Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 80
Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol are teaming up with troopers from many other states for a campaign focused on patrolling U.S. Highway 20. "Highway 20 is a major route of travel across the country and for vacationers coming to experience northern Nebraska," said Captain Dain Hicks, commander of Troop B, based in Norfolk. "This multi-state partnership is positively impacting the safety for Highway 20 travelers from Nebraska to Iowa and across the entire country." During the month of May, N...
In a state that’s 92% farmland, one of the biggest issues we face in our health care system is disparate outcomes for our rural population. Eighty-five of Nebraska’s rural communities are considered medically underserved areas, and that’s just for primary care services. This is concerning — rural populations are significantly more vulnerable to health inequities and poor, often preventable outcomes. The age-adjusted death rate in rural areas is 20% higher than that of urban areas. There’s a relatively simple solution: More rural health care pro...
The 108th Legislature, First Session, has adjourned sine die. This past year, lawmakers passed some important bills and failed to agree on other critical issues. Excluding A bills, of the 820 bills and 274 resolutions introduced this year, only 33 bills and one resolution actually received a final vote. However, the bills passed included many expansive Christmas tree packages, meaning the Legislature actually passed 291 bills in total, including A bills. This figure is comparable to the last...
The Nebraska Broadband Office, along with the Nebraska Department of Transportation, Nebraska Information Technology Commission and the Office of the Chief Information Officer have announced seven public meeting locations across Nebraska in an effort provide and seek information about the quality and availability of high-speed internet access. These sessions build upon the Nebraska Public Service Commission and the OCIO/NITC earlier sessions and are intended to assist the state in developing comprehensive approach to addressing digital access...
Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol removed 65 impaired drivers from the road during the annual Click It or Ticket campaign to begin the summer travel season. “Nebraska roadways have had a busy start to summer,” said Colonel John Bolduc, superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “Our troopers were also busy over the last three weeks, working to help start the summer travel season safely across Nebraska.” During the campaign, which ran from May 15 through June 4, troopers arrested 65 drivers for driving under the influence. Trooper...
Summer is on the way. Memorial Day is right around the corner, which means the summer travel season is coming up quickly. Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol, along with officers and deputies from dozens of agencies across Nebraska, are participating in the annual Click It or Ticket campaign. The effort began Monday, May 15, and runs through Sunday, June 4, encompassing the weeks before and after Memorial Day. “Statistics show that seatbelt use increases your chance of surviving a serious crash by 45%,” said Colonel John Bolduc at last wee...
Lauren Behnk, of Clearwater, always knew she wanted to travel and experience life outside of Nebraska, especially in a Spanish-speaking country. Several people introduced travel as a way to study on Behnk's radar. Leenda Thiele, Behnk's high school Spanish teacher, shared her journey of coming to the states from Puerta Rico. Thiele encouraged her to experience travel for a better opportunity to learn. Behnk's cousin, Valley, also traveled and spurred her interest in seeing the world. Finally,...
Many major issues were debated this past week in the Legislature, with LB 626 and LB 574 being the two most highly-contested bills considered by senators. LB 626 would adopt the Nebraska Heartbeat Act and restrict abortion to when a fetal heartbeat is first detected, thereby reducing the current 20-week abortion time window to about six weeks. This bill includes exceptions for rape, incest, sexual assault, medical emergencies (such as ectopic pregnancies and the removal of the remains of an...
This week saw the Legislature continue the discussion of the governor’s school finance and tax package. LB 243, as amended by the Revenue Committee, would make a series of changes aimed at easing the financial impact of increasing property tax valuations on Nebraska’s local property taxpayers. Among changes proposed, the measure would increase the minimum amount of relief granted under the Property Tax Credit Act to $388 million in tax year 2024 and $560 million by tax year 2029. This amo...
Guests at northeast Nebraska state park areas were treated to some improvements in 2022, with more set to be completed in 2023. The following is a roundup of those improvements and projects: Summit Lake State Recreation Area Summit Lake State Recreation Area near Tekamah saw aquatic habitat and angler access improvement projects completed to improve the fishery and guests' experience. The west and south sediment basins were excavated to restore them to their original capacity and prevent...
The schedule of morning debate on the floor and afternoon public hearings continues for a few more weeks. At times, the days seem long, but soon the Legislature will begin all-day debate before finally adjourning later this spring. Three of my bills were heard in committee last week. On Tuesday, LB 453 and LB 454 were heard before the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee. LB 453 would allow the Nebraska Department of Transportation to change how the administrative costs of the Divisio...
We are now past the one-third mark of this 90-day legislative session but still have a great deal of work to do. The various standing committees are busy holding public hearings on the 820 bills and 22 substantive resolutions that were introduced in January. We have around four more weeks of hearings yet to go. Thus far, two of my bills have been presented before committees. The week began with Nebraska Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Heavican delivering the State of the Judiciary address...
NORFOLK – One of the last bus drivers in Norfolk begins his day by taking Nancy Stehlik to work. Wrapped in a purple coat and earmuffs, Stehlik inches her walker onto the small bus’s wheelchair lift. Driver Neil Schlecht pushes a button and the lift whirs down, placing Stehlik outside of work. For the rest of the day, he takes seven people to clinics, church and the grocery store. He jokes with riders just as he’s long done as a driver for North Fork Area Transit, the bus service which, until recently, used 35 buses and vans to give as many...
