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HERE’S YOUR RUNDOWN
Happy Monkey Day
Visiting the Henry Doorly Zoo is on Reed Moore’s to-do list today.
Today’s news:
- Nebraska’s behavioral health workforce has grown, but not by enough.
- OPS Superintendent Cheryl Logan announces her resignation.
- The Omaha City Council approves an affordable housing plan and bonds for the streetcar line.
Nebraska’s Behavioral Health Workforce
In the last decade, the number of behavioral health providers in Nebraska has grown 38%. But one professional says it’s not enough to meet the demand for mental health support in the state.
By Arjav Rawal. Published in The Reader.
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COVID-19 UPDATE
The Douglas County Health Department says wastewater samples show a high level of COVID, the highest since testing began. In Fremont, the Three Rivers Public Health Department also reports high levels of COVID in its wastewater samples, between 80-100%.
Set up an appointment for the new booster today.
By the numbers:
AROUND OMAHA
- After four years, OPS Superintendent Cheryl Logan is resigning in June, saying she’s homesick and wants to return to her family on the East Coast. In July, Logan had renewed her contract with OPS through 2025, saying she thought the position would work with her family.
- Nebraska Beef Ltd., an Omaha-based meat processing company, is fined and placed on probation for false beef grading records. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says the company was subpoenaed in 2016 for the grading records of 30 carcasses of beef that a corporate officer altered for delivery to a grand jury.
- The Gretna School Board and Lueder Construction reach a settlement on the delayed opening of Falling Waters Elementary School. The contractor sued the district, saying it didn’t receive payments. The school board countered by saying Lueder did not meet completion dates.
- Douglas County is rolling out the next generation of the 911 system. The first phase will change the infrastructure of how 911 call centers operate from a traditional phone line to an IP network. State officials say they hope to have the metro, including Pottawattamie County, connected by Jan. 1.
AROUND NEBRASKA
- The Nebraska Department of Transportation says a 600-mile expressway could get done ahead of schedule. The NDOT director says the project is 70% complete and that it could open in 2036 instead of the targeted completion date of 2040. The expressway plan originated in 1988, with completion planned for 2003.
- Failed Legislature candidate Russ Barger’s lawsuit against the Secretary of State’s Office to force a hand recount might be dead on arrival, as his attorney failed to notarize an electronic filing. The state filed to dismiss on the technicality. Barger, who lost the Legislative District 26 race by more than 220 votes, says he doesn’t know whether a hand recount would change the outcome.
- Nebraska will receive $41 million from a settlement with Walgreens and CVS. The two pharmacies, accused of overprescribing prescription drugs, put up a combined $10.7 billion to be given to more than a dozen states. The money must be used to fund treatment programs and curb addictions.
- A former AltEn official has re-emerged in upstate New York. Bryce Meeker, who worked at the controversial ethanol plant in Mead, is part of a company proposing to transform treated sewage sludge into a fertilizer. The company’s corporate leadership consists of people with either no experience in the biosolids industry or experience working for companies that have prompted environmental concerns.
REED MOORE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT
The Omaha City Council approves the Housing Affordability Action Plan, despite pushback from council members against some of its recommendations, as well as bonds to fund the streetcar project. The Douglas County Board of Commissioners receives an update on the corrections department and the facility’s new tablet system.
Click here to read local government reporter Anton Johnson’s full article for The Reader.
FACT OF THE DAY
From Harper’s Index
Portion of Americans who say they have traveled less
or canceled a vacation because of inflation: 1/6
Source: Gallup (Washington)
DAILY FUNNY
Comic by Jeffrey Koterba. Support him on Patreon.
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