Omaha World Herald. October 10, 2018
More endorsements for Legislature: McCollister, Moser, Kolterman, Hansen, Dorn
The Nebraska Legislature will need to address complicated issues next year, striving for consensus on property tax relief, K-12 funding, business incentives and balancing the budget. We’re encouraged by the overall strength of candidates running for the Legislature this fall; many districts have two capable contenders. Here are more of our recommendations.
“ State Sen. John McCollister, District 20. McCollister, a businessman and past longtime board member for the Metropolitan Utilities District, has shown impressive energy and independent-mindedness as a state senator for this southwest Omaha district. He has displayed balanced views on a range of issues, describing the real-world workings of business as well as social needs facing many Nebraskans. He has contributed thoughtfully to policy analysis on the Natural Resources Committee and sponsored the measure that created Nebraska’s first court diversion program for military veterans.
“ Mike Moser, District 22. This former mayor of Columbus offers impressive analysis of Nebraska issues and the ingredients for successful leadership, based on consensus-building and practical thinking. Moser, a retail business owner, has served on the Nebraska Crime Commission, giving him insight into state government and the criminal justice system. We were impressed by Moser’s emphasis on being an independent thinker at the Legislature. It’s easy to envision this leader, with his proven track record, working with colleagues at the State Capitol as they think through the best approaches to address the state’s challenges.
“ State Sen. Mark Kolterman, District 24. Kolterman, from Seward, has shown himself to be an impressively capable state senator representing this eastern Nebraska district. A former school board member and retired head of a local insurance firm, he is a hard-working, independent-minded lawmaker who chairs the Retirement Systems Committee and serves on the Health and Human Services Committee. Kolterman is a notable example of a sensible, problem-solving incumbent who can promote needed consensus-building in his second term.
“ State Sen. Matt Hansen, District 26. Hansen, an adjunct university instructor with a law degree from the University of Nebraska, has shown dedicated service in representing this northeast Lincoln district. He has earned respect for his conscientious work in committees (Urban Affair, Business and Labor, Judiciary) and during floor debate. Hansen ably analyzes committee/floor debate procedures with an eye toward legislative effectiveness and efficiency.
“ Myron Dorn, District 30. Dorn, a farmer and chairman of the Gage County Board, has done exceptional work educating himself about the Legislature’s culture and procedures. He described well how to work in groups to achieve results, and he was knowledgeable and well-spoken in discussing Nebraska issues. Such commitment and thoughtfulness can serve him well at the Legislature. He can be a constructive figure in the incoming freshmen class.
Voters would be well served by supporting State Sen. John McCollister in District 20, Mike Moser in District 22, State Sen. Mark Kolterman in District 24, State Sen. Matt Hansen in District 26 and Myron Dorn in District 30.
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Kearney Hub. October 12, 2018
Measuring aviation’s economic benefits
After an entire year without commuter air service, Kearney Regional Airport’s passenger traffic has exploded. The explosion is owing to the arrival of United Express, which brought to Kearney safer and faster 50-passenger jets, more affordable fares, greater ease of booking flights and making connections and reliability.
United Express rarely is late, but if it is, there’s a reason.
What a switch it is from one year ago when Kearney’s previous carrier, PenAir, was struggling to keep pilots in cockpits, a situation that regularly caused flight cancellations and, eventually, drove PenAir into bankruptcy.
Times have changed - radically - and Kearney is the better for it. People in the region are taking advantage of United Express convenience, cost savings and reliability. Recently, a flight from Denver to Kearney had 48 travelers aboard. All but two seats were filled.
Most flights have somewhere between 30-40 passengers, meaning United Express is on pace to record 17,000 enplanements this year. If it had been able to finish 2017, PenAir would have logged about 7,000 enplanements.
Just as commuter air service is getting back off the ground in Kearney, the Aeronautics Division of the Nebraska Department of Transportation is initiating a study to determine the economic contributions of aviation in the state.
The last time such a study was conducted was in 2002. With its new study, the Federal Aviation Administration hopes to acquire a deeper understanding of Nebraska’s aviation industry, which received considerable support from Uncle Sam. FAA awarded $34 million in grants in the state in 2017. Much of that money went to smaller airports, such as Kearney, to help with upgrades that boost safety and usage. Better runways, navigation systems and other enhancements are the product of FAA funding.
We agree with the need for the study. For business travelers, the front door to most Nebraska communities is the local airport. If Nebraska can improve its local airports, it will attract more corporate travel, and that can turn into economic development.
