Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Spring is planting time in Nebraska. But the looming primary election on May 12 for U.S. Senate is also, allegedly, quite a planting session, generating competing claims that candidates are "plants" to help or hurt the two leading candidates. We're referring to the race between U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts and Dan Osborn. Osborn, an independent, is a labor leader and mechanic who ran a surprisingly close race with U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, a Republican, in 2024. Ricketts, a Republican, served two terms...
One of my favorite political slogans of all time is “a solution in search of a problem.” It’s used frequently in debates at the Nebraska Legislature to describe a proposal or idea that imposes new rules and restrictions to address a problem that doesn’t exist. You might call it “government overreach,” too. Anyway, the “solution in search of a problem” line is being used often today to describe President Trump’s efforts to change election laws via the dramatically labeled “SAVE America Act...
There are ways to change state policies, and there are other ways to change state policies. Which brings us to the "death by a thousand cuts" of the Nebraska Environmental Trust. The Trust was created back in 1992, when Nebraska voters decided to join a growing number of states launched state lotteries to generate extra revenue. (That seems like centuries ago, before casinos were in every big city, and before you could lose a paycheck in an afternoon at a "skill game" in your local tavern. It wa...
According to Supreme Court Justice John R. Freudenberg, the Judicial Nominating Commission for County Court in the Seventh Judicial District will hold a public hearing on Thursday, March 26, beginning at 10 a.m. CST, at the Madison County Courthouse, Courtroom #1, 1313 N Main Street, Madison, Nebraska. At the hearing, the commission will receive information on the qualifications of candidates to fill the vacancy in the office of County Court Judge due to the retirement of Judge Donna Farrell...
Three thoughts ... Among the tasks waiting for the Nebraska Legislature when it reassembles after the first of the year will be a budget shortfall, the perennial pitch for lower property taxes and a roster of issues from education to fulfilling the wishes of the electorate ... finally. State senators also will be dealing with a couple personnel issues during the 60-day session, a pair of stinkers that have already occupied a considerable amount of time not simply for lawmakers but for the...
Chelsey R. Hartner, Madison, and Ryan J. Stover, Norfolk, have submitted applications for appointment as district court judge in the Seventh Judicial District which consists of Antelope, Cuming, Knox, Madison, Pierce, Stanton, and Wayne counties. The vacancy is due to the resignation of Judge James G. Kube. The public hearing of the Judicial Nominating Commission will be held at the Madison County Courthouse, Courtroom #1, 1313 N Main Street, Madison, beginning at 10 a.m., CST on Monday, Jan. 5. The Commission will interview all applicants for...
On Wednesday, November 12, the Nebraska Examiner reported that the Executive Board of the Legislature is considering new security upgrades in the Nebraska State Capitol building. This announcement comes in light of recent acts of political violence across the country and a growing recognition by state and national lawmakers to reconsider existing security measures. Currently, the Capitol Security Division of the Nebraska State Patrol is charged with the safety and security of the Nebraska State...
Union Pacific Railroad is the lone Nebraska-based company publicly known to have donated to the new White House ballroom championed by President Donald Trump. It's also a Nebraska-based company that will soon need a federal regulator to approve a massive merger that, if green-lit, would give the company control of more than 40% of rail freight traffic in the United States. Trump recently fired the most anti-merger board member of that federal regulator, the Surface Transportation Board, as he...
Nathaniel T. Eckstrom, Chelsey R. Hartner, both of Madison; Patrick P. Carney, Matthew A. Headley, Dennis W. Morland, all of Norfolk; Jerrod P. Jaeger, Fremont, and Christian H. Mirch, Omaha, have submitted applications for appointment as County Court Judge in the Seventh Judicial District which consists of Antelope, Cuming, Knox, Madison, Pierce, Stanton, and Wayne counties. The vacancy is due to the appointment of Judge Michael L. Long to the District Court. The second public hearing of the Judicial Nominating Commission will be held at the...
Editor's note: This story is about gambling and problem gambling. Nebraskans seeking help with problem gambling can call 1-833-BETOVER - 833-238-6837 - 24 hours a day. Mike Sciandra kept $300-$400 zippered inside a pouch in his leather backpack, ready for the moment he could take a break from his traveling sales job and walk into a Nebraska bar or convenience store. There, in Auburn, Aurora, Columbus, North Platte or York, he'd bet the maximum $4 per spin on a so-called "skill game," a legal...
This week’s newsletter will provide an overview of several bills and resolutions that are still held in their respective legislative committees but could conceivably be advanced to the floor subject to the outcome of any negotiations that happen during the interim. LR12CA, by Sen. Kauth, is a proposed constitutional amendment that seeks to cap property tax valuations. As introduced, LR12CA would dictate that the maximum amount of any property tax cannot not exceed 1.5% of the full-cash value o... Full story
Let's get this straight – 71% of Nebraskans voted in November to legalize the use of marijuana as medicine. But when the State Legislature got around to adopting regulations to dole it out, lawmakers decided "whoa," let's not get too hasty about this. It's a crazy world, right? But how crazy is it when the state's voters, by not just a slim margin but a landslide, approve new laws and the State Legislature decides 'nope.' Medical marijuana is now legal in 47 states. Nebraska, Kansas and Idaho t...
