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Today’s Highlights:
- Energy efficient changes in households can create healthier homes and save residents money. Programs and tax credits help ease the cost of installations in Omaha.
- Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen will sign LB 574 into law today, May 22, banning gender-affirming surgeries for people under the age of 19 and abortions after 12 weeks.
- The Omaha Police Department’s force has grown more diverse in the past decade, but one lawmaker says improved diversity alone won’t solve the issues in the city’s policing system.
Energy Efficiency Creates Healthier Homes, Saves Residents Money
Omahans can take advantage of programs and prepare for tax credits that will help lower their energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint.
By Bridget Fogarty. Published in The Reader.
Around Omaha
The Omaha Police Department’s force of sworn officers has grown more diverse in the past decade, but people of color are still underrepresented in the ranks. State Sen. Terrell McKinney says while the improved diversity is important, it means nothing without change to the system of policing.
A building in Midtown Omaha catches fire for the second time in about a year and sends one person to the hospital. “Buildings like this need to be torn down,” Omaha Fire Department Battalion Chief Chad Kinney said. See the Omaha World-Herald’s photos from the scene of the fire at the vacant Flora Apartments.
Guy Fieri, the “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” star, visits Harrah’s Hotel and Casino in Council Bluffs to open his new restaurant.
Upcoming Events
- May 20 – Sept. 17: Jennifer Ling Datchuk: Eat Bitterness
- May 24: Wednesday Night Workout at Turner Park
- May 24: Wine Tasting Fundraiser for Grace
- May 27: Art Battle at Culxr House
Be sure to get the updated booster shot before heading to any of these events.
Around Nebraska
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen will sign LB 574 into law today, May 22, banning gender-affirming surgeries for people under the age of 19 and abortions after 12 weeks. The bill will go into effect once signed. Opponents, including the ACLU of Nebraska, say they’re still seeking legal action to fight the bill, which they say is unconstitutional.
An economic development agency owned by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska is diversifying the tribe’s revenue streams and creating a burgeoning middle class on the reservation.
A new report from the Immigration Research Initiative shows immigrants and refugees contribute 8% of Nebraska’s overall economic output and have the potential to help fill unmet workforce demand felt more deeply in Nebraska than many states, the Nebraska Examiner reports.
Local Government
- After denying a proposed downtown mental health facility, the Douglas County Board of Commissioners will consider a smaller version of the proposal: a mental health treatment unit for the Douglas County Correctional Center. The resolution directs county staff to initiate the project using COVID relief funds.
- The County Board will hear presentations from the Douglas County attorney, the Civil Service Department, and Emergency Management on each department’s requested budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
- The Omaha City Council will meet to discuss a nearly $44,000 budget transfer to the Omaha Fire Department for wage adjustment.
Every week, Anton Johnson picks noteworthy agenda items from the Omaha City Council and Douglas County Board of Commissioners. See the full City Council and Board of Commissioners agendas for Tuesday, May 23, and tune in here to the Board of Commissioners at 9 a.m. and City Council at 2 p.m.
Fact of the Day
From Harper’s Index
Year in which Japan’s population began to decline: 2011
Source: Statistics Bureau of Japan (Tokyo)
DAILY FUNNY
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