Pioneer Brief: Pillen signs disaster declaration after record flooding

Record overnight rainfall dominated Thursday, prompting a gubernatorial disaster declaration, dozens of water rescues in Omaha and Lincoln and warnings of lasting damage to county bridges, while a renewed inheritance tax repeal push took shape.

Pillen signs disaster declaration after record flooding

State resources are being made available as damage assessments continue in flooded areas

Gov. Jim Pillen signed a disaster declaration Thursday for areas affected by Wednesday night's flooding, and his spokeswoman said he ordered state resources made available as damage assessments continue. Omaha crews rescued dozens of people overnight from floodwaters up to 8 feet deep, while Lincoln first responders rescued or helped more than a dozen people after a historic downpour across southeastern Nebraska.

Why it matters: The declaration puts state resources behind local recovery, and the damage assessments now underway will shape the scale of response for local governments, residents and businesses.

Read the full story: WOWT

Lancaster County warns of bridge and culvert damage

Salt Creek set an all-time record at Greenwood, and the county engineer says repairs could take years

Lancaster County Engineer Pam Dingman said a U.S. Geological Survey gauge at Greenwood recorded a crest of about 27.74 feet, a new all-time record, and warned the storm could damage the county's pipe culvert system and some bridges. Dingman said repairs after the last storm of similar severity took about five years, while county emergency management planned field inspections as water receded.

Why it matters: Potential bridge and culvert damage points to a multiyear county infrastructure repair burden, making the coming inspections a fiscal and transportation question for Lancaster County.

Read the full story: KETV

Hallstrom to lead next push to repeal inheritance tax

The Syracuse senator takes over from term-limited Sen. Rob Clements as the Platte Institute releases a new report

Sen. Robert Hallstrom of Syracuse is set to take over the push to repeal Nebraska's inheritance tax after term-limited Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood leaves the Legislature. The Platte Institute released a report Wednesday with its latest arguments for repeal, and spokesman Ryan Kopsa said its members are working with Hallstrom on legislation for an upcoming session.

Why it matters: The effort adds another tax-relief proposal to the next legislative session, where it will compete with the governor's property tax priorities as lawmakers face a projected budget shortfall.

Read the full story: Nebraska Examiner

Nebraska manufacturing index returns to growth territory

Orders and output improved in September, but employment and exports remain weak

Nebraska's Business Conditions Index rose to 52.2 in September from 49.6 in August, moving above growth neutral but still the lowest in Creighton University's nine-state Mid-America survey. The state's employment reading stayed below growth neutral at 48.3, and manufactured-goods exports for the first seven months of 2026 were down $302.3 million, or 8.2%, from the same period in 2025.

Why it matters: The readings show Nebraska manufacturers adding orders and output while still shedding jobs, a signal relevant to workforce and economic-development planning as export declines persist.

Read the full story: KRGI

Around Nebraska

• Omaha Public Works said the storm exceeded a 100-year event citywide on top of one of the wettest Septembers on record, noting the city designs its system for a 10-year event, a stormwater infrastructure question for the metro.
• Lincoln recorded 6.15 inches of rain at Lincoln Airport on Wednesday, its all-time single-day record, as Little Salt Creek crested about 4 feet above its prior record and flooding closed routes including U.S. 77 near Ceresco and Nebraska 370.

Watch Next

• Oct. 5, 6 p.m.: President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in Grand Island at the Pinnacle Bank Expo Center supporting Sen. Pete Ricketts.
• Oct. 6: The Omaha City Council is scheduled to vote on the proposal to standardize minimum residential parking at one space per home.
• Oct. 14: Nebraska Public Media will host a 2nd Congressional District debate between Republican Brinker Harding and Democrat Denise Powell at its studios.
• Oct. 15, 5 p.m.: The OPPD Board of Directors meets at the Omaha-Douglas Civic Center's second-floor Legislative Chamber.

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