Nebraska

Nebraska GOP lawmakers propose bills intertwining religion with public education

Published

2 years ago

February 6, 2024

Conservative lawmakers in Nebraska introduced several bills on Monday to intertwine religion with public school curriculum.

The bills presented to the state Legislature’s education committee include a measure to give parents more control over their local school’s library books and curriculum, and another bill that would allow public school students to receive school credit for attending religious classes outside school.

Another proposal would change school funding to include private school tuition while at the same time prohibiting the state from interfering in private schools’ curriculum or religious beliefs.

Republican state Sen. Dave Murman, chairman of the Legislature’s Education Committee, has revived his parental rights bill that would make it easier for parents to object to curriculum and remove controversial books from school libraries. The bill, introduced last year, was among those that stalled as conservatives centered their attention on passing a bill to allow taxpayer money to be used to fund private school scholarships. The measure, which was signed into law in June, will be in a ballot referendum in which voters will be asked in November if they want to repeal it.

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Conservative lawmakers in Nebraska presented several bills on Monday to the state Legislature’s education committee to intertwine religion with public school curriculum. (Getty)

Murman took over as chairman of the committee last year when Republicans ousted a Democratic former schoolteacher from the position.

The bills introduced Monday are part of a nationwide effort by Republicans to root out Critical Race Theory and sexually explicit material from public school classrooms and libraries, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

Republican Sen. Steve Erdman’s school funding bill would create a $5 billion education funding measure to move costs from local property taxes to the state’s general fund by setting up an education savings account for each student in the state. These funds would be distributed by the state treasurer to support a student’s education at their local public school or to help cover the cost of private school tuition or homeschooling.

Some critics took issue with a section of the bill stating that the state “is strictly forbidden from altering the curriculum or beliefs of a private school.”

GOP State Sen. Loren Lippincott’s bill would give school credit to public school students who attend religious classes outside of school during school hours. He said allowing religious education would help students “develop a stronger sense of morality” and would help lead to “fewer behavioral issues in schools.”

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Nebraska state Sen. Dave Murman has revived his parental rights bill that would make it easier for parents to object to curriculum and remove controversial books from school libraries. (AP Photo/Margery Beck)

Middle school and high school students could participate, and the credit program would be open to all religions, as long as it “does not undeniably promote licentiousness or practices that are inconsistent with school policy.”

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Some bills presented before the committee on Monday did not seek to intertwine religion with education. One bill proposed by GOP Sen. Kathleen Kauth would make it easier for teachers certified in other states to teach in Nebraska as the state faces a teacher shortage.

Kauth’s bill would allow out-of-state teachers to gain Nebraska certification by taking a knowledge-testing exam they would be required to pass. The bill was criticized by some Nebraska teachers as being too lenient, but the measure received bipartisan support and Republican Gov. Jim Pillen testified in favor of it on Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Nebraska

Hundreds lose power across southeast Nebraska after Thursday morning storm

Published

8 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Press Room

Hundreds lose power across southeast Nebraska after Thursday morning storm

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Hundreds of people are without power in southeast Nebraska after a severe storm passed through Thursday morning.

The Lincoln Electric System outage map showed 115 customers without power across the city at 11:36 a.m.

Norris Public Power District’s outage map also shows 45 customers affected by the storm. As of 11:36 a.m., there were nine active outages.

According to the Nebraska Public Power District outage map, 657 customers were affected by the storm. Most of the affected customers were near Plattsmouth in southeast Nebraska. As of 11:37 a.m., 27 customers remain without power.

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Mandatory evacuation orders for area near Crawford, Fort Robinson

Published

18 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Press Room

Mandatory evacuation orders for area near Crawford, Fort Robinson

Mandatory evacuations have been ordered near Crawford, including Fort Robinson State Park, as the South Fork Fire continues to spread in western Nebraska.

According to the City of Crawford, evacuations are currently underway for an area north of Crawford that includes the area south of Dodd Road, west of Dodd Road, and FF Street.

Fort Robinson has also been evacuated.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission said Fort Robinson State Park and Peterson Wildlife Management Area have been temporarily closed due to the fire.

The fire has burned approximately 9,000 acres and is currently 0% contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Nebraska Game and Parks said the park and the WMA will remain closed until further notice to support firefighting operations and protect public safety.

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Nebraska

Nebraska State Runner-up and Futures Finalist Matt Brailita (2026) to Swim for Johns Hopkins

Published

1 day ago

June 10, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska State Runner-up and Futures Finalist Matt Brailita (2026) to Swim for Johns Hopkins

Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.

Omaha, Nebraska native Matt Brailita is headed to Baltimore in the fall. He announced his commitment to Johns Hopkins University earlier this spring, writing on social media:

“I am very excited to announce my commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at Johns Hopkins University ! I’m extremely grateful for everything my family, friends, and teammates have done to support me every step of the way. A special thanks to Coach Tom and Coach Andy for always pushing me beyond what I believed in. Also a huge thanks to Coach Scott and Coach Chris for giving me this opportunity of a lifetime. GO BLUE JAYS!”

Brailita swam for Omaha’s Millard North High School under coach Andy Cunningham. He wrapped up his senior season with a pair of runner-up finishes at the 2026 NSAA Championships, earning lifetime-best times in both the 200 IM (1:50.84) and 100 breast (56.01). He also notched a PB in the 50 free (20.76) while leading off Millard North’s 200 free relay in prelims. He anchored the same relay in finals, splitting 20.01. Brailita leaves Millard North High School as a 10-time State medalist and a multiple-event team record-holder. He was 2026 Metro Conference champion in the 100 fly and as a member of 2 relays, and he was nominated for Metro Omaha World Herald Swimming Athlete Scholar.

Brailita swims year-round with Greater Omaha Aquatic Leopardsharks under coach Tom Beck. In addition to IM and breast, he excels in fly and free. In March, he competed at Columbia Sectionals, where he finaled in the 50 free (15th), 100 breast (11th), 50 fly (8th), 100 fly (10th), and swam prelims in the 50 breast (8th) and 200 IM (10th). He left the meet with new PBs in the 100 free (46.30), 50 breast (26.25), 50 fly (22.51), and 100 fly (49.86).

Last summer, Brailita hit LCM lifetime bests in the 50 breast (30.81), 100 breast (1:06.84), 200 breast (2:29.93), and 200 IM (2:11.12) at Madison Futures, making finals in the IM. He opened the 2026 long-course season with a pair of PBs (24.83 in the 50 free and 27.09 in the 50 fly) at the GOAL Sprint Cup in April.

Brailita will join the Blue Jays’ class of 2030 with Alistair Guth, Finn Nelson, Lukas Funderburk, Matthew Ko, Nicolas Aldana Huelga, Samuel Zhang, and William Thurk. His best times would have scored in the ‘A’ finals of the 200 IM, 100/200 breast, and 50/200 free, and the ‘B’ finals of the 100 free and 100 fly at the 2026 Centennial Conference Championships.

Best SCY times :

200 IM – 1:50.84
100 breast – 56.01
200 breast – 2:06.83
50 free – 20.76
50 free relay split – 20.01
100 fly – 49.86
200 free – 1:41.83
100 free – 46.30

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