UNMC AND NEBRASKANS TO HAVE ROLE IN NATIONAL $450 MILLION STUDY OF COVID LONG-TERM IMPACT

OMAHA- The University of Nebraska Medical Center is participating in a $450 million national grant that will study roughly 40,000 adults and children across the country to gain a better grip on the full scope of post-COVID symptoms.

The project is set to span for 4 years and aims to improve treatment, knowledge, and health outcomes. This research project is being funded by the National Institutes of Health. 

“It’s important that we understand what post-COVID looks like. It will help us understand the future of American health care, since most Americans have had it,” said David Warren, the UNMC co-principal investigator of the research study.

Participants tapped for the research could be asked to make two to four visits a year during the study period lasting up to four years, according to a UNMC statement. They could be asked for information about health, symptoms, physical activity and sleep between visits as well as getting a medical checkup. In some cases, they may be eligible to receive medical tests. 

UNMC will look for about 85 individuals to get the study underway. 

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OMAHA-AREA COVID-19 HOSPITALIZATIONS HIT 100 AGAIN

OMAHA - Here is the following updated June 23 weekly Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services numbers available from the Nebraska COVID-19 data on the Nebraska Public Health Atlas. That information no longer includes data on COVID-19 hospitalizations or deaths, hospital capacity, or vaccinations. 

Positive test numbers declined slightly over the past week. Among 17,325 tests conducted in the week ending June 18, 2,611 resulted in positive cases. That decline brought Nebraska’s positivity rate from an adjusted 12.9% as of June 11 to 15.1% as of June 18. About a month ago, it was 9.7%. 

In Omaha, the pandemic death toll is no 1,134 people, according to DCHD. The most recent 355 positive COVID cases bring the local pandemic total to 156,313 cases. 

As of late Wednesday, area hospitals were caring for 100 COVID-19 patients, eight more than reported Tuesday. Of these, four were in pediatrics, 10 were adult patients in ICU, and two patients were on ventilators. 

March 18 was reportedly the last time were 100 or more COVID019 hospitalizations in the Omaha-metro area, according to the health department. 

As of late Wednesday, hospitals were 87% full with 183 beds available, down from 230 reported Tuesday. To date, 66.6% of all Douglas County residents have been vaccinated. 

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SUSANNE SHORE, THE GOVERNOR'S WIFE, ENDORSES DEMOCRAT PANSING BROOKS

LINCOLN- Susanne Shore and her husband, Nebraska Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts, are at odds in supporting candidates to replace convicted U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry.

Shore, a registered Democrat who switched temporarily to Republican to vote in the May primary election, has shown an independent streak in her politics.

She donated to Democrat Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and Joe Biden’s run in 2020, but also has backed two GOP candidates, Mitt Romney and George W. Bush, in the past.

Ricketts endorsed Pansing Brooks’ Republican opponent, State Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk, shortly after Fortenberry was convicted this spring of three felony counts of lying to and misleading federal investigators. Ricketts also appeared in a campaign ad for Flood.

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FLOOD CAMPAIGN: SOFTWARE GLITCH CAUSED DONATION REPORT PROBLEM

LINCOLN- A member of State Senator Mike Flood's campaign team said that a software glitch led to several errors in recent contribution reports.

The Flood camping was notified that several donations exceeded the federal contribution limit for individuals which is set at $2,900.

Jessica Flanagain, a campaign consultant for the state senator, said the problem was that a software system, used to input donations, didn’t recognize that some contributions were for the June 28 “special election”.

The result of the software glitch was that donors who gave Flood two donations of $2,900, one for the May primary and one for the special election, were listed as giving two “primary” contributions of $2,900 on the campaign’s pre-primary report in April.

The campaign report has since been amended and refiled correctly.

A spokesman for the Pansing Brooks campaign, Chris Triebsch, said it was ironic that both Fortenberry and Flood have issues with their federal election filings.

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DOUGLAS COUNTY ELECTION COMMISSIONER SEEKS $130,000 FOR VOTING DROP BOX VIDEO SURVEILLANCE

DOUGLAS COUNTY- Brian Kruse is seeking $130,000 in federal funds for video surveillance of early voting drop boxes.

Kruse penned a letter to the Douglas County Board that stressed that there have been no known security and fraud problems with local boxes but cited “citizen concerns and security best practices” and a nearly 500% increase in usage in the past couple of years.

The board announced that it will consider this request and the money would come from the ARPA money.

“Concurrent with the continued presence of coronavirus, there has been increased scrutiny of security for every step of the election process,” Kruse wrote. “Concern over early voting drop box security has risen along with the increase in utilization.”

Kruse only views this as a continuation of security in Nebraska elections, and called it "another tool in the toolbox".

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JUDGE LIFTS MAJOR OBSTACLE FOR NEBRASKA MEDICAL POT CAMPAIGN

OMAHA- The medical marijuana campaign recently received a significant ruling that strips petition circulators' requirement to gather signatures from at least 5% of voters in 38 or more counties.

