Government & Politics
Fauci declines to predict COVID vaccine timetable for kids under 5
WASHINGTON — Parents hoping to vaccinate their young children against COVID-19 will need to be patient, Dr. Anthony Fauci cautioned Wednesday. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said while he expects that the vaccine regimen for children under 5 will be three doses, he couldn’t provide a timeline on when […]
Meth is now Nebraska’s No. 1 drug threat, new enforcement coalition says
Citing a surge in methamphetamine seizures, a coalition of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies announced Wednesday that they are joining together to fight what the called the state’s No. 1 drug threat. Seizures of meth grew by 293% in the last five years, according to the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office. Seizures by law […]
Omaha aims for revamped urban core with streetcar, new downtown Mutual HQ
Editor’s note: This story has been updated. OMAHA — A long-discussed streetcar, free to ride and running three miles from 10th Street to midtown, was the key to Mutual of Omaha’s decision to build a skyscraper on the property that houses the city’s main library. The Nebraska Examiner broke the news of both new projects […]
A half-dozen training officers still waiting for their July 2021 raises
LINCOLN – Six instructors at the state’s Law Enforcement Training Center in Grand Island will soon get 13% raises — seven months after they were approved by state lawmakers. The case of the delayed salary increases came up Tuesday during a hearing before the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee. The committee’s chairman, State Sen. John Stinner of […]
Some question $500 million plan to resurrect irrigation canal on South Platte
LINCOLN – People lined up at the State Capitol Tuesday to support proposals by Gov. Pete Ricketts to spend the state’s allocation of $1.04 billion in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Mental health providers praised his idea of setting aside $40 million for new treatment facilities. Sports and arts groups supported the $100 million […]
Mutual of Omaha HQ headed for downtown Omaha library site
Mutual of Omaha — a corporate icon that’s been planted in midtown Omaha for decades — is poised to build a new headquarters where the city’s downtown public library stands, according to sources familiar with the project. The relocation of the Fortune 500 company, now based at 33rd and Dodge Streets, answers part of the […]
Biden administration drops vaccine-or-test workplace rule
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced Tuesday it will withdraw an emergency mandate that would have required employees at large businesses to get the COVID-19 vaccine or test regularly for the virus. The decision from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which will take effect Wednesday, follows a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court earlier […]
Fortenberry’s attorneys ask to move trial to Nebraska
U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry is asking that his federal trial, for allegedly lying to federal agents, be moved from California to Nebraska. In a request filed Monday, Fortenberry’s attorney said his trial could “go forward safely” in Nebraska, where federal trials are still being held. In California, trials have been suspended until the end of […]
Omaha mask mandate still in place after judge’s ruling
OMAHA — Don’t put away those masks yet. The indoor mask mandate in Nebraska’s largest city on Tuesday survived the first round in the state’s lawsuit to stop it. Douglas County District Judge Shelly Stratman denied Attorney General Doug Peterson’s request to pause the Omaha mandate with a temporary injunction. Stratman sided with Douglas County […]
Craft brewers seek the ability to distribute their own beer
HASTINGS, Nebraska — Right next door to Nathan Hoeft’s First Street Brewery is a restaurant that sells his golden brews on tap. But under Nebraska’s decades-old liquor laws, he can’t just haul kegs over to the eatery. They must be picked up by a beer distributor, located 25 miles away, who must dispatch a truck […]
Nursing homes, care centers say they face staffing crisis without higher pay
LINCOLN — Words like “crisis,” “dire” and “desperate” were used Monday to describe the shortage of workers in the state’s nursing homes, as well as in programs serving the developmentally disabled. An advocate for senior care facilities said that their workforce is down 10% and that hiring replacements is getting harder because other entities, including […]
Herbster and Pillen squabble over the importance of a governor having children
Two top Republicans running for governor squabbled Monday over University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen’s recent comments on parenthood and public service. Pillen, asked last week what separated him from fellow GOP competitors, said having children gave him perspective and focused him on the next generation. “If you don’t have a family, it doesn’t make […]