Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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In the hours after federal immigration officers descended on Glenn Valley Foods, company officials and elected leaders made one point clear: Glenn Valley had worked to avoid the exact situation it found itself in. As proof, they pointed to the Omaha meatpacking plant’s use of E-Verify, a federal system meant to help employers confirm a person’s ability to work legally in the U.S. “We’ve done everything we’re supposed to do as a company,” Glenn Valley Foods President Chad Hartmann said at the time. A spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enf...
Back in the day, I used to shake my head while watching state lawmakers work late into the night – sometimes till midnight – to get legislation passed at the end of a session. "You couldn't pay me enough to do that kind of work for 12- to 15 hours," I'd think to myself. Actually, the pay for state senators is $12,000-a-year, plus some per-diems for expenses and (as they say around Lincoln) "all you can eat and drink." The salary hasn't changed since 1988. It takes some patience and end...
This past week marked the final full week of the 109th Legislature’s first session. Since the beginning of April, senators have been spending four days a week in session and also having debate go into the evening three days a week. Late-night debate can take its toll on senators who spend many hours trying to pass legislation or stop bills from reaching the governor’s desk. One such example occurred during Select File debate on LB306, a bill which would create the School Financing Review Commiss...
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...
The Legislature passed the budget bills this past week containing its recommendations for the fiscal year 2025-2026 & fiscal year 2026-2027 biennial budget. Now, it will be up to the governor whether he signs the legislation as is or uses his line-item veto authority. When the Legislature convened in January, senators initially faced an estimated $432 million shortfall for the next two years, a number that soon grew. A large part of the increased deficit, but not all, came because the state’s ec...
The Legislature gave first-round approval this past week to a $10.8 billion biennial budget for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027. It consisted of five bills advanced to the floor by the Appropriations Committee. Going into debate, senators faced a nearly $262 million projected budget deficit over the next two years due to federal rate changes for Medicaid and a late report by the Economic Forecasting Advisory Board. In developing the budget proposal, the Appropriations Committee had used Feb...
The question of whether Delta-8 and similar hemp-derived products are to remain legal in Nebraska was the topic of debate this past week. The federal 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp production with 0.3% or less Delta-9 THC, but other compounds like Delta-8 THC and Delta-10 THC were not limited. The result has been the rapid rise of vape and smoke shops offering for sale Delta-8, Delta-10, and similar hemp-derived products across the state. While some establishments comply with the federal law, oth...
Jack Benny used to say that "kids say the darndest things." But every time there's an election, we can honestly say that "political ads say the darndest things." A seemingly innocuous vote or comment by a campaign becomes a negative TV ad or campaign mailer. Forget about the issues and whether a controversial vote was cast for a good reason. It's all about whether a candidate is a scoundrel or not. You might remember a few years ago when a group of state senators were targeted for re-election...
This past week, the Legislature made some progress in breaking through the logjam of bills currently sitting on the agenda. Senators are trying to find ways to move their bills since time for debate on non-budget bills is growing short. The budget is scheduled to be advanced to the full Legislature on April 29, and Speaker Arch announced that debate on budget bills will begin on May 6. One measure advanced to Final Reading this past week was Sen. Hallstrom’s LB80. This bill builds upon legislati...
Now that the Legislature is over two thirds of the way through this year’s 90-day regular long session, progress on the floor is beginning to slow down. More bills are being filibustered, delaying debate on other bills further down on the agenda. One measure considered was LB632 by Sen. Hansen. LB632 would require health-care facilities to dispose of fetal tissue following an elective abortion via cremation, interment by burial, or as directed by the Board of Health. Approximately 15 states c...
The Legislature is now two-thirds of the way through this year’s 90-day legislative session. One prominent topic of discussion this week was winner-take-all. Earlier this year, Sen. Lippincott introduced LB3 to reinstate the winner-take-all system for electing a presidential candidate. This system would award all of Nebraska’s votes to the candidate who received the highest number of votes throughout the state. Today, only two states, Maine and Nebraska, allocate votes for a presidential can...
This past week, my bill LB246 was debated on General File. Under LB246, the commercial sale and distribution of cultured protein products would be banned in Nebraska. Such products, also known as lab-grown meat or synthetic meat, are made by combining animal stem cells and other ingredients in bioreactors. However, LB246 would not impact the sale and distribution of plant-based protein alternative products. My intent with this bill is to address public safety concerns and help preserve Nebraska...
