GOV. PILLEN APPOINTS BRYAN McQUAY TO NINTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT JUDGESHIP

LINCOLN- Earlier this week, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen announced his appointment of Bryan McQuay of Alma as a county court judge in the Ninth Judicial District of Nebraska. That district includes Hall and Buffalo counties. McQuay has actively practiced law in rural Nebraska for the past 24 years. He has served as a county attorney in Harlan, Kearney, and Phelps counties and operates the private practice of Person & McQuay in Alma.

McQuay’s legal experience covers a variety of areas including juvenile issues, criminal and civil law, real estate and personal injury. He has served as a special prosecutor in Adams, Buffalo, Franklin, Furnas, Phelps, and Webster counties. McQuay holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Nebraska --Lincoln. He earned a juris doctor from the University of Nebraska College of Law.

The McQuay appointment is a unique one as he is the first judge in this new position. McQuay fills a judicial position created by amendments to Neb. Rev. Stat. §24-503 (Laws 2023, LB799) establishing a fifth county court judge. That new seat will become effective September 1, 2023.

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SENATOR DEB FISCHER SECURES FUNDING FOR CRITICAL NEBRASKA TRANSPORTATION IN UPCOMING BILL

KEARNEY- Senator Deb Fischer says she's secured 45 million dollars to fund critical Nebraska transportation in an upcoming Transportation bill. If passed this bill will provide funding for highway construction, more modern airports in Nebraska and also water and energy needs. These projects will each receive millions of dollars to improve what they have to offer.

The assistant city manager of the City of Kearney, Brenda Jensen, noted the funding would help with the Kearney Regional Airport and expressed her thanks to Sen. Fischer. "We really appreciate Senator Fischer's support for the state of Nebraska and the city of Kearney. Specifically, she's always willing to support transportation.

In this regard, it's going to be for our airport to ensure that we have safe access, logistics and safety, really just improvements at the airport. So it is crucial and we really appreciate her support to submit that on the Senate and House," said Jensen. It is also estimated that the Nebraska Department of Transportation would be getting over 12 million dollars.

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NEBRASKA STATE SEN. TOM BREWER CALLS LATEST HUMANITARIAN MISSION TO UKRAINE MOST DANGEROUS

LINCOLN- State Sen. Tom Brewer has returned safely to Nebraska after spending a month on the front lines of the war with Russia.

He said his latest trip to Ukraine was more dangerous than the other two trips he's been on. "It was a more violent war than any of the other trips. We were under fire a lot," Brewer said. Brewer arrived right as Ukrainian forces began to push Russian troops back near their border.

Brewer helped deliver first aid kits, supplies and radios to a network of pastors on the front lines. "The tragic situation is it's so heart-wrenching to see some of it, but it's also refreshing to see their spirit to continue and want to win this because for them to have a future, they have to win the war," Brewer said. Multiple places that Brewer visited are now leveled by Russian missile attacks.

Brewer said the Ukrainian forces equipped with NATO weapons were advancing slowly. "It's difficult because the minefields are covered with artillery. So as they're trying to clear the mine, fields are getting hammered with artillery," Brewer said. He said the Ukrainians could be better aided by longer-range missiles and aircraft. He said the Ukrainians are grateful and are doing what they can, including using cheap drones with bombs attached.

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NEBRASKA CIVIL RIGHTS PANEL SETS PUBLIC FORUM ON COVID-19's IMPACT ON K-12 EDUCATION

LINCOLN- A civil rights panel is seeking in-person comment in August regarding the effects of COVID-19 on K-12 education in Nebraska, with a focus on the digital divide and mental health. The Nebraska Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is following up a duo of virtual briefings this month with an in-person forum Aug. 9 in Lincoln. Students, teachers and other stakeholders are asked to describe their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and what areas are still in need of support.

Committee Chair Nikitah Imani, a professor of Black Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, noted the committee has heard from subject matter experts so far and now has invited the public to engage. “We need to hear the stories of directly impacted individuals in order to ensure that the recommendations we develop are relevant to current needs,” he said in a news release.

