Wednesday, December 4
Shadow

Front Page

Ricketts asks Legislature to focus on property tax relief

Front Page
By Katie Anderson Nebraska News Service Gov. Pete Ricketts encouraged lawmakers to lay the foundation for continued growth in Nebraska by passing bills costing millions of dollars including property tax relief, business tax incentives, UNMC expansion and veterans tax relief. Ricketts addressed the Legislature July 24, two days after lawmakers stopped short of advancing a property tax relief bill, making its fate unclear. Ricketts recommended that senators package property tax relief and a business tax incentive bill together to get the votes necessary to pass. He emphasized their importance, especially the business tax incentive bill, since it would replace the Advantage Act, which expires in December. Ricketts highlighted the following bills as his priorities: LB1106 would in...

5 Tips for Bringing a New Pet Home

Archives, Front Page, Lifestyles
(Family Features) Bringing a pet home for the first time – even if you already have other pets – can be an exciting moment. However, it's important to involve the whole family in discussing whether your family will foster or adopt, and what each family member's responsibilities with the new pet will be. It also takes preparation and patience to ensure a smooth transition.   Regardless of the type of companion you’re welcoming into your home, adjusting to a new environment can be overwhelming and could lead to anxiety. Because dogs and cats do not communicate like humans, they often express anxiety by misbehaving, which makes it important to be willing to spend the first several days bonding with your pet and forming good habits.   Visit your local shelter or animal we...

Kids Can Save Lives by Getting Active at Home

Front Page, Lifestyles
  Family Features) As millions of people across the globe social distance and self-quarantine to help prevent further spread of the novel coronavirus, kids and families can help save lives by getting active at home. With 55 million students in the United States affected by school closures, teachers, families and kids are incorporating options like UNICEF Kid Power into daily at-home schedules. A free program, the platform hosts a library of interactive dance, yoga and learning videos featuring WWE Superstars, DreamWorks characters and more. These 3-5 minute "brain breaks" help keep kids moving, provide lessons on global citizenship, encourage positive screen time, establish a sense of control and connectivity, and empower them with purpose. As kids dance, move and learn, they...

City of Plattsmouth issues revised Directed Health Measures

Front Page, News
City of Plattsmouth A revised Directed Health Measure for the Sarpy/Cass Health District will become effective at 12:00 a.m., May 4. Key points of the DHM are below: • Effective date is 12:00 a.m., May 4 until May 31 unless renewed, extended, or terminated by subsequent order. • Gatherings are prohibited. A gathering is defined as any event or convening that brings together more than ten (10) patrons, customers or other invitees, excluding staff, in a single room or single space at the same time, including but not limited to, preschools, beauty/nail salons, barber shops, massage therapy services, tattoo parlors/studios/gymnasium, fitness centers, auditoriums, stadiums, arenas, large event conference rooms, meeting halls, libraries, or any other confined indoor or outdoor space. This...

Plattsmouth Main Street Association releases area restaurant partial openings

Flyers, Food, Drink, B&Bs, Restaurants, Front Page, News
A digital press release was published by Mr. Steve Wehrbein, President of the Plattsmouth Main Street Association concerning the open hours and services of many Plattsmouth area restaurants. The attached PDF deals with opening dining room areas in our restaurants which began on Monday. May 4th.  Most owners are keeping status quo thinking it is too soon to open, even marginally, and risk their employees and customers and become a transmission location. Please note: Additionally, Golden Dragon has reopened with PU at their drive-up window. Please print and share with friends. Send and comments questions or corrections/updates as needed to Steve at: swehrbein@gmail.com

‘It’s like a holiday’- Business booms at grocery stores across state.

Front Page, News
By Brian Beach Nebraska News Service COVID-19 has shuttered businesses and diminished profits across Nebraska, but in some of the state’s local grocery stores, business has been booming. “Profits are up, but you’re still having to replace these products that you’re selling,” said Clint Didier, manager of Didier’s Grocery in Schuyler. “It’s basically like a holiday.” At Plum Creek Marketplace in Lexington, manager Barry Carpenter said that the crisis has increased business. In Syracuse, Terry Scheinost, co-owner of Terry’s Family Foods, also said he has seen a jump in business because of the coronavirus. “The [customers] that seemed not to be shopping local have really stayed local and the ones that were my local full-time customers have stayed here too, so it’s actually helped,” Sc...

