WHO'S BUYING NEBRASKA? PHILLY-BASED ORGANIC FARMER IS STATE'S NO. 2 BUYER OF AG LAND

ADAMS COUNTY- Philadelphia-based agricultural company, Belltown Farms, recently purchased a farm outside of Hastings in addition to their four farms in southwest Nebraska. The purchase made Belltown the second-largest buyer of Nebraska’s increasingly pricey farmland between 2018 and 2022. Belltown’s total Nebraska farmland portfolio now stands at nearly 19,000 acres, about two-thirds of the farmland the company operates across the country, with other locations in Illinois, Michigan, Texas, and New York.

Belltown stands out for its differences. While other big farmland investment companies sometimes lease out their land, they directly operate their farms. Belltown only raises organic crops, proving false the stereotype that organic farmers are small, quirky, and unable to turn a profit.

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NEBRASKA'S MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHTED AS JOB COUNT HITS 20-YEAR HIGH

FREMONT- Gov. Jim Pillen and other state and local officials spotlighted the growing Nebraska manufacturing industry, whose job count has hit its highest point in more than 20 years. The stars of the event held at Structural Component Systems, a Fremont-based building supply manufacturer, were a dozen local high schoolers who are dual-enrolled in trades-focused college courses. The Fremont teens, who learn construction, welding, and other skills at their high school’s newly opened Career Technical Education Center, represent a growing number of talent pipelines helping to fuel manufacturing.

The industry is second only to agriculture in the state, said K.C. Belitz, director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. He said it contributes $21.6 billion to Nebraska’s annual gross domestic product, a 57% increase from five years ago. About 109,000 workers are employed in the sector, according to the Nebraska Department of Labor.

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EFFORTS TO RELOCATE EASTERN NEBRASKA VILLAGE AWAY FROM FREQUENT FLOODS APPEAR STALLED

WINSLOW- Leaders in the flood-devastated village of Winslow are discovering that relocating a town is much more difficult and time-consuming than they envisioned. In 2019, the nearby Elkhorn River topped its banks, pouring up to 5 feet of floodwaters across the community, which lies 16 miles north of Fremont. Many homes in the town of then-140 residents were inundated, and flooding had become so commonplace that federal officials offered homeowners a buyout for their property, and town leaders voted to pursue moving the town to higher ground.

Since the flood, nearly two dozen homes have been burned to the ground, and patches of dirt mark where some bought-out houses used to stand. Plans to rebuild the town on higher ground adjacent to Logan View High School along U.S. Highway 77 have stalled, and some community leaders figure that five years after the flood, the move will never happen. Most people who took the buyout have found new homes in nearby Hooper or Fremont.

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TIKTOK ASKS NEBRASKA JUDGE TO DISMISS AG's LAWSUIT, CALLING ALLEGATIONS 'PUFFERY'

LINCOLN- An attorney for social media giant TikTok recently asked a Lancaster County judge to dismiss the Nebraska attorney general's civil case against the company, calling the allegations the state leveled within it a matter of opinion and "puffery." In the lawsuit filed here in May, Attorney General Mike Hilgers' office accused TikTok of falsely marketing and promoting its "addictive and otherwise harmful product" to Nebraskans.

To put an end to the alleged wrongdoing, the attorney general's office said it was seeking civil penalties and injunctive relief under the state's Consumer Protection Act and Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act, likening the case to claims brought in the '90s against Big Tobacco. The state alleges the app's safety features are "grossly ineffective" and its enforcement of guidelines "haphazard at best."

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NEARLY 200 APPLY TO VOTE IN DOUGLAS COUNTY AFTER RULING ON FELON VOTER RIGHTS

OMAHA- Nearly 200 in Douglas County have registered to vote since last week’s ruling from the Nebraska Supreme Court allowing felons who have served their sentences to do so. The state’s high court ruled that Nebraskans with felonies can now vote as long as they have completed their entire sentence, per a state law passed this spring.

The Douglas County Election Commission has said it had processed 189 such voter registration applications in person, by mail, and online as of Tuesday evening in addition to the 400 pending applications provided by the Nebraska Secretary of State’s office.

The Nebraska Supreme Court released its decision last Wednesday, Oct. 16, ruling that Nebraskans with felonies can now vote as long as they have completed their entire sentence, per a state law passed this spring. Several justices also delivered some harsh comments to the state about its constitutionality arguments.

