NEBRASKA AltEn PLANT CLEANUP WORK EXPECTED THROUGH AT LEAST 2026

LINCOLN - A status hearing on a state of Nebraska lawsuit against a former ethanol plant in Mead that stockpiled and spread solid and liquid materials contaminated with pesticides was delayed late last month to the middle of 2025.

Saunders County District Court Judge Christina Marroquin continued the state's lawsuit against AltEn on Nov. 20, agreeing that doing so would give both sides more time to move cleanup efforts forward."A stay would allow the parties to continue confidential settlement discussions without costly litigation and while remediation continues," Marroquin wrote in the Nov. 20 order.

It's the second time this year Marroquin has granted a continuance in the lawsuit filed in 2021 against AltEn, which used pesticide-coated seeds to make ethanol.

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REP. JIM JORDAN'S LETTER QUESTIONS PROSECUTING NEBRASKA'S JEFF FORTENBERRY

LINCOLN- Ohio U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter Thursday to federal prosecutors in California implying that his committee will dig into whether the prosecution of former Nebraska U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry was politically motivated. The letter seeks answers to allegations by Fortenberry’s lawyers that authorities pursued him for political reasons when they charged him with lying to FBI agents about his knowledge of illegal foreign contributions to his campaign in 2016.

“There are serious concerns about the Department’s abusive tactics in its prosecution of Representative Fortenberry,” Jordan wrote on Judiciary Committee letterhead. It asks the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles to preserve records tied to decision-making in the case. The letter said Fortenberry’s former attorney accused the lead prosecutor of “misleading him” about the then-congressman’s role as a witness, subject, or target of the investigation.

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US SEN. PETE RICKETTS SAYS TRUMP EPA NOMINEE IS NOW AN ETHANOL SUPPORTER

OMAHA- Nebraska U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts says President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday voiced support for renewable fuel blending requirements despite his opposition to them while a member of Congress. Ricketts expressed confidence after his meeting with EPA nominee Lee Zeldin that the former Florida representative and the Trump administration will be supportive of the federal Renewable Fuel Standard and Nebraska’s ethanol industry.

Ricketts said in a call with reporters that he started off his meeting with Zeldin by asking about his past opposition to renewable fuels. He said he stressed to Zeldin the importance of ethanol production to corn producers and to the nation’s energy security. Ricketts’ confidence in Trump’s support of biofuels comes although while he was president from 2017 to 2021, his EPA granted several exemptions from the standard to refiners.

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NEBRASKA VOTERS ARE INCREASINGLY REPUBLICAN, NONPARTISANS ARE GAINING GROUND

LINCOLN- The Republican Party’s sway with Nebraska’s electorate has only grown stronger in recent years as the GOP has expanded its voter base at a greater pace than the state’s Democratic Party, according to state voter registration data. Since 2016, Nebraska’s GOP has registered more new voters than the Democratic Party and has drawn ex-Democrats to the party at a higher rate than Republicans have left, according to data maintained by the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office.

The Nebraska GOP’s continued growth and the Nebraska Democratic Party’s continued decline have left Republicans with their largest voter registration advantage over Democrats in Nebraska in at least 50 years. Registered Republicans now outnumber Democrats by more than 285,000 and account for nearly 50% of state voters, according to the data, which also shows a growing number of Nebraskans are ditching both parties and opting to identify as nonpartisan.

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FEWER VOTERS TURNED AWAY UNDER NEW NEBRASKA VOTER ID LAW THAN IN SIMILAR STATES

LINCOLN — The ballots of 345 people weren’t counted in Nebraska’s first presidential general election under a new requirement that voters present a picture ID to participate.That’s out of more than 965,000 ballots cast statewide, which represents less than four hundredths of one percentage point. Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen has said voter ID implementation went “extremely well.”

“It went very well,” Evnen told the Examiner. “That was a result of the hard work of our county election officials and our elections division. Nebraska is the gold standard in terms of the way we conduct our elections.”

For comparison’s sake, election officials rejected more than 650 early voting ballots statewide because voters failed to sign the envelope. Those signatures are verified against the voter file as an additional identification check.

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APPLE APPEALS NEBRASKA TAX RULING RESULTING IN $652,000 IN ADDITIONAL TAXES

LINCOLN- Apple is challenging an order from the Nebraska tax commissioner by asking a judge to reverse the decision involving its Nebraska taxable income for the 2017 tax year. The petition for review filed in Lancaster County District Court this week involves an Aug. 7, 2020, balance-due notice issued by the Nebraska Department of Revenue to the technology giant based in Cupertino, California.

