RICKETTS SAYS NEBRASKA SCHOOLS SHOULD CONSIDER ALLOWING 'RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION'

LINCOLN- Gov. Pete Ricketts voiced support for allowing more faith-based practices in Nebraska schools during an event celebrating Religious Freedom Week.

Ricketts’ comments came in response to a question regarding a tweet by Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Pillen, a University of Nebraska regent and Columbus hog producer. Ricketts, who cannot run for reelection because of term limits, has strongly supported Pillen’s campaign for governor.

“We need to put God back into our schools,” Pillen tweeted. “I strongly support efforts to put prayer back into our K-12 schools. We should be teaching the next generation to love God and our great country.”

The tweet referenced news about the U.S. Supreme Court decision that determined a Washington high school football coach was within his rights to pray at midfield following football games. Pillen’s comments fueled strong backlash online, with more than 600 replies, many of them critical.

Ricketts said he had not seen Pillen’s tweet, but he believes the Supreme Court’s ruling establishes the rights of students and school employees to pray on school property.

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NEBRASKA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION WILL CONDUCT REVERSE AUCTION TO EXPAND BROADBAND

LINCOLN- The Nebraska Public Service Commission will conduct a reverse auction to fund $13 million of broadband expansion in certain areas of the state.

Broadband companies can apply to take part in the auction through July 15, with the reverse auction set to take place Aug. 8.

In the reverse auction, each census block will receive a starting price, and through successive rounds, companies will lower their bid until a winner is determined.

Winners will be required to demonstrate they can provide broadband speeds of 100 Mbps download and upload to a certain number of areas within the census block.

The funds to pay for expanding high-speed internet access come from redistribution of the Nebraska Universal Service Fund.

The targeted areas are mainly in south-central and northeast Nebraska.

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FORTENBERRY SENTENCED TO PROBATION, NOT PRISON, FOR LYING TO FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS

LINCOLN- Former U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry will not go to prison for lying and misleading federal investigators, a California federal judge announced this week.

U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld sentenced the 61-year-old Republican to two years’ probation, a $25,000 fine and 320 hours of community service.

Blumenfeld said he didn’t agree with prosecutors — who had suggested a six-month prison term — that spending time behind bars would provide a significant deterrent to future crimes involving politicians lying to investigators.

The judge said he read and took into consideration the 64 letters submitted to the court asking for leniency, letters that came from family, friends, Bishop James Conley of the Lincoln Catholic Diocese, and Lt. Gov. Mike Foley. Blumenfeld also noted that three others indicted in “Operation Titan’s Grip” did not get prison time.

Fortenberry betrayed no emotion when the sentence was finally announced and declined to address the court.

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ADVOCATES, PARENTS 'BEG' NEBRASKANS TO SEEK OUT AND SIGN PETITION TO LEGALIZE MEDICAL CANNABIS

LINCOLN- Advocates for legalizing medical marijuana switched from urging Nebraskans to sign their petition to begging them as a July 7 deadline looms closer to submit signatures to qualify for the ballot in November.

“Do it for the suffering people in this state who are pleading with you,” said Crista Eggers of Omaha, as she held up a photograph of her 7-year-old son, Colton, who suffers from up to 100 epileptic seizures a day.

The petition drive has collected about 60,000 signatures for each of its two initiatives but needs another 50,000 signatures per petition by the July 7 deadline to ensure there are enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.

The 2022 petition drive was necessitated after a successful petition effort two years ago was tossed off the ballot. The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that the single petition violated the legal requirement that such petitions contain only a single subject. This year, the initiative is passing two petitions to address that issue.

Thirty-seven states have legalized cannabis for medical use by qualified individuals.

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NEBRASKA VOTER ID PETITION DRIVE ENLISTS HELP OF GOV. RICKETTS FOR LAST MINUTE PUSH

LINCOLN- The group seeking to place a voter ID initiative on the November ballot announced that it has enlisted Gov. Pete Ricketts to help round up last-minute signatures for the effort.

