OWH OPINION: STATE SEN. KATHLEEN KAUTH: HERE'S NEBRASKA'S SECRET WEAPON FOR CUTTING COSTS AND CREATING JOBS

“Uncertainty.” It’s the number one complaint I hear about from Nebraska business owners, whether it’s because of supply chain interruptions, global trade changes, or rising costs for goods and materials. There’s good news though: There’s a solution hiding in plain sight called a Foreign Trade Zone, where U.S. businesses can import goods without immediately paying customs duties or tariffs.

Nebraska is home to two of them — and while too few businesses make use of them now, innovators and entrepreneurs across the state are invited to leverage them for more flexibility, lower upfront costs, and streamlined operations. If Foreign Trade Zones, or FTZs, sound too good to be true, don’t worry: They’re real, and they work.

FTZs are secure, designated areas near U.S. ports of entry — including airports — that are legally considered to be outside of U.S. Customs territory. That means companies can import foreign goods and store, process, or manufacture them without being responsible for tariffs or duties right away. 

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FORMER PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN HEADS TO NEBRASKA

LINCOLN — Former President Joe Biden is coming to Nebraska next month for the Democratic state party’s top annual fundraising event, held this year in Omaha. It will be one of the few public appearances for Biden since he dropped out of the 2024 presidential election amid concerns from party leaders over his electability following a debate performance against then-former President Donald Trump.

Biden in 2010 visited Nebraska to campaign for then-Democratic congressional nominee Tom White while Biden was vice president. He also visited the state in 2017 and 2019. He never visited Nebraska during his presidency, breaking a streak of presidents appearing in the state. But he did visit neighboring Council Bluffs during his 2020 campaign. Biden will be joined at the Nebraska Democratic event by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who has been discussed as a potential presidential candidate. The Democrats announced Beshear’s participation earlier this year. This continues the trend of prominent Democratic figures making their way to the heartland – particularly Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, where it is likely the open seat will decide which party controls the U.S. House for the next two years. 

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NEBRASKA'S FIRST MEDICAL CANNABIS CULTIVATORS OFFERED LICENSES AS LEGAL THREATS LOOM

LINCOLN — The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission offered the state’s first medical cannabis cultivator licenses Tuesday, nearly a week after the voter-set deadline of Oct. 1.

Commissioners unanimously offered the first two of up to four cultivator licenses, a move challenging the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, which had threatened to sue the commission if it did so. The first license offerings went to Nancy Laughlin-Wagner of Omaha, on behalf of the Midwest Cultivators Group LLC, and to Patrick Thomas of Raymond. Applicants have five business days to accept the license.

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GRAND ISLAND-PRODUCED COMBINE SERIES EMERGES AS 2025 'COOLEST THING MADE IN NEBRASKA'

OMAHA —  Grand Island produced the coolest thing made in Nebraska this year, so says the fourth annual manufacturing contest organized by the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 

More than 40,000 votes were cast across multiple rounds that led to Monday’s reveal of the 2025 winner of the “Coolest Thing Made in Nebraska” competition: the AF Series Combines, produced in the Case IH plant in Grand Island. 

Case IH representatives called the AF series their company’s most powerful machines, able to cover more acres in less time with the power and efficiency to handle any crop conditions. Designed, engineered and built by farmers, the combines were said to be packed with the latest in automation and harvesting technology.

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SENATE CONFIRMS LESLEY WOODS AS US ATTORNEY FOR NEBRASKA

LINCOLN - The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Lesley Woods as the next U.S. attorney for the District of Nebraska, along with a group of 15 other U.S. attorneys. The vote, on a group of nominees, was 51-47. 

In a news release, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said despite having bipartisan support and being favorably reported out of the Judiciary Committee, the U.S. attorney nominees languished on the Senate floor due to a blanket hold Democrats placed on all 93 U.S. attorneys earlier this year. 

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PILLEN APPOINTS DOUG HOHBEIN AS NEW NEBRASKA FIRE MARSHAL

LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen announced Tuesday that he appointed Doug Hohbein as Nebraska’s new State Fire Marshal.

Hohbein, who was previously assistant state fire marshal, has served in an interim leadership role since former Fire Marshal Scott Cordes resigned in March to become city administrator in Norfolk. Hohbein has worked for the agency since 1985 and holds a degree in fire protection technology from Southeast Community College.  

“Doug has served impressively while in the interim role, and he is committed to ensuring public safety when it comes to issues like fire prevention, inspection, investigation, education, training, enforcement of codes and more,” Pillen said in a statement. “I appreciate his willingness to continue serving the state.”

