WHY NEBRASKA REPUBLICANS SAY THEY WANT TO REELECT SEN. PETE RICKETTS

WEEPING WATER — U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts rallied roughly 1,000 supporters at his annual steak fry, where he and Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy encouraged Republicans to turn out for the Nov. 3 election. Speakers highlighted Ricketts’ conservative record, President Donald Trump’s tax and spending policies and Republican positions on border security.

Ricketts, seeking his first full six-year Senate term, also criticized opponent Dan Osborn, arguing that Osborn is not as moderate as he portrays himself. Republicans pointed to leaked recordings of Osborn discussing immigration, Trump’s border wall and Trump voters. Osborn has said some comments were taken out of context and apologized for remarks that caused offense.

Osborn’s campaign responded by accusing national Republicans of spending heavily on attacks against him. The Ricketts-Osborn race will be decided in the Nov. 3 general election.

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SYRACUSE SENATOR TO LEAD PUSH TO REPEAL NEBRASKA’S INHERITANCE TAX

LINCOLN - State Sen. Robert Hallstrom of Syracuse is preparing to lead efforts to repeal or restrict Nebraska’s inheritance tax following the departure of term-limited Sen. Rob Clements. The conservative Platte Institute is working with Hallstrom on legislation for an upcoming session. Hallstrom previously introduced a 2025 constitutional amendment that would have put inheritance tax repeal before voters, but the measure did not receive floor debate.

Nebraska is one of five states with an inheritance tax and, according to Hallstrom, the only state where the tax is collected by counties rather than the state. Current rates range from 1% for children, parents and siblings on inheritances above $100,000 to 15% for nonrelatives on amounts above $25,000. Hallstrom argues the system unfairly imposes higher rates on more distant relatives and amounts to double taxation because inherited assets have generally already been subject to taxes. He described the inheritance tax as a “vestige of the past” that Nebraska should move away from.

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DOUGLAS COUNTY BOARD RESPONDS TO STATE AUDITOR CRITICISM, SHERIFF SAYS CRIMINAL PROBE STILL ON

OMAHA - The Douglas County Board said Dollar General gift cards were originally chosen for the county’s general assistance program because the retailer reportedly did not sell prohibited items such as alcohol and tobacco when the arrangement began. County officials believed the cards offered an accessible and cost-effective way to provide assistance to low-income residents who were not eligible for other public aid programs. However, State Auditor Mike Foley’s investigation identified instances in which the cards were used to purchase prohibited products, including cigarettes, beer and other alcoholic beverages.

County officials emphasized that the auditor’s findings were based on a limited and targeted sample. Foley’s team reviewed 100 of the nearly 26,000 Dollar General gift cards distributed between 2023 and 2026, with those cards selected specifically because they had raised red flags. The County Board has therefore cautioned against viewing the reviewed transactions as representative of the entire program. Still, the county is responding to the concerns by ending its use of Dollar General gift cards and searching for another vendor that does not sell alcohol or tobacco.

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AMONG TOP NEBRASKA OFFICIALS, GOV. JIM PILLEN IS THE ONLY ONE PUSHING FOR A DIESEL EXPORT BAN

LINCOLN - Gov. Jim Pillen is urging President Donald Trump to impose a federal ban on diesel fuel exports as Nebraska faces diesel prices of roughly $6 per gallon, about double the price from a year ago. Pillen sent Trump a letter requesting the ban and has also taken action at the state level, issuing executive orders that provide 90-day state diesel tax refunds for vehicles transporting Nebraska agricultural products or livestock and temporarily increase allowable vehicle weight limits without additional permits or fees. His order also permits those vehicles to use dyed diesel on state roads, although federal restrictions on dyed diesel remain in effect.

Pillen’s proposal has received a mixed response from Nebraska’s congressional delegation. Rep. Mike Flood has said he is open to considering an export ban, while U.S. Sens. Pete Ricketts and Deb Fischer have indicated they do not support that approach. Trump has said he is “seriously considering” a ban, although some oil industry experts have warned that restricting exports could have unintended effects, including potentially increasing gasoline prices.

