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Nebraska ed commissioner reflects on literacy, workforce, fed department
Nebraska Education Commissioner Brian Maher. June 20, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — The Nebraska Department of Education is moving ahead on priorities of literacy, chronic absenteeism and workforce development while navigating an ideologically divided governing board and federal uncertainty. The State Board of Education has selected three legislative priorities for the Education Department through 2027, focused on increasing reading proficiency among Nebraska third graders to 75%, halving the number of school staffing vacancies and halving chronic absenteeism. The State Board hopes to accomplish all three goals by 2030. Nebraska Education Commission Brian Maher says such progress might not be 'intuitive' for the average Nebraskan, considering the 4-4 split on the officially nonpartisan board between registered Republicans and Democrats, which appointed Maher beginning July 2023. However, Maher said the board has done a nice job pulling together, often unanimously, on many important topics, including what he terms 'LAW' — literacy, attendance and workforce — while differences remain. 'The occasional flare-up that might have an appearance of dysfunction really gets noticed, but what doesn't get noticed is all of the conversation, give and take on items of significance, like literacy, attendance and workforce,' Maher told the Nebraska Examiner in late June. Maher said he didn't bring the literacy improvement goal to the table, but he said if he has brought anything, it's a 'tenacity' to advance the 'laser-focused' goal of reading improvement. The state Education Department has also enacted the 'Nebraska Literacy Plan,' which is supported through funds from the Legislature and the federal government. Legislative Bill 1284 of 2024, led by former State Sens. Lynne Walz of Fremont and Lou Ann Linehan of the Elkhorn area, appropriated a few million dollars to employ regional literacy coaches statewide and to mentor teachers in grades K-3 on how to better teach reading. The focus is on training prospective teachers and getting literacy coaches directly in the classroom. Maher said 2015, his last year as Kearney superintendent, was a high-water mark for student achievement, but since then, student test scores have declined. With a focus on the 'Science of Reading,' a methodological research-focused view to teaching reading, Nebraska looks to improve the achievement trend. Maher notes that this was 'by and large' how reading was taught years ago. 'It's a little bit of going back to what we know works,' Maher said. Maher said several educational service units in the state, publicly elected boards to assist and coordinate resources with school districts, have a literacy coach in place. He said the Education Department has met with those coaches to boost consistency statewide. LB 1284 from Linehan and Walz, Maher said, 'planted the seed' for the science of reading and quality coaching in a 'very well-needed' three-year commitment. Maher said the Education Department is also engaging in the 'cross-sector' issue of preparing students in K-12 for 'whatever's next.' That includes higher education partners and also the Nebraska Department of Labor and the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, work that includes developing apprenticeships. While Nebraska's chronic absenteeism rate has flatlined, Maher said, leaders must still reverse high absenteeism rates that 'accelerated' as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic but had been declining before. Maher said there is finally more research on addressing absenteeism, in addition to how a good teacher can make 'all the difference in the world.' He noted that without students in school, it's hard to teach reading and math. 'We've got to find strategies in addition to that teacher who's a unicorn and a pied piper to get kids to come to school,' Maher said. One of the questions Maher is preparing for is what happens if the U.S. Department of Education is eliminated, a goal of President Donald Trump and some congressional Republicans. Maher said he's had good conversations with state colleges, community colleges and the University of Nebraska to ask, 'What if?' He said that has produced a rough 'skeleton plan.' 'I get the question all the time, 'What's going on in Washington, D.C.?' and I really don't know a lot more than the average citizen could know if they followed the reports coming out of D.C.,' Maher said. He continued: 'I tell people … I don't want to panic. I don't want to react on a rumor or an innuendo. I want to react on facts. To this point, I think we've done a really nice job of that. And I think our schools have done a really nice job of that.' On whether eliminating the federal department would be 'OK,' Maher says, 'I need more detail.' For example, what occurs with the Office of Special Education and associated funding, as well as funding for various Title programs that serve some of Nebraska's most vulnerable students. 