LINCOLN — The Nebraska Legislature’s controversial combination of a stricter abortion ban with a bill restricting gender-affirming care for minors is the target of a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Lancaster County Court by ACLU Nebraska and Planned Parenthood of the Heartland. The lawsuit argues that the Legislature, by combining sections of two bills involving different […]
The post Nebraska lawsuit targets combo bill on abortion, gender-affirming care appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
LINCOLN — The Nebraska Legislature’s controversial combination of a stricter abortion ban with a bill restricting gender-affirming care for minors is the target of a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Lancaster County Court by ACLU Nebraska and Planned Parenthood of the Heartland. The lawsuit argues that the Legislature, by combining sections of two bills involving different […]
The post Nebraska lawsuit targets combo bill on abortion, gender-affirming care appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
LINCOLN — An expected final vote Friday on the Nebraska Legislature’s efforts to further restrict abortions and limit gender-affirming care for minors may not be the last after a new amendment was filed Thursday. However, key senators said they would not support the changes proposed. State Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont filed an amendment to […]
The post Nebraska lawmaker introduces less restrictive amendment on abortion-gender care proposal appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
LINCOLN — Nebraska communities are at a critical “inflection point” where they must figure out how to solve younger generations’ demands for quality child care — or face continued worker shortages. That’s a message that Dr. Jack Shonkoff, a child health and development expert at Harvard Medical School, delivered during a three-day visit this week […]
The post Child care services spotlighted as key to reversing Nebraska workforce shortage appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
LINCOLN — With thousands of Nebraskans watching, including hundreds in person, state lawmakers shoehorned a stricter abortion ban into an already divisive bill to limit gender-affirming care for minors. The proposal is now one step from passage. Tuesday’s action was the culmination of months of public outcry and legislative fights over the two measures, both […]
The post Nebraska merges abortion, gender-affirming care measures into single bill appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
EL PASO – Under the shadow of Gate 42, Elizabeth Ramirez repeated “I didn’t want it to be like this,” as she crossed over the Rio Grande, low and sluggish over algae. She was one of a group of two dozen people surrendering to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol on Wednesday. The people crossing would […]
The post Thousands surrender to Border Patrol as Title 42 ends appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
LINCOLN — Two Nebraska lawmakers this week criticized the actions of certain state senators for playing “zero-sum games” that could hurt North Omaha. State Sens. Terrell McKinney and Justin Wayne, who both represent North Omaha, said critical legislation might not be considered this session. This could include prohibiting hair discrimination in education or expanding support for […]
The post Nebraska lawmakers criticize ‘zero-sum games’ in Legislature, lack of support for North Omaha appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
OMAHA — The kids are back. A longtime vacant corner at 48th and Q Streets — once home to a public elementary school that closed 30 years ago — has a new tenant, with a familiar youthful energy. The Kids Can Community Center, a child care operation with its own storied past, today is celebrating […]
The post ‘Kids Can’ makes $11 million move, but concern looms for broader statewide child care needs appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
LINCOLN – The only inpatient substance-abuse treatment center serving the Whiteclay, Nebraska, area has closed, making help for Native Americans battling alcohol or drug problems even less accessible. The Northeast Panhandle Substance Abuse Treatment Center (NEPSAC) in Gordon, 37 miles from Whiteclay, closed Jan. 31. The center, which had operated since the 1990s, was the […]
The post Whiteclay area substance abuse center closes, leaving few alternatives appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
LINCOLN — Many Nebraskans are still seething over then-Gov. Pete Ricketts’ rejection last year of $120 million in emergency rental aid the federal government had set aside for the state’s 91 smaller and rural counties. Now critics are taking another stab at tapping what’s left of that money: $48 million. Legislative Bill 715, introduced by […]
The post Saga continues: Will Nebraska’s new regime accept millions in federal rent aid? appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers on Friday filed a minority statement — a never-before-used tactic — to oppose legislation that would restrict what gender-affirming care minors could receive in the state. State Sens. Machaela Cavanaugh and Jen Day, both of Omaha, issued the statement ahead of debate on Legislative Bill 574 on Tuesday. Dubbed the “Let Them Grow Act,” […]
The post Nebraska lawmakers file ‘minority statement’ ahead of debate on trans health care bill appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
LINCOLN — Students at the Nebraska State Capitol on Thursday demanded action on gun safety and called on the Legislature to halt efforts on a “permitless” concealed carry bill. Various organizations, including Nebraskans Against Gun Violence, Huskers Against Gun Violence and Students Demand Action, connected Thursday’s news conference to National Walkout Day on March 14, […]
The post Nebraska students demand more gun reform five years after national school walkouts appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
Diego never imagined he’d carry a gun. Not as a child, when shots were fired outside his Chicago-area home. Not at age 12, when one of his friends was gunned down. Diego’s mind changed at 14, when he and his friends were getting ready to walk to midnight Mass for the feast of Our Lady […]
