Briefs
Voluntary grant program aims to restore Sandhills grasslands, wetlands
LINCOLN — A voluntary grant program will provide $4 million to landowners in the Sandhills region to remove invasive eastern red cedar trees and restore grasslands and wetlands, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission recently announced. The four-year program, funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, is aimed at restoring grassland and wetland habitat […]
Death of waterfowl at Lewis & Clark Lake in northeast Nebraska prompts advisory
LINCOLN — A die-off of at least a couple hundred waterfowl around Lewis & Clark Lake in northeast Nebraska has prompted state wildlife officials to issue a warning. The public is being asked to avoid all contact with sick or dead birds encountered in that area and report them to Game and Parks, officials said. […]
Thanksgiving holiday renews focus on bird flu, rising costs
Fresh turkeys are more expensive and smaller than usual leading into the Thanksgiving holiday, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That’s due, in part, to the deadly and highly transmissible avian influenza that has wracked turkey producers this year. The virus, which is transmitted by wild, migrating birds, has led to the deaths of […]
Prosperity index: Nebraska ranked No. 11 among states
OMAHA — Nebraska ranked 11th among the states for overall prosperity in a newly released report, scoring low in certain areas such as its natural environment but making up ground in others including health and employment. Behind the findings are partnering organizations, the Legatum Institute and the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream. The […]
Ricketts sticks to his script, says wait and see about U.S. Senate vacancy
LINCOLN — Gov. Pete Ricketts stuck to his script Monday, declining to say whether he’s interested, or disinterested, in filling the vacancy created by the expected resignation of U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb. The closest he came was in responding to a caller to his monthly radio call-in show Monday afternoon. The caller asked about […]
Elkhorn man says he’s no ‘super hero’ but a person who helped someone in need
LINCOLN — After watching a semi-trailer truck slam into an SUV, pinning it against a concrete barrier along Interstate 80, Frank Axiotes said he didn’t think twice. He immediately pulled over, told his wife and son to call 911,and charged across the Interstate to the flaming accident scene. Axiotes pulled a 9-year-old boy from the […]
Activists argue for dismissal of lawsuit filed over controversial development near Lincoln’s Wilderness Park
LINCOLN — Attorneys for Native American activists asked a judge Friday to dismiss a lawsuit filed against them by the City of Lincoln over the right to appeal a controversial zoning decision. The court action was a continuation of protests over the approval of a housing development called Wilderness Crossing adjacent to Lincoln’s Wilderness Park […]
Public buses wrapped in love and koi fish, the work of young Omaha area artists
OMAHA — Soon to be rolling through the streets of the metro area: Buses wrapped in love and koi fish. The winning entries for the “Wheel Appeal” student contest were announced Friday by Metro, the regional public transit system that covers the Omaha metro area. And the two young victors, Cecilia Urbanski of Omaha and […]
Nebraska labor update: Unemployment rate ticks up; nonfarm workforce hits new record
Nebraska labor officials on Friday reported a bright spot in the workforce: Nonfarm employment in the Husker state has reached a new high. “Total nonfarm employment reached a record high of 1,044,832 in October,” said Labor Commissioner John Albin. “That’s over 2,000 more filled jobs than the prior high reached in June of this year.” […]
Front Porch team awards funds to 14 Omaha housing programs, projects
OMAHA — The winners of about $11 million in housing-related loans and grants were announced Thursday, and in part should spark the creation of up to 645 affordable dwellings in the city. The awards come mostly from American Rescue Plan Act funds that the City of Omaha previously directed to nonprofit Front Porch Investments. Front […]
New consultant hired to review plan to mitigate damage to Sandhills stream
LINCOLN — Another consultant has been hired to review plans for repairing damage to a remote Sandhills stream, inundated two years ago by a deluge of sand from an unauthorized drainage ditch. The Environmental Protection Agency, in an email earlier this month, indicated that a work plan to mitigate the damage — initially requested 17 […]
Colorado Legislature poised to be second in country with women in majority
The Colorado Legislature is poised to have more women than men in 2023 for the first time in the state’s history, with 51% of Colorado’s state legislators being women following the 2022 midterm elections. Assuming several remaining close races are all called as expected, Colorado will have 39 women in the state House and 12 […]