Nebraska
Nebraska, Iowa on alert for severe storms Thursday as tornado-ravaged areas in path once again
OMAHA, Neb. – Two days after devastating storms ravaged Nebraska and Iowa, causing widespread damage and flooding, another series of severe storms is poised to hit the same areas on Thursday.
These storms have the potential for tornadoes and unusually large hail, posing significant risks to the threatened regions.
HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER
(FOX Weather)
Within the Great Plains corridor, the FOX Forecast Center said an area of enhanced wind likelihood is most likely to develop across the Central Plains during Wednesday evening. Some of these gusts should be significant, reaching 75-85 mph before they move through the previously tornado-impacted areas overnight.
The best chance of severe storms will be from Nebraska into the Dakotas as a developing area of low pressure moves out into the Plains. While moisture may be limited, significant heating will result in a few storms across the western areas by late Thursday afternoon.
POWERFUL IMAGES CAPTURE DEADLY DEVASTATION FROM TORNADO’S AFTERMATH IN GREENFIELD, IOWA
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has placed a swath of eastern Nebraska and northern Kansas in a Level 3 out of 5 severe weather risk Wednesday with a much wider area covering over 20 million people across much of the Plains in a Level 2 out of 5 risk.
(FOX Weather)
Elsewhere, severe storms will remain rather scattered across the southern Plains through the Mid-South but could become quite strong during the afternoon and evening hours, the FOX Forecast Center said.
Wichita, Kansas, Oklahoma City and Dallas are among the major cities that may encounter this significant weather event.
A Level 1 severe weather threat also extends across the mid-Atlantic into the Interstate 95 corridor across New England on Thursday, including the major cities of New York City, Boston, Washington and Philadelphia.
Thunderstorms may bring large hail or damaging wind gusts here, but the tornado threat is minimal.
Nebraska
Pillen officially announces intent to call special session for Nebraska tax reform
LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen took the next step in securing a special session in the state’s legislature this summer.
Gov. Pillen on Tuesday sent a letter to Speaker John Arch, officially announcing his plans to call senators back to Lincoln on July 25. The purpose of the session is to make more headway on addressing property taxes in Nebraska.
“In my sine die address in April, I stated that I would call a special session this summer to facilitate another opportunity for us to meet Nebraskans’ demand that their elected leaders fix this crisis now,” read the Governor’s letter, in part. “I have traveled extensively across the state since the Legislature adjourned and have heard from a wide range of people. Their message is clear: stop this massive overall tax increase by fixing property taxes.”
Gov. Pillen has been hosting town halls across the state over the past two months since the legislative session ended, working to educate Nebraskans on what he calls a “tax crisis.”
He still has several of those meetings planned:
Wednesday, June 26
1:30 p.m. (CT) Columbus: Columbus Chamber of Commerce, 753 33rd Ave, Columbus
Thursday, June 27
10:00 a.m. (CT) Valentine: Mid Plains Community College, 715 E Hwy 20, Valentine
1:00 p.m. (MT) Chadron: Chadron State College, Student Center – Lakota Room, 1000 Main Street, Chadron
4:30 p.m. (MT) Alliance: Westside Events Center, 2472 County Road 62, Alliance
Friday, June 28
8:30 a.m. (MT) Ogallala: Petrified Wood Gallery, 418 East 1st Street, Ogallala
1:00 p.m. (CT) McCook: Coppermill Steakhouse, 202 Coppermill St., McCook
4:00 p.m. (CT) Lexington: Central Community College – The Opportunity Center, 1501 Plum Creek Pkwy, Lexington
Along with slashing property taxes, Gov. Pillen also wants to ensure that the legislature knows he will call a special session regarding other “unfinished business” leftover from the 2024 legislative session, which could include Nebraska’s move to a “winner-take-all” state during elections.
Copyright 2024 WOWT. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Nebraska Unemployment Rate Unchanged at 2.5% in May
Nebraska’s unemployment rate in May was unchanged at a seasonally adjusted rate of 2.5%. That rate is unchanged from September 2023 and up 0.4% from May 2023.
Nebraska’s rate is the fourth lowest in the nation. The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May 2024 is 4.0 percent, up 0.1 percentage points from the April 2024 rate of 3.9 percent and up 0.3 percentage points from the May 2023 rate of 3.7 percent.
“Nebraska’s total nonfarm employment has been on an upward trajectory since February and reached an all-time high in May at 1,077,200,” said Commissioner of Labor John H. Albin. “Omaha’s leisure and hospitality industry saw a large gain over the month, with all the metro areas reaching record highs in total nonfarm employment.”
Further details are available here
Nebraska
Nebraska International Port of the Plains discusses progress of port development project
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (KNOP) – The Nebraska International Port of the Plains Authority held their regular monthly meeting Tuesday afternoon at the Lincoln County Courthouse.
Although four members were absent from the meeting, those present proceeded in reviewing what progress has been made so far for the port development project.
In attendance at Tuesday’s meeting were members of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development Ben Goins and Jessica Anderson. Goins and Anderson clarified questions from members about the recent $5 million grant the authority received from the department.
Also at the meeting was Gary Person from the North Platte Area Chamber and Development. Person reported on the many conversations he had with local businesses and the Union Pacific Railroad as a plan starts to finalize for the port project.
Port Authority Vice President Patrick Keenan said all of the cooperation between groups involved has made the port project advance extremely well, but that the project will take time to finish
”There are a lot of people working hard to make this happen, and we appreciate the patience, like any big project,” Keenan said. “Nothing happens easy and nothing happens too quickly, so bear with us, there’s a great learning curve, but we have a lot of good people working hard.”
The port project will bring intermodal traffic to an area of land just east of Hershey along Highway 30. With the port’s location near the Union Pacific Bailey Yard, Lincoln County will become one of the largest areas for rail traffic in the country. Vice President Keenan expressed his excitement for the growth of the area.
“Anything we can do to add volume and add more activity through the area is a good thing,” Keenan said.
The next regular meeting for the Port of the Plains will be on Monday, July 22, 2024 at 2 p.m. in the Lincoln County Commissioner’s office at the Lincoln County Courthouse.
Click here to subscribe to our KNOP News 2 daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.
Copyright 2024 KNOP. All rights reserved.
-
World1 week ago
Switzerland's massive security effort at the Ukraine peace conference
-
News1 week ago
Joe Biden, Barack Obama And Jimmy Kimmel Warn Of Another Donald Trump Term; Star-Filled L.A. Fundraiser Expected To Raise At Least $30 Million — Update
-
World1 week ago
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 842
-
News1 week ago
It's easy to believe young voters could back Trump at young conservative conference
-
World1 week ago
Protesters in Brussels march against right-wing ideology
-
World1 week ago
Swiss summit demands 'territorial integrity' of Ukraine
-
Politics1 week ago
Judge rules Missouri abortion ban did not aim to impose lawmakers' religious views on others
-
News1 week ago
A fast-moving wildfire spreads north of Los Angeles, forcing evacuations