NEBRASKA GOVERNOR NAMES NEW JUDGE IN 4TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Governor Jim Pillen has picked a new district court judge to serve in Douglas County. In a release Monday, Pillen’s office named Richard P. McGowan, of Omaha, as a judge in the Fourth Judicial District.

According to a release, McGowan owned a law practice in the state for 18 years. He has a background in criminal defense, juvenile law, personal injury, guardianship, and more. He was also an attorney at a number of private law firms. McGowan currently serves as the chairperson for the Douglas County Board of Mental Health. The vacancy in the Fourth Judicial District comes from the retirement of Judge Leigh Ann Retelsdorf. McGowan and three other nominees were given to Pillen on Sept. 30 for his consideration.
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FATHER AND MEDICAL CANNABIS ADVOCATE HUNG UP ON DURING GOV. PILLEN'S MONTHLY RADIO CALL

BELLEVUE — A Nebraska father and medical cannabis advocate, Dominic Gillen, called into Governor Jim Pillen’s monthly radio call to ask about implementing voter-approved medical cannabis initiatives from November 2024. Gillen’s 23-year-old son suffers from severe epilepsy, experiencing around 75 seizures a day, and cannot communicate basic needs. Gillen believes that medical cannabis could significantly improve his son’s quality of life and referenced the 2023 bill LB 77, signed by Governor Pillen, to inquire about how these initiatives would be carried out.

During the call, Gillen says his conversation with the governor ended abruptly when his line was disconnected, leaving him and other callers frustrated. Several other listeners reported being muted or hung up on during the same broadcast. The governor’s office did not respond to requests for comment regarding the disconnections or the medical cannabis questions raised.

Gillen has been advocating for medical cannabis access for his son for over a decade and emphasized that he will continue to fight for this issue. Despite his persistence, he expressed concern about whether his son will live long enough to benefit from the policy changes. The incident highlights ongoing tensions and frustrations among medical cannabis advocates in Nebraska regarding communication with state leadership and implementation of voter-approved initiatives.

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NEBRASKA TAX REVENUES FALL BELOW PROJECTIONS JUST BEFORE STATE BUDGET DEFICIT IS UPDATED

LINCOLN — After two months of higher-than-expected tax revenues, Nebraska’s monthly general fund receipts fell just before economic forecasters will update the state’s projected budget deficit. 

Nebraska’s September tax receipts show a net loss of 6.6% under what Nebraska’s Economic Forecasting Advisory Board predicted in April, according to the state Department of Revenue. That equates to roughly $47 million in less revenue in the state’s coffers. 

That followed tax receipts from July and August, which came in modestly above projections and brought in an additional $32 million. Appropriations Chair State Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood said while September’s drop is “disappointing,” he wasn’t too concerned, because overall net receipts for the current fiscal year remained relatively flat. Net tax receipts so far for fiscal year 2025-26 are about 0.9% below forecasts — a difference of about $15 million, the Revenue Department noted.

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BARRY KENNEDY, LONGTIME NEBRASKA CHAMBER PRESIDENT, DIES

OMAHA - Barry Kennedy, who was a fixture of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce for more than 30 years, including nearly two decades as its president, died on Saturday. He was 79.

Kennedy, a Pawnee City native, joined the chamber in 1987 and became its president in 2000, a role he held until retirement in June 2018. During his tenure, the organization "grew in membership, influence and notability," according to Kennedy's bio when he was inducted into the 2019 Nebraska Business Hall of Fame. After serving in Vietnam, Kennedy joined the United States Junior Chamber, also called the Jaycees, serving as president of the civic organization at the local, state, national and even international level.

Kennedy got involved with the Nebraska Chamber after meeting then-president Jack Schwartz in 1986 while working on a political campaign, according to his obit. His membership with the chamber began a year later.

Kennedy was also a livestock buyer, farmer, merchant and political consultant. A number of Nebraska politicians issued statements this week on Kennedy's death. Rep. Adrian Smith said Nebraska "lost a true leader," and Rep. Mike Flood called Kennedy a "a big supporter and a mentor of mine."

"Barry and I worked together on virtually every business issue imaginable," Flood said in a Thursday statement. "His support through the years helped shape public policy and make me and many others successful." Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers said Kennedy "loved the state more than about anyone I knew, and as the head of the Nebraska Chamber, he was a very effective, prudent, and strong advocate for Nebraska business and free enterprise.

