Nebraska
Gov. Pillen pushes back against legislative criticism of his property tax approach • Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen pushed back Thursday against recent legislative criticism of his approach and process for pursuing his favored property tax relief proposals.
In a statement, the governor thanked state senators he said have worked hard to find ways to deliver the “transformative property tax relief” he and others have sought.
He applauded them for resisting pressure from groups protecting sales tax exemptions on various items from the proposals he supports.
“These senators, who represent all political stripes and all corners of our state, are doing right by their constituents by engaging in tough negotiations, good faith exchanges of ideas, and collaboration with their colleagues to forge a compromise that will work for Nebraska,” Pillen said.
Calls tactics obstructionist
He criticized “a small minority” of senators who called him out Wednesday on the floor of the Legislature. It’s a group likely to filibuster the Pillen-favored bill, which most vote-counters say is still short of the needed 33 votes.
Pillen said those senators should “end their obstructionist rhetoric, stop their time-wasting tactics, and engage with their colleagues to craft a bipartisan consensus solution.”
Pillen said Nebraskans who want property tax relief are “watching carefully” and will hold senators accountable, hinting that those who fail to act will pay at the ballot box.
He also condemned “baseless personal attacks” alleging that he and his hog operation based in Columbus would benefit significantly from the tax relief he supports.
He repeated his stance that Nebraskans want a broader sales tax base, a cap on government spending and lower property taxes. He acknowledged that the plan continues to change.
“I know that any plan passed by the Legislature will be a hard-fought compromise and that it will not include every provision I believe in and am fighting for…,” Pillen said. “Doing nothing is not an acceptable option for Nebraskans.”
Some senators disagree with his funding sources
State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln and several others vented their frustrations Wednesday about the ways Pillen and others in his camp had handled the special session and his favored proposals.
Anger at Gov. Jim Pillen’s property-tax push spills into legislative debate
After the governor’s statement Thursday, she said she welcomed his right of free speech and said she would not be “bullied or silenced in my good faith efforts to represent my district.”
She and others who criticized Pillen for including only certain senators in early planning for tax proposals said they cannot justify raising sales taxes on everyday items that people need.
Conrad and George Dungan of Lincoln; Megan Hunt, John Cavanaugh, Jen Day and Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha; and Carol Blood of Bellevue questioned the governor’s approach from the floor.
Conrad said she would keep fighting against Pillen’s “misguided tax plan that would hurt working families, seniors, local businesses and our schools to benefit large wealthy landowners.”
She said average Nebraskans should not pay more. And she pushed to include other revenue options, such as gambling and legalizing marijuana, in any package to offset costs.
“I have enjoyed working with the governor on many issues,” Conrad said. “We simply have a principled disagreement about how to pay for our mutual goal of property tax relief.”
Hunt shared Pillen’s statement in a tweet Thursday and wrote, “Governor Pillen is calling upon all of us to stop being mean.” State Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar called him “King Jimmy.”
“King Jimmy is very angry senators are fighting his scheme to raise taxes on working Nebraskans. We should be expanding homestead exemptions, freezing valuations and capping spending, but those ideas are being ignored,” she tweeted.
“Pillen doesn’t profit enough from those,” Slama tweeted.
Linehan says property tax ‘war’ is not easily won
One of the lawmakers working closest with the governor, State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Omaha, echoed his defenders on the legislative floor on Wednesday.
She credited Pillen for being “willing to put everything on the table and take every political hit there is out there.” She pointed to “a bunch of senators” saying he’s the problem.
Linehan’s Revenue Committee postponed a couple of attempts at holding an executive session Thursday to vote out the committee’s new version of Legislative Bill 9, the latest vehicle for its tax proposals.
The eight-member committee was supposed to meet Thursday morning and early afternoon to vote out an amended LB 9, but significant technical changes needed to be made to a draft amendment.
That included clarifying how the state would capture the local slice of sales taxes from new items covered by the state sales tax and specifying how the state would revamp school funding.
Linehan’s group was waiting on fixes that several senators on her committee and beyond have sought from a draft amendment Wednesday evening. In total, more than 120 motions and 80 floor amendments have already been filed that will likely prevent changes on the floor.
Linehan said she understands “raw politics” and the fight ahead. She said her side needs to know that “battle is just battle” and that they have “to win the war.”
“That’s why it’s got to be perfect,” Linehan said of the bill’s language. “We won’t even get to an amendment that changes a comma that’s in the wrong place.”
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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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