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Nebraska Views: Nebraska’s a happy state, but there’s more to the story

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Nebraska Views: Nebraska’s a happy state, but there’s more to the story


Regardless of the present fortunes of Husker soccer, Nebraskans are fairly comfortable general.

We’re the second lowest state within the variety of people who find themselves unemployed for 15 weeks or longer, third in volunteer fee, fourth in satisfactory sleep and emotions of being energetic and productive, and fifth lowest in separation and divorce.

However regardless of being the ninth “happiest” state based on a WalletHub launch, not every little thing’s rosy within the Cornhusker state.

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We’re simply barely higher than common within the suicide fee, twenty third, and worse than common in earnings development, twenty seventh.

There are different troubling indicators within the statistics, based on a Quote Wizard examine that confirmed visitors fatalities are up 23% in Nebraska, 37% of them involving alcohol.

On the identical time, DUI citations are down 52% in Nebraska since 2010.

Persons are additionally studying…

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Key findings for Nebraska included that 21% of crashes concerned somebody severely impaired, 43 DUI arrests have been made per 10,000 registered drivers, and deadly crashes are up 18% nationwide since 2020.

One has to wonder if individuals are simply driving extra for the reason that pandemic eased considerably, though the COVID transmission fee is comparatively excessive in Southwest Nebraska. Gasoline costs have eased considerably, however ought to nonetheless be excessive sufficient to discourage pointless driving.

And DUI arrests down? Have authorities eased off enforcement in some way?

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Maybe that perceived “happiness” has its roots in ethanol consumption.

Insurance coverage analysts at Quote Wizard level out apparent details that an arrest for driving below the affect will end in increased insurance coverage charges and a suspended license and lack of employment, plus observe you for years, even into different states.

That may’t do a lot on your state of happiness, it doesn’t matter what state you reside in.

Total, 87% of Individuals are “anxious” or “very anxious” about inflation, based on the WalletHub statistics, most of them nonetheless recovering from COVID-19 stress.

Individually, we will’t do a lot concerning the pandemic or inflation fee, however we will do the apparent, like retaining vaccinations updated and driving much less.

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Take time for train, hearken to soothing music, ignore social media and switch off the information channels.

As for Cornhusker soccer… there’s at all times subsequent yr.

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Nebraska

'Effort to keep people safe': Look inside at the operations of Nebraska's Fusion Center

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'Effort to keep people safe': Look inside at the operations of Nebraska's Fusion Center


Last week, two MS-13 gang members were arrested in Omaha. The arrests came after collaboration between local, state and federal authorities through the Fusion Center. Those arrests are just one example of many that the Fusion Center has assisted in. KETV got an exclusive look at the Fusion Center and how it works to protect the community.



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Nebraska sues Colorado over how much water it’s drawing from South Platte River

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Nebraska sues Colorado over how much water it’s drawing from South Platte River


OMAHA, Neb. — Nebraska is suing Colorado over the amount of water it draws from the South Platte River, the latest in a long history of water rights disputes between the states that have been left increasingly dry by climate change.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and state Attorney General Mike Hilgers held a news conference Wednesday to announce the lawsuit, which was filed with the U.S. Supreme Court.

“It’s crystal clear. Colorado has been holding water back from Nebraska for almost 100 years and getting more and more egregious every single day,” Pillen said, pointing to Colorado’s rapidly expanding population over the past decade.

“So today it’s really, really simple: We’re here to put our gloves on,” Pillen said. “We’re going to fight like heck. We’re going to get every drop of water.”

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Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser called the lawsuit “unfortunate” in a written statement and said Nebraska officials failed “to look for reasonable solutions.” Gov. Jared Polis said the lawsuit was a needless escalation by Nebraska.

“Colorado has always been in compliance with the South Platte Compact and other applicable agreements. We have also continued to meet in good faith with Nebraska, despite its attempts to intimidate Colorado landowners and damage our agricultural communities,” Polis said in a statment.

The lawsuit accuses Colorado of depriving Nebraska of as much as 1.3 million acre-feet (about 160,350 hectare-meters) of water from the river over several years that Nebraska is entitled to under a 1923 compact between the states.

The suit also accuses Colorado officials of blocking Nebraska’s effort to construct a massive canal — often called the Perkins County Canal — and reservoir project that would see Nebraska seize land in Colorado to divert water into Nebraska, which is also allowed under the compact.

Nebraska needs the water not only for agriculture production in its southwestern region — which climate experts predict will grow hotter and drier in the coming decades — but also to feed water supplies in the eastern part of the state, officials said. Nebraska’s capital, Lincoln, is expected to get 12% of its water from the proposed canal, Pillen said.

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The compact entitles Nebraska to 120 cubic feet (3.4 cubic meters) per second from the river during the irrigation season between April 1 and Oct. 15 each year, and 500 cubic feet (about 14 cubic meters) per second during the non-irrigation fall and winter months.

Hilgers said Colorado has been shortchanging Nebraska during the irrigation season, allowing only about 75 cubic feet (about 2 cubic meters) per second of water daily into Nebraska this summer.

“I think this may be the most consequential lawsuit that this office will be a part of in my generation,” Hilgers said. “It is almost impossible to overstate the importance of the South Platte River to the future of the state of Nebraska.”

The South Platte, which flows through northeastern Colorado into southwestern Nebraska, has been at the center of a tempest brewing between the two states going back to 2022, when Nebraska announced it would build the canal.

Since then, officials from the two states have been haggling over how to carry out both the terms of the compact and land acquisition to build the canal.

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“It became clear, despite the very professional and intentional scope of those negotiations, that we were at an impasse,” Hilgers said.

Weiser countered that Nebraska officials should have remained at the negotiating table.

“Nebraska’s actions will force Colorado water users to build additional new projects to lessen the impact of the proposed Perkins County Canal,” he said. “When the dust finally settles, likely over a billion dollars will have been spent — tens of millions of that on litigation alone — and no one in Nebraska or Colorado will be better off.”

Hilgers said the lawsuit was filed directly with the Supreme Court because it handles disputes between states. The process “isn’t fast,” Hilgers warned.

“We’ll probably have a special master appointed within the next 12 months, and under normal litigation timelines, that’s maybe 3 to 5 years before we get a result,” he said.

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That does not mean work on the canal will stop, he said, as he expects work on permitting and design of the canal to continue.

Nebraska has been at the center of interstate water disputes for decades. In 2002, Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas reached a settlement over Republican River water allocation after years of legal wrangling. But disputes continued, and new agreements were reached among the states again in 2014.



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Obituary for Russell K. Howser at Levander Funeral Home, Inc.- Albion

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Obituary for Russell K. Howser at Levander Funeral Home, Inc.- Albion


Russell K. Howser, 84, of St. Edward, NE passed away on Monday, July 14, 2025, at the Good Samaritan Society, Albion, NE. Funeral service will be 1030 a.m. Friday, July 18, 2025, at the Levander Funeral Home in Albion, NE with Rev. Vernon Olson officiating. Inurnment will be at a



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