If Nebraska Republicans revise their state’s method of awarding presidential electors to help Donald Trump in November, Maine might match the change to boost President Joe Biden’s reelection prospects.

Maureen Terry Submitted photo

Nebraska’s governor, Jim Pillen, has said he’s open to calling a special legislative session to push through the change, but only if he’s sure it will pass. It isn’t clear whether the idea has enough support.

But Democrats are concerned.

“If Nebraska’s Republican Governor and Republican-controlled Legislature were to change their electoral system this late in the cycle in order to unfairly award Donald Trump an additional electoral vote, I think the Maine Legislature would be compelled to act in order to restore fairness to our country’s electoral system,” state House Majority Leader Maureen Terry, a Gorham Democrat, said in a prepared statement Friday.

Currently, both states award two electoral votes to whichever presidential candidate wins the statewide tally and then allocate one for each congressional district, awarded to the contender who wins that district.

In practical terms, Maine typically votes for the Democratic presidential hopeful while Nebraska votes for the GOP’s nominee. But each state has one congressional district that the majority can’t count on.

In Nebraska in 2020, Biden got one electoral vote while Trump picked up one in Maine by winning its 2nd Congressional District.

Nebraska’s Republican leadership is pushing for the state to change its system this year to give all of its electoral votes to the statewide winner, the way it’s done in 48 states.

Maine, the only other state with a process like Nebraska’s, has awarded electoral votes by congressional district since 1972. Not until 2016, when Trump first won the 2nd District, had the winners in each district been different in the Pine Tree State.

Maine hasn’t had any serious effort to revise its longstanding system despite Democratic control of the governorship and Legislature since the 2018 election.

But Nebraska is still weighing whether to rush through a revision this year to give Trump an extra electoral vote, which could make the difference in some Election Day scenarios.

Terry said that Nebraska should not try it.

“Voters in Maine and voters in Maine’s 2nd congressional district value their independence, but they also value fairness and playing by the rules,” Terry said.

“It is my hope and the hope of my colleagues in Maine that the Nebraska Republican Party decides not to make this desperate and ill-fated attempt to sway the 2024 election.”

Maine has agreed to award its four electoral votes to the nationwide popular vote winner if enough other states also agree to do so. So far, the national compact does not have enough backing to take effect.

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LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Nebraska softball will play its final home games of the season this weekend when the Huskers host Northwestern for a three-game series on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Bowlin Stadium.

Tickets for each game of the series can be purchased at huskers.com/softball, by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED or at the Bowlin Stadium ticket office beginning one hour prior to first pitch. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets prior to game day. Tickets purchased on the day of the game cost $2 more than tickets purchased in advance.

Fans should also be advised that effective immediately, re-entry is no longer permitted at Bowlin Stadium. Fans who enter the stadium and leave will not be allowed to re-enter.

On Saturday, the Haymarket Park parking lots will also be used for football parking and the lots will be cashiered until 11 a.m. Any fan with a Saturday softball ticket can park for free by showing a parking attendant their softball ticket.

Saturday will also feature a post-game jersey retirement ceremony for Husker great Taylor Edwards. On Sunday, eight Nebraska seniors will be recognized following the game.

Fans unable to make it out to Bowlin Stadium can watch all three games on Big Ten+, with subscriptions starting at $9.99 a month. A free radio broadcast of the three games – and every game this season – will be available on Huskers.com or the official Huskers app.

Scouting Northwestern (29-9, 15-2 Big Ten)

Northwestern enters the weekend series at Nebraska with a 29-9 overall record, with the Wildcats boasting the top winning percentage (.763) in the conference. Northwestern is atop the Big Ten standings with a 15-2 record in conference play as the Wildcats seek their third consecutive Big Ten regular-season title.

Nebraska and Northwestern share three common opponents this season in Illinois, Michigan and UCLA. The Huskers posted a 2-4 record against that trio while the Wildcats went 5-1.

Northwestern bats .280 as a team while averaging 5.7 runs per game. The Wildcats rank 15th nationally and lead the Big Ten with an average of 1.4 home runs per game and are 23rd in the country with a .403 on-base percentage. Defensively, Northwestern boasts a 2.11 ERA and a .969 fielding percentage while allowing only 2.6 runs per game. The Wildcats lead the Big Ten and rank 15th nationally in ERA.

The Wildcats have outscored their opponents 109-39 in their first 17 Big Ten Conference games, winning by an average of more than four runs per game. Northwestern has also hit 34 home runs in its 17 conference games while allowing only five home runs.

