Nebraska

Poverty elimination is goal of proposal aired at NE Legislature | Nebraska Examiner

Published

2 years ago

January 23, 2024

Poverty elimination is goal of proposal aired at NE Legislature | Nebraska Examiner

LINCOLN — A proposal calling for Nebraska cities to create a five-year anti-poverty plan was met mostly with support Tuesday at a legislative hearing, though a few opponents worried it would be an expensive undertaking for smaller towns.

The Poverty Elimination Action Plan Act was introduced by State Sen. Terrell McKinney to promote upward mobility.

The North Omaha lawmaker, in testimony to the Legislature’s Urban Affairs Committee, said he grew up poor. “It wasn’t easy,” he told committee members. He said he hoped a mandate to establish a more concerted, purposeful strategy would spare another kid from a similar economic journey.

Tina Rockenbach, executive director of Community Action of Nebraska, was among a handful of others voicing support for Legislative Bill 840, which has no funding allocation.

Rockenbach said she recognized the process — which would include community input, goal-setting, data analysis and laying out plans to use public incentives for anti-poverty efforts — was a “heavy lift.”

“The good news,” she said, is that agencies such as hers have done some of the footwork already and could offer that expertise.

Under the act, cities with populations of 50,000 or more would review their reports every two years and update them every five. The bill seeks to develop a statewide and comprehensive poverty elimination action plan that addresses unique challenges of various areas.

Lynn Rex, executive director of the League of Nebraska Municipalities, said her objection to the bill was not a sign that poverty elimination was not important. She said, however, that to pay more than just “lip service,” such studies likely would require a consultant and staffing, which could be a financial struggle, especially for smaller cities.

She suggested providing a funding mechanism and a prototype that would guide cities.

The committee did not take action on the proposal.

Also Tuesday, the Urban Affairs Committee heard support for proposed changes to the “Middle Income Workforce Housing Investment Act.”

Legislative Bill 843 would reduce the match contribution required of eligible applicants from 50% to 25%. It also would increase the maximum grants that the Department of Economic Development could award to nonprofits from $5 million to $10 million in a two-year period.

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Nebraska

Hundreds lose power across southeast Nebraska after Thursday morning storm

Published

8 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Press Room

Hundreds lose power across southeast Nebraska after Thursday morning storm

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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Nebraska

Mandatory evacuation orders for area near Crawford, Fort Robinson

Published

18 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Press Room

Mandatory evacuation orders for area near Crawford, Fort Robinson

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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Nebraska

Nebraska State Runner-up and Futures Finalist Matt Brailita (2026) to Swim for Johns Hopkins

Published

1 day ago

June 10, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska State Runner-up and Futures Finalist Matt Brailita (2026) to Swim for Johns Hopkins

Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.

Omaha, Nebraska native Matt Brailita is headed to Baltimore in the fall. He announced his commitment to Johns Hopkins University earlier this spring, writing on social media:

“I am very excited to announce my commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at Johns Hopkins University ! I’m extremely grateful for everything my family, friends, and teammates have done to support me every step of the way. A special thanks to Coach Tom and Coach Andy for always pushing me beyond what I believed in. Also a huge thanks to Coach Scott and Coach Chris for giving me this opportunity of a lifetime. GO BLUE JAYS!”

Brailita swam for Omaha’s Millard North High School under coach Andy Cunningham. He wrapped up his senior season with a pair of runner-up finishes at the 2026 NSAA Championships, earning lifetime-best times in both the 200 IM (1:50.84) and 100 breast (56.01). He also notched a PB in the 50 free (20.76) while leading off Millard North’s 200 free relay in prelims. He anchored the same relay in finals, splitting 20.01. Brailita leaves Millard North High School as a 10-time State medalist and a multiple-event team record-holder. He was 2026 Metro Conference champion in the 100 fly and as a member of 2 relays, and he was nominated for Metro Omaha World Herald Swimming Athlete Scholar.

Brailita swims year-round with Greater Omaha Aquatic Leopardsharks under coach Tom Beck. In addition to IM and breast, he excels in fly and free. In March, he competed at Columbia Sectionals, where he finaled in the 50 free (15th), 100 breast (11th), 50 fly (8th), 100 fly (10th), and swam prelims in the 50 breast (8th) and 200 IM (10th). He left the meet with new PBs in the 100 free (46.30), 50 breast (26.25), 50 fly (22.51), and 100 fly (49.86).

Last summer, Brailita hit LCM lifetime bests in the 50 breast (30.81), 100 breast (1:06.84), 200 breast (2:29.93), and 200 IM (2:11.12) at Madison Futures, making finals in the IM. He opened the 2026 long-course season with a pair of PBs (24.83 in the 50 free and 27.09 in the 50 fly) at the GOAL Sprint Cup in April.

Brailita will join the Blue Jays’ class of 2030 with Alistair Guth, Finn Nelson, Lukas Funderburk, Matthew Ko, Nicolas Aldana Huelga, Samuel Zhang, and William Thurk. His best times would have scored in the ‘A’ finals of the 200 IM, 100/200 breast, and 50/200 free, and the ‘B’ finals of the 100 free and 100 fly at the 2026 Centennial Conference Championships.

Best SCY times :

200 IM – 1:50.84
100 breast – 56.01
200 breast – 2:06.83
50 free – 20.76
50 free relay split – 20.01
100 fly – 49.86
200 free – 1:41.83
100 free – 46.30

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