The Aug. 9 forum will be at Embassy Suites Lincoln, 1040 P St., in Room Regents B from 1-4 p.m. The event will be transcribed and recorded for the public record. Written testimony will be accepted until Sept. 11 and can be sent to Victoria Moreno at vmorena@usccr.gov. People wishing to speak can sign up the day of the forum.

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WITH PROPERTY VALUATIONS SKYROCKETING, PILLEN APPOINTS 'WORKING GROUP' TO CONSIDER REFORMS

LINCOLN- With recent valuations of homes skyrocketing, and farmers still smarting over a steep rise in agricultural land values, Gov. Jim Pillen is forming a “working group” to look at reforming the state’s property valuation system. It might lead to caps on valuation increases, or automatic “rate rollbacks” of property tax increases when valuations spike. It might also lead to a proposed change in the state constitution, said Kenny Zoeller, who heads the Governor’s Policy Research Office.

“We’re kind of opening the hood and allowing all ideas to be brought to the table,” Zoeller said, with a goal of introducing legislation in 2024. “The governor has some initial ideas,” he added. “His hope is that we can work with the counties and state senators and other interested parties to come to a unified solution.” Property valuations have been on the rise due to the increase in prices of homes and land.

This year, the cost of farm and ranch land rose 14% across the state, to a new record high. Valuations of homes for property tax purposes, meanwhile, have risen dramatically as well. The increases varied between 10% and 30% in Lincoln, and rose an average of 12.7% in Douglas County. Pillen, in a press release, called such increases “reckless” and an “unbearable burden.”

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NEBRASKA UNEMPLOYMENT RATE HOLDS STEADY AS ONE OF THE LOWEST IN THE NATION

LINCOLN- Nebraska’s unemployment rate has held steady at 1.9%, tying with Vermont for the third lowest rate in the nation. The Nebraska Department of Labor released preliminary data for June last week, with Nebraska’s rate remaining the same from May at the same time. The rate is down 0.3% since June 2022. The national unemployment rate is 3.6%, dropping 0.1% over the month.

New Hampshire and South Dakota edged Nebraska and Vermont for the lowest unemployment rates, tying at 1.8%. This is according to seasonally adjusted, preliminary data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. New Hampshire and South Dakota were tied with Nebraska for the lowest national rates last month based on May 2023 data. John Albin, Nebraska’s labor commissioner, said this is the second consecutive month for a new high in filled jobs, largely attributed over the month to increases in the Omaha metropolitan area.

Today, Nebraska’s labor force includes 1,062,783 people — 1,042,324 employed workers and 20,458 people who are unemployed but seeking employment. A few private industries saw growth from month to month, such as leisure and hospitality (up 3,455 jobs), mining and construction (up 1,833 jobs) and trade, transportation and utilities (up 1,457 jobs).

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NEBRASKA PREPARES $405 MILLION BROADBAND EFFORT AS 70,000 PLACES LACK FAST INTERNET

LINCOLN- If you lack internet or have slow speeds in your area of Nebraska, now is the time to let the state know. State officials want to verify the accuracy of their statewide broadband coverage map before awarding $405 million in federal grants to bring fast broadband or wireless internet to those areas. State officials have identified 70,000 unserved businesses, commercial buildings, apartments, houses or other structures.

Patrick Redmond, deputy director of the state's new Broadband Office, said he doesn't want to learn of gaps in coverage after the money's awarded. “The reason that this is important, that we go through this challenge process, is because this is how it’s going to update our map, to make our maps accurate, such that when we’re breaking out the $405 million it’s all going to the right place," Redmond said.

The Nebraska Broadband Office will be producing an interactive version of its map into which people can type in their address and see what the government says their availability is. The state's plan is to deploy the interactive map in late July or early August. The state has not yet set a deadline for reporting challenges. There will be a 90-day notice of the deadline, they said. Broadband is needed across the state, officials say, for telehealth, education, jobs, shopping, entertainment and agriculture.

