Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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The question of whether Nebraska should legalize medical marijuana will be debated by the Legislature this year. LB 474, the Medicinal Cannabis Act, was advanced this past week from the Judiciary Committee on a 5-2-1 vote. It has been prioritized by Senator Anna Wishart, the primary sponsor of LB 474. The bill, 62 pages in length, provides the regulatory framework to establish access to cannabis for medical purposes. It limits the allowable amount of cannabis, requires a patient to have a bona...
Holt County Supervisors approved a resolution declaring the county a Second Amendment sanctuary during the board’s March 16 meeting in O’Neill. The resolution cites U.S. Supreme Court cases upholding an individual’s right to possess firearms and notes Article 1, Section 1-1, of the Nebraska constitution providing “All persons have certain inalienable rights; among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and the right to keep and bear arms for the security or defense of self, f...
Natalie Stanley Nebraska News Service LINCOLN-- The Judiciary Committee heard another bill regarding marijuana legislation this week with LB474, the Adopt the Medicinal Cannabis Act. So far, there are 14 bills regarding marijuana that have been proposed this year. Sen. Anna Wishart of Lincoln introduced LB474 to the Committee on Wednesday. Wishart has been working on marijuana legislation for the past five years. Most recently, she and Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln led an effort to gather nearly 190,000 signatures in 2020 to add medicinal...
Nebraska’s latest directed health measures mirror Centers for Disease Control recommendations, shortening quarantine times for individuals who have been exposed to the coronavirus. Gov. Pete Ricketts made the announcement during a Friday press conference. Mandates went into effect at 5 p.m., Dec. 3 and will continue through Dec. 31. “Even with the good news we’ve had with regard to vaccines that are on their way, we do need people to continue to practice all the good methods we’ve learned...
Front-line health care workers and individuals with underlying health conditions will be the first Nebraskans to receive a coronavirus vaccine, once approved. Gov. Pete Ricketts announced, during a Monday press conference, the state's vaccination plan was submitted to the federal government prior to the Oct. 16 federal deadline. "Part of the planning includes an efficient distribution network for the vaccine so as quickly as the vaccine arrives, they can get into the arms of Nebraskans," said...
Governor Pete Ricketts announced Tuesday, new grant programs to continue growing Nebraska in the midst of the disruptions of the coronavirus pandemic. As part of the Coronavirus Relief Fund, the State of Nebraska received $1.084 billion in federal assistance to address coronavirus-related needs. Funds are being used to assist in the state’s direct response to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as providing assistance to Nebraska businesses, non-profits and public healthcare providers who have been adversely impacted due to the pandemic. Ricketts...
North Central District Health Department was made aware, Monday, of 39 additional cases in the district: Holt, 4; Knox, 11; Cherry, 6; Antelope, 7; Pierce, 2; Brown, 8 and Boyd, 1. On Tuesday, NCDHD was been made aware of 28 additional cases in the district: Holt, 4; Knox, 10; Antelope, 8; Cherry, 1; Pierce, 3; Brown, 1 and Rock, 1. Additionally, NCDHD regrets to inform the district on notification of one death in Rock County. The office of Governor Pete Ricketts has issued an updated directed health measures to include details about...
Steph Allen has already weathered one unimaginable crisis, the nightmare scenario that struck Grand Island and her new Teaching Tree childcare center this spring. She had to close the Teaching Tree for eight weeks as the COVID pandemic hit Hall County earlier and harder than almost any other spot in Nebraska. When she reopened in June, her enrollment and revenue plunged by 40%. It’s only now that enrollment is back up and daily operations are starting to feel somewhat normal. The good news is that both Steph and her high-quality child care c...
Luna Stephens and Katie Anderson Nebraska News Service Senators passed two state budget bills on July 31 including $55.2 million for damage from the 2019 floods, $10 million to the rural workforce housing investment fund and $3.7 million increase in developmental disability provider rates. LB1008, presented by Speaker Sen. Jim Scheer of Norfolk at the request of Gov. Pete Ricketts, is the $9.4 billion mainline state budget bill. After final reading, bills are submitted to the governor. The governor must sign, veto or line item veto the budget...
TRENTON BUHR Policy Assistant Center for Rural Affairs Nearly two years after voters approved a measure to expand Medicaid, Nebraskans will finally start to see the benefits take shape. Enrollment will begin Aug.1. To be eligible, an applicant’s annual income must be at, or below, 138% of the federal poverty level, which is roughly $17,000 for an individual or $35,000 for a family of four. Additional circumstances, such as a health condition, dependents or valuable assets, could alter eligibility. As is standard practice, enrollee eligibility w...
MADELEINE GRANT Nebraska News Service More than 90,000 additional Nebraskans are now eligible to apply for Medicaid, the government’s health insurance program for low-income individuals, the governor has announced. Nebraska residents can begin applying Aug. 1 at ACCESSNebraska.ne.gov and the coverage will take effect on Oct 1. The expansion was first approved in 2018 by Nebraska voters via Initiative 427. The department's Medicaid division submitted state plan amendments to the federal government in April 2019 and made preparations, such as sta...
LUNA STEPHENS Nebraska News Service While much of the attention on this summer's legislative session will likely be focused on property tax relief, Nebraska state senators passed a variety of bills before the session was suspended and have more to discuss. The Nebraska Legislature's 2020 session was suspended March 16 because of COVID-19 concerns and will resume July 20. Here's a look at some of the legislation that became laws, and some that will continue to be debated when the Legislature resu...