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NEBRASKA AG SUES OPPD, TARGETS NORTH OMAHA POWER PLANT CHANGES AND ‘NET-ZERO’ PLAN

LINCOLN — Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers sued the Omaha Public Power District on Thursday, seeking to stop a plan to retire three of five power-producing units at the utility’s North Omaha Station and switch the other two coal-fired units to natural gas. 

The 46-page lawsuit, filed in Douglas County District Court, seeks to stop the changes planned for the North Omaha Station, as well as prevent OPPD from pursuing any policy that prioritizes considerations other than price or reliability, including “environmental justice.” Residents had fought to get OPPD to modify the plant, citing health concerns. 

Hilgers said data doesn’t support the assertion that the plant harms neighbors’ health. In a midday announcement, he said he wants to focus the publicly owned utility on what he says state law requires: reliability and affordability. He said OPPD’s plan for the North Omaha plant would retire 240 megawatts of electricity production as OPPD sees skyrocketing increases in demand. Though the local power district’s plan says moving forward is contingent on opening new power-generation facilities this year, Hilgers said the changes wouldn’t add power capacity and would only help OPPD “tread water.”

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NEBRASKA STATE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION LAYS OUT GOALS FOR 2026 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

HASTINGS - The Nebraska State Education Association (NSEA) president Tim Royers is laying the groundwork now for what the group would like to accomplish in next year’s legislative session. The 2025 Nebraska legislative session was a roller coaster for educators. From budget cuts for universities to released time for religious instruction and the idea of placing the Ten Commandments in classrooms, the NSEA had a lot on its plate.

The union sent out a survey to its members in order to learn more about what they want the group to focus on in the upcoming legislative session. “We’ve got about 7-8,000 comments that we need to go through,” Royers said. “But there’s certainly a few priorities that have already stuck out.” Royers shared that one of the top priorities of NSEA members is paid family sick leave. The policy was a part of LB 440 in the 2025 session. It would add a 0.35% payroll fee. That money could be used to establish a fund that would then allow educators to take up to six weeks of paid leave.

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BIOFUELS LEADERS: IOWA CEDES ITS ETHANOL ‘CROWN’ TO NEBRASKA WITH CO2 PIPELINE START

DES MOINES — Iowa biofuels and corn experts congratulated Nebraska for its first shipments of carbon dioxide on the Tallgrass Trailblazer pipeline, but said Wednesday that the development means Iowa is no longer king at turning corn into ethanol.

Monte Shaw, the executive director of Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, said now that Nebraska has a functioning CO2 pipeline, ethanol plants in the state can take advantage of lucrative tax credits from the federal government and sell into the ultra-low carbon ethanol market.

“Iowa has worn the crown,” Shaw said at a new conference Wednesday. “We have been the world’s best place to turn corn into ethanol, and we’ve held that crown for 25 years. Last week, we got knocked off.”

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FEDS SAY NEBRASKA’S GDP GREW BY 5.2% IN Q2 AFTER SHRINKING TO START YEAR

LINCOLN — After having the biggest gross domestic product loss among states at the start of this year, Nebraska tied for the sixth-highest GDP gains during the second quarter. 

The latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis shared that Nebraska’s GDP rose roughly 5.2% in April, May, and June. The real GDP nationally rose 3.8%, following a slower growth of 0.5% in the first quarter. GDP represents the total market value of goods and services produced during a specific time period.

“This report points to the underlying strength of Nebraska’s economy — one driven by agriculture, value-added processes, biofuels, manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, and other key components,” Gov. Jim Pillen said in a statement. 

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PILLEN ASKS FOR, RECEIVES RESIGNATIONS OF TWO LIQUOR & MEDICAL CANNABIS COMMISSIONERS; MEDICAL CANNABIS DEADLINE WILL BE MISSED

LINCOLN- Two of Nebraska’s three Liquor Control Commissioners resigned Monday after Gov. Jim Pillen called them and asked them to do so, the commission’s former chairman said, adding to a tumultuous period for the state agency after its former executive director was indicted last week.

Bruce Bailey, the former chairman who had served on the commission for more than a decade, and Commissioner Kim Lowe both resigned Monday morning after Pillen “personally called” each of them and sought their resignations, Bailey said Monday. Pillen also rejected a set of proposed liquor-control rule changes that were advanced under a former director of the state Liquor Control Commission—who now faces federal corruption charges tied to two Lincoln strip clubs. Among the changes Pillen nixed was language that would have removed prohibitions on customers touching employees at establishments that serve liquor, by no longer classifying such contact (e.g. kissing or touching breasts, buttocks, genitals) as a “disturbance."