This past week, the Legislature considered a measure to increase property tax relief. LB170 by Senator Brandt would raise revenue through (1) the removal of sales tax exemptions on eighteen luxury goods and services like limousine rentals, (2) increasing the excise tax on cigarettes, and (3) creating new taxes on cigars and vapes. The purpose of this bill was to raise revenue which would then be allocated to help offset school district property taxes paid. During debate, however, it soon became...
A rarely discussed legal term is getting its day in the sun. "The rule of law" is the crazy idea that everyone in a democracy is accountable to the same laws and that everyone is entitled to their day in court (and to be represented by an attorney). The legal term took top billing in a recent episode of "60 Minutes" as well as in letters penned by a group of professors at the University of Nebraska College of Law and a collection of the state's legal groups. The professors' letter was directed...
March 28th marked the 52nd day of this 90-day legislative session and the final day of daily committee hearings. Full day debate will begin March 31. Senators are now focused on the budget as well as bills that have been designated as a priority either by a senator, a committee or the Speaker of the Legislature. One of the final bills heard by the Judiciary Committee this year was my bill LB395. LB395 was brought on behalf of the Nebraska Supreme Court’s Administrative Office of the Courts a...
Matthew A. Headley and Michael L. Long, both of Norfolk, have submitted applications for appointment as district court judge in the Seventh Judicial District, which consists of Antelope, Cuming, Knox, Madison, Pierce, Stanton and Wayne counties. The vacancy is due to Judge Mark A. Johnson’s retirement. The public hearing of the Judicial Nominating Commission will be held at the Madison County Courthouse, Courtroom #1, 1313 N Main Street, Madison, beginning at 10 a.m., on Friday, March 14. The commission will interview all applicants for the o...
One of my favorite classes, besides English and journalism, was social studies. I’m certain my enthusiasm for understanding the intricacies of government stemmed from my elementary teacher, Mrs. Hajny. Our elementary classes voted in a mock election in 1972. Our results didn’t mirror the national election, which resulted in Richard Nixon receiving 60.7% of the popular vote, sailing to a landslide win over George McGovern. At school, the results were closer to a 50-50 split, and class dis...
District Judge Mark Johnson will retire after a law career spanning more than four decades. The Nebraska Supreme Court recently announced Johnson's retirement, which is effective Jan. 15. In his retirement announcement to Gov. Jim Pillen, Johnson said, "It has been a distinct honor and privilege to have served as district judge of the Seventh Judicial of the State of Nebraska since April 24, 2013." The judge thanked courthouse staff for their "help, humor and assistance every day in such a...
While Pete Ricketts was governor, he and his parents spent serious money supporting state senators – and opposing fellow Republicans who had displeased the governor. Longtime observers say that money helped morph the Legislature, making it less independent and more partisan. In January 2017, Patrick O'Donnell entered the Nebraska State Capitol's cavernous legislative chamber, air heavy with the echo of history's fierce debates and whispered negotiations. The longtime Clerk of the Legislature s...
Back in the day, our high school basketball team used to employ a full-court press when we'd fallen behind. It was mostly a desperation measure toward the end of a game, a frantic effort in hopes that we could suddenly trip up our opponent and turn a defeat into a victory. Well, just recently in Nebraska, we were able to see a political full-court press in action, and such all-out strategy seems to have become the norm when it comes to citizen-led ballot initiatives. Ballot initiatives allow...
“When there’s a will, there’s a way.” That was a phrase that surfaced regularly at the end of state legislative sessions. It referred to the hope that bills that appeared dead might be resurrected. Somehow, someway – like the zombie in a horror movie that would never die – some of those bills came back to life and were passed. Again, when there’s a will, there’s a way. That was the case at the end of the tumultuous 2023 session of the Nebraska Legislature, when filibusters were a daily routine...
Have you been to the grocery store or courthouse lately and been approached in the parking lot by not one, but two people seeking signatures on initiative petitions concerning abortion rights? Confused? You’re not alone. For what appears to be the first time in history, Nebraskans are being asked to sign not one, not two, but three petitions seeking to determine if and when a woman can have an abortion. And, according to Secretary of State Bob Evnen, if more than one petition makes the ballot, t...
In 2021, the last special session of the Nebraska Legislature lasted 13 days and cost the state $105,436. Do the math, that's $8,076.92 per day. Then ask yourself, is a winner-take-all election measure, which would bring Nebraska into the same fold as 48 other states, worth the money. For that matter, is a so-called solution to the state's property tax problems worth it? They're bantering the words "special session" around like it's nothing short of expected. Gov. Jim Pillen says he will call a...
Nebraska residents should have easier access to public records under a bill that, in effect, overrules a recent Nebraska Supreme Court decision allowing the state to charge high amounts for retrieving public records. Gov. Jim Pillen signed Legislative Bill 43, adopting the First Freedom Act and new public record provisions, on Wednesday, March 27, after it unanimously passed in the Legislature, 39-0. The bill went into immediate effect due to an emergency clause. The emergency clause was added to an amendment inspired by Lincoln Sen. Danielle...
Nebraska is now down to one surgical abortion provider less than a year after lawmakers passed a 12-week ban. The Bellevue clinic founded by the late Dr. LeRoy Carhart – once one of only three providers in the country to perform third-trimester abortions – no longer does surgical procedures but does offer patients abortion pills, clinic employees confirmed to the Flatwater Free Press. That means Nebraskans who want a surgical abortion or who are past the cutoff for the abortion pill must go to...
