RICKETTS, FISCHER RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT 'OVERSEAS CHINA SERVICE CENTER' IN OMAHA

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Just over seven years ago, Sen. Pete Ricketts, while serving as Governor of Nebraska, helped the Nebraska Chinese Association dedicate a new Chinese cultural center in Omaha. Today, Sen. Ricketts, now serving in Washington, raised concerns that the same group that sponsored and helped construct the center might be acting as a tool for Chinese surveillance of the United States.

Based on this assumption, Ricketts, alongside Sen. Deb Fischer and eight other Republican senators, recently called on the Justice Department to provide answers to reports that suggest that the Chinese government has established "Overseas China Service Centers" in seven U.S. cities, including Omaha. According to the reports, no evidence has been presented to suggest that such centers play any role in Chinese surveillance.

The Nebraska Chinese Association, in response to Ricketts' accusations, said they have "no affiliation with any government agency, foreign and domestic." The nonprofit organization, which seeks to "dedicate their time and their financial support to embrace its mission and its vision for the local community" of Omaha, was formed 15 years ago. The group's leaders say the organization is simply interested in preserving and promoting Chinese culture and history, as well as cultivating relationships between Chinese citizens and local Omahans.

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TECH NEBRASKA HIRES ITS FIRST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

OMAHA- Tech Nebraska, a newly-created organization seeking to cultivate, grow, and inspire the state's technology community, as well as drive policy for local businesses, announced on Tuesday that it had selected its first executive director. Announced and introduced by Byran Slone, President of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Omaha native Laurel Oetken will assume the role.

"We're excited to have her leading the efforts of the new organization to further connect technology interests throughout the state and grow Nebraska's technology brand," said Slone. Most recently, Oetken served as director of entrepreneurship and innovation at the Great Omaha Chamber of Commerce, but has also led initiatives alongside MIT's Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program to create a strategic growth and innovation plan for Nebraska.

At the announcement event, Oetken, who has a journalism degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said she was eager to get started in the new role. "Tech Nebraska has the unique opportunity to continue building on past momentum," she said, "advancing our state's technology interests and reputation as a leader in technology and innovation even further." Christopher Dill, vice president and CIO of Kiewit, stated that he looks forward to working with Oetken, since almost every Nebraska company and organization utilizes or is impacted by technology every day.

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OMAHA CITY COUNCIL VOTES TO KICK JAILED VINNY PALERMO OFF THE COUNCIL

OMAHA- On Tuesday, the Omaha City Council voted 6-0 to oust Vinny Palermo from his seat and begin the process of appointing a replacement. Palermo has been in jail awaiting trial since his April 21st arrest on suspicion of federal felony offenses. For over three months, South Omaha's District 4 has been effectively without representation in the Council.

To remove Palermo, the Council cited a City Charter provision and passed a resolution ousting the former councilman because he had three consecutive months of unexcused absences from council meetings. The section cited, 2.05, says a council member "shall be deemed to have forfeited office upon...being absent from regular Council meetings for three consecutive calendar months without being excused by the Council."

"Some would have liked to have seen a vote to vacate the seat sooner than that," said City Council President Pete Festersen, "But I want everyone to understand that we're obligated to follow the City Charter in these matters and state laws regarding these matters." The process of selecting a new Council member to represent District 4 will now begin. The Council will appoint a person after a public process that the council spelled out Tuesday, following the vote to remove Palermo.

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NEBRASKA SENATOR SECURES $20 MILLION FOR WATER PROJECTS, INCLUDING ONE VETOED BY PILLEN

LINCOLN- Sen. Deb Fischer secured more than $20 million for water infrastructure projects across Nebraska in a bill that was unanimously advanced by the Senate Appropriations Committee, Fischer's office said. The Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, advanced out of committee on a 28-0 vote, includes $10 million earmarked for the Cedar Knox Rural Water Project in northeast Nebraska.

Gov. Jim Pillen in May vetoed $7 million in state funds that the Legislature had earmarked for the same project, saying the state already had put significant money into the project. Fischer secured the sought-after funds for the construction of a water source, treatment plant and distribution system that will serve residents in Knox and Cedar Counties — along with funds for a dozen other infrastructure projects.

“This funding bill will keep Nebraskans healthy and safe by investing in crucial water infrastructure projects across our state," Fischer said in a press release. The bill, which still needs Senate and House approval, also includes $360,000 to replace lead service lines and water meters in Denton, along with $72,000 to replace water meters in Malcolm.

