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Articles written by Deborah Van Fleet


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  • Federal funds back renewable energy, efficiency upgrades for NE ag, small business

    Deborah Van Fleet|Aug 29, 2024

    Nebraska ag producers and small businesses have until Sept. 30 to apply for the latest funding round of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Energy for America Program, part of the Farm Bill providing grants and guaranteed loans for renewable energy systems or energy efficiency improvements. The Inflation Reduction Act included nearly $2 billion for projects under the program. Christopher Faber, state energy coordinator for Nebraska USDA Rural Development, said the legislation also...

  • AARP Nebraska seeking nominees for highest state volunteer award

    Deborah Van Fleet|Jun 6, 2024

    Nebraska volunteers contribute millions of hours of their time each year, and AARP Nebraska would like to honor one of them with its 2024 Andrus Award for Community Service. The winner’s nonprofit organization of choice will receive $2,500. AARP Nebraska Volunteer State President Suzan DeCamp was herself an Andrus Award winner in 2019. She said she encourages people throughout the state to nominate someone who embodies the volunteer spirit. "Most of us that do volunteer work truly want to give back to our communities and make a positive d...

  • Nebraskans Will Lose SNAP Benefits If Pandemic Eligibility "Sunsets"

    Deborah Van Fleet, Neb News Connection|Jan 5, 2023

    Deborah Van Fleet, Neb News Connection Almost one in ten Nebraskans receives Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, formerly known as food stamps, but that could change in the new year. If a 2021 expansion of income eligibility put in place during the pandemic is allowed to "sunset" in 2023, many fewer households and individuals will qualify for SNAP. Tina Rockenbach - executive director for Community Action of Nebraska - said some believe since many jobs lost when COVID was at its peak have come back, there should be less...

  • Flu Hits Nebraska Early; Highest Rates Among Kids, Young Adults

    Deborah Van Fleet|Dec 22, 2022

    Nebraska is one of a dozen states experiencing "very high" levels of influenza, and the highest percentage of cases has been in children and young adults. Children under 17 account for more than half the Nebraska flu cases so far, with the highest numbers in the five- to 17-year-old age group, and second-highest in children birth to four years of age. Molly Herman, epidemiology coordinator for the Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department in Wayne, where they have among the highest percentages in the state, said the strain they are seeing...