Nebraska Update

Turfgrass lawns are a landscape staple — an environmental reckoning may change that

Gov. Jim Pillen's efforts to drum up support for lowering property taxes by expanding sales taxes met some skepticism Friday in Grand Island.

More than 87 hundred additional ballots from Tuesday’s primary election were counted by the Douglas County Election Commission Friday morning. That number includes early voting ballots that were delivered to the election office on election day. While most races have been called, Friday's count has widened the gap between two candidates vying for second place and a chance to advance to the general election.

The United States Department of Agriculture partnered with the Tri-Faith Center in Omaha to host a summit this week about countering antisemitism, Islamophobia and other biases in rural communities. The Tri-Faith campus has a mosque, synagogue, church and a center connecting them. Samantha Joseph, the director of the USDA Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, said those connections made it the perfect spot to host a summit like this.

Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers is suing California and the federal government over requirements to replace diesel trucks with electric vehicles.

Planting is well underway across the Midwest, but farmers are still grappling with dry conditions that led to lower than normal corn yields last fall. It’s the third year of a near historic drought for parts of the Corn Belt.

A bill passed in this year’s Nebraska legislative session has the potential to increase the number of electric vehicle charging stations in the state, according to electric vehicle lobbying group Charge Ahead Partnership. A provision from State Sen. Eliot Bostar regulating electric vehicle charging stations was passed unanimously as part of a larger package bill in April.

The Republican candidates for the primary election in Nebraska’s second congressional district say although they’re both in the same party, they couldn’t be more different. This election could redefine the urban Nebraska Republican.

Michael Connely is challenging incumbent Mike Flood for the Congressional District 1 seat in the Republican primary election. Both candidates running without state party endorsement is a reflection of national trends, an expert said.

On the State Board of Education, all four incumbents up for election decided against running for office again. This leaves the non-partisan board up to some potential political changes. The board has eight members. It’s an even split of Republicans and Democrats even though it’s officially a non-partisan board. Three of the four members up for election are registered Democrats, which leaves the board open to the potential for a political majority in 2025.