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UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA NOW SPENDS MORE ON ADMINISTRATORS AND MANAGERS THAN ON FACULTY

LINCOLN - At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a music professor’s salary jumped $13,000 in the past decade. A University of Nebraska at Kearney political science professor’s salary grew by $15,000. A University of Nebraska at Omaha social work professor got a $19,000 bump. But then you factor in inflation, and the financial reality becomes clear: All three actually took serious pay cuts. When adjusted, the music professor suffered a pay slash of 16%. It’s part of a profound shift in how the University of Nebraska makes money, spends money, and who it spends money on. 

In 2000, NU paid its administrators and professional staff $155 million. This year, a quarter century later, that number has more than tripled to $484 million. At the same time, pay to faculty has grown, but at a much slower rate than inflation.

In 2024, for the first time this century, the state’s public university system spent more on administrators, managers and professional staff than it did on faculty members who teach students, advise students and do research on its five campuses. 

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GROUP STARTS BALLOT PUSH FOR WINNER-TAKE-ALL, HAND-COUNTING VOTES

LINCOLN — A nonprofit group behind a handful of Nebraska ballot initiatives announced a campaign Tuesday to gather signatures for two new ones aimed at conservative election goals. 

One would alter how the state awards Electoral College votes for president, giving all five to the winner of the popular vote statewide. The other would require elections in the state to be conducted exclusively using paper ballots counted by hand.

The group, Advocates for All Nebraskans, is now collecting signatures for five ballot initiatives. The group, headlined by former leaders of the Nebraska Republican Party, argues that the initiatives are about reclaiming the state’s voice and promoting government accountability.

“This is not a partisan movement … This is a populist movement,” said Eric Underwood, the former chair of the Nebraska GOP who helped lead a populist takeover of the party in 2022. “We exist because many of us grew tired of waiting for solutions from the traditional status quo elected officials or political consultants.” 

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NEBRASKA TEACHERS PRAISE CELLPHONE POLICIES ACROSS THE STATE A MONTH INTO NEW LAW

The distractions of texts from friends or notifications from social media have mostly disappeared in classrooms across Nebraska, in part due to a new statewide law banning personal devices in class. And teachers from the Panhandle to the eastern border are all for it, even if students may be less enthusiastic about the bans.

So, in response, Nebraska legislators passed a law last spring banning cellphones during instructional time, matching policies many school districts throughout the state have individually implemented in recent years, including Lincoln Public Schools.

The new law provides cohesion statewide. "Now we're not going to get as much flak from the kids for it and look like the bad guy," Coady said.

"It's for their good and my good as well, because it makes me a better teacher, and I think it makes them better students and able to focus on what they need to do," said Janelle Coady, a teacher at Norris High School in Firth

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NEBRASKANS OWE $129M IN UNPAID INCOME TAXES. THE STATE LAID OFF THE COLLECTORS

LINCOLN - In April, Nebraska’s auditor sent the State Department of Revenue a letter noting how much state residents and companies owed in unpaid taxes: $269.5 million, according to the audit, including $129.27 million in delinquent individual income taxes. A data table included in the letter showed the problem was only getting worse. Nebraska’s delinquent tax balance had increased by $52.4 million since 2020 — a spike largely attributable to unpaid individual income taxes, which jumped from $87.7 million in 2020 to nearly $130 million four years later.

That’s why it surprised and perplexed some union and state officials, as well as former Department of Revenue employees, when the state — seeking to slash $500 million from its budget at the direction of Republican Gov. Jim Pillen — laid off 11 revenue agents and two supervisors last week who were specifically responsible for collecting unpaid income taxes from Nebraskans.

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SEPTEMBER 2025 GENERAL FUNDS RECEIPTS

Tax Commissioner James R. Kamm and the Nebraska Department of Revenue have released the General Fund Receipts for September.

September Gross Receipts: Tax Commissioner James R. Kamm reports that gross General Fund receipts for September were $808 million, which is 2.0% below the forecast of $824 million.

