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Platte Institute names new chair who will help guide Blueprint Nebraska growth plan
North Platte, Nebraska, businessman Pat Keenan, whose career began in the soft drink industry, has been elected chairman of the nonprofit Platte Institute board of directors. Among the organization’s responsibilities is helping to activate economic initiatives in Blueprint Nebraska, a plan led by business and civic leaders to stimulate economic development and to make the […]
Nebraska is an outlier in latest national rent trend report
When it comes to the nation’s average apartment rents, Nebraska reportedly is one of the few states that has seen a price dip over last year. That’s according to the latest trends review from Rent.com, an online property site. In its newly released April report, Rent.com said about 95% of states saw increases in average […]
Three to join the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame
Leaders of a construction company, a private equity firm and a manufacturer of animal health products are to be inducted May 2 into the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame. The three are Mike McCarthy of McCarthy Capital of Omaha; John Sampson of Sampson Construction of Lincoln; and Gloria Thesenvitz of Nova-Tech Inc. of Grand Island. […]
Charles Herbster sues Sen. Julie Slama, whose lawyer says she’ll ‘stand strong’
Nebraska Republican gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster filed a District Court lawsuit Friday against State Sen. Julie Slama in her home county. The move came a week after Slama, also a Republican, confirmed in news reports that Herbster had reached up her skirt and touched her without consent at a political event in 2019. The Johnson […]
Google announces Nebraska growth plan that includes new northwest Omaha data center
Editor’s note: This report updates an earlier version with reporting from Thursday’s Google event. When the newly announced northwest Omaha Google data center is up and running, the metro area will have the largest Google operational presence in the country, representatives of the tech titan said Thursday. The multi-building campus — set to rise on […]
Nebraska closing gap in return to pre-pandemic payroll job count
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect Gov. Pete Rickett’s remarks. While Nebraska has yet to catch up to its pre-pandemic number of payroll jobs, the gap is closing, and the Husker state is on pace to become the 18th to make up that lost ground. “Nebraska’s recovery churns along steadily,” said Michael […]
May open houses aim to gather community perspective for Omaha affordable housing plan
A series of open houses will be held in Omaha throughout May to gather community feedback as city managers and RDG Planning & Design develop Omaha’s housing affordability action plan. The goal is to identify strategies and develop a blueprint for quality housing options, including dwellings that are financially accessible to more people. Omaha officials […]
Brad Ashford remembered for nonpartisanship, working across the aisle
LINCOLN — It’s been said that Brad Ashford could have trouble finding his car in the parking lot at the State Capitol. But when it came to finding solutions to some of biggest issues confronting the state and his hometown of Omaha — from gun control, to immigration, to sales taxes and funding a new […]
Lots at stake as bids are sought for Medicaid program, but lawmaker optimistic
The search began Monday for entities that will best deliver health care benefits to hundreds of thousands of Nebraskans served by Medicaid. And state lawmakers seeking to avoid a costly bidding mistake like the recent one involving the state’s child welfare system contract say the state appears to be on a better track this time. […]
Report: Unmet demand for after-school programs in Nebraska is at all-time high
Unmet demand for after-school programs in Nebraska has reached an all-time high, according to a new national report from Afterschool Alliance, which counted more than 60,000 kids in the state left unsupervised after school. Edge Research conducted the survey for the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Alliance. It reflected responses in 2020 of more than 31,000 U.S. […]
Nebraska rises to the top in a national look at recession resilience
A low unemployment rate, relatively affordable housing and hefty government cash reserves helped propel Nebraska to the No. 1 spot in a new report that ranks U.S. states most likely to survive the next recession. MerchantMaverick.com, an online publication that provides reviews on businesses, said the top-ranking states in its study shared low unemployment and […]
Battle over federal rental aid to Nebraska stirs up again
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect a comment from Gov. Pete Ricketts’ office. The battle reignited Friday over whether Nebraska should accept more federal emergency rental aid, with the U.S. Treasury Department stepping into the fray. Deputy Treasury Secretary Adewale Adeyemo wrote a letter to Gov. Pete Ricketts, expressing his disappointment and […]