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MORE CANDIDATES ANNOUNCE RUNS FOR LEGISLATURE

LINCOLN- Sarah Centineo, a nurse, attorney and two-term Bellevue school board member, has announced plans to run for the Nebraska Legislature. Centineo, a Democrat, is seeking the District 45 seat now held by State Sen. Rita Sanders of Bellevue. The district encompasses portions of Bellevue, Offutt Air Force Base, and La Platte. Sen. Sanders has yet to confirm if she will seek reelection. 

Allie French of Prague also announced her candidacy for District 23. French is a leader with Nebraskans Against Government Overreach, a conservative grassroots organization, and the owner of Anglers Allie, a live bait shop near Czechland Lake. She said she is running for the Legislature because “we need strong patriots willing to boldly stand for truth, even if they face standing alone.” 

In District 41, Nadine Bane has announced a bid for term-limited Sen. Tom Briese's seat. Bane currently serves as the vice chairman of the Greeley County GOP. The district encompasses Greeley, Howard, Valley, Wheeler, Boone, Sherman and the northern portions of Hall and Buffalo Counties. She describes herself as a “Ronald Reagan conservative Republican". Finally, for the District 31 seat, Mary Ann Folchert, a former educator, intends to challenge the newly-appointed Sen. Kathleen Kauth, saying that "political polarization threatens the good life" and that Nebraskans need "sensible, diligent, and open-minded lawmakers." 

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NEBRASKA GEARING UP TO DISTRIBUTE $48 MILLION IN DELAYED RENTAL AID

LINCOLN- Some Nebraskans struggling to pay their rent may get a hand this fall, thanks to delayed federal pandemic aid and a change of policy in the Governor’s Office. Recently, Gov. Jim Pillen accepted $48.2 million of federal emergency rental assistance money that former Gov. Pete Ricketts refused to take. Now the state must prepare an application and disruption system that most states already have in place.

Shannon Harner, executive director of the Nebraska Investment Financing Authority, said the money will be available to help renters in all but Douglas and Lancaster Counties, she said. Those counties, plus Omaha and Lincoln, got their share of aid directly from the federal government last year. People in Nebraska’s 91 other counties had been left to go without the help, which represented the second round of emergency rental assistance offered to the state.

Ricketts repeatedly refused to take the money, even vetoing a bill that would have required him to apply for it. He argued that the COVID-19 emergency was over and the state’s strong economy did not warrant accepting federal aid. Pillen has taken a different stance, arguing that the state should make use of federal dollars to help lift up the working poor.

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INTERIM LEGISLATIVE STUDY SEEKS TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH NEBRASKA LAND IS FOREIGN-OWNED

LINCOLN- According to an annual federal report on "foreign holdings" in Nebraska, around 791,000 acres of urban and rural, industrial and agricultural land was owned by foreign entities in 2022. To put that number into perspective, that's around twice the size of Omaha, Nebraska's largest city. To address that staggering number, Sen. Steve Halloran introduced an interim study, which will be held on September 15th, to touch on the issues of food security, U.S. sovereignty, and growing anxiety about the reach and influence of China.

"We're just trying to get a little more clarity on the issue," said Halloran, "to see how much foreign ownership there really is. The more clarity, the better." The topic of foreign ownership of Nebraska's land seems to be a hot-button issue for a slew of local legislators, as twenty-eight of the Unicameral's 49 representatives signed on to the study. The text of the interim study cites the federal data directly, and suggests that foreign ownership of land has increased 10-fold over the past ten years, from about 34,000 acres in 2010 to 690,000 in 2020.

Halloran said that his reason for introducing such a study was the recent 300-acre land purchase made by a Chinese-owned corn processing company near a military base in North Dakota last year. "I think most all Nebraskans would have some level of anxiety if it got out of hand," said the Senator. John Hansen, of the Nebraska Farmers Union, agrees with the intent of the study, saying that local farmers don't like "big anything" coming and out-competing with Nebraskans for crucial farmland. More detailed data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, however, indicates that a substantial portion of foreign holdings relate to wind farms, and only one occurrence of land purchasing in Nebraska was actually related in any way to China.

