FORMER OMAHA LOBBYIST JACK CHELOHA NAMED RALSTON CITY ADMINISTRATOR

RALSTON- The City of Ralston has appointed Jack Cheloha, formerly a longtime City of Omaha lobbyist, as its new city administrator.

Cheloha, a senior attorney for Goosmann Law Firm, begins his Ralston duties on Jan. 2.

He replaced Rick Hoppe, who had served as city administrator for the city of about 6,500 people since 2020. Hoppe was recently named chief of staff to Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird. “Jack is the right choice to keep Ralston moving forward,” said Ralston Mayor Don Groesser.

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BIDEN TO AWARD LINCOLN POLICE OFFICER TU ANH TRAN THE MEDAL OF VALOR

LINCOLN- President Joe Biden is awarding a Medal of Valor on Friday to the Lincoln Police Department sergeant who jumped into a frigid pond in February 2023 to save a woman from drowning in her car. Sergeant Tu Anh Tran responded to a winter weather-related wreck at Wilderness Ridge Golf Course in which a 27-year-old woman lost control of her Hyundai Elantra on Yankee Hill Road in south Lincoln and slipped into a pond that typically does little more than complicate life for golfers.

Tran has deflected attempts to describe his efforts as heroic, sharing credit with the bystanders and the people who called 911. But it was the second time he had jumped into the water to help rescue someone, having done the same in September 2022. On Friday in Washington, D.C., Tran will be honored along with officers from Nashville, Tennessee, who stopped a school shooter, a New York fire lieutenant who saved a mother and child, and a firefighter who saved two unconscious people.

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'CHRISTMAS MIRACLE' SAVES SMALL-TOWN NEBRASKA NEWSPAPERS

LINCOLN- Rod Worrell calls it a “Christmas miracle,” but just hours before he was ready to print the final edition of the Ainsworth Star-Journal on Dec. 25, a new owner emerged. Now both the Star-Journal and the Valentine Midland News, two weekly papers that Worrell and his wife Kathy had owned for more than 40 years, will not close. Potential owners in Ainsworth, he said, were having trouble finding someone to staff the paper — the workforce is a major issue in many sectors across Nebraska, including in Ainsworth, a ranching community 140 miles west of Norfolk.

Graig Kinzie, the owner of the local radio station in Ainsworth, said he’d been trying to put together a group to buy the paper for two to three months, but each group couldn’t come up with someone to run the operation. Then the owners of an Ainsworth car dealership, Clint and Katie Painter stepped forward to tell Kinzie their daughter, Erin, wanted to move back to her hometown and was willing to manage the paper.

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USDA AWARDS NEBRASKA GROUP $200M TO BOOST CLEAN ENERGY EFFORTS

LINCOLN- A Nebraska rural electric cooperative has been awarded a $200 million federal grant to boost clean and affordable energy efforts in the state. The funding to Nebraska Electric Generation & Transmission Cooperative was part of the latest round of investments by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Empowering Rural America Program, or New ERA, which aims to help rural Americans transition to cleaner, less expensive, and reliable energy.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced in December that $4.37 billion in grants and loans were headed to 10 rural electric cooperatives, representing seven states, for projects that support jobs, lower electricity costs for businesses and families, and reduce climate pollution. In Nebraska, USDA officials say the $200 million award will be used by NEG&T to procure 725 megawatts of wind and solar energy in Butler, Burt, and Custer Counties.

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INSURANCE MUST NOW COVER ALL PARTS OF NEBRASKANS' COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENINGS

LINCOLN- Legislative Bill 829 from State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue took effect Jan. 1. It requires insurance companies to cover each “integral part” of performing a colorectal cancer screening. Its adoption followed the passage of LB 92 in 2023, which included a provision from State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln that required insurance plans to cover screening colonoscopies, as well as an annual stool-based preventative screening test designed for patients with minimal to average risk of colorectal cancer.

Nebraska is ranked in the lower half of states for colorectal cancer screening rates, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Blood stated she came up with the idea for her LB 829 when she was getting a colonoscopy and was handed a release before her procedure saying most insurance companies wouldn’t cover part of a colonoscopy should they find something, like a polyp, which can grow into cancer over time.

