NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — An alarm blared and lights flashed as a heavily armed assailant stalked the hallways of The Covenant School.

Surveillance footage of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nashville-school-shooting-covenant-school-03aa394109a5e682877403c0c3e52aa7?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">the shooting Monday at the private Christian school</a>&nbsp;in Nashville showed many familiar security measures, including the double set of locked glass doors the killer shot their way through before fatally shooting three children and three school employees.

"It’s just next to impossible to stop someone with an AR-17 coming through the door,” said George Grant, a leader with the Nashville Presbytery, which is connected with the school. Grant said the presbytery doesn’t have a formal security program for its churches and schools but that members have worked together to share best practices and improve safety.

Around the U.S., private schools generally do not face as many requirements as public schools for developing security plans. In Tennessee, laws requiring schools to develop and submit safety plans do not apply to private schools, an emailed statement from the state Department of Education said.

Private schools also sometimes lack access to government programs to bolster security, though private schools in some states are eligible for state money to bolster security with staff, equipment and technology. Some federal grants also are available to private schools for security aid.

Generally, private schools don't have access to the police many public schools have assigned to their campuses, said Mo Canady, executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers. He said some private schools have arranged to hire recently retired officers.

“I would imagine after this horrific situation in Nashville that there may be more attempts by private schools to try to not only bolster security but to get school resource officers.”

Still, amid widespread concerns about mass shootings, experts say private schools have invested similarly to public schools in violence prevention.

Private schools were among institutions that invested most heavily in security in the aftermath of the 2012 shooting that killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Today, private schools have some of the highest-paid security specialists, including retired federal agents, said Michael Dorn, who has been involved in assessing security at thousands of schools as executive director of Safe Havens International, a nonprofit school safety center.

Security protocols for private schools are similar to those for public schools, but they are more tailored to each school’s location and circumstances, said Myra McGovern of the National Association of Independent Schools.

Security such as metal detectors may not be as visible at private schools, which also have considerations including boarding students and, in some cases, the children of heads of state to look after, she said.

“Attention to security is similar, but the way that it manifests is perhaps different,” McGovern said.

The quality of safety plans for private schools also varies widely, as it does for public schools, Dorn said.

“We see schools that are pretty behind and some that are exceptional,” he said.

In Tennessee, an executive order last year by Gov. Bill Lee on school safety measures directed the state to conduct a report on the use of armed guards in nonpublic schools and assess their need for active-shooter training.

Most U.S. school systems conduct active-shooter and lockdown trainings, and the Nashville school had in fact undergone&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-texas-education-violence-469144ec9cee9cb33f0860f7445d8591">active-shooter training</a>&nbsp;in 2022, which prevented further loss of life during Monday's shooting, city police spokesperson Brooke Reese said.

Private or not, shootings are more common at middle and high schools than at elementary schools like Covenant, which are less likely to have assigned security officers. Educators also are wary of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-school-safety-teaching-newport-news-virginia-07c0979141666c852923aff75421a0f1">unsettling young learners</a>&nbsp;with more heavy-handed security measures.

The Covenant School has about 200 students from preschool through sixth grade. The school and the Covenant Presbyterian Church are connected with the Nashville Presbytery, which includes congregations in the Presbyterian Church in America, across Middle Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky.

“Over the last several years, most of our churches have undergone training and have really scrutinized their security arrangements,” said Grant, the immediate past moderator for the Nashville Presbytery. “It’s not an official sort of presbytery-wide initiative, but it has just sort of grown out of relationships.”

Grant said Franklin Classical School, a school under the spiritual oversight of his church, Parish Presbyterian Church in Franklin, Tennessee, has lockdown procedures and security codes in place. The school always has a former police officer on site when school is in session. It is unknown whether The Covenant School had a security officer.

Grant said his church’s security team has called for a review of security protocols and already had training planned for the week after Easter.

“This is just a good reminder that we live in a broken, fallen world," he said. "And we need to be vigilant to care for one another as best we can.”

___ Ma reported from Washington, D.C. Associated Press writers Jonathan Mattise in Nashville and Michael Melia in Hartford, Conn., contributed to this report.

The Associated Press education team receives support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1679935165685.png" alt="First responders at the scene at Covenant School -photo Nashville Metro Police" />
 <figcaption>First responders at the scene at Covenant School -photo Nashville Metro Police</figcaption>
 </figure>NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — An alarm blared and lights flashed as a heavily armed assailant stalked the hallways of The Covenant School.Surveillance footage of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nashville-school-shooting-covenant-school-03aa394109a5e682877403c0c3e52aa7?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">the shooting Monday at the private Christian school</a>&nbsp;in Nashville showed many familiar security measures, including the double set of locked glass doors the killer shot their way through before fatally shooting three children and three school employees."It’s just next to impossible to stop someone with an AR-17 coming through the door,” said George Grant, a leader with the Nashville Presbytery, which is connected with the school. Grant said the presbytery doesn’t have a formal security program for its churches and schools but that members have worked together to share best practices and improve safety.Around the U.S., private schools generally do not face as many requirements as public schools for developing security plans. In Tennessee, laws requiring schools to develop and submit safety plans do not apply to private schools, an emailed statement from the state Department of Education said.Private schools also sometimes lack access to government programs to bolster security, though private schools in some states are eligible for state money to bolster security with staff, equipment and technology. Some federal grants also are available to private schools for security aid.Generally, private schools don't have access to the police many public schools have assigned to their campuses, said Mo Canady, executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers. He said some private schools have arranged to hire recently retired officers.“I would imagine after this horrific situation in Nashville that there may be more attempts by private schools to try to not only bolster security but to get school resource officers.”Still, amid widespread concerns about mass shootings, experts say private schools have invested similarly to public schools in violence prevention.Private schools were among institutions that invested most heavily in security in the aftermath of the 2012 shooting that killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Today, private schools have some of the highest-paid security specialists, including retired federal agents, said Michael Dorn, who has been involved in assessing security at thousands of schools as executive director of Safe Havens International, a nonprofit school safety center.Security protocols for private schools are similar to those for public schools, but they are more tailored to each school’s location and circumstances, said Myra McGovern of the National Association of Independent Schools.Security such as metal detectors may not be as visible at private schools, which also have considerations including boarding students and, in some cases, the children of heads of state to look after, she said.“Attention to security is similar, but the way that it manifests is perhaps different,” McGovern said.The quality of safety plans for private schools also varies widely, as it does for public schools, Dorn said.“We see schools that are pretty behind and some that are exceptional,” he said.In Tennessee, an executive order last year by Gov. Bill Lee on school safety measures directed the state to conduct a report on the use of armed guards in nonpublic schools and assess their need for active-shooter training.Most U.S. school systems conduct active-shooter and lockdown trainings, and the Nashville school had in fact undergone&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-texas-education-violence-469144ec9cee9cb33f0860f7445d8591">active-shooter training</a>&nbsp;in 2022, which prevented further loss of life during Monday's shooting, city police spokesperson Brooke Reese said.Private or not, shootings are more common at middle and high schools than at elementary schools like Covenant, which are less likely to have assigned security officers. Educators also are wary of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-school-safety-teaching-newport-news-virginia-07c0979141666c852923aff75421a0f1">unsettling young learners</a>&nbsp;with more heavy-handed security measures.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Hale fired a number of rounds inside the Covenant Church/School building. She was armed with these 3 guns and significant ammunition. <a href="https://t.co/3LYOU2r0sh">pic.twitter.com/3LYOU2r0sh</a>&mdash; Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) <a href="https://twitter.com/MNPDNashville/status/1640521034594918400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Covenant School has about 200 students from preschool through sixth grade. The school and the Covenant Presbyterian Church are connected with the Nashville Presbytery, which includes congregations in the Presbyterian Church in America, across Middle Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky.“Over the last several years, most of our churches have undergone training and have really scrutinized their security arrangements,” said Grant, the immediate past moderator for the Nashville Presbytery. “It’s not an official sort of presbytery-wide initiative, but it has just sort of grown out of relationships.”Grant said Franklin Classical School, a school under the spiritual oversight of his church, Parish Presbyterian Church in Franklin, Tennessee, has lockdown procedures and security codes in place. The school always has a former police officer on site when school is in session. It is unknown whether The Covenant School had a security officer.Grant said his church’s security team has called for a review of security protocols and already had training planned for the week after Easter.“This is just a good reminder that we live in a broken, fallen world," he said. "And we need to be vigilant to care for one another as best we can.”___ Ma reported from Washington, D.C. Associated Press writers Jonathan Mattise in Nashville and Michael Melia in Hartford, Conn., contributed to this report.The Associated Press education team receives support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Nashville shooting highlights security at private schools

By GREG DOERING <a href="https://kansaslivingmagazine.com/articles/2023/02/01/how-the-farm-bill-impacts-everyone-not-just-farmers">Kansas Living</a>

By the time the Great Depression started in 1929, America’s farmers 
and ranchers were already suffering from a yearslong agricultural 
depression that had started shortly after World War I. While Congress 
debated several relief proposals, none was ever enacted.

A lack of policy to ensure an adequate price for crops and livestock 
created a downward cycle. To make up for low prices, farmers and 
ranchers raised more and more, creating larger surpluses that drove 
prices even lower.

It wasn’t until 1933 that the federal government acted to prevent 
further destruction in the agriculture industry. Under the New Deal, 
three closely related programs — the Commodity Credit Corporation, 
Agricultural Adjustment Administration and Farm Credit Administration — 
were created to address the problems of oversupply and low prices. In 
conjunction, the programs essentially set a floor on the price of staple
 crops like corn and wheat, offered incentives for returning farmland to
 grassland and refinanced farm mortgages to lower interest rates. Now 
considered the first farm bill, the original legislation has been 
reviewed and updated every five years or so. Congress is slated to pass 
the 19th iteration in 2023.

