Voting Updates

by John Heaston

As ethnic and progressive groups have galvanized in response to Douglas County Election Commissioner Dave Phipps' decision to shut down almost half of the polling places in Douglas County ahead of this year’s elections, a quick analysis of his decisions has raised serious concerns that this is another Republican Party attempt to suppress minority and lower-income voting. Phipps, a Republican,...

Garry Gernandt’s unexpected swing vote won approval of equal employment protection for LGBTs

by Leo Adam Biga

After weeks of public testimony and closed door meetings on the hotly contested equal employment ordinance giving legal protection to gay and transgender residents, the Omaha City Council decided the issue March 13.

Three-term District 4 (South Omaha) representative Garry Gernandt surprised many when he reversed his position and cast the swing vote in favor. The Democrat had resisted the...

Lawmakers call for state to take control of child welfare

by admin

The state of Nebraska should take back responsibility for managing child welfare cases from private contractors. And it should create a new department to handle children’s services. Those were the recommendations of a legislative committee investigating the state’s efforts to reform the child welfare system. Read more.

Arizona Sheriff Commits Worst Racial Profiling in U.S. Histor

by admin

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office didn't just commit racial profiling of Latinos, according to the findings of the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation. Rather, Arpaio oversaw the worst pattern of racial profiling by a law enforcement agency in U.S. history, a DOJ expert concluded. Read More.

Project Censored 2012

by admin

Now in its 35th year, Project Censored, a media research program at Sonoma State University, has examined the coverage of news and information to identify what it calls Modern Censorship -- "the subtle yet constant and sophisticated manipulation of reality in American mass media outlets."

Every year the program releases its list of the Top 25 Censored stories -- "important national news...

Master Transportation Plan Gets a Makeover

by Jessica Clem-McClaren

In a wave of bike helmets and Velcro gloves, over 70 cyclists pedaled to a public forum hosted by the City of Omaha Planning Department. The two hour presentation discussed a proposed revision of Omaha’s Transportation Master Plan.

The cling of bike shoe clips and rattling car keys could be heard as motorists, walkers, bus riders and others filled 250 seats in the Scott Conference Center....

Fremont Builds Anti-Immigrant Defense Fund to $1.1 million

by admin

by Lindsey Peterson

The City of Fremont is budgeting for another year of judicial sparring in the case of its illegal immigration ordinance. Passed and then soon halted last summer, the ordinance aims to punish those renting to and hiring illegal immigrants. Now tied up in U.S. District Court, the city is currently being represented by Kansas Secretary of State and Federation for American...

Common Sense Adds to Truancy Law

by Robyn Wisch

It’s a plan that builds on an older plan. Last year, LB 800 was signed into law. That enacted sweeping reforms in truancy prevention and juvenile justice – if a child was truant for more than 20 days of the school year, the county attorney would get involved, and the parents and children might find themselves in court or facing fines. That led to an influx of truancy cases that county attorneys...