Tag: Nebraska

2 Nebraska Officers Wounded, Suspect Killed in Shootout

OMAHA, Neb—Two Nebraska police officers were wounded, and a suspect was killed in a shootout during an attempted burglary, police said. Omaha police Chief Todd R. Schmaderer said the two officers responded to a report of a burglary at a storage business around 10:30 p.m. Monday, the Omaha World-Herald reported. Employees let the officers into…


Nebraska District Settles With Dead Football Player’s Family

OMAHA, Neb.—A Nebraska school district has reached a $675,000 settlement with the family of a 16-year-old who died after collapsing in the heat at a football practice in 2021. The Omaha school board will consider approving the settlement with Drake Geiger’s family at its next meeting on Monday. Geiger died in August 2021 after collapsing…


Colorado Girl, 13, Arrested After 100 mph Highway Chase

KEARNEY, Neb.—Nebraska state troopers arrested a 13-year-old driver from Colorado after a chase that topped 100 mph along an interstate highway earlier this week. A state trooper spotted an SUV driving about 35 mph on Interstate 80 near the city of Kearney on Monday night, but the driver sped up and fled east when the…


Death Penalty Sought for Man Charged in Nebraska Killings

Prosecutors in northeastern Nebraska will seek the death penalty for a man charged in the killings of four people last summer in the small town of Laurel. Assistant Nebraska Attorney General Corey O’Brien filed notice on Tuesday of aggravating circumstances that would justify a death sentence for Jason Jones, 42, if he’s convicted. Jones is…


Nebraska’s ‘Let Them Grow Bill’ Would Ban Childhood Gender Treatments

Nebraska lawmakers are considering two gender-related bills; one that bans gender change treatments for minors and another that prevents different biological genders from commingling in sports, bathrooms, and locker rooms. The “Let Them Grow Act” prohibits gender-altering procedures for individuals younger than 19, including surgical and hormone treatments such as puberty-blocking drugs. “The state has…


Nebraska Governor Announces Pick for US Senate Seat Vacated by Ben Sasse

Nebraska’s new governor on Jan. 12 appointed the just-departed governor who backed his campaign to the U.S. Senate. Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, appointed former Gov. Pete Ricketts, another Republican, to a seat vacated by former Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.). Pillen said he viewed Ricketts as “the best person to represent us” in the Senate….


Ben Sasse Officially Leaves US Senate

Ben Sasse officially left the U.S. Senate on Jan. 8 to become president of a college in Florida. Sasse, 50, announced he was departing at noon on Sunday in a recent resignation letter to then-Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican. He said in the letter he was confident that Republican Jim Pillen, who succeeded Ricketts on…


Bird Flu Prompts Slaughter of 1.8 Million Chickens in Nebraska

OMAHA, Neb.—Nebraska agriculture officials say another 1.8 million chickens must be killed after bird flu was found on a farm in the latest sign that the outbreak that has already prompted the slaughter of more than 50 million birds nationwide continues to spread. The Nebraska Department of Agriculture said Saturday that the state’s 13th case…


Nebraska, Nevada Minimum Wage Measures Adopted; Voters have OK’d 23 Straight Since 1998

The minimum wage in Nebraska will increase from $9 to $15 an hour by 2026 and in Nevada from $10.50 to $12 an hour by 2024, after voters in both states approved Nov. 8 ballot measures. Nebraskans approved Initiative 433 by a 58.5 to 41.5 percent margin, increasing their state’s minimum wage by ballot measure…


Nebraskans Approve Voter ID Measure In Win for Election Integrity Advocates

Nebraskans have approved a new voter photo identification requirement for future elections, handing a win to Republicans who for years have tried to get the election integrity measure passed in the state’s legislature but met with opposition. Called Nebraska Initiative 432, the measure was on the ballot in the midterm election as a proposal to…