IN OMAHA'S PRESIDENTIAL BATTLE, REPUBLICANS ANSWER BLUE DOTS WITH 'RED NEBRASKA' SIGNS

OMAHA- Amid the proliferation of blue dot signs in Omaha yards in support of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, the Republican response backing Donald Trump is now popping up around the city, too: yard signs with an outline of the state of Nebraska all in red. The dueling signs and narratives are another example of how Nebraska’s unique system of awarding three of its five presidential electoral votes by congressional district has turned the Omaha area into a 2024 election battleground.

For those keeping score, there are currently many more blue dot signs than Republican signs: roughly 7,500 blue dots compared to about 1,000 red Nebraskas. That’s an indicator of both the head start Democrats got with their signs and the enthusiasm that has greeted Vice President Harris since she replaced President Joe Biden atop the Democratic ticket.

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HARRIS LEADS IN RACE FOR EASTERN NEBRASKA'S ONE ELECTORAL VOTE, POLL FINDS

OMAHA- Vice President Kamala Harris holds a lead over former President Donald J. Trump for the single Electoral College vote in eastern Nebraska, according to a new poll by The New York Times and Siena College, a potentially critical prize if the overall presidential contest remains as close as it is now. In 2020, Trump handily won the state, but President Joseph Biden captured the Second Congressional District.

The likely voters of Nebraska’s Second Congressional District, in Omaha and its suburbs, favor Harris over Trump, 52 percent to 43 percent, according to the poll. That makes it clear why Trump and the National Republican Party recently made a last-ditch push to persuade the Nebraska Legislature to end its system of apportioning electoral votes in part by congressional districts and adopt a winner-take-all system.

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NEBRASKA REGENTS TO CONSIDER OPENING DOOR TO ALCOHOL SALES AT HUSKER FOOTBALL, VOLLEYBALL GAMES

LINCOLN - At their next meeting, NU regents will consider a broader approval process for selling alcohol at Nebraska athletic events. After previously allowing sales at specific events back in 2022, the latest proposal would allow individual campuses in the NU system to create plans at all events. 

Should the regents approve, Husker Athletics intends to move forward with a plan that could let alcohol flow for the 2025-26 season, including for football and volleyball games. In the past, three current Regents have opposed expanding alcohol sales. They have argued that selling alcohol does not “enhance” the experience for all fans.

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FORMER EBOLA PATIENT RETURNS TO NEBRASKA TO MARK 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS TREATMENT

OMAHA- It’s been 10 years since medical missionary Dr. Richard Sacra was released from the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit after he spent nearly three weeks there undergoing treatment for Ebola. “Sacra was the first patient treated at the unit and the third American to be treated for Ebola on U.S. soil during an outbreak that took place in Western Africa in late 2014,” according to a news release this week from Nebraska Medicine.

Dr. Sacra, who is from Massachusetts, had been treating patients with Ebola on one of several mission trips to Liberia when he came down with it himself. Dr. Sacra returned to Omaha to mark the anniversary with the unit on Thursday afternoon.

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GOV. PILLEN PROMOTES NEBRASKA BUDGET ADMINISTRATOR TO LEAD AGENCY OVER STATE BUDGET AND EMPLOYEES

LINCOLN- Gov. Jim Pillen promoted three state employees Thursday to oversee the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services and Department of Environment and Energy. Pillen announced that Lee Will, the current state budget administrator, will now oversee the Administrative Services Department. Will has been with the Nebraska government since 2015 as a budget management analyst and deputy budget administrator. In 2020, he was appointed state budget administrator.

Neil Sullivan will step up to fill Will's former role. Sullivan has been with the Nebraska government since 2014 and has followed the same path as Will, working as a budget management analyst and then deputy state administrator in 2020. Pillen also announced that Kara Valentine will soon join his cabinet as interim director of the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy. Valentine has been a deputy director for the past eight years.