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MORE THAN 30,000 LANCASTER COUNTY RESIDENTS HAVE ALREADY VOTED

LINCOLN- As of Monday morning, more than 53,000 ballots had been issued to voters, with more than 31,000 having been returned since early voting began Oct. 7. Bree and Jeremy Roschewski were in the line outside the Lancaster County Election Commissioner’s Office over the lunch hour last Friday to submit their early voting ballot. “I don’t know where I’m gonna be at on Nov. 5 with my job, so it’s just easier to come today,” Jeremy Roschewski said.

Jim and Suzi Thomason turned their decision to vote early into a family day with their two adult children, who had Friday free. The family was surprised by the line outside of the building, but only waited about 20 minutes to get inside. The process seemed fairly easy to Jim Thomason, who said voters were directed to check in and then to the numerous voting booths.

The Thomasons and Roschewskis are among the tens of thousands of Lancaster County residents who have already cast their ballots for the upcoming election.

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DAN OSBORN: 'I WANT TO BE A VOICE' FOR NEBRASKA'S WORKING CLASS IN U.S. SENATE

LINCOLN- Years ago, before most Nebraskans had ever heard of Dan Osborn, he won his first election in the state: vice president of the local union representing workers at the Kellogg's cereal plant in Omaha, where he had worked as an industrial mechanic since 2004.

Facing contract negotiators who sought to undercut workers' salary growth and discontinue the company's pension program, Osborn led the members of the Omaha local on a strike that lasted 77 days.

"I want to continue to be a voice for the working-class people that don't have a voice," Osborn told a crowd of more than 60 supporters. "I never thought that I would run for office — especially this high of an office," he said. "But the strike showed me that if we band together as people around issues and causes and things like that, we can make a difference in everybody's lives."

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DEB FISCHER: 'NEBRASKA'S IN A REALLY GOOD POSITION' WITH HER IN U.S. SENATE

LINCOLN- U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer brought her reelection campaign to a small, crowded room on the first floor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's city campus union this month, meeting in a town hall-style format with a few dozen students who attended the Oct. 9 gathering of UNL's College Republicans.

Fischer was stopped in her tracks by one question in particular: "If you could pass any one policy in the next term, what would it be?" Senator Fischer settled on an answer: "Paid family leave."

It was perhaps a surprising response from a GOP lawmaker in Nebraska, where efforts to codify sick leave are most associated with liberals. Fischer's remarks to the students mirrored her pitch to Nebraska voters at large.

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THOUSANDS OF LINCOLN STUDENTS WILL GET PREVIEW OF ELECTIONS NEXT WEEK

LINCOLN- Come next week, thousands of Lincoln students as young as 9 years old will head to the polls in the biennial mock election for students just days before the nation's general election. Students throughout Lincoln Public Schools in grades four through 12 will take part in the Student Vote on Oct. 30, allowing students to weigh in on the upcoming political questions and learn about civic duty before they're even of voting age.

Ahead of the vote, students and teachers across the district will discuss the various types of elected positions, how voting works and the importance of using their voices. Older students in middle and high school also will dive into the real-life issues at hand.

Through the mock election, students will be able to register their choices in the presidential race, both U.S. Senate races, the District 1 House of Representatives race and voice their opinions on the ballot measure to provide employees in the state with paid sick leave.

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OUT OF THE BLUE: LEFT-LEANING DARK MONEY GROUP LAUNCHES NEBRASKA NEWSPAPER AS ELECTION NEARS

LINCOLN- To Brad Dechant, the copy of the Nebraska Independent that landed in his mailbox last month looked like any other newspaper. Then, Dechant started reading the lead story, “a fluff piece on Harris and Walz,” as he put it. “I was like ‘OK, this doesn’t even seem like reporting,’” the central Omaha resident said. “They put a lot of effort into pretending to not be political mailers. I kind of thought that was odd.” 

Just four months after launching, the publication has become one of the most widely circulated newspapers in the state — delivering “hard-hitting independent news” to more than 100,000 Nebraskans, according to its editor. 

But to media observers, the publication is a glaring example of “pink slime journalism” – information produced by partisan operations posing as traditional news outlets. The practice, employed by both the left and the right, has drawn concern from researchers who say it muddies an already murky media ecosystem. 

