Nebraska GOP state Sen. Flood wins ex-congressman’s seat
Nebraska state Sen. Mike Flood has won a special election to replace former U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, a fellow Republican who was sentenced to two years of probation earlier in the day for a conviction on charges that he lied to federal agents.
Takeaways: Trump's big defeat; election denial backfiring
Former President Donald Trump’s crusade for vengeance suffered two devastating blows when Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger won their primaries despite rejecting Trump’s entreaties to reverse his 2020 election loss.
Kemp and Walker look to victory in Georgia as primaries near
Election 2022 Georgia Governor Georgia Gov. Kemp met voters at a rally in Watkinsville, near his home in Athens, with Nebraska Gov. Walker has been accused of threatening his ex-wife’s life, exaggerating his business record and lying about graduating from the University of Georgia. Other RGA figures who have been at odds with Trump have also come to Georgia to campaign for Kemp in recent days, including Arizona Gov. Former Trump Vice President Mike Pence will help Kemp close his campaign in a Monday rally in suburban Atlanta.
wftv.comNebraska GOP strains to unite after Trump's candidate loses
Election 2022 Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen, Republican candidate for governor, speaks during the Nebraska Republican Party general election kickoff at the Republican state headquarters on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Lincoln, Neb. Fissures remained evident in the hours after the primary was called for Jim Pillen, a University of Nebraska regent backed by Gov. Charles Herbster, the Trump-backed candidate who finished second, appeared briefly at the event but left immediately afterward without taking questions or endorsing Pillen. The former president had defended Herbster during in-person and telephone rallies with Nebraska voters, saying the allegations against the candidate were politically motivated. “Endorsements only carry you so far, especially endorsements from outside the state,” Ricketts said.
wftv.comTrump's pick for Nebraska governor loses in GOP primary, signaling limits to former president's influence
Charles Herbster Nebraska gubernatorial candidate speaks during the fourth day of the Conservative Political Action Conference CPAC on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022 in Orlando, FL. Former President Donald Trump's preferred candidate is projected to lose Nebraska's GOP gubernatorial primary, signaling that Trump's influence in the party has its limits — even in Republican stronghold states. Herbster, a first-time gubernatorial candidate who poured millions into his campaign, has denied the allegations made by eight women, including a Republican state senator. Nebraska's GOP primary was an uncommonly competitive three-way fight between Herbster, Pillen and State Sen. Brett Lindstrom. Donald Trump Jr., the former president's oldest son, had also campaigned with Herbster at multiple stops in Nebraska in the run-up to the event.
cnbc.comPillen beats Trump's candidate in Nebraska governor primary
Election 2022 Nebraska Jim Pillen receives a sticker after voting at his polling place, Columbus Berean Church, in Columbus, Neb., on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. The results were a setback for Trump after a decisive win in last week’s Ohio Republican Senate primary for his candidate, JD Vance. Pillen will be a strong favorite in November’s general election against his Democratic opponent, state Sen. Carol Blood, in the Republican-majority state. In Nebraska, the allegations against Herbster, a longtime supporter of Trump’s, didn’t stop the former president from holding a rally with him earlier this month. Despite Trump’s loss in the Nebraska governor’s race, his influence proved decisive in West Virginia, which also held primary elections Tuesday.
wftv.comElection 2022: Trump's pick lags in Nebraska governor race
APTOPIX Election 2022 Nebraska Primary Head Groundskeeper Zach Ricketts, left, works on the field while Carol Szczepaniak, right, votes in Nebraska's primary election at Werner Park, which is home to the AAA baseball team, the Omaha Storm Chasers on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in Papillion, Neb. The winner of the GOP primary will emerge as a strong favorite in November's general election against Democrat Carol Blood, a state senator. Trump is facing some of the biggest tests of his influence in Republican primary elections later this month. In Nebraska, the allegations against Herbster, a longtime supporter of Trump's, didn't stop the former president from holding a rally with him earlier this month. ___Associated Press writer Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to this report.
