” including some treated seeds, in its kilns as a cleaner alternative to natural gas and other fossil fuels.

Upon news of the approval, a spokesman for Ash Grove Cement made it clear that the leftover, pesticide-coated seed corn — known as “wet cake” — that was used at the now-closed AltEn ethanol plant near Mead won’t be among the biomass to be burned.

Ash Grove Cement, according to the state records, had been evaluating “options” to utilizing fossil fuels, such as coal, coke and natural gas, to heat its kilns.

“We have identified biomass as an effective, and readily available, alternative,” Ash Grove reported.

The company added that the trials were overall a “success” and that using biomass resulted in similar or lower emissions. A permit to allow the use of biomass was approved in March after public notice and a public comment period.

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FEDS SEEK PRISON FOR FORTENBERRY, WHO IS ASKING FOR PROBATION

OMAHA- Federal prosecutors filed documents this week seeking six months in prison and two years of supervised release for Fortenberry.

Fortenberry’s attorneys, in a filing of their own, argued that he should spend no time behind bars, face no fine and spend one year on federal probation.

They argued that Fortenberry has no criminal record, is too old to serve time in prison and has paid a hefty price in diminished public standing from his conviction and resignation from office.

Prosecutors, in contrast, say the former congressman has shown no remorse for lying to or misleading federal investigators since a federal jury convicted him in March.

“For his pattern of choosing hubris over honesty and for the trampled public trust…, a meaningful term of imprisonment is appropriate and necessary,” they wrote.

Prosecutors also want Fortenberry to perform 150 hours of community service and pay a $300 fee.

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GOVERNOR PETE RICKETTS AND WIFE TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

LINCOLN- Gov. Pete Ricketts and his wife, Susanne Shore, have both tested positive for COVID-19.

“Both of us are experiencing very minor symptoms,” the governor said in a statement released to the news media earlier this week. “We will be following CDC guidelines and will be isolating.”

The governor’s alert came a day after Ricketts toured and held a news conference in Omaha at the newly merged State Operations Center of the Nebraska Department of Transportation.

His earlier announced schedule had him traveling out of state the rest of the week.

This is the first time the governor has announced he has tested positive for COVID. He isolated himself in February 2021 after saying he had been in close contact with someone else who tested positive.

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NU REGENTS WILL CONSIDER 'MODEST' 1.3% BUDGET INCREASE FOR 2022-23

LINCOLN- Next week, at its June 23 meeting, the NU Board of Regents will consider a general operating budget proposal reflecting 1.3% growth over the current fiscal year to top $1.03 billion.

While the total budget is increasing by nearly $12.9 million, NU’s year-over-year growth is less than half of the state’s 2.8% average annual growth rate, and far below the current 8.6% inflation rate.

As tuition rates are continuing to increase at institutions across the country, NU will hold the line on its per credit hour costs for the second straight year, President Ted Carter said, part of what he characterized as a “modest” budget blueprint resulting from collaborations among the university, the Legislature and Gov. Pete Ricketts.

UNL President Ted Carter said the budget that will go before regents next week is the result of three years of work that began at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020.

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NEBRASKA MOTORISTS EXPECTED TO BENEFIT FROM NEWLY MERGED COMMAND HUB

OMAHA- A state transportation team now monitors nearly 380 cameras and updates 330 message boards along state roadways to help get Nebraska motorists to their destinations safely and efficiently.

A new State Operations Center, at 4411 S. 108th St., has been formed to create one centralized command center that monitors the state highway network. Previously, those functions were split between offices in Lincoln and Omaha.

Hours will be expanded to create an around-the-clock system in which a team of about 10 workers watch roadways as they are reflected through the network of cameras and onto a wall of video screens. Those same workers receive and dispatch relevant information from and to partner agencies to help smooth traffic flow and avert or control catastrophes.

Ricketts and Nebraska Director of Transportation Tom Selmer said the enhancements for travelers and motorists will come mostly through streamlining, and without any added cost to taxpayers.

Selmer said his goal for the Nebraska Department of Transportation and the operations center is to provide even more predictive information. for both motorists and agencies.

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UNMC SCIENTISTS: MEAD RESIDENTS HAVE REASON TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT ALTEN WASTE

MEAD — Deb Virgl said the pile of “wet cake” waste from the local ethanol plant, deposited near her rural home, reeked so horribly that she stopped walking the dog.

The plant gained notoriety for using pesticide-coated seed corn to produce ethanol, unlike other ethanol plants that use field corn. 

After repeatedly ignoring orders by state environmental regulators to clean up the piles of contaminated grain sixteen months ago, the plant was shut down. 

Dr. Ali Khan of the University of Nebraska Medical Center now says "There are good reasons to suspect that there could be adverse impacts... that's why we're here. You see enough dead bees to know that isn't a good thing."