The following October, Apple sought a redetermination, saying the notice had wrongfully increased its Nebraska tax base by including dividends received by its foreign subsidiaries not subject to the federal tax code. The company's attorneys said those amounts already had been repatriated to the U.S. when they were included in Apple's federal taxable income.

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NEBRASKA COMPANY SEEKS TO BREAK CHINA'S STRANGLEHOLD ON RARE-EARTH MINERALS

OMAHA - The Pentagon wants to break China’s near-monopoly on rare-earth minerals that are a key element in many of its weapons systems, and it’s betting on a small Nebraska company to help it do that.

In September, the Defense Department awarded a $4.22 million contract to Rare Earth Salts, a Beatrice chemical company with about a dozen employees, to develop and expand its production of terbium, one of the rarest of the rare-earth elements. It’s the first Defense Department contract for the company, which opened its 25,000-square-foot plant in 2017. Terbium boosts the resiliency in extreme temperatures of certain types of magnets used in military aircraft, submarines, and missiles, according to a Pentagon statement that accompanied the contract award.

“This award adds a domestic source for one of the most difficult-to-obtain rare-earth elements,” said Laura Taylor-Kale, assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy, in the statement. “Rare Earth Salts’ capability will help the United States establish a mine-to-magnet supply chain without reliance on foreign sources of material.”

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'ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT': BREAKING DOWN 2023-24 NEBRASKA K-12 STUDENT TEST SCORES

LINCOLN- A majority of Nebraska school districts continue to be classified as “excellent” or “great,” though a greater percentage, about a third, are now classified as “good” or “needs support to improve.” Test scores are again above pre-pandemic levels, higher than in 2022 when proficiency scores in English language arts fell to 47% and math fell to 46% during the 2021-22 school year.

“We need to continue to work together as a state to provide the best possible opportunities for every student to succeed and be prepared for life after school,” Brian Maher, state education commissioner, said at a news conference last week. Maher noted improvements among many student groups but said achievement gaps persist based on race, ethnicity, special education, low-income, and English language learners.

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DEFENSE ATTORNEY ASKS JUDGE TO DISMISS EX-HISTORY NEBRASKA DIRECTOR'S CRIMINAL CASE

LINCOLN - An attorney for the former director of History Nebraska has asked a Lincoln judge to dismiss his felony theft case, arguing that the state's prosecutors had failed to bring him to trial within six months.

The Nebraska Attorney General's Office has accused Trevor Jones, who resigned as CEO and executive director of the agency in July 2022 after six years in the role, of felony theft by deception for his alleged mishandling of more than $270,000 in funds in 2020.The state alleges that Jones transferred discretionary funds from the Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation that ended up going into History Nebraska's Foundation account.

On Tuesday, Jones, who lives in Minnesota now, appeared by video for a hearing where his attorney, Mallory Hughes, said the Attorney General's Office had a Sept. 12 deadline to bring him to trial and didn't.

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NEBRASKA DHHS PROBES MEDICAID SERVICE FOR AUTISTIC YOUTHS AS COSTS ESCALATE

LINCOLN — Max Perry was ousted from daycare as a tot. His special needs became so intense that his mom quit her job to be nearby 24-7. His parents once chartered a private plane to transport Max, challenged by autism and epilepsy, to a major surgery because commercial flights sent him into panic mode, frantically kicking, screaming, and peeling off clothes.

Max and his family eventually found doses of calm, joy, and progress through a widely known therapy called applied behavior analysis (ABA), which has been shown to help autistic kids function better in society. But the Lincoln mom and other advocates now face a different anxiety, worried that such services could be jeopardized for a growing number of Nebraska’s most vulnerable youths. Experts say one in 36 youths has autism.

Advocates cite a recent notice sent out by one of the three mega insurers that manage health care benefits for Nebraskans enrolled in Medicaid. They said the state contractor had sought to slash Medicaid rates paid to ABA providers by as much as half. Advocates feared that such a change could lead to reduced access to services and would perhaps drive away providers they say are scarce enough already in Nebraska.

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NEBRASKA AG MIKE HILGERS SEEKS STATE TAX MONEY TO FIGHT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

LINCOLN - Over the last four years, the Nebraska Attorney General's Office has repeatedly taken on the Biden administration in court.