Citizens for Voter ID announced that Governor Ricketts will appear in multiple town hall meetings in eastern Nebraska in the coming weeks.

“These town halls will be a great opportunity not only to hear how the petition effort for voter ID is going, but how voter ID will enhance, secure, and protect election integrity,” said State Sen. Julie Slama, who is a named sponsor of the petition drive.

The group will need to submit valid signatures of 10% of the registered voters in the state — about 124,000 — by the July 7 deadline to qualify the proposed constitutional amendment for the November ballot.

The proposal would require voters to present “valid photographic identification” in order to vote. Thirty-five states currently have laws requiring voters to show some form of ID at the polls.

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GOP OPENS OUTREACH OFFICE IN LATINO-RICH SOUTH OMAHA

OUTH OMAHA- Republicans opened an outreach office in South Omaha aimed at helping Nebraska’s top political party grow in a Latino-rich part of Omaha.

Omaha’s office is the first “Hispanic Community Center” the Republican National Committee has opened in a Great Plains state, RNC spokeswoman Preya Samsundar said.

Others have opened in Texas, Florida and Wisconsin, in swing states and swing districts where helping with key races in 2022 could help the party prepare for 2024.

The offices help the party connect with potential voters and volunteers. Party leaders said they hope neighbors will use the South Omaha office as a gathering space.

Virgil Patlan, a frequent GOP candidate in South Omaha, said he and his wife, Rebecca Barrientos-Patlan, had sometimes felt lonely as Republicans in “South O.”

“I’ve been a proud Republican since Ronald Reagan,” he said. “Because we stand for faith, family and freedom … I’m glad the party is down here.”

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DOUGLAS COUNTY BOARD APPROVES $130,000 FOR VOTING DROP BOX VIDEO SURVEILLANCE

DOUGLAS COUNTY- Praising the county election commissioner for running fair and accurate elections, the Douglas County Board granted his request for $130,000 in federal funds for video surveillance of voting drop boxes.

The board voted unanimously to approve the request from Election Commissioner Brian Kruse, a Republican appointed by GOP Gov. Pete Ricketts.

“I just want to congratulate you again on your excellent service to the voters of our community in providing free, fair and accurate elections to us,” County Board Member Jim Cavanaugh, a Democrat, told Kruse.

The money will come out of Douglas County’s $110 million allotment of American Rescue Plan Act pandemic recovery money.

Kruse said he hopes to have the surveillance system installed at the county’s 13 drop boxes in time for the November general election.

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REPUBLICAN MIKE FLOOD RIDES INFLATION, GOP VOTER EDGE TO 1ST DISTRICT WIN FOR SIX MONTHS

NORFOLK- State Sen. Mike Flood was elected to Nebraska's 1st Congressional District with the help of Republican-dominated voter registration in eastern Nebraska.

Flood defeated Patty Pansing Brooks, a Democrat active on the topic of abortion, winning 52% of the vote to Pansing Brooks's 48%.

“Today across the 1st Congressional District, Nebraskans made their voices heard, loud and clear, tonight,” Flood said. “They sent an unmistakable message to Washington that America is on the wrong track, and it’s time for a change in leadership. Under Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi’s one-party rule and reign of error, things have gone from bad to worse.”

Pansing Brooks will have another shot at the seat come November, so a close race was not a massive defeat for Pansing Brooks.

“We were supposed to lose by 10 points,” Pansing Brooks told supporters late in the evening.

Flood said the Supreme Court’s decision energized voters, but he’s not had the time to analyze who was more motivated, Republicans or Democrats. He said the decision’s timing may have played a factor in the closeness of the race.

Compared to 2020, registered voters were down over 11,000 from 2020s 419,669 voters. Both Republicans and Democrats saw a decrease in registered voters within their parties since 2020. Republicans lost around 8,600, Democrats lost around 6,300, and Nonpartisans saw the lone increase of 2,200 voters.

1st District voters have been changing, November will provide a better scope of what that direction is and what side benefits.