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PILLEN DECLARES EMERGENCY FOR SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA FOLLOWING HEAVY RAINS, FLOODING

LINCOLN - Gov. Jim Pillen declared an emergency for Southeast Nebraska after record-setting rainfall caused widespread flooding across the region. Some areas of northern Lancaster County received as much as 10 inches of rain, while Lincoln Airport recorded 6.15 inches Wednesday—the highest single-day rainfall total ever recorded in Lincoln. Flooding washed out gravel roads, inundated streets and left numerous motorists stranded, with the Nebraska State Patrol assisting 71 drivers in eastern Nebraska.

The emergency declaration allows Nebraska to deploy state resources and coordinate recovery efforts with federal agencies. Lancaster County also issued a disaster and emergency declaration to help make emergency funding available. The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency is working with FEMA, the Small Business Administration and other agencies to assess damage and determine what assistance may be available to affected residents, businesses and communities.

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NEBRASKA TO RECEIVE MORE THAN $10M IN CORTEVA ANTITRUST SETTLEMENT

LINCOLN - Nebraska is expected to receive more than $10 million from a $35 million antitrust settlement with pesticide manufacturer Corteva. Nebraska, the Federal Trade Commission and other states sued the company in 2022, alleging that its loyalty programs discouraged distributors from purchasing cheaper generic pesticides, limiting competition and increasing costs for farmers. 

Under the settlement, Corteva must dismantle the challenged loyalty programs and comply with restrictions for 10 years designed to give generic pesticide manufacturers greater access to distributors. The company will also face reporting and antitrust-compliance requirements. The settlement resolves the case against Corteva, while Nebraska, the FTC and other states continue pursuing similar allegations against Syngenta.

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PREDICTION MARKETS SPEND MILLIONS TO INFLUENCE STATE, FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS

LINCOLN - Prediction market companies Kalshi and Polymarket, along with the Coalition for Prediction Markets, have spent at least $3 million this year on lobbying and campaign contributions as the industry faces growing regulatory challenges. Kalshi has directed significant contributions toward organizations supporting governors and state attorneys general from both parties and has hired lobbyists in at least 41 states.

The central dispute is whether prediction markets should be regulated federally as financial markets or by states as gambling operations. Kalshi argues that its contracts fall under the authority of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, while lawmakers and regulators in several states contend that sports-related contracts allow the platforms to bypass gambling laws, taxes and consumer protections. The disagreement has produced new legislation and numerous lawsuits, including federal challenges to states attempting to regulate the industry.

At the federal level, Kalshi spent nearly $1 million on lobbying during the first half of the year, targeting the CFTC, White House, SEC and Congress. With litigation continuing over the division of federal and state authority, observers cited in the article expect the issue could ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

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NEBRASKA RETIREMENT BOARD MEETING LEAVES QUESTIONS ABOUT NEW LEADERSHIP

LINCOLN - Nebraska Public Employees Retirement System Executive Director Thomas Pfeifle has resigned just three months after being selected for the position. Pfeifle, whose resignation is effective Oct. 31, told the Nebraska Public Employees Retirement Board that he is leaving to be closer to his children in Colorado. His departure raised questions after NPERS staff said he had not been present in the agency’s office since submitting his resignation Sept. 21, though officials declined to discuss his work arrangements or compensation.

Pfeifle’s resignation creates another leadership vacancy at NPERS following an approximately 18-month search to fill the position after former director John Murante left in December 2024. Former interim director Tyler Cummings departed the agency in April, and NPERS currently has no listed deputy director. The board has already begun searching for Pfeifle’s replacement but has not announced who will serve as interim director, with additional leadership succession issues expected to be addressed at its Oct. 19 meeting.

