A TIME TO REMEMBER. This past weekend, I was honored to attend the 2020 BELLS ACROSS AMERICA TRIBUTE TO FALLEN FIREFIGHERS. Governor Ricketts ordered that flags across the state fly at half-mast in remembrance. The District 17 tribute took place in Dakota City at the Volunteer Fire Department on Sunday. The ceremony honored Dakota County firefighters, along with fallen firefighters from across the State. Never to be forgotten from Dakota City are: Andrew Zalme, age 42; Eric C. Speck, age 38; Lowell R. Satterwhite, Sr., age 67. Volunteer firefighters are a unique family of citizens dedicated to the safety of their community, often sacrificing their family and personal time to tend to the needs of others. I was honored to join so many in saying thank you. Please thank a firefighter, EMT, or a first responder for the sacrifice they make not only in Dakota City, Nebraska, but throughout our District, our state, and our country.

A TIME TO BE ALERT and PREPARED
The National Fire Protection Association announced in June that October 4-10, 2020 is Fire Prevention Week. This year’s theme is “Serving up Fire Safety in the Kitchen”. Cooking is reportedly the leading cause of home fires, with unattended items on the stove posing the most common danger. Also in October, it is recommended that we all check smoke alarms and fire extinguishers and practice drills with the family. In the farming community, there are additional risks in the outdoors.

With the winds, dry grasses, and bean dust, we have been seeing combine fires and grass fires in Northeast Nebraska. Be sure to keep alert for overheated equipment and smoldering materials, and also be sure to verify your extinguisher is full and in working order.

We have also begun to see those rural accidents I spoke of in the last newsletter. Please urge others to be careful when driving in the rural areas, especially when cresting hills. It is important that drivers allow themselves enough time to brake and stop when a slow moving vehicle or piece of farm machinery appears suddenly on the road before them. Let’s all work together to keep it safe out there!

Speaking about preparedness, there will be a HAZMAT response training exercise taking place in South Sioux City on Thursday, October 8. The Northeast Planning, Exercise, and Training Region will be conducting the drill from 3:00 pm to 7:00 p.m. The drill will “focus on the deployment and operation of the Salamander Accountability equipment during a potential HAZMAT incident,” the group reports. ,

DISTRICT 17 COVID by the numbers. We continue to monitor positive COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations throughout District 17. For the period September 24 to October 2, 2020 (based on available data):
Dakota County: +112 (2288)
Thurston County: + 20 ( 326)
Wayne County: + 64 ( 225)

ACROSS NEBRASKA: In addition to ordering flags to fly at half-mast in honor of fallen firefighters, last week the Governor spoke about Medicaid expansion, about the three gambling initiatives on the November 3 ballot, and, he was joined by Secretary of State Bob Evnen to discuss election security.

The Governor spoke highly of the May primary, and reminded voters to use caution, noting the following:
• Secretary Evnen, the Elections Division, and Nebraska volunteers did a great job of overseeing a smooth election in May.
• They’re again making preparations to ensure visits to the polls are as safe as possible for Nebraska voters.
• Given the pandemic, our elections team is prepared for an unusually large number of absentee ballots to be mailed in.
• They’re carefully reviewing incoming ballots to verify their legitimacy.
• We also want to remind folks to turn in their own ballot to the election commissioner. Do not give it to a political operative to turn in for you.
Secretary of State Bob Evnen also addressed the upcoming General Election, noting:
• The polls will be open as they were in the primary election. We will keep our voters and poll workers safe.
• This is a great time for young Nebraskans to step up once again and serve as poll workers. This gives a break to our older poll workers who are in high-risk health categories.
• We expect higher than normal participation in early voting. The USPS says that ballots must be in the mail by October 27th to be received by November 3rd.
• Only ballots received by the close of polls on Election Day will be counted.
• If you don’t feel comfortable putting your ballot in the mail, you can deliver it to secure ballot collection lock boxes outside of your county office in every county in the state. You may also deliver your ballot personally to your county election official.
• Mail-in ballots have their own security issues. We’re redoubling our efforts to ensure that ballots are cast by the registered voter and not by someone else.
You can find these details and more about the topics covered by the Governor in his press briefings on the Governor’s website at governor.nebraska.gov under the heading Press Releases tab.

As always, it is of great importance that I hear from my constituents to effectively do my job as your voice in the Legislature. I encourage you to contact me and I look forward to hearing from you. You can reach me by phone at 402-471-2716 or by email at jalbrecht@leg.ne.gov