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GOVERNOR RICKETTS SEEKS APPLICANTS FOR LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 19 VACANCY

LINCOLN- Following the resignation of Mike Flood after a successful win in Nebraska 1st District, Governor Ricketts announced he will seek qualified applicants to fill the vacancy in Legislative District 19.

Applications for appointment to fill the vacancy in Legislative District 19 will be accepted immediately and until 5:00 pm CT on Friday, July 8, 2022. Applicants wishing to be considered for appointment must demonstrate that they have lived within the district for at least a full year, are registered to vote, and are at least 21 years old.

District 19 represents Madison County and the southern portion of Pierce County. Governor Ricketts may seek out additional qualified candidates if he feels that is necessary.

The appointee will serve the remainder of the unexpired term (until January 2025) for the District 19 legislative seat.

Interested in applying for this vacancy? Applications can be found at governor.nebraska.gov/board-comm-req, and questions can be directed to Kathleen Dolezal at 402-471-2256 or Kathleen.dolezal@nebraska.gov.

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INFLATION IS IMMEDIATE PRIORITY, CANDIDATES FLOOD, PANSING BROOKS SAY

LINCOLN - Both Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln and Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk pointed to inflation first in listing their immediate priorities if elected to Nebraska's 1st District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mike Flood edged out Patty Pansing Brooks, but the two will face off once again in the November general election to determine who will serve the next two-year term that begins in January.

"We have to address skyrocketing prices in the grocery store and at the gas pump," Flood said, "and that will be my top priority in Congress."

Flood, a Republican said "we need to stop the out-of-control federal spending that has fueled inflation," provide tax relief for American families and "reverse the anti-energy policies of the Biden administration and encourage domestic energy exploration."

Pansing Brooks, a Democrat, said "we need to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, lower premiums under the Affordable Care Act, boost Social Security, stop price gouging and offset the high price of gas" while also making child care more affordable and accessible.

"I believe the biggest challenge our country faces is a broken political system in Washington," Pansing Brooks said.

Flood said "we need to stop the out-of-control federal spending; we need to get government out of the way by slashing red tape and cutting taxes; we need to increase domestic energy production and get us closer to energy independence and bring down gas prices."

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STATE SEN. BREWER HEADED TO UKRAINE TO ASSESS HUMANITARIAN NEEDS

LINCOLN — Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon will leave Nebraska on Friday for an extended trip into and across battle-torn Ukraine, where he will assess conditions and humanitarian needs.

An earlier plan to travel to Poland got scratched in replacement for the upcoming trip to Ukraine. He originally intended to stay in Poland and assist in logistical and humanitarian activities for refugees who fled after the Russian military invaded Ukraine and initiated relentless bombardment of its cities, turning many of them into rubble. 

Brewer will meet with Noah Philson in Krakow, Poland, a young Nebraskan who is been providing humanitarian assistance, and they will travel to Lviv in western Ukraine.

From there, the two will go to the capital of Kyiv with a driver and interpreter who will take Brewer through the country to the final destination of Odesa, a deep-water port on the Black Sea.

They will go through the worn-torn Donbas region along the way where Russian forces have virtually destroyed the port city of Mariupol. 

Brewer’s mission is to assess humanitarian needs and “figure out a way to break up the logjam” of equipment and resources that is currently “stacked along runways in Poland.”

“Ukrainians are busy fighting the war,” he said, “and can’t bring it in.”

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NU REGENTS APPROVE $1B BUGDET, HOLD TUITION FLAT FOR 2022-23

LINCOLN - The University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved a $1 billion operating budget for 2022-23 on Thursday that holds tuition flat for the second straight academic year. 

Reflecting a 1.3% increase in spending over the previous year — a $12.8 million bump — NU President Ted Carter said the budget also makes investments in several areas prioritized by the university.

“We stuck to a plan we built two years ago shortly before COVID hit, a plan that called for conservative fiscal planning so we can focus our resources on the areas that have the biggest impact like student affordability, faculty competitiveness, and other strategic priorities,” Carter told regents.

