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Governor continues to see no justification to apply for rental assistance money
LINCOLN — Despite a recent plea from key state senators, Gov. Pete Ricketts continued to say “no” Monday to applying for an additional $120 million in federal funds for utility and rent assistance. During a press conference, the conservative Republican was asked to respond to a letter sent last week by the members of the […]
Ukrainians in Nebraska worry for loved ones, dread what the future may bring
LINCOLN — The message on Halyna Carbullido’s Facebook page says a lot: “My morning doesn’t start with coffee any more. It starts with making sure my friends and relatives in Ukraine are still alive.” This is the world inhabited by Ukranians in America right now. They’re glued to the internet, to their cell phone, to […]
With CO2 pipelines planned, landowners call for additional state protections
LINCOLN — With carbon dioxide pipelines planned across Nebraska, some landowners are asking the state to adopt additional protections for them when such pipelines are abandoned. Meanwhile, a recent Wall Street Journal article raised questions about whether carbon sequestration projects — which would be fed by the pipelines — can be done successfully. Some of […]
John Maisch, who fought to close notorious Whiteclay beer stores, has died
LINCOLN — John Maisch, an Oklahoma attorney who became a key figure in the closing of the notorious beer stores in the Nebraska border village of Whiteclay, died unexpectedly Thursday. He was 51. Funeral services were pending Friday in Edmond, Oklahoma. Maisch, a former state liquor law prosecutor and a native of the Hastings area, […]
Alliance recycling program among those questioning snubs for state environmental grants
LINCOLN — For the past 10 years, the Alliance Recycling Center has been awarded grants by the Nebraska Environmental Trust, which doles out about $20 million a year in state lottery proceeds for environmental projects. On Thursday, the director of the Alliance recycling program made the seven-hour drive to Lincoln to find out why the […]
Bill advances that seeks to ensure prison rehabilitation programs work and are available
LINCOLN — The Nebraska prison system would get funding to test and verify the effectiveness of its rehabilitation programs under a bill given first-round approval Thursday by state lawmakers. Legislative Bill 896 would also help determine whether the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services is offering enough programs to turn inmate lives around. The advancement of […]
Evnen: ‘No credible evidence’ that vote-counting machines have been mistaken
LINCOLN — Nebraska Secretary of State Robert Evnen, in often emphatic terms, rejected allegations Wednesday that the state’s ballot-counting machines could be hacked by “foreign adversaries.” Evnen, testifying toward the end of an afternoon-long public hearing, said Nebraska’s ballot-counting machines are never connected to the internet and are designed so they cannot be connected to […]
Judge rules that senator’s work as lawyer qualifies him to seek county attorney post
LINCOLN — A judge has denied a challenge by Republican interests to force State Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln off the May primary ballot. Morfeld, a Democrat and a licensed attorney, has filed to run for Lancaster County attorney against incumbent Pat Condon, a Republican. But the Nebraska GOP, as well as the Lancaster GOP, […]
Ricketts doubles down on Perkins County canal project, says delay helps Colorado
LINCOLN — Gov. Pete Ricketts and the state’s top water official doubled down Wednesday on the need to build a $500 million canal on the South Platte River, saying that delaying the work would hurt Nebraska. “Delay only benefits Colorado,” the governor said at a morning news conference. That brought a strong retort later Wednesday […]
Controversial ‘Opportunity Scholarship’ issue gains new life; ‘it’s not trickery,’ Linehan says
LINCOLN — An issue thought to be dead for the 2022 session — providing state tax credits for donations to private school scholarships — has found a rare path to resurrection. A so-called “Opportunity Scholarship” proposal from State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, which was blocked by a filibuster after it was introduced last […]
Bill would make Nebraska a bidder to become a regional ‘clean hydrogen hub’
LINCOLN — Could Nebraska lure $2 billion in federal funds and become one of four national hubs to expand development of clean hydrogen? State lawmakers think so, after giving 43-0 first-round approval to a bill that would set up a working group to seek Nebraska’s designation as one of four “regional clean hydrogen hubs” in […]
Lincoln attorney hired to handle probe into harassment allegations against Groene
LINCOLN — The special committee of three state senators probing the workplace harassment allegations against recently resigned State Sen. Mike Groene of North Platte has hired an attorney to assist them. Tara Paulson, a Lincoln attorney who specializes in labor and employment issues, has been retained, according to one member of the special committee, State […]