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NE AUDITOR CRITICIZES CHASE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR USING LUNCH FUNDS ON GYM SCOREBOARDS

LINCOLN- Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley has confronted a southwest Nebraska school district for what he views as improper use of nearly $125,000 from a student nutrition fund to help buy a pair of “massive video scoreboards” installed in the school gym. Foley described the purchase by the Chase County School District as a “direct violation of the guidance issued to the school district from the Nebraska Department of Education” on how to use a surplus from the nonprofit school food account.

A response from a law firm representing the school district was included in the audit team’s findings. It said the Chase County district was confident it “appropriately and transparently” purchased the video display boards after consulting with the NDE, and was “heartened” that its regular annual auditor agreed.

The law firm added that while the boards are used for sports, they also display nutritional information. It said the district has a long-standing practice in which students line up on the walking track of the gym, where the boards communicate nutrition information to students on their way to the cafeteria.

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NE AUDITOR: AUBURN RETURNS $658,003 AFTER TIF PRACTICES ARE QUESTIONED

LINCOLN- The City of Auburn has returned $658,003 to Nebraska after a state auditor team questioned certain practices used for tax-increment financing projects, Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley announced. Foley alleges that Auburn’s Community Redevelopment Authority collected more tax-increment financing (TIF) revenue than it should have for certain redevelopment projects and then retained those funds to pay the costs of different projects, some of which had yet to be hatched.

Crystal Dunekacke, Auburn city administrator and economic developer, said Monday that the returned funds should not be considered an admission of wrongdoing. She said the redevelopment authority maintains that it has abided by the Community Development Law, which governs tax-increment financing.

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FOUR NEBRASKA SCHOOLS PRAISED AS NATIONAL 'BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS' FOR HIGH LEARNING STANDARDS IN 2024

LINCOLN- The U.S. Department of Education is honoring four Nebraska schools as “National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2024” based on exemplary high learning standards. On Monday, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona recognized 356 schools for the 2024 year, including four Nebraska schools in Omaha, Oxford, and West Point. The local schools are recognized as being among Nebraska’s highest performing, as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests, according to the award criteria.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and nonpublic schools for exemplary high learning standards or for strides in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. The 2024 Nebraska schools are:

• Elkhorn Grandview Middle School in Elkhorn Public Schools (Omaha)

• Wilma Upchurch Elementary Schools in Millard Public Schools (Omaha)

• Southern Valley Elementary School in Southern Valley Public Schools (Oxford)

• West Point Elementary School in West Point-Beemer Public Schools (West Point)

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OMAHA STORM CHASERS POISED FOR NEW OWNERSHIP, AS STATE TOURISM POTENTIAL GROWS

OMAHA- A new owner is poised to take on the Omaha Storm Chasers — a move that many say will allow outgoing owners of the Minor League Baseball team to focus more on their planned soccer stadium in downtown Omaha and for the incoming owner to grow the local baseball franchise. Current owners Gary Green and Larry Botel, co-founders of Alliance Sports, announced Tuesday that they have agreed to sell the team to Diamond Baseball Holdings.

“Larry and I are incredibly proud of the Storm Chasers’ impact on the Omaha community over the past 12 years,” Green said. “As we shift our focus full-time to Union Omaha and look to grow Omaha’s sports landscape, we are confident the Storm Chasers are in great hands with Diamond Baseball Holdings.”

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LAWMAKER FORMALLY CHALLENGES NEBRASKA'S GENDER CARE RULES AND REGULATIONS

LINCOLN- State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha is formally challenging Nebraska’s rules and regulations on gender care treatments for transgender youths and minors with gender dysphoria. Cavanaugh, who staunchly opposed Legislative Bill 574 that granted the rulemaking authority in 2023, has issued a letter to State Sen. Ray Aguilar of Grand Island objecting to the regulations.

Under state law, any state senator can challenge a set of rules or regulations if they feel it is unconstitutional, inconsistent with legislative intent, or “creates an undue burden in a manner that significantly outweighs its benefit to the public.” Cavanaugh said in her letter that the gender care regulations impose significant barriers to the treatments — primarily puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones — on the basis of gender identity. She said the regulations represent a “profound injustice.”

