Government & Politics
Bigger Nebraska cities poised to reap some federal rent aid lost to rural areas
LINCOLN — As it turns out, renters in urban Douglas and Lancaster Counties likely will benefit from Gov. Pete Ricketts’ refusal to apply for what has become a contentious $120 million in federal rental and utility aid to Nebraska. It’s the state’s other 91 counties that are getting left in the lurch, losing out on […]
Study of Nebraska’s AltEn health, environmental impacts gets $1 million boost
LINCOLN — A last-minute amendment adopted Thursday will devote $1 million toward continuing research into the health, environmental and ecological impacts of contamination caused by the AltEn ethanol plant. A team of scientists, doctors and an engineer, volunteering their time and using donated funds for tests, has been studying the impacts of the pesticide-laced seed […]
Third time is the charm for $900 million tax-cut plan in Nebraska Legislature
LINCOLN — The third time was the charm Wednesday for a massive tax cut proposal in the Nebraska Legislature. After failing to advance the package twice last week, lawmakers mustered enough votes Wednesday evening to overcome a filibuster and then advance the tax cuts on a 44-0 vote. The comprehensive and much amended proposal includes […]
Second-grader Lexi steps up to help Gov. Pete Ricketts support Ukraine
Second-grader Lexi Fedoronko stepped up to the podium during Gov. Pete Ricketts’ news conference Wednesday and offered a bit of insight into the human toll the attack on Ukraine has had in Nebraska. Wearing a traditional Ukrainian flower crown called a vinok, the 7-year-old quietly spoke of her grandparents who remain in their homeland. “I’m […]
Senate advances bill to name Benson post office bill after WWII hero Charles Jackson French
OMAHA — The Senate bill to rename the Benson branch post office after World War II hero Charles Jackson French cleared a key committee vote Wednesday and appears headed to passage as early as next week. The Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee sent the bill to the Senate floor, where Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and […]
‘Racino’ bill advances with initial limit at six racetracks
LINCOLN — A bill that seeks to limit, at least for now, the number of gambling casinos that can be established in Nebraska got out of the gate Tuesday but is far from the finish line. Senators advanced Legislative Bill 876 from first-round debate on a 30-0 vote, but one leading state senator complained that […]
Gov. Pete Ricketts rejects Legislature’s call to apply for $120 million in rental aid
Gov. Pete Ricketts again swatted down the notion of getting $120 million in federal rental and utility aid for Nebraska, as he vetoed a bill Tuesday that the Legislature had passed calling on him to apply for the money. In a letter to the Legislature, the governor said accepting the second round of Emergency Rental […]
Major bills on corrections, taxes headed for debate Wednesday
LINCOLN — After two days of acrimony over unsuccessful attempts at compromise, a legislative showdown is coming Wednesday on a major tax relief bill and a comprehensive criminal justice reform proposal. Both bills are scheduled for debate Wednesday. The fate of those two issues, and the Legislature’s proposal for spending its $1 billion federal American […]
Bill advanced to allow ‘progressive design-build’ of highways, bridges
LINCOLN — The state would have a new tool to help complete the long-delayed state expressway system, and other highway and bridge projects, under a bill that appears headed for approval in the Nebraska Legislature. With little debate Monday, lawmakers gave 31-0 first-round approval for Legislative Bill 1016, which would allow the Nebraska Department of […]
Nebraska state troopers endorse Herbster, saying he has offered them higher pay
LINCOLN — The union representing Nebraska State Patrol troopers sent a message Tuesday to Gov. Pete Ricketts and his preferred replacement: They’re tired of waiting on the state to pay them more. The State Troopers Association of Nebraska endorsed Conklin Co. CEO Charles Herbster in the Republican governor’s primary race, a candidate Ricketts has said […]
Missouri House bill would cut down on poisonous lead in school drinking water
Missouri children would be better protected from lead poisoning under a state legislative bill to require schools to nearly rid their drinking water of the dangerous toxin. The bill, heard Monday by the House Conservation and Natural Resources Committee, would require schools to test drinking water, remove old coolers and filter water where lead is […]
A growing ACLU Nebraska sees change in top spots
A civil rights attorney who led a Lincoln human rights agency and earlier was a prison librarian has been named the new legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska. Mostly recently, Mindy Rush Chipman led the Lincoln Commission on Human Rights, a city agency that works to prevent and respond to illegal […]