• Gross Sales and Use: 5.2% above forecast

• Gross Individual Income: 0.4% above forecast 

• Gross Corporate Income: 27.6% below forecast 

• Gross Miscellaneous: 357.1% above forecast

September Tax Refunds: Tax refunds for September were $146 million, which is 26.2% above the forecast of $116 million 

September Net Receipts: Net receipts for September were $661 million, which is 6.6% below the forecast of $708 million 

• Net Sales and Use: 1.1% below forecast  

• Net Individual Income: 2.0% below forecast

• Net Corporate Income: 31.8% below forecast

• Net Miscellaneous: 365.0% above forecast

Fiscal Year Net Receipts: Net General Fund receipts for fiscal year 2025-26 were $1.689 billion, which is 0.9% below the forecast of $1.704 billion.

• Net Sales and Use: 10.9% above forecast 

• Net Individual Income: 0.4% below forecast

• Net Corporate Income: 28.5% below forecast

• Net Miscellaneous: 18.7% below forecast

The comparisons in this report are based on the forecast made by the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board (Board) on April 25, 2025. This forecast was adjusted for legislation passed in 2025, divided into monthly estimates and certified to the Clerk of the Legislature by the Tax Commissioner and Legislative Fiscal Analyst on July 10, 2025.

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MCCOOK RESIDENTS SUE NEBRASKA GOVERNOR TO HALT 'CORNHUSKER CLINK' ICE FACILITY

McCOOK, Neb. — The nonprofit advocacy group Nebraska Appleseed filed a lawsuit on behalf of 13 McCook residents and a former state lawmaker Wednesday, seeking to halt conversion of the Work Ethic Camp prison into a federal detainment facility run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The suit, filed in Red Willow County, accuses Gov. Jim Pillen of exceeding his authority and argues that the Legislature is authorized to control penal institutions and repurpose public buildings. The suit cited the state constitution enshrining a separation of powers between branches of government and states that “the general management, control and government of all state charitable, mental, reformatory and penal institutions shall be vested as determined by the Legislature.”

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FORMER STATE SENATOR TOM HANSEN PASSES

LINCOLN — Standing over 6 feet tall, with a love of good-looking cowboy hats and boots, Tom Hansen stood out when he arrived at the Nebraska Legislature in 2007.But behind the well-dressed rancher was a real cowboy, the fourth generation to operate a North Platte-area ranch, the Hansen 77 Ranch, that utilized the oldest brand in the state still registered to the same family.

Hansen’s oldest son, Marshall, said his father would want to be remembered as a regular cowboy, who carried on at the family’s 147-year-old ranch, now run by his youngest son, Eric, and not just his work in the Legislature or helping with the Nebraska Cattlemen and North Platte’s Nebraskaland Days celebration.

Western attire is urged for funeral services scheduled at 11 a.m., Saturday, at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in North Platte. Visitation is from noon to 6 p.m. Friday at Adams & Swanson Funeral Home in North Platte, with the family receiving friends from 4-6 p.m. 

Click HERE to view the Obituary Website

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NEBRASKA ED LEADERS PRAISE SEVEN ‘BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS

LINCOLN — The Nebraska Department of Education is honoring seven “Blue Ribbon Schools” in 2025 after federal education officials ended the national honor roll for high-performing schools.

The U.S. Department of Education had historically honored some of the nation’s schools that performed well on state assessments or nationally normed tests through the National Blue Ribbon Schools program. Terrell H. Bell, President Ronald Reagan’s first education secretary, created the program in 1982.

State officials said the seven Nebraska honorees had already applied and would have met Blue Ribbon standards based on last year’s benchmarks. Four Nebraska schools earned the praise in 2024, and four more earned the title in 2023. About 350 schools were nationally recognized each of those years.

The 2025 Nebraska honorees are:

• McDonald Elementary School in North Platte Public Schools (North Platte).

• Hillrise Elementary School in Elkhorn Public Schools (Elkhorn).

• Ezra Millard Elementary School in Millard Public Schools (Omaha).

• Park Elementary School in Kearney Public Schools (Kearney).

• St. Isidore Elementary School in the Omaha Archdiocese (Omaha).

• Mount Michael Benedictine School in the Omaha Archdiocese (Omaha).

• Mary Our Queen Catholic School in the Omaha Archdiocese (Omaha).

“These schools are amazing examples of hard work, focus and the desire for excellence,” Nebraska Education Commissioner Brian Maher said in a statement. “They represent communities from across our state and provide a powerful model for effective and innovative practices for educators throughout Nebraska.”

