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Jan. 22

Lincoln Journal Star on glowing predictions

LINCOLN - The predictions from the Nebraska Business Forecast Council were enough to make people rub their eyes and reread.

Yep. No mistake.

Amid the national gloom over stubbornly persistent double-digit unemployment and a drop in real wages, the council sees a rosy future for Nebraska.

"Nebraska will experience solid job growth and income growth in 2010 and strong growth in 2011," the council said. ...

In interviews, some of the group's leading lights seemed a little more pessimistic. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, for example, said in an e-mail to the Journal Star that the likelihood of a double-dip recession has increased significantly. ...

The consensus of the group is that Nebraska's economy will outperform the nation as a whole during the national recovery.

More statewide attention than usual is focused on economic predictions. Shortfalls in state tax revenue resulted in sharp budget reductions in a special session of the Legislature last year. ...

Next month, the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board established by law to guide the Legislature and state officials in preparing the state budget will meet to make its own projections. Because its authority is defined in state law, its projections will carry more weight.

So it might be unwise to bask for long in the warm glow of the council's predictions. But it sure is enjoyable for now to imagine the state's economy humming along that nicely, with more jobs and bigger paychecks.

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Jan. 21

The Grand Island Independent on UNK partnership with UNMC

GRAND ISLAND - Health care is the burning issue across the nation as Congress wrestles with legislation to improve access to health care for millions of people and lower the cost of health services.

But all of this is meaningless for Nebraskans if there are not enough health professionals and doctors to administer care.

A new partnership between the University of Nebraska at Kearney and the University of Nebraska Medical Center is trying to avoid a potential collapse of medical care in rural Nebraska by preparing students to become doctors in the state's rural areas.

In the agreement, UNK will be part of the Rural Health Opportunities Program, which was launched by UNMC in 1990 in partnership with Wayne State and Chadron State colleges. The RHOP program grants full scholarships to selected students to the colleges and eventually be granted automatic admission to UNMC if they agree to practice medicine in rural Nebraska upon completing their medical studies.

By adding UNK to the program, more students will be available to take advantage of the program.

With approximately 750 physicians practicing in Nebraska, about half are in rural areas, and a third of those are over 55 years of age. With the likelihood of most of these doctors retiring in the next 10 years, a medical crisis could be thrust on the rural population of Nebraska. ...

The partnership between UNK and UNMC is important to future health initiatives for Nebraskans. Residents have come to expect quality medical care across the state and any erosion of such services will impact the lives of patients and the sustained growth of the state.

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Jan. 21

McCook Daily Gazette on NSAA and public-meetings laws

MCCOOK - LB1021 is one of those proposals that seems like a no-brainer.

State Sen. Bill Avery's bill would require the Nebraska School Activities Association to abide by open-meetings and public-records law.

You mean it doesn't already?

No, the NSAA is a private, nonprofit corporation and, as such, is not required to open its records for public scrutiny, publish advance notice of meetings or conform to other state requirements.

Yes, the NSAA is accountable to the schools it serves, and they, in turn, operate on taxpayer funds, but the state Attorney General's Office agrees the group does not have to comply.

Why not? Any hint that someone is hiding something from the taxpayers who fund an entity only breeds suspicion and mistrust of that entity. Add to that the conflicts and pressure associated with athletic activities, and the need for a public airing of opinions seems obvious.

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Jan. 23

Scottsbluff Star-Herald on anti-beer efforts at reservation, Whiteclay

SCOTTSBLUFF - Whiteclay, a small Nebraska border town where Lakota tribal members find it convenient to purchase beer, has become an icon for well-meaning activists who have labeled it the "Skid Row of the Plains."

They've been campaigning for years to get its liquor stores shut down, believing that it would solve the rampant alcoholism problem on the officially dry Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. There are several obvious problems with that notion.

One is that Whiteclay isn't the only place where beer is available to residents, and shutting down Whiteclay's stores would simply move the sales farther down the road and aggravate the hazards of drinking and driving.

Another is that selling liquor is legal in Nebraska as long as it complies with the law and so, in fact, is buying it, as long as the customer is a sober adult with the money to pay for it. The law includes no racial exceptions, and the most overlooked outrage in the Whiteclay drama may be the inference that all-knowing do-gooders should persuade state government here to impose its will on a sovereign nation that so far chooses to do little about the problem. ...

A new, more realistic, effort to deal with the problem focuses on jobs, pride, treatment options and law enforcement. Nebraska state Sen. Colby Coash of Lincoln wants to help a Whiteclay nonprofit group obtain state grants to remove litter and buy a local building to establish a recycling center that would provide jobs. Sens. Russ Karpisek of Wilber and Leroy Louden of Ellsworth want to earmark liquor taxes for detox services, other health care needs and law enforcement. ...

The ABOUT Group, a faith-based, nonprofit organization, has been providing some new jobs in town and plans to open a minimall of Lakota-run craft businesses on Whiteclay's main street and a day labor service for the reservation. Other plans include litter cleanup and removal of dilapidated buildings. ...

The idea is that Whiteclay, as a gateway to more than 30,000 reservation residents, could attract investment if it aspired to become something more than a roadside depot for alcohol sales.

To the extent that Nebraska can help, it should. Some of the funding could come from the taxes collected on liquor sales in Whiteclay. But real progress won't be possible without popular support from the Lakota people. Money now spent on beer comes out of their pockets, and if it's a worthwhile idea for Nebraska taxpayers to fund jobs, civic renewal, alcoholism treatment options and law enforcement improvements, it's fair to ask whether some of that beer money might also be better spent. ...

It's time that constructive efforts, such as ABOUT's, got more attention and support on both sides of the border.

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Jan. 26

Omaha World-Herald on improvements in the state's juvenile-justice system

OMAHA - Chief Justice Michael Heavican of the Nebraska Supreme Court last week pointed out encouraging improvements in Nebraska's juvenile justice system.

More needs to be done, and fortunately the key players involved - including judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, state agencies, the Legislature and the Supreme Court itself - are engaged in a constructive discussion to continue the improvements.

In his State of the Judiciary address, Heavican highlighted several items.

Two state agencies (the Office of Probation Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services) are cooperating in a pilot project to supervise children at home or in community-based services rather than in juvenile detention. This change will end much duplication of supervision by the agencies.

Nearly 80 percent of all juveniles in the project are receiving needed services in their own home while on probation. The project has the potential for statewide application, ending what Heavican called "a costly, confusing and redundant practice."

Heavican rightly praised the state HHS for making funds available for the program without making the children wards of the state under the department's authority. ...

Juvenile justice will be a major issue to be debated during the legislative session. Heavican's observations - and dedication to find solutions - provide encouragement to keep moving forward.