COVID-19

Douglas County Postpones Jury Trials Until at Least May

Published by Scott Stewart on Tue, 03/24/2020 - 12:00am

The Douglas County District Court has continued all jury trials until May and canceled remaining jury panels for March and April.

Order MS 20-32 was issued last Thursday by Fourth Judicial District Court Presiding Judge Shelly R. Stratman.

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Your Phone is a Bundle of Germs, So Remember to Clean It

Published by Scott Stewart on Tue, 03/24/2020 - 12:00am

New York – You’re washing your hands countless times a day to try to ward off the coronavirus.

You should also wash that extension of your hand and breeding ground for germs – your phone.

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$10 Toilet Paper? Coronavirus Price Gouging Complaints Surge

Published by Scott Stewart on Tue, 03/24/2020 - 12:00am

One store advertised hand sanitizer at $60 a bottle. Another was accused of hawking it at $1 a squirt. Chain stores offered $26 thermometers and face masks at the “everyday low price” of $39.95 a pair, while a convenience store touted toilet paper at $10 a roll next to a sign reading: “This is not a joke.”

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Grocery Stores Changing Hours, Ask Shoppers to Change Habits

Published by Scott Stewart on Tue, 03/24/2020 - 12:00am

Grocery stores in the metro are changing how they do business.

Many have adjusted hours to give employees time to restock shelves and deep clean stores.

Shoppers are also being asked to allow elderly or otherwise at-risk shoppers to go first, along with other voluntary restrictions.

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Legal Advocacy Groups Want Evictions, Debt Collections to Be Postponed

Published by Scott Stewart on Tue, 03/24/2020 - 12:00am

A coalition of Nebraska legal services organizations are asking the Nebraska Supreme Court to halt evictions and debt collection in response to the pandemic.

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Nebraska Lawmakers Advance Emergency Funding Bill

Published by Scott Stewart on Mon, 03/23/2020 - 7:34pm

Lincoln – Nebraska lawmakers advanced an $83.6 million emergency funding package Monday to help fight the new coronavirus as Gov. Pete Ricketts sought to assure the public that the state is “well ahead of the curve” compared to others in its response to the global pandemic.

The new funding bill sailed through a key procedural vote in the Legislature with no lawmakers dissenting.

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Water Supply Safe From Virus Risk

Published by Scott Stewart on Mon, 03/23/2020 - 7:23pm

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services assured the public in a statement that tap water is still safe to drink during the COVID-19 outbreak.

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Virus Testing Limited in Nebraska

Published by Scott Stewart on Mon, 03/23/2020 - 7:22pm

Testing for the coronavirus has been rationed as cases continue to grow in Nebraska, including outside the Omaha metro area.

Officials have said Nebraska has limited access to testing, as does the rest of the nation. State labs have the capacity to run more tests, but not access to the necessary materials for broad testing.

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Order Allows Alcohol Sales For Delivery, Pickup Orders

Published by Scott Stewart on Mon, 03/23/2020 - 7:12pm

With bars and dining rooms in four Nebraska counties shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic, new rules are in place for alcohol sales and related regulations.

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Food Banks Face Dilemma: More Demand, Fewer Volunteers

Published by Scott Stewart on Mon, 03/23/2020 - 3:00am

Des Moines, Iowa – With the new coronavirus leaving many people at least temporarily out of work, food banks and pantries across the U.S. are scrambling to meet an expected surge in demand, even as older volunteers have been told to stay home and calls for social distancing have complicated efforts to package and distribute food.