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SIXTH 2024 NEBRASKA BIRD FLU CASE FOUND, THIS ONE IN JOHNSON COUNTY

LINCOLN- In late December, state and federal agricultural officials identified a sixth Nebraska case from 2024 of highly pathogenic avian influenza. This one was found in a commercial flock of broiler chickens in Johnson County, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture announced on New Year’s Eve. It was December’s fifth confirmed case. Johnson County is in southeast Nebraska.

State Veterinarian Dr. Roger Dudley has said he expects to find more instances of the “highly contagious virus” because it has circulated in wild birds and commercial and backyard flocks. Before this one, cases were identified in backyard flocks in Sarpy and Lancaster Counties, a commercial flock in Nemaha County, and one in a backyard flock in Dodge County.

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SMALL-BUSINESS LENDING REBOUNDS IN NEBRASKA IN 2024

LINCOLN - Lending to small businesses in Nebraska rebounded sharply in fiscal year 2024.According to the annual report from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the number of SBA-guaranteed loans was up more than 39% from 2023, while the total dollar amount of the loans grew by nearly 20%.

Overall, the state's small businesses received $195.7 million in SBA-guaranteed financing, which was the third-highest amount ever recorded, trailing only 2021 and 2022. The 7(a) program, which guarantees traditional small-business loans, guaranteed 368 loans totaling $139.1 million in fiscal 2024, up from 295 loans worth $105.2 million in fiscal 2023.

Nebraska saw big increases in both its 7(a) lending program and the 504 loan program. The 504 program, which guarantees loans that allow businesses to buy large equipment or build, buy or expand buildings, and are facilitated through nonprofit lenders called certified development companies, saw fewer loans approved in 2024 — 23, compared with 31 in 2023 — but the value of those loans was $56.6 million, compared with just $35.2 million in 2023.

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'WE'VE NEVER HAS THIS KIND OF MONEY BEFORE': NEBRASKA'S WINNEBAGO TRIBE PLANNING FOR CASINO WINDFALL

OMAHA- Profits from casinos opening in Omaha and Lincoln will give the Winnebago tribe a new opportunity to improve the lives of its people. Tribal members say the delightful challenge ahead is how to best spend the money expected to pour in once its casinos are up and running.

“We’ve never had this kind of money before,” said Lance Morgan, chief executive officer of Ho-Chunk Inc., the tribe’s economic development arm. Two newly built, tribal-owned WarHorse casinos will tap gamblers’ pockets in Nebraska’s two largest metro areas starting this year. The tribe plans to open the new WarHorse Casino in Omaha on Aug. 6, and a few months later its sister casino in Lincoln. A third WarHorse casino is planned in South Sioux City.

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ABORTION LED NEBRASKA'S TOP FIVE POLITICAL STORIES FROM 2024

LINCOLN- Nebraska’s political year in 2024, as in much of the nation, was dominated by abortion politics. The issue influenced ballot initiatives and competitive races. Voters in Nebraska, Florida, and South Dakota became the first since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 to reject ballot initiatives seeking to expand abortion rights.

The Nebraska vote was unique because abortion restrictionists passed a competing proposal on the same ballot, promoting it as a “moderate alternative” to the abortion rights amendment. They said the status quo helps women and children. Abortion rights advocates spent much of the campaign fighting what they called “misinformation and disinformation” that miscast their effort to codify abortion rights as “extreme.” They said the way things are harms women and families.

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NEBRASKA JOINS VIRGINIA IN ASKING SCOTUS TO UPHOLD LAW AGAINST TIKTOK

NEBRASKA - Following the passage of a federal law earlier this year that calls for the owners of social media app TikTok to either sell it or be subject to a ban on the app in the U.S., Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares filed an amicus brief Friday urging the Supreme Court to uphold the law.

TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, sued the U.S. government over the law, saying it impeded their First Amendment rights, but a federal appeals court recently upheld the law. The high court will hear oral arguments in the appeal case Jan. 10.

