Nebraska Update

A new effort by the ACLU of Nebraska will monitor courts across the state to make sure judges are complying with laws that require them to take into account a person’s ability to pay fines or post bail.

A 23-year-old Lincoln woman is still missing after more than two weeks and her family is very worried. The Lincoln Police Department and the woman's family are concerned about her “suspicious” disappearance.

Regulated Bare Knuckle Boxing and Kickboxing matches can now be held in Nebraska alongside mixed Martial Martial Arts and other combat sports. Nebraska Public Media takes a behind the scenes look at the people who led the push to bring the sports to the Cornhusker State

Numbers may vary, but most home builders in Nebraska say the same thing: if you want a home built, it’s going to be much more today than before the pandemic.
“The lumber part of a house has typically gone up about $40,000. That's the increase in the lumber side.” That’s Roger Brummels. He’s a draftsman at the Century Lumber Center in Norfolk. “Then there's other increases in all the other aspects, also electrical, plumbing, heating. Everything's increased on the cost of a home.”
Brummels helps customers brainstorm home ideas and then maps them out in 3D. The end goal for him: finding a price.
Even with these sky high lumber prices, home builders say there’s still a demand for projects. Historically low interest rates and the value of owning a home is worth the large costs up front for many homebuyers. And the problem then lies in finding a contractor – someone to build the home – because the contractor, for the most part, will take the risk of prices moving even higher.

Virtually everyone in Nebraska drives a car to get around, but what about the refugees who didn’t grow up behind the wheel, who now have to learn how to drive, but can’t even speak English? Juniper Refuge, a small non-profit in Lincoln, is teaching women refugees how to drive, but also build lasting friendships.

There are still very few clues in the disappearance of an autistic La Vista boy two weeks ago as investigators continue to look for any new leads in the case. The search for 11-year-old Ryan Larsen has been frustrating for the hundreds of people on the look-out for him.

Shannon Lum is the second female recruiting coordinator in men's college basketball. She grew up in San Francisco and went to college out east. Lum has learned under two Hall of Famers, Chris Mullin at St. John's and Tara Vanderveer at Stanford. The St. John's graduate will recruit the transfer portal and handle advanced scouting for the Huskers.

Costco’s plans for a huge chicken farm north of Lincoln have been scuttled by a Lancaster County District judge. Neighbors to the facility near Raymond successfully sued to block a special use permit needed to begin construction.
The order from Lancaster District Judge Jodi Nelson denied the special zoning permit required to build a commercial feedlot on agricultural land surrounded by fast growing residential sub-divisions. The order stated the poultry barns would “more likely than not have negative effects… on health, safety, and general welfare.”

The Nebraska Legislature cut taxes and approved new spending during its 2021 session.

West Nile season is back in Nebraska – and sooner than usual, as Iowa has already reported one case. Nebraska Public Media’s Will Bauer has details.
The Douglas County Health Department, in Omaha, had planned to hold off messaging “Usually, we see our first cases in July or August, but we do know that our friends in Iowa already have a case this year. As I may have suggested earlier, we never really know what to expect, but we do know how to address it.”
That’s Douglas County Health Department spokesman Phil Rooney.
According to the CDC, about 1 in 5 people infected with West Nile develops symptoms. About 1 in 150 develops serious – and sometimes fatal – illnesses.
Rooney says to make sure to wear bug spray with DEET, a chemical that repels mosquitoes, think about long sleeves when outdoors near dusk or dawn and report standing water to the health department for treatment.
The disease is sometimes perplexing for public health officials. Three years ago, Nebraska led the nation with 251 human cases. The last two years, however, the state saw significant drops – as has the rest of the country.
Rooney 2: “So, it really is a mystery. It’s maybe where the flocks of birds fly because the birds carry it, the mosquitoes feed off them and the mosquitoes take it from birds to us. So, it really remains a mystery.”