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PATTERN OF ALLEGED STAFF SEX ABUSE AT NEBRASKA’S YOUTH DETENTION CENTER EMERGES IN COURT

KEARNEY - At least two staff members at the juvenile treatment center in Kearney have resigned, another is on leave, and a fourth faces a criminal charge in connection with allegations of inappropriate sexual contact with teenagers in state custody. Two of the cases involve months-old allegations, revealed in recent court proceedings. They have sparked concerns about a potential “systemic problem” at the center and prompted the Douglas County Public Defender’s Office to start reviewing its cases involving clients housed at the center.

The recent court filings and proceedings have referenced at least four current or former Kearney staff members in connection with incidents involving three teens at the center. In a statement, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, which operates the state’s youth centers, said it takes every allegation seriously and investigates every claim of abuse.

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NEBRASKA'S 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT DRAWS NEARLY $2 MILLION IN LATEST FUNDRAISING QUARTER

OMAHA - Candidates in the race to replace Rep. Don Bacon in Congress drew nearly $2 million in fundraising over the past three months, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission filings.

Republican Brinker Harding led the crowded field, raising $561,527 in the third quarter of 2025, which began July 1 and ended Sept. 30. Harding, vice president of the Omaha City Council, announced the total on social media, saying, "We will use your contributions effectively and efficiently to get our message out and keep CD2 Red."

Former state lawmaker Brett Lindstrom, also a Republican, raised $286,958 in the third quarter. His PAC, Conservative Cornhuskers, also brought in $123,980. 

Denise Powell was the leading Democrat, raising $311,490. Powell, the founder of a political action committee, raised major money in the year's second quarter. She brought in about $430,000 and leads all candidates in total fundraising. Kishla Askins had the second-highest total among Democrats. The Navy veteran and former federal official with the Department of Veterans Affairs raised $250,865. James Leuschen, a former Capitol Hill staffer who focused on economic policy, raised $219,369. Leuschen is the newest candidate in the race. He launched his campaign in mid-September. 

State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha raised $192,153 to go with the roughly $130,000 he raised in the year's second quarter. Douglas County District Court Clerk Crystal Rhoades raised $50,710. 

The election for Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District will be in November 2026, and the race will be among the most closely watched in the country. Bacon won the seat in tight races, and election tracking services are predicting a flip from red to blue. The seat will be a key factor in who controls Congress for two years. 

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COLORADO SAYS NEBRASKA CAN’T MAKE IT SUPPLY MORE SOUTH PLATTE WATER

KEARNEY - Nebraska has no power under the South Platte River Compact to make Colorado send more upstream river water its way, Colorado officials told the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday. Centennial State leaders, filing their official response to Nebraska’s July 16 interstate lawsuit tied to its 1894 Perkins County Canal revival, mostly argue that claims Colorado is violating the 1923 accord are premature at best. But they declare in several places in their 42-page response that the compact neither requires Colorado to always ensure a minimum spring and summer South Platte flow at the Nebraska line nor allows room to argue that Colorado must curtail Front Range surface water or groundwater use to do so.

“Nebraska has no right to interfere with Colorado's uses in the Upper Section,” meaning stretches of the river west of Colorado’s Logan-Washington county line, said the response filed by state Attorney General Philip J. Weiser.

“Further, if Nebraska’s concerns include any Upper Section plans for (water) development, Colorado has the right to fully develop the Upper Section.” Nebraska’s lawsuit in the nation’s highest court — which has direct jurisdiction over disputes between states — was filed 3½ years after then-Gov. Pete Ricketts announced the Cornhusker State would invoke its compact right to revive and finish the Perkins canal.

Pioneers in Perkins County, which split off from Keith County in 1887, dug 16 of an intended 65 miles of canal in Sedgwick County, Colorado, before exhausted finances forced them to abandon the effort. Efforts by Keith County business leaders to revive the canal after World War I — this time bypassing their southern neighbor — helped preserve Nebraska’s right to finish the job in the compact ratified by Congress in 1926.

But Nebraska made no moves to follow up on the idea until a pair of short-lived 1980s explorations. One of them, by the North Platte-based Twin Platte Natural Resources District, is echoed in the current revival plan.

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OSBORN NARROWS FUNDRAISING GAP WITH RICKETTS IN NEBRASKA U.S. SENATE RACE

LINCOLN —  Former nonpartisan Omaha labor leader Dan Osborn is closing the fundraising gap against Nebraska Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts in Osborn’s second bid for a Senate seat.