U.S. District Judge John Gerrard issued an order that temporarily bars the state from enforcing the requirement, which is enshrined in the Nebraska Constitution to guarantee at least some buy-in from rural voters before an issue can appear on a statewide ballot.

The ruling comes at a very favorable time as July 7th was the day that at least 87,000 valid signatures were to be due to the Nebraska secretary of state.

Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana and the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska argued that the requirement violates free speech and equal protection rights by making some voters' signatures more valuable than others.

Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen announced that he will be appealing the decision.

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NEBRASKA LOSES BID TO BECOME EARLY PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY IN 2024

LINCOLN- The Democratic National Committee rejected Nebraska’s bid to become one of the early states in the 2024 presidential nominating calendar.

The bid would have allowed Nebraska to be one of the first five states in the 2024 presidential primary lineup.

Nebraska and New York were nixed from the running, as was a group representing Democrats abroad, a total of 16 states remain in contention.

The news was disappointing, said Jane Kleeb, chair of the Nebraska state party.

“We really made the case that a small state like Nebraska should be part of the first five presidential primary states,” Kleeb said. “We have a really strong mix of urban, suburban and rural. And that, while all states have rural communities, Nebraska’s rural communities are needed — those rural voters are needed — in order to win statewide.”

DNC officials reported the proposal from Nebraska Democrats called for a party-run primary that would be different from the existing state-run primary election. The memo said that could “create confusion by rendering the state-run process meaningless despite Democrats being on the ballot”.

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DIFFICULT TO PREDICT TURNOUT AS RARE SPECIAL ELECTION TO PICK NEW HOUSE MEMBER APPROACHES

LINCOLN - It's been 71 years since we've done this. 

The June 28 special election to fill the remainder of former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry will mark the first time Nebraska voters have been called back to the polls since Robert Harrison of Norfolk was elected to the House of Representatives during a special election in 1951 following the death of Rep. Karl Stefan.

Now, Republican nominee Mike Flood and Democratic nominee Patty Pansing Brooks face off to fill the unexpired term of Fortenberry who resigned following his conviction on charges that he lied to federal officials. 

With voters being summoned just over a month since the May 10 primary election, it is difficult to predict turnout. 

"I don't know how to anticipate turnout," Election Commissioner David Shively said. "I anticipated more activity from the candidates and the parties" in spurring turnout next week, he said.

As of early Tuesday, June 21, 18,014 of the 33,792 early ballots mailed to Lancaster County voters had been returned, but Shively anticipated a steady flow later in the day.

"Early-person voting is up," he said. "Voting by mail is down," and it's difficult to predict total turnout in this unusual election held in the summer.

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'IN-LIEU-OF-TAXES' MIXUP CAUSING BUDGET ANGST AT DOUGLAS COUNTY

LINCOLN — The mistaken distribution of millions of dollars of “in lieu of taxes” by the Douglas County Treasurer’s Office is causing some budget headaches in the state’s largest county.

Douglas County Board members P.J. Morgan and Mike Friend, who serve on the county budget committee, said the county is facing a shortfall of about $5.5 million going into next year's budget.

The two officials said the distribution mistake is a major factor in the angst surrounding the budget, though rising inflation and the need to increase worker salaries to remain competitive are also factors.

Morgan said that the budget gap for the 2023-2024 budget is expected to be resolved. Both officials, however, said the county likely faces some challenges beyond that due to the loss of in lie of tax revenue.

“It could have some have long-lasting impact. We’re not really sure yet,” Friend said.

A state audit recently revealed that the Douglas County Treasurer's Office, for six decades, had been miscalculating how much funding in lieu of taxes paid by the Omaha Public Power District was due to taxing entities in the county.

It shorted some taxing entities, such as the Elkhorn, Ralston, and Westside school districts, by up to $4 million in revenue a year and overpaid other entities, such as Douglas County, by more than $5 million.

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NUMBER SENSE, APPLIED MATH EMPHASIZED IN DRAFT NEBRASKA SCHOOL STANDARDS

LINCOLN - The first draft of new math standards for Nebraska schools is a tweak, not an overhaul, of existing ones, according to state education officials.

The draft would put greater emphasis on number sense, data, and statistics, but don't expect sweeping changes, they said. The standards are instead a refinement of the 2015 set they would replace.

“We didn’t want a dramatic shift,” said Matt Blomstedt, the state’s education commissioner.

State law requires the Nebraska State Board of Education to adopt standards every seven years in core areas, including math. Local districts must either adopt the state standards or their own of at least equal rigor within a year after adoption.

Blomstedt said the state has encouraged districts to adopt high-quality instructional materials aligned with state standards.

“We see more improvements where people use the adoption of those instructional materials in alignment with our standards," he said.

A national math test, the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress, provides insight on how Nebraska kids measured up to peers in other states before COVID-19.

Forty-five percent of Nebraska fourth-graders scored proficient or above on the test compared to 40% nationwide.

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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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