SEVERAL INMATES STILL RECOVERING FROM SALMONELLA OUTBREAK AT LINCOLN CORRECTIONAL CENTER

LINCOLN - A salmonella outbreak struck the Lincoln Correctional Center in late November, and the affected inmates are recovering, state officials said Wednesday.

A number of men became ill, and testing confirmed the bacteria in six, according to the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services.

The severity of the illness can vary from person to person, said Dr. Harbans Deol, medical director for correctional services. Two inmates required treatment at an outside hospital, with one being admitted. Those two already had compromised immune systems, Deol said.

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NEBRASKA DEPUTIES WILL CONTINUE TO HELP ICE. IMMIGRATION ADVOCATES SAY THAT'S A MISTAKE

DAKOTA CITY, Neb. — Activists urged a county sheriff Wednesday to drop an agreement to enforce federal immigration laws, saying the agreement stopped immigrants from reporting crimes, made them feel unwelcome and was a waste of local funds.

But Dakota County Sheriff Chris Kleinberg rejected the claims, saying that helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement was a deterrent against lawbreakers in the country illegally coming to his county, and had led to some deportations.

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THOSE UNDER 19 WOULD BE BANNED FROM VAPING IF KEARNEY CITY COUNCIL APPROVES NEW ORDINANCE

KEARNEY — It will be illegal for anyone younger than age 19 to vape or smoke tobacco in Kearney after the Kearney City Council updates the city’s ordinances next Tuesday.

At the meeting, the council is scheduled to make a number of minor changes to the city code that will ban smoking and vaping for anyone younger than 19. The changes in city code will reflect the actions of the Nebraska Legislature, which earlier this year approved LB149. The legislation bans usage and possession by people younger than 19 and establishes the offense as a Class V misdemeanor. The LB149 statute will take effect Jan. 1.

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ALLEN BEERMANN, NEBRASKA'S 'OLDEST LIVING RELIC,' TO RETIRE AFTER 48-YEAR CAREER OF PUBLIC SERVICE

LINCOLN — Allen Beermann says he’s graduated from being kiddingly known as the “state fossil” to being officially declared “the state’s oldest living relic.” But after nearly five decades in the public eye, the 79-year-old is about to take on a new title: “retired.”

Beermann, who served as Nebraska secretary of state from 1971 to 1995, will end 24 subsequent years as the executive director of the Nebraska Press Association on Jan. 31.

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SPEAKER PROPOSES EXPANDING NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE TO UP TO 55 SENATORS

LINCOLN — The speaker of the Nebraska Legislature is proposing that the state’s unique, one-house body, after five decades of having 49 state senators, should be allowed to grow.

State Sen. Jim Scheer of Norfolk said that allowing the body to expand to up to 55 senators would not only ease the process of redistricting after the 2020 Census but would also ensure that some rural districts don’t grow so large geographically as populations shift that constituents lose contact with their state senator.

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ELKHORN AREA ATTORNEY TO SEEK DISTRICT 39 SEAT IN THE NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE

LINCOLN — An immigration and criminal defense lawyer from Elkhorn has announced her candidacy for the District 39 seat in the Nebraska Legislature now held by State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan.

Allison Heimes, a 29-year-old registered Democrat, once worked as an intern for former Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle and volunteers with the Kim Foundation, which raises awareness about mental illness and suicide prevention.

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RICKETTS WARNS OF 'CREEP OF SOCIALISM' IN NEBRASKA; DEMOCRATS FIRE BACK

LINCOLN - All politics is local, legendary former House Speaker Tip O'Neill used to say. But the language of U.S. politics increasingly has been nationalized and inserted into local and state politics and elections.

"We need your help to fight back against the creep of socialism in Nebraska," Gov. Pete Ricketts wrote last week in a fundraising appeal to Republicans. "Leftists are using the initiative process in our state to push their agenda on socialized health care, marijuana legislation, expanding gambling and other issues.

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REDUCING FLOOD RISK IN PAPILLION CREEK SYSTEM COULD COST $100 MILLION, STUDY FINDS

OMAHA - It could cost taxpayers $100 million to reduce the flooding risk to development that has sprung up along the Papillion Creek system.

