Nebraska Public Media | News

State Senator Mike McDonnell announced his candidacy for Omaha mayor Thursday evening. McDonnell previously served as Omaha’s fire chief and has represented a South Omaha district in the Nebraska legislature for the last 8 years. He will face current Omaha mayor Jean Stothert, Douglas County Treasurer John Ewing and nonprofit executive Jasmine Harris in next spring’s election.

The holiday season is about to commence, but some criminal justice advocates want to share a reminder with those settling in for their celebrations. The press conference addresses jail overcrowding.

Jeffrey J. Funke, 55, is Nebraska’s 32nd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, following the retirement of Mike Heavican, who served for 18 years. Nebraska Public Media’s Dale Johnson sat down with Chief Justice Funke and asked how in today’s politically charged environment, it’s possible to keep politics out of the courtroom.

Major League Baseball All-Star and Omaha native, Alec Bohm, will be inducted into the first-ever Omaha Roncalli Hall of Fame on Friday.

A route for a trail connecting the state’s two largest metro areas was approved Wednesday night. The Lower Platte South Natural Resources District Board of Directors voted 14 to 4 in favor of a 10-mile route in western Cass County. The new trail will connect to existing segments of the MoPac Trail that reach the Omaha and Lincoln metro areas. The estimated cost of the project is more than $15 million dollars.

Senator Pete Ricketts is encouraging the U.S. Senate to confirm President-elect Donald Trump’s national security nominees as quickly as possible. Ricketts is a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, which will hold hearings on nominees for ambassadors and other national security officials in the coming months. He says Trump’s pick for Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, will help America stand with its allies and be tough on China.

The Lincoln Chamber of Commerce is adding a new program to empower historically underrepresented entrepreneurs in the state’s capital city.

The annual Christmas tree for the Durham Museum was chopped down and delivered Monday. The tree is currently being decorated with lights and ornaments by members of a bridge maintenance crew provided by Union Pacific. The tree lighting ceremony is on November 29th.

Drought has scorched much of the Midwest and Great Plains for the last four years. It has destroyed crops and sparked wildfires. Wildlife is also reckoning with the dry conditions – which can change animal behavior and even push species out of some regions.

The Papio-Missouri River Natural Resource District Board approved a contract Thursday to remove a sandbar near the Highway 75 bridge over the Platte River south of Omaha. Removal will decrease the flood risk to surrounding areas. The project comes at a cost of around $4 million dollars and is expected to be completed by May 2025.