Over the decades, the farm bill has evolved alongside agriculture. It
 no longer is just about protecting the work of farmers and ranchers, 
but rather the policies touch nearly every corner of agriculture and 
ensure U.S. consumers have access to high quality, safe and nutritious 
food.

Unlike the 1933 farm bill, which was focused almost exclusively on 
farmers, today’s farm bill is aimed at many aspects of agriculture from 
the growers to consumers through various programs packaged under a 
single bill with “titles” addressing specific areas.

Though the titles vary from bill to bill, the 2018 farm bill included
 12 that covered commodities, conservation, trade, nutrition, credit, 
rural development, research, extension and related matters, forestry, 
energy, horticulture, crop insurance and a catchall for miscellaneous 
matters.

While the list is expansive, 99 percent of farm bill spending is 
currently dedicated to nutrition, commodities, crop insurance and 
conservation. Most has gone toward the nutrition component, primarily 
through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which 
helps vulnerable families purchase healthy food.

The remaining 1 percent is divided among the other eight titles and 
makes investments in rural economic growth, research supporting 
innovation and food safety, farmers markets, local food programs and 
much more.

“In that 1 percent, there are a lot of research and training programs
 that can have a big impact,” says Jenny Ifft, associate professor in 
agricultural economics at Kansas State University.

Of all the titles in the farm bill, crop insurance is perhaps the 
most important to Kansas farmers because it gives them certainty when 
making investments to expand, whether that means buying more land or 
upgrading their equipment.

Mother nature is a tough business partner, but with crop insurance, 
farmers receive protection from disasters in the same fashion home and 
car owners are guarded against damage to their property. Under the farm 
bill, farmers receive varying subsidies to buy policies from private 
companies to cover perils like frost, wind, disease, drought, fire, 
flooding and insect damage. Coverage for more than 120 crops is 
available, with the premium and amount paid in the event of a loss being
 tied to the actual value of the crop.

From lawmakers’ point of view, the risk management tools in the farm 
bill prevent a lot of headaches from trying to pass separate legislation
 for disaster relief after every flood, fire, freeze or other 
catastrophe.

“It really takes the place of disaster programs, which are a disaster
 to implement,” says retired Sen. Pat Roberts, who worked on eight farm 
bills during his tenure in both the House and Senate. “It’s far better 
to have crop insurance.”

In fact, crop insurance is so important to Kansas farmers that Rep. 
Tracey Mann says it’s the main topic he heard on the campaign trail last
 fall on visits with producers in Kansas’ 1st Congressional District. 
Mann’s district stretches from the Colorado border in the west to 
portions of Douglas County in the east, giving him a broad view of 
agriculture across more than three-quarters of the state.

Mann, who grew up on a farm near Quinter, serves on the House 
Agriculture Committee, which is tasked with writing the 2023 farm bill. 
He also sees room in the next bill for expanded trade promotion and 
reduced regulations for farmers and ranchers. Mann says successfully 
drafting the next farm bill involves telling the story of American 
agriculture and how it extends beyond our country’s borders.

“Our farmers in Kansas, in the Midwest and throughout the country 
feed a hungry world,” he says. “That need is constantly growing so we 
need to have policy in place to meet it.”

Expanding trade and opening new markets gives farmers more incentive 
to raise crops and livestock, while reducing regulations lowers the cost
 of production, which can then be passed on to consumers.

“Speaking broadly, the farm bill helps create an environment where our producers can innovate and can keep growing,” Ifft says. “Economic stability is a policy objective. The farm bill helps create that stability so farmers can adapt.”

Roberts says the multiyear spending authorized in farm bills adds 
certainty, noting farms are like any other business and benefit from the
 ability to make long-range plans. Ifft agrees.

“If you grow row crops like wheat, corn or soybeans, more likely than
 not, you’re using crop insurance,” she says. “Something like 90 to 95 
percent of acres in row crops are covered by crop insurance. That helps 
producers access credit and make investments. If you have a bad year, 
it’s going to help keep your farm and your family in business.”

Ultimately, feeding people is the goal of the farm bill, and the 
nutrition title accounts for about three-quarters of the total spending 
authorized by Congress. Most of the money is distributed through SNAP, 
which was formerly known as the food stamp program. Recent farm bills 
have included provisions for purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables 
distributed to school lunch programs.

Like crop insurance, SNAP provides a buffer for families facing 
economic hardships, especially if they struggle to put food on their 
table.

“It can be the difference between officially being classified as in 
poverty&nbsp;or not,” Ifft says. “It’s countercyclical and sees increased use
 during times of economic hardship.”

SNAP also provides indirect benefits for retailers like grocery 
stores and increases the demand for food, which helps farmers and 
ranchers. It also serves a broad range of families across the country, 
in both urban and rural areas. From 2011- 15, SNAP participation 
averaged 13 percent of households in urban areas while the utilization 
rate in rural areas was 16 percent.

“SNAP has millions of participants, but the average benefit is $218 per month,” Ifft says. “While urban populations are larger and hence have more beneficiaries, SNAP is relatively more important in rural areas.”

At first glance, it can be difficult to see the connection between 
policies targeted at a small group like farmers and ranchers and the 
wide safety net funded under the nutrition title, but both Mann and 
Roberts say the union is critical for the legislation.

“At the end of the day — whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, Independent or Libertarian — everyone eats,” Mann says. “We’ve got to have a safe, consistent, robust food supply to feed America.”

The bill is as diverse and encompassing as agriculture itself, even 
if consumers’ perception of farmers and ranchers differs from the 
reality.

“If you look at the general population, people care about their 
food,” Ifft says. “As a society, a lot of people still have a warm place
 in their hearts for agriculture. There is that general support; it’s 
not always linked to an understanding of what modern agriculture looks 
like and what it takes to earn your livelihood in agriculture.”

