Latest news with #Clouse
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Committee reconsiders, favorably advances second Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission appointee
Lorelle Mueting of Gretna, prevention director for Heartland Family Service, testifies before the General Affairs Committee for her potential appointment to the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission. May 22, 2025. (Screenshot of Nebraska Public Media livestream) LINCOLN — A legislative committee on Tuesday reconsidered and favorably advanced a second Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission appointee who had tied in a 4-4 vote last week. In a quick meeting Tuesday, State Sen. Stan Clouse of Kearney flipped his opposition to Lorelle Mueting of Gretna, the prevention director at Heartland Family Service in Omaha. Clouse said he supported advancing Mueting's nomination so the full Legislature could consider her appointment instead of keeping the nomination in the General Affairs Committee. Had the committee not advanced Mueting by the end of the legislative session, scheduled to end June 9, she would have been added to the commission without a vote of the full Legislature. Committee advances Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission appointees The voter-approved Medical Cannabis Commission is charged with crafting rules and regulations by July 1 so licensing of medical cannabis dispensaries can begin by Oct. 1. Clouse said his original reservations came because Mueting didn't have a 'great' confirmation hearing Thursday. After she spoke, long-time medical cannabis supporters voiced concerns over Mueting. That was contrasted with Dr. Monica Oldenburg of Lincoln, an anesthesiologist, whom Clouse supported in part because he wants someone with a medical background on the regulatory commission. Both nominees eventually advanced 5-3, in a party-line vote between Republicans and Democrats. Oldenburg stayed for the three-hour hearing. Mueting left after three invited witnesses spoke in favor of her appointment. The appointees would need at least 25 votes in the Legislature to be confirmed. They would join the three members of the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission to comprise the new regulatory commission for medical cannabis. Clouse said he wants to keep an open mind before deciding how he'll vote on the appointments. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Commanders' president says new stadium will be 'crown jewel' of Washington, D.C.
The Washington Commanders meant business in their recent search for a team president. Managing partner Josh Harris' search landed on Mark Clouse in December. While that name may be unfamiliar to football fans, Clouse is a giant in the business world and was considered a slam-dunk hire for Harris and the Commanders. Before coming to Washington, Clouse most recently served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Campbell's Company, overseeing iconic brands such as Campbell's, Goldfish, Rao's, Pepperidge Farm, and others. Once he began, Clouse immediately jumped into the Commanders' search for a new stadium. The Commanders have agreed to a deal with Washington, D.C., to build the new stadium at the RFK Stadium site in the District. While it seems like a formality, it's still not a done deal as the D.C. Council must approve the agreement. On Monday, we finally heard from Clouse publicly for the first time since arriving in Washington at the Economic Club luncheon. Clouse conveyed that the Commanders have big plans for the new stadium that go beyond football. 'Much more than just simply building a stadium,' Clouse said via Mark Segraves of NBC 4 in Washington, D.C. 'This is an opportunity to take 180 acres that should be the crown jewel of the District and turn it into both an economic and community engine that is going to be absolutely part of the roadmap for the future, and living into that, but in a contemporary, relevant way that feels like you are at the absolutely premiere facility in all of sports." Both sides want more than a football stadium. D.C. understands that building a new stadium would only be the start, as they could host events year-round, including concerts, other sporting events, and so much more. This would help create jobs in the District, and the new stadium would also bring shopping and housing options. For their part, the Commanders are willing to pay for over half of what the project will cost, leaving less burden for D.C. taxpayers. And yes, the new stadium will have a roof. 'There is a roof on the stadium, and I think that's gonna enable us to bring, you know, 30-to-40 world-class events,' Clouse said. 'I mean, we will be the only roofed facility of this size in the Mid-Atlantic, and so, you know, whether that's Taylor Swift or the Final Four or — any WWE wrestling fans out there? — WrestleMania could come, but we are going to be able to host everything that's in the city on a national stage. And because of that roof, it gives us a chance to actually create a pipeline of jobs and development.' This is a deal everyone involved wants. Multiple members of the D.C. Council have gone on record saying they will vote in favor of the stadium. However, other members have said they are against the new stadium. Clouse, unlike Washington's previous team presidents, appears to be able to get things done. This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders' president says new stadium will be 'crown jewel' of D.C.
