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U.S. Attorney’s Office adding prosecutors to focus on violent crime, federal aid fraud
LINCOLN — The United States Attorney’s Office will add three additional federal prosecutors, with one focusing on violent crime, another handling government fraud, and the third leading the office’s eLitigation program. U.S. Attorney Steve Russell, in an announcement Tuesday, said the additional lawyers and two support staffers are a “significant investment of additional resources” to […]
Major criminal justice reform bill limps past initial debate amid disagreements
LINCOLN — A major criminal justice proposal limped forward Monday night at the Nebraska Legislature amid lingering disagreements over sentencing policies. Legislative Bill 50 — which was the subject of sidebar negotiations throughout the day and into the evening — was advanced from first-round debate on a 28-8 vote. But the vote came only after […]
Photographs of endangered species by Nebraska’s Joel Sartore featured on new stamps
LINCOLN — Nebraska-based photographer Joel Sartore has spent much of his career documenting endangered species across the globe, starting with a naked mole rat at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo. Now his work, featured on National Geographic Explorer, will also be displayed in a new series of stamps. A series of 20 stamps, showcasing endangered animals […]
Six Nebraska communities awarded grants for historic preservation
LINCOLN — A 98-year-old flour mill and a ballroom in Schuyler are among the recipients of federal grants for preserving structures on the National Register of Historic Places. Six projects will share in $328,000 worth of grants allocated by History Nebraska for communities of populations under 30,000. The Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants will be […]
Mother who lost daughter in crash urges Nebraskans to buckle up
LINCOLN — A Lexington mother who lost a daughter in a 2008 vehicle accident joined law enforcement officials last week in urging Nebraskans to buckle up. Jackie Rowan, whose daughter Erika wasn’t using a safety belt, said you never get over such a loss. “My life will never be OK, not ever,” Rowan said. “By […]
New campus opens in Lincoln for health and wellbeing. Advocates hope it’s duplicated across state.
LINCOLN — A ribbon-cutting ceremony this week celebrated the opening of the new CenterPointe Campus for Health and WellBeing. It’s the kind of facility that state lawmakers hope will be duplicated across the state to improve behavioral health treatment. On Friday, the Nebraska Legislature gave final approval to Legislative Bill 276, a measure sponsored by […]
Legislature takes steps to ensure decorum during Friday’s debate on abortion/trans health care
LINCOLN — Nebraska Legislature leaders issued a plea Friday for decorum during the expected emotional debate in the afternoon over abortion and transgender health care for minors. State Sen. John Arch, the Speaker of the Legislature, and three others senators issued a memo Friday morning to fellow senators and legislative staff laying out “ways to […]
State pays compensation to five first responders killed in action in 2022
LINCOLN — Families of five Nebraska first responders killed in the line of duty in 2022 will receive $250,000 each under a new state law that provides compensation for fallen public safety officers. The Legislature first adopted compensation in 2021, then upped the compensation from $50,000 to $250,000 last year under a bill from then-Sen. […]
Lawmakers pass state budget, make few adjustments from governor’s plan
LINCOLN — State lawmakers gave a final OK Thursday to a two-year budget that calls for about $5.3 billion a year in spending, with an average increase of 2.2%. The austere budget sets aside a generous amount for cuts in state income taxes and increases in tax credits for property taxes, as well as allocating […]
Medical marijuana advocates file petition to place issue on 2024 ballot
LINCOLN — Advocates for medical marijuana announced plans Thursday to mount an initiative petition drive to place the issue on the 2024 ballot. The group, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, filed papers Thursday with the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office. Crista Eggers, who is a spokeswoman for the advocates and whose son struggles with frequent seizures, […]
Minor budget bills are given final-round OK, with debate coming Thursday on mainline spending
LINCOLN — State senators, after an extended debate, gave final-round approval Wednesday to some non-controversial budget bills, while hard feelings persisted over the previous day’s debate to restrict abortion and transgender health care for minors. Voices rose again about Tuesday’s emotional and sometimes raucous debate over Legislative Bill 574, which married two of the session’s […]
Hartington is set to dedicate a memorial to military veterans on May 27
LINCOLN — More than three years of planning and fundraising in Hartington will culminate May 27 with the dedication of a veterans memorial in its business district. The granite, steel and concrete memorial lists names of 1,060 veterans from the northeast Nebraska community who served in the military. “Our goal was to deliver a memorial […]