• Kansas Robinson leads Northwestern with a .422 batting average, 49 hits, 10 doubles, 10 homers, 33 RBIs, an .802 slugging percentage and a .524 on-base percentage. Robinson ranks second in the Big Ten in average and on-base percentage and is third in slugging percentage and walks per game (0.7).
• Kelsey Nader is second on the team with a .358 average, 43 hits, 28 runs and seven doubles.
• Angela Zedak is the Wildcats’ third .300 hitter as she boasts a .322 average. Zedak leads Northwestern with 30 runs scored and has added seven doubles, five homers and 24 RBIs.
• Bridget Donahey has drawn a team-high 30 walks and leads the Big Ten and ranks 19th nationally with an average of 0.8 walks per game. Donahey has added eight home runs to complement a .282 batting average.
• In the circle, Ashley Miller has statistically been the Big Ten’s best pitcher. The reigning two-time Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, Miller is 16-4 on the season with a 1.14 ERA in 135.2 innings. She has thrown more than 55 percent of Northwestern’s total innings while appearing in 27 games with 18 starts. Miller has thrown five shutouts among her 15 complete games and has added four saves. Opponents are hitting just .161 against her, and Miller has struck out 155 batters while averaging eight strikeouts per seven innings.
• Miller ranks 11th nationally in fewest hits allowed per seven innings (4.0), 12th in ERA, 24th in shutouts and 25th in strikeouts. On the conference level, Miller leads the Big Ten in ERA, opponent batting average and is tied for the league lead in saves.
• Riley Grudzielanek has seen the most time behind Miller, appearing in 13 games with nine starts and posting a 6-1 record with a 3.40 ERA in 45.1 innings.
• Cami Henry is 3-2 with a 3.63 ERA in 34.2 innings with two saves in 12 appearances and eight starts.
• Renae Cunningham rounds out the Northwestern staff. Cunningham is 4-2 with a 2.80 ERA in 30.0 innings. She has added one shutout and two saves over 12 appearances and three starts.
• Kate Drohan is in her 23rd season at Northwestern where she owns a 774-422-1 record. Northwestern softball’s all-time wins leader, Drohan has won four Big Ten titles with the Wildcats while advancing to 15 NCAA Tournaments and three Women’s College World Series.

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PLATTSMOUTH, Nebraska — A basketball court was resurrected in this town’s old high school, though the hoop today is more for show than sport and is likely to become the backdrop for a trendy coffee bar.

Chalkboards remain in what once were the chemistry and math rooms, now apartments. Look-alike book lockers line the main hallway, along with a vintage trophy case stuffed with Plattsmouth Blue Devils athletic relics.

With a boost from public incentives, including state historic tax credits, the former Plattsmouth High School built more than a century ago is now fully transformed into an apartment building that has been brimming since March with residents.

On Thursday, History Nebraska’s historic preservation office welcomed local, state and federal officials to a “Rehab Roadshow” that celebrated the nearly $16 million project. In addition to the 25 units in the rehabbed schoolhouse, which were responsible for the bulk of the cost, the price tag includes a 15-unit, newly constructed apartment structure nearby.

The event was intended to highlight economic development tools that are available — and at least one that is at risk — to restore and reuse Nebraska landmarks.

Heart of the community

To the group of about two dozen, Plattsmouth Mayor Paul Lambert spoke about how important rescuing the 106-year-old school, now called the Lofts on Main, was to the small community of about 6,500. 

The project not only fires up nostalgia, he said, but also adds workforce housing vital to new employers that have moved to the area in recent years.

“This building is in the heart of the community,” Lambert said, noting emotional ties to many, including his wife and siblings. “If I had torn this down, I would have had to leave home.”

He said the structure was falling apart after sitting vacant for numerous years. Another school facility had replaced it back in 1976, he said, and the property was used only off and on after that for a couple of decades.

It was at the point of demolition, Lambert said, when the RMDX development team came forward.

He said the city agreed to contribute about $1 million over a 10-year period in local incentives that typically go to encourage business development, not residential.

Filling gaps

RMDX’s Ryan Durant and Michael Sothan, historic tax credit coordinator at History Nebraska, said federal and state historic tax credit programs as well as a state tax abatement program and low-income housing tax credits filled financial gaps and made the project feasible.

But, said Sothan, the state historic tax credit program created in 2015 to incentivize the rehab and reuse of historic structures faces challenges. 

The Nebraska Legislature, when reauthorizing the program last year, set the program’s annual allowable credits to offset tax liability at $2 million. It was once $15 million a year, said Sothan.

The good news, he said, is that the program has a reserve built up of about $55 million. 

“It could be wiped out in one year, three years, it certainly won’t last more than five years,” Sothan said.

He said that without a change in legislation, the program in the long run would not be able to sustain the current demand for credits. 

“It creates some uncertainty,” he said. “We do have some time.”

Sothan said the Legislature last year took positive steps in other aspects, including lifting the state income tax credit ceiling for a qualified rehab project from $1 million per project to $2 million.

Things you wouldn’t build today

The Rehab Roadshow, he said, is intended to encourage continuation of restoration projects boosted by state historic tax credits. Among the guests at the Lofts on Main event was Elmwood State Sen. Rob Clements, chair of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee. 

History Nebraska plans to take its roadshow this year to Norfolk and Red Cloud, where it will feature restoration projects in those towns.

Participation in the historic tax credit program requires developers to preserve character-defining features — which was not easy with the decaying structure, said Abby Hegemann of Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture.

“It was a challenge,” she said, during a tour that highlighted restored features such as the lower floor basketball court, student locker rooms, a boiler room-turned apartment.

Each dwelling is unique, said Durant, and has a distinct personality. But pictures, tin ceilings and other decor tie together to provide the schoolhouse feel.

“There are some really neat things you wouldn’t build today,” he said. “It’s fun.” 

In the backyard of the Lofts at Main are flower beds and a seating area for apartment-dwellers. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)