By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/07/praise-worries-greet-final-round-approval-of-nebraskas-900-million-tax-cut-package/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN
 — What’s billed as the largest tax cut in state history received final 
approval Thursday by state lawmakers, amid praise and worries.

Legislative
 Bill 873, which phases in cuts in state individual and corporate tax 
rates, increases state property tax credits and eliminates certain state
 taxes by 2025, got third-round approval on a 43-0 vote.

The
 package, which would deliver nearly $900 million in cuts when fully 
implemented, now awaits a signature from Gov. Pete Ricketts, who has 
voiced support for it.&nbsp;

Praise
 for LB 873 came from the Nebraska AARP because of the eventual 
elimination of state taxes on Social Security income. Thanks also came 
from the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Nebraska Farm
 Bureau.

Reducing
 state income taxes has been a longtime goal of the State Chamber and 
other business groups. They maintain that lowering individual and 
corporate income taxes is critical in attracting new businesses and 
workers.

“A dynamic, growing economy with lots to do 
and cutting-edge job opportunities is critical to attracting and 
retaining more people in Nebraska, especially our talented, young 
generations,” said Bryan Slone,&nbsp; president of the State Chamber.

&nbsp;In
 a compromise to gather more rural support, additional increases in 
state income tax credits were attached to LB 873 for property taxes paid
 for K-12 schools and community colleges. 

The
 Farm Bureau estimated Thursday that the provisions of LB 873 combined 
with a previous bill setting up the income tax credits would add up to 
$886 million in property tax savings a year within five years.

“Thrilled,” was the reaction from Farm Bureau President Mark McHargue.

But warnings came from an Omaha state senator and a Lincoln-based think tank.

State Sen. John Cavanaugh said he would have
 voted “no” had he been present for the morning vote. He said the bill 
is way too costly, and will provide income tax cuts mostly to high 
income Nebraskans.



	“There has to be a better way to get tax relief to the middle class 
than giving $70 million in tax breaks to millionaires,” Cavanaugh said.

The
 Open Sky Policy Institute called the bill “bad news for most 
Nebraskans” and said it will eventually require cuts in state services, 
such as education and roads.

“The
 wealthy and out-of-state corporations will come out way ahead, while in
 time, everyday Nebraskans will likely end up footing the bill,” said 
Rebecca Firestone of Open Sky.

OpenSky
 has argued that Nebraska’s healthy tax receipts in recent months have 
been artificially padded by federal COVID-19 aid and that state 
lawmakers should have exercised caution when making such deep cuts in 
state revenue.

But
 State Sen. John Stinner of Gering, who heads the Legislature’s 
budget-writing Appropriations Committee, has said the state can afford 
the tax cuts. He did win approval for a clause that would limit 
increases in the income tax credits to no more than 5% a year as a way 
to control costs.&nbsp;

Lincoln
 Sen. Mike Hilgers, the Speaker of the Legislature, called LB 873 the 
largest tax cut in state history. He praised state lawmakers for passing
 the tax cut package, while also increasing the state’s cash reserve and
 financing several state priorities.

LB
 873 took a circuitous course to passage. It was initially introduced by
 Omaha Sen. Lou Ann Linehan as LB 939 and only contained the income and 
property tax cuts.

When
 that bill stalled, an attempt was made to incorporate LB 939 into a 
hugely popular Social Security tax reduction bill, sponsored by Omaha 
Sen. Brett Lindstrom.

But
 that attempt was also blocked, so the provisions of LB 939 and LB 825, 
Lindstrom’s bill, were placed into LB 873, which overcame filibusters 
during first- and second-round debate before winning final approval 
Thursday.

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/07/praise-worries-greet-final-round-approval-of-nebraskas-900-million-tax-cut-package/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN
 — What’s billed as the largest tax cut in state history received final 
approval Thursday by state lawmakers, amid praise and worries.Legislative
 Bill 873, which phases in cuts in state individual and corporate tax 
rates, increases state property tax credits and eliminates certain state
 taxes by 2025, got third-round approval on a 43-0 vote.The
 package, which would deliver nearly $900 million in cuts when fully 
implemented, now awaits a signature from Gov. Pete Ricketts, who has 
voiced support for it.&nbsp;<h2>AARP praises bill</h2>Praise
 for LB 873 came from the Nebraska AARP because of the eventual 
elimination of state taxes on Social Security income. Thanks also came 
from the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Nebraska Farm
 Bureau.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649363593054.jpeg" alt="Bryan Slone, president of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Bryan Slone, president of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Reducing
 state income taxes has been a longtime goal of the State Chamber and 
other business groups. They maintain that lowering individual and 
corporate income taxes is critical in attracting new businesses and 
workers.“A dynamic, growing economy with lots to do 
and cutting-edge job opportunities is critical to attracting and 
retaining more people in Nebraska, especially our talented, young 
generations,” said Bryan Slone,&nbsp; president of the State Chamber.&nbsp;In
 a compromise to gather more rural support, additional increases in 
state income tax credits were attached to LB 873 for property taxes paid
 for K-12 schools and community colleges. <h2>Raises property tax relief</h2>The
 Farm Bureau estimated Thursday that the provisions of LB 873 combined 
with a previous bill setting up the income tax credits would add up to 
$886 million in property tax savings a year within five years.“Thrilled,” was the reaction from Farm Bureau President Mark McHargue.But warnings came from an Omaha state senator and a Lincoln-based think tank.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1645040514616.jpeg" alt="Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>State Sen. John Cavanaugh said he would have
 voted “no” had he been present for the morning vote. He said the bill 
is way too costly, and will provide income tax cuts mostly to high 
income Nebraskans.<h2>$70 million to millionaires</h2>

	“There has to be a better way to get tax relief to the middle class 
than giving $70 million in tax breaks to millionaires,” Cavanaugh said.The
 Open Sky Policy Institute called the bill “bad news for most 
Nebraskans” and said it will eventually require cuts in state services, 
such as education and roads.“The
 wealthy and out-of-state corporations will come out way ahead, while in
 time, everyday Nebraskans will likely end up footing the bill,” said 
Rebecca Firestone of Open Sky.<h2>Tax receipts padded</h2>OpenSky
 has argued that Nebraska’s healthy tax receipts in recent months have 
been artificially padded by federal COVID-19 aid and that state 
lawmakers should have exercised caution when making such deep cuts in 
state revenue.But
 State Sen. John Stinner of Gering, who heads the Legislature’s 
budget-writing Appropriations Committee, has said the state can afford 
the tax cuts. He did win approval for a clause that would limit 
increases in the income tax credits to no more than 5% a year as a way 
to control costs.&nbsp;Lincoln
 Sen. Mike Hilgers, the Speaker of the Legislature, called LB 873 the 
largest tax cut in state history. He praised state lawmakers for passing
 the tax cut package, while also increasing the state’s cash reserve and
 financing several state priorities.<h2>Three attempts to advance</h2>LB
 873 took a circuitous course to passage. It was initially introduced by
 Omaha Sen. Lou Ann Linehan as LB 939 and only contained the income and 
property tax cuts.When
 that bill stalled, an attempt was made to incorporate LB 939 into a 
hugely popular Social Security tax reduction bill, sponsored by Omaha 
Sen. Brett Lindstrom.But
 that attempt was also blocked, so the provisions of LB 939 and LB 825, 
Lindstrom’s bill, were placed into LB 873, which overcame filibusters 
during first- and second-round debate before winning final approval 
Thursday.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649363636412.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Praise, worries greet final-round OK of Neb.'s $900M tax cut package

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court on Thursday, shattering a historic barrier by securing her place as the first Black female justice and giving President Joe Biden a bipartisan endorsement for his effort to diversify the court.

Jackson, a 51 year-old appeals court judge with nine years experience on the federal bench, was confirmed 53-47, mostly along party lines but with&nbsp;three Republican votes.&nbsp; Kansas Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall along with Missouri Senator Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley voted against confirmation.

Three Republicans including  Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Mitt Romney of Utah broke party and voted to confirm.

Jackson will take her seat when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/stephen-breyer">Justice Stephen Breyer</a>&nbsp;retires this summer, solidifying the liberal wing of the 6-3 conservative-dominated court. She joined Biden at the White House to watch the vote, embracing as it came in.

During the four days of Senate hearings last month, Jackson spoke of her parents’ struggles through racial segregation and said her “path was clearer” than theirs as a Black American after the enactment of civil rights laws. She attended Harvard University, served as a public defender, worked at a private law firm and was appointed as a member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

She told senators she would apply the law “without fear or favor,” and pushed back on Republican attempts to portray her as too lenient on criminals she had sentenced.

Jackson will be just the third Black justice, after Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas, and the sixth woman. She will join three other women, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan Amy Coney Barrett – meaning that four of the nine justices will be women for the first time in history.

Her eventual elevation to the court will be a respite for Democrats who fought three bruising battles over former President Donald Trump’s nominees and watched Republicans cement a conservative majority in the final days of Trump’s term with the confirmation of Coney Barrett. While Jackson won’t change the balance, she will secure a legacy on the court for Biden and fulfill his 2020 campaign pledge to nominate the first Black female justice.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said ahead of the vote that Jackson’s confirmation would be a “joyous day -- joyous for the Senate, joyous for the Supreme Court, joyous for America.”

Despite the efforts to tarnish her record, Jackson eventually won&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-stephen-breyer-biden-us-supreme-court-election-2020-44978cd5c89b917a59d2f94ca60fedc2">three GOP votes</a>. The final tally was far from the overwhelming bipartisan confirmations for Breyer and other justices in decades past, but it was still a significant bipartisan accomplishment for Biden in the 50-50 split Senate after GOP senators aggressively worked to paint Jackson as too liberal and soft on crime.

