Nebraska
Nebraska Extension prepares kids, teens for babysitting jobs
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Over the summer months, many kids are looking for ways to fill their time, and add a little money to their pockets. One popular way to do that is babysitting. After a clinic on Monday, more than two dozen kids in Lincoln and Lancaster County are now better prepared to do the job.
The Building Better Babysitters clinic was hosted by the Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County to teach kids between the ages of 10 to 15 what they need to know to be successful. Participants learned crucial skills like CPR, how to change a diaper and how to create a babysitting kit.
“I have babysat a few times,” said Lucy Pflanz, a babysitting trainee at the clinic. “And I hope that I hope that this class would help improve my skills.”
Pflanz said she aspires to start her own babysitting business, and clinics like this help to better prepare her for any situation that might arise.
“It was nice learning how to like, deal with like a temper tantrum and that kind of stuff,” Pflanz said. “Because I know some kids who can get really big blowouts.”
For others, it’s not their first time attending the clinic. For Josie Branch, it’s about following her passion.
“I’ve told my mom so many times, when I grew up, I want to be, like, I want to teach people how to like babysit,” Branch said.
Hayley Jackson Perez, who taught Monday’s clinic, said with babysitting being a popular summer job, teaching youth how to babysit, and how to keep kids safe is important.
“What we’re seeing is that more adolescents are babysitting, and that more families are utilizing them,” Jackson Perez said. “And so again, we’re just trying to give the adolescent skills, and then really kind of looking at babysitting as a business.”
When those skills are utilized outside of the classroom and continue to grow, Jackson Perez said it can lead to long lasting impacts.
“To give children the opportunity to work with young children to say, this might be an experience that I want to have, especially when we think about the teaching shortage and education,” Perez said. “If we could get more people interested in teaching and working with young learners, it’s going to benefit our entire community.”
Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County will hold it’s next Building Better Babysitters clinic on July 30.
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GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — The Nebraska Court of Appeals has affirmed the conviction and sentencing of a Grand Island man charged with sexually assaulting a minor.
Cory Gilmore was sentenced in June to 36 to 48 years in prison on two counts of first-degree sexual assault. Court records said he was initially charged with first-degree sexual assault of a child, first-degree sexual assault and third-degree sexual assault of a child, but pleaded no contest to the two sexual assault counts as part of a plea deal.
According to an arrest affidavit, a report of a possible sexual assault came into the child abuse hotline that Gilmore sexually assaulted a minor girl when he was intoxicated.
A Grand Island police officer later interviewed the girl – who is younger than 19 years old – who said she was sexually assaulted by Gilmore from early 2021 to December 2023.
In his appeal, Gilmore claimed the District Court abused its discretion by imposing an excessive sentence. He also claimed his trial counsel was ineffective in failing to take the deposition of the alleged victim and failing to move to withdraw Gilmore’s plea before sentencing.
In its ruling, the Court of Appeals denied Gilmore’s claim of ineffective trial counsel. In his appeal, Gilmore said that at sentencing, he notified his counsel that he wished to withdraw his no-contest plea as he didn’t want to plead guilty or to say he did something he didn’t do.
The Court of Appeals said that at no point did Gilmore inform the District Court that he wished to withdraw his plea and that the District Court asked him if he made his plea “knowingly and voluntarily.”
The Court of Appeals also said in its order that at Gilmore’s sentencing hearing, the District Court looked at Gilmore’s risk to reoffend, his criminal history and the fact that he “showed no remorse for the trauma he has inflicted” in imposing its sentencing. The Court of Appeals said this was appropriate and that his sentencing was not excessive.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has collected more than $200,000 from gambling winnings to go toward child support arrears just three months after implementing the program.
The Gambling Winnings Setoff for Outstanding Debt Act was approved through the passage of Legislative Bill 1317 and signed by Gov. Jim Pillen in 2024.
“This program ensures funds are being used to help support kids across Nebraska,” said Gov. Pillen. “Parents have an obligation to their children, and we’re guaranteeing their well-being by collecting these winnings.”
The collections began Sept. 2, 2025. The act requires gaming operators to withhold a portion of winnings from individuals who have an unpaid debt with the state and remit the funds to the Department of Revenue.
From there, the collected funds are distributed to various agencies, including DOR, Department of Labor, Department of Motor Vehicles, and DHHS.
Within the first 13 weeks, $529,091.47 was dispersed to these agencies, with DHHS receiving $215,852.98 for the Child Support Enforcement Program.
“By administering these dollars directly to families, the Child Support Enforcement Program is setting our state’s children up for success,” said Shannon Grotrian, director of the Office of Economic Assistance. “It’s making an immediate impact on their livelihoods and making sure they have what they need to grow and thrive.”
For more information on Nebraska’s Child Support Program, visit the DHHS website.
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Copyright 2025 KOLN. All rights reserved.
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