wftv.comElection 2022: Polls have closed in Nebraska, West Virginia
State Sen. Carol Blood is the top candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor. In addition to the Nebraska governor's race, Trump has weighed in on a West Virginia congressional primary between two Republican incumbents. The fact that Trump endorsed Herbster may have even been a little bit of a turn off at this point even though Bruning said she voted for Trump. Democrats Alisha Shelton and state Sen. Tony Vargas are running for their party's nomination as well in Nebraska's only competitive congressional district. ___Associated Press writer Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to this report.
wftv.comElection 2022: Trump faces new test in Neb. governor's race
APTOPIX Election 2022 Nebraska Primary Larnisha Dortch fills out her ballot at Fontenelle Forest during Nebraska's primary election on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in Bellevue, Neb. State Sen. Carol Blood is the top candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor. In addition to the Nebraska governor's race, Trump has weighed in on a West Virginia congressional primary between two Republican incumbents. The fact that Trump endorsed Herbster may have even been a little bit of a turn off at this point even though Bruning said she voted for Trump. Democrats Alisha Shelton and state Sen. Tony Vargas are running for their party's nomination as well in Nebraska's only competitive congressional district.
wftv.comElection 2022: Groping claims roil Nebraska governor primary
Election 2022 FILE - Nebraska Republican gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster, left, shakes hands with former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally for Herbster, May 1, 2022, in Greenwood, Neb. Nebraska Nebraska Republicans will pick a nominee for governor on Tuesday, May 10, to replace Republican Gov. State Sen. Carol Blood is the top candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor. Trump is facing some of the biggest tests of his influence in Republican primary elections later this month. Democrats Alisha Shelton and state Sen. Tony Vargas are running for their party's nomination as well in Nebraska's only competitive congressional district.
wftv.comTrump endorsement divides Republicans in deep-red Nebraska
The winner of a crowded Republican primary race for governor will be the overwhelming favorite to win in November 2022, and nearly all of the state's GOP leaders have lined up behind businessman Jim Pillen. But the fractures that have surfaced during the primary campaign, particularly in the wake of groping accusations from multiple women against Herbster, have frustrated GOP leaders in Nebraska. Kay Orr, the influential Nebraska Farm Bureau, and renowned former University of Nebraska football coach and congressman Tom Osborne. Trump remains popular in Republican-dominated Nebraska, but some campaign experts question whether his blessing will be enough to offset Pillen’s support from top Nebraska Republicans or Lindstrom’s recent surge. “Without question, the Trump endorsement has value,” said Chris Peterson, a Nebraska Republican campaign strategist and lobbyist who isn't affiliated with any of the candidates for governor.
wftv.comIowa GOP open to non-Trump prospects as 2024 gets underway
Former President Donald Trump’s persistent flirtation with another White House run is doing little to discourage other potential Republican candidates from stepping up their activity in Iowa, the state that will formally launch the nomination process.
Nebraska law will advance proposed Colorado canal project
Pete Ricketts signed a law Monday that will allow the state to move forward with plans to build a canal in Colorado to divert water out of the South Platte River because of fears about Colorado's increased water use. Ricketts proposed the canal project to help protect Nebraska's water rights as the population of Colorado's Front Range increases, although Colorado officials have questioned the need for it. Ricketts, a Republican, has said the South Platte River Compact agreement that was approved by Nebraska, Colorado and Congress in 1923 gives Nebraska the right to build the canal. Constructing the project would give Nebraska the right to claim some of the water in late fall, winter and early spring and store it for use in drier times. Jared Polis has called the project “a bad-faith attempt to undermine a century-long and successful compact between Colorado and Nebraska and a costly boondoggle for Nebraska taxpayers.”Copyright 2022 The Associated Press.
wftv.comNebraska GOP governor hopeful accused of groping women
“Charles W. Herbster should beg forgiveness of the women he has preyed upon and seek treatment. The Nebraska Examiner did not identify any of the women except for state Sen. Julie Slama. Herbster fervently denied the allegations, calling them a “dirty political trick” orchestrated by Ricketts and his preferred GOP candidate, University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen. And a spokeswoman for Ricketts referred back to his original statement, saying the women should be commended for coming forward. In a statement, Pillen said: “Sexually assaulting women should be disqualifying for anyone seeking to serve as a leader.
