| Higher income levels for childcare subsidies, more services for juvenile offenders advance | Nebraska lawmakers took more steps Wednesday toward increasing child care subsidies and changing the way the state handles juvenile offenders. The child care initiative would partially restore subsidies that Nebraska cut when an economic downturn a decade ago reduced state tax revenues. At that time, families were eligible for child care subsidies if they had incomes up to 185 percent of the... more›› | |
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Cantaloupe growers come clean | Several deadly foodborne outbreaks have been tied to cantaloupe in recent years. In 2011, listeria from cantaloupe killed 33 people including one Nebraskan. Melon growers in Colorado have been trying to repair their image and stop future outbreaks. Drive into the small southeastern Colorado community of Rocky Ford and it’s clear the very character of the town is tied to cantaloupe. A sign on the... more›› |
| Wind power sales tax breaks advance along with Omaha sales tax freeze | Large wind power projects would be exempt from sales taxes, and Omaha would be prohibited from raising sales taxes, under a proposal advancing in the Legislature. The wind power bill is sponsored by Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha. It would give companies that build big wind projects in Nebraska a sales tax exemption on the components they buy. Lathrop predicted great things would come from his... more›› | |
| Cities keep sales tax authority; Medicaid expansion looks dead; trouble over Whiteclay beer deliveries | Cities in Nebraska won’t lose their ability to raise sales taxes; a key senator has all but given up on expanding Medicaid this year, and there is trouble with beer trucks in Whiteclay. On sales tax, last week, senators seemed on the verge of repealing permission they gave cities last year to raise them another half percent. Sen. Ernie Chambers came within one vote of attaching an amendment to... more›› | |
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Conservation acres harder to come by | For 27 years, the federal Conservation Reserve Program has taken land out of farming to improve water, provide habitat, and reduce erosion. But farmers have been enrolling less land and it’s not just budget cuts that could make the program smaller still. At a basin in central Iowa’s Onion Creek Watershed, Sean McCoy pulls a state truck up near a brand-new wetland. It looks like a construction... more›› |
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Kansas seeks turning point for rural communities | With populations declining, rural communities are searching for ways to convince young residents to return. In the state of Kansas, it actually pays to go back. A one-of-a-kind program offers tax incentives for residents to settle in rural counties. When the Homestead Act of 1862 made land in the Great Plains virtually free, people rushed in to settle rural Kansas. But 150 years later, the dust... more›› |
| Cities may lose permission for sales tax hikes; childrens' mental health screens advance | The Nebraska Legislature appears to be moving toward taking back the permission it gave cities last year to increase sales taxes. And lawmakers gave first-round approval to a pilot program for identifying kids with mental health problems. Last year, over a veto by Gov. Dave Heineman, the Legislature gave cities permission to increase their maximum sales tax rate from one and half cents to two... more›› | |
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A Living History: The Importance of Holocaust Education for Nebraska's Youth | After World War II, Nebraska became home to numerous Holocaust survivors. For the last 68 years, many of those survivors shared their stories with Nebraska students. But soon, there may not be anyone left to give a firsthand account of the tragedy suffered at the hands of the Nazis. On a cool spring afternoon in April, the theme to Schindler’s List echoed in the rotunda of the Nebraska State... more›› |
| Juvenile justice bill advances; expanded Medicaid argument continues | A proposal to provide more treatment for troubled youth is advancing in the Nebraska Legislature, and supporters of expanding Medicaid are waging an uphill battle to get a vote on their bill this year. Sen. Brad Ashford of Omaha is sponsoring the proposal that aims to change the state’s juvenile justice system. Among other provisions, it would add $10 million a year for the next two years to... more›› | |
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Growing a local beer, farm to glass | The local food movement and craft brewing industry have each been booming for years. But the idea of creating a local craft beer is still something new. “Farm to glass" brewers are starting to take root using ingredients sourced from nearby fields. How does a new craft brewer stand apart from the pack? A few have hitched their brewery onto the local food bandwagon, sourcing the ingredients that... more›› |
| Death penalty repeal stopped by filibuster; teacher retirement veto overridden | Nebraska’s death penalty law will remain in place for at least another year, as senators who want to repeal it fell short of getting enough votes to overcome a filibuster Tuesday. Meanwhile, senators voted to override Gov. Dave Heinemans’ veto of a teachers’ retirement bill. The failure of the death penalty repeal had been forecast by a test vote Monday, and little changed as senators debated... more›› | |
| NET News Earns 19 AP Awards | NET News earned 19 awards including 7 first-place awards in the 2013 Great Plains AP Broadcast Contest for radio stations in North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. NET News' Fred Knapp earned first-place honors for his continuing coverage of the 2012 legislative session and for the talk/public affairs program "Nebraska Child Welfare Reform." Senior producer Bill Kelly also won two first-... more›› |