That’s according to a preliminary study of the Omaha metro area’s flood vulnerabilities. The recently released study is jointly funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District.

Northern Douglas County farmers might be pressed to pay a steep price, too, under the plan — a proposed dam on Thomas Creek would inundate their land.

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'IT WILL PAY DIVIDENDS': CHILDREN'S, UNMC STRENGTHEN AFFILIATION AGREEMENT

OMAHA - Children’s Hospital & Medical Center and the University of Nebraska Medical Center have signed a new master affiliation agreement that officials say creates a path for the two organizations to broaden and enhance their collaborations.

The new agreement will serve as an umbrella over Children’s Hospital’s current affiliation with the UNMC College of Medicine and is intended to provide a framework for future agreements with other UNMC academic units.

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HOSPITAL GROUPS SUE TO BLOCK PRICE-TRANSPARENCY RULE

Hospital groups sued to block a Trump administration rule forcing them to disclose secret rates, for the first time laying out the industry’s legal strategy for defeating the president’s central health-policy initiative.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday says the rule compelling the hospitals to publish their negotiated rates with insurers violates the First Amendment and goes beyond the statutory intent of the Affordable Care Act.

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GOVERNOR PRESS RELEASE: THE STATE OF AGRICULTURE

LINCOLN - It’s no secret that 2019 has been a tough year for Nebraska due to historic flooding.  For our farmers and ranchers, damage from the floods was compounded by additional hardships.  Commodity prices remain low.  A major canal failed along the Nebraska-Wyoming border.  And the Green New Deal and “meat is murder” movements pose a looming threat to our way of life.

Agriculture is Nebraska’s number one industry.  One in four jobs is tied to farming and ranching in our state.  If we want to grow Nebraska, it’s critically important that we grow agriculture.  Even under tough circumstances this year, we have partnered with Nebraskans across our state to do just that...

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AS SUICIDES RISE, MORE ATTENTION TURNS TO THE PEOPLE LEFT BEHIND

As suicides rise in the U.S., more attention is turning to the struggles of the people left behind. New research shows just how severe the aftermath is—and that it is different from other kinds of loss. People who lose a loved one to suicide are at a greater risk for post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide themselves. The grief can be longer-lasting and more debilitating.

But emerging treatments offer hope. A type of therapy that involves retelling the story of the moment survivors heard of a loved one’s death proved beneficial in a new study. Talking openly about the suicide may also aid healing, recent research found. Growing numbers of mental-health teams are accompanying first responders on suspected suicide cases. And counselors are undergoing new training.

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SCHWAB MERGER AGREEMENT INCLUDES LANGUAGE SOUGHT BY JOE RICKETTS INTENDED TO PROTECT OMAHA JOBS

OMAHA - Charles Schwab and TD Ameritrade were set to publicly roll out a blockbuster brokerage merger that would shake up the investment industry, send both companies’ stocks soaring and fan deep fears of job loss in TD Ameritrade’s home city of Omaha.

Then just hours before the planned announcement, timed to hit just before markets opened Thursday, Nov. 21, Schwab officials noticed something concerning: The sale of TD Ameritrade had not been signed off on by the firm’s biggest individual shareholder, company founder Joe Ricketts.

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IN A BLINK, OMAHA AND NEBRASKA'S FORTUNE 1000 LIST ISN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE

OMAHA - The Fortune list is a badge of honor for Omaha and Nebraska’s business promoters. Each year, Fortune magazine ranks its Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 based on the country’s highest-earning businesses.

Omaha always has a significant presence as a headquarters city on the list, with Berkshire Hathaway, Union Pacific and Mutual of Omaha leading the way. But step back to 2015, and you’ll see the local list has changed significantly. With TD Ameritrade selling to Charles Schwab, Omaha is once again experiencing how the business climate can shift.

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FORMER OFFICIAL SAYS NEBRASKA STATE FAIR ON 'VERGE OF BANKRUPTCY'; DIRECTOR SAYS IT'S NOT THAT DIRE

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — The sign marking the city limits here proudly proclaims Grand Island as “Home of the Nebraska State Fair.”

But nine years after the fair moved from Lincoln to this central Nebraska city, the festival that combines corn dogs and cotton candy with cattle and 4-H kids finds itself at a crossroads once again. Despite a voter-approved subsidy of state lottery funds that now amounts to almost $5 million a year, the fair is on “the verge of bankruptcy,” according to its former finance director, who resigned during a tense State Fair Board meeting last month.

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OMAHA ATTORNEY SAYS APPEAL OF TRANSFER OF CASES TO JUVENILE COURT IS DUE TO 'POLITICAL PRESSURE'

OMAHA - A defense attorney said Omaha’s police union is playing “political football” with two district judges’ recent decisions to transfer shooting and stabbing cases to juvenile court.

Such “political pressure” is the reason that Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine has appealed the transfers, Omaha attorney James Martin Davis alleged, and has no place in the justice system.

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NEBRASKA MEDICINE, UNMC IN EARLY PLANNING STAGES FOR CAMPUS EXPANSION

OMAHA- University of Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska Medicine officials said Thursday that they’re in the early stages of developing plans that would propel clinical care and research to the next level with the construction of a new state-of-the-art facility.

The project could consist of several buildings to be constructed on the northwest corner of the medical center campus, the leaders said at a press conference. Those buildings could include one or more new towers for research and inpatient care.Dr. James Linder, Nebraska Medicine’s CEO, said the health system doesn’t believe that its current facilities are large enough to provide the care Nebraskans need, particularly as the population ages. 

Early estimates project costs between $1 billion and $2 billion. But UNMC Chancellor Dr. Jeffrey Gold, who briefed the NU Board of Regents on Thursday, stressed that the plans are in very preliminary stages. No final planning has been completed.

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NEBRASKA'S LETHAL INJECTION DRUGS HAVE EXPIRED, AND APPARENTLY THE STATE ISN'T SEEKING NEW ONES

LINCOLN- The State of Nebraska's stock of lethal injection drugs has expired, and it appears no effort has been made to restock the drugs since the August 2018 execution of Carey Dean Moore. A review of public records found no attempt to obtain replacement drugs, and a state corrections official confirmed that Nebraska lacks the drugs at this time to carry out the death penalty.

When asked about the lack of such substances, a spokesman for Gov. Pete Ricketts — a staunch proponent of capital punishment — expressed no concern, and said the state was monitoring the status of the legal appeals pending by the 12 men on Nebraska's death row.

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SPEAKER MEMOS ON SESSION SCHEDULE AND FLOOR PROCEDURES

Last week members of the Legislature gathered in Nebraska City at their annual Legislative Council Retreat. This event hosts all members of the body, as well as the clerk of the legislature to discuss the upcoming session, and get updates from committee leaders on 2020 issues. During these presentations, the Speaker of the Legislature Jim Scheer handed out two documents; first, the outline of how the session will go forward starting in January- including the first ten days start time, and important dates like priority designations, and full-day debate; Secondly he handed out the general rules of debate and floor procedures for the session. These mirror those of previous sessions under Speaker Scheer. Both of these documents are below for your review.

As important dates come up, and are announced during the session, we will post them to our "Important Dates and Events" article which will appear at the top of each newsletter. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Joe or Brennen. 

View the 2020 Session Schedule HERE

View the 2020 Session Bill Scheduling and Floor Procedures HERE

SCHWAB ACQUISITION OF TD AMERITRADE 'CREATES SIGNIFICANT UNCERTAINTY' FOR NEBRASKANS, RICKETTS SAYS

OMAHA-  “In the coming days, I will work to personally make the case to Schwab to stay committed to Omaha," Governor Pete Ricketts said. "Our cost of doing business is incredibly competitive and our people are the most hardworking in the nation. We can help Schwab be successful and take their business to the next level as they compete nationally and internationally.”

Schwab said the corporate headquarters of the combined company eventually will relocate to Schwab’s new campus in Westlake, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth. How that affects the 2,300 workers in Omaha isn't clear. "We have not provided that level of specificity yet," Schwab spokeswoman Mayura Hooper said Monday morning.

Joe Ricketts, father to Governor Ricketts, and his family no longer control TD Ameritrade, but like all other shareholders in the firm he will profit from its sale to Charles Schwab — it appears in his case to the tune of about $500 million.

View the article HERE