Nebraska

Nearly half of Nebraska foster kids suffered parental substance abuse, report shows

Published

1 year ago

October 18, 2024

Nearly half of Nebraska foster kids suffered parental substance abuse, report shows

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – A new report shows nearly half of the children in the custody of Nebraska DHHS were removed from their home because of parental substance abuse.

The Foster Care Review Office’s annual report to the Nebraska Legislature also indicated that most families in the child welfare system struggle to access the treatment they need.

Julie Larson, of Malcolm, knows the impact of addiction firsthand. Her adult daughter has struggled on and off with substance abuse for years and is unable to reliably care for her 7-year-old child, Emory.

“We would have Emory for a period of time when she was in treatment. She’d get out of treatment, do well for a period of time, and then relapse,” said Larson.

Emory has been living with Larson and her husband for more than two years. Larson is her parental delegate, but now they are working to gain guardianship of Emory.

“It got to the point where I just felt like the relapse was too much and Emory needed a more stable environment,” said Larson.

Julie Larson, of Malcolm, and her husband are working to gain guardianship of their 7-year-old granddaughter, Emory.(Julie Larson)

Larson said getting the guardianship process started was intimidating. “I didn’t know where to go, where to start,” said Larson.

A recommendation from Emory’s school to contact Lutheran Family Services led them to join the free Kinship Navigation program.

“They take you step by step through everything that needs to be done, including getting services for the child, getting services for the grandparents that are taking in the child, and getting through the legal system without having to retain that attorney,” said Larson.

Larson said the program has lifted an emotional and financial burden off her family. The process has also helped Emory understand what is happening.

“We’ve been very open and honest with her about her mother’s addiction and substance abuse. Going through the guardianship program, she loves when our navigator comes, she draws little pictures for her. She understands that once this program is complete, that it will be a more permanent home for her,” said Larson.

Larson added, the program has also helped them gain a better understanding of addiction and has made it easier for them to speak with their family and friends about it.

“Nobody chooses to be an addict or an alcoholic or a substance abuser. It just sneaks up and it gets these claws in you that are very, very difficult to get out of,” said Larson.

Lutheran Family Services also offers treatment programs for adults struggling with substance abuse, including parents who have had their children removed from the home or are at risk of removal.

“If they are not successfully tending to everything that comes with addiction, then they won’t be able to provide a healthy home for their children,” said Jamie Rich, Clinical Supervisor of the Adult Behavioral Health Program & Treatment Court Program at Lutheran Family Services.

LFS offers outpatient treatment with therapy, groups, and medication-assisted treatment, regardless of someone’s income or if they have insurance.

“My team’s job is to work with the parents to help them find the resources and treatment they need to get well, to find a solid recovery program and to be able to reunify with their family,” said Rich.

Rich said she’s seen countless stories of parents getting sober and regaining custody of their children but said it can take time to get there.

“It’s a disease that effects so much of the person’s life and those around them. Recovery is a process and sometimes a very long process. The more support and the more resources that we can build around a person, the more chance they have for success,” said Rich.

Parental substance abuse can lead to child abuse and neglect, according to the Nebraska child advocacy center, Project Harmony.

“It’s not unusual for children to be experiencing more than one type of abuse, including possible addiction of parents. What that means is those caregivers as well as those children are much more vulnerable to other types of abuse when there’s substance abuse happening,” said Colleen Brazil, the VP of Children’s Services at Project Harmony.

Brazil said that this can impact a child’s brain development. “When children have adverse childhood experiences, they become adults that then maybe struggle with mental health, addiction, and chronic health conditions,” said Brazil.

Project Harmony conducts forensic interviews with children to identify abuse and offers preventative resources for families. They also stress the importance of kids having other adults looking out for changes in behavior and making a call if concerns arise.

“That would be calling child protective services. We don’t have to know that something is definitely happening to make that call. I think it’s important to keep in mind that we won’t regret that we’ve made a call to check on a child, we might regret if we haven’t,” said Brazil.