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UPDATE: IMPROPER REDACTION REVEALS LINCOLN’S GOOGLE DATA CENTER WATER AND ELECTRICITY USAGE

LINCOLN - Nebraska data centers are required to submit annual reports detailing their electricity and water consumption to the state Department of Water, Energy, and Environment, but state laws allow companies to claim some of that information as confidential trade secrets. Google used those protections to redact utility-use figures for its data centers in Lincoln, Omaha and Papillion. However, the article reports that some of the redacted information could still be revealed by copying and pasting the text from the reports.

According to the exposed figures, Google’s Lincoln data center, Agate LLC, reported peak electricity demand of 52.65 megawatts and annual water consumption of about 13 million gallons. Across six Nebraska data centers that had reported as of Sept. 30, total annual water consumption reached approximately 765 million gallons. Google’s Fireball Group LLC data center in Papillion reported the highest water use, at roughly 548 million gallons in 2025.

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NEBRASKA CONGRESSMAN DON BACON WEIGHS 2028 PRESIDENTIAL RUN, DISCUSSES U.S. NATIONAL DEBT

WASHINGTON — Nebraska Congressman Don Bacon's term ends in January, but he's already looking ahead. The Republican is reportedly considering a 2028 presidential run. KETV asked him about it Thursday. 

"I don't see the message that we need right now in our country. We need somebody in the White House that doesn't use the DOJ to go after their opponents. We've seen the last two presidents both do that. We've got to stop enriching ourselves when we get in the White House. You know, we've seen the last two presidents do that, and it's not right," Bacon said. No matter what happens in 2028, Bacon said the party in control needs to address the budget.

"We have a $40 trillion debt. That is a house of cards. We're gonna have a 1929 depression hit us, and we don't know when. At some point, because this is unsustainable," Bacon said. Bacon said he'll be more open to speaking about what's next after the election.

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ANOTHER DATA CENTER DEVELOPER IS EYEING LAND JUST OUTSIDE OF LINCOLN

LINCOLN - More than 560 acres on the edge of Northwest Lincoln are being optioned to a Nevada solar and data center developer, according to records obtained by Nebraska Public Media. It's the latest in a string of purchase options taken out by data centers in Lancaster County, including Monolith and Stark Power data centers just outside of Hallam in southern Lancaster County, along with the Google data center near Interstate 80 and North 56th Street that is operating, but still under construction. 

Arevia is a utility-scale solar developer which has gotten into data center development – including the proposed 3,700-acre data center outside of Boise, Idaho. Its subsidiary company, Rhea Data, is looking to build Idaho’s largest data center, with around a 600-megawatt capacity.

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OPINION BY NACO EXEC JON CANNON: NEBRASKA CAN CUT PROPERTY TAXES. IT CAN’T ELIMINATE THE BILL.

LINCOLN - "Affordability is on nearly everyone’s mind. With homeowners and prospective homeowners looking for every way they can to save on the necessities of life, it is only natural to consider that expense that is itself a perennial topic in Nebraska: how to reduce the property tax burden. But lowering property taxes is not easy, and the simplest-sounding solutions come with hard compromises for our communities. When property tax revenue declines, so does the funding available for the local services and investments that shape our daily lives.

In Nebraska last year, $5.6 billion of property taxes was levied in Nebraska:

• $3.3 billion was levied in support of local school districts, including bonded indebtedness. 

• $975 million was levied for counties.

• $653 million was levied for cities. 

• The remainder was levied by townships, fire districts, natural resource districts, educational service units, community colleges and miscellaneous districts like libraries and ag societies. 

While the state of Nebraska partially offset those levies with over $1 billion of relief (through mechanisms like the property tax credits and the homestead exemption), that is still a lot of money for a state of just over 2 million people..."

Jon Cannon is executive director of the Nebraska Association of County Officials and previously served as the organization’s deputy director. Before then, he worked as an attorney in the Property Assessment Division of the Nebraska Department of Revenue, where he was counsel to the property tax administrator.

