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Proposed state broadband office touted as more effective, creative in closing ‘digital divide’
LINCOLN — With at least 80,000 to 90,000 locations in Nebraska still lacking quality broadband internet service, a legislative committee on Tuesday heard the latest proposal to close the state’s long-nagging “digital divide.” Gov. Jim Pillen has proposed the creation of a new state broadband office, supplanting the Nebraska Public Service Commission as the state’s […]
Hilgers joins 24-state coalition claiming that Yelp has ‘discriminated’ against crisis pregnancy centers
LINCOLN — Attorney General Mike Hilgers has joined a 24-state coalition of red state attorneys general in objecting to Yelp’s “discrimination” against crisis pregnancy centers in its online consumer notices. In a letter to Yelp on Tuesday, the attorneys general objected to an advisory stating that the pregnancy centers “typically provide limited medical services and […]
Dispute over inspector general powers appears headed for legal interpretation
LINCOLN — Is it “constitutional overreach” to have special investigators assigned by the State Legislature look into problems, even deaths and injuries, involving state agencies? A long-running dispute over whether there’s a separation of powers problem with state “inspector general” offices was renewed Friday during a legislative hearing. It came during a public hearing on […]
Protesters arrested at site of housing development near Lincoln’s Wilderness Park
Editor’s note: This has been updated to include developments on Tuesday. LINCOLN — Five protesters were reportedly arrested Tuesday as Lincoln police intervened to allow tree removal to resume at a housing development planned near Wilderness Park. But by nightfall, Native American activists were still occupying a protest camp across the road from the proposed […]
Battle over devoting public funds for private school scholarships returns to State Legislature
LINCOLN — The annual battle over whether to devote public funds to private schools was renewed Friday at the Nebraska Legislature, with testimony extending into the evening. Nebraska is one of only two states that doesn’t allow “school choice” by extending public state funds to private schools. Backers of parochial and private schools said Friday […]
Pillen plan to shift valuation of ag land gets static, even from farm groups
LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen’s plan to relieve property taxes paid by farmers and ranches got a rough reception Friday, even from some farm groups. The head of the state’s largest agriculture group, the Nebraska Farm Bureau, said Pillen’s plan to shift the valuation method from being based on recent sales of land to its […]
Pillen tax-cut ideas win support of business groups, prompt criticism from community colleges
LINCOLN — The lead sponsor of Gov. Jim Pillen’s proposal to cut state income taxes fended off doubts Thursday that such a $1.5 billion reduction in state revenue was affordable and wouldn’t harm state services. State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn said the state has more than a $2 billion surplus of state tax […]
State employees union approves labor contract granting raises of up to 10%-27%
Editor’s note: this story has been updated to correct the percentages of the raises. LINCOLN — State workers have ratified a new labor contract that contains the largest salary increases in at least 35 years, a contract aimed at filling critical job vacancies. Gov. Jim Pillen and the Nebraska Association of Public Employees (NAPE) announced […]
School officials say governor’s revenue cap would harm education, efforts to fill staff vacancies
LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen’s plan to further restrict spending by local school boards ran into opposition and concerns Wednesday from school district representatives. During a public hearing on Legislative Bill 589, education representatives, including Cheryl Logan, superintendent of the Omaha Public Schools, said his plan would take away local control of local education, place […]
New prison report recommends not just one new prison, but another 1,500 beds in a decade
LINCOLN — Before 2030, Nebraska will need another 1,500 prison beds, even after building a $350-million, 1,500-bed replacement for the aging State Penitentiary in Lincoln, a new report says. The long-awaited Facility Master Plan for the Nebraska Department of Corrections states that after the new prison is open, the state will be short about 1,300 […]
Virginia group sends postcards critical of proposal to amend term limits
LINCOLN — The ink is barely dry on a proposal to extend state legislative term limits from two four-year terms to three, but a Virginia group is already attacking the idea. The group, called Liberty Initiative Fund, recently mailed hundreds of postcards to constituents of state senators who are supporting a proposed constitutional amendment to […]
Omaha woman says ‘heartbeat’ bill would inject politicians into ‘difficult’ private decisions
LINCOLN — One by one, four women on Tuesday shared their traumatic, personal stories about abortion rights, urging Nebraska lawmakers to reject a proposal to further restrict the procedure. “This legislation takes away Nebraskans’ ability to control their bodies and their future,” said Abby Waller, a 37-year-old Omaha mother, who chose an abortion after doctors […]