wftv.comBattle heats up over remaining federal rental assistance
Virus Outbreak Rental Assistance FILE - A "For Rent" sign is posted on a building, Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022, in Philadelphia. The federal rental assistance is running out in some places, which is putting pressure on the U.S. Treasury Department to shift remaining funds to the states and cities most in need. Rathke, president of the Heartland United Way, was hoping to tap into an additional $120 million in federal Emergency Rental Assistance to help them. “Outrageous and unacceptable: turning back rental assistance funds when applications are piling up and people are being evicted," tweeted Democratic Rep. Karla Rose Hanson, of Fargo. Meanwhile, organizations that are helping administer the rental assistance still available expect a continued need.
wftv.comHouse leaders call on Nebraska Rep. Fortenberry to resign
Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry is facing growing pressure from congressional leaders and Nebraska’s GOP governor to resign after a California jury found him guilty of lying to federal authorities about an illegal $30,000 campaign donation from a Nigerian billionaire.
Colorado to 'aggressively assert' water rights with Nebraska
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. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said he will work with Nebraska but wants more details about what the state has planned. “We will continue to protect and aggressively assert Colorado’s rights under all existing water compacts," Polis said in a statement Wednesday evening.
news.yahoo.comNebraska announces $500M plan to claim water from Colorado
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts announced a $500 million plan Monday to divert water out of Colorado under a 99-year-old compact between the states that allows Nebraska to seize access to Colorado land along the South Platte River and build canals. Ricketts said Nebraska would invoke its rights under the South Platte River Compact amid concerns that Colorado's plans for the river could reduce water flows into his state by as much as 90%, taking a potentially huge toll on Nebraska's agricultural and power industries and likely affecting water supplies in the state's two largest cities, Omaha and Lincoln.
news.yahoo.comNebraska's quandary: Can it force more citizens to work?
Unemployed In Nebraska Sonja Redding, an unemployed mother of two, stands outside her home in Omaha, Nebraska on Monday, Dec. 6, 2021. But with some workers slow to return to work after COVID-19 shutdowns, the state has hit new depths, recording the country’s lowest-ever state unemployment rate of 1.8% in November. Pete Ricketts, who frequently expounds on the value of work, is confronting an intriguing question: Can a governor force citizens to work, even if they apparently aren’t eager or able to do so? Ricketts is certainly trying every option imaginable to get Nebraskans into jobs, including requiring people to confer with job coaches before seeking unemployment benefits. Nebraska has about 49,000 job openings listed on a state website and 19,000 working-age residents who are not working.
wftv.comNebraska's quandary: Can it force more citizens to work?
Even in normal times Nebraska has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, with fewer than two million people and plenty of jobs to go around. Now Gov. Pete Ricketts, who frequently expounds on the value of work, is confronting an intriguing question: Can a governor force citizens to work, even if they apparently aren’t eager or able to do so? Ricketts is certainly trying every option imaginable to get Nebraskans into jobs, including requiring people to confer with job coaches before seeking unemployment benefits.
news.yahoo.comThe Latest: Wash. governor seeks military help for hospitals
(AP Photo/Vincent Thian) (Vincent Thian)OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington state’s governor is asking the federal government to provide military personnel to help in staffing hospitals and long-term care facilities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the end of June, the state was reporting 253 virus cases per week and 28 people were hospitalized statewide. ___ATHENS, Greece — Greece’s COVID-19 health advisory body has recommended expanding the country’s booster shot program to people aged over 60, care home residents and health employees. The lowest number of vaccinated students are at UW-Parkside where only 38% have been inoculated. The campaign is offering 70 scholarships worth $7,000 to vaccinated students who attend system universities, other than UW-Madison, that reach a 70% student vaccination threshold.