'If we can get satisfactory answers to those questions, it may make a lot of sense to actually shift some of the decision-making and some of the oversight to the state level,' Maher said. 'I'm certainly not opposed to that happening, but I need a lot more of the questions answered before we dig into that.' Funding has also become tighter on the state level, and Maher said while his department has good relationships with the legislative and executive branches, more money might not always be the solution. Instead, he said support in policymaking and 'having our voice valued,' which he says the NDE voice is, is valuable. 'Let's build from that strength in that relationship that already exists,' Maher said, wanting to focus on efficiency and maximizing current resources and expertise. Maher, 63, announced his candidacy in early July for the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. He did so with the endorsement of all eight State Board of Education members. He and Lincoln entrepreneur Brent Comstock, 29, are the first to announce for the Lancaster County seat. Maher noted the Nebraska Department of Education also includes a broader focus than a traditional definition of public, private and home schools. For example, NDE includes Vocational Rehabilitation and helping Nebraskans with disabilities 'from birth to death,' including how to be employed and maintain employment while working with employers. Maher said the 'dynamic' leadership of the VR division, for example, is 'phenomenal' but also a 'best kept secret' that educational leaders want to highlight more. NDE's Disability Determination Services also helps determine taxpayers' eligibility for Social Security. The State Board of Education and Education Department are now embarking on creating a strategic plan, which Maher said will likely cover five years. The final result will include feedback after about a dozen forums held statewide earlier this year, including in Nebraska City, Omaha, Valentine, McCook and Scottsbluff. The hope is to get the plan approved by the end of the year and ready to go in January, Maher said. He would like it to focus around literacy, attendance and workforce. 'I think if we do those things really, really well, a lot of other things will fall in place,' Maher said. Maher, who played football at Midland University, echoed longtime head football coach and athletic director for the Nebraska Huskers, Tom Osborne, who used to say that if players can block and tackle well, 'winning will take care of itself.' Maher noted the 'waters didn't look perfect' when he returned to Nebraska in 2023 on a 5-3 vote (one Republican and all four Democratic members) after eight years in South Dakota, the past three as the CEO and executive director of the South Dakota Board of Regents. As he entered his latest Nebraska role, the commissioner said he heard a lot about how he would need to pull the ideologically separated board together. The 2024 elections left the same board split 4-4, plus a moderate Republican who sometimes split ties, including on Maher's appointment, declined to seek reelection. She was succeeded by a more conservative member. Maher, a previous superintendent of Kearney Public Schools and Centennial Public Schools, said he received advice when he started that administrative work in 1999: have the audacity to lead, but also remember when the superintendent is the 'hired help.' While he works for the board, Maher said he must develop relationships with each member to figure out what makes them tick, their hot buttons and issues that could be a deal breaker. He said that sometimes means walking away from some issues, too, while making significant progress for Nebraska students in other areas. Along those lines, he offers a third piece of advice: remembering he has 'eight good people' who all fit into the education equation. 'If I can figure out how audacious I should be or when to step back and let the board make board decisions, but yet treat those eight individuals like the quality humans they all are, that can go a long way,' Maher said. Maher said he felt good when, in early June, the State Board of Education extended his contract initially set to end July 2026 to July 2027 in an 8-0 vote. He also received a 3.25% pay bump, to $325,237.50. Maher has pledged to resign as education commissioner if elected regent in November 2026, meaning his tenure could end about six months sooner. The native of Hooper says he tries to use common sense and work hard, and Maher said his passion has 'never wavered, that it is about education' at all levels. 'I've loved every piece that I've been in, and when people ask me how this job is going, I say, 'I love it.' I do,' Maher said. 'Now they think I'm a little bit nuts when I tell them that, but I do, because I think the work is so meaningful, and if you can be involved in education, I just think there's something special about the impact that you can have in that space.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘EPIC Option 2.0' seeks to eliminate Nebraska taxes on property, income, inheritances at 2026 ballot