Statements from Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah all said the same thing — they might not always agree with Jackson, but they found her to be enormously well qualified for the job. Collins and Murkowski both decried increasingly partisan confirmation fights, which only worsened during the battles over Trump’s three picks. Collins said the process was “broken” and Murkowski called it “corrosive” and “more detached from reality by the year.”

Biden, a veteran of a more bipartisan Senate, said from the day of Breyer’s retirement announcement in January that he wanted support from both parties for his history-making nominee, and he invited Republicans to the White House as he made his decision. It was an attempted reset from Trump’s presidency, when Democrats vociferously opposed the three nominees, and from the end of President Barack Obama’s, when Republicans blocked nominee Merrick Garland from getting a vote.

Once sworn in, Jackson will be the second youngest member of the court after Barrett, 50. She will join a court on which no one is yet 75, the first time that has happened in nearly 30 years.

Jackson’s first term will be marked by cases involving race, both in college admissions and voting rights.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-college-admissions-stephen-breyer-us-supreme-court-race-and-ethnicity-4aee113eab07c8a9c03c1f313fa66abd">She has pledged to sit out the court’s consideration of Harvard’s admissions program</a>&nbsp;since she is a member of its board of overseers. But the court could split off a second case involving a challenge to the University of North Carolina’s admissions process, which might allow her to weigh in on the issue.

Republicans spent the confirmation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-hearing-day-3-highlights-95aea2b41a957788f3dd072fb1e396f2">hearings strongly questioning her sentencing record</a>, including the sentences she handed down in child pornography cases, which they argued were too light.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-hearing-day-2-live-updates-219ce62acd87ca205163781f5b6623a0">Jackson declared&nbsp;</a>that “nothing could be further from the truth” and explained her reasoning in detail. Democrats said she was in line with other judges in her decisions.

The GOP questioning in the Judiciary Committee showed the views of many Republicans, though, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who said in a floor speech Wednesday that Jackson “never got tough once in this area.”

Democrats criticized the Republicans’ questioning.

“You could try and create a straw man here, but it does not hold,” said New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker at the committee’s vote earlier this week. The panel deadlocked on the nomination 11-11, but the Senate voted to discharge it from committee and moved ahead with her confirmation.

In an impassioned moment during the hearings last month, Booker, who is Black, told Jackson that he felt emotional watching her testify. He said he saw “my ancestors and yours” in her image.

“But don’t worry, my sister,” Booker said. “Don’t worry. God has got you. And how do I know that? Because you’re here, and I know what it’s taken for you to sit in that seat.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649355640418.png" alt="Some members of the U.S. Senate stood to applaud after the historic vote-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Some members of the U.S. Senate stood to applaud after the historic vote-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court on Thursday, shattering a historic barrier by securing her place as the first Black female justice and giving President Joe Biden a bipartisan endorsement for his effort to diversify the court.Jackson, a 51 year-old appeals court judge with nine years experience on the federal bench, was confirmed 53-47, mostly along party lines but with&nbsp;three Republican votes.&nbsp; Kansas Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall along with Missouri Senator Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley voted against confirmation.Three Republicans including Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Mitt Romney of Utah broke party and voted to confirm.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649357598057.png" alt="Judge Jackson’s confirmation was a historic moment for our nation. We’ve taken another step toward making our highest court reflect the diversity of America. She will be an incredible Justice, and I was honored to share this moment with her.-photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>Judge Jackson’s confirmation was a historic moment for our nation. We’ve taken another step toward making our highest court reflect the diversity of America. She will be an incredible Justice, and I was honored to share this moment with her.-photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>Jackson will take her seat when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/stephen-breyer">Justice Stephen Breyer</a>&nbsp;retires this summer, solidifying the liberal wing of the 6-3 conservative-dominated court. She joined Biden at the White House to watch the vote, embracing as it came in.During the four days of Senate hearings last month, Jackson spoke of her parents’ struggles through racial segregation and said her “path was clearer” than theirs as a Black American after the enactment of civil rights laws. She attended Harvard University, served as a public defender, worked at a private law firm and was appointed as a member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission.She told senators she would apply the law “without fear or favor,” and pushed back on Republican attempts to portray her as too lenient on criminals she had sentenced.Jackson will be just the third Black justice, after Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas, and the sixth woman. She will join three other women, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan Amy Coney Barrett – meaning that four of the nine justices will be women for the first time in history.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649355209252.png" alt="Jackson will take her seat when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/stephen-breyer">Justice Stephen Breyer</a>&nbsp;retires this summer. Photo courtesy Rep. Val Demmings" />
 <figcaption>Jackson will take her seat when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/stephen-breyer">Justice Stephen Breyer</a>&nbsp;retires this summer. Photo courtesy Rep. Val Demmings</figcaption>
 </figure>Her eventual elevation to the court will be a respite for Democrats who fought three bruising battles over former President Donald Trump’s nominees and watched Republicans cement a conservative majority in the final days of Trump’s term with the confirmation of Coney Barrett. While Jackson won’t change the balance, she will secure a legacy on the court for Biden and fulfill his 2020 campaign pledge to nominate the first Black female justice.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said ahead of the vote that Jackson’s confirmation would be a “joyous day -- joyous for the Senate, joyous for the Supreme Court, joyous for America.”Despite the efforts to tarnish her record, Jackson eventually won&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-stephen-breyer-biden-us-supreme-court-election-2020-44978cd5c89b917a59d2f94ca60fedc2">three GOP votes</a>. The final tally was far from the overwhelming bipartisan confirmations for Breyer and other justices in decades past, but it was still a significant bipartisan accomplishment for Biden in the 50-50 split Senate after GOP senators aggressively worked to paint Jackson as too liberal and soft on crime.Statements from Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah all said the same thing — they might not always agree with Jackson, but they found her to be enormously well qualified for the job. Collins and Murkowski both decried increasingly partisan confirmation fights, which only worsened during the battles over Trump’s three picks. Collins said the process was “broken” and Murkowski called it “corrosive” and “more detached from reality by the year.”Biden, a veteran of a more bipartisan Senate, said from the day of Breyer’s retirement announcement in January that he wanted support from both parties for his history-making nominee, and he invited Republicans to the White House as he made his decision. It was an attempted reset from Trump’s presidency, when Democrats vociferously opposed the three nominees, and from the end of President Barack Obama’s, when Republicans blocked nominee Merrick Garland from getting a vote.Once sworn in, Jackson will be the second youngest member of the court after Barrett, 50. She will join a court on which no one is yet 75, the first time that has happened in nearly 30 years.Jackson’s first term will be marked by cases involving race, both in college admissions and voting rights.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-college-admissions-stephen-breyer-us-supreme-court-race-and-ethnicity-4aee113eab07c8a9c03c1f313fa66abd">She has pledged to sit out the court’s consideration of Harvard’s admissions program</a>&nbsp;since she is a member of its board of overseers. But the court could split off a second case involving a challenge to the University of North Carolina’s admissions process, which might allow her to weigh in on the issue.Republicans spent the confirmation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-hearing-day-3-highlights-95aea2b41a957788f3dd072fb1e396f2">hearings strongly questioning her sentencing record</a>, including the sentences she handed down in child pornography cases, which they argued were too light.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-hearing-day-2-live-updates-219ce62acd87ca205163781f5b6623a0">Jackson declared&nbsp;</a>that “nothing could be further from the truth” and explained her reasoning in detail. Democrats said she was in line with other judges in her decisions.The GOP questioning in the Judiciary Committee showed the views of many Republicans, though, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who said in a floor speech Wednesday that Jackson “never got tough once in this area.”Democrats criticized the Republicans’ questioning.“You could try and create a straw man here, but it does not hold,” said New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker at the committee’s vote earlier this week. The panel deadlocked on the nomination 11-11, but the Senate voted to discharge it from committee and moved ahead with her confirmation.In an impassioned moment during the hearings last month, Booker, who is Black, told Jackson that he felt emotional watching her testify. He said he saw “my ancestors and yours” in her image.“But don’t worry, my sister,” Booker said. “Don’t worry. God has got you. And how do I know that? Because you’re here, and I know what it’s taken for you to sit in that seat.”___

History: Jackson confirmed as first Black female high court justice

By JACOB FISCHLER <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/06/u-s-house-panel-grills-oil-executives-at-hearing-on-soaring-gas-prices/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON&nbsp; — Democrats blamed the oil industry, Republicans blamed President Joe 
Biden and oil executives blamed global market forces at a U.S. House 
hearing Wednesday on how to reverse a dramatic increase in gas prices.

Over
 nearly six hours, members of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee
 on Oversight and Investigations and executives from six oil companies 
painted a complex picture of an industry reaping substantial profits, 
but still roiled by the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and federal 
regulations.

Democrats
 and Republicans also differed on possible solutions to high prices. 
Democrats called for moving away from oil and gas and toward renewable 
sources of energy.&nbsp;

“If
 this crisis has shown us anything, it’s why we as a country must work 
to break our addiction to oil as quickly as possible,” subcommittee 
Chairwoman Diana DeGette, D-Colo., said.&nbsp;

“It’s
 reinforced the urgent and existential need to transition to a more 
sustainable energy future. For the sake of our economy, our environment 
and our national security, we must work as quickly as possible to go to 
that clean energy future.”