In a way, calling it the farm bill is a disservice since the ultimate
 policy objectives are about ensuring our nation’s pantry is well 
stocked. Groceries start at farm gates long before they wind up on 
dinner plates, so perhaps a better name would be the farm and food bill.
 Because without one, we wouldn’t have the other.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680278741410.png" alt="Courtesy Kansas Living Magazine" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy Kansas Living Magazine</figcaption>
 </figure>By GREG DOERING <a href="https://kansaslivingmagazine.com/articles/2023/02/01/how-the-farm-bill-impacts-everyone-not-just-farmers">Kansas Living</a>By the time the Great Depression started in 1929, America’s farmers 
and ranchers were already suffering from a yearslong agricultural 
depression that had started shortly after World War I. While Congress 
debated several relief proposals, none was ever enacted.A lack of policy to ensure an adequate price for crops and livestock 
created a downward cycle. To make up for low prices, farmers and 
ranchers raised more and more, creating larger surpluses that drove 
prices even lower.It wasn’t until 1933 that the federal government acted to prevent 
further destruction in the agriculture industry. Under the New Deal, 
three closely related programs — the Commodity Credit Corporation, 
Agricultural Adjustment Administration and Farm Credit Administration — 
were created to address the problems of oversupply and low prices. In 
conjunction, the programs essentially set a floor on the price of staple
 crops like corn and wheat, offered incentives for returning farmland to
 grassland and refinanced farm mortgages to lower interest rates. Now 
considered the first farm bill, the original legislation has been 
reviewed and updated every five years or so. Congress is slated to pass 
the 19th iteration in 2023.Over the decades, the farm bill has evolved alongside agriculture. It
 no longer is just about protecting the work of farmers and ranchers, 
but rather the policies touch nearly every corner of agriculture and 
ensure U.S. consumers have access to high quality, safe and nutritious 
food.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680278932413.png" alt="Courtesy Kansas Living Magazine" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy Kansas Living Magazine</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The modern Farm Bill</h2>Unlike the 1933 farm bill, which was focused almost exclusively on 
farmers, today’s farm bill is aimed at many aspects of agriculture from 
the growers to consumers through various programs packaged under a 
single bill with “titles” addressing specific areas.Though the titles vary from bill to bill, the 2018 farm bill included
 12 that covered commodities, conservation, trade, nutrition, credit, 
rural development, research, extension and related matters, forestry, 
energy, horticulture, crop insurance and a catchall for miscellaneous 
matters.While the list is expansive, 99 percent of farm bill spending is 
currently dedicated to nutrition, commodities, crop insurance and 
conservation. Most has gone toward the nutrition component, primarily 
through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which 
helps vulnerable families purchase healthy food.The remaining 1 percent is divided among the other eight titles and 
makes investments in rural economic growth, research supporting 
innovation and food safety, farmers markets, local food programs and 
much more.“In that 1 percent, there are a lot of research and training programs
 that can have a big impact,” says Jenny Ifft, associate professor in 
agricultural economics at Kansas State University.<h2>Farm safety net</h2>Of all the titles in the farm bill, crop insurance is perhaps the 
most important to Kansas farmers because it gives them certainty when 
making investments to expand, whether that means buying more land or 
upgrading their equipment.Mother nature is a tough business partner, but with crop insurance, 
farmers receive protection from disasters in the same fashion home and 
car owners are guarded against damage to their property. Under the farm 
bill, farmers receive varying subsidies to buy policies from private 
companies to cover perils like frost, wind, disease, drought, fire, 
flooding and insect damage. Coverage for more than 120 crops is 
available, with the premium and amount paid in the event of a loss being
 tied to the actual value of the crop.From lawmakers’ point of view, the risk management tools in the farm 
bill prevent a lot of headaches from trying to pass separate legislation
 for disaster relief after every flood, fire, freeze or other 
catastrophe.“It really takes the place of disaster programs, which are a disaster
 to implement,” says retired Sen. Pat Roberts, who worked on eight farm 
bills during his tenure in both the House and Senate. “It’s far better 
to have crop insurance.”In fact, crop insurance is so important to Kansas farmers that Rep. 
Tracey Mann says it’s the main topic he heard on the campaign trail last
 fall on visits with producers in Kansas’ 1st Congressional District. 
Mann’s district stretches from the Colorado border in the west to 
portions of Douglas County in the east, giving him a broad view of 
agriculture across more than three-quarters of the state.Mann, who grew up on a farm near Quinter, serves on the House 
Agriculture Committee, which is tasked with writing the 2023 farm bill. 
He also sees room in the next bill for expanded trade promotion and 
reduced regulations for farmers and ranchers. Mann says successfully 
drafting the next farm bill involves telling the story of American 
agriculture and how it extends beyond our country’s borders.“Our farmers in Kansas, in the Midwest and throughout the country 
feed a hungry world,” he says. “That need is constantly growing so we 
need to have policy in place to meet it.”Expanding trade and opening new markets gives farmers more incentive 
to raise crops and livestock, while reducing regulations lowers the cost
 of production, which can then be passed on to consumers.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680278971826.png" alt="Courtesy Kansas Living Magazine" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy Kansas Living Magazine</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Investment incentive</h2>“Speaking broadly, the farm bill helps create an environment where our producers can innovate and can keep growing,” Ifft says. “Economic stability is a policy objective. The farm bill helps create that stability so farmers can adapt.”Roberts says the multiyear spending authorized in farm bills adds 
certainty, noting farms are like any other business and benefit from the
 ability to make long-range plans. Ifft agrees.“If you grow row crops like wheat, corn or soybeans, more likely than
 not, you’re using crop insurance,” she says. “Something like 90 to 95 
percent of acres in row crops are covered by crop insurance. That helps 
producers access credit and make investments. If you have a bad year, 
it’s going to help keep your farm and your family in business.”<h2>Food safety net</h2>Ultimately, feeding people is the goal of the farm bill, and the 
nutrition title accounts for about three-quarters of the total spending 
authorized by Congress. Most of the money is distributed through SNAP, 
which was formerly known as the food stamp program. Recent farm bills 
have included provisions for purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables 
distributed to school lunch programs.Like crop insurance, SNAP provides a buffer for families facing 
economic hardships, especially if they struggle to put food on their 
table.“It can be the difference between officially being classified as in 
poverty&nbsp;or not,” Ifft says. “It’s countercyclical and sees increased use
 during times of economic hardship.”SNAP also provides indirect benefits for retailers like grocery 
stores and increases the demand for food, which helps farmers and 
ranchers. It also serves a broad range of families across the country, 
in both urban and rural areas. From 2011- 15, SNAP participation 
averaged 13 percent of households in urban areas while the utilization 
rate in rural areas was 16 percent.“SNAP has millions of participants, but the average benefit is $218 per month,” Ifft says. “While urban populations are larger and hence have more beneficiaries, SNAP is relatively more important in rural areas.”<h2>Building a coalition</h2>At first glance, it can be difficult to see the connection between 
policies targeted at a small group like farmers and ranchers and the 
wide safety net funded under the nutrition title, but both Mann and 
Roberts say the union is critical for the legislation.“At the end of the day — whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, Independent or Libertarian — everyone eats,” Mann says. “We’ve got to have a safe, consistent, robust food supply to feed America.”<h2>Supporting everyone</h2>The bill is as diverse and encompassing as agriculture itself, even 
if consumers’ perception of farmers and ranchers differs from the 
reality.“If you look at the general population, people care about their 
food,” Ifft says. “As a society, a lot of people still have a warm place
 in their hearts for agriculture. There is that general support; it’s 
not always linked to an understanding of what modern agriculture looks 
like and what it takes to earn your livelihood in agriculture.”In a way, calling it the farm bill is a disservice since the ultimate
 policy objectives are about ensuring our nation’s pantry is well 
stocked. Groceries start at farm gates long before they wind up on 
dinner plates, so perhaps a better name would be the farm and food bill.
 Because without one, we wouldn’t have the other.

How the farm bill impacts everyone — not just farmers

United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Jose Leyva-Martinez, 49, was sentenced Friday in federal court in Omaha for his participation in a methamphetamine drug conspiracy and for possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter Jr. sentenced Leyva-Martinez to 210 months’ imprisonment on the drug charge and a consecutive 60 months’ imprisonment on the firearm charge for a total sentence of 270 months.&nbsp; There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release.

On March 31, 2021, an Omaha Police confidential source purchased more than 50 grams of methamphetamine from an Omaha-based methamphetamine dealer.&nbsp; A search of the dealer’s home resulted in the seizure of more than 300 grams of methamphetamine, 19 grams of heroin, 14 grams of cocaine, a Glock 10mm handgun, and $5,744 in United States currency.

In an interview with police, the Omaha dealer provided police with the name of his supplier: Leyva-Martinez.&nbsp; With this information, officers searched Leyva-Martinez’s home, seizing nearly 4 kilograms of methamphetamine, 1 kilogram of cocaine, money transfer receipts, ammunition, two drug scales, vehicle titles for a gray Toyota Tacoma, a gray Honda Civic, and a black GMC 1500, a money counter, drug ledger, jewelry, $468,990.00 in United States currency, and an Astra 9mm handgun.&nbsp; The handgun was found in a bedroom near $28,000 in United States currency.&nbsp;

Leyva-Martinez admitted being a methamphetamine supplier and distributor for the Sinaloa Cartel.&nbsp; He admitted that all three vehicles and the residence were put in his name at the direction of the Cartel.&nbsp; Law enforcement estimated that the seized currency represented cash proceeds from the sale of more than 100 pounds of methamphetamine.&nbsp;

Leyva-Martinez’s home, vehicles, monies, and other valuables were seized by law enforcement as proceeds of narcotics trafficking.&nbsp;

This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department.

U.S. Attorney's OfficeUnited States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Jose Leyva-Martinez, 49, was sentenced Friday in federal court in Omaha for his participation in a methamphetamine drug conspiracy and for possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter Jr. sentenced Leyva-Martinez to 210 months’ imprisonment on the drug charge and a consecutive 60 months’ imprisonment on the firearm charge for a total sentence of 270 months.&nbsp; There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release.On March 31, 2021, an Omaha Police confidential source purchased more than 50 grams of methamphetamine from an Omaha-based methamphetamine dealer.&nbsp; A search of the dealer’s home resulted in the seizure of more than 300 grams of methamphetamine, 19 grams of heroin, 14 grams of cocaine, a Glock 10mm handgun, and $5,744 in United States currency.In an interview with police, the Omaha dealer provided police with the name of his supplier: Leyva-Martinez.&nbsp; With this information, officers searched Leyva-Martinez’s home, seizing nearly 4 kilograms of methamphetamine, 1 kilogram of cocaine, money transfer receipts, ammunition, two drug scales, vehicle titles for a gray Toyota Tacoma, a gray Honda Civic, and a black GMC 1500, a money counter, drug ledger, jewelry, $468,990.00 in United States currency, and an Astra 9mm handgun.&nbsp; The handgun was found in a bedroom near $28,000 in United States currency.&nbsp;Leyva-Martinez admitted being a methamphetamine supplier and distributor for the Sinaloa Cartel.&nbsp; He admitted that all three vehicles and the residence were put in his name at the direction of the Cartel.&nbsp; Law enforcement estimated that the seized currency represented cash proceeds from the sale of more than 100 pounds of methamphetamine.&nbsp;Leyva-Martinez’s home, vehicles, monies, and other valuables were seized by law enforcement as proceeds of narcotics trafficking.&nbsp;This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department.

Cartel distributor sentenced for meth conspiracy, firearms crimes

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/31/auditor-says-state-agencies-had-millions-in-questioned-spending-of-federal-funds/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — A new state audit is 
questioning whether state agencies properly spent millions of dollars of
 pandemic-related federal funds, raising the possibility that Nebraska 
might need to repay those funds.

“They’re big dollar items, and they should not happen,” said State Auditor Mike Foley on Friday.

At least two state agencies disagreed with the audit’s findings and maintained that their spending was justified.

A 244-page, annually required report on spending of federal dollars found millions of dollars of “questioned costs.” Among them:

— $12 million of personnel costs shifted from the state to the feds 
to cover COVID-19 personnel costs incurred by the Nebraska Department of
 Corrections.&nbsp;Auditors said they could find no difference between 
pre-COVID spending on overtime and on-call expenses, and those incurred 
during the pandemic.&nbsp;” … Long-standing staffing challenges at 
correctional facilities were not caused primarily by COVID-19,” the 
auditor’s office stated in press release.

&nbsp;—
 About $3.6 million in excessive administration costs charged to a 
federal rent- and utility-assistance grant administered by the Nebraska 
Military Department.&nbsp;The audit 
said the state received $158 million in pandemic aid to assist 
low-income families, of which most was funneled to local governments to 
spend. The firm, Deloitte &amp; Touche, was hired to administrate the program and was given up to $14.6 million to do that.

The problem, Foley said, was that 
because most of the funds were forwarded to cities and counties to hand 
out, the amount that needed administration by Deloitte &amp; Touche 
became much smaller.

