News
Nebraska gender care restrictions take effect Sunday with little guidance, no regulations
LINCOLN — Restrictions on health care for transgender minors in Nebraska are set to take effect Sunday, but they’ll come with little guidance and without a timeline for future rules and regulations. The state’s chief medical officer, Dr. Timothy Tesmer, has been charged with drafting rules and regulations around puberty blockers and cross-sex hormone therapies […]
GOP witnesses at Biden impeachment hearing see insufficient evidence of wrongdoing so far
House Republicans held their first impeachment inquiry hearing Thursday over unproven allegations that President Joe Biden benefited from his son’s business dealings overseas.
Panelists tout ‘second chances’ for prison inmates to help address workforce shortages
LINCOLN — Twenty years ago, Diane Good-Collins lived behind bars as Nebraska prison inmate No. 94586. Today, she’s the head of a community college program that has trained and placed in jobs 3,100 former state prisoners so far this year. Good-Collins, the director the Re-Entry Program (RAP) at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha, said she […]
Student debt relief scams on the rise. Here’s what borrowers need to know
Complaints about student debt relief scams are increasing as the date approaches for borrowers to restart payment on their student loans after more than a three-year pause. Consumer protection advocates say that the Biden administration’s student debt relief efforts, the subsequent halting of those policies by the courts, and the restart of student loan payments […]
Pennsylvania’s Fetterman may pursue expulsion of ‘defiant’ Menendez from U.S. Senate
Pennsylvania Democratic U.S. Sen. John Fetterman said Thursday he would be open to expelling New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez from the Senate.
Government shutdown won’t affect health care or most benefits for veterans, VA says
WASHINGTON — Veterans who rely on government health care and other assistance can continue to see their doctors and receive education and pension benefits despite a possible, and likely imminent, partial shutdown that will temporarily cease many federal operations. The Department of Veterans Affairs on Tuesday released guidance on what functions will continue and not […]
Memorial Stadium renovation plans revealed: replace South Stadium and reduce capacity to mid-70,000 while enhancing fan experience
LINCOLN — Memorial Stadium, often described as the state’s “third-largest city” during football games, is headed for a $450-million modernization designed to enhance the fan experience. Planned improvements include chair-back seating replacing benches in the South, East and West Stadiums, enhanced restroom and concession areas, and improved access to upper portions of the structure, first […]
GOP presidential hopefuls tear into each other and absent Trump at second debate
The candidates polling from second to eighth in the race for the Republican nomination for president largely agreed on policy, fought over their records and took aim at former President Donald Trump at their second debate of the year Wednesday night. Trump, who leads polls of the race by substantial margins, skipped the event at […]
State watchdogs say they’re still doing their job, albeit slower, since legal opinion
OMAHA — Members of a North Omaha racial justice group expressed fears Wednesday night that a recent, adverse legal opinion may be shutting off a vital resource for addressing problems in state agencies. If state “inspectors general” for corrections and child welfare can’t get access to what’s going on, how can they report on concerns […]
Judge dismisses defamation lawsuit against far right group that accused state senator of being a ‘groomer’
LINCOLN — State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha said she is reviewing her options after a judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit against a far-right group that had accused her of abusing and sexually grooming her son. “No mother, regardless of whether they are an elected official or not, should be accused of abusing their children […]
UNMC and Nebraska Medicine open hub to help North Omahans reduce health disparities
OMAHA — Shanda Ross recalls sitting on her porch stoop as a kid, surrounded by a maze of North Omaha public housing units where violence and social ills had become all too familiar. That landscape near 30th and Lake Streets has since shifted dramatically, with a big church having risen on Ross’ old stomping grounds […]
State government stalwart, Larry Bare, remembered for vast knowledge, no nonsense advice
LINCOLN — Larry Bare was likely the most powerful state official you’ve never heard of. That’s despite working a state-record 16 years as the chief of staff for two governors, heading up State Capitol offices and agencies, and working under seven different governors — all over five decades of public service. Bare’s style was low […]