Both Lutheran Family Services and Project Harmony can connect families with mental health services for kids as well.

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Nebraska

68 students chosen as Nebraska Young Artist Award winners

Published

2 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

68 students chosen as Nebraska Young Artist Award winners

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts has announced the winners of the 29th annual Nebraska Young Artist Awards.

The awards recognize 11th-grade students from Nebraska for their talents in visual art, dance, music, theatre, and film and emerging media arts.

Sixty-eight students from more than 40 high schools across the state have been selected as award winners and will be invited to a day of activities on campus March 25.

“Our faculty always look forward to this event,” said Chris Watson, director of recruitment for the college and coordinator of the awards. “They love meeting enthusiastic young artists, working with them and celebrating their talent.”

Students applied for the recognition and submitted an example of their work. Applications were received from 92 students. Hixson-Lied College faculty chose the winners.

Award winners were also asked to nominate the teacher who provided them with the greatest amount of mentoring and support in the development of their special talents.

Each student will receive a certificate and an original piece of artwork commissioned for the event and created by a School of Art, Art History and Design student.

Following is a list of award winners by hometown, with their high school and specialty area(s).

Aurora:

Calvin Miller, Aurora, music

Beaver City:

Johnathan Eakin, Southern Valley, visual arts

Bellevue:

Mami Lloyd, Bellevue West, music

Bennington:

Liliana Martic, Bennington, music

Eagle:

Jorie Goings, Waverly, dance

Firth:

Petra Van Cleave, home school, music

Fremont:

Xavier Herre, Bergan Catholic, theatre

Fullerton:

Lylla Sabata, Fullerton, music

Gretna:

Lillian Bock, Gretna, music

Harvard:

Allee Jarzynka, Harvard, music

Hendley:

Lily Jordan, Southern Valley, visual arts

Hooper:

Leo Arellano, Logan View, visual arts
Ellsie Meier, Logan View, visual arts

Kearney:

Kruz Flamig, Kearney, visual arts
Isaac Hooton, Kearney, visual arts
Mariah Kaslon, Kearney, visual arts
Landen Tilley, Kearney, visual arts

Lincoln:

Alissa Brenning, Norris, dance
Kali Brewer, Lincoln Southeast, visual arts
Ava Engel, Lincoln Northeast, dance
Emalie Fischer, Lincoln North Star, dance
Adelyn Haden, Lincoln Standing Bear, dance and music
Audrey Haugen, Lincoln Southwest, theatre
Andrea Hu, Lincoln East, music
Logan Lambrecht, Lincoln Southwest, music and theatre
Mckinzey Lile, Lincoln North Star, dance
Hayley Marshall, Lincoln Southwest, dance
Riley Minster, Lincoln East, music
Joslyn Morgan, Lincoln Southeast, music
Ariadne Ottoson, home school, music
Megan Plander, Lincoln Lutheran, theatre
Lauren Ramey, LPS Arts and Humanities Focus Program, visual arts
Blake Semrad, Lincoln Southwest, dance
Emma Shaeffer, Lincoln Southwest, dance
Taylor Sharpe, Lincoln Southwest, dance
Hugh Skretta, Lincoln High, music
Samuel Sulzle, Lincoln Northwest, music
Brooks Xia, Lincoln East, music

Martell:

Reese Thomas, home school, music

Norfolk:

Noah Asbury, Norfolk, music
Emily Henkel, Norfolk, music; Nathan Kaiser, Norfolk, music
North Platte: Brett Pfeifer, North Platte, theatre

Omaha:

