Top Journal Star photos for June

Secretary of State Bob Evnen reminds voters in eastern Nebraska's 1st Congressional District, including Lincoln and Lancaster County, to participate in the June 28 special election to fill the district's vacant House seat.

The results of the 2020 and 2021 study show widespread and uniform support for legalizing medical marijuana only across all regions of the state, both major political parties, ages and genders.

Gov. Pete Ricketts hit the brakes on the idea of using a gas tax holiday to give Nebraska drivers relief from rising fuel prices. He said such a solution would only be temporary.

U.S. District Court John Gerrard denied the Nebraska Attorney General's request for a stay on a preliminary injunction against Secretary of State Bob Evnen on Tuesday, saying the state failed to meet the standard to grant one.

"Both of us are experiencing very minor symptoms," the governor said in a news release. "We will be following CDC guidelines and will be isolating.”

A new Nebraska Department of Transportation operations center in Omaha should provide drivers with more immediate information on hazards along Nebraska's highways and interstates.

Shore and Ricketts have previously backed opposing candidates in races, most noteworthy being the 2016 presidential election pitting Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump.

Tyler Lindstrom, the 39-year-old brother of state Sen. Brett Lindstrom, was found dead Tuesday inside his home in Austin, Texas.

Sen. Mike Flood and Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, opponents in a June 28 special election to fill the 1st District House seat vacated by the resignation of former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, explored familiar differences in a televised debate Sunday night. 

Praising the county election commissioner for running fair and accurate elections, the Douglas County granted his request for $130,000 for video surveillance of voting drop boxes.

"This will fail if you don't step up," Nicole Hochstein of Papillion, the parent of a 12-year-old son with seizures, said.  

Sens. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln and Mike Flood of Norfolk provide answers to a series of written questions from the Journal Star in advance of Tuesday's special election to fill Nebraska's vacant 1st District House seat. 

Police endorse Republican nominee Mike Flood while Democratic nominee Patty Pansing Brooks points to impact of U.S. Supreme Court abortion decision on rights to privacy with special congressional election set for Tuesday. 

Fortenberry faces up to five years in prison or five years of supervised release on each of three convictions – two counts of lying to a federal agent and one count of trying to conceal dirty campaign money.

NEworks, the website Nebraskans use to file for unemployment benefits and search for new jobs, has been offline since Sunday, Geographic Solutions told the Nebraska Department of Labor in an email Monday evening.

In the reverse auction, broadband companies can bid to deliver high-speed internet to certain census blocks across Nebraska, with the cost lowering through each round of consideration until a winner is determined.

Raise the Wage Nebraska said it has collected more than 130,000 signatures on a petition to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2026.

The Nebraska Republican Party "declined to credential six individuals who are either switching parties, starting new parties or supporting non-Republican candidates," it said in a statement.

The campaign said it surpassed the 87,000 names it estimated it would need to qualify for the ballot, said Lincoln Sen. Anna Wishart, a co-sponsor of the petitions, but the fate of the initiatives in 2022 is unknown.

Sponsors of a petition drive to place a voter photo ID proposal on the November ballot turned in petitions containing 172,000 signatures — far more than required.

Pansing Brooks told Kamala Harris that she and other supporters of women's abortion rights will continue to "fight with passion and determination."

Bereuter said it's important Trump never be elected again. "It is clear that he was not qualified to be president in terms of knowledge, temperament, judgment and the lack of a moral compass," he said. 

State Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk stepped down from his legislative seat Monday. He'll join the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday.

Omaha's City Charter puts an acting mayor in charge when the mayor is out of town. Mayor Jean Stothert, who has been away 21% of the time during the first half of 2022, wants to change that rule.

Nebraska's representatives stayed with their fellow Republicans and voted against two gun control bills that passed the House this week.