News

Court to Hear Injunction Request on Omaha Mask Mandate

Published by Nikki Palmer on Mon, 01/17/2022 - 5:00am

The State of Nebraska is challenging the authority of the City of Omaha to mandate public health measures without state permission amid a surge of the highly contagious omicron variant.

Lawyers Without Borders Reaches Out to Omaha

Published by Nikki Palmer on Mon, 01/17/2022 - 4:00am
Lawyers Without Borders Executive Director Robin Taylor, second from right, explains how attorneys can assist in advancing the global rule of law on Nov. 3, 2021, at the Field Club of Omaha. (David Golbitz/Daily Record)

Area attorneys have a standing invitation to help advance the rule of law on a global scale through Lawyers Without Borders.

The Omaha Bar Association hosted LWOB Executive Director Robin Taylor in November at a continuing legal education session at the Field Club of Omaha.

U.S. DOJ Creating Unit Focused on Domestic Terrorism

Published by Nikki Palmer on Mon, 01/17/2022 - 3:00am
Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., seated in front of a picture from a violent protest last year in Portland, Oregon, questions witnesses during a committee hearing to examine the domestic terrorism threat, Thursday, Jan. 10, 2022, in Washington. (AP)

The Justice Department is establishing a specialized unit focused on domestic terrorism, the department’s top national security official told lawmakers last week as he described an “elevated” threat from violent extremists in the U.S.

Colorado to ‘Aggressively Assert’ Water Rights With Nebraska

Published by Nikki Palmer on Mon, 01/17/2022 - 2:00am

Colorado’s governor is warning he will “protect and aggressively assert” his state’s water rights after Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts announced a plan to spend $500 million on a canal and reservoir project that includes claiming access to land in Colorado under a 99-year-old compact between the states.

Nebraska Hospitals Stretched Thin as Virus Surge Continues

Published by Nikki Palmer on Mon, 01/17/2022 - 1:00am

Hospitals in Nebraska are stretched thin due to the current surge in coronavirus cases fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant, combined with the large number of health care workers who are out sick.

Abortion Bills at Odds in Nebraska Legislature

Published by Nikki Palmer on Mon, 01/17/2022 - 12:00am

As Nebraska’s Republican leaders work to further restrict and even ban access to abortion services, Sen. Megan Hunt, a Democrat from Omaha, has introduced two bills designed to improve women’s access to reproductive health care.

Legislative Bill 715 would allow insurers to cover abortion services. LB 716 would allow certified nurse-midwives, registered nurses and physician assistants to perform abortions.

32 Bills Introduced on Day 6 of Legislative Session

Published by Nikki Palmer on Mon, 01/17/2022 - 12:00am

Senators reconvened last Wednesday to continue introduction of new bills. Among the 32 measures introduced were:

LB 980, sponsored by Omaha Sen. Terrell McKinney, which would provide for release for medical treatment, change provisions relating to medical parole and provide for parole eligibility for persons serving sentences of life imprisonment;

Prison Worker Faces Charges of Sexually Abusing RTC Inmate

Published by Nikki Palmer on Mon, 01/17/2022 - 12:00am

An assistant warden in the Nebraska prison system was arrested on charges alleging that she sexually abused an inmate.

Credit for Private School Donations Fails to Advance

Published by Nikki Palmer on Mon, 01/17/2022 - 12:00am

A proposal that would have indirectly subsidized Nebraska private K-12 schools by offering tax credits to scholarship donors has stalled in the Legislature.

Supporters fell five votes short of the 33 they needed to overcome a filibuster and force a vote on the bill, which effectively sidelines it for the rest of this year’s session. Seven lawmakers abstained from voting on LB 364 last Wednesday.

Shoppers Find Some Groceries Scarce Due to Virus, Weather

Published by Nikki Palmer on Sat, 01/15/2022 - 5:00am

Benjamin Whitely headed to a Safeway supermarket in Washington D.C. on Tuesday to grab some items for dinner. But he was disappointed to find the vegetable bins barren and a sparse selection of turkey, chicken and milk.

“Seems like I missed out on everything,” Whitely, 67, said. “I’m going to have to hunt around for stuff now.”

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