&nbsp;The report noted that the state was 
allowed 10% for administrative costs, or about $6.2 million for the 
remaining state funds, but that about $9.7 million was spent.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;Supporting documents were lacking, the report said, to determine if the company’s expenses “were reasonable.”

&nbsp;Auditors said that amount of 
overcharged administrative expenses is likely to rise because the 
problem is ongoing and was not addressed in a report a year ago.

The Military Department, in its written response, said it disagreed with the auditor’s conclusion. The agency said it will be able
 to show that the administrative costs are “related to the delivery of 
the program in a timely fashion and is aligned with US Treasury 
Guidance.”

— $800,000 in expenses by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human
 Services which were questioned due to inadequate accounting and poorly 
written contracts.&nbsp;DHHS received about $47 million in federal funds for 
laboratory and epidemiology expenses related to COVID-19. Auditors noted
 that the $800,000 in “questioned cost” was based on a limited sample 
and that up to $4.3 million of additional federal dollars might be at 
risk.

On the positive side, auditors found that DHHS may have mistakenly 
not charged the feds for administrative costs associated with the Child 
Care and Development Block Grant program.&nbsp;That could amount to $1.85 
million in expenses being incurred by the state instead of the federal 
government, the audit stated.

The Corrections Department, in its written response contained in the 
report, said it disagreed with the auditor’s interpretation on the use 
of the COVID funds and felt the expenses were allowable.

“COVID conditions resulted in significant vacancies in NDCS’ 
facilities. Mandatory overtime was necessary for the majority of staff, 
especially those who had direct contact with incarcerated individuals,” 
the department stated.

Messages from the Examiner seeking comment from the other agencies cited were not immediately returned Friday morning.

Foley said the annual report on spending of federal funds, called the
 “federal single audit,” will be forwarded to the proper federal 
agencies. He said they will decide whether to require the state to repay
 the questioned costs, reduce what federal funds Nebraska gets in the 
future or just ignore it.

According to Friday’s audit, the state spent nearly $5.4 billion in 
federal funds, which includes regular grants for things like operating 
veterans homes and social service programs, as well as COVID-19 aid.

The auditor added that the federal government quickly distributed 
billions of dollars in aid to states due to the pandemic, which, in 
turn, was doled out quickly by states.

“Which is not a good combination,” Foley said. “So mistakes got made.”

Friday’s report also pointed out more than $80 million in accounting 
errors in the unemployment insurance fund administered by the Department
 of Labor with the assistance of the Department of Administrative 
Services.

The DAS, in a response in the report, blamed the errors on 
“limitations in (Labor Department’s) tax and benefit system” which are 
being addressed.

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/31/auditor-says-state-agencies-had-millions-in-questioned-spending-of-federal-funds/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — A new state audit is 
questioning whether state agencies properly spent millions of dollars of
 pandemic-related federal funds, raising the possibility that Nebraska 
might need to repay those funds.“They’re big dollar items, and they should not happen,” said State Auditor Mike Foley on Friday.At least two state agencies disagreed with the audit’s findings and maintained that their spending was justified.<h2>Corrections, Military, DHHS </h2>A 244-page, annually required report on spending of federal dollars found millions of dollars of “questioned costs.” Among them:<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680291798881.jpeg" alt="State Auditor Mike Foley, pictured last year when he was serving as lieutenant governor and presiding over the Nebraska Legislature. (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>State Auditor Mike Foley, pictured last year when he was serving as lieutenant governor and presiding over the Nebraska Legislature. (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>— $12 million of personnel costs shifted from the state to the feds 
to cover COVID-19 personnel costs incurred by the Nebraska Department of
 Corrections.&nbsp;Auditors said they could find no difference between 
pre-COVID spending on overtime and on-call expenses, and those incurred 
during the pandemic.&nbsp;” … Long-standing staffing challenges at 
correctional facilities were not caused primarily by COVID-19,” the 
auditor’s office stated in press release.&nbsp;—
 About $3.6 million in excessive administration costs charged to a 
federal rent- and utility-assistance grant administered by the Nebraska 
Military Department.&nbsp;The audit 
said the state received $158 million in pandemic aid to assist 
low-income families, of which most was funneled to local governments to 
spend. The firm, Deloitte &amp; Touche, was hired to administrate the program and was given up to $14.6 million to do that.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661870288437.png" alt="The Nebraska State Auditor’s Office is located in the State Capitol in Lincoln. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>The Nebraska State Auditor’s Office is located in the State Capitol in Lincoln. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Program shrunk</h2>The problem, Foley said, was that 
because most of the funds were forwarded to cities and counties to hand 
out, the amount that needed administration by Deloitte &amp; Touche 
became much smaller.&nbsp;The report noted that the state was 
allowed 10% for administrative costs, or about $6.2 million for the 
remaining state funds, but that about $9.7 million was spent.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Supporting documents were lacking, the report said, to determine if the company’s expenses “were reasonable.”&nbsp;Auditors said that amount of 
overcharged administrative expenses is likely to rise because the 
problem is ongoing and was not addressed in a report a year ago.<h2>Spending justified</h2>The Military Department, in its written response, said it disagreed with the auditor’s conclusion. The agency said it will be able
 to show that the administrative costs are “related to the delivery of 
the program in a timely fashion and is aligned with US Treasury 
Guidance.”— $800,000 in expenses by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human
 Services which were questioned due to inadequate accounting and poorly 
written contracts.&nbsp;DHHS received about $47 million in federal funds for 
laboratory and epidemiology expenses related to COVID-19. Auditors noted
 that the $800,000 in “questioned cost” was based on a limited sample 
and that up to $4.3 million of additional federal dollars might be at 
risk.On the positive side, auditors found that DHHS may have mistakenly 
not charged the feds for administrative costs associated with the Child 
Care and Development Block Grant program.&nbsp;That could amount to $1.85 
million in expenses being incurred by the state instead of the federal 
government, the audit stated.<h2>Prison officials disagree with audit</h2>The Corrections Department, in its written response contained in the 
report, said it disagreed with the auditor’s interpretation on the use 
of the COVID funds and felt the expenses were allowable.“COVID conditions resulted in significant vacancies in NDCS’ 
facilities. Mandatory overtime was necessary for the majority of staff, 
especially those who had direct contact with incarcerated individuals,” 
the department stated.Messages from the Examiner seeking comment from the other agencies cited were not immediately returned Friday morning.Foley said the annual report on spending of federal funds, called the
 “federal single audit,” will be forwarded to the proper federal 
agencies. He said they will decide whether to require the state to repay
 the questioned costs, reduce what federal funds Nebraska gets in the 
future or just ignore it.<h2>‘Mistakes’ were made</h2>According to Friday’s audit, the state spent nearly $5.4 billion in 
federal funds, which includes regular grants for things like operating 
veterans homes and social service programs, as well as COVID-19 aid.The auditor added that the federal government quickly distributed 
billions of dollars in aid to states due to the pandemic, which, in 
turn, was doled out quickly by states.“Which is not a good combination,” Foley said. “So mistakes got made.”Friday’s report also pointed out more than $80 million in accounting 
errors in the unemployment insurance fund administered by the Department
 of Labor with the assistance of the Department of Administrative 
Services.The DAS, in a response in the report, blamed the errors on 
“limitations in (Labor Department’s) tax and benefit system” which are 
being addressed.

Auditor: Neb. agencies had millions in ‘questioned’ spending

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/31/questions-raised-over-state-economic-director-and-use-of-state-email-and-his-lincoln-cigar-lounge/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — The emailed invitation for 
the Nov. 14 political campaign event at the Capital Cigar Lounge was to 
the point: “Friends, Please respond if you are able to attend. This will
 be an important event.”

The sender was Tony Goins, director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development.&nbsp;

The problem, though, was that the 
email was sent over the official nebraska.gov email system, and state 
law prohibits the use of public resources “for the purpose of 
campaigning.”

And the event was held at a cigar lounge in which Goins is a 51% owner.

When asked about the email in an 
interview last weekend, Goins initially responded that he did not know 
that soliciting guests for a political event — in this case for State 
Sen. Suzanne Geist, a Lincoln mayoral candidate — was not allowed.

Moments later, though, he said he 
recalled telling the manager of the lounge to continue the invitation 
email string on another account.&nbsp;

“I remember saying we need to move this to my personal email,” Goins said.

That instruction was not indicated in
 state emails reviewed by the Examiner. Pressed further, Goins said on 
Thursday he relayed the message in a phone call with the manager.&nbsp;

The propriety of inviting people to a
 political event using official state email wasn’t the only issue raised
 by a review of hundreds of emails sent to and from Goins over the past 
year on his official state email account. The emails were obtained 
through a public records request.&nbsp;

While many of the emails dealt with 
trade missions, presentations he made and other state business, the 
cigar lounge he co-owns in south Lincoln came up in several emails.

Goins has served as the state’s top 
economic developer since July 2019. He was reappointed to the 
$212,293-a-year post by Gov. Jim Pillen after the November election. 
Goins has co-owned the Capital Cigar Lounge since 2019, before he took 
the state DED job.

Agency heads cannot profit from other entities

Under state law, the head of a state 
agency is prohibited from obtaining “any profit” from any other employer
 than the state. State law also prohibits public officials from using 
their office to “obtain financial gain ….”&nbsp;

Goins’ emails discussed several 
meetings or attempted meetings with business leaders and groups at the 
cigar bar, including at least one that directed a DED employee to set up
 a meeting there. Among them:

When asked about the email involving 
Brewer’s bill, he said that he was commenting on a bill draft sent to 
him and that he passed it on “to the guys in the industry,” an apparent 
reference to the cigar association.