Indianapolis Star
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
At least *he* showed up... Pacers fan goes viral for being first in his seat, locked in early
INDIANAPOLIS — Bryce Clouse is a man who likes to arrive early for sporting events. Get there. Get settled in. And get focused. 'That's just how I was raised,' Clouse said. 'I love sports. And I love to see the action from beginning to end.' IndyStar photojournalist Mykal McEldowney photographed the 25-year-old Clouse at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday night before Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers sitting alone in his section behind the basket amid a sea of 'Boom Baby!' yellow t-shirts draped over seats. Clouse, from Goshen, appeared to be as locked in an hour before the game as any player possibly could be. 'I was getting focused,' he said. 'Getting locked into the game just like everybody else.' Clouse has a background in sports. The NorthWood High School graduate, a native of Nappanee, was a manager for the football team at Ball State and worked as an intern for the Wake Forest football program in 2022 and '23 before coming back home to work on the staff at Goshen as the quarterbacks coach last season. 'I work in football, so I know how to get in that mindset,' Clouse said. 'I've worked with some really cool dudes who have taught me a lot.' Clouse, who attended the game by himself, said he was 'one of the first people in the building' on Friday night, finding his seat in the eighth row shortly after the doors opened. He said he also attended Game 1 of the first-round series against Milwaukee. Those were his first two Pacers games since moving back to Indiana from North Carolina. Despite the lopsided Game 3 loss, Clouse said he is confident the Pacers can recover and win the series. 'Big Pacers fan,' Clouse said. 'I always remain optimistic. Just gotta take it one at a time.'
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New law provides incentive for mental health professionals
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/FOX24) — Now Act 1022, the behavioral health loan forgiveness plan provides an incentive for mental and behavioral health professionals to take jobs in underserved communities. According to legislation, 'underserved communities' are determined by the ratio of mental health professionals to the population of a given area. It also says that for each year a participant meets the requirements, they will also receive a 15% reduction on their student loans for a maximum of three years. Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences at NorthWest Arkansas Community College, Lorena Clouse, said this new legislation is a win-win for both the community and the professionals taking these jobs. 'It helps the local community beyond the fact that they have this specialized training in the field because now they're also economic contributors,' Clouse said. 'They're buying houses, they're contributing to local businesses, they're participating in the kinds of things that can identify maybe the barriers for individuals in those communities. Without that, it might not be happening.' Pea Ridge resident inspires new legislative change The law is designed with the hope of keeping mental health professionals in Arkansas and to boost the overall well-being of the state's citizens. It also gives financial relief for people who enter the field, because in order to become a licensed professional, one must complete a master's program. Emma Haas is a psychology student at the University of Arkansas, and she said that this program provides an opportunity for her to continue her path towards a master's degree. 'It was not in the plans or even a possibility for me to go beyond getting my bachelor's degree, Haas said. 'So, I think providing that opportunity for students like me will definitely keep people in Arkansas and help communities that need it.' The bill was signed into law last week and is expected to take effect at the start of 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nebraska minimum wage would see fixed annual increases under new ‘compromise' amendment
