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Nebraska Examiner
NE advocates for the homeless, special needs groups launch effort to build 10,000 dwellings
LINCOLN — From North Platte to Omaha, advocates representing towns across Nebraska converged in the Capital City this week to launch the Herculean task of building thousands of new residential units for the state’s hardest-to-house populations. Teams from 10 nonprofits were selected by state officials largely for their expertise in serving the chronically homeless, including […]
Nebraska Legislature sidesteps filibuster on cuts to HHS, Legislative Council
LINCOLN — A day after state lawmakers pared down Gov. Jim Pillen’s latest property tax relief proposal, a small group of senators tried to punish him for stepping into budget discussions. State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha and State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln hammered a special session budget bill for including more than $28 […]
Nebraska Supreme Court sets Aug. 28 oral arguments for lawsuit on felon voting rights
LINCOLN — The Nebraska Supreme Court is set to hear a lawsuit seeking to force Secretary of State Bob Evnen to register voters with past felony convictions under a new state law. Civic Nebraska and voting rights advocates announced the lawsuit July 29. Oral arguments are set for Aug. 28 in a case that revolves around […]
At least 12 die in motorcycle accidents before, during and after 2024 Sturgis rally
Three people died in motorcycle accidents during the recently concluded Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, according to the official tally of the state Department of Public Safety, but the actual number of motorcycle-involved traffic deaths in the state from the days before, during and after the event is 12. The department, which includes the Highway Patrol, attributes […]
Nebraska treasurer establishes crowdfunding website as savings program for people with disabilities
LINCOLN — A new crowdfunding website led by the Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office is seeking to help Nebraskans with disabilities live a full, involved life in their community. State Treasurer Tom Briese, State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil and a dozen other lawmakers Wednesday morning announced GiveToEnable.com. Assistant State Treasurer Stacy Pfeifer, director of the Enable […]
Nebraska lawmakers advance ‘absolute minimum’ property tax package after months of buildup
LINCOLN — Months of buildup for a new property tax relief-driven package was heavily narrowed in the Nebraska Legislature on Tuesday before being advanced with the “absolute minimum” provisions. Lawmakers voted 34-11 to end debate on Legislative Bill 34, accepting a “very skinnied-down,” “simple” version. Over the course of 24 hours, lawmakers pivoted through various tax […]
Vance to visit Nebraska for a fundraiser
OMAHA — Nebraska’s swinging 2nd Congressional District will host both 2024 vice presidential candidates in coming days, the latest sign of how significant the campaigns consider the stray Electoral College vote. Republican U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, former President Donald Trump’s running mate, plans to visit Omaha on Aug. 21 for a minimum $1,000-a-plate […]
Nebraska bound: Harris running mate Tim Walz to visit 2nd District
OMAHA — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will be flexing his Big Red roots on Saturday. He has scheduled a visit to Omaha two weeks after Vice President Kamala Harris picked him as her running mate, the Examiner has learned. The Harris campaign is poised as early as Wednesday to announce the stop in Nebraska’s swing […]
Paid sick leave petition confirmed for Nebraska’s November ballot
LINCOLN — Nebraska voters will decide this fall whether workers will be able to rely on their employers to provide paid sick time. Secretary of State Bob Evnen confirmed Tuesday that the Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans petition collected enough signatures from registered voters to qualify for the November ballot. Organizers from local nonprofits, worker […]
Online sports betting authority for Nebraska Legislature gets out of committee
LINCOLN — The Legislature’s General Affairs Committee took a half step Monday toward letting the public vote on the future of online sports betting in Nebraska. But the committee’s decision to punt a companion bill means any vote will likely wait until after the November election. The amended version of Legislative Resolution 3CA stopped short […]
Tina Peters, former Mesa County, Colorado, clerk, found guilty on seven counts
A Mesa County jury found Tina Peters guilty Monday on seven of 10 criminal charges related to a security breach that occurred in the spring of 2021 in the elections office she oversaw as the Mesa County clerk and recorder. The jury returned the verdict just hours after closing arguments. Peters was found guilty on […]
Gov. Jim Pillen’s political legacy and future could hinge on property tax relief push
LINCOLN — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen pushed his property tax relief chips to the middle of the Legislature’s poker table Monday, staking his political reputation on state senators passing structural changes that cannot be easily undone. He has held listening sessions. He has rallied supporters. He has funded polls and mailers. He has paid for […]
Latest NE property tax plan would add sales tax to another 70-plus goods and services
LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers are officially set to debate a tax relief package Tuesday that will include consideration of ending nearly 70 sales tax exemptions to provide funding for property tax cuts. One month ago, a draft property tax plan indicated lawmakers might begin taxing sales of 120 more goods or services. That number has been […]
Recreational marijuana heads to November ballot in North Dakota
North Dakota voters will decide the fate of recreational marijuana for the third time since 2018 after the Secretary of State’s Office approved the measure for the November ballot. The office announced Monday it has verified nearly 19,000 of the more than 22,000 signatures submitted to the office. A total of 15,582 signatures were needed […]
Revenue Committee advances NE property tax relief package, with debate to start Tuesday
LINCOLN — The Nebraska Legislature’s Revenue Committee officially voted out a property tax relief plan Monday that combined various proposals offered in the state’s special legislative session. The combined package, which advanced 6-1, is contained in Legislative Bill 34. The plan would lower maximum property tax rates for the state’s 244 school districts; shift funding for […]
Potential threats to IVF push political novices into election-year advocacy
Marilyn Gomez was sitting at her kitchen table in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Feb. 16 when news alerts and friends’ texts began pinging her phone: The all-Republican Alabama Supreme Court had ruled that frozen embryos created through in vitro fertilization were children under state law. That meant providers could be held liable for discarding them, […]
Omaha’s new Inland Port Authority looks to fill community advisory posts
OMAHA — Lack of community input became a major complaint early on in discussions about a proposed Omaha airport area business park, which is to be bolstered by a $90 million state grant. An upshot was state legislation, adopted this past session, requiring a community advisory committee to consult with the nine-member Omaha Inland Port Authority […]
State employees union appeals remote work decision to Nebraska Supreme Court
LINCOLN — The union representing Nebraska state employees has appealed a labor court’s July decision that sided with Gov. Jim Pillen to end most remote work assignments. The Nebraska Association of Public Employees, which represents more than 8,000 state employees, announced Monday it had appealed the July 11 decision from the Nebraska Commission of Industrial Relations. […]
Veterans club in NE’s oldest prison is saluted at Vietnam vet reunion
LINCOLN — Every year, a wreath is placed on the grave of Beryl Zich. It has been a solemn tradition since her death in 2005, a way to pay tribute to her love and dedication for her son, Larry, a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, who was listed as missing in action until his […]
Senators urge better access to disability payments for Long COVID patients
Several U.S. senators have called on the Social Security Administration to take steps to make it easier for people with long COVID to access disability benefits, actions that disability rights advocates and patients say are desperately needed. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tina Smith (D-MN), Angus […]
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