Nebraska led the charge to overturn a federal student loan forgiveness plan, fighting the plan all the way to victory in the U.S. Supreme Court. The state led opposition to rescheduling of marijuana as a less dangerous drug and challenged federal and California regulations promoting heavy duty electric trucks.

It fought federal regulations on bump stocks and "ghost gun" assembly kits, joined a lawsuit against new Title IX rules protecting the rights of transgender students, sued to block minimum wage requirements for federal contractors and supported Texas in its battle with the federal government over floating border barriers.

Attorney General Mike Hilgers said his office undertook those cases as part of his campaign promise to "fight federal overreach" and "protect Nebraskans against those who would violate the Constitution." However, state Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln questioned whether the cases and costs are justified.

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DISTRICT JUDGE DENIES REQUESTS TO AMEND MEDICAL CANNABIS LAWSUIT AFTER DISMISSAL

LINCOLN- A Lancaster County District Court judge has overruled two final attempts to amend legal challenges against Nebraska’s two medical cannabis petitions. In a five-page order Thursday morning, District Judge Susan Strong denied requests from John Kuehn, a former state senator and former State Board of Health member who brought the initial lawsuit, and Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen to amend their complaints.

Strong said the amendments would not affect the outcome of the lawsuit that she had already dismissed last week, and for which she had already anticipated the legal arguments. The dismissal upheld the ballot certification of two measures from the Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana campaign to legalize and regulate the drug. Voters passed the two measures, and state constitutional officers certified those election results Monday, including Evnen and Attorney General Mike Hilgers, whose office defended Evnen in the Kuehn-led lawsuit.

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RESULTS CERTIFIED FOR NEBRASKA'S 2024 GENERAL ELECTION

LINCOLN — Nebraska’s state constitutional officers have officially certified the November 2024 general election, which includes the formal approval of five ballot measures. The State Canvassing Board on Monday unanimously accepted the election results for all but one race — a seat on the Dawson Public Power District, which will head to an automatic recount Wednesday morning.

The Canvassing Board consists of Gov. Jim Pillen, Secretary of State Bob Evnen, Attorney General Mike Hilgers, State Treasurer Tom Briese, and State Auditor Mike Foley. Evnen, whose office oversees and administers Nebraska elections, celebrated the “exemplary work” of election officials and voters, who completed the first general election with voter ID.

Deputy Nebraska Secretary of State Wayne Bena, who oversees the state’s Elections Division, said he spent the majority of the morning on Election Day this Nov. 5 dealing with whether yard signs were too close to polling sites.“If that’s the biggest part of my day, I know it’s going to be a good day,” Bena told the canvassers.

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FORMER LAWMAKERS HELP SENATORS-ELECT LEARN THE ROPES OF LEGISLATURE

LINCOLN- When state senators gather in Lincoln next month to start the 109th Nebraska Legislature, nearly two-thirds of those lawmakers will have two years of experience or less in the Capitol. Thirteen senators will be forced out next year due to term limits, while four others either chose not to seek reelection or lost their races this fall. In their place will be 16 newly minted senators, along with once and future Sen. Dan Quick of Grand Island, who returns to the Legislature after a four-year break.

The outgoing lawmakers will take with them a combined 127 years of experience. The remaining senators will have a combined 131 years of experience. To stem the loss of institutional knowledge, as well as ease the transition of new senators, Speaker John Arch of La Vista and other lawmakers and legislative staff have sought to expand and deepen the orientation process, relying on former members to bring the "freshmen" up to speed. Before Thanksgiving, the incoming state senators convened at the Capitol for several days of seminars and hands-on practice, giving them a peek at what they can expect when the gavel strikes at 10 a.m. on Jan. 8.

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LATEST 2024 FARM INCOME FORECAST SHOWS OVERALL DECREASE FROM 2023

LINCOLN- Farm income is projected to decrease by 4% in 2024 compared to 2023, driven primarily by lower cash receipts from commodity crops, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s December forecast. Net cash farm income, which accounts for income minus expenses, is estimated at $158.8 billion—3.5% lower than 2023 figures when adjusted for inflation but still 9.8% above the 20-year average. While overall agricultural commodity sales are expected to dip less than 1%, the decline in crop receipts by over 9% is nearly offset by an 8% increase in receipts from animal and animal products.