wftv.comThe Latest: Wash. governor seeks military help for hospitals
(AP Photo/Vincent Thian) (Vincent Thian)OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington state’s governor is asking the federal government to provide military personnel to help in staffing hospitals and long-term care facilities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the end of June, the state was reporting 253 virus cases per week and 28 people were hospitalized statewide. ___ATHENS, Greece — Greece’s COVID-19 health advisory body has recommended expanding the country’s booster shot program to people aged over 60, care home residents and health employees. The lowest number of vaccinated students are at UW-Parkside where only 38% have been inoculated. The campaign is offering 70 scholarships worth $7,000 to vaccinated students who attend system universities, other than UW-Madison, that reach a 70% student vaccination threshold.
wftv.comThe Latest: COVID outbreak in southeast China adds 22 cases
(AP Photo/Andy Wong) (Andy Wong)BEIJING — A southeastern Chinese province has reported 22 more COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 43 in a fresh outbreak driven by the highly transmissible delta variant. Ricketts said he is focused on making sure hospitals have enough capacity to handle the surge in COVID-19 cases. Asa Hutchinson says federal vaccination mandates announced by President Joe Biden last week hurt efforts to overcome the public’s resistance to taking the COVID-19 vaccine. Sajid Javid said the government has shelved the idea of vaccine passports for now but could reconsider the decision if COVID-19 cases rise exponentially once again. The U-turn came just days after the government’s vaccines minister and the culture secretary suggested that vaccine passports would still be necessary, despite growing opposition from lawmakers.
wftv.comThe Latest: West Virginia hits daily record in new cases
Ricketts said he is focused on making sure hospitals have enough capacity to handle the surge in COVID-19 cases. Asa Hutchinson says federal vaccination mandates announced by President Joe Biden last week hurt efforts to overcome the public’s resistance to taking the COVID-19 vaccine. Sajid Javid said the government has shelved the idea of vaccine passports for now but could reconsider the decision if COVID-19 cases rise exponentially once again. The U-turn came just days after the government’s vaccines minister and the culture secretary suggested that vaccine passports would still be necessary, despite growing opposition from lawmakers. Bangladesh has recorded 26,880 deaths and more than 1.5 million cases.
wftv.comNebraska largely scraps gender identity lessons after uproar
Health Standards Nebraska FILE - Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts speaks Feb. 26, 2021 during a news conference at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Neb. — (AP) — Nebraska education officials announced Thursday that they have largely scrapped plans for gender identity lessons in public school curriculum after an uproar from conservatives who argued that the topics weren't appropriate for children. Opponents flooded a meeting of the Nebraska State Board of Education, an elected board that oversees the agency. Two prominent socially conservative groups, the Nebraska Catholic Conference and the Nebraska Family Alliance, issued a joint statement praising parents who publicly objected to the proposed education standards. But the groups said they still had concerns about the altered proposed standards and planned to spend more time reviewing them.
wftv.comMultiple Republican Governors Reject CDC Mask Guidance Renewal
Multiple Republican governors rejected the CDC's mask guidance renewal Tuesday that recommends some vaccinated individuals in locations with greater rates of infection, as well as everyone in K-12 schools, resume mask-wearing in certain indoor venues.
news.yahoo.comCourt declares missing German billionaire dead after 3 years
A German court on Friday officially declared billionaire Karl-Erivan Haub dead, more than three years after the head of retail group Tengelmann went missing in the Swiss Alps. Haub, who was 58, was training for a ski mountaineering race when he disappeared under Switzerland’s famous Matterhorn peak, located on the southern border with Italy.
news.yahoo.comNebraska death sentences continue despite no execution drugs
Nebraska prosecutors have been successful in getting death sentences for convicted murderers, but as the state adds to its death row population, many who oversee the state's capital punishment largely ignore the fact that Nebraska has no lethal injection drugs and very likely won’t get any for years, if ever.