The departures of the commissioners leaves the commission, which regulates the sale of alcohol in Nebraska and helps regulate the sale of medical cannabis, without a quorum and unable to function

The Medical Cannabis Commission will subsequently miss the October 1st licensing deadline in the wake of the resignations.

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FORMER SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER JOINS RACE FOR LD2 SEAT

LINCOLN - A former special education teacher from Lincoln will run for a seat in Nebraska's Legislature next year representing Cass County and a slice of eastern Lancaster County — including the east Lincoln neighborhood she grew up in.

Caitlin Knutson, a Democrat, is the third candidate to enter the race to replace Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood, a Republican banker who will be term-limited in 2026.

A Lincoln native who holds master's degrees in education and special education from Creighton and the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Knutson is a former educator who taught high school in Omaha and system-involved youths in the Hastings area before she and her husband returned to Lincoln following the COVID-19 pandemic.

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NEW NEBRASKA PROPERTY TAX RELIEF PETITION ADDS PUSH FOR $50K BASE SALARY FOR TEACHERS

LINCOLN — A group of advocates who launched a petition drive last month aiming to cut property valuations in half are now also asking that voters approve the state pay all of Nebraska’s public school teachers at least $50,000 per year.

The new nonprofit “Advocates for All Nebraskans” launched two petitions in August, one intending to amend state law to halve the percentage of a property’s valuation subject to property taxes after 2026 and another to revise the Nebraska Constitution to add a cap on property valuation increases at no more than 3% or the growth level of the state’s general fund receipts, whichever is less.

On Monday, the group announced a third petition focused on guaranteeing a competitive base salary for all of Nebraska’s public school teachers. The proposal for a state-funded $50,000 base teacher salary was dubbed “The APPLE plan” by members, which stands for “Assist Property Payers through Legislative Education support.”

“This plan is not a dream,” said Eric Underwood, the former chair of the Nebraska Republican Party and a leader of the petition drive. “It’s a blueprint for Nebraska.”The three petitions will now gather signatures in hopes of making it onto Nebraska’s 2026 general election ballot. The two petitions seeking to change state law require just over 88,000 signatures — representing 7% of registered Nebraska voters — while the one seeking to amend the state constitution needs roughly 125,000 signatures — representing 10% of voters.

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OMAHA SENATOR CHRISTY ARMENDARIZ WILL NOT SEEK REELECTION; TWO CANDIDATES JUMP TO FILL SEAT

OMAHA — State Sen. Christy Armendariz plans not to seek reelection to her northwest Omaha seat in 2026, a decision she confirmed and said is rooted in finances for a $12,000-a-year position.

Armendariz, 58, said she signed up knowing about the legislative pay before the 2022 election for an open Legislative District 18 seat. She thought she could juggle both her legislative duties and her full-time job as a strategic sourcing specialist at Nebraska Methodist Health System. She gave up her job at the beginning of this year.

“I just need to go make money,” Armendariz told the Nebraska Examiner on Monday. “I can’t afford to serve a second time.”

A financial planner who previously ran for Omaha mayor, Taylor Royal, announced his candidacy following the news. Royal, 35, is a partner at Royal Wealth Partners, serving clients in 47 states and managing more than $1.5 billion in assets

Jess Goldoni is also seeking the seat, 42, said she has spent the past 20 years building businesses as a marketer who has dipped her toes in many industries, including legal, financial, health care, nonprofit, travel, international, agriculture, innovation, water, and artificial intelligence. She is also the co-founder of Nebrask.ai, a firm that seeks to teach and empower businesses not to be afraid of AI.

For the full article, click HERE. 

ETHANOL PLANT FOR YEARS POLLUTED A NEBRASKA TOWN. THE HEALTH IMPACTS STILL AREN'T FULLY KNOWN

MEAD — Jody Weible sat on her couch, pulled out her phone and scrolled past photos of her grandchildren before landing on a picture taken a few years ago of her neighbor’s adult daughter. Pus leaked from the woman’s eyes.

Weible kept scrolling. There were photos of a massive contaminated dirt pile, screenshots of complaints sent to environmental regulatory agencies, and a video of her German shepherd, which one day developed allergies — seemingly out of the blue.

Less than a mile from her home, a facility called AltEn spent years in the business of turning pesticide-coated seeds into ethanol. The method created 85,000 tons of contaminated byproducts that polluted the neighboring village of Mead, and spurred widespread fear for the health and safety of thousands of people.

