The Nebraska Department of Labor says the state’s unemployment rate fell a tenth of a point in April to 3.7%. That’s 3-tenths of a point less than last April and the lowest in Nebraska since November 2008. The jobless rate for Omaha was an even 4%…down 3-tenths of a point from March and 2-tenths lower [...]
Michael Kelsey has announced he will be stepping down as the Executive Vice President of Nebraska Cattlemen effective the end of June. Kelsey, who has been with the Nebraska Cattlemen for over eight years, has accepted the position of Executive Vice President of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association headquartered in Oklahoma City. Nebraska Cattlemen President Dale [...]
Leaders of 10 tribes in the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association walked out of a meeting with U.S. State Department officials in Rapid City yesterday on concerns about the Keystone XL pipeline project, calling the session a sham. Oglala Sioux Tribe President Bryan Brewer released a written statement dismissing the gathering invalid because because the [...]
A U-S Senate bill that would transfer the ownership of nine historic cemeteries in the Black Hills from the U.S. Forest Service to local communities has passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and is headed to the main Senate floor. South Dakota’s two senators introduced the bill earlier this year. Democrat Tim Johnson [...]
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – U.S. Sen. John Thune says the National Park Service has reversed a decision to close a campground at Wind Cave National Park in southwestern South Dakota. Officials announced in March that they were closing the Elk Mountain Campground due to automatic federal spending cuts that took effect that month. The [...]
A bill to repeal Nebraska’s motorcycle helmet law will wait until next year. Sponsor Senator Dave Bloomfield of Hoskins said Thursday that he has asked the speaker to take LB393 off of this year’s legislative agenda because there are just 11 days left in the session. Hoskin’s bill…advanced to the floor in March on a [...]
RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) – More than a dozen Native American families described through tears children being taken from them by South Dakota social workers. The stories were delivered Wednesday during the first day of the Great Plains Indian Child Welfare Act Summit in Rapid City. Parents detailed the difficulty in regaining custody of children [...]
Nebraska lawmakers gave 47-0 final approval Wednesday to a bill making the latest adjustments to the formula that divides state aid among Nebraska’s large and small public schools. The new formula includes funding allowances for districts that offer longer school years and more highly educated teachers…while smaller, rural districts will receive that funding even if [...]
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is reminding landowners that they have until June 1 to enroll in a program that pays for doing little more than keeping their wheat and milo stubble tall during the coming harvest. The Nebraska Environmental Trust has awarded $1.5 million to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to enroll tall wheat [...]
Today is Peace Officers Memorial Day, created to honor law enforcement officers who’ve died in the line of duty. President Barack Obama and the governors of the 50 states have issued proclamations to fly American and state flags at half-staff today in memory of those officers. Peace Officers Memorial Day fall during National Police Week, [...]