NE AG Drops Pandemic Mask Lawsuit

The Nebraska Attorney General says he'll drop his lawsuit seeking to block the city of Omaha's now-lifted mask mandate once a new ordinance goes into effect that will strip authority to issue such mandates from the Douglas County health director. Attorney General Doug Peterson has argued in the lawsuit that Douglas County Health Director Lindsay Huse doesn’t have the authority to issue a mask mandate unless the state approves it beforehand. In a written statement Wednesday, Peterson said the Omaha City Council's vote Tuesday to strip authority from Huse's office and place authority for emergency health policies with the Omaha mayor and City Council creates “accountability to the citizens of Omaha.”