Briefs
Former Oakland, Nebraska, police chief charged with misdemeanor theft
LINCOLN — The former police chief of Oakland, Nebraska, has been charged in federal court with misappropriating public funds after a state audit found he’d spent nearly $15,000 in city funds on personal items. Terry Poland was charged March 15 in U.S. District Court with using less than $1,000 in town funds to purchase a […]
Time running out to apply for rebates for installing reverse osmosis systems
LINCOLN — Nebraskans with high nitrate levels in private wells have until March 31 to apply for rebates to help with the installation of reverse osmosis systems to clean up drinking water. State rebates of up to $4,000 are available to owners of private wells with drinking water test levels above 10 parts per million […]
Senator hopes seventh time a charm for bill requiring disclosure of spending, donors, ‘dark money’ groups
LINCOLN — For at least the seventh time, a state senator asked for advancement of a bill to require reporting of expenditures by independent, “dark money” groups that flood voters with mostly negative political attacks. On Thursday, State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue pleaded with the Legislature’s Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee to at […]
State selects rural entities to receive the latest $10 million in Economic Recovery Act grants
LINCOLN — Several rural Nebraska cities and the University of Nebraska were among winners of $10 million in grants that a state agency announced this week for pandemic recovery efforts. The funds came from the Economic Recovery Act approved last year as Legislative Bill 1024. That pot of funds, largely from the federal American Rescue […]
Sarpy County settles lawsuit over mistaken distribution of ‘in-lieu-of tax’ funds, but Douglas County lawsuits ongoing
LINCOLN — Sarpy County has agreed to settle a lawsuit involving the mistaken distribution of millions of dollars of in-lieu-of tax funds. The Sarpy County Board on Tuesday voted to pay $2.7 million over five years to four school districts that sued after underpayments were discovered in a state audit in 2021. The Platteview, Gretna, […]
U.S. Senate committee postpones vote on Denver airport chief’s nomination to lead FAA
The U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee postponed a scheduled vote Wednesday on Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington’s nomination to lead the Federal Aviation Administration. The panel’s chairwoman, Washington Democrat Maria Cantwell, said the vote would be held at an unspecified future date and offered few details about why it was pushed. The […]
Bill establishing midwife licensing advances through Iowa House
Midwives would have a licensing process for the first time in Iowa under legislation approved with bipartisan support Tuesday by the Iowa House. Iowa is one of 15 states that does not have a licensing process for professional midwives. The bill, House File 265, would create a regulatory board to certify midwives and ensure they’ve […]
Nebraska Gov. Pillen urges awareness, advocacy for those with developmental disabilities
LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen joined the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and people with developmental disabilities on Tuesday to proclaim March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Pillen said it’s “really, really important” to keep alive the designation that President Ronald Reagan began in 1987, in order to help with advocacy and support for […]
Nebraska hospitals struggling financially, with most operating in the red last year, officials say
LINCOLN — Nebraska hospital leaders said Monday that a combination of increased costs of labor and supplies, and a failure of Medicaid and Medicare to fully reimburse services, is stressing the state’s health care system. More than half of the state’s hospitals operated in the red last year, they said, and 2023 is expected to […]
Biden signs bill declassifying information on the origin of COVID-19
WASHINGTON — The U.S. director of national intelligence has three months to declassify information on potential links between China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin of COVID-19, after President Joe Biden signed legislation Monday. The bill was one of the first Biden has signed since a 118th Congress split between the two parties began […]
Five Nebraskans honored by Civic Nebraska for helping to build a robust democracy
OMAHA — Civic Nebraska, a nonprofit dedicated to voting rights and strengthening youth and civic leadership, is set to recognize five people who have helped build a “more modern and robust democracy.” The Strengthening Democracy Awards program April 13 also will feature a talk from national voting rights activist and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize nominee […]
South Omaha merchants get another shot at unclaimed ‘turnback tax’ grants
OMAHA — Entrepreneurs in South Omaha are getting another shot at applying for about $36,000 in grant money left in limbo after nobody asked for those state “turnback tax” funds last year. Applicants have until early afternoon on April 6 to submit paperwork. Recipients are to be notified later that month. Speculating on why the […]