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.

Nebraska football has lost three straight games this season and changed offensive coordinators this week. The stakes are high for the Huskers’ matchup with USC on Saturday, needing one more win to become bowl eligible.

Gov. Jim Pillen and members of a trade mission to Germany and the Czech Republic gave an update Wednesday. Pillen said the mission promotes Nebraska’s ag products, equipment and technologies. While in Germany, Pillen and those representing the state spoke to German companies that currently have a footprint in Nebraska. The trade mission began in the Czech Republic on November 7th and concludes in Germany on Thursday/today.