State Sen. Jane Raybould of Lincoln talks with State Sen. Rick Holdcroft of Bellevue during debate on her priority bill to alter voter-approved annual increases to the state's minimum wage. March 31, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — State lawmakers seeking to slow down annual minimum wage increases that Nebraska voters approved in 2022 have reached a new deal to avoid the law's inflationary increases. State Sens. Jane Raybould of Lincoln and Stan Clouse of Kearney said they have found a 'compromise' for Raybould's Legislative Bill 258 that would completely remove permanent annual cost-of-living increases to the state minimum wage, beginning in 2027. Under the Clouse amendment, the wage would increase instead by 1.75% annually in perpetuity. Under the current law, workers could see much larger increases. Average inflation for the past five years was 4.18%. Over the past 10 years, it was 2.63%. And over the past 25 years, it was 2.39%, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Midwest. 'It's certainty, and I like certainty, and I like minimizing the risk,' Clouse said at the beginning of April, when he pitched a fixed annual increase rather than a sliding scale tied to inflation. Raybould said her motivation and why she keeps pushing 'passionately' for her measure is to help small businesses and others who might not be able to absorb the cost of rising wages that she said could pass on costs to consumers. 'I know that this is the right thing to do, to create a balance,' Raybould said this week. 'You have to always balance it out to make sure that we maintain the economic vitality and vibrancy and economic growth in our state without falling off and creating a cycle of cost increases that are so much harder for Nebraska families to be able to afford.' Clouse has said that unless his amendment has been attached to LB 258 before the end of the next four-hour debate on LB 258, he will not vote for the measure. His vote matters because overcoming a filibuster requires 33 votes, and Clouse is likely Raybould's 33rd vote. State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln has filed multiple motions and amendments to try to prevent his amendment from being attached, one of the opponents who say Raybould's bill goes against voters. Federal minimum wage: Created in 1938, now $7.25. Nebraska minimum wage: Created in 1967, now $13.50. Nebraska tipped employees minimum wage: Created in 1970, now $2.13. Wages plus gratuities must equal or exceed the Nebraska minimum wage under state law. Nebraska training wage: Created in 1991, now $5.44 (75% of the federal minimum wage) for up to the first 90 days of employment for a worker younger than 20 years old. Nebraska student-learners minimum wage: Created in 1987, now $11.25 (75% of the Nebraska minimum wage) for workers who are part of a vocational training program. Nebraska youth minimum wage: Does not currently exist. Nebraska first enacted a state minimum wage of $1 in October 1967, 29 years after Congress passed a federal minimum wage, first at 25 cents for select workers. The federal minimum wage sets a floor for workers' pay when state wages don't keep up. The Nebraska minimum wage did not overtake the federal minimum wage until voters acted in 2014, increasing it to $9 by January 2016. In 2022, voters acted again and decided to permanently go around the Legislature, opting for annual $1.50 increases through 2026, up to $15, before shifting to annual cost-of-living adjustments. Raybould, a longtime grocery store executive who was elected to the Legislature in 2022, first proposed capping annual minimum wage increases to up to 1.5% in 2023. Former State Sen. Tom Briese of Albion, now the state treasurer, had a separate measure seeking to amend the state training wage for teen workers, while also seeking to create a 'youth minimum wage' for 14 or 15 year olds. The training wage was first established in July 1991, allowing employers to pay workers younger than 20 a lower wage for up to the first 90 days of employment. The wage expired after March 1993 but returned in September 1997. LB 258 would exempt 14 or 15 year olds from the training wage but create a subminimum wage for the youngest workers that could stay in place until they age out. Raybould's version of the original Briese proposal, in LB 258, includes the following: The training wage would be limited to teen workers ages 16 to 19. It would rise to $13.50 this September and, beginning in 2027, increase by 1.5% each year. The training wage in Nebraska has been tied to 75% of the federal minimum wage since 2007. With the $7.25 federal wage not increasing since 2009, the training wage has been locked at $5.44. The youth minimum wage would be created for 14 or 15 year olds, exempting them from the training wage. It would start at $13.50 in January 2026 and increase every fifth year by 1.5%. The state minimum wage for adults and older teens would rise by 2065 to $29.51 under Clouse's amendment. That's the same point at which the new youth minimum wage would finally catch up to the $15 baseline wage that voters approved for all Nebraska workers in 2022, starting next year, based on an analysis by the Nebraska Examiner of the impact of the Clouse and Raybould language. The disparity between the state minimum wage and the youth wage would grow over time, from about 90% of the state wage in 2026 to about half of the Nebraska rate by 2065. That's young workers