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NEBRASKA SENDING ARMY GUARD TROOPS TO TEXAS-MEXICO BORDER

LINCOLN- More than 60 Nebraska Army National Guard soldiers are headed to Texas this week to help that state secure its border with Mexico. Gov. Jim Pillen announced the deployment Monday. The troops represent the second group of Nebraskans sent to support Operation Lone Star, an initiative launched by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to ramp up enforcement of the country’s southern border.

The Nebraska group left this week and return in early September. Maj. Scott Ingalsbe, state public affairs officer for the Guard, said the deployment involves troops from multiple units. He said all received orders to go but were able to opt-out if the mission would create a hardship for them. He said the Nebraska soldiers will assist the Texas National Guard by observing and reporting border crossings.

Pillen, who joined other Republican governors at a May security briefing hosted by Abbott, called the mission “critical to the security of Nebraska as well as other states.” Abbott began Operation Lone Star in March 2021, arguing that the federal government was not doing enough to secure the border. The Texas Legislature authorized nearly $2 billion for the effort, which involves the State Department of Public Safety and the Texas Guard.

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NEBRASKA AG SAYS HE 'STRONGLY SUPPORTS' REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PRIVACY

LINCOLN- Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers said that his office “strongly supports” reproductive health privacy in response to a letter last week from nine state lawmakers. Those lawmakers in a July 26 letter questioned why it might be important to have Nebraskans’ medical records from other states and whether it is Hilgers’ intention to prosecute individuals who receive or aid in legal abortion care.

Their letter came after Hilgers joined attorneys general from 18 other states last month in opposing a proposed federal expansion of reproductive health privacy. Hilgers wrote to Omaha State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh, who led the letter effort, stating that his office is “defending the status quo” of patient privacy while the proposed Biden administration rule would create “significant loopholes.”

Hilgers said a 2000 Clinton-era rule, which sought to “balance individuals’ privacy interests against the legitimate interests in certain uses of health information,” remains the status quo. It allows law enforcement to obtain records under a court order and permits (but does not require) medical providers to disclose limited information without consent if it’s needed to determine whether someone else broke the law and is not intended to be used against the victim, according to Hilgers.

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NEBRASKA PARENT INVOLVEMENT HEARING DEVOLVES INTO TALK OF SLAVERY, CRT, PORN AND BILL GATES

LINCOLN- State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, the chairman of the Legislature’s Education Committee, and some of his eight handpicked testifiers previewed the structure of education during a three-hour hearing at the Capitol that devolved at times into talk of slavery, critical race theory, porn and whether philanthropist Bill Gates influences the evaluation of curricula for K-12 schools.

Murman’s hearing lumped together input on LRs 147, 148 and 149, which seek interim studies of parent involvement in education, how the Department of Education has used COVID-19 pandemic relief funds and the concept of social and emotional learning. He said his goal for the hearing was to improve and help him pass his “parents’ bill of rights,” LB374. Murman spelled out his belief that some schools and school districts are preventing parents from reviewing objectionable books and materials in libraries and keeping some from pushing back against parts of the curriculum that involve discussions of race and gender.

Murman and several testifiers faced pushback from State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, an Education Committee member. Sen. Terrell McKinney and three other senators hosted a competing forum Monday in another State Capitol hearing room, defending social and emotional learning, along with State Sens. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha and Carol Blood of Bellevue.

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PLANNED MERGER OF CENTRAL NEBRASKA POWER DISTRICTS SHORT-CIRCUITED BY RECENT VOTE

LINCOLN- Plans to merge two central Nebraska power districts ground to a halt last week after the board of one of the districts failed to muster enough votes to move forward with the controversial proposal. The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District’s board voted 7-5 to approve a charter amendment and proceed with the merger with Dawson Public Power. But the 7-5 vote fell short of the eight-vote, super majority required in state law for such a merger.

A leading opponent of the merger called the vote “a huge victory for everyone who depends on the water Central delivers.” “The vote means that control of the water will remain in Central’s hands,” said Gary Robison, a farmer and president of Citizens Opposed to the Merger. Friday’s vote drew an overflow crowd to the meeting in Holdrege.