Miyares co-led the amicus brief alongside Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen. Attorneys General in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Utah also signed on in support.

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NEBRASKA, UTAH, TEXAS AND 12 MORE STATES SUE FEDS ON HOUSING EFFICIENCY STANDARDS

LINCOLN- Nebraska, Utah, Texas and a dozen other states have teamed up to fight the federal government’s energy efficiency standards that officials there say make affordable housing more expensive. Some resisting the standards have called them “radical.”

The complaint takes issue with the Act’s “Energy Efficiency Standards” section, which imposes regulations when constructing new public housing and single-family and multifamily residential housing. The standards often dictate the types of lighting, ventilation systems, roofs, and heat pumps used in construction.

According to the complaint, that section delegates efficiency standards to two private organizations, the International Code Council and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers. That should be unconstitutional, the lawsuit alleges.

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OMAHA INLAND PORT AUTHORITY VOTE BREAKS LOGJAM ON $90M BUSINESS PARK PROJECT

OMAHA- Omaha’s Inland Port Authority board on Thursday approved the release of nearly $7.4 million in state funds to help a development team assess if a long-sought $90 million business park project near Nebraska’s largest airport is viable.

The action breaks a logjam on a grant announced a year ago by Gov. Jim Pillen. The funds at the time were awarded to a team led by the Omaha Economic Development Corporation for creating a shovel-ready site intended to be a major industrial and job hub for North Omaha.

Funding, however, has been held up by the Inland Port Authority, which governs a 300-acre site where the business park would rise. Some members of the nine-person port board believed the OEDC-led group hadn’t provided the board enough financial and other details for its plan that targets a 160-acre site west of Omaha’s Eppley Airfield and north of Carter Lake.

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PILLEN APPOINTS INTERIM COMMISSIONER FOR NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

LINCOLN - Gov. Jim Pillen announced Tuesday that he has appointed Katie Thurber as interim commissioner for the Nebraska Department of Labor.

She steps into the top labor spot John Albin left when he retired on Dec. 20, after serving the state Labor Department in various roles over 35 years.

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NEBRASKA HAS THE 4th HIGHEST PROPERTY TAXES IN THE U.S.

NEBRASKA- America’s homebuyers have had an extraordinarily difficult few years. A combination of surging demand and scarce inventory has led to fierce competition among buyers, driving home prices to record levels. On top of this, high interest rates have increased borrowing costs, creating another major hurdle for aspiring homeowners. Another factor is property taxes. Typically calculated as a percentage of a home’s assessed value, property taxes have become an increasing burden as property values continue to outpace inflation.

At the state level, the Northeast and Midwest lead with the highest effective property tax rates for owner-occupied homes. Here is a summary of the data for Nebraska:

• Effective property tax rate for owner-occupied homes: 1.435%

• Median property taxes paid for owner-occupied homes: $3,523

• Median owner-occupied home value: $245,200

• Median owner-occupied household income: $94,687

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PILLEN APPOINTS JUSTICE TO NEBRASKA SUPREME COURT

LINCOLN- Gov. Jim Pillen has selected a district judge from his hometown of Columbus as the next associate justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court. Platte County District Judge Jason M. Bergevin succeeds Justice Jeffrey Funke, whom Pillen elevated in the fall to chief justice. Bergevin joined his district court in 2022, which was his first judgeship.

“I am honored to be chosen as the next judge of the Nebraska Supreme Court from the Fifth Judicial District,” Bergevin said in a statement. “Three highly qualified applicants stepped forward for this position. I appreciate Governor Pillen’s confidence in me. I will work hard to continue serving the Nebraska Judicial Branch and the people of our state.”

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CAN NEBRASKA LAWMAKERS BALANCE THE BUDGET AND DELIVER TAX RELIEF?

LINCOLN- Nebraska lawmakers face an ambitious task in 2025 of balancing the state budget with an estimated $432 million shortfall and fulfilling the governor’s continued goal of pushing for more property tax relief.

