Nebraska
Dry weather and wind creates concern for Nebraska emergency officials
![Dry weather and wind creates concern for Nebraska emergency officials](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3fe9001/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1280x672%200%2024/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=https://x-default-stgec.uplynk.com/ausw/slices/00c/51d61e80c20d4f009f311dfdef7a8a31/00cefebcf1ba4a79815f57350ed3e115/poster_35c4f7a98a51413282c55cc9cecd8d2c.jpg)
OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Alyssa Sanders with the Nebraska Emergency Administration Company mentioned this 12 months’s wildfire season is ramping up.
“We have been monitoring 16 main fires in about 15 counties,” Sanders mentioned. “A few of these are the identical fireplace that burned in a number of counties.”
Sanders added the season primarily carried over from final 12 months, and that is because of a drier than common winter.
“We’ve sort of been predicting that it’s going to be an fascinating fireplace season with the low relative humidity, the upper temperature and this wind,” Sanders mentioned.
Excessive winds and low humidity are the proper storm for fires to unfold and that’s simply as true inside town of Omaha as it’s for rural areas.
“We’ve had an uptick so far as some fires, some grass weed fires and some huge construction fires as effectively,” Scott Fitzpatrick, battalion chief of the Omaha Fireplace Division mentioned.
Fitzpatrick mentioned his division retains an in depth eye on situations when it’s this dry out.
“The fellows take a look at the climate to ensure we all know what we’re sort moving into that day,” Fitzpatrick mentioned. “A few of these fires will be wind-driven fires and we all know nationally that that’s damage and even killed firefighters.”
Wildfires in Nebraska have already confirmed lethal in April. Two firefighters misplaced their lives battling the flames, the most recent simply this weekend when a retired fireplace chief was discovered on the facet of a street in Southwest Nebraska overcome by smoke.
Fitzpatrick says the wildfire risk is nearer to Omaha than many might imagine.
“Clearly town of Omaha is a fairly city setting, however we do have some pockets of western Omaha the place now we have potential for fairly huge wildfires as effectively,” Fitzpatrick mentioned.
With this in thoughts, he says it’s vital the general public performs their half in stopping the unfold of fires.
“Make sure that we’re not throwing smoking materials out the window if you’re driving,” Fitzpatrick mentioned. “Any spark like that would trigger a weed fireplace throughout this time how dry it’s been.”
Officers concern this dry spell might be right here to remain.
“I don’t know that that is essentially one thing now we have by no means seen earlier than,” Sanders mentioned. “It’s been a extra lively 12 months and we’re anticipating it to pattern that means.”
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Nebraska
University of Nebraska-Lincoln offering new ‘micro-credential’ program
![University of Nebraska-Lincoln offering new ‘micro-credential’ program](https://gray-ksnb-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/GQVUKZW6JVFFTE4GLFNBCCCKUI.jpg?auth=95b59cc564aaed4fef8d3c88ffcdd36cf5c6953d6d7440f3bf533864457991af&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) – The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is teaming up with Ziplines Education to provide new “micro-credential” certificates.
The focus of the program is to help people who feel they are unprepared for the digital workforce.
As a part of the University’s land grant status, they have to make sure they are fulfilling the needs of the entire community, and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Digital and Online Learning for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Dr. Kevin N. Shriner, is excited about it.
“Primarily what we’re trying to do is fill a gap that we have, where there is 76% that feel they are unprepared for the digital workforce,” Shriner said. “And so we want to ensure that we meeting that need across the state as our land-grant mission.”
Another goal is to help the 250,000 Nebraskans who started college but did not finish. With these micro-certificates, they are able to now advance in their careers and have the same sense of accomplishment that college graduates have.
“There are currently 41 million US adults nationwide that have some college and no credit, no credential,” Shriner said. “Within Nebraska there’s 250,000 of those. So what we want to ensure is that we’re providing not only education towards degrees, but education towards improving individuals in their current work environment.”
They offer credentials in five areas, product management, business analytics, sales development, project management and digital marketing.
While these aren’t degrees, they do prove someone’s abilities in a certain skill space, which can help further someone’s career and money making potential.
If you’d like to learn more or sign up, you can do so here.
