Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen has reissued an executive order to assist with continued commercial motor carrier operations in support of Nebraska farmers and ranchers impacted by wildfires. The order relaxes certain requirements, facilitating the delivery of feed and other supplies. It applies to hours of service and over-dimension restrictions. It is effective through October 11th.Similar orders have continued to be issued by the Governor since mid-March, when the first wildfires occurred.
An Auburn City Council member is among two people facing charges following an investigation into signatures that were improperly gathered for a recall election. The Nebraska Attorney General's Office filed complaints against Auburn Councilman Johnny Curtright and 51-year-old Amanda Powell for two counts of falsely swearing to a circulator's affidavit. The charges stem from an investigation that circulators improperly gathered signatures for a recall election in Nemaha County last year.
A new online voter registration platform is being unveiled in Nebraska. The new system combines the state's votercheck website with the online voter registration form. The system will allow users to update registration information, check the status of early voting, change party affiliation and find polling locations.
Mosquitoes carrying the West Nile Virus have been found in York County. Mosquitoes are able to transfer the virus to humans through bites, with symptoms likely to occur within two days to two weeks. The CDC says about 80-percent of human infections cause no symptoms, 20-percent cause flu-like symptoms and less than one-percent can cause severe neurological illness. The FCHD says the best ways to prevent the illness are to use EPA-registered bug spray, wear long sleeves and pants and to install screens on windows and doors.
Animals that were seized from an Elkhorn residence are now the property of the Nebraska Humane Society. The animals were ordered to be impounded on July 13th from Nicholas Salis, who faces felony animal abuse charges and owes more than 112-thousand-dollars in fees. The judge cited city ordinances that stated Sakis needed to pay impoundment fees within a 10-day period, which he did not do. Numerous animals, including a zebra, emu, alpacas, ponies, donkeys and pigs, were seized from Sakis.