The Citizens, a group of irrigators served by Central Nebraska, had formed to block the merger, arguing that they would have less control over water deliveries that they rely on, and that there were no benefits to Central patrons. The two districts first announced plans to study a potential merger in November 2020. A delay in the vote earlier this month, to allow more talks with opponents, failed to quell critics, leading to the vote that fell short.

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WEST NILE-POSITIVE MOSQUITOES INCREASE EARLY IN NEBRASKA

LINCOLN- The state is seeing an early increase in the number of mosquito pools, or batches of trapped mosquitoes, testing positive for West Nile virus, health officials said last week. Forty-two new pools tested positive for the virus across the state during the week that ended July 21, said Jeff Hamik, vector-borne disease epidemiologist with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

That means 60 pools total have tested positive so far this season. Usually, the number of West Nile-positive pools peaks later in the season, typically in August or September. “We’re seeing an early increase, that’s for sure,” he said. Exactly why the early increase is occurring, however, is not clear.

Over the past five years, the state has recorded an average of 2.6 West Nile-positive pools by the same point in the season. Last year, 992 pools of Culex mosquitoes, the kind that can carry the virus, were tested. Of those, 88 were positive for West Nile. After this week’s samples are tested, Hamik said, health officials will have tested more Culex mosquitoes than in all of 2022.

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DAVID HUNTER HIRED AS NEW DIRECTOR OF NEBRASKA ACCOUNTABILITY AND DISCLOSURE COMMISSION

LINCOLN- The Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission hired a long-time staffer on July 28th as its new executive director. David Hunter, who has worked for the NADC since 2000, will succeed Frank Daley, who is resigning in September. Daley joined the commission staff in 1987 and served as executive director since 1999.

Hunter, a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, currently is the commission’s deputy director. There were 78 applicants for the job, and three finalists were interviewed by the commission over the past couple of weeks. The job was advertised to pay between $105,000 and $110,000 a year.

Aside from Hunter, the commission also considered a staff attorney with the Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance, and a former staff member for the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce. The Accountability and Disclosure Commission oversees campaign finance disclosure, lobbying, statements of financial interest and conflicts of interest at the state and local levels. It can impose civil penalties for violations of state campaign laws.

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HOW VOTER ID IN NEBRASKA WILL WORK: WHAT VOTERS NEED TO KNOW

LINCOLN- Nebraska voters passed a state constitutional amendment in 2022 requiring voters to verify their identities with a photo ID. This past legislative session decided how the Secretary of State and 93 county election officials would implement that amendment, starting with the state’s 2024 primary election. But the public education piece of that effort, outreach to voters and would-be voters, starts this summer.

The Secretary of State’s Office is already preparing a brochure to hand out in Grand Island, during the Nebraska State Fair. Civic Nebraska and other voting rights organizations are also ramping up. Secretary of State Bob Evnen said his office will staff a booth at the State Fair that will let people pick up brochures and ask state and local election officials how the new law will work, LB514.

Voters heading to the polls in person will need to bring a state-approved photo ID, which could include a driver’s license, a college ID, a nursing home ID, a passport, a military ID, a tribal ID or an ID from a city, county, school district or another political subdivision of the state. If you forget an ID, you may vote but are now required to provide an ID to their county election office within a week of Election Day.

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OMAHA, FREMONT, EVEN TINY TAYLOR RECEIVE FEDERAL FUNDS FOR 'ALTERNATIVE' TRANSPORTATION

OMAHA- Bike/hike trails in Omaha, Fremont and even the small Sandhills village of Taylor will share in $50 million in federal transportation “alternative” grants. Funds will help build a bikeway connecting Midtown Omaha and the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Fremont’s “FEVR Rail to Trail” project.

In Taylor, population 140, the “Kevin Brown Educators Memorial Trail” is planned along the North Loup River in the Sandhills for tourists and local residents to enjoy the local wildflowers and wildlife. According to the Nebraska Department of Transportation, it was the largest amount given to Nebraska via the Transportation Alternatives Project (TAP) Federal Grant since the program was created in 1991.

The program is designed to help communities fund alternate modes of transportation, such as safe routes to school, recreational trails and traffic improvements. Vicki Kramer, NDOT’s director, said the TAP grants will make “a significant impact on the local communities and their economies.” The NDOT said that TAP provides roughly $1.3 billion each year for safety projects throughout the U.S.