In mid March, churches were forced to close their doors due to the coronavirus epidemic. Two months later, services were allowed to be held again with restrictions still in place. In March, when the coronavirus was growing rapidly in case numbers, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services made a statement that places of worship were not going to be able to meet with more than 10 people. Many churches like Full Gospel Church in Ewing, decided to offer a live-streamed service instead....
Ten district health department areas across the state, including North Central District Health Department, which includes Antelope and Holt counties, will have changes to restrictions on social gatherings and business operations, beginning May 4. Governor Pete Ricketts announced upcoming changes to Directed Health Measures across the state during an April 24 press conference. The current state DHMs for Douglas County will be extended through May 3. Local DHMs from the Sarpy/Cass Health Department and the Douglas County Health Department will al...
Prepared. Diane Carlin, chief executive officer of Antelope Memorial Hospital, used the word to describe staff members' efforts to be prepared if the health care facility in Neligh is faced with an influx of COVID-19 patients. "We've done a lot of good work here at the hospital to be prepared. That's been a best part of this - the coming together of staff," Carlin said during a telephone interview Monday afternoon. She said the hospital has had several trial runs with testing patients and have...
Nebraskans are urged to stay home and stay healthy for the next three weeks. Thursday afternoon, Gov. Pete Ricketts announced six rules to lessen the impact of COVID-19: stay home, social distance, shop alone once per week, assist children with social distancing, help older populations social distance and exercise at home. Ricketts said the recommendations are not a stay-at-home order or a shelter-in-place order. "As we wage war against the virus, we are asking Nebraskans to further limit...
A worker at a Red Cross blood drive, held April 1 in Atkinson, has tested positive for COVID-19. The North Central District Health Department announced the investigation April 9 and initiated contact investigations with the Red Cross, Central District Health Department and Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, to assess risk of donors and volunteers who attended the drive. On April 10, 14 potential close contacts were identified and contacted by Red Cross officials. All the individuals are asymptomatic and are quarantining and self-...
The Holt County supervisors held a regular meeting at the courthouse in O’Neill last Tuesday, March 31, with all seven supervisors in attendance. The supervisors adopted a resolution, declaring a state of emergency in the county, beginning Jan. 31 and continuing, due to the health and safety of county citizens in relation to a global pandemic. The declaration allows expenditure of emergency funds if deemed necessary. Chad Thies with Zelle Human Resource Solutions in Lincoln discussed a proposed contract via phone conference. The board took t...
According to the 2018 Counties At-A-Glance report put together by Nebraska’s Legislative Research Office, 12% of our 6,421 individuals in Antelope County are food insecure. Food insecurity is described by Feeding America as “a household’s inability to provide enough food for every person to live an active, healthy life.” This means approximately 771 people in our county do not have regular access to food. While these are staggering numbers, I would like to discuss one of many ways we can help our neighbors in need. Help fight hunger this year b...
Nebraskans are urged to stay home and stay healthy for the next three weeks. Thursday afternoon, Gov. Pete Ricketts announced six rules to lessen the impact of COVID-19: stay home, social distance, shop alone once per week, assist children with social distancing, help older populations social distance and exercise at home. Ricketts said the recommendations are not a stay-at-home order or a shelter-in-place order. "As we wage war against the virus, we are asking Nebraskans to further limit...
UPDATED: APRIL 1, 2020 @ 8:04 P.M. North Central District Health Department, in communication with state officials, have signed the NCDHD counties, including Antelope, Boyd, Brown, Cherry, Holt, Keya Paha, Knox, Pierce and Rock, into the Directed Health Measures, effective April 1, at 10 p.m., through May 11, unless the order is extended. Please read the Directed Health Measures in full carefully, they can be found on the Department of Health and Human Services website at htt...
The first deaths in Nebraska, related to COVID-19, were reported Friday. According to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, a 50-year-old man from Douglas County, with underlying health concerns, is believed to be the first Nebraskan to die from COVID-19. The man, who had been in self-isolation at home since March 11, had contact with a known COVID-19 case out of state. Dr. Adi Pour, director of the Douglas County Health Department, expressed sympathy to the family and said,...
The Legislature was called back into session March 23 to pass emergency funding relating to the spread of coronavirus. An amendment was added to LB 1198, a bill that originally sought to appropriate funding for the restoration of doors to the legislative chamber. LB 1198 had already received first-round approval. An amendment offered by the chair of the Appropriations Committee, Sen. John Stinner, struck the original content of the bill and replaced it with an appropriation of $83.6 million from...
The first deaths in Nebraska, related to COVID-19, were reported Friday. According to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, a 50-year-old man from Douglas County, with underlying health concerns, is believed to be the first Nebraskan to die from COVID-19. The man, who had been in self-isolation at home since March 11, had contact with a known COVID-19 case out of state. Dr. Adi Pour, director of the Douglas County Health Department, expressed sympathy to the family and said,...
Effective Monday, March 23, the Holt County courthouse and annex are open to customers by appointment only. Holt County supervisors approved a motion to limit access to the courthouse during an emergency video-conference meeting, March 20. Limited access will be in effect until at least until March 31, when the supervisors will re-evaluate the situation at their regular meeting. The meeting was called after department heads met Thursday to discuss possible procedures to enact. Individuals needing to conduct business with county officials are...