Red meat politics: GOP turns culture war into a food fight
In statements, tweets and fundraising emails, prominent GOP governors and senators have accused climate-minded Democrats of trying to push Americans to eat less red meat. As more Americans acknowledge the link between food production and climate change, food choices are likely to become increasingly political. “On the right, they are just going for the easiest applause line, which is accusing the left of declaring war on meat. Jared Polis, for suggesting Coloradans lay off the red meat one day as a way of cutting back on greenhouse gas emissions. “When you think about American food, beef is what is in the center of that plate,” Hart said.
wftv.comAs other states close prisons, Nebraska may build a big one
FILE - In this Friday, Oct. 25, 2019, file photo guards observe inmates at the Nebraska State Penitentiary, in Lincoln, Neb. Nebraska officials are pushing for a new, $230 million prison to relieve inmate overcrowding, even as prison officials in other states close prisons. Similar attempts to reduce Nebraska's prison population have repeatedly stalled because of opposition from prosecutors and law enforcement. At a minimum, he said, the state needs to replace its oldest prison, the Nebraska State Penitentiary, built in 1869. Nebraska's inmate population grew 27% between 2009 and 2019, while the state's overall population rose by 7%.
The Latest: Wash. state warns hospitals on VIP vaccinations
The state crossed that mark Monday, exactly a year after officials reported the first case of a coronavirus infection in Massachusetts. — Maryland’s acting health secretary says the state’s hospitals have received less than half of their expected allocations of second doses of the coronavirus vaccine for front-line health workers this week. Schrader says state officials were talked with the federal Department of Health and Human Services all weekend trying to figure out what happened. The CDC says Iowa has delivered 190,689 first vaccine doses to individuals, or 6,044 per 100,000 people, the third lowest rate in the nation. Ad___PRAGUE — The Czech Republic is not planning to limit use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for elderly people like some other European Union nations.
States impose new rules, plead with public to stop spread
Pete Ricketts warned that he could impose tighter social-distancing restrictions before Thanksgiving if hospitalizations continue to rise. In Washington state, elective procedures such as joint and heart valve replacements and some cancer surgeries could be postponed to make room for coronavirus patients, said Washington State Hospital Association CEO Cassie Sauer. Even so, health officials are trying everything they can to slow the spread and address an even worse surge that many say is inevitable. New York Gov. New York state has averaged nearly 5,500 new cases per day over the past seven days.
Some GOP governors shift on mask mandates as hospitals fill
“If our health care system exceeds capacity, it’s not just COVID-19 we’ll be fighting. GOP governors in Ohio and West Virginia have also recently strengthened existing mask mandates, while Mississippi's governor expanded the state’s partial mandate to cover more counties. Still, 13 other states with GOP governors still have no statewide mask mandates, and many of them have affirmed their opposition in recent days even as cases, hospitalizations and deaths rise in their states. “I don’t think mask mandates are appropriate,” Nebraska Gov. “Mask mandates will likely have the opposite effect of what was intended,” Rep. Steven Holt, chair of the Iowa House Judiciary committee, wrote on his Facebook page.
Virus surge breaking infection records across the US
Cases per day are on the rise in 49 states, and deaths per day are climbing in 39. A month ago, the U.S. was seeing about 730 COVID-19 deaths per day on average; that has now surpassed 970. He said this summer’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota was “absolutely unnecessary” and helped spread the virus beyond that state. — North Carolina reported its highest single-day increase in coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, with 3,119 people — 8% of those tested — testing positive for the virus. — Kentucky posted a record daily high for new confirmed cases, at 2,700, as the governor implored people to wear masks to counter the accelerating outbreak.
The Latest: Hong Kong, Singapore plan 'air travel bubble'
Hong Kong and Singapore say they have agreed to a bilateral air travel bubble, re-establishing travel links as coronavirus infections in both cities decline. -- Maryland will reduce indoor operations for bars and restaurants from 75% to 50% in response to rising coronavirus cases and increased hospitalizations. Maryland also reported 1,338 new coronavirus cases Tuesday — the seventh straight day of at least 1,000 cases. ___WASHINGTON — The U.S. has surpassed 1 million new confirmed coronavirus cases since the start of November. The El Paso County sheriff’s office says two of the employees were hospitalized over the weekend as coronavirus cases surged at the facility.
