WESTERN NEBRASKA CANYON RESIDENTS SEE HOMES, LIVELIHOODS AFFECTED BY WILDFIRE

GERING- For the second summer in a row, residents in the Nebraska panhandle are watching their homes and neighborhoods suffer from a wildfire.

The wildfire raged through out the weekend claiming over 15,000 acres of land and homes across Carter Canyon and beyond.

As of August 1st, fire officials announced that the fire is estimated to be 33% contained with a lot of work remaining to secure the area. Residents of the affected areas were evacuated by local law enforcement, leaving behind their homes, livestock, and a day to day responsibilities.

Firefighters are working hard to preserve residents and their homes, but officials confirmed that three homes had been completely destroyed and several others sustained damage thus far.

Gering resident and ranch owner Cassy Eskam said, "Every time I hear there’s a fire, it scares me." Followed by, "We have barely gotten any rain out by us this year. I prayed over and over for them to please get (the fires) contained before it spreads to our farm.”

The fire did end up approaching the ranch due to a sudden wind change that directed the wildfire east.

For the full article click HERE

NEBRASKA 'URBAN REDEVELOPMENT ACT' KICKS IN TO HELP GROW SMALL BUSINESSES IN OMAHA, LINCOLN

LINCOLN- The Nebraska Department of Economic Development officially began accepting applications from Nebraska businesses seeking to earn performance based tax credits per the new Urban Redevelopment Act.

Enacted in 2021, the act aims to help grow small businesses and invest in urban cores that are high in poverty and unemployment. 

Eligible businesses may qualify for up to $50,000 in tax credits. These credits can be used to offset income, sales, property tax, or to reduce income tax withholding. 

Qualifications include: 

• Payment to file the application

• Located in a qualified target area

• Hire five or more new full time employees

• Invest $150,000 in property or invest $50,000 in the qualified property.

The state can authorize up to $8 million in tax credits, but the amount of credits earned by a business will be dependent on level of investment and amount of new employees.

For more on the Urban Redevelopment Act click HERE

For the full article click HERE

MIKE HILGERS GAUGING SUPPORT FOR 12-WEEK ABORTION BAN, OMAHA SENATOR SAYS

LINCOLN- The speaker of the Nebraska Legislature is gauging his colleagues’ support for a special session to debate a 12-week abortion ban according to an opposing Omaha senator.

State Sen. Megan Hunt posted a Tweet saying that Speaker of the Legislature Mike Hilgers is calling all members and asking them to sign on to a letter supporting a special session to take up the proposal.

Hilgers, of Lincoln, said that he has contacted multiple lawmakers to discuss a special session, but would not confirm whether he is proposing a 12-week ban.

“I don’t have additional comment until I’ve finished those conversations and had the chance to comprehensively discuss with my colleagues,” Hilgers said.

Hilgers has not called all lawmakers. Omaha Sens. Machaela Cavanaugh and Justin Wayne said they hadn’t received a call from the speaker yet.

A 12-week ban wouldn’t go as far as the bans that many Southern and Midwestern states passed after the Supreme Court’s ruling.

For the full article click HERE

KANSAS VOTERS DEFEAT ABORTION AMENDMENT IN LANDSLIDE IN NATIONS FIRST VOTE SINCE SUPREME COURT OVERTURN OF ROE

OVERLAND PARK — Kansas voters in a landslide Tuesday defeated a constitutional amendment that would have stripped residents of

abortion rights, defying polling and political observers who expected a close result.

The ballot measure was failing by a 60-40 margin late Tuesday after voters responded to an intense and costly campaign marked by dubious claims by amendment supporters and the unraveling of protections by the U.S. Supreme Court. The question before voters, in the form of a confusingly worded constitutional amendment, was whether to end the right to abortion in Kansas by voting “yes” or preserve the right by voting “no.”

Voters showed up in unforeseen numbers in urban areas of the state, while rural areas underperformed compared with turnout in the presidential race two years ago.

Passage of the constitutional amendment would have nullified the Kansas Supreme Court ruling and given the Legislature the authority to pass any kind of abortion restriction, without exceptions for rape, incest or a patient’s health. The amendment’s defeat means abortion will continue to be legal — and heavily regulated — in Kansas.

The election sent shock waves throughout other states considering action on abortion restrictions, including neighboring states like Nebraska where the possibility of a special session on the matter has been looming.

For the full article click HERE

NEBRASKA LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATE WITHDRAWS FROM RACE, LEAVING RIVAL UNOPPOSED IN NOVEMBER

LINCOLN- Nebraska legislative candidate Edward Dunn withdrew his candidacy for a seat representing District 44 in southwest Nebraska in early July, according to a Secretary of State official. ​​​​

Dunn was seeking to replace State Sen. Dan Hughes of Venago, who is term-limited and cannot seek reelection. He came in a distant second in the May primary, trailing Teresa Ibach by a 13,108 to 4,110 margin.

Ibach will now be the only name listed on the November ballot for the District 44 seat.

In a Facebook post on Dunn’s campaign page, he said he was pulling out because he could not “in good faith” continue asking for donations because of the current economic crisis. He said he hopes to continue being involved in public engagement moving forward.

“I am not going away, just hitting the pause button right now,” Dunn said in the Facebook post.

The deadline to withdraw was August 1st. Dunn is the only candidate in the legislative races to withdraw.

For the full article click HERE

VOTERS IN LIMBO: WHO'S IN 1ST? WHAT'S IN 2ND? AND, 3RD, I DON'T KNOW WHICH HOUSE MEMBER TO CALL

WAHOO- A mixture of the unique special election between Patty Pansing Brooks and victor Mike Flood combined with a once a decade redistricting has caused some confusion for some voters.

Voters in Saunders County have been considered to be in the 1st district since the 1960s, but until January voters have no say as to who represents them in congress.

To the east, Papillion and La Vista voters did get to vote in the special election, but cannot receive help with any federal issues from Mike Flood whom they helped vote in.

More than 75,000 Nebraskans were moved out of the states 1st district following the redistricting that was drafted in 2021. This change has left many confused as to who is representing them and who they can turn to for help.

Fortenberry’s resignation came too late to hold the special election as part of the May primary, because ballots had already been printed and sent out. But the resignation came too early, under state law, to wait for the November election to fill the seat for the rest of the year.

The combined result changed the House district boundaries in a way that left tens of thousands of voters in no-man’s land, including residents in parts of Saunders, Sarpy, Burt, Otoe, Thurston, Dixon, Washington and Polk Counties.

For the full article click HERE

PANSING BROOKS POINTS TO MILLION-DOLLAR HOUSE CAMPAIGN FUNDING SUPPORT

LINCOLN- Patty Pansing Brooks said her campaign has passed the million-dollar fundraising mark after her close battle with Republican Mike Flood of Norfolk in a June 28 special election that sent Flood to Congress to fill eastern Nebraska's 1st District House seat.

While Americans are struggling with inflation, Pansing Brooks said, "Washington politicians won't stop the grenade-launching" and focus on issues important to their constituents.

Pansing Brooks, who lost to Flood by 6,234 votes in the special election last month, said she has raised $1,040,172 in campaign funds as of July 18. Rep. Mike Flood raised $1,369,791 during that same time period.

Pansing Brooks reported $353,995 in cash on hand; Flood reported $47,434.

The general election in November will determine who holds the House seat for the next two-year term, beginning in January.

Democrats have not held the 1st District House seat since Clair Callan of Odell won a single term in 1964.

For the full article click HERE

CANDIDATES SPENT OVER $2 MILLION DURING NEBRASKA LEGISLATIVE PRIMARIES

LINCOLN- Nebraska legislative candidates put twice as much money into their primary election campaigns this year as colleagues did just a decade earlier.

2020 still hold the record for spending, partially because it was a presidential election year according to experts.

Campaign spending in Nebraska legislative races has taken an upward turn since 2012, when the Nebraska Supreme Court tossed out the state’s Campaign Finance Limitation Act. The act had used incentives to encourage candidates to abide by voluntary spending limits.

That year, legislative candidates spent a combined $1.11 million for the May primary, according to the analysis. At $2.19 million, this year’s total was nearly double the amount in 2012 but well below the $2.48 million total from two years ago.

The same pattern holds for average spending. A decade ago, legislative candidates spent an average of $15,574 on the primary election. For this year, the average was $33,642, but it was $41,321 two years ago.

This year, Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte poured $159,232 into his bid to keep the seat that Gov. Pete Ricketts appointed him to fill in February. The total includes $70,000 of his own money — a $30,000 donation and $40,000 worth of loans.

For the full article click HERE

DOUGLAS COUNTY TO START SENDING MAIL-IN BALLOT APPLICATIONS FOR NOVEMBER ELECTION

OMAHA- Some Douglas County voters will receive early voting ballot applications for the November general election beginning this week, but the applications will look different from years past.

The only difference in this years ballots is the color. Due to a shortage, the applications will be white instead of green.

In order to receive a mail in ballot, voters must first fill out an early ballot application. Those applications must be returned by October 28th.

But the process for obtaining an application depends on the county a voter lives in. That’s because some counties keep lists of voters who prefer to vote early and automatically send them applications, while others keep no such list and require that voters seek out an application each election.

Douglas County keeps an early voting request list. By checking a box on the early voting application, voters there can be added to a list and will automatically be mailed an application before each election. The application must be completed each election to receive an early ballot.

For the full article click HERE

CHARLES HERBSTER CAN ADD TO DEFAMATION LAWSUIT BUT CAN'T MUZZLE SLAMA LAWYER, JUDGE RULES

OMAHA- A judge has ruled that former gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster will be allowed to add more examples to an ongoing defamation lawsuit against State Sen. Julie Slama.

Lawyers for Sen. Slama will now have to wait for the Herbster updates before deposing Herbster for a separate counter lawsuit.

Johnson County District Judge Rick Schreiner resolved those issues and more from a June hearing in a two-page ruling involving dueling lawsuits between Herbster and Slama. Herbster sued Slama after she and seven other women alleged that he groped them. Slama countersued, alleging that he had sexually battered and defamed her.

Schreiner also ruled that Herbster cannot muzzle Slama’s attorney from defending her publicly.

Schreiner ruled that Herbster’s deposition could wait for the amended lawsuit. One issue not resolved in the latest ruling is whether Herbster could be sanctioned for missing his first deposition date in May.

Herbster’s legal team has filed motions seeking to limit the scope of Slama’s subpoenas. Both sides have been negotiating, at the judge’s urging, a narrower range of documents.

For the full article click HERE

GOOGLE AIMS TO HELP NEBRASKA'S DEMAND FOR CONSTRUCTION WORKERS

OMAHA- Google announced a partnership with the Nebraska chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors that will provide pre-apprentice training to high school seniors and recent graduates.

The building and contractors group is to supply teachers, job shadow experiences and career fairs for the Construction 101 Certification Program, which is to be based at training centers in Omaha, Lincoln and possibly Council Bluffs.

The Google funds are to cover tuition and book costs, transportation, child care and meals. Students are to receive a $300 stipend upon completion of the program that introduces them to foundational skills needed to land a job in the construction industry during an era of record demand for workers.

Nebraska employment data shows the state with its lowest unemployment rate ever.

The latest state data shows that private industries with the most job growth during the last month were leisure and hospitality and construction.

For the full article click HERE

NEBRASKA SEEKING APPLICANTS FOR $700 MILLION IN ARPA GRANTS

LINCOLN — The State of Nebraska is seeking applicants for more than $700 million worth of grants to help the state and local economies recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

$1.04 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) flooded into the state and the Nebraska Department of Economic Development was charged with distributing $723 million of those funds.

On July 26, the DED announced that applications will be open for the first round of programs in September, with additional funding opportunities continuing through the fall of 2024.

The funds allocated via ARPA, a Biden administration initiative, must be used by 2026.

“The State is dedicated to using federal ARPA funds to strengthen Nebraska,” said Gov. Pete Ricketts in a press release. “Our goal is to allocate available funds efficiently, fairly, and transparently for the maximum benefit of Nebraskans.”

DED has already awarded about $115 million in so-called “shovel-ready” projects by nonprofits that were disrupted by the pandemic.

For the full article click HERE

SEN. TOM BREWER IS RETURNING FROM UKRAINE, HOPES TO URGE SWIFTER TRANSPORT OF U.S. AID

KYIV- State Sen. Tom Brewer is on his way back from a personal, fact-finding mission in Ukraine with a new appreciation of the passion of Ukrainians to repel and defeat the Russian invasion.

Brewer said he plans to generate a 40- to- 50-page “trip report” to present to Nebraska’s U.S. senators on his observations of the humanitarian needs in Ukraine and how to help the country win the war.

That report, he hopes, will find its way to the U.S. Department of State, which he said, should be doing what he’s been doing but isn’t.

“We need our embassy to do what the embassy needs to be doing,” Brewer said. “Right now, it’s a big void.”

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said that operations at the embassy have been limited, with officials working remotely, but that the embassy engages with “partners in the field” to ensure aid is reaching the right recipients.

One asset that has been helpful, he said, is a precision-guided, U.S. rocket system, the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), that the Ukrainians have used to take out regional headquarters and ammunition dumps. But only half of the 12 sent by the U.S. are “on the ground.”

“I honestly believe if you gave them 50 of those, they’d take back the land they lost,” Brewer said.

For the full article click HERE

STATE HEADED FOR ANOTHER SHOWDOWN OVER WAGES PAID FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS

LINCOLN — The state is headed for another battle over adequate pay for law enforcement officers.

The union representing Nebraska State Troopers will begin bargaining with the state in September over a new labor contract. They maintain that troopers' salaries are far behind the pay for police officers and county deputies in the state.

According to authorities, the pandemic and the negative impressions of police following the in-custody death of George Floyd in 2020 have led to what some label a "crisis" in recruiting new officers. The union representing the troopers cites the lack of a new talent pool as another reason to increase pay.

Starting pay for Nebraska state troopers is $51,105 a year, or $24.57 an hour. That is about $6 an hour less than what new police officers are paid in Lincoln and Papillion and $5 an hour less than the pay for new Omaha police officers.

Altogether, at least 14 law enforcement agencies in Nebraska have higher starting pay than the State Patrol, according to the State Law Enforcement Bargaining Council.

Even state corrections officers earn higher starting salaries than state troopers: $58,240 a year.

“Our starting wage is not competitive with the labor market in Nebraska that they need to be competitive with. Not even close,” said Gary Young, the attorney for the bargaining council.

For the full article click HERE

DOWNED TREES, DEEP RAVINES AMONG OBSTACLES FOR HIKE-BIKE TRAIL LINKING OMAHA AND LINCOLN

ELMWOOD- Some eyebrows shot up this spring in the Nebraska Legislature when lawmakers approved $8.3 million to complete eight miles of crushed-limestone, bike-hike trail to link recreation trails coming from Omaha and Lincoln.

A recent drive down the proposed route for the trail proved that installing the trail is going to be no easy feat.

Huge downed trees blocked the route at one point, as did head-high weeds. Nearby is an old bridge from the abandoned Rock Island Railroad line. A proposed trail would either have to go under it or on it, or the timber bridge would have to be removed.

Deep ravines and high dirt banks rimmed other portions of the trail.

The link would realize a longtime dream of trail enthusiasts — a continuous trail between the state’s largest cities — and give Nebraska another completed segment on a cross-country bike trail, the Great American Rail Trail.

“We’re finally going to get it done,” said Marie Gregoire of Murdock, a member of the Mo-Pac Alliance, a group of Cass County residents and trail enthusiasts promoting the trail.

For the full article click HERE

NEBRASKA LAWMAKERS DOUBT LIKELIHOOD OF SPECIAL SESSION TO DEBATE ABORTION RESTRICTIONS

LINCOLN - One month after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Gov. Pete Ricketts has yet to give any indication that he will call for a special session to debate further abortion restrictions in Nebraska, leading some lawmakers to doubt it will happen at all.

Following a leaked draft opinion indicating the high court was prepared to strike down the 1973 ruling that established nationwide abortion rights, Speaker of the Legislature Mike Hilgers said he would work with the governor to call a special session.

Ricketts, however, said he would wait for the court's official opinion before making a decision. Following the June 24 final ruling, the governor announced he would speak with Hilgers about what abortion policies could pass in the Legislature.

Since then, Ricketts has kept quiet and held back from commenting on the probability of a special session.

Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh, an abortion rights supporter who opposes a special session, said she was surprised that one was not immediately called upon the official announcement.

Cavanaugh now believes that a special session is "less likely than not," but she is "prepared to go at any time," she said.