The post Pandemic stress, gangs, and utter fear fueled a rise in teen shootings appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
LINCOLN — A flood of memories returned for North Platte photographer George Hipple when he heard the news that former President Jimmy Carter had entered hospice care. Hipple had served as the official photographer for the former president for 13 years when he participated in Habitat for Humanity “builds” in such faraway places as India, […]
The post Photographer saddened by news of Jimmy Carter entering hospice care appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
Forty million people in the U.S. are having difficulty affording household expenses, and a little more than 25 million people say they sometimes or often do not have enough to eat, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent Household Pulse survey data. The survey is designed to collect data on household experiences during the […]
The post Families are taking a hit as pandemic aid ends, inflation continues appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
LINCOLN — As Nebraska state senators prepare for debate regarding abortion, one lawmaker presented a proposal Friday that aims to provide tax credits to private pregnancy help centers. Legislative Bill 606, proposed by State Sen. Joni Albrecht of Thurston, would establish the Nebraska Pregnancy Help Act and offer tax credits to incentivize private donations to […]
The post Tax credits proposed for private Nebraska pregnancy center donations appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
LINCOLN — COVID-19 placed an immense strain on hospitals and the medical field with thousands of cases and deaths in the nearly three years of the pandemic in Nebraska. Public health directors as well as state and local governments issued directed health measures to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, action that helped “save” local hospitals […]
The post Lawmakers weigh whether to restrict local health directors’ authority over public health measures appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
OMAHA — Nebraska’s juvenile court judges would have a new option for struggling teenagers who need mental health treatment, short of sending them to a detention facility, under a pilot proposal being considered by the Legislature. And parents of wayward teens would have an advocate to help them navigate the state’s juvenile justice system, under […]
The post Frustrated parents seek middle step in treatment of Nebraska youths in juvenile justice appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
OMAHA — A North Omaha community forum got testy at times Sunday night as many participants challenged the process that led to the slate of North and South Omaha groups in line to share $225 million in federal funds. State Sens. Terrell McKinney and Justin Wayne, both of North Omaha, fielded questions from the estimated […]
The post North Omaha lawmakers challenged about process that recommended $225 million in grants appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
LINCOLN — Proponents and opponents were given three hours each Wednesday to argue over State Sen. Joni Albrecht’s bill aimed at outlawing abortions in Nebraska after an ultrasound detects fetal cardiac activity. Hundreds in an overflow crowd waited hours to testify for two or three minutes to the seven members of the Legislature’s Health and […]
The post Cardiac-activity abortion ban bill draws hundreds to Nebraska Capitol appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
LINCOLN — Nebraska Parole Board members who miss more than three meetings a year would lose their seat on the panel that decides which state prisoners can re-enter society early, under a bill State Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha introduced Wednesday. He said he did so, in part, because board members have missed a number […]
The post Omaha senator pushes Parole Board changes, marijuana decriminalization appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
LINCOLN — Nebraska’s local health directors, under a new legislative proposal, could no longer enact a directed health measure, such as a mask mandate, without the approval of their city council or county board and sign-off from state health officials. State Sen. Kathleen Kauth, a Republican initially appointed in June by former Gov. Pete Ricketts, […]
The post Bill would require local mask mandates to get city council or county board approval appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
LINCOLN — A $1.5 million boost from Nebraska lawmakers would help give a new home to the iconic Pershing Center mural, whose more than 760,000 tile pieces today sit in a warehouse after removal last year from the old city arena. Fans of the mammoth artwork say they’ve already secured a new spot at Lincoln’s […]
The post Nebraska lawmakers to ponder funding for relocation of iconic mural appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
LINCOLN — Nebraskans would have about six weeks to decide on ending a pregnancy, instead of the current 20 weeks, under legislation anti-abortion senators plan to propose this session. The bill, expected this week, would ban abortions after an ultrasound can detect a fetal heartbeat. The new proposal would not criminalize either patients seeking abortions […]
The post Nebraska anti-abortion senators proposing ‘heartbeat bill’ appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
BELLEVUE, Nebraska — Programs have been suspended at the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce & Community as the agency tries to regain tax-exempt status, which it lost a decade ago for failure to properly file federal tax forms. Chamber president and CEO Michelle Andahl this week announced her departure in light of the tax problem that […]
The post Bellevue Chamber of Commerce suspends programming in wake of woes with tax-exempt status appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
OMAHA — Habitat for Humanity of Omaha, boosted by donations and $4 million in federal pandemic recovery funds, plans to build or rehab about 400 houses for lower income families over the next four years. The nonprofit expects to invest more than $200 million by the end of 2026 in housing programs — almost double […]
The post Habitat for Humanity to muscle up affordable housing efforts in Omaha area appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.