The first regular session of the Nebraska Legislature is the time when senators tackle the two-year state budget, with the next cycle lasting from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2027. Traditionally, lawmakers have passed the budget through three main bills that handle revenues, expenses, and the cash reserve. Those bills must see floor debate no later than day 70 of the 90-day session, and receive final approval from lawmakers by day 80.

Given the expected shortfall, returning senators expressed differing levels of optimism when asked about the feasibility of new tax relief in 2025.

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OMAHA CITY COUNCIL ADOPTS CLIMATE ACTION PLAN WITH GOAL TO ACHIEVE 'NET ZERO' BY 2050

OMAHA - A climate action plan approved by the Omaha City Council this week aims to reduce Omaha’s greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 and make the city more resilient to such effects of climate change as more frequent floods and more extreme weather.

Net zero means adding no more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere than removed from the atmosphere. The plan includes an intermediate goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 52% by 2035. “I’m pleased that Omaha has now joined every other major city in the country in adopting and now pursuing a climate action plan,” City Council President Pete Festersen said Wednesday. “We’ve done a number of positive things in recent years, but a city needs a comprehensive plan. We need to pursue it with urgency.”

The council voted 5-2 Tuesday to pass an ordinance approving the Climate Action and Resilience Plan and making it part of Omaha’s Master Plan. Council members Don Rowe, Juanita Johnson, Ron Hug and Danny Begley joined Festersen in voting yes. Council Vice President Aimee Melton and Council member Brinker Harding voted no after unsuccessfully pressing to delay the vote to take out portions they opposed.

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NEBRASKANS RANKED BEHIND ONE OTHER STATE IN ONLINE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING, STUDY SHOWS

LINCOLN- Nebraska was No. 2 among states with the biggest thirst for online Christmas shopping, according to a study by an online coupon platform. Nebraska and No. 1 West Virginia were the only states to score above 70 for search intensity. For the study, Coupon Mister analyzed Google Trends data across the U.S., covering search trends from late 2022 to early December this year.

Researchers said that while urban hubs such as Omaha and Lincoln offer a range of options for shoppers, Nebraskans in rural areas benefit significantly from online shopping as it saves them long trips to stores and retail centers. As for popular online search terms among Nebraskans, “Best Christmas deals” was tops.

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NEBRASKA AUDITOR ALLEGES MORE FRAUD BY CONTRACTED DHHS CAREGIVERS

LINCOLN - Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley released a second letter Wednesday lambasting two Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services programs, listing “shocking examples” of alleged wrongdoing by caregivers contracted by the HHS to provide services to Medicaid recipients.

In a news release, Foley said his office found an Omaha-based home health care agency received over $1 million in reimbursements through HHS’s personal assistance services and personal care services programs. Foley alleged many of the reimbursements requested by the agency were fraudulent, pointing out that one reimbursement was for a caregiver who was in law enforcement custody at the time services were supposedly performed.

Foley said the agency’s founder had been authorized to provide child care services in a different HHS program. However, HHS terminated its agreement with the founder due to improper billing procedures and double billings resulting in overpayments.

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MADE IN NEBRASKA: MANUFACTURING JOBS IN STATE AT HIGHEST POINT IN DECADES

SNYDER, Neb. — This little village of 300 has become such a manufacturing powerhouse, its population more than doubles when the morning shifts start at the four factories lining the highway. One company alone employs 250 people making big aerial ladder trucks for fire departments all over North America.

The town also boasts another firm making smaller fire engines, still another assembling specialty vehicles for the water well industry, as well as a new food processor. “We build some pretty cool stuff here,” said Jeff Hunke, who grew up in Snyder and owns and runs Hunke Manufacturing. “I mean, this little town puts aerial ladders in New York City.”

But Snyder isn’t the only place in Nebraska where manufacturing booms. Nebraska in recent years has been undergoing a bit of a manufacturing renaissance, with the 109,000 people currently employed in the industry representing a 23-year high. Nebraska’s manufacturing employment is up more than 9% in the past five years alone, adding more than 9,000 jobs. That growth, by percentage, is nearly 16 times the national rate and one of the highest among the states.

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