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Aaron Sanderford
@asanderford
Grilling politicians & more | Southern/Puerto Rican hybrid | Dad | | Politics | asanderford@nebraskaexaminer.com 
Aaron Sanderford’s posts
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They say they have no estimate for how long clearing the area might take, but to my eye, it could take into the early morning to get folks cleared out.
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As we were walking, I saw at least two officers helping people who were getting cold, one elderly lady and a young boy.
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I was in fourth grade. My teacher knew McAuliffe. She’d told us all about her friend and space. They’d stayed in touch. McAuliffe wrote us. I remember our teacher being so proud. Remember the explosion. The silence. And my teacher running out of the room.
Folks have asked about story’s timing and our process on today’s Herbster piece.
A brief statement:
A statement today from Elizabeth Todsen, the woman who decided to go on the record with her name after having spoken with the for our article with eight women alleging groped them.
There it is. Filibuster-proof majority for looks like it didn’t happen. Race between Dornan and Fredrickson flips to Dems by a margin that doesn’t look like it can be overcome by around 200 provisional ballots to be counted by mid-November, based on historical patterns.
KFAB talk show host Ian Swanson, a former staffer for U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., opened his show today by saying Sasse is resigning his post to take a job leading an academic institution. Still no official confirmation. The silence from multiple sources is unusual. Will update.
Two men and a woman Monday put their names behind what they said they either saw or were told immediately after about #Nebraska gubernatorial candidate groping young women at political events.
A follow-up story for the :
One thing that makes the pain of Nebraska’s tough year better: Let’s check on Texas football.
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Eight women, including a GOP state senator, tell the that groped them, allegations he denies. #NEgov
Here’s what our reporting found:
That Green Bay offense could’ve used a shot in the arm.
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This is the first page of the letter from more than 1k #Nebraska medical professionals said is about to be read onto the floor by .
Normalize reporters not being okay after the adjacent trauma of reporting on trauma. Reporters are not weird to feel the weight of what they report. Not weird to feel empathy or pain. I broke down several times last week, and today. But I’m not broken.
I’m human.
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To everybody who followed along today, and some who didn’t, here is my summary of what happened today in Kearney with the . I know more happened than I could include. But thanks for reading and following.
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This is what my little girl wanted for her birthday. Proud of her for making her own decision to #jab. 💉
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If you’re waiting on someone who attended the rally in #Omaha, it may be a while until they get on a bus and get out. Traffic along the small roadway to the private side of Eppley Airfield is backed up and buses were having trouble getting through. We saw this:
Sat down with conservative political activist and provocateur Ali Alexander, who chose #Nebraska to give what he called his first public speech since organizing “Stop the Steal” rallies in the run-up to #January6th, when 2,000-plus stormed the Capitol.
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And here’s my quick onliner from last night about the wait to get back to people’s cars from the Trump rally, with help from the morning folks :
omaha.com/news/local/gov
When your youngest hits you with the Michael Jackson playlist on the way to school, and it pops on the way home, so you start the day with a smile.
At the presser for the Support Our Schools group that says they have gathered nearly double the signatures they needed to get on the #Nebraska’s 2024 general election ballot. They’ve been delivering boxes to Sec of State.
A bipartisan group of #Nebraska state senators just issued a joint statement in support of the story and .
There is no easy way to say goodbye to people you love, a job you have trained for since junior high. I strung for my first newspaper in eighth grade, covering high school basketball. (Thread, 1/7)
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Hunt: Thousands of families reject their kid. If you have the blessing of knowing your kid is trans or queer, consider it a blessing that they trust you that much. That is the testament to your parenting.
Y’all, this is my last week . I’ve had fun learning a visual approach to the news. My coworkers have been patient and kind. The work, hard in the right ways. I’m grateful for what we did together.
Something new came calling.
I couldn’t refuse.
Stay tuned.
Sarpy County taxpayers spent $88,000 on an investigation into allegations of voter fraud from the 2020 general and 2022 primary elections. It found no evidence of fraud, only a handful of mistakes by poll workers.
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Hey @nexoutlets? Care to share why I've been blocked. What was the crime? Sharing factual stories?
Did the truth hurt?
Did your blocking decision make things better?
See there's this thing about being petty. It shows. And people react.
A pork processing plant partially owned by #Nebraska’s governor got a $25 million federal grant to add a second shift/line. Governor says his kids run his businesses. Some want to be clearer about his business interests.
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If Sasse's staff confirms a resignation, his spot would have to be filled by gubernatorial appointment. His replacement would serve from now until early 2025. That would mean Nebraska could have both Senate seats up in the same presidential election year, 2024.
