Author
Nebraska State Sen. Merv Riepe proposes less stringent, 12-week abortion ban
LINCOLN — The path to passage for a proposed ban on Nebraska abortions after an ultrasound detects cardiac activity ran into a Ralston-sized roadblock on Wednesday. Ralston State Sen. Merve Riepe, a former hospital administrator who supported previous efforts to restrict abortion, proposed amending the restriction in Legislative Bill 626 to instead make abortions illegal […]
Legislative Speaker answers Cavanaugh filibuster by moving up long nights of legislative debate
LINCOLN — Speaker of the Legislature John Arch on Tuesday spelled out the first price he will exact for the persistent filibuster by State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha and others slowing the legislative session to limit how much legislation gets discussed. Arch announced that he would start scheduling floor debate into the evening hours […]
Sen. Ricketts says he hasn’t yet made pick in 2024 GOP presidential race
OMAHA — U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., says he has not yet taken sides in the 2024 Republican primary race for president. Ricketts, during an event Friday to open his Omaha Senate office, said he is focused on his new job and his own 2024 contest. He is running to serve out the final two […]
David City revives police department after tough Butler County sheriff’s race
DAVID CITY, Neb. — This spring, David City will do its own policing again, reviving a city police department after more than a decade of paying Butler County to do the job. The new David City Police Department will be led by the last police officer the city paid to patrol its streets, former Butler […]
Nebraska Board of Ed roles targeted by four legislative proposals
LINCOLN — Defenders of a separately elected Nebraska State Board of Education lined up Tuesday against four legislative proposals aimed at curbing the powers of an increasingly conservative State Board and handing them to the governor. Legislative Resolution 24CA, a constitutional amendment by State Sen. Joni Albrecht, would eliminate the State Board and place its […]
NU asks for more funding to avoid deeper cuts, higher tuition
LINCOLN — The University of Nebraska and business interests that say the state benefits from a well-prepared workforce made the argument Friday that the university should receive 1 percentage point more in state funding than currently proposed in order to avoid increased tuition and deeper spending cuts. NU President Ted Carter, a retired Navy admiral, […]
Conrad bill pushes to ensure Nebraskans have the ‘greatest possible access’ to public records
LINCOLN — State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, in her previous role leading the Nebraska chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, often sought public records to bolster the legal arguments of people alleging that state or local governments had crossed a line. During her first stint in the Legislature, from 2007-11, she advocated the […]
Families warn against bill allowing ‘reasonable physical intervention’ in Nebraska schools
LINCOLN — State Sen. Dave Murman’s latest legislative effort to spell out legal protections for teachers and staff who use “reasonable physical intervention” to manage student behavior ran into familiar opponents during the bill’s public hearing Tuesday. Parents of students with developmental disabilities, civil rights leaders, school administrators, former teachers and civil rights leaders testified […]
Charlie Kirk’s visit to Lincoln brings protesters, reported vandalism
LINCOLN — Lincoln police are investigating a reported vandalism at a Lincoln business after a Saturday visit by conservative provocateur and anti-trans advocate Charlie Kirk that drew protesters. The Lancaster County Republican Party hosted Kirk at an east Lincoln reception hall, Suite One Eleven. Graffiti was found on a pillar outside the building after Kirk […]
Betsy DeVos, two others spent big on Nebraska legislative races
LINCOLN — Much of the $710,000 that a national school choice group sent to Nebraska to spend on legislative races in 2022 came from the family of former President Donald Trump’s Education secretary and the owner of the National Football League’s Cleveland Browns. Former Secretary Betsy DeVos, together with her husband, Richard, and Browns owner […]
McDonnell in crosshairs of fellow Dems on abortion, trans debates
OMAHA — The Douglas County Democratic Party this week soundly rejected the leadership bid by a Democratic state senator who could cast the decisive vote to effectively ban elective abortions in Nebraska. The county party’s steering group voted 17-3 Wednesday against a push by State Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha to join the central committee […]
Bonding bill would finish Nebraska expressways faster, supporters say
LINCOLN — A highway funding bill with Gov. Jim Pillen’s backing could help Nebraska finish a four-lane expressway system that the state has spent four decades building. But the proposal to borrow money by issuing bonds to fund highway and major road construction would end Nebraska’s decades-old, pay-as-you-go approach to major road construction. Legislative Bill […]