Senators: herd immunity rather than social distancing to help Nebraska economy

Front Page, News
by William Bauer Nebraska News ServiceTwo state senators want Nebraska to loosen restrictions enacted to slow the spread of the coronavirus to help the state’s hurting economy.Sen. Steve Halloran of Hastings and Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard said they believe fear and panic directed policy decisions surrounding the pandemic, and they are ready for businesses, schools and Nebraska’s Legislature to reopen. “We cannot afford to go another day with this current failed policy,” the senators wrote in a commentary piece published in the Hastings Tribune April 12. While Gov. Pete Ricketts agrees with Halloran and Erdman about the opening business as soon as possible, he said he fundamentally disagrees and does not plan to open the state’s businesses and schools just yet, citing ...

Tracking another week of record jobless claims in Nebraska

Front Page, News
by UNL Professor Matthew Waite via Twitter The 16,381 initial unemployment claims last week are a 39 percent drop from the peak of 27,054 the previous week. However, that current number is still 1,962 percent higher than before coronavirus. Put another way, the 16,381 claims reported last week is 15,613 claims above the weekly average for 2020 before coronavirus. From January to mid-March, the state reported an average of 778 claims a week. Last week's claims number is larger than the combined populations of the 16 smallest counties in the state. The 83,870 Nebraskans who filed for unemployment during the crisis is larger than the combined populations of the 37 smallest counties in Nebraska. The state has 93 counties. This year through April 11 is now the fifth-worst yea...

Cass County Sheriff’s Office Launches New Website

Front Page, News, Public Service Announcements
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Cass County Sheriff’s Office Contact: Sheriff William Brueggemann For More Information: 402.296.9370 April 13, 2020 Plattsmouth, Nebraska Cass County Sheriff’s Office Launches New Website The Cass County Sheriff’s Office launched a new responsive Website on April 13, 2020, where residents can find the latest information regarding the operations of the Sheriff’s Office as well as locate area sex offenders. The new Website will serve as an information resource for the public and assist with community policing efforts. The responsive design allows site visitors to access the information they want and need from any device with simple, flexible navigation. The new Website, CassCountySheriffNE.org, features press releases, messages from Sheriff Brue...

Holiday Tunes Workshop

Flyers, Front Page
The Old Avoca Schoolhouse in Avoca, Nebraska will be offering a Holiday Tunes Workshop on Saturday, November 30, from 1 PM - 3 PM for folks who play violin, viola, cello, bass, mandolin, soprano recorder, and alto recorder.  Each participant will receive a copy of “Holiday Tunes for Two”, which contains 40 tunes to help you celebrate an entire year of holidays.  This collection includes festive music for Chanukah, Christmas, Cinco de Mayo, Easter, Father’s Day, Flag Day, Grandparents Day, Groundhog Day, Halloween, Independence Day, Labor Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Mother’s Day, New Year’s Eve, Passover, Patriots Day, Presidents Day, Purim, Rosh Hashanah, St. Patrick’s Day, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, Veterans Day, and Yom Kippur.   Enrollment is limited to 10 music...

Who should choose election commissioners?

Front Page, News, Uncategorized
When Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson called the state’s method of choosing election commissioners for its most populous counties “constitutionally suspect,” he shined a light on a situation of which few people across the state were aware. Peterson released an opinion on the issue after it was questioned by state Sen. Matt Hansen of Lincoln. In his opinion, he said the Nebraska Constitution requires that election commissioners and chief deputy election commissioners be elected to their positions. Currently, in Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy counties election commissioners are appointed by the governor, as was set up by a law adopted more than a century ago. This practice raises concerns about the positions being politicized and the commissioners favoring the party of the governo...