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DUAL NEBRASKA HEARING AND FORUM ON SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING ARE SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY

LINCOLN- Nebraska lawmakers are set to come back for their first interim study since the end of the most recent legislative session two months ago this upcoming Monday. On the agenda: social-emotional learning. The Education Committee will consider three interim studies introduced by Sen. Dave Murman, the committee's chairman, looking at issues relating to parental involvement in education, the Department of Education's use of Covid-19 relief funds, and social-emotional learning in K-12 schools.

Following years of backlash against critical race theory and comprehensive sex education, Monday's hearing may feature a new concept for many in the form of social-emotional learning, which, according to the Nebraska Department of Education, is the process for children and adults to "understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships and make responsible decisions." Murman claimed that the concept has become a "buzzword," and seeks to consider its role in comparison to the "basics," like reading, writing, and math.

Monday's hearing will feature testimony from eight speakers, but will not be open to public comment. This move has prompted Sens. Machaela and John Cavanaugh, Terrell McKinney, Carol Blood, and Megan Hunt to hold a separate public forum with the intention of allowing public comment on the issue of social-emotional learning following the committee's hearing.

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KRISTEN HASSEBROOK NAMED CHIEF UNIVERSITY LOBBYIST

LINCOLN- University of Nebraska System President Ted Carter announced today that he has named Kristen Hassebrook, a Nebraska attorney with more than a decade of experience in advocacy and policy at the local, state and federal levels, as NU’s new chief lobbyist and associate vice president for government relations.

Hassebrook, currently an associate at Mueller Robak LLC, a lobbying and government relations firm in Lincoln, will begin her university role on Aug. 16. As associate vice president, Hassebrook will report to Carter and will oversee engagement with local, state and federal officials in the Office of the President and across the NU system’s four campuses.

Before joining Mueller Robak, Hassebrook was executive vice president for legislation and policy for the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where she lobbied on behalf of Nebraska businesses, gaining expertise in issues related to taxation, business incentives, labor and employment law, and manufacturing. She also served as vice president for legal and regulatory affairs for the Nebraska Cattlemen, where she lobbied policy stakeholders on issues of importance to beef producers.

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OFFICIALS REITERATE THAT NEBRASKA ELECTIONS DON'T HAVE WIDESPREAD FRAUD

LINCOLN- On Tuesday morning, two Nebraska election officials were given the chance to testify before the Lancaster County Board and defend the integrity of the state's election process, which has come under fire after countless allegations of voter fraud were voiced by citizens. Lancaster County Election Commissioner Todd Wiltgen and Nebraska Deputy Secretary of State Wayne Bena told the Board that there has been no evidence of widespread voter fraud in any of the state's recent elections. Bena added that at least one ballot from every precinct was tested by an election worker prior to the election.

The Deputy Secretary of State also testified that a randomly-selected number of ballots are hand-counted and checked during each election, and that, out of 48,292 checked during the 2022 election, only 11 had discrepancies, an error rate of roughly .0002%. Also explained in detail to the board was how Nebraska's voting machines work. "Each one of our machines that count ballot, let me be clear, are not connected to the internet at any point," said Bena, "They have no wireless capability, they have no Bluetooth capability."

Once ballots are counted, the two elections officials explained, the data from the voting machines is placed on a military-grade encrypted USB drive, which is then placed into an "air-gapped" computer, which does not have the capability to connect to the internet. Bena and Wiltgen also spoke on the integrity of Nebraska's mail-in ballot system, saying they are doubtful of allegations that some Nebraskans received more than one. Despite this, many citizens, during the public comment period, stated that they still believe voter fraud is occurring in the state.

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PILLEN TOUTS COLLABORATION, IMPORTANCE OF INFRASTRUCTURE AT FREMONT BELTWAY PRODUCTION

FREMONT- On Tuesday, Gov. Jim Pillen visited Fremont to celebrate the collaboration between local officials, businesses, and citizens that helped lead to the construction of the U.S. Highway 77 Fremont Southeast Beltway project. The new freeway segment, located south of the city of Fremont, connects U.S. Highway 77 to U.S. Highway 275, which stretches east of the city. According to city officials, the project has already significantly reduced semitrailer truck traffic around downtown Fremont.