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SEN. JOHN KENNEDY BACKS PETE RICKETTS AT OMAHA NEBRASKA STEAK FRY AS OSBORN FIRES BACK

NEBRASKA CITY— With Nebraska’s midterm election six weeks away, candidates are ramping up their campaigns in several major races, including U.S. Senate and the 2nd Congressional District. Two political events were held Sunday: Omaha Together One Community’s Candidate Accountability Session and Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts’ eighth annual Nebraska Steak Fry. OTOC invited candidates from several federal and state races, but U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn and 2nd District congressional candidate Denise Powell did not attend despite having RSVP’d. Legislative candidates Christy Knorr and Jess Goldoni were among those who participated.

Ricketts’ Steak Fry in Cass County brought together several Republican officials and candidates, including Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy, Sen. Deb Fischer, Rep. Mike Flood and 2nd District nominee Brinker Harding. Ricketts highlighted his record on border security, taxes and agriculture while campaigning for another term. Osborn’s campaign responded by criticizing national Republican spending in the Senate race, claiming more than $10 million was being spent on attack advertisements against him. Kennedy, meanwhile, said he attended the event to support Ricketts and praised their shared focus on Nebraska.

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FACULTY GROUP URGES AAU TO DENY UNL READMISSION OVER BUDGET CUTS

LINCOLN— The president of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), Todd Wolfson, is urging the Association of American Universities (AAU) to reject the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s effort to regain membership. Wolfson argues that UNL damaged its research reputation and principles of shared governance through budget cuts that eliminated four academic departments—Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Education Administration, Statistics, and Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design. The cuts saved about $6.7 million but resulted in 58 faculty members losing their jobs, including 39 tenured professors. 

Wolfson also criticized UNL’s use of Academic Analytics Research Center metrics in deciding which programs to eliminate, arguing they were used in ways their developers did not intend. He said the process raises questions about UNL’s commitment to academic freedom, research excellence and institutional decision-making—all factors he argues should be considered as UNL seeks to return to the AAU after losing membership in 2011. UNL pushed back against the AAUP’s characterization, saying the letter omitted important context surrounding the budget reductions.

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LINCOLN-AREA LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATES WEIGH IN ON TOP ISSUES FOR VOTERS

LINCOLN - From affordable housing to "the will of the people," legislative candidates in competitive Lincoln-area districts shared their positions on several key issues at a candidate forum Tuesday night.  The forum, held by the League of Women Voters of Lincoln-Lancaster County, featured candidates running in Lincoln-area districts 2, 26, 28, 30 and 32 to make their case directly to voters in attendance ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.

Of the 11 candidates invited to participate in Tuesday's forum, District 2 candidate Dean Helmick of Plattsmouth, District 26 candidate Tobias Howard of Lincoln and District 32 candidate Mark Schoenrock of Diller did not attend. Both Helmick and Schoenrock had initially accepted the invitation.

Some of the big topics legislative candidates discussed during the 90-minute forum included housing affordability, data centers, and citizen-initiated laws. 

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GOLD STARTS SEARCH FOR NEXT UNL CHANCELLOR; ANKERSON WILL SEEK POSITION

LINCOLN — The University of Nebraska has begun looking for the next leader of its flagship campus, President Jeff Gold said Thursday. In an email to students, faculty and staff, Gold announced the formation of a search advisory committee to lead a nationwide search to find the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's 22nd chancellor. 

The launch of a search comes more than nine months after the resignation of Chancellor Rodney Bennett and the appointment of Interim Chancellor Katherine Ankerson. Ankerson said she saw her job as refocusing the university for what comes next, but on Thursday she told the Journal Star she plans to apply for the permanent job. 

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TEENS WERE ALLEGEDLY ABUSED BY STATE EMPLOYEES. IT WILL BE HARD TO SUE THE STATE.

KEARNEY- The former state employee who sexually abused Jennifer Martin’s son now sits in jail. But Martin sees the employee’s impact every day: Her 17-year-old son is more anxious and quicker to anger. And she can think of one way the state could start to make amends: continuing to pay for his therapy. Right now, it’s court-ordered. Someday, it won’t be.