Goins said he wasn’t lobbying for the
 bill, and neither did his business. The bill, Legislative Bill 251, was
 later introduced, then withdrawn by Brewer because it duplicated a 
measure introduced by another senator.

DED sought bid to rent lounge for private reception

Other offers and invitations to meet at the lounge indicated in the emails:

Goins, when asked about the state 
seeking to rent his private business for a reception for the Irish 
Development Agency delegation, said he did not recall the Irish 
visitors, though a July 27 email sent by him instructs a DED consultant,
 Daren Waters, “to coordinate a reception at the lounge.”

Goins also sent two emails in March 
from his state account to solicit a new job for himself. In October, he 
began a back-and-forth in October with a Lincoln business owner in which
 he sought to resolve “a challenging situation” for one of his cigar 
lounge customers, a contractor.

When asked about the job solicitation
 emails, Goins acknowledged that he probably should have used his 
personal email account for those March 2022 messages, but “in the heat 
of the day,” he didn’t. He said that at the time, he was unsure whether 
he would be reappointed to his post in the next administration after 
talking with the candidates running for governor in the primary.

State resources are intended for 
state business, although state accountability laws provide an exception 
if the private use is “de minimis,” or trivial. State rules allow the 
use of state email to contact babysitters, doctors, day care centers and
 the like.

‘Not using state job to be profitable’

Goins said that when he took the state job, he gave his cigar bar manager “strict instruction to walk that fine line.”

Goins said he pays attention to how 
the business is doing and said that, on his personal Facebook page, he 
posts videos promoting special events and touting cigars and liquors 
sold at the lounge.

But the day-to-day operations of the Capital Cigar Lounge, he said, are handled by a manager.&nbsp;

He said he watches how the cigar bar 
is doing on “a very high level” but isn’t involved in the bar’s 
management and doesn’t work there. &nbsp;

“I don’t take any profit,” Goins 
said. “I’m not going to sit here and tell you I’m going to be perfect, 
but I’m not using a state job to become profitable.”

The emails indicated that the cigar 
lounge pays the $1,187 monthly bill on a Lincoln Navigator SUV that he 
drives. “It’s not in my name. I just drive it,” he said.

By all accounts, Nebraska’s economy 
has done well during the tenure of Goins, a former executive with 
Cabela’s, JP Morgan Chase and Ford Motor Company. He also reached the rank of sergeant in the Marine Corps.

Nebraska weathered the economic hit 
from the COVID-19 pandemic better than most states and was ranked last 
year as the best state, post-pandemic, in terms of health, economic, 
social and educational factors by Politico.

DED was entrusted with distributing 
more than $700 million of federal aid doled out to the states to help 
businesses survive the shutdowns and supply chain slowdowns caused by 
the spread of the virus. Goins’ partner in Capital Cigar, Austin Hillis,
 said the business has never applied for or received any grants from the
 state agency.

Goins has “equity” in Capital Cigar, Hillis said. “But our agreement was that he would be involved but be involved from afar.”

The meetings at the cigar bar, mostly
 after regular working hours, raise questions about whether businesses 
were seeking to curry favor with Goins by spending money at his 
establishment. Or whether officials felt obliged to patronize his 
establishment, and whether the gatherings could have influenced the DED 
in awarding funds.

“I’ll tell you this. With all truth 
and honesty, I work to support this state. … I’m working today. I work 
around the clock,” he said on Saturday. “There’s not a bone in my body 
that I would do anything unethical.”

Goins said there are times when, 
after hours, he might meet officials at the lounge or, if he’s heading 
to the cigar bar, he will arrange a meeting there. The DED director said the time he spends at the lounge is “almost nothing”
 because he is traveling so often on state business. Indeed, he was gone
 from Sunday to Wednesday to testify in Washington, D.C. Then on 
Thursday, he said, he traveled to Omaha for a meeting with a company’s 
CEO.&nbsp;

“I don’t have to ask people to come there,” Goins said of the cigar lounge. “It’s a place where people enjoy spending time.”

Many of his cigar bar members are 
business owners, he added, and he benefits by hearing how they’re doing 
and what they have to deal with. The lounge has also hosted a series of 
lectures by entrepreneurs for others in the business world, called 
“Something in the Water.”

One Lincoln business owner who 
arranged a meeting at Capital Cigar Lounge on Sept. 27 with seven other 
business leaders said no state business was “done or discussed.”

“The meeting organized with Tony was 
educational for a group of business leaders who meet regularly for 
personal and leadership development. It was educational on cigar history
 and the state of the Nebraska economy,” said Matt Plooster, the 
co-founder and CEO of Bridgepoint Investment Banking.&nbsp;

Plooster said he did not expect that 
holding a presentation at the cigar lounge would curry favor with the 
DED director. He added that prior to hearing Goins speak at the event, 
his group heard from an economist from the University of Nebraska.&nbsp;

Another business executive, Billy 
Hagstrom of the startup Bluestem Biosciences, said meetings with Goins 
at his cigar bar that were discussed in state emails never came off. 
Hagstrom declined further comment.

Goins, who said he has smoked cigars 
for 30 years, uses the gatherings at the cigar bar to “build 
relationships and build trust” and to relate to someone “who may think 
about things differently or look differently.”

“I think what the data will show is 
that I’ve been fair to everyone,” he said. “If you look at my overall 
economic portfolio, not even a tenth of it has to do with the lounge.”

“If someone wants to make that into a story, it’s not a story,” he said.

The relationship between the public agency head and a private business has been raised before.

Earlier this year, the Nebraska 
Accountability and Disclosure Commission received a letter pointing out 
that Goins had not listed ownership of the lounge in his annual 
statements of financial interest filing, which is required of 
politicians and state officials.

That prompted him to file an 
amendment Feb. 9 that listed him as “owner/partner” of the Capital Cigar
 Lounge in 2020 and 2021. It stated that he received a monthly car 
payment from the business. In an email, he said he was 51% owner of 
Midwest Leaf LLC, which operates the cigar lounge, and that the business
 covers the lease payment on a company car, “which goes directly to the finance company.”

Frank Daley of the NADC said he 
called Goins after getting the letter to ask if he had omitted the cigar
 bar and, if so, to update his report.

The letter was not a “complaint” that
 would trigger an investigation, Daley said, because it was anonymous, 
and complaints must be signed under oath.

It can be a serious offense if 
someone deliberately omits a financial interest, punishable by up to a 
$5,000 civil fine. But Daley said, but in this case, it made sense to 
inquire and ask Goins to update and correct his filings.

“Filing an amendment is a pretty common thing,” Daley said.

When asked about a state agency 
contracting with an entity owned by its director, Daley said he could 
not comment on a specific case. But in general, he said, a public 
official cannot use his or her office for “financial gain.”

There are exceptions, he said, if an 
official declares a conflict of interest and refrains from voting on any
 contractual matter. (To be clear, it was a DED employee, according to 
emails, who requested a quote on renting the cigar lounge. But Goins had
 directed the employee to set up the reception.)

Being a business owner ’causes a lot of issues’ 

One former state agency director, 
former State Tax Commissioner Tony Fulton, said that when he took over 
running the Nebraska Department of Revenue, he was very careful to 
divorce himself from the business he owns, Guardian Angels Home Care.

His wife, he said, had to be trained to take over and run the business.

Fulton, who left the state job late 
last year, said he had also filed a conflict of interest statement about
 his private business and about an investment he had in a proposed 
niobium mine in Tecumseh, Nebraska. He said he arranged to have another 
state agency head take over if any issues came to his department 
concerning Guardian Angels or the NioCorp mine.

“When you’re the business owner, or the CEO, it just causes a lot of issues,” said Fulton, who added that he stopped getting paychecks from the company while working for the state.

Anthony Schutz, a University of 
Nebraska law professor who specializes in constitutional law, said the 
state law prohibiting state agency directors from obtaining “any profit”
 from other public or private entities appears aimed at ensuring that 
they are focusing on “the state’s ends.” What exactly is meant by 
“profit” hasn’t been clarified in law, he said.

“To some extent, it might just be to make sure a person just has one job,” Schutz said of the prohibition on outside profit.

But, if business was being steered to
 his private establishment, either by clients or Goins, that would raise
 eyebrows, Schutz said.

Schutz compared it to patronage of 
companies and properties owned by former President Donald Trump — who, 
unlike past presidents, didn’t divest himself from the companies. The 
hotels, golf resorts and commercial real estate pulled in $2.4 billion 
in revenue during his presidency, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2021/07/19/trumps-business-hauled-in-24-billion-during-four-years-he-served-as-president/?sh=59d5a38d10c0">according to Forbes</a>.

Goins insisted that he doesn’t steer 
business to his cigar bar and said owning a small business and visiting 
with its customers has given him a unique perspective in seeking to 
boost the state’s economy.

He has made Nebraska his home, he 
said, and encouraged his children to move here. Goins said he’s 
committed to selling the state as a good place to do business.

