Nebraska
A Nebraska employees union wins a round in a state labor court as battle continues over remote work | Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — In the latest wrinkle over a remote work battle, a state labor court has sided with the union representing more than 8,000 Nebraska government workers.
An order late Wednesday from the Commission of Industrial Relations affirmed the union’s belief that working arrangements of its members were not to be changed while the CIR mulls a permanent decision over Gov. Jim Pillen’s November executive order that state workers return to the office.
“There can be no doubt that the December 29 order dealt with the application of (the state’s) policies just prior to the issuance of the Executive Order 23-17 and that the remote work status of the members of the bargaining unit involved in this case was not to be altered during the pendency of this case,” the CIR said.
It denied the state’s request to clarify the Dec. 29 order.
In a media statement Thursday, Justin Hubly, executive director of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees (NAPE), said the latest order “removes whatever doubt the State of Nebraska believed existed to allow it to ignore” the Dec. 29 order that put a temporary hold on Pillen’s edict to end remote and hybrid work arrangements by Jan. 2.
The union has cited messages sent last week by leaders of certain state departments, including Health and Human Services and Revenue. Employees were told in the emails to report to assigned office spaces by mid-January.
The state had interpreted the Dec. 29 order differently than the union. According to the CIR, the state “seized” upon the language of the order “to support its desire to to tell employees, including some members of the relevant bargaining unit, to return to in-office workplaces by way of unilaterally terminating their existing remote work assignments. There is no such support for (the state’s) position in the order.”
Said Hubly: “Should any agency take action that violates this order, they do so at their own peril. Our union will hold management accountable for their actions.”
Hubly said the union still expects to appear in Lancaster County District Court on Jan. 19 for a hearing. It has asked the court to find the state in contempt for violating the CIR’s order and also seeks payment of union attorney fees.
Hubly said the union remains hopeful the governor will agree to negotiate contract language regarding remote work arrangements.
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LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Hundreds of people are without power in southeast Nebraska after a severe storm passed through Thursday morning.
The Lincoln Electric System outage map showed 115 customers without power across the city at 11:36 a.m.
Norris Public Power District’s outage map also shows 45 customers affected by the storm. As of 11:36 a.m., there were nine active outages.
According to the Nebraska Public Power District outage map, 657 customers were affected by the storm. Most of the affected customers were near Plattsmouth in southeast Nebraska. As of 11:37 a.m., 27 customers remain without power.
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Mandatory evacuations have been ordered near Crawford, including Fort Robinson State Park, as the South Fork Fire continues to spread in western Nebraska.
According to the City of Crawford, evacuations are currently underway for an area north of Crawford that includes the area south of Dodd Road, west of Dodd Road, and FF Street.
Fort Robinson has also been evacuated.
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission said Fort Robinson State Park and Peterson Wildlife Management Area have been temporarily closed due to the fire.
The fire has burned approximately 9,000 acres and is currently 0% contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Nebraska Game and Parks said the park and the WMA will remain closed until further notice to support firefighting operations and protect public safety.
Nebraska
Nebraska State Runner-up and Futures Finalist Matt Brailita (2026) to Swim for Johns Hopkins
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Omaha, Nebraska native Matt Brailita is headed to Baltimore in the fall. He announced his commitment to Johns Hopkins University earlier this spring, writing on social media:
“I am very excited to announce my commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at Johns Hopkins University ! I’m extremely grateful for everything my family, friends, and teammates have done to support me every step of the way. A special thanks to Coach Tom and Coach Andy for always pushing me beyond what I believed in. Also a huge thanks to Coach Scott and Coach Chris for giving me this opportunity of a lifetime. GO BLUE JAYS!”
Brailita swam for Omaha’s Millard North High School under coach Andy Cunningham. He wrapped up his senior season with a pair of runner-up finishes at the 2026 NSAA Championships, earning lifetime-best times in both the 200 IM (1:50.84) and 100 breast (56.01). He also notched a PB in the 50 free (20.76) while leading off Millard North’s 200 free relay in prelims. He anchored the same relay in finals, splitting 20.01. Brailita leaves Millard North High School as a 10-time State medalist and a multiple-event team record-holder. He was 2026 Metro Conference champion in the 100 fly and as a member of 2 relays, and he was nominated for Metro Omaha World Herald Swimming Athlete Scholar.
Brailita swims year-round with Greater Omaha Aquatic Leopardsharks under coach Tom Beck. In addition to IM and breast, he excels in fly and free. In March, he competed at Columbia Sectionals, where he finaled in the 50 free (15th), 100 breast (11th), 50 fly (8th), 100 fly (10th), and swam prelims in the 50 breast (8th) and 200 IM (10th). He left the meet with new PBs in the 100 free (46.30), 50 breast (26.25), 50 fly (22.51), and 100 fly (49.86).
Last summer, Brailita hit LCM lifetime bests in the 50 breast (30.81), 100 breast (1:06.84), 200 breast (2:29.93), and 200 IM (2:11.12) at Madison Futures, making finals in the IM. He opened the 2026 long-course season with a pair of PBs (24.83 in the 50 free and 27.09 in the 50 fly) at the GOAL Sprint Cup in April.
Brailita will join the Blue Jays’ class of 2030 with Alistair Guth, Finn Nelson, Lukas Funderburk, Matthew Ko, Nicolas Aldana Huelga, Samuel Zhang, and William Thurk. His best times would have scored in the ‘A’ finals of the 200 IM, 100/200 breast, and 50/200 free, and the ‘B’ finals of the 100 free and 100 fly at the 2026 Centennial Conference Championships.
Best SCY times :
- 200 IM – 1:50.84
- 100 breast – 56.01
- 200 breast – 2:06.83
- 50 free – 20.76
- 50 free relay split – 20.01
- 100 fly – 49.86
- 200 free – 1:41.83
- 100 free – 46.30
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