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GOV. PILLEN, ABORTION-RIGHTS CAMPAIGN CLASH OVER ECTOPIC PREGNANCIES, MISCARRIAGES AND ABORTION

LINCOLN- Gov. Jim Pillen spent Tuesday seeking to explain how Nebraska physicians should care for ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages while wading into the waters of competing abortion-related ballot measures. Pillen did not directly refer to either ballot measure at a news conference with four medical providers, Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly, and the state chief medical officer. State law prohibits elected officials from directly using state resources for campaigning. Pillen held his press conference in the governor’s hearing room at the State Capitol.

The group made clear they were speaking against a “political agenda for abortion.” They said they were seeking to fight “misinformation” about ectopic pregnancies or miscarriages, but declined to specify where they had heard the “misinformation” other than “in media” and “on TV.” Ads promoting the abortion rights ballot issue offered by Protect Our Rights feature doctors who say Nebraska patients struggle to get certain types of care for nonviable pregnancies or in emergencies.

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MEDICAL CANNABIS SPONSORS QUESTION ETHICS OF ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS INTO NEBRASKA PETITIONS

LINCOLN- Allegations of witness tampering surfaced this week as the latest wrinkle in the ongoing lawsuit and investigations against Nebraska’s two medical cannabis petitions.

The Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, defending Secretary of State Bob Evnen in the lawsuit while also pursuing a separate challenge to the petitions, denied any wrongdoing at a Friday hearing with Lancaster County District Court Judge Susan Strong. At that pretrial hearing, Judge Strong heard arguments on the allegation and ruled no ethical violations took place. Strong officially divided the trial into two phases if necessary, with the first trial phase beginning Oct. 29, one week before the November election.

Sydney Hayes, an attorney for the sponsors, had asked Strong to delay the trial due to “roadblocks” in receiving evidence from the Attorney General’s Office, whose civil attorneys are defending Evnen from Kuehn’s lawsuit. Kuehn is challenging his own set of at least 17,000 signatures on both petitions, while Evnen is challenging at least 49,000 signatures on each of the campaign’s measures.

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NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE, DISTRICT 31: MILLARD RACE IS THE STATE'S MOST EXPENSIVE

OMAHA- If you’re following the money this election season in the Nebraska Legislature, take a look at District 31 in southwest Omaha. Through the Oct. 1 reporting period, incumbent Kathleen Kauth and her challenger, Mary Ann Folchert, had collectively raked in more than $491,000 in campaign contributions to win the nonpartisan seat representing the Millard area. They had already spent more than $381,000.

Kauth might seem to have an edge in the district, where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats 46% to 27%, with 26% registered as nonpartisan. However, Democrat Rick Kolowski held the seat from 2013 to 2021 and general elections in District 31 have traditionally been tight. “I wouldn’t count either of them out,” said Paul Landow, an emeritus political science professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

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NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE, DISTRICT 15: FIREFIGHTER, BUSINESSWOMAN VIE TO REPLACE SEN. LYNNE WALZ

FREMONT- A businesswoman who says she has the credentials to promote growth is vying against a firefighter supported by several firefighter groups and labor unions in the District 15 race for Nebraska Legislature. The two Republican candidates, Roxie Kracl and Dave Wordekemper, are vying to replace State Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont, who is barred by term limits from running again.

Kracl is president of the Credit Bureau Services in Fremont, a credit and collections company that provides programs for Nebraska businesses. She is a former chair of the Dodge County Republican Party and endorsed by the Nebraska Farm Bureau, U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg, and former Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman.

Wordekemper, a Fremont firefighter, is the eastern vice president for the Nebraska Professional Fire Fighters Association, the AFL-CIO affiliated union representing more than 1,300 Nebraska fire fighters and emergency medical personnel. Wordekemper was formerly president of the Fremont Fire Fighters Local 1015.

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NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE, DISTRICT 7: TWO VIE TO REPRESENT MAJORITY LATINO DISTRICT

LINCOLN- The race for downtown and South Omaha's Legislative District 7 seat pits a proud son of Mexican immigrants against an equally proud candidate from the area. The first is Dunixi Guereca, who won the most votes in the four-way primary election. The second is Tim Pendrell, who claimed second place in May. They are competing to replace State Sen. Tony Vargas, who is term-limited and barred from seeking reelection.

Guereca is the executive director of Stand For Schools, an organization supporting public schools. He previously worked as a union organizer for the Service Employees International Union. Pendrell, who grew up in South Omaha, works as a legislative aide to Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha. He was previously executive director of Nebraska City Tourism and Commerce and a grant administrator for the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services.

