Briefs
Nebraska is an outlier in latest national rent trend report
When it comes to the nation’s average apartment rents, Nebraska reportedly is one of the few states that has seen a price dip over last year. That’s according to the latest trends review from Rent.com, an online property site. In its newly released April report, Rent.com said about 95% of states saw increases in average […]
Three to join the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame
Leaders of a construction company, a private equity firm and a manufacturer of animal health products are to be inducted May 2 into the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame. The three are Mike McCarthy of McCarthy Capital of Omaha; John Sampson of Sampson Construction of Lincoln; and Gloria Thesenvitz of Nova-Tech Inc. of Grand Island. […]
Ricketts announces new tuition reimbursement benefit for kids of state employees
LINCOLN — Children of Nebraska’s 16,000 state employees will get 100% reimbursement for two years of tuition at state community colleges under an initiative highlighted Monday at a press conference held by Gov. Pete Ricketts. The new benefit, officials said, will not only serve to improve benefits for state workers, but will also train recent high […]
Greeley County commissioner fined for doing road work for the county
LINCOLN — A Greeley County Board member has been fined $1,500 by a state political accountability board in connection with contracts he had with the county to do flood-related road repairs. Joe Leslie, who has a road grading business, became engaged in repairing roads in the central Nebraska county following the statewide flooding in 2019, […]
Governor signs bills to expand state crime lab, state law enforcement training center
LINCOLN — The state’s ability to “recruit, retain and train” law enforcement officers has been enhanced thanks to bills passed by the Nebraska Legislature, Gov. Pete Ricketts said Thursday. Ricketts, during a press conference in Grand Island, highlighted bills he signed that he said “go the extra mile to attract the best and brightest to […]
Nebraska’s NRDs reach woodsy landmark: 100M trees and shrubs planted
LINCOLN — One of Nebraska’s many mottos through the years was “The Tree Planter State,” and the state’s Natural Resources Districts appear to be living up to that nickname. This spring, the NRDs’ Conservation Tree Program planted its 100 millionth tree. That’s approximately 50 trees for each Nebraskan, according to the state association of resources […]
CDC concludes a mask mandate is still needed for travelers, clearing way for court battle
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will fight a court decision for the authority to mandate masks on airplanes, trains and other public transit, following a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation Wednesday that a mandate was still needed. The CDC said in a statement that the mandate keeps transportation safer for immunocompromised people and […]
May open houses aim to gather community perspective for Omaha affordable housing plan
A series of open houses will be held in Omaha throughout May to gather community feedback as city managers and RDG Planning & Design develop Omaha’s housing affordability action plan. The goal is to identify strategies and develop a blueprint for quality housing options, including dwellings that are financially accessible to more people. Omaha officials […]
Trump to stump for Herbster on April 29 in Greenwood, Nebraska
OMAHA — Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster is getting the Nebraska visit he sought for months from former President Donald Trump late in a tightening GOP race. Trump’s team announced Tuesday that Trump would appear at an April 29 rally at I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Nebraska, less than two weeks before the May 10 primary […]
Lots at stake as bids are sought for Medicaid program, but lawmaker optimistic
The search began Monday for entities that will best deliver health care benefits to hundreds of thousands of Nebraskans served by Medicaid. And state lawmakers seeking to avoid a costly bidding mistake like the recent one involving the state’s child welfare system contract say the state appears to be on a better track this time. […]
Report: Unmet demand for after-school programs in Nebraska is at all-time high
Unmet demand for after-school programs in Nebraska has reached an all-time high, according to a new national report from Afterschool Alliance, which counted more than 60,000 kids in the state left unsupervised after school. Edge Research conducted the survey for the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Alliance. It reflected responses in 2020 of more than 31,000 U.S. […]
Nebraska rises to the top in a national look at recession resilience
A low unemployment rate, relatively affordable housing and hefty government cash reserves helped propel Nebraska to the No. 1 spot in a new report that ranks U.S. states most likely to survive the next recession. MerchantMaverick.com, an online publication that provides reviews on businesses, said the top-ranking states in its study shared low unemployment and […]