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State lawmaker challenges Gov. Pillen to act on “danger” lurking at state psychiatric hospital
LINCOLN — State Sen. Carol Blood has stepped in on behalf of workers and patients at the Lincoln Regional Center, saying that assaults, equipment needs and mandatory overtime add up to unsafe conditions at the state psychiatric hospital. The Bellevue lawmaker has challenged Gov. Jim Pillen to act swiftly, noting that he is aware and […]
Local labor and immigration experts to follow Aug. 29 movie marking Labor Day holiday
OMAHA — A panel of local labor and immigration experts will lead a discussion following a Film Streams movie in downtown Omaha Aug. 29 marking the Labor Day holiday. The event is a collaboration of the William Brennan Institute for Labor Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and nonprofit Film Streams’ Ruth Sokolof […]
Diplomats from south of the U.S. border open two new consulates to serve Nebraska migrants
OMAHA — A third Latin American government is setting up an Omaha office to serve its citizens who have settled across Nebraska — a sign of continued cultural shifts and an unprecedented consular presence in the Cornhusker state. When the Consulate of Guatemala officially opens in a few weeks, it will join the nearby Consulate […]
Google confirms Lincoln’s $600M data center, touts this year’s $1.2B spend on NE infrastructure
PAPILLION — For years in Nebraska’s capital city, it was known by code name Agate. On Tuesday, the gem officially was out of the bag — as Google officials confirmed publicly that it is behind the $600 million Lincoln data center poised to rise on roughly 580 acres near Interstate 80 and North 56th Street. […]
Gov. Pillen assembles a group to help solve Nebraska’s workforce shortage
LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen has assembled a new group — representing state government, chambers of commerce, education and private businesses — to examine the oft-discussed state workforce shortage. “We need to solve this problem if we are to continue growing Nebraska,” Pillen said in a statement. He pointed out the state’s low unemployment rate, […]
‘Historic’ gift to Creighton University aims to help Nebraska’s nursing shortage
OMAHA — A $5.2 million gift to Creighton University, from a family whose name is known also for growing ConAgra Foods, will create a new scholarship fund to help meet a critical need for Nebraska nursing leaders. The Harper Family Foundation gift was described as historic based on its size, being one of the largest […]
The rest of ‘The RiverFront’ project now open in Omaha, finally offering a ‘return to the river’
OMAHA — Toes were wiggling Friday in the sand of downtown Omaha’s new urban beach. Kids climbed slide towers; people checked out the skating rink. And in one of the more dramatic changes to Omaha’s riverfront, a newly built pier extended Farnam Street to overlook the Missouri River, allowing the public an up-close look at […]
Omaha FBI warns of scheme that uses teen ‘money mules’ to distribute online child sexual abuse material
OMAHA — Teen-agers reportedly are being used as online “money mules” in what local FBI officials are calling a disturbing new way that perpetrators are profiting from child sexual abuse material. The Omaha FBI office called a media conference Thursday to alert Nebraskans and bring attention to the scheme. The agents said that producers of […]
Nebraska ranks 37th for rate of labor force that works from home
OMAHA — Nebraska ranks 37th among states for the share of those who work from home — a low-end showing fueled by the high number of low-wage jobs that don’t allow for the flexibility of remote working. That’s according to a report by the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at […]
Eight Nebraska communities to share about $7 million for flood recovery projects
LINCOLN — Eight Nebraska communities will share about $7 million in grants to assist with long-term disaster recovery projects. The awards, announced by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, come from the federal Community Development Block Grant program. They provide a local 25% match, or gap funding, required for federal funding allocated earlier to Nebraska […]
Labor trafficking in Nebraska, how prevalent is it? UNO research team aims to find out.
OMAHA — Local university researchers are embarking on a two-year probe into how widespread illegal labor trafficking is in Nebraska. Boosted by a roughly $500,000 grant from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the project is led by Teresa Kulig and Sadaf Hashimi, both assistant professors of criminal justice at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. […]
Students within the University of Nebraska system save some bucks on books
OMAHA — The University of Nebraska system has saved students an estimated $16.7 million in textbook and course material costs over the last five years through its “Open Nebraska” initiative, which is aimed at making school more affordable. That surpasses a goal to hit $10 million in savings through that effort by the end of […]