“No one is going to say ‘I got 
preferential treatment because I bought a cocktail at Tony’s lounge,’” 
he said. “Would I jeopardize my career for that? Would I risk my 
reputation over a cocktail?”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660765112114.png" alt="Tony Goins, director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, announces new grants in a youth talent initiative launched by Gov. Pete Ricketts. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Tony Goins, director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, announces new grants in a youth talent initiative launched by Gov. Pete Ricketts. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/31/questions-raised-over-state-economic-director-and-use-of-state-email-and-his-lincoln-cigar-lounge/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — The emailed invitation for 
the Nov. 14 political campaign event at the Capital Cigar Lounge was to 
the point: “Friends, Please respond if you are able to attend. This will
 be an important event.”The sender was Tony Goins, director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development.&nbsp;The problem, though, was that the 
email was sent over the official nebraska.gov email system, and state 
law prohibits the use of public resources “for the purpose of 
campaigning.”And the event was held at a cigar lounge in which Goins is a 51% owner.When asked about the email in an 
interview last weekend, Goins initially responded that he did not know 
that soliciting guests for a political event — in this case for State 
Sen. Suzanne Geist, a Lincoln mayoral candidate — was not allowed.Moments later, though, he said he 
recalled telling the manager of the lounge to continue the invitation 
email string on another account.&nbsp;“I remember saying we need to move this to my personal email,” Goins said.That instruction was not indicated in
 state emails reviewed by the Examiner. Pressed further, Goins said on 
Thursday he relayed the message in a phone call with the manager.&nbsp;The propriety of inviting people to a
 political event using official state email wasn’t the only issue raised
 by a review of hundreds of emails sent to and from Goins over the past 
year on his official state email account. The emails were obtained 
through a public records request.&nbsp;While many of the emails dealt with 
trade missions, presentations he made and other state business, the 
cigar lounge he co-owns in south Lincoln came up in several emails.Goins has served as the state’s top 
economic developer since July 2019. He was reappointed to the 
$212,293-a-year post by Gov. Jim Pillen after the November election. 
Goins has co-owned the Capital Cigar Lounge since 2019, before he took 
the state DED job.<h2>Agency heads cannot profit from other entities</h2>Under state law, the head of a state 
agency is prohibited from obtaining “any profit” from any other employer
 than the state. State law also prohibits public officials from using 
their office to “obtain financial gain ….”&nbsp;Goins’ emails discussed several 
meetings or attempted meetings with business leaders and groups at the 
cigar bar, including at least one that directed a DED employee to set up
 a meeting there. Among them:<ul>
 <li>On Aug. 10, a trade delegation from Vietnam was hosted at the bar.</li><li>In July, a Missouri firm, CJR 
Construction Group, requested and was approved for a meeting with Goins 
at the cigar bar about “partnering opportunities” and to “get 
acquainted.”</li><li>On Sept. 27, a meeting at the bar 
was set up with Lincoln business executives to hear Goins give a 
presentation on the “Nebraska Economic State of the Union,” followed by a
 “Cigars 101” presentation on how to properly cut and light a cigar.</li><li>On Jan. 6, Goins, who serves on the 
board of the Premium Cigar Association, emailed a legislative aide of 
State Sen. Tom Brewer to comment on a bill being considered by the 
senator that would tax online suppliers of cigars. “… We should tax 
online retailers at the same rate that we tax bricks and mortar in our 
state,” Goins wrote.</li>
 </ul><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680279403953.jpeg" alt="One email included this picture of Economic Development Director Tony Goins, who teamed up with the manager of the Capital Cigar Lounge for a cigar review in November. It was for a magazine published by a national cigar association, of which Goins is a board member. (State of Nebraska email records)" />
 <figcaption>One email included this picture of Economic Development Director Tony Goins, who teamed up with the manager of the Capital Cigar Lounge for a cigar review in November. It was for a magazine published by a national cigar association, of which Goins is a board member. (State of Nebraska email records)</figcaption>
 </figure>When asked about the email involving 
Brewer’s bill, he said that he was commenting on a bill draft sent to 
him and that he passed it on “to the guys in the industry,” an apparent 
reference to the cigar association.Goins said he wasn’t lobbying for the
 bill, and neither did his business. The bill, Legislative Bill 251, was
 later introduced, then withdrawn by Brewer because it duplicated a 
measure introduced by another senator.<h2>DED sought bid to rent lounge for private reception</h2>Other offers and invitations to meet at the lounge indicated in the emails:<ul>
 <li>“It looks like I may be open for a cigar at my lounge on the evening of April 20th,” Goins
 wrote to an executive with Bluestem Biosciences, a company establishing
 a Nebraska facility. It was unclear in the emails whether the meeting 
occurred.</li><li>In December, Goins emailed Bluestem Biosciences: “Hey Guys can we meet the evening of December 20th at my lounge?” after an earlier meeting date that month fell through.</li><li>A Lincoln business, ProLift Rigging,
 sent several emails beginning in December in an effort to schedule a 
meeting at the cigar bar.</li><li>In July, a DED staffer sought an 
estimate on the cost of closing the cigar bar so a private reception 
could be held for a delegation from Ireland, in town to promote the 
Nebraska football game scheduled in August in Dublin. The cigar bar’s 
manager responded that it would cost at least $2,500. The reception, 
however, was later canceled.</li>
 </ul>Goins, when asked about the state 
seeking to rent his private business for a reception for the Irish 
Development Agency delegation, said he did not recall the Irish 
visitors, though a July 27 email sent by him instructs a DED consultant,
 Daren Waters, “to coordinate a reception at the lounge.”Goins also sent two emails in March 
from his state account to solicit a new job for himself. In October, he 
began a back-and-forth in October with a Lincoln business owner in which
 he sought to resolve “a challenging situation” for one of his cigar 
lounge customers, a contractor.When asked about the job solicitation
 emails, Goins acknowledged that he probably should have used his 
personal email account for those March 2022 messages, but “in the heat 
of the day,” he didn’t. He said that at the time, he was unsure whether 
he would be reappointed to his post in the next administration after 
talking with the candidates running for governor in the primary.State resources are intended for 
state business, although state accountability laws provide an exception 
if the private use is “de minimis,” or trivial. State rules allow the 
use of state email to contact babysitters, doctors, day care centers and
 the like.<h2>‘Not using state job to be profitable’</h2>Goins said that when he took the state job, he gave his cigar bar manager “strict instruction to walk that fine line.”Goins said he pays attention to how 
the business is doing and said that, on his personal Facebook page, he 
posts videos promoting special events and touting cigars and liquors 
sold at the lounge.But the day-to-day operations of the Capital Cigar Lounge, he said, are handled by a manager.&nbsp;He said he watches how the cigar bar 
is doing on “a very high level” but isn’t involved in the bar’s 
management and doesn’t work there. &nbsp;“I don’t take any profit,” Goins 
said. “I’m not going to sit here and tell you I’m going to be perfect, 
but I’m not using a state job to become profitable.”The emails indicated that the cigar 
lounge pays the $1,187 monthly bill on a Lincoln Navigator SUV that he 
drives. “It’s not in my name. I just drive it,” he said.By all accounts, Nebraska’s economy 
has done well during the tenure of Goins, a former executive with 
Cabela’s, JP Morgan Chase and Ford Motor Company. He also reached the rank of sergeant in the Marine Corps.Nebraska weathered the economic hit 
from the COVID-19 pandemic better than most states and was ranked last 
year as the best state, post-pandemic, in terms of health, economic, 
social and educational factors by Politico.<h2>DED distributed more than $700 million</h2>DED was entrusted with distributing 
more than $700 million of federal aid doled out to the states to help 
businesses survive the shutdowns and supply chain slowdowns caused by 
the spread of the virus. Goins’ partner in Capital Cigar, Austin Hillis,
 said the business has never applied for or received any grants from the
 state agency.Goins has “equity” in Capital Cigar, Hillis said. “But our agreement was that he would be involved but be involved from afar.”The meetings at the cigar bar, mostly
 after regular working hours, raise questions about whether businesses 
were seeking to curry favor with Goins by spending money at his 
establishment. Or whether officials felt obliged to patronize his 
establishment, and whether the gatherings could have influenced the DED 
in awarding funds.Absolutely not, said Goins.“I’ll tell you this. With all truth 
and honesty, I work to support this state. … I’m working today. I work 
around the clock,” he said on Saturday. “There’s not a bone in my body 
that I would do anything unethical.”Goins said there are times when, 
after hours, he might meet officials at the lounge or, if he’s heading 
to the cigar bar, he will arrange a meeting there. The DED director said the time he spends at the lounge is “almost nothing”
 because he is traveling so often on state business. Indeed, he was gone
 from Sunday to Wednesday to testify in Washington, D.C. Then on 
Thursday, he said, he traveled to Omaha for a meeting with a company’s 
CEO.&nbsp;“I don’t have to ask people to come there,” Goins said of the cigar lounge. “It’s a place where people enjoy spending time.”<h2>Cigar bar hosts series of lectures</h2>Many of his cigar bar members are 
business owners, he added, and he benefits by hearing how they’re doing 
and what they have to deal with. The lounge has also hosted a series of 
lectures by entrepreneurs for others in the business world, called 
“Something in the Water.”One Lincoln business owner who 
arranged a meeting at Capital Cigar Lounge on Sept. 27 with seven other 
business leaders said no state business was “done or discussed.”“The meeting organized with Tony was 
educational for a group of business leaders who meet regularly for 
personal and leadership development. It was educational on cigar history
 and the state of the Nebraska economy,” said Matt Plooster, the 
co-founder and CEO of Bridgepoint Investment Banking.&nbsp;Plooster said he did not expect that 
holding a presentation at the cigar lounge would curry favor with the 
DED director. He added that prior to hearing Goins speak at the event, 
his group heard from an economist from the University of Nebraska.&nbsp;Another business executive, Billy 
Hagstrom of the startup Bluestem Biosciences, said meetings with Goins 
at his cigar bar that were discussed in state emails never came off. 
Hagstrom declined further comment.<h2>‘It’s not a story’</h2>Goins, who said he has smoked cigars 
for 30 years, uses the gatherings at the cigar bar to “build 
relationships and build trust” and to relate to someone “who may think 
about things differently or look differently.”“I think what the data will show is 
that I’ve been fair to everyone,” he said. “If you look at my overall 
economic portfolio, not even a tenth of it has to do with the lounge.”“If someone wants to make that into a story, it’s not a story,” he said.The relationship between the public agency head and a private business has been raised before.Earlier this year, the Nebraska 
Accountability and Disclosure Commission received a letter pointing out 
that Goins had not listed ownership of the lounge in his annual 
statements of financial interest filing, which is required of 
politicians and state officials.That prompted him to file an 
amendment Feb. 9 that listed him as “owner/partner” of the Capital Cigar
 Lounge in 2020 and 2021. It stated that he received a monthly car 
payment from the business. In an email, he said he was 51% owner of 
Midwest Leaf LLC, which operates the cigar lounge, and that the business
 covers the lease payment on a company car, “which goes directly to the finance company.”Frank Daley of the NADC said he 
called Goins after getting the letter to ask if he had omitted the cigar
 bar and, if so, to update his report.The letter was not a “complaint” that
 would trigger an investigation, Daley said, because it was anonymous, 
and complaints must be signed under oath.It can be a serious offense if 
someone deliberately omits a financial interest, punishable by up to a 
$5,000 civil fine. But Daley said, but in this case, it made sense to 
inquire and ask Goins to update and correct his filings.“Filing an amendment is a pretty common thing,” Daley said.When asked about a state agency 
contracting with an entity owned by its director, Daley said he could 
not comment on a specific case. But in general, he said, a public 
official cannot use his or her office for “financial gain.”There are exceptions, he said, if an 
official declares a conflict of interest and refrains from voting on any
 contractual matter. (To be clear, it was a DED employee, according to 
emails, who requested a quote on renting the cigar lounge. But Goins had
 directed the employee to set up the reception.)<h2>Being a business owner ’causes a lot of issues’ </h2>One former state agency director, 
former State Tax Commissioner Tony Fulton, said that when he took over 
running the Nebraska Department of Revenue, he was very careful to 
divorce himself from the business he owns, Guardian Angels Home Care.His wife, he said, had to be trained to take over and run the business.Fulton, who left the state job late 
last year, said he had also filed a conflict of interest statement about
 his private business and about an investment he had in a proposed 
niobium mine in Tecumseh, Nebraska. He said he arranged to have another 
state agency head take over if any issues came to his department 
concerning Guardian Angels or the NioCorp mine.“When you’re the business owner, or the CEO, it just causes a lot of issues,” said Fulton, who added that he stopped getting paychecks from the company while working for the state.Anthony Schutz, a University of 
Nebraska law professor who specializes in constitutional law, said the 
state law prohibiting state agency directors from obtaining “any profit”
 from other public or private entities appears aimed at ensuring that 
they are focusing on “the state’s ends.” What exactly is meant by 
“profit” hasn’t been clarified in law, he said.“To some extent, it might just be to make sure a person just has one job,” Schutz said of the prohibition on outside profit.But, if business was being steered to
 his private establishment, either by clients or Goins, that would raise
 eyebrows, Schutz said.Schutz compared it to patronage of 
companies and properties owned by former President Donald Trump — who, 
unlike past presidents, didn’t divest himself from the companies. The 
hotels, golf resorts and commercial real estate pulled in $2.4 billion 
in revenue during his presidency, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2021/07/19/trumps-business-hauled-in-24-billion-during-four-years-he-served-as-president/?sh=59d5a38d10c0">according to Forbes</a>.Goins insisted that he doesn’t steer 
business to his cigar bar and said owning a small business and visiting 
with its customers has given him a unique perspective in seeking to 
boost the state’s economy.He has made Nebraska his home, he 
said, and encouraged his children to move here. Goins said he’s 
committed to selling the state as a good place to do business.“No one is going to say ‘I got 
preferential treatment because I bought a cocktail at Tony’s lounge,’” 
he said. “Would I jeopardize my career for that? Would I risk my 
reputation over a cocktail?”