Republicans
 said the administration should reverse policies that made energy 
production more difficult. The subcommittee’s ranking Republican, Morgan
 Griffith of Virginia, said Biden’s first-week actions to <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/biden-yanks-keystone-xl-permit-in-first-day-order-citing-climate-change/">cancel the XL Keystone crude oil pipeline</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://lailluminator.com/2021/03/22/four-big-questions-about-the-feds-scrutiny-of-oil-and-gas-leasing-on-public-lands/">ban new oil and gas leases</a> on federal lands discouraged domestic production.

“The
 majority is laying the blame for the problem at the wrong feet,” he 
said. “Rather than deflect blame, President Biden should consider his 
own culpability for higher energy prices thanks to his relentless 
pursuit of policies that discourage domestic energy production.”

Republicans
 also attacked the Biden administration’s claim that Russian President 
Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine — and the subsequent sanctions on 
Russia and disruptions to the global supply of oil — are responsible for
 the rise in gas prices.

“This was happening before Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine,” U.S. Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter, R-Ga., said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Democrats
 on the panel chastised the companies for providing shareholder 
dividends and stock buybacks instead of reinvesting profits into more 
production or lowering prices.

DeGette
 noted crude oil had returned to the same price it was before Putin 
invaded Ukraine, yet gasoline remained 50 cents per gallon higher than 
it was<a target="_blank" href="https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/PET_PRI_GND_A_EPMR_PTE_DPGAL_W.htm"> in late February</a>.&nbsp;

Meanwhile,
 the six companies represented at the hearing — bp America, Chevron, 
Devon Energy, ExxonMobil, Pioneer and Natural Resources Co. and Shell 
USA — recorded $75 billion in profits in 2021.

“Something doesn’t add up,” DeGette said.

Executives
 for major oil producers said individual gas stations — not the oil 
companies — set retail gas prices. Most gas stations, even those 
carrying a large company’s brand, are independently owned and operated.

“No
 single company sets the price of oil or gasoline,” ExxonMobil CEO 
Darren W. Woods said. “The market establishes the price based on 
available supply and the demand for that supply.”

The full committee’s chairman, Frank Pallone, a New Jersey Democrat, rejected that argument.&nbsp;

“The
 bottom line is you set the wholesale price and that’s the biggest part 
of the real retail price,” he said. “So don’t tell us that you can’t do 
anything about it. You can do something about it. And we expect you to 
do that. Maybe it’s a matter of patriotism.”

Several
 Democrats on the panel raised the prospect of reducing tax subsidies to
 energy companies, though the Ways and Means Committee is the primary 
House panel for tax law changes.&nbsp;

“This
 committee is not going to sit back and allow this system, which forces 
American taxpayers to pay oil companies out of both pockets — first at 
the pump and then again through tax breaks — to continue in its current 
form,” DeGette said.

Chevron Chairman and CEO Michael K. Wirth said his company was providing both shareholder payments and increased production.

“We’re
 investing more capital to grow production,” Wirth said. “We can do that
 and return value to shareholders. They’re not mutually exclusive.”

Production
 was also hurt by industry changes during the economic slowdown caused 
by the coronavirus pandemic. As demand dried up, companies slowed 
production. Returning to pre-pandemic levels is not simple, the 
executives said.

Republicans
 on the panel said Democrats who now blast the industry for not 
producing enough had previously called for ending fossil fuel 
production.

Biden campaigned on climate pledges to move away from fossil fuel.

“President Biden walked in on day one with an agenda to kill American energy,” House Minority Whip Steve Scalise said.&nbsp;

The Louisiana Republican then asked the executives if federal regulations made it harder to produce oil.&nbsp;

Wirth,
 Scott Sheffield of Pioneer and Richard E. Moncrief of Devon all said 
regulations did make their business harder. Gretchen Watkins, Shell 
USA’s president, said that some regulations were necessary but that 
Shell was waiting on outstanding federal permits.&nbsp;&nbsp;

U.S.
 Rep. Donald McEachin of Virginia said Republicans’ attack on the 
Keystone XL pipeline decision was off base because that pipeline 
wouldn’t even be in operation yet if it had been approved. It was also 
primarily planned to transport Canadian oil to overseas markets, doing 
little for the domestic supply, he said.

McEachin
 also asked each executive if a potential suspension of the 18.3 
cents-per-gallon federal gas tax would translate to savings for 
consumers.

The
 executives responded that they would not collect the tax but that the 
price of oil is not predictable, and they could not guarantee an exact 
price drop to match any tax waiver.&nbsp;

“What
 I’m trying to do is disabuse the American public of this myth that if 
we do something like declare a federal tax holiday that the price of 
gasoline will go down,” McEachin said. “We don’t know what’s going to 
happen.”

Instead of a gas tax holiday, he said Congress should provide direct payments to help cover the cost of more expensive gas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649354323713.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By JACOB FISCHLER <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/06/u-s-house-panel-grills-oil-executives-at-hearing-on-soaring-gas-prices/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON&nbsp; — Democrats blamed the oil industry, Republicans blamed President Joe 
Biden and oil executives blamed global market forces at a U.S. House 
hearing Wednesday on how to reverse a dramatic increase in gas prices.Over
 nearly six hours, members of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee
 on Oversight and Investigations and executives from six oil companies 
painted a complex picture of an industry reaping substantial profits, 
but still roiled by the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and federal 
regulations.Democrats
 and Republicans also differed on possible solutions to high prices. 
Democrats called for moving away from oil and gas and toward renewable 
sources of energy.&nbsp;“If
 this crisis has shown us anything, it’s why we as a country must work 
to break our addiction to oil as quickly as possible,” subcommittee 
Chairwoman Diana DeGette, D-Colo., said.&nbsp;“It’s
 reinforced the urgent and existential need to transition to a more 
sustainable energy future. For the sake of our economy, our environment 
and our national security, we must work as quickly as possible to go to 
that clean energy future.”Republicans
 said the administration should reverse policies that made energy 
production more difficult. The subcommittee’s ranking Republican, Morgan
 Griffith of Virginia, said Biden’s first-week actions to <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/biden-yanks-keystone-xl-permit-in-first-day-order-citing-climate-change/">cancel the XL Keystone crude oil pipeline</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://lailluminator.com/2021/03/22/four-big-questions-about-the-feds-scrutiny-of-oil-and-gas-leasing-on-public-lands/">ban new oil and gas leases</a> on federal lands discouraged domestic production.“The
 majority is laying the blame for the problem at the wrong feet,” he 
said. “Rather than deflect blame, President Biden should consider his 
own culpability for higher energy prices thanks to his relentless 
pursuit of policies that discourage domestic energy production.”Republicans
 also attacked the Biden administration’s claim that Russian President 
Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine — and the subsequent sanctions on 
Russia and disruptions to the global supply of oil — are responsible for
 the rise in gas prices.“This was happening before Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine,” U.S. Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter, R-Ga., said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Democrats slam big oil</h2>Democrats
 on the panel chastised the companies for providing shareholder 
dividends and stock buybacks instead of reinvesting profits into more 
production or lowering prices.DeGette
 noted crude oil had returned to the same price it was before Putin 
invaded Ukraine, yet gasoline remained 50 cents per gallon higher than 
it was<a target="_blank" href="https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/PET_PRI_GND_A_EPMR_PTE_DPGAL_W.htm"> in late February</a>.&nbsp;Meanwhile,
 the six companies represented at the hearing — bp America, Chevron, 
Devon Energy, ExxonMobil, Pioneer and Natural Resources Co. and Shell 
USA — recorded $75 billion in profits in 2021.“Something doesn’t add up,” DeGette said.Executives
 for major oil producers said individual gas stations — not the oil 
companies — set retail gas prices. Most gas stations, even those 
carrying a large company’s brand, are independently owned and operated.“No
 single company sets the price of oil or gasoline,” ExxonMobil CEO 
Darren W. Woods said. “The market establishes the price based on 
available supply and the demand for that supply.”The full committee’s chairman, Frank Pallone, a New Jersey Democrat, rejected that argument.&nbsp;“The
 bottom line is you set the wholesale price and that’s the biggest part 
of the real retail price,” he said. “So don’t tell us that you can’t do 
anything about it. You can do something about it. And we expect you to 
do that. Maybe it’s a matter of patriotism.”Several
 Democrats on the panel raised the prospect of reducing tax subsidies to
 energy companies, though the Ways and Means Committee is the primary 
House panel for tax law changes.&nbsp;“This
 committee is not going to sit back and allow this system, which forces 
American taxpayers to pay oil companies out of both pockets — first at 
the pump and then again through tax breaks — to continue in its current 
form,” DeGette said.Chevron Chairman and CEO Michael K. Wirth said his company was providing both shareholder payments and increased production.“We’re
 investing more capital to grow production,” Wirth said. “We can do that
 and return value to shareholders. They’re not mutually exclusive.”Production
 was also hurt by industry changes during the economic slowdown caused 
by the coronavirus pandemic. As demand dried up, companies slowed 
production. Returning to pre-pandemic levels is not simple, the 
executives said.<h2>GOP blames climate action</h2>Republicans
 on the panel said Democrats who now blast the industry for not 
producing enough had previously called for ending fossil fuel 
production.Biden campaigned on climate pledges to move away from fossil fuel.“President Biden walked in on day one with an agenda to kill American energy,” House Minority Whip Steve Scalise said.&nbsp;The Louisiana Republican then asked the executives if federal regulations made it harder to produce oil.&nbsp;Wirth,
 Scott Sheffield of Pioneer and Richard E. Moncrief of Devon all said 
regulations did make their business harder. Gretchen Watkins, Shell 
USA’s president, said that some regulations were necessary but that 
Shell was waiting on outstanding federal permits.&nbsp;&nbsp;U.S.
 Rep. Donald McEachin of Virginia said Republicans’ attack on the 
Keystone XL pipeline decision was off base because that pipeline 
wouldn’t even be in operation yet if it had been approved. It was also 
primarily planned to transport Canadian oil to overseas markets, doing 
little for the domestic supply, he said.McEachin
 also asked each executive if a potential suspension of the 18.3 
cents-per-gallon federal gas tax would translate to savings for 
consumers.The
 executives responded that they would not collect the tax but that the 
price of oil is not predictable, and they could not guarantee an exact 
price drop to match any tax waiver.&nbsp;“What
 I’m trying to do is disabuse the American public of this myth that if 
we do something like declare a federal tax holiday that the price of 
gasoline will go down,” McEachin said. “We don’t know what’s going to 
happen.”Instead of a gas tax holiday, he said Congress should provide direct payments to help cover the cost of more expensive gas.

