Records obtained Friday by Nebraska Public Media News show state agencies are using a number of strategies – ranging from cutting positions to potentially having employees sleep in cars rather than in hotel rooms – in response to Gov. Jim Pillen’s memo that said his State Budget Division would be withholding at least 5% of […]

LINCOLN — Former state Sen. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha will not appear on the ballot for Nebraska governor this November after a “significant” number of petition signatures were flagged for fraud. The Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office, which oversees state elections, confirmed Friday that Lindstrom, 45, did not obtain at least 4,000 valid signatures as required […]

LINCOLN — The director of the Nebraska program that oversees Medicaid and long-term care has resigned after less than two years in his position and as Nebraska became the first state to implement more aggressive work requirements for program participants. Drew Gonshorowski, director of the division of Medicaid and Long-Term Care in the Nebraska Department of […]

LINCOLN — The University of Nebraska Board of Regents unanimously approved a request to seek $166 million more in taxpayer dollars for the 2027-29 budget cycle. The request calls for an additional $91 million for university operations plus $66.5 million to replace software, expand research and recruit top-performing students. The operational increase is based on a […]

Nebraska 2nd District will likely have three debates, while the governor race likely won’t – or at least not with Pillen.

LINCOLN — A proposed University of Nebraska operating budget request for the 2027-29 budget cycle would increase taxpayer dollars to NU by $91 million compared with NU’s current annual budget. The proposal before the NU Board of Regents this Thursday calls for an additional 4.25% in state appropriations each budget year. NU’s current annual appropriation is […]

Lancaster County officials announced the arrest of five out-of-state individuals for suspected fraud on three Lincoln petitions.

LINCOLN — Nebraska’s education commissioner said a 5% spending cut Gov. Jim Pillen requested from all state agencies won’t apply to the state’s school funding formula. Commissioner Brian Maher provided an update on the Nebraska Department of Education’s response to the governor’s spending memo at a State Board of Education meeting Thursday. While portions of […]

OMAHA — A South Omaha-focused forum hosted by a nonprofit housing agency drew about 80 people and provoked concerns ranging from a need for more “blue-collar” jobs, affordable houses versus apartments and local voices on public boards and in policy-making offices.    But the most impassioned discussion centered on treatment of immigrants — including community fallout […]

LINCOLN — President Donald Trump this week approved a federal disaster declaration for eight Nebraska counties in the wake of severe storms that primarily hit central and southeastern Nebraska in mid-May. Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen requested the declaration in mid-June following tornadoes, extreme straight-line winds and flooding May 15-18 across Buffalo, Fillmore, Gage, Howard, Jefferson, Nemaha, […]