born after 2050. The training wage would be $24.13 in 2065, or about 82% of the state minimum wage. Raybould said it's critical to correct an 'oversight' from past legislation and ballot measures that left out increases to the training wage and sever that wage from the stagnant federal rate. Emancipated minors would be paid the full state minimum wage as older workers, which Raybould and supporters have said would help some young parents or youths who need the most support. Minimum wage increase projections History of the Nebraska, federal minimum wages Minimum wage voting results by legislative district However, very few minors are granted emancipation, according to court data that Conrad requested and shared with the Examiner. In the report, 143 emancipation cases were filed with the judicial system, dating back to 2019 and including the early part of 2025. Over that period, the court system granted 65 youths emancipation, and eight more cases were pending. It's unclear how many of those minors were 14 or 15 years old. Local businesses sought to employ 2,874 teens aged 14 or 15 in 2022, according to a March 2023 Nebraska Department of Labor report. Raybould said she continues pushing for the youth minimum wage partly because of child labor laws that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration helps enforce. Under the requirements, a 14- or 15-year-old can only perform certain non-hazardous or non-manufacturing duties or work certain hours. Businesses face severe penalties for noncompliance. These teen workers can't work more than three hours on a school day or more than 18 hours during a school week. Work hours are restricted between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., except around the summer when night hours are extended to 9 p.m. Raybould said she's heard from many business leaders who say they would hire 14- or 15-year-old workers but that the same minimum wage coupled with OSHA restrictions is a disincentive for doing so. She said her family, which operates B&R Stores, Inc., the parent company of Super Saver, Russ's Market and other local grocery stores, hasn't hired those youngest workers for about 20 years 'for the very reason of the equipment and things they are not permitted to do.' If the youth wage were established, she said some businesses might reconsider hiring young workers. However, she said her grocery stores wouldn't because of 'too many restrictions.' Raybould retired as vice president of her family company, founded in 1964, at the end of March. She continues to serve as vice chair of the company board and has filed a conflict of interest statement on her measure. LB 258 would not be the final say on minimum wage, Raybould added, as future lawmakers or voters could still act. She noted employers also would not be prohibited from paying more than the minimum wage or from not adopting training or youth wages. She said she realizes workers, during a workforce shortage, are looking for competitive wages, benefits and hours. Raybould's bill would not change the $2.13 minimum hourly wage paid to workers earning tips or gratuities, which hasn't changed since 1991. Conrad, who helped run the 2014 ballot measure that brought the state minimum wage above the federal rate, and State Sen. Terrell McKinney of North Omaha, who helped lead the 2022 measure, have led opposition to Raybould this spring. All three are Democrats, with Raybould standing alone among her progressive colleagues in the officially nonpartisan Legislature. Much of the opposition cites the 'will of the voters' in 2022, when the McKinney-backed measure secured about 59% support statewide and majority support in 38 of 49 legislative districts. Conrad blasted the creation of a youth wage as viewing young workers as 'subhuman' and urged Raybould to show where in her campaign she said she would 'stick it to low-income working families.' 'The frustration is that you shouldn't have to explain basic civics to adult state senators,' Conrad said during the earlier debate. As a freshman lawmaker in 2007, Conrad helped keep the state minimum wage on track with the federal minimum wage after a last-minute emergency congressional spending bill, focused on disaster relief for Hurricane Katrina and funding for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, passed with minimum wage increases. The first bill Conrad ever introduced, in 2007, sought to increase the state minimum wage and seek regular inflationary changes, while also increasing and narrowing the state training wage and tying the tipped-worker wage to 50% of the state minimum wage. One of the lobbyists opposing that bill is now a freshman senator, State Sen. Bob Hallstrom of Syracuse. He was representing the National Federation of Independent Business. A much-narrowed version of Conrad's bill came to fruition at the tail-end of the 2007 legislative session, which inadvertently led to a temporary 53-day decrease in the state training wage because of differences in the timing of the state and federal laws taking effect, a hiccup that was added when Conrad's bill was amended into a similar bill. Speaking with the Examiner this week, Conrad said the debate needs to remain focused on voters and low-income families or low-income working young people, who she said would be most hurt by LB 258. 