According to a 2015 snapshot, aviation accounted for annual economic activity worth $8.5 billion in Nebraska.
What will the new study tell us about aviation’s contributions? We expect Nebraskans will be surprised and impressed. As for Kearney-area travelers, having spent a year without a commercial airline, we’re already surprised and impressed, and boardings are proving it.
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Lincoln Journal Star. October 9, 2018
Lincoln veterans get good news on VA clinic, homelessness
After years of coordinated efforts by several veterans groups and others, Lincoln received good news last week that it had been awaiting for some time.
It just depends on your perspective as to which announcement constituted that welcome development - if not both.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed its plans to build its new Lincoln clinic on the site of the VA campus. Then, Lincoln was honored by a federal coalition for reaching a “functional zero” level of homelessness among veterans.
Both of those represent major victories in years-long campaigns to improve the lives of Lincoln-area veterans. In their different ways of reaching different veteran populations, leaders of both projects deserve praise for securing the needed goals.
The VA clinic will serve as a catalyst for additional development on the site south of 70th and O streets, much of which will be catered to veterans. Without the commitment from the federal government, the Victory Park project proposed for the campus could well have petered out, leaving only the recently opened apartments for homeless and near-homeless veterans.
That facility has filled a critical need in getting veterans off the streets and under a roof, providing a vital resource to the myriad agencies in this worthwhile fight. In his news conference unveiling the award, Mayor Chris Beutler mentioned the continuum of care includes 45 organizations.
Last week’s award by no means guarantees a veteran will never spend a night under a bridge in Lincoln. But it places the city in exclusive company, as one of only 62 communities nationwide with the response system and resources to immediately find a place for any veteran who identifies as homeless.
The special health needs of Americans who served in the military, especially those who saw combat, are well documented - and often linked to homelessness.
Veterans are 15 times more likely than civilians to experience post-traumatic stress disorder and five times more likely to suffer from depression, according to the American Medical Association. Substance abuse occurs at a higher rate in veterans than in the general public, the National Institute of Drug Abuse reports. And that’s not to mention the obvious physical struggles of service members injured in combat.
It goes without saying that anyone who put his or her life on the line in defense of the United States has earned the right to medical care from a grateful nation.
Yet, too many people who served their country in the armed forces fail to get the help they need, for any number of reasons. That must change.
In terms of health care and housing for veterans, Lincoln has made significant progress in both arenas. The pair of announcements only underscored the city’s commitment to providing for these heroes.
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McCook Daily Gazette. October 8, 2018.
Price of injustice comes home for county taxpayers
Most of us tend to look the other way when it comes to the criminal justice system.
Unless we’re a victim or the accused, it’s easier to worry about our own issues than what’s going on in court.
That’s true until the bill comes due for mistakes and abuses by law enforcement and prosecutors.
Gage County, Neb., property owners are feeling the pain.
They owe $28.1 million to six people wrongfully convicted of a 1985 rape and murder, who served a combined 70 years in prison for the slaying of 68-year-old Helen Wilson.
The inmates were exonerated by DNA evidence in 2008, and the county isn’t expected to win further appeals of the civil judgment.
County supervisors, under threat of a court order, voted last month to raise the county’s property tax levy by 11.76 cents per $100 of valuation, generating about $3.8 million next year. That’s an extra $177 in taxes on a $150, 000 home.
State Sen. Roy Baker, who isn’t seeking re-election, introduced bills last year to let the county seek direct state reimbursement or loan, but those didn’t advance in last year’s fiscal climate.
Convictions like the Beatrice Six are all too common in the American criminal justice system, where the poor or intellectually disabled go without adequate representation.
In this case, some with those characteristics accepted plea deals after investigators told them they might face the death penalty. Only one maintained his innocence through trial, but was convicted on the testimony of others who had struck plea deals.
Sen. Ernie Chambers noted that Gage County voters overwhelmingly supported the 2016 ballot measure to reinstate capital punishment, and isn’t likely to feel much sympathy for property owners there.
“This was strictly a county matter,” said Sen. Ernie Chambers, of Omaha. “They made their bed, now they have to sleep in it.”
Unfortunately, many of those who are being forced to pay the bill had no hand in “making the bed,” having moved to the county in the years since.
The former county attorney who chose not to run DNA testing in the case is immune from liability, and the former sheriff died eight years ago.
The Beatrice Six case and others like it spotlight the need to elect ethical and competent sheriffs and county attorneys and hold them accountable.
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