Lincoln cigar lounge? Nebraska eco-devo director faces scrutiny

ROME (AP) — A chipper-sounding Pope Francis was discharged Saturday from the Rome hospital where he was treated for bronchitis, quipping to journalists before being driven away that he's “still alive.”

Francis, 86, was hospitalized at Gemelli Polyclinic on Wednesday following his weekly public audience in St. Peter's Square after reportedly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-health-hospital-vatican-1b743492e19762ac4a71cefb556967d0">experiencing breathing difficulties</a>. The pontiff received antibiotics administered intravenously during his stay, the Vatican said.

In a sign of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-hospital-bronchitis-holy-week-672c6c109101f6ac1aa4480909281c43">his improved health</a>, the Vatican released details of Francis' Holy Week schedule. It said he would preside at this weekend's Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square and at an outdoor Easter Mass on April 9. A Vatican cardinal will be at the altar to celebrate both Masses, a recent practice due to the pontiff having a troublesome knee issue.

But Francis is expected to celebrate Holy Thursday Mass, which this year will be held in a juvenile prison in Rome. Still unclear was whether he would attend the late-night, torch-lit Way of the Cross procession at Rome's Colosseum to mark Good Friday.

Before departing Gemelli Polyclinic late Saturday morning, Francis had an emotional moment with a Rome couple whose 5-year-old daughter died Friday night at the Catholic hospital. Outside, Serena Subania, mother of Angelica, sobbed as she pressed her head into the chest of the pope, who held her close and whispered words of comfort.

Francis seemed eager to linger with well-wishers. When a boy showed him his arm cast, the pope made a gesture as if to ask “Do you have a pen?” Three papal aides whipped out theirs. Francis took one of the pens and added his signature to the child's already well-autographed cast.

The pontiff answered in a low voice that was close to a whisper when reporters peppered him with questions, indicating he had felt unwell — “I felt sick," he said, pointing to his mid-section — a symptom that convinced his medical staff to take him to the hospital Wednesday.

Asked how he felt now, Francis joked, “Still alive, you know.” He gave a thumbs-up sign.

Francis exited the hospital from a side entrance, but his car stopped in front of the main entrance, where a gaggle of journalists waited. He opened the car door himself and got out from the front passenger seat. Francis had a cane ready to lean on.

After chatting, he got back into the white Fiat 500 car that drove him away from Gemelli Polyclinic. But instead of heading straight home, his motorcade sped right past Vatican City and went to St. Mary Major Basilica, a Rome landmark that is one of his favorites.

There, startled tourists rushed to snap photos of him as he sat in a wheelchair, which he has used often to navigate longer distances in recent years due to a chronic knee problem. When he emerged after praying, residents and tourists in the street called out repeatedly, “Long live the pope!” and clapped.

Francis spent 10 days at the same hospital in July 2021 following intestinal surgery for a bowel narrowing, After his release back then, he also stopped to offer prayers of thanksgiving at St. Mary Major Basilica, which is home to an icon depicting the Virgin Mary. He also visits the church upon returning from trips abroad.

Before leaving the hospital Saturday, Francis, while chatting with journalists, praised medical workers, saying they "show great tenderness."

“The sick are capricious. I much admire the people who work in hospitals,” he said. Francis also said he read journalists' accounts of his illness, including in a Rome daily newspaper, and pronounced them well done.

Francis stopped to talk to reporters again before he was driven into the Vatican through a gate of the tiny walled city-state, where he lives at a Holy See hotel. Speaking through an open car window, he said: “Happy Easter to all, and pray for me.''

Then, indicating he was eager to resume his routine, he said, “Forward, thanks.”

On yet another stop, he got out of his car to distribute chocolate Easter eggs to the police officers who drove the motorcycles at the head of his motorcade.

Given his low voice, it was unclear if the pope would be able to read the homily at the Palm Sunday service. He told reporters that after the Mass, he would keep his weekly appointment to greet and bless the public in St. Peter's Square.

As a young man in his native Argentina, Francis had part of a lung removed, leaving him particularly vulnerable to any respiratory illness.