'Anything that has caused us to lose sight of the true impacts of these harmful measures is a distraction, and if Senator Raybould wants to perpetuate some sort of personal attacks or can't defend her own position in financial conflict, that's on her,' Conrad said. 'Senator Raybould is not a victim.' Conrad said she and Raybould have been friends for a long time and agree on more than they disagree. While this 'sharp disagreement … is painful for both of us,' Conrad said she continues to consider Raybould a friend. McKinney has said a 'common theme' of the 2025 session so far has been to go against voters, whether it be weakening paid sick leave, medical cannabis or minimum wage measures. He called it 'sad, to say the least.' He unsuccessfully tried to raise the state minimum wage with legislation in 2021, before leading the 2022 ballot measure. 'When you have stagnant wages, you have people stuck in a cycle,' McKinney said during the previous debate. 'And then you have people telling people to pull yourselves up by your bootstraps, do all these things, but we have stagnant wages.' Raybould has described her bill as exercising the Legislature's referendum power to modify, amend or repeal voter-enacted laws. State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of the Millard area, who chairs the Business and Labor Committee that advanced Raybould's bill, said she was very much against the Raybould and Briese ideas when the youth minimum wage would have applied to 16 or 17 year olds. Once Raybould limited the youth minimum wage to 14 or 15 year olds, citing the federal restrictions, Kauth came on board. 'Raising the minimum wage does nothing more than a very temporary measure to make you feel good for a little bit,' Kauth said. She continued: 'If you have not improved your skills, you haven't taken on more responsibility, got more education, or done something to differentiate yourself and improve, then everybody's going to just kind of float at that same level and everything becomes more expensive.' Next year, Raybould will have a choice to make on whether she runs for reelection, but she said she has 'never cared, not ever' about whether she is reelected. Instead, she said she cares about 'doing the right thing every day for the right reasons that help the most Nebraskans.' She said she's heard from constituents who have thanked her for the measure, as well as others who have called her self-serving, self-centered and selfish. Of the hits, she said, 'I just have to take those.' Raybould said her constituents know her, that she is informed and does her 'homework,' and that her 2026 reelection decision is up to central Lincoln voters. She previously served four years as a Lancaster County commissioner and eight years as a member of the Lincoln City Council, and she was the Democratic candidate in 2018 against U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb. 'It's really up to them to make that decision if they want me to run again or if they want someone else,' Raybould said. 'And if they want someone else, I would support that too.' The federal minimum wage did not apply to most workers until 1978: In October 1938, the wage went into effect for employees engaged in interstate commerce or in producing goods for interstate commerce. Beginning September 1961, at a slightly lower rate than interstate commerce employees, the wage extended to workers of large retail or service enterprises, as well as those in local transit, construction or gas stations. By February 1967, state or local government employees in hospitals, nursing homes and schools, as well as workers in laundries, dry cleaners and large hotels, motels, restaurants or farms were covered. Between 1970 and 1978, farm workers were paid at a lower rate. Beginning January 1978, the federal minimum wage extended to most nonexempt workers at one minimum wage, $2.65 at the time. Nebraska created a state minimum wage in 1967, applying in that case to workers not covered by the federal minimum wage until 1978. The Nebraska minimum wage has now surpassed the federal minimum wage and must be paid to all workers in businesses employing four or more employees. For smaller businesses, the federal minimum wage must be paid. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