U.S. House panel grills oil executives at hearing on soaring gas prices

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/07/nebraska-lawmakers-vote-to-override-gov-pete-ricketts-vetoes/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Thursday to override Gov. Pete Ricketts’ budget vetoes.

The
 governor had cut funding for a hike in provider rates, community 
corrections programs, urban housing and completion of a bike-hike trail,
 saying funds needed to be preserved for tax cuts.

State
 Sen. John Stinner of Gering, who heads the budget-writing 
Appropriations Committee, argued in favor of restoring the spending. His
 primary focus was restoring $52 million to increase pay for private 
providers of services to the elderly, developmentally disabled and those
 needing mental health care.

Wage
 inflation, Stinner said, has led to workers in nursing homes and care 
centers leaving for higher paying jobs, creating vacancies and a decline
 in access to care. Nursing homes in Mullen, Valentine and Arapahoe have
 closed, he added.

Meanwhile,
 the senator said, the state has provided salary hikes of 20% to 30% to 
ensure staffing at state veterans homes, prisons and other 24/7 
facilities.

“Suddenly we have enough staff to accommodate patient loads at (the veterans home in) Kearney, imagine that,” Stinner said.

He
 added that the state’s budget was crafted with a 15% increase in 
private provider rates so that nursing homes and other facilities can 
start to refill vacancies that had reached 30% in some agencies.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The
 Speaker of the Legislature, Lincoln Sen. Mike Hilgers, also urged 
senators to override the governor’s vetoes, saying lawmakers have a 
chance to accomplish a “significant trifecta,” by passing the largest 
tax cuts in state history, building the cash reserve fund to $1.3 
billion and funding important priorities, such as the provider rate 
increases.

The
 votes on the three override bills drew, respectively, 42, 42 and 41 
“yes” votes in the 49-member Unicameral. It takes 30 votes to override a
 gubernatorial veto.

Several
 lawmakers, earlier in the week, struck an agreement not to block&nbsp;the 
advancement of the tax-cut proposal, Legislative Bill 873, in exchange 
for approving the veto overrides. LB 873 won final approval Thursday.

The
 third veto override bill, which drew five “no” votes, will provide $8.3
 million to complete a hike-bike trail linking Omaha and Lincoln and 
will grant $20 million to middle-income housing in urban areas.

Bayard
 Sen. Steve Erdman questioned how it could cost $8.3 million to complete
 eight miles of trail when a four-lane highway in his district is 
costing about $1 million a mile.

Omaha Sen. Robert Hilkemann, an avid biker, made completing the trail a priority this year.&nbsp;

It
 has been a longtime dream to link the state’s two largest cities with a
 recreation trail, but the final link had met hurdles in finding a route
 acceptable to local residents.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1646089328158.png" alt="The Nebraska State Capitol Building in Lincoln. (Rebecca S. Gratz for Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>The Nebraska State Capitol Building in Lincoln. (Rebecca S. Gratz for Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/04/07/nebraska-lawmakers-vote-to-override-gov-pete-ricketts-vetoes/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Thursday to override Gov. Pete Ricketts’ budget vetoes.The
 governor had cut funding for a hike in provider rates, community 
corrections programs, urban housing and completion of a bike-hike trail,
 saying funds needed to be preserved for tax cuts.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646255676328.jpeg" alt="Sen. John Stinner at the Nebraska Legislature (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Sen. John Stinner at the Nebraska Legislature (Rebecca S. Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>State
 Sen. John Stinner of Gering, who heads the budget-writing 
Appropriations Committee, argued in favor of restoring the spending. His
 primary focus was restoring $52 million to increase pay for private 
providers of services to the elderly, developmentally disabled and those
 needing mental health care.<h2>Wage inflation</h2>Wage
 inflation, Stinner said, has led to workers in nursing homes and care 
centers leaving for higher paying jobs, creating vacancies and a decline
 in access to care. Nursing homes in Mullen, Valentine and Arapahoe have
 closed, he added.Meanwhile,
 the senator said, the state has provided salary hikes of 20% to 30% to 
ensure staffing at state veterans homes, prisons and other 24/7 
facilities.“Suddenly we have enough staff to accommodate patient loads at (the veterans home in) Kearney, imagine that,” Stinner said.He
 added that the state’s budget was crafted with a 15% increase in 
private provider rates so that nursing homes and other facilities can 
start to refill vacancies that had reached 30% in some agencies.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>‘Significant trifecta’</h2>The
 Speaker of the Legislature, Lincoln Sen. Mike Hilgers, also urged 
senators to override the governor’s vetoes, saying lawmakers have a 
chance to accomplish a “significant trifecta,” by passing the largest 
tax cuts in state history, building the cash reserve fund to $1.3 
billion and funding important priorities, such as the provider rate 
increases.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649354052184.jpeg" alt=" State Sen. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln (Courtesy of Unicameral Information Office)" />
 <figcaption> State Sen. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln (Courtesy of Unicameral Information Office)</figcaption>
 </figure>The
 votes on the three override bills drew, respectively, 42, 42 and 41 
“yes” votes in the 49-member Unicameral. It takes 30 votes to override a
 gubernatorial veto.Several
 lawmakers, earlier in the week, struck an agreement not to block&nbsp;the 
advancement of the tax-cut proposal, Legislative Bill 873, in exchange 
for approving the veto overrides. LB 873 won final approval Thursday.The
 third veto override bill, which drew five “no” votes, will provide $8.3
 million to complete a hike-bike trail linking Omaha and Lincoln and 
will grant $20 million to middle-income housing in urban areas.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649354083487.jpeg" alt="State Sen. Robert Hilkemann of Omaha (Courtesy Unicameral Information Office)" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Robert Hilkemann of Omaha (Courtesy Unicameral Information Office)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Trail spending questioned</h2>Bayard
 Sen. Steve Erdman questioned how it could cost $8.3 million to complete
 eight miles of trail when a four-lane highway in his district is 
costing about $1 million a mile.Omaha Sen. Robert Hilkemann, an avid biker, made completing the trail a priority this year.&nbsp;It
 has been a longtime dream to link the state’s two largest cities with a
 recreation trail, but the final link had met hurdles in finding a route
 acceptable to local residents.

Lawmakers vote to override Nebraska governor's vetoes

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Shares of HP are up nearly 15% after Warren Buffett's company snapped up 11.5% of the company that makes printers and computers over the past week in another uncharacteristic investment for the billionaire in a tech company. 

Buffett started the year telling his shareholders that he was still having trouble finding anything at attractive prices to invest Berkshire's nearly $147 billion cash in, but he has since announced an $11.6 billion acquisition of the Alleghany insurance conglomerate and bought more than $7 billion worth of Occidental Petroleum shares. 

HP shares rose more than $6 to $41.12 in the first day of trading since the purchases were disclosed late Wednesday.

By Associated PressOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Shares of HP are up nearly 15% after Warren Buffett's company snapped up 11.5% of the company that makes printers and computers over the past week in another uncharacteristic investment for the billionaire in a tech company. Buffett started the year telling his shareholders that he was still having trouble finding anything at attractive prices to invest Berkshire's nearly $147 billion cash in, but he has since announced an $11.6 billion acquisition of the Alleghany insurance conglomerate and bought more than $7 billion worth of Occidental Petroleum shares. HP shares rose more than $6 to $41.12 in the first day of trading since the purchases were disclosed late Wednesday.

Warren Buffett buying spree goes on, HP soars on 11.5% stake

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has charged a Russian oligarch linked to the Kremlin with violating U.S. government sanctions, and disrupted a cybercrime operation that was launched by a Russian military intelligence agency, officials said Wednesday.

The actions came as the Justice Department said it was accelerating efforts to track down illicit Russian assets and as U.S. prosecutors helped European counterparts gather evidence on potential war crimes committed by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia during its war on Ukraine</a>.

FBI and Justice Department officials announced the moves on the same day that the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-business-european-commission-united-kingdom-acb86730120a1230b9eb95c3ebdded77">separately revealed sanctions&nbsp;</a>against the two adult daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin and sanctions that blocked two key Russian banks.

“We have our eyes on every yacht and jet. We have our eyes on every piece of art and real estate purchased with dirty money and on every bitcoin wallet filled with proceeds of theft and other crimes,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said, adding that “our goal is to ensure that sanctioned Russian oligarchs and cyber criminals will not find safe haven.”

The indictment against Konstantin Malofeyev, a Russian media baron and founder of Russian Orthodox news channel Tsargrad TV, is the first of an oligarch since Russia’s war with Ukraine began in February. Malofeyev has trumpeted the invasion as a “holy war” and has supported Russia-aligned separatist groups in Ukraine.

He was sanctioned by the Treasury Department in 2014 for financing Russians promoting separatism in Crimea. Though those sanctions barred him from doing business with U.S. citizens, prosecutors say Malofeyev evaded those restrictions by hiring an American television producer to work for him in television networks in Russia and Greece and enlisted his help in trying to acquire a TV network in Bulgaria. It was all part of an effort to spread pro-Russia propaganda throughout Europe, the Justice Department said.