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PILLEN APPOINTS NEW HEAD OF NEBRASKA ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY DEPARTMENT

LINCOLN- The deputy director of the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy has been promoted to lead the department. Gov. Jim Pillen announced his appointment of Kara Valentine to the NDEE director post on Thursday, noting she had served as the department’s deputy director for the past eight years, overseeing two divisions: inspection and compliance, as well as planning and aid.

Before helping to lead NDEE, Valentine had worked as an environmental attorney with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and served as general counsel for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Valentine replaces acting Interim Director Than Fineran, who is leaving Nebraska for an out-of-state post after a promotion to the rank of brigadier general in the U.S. Army.

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COMMENTARY: INSPIRED BY OMAHA'S DOWNTOWN VISION, PRO SOCCER STADIUM WILL ADD TO LEGACY

OPINION (By Gary Green, Nebraska Examiner)- "Omaha already knows the thrill of exciting crowds with the College World Series at Schwab Field and March Madness at the CHI Health Center. Now, there’s a unique opportunity to add the world’s fastest-growing sport to that tradition: professional soccer in downtown Omaha. To make this a reality, Union Omaha, the city’s pro-soccer team, is working on plans to build a new home for the club with surrounding development."

"We admire the visionaries who came before us — the leaders who dreamed of a convention center to attract national and international events, who reconnected Omaha to its roots with the Missouri River through the Back to the River project, and who ensured the College World Series would call this city home with a new baseball stadium. Their bold ideas, along with the leaders of the parks’ renaissance, the premier arts and culture venues, and restaurateur and entertainment efforts, inspire the plans of Union Omaha, and we aim to bring a new sport to downtown, creating a soccer-specific stadium that will carry Omaha’s legacy of bold ideas, spirited competition, and community gatherings into the future."

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ATTORNEYS WEIGH IN ON WHETHER TO DISMISS NEBRASKA MEDICAL CANNABIS LAWSUIT

LINCOLN- A Lancaster County District Court Judge Susan Strong will decide soon from a set of new briefs filed Tuesday whether to dismiss a lawsuit against Nebraska’s two medical cannabis ballot measures. John Kuehn of Heartwell, a veterinarian, rancher, former state senator, and former member of the Nebraska State Board of Health, brought the lawsuit naming Secretary of State Bob Evnen and the three sponsors of the Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana campaign: Lincoln State Sen. Anna Wishart, campaign manager Crista Eggers, and former State Sen. Adam Morfeld.

Kuehn’s lawyers wrote that the “indignation” at Kuehn’s decision to pursue the case is “misplaced,” alleging thousands of allegedly fraudulent signatures that are enough to disqualify the efforts. Kuehn has been a leader in “Smart Approaches to Marijuana,” a national organization that seeks to prevent “another big tobacco.”

The Wishart-Eggers-Morfeld brief argued that Kuehn “requests the equivalent of a recount” and that he implies that he is “best equipped to make important election decisions” that already went through a robust process with various local resources and tools to determine validity.

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PUBLIC RESEARCH HOURS TO EXPAND AT STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

LINCOLN- The visiting hours for the James E. Potter Research Room at the Nebraska State Historical Society will be expanded starting on October 7th. Interim director Cindy Drake announced the room will be more accessible, opening up to the public on weekdays, except Tuesdays, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

This move comes after the former Historical Society Director Trevor Jones had the room only open one morning a week. The Nebraska State Historical Society became a code agency in the past legislative session due to mismanagement of funds by Director Jones.

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STATE SEN. MIKE McDONNELL DISCUSSES HIS REFUSAL TO SUPPORT CHANGING TO 'WINNER-TAKE-ALL'

OMAHA- Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said he will not call a special session to try and change the state's electoral college. The governor added that there was insufficient support for the issue, calling out State Sen. Mike McDonnell for refusing to support the change. Despite supporting a statewide vote on winner-take-all, McDonnell said he would oppose a change now.