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Copyright 2024 KSNB. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Nebraska's 2024 border deployments cost $1.27 million • Nebraska Examiner
![Nebraska's 2024 border deployments cost $1.27 million • Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/image.png)
LINCOLN — This year’s two border deployments ordered by Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen cost a combined $1.27 million.
The state says it paid $1.2 million of that total using interest collected from holding the second wave of $48 million in federal pandemic relief funds that Congress set aside for rental assistance.
State taxpayers paid the remaining $71,675.23 in general funds, the Nebraska State Patrol confirmed. The Patrol and the Nebraska Military Department both sent people south.
The Examiner requested the costs of Pillen’s 2024 deployments a year after he spent nearly $1 million in pandemic-related funds and general funds on two similar deployments in 2023.
Not all are pleased with spending
Some legislators, including term-limited State Sens. Carol Blood of Bellevue and Megan Hunt of Omaha, have said those funds could have been better used on other in-state priorities.
Hunt said this spending won’t help constituents. She said it doesn’t address problems Nebraskans tell senators and the governor they want fixed, such as workforce and housing needs.
“This spending is political and partisan,” she said. “It’s misusing political power for political gain. I think Governor Pillen is hoping that Nebraskans don’t notice.”
Some support Pillen’s deployments
Pillen deployed 34 members of the Nebraska National Guard between April 1 until June 27 to help near the Texas-Mexico border in the Del Rio area — 28 from the Army Guard and six from the Air Guard.
Pillen similarly sent 10 State Patrol troopers to the El Paso area of the Texas-Mexico border from April 14-28, where they were paired with Texas Department of Public Safety troopers.
Pillen has argued that public safety and national security dictate the need for every state to send help until the federal government does more to stem the flow of migrants to the border.
Like many other GOP governors seeking to draw attention to the issue in a presidential election year, he defends the spending on border security as necessary and worthwhile.
Questions about effectiveness
He calls “every state a border state” and speaks about the failures of the federal government. Local and national critics have described the spending as ineffective and wasteful.
Pillen dismissed such questions about the cost-effectiveness of state efforts during his three trips to the border as governor, including stops to visit the Nebraskans he sent.
He and leaders with the State Patrol have said their efforts help reduce the number of people and illegal substances being trafficked across the border.
Pillen’s predecessor, U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, also sent state employees to the Texas border as part of efforts to help his friend and fellow Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
Texas has spent billions in state money on border security, arguing that border security has been a problem under both Republican and Democrat administrations.
Congress spends nearly $20 billion on border security.
Approach draws supporters, critics
Red-state governors have found political support at home for the spending. Pillen took Speaker of the Legislature John Arch and State Sen. Tom Brewer to the border last month.
Every member of Nebraska’s all-GOP congressional delegation has said polling shows border security is a top issue for voters. It is discussed often on conservative Fox News and Newsmax.
Immigrant advocates and Latino Nebraskans argue that some of the rhetoric Pillen, Ricketts and others have used to describe migrants contributes to fear and anger against them.
One Omaha-based group, LULAC of Nebraska, has argued that the governor would rather spend money on political stunts rather than work to help people who contribute to Nebraska’s business dynamism.
Immigrant and refugee labor account for more than 8% of the state’s economic output, one study indicated. More than 60,000 undocumented workers call Nebraska home, estimates show.
Pillen has said he will keep sending Texas help until the feds get more serious about stopping the flow of people and products across the border. No next deployment has been announced.
Nebraska
WATCH LIVE: Coverage of severe weather in southeast Nebraska
![WATCH LIVE: Coverage of severe weather in southeast Nebraska](https://www.klkntv.com/content/uploads/2024/07/r/w/df1ce083-1eef-40c5-8594-dac1bf4d1997-frame-at-0m0s.jpg)
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Heavy rain and high winds are blowing through southeast Nebraska late Monday night.
Just after 11 p.m., the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for central Lancaster County, including Lincoln.
The warning goes until 2:45 a.m. The weather service expects the rain to fall at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour.
Lancaster County is also under a severe thunderstorm warning until 11:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, just before 11:30 p.m., a storm capable of producing a tornado was located 3 miles southwest of Crete.
It is moving east at 25 mph.
Parts of Lancaster and Saline counties are under a tornado warning until midnight.
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