For the full article click HERE

LPS WILL NOT REQUIRE MASKS TO BEGIN SCHOOL YEAR, BUT WILL USE 'TARGETED' PHILOSOPHY

LINCOLN - As it stands now, there will be no universal masking requirements at Lincoln Public Schools when students return next month.

Instead, a "targeted model" will be used to start the school year, according to Superintendent Paul Gausman on Tuesday, July 26. This entails making decisions on a building-by-building basis.

Officials do not have a specific number of COVID-19 cases in a classroom, program, or building that triggers mask requirements according to the Director of Communications Mindy Burbach.

Instead, LPS works with the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department to examine each outbreak individually.

Gausman said the masking question is the issue he hears most often from parents and staff. He says the district's goal is to keep schools open while following the science and data.

"This is not something that should be political," he said. "I want you to know that we have guiding priorities for this challenge. We aren't going to make a decision based on the passion of an email."

LPS is expected to release more details on its pandemic procedures for the 2022-23 school year later this week.

August 15 is the first day of school for LPS students.

For the full article click HERE

NEBRASKA'S AG JOINS SUIT OVER LGBTQ SCHOOL GUIDANCE

LINCOLN- More than 20 Republican attorneys general, including Nebraska's Doug Peterson, filed a lawsuit against President Joe Biden's administration over a Department of Agriculture school meal program that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The challenge, led by Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery, claims that the federal government is attempting to force states and schools to follow antidiscrimination requirements that “misconstrue the law.”

The coalition of attorneys general are hoping for a similar result to a separate challenge from earlier this month when a Tennessee judge temporarily barred two federal agencies from enforcing directives issued by Biden's administration that extended protections for LGBTQ people in schools and workplaces.

The judge sided with the attorneys general, ruling that the directives infringed on states’ right to enact laws, such as banning students from participating in sports based on their gender identity or requiring schools and businesses to provide bathrooms and showers to accommodate transgender people.

“This case is, yet again, about a federal agency trying to change law, which is Congress’ exclusive prerogative,” Slatery said in a statement.

For the full article click HERE

BLOMSTEDT: AS PANDEMIC WANES, NEBRASKA SCHOOLS SHOULD AVOID SLIPPING INTO OLD NORMAL

LINCOLN- With the pandemic waning, it’s time for Nebraska schools to “restore normal,” but that doesn’t mean just returning to the old ways of doing things, Commissioner of Education Matt Blomstedt told a gathering of state education leaders.

In his message to leaders, Blomstedt said that before the pandemic, schools were experiencing unacceptable achievement gaps based on race, ethnicity, poverty and special needs.

He said he doesn’t want to return to that point and re-establish the practices that entrench that as normal. Blomstedt said that when floods, fires and tornadoes strike, people don’t just rebuild but try to rebuild better.

“We have to be unusual and, quite frankly, we just have to figure out a way that we’re going to grow and get better together.”

Blomstedt said he is excited that Legislative Resolution 335, passed in the last session, set a target for postsecondary education and training goals for young Nebraskans.

In the resolution, state lawmakers set a state goal of having at least 70% of 25- to 34-year-old Nebraskans having a degree, certificate, diploma, or other postsecondary or industry-recognized credential with economic value by 2030.

For the full article click HERE

15 STATES BACK NEBRASKA AG'S EFFORT TO PROTECT PETITION PROCESS FROM FEDERAL COURTS

LINCOLN- Attorneys general from 15 conservative-led states filed a brief this week backing Nebraska’s legal fight to save a state constitutional requirement that people petitioning a measure onto the ballot must gather signatures from much of the state.

The brief was filed in a federal civil rights lawsuit brought May 16 by Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana and ACLU Nebraska against Secretary of State Bob Evnen, arguing that the state’s geographic requirement dilutes the “one man, one vote” value of signatures of urban Nebraskans by giving more weight to signatures from rural Nebraskans.

The 15 states argue that federal judges have a limited role in reviewing “state-created systems” governing elections. States make similar arguments to defend gerrymandering, the ability of states to draw political boundaries to political advantage.

The states in the brief argue that Nebraska’s requirement can be met legally. The brief questions whether a lower court had the legal right to enjoin the requirement without showing practical difficulties that the requirement created for the initiative process.

The states backing Nebraska’s case are Arkansas, Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah and West Virginia.

For the full article click HERE