Nebraska Update

Dr. Florescu said a separate study looked at the same drug and its effectiveness for outpatient care following a confirmed COVID infection. That study has good initial results and the pharmaceutical company MERCK is sending a request to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency approval. Dr. Florescu and UNMC’s study examines the pill’s use for preventative care.

It’s common these days to see big corporate names plastered across university campuses – especially within agriculture departments. Whether it’s a building, an endowed teaching job or a research center, corporations and public universities are increasingly cozy.

Reporting by Harvest Public Media and Investigate Midwest reveals just how much money has gone to Midwestern universities, and how that money can put schools in sticky situations.

Earlier this year, the University of Nebraska-Omaha named its softball complex after Connie Claussen. She remains one of the most influential people in women’s sports in Nebraska. Recently Bill Kelly with Nebraska Public Media News talked with Claussen about her role. It’s part of our special coverage of the 50th Anniversary of Title IX and its importance to athletics and academics.

UNO chancellor Joanne Li and University of Nebraska President Ted Carter made the announcement that Dowell will be the school’s next AD. To do that, he’ll leave a job down the road at Creighton, where he served as the assistant vice president and associate athletic director for the private school.

Dowell says he admires his predecessor Trev Alberts, who made the move south to Lincoln this past July.

Patty Pansing Brooks has been a state senator for the Lincoln area since 2014. She’ll be term-limited out next year and has set her sights on Washington for the First Congressional District of Nebraska where she’ll run as a Democrat. The district encompasses rural eastern Nebraska and cities such as Lincoln, Fremont, Norfolk, and Columbus. Republican Jeff Fortenberry has held the seat since 2004.

Pansing Brooks said healthcare will be an important part of her campaign.

“I want to make sure that we strengthen the Affordable Care Act,” Pansing Brooks said. “Americans shouldn’t have to be uninsured and unable to get the insurance they need...

As more drivers buy electric vehicles across the Midwest, utility companies work to establish a charging network.

President Joe Biden and CMS announced a COVID-19 vaccine mandate earlier this month for all healthcare workers. The rule applies to institutions receiving
Medicare or Medicaid funding. Hospitals are expected to comply or federal financial support will be revoked. The mandate affects 17 million workers across the country.

The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission has proposed rules to govern casinos at the state's racetracks.

Despite drawing criticism from Governor Pete Ricketts, receiving hundreds of emails, and hearing public comments for the first time, the Nebraska State Colleges Board passed two policies that protect against gender identity and more, late Thursday.

Justin Nix is a professor of criminology and criminal justice at UNO and said most states analyze officer-involved shootings by only looking at fatal shootings. He explained why that’s problematic.

“You might actually be drawing conclusions based on the differences in the likelihood of mortality, than in differences in police behavior,” Nix said. “So, to get a more accurate understanding of the behavior, police shootings, we need data on all police shootings, because at the end of the day, I would hope we’d all want to minimize police shootings to the extent possible.”