LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Two Nebraska state agencies that oversee environmental and energy issues are set to merge under a new law approved by Gov. Pete Ricketts.

Ricketts signed the measure last month to combine the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and the Nebraska State Energy Office.

The governor’s office said Friday that Jim Macy will oversee the combined agency in place of his current role as head of the environmental quality department. Former energy office director David Bracht stepped down last year.

The new agency will be renamed the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy.

Ricketts proposed the merger as a way to increase state government efficiency. State officials say the merger could save roughly $207,000 in annual personnel expenses. That money will be used instead for operating costs and state aid programs.

The crew from Condon Signs works on installing the new digital sign at the Prairie Arts Center, 416 North Jeffers, on Friday afternoon. PAC will use the sign to promote upcoming classes and events.

The purchase of the sign was made possible, in part, by a grant from the Mid-Nebraska Community Foundation.

 

Hays Post

HAY, Kan. — When Fort Hays State University grad Addy Tritt decided to help Nebraska flood victims by buying out the remaining inventory of the Hays Payless store, she wasn’t thinking about the attention she would receive.

And no one could have expected just how much attention would be attracted to the Hays Post story.

Tritt has been in contact with news organizations ranging from Good Morning America to CBS News and the story has been republished in dozens of news outlets worldwide.

Just some of the national news organizations that published Tritt’s tale include Huff Post, CBS News, BBC News, the New York Post, the New York Daily News, Better Homes and Gardens, The Hill, the U.K. Daily Mail, USA Today, CNN, Fox News, Business Insider, Good Morning America and People. Dozens more local and regional news organizations also republished the story.

Tritt’s good-news article jumped the pond, as well, and was published in the United Kingdom’s Daily Mail.

The story has also been published in several languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Indonesian and Vietnamese, among others.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Proposed academic standards for teaching social studies in Nebraska would require public school students to learn how to manage money and would encourage them to look at history from multiple perspectives.

The Nebraska Department of Education is seeking public input on the draft standards released Thursday. The standards detail what students in kindergarten through 12th grade will learn in history, economics, geography and civics.

Harris Payne is director of social studies for the Education Department. He says the draft builds on standards set in 2012 by adding clarity and direction for teachers.

The standards also address how to teach about topics such as marginalized groups, climate change and civic engagement.

The State Board of Education is expected to vote on the revised standards in the fall.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The U.S. Transportation Department has approved $25 million in emergency relief funds from the Federal Highway Administration to quickly repair Nebraska roads damaged by devastating floods last month.

The federal department describes the money as “quick release” funding to be used to restore essential traffic and prevent additional damage at locations affected by severe flooding. It will also support efforts to restore traffic and open routes for medical and food supplies for people and livestock. The department says an initial estimate of damage tops $160 million — more than half the state’s annual apportionment of federal-aid funds. That number is expected to climb as additional damage assessment information is received.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said in a news release Thursday that initial inspections have identified over 300 road sites that need repairs and are eligible for emergency relief funds.

The Nebraska Department of Transportation estimates nearly 190 highway miles and 27 state bridges have sustained flood-related damages.