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LAW PASSED LAST YEAR TO REDUCE NITRATES IN NEBRASKA WATER 'HASN'T LEFT THE GROUND' SPONSOR SAYS

LINCOLN- A new state program, approved in 2022 to help reduce nitrate pollution in drinking water, is struggling to get started, more than a year after it became law. LB925, the Resilient Soils and Water Quality Act, provided $1.25 million over five years to hire a non-government “facilitator” to organize small-group, educational meetings with farmers to promote conservation practices that reduce nitrate pollution in groundwater and surface water.

But so far, no facilitator has been hired, and education sessions are still being mulled. A website is in the works, however, and a five-page annual report was produced in December while an employee with the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources is sorting out the best way to use the funding. Former State Sen. Tim Gragert said the program hasn't left the ground and “It’s kind of disappointing."

The state’s 2022 annual report on groundwater quality found that nearly 30% (157 out of 550) of the state’s public water systems had to regularly test for nitrate levels to discern if they exceeded the level deemed unsafe for drinking — 10 parts per billion. These nitrates have been linked to blue baby syndrome, birth defects, and cancers. The Department of Natural Resources has yet to comment on the situation.

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NEBRASKA'S PAID SICK LEAVE PETITION DRIVE RAISES MORE THAN $500,000

LINCOLN- According to its most recent campaign finance report, the newly-created organization Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans has brought in over $509,000 in donations between June and July, with the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a national organization promoting economic equity, donating $475,000 of that total.

The Sixteen Thirty Fund, despite being a national group, is no stranger to helping out petition efforts in Nebraska. In 2020, the organization donated a substantial amount of money to a Nebraska-based group seeking to cap interest rates charged by payday lenders and increase the state's minimum wage. Both of these initiatives were placed on the ballot, and both were passed by Nebraska's voters.

A state-mandated paid sick leave requirement, as with capping payday loan interest rates and raising the minimum wage, is an idea that has been brought up repeatedly in the Nebraska Legislature. The current proposal, which, with enough signatures, could end up on the 2024 ballot, would ensure paid sick leave for all Nebraska workers.

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CONSISTENT RAIN HELPS IMPROVE DROUGHT CONDITIONS ACROSS NEBRASKA

LINCOLN- Consistent rain has continued to take a bite out of drought conditions across the state. The latest drought monitor released Thursday by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln shows significant improvement, especially in the amount of severe drought. According to the monitor, severe drought in Nebraska, the third-worst category, declined from covering more than 46% of the state a week ago to less than 32% this week.

Extreme drought also declined from 19.27% last week to 15.7% this week, although the amount of exceptional drought remained the same at 2.63%. Many areas of the state, especially in eastern Nebraska, have gotten significant amounts of rain over the past few weeks. Lincoln got 5.61 inches in July, which is more than 2.3 inches above normal, and the most in a single month in more than four years.

Omaha got 6.3 inches in July, 2.75 inches above normal, and Norfolk received 5.37 inches, about 2.4 inches above average. Other places that saw much-above-normal precipitation in July included Beatrice, Columbus and Fremont. Rain is expected to continue over much of the state for the next two weeks of August.

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TWO REPORTS SUGGEST NEBRASKA ECONOMY SLOWING DOWN

LINCOLN- According to two reports released earlier this week, Nebraska's economy could be headed for a slowdown over the next few months, despite recent revenue increases. One of the studies, released by Creighton University's Mid-America Business Conditions Index, suggested that Nebraska's economic conditions have fallen below growth neutral.

Overall, and according to the report, Nebraska's index fell from 50.8 in June to 46.1 in July, with anything below 50 indicating a decline in economic conditions. "This is the lowest overall reading since the beginning of the pandemic in May 2020," said Ernie Goss, director of Creighton's Economic Forecasting Group. For this reason, according to Goss, a recession in the second half of the year is still very much a possibility.

The second report, detailed by the Nebraska Business Conditions Index, indicates an even lower economic dip, from 46.1 in June to 40.4 in July. The state's Leading Economic Indicator grew only 0.06% in June in its worst performance since December, suggesting that the rate of economic growth in Nebraska will slow by the end of 2023.

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SPENDING TOPS $2 MILLION IN BATTLE TO RESCIND, OR RETAIN, STATE'S NEW OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP LAW; OPPONENTS OF LAW SAY THEY ARE MEETING SIGNATURE GOALS

LINCOLN- Spending to rescind a new school choice law in Nebraska, along with expenditures to retain it, have topped $2 million, according to the most recent state campaign spending reports. The bulk of the money came from two sources: teachers unions that oppose school-choice laws; and an organization backed by former Trump administration official Betsy DeVos that promotes use of state funds for private and parochial education.

