Connect with us

Nebraska

Nebraska tourism slogan is no more. 'Everything has a shelf life,' official says | Nebraska Examiner

Published

on


LINCOLN — Frankly, it was a state tourism slogan that wasn’t for everybody.

On Monday, the Nebraska tourism director announced publicly that it was ditching its edgy, 5-year-old tagline: “Nebraska, honestly it’s not for everyone.”

Officials said the slogan was successful in getting previously uninterested travelers curious about visiting Nebraska, but it had also been criticized — including by Gov. Jim Pillen — as reinforcing the state’s lack of soaring mountains and ocean beaches.

‘Thing of the past’

“It’s a thing of the past,” John Ricks, director of the Nebraska Tourism Commission, told members of the Legislature’s budget-writing Appropriations Committee on Monday.

Advertisement

“Times change. Everything has a shelf life,” added David Budge, who runs North Platte’s Nebraskaland Days festival.

Nebraska tourism
The 2024 state travel guide doesn’t include the controversial “it’s not for everyone” tagline because it has been dropped by the State Tourism Commission. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)

Ricks made the revelation during a public hearing in which he requested an increase in spending authority for his commission, from $7.4 million to $10.5 million, to increase marketing of visiting the state.

“We want to keep pounding in Chicago,” Ricks told senators.

Funds for more marketing

The Windy City and Oklahoma City were targets of new state marketing campaigns in the past year that, he said, were financed by federal coronavirus funds.

The increased spending, Ricks emphasized, would be financed by a combination of state lodging taxes and surplus tourism commission funds, not tax dollars.

The marketing, however, won’t include the tagline: “Nebraska, honestly it’s not for everyone.”

Advertisement

Motto increased interest

Ricks said the motto was successful in increasing interest in visiting the state, saying that a survey of tourists in the target market for Nebraska showed interest rising from 19% in 2019 to 39% more recently.

He said that when he was hired 7 ½ years ago, Nebraska suffered a publicity problem. It ranked last among states that tourists were interested in visiting. It had a reputation as flat, boring and a long way across.

“The only way we could get their attention, honestly, was by agreeing with them, and then counteracting it,” Ricks said.

That led to billboards showing groups of happy people riding down a Sandhills stream in a livestock tank with the headline: “Lucky for you there’s nothing to do here.” Or a billboard of hikers hopping between rock formations at northwest Nebraska’s Toadstool Park with the line, “Famous for our flat, boring landscape.”

Pillen slammed slogan

In the last “Portrait of American Travelers” report last fall, Ricks said that Nebraska had risen to a tie for 41st — up from 50th — as a state travelers were interested in visiting.

Advertisement

But Pillen slammed the slogan during his recent State of the State address, calling it “nonsense” and a barrier to recruiting new residents to the state.

Dropping the slogan comes as a proposal is being considered in the Nebraska Legislature to transfer the now-independent Tourism Commission back under the control of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development.

Budge, who was testifying for both the state travel and hospitality associations, called that move “backwards.”

The commission, he said, was moved out of DED a decade ago because its work in promoting the state’s third largest industry was being lost amid a large bureaucracy.

The decision to drop the tagline came last fall, Ricks said, before the governor’s public dart.

Advertisement

Ricks added that most of the criticism of the tagline wasn’t coming from out-of-state visitors, but from Nebraska residents, or former residents, who considered it a putdown, which wasn’t the purpose.

The Appropriations Committee took no action on the request to raise the Tourism Commission’s spending authority after the public hearing Monday.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Nebraska

Mental health by the numbers in Nebraska

Published

on

Mental health by the numbers in Nebraska


OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – A deeper look tonight as First Alert 6 continues to dig deeper into the state of mental health care in Nebraska and possible solutions, ever since last week’s two instances involving law enforcement.

A Douglas County sheriff’s deputy was shot responding to a domestic call. Investigators said the suspect, Brian Huggins, had a history of behavioral health issues. Huggins died by suicide.

And then Noemi Guzman, who police say kidnapped a 3-year-old from inside an Omaha Walmart and cut him in the arm and face with a stolen kitchen knife. Omaha police officers shot and killed her before she could strike again.

Guzman had been on a court-ordered mental health treatment plan since last summer for her schizophrenia. According to court records, psychiatrists determined she could live in the community. Remember, this was after she was arrested for setting her father’s house on fire and threatening a priest with a knife.

Advertisement

Monitoring system

We wanted to know who is part of the system monitoring those who may not be following their mental health treatment plan and are a risk to others or themselves. When that happens, the Board of Mental Health will often notify the local sheriff so a warrant can be issued and deputies can track the individual down.

