Nebraska
Billboard campaign aims attention at fund for out-of-state care • Nebraska Examiner
OMAHA — After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and sent abortion law back to the states, Nebraska lawmakers made it harder for women to get an abortion.
The officially nonpartisan Legislature banned most abortions after 12 weeks gestational age, or roughly 10 weeks after conception, tightening the previous 20-week ban.
But women still seek reproductive care later than Nebraska law allows. A group of local funders with national help and ties are raising funds and awareness of out-of-state options.
Billboards and web ads
The group, Nebraska Abortion Resources, says it is doing so by spending “tens of thousands” of dollars on a billboard campaign along major highway and interstate corridors in Omaha and Ashland.
The billboards are located near 43rd and Dodge Streets, Interstate 80 near the 42nd Street exit and I-80 near Ashland. The group is also advertising on Instagram and Facebook.
The billboards say, “Abortion Should NOT Be a Crime.” They hint at legal consequences in Nebraska and other states when women have sought care too late, including a Norfolk-area case.
In that case, a Nebraska mother and daughter were convicted of charges stemming from the daughter aborting a fetus at 29 weeks of gestation, beyond the state’s then-allowed timeline.
Investigators said in court documents that the mother bought the oral medication online to end her daughter’s pregnancy and that the two women buried the fetus.
Organizers say the billboards focused on crime because Nebraska has shortened how long a woman has to decide the fate of her pregnancy, and many women can’t get an appointment in time.
Opponents call ads misleading
Abortion-rights opponents call the ads misleading and say they are meant to draw attention to the ballot initiative and drum up support from people willing to consider other options.
Shelley Mann, who spoke for the group behind the billboards, has spoken publicly in support of the ballot initiative to put a right to an abortion in the state constitution.
Staff time to Nebraska Abortion Resources is listed as an in-kind donation from Protect Our Rights, the group pushing the abortion-rights amendment campaign.
She considers the “complicated” Norfolk case a cautionary tale of what can happen when states make women feel they have few choices other than to break the law.
“That’s two people who have had to go to jail because of seeking abortion care,” she said. “How could we have put an environment where they wouldn’t have had to do this secretly?”
Costs the group covers
The billboards list the website, AbortionNotACrime.com, where women who need care but might not be able to afford it can apply for financial assistance for travel costs and care.
Among the parts of the process the group will help pay for: flights, gas, lodging, meals, care and missed wages for people who lack paid sick days from their job or jobs.
The website says part of its funding comes from the Chicago Abortion Fund, an Illinois-based group that raises money to make reproductive care more affordable.
An appointment for an abortion often costs $800, she said. Out-of-state appointments often cost more, Mann said, and costs can skyrocket quickly if you don’t have a place to stay.
“We collect donations … and our whole purpose is to make sure the financial implications of having an abortion are never a concern when somebody is making that decision,” Mann said.
Hundreds have sought help
Her group has helped about 900 people seek care, she said. She makes social media posts on TikTok and has supported women seeking care at an abortion clinic in Bellevue.
Nate Grasz of the Nebraska Family Alliance said he sees the effort by Nebraska Abortion Resources as “very deceptive” and part of an effort to “stoke fear into voters.”
His group supports a competing amendment initiative that would prevent lawmakers from loosening abortion restrictions beyond current law but would let them ban or restrict it further.
Neither he nor Sandy Danek of Nebraska Right to Life said they knew much about the group. Danek said it could be the start of funding other states have seen with abortion on the ballot.
Mann said she hopes voters will see her group’s point.
“Nebraskans want health care not handcuffs,” she said. “Why are we putting ourselves in position where we have to think about what is happening criminally?”
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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.
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.
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.
(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.”
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.
“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.
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.
“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.”
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.
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.
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
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.
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