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NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE, DISTRICT 3: TWO AIR FORCE VETERANS VYING FOR SARPY COUNTY SEAT

BELLEVUE- Two Air Force veterans are vying to replace State Sen. Carol Blood representing Sarpy County's legislative District 3. Republican Felix Ungerman and Democrat Victor Rountree will face off in the general election. In the May primary election, Ungerman received 53.1% of the vote in the primary election, while Rountree received 46.9%.

Ungerman worked as an electronic warfare officer in the Air Force. He also worked under President George W. Bush from 2002 to 2005 as part of the White House Advance Team and as an officer managing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft. Rountree joined the Air Force in 1980 and was first assigned to Moody Air Force Base in Georgia. Assignments after that took him to the United Kingdom, Washington D.C., Germany, North Dakota, and New Mexico. He served primarily as a comptroller, culminating in his role a comptroller squadron and wing staff superintendent.

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BREAKING DOWN PETITION SIGNATURES FOR NEBRASKA 2024 BALLOT MEASURES

LINCOLN- When Nebraskans cast their votes this fall on six ballot measures, it will come after a historic year of petitioning that included gathering more than 700,000 valid signatures seeking ballot access. It’s been a contentious year for Nebraska petition campaigns, including what will be a first-in-the-nation decision on dueling abortion-related measures, multiple legal challenges, numerous allegations of fraud or deception, and legislation that nullified an already certified referendum before supporters mounted a second campaign to oppose a new law.

As of Oct. 7 filings, the 2024 petition cycle is also one of the most expensive, with more than $20 million raised and $14 million spent among campaigns for or against specific measures. Five campaigns submitted hundreds of thousands of signatures to the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office this summer in a constitutional process described by the Nebraska Supreme Court last month as “precious.”

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ADVOCATE TOUTS BENEFITS OF ADDING 'GREEN AMENDMENT' TO STATE CONSTITUTIONS

LINCOLN- At the recent Nebraska Youth Climate Summit, about 200 high school and college students were told that it’s time for Nebraska to consider adopting a “Green Amendment” to its state constitution to ensure a clean environment during a time of climate change. A draft proposal, tailored for Nebraska in hopes of mollifying expected opposition from farm groups, is posted on the website of the Green Amendments for the Generations website.

"It is a tool for people to protect themselves and the environment they live in,” said Sheridan Macy, an Omaha native and recent law school graduate. Macy was one of the featured speakers at the recent Nebraska Youth Climate Summit, which was launched in 2016 as a way to educate young people about environmental issues and empower them to do something about public policies. Ken Winston of Interfaith Power and Light said that gathering sufficient signatures to put such an amendment before Nebraska voters would be expensive.

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AFTER TUMULTUOUS UPBRINGING IN NEBRASKA, NEW STATE IT HEAD HIRED TO 'BE A CHANGE AGENT'

LINCOLN- Long before Nebraska's governor picked him to transform one of the state's most anonymous agencies, Matthew McCarville was already here, but on a path that seemed headed elsewhere. McCarville, the 38-year-old whom Gov. Jim Pillen tabbed in April to lead the state's technology department, first arrived in Nebraska when he was 2 years old after spending his earliest years in Miami. McCarville has been through multiple hardships including being moved around the country between parents and guardians often during childhood, losing family members prematurely, and surviving cancer while attending college at Creighton University.

Now, armed with an education forged out of his upbringing here, McCarville is back in Nebraska following stints leading IT departments at public institutions in Florida and Colorado. "I was hired to come in and be a change agent," McCarville said in an interview in the fourth-floor conference room of the unmarked downtown Lincoln building that houses the office he now leads. McCarville may be among Pillen's chief allies in the governor's quest to "(run) state government like a business."

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FILET OR FAKE? PROPOSED RULES ON LAB-GROWN MEAT WOULD HELP NEBRASKA SHOPPERS KNOW

OMAHA- Meat-like products manufactured from animal cells, plants, or bugs would have to be labeled as imitations and displayed separately from traditional meat in Nebraska stores, according to draft food regulations up for a public hearing this month. The regulations, proposed by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture at Gov. Jim Pillen’s direction, aim for what are referred to as manufactured, cultivated, or cultured protein food products.

Under the proposed Nebraska rules, if a food processor or food establishment failed to comply with labeling requirements, it could be found to have misbranded or falsely advertised the food. In those cases, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture would have the authority to stop them from selling the products.

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