In November, Nebraska voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative allowing workers to earn sick leave for personal or family needs. They also voted to legalize marijuana used for medical purposes. Passage of the two measures are the latest example of how politically popular issues – such as raising the minimum wage and expanding Medicaid to provide health care for the working poor – can easily pass when put to a vote of the people, after they didn't have a prayer of passage in the Sta...
The other day, I got a text from my uncle in California. He'd just watched a news report about the tumultuous, March 18 town hall held by U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, a Republican, in which shouts and boos dominated. "I thought Nebraskans were above this stuff," texted my uncle, who grew up across the river in northwest Iowa. Gotta admit, it wasn't a great look for "Nebraska Nice." But also gotta admit, I wasn't surprised - it wasn't the first time I'd seen an angry crowd in Nebraska confront a...
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...
This past week, the Judiciary Committee heard testimony on my bill, LB73, relating to law enforcement continuing education requirements. This legislation is the result of conversations I had with area sheriffs last year regarding law enforcement staffing shortages. In 2021, the Legislature passed LB51 which increased the amount of continuing education each law enforcement officer across the state must take each calendar year from 20 hours to 32 hours. LB51 was brought to improve law enforcement...
After more than 35 minutes of discussion, the Summerland Board of Education failed to approve hiring a full-time Multi-Tiered System of Supports/instructional coach for junior and senior high grade levels, for the 2025-2026 school year. Ryan Ahlers, Nate Schwager and Jeremy Wagner voted in favor, while Chelsi McLain, Scott Thiele and Austin Twibell dissented. The vote took place at Monday's board meeting. The motion, made by Ahlers, was dependent on finding a suitable replacement for the...
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...
I really enjoyed the film, "Groundhog Day." It starred Bill Murray – who is generally hilarious – as a TV weatherman covering Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, home of the famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil. But Murray is caught in some kind of time warp in which the day's events, and mis-adventures, keep repeating themselves. I lost track of how many times Murray's alarm clock rang to start one more, identical day. You might be feeling the same way about a couple bills just int...
George Norris must be rolling over in his grave. Norris, the father of the one-house Nebraska Unicameral Legislature and one of the greatest U.S. senators in history, sought a political body that would not be dominated by political parties. So state senators in Norris' Unicameral are elected on a non-partisan ballot, leaders of legislative committees are chosen by secret ballot and there's no closed-door, final crafting of legislation in conference committees. The idea is that legislators can...
LINCOLN - The Nebraska Legislature wrapped up bill introductions and began committee hearings in the third week of its 2025 session, including proposals to display the Ten Commandments in public schools, end tenure for state university faculty and eliminate online voter registration. Lawmakers can introduce bills during the first 10 days of the legislative session, which ended Jan. 22. In total, senators introduced 715 bills and 29 resolutions. Bill introductions on Jan. 21 and 22 included legislation dealing with several controversial issues....
They're known as The Greatest Generation. On Friday, six Nebraskans who served in World War II were recognized at the Holt County Courthouse Annex in O'Neill. Each received a medal and certificate marking the 80th anniversary of WWII's end, part of a program introduced by Gov. Jim PIllen and the Nebraska Department of Veterans' Affairs. Bernard Hoffman, of Chambers, and John Schultz, of O'Neill, attended the ceremony. John Hilgert, NDVA director; Scott Menish, O'Neill mayor; and Ken Stenka,...
LINCOLN – In its second week of the 2025 session, the 109th Nebraska Legislature hosted Gov. Jim Pillen for the State of the State address where he outlined his priorities for the upcoming 90 days, alongside a week's worth of bill introductions. Pillen addressed the Legislature Jan. 15, outlining his main priorities for the upcoming session, adopting a winner-take-all system for the Nebraska Electoral College, minimizing government expenditures and reevaluating public school funding. In his s...
REGULAR PROCEEDINGS VILLAGE OF CLEARWATER BOARD OF TRUSTEES Jan. 13, 2025 The Board of Trustees of the Village of Clearwater met for a regular meeting Monday, Jan. 13, at 7 p.m., in the fire hall meeting room. Meeting opened at 7 p.m. Notice of meeting was given in advance by publication in Summerland Advocate-Messenger, was posted at US Post Office in Clearwater, Clearwater Market and Cornerstone Bank-Clearwater and was given to board members prior to meeting. Public was informed of location of Open Meeting Act poster. Present: Kelly Kerkman,...