State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard leads a news conference at the Nebraska State Capitol on his EPIC Option tax proposals at the Nebraska State Capitol. May 21, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — The petition campaign to eliminate Nebraska taxes on property, income, inheritances and corporations is returning for the 2026 election, hoping to capitalize on recent legislative failures and rising property valuations. The 'EPIC Option' group is back with what supporters are calling 'EPIC Option 2.0' to ban state or local governments from collecting property, income and inheritance taxes after Jan. 1, 2028. Rather than proposing a broad consumption tax as replacement revenue, the Legislature would need to come up with a fix on its own. 'It's time for the people to be in control of this situation, and the only way we can do that is when the people vote,' former State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard, a spokesperson for the campaign, said this week. The ballot measure would add to the Nebraska Constitution: 'No governmental entity in the state of Nebraska shall collect property tax, income tax or inheritance tax beginning January 1, 2028.' Erdman said the EPIC team had been considering what to do after falling short of securing the necessary signatures to reach the ballot in 2024. There were hopes the Legislature or Gov. Jim Pillen could do more than 'incremental changes' for property tax relief, said Erdman, who was term-limited in January after eight years. But he said the 2024 special session dedicated to property taxes retroactively raised taxes because of the so-called 'missing year' of income tax credits for property taxes paid. Then, lawmakers failed again in 2025. Erdman tried many times to legislatively pass the EPIC Option. 'Even when we try to do incremental changes, sometimes it winds up coming and biting us in the butt,' Erdman said. State Sens. Bob Andersen of north-central Sarpy County and Kathleen Kauth of the Millard area are continuing work on their own constitutional amendment to tackle rising property taxes and valuations. Kauth's Legislative Resolution 12CA stalled in the Legislature's Revenue Committee this spring. Erdman said he and others can't think of any other option than EPIC and that voters have reached a similar 'tipping point' as in 1966. That's when the Legislature sought to create and use state income and sales taxes to lower state property taxes. In response, voters in 1966 also successfully led a campaign to abolish state property taxes. 'I have spoken with people who circulated that petition in '66 and asked what their plan was to replace the revenue. And they said the outcry of how high taxes were, there was no plan,' Erdman said. 'They said, 'We are tired of paying these taxes.'' Sixty years later, the EPIC approach would be slightly different, providing approximately a one-year window for the state to find a solution if EPIC is advanced to and passed on the ballot. The 2024 EPIC Option team faced resistance from a counter movement named 'No New Taxes Nebraska,' an organization that included former State Sens. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha and Dan Hughes of Venango, former colleagues of Erdman, as well as the League of Nebraska Municipalities, Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, Nebraska Hospital Association, Nebraska Realtors and Nebraska Health Care Association. The EPIC Option ballot question committee has raised about $175,000 and spent $140,000 since 2023, according to filings with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission. The No New Taxes group, formed in February 2024, raised and spent $58,165 last year. The group filed in February to dissolve its committee with the NADC. Erdman said his group was continually 'chastised' for pushing a consumption tax plan, criticisms he says were incorrect, so advocates are now looking to force the Legislature to act. 'The revolt is becoming more sustained and longer and, right now, because the valuation hearings protests are going on at the local courthouse, these people are fired up,' Erdman said. 'And rightfully so, because this Legislature, nor any since 1967, has not had the intestinal fortitude to make changes to a broken system to make it fair for the taxpayer.' The campaign would need valid signatures from 10% of Nebraska voters, including from 5% of voters in at least 38 of the state's 93 counties, by July 2026 to reach the November 2026 ballot. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
The Hill
01-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Omaha city councilman launches bid for Bacon seat in House