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GERMAN AG MANUFACTURER TO MOVE WORK OUT OF OMAHA DUE TO TARIFFS

OMAHA - A German-based farm equipment manufacturer has confirmed plans to move some of the work done at its Omaha plant overseas to avoid American tariffs on steel and aluminum.

CLAAS, which manufactures its Lexion combine in Omaha, said it will move production of the 2026 model year Lexion 8000 back to Germany. The combines are mostly sold in the Canadian market, and moving the production to Germany will allow the company to avoid 50% reciprocal Canadian tariffs on steel and aluminum.

A CLAAS spokesman said the company is not planning any layoffs at its Omaha plant, where it employs more than 250 people and just last month held a groundbreaking for a new 45,000-square-foot R&D center.

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NEBRASKA RANKS NEAR TOP OF U.S. IN PRISON OVERCROWDING, OIG OF CORRECTIONS REPORTS

LINCOLN — Nebraska has the country’s most or second most overcrowded prison system, depending on who you ask. Inspector General of the Nebraska Correctional System Doug Koebernick confirmed the rankings in his 2025 annual report released in September. In it, he wrote that Nebraska ranks first in prison overcrowding when measured by operational capacity, second behind Alabama where the crowding is measured by design capacity.

Nebraska formally entered a prison overcrowding emergency in 2020 when the system surpassed 140% of its design capacity, as determined by the available bed space across all prison system facilities. Though the way the state measures such emergencies has broadened under state law, Koebernick said the system hasn’t officially resolved its existing crisis, so the emergency remains in effect.

Several factors have heightened the problem in the short-term. The system is currently in the process of transitioning its McCook Work Ethic Camp to an ICE detention facility, which will require the relocation of some 140 inmates, and the state is continuing to repair storm damage at the Nebraska State Penitentiary that relocated another 380 inmates.

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OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE FURLOUGHS MORE THAN 2,000 CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES AMID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. — The government shutdown has led to the furlough of nearly 2,300 civilian employees at Offutt Air Force Base, affecting those living paycheck to paycheck and leaving them uncertain about the shutdown's duration. 

Kris Pierce, chief of public affairs for Offutt Air Force Base 55th wing, said this is the first time in several years that the installation has felt the impact of a government shutdown. "The furlough in President Trump's first term in late '18, early '19, for 35 days, really, the DoD was exempted from that furlough. So we didn't feel the effects then, but we are now," Pierce said.

Pierce explained that nearly 2,300 civilian employees have been furloughed, and efforts are underway to ensure they have access to various support options. "Whether it be through the Air Force, society, the Red Cross, there actually is the ability to file for unemployment during this time, with the caveat that that is paid back. It's not free money," Pierce said. "But, if they need that option because of financial restraints, there is that, and we provide that information for them. So they could do that, and then once they get their back pay, which they will get when we come back to work, they just repay that money."

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NEBRASKA GETS A PRIVATE SCHOOL TAX CREDIT

LINCOLN — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and U.S. Reps. Adrian Smith and Mike Flood took a political victory lap Monday with a group of K-12 students at the capital city’s St. Teresa Catholic School. The group marked the day Pillen opted Nebraska into a federal school choice tax credit program that both GOP members of Congress helped make sure was included in President Donald Trump’s tax and budget bill that passed earlier this summer.

Nebraska is one of the first states nationally to join the federal voucher program, and other states are likely to follow suit. 

“Let me just make it really clear … I am not opting this in … I am cannonballing it into the state of Nebraska,” Pillen said to claps from kids and parents. Pillen and other supporters of school choice in Nebraska needed the assistance of the Trump administration after the state’s voters overturned legislative efforts to create a voucher program of the state’s own. Pillen and state lawmakers have pledged to keep trying to pass a state replacement.

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DEMOCRAT BECKY STILLE RUNS IN NEBRASKA'S MOST CONSERVATIVE CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

LINCOLN — Democrat Becky Stille is running for Congress against a 10-term incumbent House Republican in one of the nation’s most conservative districts. 

Nebraska’s 3rd Congressional District includes central and western Nebraska and much of the state’s northeastern and southeastern edges. The district is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith of Gering, who, as is typical in Nebraska’s reddest red district, faces a GOP challenger to his right.  Stille, who lives in South Sioux City, said she decided to run after one of her farmer neighbors had to put up one of his plots of land for auction. While she doesn’t know precisely why that triggered her bid, she felt it “was enough.” 

Another reason, she said, is that she knows President Donald Trump’s budget and tax bill that passed earlier this summer will hurt friends and family members. Stille said she feels the district hasn’t had effective representation in D.C. for a “long time.”

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