Long-time National Geographic photographer and Lincoln resident Joel Sartore is building a photo arc of endangered species:
Check out some of his work at the Lincoln Journal Star.
Mr. Sartore will be appearing on an upcoming episode of the Today show.
Also check out joelsartore.com.
From the Lincoln Journal Star:
The Lancaster County Board should heed the request of a local coalition that it take another look at the super-strict noise limits it approved last year for wind turbines.
As John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union, told the board last week, the regulations “make it next to impossible to develop wind energy in our county.”
The county board’s action takes a sizable bite out of property rights, and imposes an undue regulatory burden on industry.
The new regulations set a noise limit of 40 decibels in the day and 37 at night for wind turbines.
To put the limit in perspective, the board members probably exceeded the daytime limits in their own meeting room when they were discussing the issue.
The next People’s Film Festival showing is next Tuesday, March 15 , at 7 p.m. at First Unitarian Church, 3114 Harney Street, Omaha. The film is “Pay 2 Play,” which documents filmmaker John Ennis’ quest to find a way out of the system where politicians reward their donors with ever larger sums from the public treasury. The topic could not be more timely!
From Jill Stein and Jill2016.com:
Super Tuesday was a big win for oligarchy, as the Democratic Party establishment delivered over 60% of available delegates for Hillary Clinton and billionaire demagogue Donald Trump stomped to victory in 8 states.
But despite the dominance of Clinton and Trump, the millions of votes for Bernie Sanders show that Americans are hungry for sweeping changes to a broken system that’s throwing workers, students, the middle class and the poor under the bus.
I agree with Bernie and his supporters that we must take our democracy back from the billionaires, win economic justice for the 99%, confront the existential threat of climate meltdown, adopt an improved Medicare For All healthcare system, provide a welcoming path to citizenship, and end racist violence in our criminal justice system.
On many issues, we must go further – for example, by canceling all student loan debt, urgently transitioning to 100% clean renewable energy by 2030, nationalizing the Federal Reserve, and reforming the electoral system with measures like proportional representation. And we must roll back the military-industrial-surveillance complex that is undermining our liberty and security while bankrupting us financially and morally.
Read more at Jill2016.com.
From the Lincoln Journal Star:
A group of Nebraskans who want voters to uphold the Legislature’s repeal of the death penalty kicked off a statewide education campaign Wednesday.
The group scheduled a news conference at the Capitol to launch the campaign and unveil its new name: Retain a Just Nebraska.
The name change from Nebraskans for Public Safety reflects the action needed to support the death penalty repeal (LB268) passed last session, said spokesman Dan Parsons.
Support for abolishing the death penalty is diverse, he said, and includes fiscal conservatives, law enforcement officials, faith leaders and murder victims’ families.
Senators won a hard-fought battle in passing a repeal bill introduced by Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers, one he had introduced 37 times during his tenure in the Legislature. The bill advanced through three rounds of debate, was vetoed by Gov. Pete Ricketts, and then senators voted to override the veto.
Before the repeal could go into effect, Nebraskans for the Death Penalty launched a petition drive to stop the repeal until Nebraska voters could weigh in in November on whether or not the state should continue to have capital punishment.
Now those who supported the repeal want voters to endorse it.
From Nebraskans for Peace:
Learn about peace work in Israel and Palestine and what you can do to help. Rabbi Joseph Berman and Bshara Nassar, a Christian from Palestine, will discuss the work they have been doing for peace and justice in the Holy Land.
This event is organized through the Holy Land Task Force, Peace with Justice Ministries and the Mercy & Justice Team of the Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church, in collaboration with the Palestinian Rights Task Force of Nebraskans for Peace.
From BOLD Nebraska:
This Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 1:30 p.m., the Legislature will hold a hearing on two fracking-related bills, and the Senators on the Natural Resources Committee who will first vote on these new protections for our water need to hear from you. Click here to submit your written testimony on fracking that we’ll deliver at the hearing.
At the hearing on Wednesday, the Legislature will hear testimony on LB 1070 and LB 1082:
LB 1070: Requires fracking wastewater injection wells to secure $1 million+ in liability insurance. Restricts permits if the groundwater aquifer is close to the surface.
LB 1082: Fixes the clear conflict of interest at the Nebraska Oil & Gas Commission, by eliminating the regulatory agency’s dual role of “promoting” the oil and gas industry in the state. Requires more public hearings and notification about wastewater projects. Mandates additional well monitoring and well fluid analysis that is not being done now.
Thanks to all of you who in the past year have testified at hearings across the state, signed a petition or letter to your senator, or made a donation to support our work to strengthen the laws that protect our water.
Bold Nebraska and Jane Kleeb will be at the hearing on Wednesday to testify in support of LB 1070 and LB 1082. We encourage you to join us in person, or else submit a comment that we’ll deliver to Senators at the hearing. Click here to check out our “Testimony Tips” and submit your written testimony.
From Nebraskans for Public Safety and Senator Adam Morfeld:
Let’s be clear about something: Right now, Nebraska is at the center of the fight to end the death penalty in this country. We ended it last spring in the Unicameral — one of my proudest moments in the legislature — and we must now defend that vote on Election Day.
With your help, we can.
I recently wrote to let you know that we received commitments from national organizations working to end the death penalty. In order to secure their support, we have to show our strength and raise matching funds from fellow Nebraskans like yourself. Help reach our matching gift goal.
The death penalty is unjust, expensive, and simply doesn’t work; our ability to end it once and for all is critical. Can you help get us to the finish line? A $25 commitment today from everyone on this list is what it will take to secure the dollar-for-dollar match from national funders. But our time is limited. We need to secure these funds.
Let’s do it, Nebraska — let’s end the death penalty in our great state once and for all.
Thank you for your support.
Senator Adam Morfeld, District 46
From BOLD Nebraska:
Our tradition of family farming in Nebraska is under attack right now. A bill (LB 176) that could come up for a vote any day now in the Nebraska Legislature would allow meatpackers — like the Chinese-owned meatpacking company Smithfield — to own pork in Nebraska. This would put family farmers out of business.
If the meatpackers own our livestock, corporate-raised pork will dominate our grocery store shelves. This means less care for the animal, more water pollution, and lower-quality food. LB 176 also gives the vertically-integrated corporate “factory farming” system more economic power over Nebraska’s family farmers.
KZUM Donation Day
Did you know KZUM started in Open Harvest’s basement many years ago? On Wednesday, January 27th, we are sending some noise their way by organizing our first ever KZUM Donation Day. It’s really simple: at the end of the day, 5% of the store’s net sales will be donated directly to KZUM. You don’t have to do anything, except stop by Open Harvest and pick up the food that you love. Come shop with us on this special day, and support two long-standing community organizations at the same time. It’s a win-win. Please help spread the word.
Seed Swap
The Open Harvest Co-op Grocery and Community Crops Annual Seed Swap falls on National Seed Swap Day, January 30th. We will be hosting a space for the Lincoln gardening community to bring their seeds saved from last year and swap them. This is a great opportunity to see what everyone has been growing and maybe branch out and try planting something new. Hope to see you there!
Read more at www.openharvest.coop/events/