Legal News

Nebraska’s Newest School Choice Law Might Face Ballot Initiative, As Its Predecessor Did

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Fri, 05/03/2024 - 3:00am

Last fall, teachers and other backers of Support Our Schools wheel out boxes of voter-signed petitions seeking to repeal the Opportunity Scholarships Act on the 2024 ballot. The vote would be cancelled if a new Opportunity Scholarship Act is passed by the 2024 Legislature, a move some have called “underhanded.”
(Aaron Sanderford / Nebraska Examiner)

LINCOLN — The state teachers union and other advocates for keeping public funds for public schools say they won’t let supporters of Nebraska’s revamped school choice law sidestep the voters this fall.

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Gov. Jim Pillen Announces Plans To Slash Nearly 1,000 Vacant State Positions

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Fri, 05/03/2024 - 2:00am

LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen on Tuesday set his sights on eliminating any state government positions that have remained vacant for more than 90 days, estimating millions of dollars in savings.

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The Gambia May Allow Female Genital Mutilation Again – Another Sign Of A Global Trend Eroding Women’s Rights

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Fri, 05/03/2024 - 12:04am

The Gambia’s ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) since 2015 is under threat. Proposed changes before parliament could permit medicalised female genital cutting and allow it for consenting adults.

This potential reversal has thrust the country into the global spotlight as the latest example of the backlash against gender equality.

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Second Congressional District

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Fri, 04/26/2024 - 5:00am

I wonder if Congressman Don Bacon feels like a man without a home. He’s a Republican incumbent congressman that has not been endorsed by the states Republican Party. In fact, the Nebraska Republican Party has not endorsed any incumbent elected federal offi-cial. Deb Fisher, Pete Ricketts, Mike Flood, and Adrian Smith have all been ignored by their own state party party.

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Can States Prevent Doctors From Giving Emergency Abortions, Even If Federal Law Requires Them To Do So? The Supreme Court Will Decide

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Fri, 04/26/2024 - 4:00am

Hospitals across the country have long operated under the same federal law that says they must treat and stabilize all patients when they have a medical emergency.

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Blinken Begins Key China Visit As Tensions Rise Over New US Foreign Aid Bill

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Fri, 04/26/2024 - 3:00am

SHANGHAI (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has begun a critical trip to China armed with a strengthened diplomatic hand following Senate approval of a foreign aid package that will provide billions of dollars in assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan as well as force TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell the social media platform -– all areas of contention between Washington and Beijing.

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AARP Nebraska Celebrates New Family Caregiver Tax Credits For ‘Unsung Heroes’

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Fri, 04/26/2024 - 3:00am

LINCOLN — AARP Nebraska is celebrating a newly passed proposal that would help cover family caregivers’ costs as they care for and support eligible family members.

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Global Plastic Pollution Treaty Talks Hit Critical Stage In Canada

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Fri, 04/26/2024 - 12:06am

Pakistani laborers, mostly women, sort through empty bottles at a plastic recycling factory in Hyderabad, Pakistan, April 30, 2023.
(Pervez Masih / AP Photo)

Thousands of negotiators and observers representing most of the world’s nations are gathering in the Canadian city of Ottawa this week to craft a treaty to stop the rapidly escalating problem of plastic pollution.

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The Push For School Choice In Nebraska Is Pitting Lawmakers Against Their Constituents

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Fri, 04/19/2024 - 12:07am

In this June 2023 selfie, Angie Lauritsen collects signatures in downtown Gretna, Neb., for a ballot initiative seeking to repeal a state law that would divert taxpayer money to pay for private school tuition. Nebraska lawmakers are set for the first time to pass a bill that would block the public from voting on a ballot measure initiated by citizens of the state, setting up what could be a long battle over whether to fund private school tuition with public dollars.
(Angie Lauritsen via AP)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers are set for the first time to pass a bill that would block the public from voting on a ballot measure initiated by citizens of the state, setting up what could be a long battle over whether to fund private school tuition with public dollars.

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There’s No Place Like Nebraska

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Fri, 04/19/2024 - 12:06am

There is no place like Nebraska. Well, Maine is like Nebraska. But just Nebraska and Maine are the only two places where the states divide the Electoral College votes.

We really dodged a bullet here. If the push had been made earlier in the Unicameral session to change the way we vote for President, we might have lost our unique way of distributing our electoral votes.