Middle-Aged Maha, Palermo Removed as VP, Permitless Concealed Carry

Today’s Highlights:

Tim McMahan breaks down the Maha Music Festival for the middle-aged.
Vinny Palermo is temporarily removed from the Omaha City Council’s vice presidency, and a recall petition is underway.
Gov. Jim Pillen signs permitless concealed carry into law.

Translating Maha for the Middle-Aged

Big Thief, which headlines this year’s Maha Music Festival, equals Emmylou Harris fronting Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue.

By Tim McMahan. Published in The Reader.

REED MOORE >>

Around Omaha

A South Omaha resident is filing a recall petition against Councilman Vinny Palermo, who was indicted on federal fraud charges. The petition needs 2,462 signatures for a recall election; once the petition is received, organizers will have 30 days to collect the signatures.

Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine says he will review select court cases in which former OPD officers Johnny Palermo (no relation to Vinny Palermo) and Rich Gonzalez are accused by prosecutors of interfering in a sexual assault investigation.

Ralston school board member Anne Haley resigns months after being appointed to replace now-state Sen. Merv Riepe. Haley is resigning to take a position with the district as an assistant superintendent. The public has until May 15 to apply for the vacancy.

Upcoming Events

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Around Nebraska

Legislature:

Lawmakers give final-round approval to an omnibus package of retirement systems reforms.
Gov. Jim Pillen signs permitless concealed carry into law, while lawmakers give first-round approval to a bill mandating gas stations sell the E-15 blend of ethanol.
The Judiciary Committee is set to advance a proposal requiring inmates serve the final 15% of their sentence outside prisons but with mandatory supervision.
The Appropriations Committee advances a state budget proposalwith a slightly higher spending increase than proposed by Gov. Jim Pillen.

A Nebraska program designed to provide financial assistance to victims of crime helps significantly less people and denies a greater percentage of applicants than neighboring states’ programs.

Plainclothes police officers shoot a man in west Lincoln.

Nebraska’s school funding model has long confused taxpayers, school officials and politicians — Nebraska Public Media dives deeper into how it works and what role it’s playing in legislative debate this session.

Local Government

The Omaha City Council votes to temporarily remove Vinny Palermo from his position as vice president of the body due to fraud charges. The proposed Douglas County mental health facility faces a setback, as the Board of Commissioners postpones voting on advancing the project.

Click here to read local government reporter Anton Johnson’s full article for The Reader.