By Joan von Kampen | Editor-in-Chief
“It is important for taxpayers to know that our office did not misallocate anywhere close to a billion dollars in taxpayer funds or property tax credit money. No taxpayer money was lost.” - Rachel Garver, Lancaster County treasurer, on the state auditor’s report of “systematic issues” and “gross mishandling” of local tax revenues by her office.
Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts Mike Foley testifies before the Legislature's Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee. Feb. 5, 2026. (Photo by Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)
GOVERNMENT
State auditor finds big 'blunders' by Lancaster County treasurer, who takes 'blanket' responsibility
By Cindy Gonzalez
A newly released state audit alleges nearly $1 billion in accounting “blunders” and a “gross mishandling” of local tax revenues by the Lancaster County Treasurer’s Office.
The 37-page report from Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley details what he called “systematic issues” and accounting errors in the public office that has custody and control of roughly $200 million on a daily basis.
Nebraska judges, including the six judges on the Nebraska Court of Appeals, front, listen to the investiture ceremony for Nebraska Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeffrey Funke. Nov. 22, 2024. (Courtesy of Nebraska Judicial Branch)
ELECTION 2026
By Zach Wendling
Depending on the county where they live, Nebraska voters will see at least two judges and as many as 15 on their ballots. The most are in Nebraska’s most populous county, Douglas, which is Judicial District 4.
The Nebraska State Capitol. Sept. 12, 2025. (Photo by Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)
ECONOMY
By Erin Bamer
Nebraska’s tax receipts for August broke a string of five straight months of revenues falling below economic forecasts, due to continued high sales and use tax collections.
The state Department of Revenue’s report on August’s tax receipts showed a net gain of 1.2% compared to what Nebraska’s Economic Forecasting Advisory Board had predicted in late February. That difference equates to about $7.6 million in extra revenue headed to the state’s coffers.
Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte clashed with carpenters several times over the construction of her home in Walthill. She wanted to make sure the home had plenty of natural light and circulation — for health reasons — according to Joe Starita, who wrote her biography. (Courtesy of Gary Bowen)
ICYMI
By Paul Hammel
The Walthill home of Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte has been purchased by the nonprofit that bought and restored the hospital built by La Flesche Picotte, the nation’s first Native American doctor and a fighter for the rights of her tribe.
“I always felt a warmth from this home … a healing,” said the seller, Vida Stabler, who lived for 37 years in the now-119-year-old Folk Victorian house.
Sens. Ted Cruz, far left, and Maria Cantwell welcome Gonzaga University men's basketball coach Mark Few and University of Houston men's basketball coach Kelvin Sampson, far right, before a Sept. 14, 2026, news conference in Washington, D.C., with NCAA athletes and coaches on a bill to set national standards for college sports compensation. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
D.C. BUREAU
By Shauneen Miranda
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Tuesday moved forward on a sweeping bipartisan bill that would set national standards for college athletes’ compensation.
The measure breezed through its first procedural vote that needed 60 senators to advance, 74-24.
The legislation is the latest congressional push to overhaul the college sports landscape, which continues to wrestle with a patchwork of state name, image and likeness laws, gender inequity in compensation deals and the NCAA’s controversial transfer portal, among other major issues.
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