Having just come back from his first international trade mission, Pillen compared Nebraska to the southeast Asian country of Vietnam, saying that the nation lacks similar highway projects needed to expand its economy. "One thing Vietnam doesn't have is infrastructure," said Pillen at the event, "Infrastructure is a really, really big deal. This project is so critical to Fremont, so critical to the growing of Costco, so critical to the growing of Wholestone."

Pillen described the collaboration utilized to complete the project as an "everybody-in" level of cooperation between local and state governments. "Everybody was all on the same team to make sure we go this project finished," he said, "It is really going to be an extraordinary hub." The $62 million project began in 2020, and was only recently completed in May. The Beltway consists of a 3.2-mile long segment of four-lane highway, and was designed to divert traffic away from the city center of Fremont.

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NEBRASKA ATTORNEY GENERAL PUSHES AGAINST EXPANSION OF FEDERAL REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PRIVACY

LINCOLN- Last month, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers joined nearly 20 other Attorneys General in signing a letter opposing a federal rule change related to reproductive health privacy. The proposed change would expand HIPAA's Privacy Rule to prohibit the use and disclosure of protected health information, including reproductive health, "for a criminal, civil, or administrative investigation or proceedings" against those who lawfully provided care, but may have done so to a patient crossing state lines.

The letter, which was written by Mississippi AG Lynn Fitch, urges the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, to drop the proposed HIPAA modification, claiming that President Biden pushed a "false narrative" that states are treating pregnant women as "criminals" or punishing medical personnel for providing care. "Based on this lie, the Administration has sought to wrest control over abortion back from the people in defiance of the Consitution and Dobbs," the letter reads.

AG Mike Hilgers gave a statement on Tuesday regarding the letter, saying that it will help protect the status quo and the balance of power between federal and state governments. "Nothing in the proposed rule justifies upending settled law and creating a carve-out for abortion," said Hilgers in the statement. Scout Richters, senior legal and policy counsel for the ACLU of Nebraska, argued that there is a "simple and chilling motivation behind this letter: keeping the door open for criminalizing people who seek abortions or gender-related care beyond state lines."

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PETITION DRIVE KICKS OFF TO PUT PAID SICK LEAVE ON NEBRASKA BALLOT

LINCOLN- Local advocates and workers announced Tuesday that paperwork had been filed to begin collecting signatures to place a required paid sick leave initiative on the 2024 general election ballot. As of right now, an estimated 250,000 Nebraskans working full-time jobs lack paid sick days. Jo Giles, executive director of the Women's Fund of Omaha and a member of the new group 'Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans,' believes this number is far too high.

"No Nebraskans should have to choose between their paycheck and their health or the health of their family," Giles told a crowd during the announcement of the petition drive, "But thousands of Nebraskans don't get any paid sick days." Jennifer Creager, senior vice president of public policy at the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, said her organization has been expecting such an initiative for quite a while, but that they need more time to review the plan before taking a stance.

"The bigger pushback," said Creager, "is from some of our smaller members. Some are just concerned about covering the work that needs to be done..." The ballot initiative, if passed, would require businesses to offer one hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked by temporary, part-time, or full-time employees. Smaller businesses, those with fewer than 20 employees, would have to provide at least five paid sick days per year for every full-time employee. Sen. Tony Vargas, who is now in the running for Nebraska's 2nd Congressional Seat, lauded the initiative. "This is about giving an option so that people can earn this time, and they're working," he said, "It's good for the economy." Roughly 90,000 valid signatures will need to be collected by July 2024.

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HISTORY NEBRASKA AIMS TO HIGHLIGHT STORIES OF MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES WITH NEW HISTORICAL MARKERS

LINCOLN- A new program introduced by History Nebraska seeks to highlight untold stories and call attention to marginalized communities and individuals across the state using new plaques. The first of these, a plaque recognizing and telling the story of Louis Crompton, a pioneer in gay and gender studies and the first openly gay professor in Nebraska, is already being displayed at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Crompton's marker is one of 40 set to be displayed around the state, which will be erected by the Historical Marker Equity Program. According to Program Director Autumn Langemeier, the history and stories of underrepresented communities in Nebraska are being overshadowed because of a lack of resources. "Communities are expected to fundraise and provide this money themselves," said Langemeier, "which means many times the people that can afford to get these markers for their communities live in much more affluent communities."

