8/20/20 • Day 60 of Phase III • Nationwide case trends
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Not Now, But When? Protesters Dismayed But Undeterred as City Council Rejects Defunding Police
After the Omaha City Council rejected a budget amendment to divest $2 million from the Omaha Police Department toward community resources, protesters say they’re upset by the loss, but it’s still a step forward.
View our guide to local resources at TheReader.com
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Your Top Local Stories
- Though schools coming back means uncertainty for many, return to a normal schedule has bolstered one Omaha family.
- What’s your risk of getting COVID-19 outdoors? The Omaha World-Herald asked experts to weigh in.
- A testing site that’s serviced the zip code hit hardest by the pandemic is closing this week due to staffing shortages. Officials battling for the South Omaha site to stay open say the site’s essential for meatpacking and food processing workers who still face serious risks of COVID-19 infection.
- Mayor Jean Stothert said she doesn’t want to take funds from Omaha’s cash reserve for community programs, as the city council amended the 2021 budget to do. Stother said expected CARES Act dollars will still leave the city $15 million in the hole and it can’t afford to take more than that from its rainy day fund.
- A mailer from a company in Missouri calling for voters to cast their ballot by mail is causing confusion.
- There’s no single plan for whether to close schools if COVID-19 gets much worse. An official at the health department said it comes down to providing school officials with the best information and letting them make their own decisions.
- COVID-19 test results are getting delayed on their way to county health officials.
Around the State
- Ernie Chambers is leaving the Nebraska Legislature (again) after decades as its unrelenting watchdog and provocateur.
- Terrell McKinney, a candidate for the Legislature in District 11 in North Omaha, said he didn’t request to appear in front of the state pardons board. Nevertheless, his name appeared on its agenda.
What to do during quarantine?
Dripped And Draped