Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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We have a choice in the November 5 election between two initiatives regarding abortion, Initiative 434 or Initiative 439. Initiative 434 would protect unborn babies from abortion in the second and third trimesters except for cases of medical emergencies, sexual assault or incest. The laws we currently have regarding parental notification for minors, informed consent before abortion and in-person requirements to receive abortion pills would remain in place. Common-sense laws like basic safety regulations for abortion facilities and requiring a...
I would first like to express my gratitude to the first responders who quickly handled the explosion and fire at St. Patrick’s Parish in O’Neill earlier this week. I am thankful that there were no catastrophic injuries or loss of life and am hopeful that the parish, Avera St. Anthony’s Hospital and St. Mary’s School can quickly recover. I have been in contact with other state officials to help coordinate state resources to ease the recovery of Avera St. Anthony’s, which sustained damage. I...
Nebraskans will vote on six ballot issues during this fall's general election, including competing initiatives on the issue of abortion. Here's a rundown of three of those ballot issues, those concerning abortion and paid sick leave: – Initiative 434, titled the "Protect Women and Children" initiative, would, if approved, place the state's current policy on abortion, which allows the procedure only during the first 12 weeks of gestation, into the State Constitution. A "yes" vote for Initiative 4...
Back in the day, our high school basketball team used to employ a full-court press when we'd fallen behind. It was mostly a desperation measure toward the end of a game, a frantic effort in hopes that we could suddenly trip up our opponent and turn a defeat into a victory. Well, just recently in Nebraska, we were able to see a political full-court press in action, and such all-out strategy seems to have become the norm when it comes to citizen-led ballot initiatives. Ballot initiatives allow...
Have you been to the grocery store or courthouse lately and been approached in the parking lot by not one, but two people seeking signatures on initiative petitions concerning abortion rights? Confused? You’re not alone. For what appears to be the first time in history, Nebraskans are being asked to sign not one, not two, but three petitions seeking to determine if and when a woman can have an abortion. And, according to Secretary of State Bob Evnen, if more than one petition makes the ballot, t...
Nebraska is now down to one surgical abortion provider less than a year after lawmakers passed a 12-week ban. The Bellevue clinic founded by the late Dr. LeRoy Carhart – once one of only three providers in the country to perform third-trimester abortions – no longer does surgical procedures but does offer patients abortion pills, clinic employees confirmed to the Flatwater Free Press. That means Nebraskans who want a surgical abortion or who are past the cutoff for the abortion pill must go to...
Attorney General Mike Hilgers is now fighting prison reform measures he supported not too long ago as a state senator. That's politics. In the Attorney General 's office. Imagine that! Not hard to believe if you've been paying attention. The last AG walked in lockstep with the governor as did the guy before him, and ... Let's not forget Don Stenberg, the AG who wanted to be anything else, mostly US Senator (he took a shot and failed a couple times) and finally wound up as State Treasurer before...
If you thought that the mostly one-sided filibuster-driven debate on transgender issues and abortion was the thing that dragged the 2023 Nebraska Legislature to a near standstill, steel yourself for what could lie ahead. State Senator Dave Murman of Glenvil, the chair of the Legislature's Education Committee, says he wants to study the use of critical race theory and other controversial subjects in the classroom. Innocently enough, the studies stem from a request to investigate the Nebraska...
In a letter dated June 16, the group, led by Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, urged Xavier Becerra, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to drop a proposed modification of HIPAA’s Privacy Rule. The change would prohibit the use and disclosure of protected health information — including reproductive health — “for a criminal, civil or administrative investigation or proceedings” against those who lawfully provided care, such as across state lines. The attorneys general wrote that the Biden administr...
Disclaimer: I have never owned, driven or ridden a traditional two-wheel motorcycle. I sat on one owned by my late brother. But in more than five decades as a reporter I have covered numerous accidents involving motorcycles with any variety of other vehicles. I have seen dead bodies and spent time waiting and praying in hospital emergency rooms. I have also covered countless hours of debate about repealing the helmet law. That said, I must admit I was surprised that the 2023 Legislature passed...
The new governor says, jubilantly, the honeymoon cruise with the Nebraska Legislature was a huge success. Sorry governor, I'm seeing flags. Red flags. The cheering I hear is, "See you in court!" So, let's wait until the lawsuits are filed and the petition drives are all launched before we get too excited. In a "report card" from his office, Governor Jim Pillen said he was elected to office "with a clear mandate to make transformational change in the areas most important to our future: our kids;...
As the days in the George W. Norris Legislative Chamber dwindle down to a precious few, the Republican majority continues to trip over each other patting themselves on the back while the Democrats dig their trenches a little deeper and promise to give the home folks one to remember. There are still 32 Republicans in the officially nonpartisan Legislature and they are a mostly conservative lot. The Democrats are down to 16 with the recent defection of Omaha Sen. Meghan Hunt, who now identifies...