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Here’s a look at the drive-in rally near 24th and Lake. @karaforcongress and are here. So is first time presidential voter Nadia Spurlock, a sophomore.
Slama could have waited to respond until she was served, a process that can take months. She did not. Her legal team responded and says she's ready to depose Herbster right away. She also filed a counter claim alleging sexual battery.
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.@SenatorSlama moving fast to contest what her lawyer calls a 'frivolous, bad faith lawsuit' by @CWHerbster She's filed a counterclaim seeking to put Herbster under oath for a deposition on May 6, just ahead of primary. Attn. Dave Lopez says lawsuit is an attempt to 'bully.'
Some personal news: Next week I start work . It’s #Nebraska’s new nonprofit home for state government and political news.
I’ll cover politics there with my friends , , and our editor, .
Join us free:
nebraskaexaminer.com
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GREAT NEWS for #Nebraska journalism, and coverage of state government and politics and more. @NE_Examiner, a free news nonprofit, launches Tuesday. It’s home to reporters @PaulHammelNE, @CGonzalez_NE and @asanderford.
Get our newsletter:
ow.ly/GbBH50HyxgM
Conspiracy theories rot brains. Don’t let your brain rot. If something sounds too weird to be true, don’t check Facebook. Check reputable sources. People who get paid to get it right.
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Nebraska state senator complains about students dressing up like dogs and cats and demanding litter boxes — but later says the claims were debunked.
From @paulhammelNE
ow.ly/zyw750IuocC
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Spoke just now to the campaign re: the folks still trying to leave. They say they have the plenty of buses but are having trouble getting them to people still waiting because traffic flow on the small, two-lane airport access road is limited to one direction.
When the U.S. House Speaker comes to #Nebraska for dinner, and none of the state’s congressional delegation is the reason, it’s worth asking why.
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U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy visits Nebraska's Tom Peed in Lincoln on a reported fundraising trip.
From @asanderford
nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/07/13/top
Covid update: Oxygen levels higher this time than during 2020 infection. Antiviral makes everything taste like rust. But I’m cranky, which is a good sign. Hope to be back next week.
Don’t mind me. I’m just the reporter treating himself to the #2020Election finally being in the books.
Cheers, y’all.
My morning started with another crossover endorsement in #NE02. endorsed @karaforcongress over , saying she'd be more independent from her party than Bacon is from .
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Democrat Kara Eastman celebrated her own aisle-crossing endorsement on Friday, with Republican State Sen. John McCollister bucking his party and backing her U.S. House bid.
More from @asanderford: omaha.com/news/state-and
Connie and Randy deserved better. They warranted more humanity from Lee. I’m glad the union spoke out.
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Our statement on @LeeEntNews heartless & seemingly thoughtless decision today to can two of our top editors.
A story that should set off alarm bells.
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Three elementary schools in the Omaha Public Schools district have zero special education teachers, so special education students at those schools are being reassigned elsewhere in the district. @LaurenWReports has more:
omaha.com/news/local/edu
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Looks like most people have made their way to buses or walked out and are finding their way to their cars. Will update if I hear differently. Please let me know by DM or tweet if you’re still part of a crowd that’s waiting.
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But today, I am leaving for a new challenge, a job in broadcasting as ’s investigative reporter. I’m changing lanes, not because I have lost faith in print, but because I’m a junkie for learning. (3/7)
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This is big news, no matter where you stand politically.
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Congressman Jeff Fortenberry has been officially indicted.
The affidavit says Fortenberry lied multiple times during interviews with the Feds.
Hell be arraigned in federal court in California tomorrow.
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If you have a story that needs chasing, shoot me a note at aaron.sanderford@protonmail.com. I want to thank each of you for reading my work.
Hope you’ll join me for the next chapter, and also in supporting my teammates and .
Local news matters. (7/7)
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The final round of debate is beginning. State Sen. leads off by saying trans people are loved no matter what the #NEleg does.
Stay safe tonight, #Omaha.
and will be out. Let us know if we need to see something or be somewhere.
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Hunt, still relating the poem: “Every trans suicide is a murder.” To parents of trans kids, I know what it feels like when you see the life that you imagined change. I want to assure you that your child’s identity is not a reflection of your parenting. It means your child feels… Show more
#HappyNewYear from our merry little . These folks make hard work a lot more fun. Hope we’ve helped readers in 2022.
This was our first year of publication. Thanks to all who have supported us. If you haven’t yet, subscribe: nebraskaexaminer.com/subscribe/
People have to make their own choices for themselves and their families.