Omaha City Council member Brinker Harding has launched a bid for Rep. Don Bacon's (R-Neb.) seat. 'I'm running for Congress because I'm choosing to fight for America's future, to make America more like its heartland, and to make the next 250 years a new golden age for America,' Harding said in a video posted to the social platform X on Tuesday. 'We have so much momentum, and together, we have so much more to accomplish,' he added. According to the Nebraska Examiner, 2017 marked Harding's start on the Omaha city council. He was also former Omaha Mayor Hal Daub's chief of staff and director of economic development. Bacon announced Monday he would not seek reelection next year, making space for a race that is likely to be competitive in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. 'After consultation with my family and much prayer, I have decided not to seek reelection in 2026 and will fulfill my term in the 119th Congress through January 2, 2027,' the Nebraska Republican said in a prior statement. 'After three decades in the Air Force and now going on one decade in Congress, I look forward to coming home in the evenings and being with my wife and seeing more of our adult children and eight grandchildren, who all live near my home,' he added.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nebraska fireworks sales begin this week after lawmakers increased State Fire Marshal fees
Revelers enjoy the July 4 fireworks in Ralston, Neb., in 2016. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — The return of retail fireworks sales this week comes after Nebraska lawmakers increased State Fire Marshal fees this spring, many for the first time in nearly four decades. Retail fireworks sales started Tuesday ahead of Independence Day (July 4), with sales able to continue through July 5 on a July license, according to state law. The same law required such seasonal retail license applications — now $100 per stand, instead of $25 — to be received no later than June 9. Other fireworks aficionados are also paying higher fees this season, such as jobbers at $400 (up from $200) and distributors at $1,000 (up from $500). Anyone wishing to conduct a public exhibition or 'display fireworks' must receive a 'display' permit, now costing $100 per date, up from $10. State Sen. Dave Wordekemper of Fremont, who led the proposed fee increases through Legislative Bill 434 this year at the request of the State Fire Marshal's Office, said this spring that the fees were a 'critical need that has been overlooked for far too long.' Wordekemper said, for instance, that some of the fire marshal's state fees had not been changed since the 1980s or 1990s. The increases, he said, still wouldn't keep up with the actual costs of such services. 'These fee increases are not taken lightly, but they are necessary to ensure the continued operation of vital safety services that protect our communities, schools, hospitals and businesses,' Wordekemper said in April. State Sen. Christy Armendariz of Omaha, vice chair of the Legislature's Appropriations Committee, gave Wordekemper's bill a boost on the floor saying that the alternative would be more funds from the state's main pocketbook, fueled by sales and income taxes. She said the fee increases would not touch family homes. Armendariz noted there is some 'sticker shock' to some of the increases, but she and Wordekemper said that might not have been the case if the fees were more regularly updated. All fees increasing under LB 434: Fireworks display permit — $100 per date (up from $10). Fireworks distributor's license — $1,000 (up from $500). Fireworks jobber's license — $400 (up from $200). Fireworks retailer's license — $100 per stand (up from $25). Fire alarm inspections — Up to $200 (previous cap was $100). State fire code inspections and compliance, late submittal after remodeling or construction — 50% of projected plan review fee (up from $50 flat fee). Fire safety inspections — $50-$300 (up from $25-$150). Plan reviews (beginning Sept. 1) — Up to $5,000 (previous cap was $500) Plan reviews for accessibility standards and specifications — Up to $5,000 (previous cap was $250). Water-based fire protection system contractor certificate (and renewals) — Up to $200 (previous cap was $100). Tank registration for farm or residential (one-time fee) — $10 (up from $5). Tank installation permit — $75 (up from $50). Tank registration permit (annual) — Up to $60 (previous cap was $30). The State Fire Marshal's Office estimates collecting an additional $800,000 in revenue the next fiscal year (beginning July 1) and $1.5 million the following fiscal year, which could be used to reduce or replace 'reliance' on state dollars. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Nebraska commission approves emergency medical cannabis regulations
The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission meets for a second time. Commissioners adopted emergency regulations to move forward with a regulated medical cannabis program in the state. Commissioners, from left: Lorelle Mueting of Gretna, Dr. Monica Oldenburg of Lincoln (chair), Bruce Bailey of Lincoln and J. Michael Coffey of Omaha. June 26, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission on Thursday approved emergency regulations to begin accepting medical cannabis applications as soon as Gov. Jim Pillen gives his final green light. State law requires him to do so by Tuesday. The emergency regulations, unveiled for the first time minutes before the 10 a.m. meeting, largely mirror a legislative proposal that lawmakers stalled on last month. The regulations would take effect for up to 90 days, pending Pillen's approval. The two medical cannabis-related laws that voters approved mandate that applications must start being accepted no later than July 1. Commissioner Lorelle Mueting of Gretna, an addiction prevention specialist through Heartland Family Service, affirmed that commissioners want public feedback on the emergency regulations through July 15, to inform future, formal regulations. Public comments may be submitted to the repository for the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission, which will forward the messages onto the state's new Medical Cannabis Commission. 'The input that the public provides on these emergency regulations will help us immediately begin drafting the regular regulations,' Mueting said Thursday. Dr. Monica Oldenburg, an anesthesiologist who chairs the commission, will send a letter to Pillen relaying the emergency regulations and stating that the 'failure' to adopt them by the deadline 'would force Nebraskans to seek medical cannabis or similar products from unregulated and potentially harmful sources.' Pillen's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the emergency rules. Licensing of new establishments must begin by Oct. 1, according to the laws. The emergency regulations would allow licenses for, at minimum, cultivators, product manufacturers, dispensaries and transporters, and someone could be awarded only one type of license. Justification for emergency regulations under state law can include 'imminent peril' to public health, safety or welfare. Mueting and Oldenburg will head up a subcommittee to work on the regulations in the meantime. Commissioners also voted 4-0 to enter a legal partnership with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and Pillen's Policy Research Office, which allows the commission to contract with DHHS for 'legal services.' Legislative Bill 677, which fell 10 votes short of the 33 votes needed to change a voter-approved law last month, 23-22, would have provided additional guardrails around the ballot measures that voters overwhelmingly approved in November. Up to 30 dispensaries would have been allowed under that bill, up to 10 in each congressional district. Under the emergency regulations, no more than one dispensary would be allowed in each of the state's 12 District Court Judicial Districts. Douglas County (Omaha) and Lancaster County (Lincoln) are the only counties that occupy a single district. Multiple medical cannabis advocates asked the commission to reconsider that specific restriction. No dispensary could located within 1,000 feet of any school, daycare, church or hospital. At least 51% of an applicant's business or organization would need to have resided in Nebraska and be a U.S. citizen for at least the past four years. Applicants also would need to pay to submit two legible sets of fingerprints to the FBI and the Nebraska State Patrol for a criminal background check. Unlike LB 677, the emergency regulations do not specify qualifying medical conditions. LB 677 would have outlined 15 conditions eligible for the medicine. That list excluded post-traumatic stress disorder. Nebraskans in November overwhelmingly legalized up to 5 ounces with the recommendation of a health care practitioner. The emergency regulations would require that a recommendation (from any provider nationwide) specify the product being recommended, the recommended dosage and potency, the number of doses, the directions for use and the name of the patient. The regulations would allow dispensaries to sell: Oral tablets, capsules or tinctures. Non-sugarcoated gelatinous cubes, gelatinous rectangular cuboids or lozenges in a cube or rectangular cuboid shape. Gels, oils, creams or other topical preparations Suppositories. Transdermal patches. Liquids or oils for administration using a nebulizer or inhaler. Dispensaries could not sell raw plant or flower, food or drinks with cannabis infused into it (edibles), any products containing artificial or natural flavoring or coloring and any products administered by smoking, combustion or vaping. LB 677 would have mandated testing of all products before they could be sold, one of the strictest testing regimes in the country. However, without a legislative change, the commission lacks the explicit authority to regulate testing under the medical cannabis laws. Instead, the emergency regulations say products 'may' be submitted for testing or research for development purposes. Packaging would need to be able to show it had been tampered with, child-resistant, resealable and protected from contamination. Similar to 2024 restrictions on vaping products, cannabis products could not depict cartoon-like fictional characters or mimic characters primarily aimed at entertaining minors, trademarks or trade dress or products that imitate or mimic products primarily marketed to minors, symbols primarily used to market products to minors or the images and likenesses of celebrities. Shari Lawlor of Valley told the commission that her 32-year-old daughter, Brooke, has faced severe seizures for the past 31 years but 'nothing in modern medicine has helped her,' including brain surgery in 2024. Shari Lawlor said her daughter has 11 bottles of medications and takes 'handfuls' of pills. 'They're going to kill her. If it's not one organ, it's another,' Lawlor said. 