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Abortion vs. inflation could decide Flood-Pansing Brooks rematch this fall
LINCOLN — The fall rematch of this summer’s special election for Congress between U.S. Republican Rep. Mike Flood of Norfolk and State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln, a Democrat, will heat up next week. Flood and Pansing Brooks will debate Sunday for the first time in their general election race, at 5 p.m. on […]
Group says Voter ID would block thousands of Nebraskans from voting
LINCOLN — Voting rights advocates argued Monday that Nebraska’s Voter ID initiative on the November ballot is a blunt-force proposal aimed at fixing a nonexistent problem. Omaha civil rights activist Preston Love Jr. spoke on a panel of people this week opposing Initiative 432. The ballot measure would require Nebraskans to show a valid photo […]
Chinese wireless tech could put Offutt Air Force Base and Nebraska missile silos at risk
BELLEVUE, Nebraska — More than 10,000 military members and civilians working at Offutt Air Force Base could be at risk of having cell phone calls, texts and data seen by the Chinese government because at least one cellular service provider installed Chinese equipment on nearby towers. The U.S. Commerce Department is investigating the potential data […]
State Sen. Suzanne Geist announces GOP bid for Lincoln mayor
LINCOLN — State Sen. Suzanne Geist announced a bid for Lincoln mayor on Wednesday, saying she wants city voters to feel safer from crime, bounce less on city streets, secure a second source of city water and join fewer divisive political fights. The Republican businesswoman said her 2023 mayoral campaign will not personally attack the […]
Wright falls short on two signature requirements for Nebraska governor’s ballot
OMAHA — Nebraska voters will see three names on the November ballot for governor, not four, barring a last-minute legal challenge. The Secretary of State’s Office confirmed Tuesday that David Wright of Ewing, a conservative who re-registered as a nonpartisan to run for governor, failed to gather enough valid signatures to get his name on […]
17 state senators pledge to end secret ballot for legislative committees, Herbster PAC says
OMAHA — Seventeen of Nebraska’s state senators have signed the first pledge pushed by Charles Herbster’s new political action committee: to scrap the Legislature’s unique system of electing committee chairs by secret ballot. Republicans have sought that change for the nonpartisan body. Historically, shielding votes for committee leadership process from public view has allowed senators […]
WWII veteran Charles Jackson French’s name now on Benson post office
OMAHA — The brick post office in Benson now bears the name of a Navy man with Omaha ties: World War II hero Charles Jackson French. Members of the French family and elected leaders attended a ceremony Friday celebrating naming the building for him. “If his parents and his siblings were living, they would be […]
Democrats pin hopes of beating Bacon on Vargas, a newly drawn district and abortion
OMAHA — Democrats see three differences in this year’s race to represent the Omaha area in Congress: a new candidate with more political experience, a freshly redrawn 2nd Congressional District and the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade. Republicans said they see more of the same, another Democratic candidate who is too progressive […]
Nebraska Freedom Fest speaker hit George Floyd, FBI, Michelle Obama in speech
OMAHA — Nebraska Democratic Party leaders on Tuesday criticized callous comments by a featured speaker for the Nebraska Freedom Coalition, a group of conservatives that helped a new team take over the state GOP. Democrats, in a series of social media posts, condemned conservative comedian and conspiracy theorist Alex Stein for a joke set in […]
Minimum wage, voter ID petitions qualify for Nebraska’s November ballot
OMAHA — Nebraskans will vote this fall on a pair of petitions, one that could increase the minimum wage to $15 by 2026 and another that could require a photo ID to cast ballots. The Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office said Tuesday that both petition efforts secured enough valid signatures from Nebraska voters to get […]
Former Republican Wright could join Nebraska governor’s race as nonpartisan
OMAHA — Nebraska voters looking beyond the two major political parties and a Libertarian could have a fourth choice on November’s general election ballot for governor. Long-odds candidate David Wright of Ewing is trying to get on — as a nonpartisan candidate. Wright, a former Republican who has re-registered as a nonpartisan, should hear next week […]
Bacon slams stimulus payments to prisoners, citing numbers from IRS
OMAHA — About $1.3 billion in COVID-19-related stimulus payments that Congress sent to Americans under two presidents reached people in prison. The Internal Revenue Service confirmed the tally of stimulus payments to prisoners in a July response to a letter from U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb. The IRS response did not say how many inmates […]