Here are the numbers since 2023:

In 2023, 842 warrants were issued for those not following their treatment plans according to the Board of Mental Health. In 2024, 756. In 2025, 690. So far in 2026, 190.

But out of these 2,500 warrants, 85% of them didn’t have a second warrant, meaning deputies picked them up, got them back into treatment and the individuals continued to thrive after the one hiccup.

But in 15% of these cases, the individuals messed up again and had another warrant issued by the Board of Mental Health. Twenty-five individuals had five or more issued in Douglas County.

Advertisement

Sheriff Hanson said there has to be a better way, a more team approach for this.

One model to explore is the way Nebraska’s problem-solving courts work like drug court and veterans’ treatment court where experts from a variety of stakeholders help individuals who are on the fringes to do everything to make them productive citizens.

Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Nebraska

‘Nothing can hold me back’: Nebraska teen scores on first play after open heart surgery

Published

on

‘Nothing can hold me back’: Nebraska teen scores on first play after open heart surgery


(InvestigateTV) — Sometimes sports are about more than the final score.

For Jack Burke, a high school football player in Nebraska, a medical diagnosis at birth has never stopped him from competing — and a touchdown catch in his first play back from open heart surgery proved it.

Born with a rare heart defect

Burke was born with Scimitar syndrome, a rare heart defect in which babies are born with an underdeveloped right lung and pulmonary artery. The condition also affects blood flow to the right lung. Treatment often includes surgery, and many adults with the condition go on to live healthy lives.

“As a kid, I never really understood,” Burke said. “It was always natural for me that I had to push myself harder to keep up.”

Advertisement

His mother, Bridget Burke, says the condition was not initially considered dangerous for sports participation.

“His Scimitar Syndrome never really came into play as being dangerous for him to play sports,” she said.

The decision to operate

That changed in the spring of 2025, when Burke’s family and doctors decided it was time for a surgery that had been anticipated for years.

“I’ve kind of known I’ve had to get surgery my whole life,” Burke said. “Once I knew I could get the surgery sooner, I was all in. I wanted to get it so I could get back to sports.”

His father, Ryan Burke, says the timing was deliberate.

Advertisement

“This will be done before school gets started, and still have a chance to do almost everything you want to do,” Ryan Burke said.

Jack Burke underwent open-heart surgery, leaving a visible reminder of what he went through.

“There’s a six-inch scar in the middle of his chest that represents a pretty big thing that happened,” Ryan Burke said.

For Bridget Burke, the moment her son was taken to the operating room was difficult.

“When the rubber hits the road and your kid is being wheeled back to the OR, it is scary and emotional,” she said.

Advertisement

The comeback

Burke eased back into football following his cardiologist’s recommended recovery timeline. His return came in week three of the season.

“Before the Schuyler game I talked to his dad and he’s like, ‘I think we might be ready,’” said coach Jay Landstrom.

Bridget Burke says the family approached the return with caution.

“I mean, I was nervous. We didn’t really know how much he would play. It was going to be some cautious situations,” she said.

Those concerns were set aside — at least for a moment — when Burke caught a touchdown pass on his very first play back.

Advertisement

“All the parents were high-fiving everybody and they were like, ‘Was that really Jack?’” Bridget Burke said.

Landstrom called it a special moment.

“It was just meant to be and that was really special,” he said.

For Burke, the touchdown meant something beyond the scoreboard.

“I just remember one of my teammates came up to me and said, ‘He’s back. He’s back,’” Burke said. “It kind of shows something that tried to stop me — I hurdled that obstacle.”

Advertisement

Burke says the surgery has given him a new sense of freedom.

“Now I can do whatever I want. Nothing can hold me back,” he said.

Copyright 2026 Gray Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Nebraska

Nebraska Lottery results: See winning numbers for Pick 3, Pick 5 on April 19, 2026

Published

on


The results are in for the Nebraska Lottery’s draw games on Sunday, April 19, 2026.

Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on April 19.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 19 drawing

4-3-3

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Advertisement

Winning Pick 5 numbers from April 19 drawing

14-19-24-30-34

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning 2 By 2 numbers from April 19 drawing

Red Balls: 01-02, White Balls: 09-26

Check 2 By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning MyDay numbers from April 19 drawing

Month: 08, Day: 16, Year: 61

Advertisement

Check MyDay payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 19 drawing

32-42-52-53-55, Bonus: 05

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Nebraska Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Pick 3, 5: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
  • Lucky For Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
  • 2 By 2: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
  • MyDaY: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
  • Lotto America: 9:15 p.m CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending