OMAHA ARCHDIOCESE GENDER IDENTITY POLICY REVEALS RIFT AMONG PARENTS AND ADVOCATES

OMAHA- Catholic schools under the jurisdiction of the Omaha Archdiocese are under fire for their new gender identity policies. Some are calling the schools “anti-Catholic” and “closed-minded.”

The policies cover the use of pronouns, dress codes and participation in sports, saying those should be determined by biological sex at birth. They also ban “gender-affirming psychotherapy,” use of hormone medications or surgery that runs counter to Catholic tenets on human sexuality.

The archdiocese schools enroll about 19,000 students.

Endorsed by Archbishop George Lucas, the policies address how schools should respond to children experiencing gender dysphoria.

The policy covering employees and volunteers says they shall “not publicly promote, endorse, or condone gender ideology, transgenderism, or any other belief that is contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church.”

“If I as a parent go to the gay pride parade — which I did, in support, because that’s just a human thing to do — and I post about that, then I can be barred from volunteering at the school, from volunteering in the parish, and potentially my children banned from things,” said Candace Towey, who is a member of the St. Cecilia's school board.

Others agree with the new policy. Jesse Scott, a father of two students at Saint Robert Bellarmine Catholic School in Omaha, said he thinks the policy change is a no-brainer.

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NEBRASKA CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION CONDEMNS BIDENS STUDENT LOAN PLAN

LINCOLN- Nebraska’s congressional delegation denounced Biden’s debt forgiveness plan, saying in statements, among other things, it would worsen inflation and shift the burden onto taxpayers. Rep. Don Bacon called the plan “‘robin-hood’ in reverse” while Sen. Deb Fischer called the policy “economically backwards.”

“The President can spin it however he wants with Pell window dressing, but at the end of the day his debt forgiveness scheme forces blue-collar workers to subsidize white-collar graduate students,” Sen. Ben Sasse said. “Instead of demanding accountability from an underperforming higher education sector that pushes so many young Americans into massive debt, the Administration’s unilateral plan baptizes a broken system.”

Jim Pillen, a University of Nebraska regent and the GOP nominee for governor, called Biden’s plan “Big Government Socialism.”

“This decision will hurt everyday Nebraskans by raising our debt, increasing inflation, and incentivizing colleges and universities to raise tuition,” he said.

Under Biden’s plan, borrowers who earn less than $125,000 per year, or families earning less than $250,000, would be eligible for the $10,000 loan forgiveness. Pell Grant recipients would be eligible for loan forgiveness amounts up to $20,000.

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SIGNATURES ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA INITIATIVE PETITIONS TO GET A SECOND LOOK

LINCOLN- The Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office has agreed to take another look at signatures submitted by a group seeking legalization of medical marijuana to determine if they should have been counted.

But the office says that even with a second look, its declaration remains that the initiative petition drive by Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana fell short of the requirements to qualify for a spot on the November ballot.

The Secretary of State’s Office announced earlier this week that the two petitions submitted by the marijuana group had each fallen about 9,000 signatures short of submitting the required 86,776 signatures of registered voters. They were declared to have failed another requirement — to submit signatures from at least 5% of registered voters in 38 of the state’s 93 counties.

Meetings and discussions over the next couple of days led to an agreement that another look would be given to some signatures that had been disqualified, according to Crista Eggers, the campaign coordinator for Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana.

“After analyzing the data from the Secretary of State’s Office, it came to our attention that not all the signatures have been put through the complete validation process.” Eggers said. “We believe that it’s essential that every signature from every Nebraskan be counted.”

She was less sure that the reconsideration would reverse the failure of the petition drive.

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NEBRASKA'S COVID CASE NUMBERS DROP AGAIN

LINCOLN- COVID-19 case numbers dropped in Nebraska for the third straight week, suggesting a new downward trend in the ups and downs of the 2½-year pandemic.