Asher Abuhl, Trinity Classical Academy, music
Adam Campagna, Omaha South, film and emerging media arts
Liam Cowherd Richardson, Creighton Preparatory, music
Regina Ho, Millard South, film and emerging media arts
Connor Holmstedt, Fort Calhoun, music
Kara Leininger, Duchesne Academy, music
Jayden Li, Millard North, music; Violet Little, Omaha Central, dance
Mrethi Magesh, Millard North, dance
Venkatesan Marichamy, Millard North, dance
Moyra Matthews, Duchesne Academy, dance and music
Jackson Mu, Millard North, music
Gauri Nair, Millard North, dance
Angela Qi, Millard North, music
Jackson Ramsey, Gretna East, music
Tara Richardson, Creighton Prep, music
Vandana Santhanam, Marian, music
Caroline Soderlin, Millard North, music
Akshara Venkatesan, Millard North, dance
Caleigh Walkenhorst, Millard West, music

Osmond:

Donovan Heiman, Osmond, theatre

Papillion:

Emelia Weaver, Papillion-La Vista, music

Pierce:

Spencer Sindt, Pierce, music

Randolph:

Brecken Shearer, Randolph, visual arts

York:

Allison Holmes, York, visual arts

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Nebraska

Nebraska completes sweep over Michigan State in 12-2 seven-inning win

Published

14 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska completes sweep over Michigan State in 12-2 seven-inning win

Nebraska baseball (10-5, 3-0) closed out its three-game series with Michigan State (3-11, 0-3) on Sunday afternoon. The Huskers completed the sweep over the Spartans, earning a 12-2 run-rule win in seven.

Nebraska shut down Michigan State early, scoring five runs in the bottom of the first after the Spartans took a 1-0 lead. The Huskers scored 11 straight before surrendering another run. The team totaled 11 hits and held Michigan State to three. The Spartans also suffered five errors.

Nebraska struck three home runs on the day, two off the bat of Dylan Carey. He hit 3-for-4 for four RBIs after hitting multiple two-run home runs. Preston Freeman also blasted a two-run shot over the wall to finish 1-for-3.

Case Sanderson brought in three RBIs after batting 2-for-4 with a double. Drew Grego also finished 2-for-4, earning one RBI. Mac Moyer grabbed one RBI off a double. Jett Buck and Joshua Overbeek each delivered one hit.

Gavin Blachowicz (2-1) won at the mound and pitched all seven innings for the Huskers. He struck out a career-high 11 batters and allowed three hits for two runs.

Nebraska remains at home for its next matchup, hosting North Dakota State on Wednesday night. The first pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT on B1G+.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinions.

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Nebraska

Cale Jacobsen scores 15 and No. 9 Nebraska beats Iowa 84-75 in overtime after blowing late lead

Published

1 day ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Cale Jacobsen scores 15 and No. 9 Nebraska beats Iowa 84-75 in overtime after blowing late lead

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Cale Jacobsen came off the bench to score 13 of his 15 points after halftime and hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer in overtime, and ninth-ranked Nebraska matched its program record for wins in a season with an 84-75 victory over Iowa on Sunday.

Sam Hoiberg, who scored 15 points and had five steals on his senior day, hugged teammate Pryce Sandfort near halfcourt as time ran out and then heaved the ball high into the stands. He and his father, coach Fred Hoiberg, embraced and a short time later the rest of the Huskers came out of the tunnel to salute the sellout crowd at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Nebraska (26-5, 15-5 Big Ten) led by 10 points with five minutes left in regulation but missed five of its next seven shots and a couple of late free throws to let the Hawkeyes back in it. Kael Combs scored Iowa’s last eight points of regulation, including a second-chance 3-pointer that tied it 70-all with 2.7 seconds left.

After Cooper Koch tied it at 75-all in overtime, Jacobsen made a 3 from the corner and the Huskers went on to score the final nine points. The Huskers beat Iowa (20-11, 10-10) for the first time in five meetings and split the season series.

Sandfort, who transferred from Iowa after last season, scored 15 points and Rienk Mast added 14 for the Huskers.

Combs and Koch had 18 points apiece for the Hawkeyes, who committed 19 turnovers.