This week saw the Legislature conclude the second and final week of all-day committee hearings. The schedule will return to a traditional format, where floor debate is in the mornings and committee hearings in the afternoon. The question of whether Nebraska should legalize medical marijuana will again be considered by the Legislature. Sen.Wishart introduced LB 588, the Medicinal Cannabis Act, which would provide a regulatory framework to establish access to cannabis specifically for medical...
This week saw the Legislature begin the first of two weeks of all-day committee hearings. Traditionally, senators would meet as a body in the morning and split into different committees in the afternoons. However, Speaker Arch wanted to try to front-load the session with hearings so there will be more time for debate later in the session. Therefore, senators will not have an opportunity for floor debate until the week of Feb. 13. Two of my bills are scheduled for a public hearing later this...
The Nebraska State Patrol is reminding all football fans to have a gameplan in place for safe travel on Super Bowl Sunday. Troopers across Nebraska are teaming up with law enforcement across the United States to monitor for impaired driving. The effort runs during the evening hours of Sunday, Feb. 12, in conjunction with the Super Bowl. "The Super Bowl is one of those events that draws both passionate and casual fans to events and parties across the country," said Colonel John Bolduc,...
Late last week I learned of my appointment to three special committees: justice reinvestment oversight, state-tribal relations, and statewide tourism and recreation water access and resource sustainability. I am pleased to both be the vice chair of State-Tribal Relations (Committee) and be able to provide the 40th District with continued representation on the STAR WARS Committee. As a member, I hope to bring the proposed event center and lodge at Niobrara State Park, boat launch near the...
As Justin Taubenheim combined soybeans in a Buffalo County field on an October afternoon, he thought about why he does it. "I'm not farming to get rich,” he said. “I'm farming to maintain a legacy, a way of life. Faith, family and farming, in that order. The farm is kinda like the icing on the cake." Taubenheim, 31, sports fewer gray hairs than your normal Nebraska farmer. The average age of a principal Nebraska farm or ranch operator: 56.4 years old, according to census figures. The rising worry: There won’t be a next generation to carry...
With her laptop open and credit card out, Allyson Mendoza watched the clock flip from 7:59 to 8:00 a.m. “Register now” popped up on her screen. The mother of three had set timers and reminders for this moment weeks in advance of the March deadline. By 8:02 a.m., she had scored spots for her two oldest children at Hummel Day Camp, the wildly popular city-run day camp held for the last 70 summers in Omaha’s Hummel Park. She had done so with mere minutes to spare. “It’s the most stressful 10 minutes of my life, and I’m a lawyer,” Mendoza said....
As 2022 comes to an end, the Nebraska State Patrol is urging all motorists to plan ahead if New Year’s celebration involves alcohol. Troopers will be working overtime on patrol for impaired drivers as part an ongoing nationwide enforcement campaign. “Travel across our state was impacted by severe winter weather last week, but as the weather improves, it’s still important to keep safe travel as your priority behind the wheel,” said Colonel John Bolduc, superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “Our troopers and partner agencies will be w...
Nebraska looks to be in store for a major blizzard from Monday night into Thursday morning, impacting travelers in western Nebraska with potential closures anticipated throughout the state. For the first major snow event of this winter season, Nebraska Department of Transportation crews are prepared. While the forecast could fluctuate, concerns are a high potential for heavy snowfall coupled with sustained high winds, creating low visibility, especially in the panhandle. This system will work...
A 23-year-old O'Neill man was sentenced, Nov. 21, to decades in prison for causing the death of his 13-month-old son in July 2021. John T. Applegarth was sentenced by the Honorable Mark Kozisec, in the Holt County district courtroom in O'Neill, to not less than 30 years, nor more than 40 years in a facility under the jurisdiction of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. He was given credit for 463 days served in jail since his arrest and was taxed $147 costs of prosecution. Charges...
In 2024, NASA will send a small surgical robot from Nebraska to the International Space Station. The tiny, two-pound robot will be able to perform surgeries on the space station that would normally require a surgeon’s expertise and much larger equipment. The surgical robot can operate more or less on its own, performing complex procedures at the flip of a switch. The device, developed by Nebraska-based Virtual Incision, is a significant step toward making it possible for surgeons to operate r...
After a week off, the Husker football team returns to action at Memorial Stadium and Nebraska state troopers will be on patrol to keep the action off the roadways as fans travel to the game. The Nebraska State Patrol works closely with partner agencies on several aspects of gameday operations. Troopers partner with the Lincoln Police Department, Lancaster County Sheriff's Office, UNL Police Department and the Nebraska Department of Transportation to keep fans safe as they travel to and from the...
Growing up on a hill overlooking North Omaha during World War II, Mary Carpenter remembers the numerous vegetable plots, called victory gardens, that dotted her Florence neighborhood. “Everybody had one,” said Carpenter, the reporter’s mother-in-law. “We grew everything - asparagus, potatoes, tomatoes, black raspberries, pears, even grapes. That’s what fed us and supplemented our food.” Over the ensuing decades, many of those gardens disappeared as grocery stores started carrying seasonal produce year round. Yet 80 years later, everything...