As cases rise, states say they'll work with Biden on virus
Gary Herbert speaks as he joins state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn at a press conference at the Capitol in Salt Lake City, clarifying the state's mask mandate on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020. Minnesota’s per-capita new case counts are better than neighboring Wisconsin and the Dakotas, which have some of the country’s highest transmission rates, but have still raised alarm with the state's health officials. In Idaho, where 1 of every 223 residents tested positive for the virus over the last week, Republican Gov. With Trump still not conceding the race, some Republican governors have greeted Biden’s efforts in a more measured way. In Oklahoma, where cases also are on the rise, Republican Gov.
Midwestern states with few virus rules have low unemployment
Midwest governors credit their lack of restrictions for low unemployment rates, but economists and others say other factors might be more important in the states low jobless rates. That would be very deadly and push unemployment rates back up,” said Ernie Goss, an economist at Creighton University in Omaha. That contrasts with states that rely on tourism, such as California, Nevada and Hawaii, which have the nation’s highest unemployment rates. More recently, though, many of those rural areas have seen some of the nation’s highest virus rates. Despite the low unemployment figures, all of the states now have fewer jobs than before the pandemic hit.
The Latest: Australia prioritizes air service to 3 countries
That means health care professionals account for about 15% of all Mexico’s confirmed coronavirus cases, and about 18% of all COVID-19 deaths. Active-service health care workers largely mirrored Mexico’s over-all fatality rate of almost 67 COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. The state’s average number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased from 476 cases a day on Sept. 29 to 685 cases on Oct. 13. Before then, the only confirmed coronavirus death in a Missouri veterans home was in April in north St. Louis County. There were an additional 1,121 confirmed cases, bringing the total to 102,614 since the pandemic began.
Nebraska to end nearly all social distancing restrictions
Pete Ricketts will end nearly all of his state's social-distancing restrictions on Monday even as the number of new coronavirus cases has trended upward over the last few months. “We are loosening the restrictions further on Sept. 14,” Ricketts said at a news conference. Nebraska will also allow smaller indoor facilities, such as bars, restaurants, churches, gyms and hair salons, to operate with no formal restrictions. For several days before that, the state's public health data system wasn't receiving results even though laboratories were processing tests. Nebraska ranks 15th highest in the rate of positive cases as of this week, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.
Nebraska court orders disclosure of execution drug records
FILE - This July 7, 2010, file photo shows Nebraska's lethal injection chamber at the State Penitentiary in Lincoln, Neb. Nebraska prison officials cannot withhold public records that reveal where they purchased their supply of lethal injection drugs, the state's highest court ruled Friday, May 15, 2020, as it ordered the documents to be disclosed for public scrutiny. At the time, the agency was under mounting pressure to obtain lethal injection drugs as death-penalty critics questioned whether Nebraska would ever carry out another execution. Pete Ricketts sent $54,400 in state money to a broker in India who promised to deliver lethal injection drugs. German drugmaker Fresenius Kabi told the AP in 2017 that one of its products had ended up in Nebraska's lethal injection supply.
Hundreds of Strangers Attend Funeral of Korean War Vet With No Known Family Left
Hundreds of people who'd never met Korean War veteran Dale Quick turned out to honor the 91-year-old at his Nebraska funeral. "I know the strong bond that Lincoln has with its veterans," Roper told InsideEdition.com Tuesday. Quick's great niece and about 300 strangers gave Quick a respectful send off at his funeral Monday morning. Happening now in Lincoln: a memorial and burial service for 91-year-old Korean War veteran & Lincoln man Dale Quick. RELATED STORIESHundreds Attend Funeral for Decorated WWII VeteranSoldier Stands in Pouring Rain to Salute Passing Funeral Procession for Military Veteran200 Strangers Attend Funeral of WWII Veteran With No Living Relatives: 'Thank You For Your Service'