Carrie Litkowski, USDA Economic Research Service farm income team leader, emphasized the importance of these findings, saying, “It feels a little more important, as we near the end of the year, to evaluate the current state of the farm economy as a starting point for considering what challenges and opportunities may lie ahead for U.S. agriculture.” Crop-focused farms are forecasted to see reduced net cash income in 2024, whereas livestock farms are likely to experience gains. Iowa’s agricultural sector may feel a significant impact, as corn and soybean receipts—key drivers of the state’s farm economy—are projected to decrease by 23% and 14%, respectively, on a national level.

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GOV. PILLEN'S TOP 2025 PRIORITIES INCLUDE TRANS ATHLETE BAN, TWEAKED SCHOOL AID

LINCOLN - Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen revealed some of his top legislative priorities Sunday, outlining a policy agenda focused on social issues and property tax reform — both hallmarks of the first-term governor's initial two years in office.

When lawmakers reconvene in Lincoln in January for the 2025 legislative session, Pillen will seek to ban the sale of lab-grown meat and bar transgender K-12 athletes from sports teams and locker rooms that do not match their biological sex at birth, the governor's office signaled in a Sunday night news release. Pillen will also implore lawmakers to replace Nebraska's distinctive presidential electoral system with a winner-take-all model backed by President-elect Donald Trump.

The governor, too, will urge lawmakers to rethink how the state distributes aid to public schools, targeting the decades-old Tax Equity and Equalization Support Act, or TEEOSA, formula that has confounded lawmakers for years and left school funding increasingly reliant on property taxes.

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GOV. PILLEN CALLS FOR INCREASE IN SALES TAX

NORFOLK - Gov. Jim Pillen says it’s time for Nebraska to raise sales taxes to help fund state government and deal with budgetary shortfalls. During his monthly radio call-in show on Monday, the Governor used the state to the north as an example as to how Nebraska can reduce property taxes.

"South Dakota, people brag about how there's no income tax and they have very moderate property taxes," Pillen said. "But the hardcore reality is they have a sales tax on everything.

"And they have a two-tiered sales tax because they have to have revenue. I think that Nebraska needs to get in the game and compete and understand that to fund our government, we need the greatest revenue coming from sales tax and the least revenue coming from property tax."

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PLANS MOVING FORWARD FOR ANOTHER RACETRACK CASINO IN NEBRASKA

SOUTH SIOUX CITY- The opening of the Hard Rock in downtown Sioux City a decade ago ate into the revenues of the WinnaVegas Casino Resort near Sloan, Iowa. WinnaVegas, owned by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, had opened 22 years earlier. Ho-Chunk Inc. has been waiting for years to even the score.

In 2020, Nebraska voters finally gave their blessing to casino gaming at the state's horse tracks. Now, four years later, things are starting to fall into place for the Sioux City metro's newest casino. Ho-Chunk Inc. CEO Lance Morgan has stressed repeatedly that through the company's WarHorse Gaming subsidiary, it has been plowing all its capital and energy into the casinos in the state's two largest metros.

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FINAL VOTES COUNTED IN KEY CENTRAL NEBRASKA LEGISLATIVE RACE

GRAND ISLAND- The final votes have been counted in a Nebraska legislative rematch race that favored a former union leader over the incumbent, second-ranking state senator.

As of final votes counted Tuesday night, former State Sen. Dan Quick continued to lead State Sen. Ray Aguilar. Quick was up by 135 votes, which is outside mandatory recount margins. Quick served in the Legislature from 2017 to 2021. Then in 2020, Aguilar, who had served between 1999 and 2009, beat Quick to return to the District 35 seat.

Quick is a retired welder and mechanic, a former leader of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1597, and a former Central Community College Board of Governors member. In a statement on Tuesday, he thanked his voters and Aguilar for his service. “I want to thank all voters for participating in this election,” Quick said. “I vow to be a Senator who fights for all members of our community, no matter who they voted for.”

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PILLEN, DELEGATION TO WRAP UP TRADE TRIP WITH VISITS TO GERMAN BUSINESSES THAT HAVE HUSKER TIES

LINCOLN- Gov. Jim Pillen and a state delegation are to finish a weeklong trade and diplomatic mission to Central Europe Thursday, in part with visits to businesses in Germany that have ties to Nebraska. While in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, the Husker group is to meet with officials of Bayer, a global enterprise that operates crop science facilities across the Midwest, including a major research station in Beaver Crossing, Nebraska.

The group also scheduled a stop at Evonik, a global company that develops specialty chemicals for a variety of industries. It has produced lysine, an animal feed additive, in Blair, Nebraska, since 2000. The group’s time in Germany is the second phase of the mission and follows three days in the Czech Republic.

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