UNMC students have sampled frogs, tadpoles, and probing red-winged blackbird nests to determine whether such "sentinel" species with traces of pesticide contamination are declining in population or are having difficulties reproducing. 

Khan added that the results of many of the tests are three to six months away. What is known currently is that many of the 21 chemicals of concern are being found in soil and in streams leading from the plant, as well as in swabs in one home.

Officials say a medical registry of local residents will begin to track medical issues to see if they differ from those experienced elsewhere.

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SLAMA-HERBSTER ATTORNEYS ARGUE ABOUT PATH FORWARD IN DISCOVERY

BEATRICE- The long-awaited courtroom battle between Charles Herbster and State Senator Julie Slama finally took place.

Johnson County District Judge Rick Schreiner heard lawyers argue parts of five motions concerning the discovery process that lawyers use to gather information for civil cases. Four of the filings came from lawyers for unsuccessful governor candidate Charles Herbster, who did not attend the hearing. One came from lawyers for State Sen. Julie Slama, who attended.

The day’s most meaningful progress came during an hour-plus discussion that Schreiner pressed the lawyers to participate in privately at the courthouse. Schreiner paused the proceedings after Slama’s lawyers told him they had gotten no response from Herbster’s team about negotiating on the timing and possible limits to subpoenas.

Slama’s attorneys have already notified Herbster’s attorneys that they intend to depose Herbster on July 20.

Herbster’s legal team had filed motions seeking to limit the scope of several subpoenas that Slama’s legal team is pursuing involving Herbster and his political staff.

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BACON-VARGAS RACE RUNS INTO INFLATION, ABORTION, GUNS, TRUMP

OMAHA — U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., beat an incumbent Democrat in 2016. He survived a “blue wave” election in 2018. He outpolled former President Donald Trump locally in 2020. And he drew no top-tier GOP challenger in this year’s primary race, despite Trump seeking one.

Bacon, a retired Air Force brigadier general, faces his most formidable opponent yet in State Sen. Tony Vargas, a South Omaha Democrat with a legislative record.

Vargas, a former teacher and nonprofit employee, just wrapped up a legislative session where he helped pass a $1 billion tax relief package, 43-0. Income tax cuts, property tax offsets, and faster tax cuts on Social Security income were included.

Bacon considers himself a conservative with a record of bipartisan votes, including one that got Trump's attention: the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package that President Joe Biden sought. Bacon noted that Nebraska will receive billions in funding from the measure. Bacon voted with Trump about 89% of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight.com.

Abortion is the clear line between the two candidates. Vargas voted against Legislative Bill 933, a "trigger" bill that would have banned abortion in Nebraska if Roe v. Wade were overturned. Bacon, however, is unapologetically anti-abortion and said he prefers decisions about abortion to be made at the state level.

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SMITH, DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGER, DIFFER ON SOLUTIONS IN WAKE OF MASS SHOOTINGS

LINCOLN — U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith has rejected a congressional proposal to raise the age at which a person can buy a high-powered, semi-automatic weapon, instead calling for “real solutions” that don’t infringe on the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

Last week Smith said that he opposes a House proposal to raise the age at which a person can buy a semi-automatic rifle despite acknowledging that Americans are "understandably outraged and concerned" about gun violence in the wake of mass shootings.

Smith, a Republican who has represented western Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District since 2007, also said he opposes a "red flag" law that would allow federal judges to seize firearms and ammunition from anyone "on the wrong side of an accusation without due process."

Smith’s Democratic opponent in November, David Else, recently questioned the need for high-powered, assault-style rifles like the AR-15-style weapons used in the Uvalde and Buffalo shootings.

“Why not pass the red-flag law? And raise the age from 18 to 21. What the hell does that have to do with the 2nd Amendment?” Else added.

Smith, in his column, said Democrats had “rushed forward with misguided proposals” without seeking bipartisan solutions that “actually have a chance of passing.”

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DEMOCRAT PANSING BROOKS TOUTS ABILITY TO WORK ACROSS THE AISLE AFTER PARTY SWITCH

LINCOLN — The Democratic candidate for Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District spent most of her life as a rock-ribbed Republican.

State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, a former co-chair of the Lancaster County Republican Party, grew up in a "very conservative" Republican household in Lincoln. She joined the GOP herself due to the party's traditional focus on the economy and fiscal responsibility.

Over time, Pansing Brooks found herself increasingly out of place in GOP politics, particularly in regard to social issues. Newer party positions clashed with her position on the Planned Parenthood board, her support for abortion rights, and her defense of a nephew who came out as gay in 1989.

Now, at 63, she is a democrat with a record of working across the aisle to find common ground.

“To me, it’s not about party,” she said. “It’s about doing the right thing. I vote for people. I vote for concerns. I don’t look at some sort of agenda from this party or that party.”

