Nebraska
Nebraska to receive additional EBT benefits
LINCOLN, Neb. (KSNB) – Governor Jim Pillen started the morning conference with one of his slogans ‘Our children are our future.’ Nebraska will now be apart of the USDA’s Summer EBT program.
Pillen said we have to protect our kids, train our kids, and do everything to keep them in Nebraska, and being apart of the Summer EBT program means the state will receive $18 million that will go on pre-loaded EBT cards. It’s estimated that 150,000 kids will get an additional $40 per month.
In December, Governor Pillen stated Nebraska won’t be enrolling in Summer EBT. But after a recent tour through the state he seen hunger and mental health was at the top of student’s list of need. Some mentioned having access to food during the summer is an issue. That led to the governor comprising a plan to address those needs. He reflected back on the pandemic saying kids lost their ‘touch points’ during that time period.
“We’re excited about program like the governor said because we’re going to implement it the Nebraska way,” said Dr. Steve Corsi, CEO at DHHS. “We won’t be just transferring additional money. We’re setting up the program to ensure kids are safe in the summer and families have the resources they need and that is going to done through touch points.”
Corsi said touch points are broken down into four steps, and Director of Economic Assistance, Shannon Grotrain will oversee the program. She has been with DHHS for over 20 years and was the overseer of Pandemic EBT.
“Number one a thorough outreach education component will be created regarding the nutritious foods parents can buy for their children with these funds,” said Corsi. “Number two we’ve already begun the development of a website with information about the program, how to apply, where to shop and nutritional information.”
Corsi said the website will also a connection to other summer programs to ensure families receives the resource they need. When EBT cards are issued out DHHS will reach out to asset needs and determine if more resources are necessary, and finally, text messaging will be utilized to inform families about the website and available programs in your area. Grand Island Senator, Ray Aguilar said the impact will be felt the most in greater Nebraska.
“DHHS estimates that 150,000 students or 80,000 households will be eligible for receiving S-EBT benefits,” Aguilar said. “That is important when you consider that rural kids don’t have the network of support that are available to some other area of the state… We’re excited to have crafted a Nebraska solution that allows us to tap into federal funding and also goes beyond that; to provide contact with families receiving benefits, and ensure that kids are being cared for properly.”
Governor Pillen said the Department of Education will play a key role in this program.
“This initiative is a great way to meet the needs of kids who experience food insecurity as well as providing a means to ensure that they’re cared for properly during the summer months,” said Dr. Brian Maher, Nebraska Commissioner of Education. “Because I’m sure all of you know, the needs of the kids in Nebraska don’t end when the school bell rings.”
Maher said although they’re still figuring out details of this program, it’s good to have another opportunity to provide for students.
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The future of data centers in Nebraska took center stage at a North Omaha town hall Thursday evening.
The event was hosted by State Sens. Terrell McKinney and Ashlei Spivey, who alongside Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh sponsored a bill in the Nebraska Legislature that looked to help regulate data centers.
Parts of their bill were adopted and passed in LB1010, which requires reports on annual power usage, water usage and ownership.
“Having this passed in a package showed a lot of bipartisan work,” Spivey told a crowd of attendees at Nelson Mandela Elementary School.
The proposed regulations were shaped in part by Bold Nebraska, an advocacy group focused on eminent domain and clean energy. Jane Kleeb, chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party and founder of Bold Nebraska, said before the bill passed there were “zero laws on the books” to address a boom in data centers.
“If one is coming into the community, we wanted to make sure that there were some basic transparency things in place,” Kleeb said.
Political discussions around data centers heated up in recent months following reporting by the Flatwater Free Press that showed Google is considering a data center in Nebraska that could require more than three times the amount of power the entire city of Lincoln uses at peak demand in the summer.
The Nebraska Legislature recently passed another bill, LB1261, that allows private developers to build and own power plants to serve a large industrial customer, including data centers. That bill was proposed by the governor’s office and celebrated by Gov. Jim Pillen.
“Our state is once again taking a bold and strategic step – one that will create an environment that attracts business and multibillion dollar investment, while legally preserving Nebraska’s unique and consumer-friendly public power model,” Pillen said at the time.
At Thursday’s town hall, McKinney called LB1261 “the bogeyman bill.”
“It’s a bill that the governor pushed through the legislature to allow for data centers to create their own power,” McKinney said. “It’s a bill that I stood on the floor and said this is going to harm our communities.”
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.
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