The reports, which covered up to July 26, indicated that Support Our Schools, a group seeking to place a referendum on the Opportunity Scholarships Act on the 2024 ballot, had raised over $1.3 million and spent more than $1.2 million. The referendum drive has set a goal of collecting 90,000 signatures of registered voters in Nebraska. It must submit about 61,000 valid signatures by a deadline of Aug. 30.

Meanwhile, an organization called Keep Kids First that is urging Nebraskans to “decline to sign” the petitions, reported raising $746,665 through late July to oppose the signature drive. It reported spending of about $582,000. Some of the funds are being spent to employ “blockers” who shadow the Support Our Schools petition circulators and attempt to discourage people from signing. 

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NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER SECURES $15 MILLION MATCH FOR RESEARCH INTO PANCREATIC CANCER

OMAHA- Private funds have been raised to match a state allocation of $15 million to bolster research into pancreatic cancer at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Among the leading donors of the $15 million private match for UNMC’s Pancreatic Cancer Center of Excellence were two prominent Omaha families who lost loved ones to the deadly cancer.

Jim Young, who was president, chairman and CEO of Union Pacific, died at age 61 in 2014 after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Young’s family foundation donated, as did members of the Noddle family. Harlan Noddle, a developer and community leader, died in 2005 from the cancer at the age of 69.

Last year, the Nebraska Legislature agreed to allocate $15 million of the state’s $1.04 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds to the Med Center’s program, if private donors could match that amount. The private donations will help UNMC build its research program, recruit world-class physicians and scientists, and pioneer novel approaches into the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of pancreas cancer.

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NEBRASKA REP. BACON SUPPORTING STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT REFORM BILL

WASHINGTON, D.C.- U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, Nebraska's second congressional district representative, announced that he would be co-sponsoring House Resolution 4144, or the Federal Assistance to Intiaite Repayment Act, a bill that, according to the Congressman, will help "simplify the repayment process, end ballooning loan balances, provide repayment assistance, and provide targeted student loan relief." As laid out in the bill, student loan borrowers would only have to pay back 10 years’ worth of interest accrual, and interest would stop increasing after ten years, should the borrower fail to pay the loan in full within 10 years.

On top of that, the bill would also forgive unpaid interest for those earning below 300 percent of the federal poverty level if they are enrolled in an income-based repayment plan and complete the payment schedule. "This fiscally responsible alternative to President Biden's plan will be a critical step towards fixing our student loan system," said Bacon, "and will provide a path for 40 million borrowers to pay back their loans."

Bacon was previously an outspoken opponent of President Biden's now-defunct student loan forgiveness plan, which was shot down earlier this month by the Supreme Court. "I do not support forcing the 83% of Americans who don't have student loan debt from carrying the burden of those who do," he said. Instead, Bacon indicated that he was more interested in establishing more robust and feasible payment plans for those who have fallen behind on payments, a goal he will pursue through HR4144.

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NEW U.S. MILITARY ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM OFFICE LAUNCHES FROM STRATCOM, OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE

OMAHA- On Wednesday, it was announced that the U.S. military's electromagnetic spectrum operations, which is used across the world, will now be based out of Offutt Air Force Base. The new office, unveiled by Air Force and military officials at an emblem reveal ceremony, will be titled the Joint Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations Center. "I can think of no better than USSTRATCOM to take on this responsibility," said General Anthony Cotton during the event.

The electromagnetic spectrum, or EMS, is used for navigation, missile threat warning systems, radio transmissions, radar, and cellular phones all over the world. The new JEC office will lead the U.S. in attaining EMS dominance over other world powers. However, U.S. Rep. Don Bacon acknowledged that other nations, especially since the Cold War, have had, at times, better EMS capabilities than the U.S. "Two decades later," said Bacon, "it was clear to me and others that China and Russia were ahead of us in important aspects of electronic warfare."

Despite this, Brig. Gen. AnnMarie Anthony and General Cotton believe the new office at STRATCOM will put the U.S. on a path to "remain the dominant force within EMS." Following the unveiling of the office, it was announced that the JEC will begin looking for staff. Of particular interest are people with physics, engineering, radio frequency engineering, electrical engineering, mathematics, and computer science backgrounds.

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