ROME (AP) — A chipper-sounding Pope Francis was discharged Saturday from the Rome hospital where he was treated for bronchitis, quipping to journalists before being driven away that he's “still alive.”Francis, 86, was hospitalized at Gemelli Polyclinic on Wednesday following his weekly public audience in St. Peter's Square after reportedly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-health-hospital-vatican-1b743492e19762ac4a71cefb556967d0">experiencing breathing difficulties</a>. The pontiff received antibiotics administered intravenously during his stay, the Vatican said.In a sign of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-hospital-bronchitis-holy-week-672c6c109101f6ac1aa4480909281c43">his improved health</a>, the Vatican released details of Francis' Holy Week schedule. It said he would preside at this weekend's Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square and at an outdoor Easter Mass on April 9. A Vatican cardinal will be at the altar to celebrate both Masses, a recent practice due to the pontiff having a troublesome knee issue.But Francis is expected to celebrate Holy Thursday Mass, which this year will be held in a juvenile prison in Rome. Still unclear was whether he would attend the late-night, torch-lit Way of the Cross procession at Rome's Colosseum to mark Good Friday.Before departing Gemelli Polyclinic late Saturday morning, Francis had an emotional moment with a Rome couple whose 5-year-old daughter died Friday night at the Catholic hospital. Outside, Serena Subania, mother of Angelica, sobbed as she pressed her head into the chest of the pope, who held her close and whispered words of comfort.Francis seemed eager to linger with well-wishers. When a boy showed him his arm cast, the pope made a gesture as if to ask “Do you have a pen?” Three papal aides whipped out theirs. Francis took one of the pens and added his signature to the child's already well-autographed cast.The pontiff answered in a low voice that was close to a whisper when reporters peppered him with questions, indicating he had felt unwell — “I felt sick," he said, pointing to his mid-section — a symptom that convinced his medical staff to take him to the hospital Wednesday.Asked how he felt now, Francis joked, “Still alive, you know.” He gave a thumbs-up sign.Francis exited the hospital from a side entrance, but his car stopped in front of the main entrance, where a gaggle of journalists waited. He opened the car door himself and got out from the front passenger seat. Francis had a cane ready to lean on.After chatting, he got back into the white Fiat 500 car that drove him away from Gemelli Polyclinic. But instead of heading straight home, his motorcade sped right past Vatican City and went to St. Mary Major Basilica, a Rome landmark that is one of his favorites.There, startled tourists rushed to snap photos of him as he sat in a wheelchair, which he has used often to navigate longer distances in recent years due to a chronic knee problem. When he emerged after praying, residents and tourists in the street called out repeatedly, “Long live the pope!” and clapped.Francis spent 10 days at the same hospital in July 2021 following intestinal surgery for a bowel narrowing, After his release back then, he also stopped to offer prayers of thanksgiving at St. Mary Major Basilica, which is home to an icon depicting the Virgin Mary. He also visits the church upon returning from trips abroad.Before leaving the hospital Saturday, Francis, while chatting with journalists, praised medical workers, saying they "show great tenderness."“The sick are capricious. I much admire the people who work in hospitals,” he said. Francis also said he read journalists' accounts of his illness, including in a Rome daily newspaper, and pronounced them well done.Francis stopped to talk to reporters again before he was driven into the Vatican through a gate of the tiny walled city-state, where he lives at a Holy See hotel. Speaking through an open car window, he said: “Happy Easter to all, and pray for me.''Then, indicating he was eager to resume his routine, he said, “Forward, thanks.”On yet another stop, he got out of his car to distribute chocolate Easter eggs to the police officers who drove the motorcycles at the head of his motorcade.Given his low voice, it was unclear if the pope would be able to read the homily at the Palm Sunday service. He told reporters that after the Mass, he would keep his weekly appointment to greet and bless the public in St. Peter's Square.As a young man in his native Argentina, Francis had part of a lung removed, leaving him particularly vulnerable to any respiratory illness.

 Pope Francis returns to Vatican after hospital stay

By AARON SANDERFORD <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/31/nebraska-education-department-picks-a-new-commissioner-with-a-familiar-name-maher/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

OMAHA — The Nebraska Board of Education looked north for its next education commissioner Friday, but not before exposing board divisions over his selection and how he was chosen.

A 5-3 majority chose Brian Maher, 
former executive director of the South Dakota Board of Regents and a 
former superintendent in Kearney, Neb.; Utica, Neb.; and Sioux Falls, 
S.D.&nbsp;

Friday’s split vote is an oddity for 
the State Board, which has approved most of its recent commissioners 
unanimously, including the last two, the department confirmed.

Maher’s supporters — Patsy Koch 
Johns, Lisa Fricke, Patti Gubbels, Jacquelyn Morrison and Deb Neary — 
applauded his experience leading schools and education bureaucracies.

“You could see that he was very, very
 experienced,” Koch Johns said. “Very careful and very calm … that’s 
something in Nebraska we need right now.”

Neary praised Maher for saying during
 his interview that he would ask each of the board members to refer him 
to five members of their communities that he should hear from.

Morrison said she was pleased to hear
 that he considers feedback one of the most important parts of the 
teaching process. She said she values that push for improvement.

Board members voting no — Elizabeth 
Tegtmeier, Kirk Penner and Sherry Jones — said they preferred a 
different candidate and questioned the fairness of the hiring process.

Much of their criticism centered on 
questions about the potential influence of Steve Joel, the McPherson 
Jacobson consultant, who is a former Lincoln Public Schools 
superintendent.

“I find it interesting that this 
candidate is a longtime colleague of one of our consultants,” Tegtmeier 
said. Maher knows Joel from his time as a Nebraska superintendent.

The State Board revised its 
consulting contract with Joel’s firm to make sure he attended the 
interviews and hiring sessions this week. He sat in the front row 
Friday.&nbsp;

Penner said he didn’t like how the 
commissioner-hiring process limited the number and types of questions 
that individually elected board members could ask of potential 
candidates.

He said he had to get permission from
 Joel to ask a question, and no one on the board asked the candidates 
how they would address the state’s shortage of teachers.

“If we can’t ask the questions my 
constituents want to know, then we miss the mark,” he said. “To have to 
send and get approved questions is bizarre.”

Fricke said the board had to narrow down its questions to 19 to fit the window of an hour and 45 minutes per candidate.

Morrison, who helped pick the 
finalists, defended the board’s processes. She said government hiring, 
while it may seem convoluted, tries to keep the process fairer.

“We do it so all the candidates get 
asked the same questions,” she said. “There are also legalities in what 
we can and cannot ask, so we had to vet them (the questions).”&nbsp;

Penner, Tegtmeier and Sherry Jones 
are all new board members. They were among four candidates who ran as a 
conservative slate last November.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680291554067.png" alt="The Nebraska Board of Education discusses which of its three finalists it should offer the job of education commissioner. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>The Nebraska Board of Education discusses which of its three finalists it should offer the job of education commissioner. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By AARON SANDERFORD <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/31/nebraska-education-department-picks-a-new-commissioner-with-a-familiar-name-maher/">Nebraska Examiner</a>OMAHA — The Nebraska Board of Education looked north for its next education commissioner Friday, but not before exposing board divisions over his selection and how he was chosen.A 5-3 majority chose Brian Maher, 
former executive director of the South Dakota Board of Regents and a 
former superintendent in Kearney, Neb.; Utica, Neb.; and Sioux Falls, 
S.D.&nbsp;Friday’s split vote is an oddity for 
the State Board, which has approved most of its recent commissioners 
unanimously, including the last two, the department confirmed.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680291616263.jpeg" alt="Brian Maher (Courtesy of Nebraska Department of Education)" />
 <figcaption>Brian Maher (Courtesy of Nebraska Department of Education)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Experienced administrator</h2>Maher’s supporters — Patsy Koch 
Johns, Lisa Fricke, Patti Gubbels, Jacquelyn Morrison and Deb Neary — 
applauded his experience leading schools and education bureaucracies.“You could see that he was very, very
 experienced,” Koch Johns said. “Very careful and very calm … that’s 
something in Nebraska we need right now.”Neary praised Maher for saying during
 his interview that he would ask each of the board members to refer him 
to five members of their communities that he should hear from.Morrison said she was pleased to hear
 that he considers feedback one of the most important parts of the 
teaching process. She said she values that push for improvement.Board members voting no — Elizabeth 
Tegtmeier, Kirk Penner and Sherry Jones — said they preferred a 
different candidate and questioned the fairness of the hiring process.Much of their criticism centered on 
questions about the potential influence of Steve Joel, the McPherson 
Jacobson consultant, who is a former Lincoln Public Schools 
superintendent.“I find it interesting that this 
candidate is a longtime colleague of one of our consultants,” Tegtmeier 
said. Maher knows Joel from his time as a Nebraska superintendent.The State Board revised its 
consulting contract with Joel’s firm to make sure he attended the 
interviews and hiring sessions this week. He sat in the front row 
Friday.&nbsp;<h2>Frustration with interview process</h2>Penner said he didn’t like how the 
commissioner-hiring process limited the number and types of questions 
that individually elected board members could ask of potential 
candidates.He said he had to get permission from
 Joel to ask a question, and no one on the board asked the candidates 
how they would address the state’s shortage of teachers.“If we can’t ask the questions my 
constituents want to know, then we miss the mark,” he said. “To have to 
send and get approved questions is bizarre.”Fricke said the board had to narrow down its questions to 19 to fit the window of an hour and 45 minutes per candidate.Morrison, who helped pick the 
finalists, defended the board’s processes. She said government hiring, 
while it may seem convoluted, tries to keep the process fairer.“We do it so all the candidates get 
asked the same questions,” she said. “There are also legalities in what 
we can and cannot ask, so we had to vet them (the questions).”&nbsp;<h2>Next steps</h2>Penner, Tegtmeier and Sherry Jones 
are all new board members. They were among four candidates who ran as a 
conservative slate last November.The board spent much of the meeting 
discussing the strengths of all three of its finalists: Maher, Melissa 
Poloncic, superintendent of the Douglas County West Community Schools 
and Summer Stephens, superintendent for Fallon, Nevada’s Churchill 
County School District.&nbsp;The board directed its president, 
Gubbels, to negotiate a contract with Maher and expects to vote on a 
contract during the April 14 meeting in Lincoln. He would succeed 
Matthew Blomstedt, who resigned as education commissioner in January. 
Deputy Education Commissioner Deborah Frison is serving as interim 
commissioner.During Thursday’s finalist 
interviews, Maher, who recently resigned from his post with the South 
Dakota Board of Regents, told the board that he believes one of the most
 important skills he has learned is that communication is a two-way 
street. He said he listens.One of his first goals for the 
department would be trying to figure out what’s standing between 
teachers and teaching and to make sure the department helps remove those
 obstacles.Maher’s son, Brett, was an 
all-conference kicker and punter in the early 2010s for the University 
of Nebraska. He kicked last season for the National Football League’s 
Dallas Cowboys.