Jack Hanick, a former CNBC and Fox News employee, was arrested last month for his work as a television producer for Malofeyev. That case is pending.

Malofeyev is not in custody and is believed to be in Russia. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer to speak on his behalf. The two sanctions charges each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

The Justice Department said it is seeking the seizure of a $10 million investment that Malofeyev had illegally transferred to a business associate in Greece.

Federal authorities also announced that they had taken down a botnet — a network of hijacked computers typically used for malicious activity — that was controlled by the Russian military intelligence agency known as the GRU. The botnet, which in this case involved thousands of infected network hardware devices, was dismantled before it could do harm, said FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Wednesday’s announcements came two days after U.S. officials&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-oligarch-yacht-seized-e8415972392839f818c5505aa93fc8a5">seized a huge yacht in Spain&nbsp;</a>belonging to a Russian oligarch, Viktor Vekselberg, with close ties to Russian President Putin.

After the war began, the Justice Department set up a task force to enforce sanctions against Russian oligarchs and target ill-gotten proceeds.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday that Justice Department prosecutors were also helping international efforts to uncover potential war crimes committed by Russia. U.S. officials have met with European prosecutors to develop a plan for gathering evidence, he said.

“We have seen the dead bodies of civilians, some with bound hands, scattered in the streets. We have seen the mass graves. We have seen the bombed hospital, theater, and residential apartment buildings,” Garland said. “The world sees what is happening in Ukraine. The Justice Department sees what is happening in Ukraine.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has charged a Russian oligarch linked to the Kremlin with violating U.S. government sanctions, and disrupted a cybercrime operation that was launched by a Russian military intelligence agency, officials said Wednesday.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lwJpfC2a3qM?start=8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>The actions came as the Justice Department said it was accelerating efforts to track down illicit Russian assets and as U.S. prosecutors helped European counterparts gather evidence on potential war crimes committed by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia during its war on Ukraine</a>.FBI and Justice Department officials announced the moves on the same day that the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-business-european-commission-united-kingdom-acb86730120a1230b9eb95c3ebdded77">separately revealed sanctions&nbsp;</a>against the two adult daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin and sanctions that blocked two key Russian banks.“We have our eyes on every yacht and jet. We have our eyes on every piece of art and real estate purchased with dirty money and on every bitcoin wallet filled with proceeds of theft and other crimes,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said, adding that “our goal is to ensure that sanctioned Russian oligarchs and cyber criminals will not find safe haven.”The indictment against Konstantin Malofeyev, a Russian media baron and founder of Russian Orthodox news channel Tsargrad TV, is the first of an oligarch since Russia’s war with Ukraine began in February. Malofeyev has trumpeted the invasion as a “holy war” and has supported Russia-aligned separatist groups in Ukraine.He was sanctioned by the Treasury Department in 2014 for financing Russians promoting separatism in Crimea. Though those sanctions barred him from doing business with U.S. citizens, prosecutors say Malofeyev evaded those restrictions by hiring an American television producer to work for him in television networks in Russia and Greece and enlisted his help in trying to acquire a TV network in Bulgaria. It was all part of an effort to spread pro-Russia propaganda throughout Europe, the Justice Department said.Jack Hanick, a former CNBC and Fox News employee, was arrested last month for his work as a television producer for Malofeyev. That case is pending.Malofeyev is not in custody and is believed to be in Russia. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer to speak on his behalf. The two sanctions charges each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.The Justice Department said it is seeking the seizure of a $10 million investment that Malofeyev had illegally transferred to a business associate in Greece.Federal authorities also announced that they had taken down a botnet — a network of hijacked computers typically used for malicious activity — that was controlled by the Russian military intelligence agency known as the GRU. The botnet, which in this case involved thousands of infected network hardware devices, was dismantled before it could do harm, said FBI Director Christopher Wray.Wednesday’s announcements came two days after U.S. officials&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-oligarch-yacht-seized-e8415972392839f818c5505aa93fc8a5">seized a huge yacht in Spain&nbsp;</a>belonging to a Russian oligarch, Viktor Vekselberg, with close ties to Russian President Putin.After the war began, the Justice Department set up a task force to enforce sanctions against Russian oligarchs and target ill-gotten proceeds.Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday that Justice Department prosecutors were also helping international efforts to uncover potential war crimes committed by Russia. U.S. officials have met with European prosecutors to develop a plan for gathering evidence, he said.“We have seen the dead bodies of civilians, some with bound hands, scattered in the streets. We have seen the mass graves. We have seen the bombed hospital, theater, and residential apartment buildings,” Garland said. “The world sees what is happening in Ukraine. The Justice Department sees what is happening in Ukraine.

🎥US charges Russian oligarch, dismantles cybercrime operation

RENO COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an armed robbery and asking the public for help to locate suspects.

Just after 8:30p.m. Tuesday,&nbsp; sheriff's deputies took a report from victim who said she was driving northbound on K-14 Highway approximately 8 miles south of Crupper’s Corner.

She came across a passenger car in the northbound lane. A white female flagged the victim down. She said her vehicle was broke down and she only lived about a mile away. The suspect female asked if the victim could give her a ride home. 

The female suspect acted like she needed help and needed assistance so the victim got out of her vehicle to tend to her. The suspect then began acting like she was sick and needed help walking. The victim assisted the suspect and the suspect leaned on the victim to help her walk. The victim was distracted by the female and did not see the other suspect as he approached the victim from behind, placing a gun to the back of her head. 

The victim was instructed to get back into her vehicle where she was robbed of her purse and jewelry. The victim was also battered by both suspects while she was in her vehicle as well. 

The suspect vehicle is described as a small, four door, older model, light colored passenger car. The suspect vehicle was last seen traveling northbound on K-14 Hwy. 

The sheriff's office is asking the public’s assistance in regards to any similar occurrences involving subjects attempting to flag people down. It appears the suspects are well versed in their rouse to get unsuspecting good Samaritans to pullover. 

Also, the victim does report other vehicles passing during and after the incident thus we are also interested in speaking to any potential witnesses in the area. If you saw a black SUV with out of state tags and the suspect vehicle stopped in the northbound lane of K-14, the Reno County sheriff's office&nbsp; we would like to speak with you.

RENO COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an armed robbery and asking the public for help to locate suspects.Just after 8:30p.m. Tuesday,&nbsp; sheriff's deputies took a report from victim who said she was driving northbound on K-14 Highway approximately 8 miles south of Crupper’s Corner.She came across a passenger car in the northbound lane. A white female flagged the victim down. She said her vehicle was broke down and she only lived about a mile away. The suspect female asked if the victim could give her a ride home. The female suspect acted like she needed help and needed assistance so the victim got out of her vehicle to tend to her. The suspect then began acting like she was sick and needed help walking. The victim assisted the suspect and the suspect leaned on the victim to help her walk. The victim was distracted by the female and did not see the other suspect as he approached the victim from behind, placing a gun to the back of her head. The victim was instructed to get back into her vehicle where she was robbed of her purse and jewelry. The victim was also battered by both suspects while she was in her vehicle as well. The suspect vehicle is described as a small, four door, older model, light colored passenger car. The suspect vehicle was last seen traveling northbound on K-14 Hwy. The sheriff's office is asking the public’s assistance in regards to any similar occurrences involving subjects attempting to flag people down. It appears the suspects are well versed in their rouse to get unsuspecting good Samaritans to pullover. Also, the victim does report other vehicles passing during and after the incident thus we are also interested in speaking to any potential witnesses in the area. If you saw a black SUV with out of state tags and the suspect vehicle stopped in the northbound lane of K-14, the Reno County sheriff's office&nbsp; we would like to speak with you.

Sheriff: Good Samaritan robbed, battered on Kan. highway

By R. GREG VAUGHN <a href="https://dailymontanan.com/2022/04/04/scientists-discover-new-thermal-areas-in-yellowstone-national-park/">For the Daily Montanan</a>

On the North side of the Mallard 
Lake resurgent dome there are several isolated thermal areas that were 
recently mapped using high-resolution visible satellite and aerial data.
 &nbsp;These are not new thermal areas like the one near Tern Lake; instead, 
they have been there for decades but eluded our thermal-area 
mapping—until now.

In Yellowstone, thermal areas are generally located along geologic 
structures, such as faults and fracture zones, the boundaries of 
intra-caldera <a target="_blank" href="https://cms.usgs.gov/glossary/volcano-hazards-program-glossary">rhyolite</a>&nbsp;flows, and along the edges of the 2&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/yvo/news/yellowstones-caldera-resurgent-domes-and-lava-flows-volcanic-giants-hiding">resurgent domes</a>: Sour Creek and Mallard Lake.

To clarify, a thermal area is a nearly continuous geologic unit that 
contains one or more thermal features (for example, hot springs, 
geysers, or fumaroles), hydrothermally altered rocks or hydrothermal 
mineral deposits, heated ground and/or gas emissions, and is generally 
barren of vegetation or has stressed/dying vegetation.

Satellite-based thermal-infrared remote sensing with moderate spatial
 resolution (with a pixel size of ~90-meters, or ~300-feet) can be used 
to detect and characterize thermal areas that are large enough and/or 
warm enough to stand out above the background.&nbsp; These data have been 
remarkably useful for&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/yvo/news/taking-yellowstones-temperaturefrom-space">assessing and updating maps of the park’s thermal areas</a>.&nbsp;
 But some thermal areas are too small in size or subtle in heat output 
to be clearly detected with these satellite thermal-infrared images.&nbsp; Of
 course,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/yvo/news/studying-yellowstones-thermal-areas-air">high-spatial-resolution airborne thermal-infrared imagery</a>&nbsp;could
 detect these subtle thermal areas, but due to their expense and 
logistical complications such data are not acquired regularly nor are 
they available for the entire park.