The Nebraska Promise program, which allows students to attend an NU campus tuition-free, has increased the annual household income qualification from $60,000 to $65,000 under the new budget plan. 

Additionally, $10 million more will be injected into the salary pool for faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Nebraska Medical Center, covers an expected increase in health insurance premiums, and pays for core operations in new programs previously approved by the board. 

“And we are doing it without passing these costs on to our students,” Carter said. 

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OMAHA'S TIF APPROVALS IN FIRST HALF OF 2022 FAR EXCEED 2021 TOTAL

OMAHA - From a new downtown Omaha skyscraper to the construction of a $220 million casino, massive projects have put 2022 on track to be a record-breaking year for tax-increment financing loans in the city. 

Upward of $105 million in tax-increment financing, or TIF, has been approved in 2022, already exceeding the total in all of 2021. 

Eight redevelopment agreements approved by the Omaha City Council accounted for the $105 million. The figure does not account for redevelopment plans approved by the City Council, a step that is taken before an agreement is considered. 

TIF is a financing tool regularly used in Omaha since 1980 in local development efforts.

Proponents of the economic incentive champion it as a tool to encourage private investment in areas that need housing and revitalization.

Critics contend that the incentive is used too generously and is too often granted for developments that don’t contribute to civic improvements or affordable housing needs.

An average of $42.3 million in TIF has been approved per year from 2015-2021. Since 2000, the highest single-year total was in 2016 when thirty projects yielded nearly $70 million in TIF loans. 

In 2021, 25 projects were approved for roughly $41 million in TIF loans.

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PUBLIC SPACES, CITY EMPLOYEES, AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING TARGETED FOR OMAHA ARPA SPENDING

OMAHA - The City of Omaha’s full-time employees, minus elected officials, are to get a $3,000 boost this year in their paychecks. 

Nearly 15 city parks, pools, and other public spaces are to be spiffed up.

These are just some of the ways Omaha plans to spend its latest allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, Mayor Jean Stothert announced Tuesday, June 21.

The COVID-related federal act put $112,591,455 into the city’s coffers. An earlier infusion came in May 2021; the other $56 million came this month. ARPA funds must be spent by 2026. 

“The primary use of ARPA funds is for local governments to replace revenue losses through 2023,” said Stothert, adding that about $31 million will go for that purpose. 

However, she said, the ARPA funds could also be used to support community programs, respond to pandemic impacts, and promote economic recovery.

“The programs we have created and funded are especially important and will have communitywide benefits,” Stothert said. 

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NORFOLK CELEBRATES COMPLETION OF NEBRASKA'S LARGEST SOLAR POWER FARM

NORFOLK - People behind the state’s largest solar farm and one of its largest battery installations celebrated a finished project Wednesday, June 22 in Norfolk, Nebraska. 

The new solar farm can produce 8.5 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 1,250 homes, according to city officials. 

Two megawatt-hours of power will be stored in a new Nebraska Public Power District battery system, enough to help local NPPD customers during peak usage times, including hot days.

NPPD and developers at N Solar, Sol Systems, GenPro, Energy Solutions, and Mesner Development contributed to the project.

Those residents who signed up for the city's community solar program will save roughly $15 to $20 a month by participating, city officials said. 

“Having local electricity generation helps balance our system,” Norfolk Mayor Josh Moenning said. “We’re using our own natural resources, in which the fuel is free.”

NPPD President Tom Kent said the contract helps NPPD bolster its solar portfolio to 20 megawatts. The utility also runs hydroelectric and nuclear power plants. 

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BIDEN SIGNS BILL RENAMING OMAHA POST OFFICE AFTER BLACK WWII HERO

OMAHA- President Joe Biden signed a bill to rename the Benson post office after an Omaha sailor who saved more than a dozen shipmates while serving in World War II. 

The legislation designates the U.S. Postal Service facility at 6223 Maple St. the Petty Officer 1st Class Charles Jackson French Post Office.

French, a Black man who enlisted in the still-segregated Navy as a mess attendant, was hailed as “the hero of the Solomon Islands“ after the sinking of his ship, the USS Gregory, on Sept. 5, 1942, near Guadalcanal. He was credited with swimming for several hours through shark-infested waters while towing a lifeboat filled with 15 wounded shipmates, all of whom were white, until they could be rescued.

Rep. Don Bacon, who introduced the bill to name the Omaha post office, said the designation would help preserve French’s legacy and give “Nebraskans and other Americans the opportunity to remember his heroic actions.”

“Despite the segregation at the time, he went above and beyond to answer the call of duty by saving his fellow sailors,” Bacon said in a statement.

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A FLURRY OF FRAUD: CITY CLERKS HAVE RECENTLY STOLEN MONEY FROM 17 NEBRASKA TOWNS

LINCOLN- In Nebraska, 14 city and village clerks have been charged for theft or violating public resources over the past decade.

Those clerks, plus another who took money but wasn’t charged, stole an estimated $1.7 million from 17 small towns across the state, according to audit reports and restitution orders. 

A whopping 158 towns in Nebraska have gone more than 20 years without a full financial audit, including four towns where former clerks were charged with theft.

While clerks acting as treasurers are legally required to complete continuing education classes through the state each year, there’s no such required training for people elected to a city or village board.

The lack of experience, training and oversight often means that village clerks are caught only after taking money for an extended period of time. 

Many small Nebraska towns operate on a system of trust and not a system of verification. 

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NEBRASKA AUDITORS CRITICIZE STATE ACCOUNTING AGAIN, CITE $10.5 BILLION IN ERRORS

LINCOLN- The State Auditor’s Office has put a disclaimer on Nebraska’s end-of-the-year financial report for a second straight year after finding errors totaling $10.5 billion.

A recently released letter addressed to the governor and speaker of the Legislature highlighted the fear of the report's accuracy.

In the letter, Assistant Deputy State Auditor Kris Kucera said auditors had proposed more than 110 adjustments to the Financial Report for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2021. 

But the letter said the state could not show that its accounting and oversight processes were good enough to ensure that other major errors had been caught and that the rest of the financial report was accurate. 

The letter summarized more than $4.3 billion worth of errors, requiring 115 adjustments. It said there were another $6.2 billion in errors that did not require formal adjustments, bringing the total to more than $10.5 billion. 

In the previous year, DAS listed 52 errors that year amounting to more than $21 billion.

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

MEAD- The now closed AltEn Ethanol Plant in Mead is again the topic of discussion, but this time by scientists.

Residents have been concerned for over a year now about the plant handlings and this week Dr. Ali Khan, dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said that those concerns are valid.

“There are good reasons to suspect that there could be adverse impacts", Dr. Khan said. 

Dr. Khan told Mead residents that air samples have been taken, and the inside of one Mead home was swabbed for pesticides. Samples have also been taken from the wet cake piles and from soil nearby, as well as from two streams that drain from the AltEn site, just south of Mead.

Results from many of the tests are three to six months away, Khan said, adding that researchers may need 10 years to figure out whether the contamination has caused adverse health and environmental impacts. 

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

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ATTORNEY GENERAL, STATE AUDITOR INVESTIGATING IF DONATION TO HISTORY NEBRASKA WAS HANDLED APPROPRIATELY

LINCOLN- Outgoing History Nebraska director and CEO Trevor Jones is the subject of an investigation by the Nebraska Attorney General's Office. 

The alleged irregularities involve more than $260,000 in funds provided to the state history agency by the Nebraska State Historical Foundation. 

Jones is not suspected of using the funds for his personal use, according to sources familiar with the probe. But questions have been raised about whether Jones followed proper protocol in accepting the money and whether it was used for purposes other than what was intended. 

The donation being investigated came in 2020, at a time when Jones was telling the History Nebraska board that the agency’s earnings were “dismal,” because of closures of historical sites due to COVID-19.

That prompted a donation from the Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation of more than $260,000 to help address the funding shortage. But the money, it is alleged, wasn’t used for that purpose, but to help a new foundation launched under Jones’ watch. 

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