For me, it was time to get the flu shot and the new COVID-19 booster.
May today keep symptoms less severe the next time I’m in either disease’s way.
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#LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini leaves the field after the #Tigers' loss to #Missouri this afternoon.
#Mizzou won 45-41.
Wanna feel old but energized? Walk back into this building in your 40s to get your NCard and go back to grad school.
Today, I walked my kids to school, like I have for most of their lives.
Then, for the first time in #Omaha, I drove west to work, not downtown.
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Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris, sent their spouses to suburban Sarpy County on Saturday.
Nebraska Democratic Party officials say the setting was no accident.
More from @asanderford: omaha.com/news/local/gov
Petition circulators trying to stop #Nebraska’s new tax credit for funding scholarships to private K-12 schools say they are on pace to collect enough signatures to place the issue on the ballot in November 2024.
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Simplest rule: If it says Hitler, and you’re quoting it in anything other than horror or an effort to understand the worst of human history, don’t use it.
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Westside Middle School officials apologized to their Jewish community and students for displaying an Adolf Hitler quote as a 'quote of the day.'
@Jess_Wade_OWH has the story: omaha.com/news/local/edu
Screw my brackets. Sister Jean for all the marbles!
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If you know, you know. Breakfast, lunch and dinner a little late from Saturday.
Just said goodbye to friends and coworkers .
Never easy to leave good people.
Learned a ton. See you out there.
#Nebraska State Sen. Tom Brewer faced questions in 2014 and 2016 about whether he lived in the Sandhills district he aimed to represent. A constituent’s complaint and years of records revived questions about his residency.
My latest for the :
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All of news, including , is a judgment of taste, propriety and value. If it was too much for people who cover law enforcement daily, it was too much for most folks. The act of sharing about it at all is part of a necessary coping mechanism for all of us who listen.
Because of the protests, I’ve been wearing my big ID and lanyard a lot. Yesterday I was taking a break to get gas. A man approached me with a question: “Do you think you’re fake news?” I took a deep breath and said, “Sir, we work pretty hard not to be.”
Don’t let them lie to you.
Good grades never get old.
Even if students do.
#Nebraska’s State is joining with and to start a new PAC, aimed at raising money to recruit state-level candidates to push back against anti-LGBTQ legislation nationally.
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BREAKING: Today @senatormachaela, @johnforne, and @nebraskamegan are launching Don’t Legislate Hate PAC to help elect state-level candidates with the courage to stop anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across our country. Together, we say #DontLegislateHate.
Had a doctor’s appointment that required blood work and fasting. Here to tell you the new Dundee Dell’s fish and chips remain and undefeated way to break said fast. Day off, won.
Still digesting what this executive order from #Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen means. But it’s no accident that it came on #VolleyballDayInNebraska.
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Tried to get in to watch the Sarpy County GOP elect a replacement for former county party chair Nora Sandine. They’ve closed the meeting to press and anybody not on the amended list of the county party central committee.
A second #Nebraska governor has spent six figures in state tax dollars on sending troopers to the nation’s southern border. Is it money well spent or a waste among billions spent by fed taxpayers and Texas?
My latest for :
Y’all, it’s been a long 2020, and we’re only halfway done. I’m going to take a break for a bit. Hope you’ll follow my colleagues.
I’m going to rest as hard as I work, so I come back ready to cover politics down the stretch and all that comes with it.
See you soon! And thanks.
Thanks to , I get some financial help to go back and finish a master’s program I started decades ago and .
Got a nice little set of welcome gifts from Lincoln today. #CoJMCFamily
It’s officially a road trip if I’m eating dinner and writing late at a Casey’s.
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His face turned serious and he said, “I think it’s awful that people say that about you. We are glad you’re here.” He walked back to his car, got in and drove off. On a tough week, in a tough time for reporters, he doesn’t know how much it helped.
Whoever you are, thanks.
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When your news org is so new that the boss has to order us notebooks for opening week.
Update: The Celiac daughter is still raving about the new gluten-free Oreos.
“They taste just like the real thing dad!”
One good thing on a bad day.
Well then there’s that.
Folks, a quick thread on reporting:
Reporters share only what we can see, hear or verify. Cell phone cameras and videos have broadened what we can do. But things are imperfect.
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The took 10 hours of online fire Friday from and Republicans for sharing explicit, comic-book-style images on Twitter that depicted young people performing oral sex and another sex act.
Get more on this story from the :
Mask mandate or no mandate, you're not getting me out of mine in an indoor space with a crowd until we know more.
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