Visible signs of thermal areas include no vegetation or vegetation 
stress/mortality, bright hydrothermal mineral deposits, snow-free zones 
in winter, steaming, and bubbling/boiling water.&nbsp; We do have 
high-spatial-resolution (with a pixel size of ~1 meter, or 3 feet) 
visible remote-sensing data covering the park that are regularly 
acquired by the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fsa.usda.gov%2Fprograms-and-services%2Faerial-photography%2Fimagery-programs%2Fnaip-imagery%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cyellowstone-caldera-chronicles%40listserv.usgs.gov%7C5926e09f036c4d36743308da16436bec%7C0693b5ba4b184d7b9341f32f400a5494%7C0%7C0%7C637846776065197665%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=ILC0xJTUVv3zQ3QD9X5DlBQj%2BgXuSsCDvZNYoIUCS4k%3D&amp;reserved=0">National Agriculture Imagery Program</a>&nbsp;(NAIP)
 and also from commercial satellite companies, like Maxar.&nbsp; But even the
 visible signs of thermal areas are not always obvious.

On the North side of the Mallard Lake <a target="_blank" href="https://cms.usgs.gov/glossary/volcano-hazards-program-glossary">resurgent dome</a>,
 about 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) southeast of Lower Geyser Basin’s 
Firehole Lake, there are some thermal areas that had not been detected 
and mapped until recently—and to our knowledge, these have not yet been 
visited in the field.&nbsp; How did we miss these?

Well, first of all, this is a backcountry area not accessible by any 
trails.&nbsp; Secondly, this is an area that was largely burned in the 
Yellowstone fires of 1988.&nbsp; In the decades since the fires, the land has
 recovered and new trees have returned to this region, but there are 
still large areas of barren rock and soil that look bright but that are 
not thermal areas.&nbsp; Many of the visible signs of these thermal areas are
 thus masked by the by the barren rocks of this fire-scarred landscape.&nbsp;
 Even zooming in with high-spatial-resolution airborne images, 
hydrothermal mineral deposits are hard to notice. &nbsp;In other words, the 
region does not look like a typically conspicuous thermal area.

In addition, these thermal areas are scattered, with many small, 
isolated zones that are too subtle to stand out above the background in 
satellite thermal-infrared imagery.&nbsp; So, how did we find them?&nbsp; It’s all
 thanks to snow!

These thermal areas are warm enough to prevent snow from accumulating
 on them—and if you look at a high-spatial-resolution image of the area,
 acquired in the winter with snow on the ground, the warm zones are 
evident.

So, how do we know these are not newly emerging thermal areas?&nbsp; 
Because archived Landsat satellite data going back to 1975 (before the 
1988 fires) show this area to be a healthy lodgepole forest with 
numerous zones of no/stressed vegetation that align almost perfectly 
with the areas mapped based on recent high-resolution visible images of 
snow-free zones.

Our future understanding and characterization of this newly 
recognized thermal area, as well as others in Yellowstone, will evolve 
as we continue to analyze and interpret both archived and recent 
remote-sensing data, combined with field work to accurately measure 
surface and subsurface temperatures, catalog individual thermal 
features, and sample emitted gases and thermal waters.&nbsp; We hope to begin
 work on these subtle and interesting thermal areas on the Mallard Lake 
resurgent dome in the coming summer!

Yellowstone&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://cms.usgs.gov/glossary/volcano-hazards-program-glossary">Caldera</a>&nbsp;Chronicles
 is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the 
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week’s contribution is from R. 
Greg Vaughan, research scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649364025174.png" alt="WorldView-2 natural-color satellite image from Dec. 9, 2017, showing thermal areas as snow-free zones on the north side of Mallard Lake resurgent dome in Yellowstone National Park. (Yellowstone National Park). " />
 <figcaption>WorldView-2 natural-color satellite image from Dec. 9, 2017, showing thermal areas as snow-free zones on the north side of Mallard Lake resurgent dome in Yellowstone National Park. (Yellowstone National Park). </figcaption>
 </figure>By R. GREG VAUGHN <a href="https://dailymontanan.com/2022/04/04/scientists-discover-new-thermal-areas-in-yellowstone-national-park/">For the Daily Montanan</a>On the North side of the Mallard 
Lake resurgent dome there are several isolated thermal areas that were 
recently mapped using high-resolution visible satellite and aerial data.
 &nbsp;These are not new thermal areas like the one near Tern Lake; instead, 
they have been there for decades but eluded our thermal-area 
mapping—until now.In Yellowstone, thermal areas are generally located along geologic 
structures, such as faults and fracture zones, the boundaries of 
intra-caldera <a target="_blank" href="https://cms.usgs.gov/glossary/volcano-hazards-program-glossary">rhyolite</a>&nbsp;flows, and along the edges of the 2&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/yvo/news/yellowstones-caldera-resurgent-domes-and-lava-flows-volcanic-giants-hiding">resurgent domes</a>: Sour Creek and Mallard Lake.To clarify, a thermal area is a nearly continuous geologic unit that 
contains one or more thermal features (for example, hot springs, 
geysers, or fumaroles), hydrothermally altered rocks or hydrothermal 
mineral deposits, heated ground and/or gas emissions, and is generally 
barren of vegetation or has stressed/dying vegetation.Satellite-based thermal-infrared remote sensing with moderate spatial
 resolution (with a pixel size of ~90-meters, or ~300-feet) can be used 
to detect and characterize thermal areas that are large enough and/or 
warm enough to stand out above the background.&nbsp; These data have been 
remarkably useful for&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/yvo/news/taking-yellowstones-temperaturefrom-space">assessing and updating maps of the park’s thermal areas</a>.&nbsp;
 But some thermal areas are too small in size or subtle in heat output 
to be clearly detected with these satellite thermal-infrared images.&nbsp; Of
 course,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/yvo/news/studying-yellowstones-thermal-areas-air">high-spatial-resolution airborne thermal-infrared imagery</a>&nbsp;could
 detect these subtle thermal areas, but due to their expense and 
logistical complications such data are not acquired regularly nor are 
they available for the entire park.Visible signs of thermal areas include no vegetation or vegetation 
stress/mortality, bright hydrothermal mineral deposits, snow-free zones 
in winter, steaming, and bubbling/boiling water.&nbsp; We do have 
high-spatial-resolution (with a pixel size of ~1 meter, or 3 feet) 
visible remote-sensing data covering the park that are regularly 
acquired by the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fsa.usda.gov%2Fprograms-and-services%2Faerial-photography%2Fimagery-programs%2Fnaip-imagery%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cyellowstone-caldera-chronicles%40listserv.usgs.gov%7C5926e09f036c4d36743308da16436bec%7C0693b5ba4b184d7b9341f32f400a5494%7C0%7C0%7C637846776065197665%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=ILC0xJTUVv3zQ3QD9X5DlBQj%2BgXuSsCDvZNYoIUCS4k%3D&amp;reserved=0">National Agriculture Imagery Program</a>&nbsp;(NAIP)
 and also from commercial satellite companies, like Maxar.&nbsp; But even the
 visible signs of thermal areas are not always obvious.On the North side of the Mallard Lake <a target="_blank" href="https://cms.usgs.gov/glossary/volcano-hazards-program-glossary">resurgent dome</a>,
 about 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) southeast of Lower Geyser Basin’s 
Firehole Lake, there are some thermal areas that had not been detected 
and mapped until recently—and to our knowledge, these have not yet been 
visited in the field.&nbsp; How did we miss these?Well, first of all, this is a backcountry area not accessible by any 
trails.&nbsp; Secondly, this is an area that was largely burned in the 
Yellowstone fires of 1988.&nbsp; In the decades since the fires, the land has
 recovered and new trees have returned to this region, but there are 
still large areas of barren rock and soil that look bright but that are 
not thermal areas.&nbsp; Many of the visible signs of these thermal areas are
 thus masked by the by the barren rocks of this fire-scarred landscape.&nbsp;
 Even zooming in with high-spatial-resolution airborne images, 
hydrothermal mineral deposits are hard to notice. &nbsp;In other words, the 
region does not look like a typically conspicuous thermal area.In addition, these thermal areas are scattered, with many small, 
isolated zones that are too subtle to stand out above the background in 
satellite thermal-infrared imagery.&nbsp; So, how did we find them?&nbsp; It’s all
 thanks to snow!These thermal areas are warm enough to prevent snow from accumulating
 on them—and if you look at a high-spatial-resolution image of the area,
 acquired in the winter with snow on the ground, the warm zones are 
evident.So, how do we know these are not newly emerging thermal areas?&nbsp; 
Because archived Landsat satellite data going back to 1975 (before the 
1988 fires) show this area to be a healthy lodgepole forest with 
numerous zones of no/stressed vegetation that align almost perfectly 
with the areas mapped based on recent high-resolution visible images of 
snow-free zones.Our future understanding and characterization of this newly 
recognized thermal area, as well as others in Yellowstone, will evolve 
as we continue to analyze and interpret both archived and recent 
remote-sensing data, combined with field work to accurately measure 
surface and subsurface temperatures, catalog individual thermal 
features, and sample emitted gases and thermal waters.&nbsp; We hope to begin
 work on these subtle and interesting thermal areas on the Mallard Lake 
resurgent dome in the coming summer!Yellowstone&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://cms.usgs.gov/glossary/volcano-hazards-program-glossary">Caldera</a>&nbsp;Chronicles
 is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the 
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week’s contribution is from R. 
Greg Vaughan, research scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

Scientists discover new thermal areas in Yellowstone National Park

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police have arrested an Omaha driver on suspicion of being drunk and causing a fiery crash that killed two women, including a corrections officer who was eight months pregnant. 