The state reported 2,680 new cases for the week ending August 19th, down about 8.5% from 2,907 the previous week. Cases also were down more than a third from their recent peak of about 4,100 three weeks before, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cases nationally are showing a similar trend, with cases down 12% last week. Only half a dozen states are showing rising numbers.

Hospitalizations for COVID-19 also are coming down. A daily average of 196 Nebraskans were hospitalized last week, down from 199 the previous week.

What’s not yet known is how the start of the school year and the continued emergence of new variants will play out in the coming weeks. Experts predict a rise in COVID-related illness, particularly as people spend more time indoors.

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USDA PLANS 'HISTORIC' FUNDING TO HELP STRUGGLING FARMERS AND DEVELOP NEW AG LEADERS

LINCOLN- The Department of Agriculture has announced that they will distribute $550 million to increase access to land, money, and markets. The money will also help fund educational opportunities for students of higher education institutions that will specifically cater to racial and ethnic minorities.

“The idea here obviously is to enlarge the number of people that are engaged in this very important occupation and calling,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said.

Vilsack noted that the farming community is aging and the time to make a resilient system for the future is now.

The money is coming from a combination of ARPA money and the Inflation Reduction Act. The money will go to underserved farmers, new farmers, low-income farmers, and those of racial and ethnic minorities.

The USDA seeks proposals for projects that are “innovative and help move underserved producers from surviving to thriving.” The application deadline is Oct. 28.

Tom Vilsack also touched on debt relief, university program funding, and internship programs.

For the full article click HERE

NEBRASKA UNEMPLOYMENT TICKS UP AS SEPARATE REPORT RANKS HUSKERS IN TOP 10 STATES FOR LABOR PRODUCTIVITY

OMAHA- According to a preliminary report from the department of labor, Nebraska’s unemployment rate has increased to just above 2%, but still remains the second lowest state in unemployment. 

Another report placed Nebraska within the top 10 states for improved labor productivity over the past decade, with a 17% increase since 2012. 

The manufacturing sector in Nebraska has been especially productive in the past ten years, adding almost 2,800 jobs in that time. In other sectors, almost one million people have been employed since August of last year. 

Nationally, unemployment has been down since last year, but still hasn’t been able to revert to pre-pandemic levels. This July, national unemployment was sitting at 3.5%, while last summer’s number was closer to 5.4%. 

Nebraska’s efforts to bounce back from the Covid-19 pandemic have been rather incredible considering the circumstances, and our rankings in unemployment and productivity reflect this.

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AFTER FAILED INITIATIVE, SENATOR PLEDGES TO INTRODUCE BILL TO LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA

LINCOLN- State Sen. Jen Day pledged to introduce a bill in the 2023 legislative session to legalize medical marijuana.

The senator said the failure of the petition drive will leave many families without an effective way to treat chronic pain and epileptic seizures.

“We will exhaust every measure possible to get Nebraskans the medical freedom they deserve and want,” said Day, who represents a district in Gretna and suburban Sarpy County.

Past efforts in the Nebraska Legislature to legalize medical marijuana have failed, which has convinced advocates to seek another route via the initiative petition process. Advocates have said they will launch another petition drive after validating the failure of this year’s effort.

The 2023 legislative session begins on January 4th, 2023.

In the past, Senator Anna Wishart has led the medical marijuana movement in the Nebraska Legislature. Senator Wishart is no longer a part of the body, many believe Senator Day will assume the role of lead advocate for the initiative on the floor of the legislature.

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NEARLY $17.5 MILLION IN GRANTS AWARDED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS IN NEBRASKA

LINCOLN- The state of Nebraska will see more housing being built as the state will share $17.5 million in state housing grants. The Nebraska Department of Economic Development announced the news on August 24th.

The grants, which are annual awards from the 26-year-old Nebraska Affordable Housing Trust Fund, will help develop 381 housing units, both rental and single-family owned, as well as aid housing rehabilitation and provide financial help for first-time homebuyers.

Lynn Kohout, DED’s director of housing, said that providing good housing is a “catalyst for business and community development” in rural and urban areas of the state.

The money has been awarded to over 40 companies and projects across the state. The money will be seen from Omaha to Scottsbluff and everywhere in between according to Lynn Kohout.

The programs that were awarded funds can be found by clicking HERE

For the full article click HERE

NEBRASKA VOTERS COULD WEIGH IN ON NEW VOTER ID LAWS THIS NOVEMBER

LINCOLN- Come November, Nebraska voters may be deciding whether the state will adopt newly proposed voter ID requirements.

Over the summer, groups supporting the initiative submitted about 170,000 signatures to the Nebraska secretary of state to get the constitutional question in front of voters.

The secretary of state is reviewing and verifying those signatures to ensure they meet the requirements. The state requires groups to gather signatures from 7% of all registered voters and from 5% of registered voters in at least 38 of Nebraska’s 93 counties.

If both requirements are met, Nebraskans will see the initiative on the November ballot.

"We are doing this to make sure that not only do elections in Nebraska stay free and fair, but to ensure voters have confidence in our election process," says Nebraska's Citizens for Voter ID.

If the amendment is on the ballot and is passed, Nebraska would join 35 other states that currently require some form of identification at the polls.

This is a conversation that has been had on the floor of the legislature but has been shot down multiple times.

For the full article click HERE

NEBRASKA REPUBLICAN PARTY EXCLUSIVELY ENDORSES CHRIS BRUNS FOR LEGISLATURE

NORTH PLATTE- Delegates of the State Central Committee for the Nebraska Republican Party overwhelmingly voted to exclusively endorse Chris Bruns’ race in District 42.

Both District 42 candidates requested the endorsement; however, after the ballot vote from delegates across the state was cast and counted, Bruns was the only candidate to receive the nod of support from the Party.

Chris Bruns is running against current state senator Mike Jacobson. Senator Jacobson was appointed to the legislature earlier this year by Governor Ricketts.

The primary was very close between the two candidates with Bruns polling at 45.44% and Jacobson at 43.79%.

In order to receive an endorsement from the NEGOP, a candidate must garner at least two-thirds of the delegate vote. Bruns received 88%, including 100% of those that represent the 42nd District in the state delegation.

Bruns said, “I was not able to attend the event as I was attending events here in the district, having fun while meeting so many great people, and working hard to earn their trust, respect, and vote. My proven record of controlling spending, lowering taxes, and fighting for our individual liberties and property rights aligns strongly with the NEGOP. I am honored to receive the Party’s endorsement, and grateful that they recognize that I best represent the hard-working people here in West Central Nebraska.

For the full article click HERE

ADVOCATES MIGHT PUSH FOR RECREATIONAL CANNABIS AFTER MEDICAL MARIJUANA DRIVE FAILS

LINCOLN- Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana announced that the next petition drive concerning marijuana may include permitting recreational marijuana.

After both medical marijuana petitions fell short of the November ballot, Christa Eggers, who is leading the project, said there will be discussions about pushing both recreational and medical marijuana.

Recreational marijuana would attract bigger donors and more support than just medical marijuana. Eggers noted that donations and support are vital to the success of the initiative.

“There is nothing off the table about how we get this done,” said Eggers, whose son suffers from up to 100 epileptic seizures a day. “I’m a parent, and I will do whatever it takes, and go to the ends of the Earth, to help my child.”

The Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office said Monday that two petitions submitted by Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana failed to collect the necessary, valid signatures of 86,776 voters and fell short of another requirement — gathering at least 5% of registered voters in 38 of the state’s 93 counties for its two petitions.

For the full article click HERE

VILLAGES OF PAXTON, HERSHEY VOTE TO SEND ABORTION BAN TO NOVEMBER BALLOT

PAXTON- The Village Boards of Paxton and Hershey voted to place an ordinance on the November ballot that would make “performing abortions and abbeting an abortion illegal” within Paxton. Paxton is joining other towns in attempting to outlaw abortion within city-limits, including Arnold, Brady, Curtis, Hershey, Maxwell, Moorefield, Stapleton, Sutherland, Bellevue, and Wallace. 

The effort to outlaw abortion in Paxton was led by resident William Forbes, a pastor at Paxton New Life Lutheran Church. He collected over 138 signatures of support in Paxton. However, the petition circulated by Forbes was not an official citizen initiative, so the Village Board decided to place the ordinance on the November ballot to allow voting-age citizens to choose whether or not to pass it. The measure in Hershey was brought before the village board as a result of a city initiative petition filed by three Hershey residents: Andrea Foster, Julie Larchick, and Myron Larchick. While the residents needed a total of 73 signatures for the initiative, the petitioners were able to obtain a total of 81 signatures.

Mark Lee Dickson, director of Right to Life of East Texas and the founder of Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn Initiative, was in Paxton to celebrate the placing of the ordinance on the ballot. Dickson stated, “While it is always safer, easier, and less attention-drawing for communities to pass the ordinance through a vote of their village board or city council, seeing an ordinance move forward for a vote of the community is progress and progress is all we asked for.”

If passed, the penalty under the Paxton measure for violating the ordinance will be a $500 fine, but the language of the bill also made it clear that “under no circumstance may the penalty be imposed on the mother of the unborn child that has been aborted.”

For more on the Paxton vote click HERE

For more on the Hershey vote click HERE

REPORT SAYS NEBRASKA PRISON STAFF SHORTAGES INCREASED INJURIES FROM FIRE

LINCOLN- A mattress fire at the Lincoln prison ended up sending 4 people to the hospital, critically low staffing could have played a part in the number of injuries.

The report, from the Inspector General of the Nebraska Correctional System, said a Lincoln Correctional Center housing unit for inmates with mental illnesses or a need to be segregated from others was unattended when an inmate started the Oct. 23, 2021, fire.

"Staff were stretched so thin on the day of this fire that they were unable to provide adequate supervision of an area that houses some of the most troubled and troublesome inmates," the report said. "A fire which could have been noticed and addressed almost immediately instead resulted in serious injuries to inmates and staff."

The state nears the top of prison overcrowding and as the number of prisoners goes up, the staff however did not.

According to the Inspector General's report: Only one staff person was assigned to the 32-bed C1 unit the Saturday of the fire and he had left to get a printout from another staff member.

In an Aug. 8 letter, state Corrections Director Scott Frakes accepted the recommendations about fire safety.

For the full article click HERE

FORMER HEAD OF HISTORY NEBRASKA MIGHT HAVE VIOLATED STATE LAW, STATE AUDITOR'S PROBE SAYS

LINCOLN- The former head of History Nebraska might have violated state law in misdirecting $270,000 in funds forwarded to him to help cover losses in revenue caused by COVID-19, the Nebraska State Auditor’s Office said.

Trevor Jones, who resigned as History Nebraska’s director effective July 1, should have deposited the funds, as required by law, with the Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office, said Craig Kubicek, deputy state auditor, in a letter to History Nebraska.

Instead, the funds — requested in 2020 to help the agency weather losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic — were forwarded to a newly formed History Nebraska Foundation and were not utilized for pandemic relief.

The auditor’s letter said that the misdirection of funds could constitute embezzlement, theft or official misconduct and that the matter has been forwarded to law enforcement officials for their review. The case might also be a violation of the Nebraska Political Accountability and Disclosure Act.

“Without such procedures, there is an increased risk for not only waste, misuse, or misappropriation of State funds but also violation of State law,” Kubicek wrote.

The auditor’s letter also raised concerns about the use of History Nebraska’s resources to help set up a private, nongovernmental entity, the History Nebraska Foundation, in 2019 and 2020.

For the full article click HERE

MALCOLM X, LOUISE POUND AND HOWARD HANSON ADVANCED AS CANDIDATES FOR NEBRASKA HALL OF FAME

LINCOLN- Civil rights leader Malcolm X survived the first cut to be inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Fame along with educator/author Louise Pound and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer/director Howard Hanson.

The seven-member State Hall of Fame Committee pared the list of eight nominees to the three finalists after a brief discussion. The commission took testimony about the candidates at public hearings held last month in each of the state’s three congressional districts, and considered written testimony.

A final selection will be made Sept. 12 at a public meeting at the State Capitol.

Pound, an English professor who was a pioneer in linguistic studies and the only woman in University of Nebraska history to letter in a men’s sport, received votes of six of the seven board members, with Malcolm X receiving five and Hanson four.

Every five years the Hall of Fame Commission picks a new inductee into the state Hall, which is located in the State Capitol. A person must be deceased for at least 35 years to be inducted.

There are 26 members of the Hall, including Buffalo Bill, Ponca Chief Standing Bear and Boys Town founder Father Flanagan, but no African-American inductees.

Fifteen years ago, Malcolm X was deemed too controversial to be inducted.

For the full article click HERE

FBI MOVES TO SEIZE BANK DEPOSITS IN ALLEGED $10 MILLION FRAUD OF KANSAS FOSTER CARE PROVIDER

TOPEKA- Federal prosecutors acting on disclosures of a whistleblower moved to seize $700,000 in a civil asset forfeiture case alleging a former information technology employee defrauded Saint Francis Ministries of millions of dollars while the nonprofit was under contract with the state of Kansas to provide foster care and adoption services.

Federal court documents allege William Whymark, owner of WMK Research, ripped off Saint Francis Ministries from January 2018 to July 2021 by exaggerating IT work performed and expenses incurred on behalf of Saint Francis Ministries. The scam purportedly involved fraudulent invoices submitted to the nonprofit organization serving Kansas families in about half the state, court records show.

The state of Nebraska, starting in 2019, also contracted with Saint Francis to oversee its child welfare system. Nebraska officials terminated that contract in December, three years before its end date, saying Saint Francis failed to deliver on a number of obligations.

The recent legal action targeted cash held in three bank accounts controlled by Whymark, who has an opportunity to challenge the seizure in U.S. District Court. The seizure process was initiated with consent of Judge Eric Melgren of the U.S. District Court in Wichita.

An FBI agent said in court filings there was probable cause to believe Whymark, president of WMK Research of Mount Kisco, New York, engaged in a multiyear scheme netting $10.73 million from Saint Francis Ministries.

For the full article click HERE

EFFORT TO INTEREST TEENS IN NEBRASKA HIGH-TECH MANUFACTURING CAREERS AWARDS NEW GRANTS

LINCOLN- Gov.Pete Ricketts, in an attempt to interest more Nebraska teens in manufacturing and health care jobs, handed out two new grants. The grants, which were sent through the Ricketts-launched Developing Youth Talent Initiative, went to the companies MetalQuest and 21st Century Equipment. Each company received a grant equal to $125,000.

Since its establishment in 2015, the Initiative has reached nearly 24,500 students from 66 Nebraska school districts, giving teens the chance to begin careers in IT, manufacturing, and health care.

Tony Goins, director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, said that the state faces a "critical need" for workers, with about 50,000 vacant jobs. Scott Volk of MetalQuest, and Owen Palm of 21st Century Equipment, have nearly 50 vacant positions between the two companies, and each believes that interest in high-tech fields must be sparked in students at a young age.

The Developing Youth Talent Initiative has reportedly increased interest in high-tech careers from 39% to 75% after students at Sandy Creek and Lawrence-Nelson schools were exposed to some of the work being done at MetalQuest. Enrollment in science and technical skills classes has also increased, said Ricketts.

MetalQuest plans to use its grant to purchase new robotic equipment similar to what the company currently uses, and will utilize this to teach students about industrial robotics and coding.

21st Century Equipment will use its grant to construct a new mobile learning lab, which it hopes will inspire more teens to enter the field.

For the full article click HERE

BOB EVNEN TALKS ABOUT RECENT TRADE MISSION TO BULGARIA

LINCOLN- Secretary of State Bob Evnen issued a report detailing his recent trip to Bulgaria, which was financed by the USDA Emerging Markets Program. The focus of this trade mission was to discuss Nebraska's dry edible beans and beef production in an attempt to expand markets in Europe.

Last year, the Nebraska bean industry found itself with a surplus of Great Northern beans, of which Nebraska is the top grower, because of a 25% retaliatory tariff imposed by the EU on dry edible beans. Earlier this year, the tariff was removed, prompting Evnen to seek new trade agreements.

Kelley Bean Company, a large western Nebraska bean processor, was present at the meeting. Pierfrancesco Sportelli, the company's trading manager, met with two major dry bean processors and distributors in Bulgaria.

German Martos, Director of Sales for Lindsay Irrigation, and Dr. Chris Calkins, a Nebraska beef representative and UNL professor, were also present. Calkins presented information about Nebraska beef to several chefs and hospitality managers in the hopes of expanding the market in Bulgaria.

Bob Evnen is hopeful that trade will be expanded in European markets, saying, "We are very happy with the outcomes and look forward to ongoing trade between Nebraska and Bulgaria, and other markets around the world."

This trade meeting was a follow-up to another that took place in Bulgaria in 2019.

For the full article click HERE

GOV. RICKETTS DISCUSSES ABORTION, STEM EDUCATION IN NEBRASKA

Ricketts said he is encouraging Nebraska state senators “to pass whatever restrictions they think they can get the votes to be able to get done.” He said he supports a complete ban, but that the idea was floated to change the current proposal prohibiting abortions starting at 20 weeks to banning abortion at 12 weeks into a woman’s pregnancy.

“Unfortunately, we found out we had a couple of senators who were clearly playing games, who voted for the complete ban and then would not come back and work on a 12-week ban, which was just basically changing our current law from 20 weeks to 12 weeks. So, we clearly had some senators who were not being honest with their constituents on this,” Ricketts said.

The governor added that those senators “will be term-limited out” and encouraged the legislature to “take more steps to protect ‘preborn’ babies again next year.”

Also discussed was how to get more children interested in STEM education: science, technology, engineering, and math.

Ricketts said an increase in enrollment in those courses works to make sure companies can have access to the talent they need to continue to grow in the state.

For the full article click HERE

DOUGLAS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE URGING OMAHA TO INSTALL LICENSE-PLATE READERS

OMAHA- The Omaha City Council debated whether or not to approve a request from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office to build license-plate reading technology throughout the city. The proposal will allow the city to build this license-detecting technology on light poles around the city, but would not allow the Omaha Police to access the data collected by the devices.

A representative from ACLU Nebraska stated that the new system, formally titled the 'Flock Safety System', would collect massive amounts of plate numbers and GPS locations. ACLU Nebraska was against the proposal, claiming that it would collect data even from innocent people and store it in a cloud.

Councilwoman Aimee Melton agreed with the ACLU's sentiment, stating that she fears the new system will chip away at Omaha citizens' personal freedoms.

The Sheriff's Office believes the new technology to be an effective crime-fighting tool, claiming that it has already uncovered "an auto theft ring." The Office had placed 15 cameras around Douglas County as a test, and is planning on placing ten more if the ordinance is passed.

Police Capt. Will Niemack told the council that the system only takes and saves pictures of reported and stolen vehicles, sending an immediate alert to law enforcement. Proponents of the new system argued that the cameras are only pointed at the roadway, and will not be used for sidewalk surveillance.

The ACLU argued against this, claiming that the cameras will not be able to make a distinction between innocent vehicles and the stolen vehicles it is designed to look for. They, along with other opponents of the ordinance, argued that more trial runs should be conducted before the Council makes a decision.

For the full article click HERE