Being a Democrat now puts Pansing Brooks at a disadvantage in her attempt to represent the Republican-leaning 1st District. Republicans make up 46% of registered voters in the district, with Democrats at 29% and nonpartisan voters at 23%, according to the Secretary of State's Office.

The district encompasses all or parts of 12 counties in eastern Nebraska, including Lancaster and Sarpy counties. Additionally, the district includes Bellevue, Offutt Air Force Base, La Vista, most of Papillion, Fremont, Columbus, and Norfolk.

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REPUBLICAN FLOOD SAYS HIS CONNECTIONS, EXPERIENCE NEEDED IN CONGRESS

LINCOLN - Late nights talking shop in their Lincoln apartments. Shooting the breeze over meals at the Capitol.

That's how State Sen. Mike Flood and former veteran Nebraska legislators Ed Schrock and Jim Cudaback recall Flood's first years, 2005 and 2006, in the Legislature.

Flood, a Norfolk civic leader, businessman, broadcaster, and attorney, went on to become Nebraska's longest-serving speaker of the Legislature and one of the youngest.

Now, is the Republican candidate in the Juen 28 special election to fill out the remainder of Jeff Fortenberry's term representing Nebraska's 1st Congressional District. Early voting is already underway in the race.

Flood says the hours he spent listening to the stories of experienced lawmakers like Schrock and Cudaback helped him understand the Legislature and, in turn, become more effective at his job. He plans to bring the same approach to the U.S. House of Representatives.

“To be successful in the Legislature, it’s about relationships and earning people’s trust,” Flood said.

Key players in the Nebraska Republican Party, including Gov. Pete Ricketts and former Gov. Dave Heineman, added their names to a list of supporters even before Fortenberry was found guilty.

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'RED FLAG' LAW, ARMING TEACHERS EMERGE AS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN 1ST DISTRICT CANDIDATES

LINCOLN — The candidates in a special election to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry differed on the need for “red-flag” laws, arming school teachers, and what’s wrong with Washington, D.C., in a televised debate Sunday, June 12.

State Sen. Mike Flood, the Republican candidate in the June 28 special election, said he supports better fortification of public schools and would support arming teachers, if a local school board agreed.

Flood said he supports the Second Amendment and is seeking "common sense" solutions in the wake of mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York.

His Democratic opponent, State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, said more needs to be done. She instead supports "red-flag" laws that allow judges, after a court hearing, to confiscate the guns of a person having a mental breakdown or making threatening statements.

Pansing Brooks opposes arming teachers, saying "good guys with guns" failed to stop the carnage at the elementary school in Uvalde "for whatever reason."

The debate is the only debate scheduled prior to the June 28 special election in easter Nebraska's 1st Congressional District. The winner will fill out the remainder of Fortneberry's term, which ends in January.

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REPUBLICAN PRIMARY RESULTS SUGGESTED SOMETHING IS STIRRING

LINCOLN - Bob Evnen is candid in discussing sensitive political challenges and issues over morning coffee at the Cornhusker, moving from on-the-record answers to off-the-record observations and conversations.

Nebraska's secretary of state won the Republican nomination for a second term in last month's primary, but two lesser-known challengers racked up a combined 125,778 votes compared to his 98,263.

"The manner in which I ran my race would have been different if I had had only one opponent," Evnen noted before stepping into off-the-record territory.

In a similar fashion, Speaker of the Legislature Mike Hilgers won the GOP nomination for attorney general, but a little-known Republican challenger amassed 73,906 votes.

It happened to State Treasurer John Murante, too. His Republican primary challenger tallied 92,522 votes compared to the incumbent's 121,808.

The Washington Post pointed to the ongoing questions regarding the validity of the 2020 election results when taking note of the large vote for Evnen's GOP primary challengers in its story about Nebraska's primary election results.

Robert Borer, one of the Republican challengers who lost, says "our elections are rigged" and he is now a write-in candidate for governor in November.

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SEN. SUZANNE GEIST URGED TO RUN FOR LINCOLN MAYOR, NOT SURE SHE WILL

LINCOLN- State Senator Suzanne Geist has recently received calls for her to enter the 2023 race for Mayor of Lincoln. Geist still has two years remaining in her second term in the legislature and said she is not sure of the direction she wants to take.

Geist, a Republican, noted the decision is difficult and has other priorities that play a role, for example, her nine grandchildren who all reside in Lincoln.

With two years remaining before she would be term-limited out of the Legislature, Geist said she does not plan to seek the chairmanship of the Legislature's Judiciary Committee when the 2023 Legislature convenes in January and makes its organizational and leadership decisions.

Geist said she values her independence in Nebraska's uniquely nonpartisan Legislature. She also did note that her party is sometimes not thrilled with a couple of the votes she has previously taken.

Geist said she has talked with Republican gubernatorial nominee Jim Pillen and "I think he is open" to considering her perspective if he is elected in November.

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