McDonnell said he's been against winner-take-all for years, even saying that if all states did it like Nebraska and Maine do, we'd have a better democracy. He said candidates should work for this district's vote. The Democrat-turned-Republican even invited Harris and Trump to come to Omaha for a debate. Omaha has been called a "blue dot," but McDonnell calls it a "green dot."

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TRUMP RESPONDS TO NO SPECIAL SESSION IN NEBRASKA OVER ELECTORAL VOTE CHANGE

LINCOLN- Former President Donald Trump slammed Nebraska Republican Sen. Mike McDonnell after the state senator said he would not support a change to the way the state allocates its Electoral College votes that would likely increase Trump’s chances of winning the presidential election in November. Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Monday afternoon that McDonnell is a “Grandstander!” who “decided, for no reason whatsoever, to get in the way of a great Republican, common sense, victory.”

The criticism from the former president came hours after McDonnell reiterated he would not support a change to the way the state allocates its electoral votes, saying he was concerned about the timing of the change and it reducing Nebraska’s national significance. Many Nebraska Republicans sought to change the current system, which awards two electoral votes to the winner of the state's popular vote and one to the winner of each of the three House districts

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DISTRICT COURT PROCEEDINGS BEGIN ON NEBRASKA MEDICAL CANNABIS LAWSUIT

LINCOLN - A Lancaster County District Court judge said Friday she intends to issue “narrowly” at the end of this week whether to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to invalidate Nebraska’s medical cannabis petitions. The lawsuit comes from John Kuehn, a former state senator, and seeks either to remove the two certified marijuana measures from the Nov. 5 ballot or prevent counting of votes and void the election results.

The lawsuit lays out several claims of issues with the validity of signatures on the ballot. However, Secretary of State Evnen denied each allegation in a brief. The defendants argue Kuehn thinks he is more equipped than the State to determine the validity of the election. This election cycle, election officials confirmed more than 600,000 signatures across 6 ballot initiatives.

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NECK-AND-NECK CONTEST OVER NEBRASKA SENATE SEAT HAS NATIONAL CONSERVATIVES NERVOUS

LINCOLN – The Senate race between Sen. Deb Fischer and Independent candidate Dan Osborn has intensified, with recent polls showing a neck-and-neck contest. This razor-thin margin has prompted the GOP Super PAC Heartland Resurgence to unleash a staggering $500,000 in ads targeting Osborn over the past week, branding him a “dangerous Trojan Horse” for the Democratic Party. 

As Democrats eye a challenging path to reclaiming the Senate nationally, Osborn’s candidacy emerges as a critical wildcard that could prevent Republicans from taking control of the chamber. While he has notably declined the endorsement of the Nebraska Democratic Party, his stances on labor and abortion rights resonate closely with their platform.

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MORE THAN 200 BUSINESSES BACK NEBRASKA PAID SICK LEAVE BALLOT MEASURE

LINCOLN– A coalition of over 200 businesses has publicly declared its support for a ballot measure aimed at instituting paid sick leave. The measure has garnered backing without encountering any public opposition.

If passed, the measure would mandate that businesses with 20 or fewer employees provide a minimum of five paid sick days annually for full-time workers. Larger companies would be required to offer seven days of paid sick leave. Advocates argue that allowing employees to stay home when ill is essential for protecting the health of all workers and ensuring a safe workplace environment.

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STATE SEN. MIKE MCDONNELL DEFLATES GOP HOPES FOR NEBRASKA WINNER-TAKE-ALL IN 2024

LINCOLN - State Senator Mike McDonnell released a press release stating he does not support the plan to change Nebraska's electoral process, effectively killing the attempt. Senator McDonnell notified the Governor of his decision and encouraged the legislature to pass a constitutional amendment to make the change in the upcoming regular session.

Governor Pillen and national GOP figures, including former President Donald Trump, have called on the Nebraska Legislature to adopt a Winner Takes All method for the electoral process. With McDonnell publicly stating he is in opposition, there is a slim to no chance that there would be 33 votes in favor, the minimum number of votes required to overcome a filibuster.

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