LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers are setting the groundwork for a plan to get as many residents as possible to participate in the 2020 Census.
Lawmakers gave first-round approval Thursday to a bill that would allow a special committee that would develop the plan on the state’s behalf.
The bill by Sen. Matt Hansen, of Lincoln, would place Nebraska among the vast majority of states that have already created a committee. South Dakota is the only other state that has not.
The committee would operate under the Nebraska State Data Center and would rely on private money. It would terminate on Jan. 1, 2021.
The measure advanced 39-2 through the first of three required votes. Two senators argued the committee would be duplicative of the federal government’s outreach efforts.
WASHINGTON (AP) —The Senate has passed a long-overdue $19 billion disaster aid bill to help to a number of states and Puerto Rico recover after a series of hurricanes, floods and wildfires.
The widely-backed legislation passed by an 85-8 vote.
Republican leaders agreed to a demand by Democrats to toss out President Donald Trump’s $4.5 billion request to address a record influx of Central American migrants who are fleeing violence in Guatemala, Honduras and elsewhere and coming to the United States.
Trump says he’ll sign the measure and is promising that the U.S-Mexico border money he wants will pass soon.
The disaster relief bill was most eagerly sought by Trump’s GOP allies in states such as Georgia, Florida, Iowa and Nebraska. But the bill was held up for months, first by a battle over aid for Puerto Rico and then by failed negotiations on border aid.
A North Platte woman has been federally indicted on drug charges.
According to a news release from the United States Attorney’s Office in Omaha, Sarah Waugh, age 29, of North Platte, Nebraska, is charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on or about March 13, 2019.
The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, $1,000,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Waugh and two others were arrested in March after police received a report of drug activity at a house in the 800 block of South Sycamore Avenue.
In Lincoln County, Waugh was arrested for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person (class 1D felony), distribution of a controlled substance (class II felony), and possession of a destructive device (class IV felony).
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Police in Lincoln, Nebraska, are investigating an assault on a Muslim woman as a possible hate crime.
Police tell the Lincoln Journal Star that the 18-year-old victim was walking Wednesday night in west Lincoln when two white men approached her, made derogatory comments and threats and then knocked her to the ground and kicked her. Police say the woman suffered bruises and cuts to her forearms and both sides of her face. No arrests had been reported by Thursday afternoon.
Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister said the attackers’ threats and comments led police to open a hate crime investigation in the assault. Bliemeister said his agency “will not tolerate hate crimes.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the attackers.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A bill that would require Nebraska abortion providers to give women information about possibly continuing their pregnancy after taking the first of two abortion drugs is headed to a final vote in the Legislature.
Lawmakers advanced the measure Thursday through a second-round Thursday despite criticism that the information isn’t backed by scientific evidence. The vote was 36-9 after supporters overcame a legislative filibuster.
Sen. Joni Albrecht, of Thurston, says the bill ensures that women have a right to know all of their options when they considering an abortion with medication.
Opponents say the bill is premised on a faulty and unethical study.
Wisconsin is considering a similar bill. Kansas’ Republican-dominated Legislature passed a measure but failed to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto.
LINCOLN, Neb. – Park-goers will find most of the 76 park areas in the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s park system open for Memorial Day weekend.
Nebraska State Parks offer fun activities for people to have fun and create family memories outdoors. With so many diverse areas, park visitors can find adventure or solitude. Some of the most popular activities include camping, boating, fishing, picnicking, huddling around a campfire, hiking, biking, watching wildlife, horse trail rides, Jeep rides, Go Ape treetop ropes course, and family-friendly shooting ranges.
A few parks that were affected by spring flooding and have limited access, camping or services. An update on some park areas includes:
Two Rivers State Recreation Area – The park is open for camping and day use, with some limitations. Electrical service has been restored to most electrical campsites. The Riverside day use area is accessible, however, the Riverside, Cottonwood and equestrian campgrounds are closed temporarily.
Willow Creek SRA – The park is open for camping and day use and electrical service has been restored to most electrical campsites.
Fremont Lakes SRA – The 5 mph/no wake restriction on Lake 10 and Victory Lake (Lake 15) was lifted May 22. A 5 mph/no wake restriction remains in effect for Lakes 16 and 20. Game and Parks urges boaters to heed all safety buoys, signage, and boating regulations.
Game and Parks continues to provide more opportunities for outdoor recreation as it can.
Mormon Island SRA – On May 23, the updated Cedar campground on the park’s east end will open. Contractors have added 38 30/50-amp electrical pedestals; water hydrants will be added later this summer. The campground offers 38 campsites with many located along the edge of Lake 2. Seven of the sites are designated pull-through campsites to accommodate large recreational vehicles and can provide 80-amp service. The campground offers a modern restroom facility with private showers and a large picnic shelter. Half of the campsites will be available on the Nebraska Game and Parks reservation system. Contact the park for camping availability at 308-385-6211.
Schramm Education Center at Schramm Park SRA – The new state-of-the-art nature center and aquarium officially opened May 1 and is open daily 9 to 5.
Activities are scheduled throughout the park system. For a listing, visit calendar.outdoornebraska.gov/. A park entry permit is required of each vehicle entering a park.
Omaha Mayor Jean StothertOMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A group formed to recall Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert (STAH’-thurt) has halted its efforts.
The Coalition to Recall Stothert says on its Facebook page that the effort “isn’t possible with little funding and not enough volunteers.” Eric Scott had filed the paperwork to obtain recall petitions, and he says it was “too much to take on for a group of citizens with no political experience.”
Organizers had said last month that they were getting support from people angry about potholes, city trash contract changes and Stothert’s interactions with critics.
The mayor said in her written response to the recall filing that Omaha is “safe, economically strong and well-managed.”
The Republican was first elected in 2013 and re-elected in 2017.
Tyler HedlundHASTINGS, Neb. (AP) – A former Hastings teacher accused of having sex with a teenage student and providing her alcohol has pleaded not guilty.
Adams County Court records say 23-year-old Tyler Hedlund filed the plea Wednesday to a charge of intentional child abuse. A trial date has not been set.
The records say Hedlund had sex with the 16-year-old girl several times at his Hastings home and that he gave her alcohol there and bought alcoholic beverages for her and three of her friends.
Hedlund had been teaching and coaching football at Hastings St. Cecilia.
Forrest CoxOMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A jury has found a 30-year-old man guilty of first-degree murder and two weapons crimes in Omaha.
Douglas County District Court records say the jury returned the verdict Tuesday against Forrest Cox III. Prosecutors say 25-year-old Laron Rogers was shot on March 6, 2017, during a marijuana deal outside a convenience store.
Cox’s is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 8 to life in prison.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A tornado has caused heavy damage in Missouri’s capital city as severe weather swept across the state overnight, causing three deaths and trapping dozens of people in the wreckage of their homes.
The National Weather Service confirmed that the large and destructive tornado moved over Jefferson City shortly before midnight on Wednesday.
Gov. Mike Parson said three people died. Missouri Public Safety said they were killed in the Golden City area of Barton County. The governor is praising first responders who have worked through the night to free people from homes that have been ripped apart in the storm.
Jefferson City Police Lt. David Williams says no deaths were reported in the capital, but 20 people have been rescued by emergency personnel.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers are setting the groundwork for a plan to get as many residents as possible to participate in the 2020 Census.