Omaha police say in a news release that 22-year-old Zachary Paulison was booked Wednesday on suspicion of two counts of vehicular homicide while intoxicated and one count of vehicular homicide of an unborn child. 

Investigators say Paulison was drunk the night of March 31 when his pickup truck collided with the sport utility vehicle driven by 37-year-old Sara Zimmerman. 

Police say both vehicles went into a ditch and the SUV erupted in flames. Zimmerman, who was pregnant, and her passenger, 38-year-old Amanda Schook, died in the crash.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649280605887.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By ASSOCIATED PRESSOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police have arrested an Omaha driver on suspicion of being drunk and causing a fiery crash that killed two women, including a corrections officer who was eight months pregnant. Omaha police say in a news release that 22-year-old Zachary Paulison was booked Wednesday on suspicion of two counts of vehicular homicide while intoxicated and one count of vehicular homicide of an unborn child. Investigators say Paulison was drunk the night of March 31 when his pickup truck collided with the sport utility vehicle driven by 37-year-old Sara Zimmerman. Police say both vehicles went into a ditch and the SUV erupted in flames. Zimmerman, who was pregnant, and her passenger, 38-year-old Amanda Schook, died in the crash.

Man arrested in Omaha crash that killed pregnant officer

GRAND ISLAND, NEB.&nbsp; — Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested three people after finding firearms and controlled substances during two Interstate 80 traffic stops this week.

Sunday, at approximately 11:20 a.m.,&nbsp;troopers arrested a Washington man after locating LSD and concealed firearms during a traffic stop on I-80. The incident occurred when a trooper stopped a Toyota Tundra for a registration violation on I-80 near mile marker 156. During the traffic stop, the trooper detected the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.

A search of the vehicle revealed a small amount of marijuana as well as 93 dosage units of LSD and two concealed firearms, which included a handgun and shotgun. The driver, Deandre Young, 24, of Puyallup, Washington, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance, possession of a concealed weapon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of marijuana – less than an ounce. He was lodged Lincoln County Jail.

Tuesday, at approximately 6:30 p.m., troopers arrested two people after locating more than 600 controlled pills and a handgun during a traffic stop near Aurora. A trooper observed a Mercedes sedan traveling at over 100 miles per hour at mile marker 326 on I-80. During the traffic stop, the trooper detected the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.

A search of the vehicle revealed over 500 Oxycodone pills, over 80 Adderall pills, over 60 Alprazolam pills, 20 ounces of liquid Codeine, and one-half pound of marijuana. Troopers also located a handgun. The driver, Lydia Newton, 21, of Vanderbilt, Pennsylvania, and passenger, Kayla Knabenshue, 22, of Mount Braddock, Pennsylvania, were arrested for possession of controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and other charges. Newton was also cited for no operators’ license and speeding. Both were lodged in Hamilton County Jail.

By Nebraska State PatrolGRAND ISLAND, NEB.&nbsp; — Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested three people after finding firearms and controlled substances during two Interstate 80 traffic stops this week.Sunday, at approximately 11:20 a.m.,&nbsp;troopers arrested a Washington man after locating LSD and concealed firearms during a traffic stop on I-80. The incident occurred when a trooper stopped a Toyota Tundra for a registration violation on I-80 near mile marker 156. During the traffic stop, the trooper detected the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.A search of the vehicle revealed a small amount of marijuana as well as 93 dosage units of LSD and two concealed firearms, which included a handgun and shotgun. The driver, Deandre Young, 24, of Puyallup, Washington, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance, possession of a concealed weapon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of marijuana – less than an ounce. He was lodged Lincoln County Jail.Tuesday, at approximately 6:30 p.m., troopers arrested two people after locating more than 600 controlled pills and a handgun during a traffic stop near Aurora. A trooper observed a Mercedes sedan traveling at over 100 miles per hour at mile marker 326 on I-80. During the traffic stop, the trooper detected the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.A search of the vehicle revealed over 500 Oxycodone pills, over 80 Adderall pills, over 60 Alprazolam pills, 20 ounces of liquid Codeine, and one-half pound of marijuana. Troopers also located a handgun. The driver, Lydia Newton, 21, of Vanderbilt, Pennsylvania, and passenger, Kayla Knabenshue, 22, of Mount Braddock, Pennsylvania, were arrested for possession of controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and other charges. Newton was also cited for no operators’ license and speeding. Both were lodged in Hamilton County Jail.

Guns, controlled substances found in I-80 traffic stops

By RON FIELDS <a href="https://hayspost.com/pages/post-news-network">Post News Network</a>

On Friday, the Kansas Department of Labor issued its <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/7a3fb4f9-c8f6-4d8e-ad64-3cffbe1270e1">monthly unemployment report</a> showing yet another drop in the jobless rate to 3.3 percent statewide in December. <a href="https://neworks.nebraska.gov/vosnet/analyzer/resultsNew.aspx?session=labforce&amp;pu=1&amp;plang=E">In Nebraska,</a> the unemployment rate was a scant 1.2 percent in November.

In the more rural areas of western Kansas and Nebraska, there are only a handful of counties posting unemployment rates above 2 percent, another demonstration of the continuing worker shortage challenging communities.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss said the worker shortage is among the top one or two concerns for most employers and cited three interconnected factors as the cause.

The COVID-19 pandemic, he said, is still top of mind for many who have dropped out of the labor pool entirely.

"There are individuals out there who just don't want to return to work," Goss said. "There is a low participation rate, where people are not counted as either employed or unemployed."

A dearth of daycare options is also forcing families to choose home over the workplace.

"A lot of families out there, they can't return to work until they can get their kids in a good daycare, and there aren't many options," he said. 

And those families were the beneficiaries of unprecedented government payments since the pandemic's arrival.

"The federal government has sprayed the countryside with dollars .. and increased the money supply by 30 to 40 percent," Goss said. "There have been three packages that have put money in the hands of individuals that have made it less appealing to work. ... and they leave the labor force."

Unemployment rates well below the national average in Kansas and Nebraska are not unusual, he noted, but said the labor shortage is increasingly becoming an issue for businesses and communities.

"I don't see any end, at least looking forward, to any of those three elements improving so we can get the labor force back to pre-COVID levels," Goss said.

While COVID exacerbated the problem,&nbsp; data shows that the worker shortfall was looming prior to 2020.

"Currently, a lot of the rates are around where they were before the pandemic. Stateside, we were near historic lows prior to the pandemic," said Emilie Doerksen,&nbsp;labor economist with the Labor Market Information Services (LMIS) division of the Kansas Department of Labor. "We did see a gradual decline in the labor force prior to the pandemic, as workforces aged and baby boomers retired."

Kansas reached an all-time jobless rate low in 1978 at 2.9 percent, she said. In 2019, that rate was 3.1 percent, and at year-end 2021, the jobless rate was close at 3.3. percent. Those records have been kept since 1976.

Eric Brown, president and CEO of the <a href="https://www.salinakansas.org">Salina Area Chamber of Commerce</a>, said the tight labor market is top of mind on the local level. Salina County posted a 2.2 percent jobless rate in December.

"It's the lowest that I have ever seen unemployment in the Salina market," said Brown, who has been with the chamber for more than a decade. He noted the Salina-area labor basin includes more than a dozen surrounding counties, all with jobless rates between 1.4 percent and 2.2 percent.

"That obviously is having an effect on our employers here in the community," he said. "We've had a lot of success in the last three years supporting our local businesses — manufacturing and advanced manufacturing have been growing by leaps and bounds. In the last three years, we've had over $675 million in capital investments on expansions, and those expansions are creating opportunities and jobs."

Those opportunities, however, have a trickle-down effect, Brown noted. 

"It's pushing down to the indirect service providers —&nbsp;construction, electricians, HVAC, plumbers. All of those sectors are trying to hire folks," he said. 

Some workers are also taking advantage of those new full-time opportunities, but leaving behind vacancies in two or three part-time positions as a result.

Those types of vacancies are pummeling the leisure and hospitality sector, Goss said. 

"That sector is down significantly from pre-COVID levels," he said, noting Kansas has lost about 9,000 restaurant and hotel jobs in the past two years. Nebraska has lost 7,000 jobs in that sector.

"Particularly in some of our smaller towns, when your restaurant closes, some of those are just not going to open back up," Goss said. "That's a tragedy, and for our economy, certainly not good."

Doerksen said the largest decline in the Kansas workforce is in the 16- to 24-year-old range, with drops also noted in the 55 and older range.

She said the decline in the younger generation's participation and availability is a factor in the leisure and hospitality sector's struggle.

Both Goss and Brown pointed to outmigration of younger workers to larger cities as a key issue — especially in rural counties already facing depopulation.

"Our best and most expensive export is our students," Brown said. "Career and technical education has been a mainstay of communities like Salina for decades. Salina Area Technical College has a 97 to 98 percent placement rate for their graduates. But as birth rates go down, that pipeline doesn't get filled."

He said communities need to do a better job of helping students understand all of the careers available locally. 

"Take a hospital — it's its own little community. When students drive by, they may just think doctors and nurses, but there's everything from management to financial positions. Most hospitals have a clergy on staff, IT departments, maintenance ... there's opportunities that run the gamut."