Osborn raised $1.09 million in his latest campaign funding haul, while Ricketts raised $884,011 for his campaign and brought in an additional $486,128 through a separate joint fundraising committee — the Pete Ricketts Victory Fund, according to federal fundraising reports. That brings the former two-term governor’s combined war chest to $1.37 million in the third quarter, which runs from July through September.

Ricketts still has more cash on hand than Osborn, with $1.19 million compared to Osborn’s $502,000. But Osborn’s latest fundraising numbers indicate he is again raising enough to mount a serious challenge to a sitting senator. He outraised Republican U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer in the 2024 race, in which he raised $14 million and lost by about six percentage points.

The Ricketts campaign criticized Osborn’s latest fundraising numbers, saying he received a donation from a campaign committee associated with Massachusetts Democra›tic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and from a political action committee affiliated with former Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester as examples of Osborn’s Democratic Party “connections.” 

Warren for Senate, Inc. gave Osborn $2,000, the max a campaign committee can give to another candidate per primary race and per general election. Tester’s Treasure State PAC gave him $5,000. 

The Osborn campaign says more than 17,000 donors gave to the former Omaha labor leader in the third quarter, with an average contribution of $43.46. Osborn has said that he wouldn’t caucus with either party. 

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NEBRASKA SECRETARY OF STATE WANTS TO HAND OVER VOTER DATA TO FEDS, BUT SAYS LAWSUIT BLOCKS IT

LINCOLN –  Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen last week weighed in on the latest request from the U.S. Department of Justice for the state’s voter registration data — showing a willingness to fulfill the request.

Federal officials have asked states for detailed information from their voter rolls, including names, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers and the last four digits of voters’ Social Security numbers, saying they want the information to ensure accurate voter registrations. Democratic-led states and some led by Republicans have declined or are pushing back against federal efforts to gather the data over state laws protecting data and privacy concerns.  Critics have questioned the safety and potential national security risks of letting any administration consolidate such voter data in one place.

In a Sept. 29 interview with KFAB, Evnen, after seeking guidance from Attorney General Mike Hilgers, said he was “fine” with handing over the voter data because the state’s maintenance practices are “complete and proper.” 

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NEBRASKA GOV. JIM PILLEN ‘OPEN’ TO MID-DECADE REDISTRICTING

LINCOLN – Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, like a number of governors nationally, says he would be open to redrawing the state’s congressional maps in the middle of the decade.

The governor said so during an Examiner interview as White House talk of Nebraska redistricting has cooled — for now.  Pillen’s embrace of the idea appears less bullish than his pushes to alter how the state awards its Electoral College votes for president. “I’m open to all kinds of conversations,” Pillen said. “Obviously, a couple of states have done redistricting. It was done before I became governor, so that was off my radar … I’ve just not paid attention to how all that works.”

Nebraska, like other states, typically redistricts once a decade after the U.S. Census has finished providing population estimates. The Legislature is tasked with drawing congressional and legislative maps.

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$2.19 BILLION ‘PROJECT HEALTH’ TAKES KEY LEAP FORWARD WITH NU VOTE

OMAHA — About $1.22 billion was unlocked Friday to begin the most visible phase yet of Project Health, an Omaha hospital and training complex described as the largest and most ambitious undertaking in University of Nebraska history.

The NU Board of Regents, in approving an “intermediate design review,” gave its green light to construction of the core and shell of a skyline-changing structure on about 7.5 acres of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s midtown Omaha campus.

NU President Dr. Jeffrey Gold, a former UNMC chancellor, said this phase keeps the project within the overall $2.19 billion price tag to be covered by public and private sources. Officials have said that funds won’t be committed unless they’re secured. 

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NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE LAYS OFF 11 STATE WORKERS, TO CLOSE SCOTTSBLUFF OFFICE

LINCOLN — Nebraska’s Department of Revenue laid off 11 employees Monday and moved to shutter a satellite office, a state official and the head of the state’s largest public employees union confirmed.

Six Department of Revenue employees were laid off in Lincoln, while at least five workers were laid off in Scottsbluff, the western Nebraska city where the department will close its satellite office, according to the Nebraska Association of Public Employees.

The cuts amount to about 2.7% of the Department of Revenue’s workforce, which included 409 employees as of July. The move marks the largest and latest round of state layoffs in recent weeks, said Justin Hubly, the union’s executive director, who said the state had also laid off two Military Department employees and at least four workers at the Office of the Chief Information Officer in the past two months.

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