Nebraska Update

Law enforcement, others honor proprietor of Monowi Tavern for 50 years of service

Investigators in La Vista in the Omaha area say DNA from on an umbrella found near the apartment of a boy missing for more than a month has been identified as his. It's the latest lead in a frustrating case.

A wetland has mysteriously appeared in a national historical park in Beatrice. The tallgrass prairie now has chorus frogs croaking this summer and a thriving ecosystem.

A wetland has mysteriously appeared in a national historical park in Beatrice. The tallgrass prairie now has chorus frogs croaking this summer and a thriving ecosystem.

The biggest threat of damaging wildfires could be shifting to an unusual part of the state this summer dry weather is causing the state’s wildfire experts to focus away from northwest and north central Nebraska.

There are sensors, plates and cameras installed along Interstate-80 between Omaha and Lincoln. The technology helps with safety check functions and Department of Transportation requirement checks. Checking for flat tires and insurance on the move are a couple of the practicalities with the new tech.

Since you've been so much a COVID-19 person these last few years -- or parts of two years, I guess -- I'll ask you a question about that. I said tail end of the pandemic a few moments ago. Is that a good characterization of where we're at with the state of the pandemic in Nebraska?
So we're at a better place now than we have been since this took off. We have declining cases throughout the state. We're down to 20 to 30 new cases per day, and approximately 200 or so new cases per week. Fewer people are being tested, but those who are tested have a lower percent positivity. And we have fewer people being hospitalized. We're down to about 30 to 40 patients in the hospital each day with COVID-19. I'm really encouraged by these numbers, and I attribute this huge change. We're in the best place that we have been because of vaccination. So there's there's still some unknowns. Variants are an unknown. Fall is an unknown. And I think we're going to be in the best place we can possibly be as long as we focus on vaccination. And as long as people keep making the choice that they're doing now in Nebraska to go get a shot.

Ridership on Amtrak trains is starting to bounce back in the state after the pandemic prevented passengers from hopping on trains as frequently. As Washington continues to negotiate infrastructure spending, advocates hope for changes to Nebraska’s only passenger train. Is it worth it for Amtrak to expand its operations in Nebraska? That depends on who you ask. For ProRail Nebraska members the answer is of course yes. But the other side of the argument would question if the demand is great enough to warrant more high-dollar investment by the state and federal government. How those talks shake out is TBD. But big changes to Amtrak in Nebraska won’t happen overnight.

Nebraska State Patrol troopers will head to the U.S.-Mexico border; officials won't say specifically what they'll do there.

As more Nebraskans return to the office over the next few months, health experts remind us we should expect some will be nervous about mixing with others again.