But among young people staying in rural parts of Kansas and Nebraska, Goss said he's seeing a trend of fewer of them entering the workforce.

"Particularly for the rural areas, you normally see a high participation rate," he said. "But even in those parts of the country, participating rates have declined ... and the employment to population rate is declining."

That participation rate is dropping at the same time most rural counties are facing the issue of depopulation.

"Of the 93 counties in Nebraska," he said, "75 have fewer people in them now than they did in the 1930s. That trend is going to continue."

Fueled partially by pent-up demand and increased dollars in pockets from government payments such as the Child Tax Credit of 2021, most of the businesses Brown works with saw significant growth last year.

He said sales tax revenue — a key indicator measuring local economic activity — was up half a percent in Salina in 2020, and up a sizable 9 percent through November 2021.

"Anecdotally, for Main Street businesses, most of them said this was one of the best holiday seasons we've had in several years," Brown said.

But productivity is not keeping up with demand, Goss said. 

"The savings rate went up significant during the pandemic and that was quite significant — no happy hour, no traveling," he said. "Individuals have those savings accounts and they see some cushion, and some aren't back to work yet."

Anticipated interest rate hikes and inflationary concerns will diminish that cushion for many, Goss said, noting fuel costs have driven family expenses up significantly.

While wages in many sectors have increased, "they're not where they need to be" to attract workers, Goss said.

"Individuals right now are not seeing the opportunities and so the participation rate comes down," he said. "Normally, you'd see them coming back into the workforce. But the fact is that what worked before at $12 an hour isn't going to work."

Goss said he has seen an uptick in programs designed not just to attract, but retain, employees, including vesting plans, retirement plans and improved health care options — and expects to see those offerings increase in an attempt to attract new, loyal employees.

Brown said employers are increasingly reaching out to those they historically have not, including working with agencies serving the developmentally disabled, such as OCCK Inc. in Salina.

"(Employers) are doing a better job of working with these groups so (clients) are getting good opportunities and are stepping forward to take on some of these roles," he said. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642798445646.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By RON FIELDS <a href="https://hayspost.com/pages/post-news-network">Post News Network</a>On Friday, the Kansas Department of Labor issued its <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/7a3fb4f9-c8f6-4d8e-ad64-3cffbe1270e1">monthly unemployment report</a> showing yet another drop in the jobless rate to 3.3 percent statewide in December. <a href="https://neworks.nebraska.gov/vosnet/analyzer/resultsNew.aspx?session=labforce&amp;pu=1&amp;plang=E">In Nebraska,</a> the unemployment rate was a scant 1.2 percent in November.In the more rural areas of western Kansas and Nebraska, there are only a handful of counties posting unemployment rates above 2 percent, another demonstration of the continuing worker shortage challenging communities.Creighton University economist Ernie Goss said the worker shortage is among the top one or two concerns for most employers and cited three interconnected factors as the cause.The COVID-19 pandemic, he said, is still top of mind for many who have dropped out of the labor pool entirely."There are individuals out there who just don't want to return to work," Goss said. "There is a low participation rate, where people are not counted as either employed or unemployed."A dearth of daycare options is also forcing families to choose home over the workplace."A lot of families out there, they can't return to work until they can get their kids in a good daycare, and there aren't many options," he said. And those families were the beneficiaries of unprecedented government payments since the pandemic's arrival."The federal government has sprayed the countryside with dollars .. and increased the money supply by 30 to 40 percent," Goss said. "There have been three packages that have put money in the hands of individuals that have made it less appealing to work. ... and they leave the labor force."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1622642233344.jpeg" alt="Goss&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Goss&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>Unemployment rates well below the national average in Kansas and Nebraska are not unusual, he noted, but said the labor shortage is increasingly becoming an issue for businesses and communities."I don't see any end, at least looking forward, to any of those three elements improving so we can get the labor force back to pre-COVID levels," Goss said.While COVID exacerbated the problem,&nbsp; data shows that the worker shortfall was looming prior to 2020."Currently, a lot of the rates are around where they were before the pandemic. Stateside, we were near historic lows prior to the pandemic," said Emilie Doerksen,&nbsp;labor economist with the Labor Market Information Services (LMIS) division of the Kansas Department of Labor. "We did see a gradual decline in the labor force prior to the pandemic, as workforces aged and baby boomers retired."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642800272373.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas reached an all-time jobless rate low in 1978 at 2.9 percent, she said. In 2019, that rate was 3.1 percent, and at year-end 2021, the jobless rate was close at 3.3. percent. Those records have been kept since 1976.Eric Brown, president and CEO of the <a href="https://www.salinakansas.org">Salina Area Chamber of Commerce</a>, said the tight labor market is top of mind on the local level. Salina County posted a 2.2 percent jobless rate in December.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642793194945.jpeg" alt="Brown " />
 <figcaption>Brown </figcaption>
 </figure>"It's the lowest that I have ever seen unemployment in the Salina market," said Brown, who has been with the chamber for more than a decade. He noted the Salina-area labor basin includes more than a dozen surrounding counties, all with jobless rates between 1.4 percent and 2.2 percent."That obviously is having an effect on our employers here in the community," he said. "We've had a lot of success in the last three years supporting our local businesses — manufacturing and advanced manufacturing have been growing by leaps and bounds. In the last three years, we've had over $675 million in capital investments on expansions, and those expansions are creating opportunities and jobs."Those opportunities, however, have a trickle-down effect, Brown noted. "It's pushing down to the indirect service providers —&nbsp;construction, electricians, HVAC, plumbers. All of those sectors are trying to hire folks," he said. Some workers are also taking advantage of those new full-time opportunities, but leaving behind vacancies in two or three part-time positions as a result.Those types of vacancies are pummeling the leisure and hospitality sector, Goss said. "That sector is down significantly from pre-COVID levels," he said, noting Kansas has lost about 9,000 restaurant and hotel jobs in the past two years. Nebraska has lost 7,000 jobs in that sector."Particularly in some of our smaller towns, when your restaurant closes, some of those are just not going to open back up," Goss said. "That's a tragedy, and for our economy, certainly not good."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642798220419.jpeg" alt="Doerksen" />
 <figcaption>Doerksen</figcaption>
 </figure>Doerksen said the largest decline in the Kansas workforce is in the 16- to 24-year-old range, with drops also noted in the 55 and older range.She said the decline in the younger generation's participation and availability is a factor in the leisure and hospitality sector's struggle.<h2>A new generation</h2>Both Goss and Brown pointed to outmigration of younger workers to larger cities as a key issue — especially in rural counties already facing depopulation."Our best and most expensive export is our students," Brown said. "Career and technical education has been a mainstay of communities like Salina for decades. Salina Area Technical College has a 97 to 98 percent placement rate for their graduates. But as birth rates go down, that pipeline doesn't get filled."He said communities need to do a better job of helping students understand all of the careers available locally. "Take a hospital — it's its own little community. When students drive by, they may just think doctors and nurses, but there's everything from management to financial positions. Most hospitals have a clergy on staff, IT departments, maintenance ... there's opportunities that run the gamut."But among young people staying in rural parts of Kansas and Nebraska, Goss said he's seeing a trend of fewer of them entering the workforce."Particularly for the rural areas, you normally see a high participation rate," he said. "But even in those parts of the country, participating rates have declined ... and the employment to population rate is declining."That participation rate is dropping at the same time most rural counties are facing the issue of depopulation."Of the 93 counties in Nebraska," he said, "75 have fewer people in them now than they did in the 1930s. That trend is going to continue."<h2>Economic growth</h2>Fueled partially by pent-up demand and increased dollars in pockets from government payments such as the Child Tax Credit of 2021, most of the businesses Brown works with saw significant growth last year.He said sales tax revenue — a key indicator measuring local economic activity — was up half a percent in Salina in 2020, and up a sizable 9 percent through November 2021."Anecdotally, for Main Street businesses, most of them said this was one of the best holiday seasons we've had in several years," Brown said.But productivity is not keeping up with demand, Goss said. "The savings rate went up significant during the pandemic and that was quite significant — no happy hour, no traveling," he said. "Individuals have those savings accounts and they see some cushion, and some aren't back to work yet."Anticipated interest rate hikes and inflationary concerns will diminish that cushion for many, Goss said, noting fuel costs have driven family expenses up significantly.<h2>Wages</h2>While wages in many sectors have increased, "they're not where they need to be" to attract workers, Goss said."Individuals right now are not seeing the opportunities and so the participation rate comes down," he said. "Normally, you'd see them coming back into the workforce. But the fact is that what worked before at $12 an hour isn't going to work."Goss said he has seen an uptick in programs designed not just to attract, but retain, employees, including vesting plans, retirement plans and improved health care options — and expects to see those offerings increase in an attempt to attract new, loyal employees.<h2>Solutions</h2>Brown said employers are increasingly reaching out to those they historically have not, including working with agencies serving the developmentally disabled, such as OCCK Inc. in Salina."(Employers) are doing a better job of working with these groups so (clients) are getting good opportunities and are stepping forward to take on some of these roles," he said. Goss said retail centers such as North Platte or Salina likely will continue to grow, especially for those retiring off the farm in outlying rural counties."More and more retirement homes are being built closer to where the farmers farmed and where the rural residents lived," he said. "There will be more and more individuals remaining closer to home when they retire, especially in communities on the interstates."Brown said communities need to increase their outreach to those who have outmigrated, especially as the trend of "de-densifying" continues in urban markets and larger cities."We all need to do a better job from a community level of inviting back these students and second-generation kids who have gone out and moved to a bigger community," he said. They're starting to realize that where they grew up isn't as bad as they thought when they were 18 years old."Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash