MILLARD TEACHER ACCUSED OF DRAGGING STUDENT ACROSS THE FLOOR IS CITED ON SUSPICION OF CHILD ABUSE

MILLARD - A teacher in the Millard Public Schools has been cited on suspicion of child abuse after she allegedly dragged a student across the floor.

According to an Omaha police report, state child welfare officials were contacted Sept. 6 by personnel from Walt Disney Elementary School, 5717 S. 112th St., about one of their students.

The school’s principal said a 10-year-old student had been dragged across the floor by his teacher, Theresa Curley, 26. The report said the student had four or five rug burns on his back.

The student was seen by the school nurse, and Curley was placed on administrative leave.

Curley could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday.

Rebecca Kleeman, a spokeswoman for the district, said “multiple staff members saw and reported unacceptable roughness with a student to the school administration.”

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NEBRASKA CONTINUES DOWNWARD TREND FOR CRASHES ALTHOUGH CRASH DEATHS HAVE CLIMBED THIS YEAR

LINCOLN - Despite the fact there are 350,000 more licensed drivers in Nebraska than 30 years ago and more miles traveled on the state's road, there were nearly 3,300 fewer crashes here last year. The reason is unclear, particularly in light of the fact that there are more distractions for drivers than ever.

Still, Kyle Schneweis, director of the Nebraska Department of Transportation, said there's more work to be done as the state aims for a goal of zero fatalities. "Although much progress in traffic safety has been made over the years, far too many Nebraskans -- friends, neighbors and loved ones -- are still being killed or seriously injured in crashes," he said in the 2018 annual report on traffic crash facts.

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OMAHA'S STREETCAR TALKS START OVER WITH INFLUENTIAL PLAYERS, A PLEDGE FOR DETAILED STUDY

OMAHA - Omaha’s streetcar discussions are back — with new, influential backers on board.

A group within the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce is taking a new look at the streetcar concept, even starting over examining why and how Omaha would even run a streetcar. The chamber has formed a group called the Urban Core Committee to study ways to step up Omaha’s development, housing and jobs in its urban center. Part of that is looking at how to move people around the urban core, including a streetcar.

After Omaha’s earlier streetcar discussion quietly stalled, it now has an influential group of corporate and civic leaders, headed by longtime real estate developer Jay Noddle, studying the idea. Noddle told The World-Herald that the group wants to develop a recommendation for the community based on a thoughtful, detailed examination.

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NEBRASKA PRISON WATCHDOG CALLS FOR 'DEFINITE ACTION' ON STAFFING; LATHROP SAYS START WITH BETTER PAY

LINCOLN — Lingering problems at Nebraska’s state prisons won’t be solved until facilities are fully staffed, a leading state senator on corrections issues said Monday. And that means better pay for corrections workers, said State Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha.

“It’s going to be a vicious cycle until we fix the staffing,” he said. “You can’t fix the culture, you can’t fix the low morale, until you have more people working at the prisons.”

The comments came after a prison watchdog reported Monday that state prison workers are working record-high overtime hours to cover vacant posts. Nebraska’s prisons — the second-most overcrowded in the nation — are as overcrowded as ever, according to the annual report by the Legislature’s inspector general for corrections.

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FOES SLAM HHS PROPOSAL TO REPEAL BULK OF NEBRASKA'S CHILD WELFARE REGULATIONS

LINCOLN — A key lawmaker joined child advocates Monday in panning a state proposal to repeal almost all of Nebraska’s child welfare regulations. State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln said the Department of Health and Human Services’ plan to eliminate almost 200 pages of rules and regulations could affect the rights of children and families and increase the chances of unequal treatment.

“It’s clear the mantra right now is to get rid of regulations, regardless of the cost,” she said. “The cost here is the welfare of children.”

Pansing Brooks spoke at a hearing held to collect comments about the proposed changes in rules and regulations. HHS officials will consider the comments offered at the hearing, along with any written comments, in deciding whether to go forward with the changes. In a statement, HHS CEO Dannette Smith said the proposed changes are part of a broader review of department regulations. The aim of the review is to remove old policy, eliminate duplication and remove regulations that are spelled out in state law.

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NEBRASKA OFFICIALS CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT SUSPENSION OF CHINESE TARIFFS

Nebraska officials expressed cautious optimism Friday about a report that China will suspend plans for further tariffs on pork and soybeans from the U.S. China's Xinhua News Agency reported the plan, citing the Cabinet planning agency and the Commerce Ministry. Beijing "supports domestic companies in purchasing a certain amount of U.S. farm produce," it said, but it gave no details.

Beijing imposed 25% tariffs on American farm goods last year in response to President Donald Trump's tariff hikes on Chinese goods. Importers were ordered to stop buying soybeans, the biggest U.S. export to China. The move follows Trump's decision Wednesday to postpone a planned Oct. 1 tariff hike on Chinese imports to Oct. 15.

China's move may be due in part to problems in the country's pork industry, which is reeling from an epidemic of African Swine Fever that has caused pork prices to soar.

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NEBRASKA NURSING SHORTAGE EXPECTED TO RISE 34% BY 2025. WHAT HOSPITALS ARE DOING TO KEEP UP

OMAHA - Trying to keep up with the demand for nurses in Nebraska, as in the rest of the nation, involves hitting a moving target. The state’s population continues to age. With that comes a need for more health care — and more nurses to deliver it. Changes in health care — such as performing more complex procedures in outpatient clinics — are also driving demand for more nurses.

“The supply has increased pretty dramatically, but changes in people’s health and health care are resulting in more demand,” said Juliann Sebastian, dean of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Nursing.

To better track current demand and forecast future demand, the Nebraska Center for Nursing developed a new workforce supply and demand model. It factors in variables that affect demand — such as residents’ age, disease prevalence, available hospital beds — and projects it for nine economic regions of the state.

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