Funding for the new plaques came from the Nebraska Legislature's budget, and History Nebraska is also planning on updating ten current plaques. "We've developed a better understanding of the events that happened that are represented, or in some cases, we've there was hearsay or local lore represented as fact," said Langemeier of those ten plaques. A few of the new plaques are will share the stories of contributions made to the state by Japanse and Latino American historical figures.

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NEBRASKA COVID CASES HIT A VALLEY, AND STAYED THERE

LINCOLN- By almost all available measures, Nebraska's Covid-19 infection rates are as low as local health officials have ever seen them, and have seemingly come to a lull as emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and deaths from the virus have decreased significantly over the past few months. "I'm really happy with that, said Dr. Matthew Donahue, Nebraska's state epidemiologist, "Before, we've hit peaks and valleys and then we go back up. We've hit a valley and we've stayed in that valley for quite some time..."

On the national level, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported a small increase in overall emergency visits and test positivity that has been, of late, steadily declining. According to Donahue, Nebraska's lower cases are likely due to immunity conferred by vaccines and past infections. Despite more Nebraskans spending time outdoors, overall disease transmission is far lower compared to past summers.

The southern United States, however, has seen significant summer increases as more people gather indoors to escape the heat. Indeed, Donahue believes Nebraska, as well as the nation at large, is not in the clear just yet. By mid-June, around 550 deaths a week from Covid-19 were still being reported nationally. As new Covid-19 variants continue to emerge, Donahue said he's not seeing any on the horizon that are raising big alarms.

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OPS PARAPROFESSIONALS, OPERATIONS STAFF RECEIVE 2.27% RAISE IN NEW CONTRACT

OMAHA- During Monday night's Omaha Public School Board meeting, it was announced that a new employment contract had been released for school operations staff and paraprofessionals, who will now be receiving a 2.27% pay raise in 2023, a 2.22% raise in 2024, and a further 2.25% raise in 2025. General pay for new employees will also increase to the range of $18.48 to $20.16 per hour next year, and then $18.90 to $20.61 the next.

The significant bumps expected in the second and third years come from the incorporation of the $4,500 retention stipends, which were introduced last year in an attempt to beat the nationwide teacher shortage, into salary schedules. Staffing data for the School District's paraprofessionals is still being created, but with more than 200 paraprofessional positions for the upcoming 2023-24 school year still open, the pay raise will act as an attractive incentive to work for OPS.

Addressing the nationwide paraprofessional shortage, according to University of Nebraska-Lincoln Professor Guy Trainin, is of the utmost importance. "Most school systems are now operating with a fraction of substitute teachers and paraeducators that they need to move forward," said Trainin. Operations staff, including custodians, truck drivers, mechanics, and technicians, will also receive the same increased compensation as paraprofessionals.

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OPENING OF THIRD CASINO IN NEBRASKA PUSHED GAMING RECEIPTS UP SLIGHTLY IN JUNE

LINCOLN- Last month, receipts from gaming taxes, following the opening of Nebraska's third casino in Columbus, rose just over 5%. The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission reported that around $1.35 million in taxes were collected in June, up from $1.29 million collected in May.

However, taxes collected at WarHorse Lincoln and the Grand Island Casino Resort fell 8% and 9.8% respectively from the prior month. Overall, Harrah's Casino in Columbus reported around $179,000 in gaming taxes during its first two weeks of operation in early June. WarHorse generated a heftier amount, bringing in around $764,000, down from $840,951 in May despite the introduction of sports betting.

The Grand Island casino saw a decline from May to June of about $45,000, generating around $414,337 in June. Despite drops in revenue for two of Nebraska's three casinos, Tom Sage, executive director of the Racing and Gaming Commission, said the taxes generated in June remain steady. "We think the numbers have been extremely steady," he said, "There was a small dip, but for the most part we are very consistent year-to-date."

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