But parents like Martin have few good options to sue the state for money. In Nebraska, lawyers say, it’s nearly impossible to successfully sue under state law for abuse committed by public employees. State senators have consistently tried to change the related laws. But they have been met with resistance from other lawmakers and state leaders who often cite the potential cost to taxpayers. That was the case in 2024, when Gov. Jim Pillen vetoed a bill meant to help victims of child abuse in political subdivisions like public schools.

At least 37 boys have raised sexual abuse-related allegations at YRTC-Kearney, according to a report from the Inspector General of Nebraska Child Welfare.

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ADVOCATES ASK NEBRASKA LAWMAKERS TO LIMIT USE OF RESTRAINTS ON YOUTHS

LINCOLN—Nebraska lawmakers are considering whether to further restrict the use of shackles on juveniles involved in the justice system. During an interim Judiciary Committee hearing led by State Sen. Victor Rountree of Bellevue, youth advocates and people who experienced the juvenile system argued that restraints should be used only in extreme circumstances. 

Advocates said juveniles are frequently shackled while being transported to medical appointments, community programs and treatment facilities even when they are compliant and do not present a known safety or flight risk. They called for individualized risk assessments before restraints are used, along with documentation explaining why shackling was necessary. Rountree previously introduced legislation to prohibit or further restrict juvenile shackling, but the bill was indefinitely postponed. Following the interim study and hearing, the Judiciary Committee is expected to prepare a report outlining its findings and recommendations, which could inform future legislation addressing when restraints can be used and who should make that determination.

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CZECH PRESIDENT PETR PAVEL VISITS NEBRASKA

LINCOLN -  On Thursday Governor Jim Pillen hosted President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel in Nebraska to highlight the deep partnership and rich cultural ties shared between Nebraska and the Czech Republic. President Pavel visited Nebraska following his participation in the United Nations General Assembly in New York, making a dedicated stop in the state to honor Nebraska’s Czech history and strengthen diplomatic and economic connections.  

“It is a true honor to welcome President Pavel to Nebraska. Today is about honoring our rich history while continuing to build strong economic and cultural ties that will benefit both Nebraskans and the Czech people for generations to come," said Gov. Pillen. "Nebraska is proud to be home to one of the largest populations of Czech heritage per capita, and those deep roots have shaped our state's character for generations."

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STAFFERS AT NEBRASKA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCY EXPRESS LOW CONFIDENCE IN ITS LEADERS

LINCOLN— Nebraska Department of Economic Development employees raised widespread concerns about agency leadership, communication, and workload in the 2026 State of Nebraska Public Servant Engagement Survey. Of the 39 employees who responded, 32 said they disagreed or strongly disagreed that the agency prioritizes and takes care of its employees. Several workers described a “culture of fear,” saying they were reluctant to raise concerns because they worried about retaliation or losing their jobs. DED staffing has also fallen sharply, from about 115 full-time employees in May 2025 to 66 as of Sept. 18, 2026.  

Employees also criticized poor internal communication, the loss of regional positions, and increasing burnout as remaining staff take on additional work. Some said downsizing has weakened DED’s presence in rural Nebraska and made workloads unmanageable. Agency leadership pushed back on some of those claims, arguing that staffing reductions are tied in part to the end of pandemic-era programs and declining federal funding. Director Maureen Larsen also said rural engagement is expanding through the “6 Regions, One Nebraska” initiative and noted that some vacancies are still being filled. 

The survey also showed low employee willingness to recommend DED as a place to work: 26 of 38 respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed that they would recommend the agency for a career. Larsen and Deputy Director Stacey Parr said they take the concerns seriously but do not believe the survey necessarily reflects the views of the entire department. Leadership pointed to morale efforts, HR access, and internal recognition programs, while Larsen said some dissatisfaction may also stem from the state’s return-to-office policy.

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