'I would just like the option to have complete access for the patients, and that's only by letting all different products on the market.' Jim Wilson, a clinical pharmacist speaking on behalf of the Nebraska Pharmacists Association, said he has seen positives and negatives of cannabis. He asked the commission to seek input from pharmacists because of possible side effects with other drug interactions. Wilson advocated for adding medical cannabis to the state's prescription drug monitoring program used for other medications, which LB 677 would have done, too. 'We are not interested in the politics or any particular party or any of that,' Wilson told the commission. 'We're interested in the patient and what might happen to them.' State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha, who helped advocate for LB 677 in the most recent legislative session, said the commission has no legal authority to restrict the forms of cannabis available to patients. 'To disallow by regulation what is clearly allowed by statute is a slap in the face to the patients and families who need this medicine and the voters of Nebraska who approved it by an overwhelming majority,' he said in a text. State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, who introduced LB 677, had no immediate reaction. Crista Eggers, executive director of Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, the campaign that ushered the laws through the 2024 election, said the ballot measures clearly legalized medical cannabis in all forms, including flower. She said it's also unclear where completed applications should be sent. Speaking with reporters after the meeting, Eggers said there are good components to the regulations and that she viewed Thursday's meeting as productive, while it had some drawbacks. She said that includes the commission voicing an intention to listen to the public and seek feedback. 'Today was a positive day, and I believe that we are moving in a forward direction,' Eggers said. 'We're not there. There's a long ways to go. But a good foundation today.' Bailey, who chairs the Liquor Control Commission, told Eggers that he and other commissioners had seen the regulations about 12 hours before Thursday's meeting and hope to tie down and clear up the regulations more about the regulations over the next month. 'We're asking for public feedback such that these things could be made whole,' Bailey said. 'The best we have right now is what's in here.' The eventual formal regulations the commission advances this summer must include at least 30 days notice of what's being considered before a public hearing. The commission set its next meeting for 1 p.m. Aug. 4, with a location to be determined. If there are no meetings before then, the likely public hearing on the more lasting regulations would be in September. Gov. Jim Pillen appointed Lorelle Mueting of Gretna and Dr. Monica Oldenburg of Lincoln as the at-large members of the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission. They join the three governor-appointed members of the Liquor Control Commission: Bruce Bailey of Lincoln, retired District Court Judge J. Michael Coffey of Omaha and Kim Lowe of Kearney. This was the first meeting for Mueting and Coffey, whom Pillen appointed last week. Pillen did not reappoint Commissioner Harry Hoch, Jr., to Coffey's seat, even though he applied for reappointment Feb. 2. Three other people applied for the seat. Hoch withdrew his reappointment application May 20 at the Governor's Office's request for more 'cannabis experience,' he told the Nebraska Examiner. State law requires commissions to publish rules or regulations on a commission website, but the Medical Cannabis Commission does not yet have one. It costs $70,000 to create a website through a specific state vendor, but commissioners can't collect fees or levy any taxes on medical cannabis and thus have no funds available, unless they 'borrow' funds from the Liquor Control Commission. The medical cannabis commissioners also don't have separate state emails or a set state address or phone number. Asked by commissioners how to remedy that situation, or if they would violate state law without a website, Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Swanson said: 'I understand that that's the position that you're in. I unfortunately can't — I don't have any information for you on how to fix that problem.' The commission entered closed session multiple times Thursday, often to discuss regulations and/or pending and potential litigation against the commission. Commissioners did not state whether a closed session was 'clearly necessary' for 'the protection of the public interest' or 'prevention of needless injury to an individual, if such individual has not requested a public meting' before any of the three times, as required under the Open Meetings Act. Asked by the Nebraska Examiner whether it was for either of those overarching reasons, Bo Botelho, chief legal officer of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, who is now working with the Medical Cannabis Commission, said, 'No.' — Zach Wendling, Nebraska Examiner reporter SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
