Nebraska

Nebraska lawmakers will have options when revamping ‘good life’ law • Nebraska Examiner

Published

1 year ago

January 22, 2025

Nebraska lawmakers will have options when revamping ‘good life’ law • Nebraska Examiner

LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers will have at least a few bills to consider this year as they work to fix, replace or even eliminate the Good Life Transformational Projects Act, which the state aimed at creating unique, tourist magnet destinations.

One measure, introduced Wednesday by State Sen. Beau Ballard of Lincoln, appears to provide another shot for Rod Yates’ mega sports-themed vision surrounding his Nebraska Crossing shopping center in Gretna.

State Sen. Beau Ballard of Lincoln. July 25, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

Yates this month moved to terminate his good life district application that had been approved by the state early last year. He did so after reaching an impasse with the City of Gretna, which rejected Yates’ demands as too risky for taxpayers, legally and financially.

Ballard’s Legislative Bill 637, which he named the Destination Nebraska Act, reads much like the original Good Life Act. It does not name Yates, but appears tailored to his ideas. The proposal would give power to an approved district applicant to issue bonds. It would grant the district power and authority similar to an independent village, much like the economic development zones that Walt Disney World uses in central Florida.

No more than two such destination districts could be formed under LB 637, and the price tag of each would have to surpass $3 billion, create jobs and build new-to-market venues and retail that would draw at least 10 million visitors a year to a site spanning up to 5,000 acres.

Details still evolving

Another bill introduced Wednesday, the final day to submit proposed 2025 legislation, is what sponsoring State Sen. Brad von Gillern of Omaha called a shell bill – one that lawmakers can use to amend later with a new proposal or pieces of different ones. Legislative Bill 707’s details will be firmed up as the session continues.

Von Gillern, chair of the Revenue Committee, said aspects of the original good life legislation approved in 2023 and revised in 2024 must be fixed. But he and others are still trying to figure out the best way forward, he said.

State Sen. Rick Holdcroft of Bellevue. July 31, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

Tuesday, State Sen. Rick Holdcroft of Bellevue introduced Legislative Bill 510 as a “placeholder” to revise aspects of the good life legislation. He said that measure was looking out for the needs of Gretna taxpayers.

Holdcroft said much has changed over the past few weeks regarding the Gretna district, and he expects the language of LB 510 to change substantially.

Among its elements, currently, is language prohibiting a city or village from using eminent domain to acquire property within a good life district for the purpose of giving or selling such property to a private individual or corporation.

That was just one of the sticking points between Gretna and Yates, as Gretna representatives said Yates’ demands would have had them use eminent domain if private property owners did not want to sell, something the city balked at. They said Yates owns just a slice of the approved 2,000-acre district.

Pillen budget in play, too

Also in play with regard to the good life districts is Gov. Jim Pillen’s proposed budget, which suggested taking back the annual $5 million in state incentives that the Legislature and governor set aside to help fund development in the good life districts.

Holdcroft and von Gillern said they would like to preserve the good life districts in some way. They expect a unified bill to come forward as lawmakers grapple over the issues.

State Sen. Brad von Gillern of Omaha. Aug. 8, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

Ending the good life incentive at this point, as is suggested by Pillen’s budget, would put other approved districts — in the cities of Grand Island, Omaha and Bellevue — in a bind and perhaps open the state to legal problems, Holdroft said. Those cities are farther along in their planning and processes than Gretna.

The good life legislation, as approved in 2023 and updated the next year, called for the state sales tax within the districts to be cut in half from 5.5% to 2.75%. The idea was for the difference to be recaptured and used to help finance new “transformational” economic developments within the project sites.

But the incentive, particularly as it applied to Gretna, has been controversial.

“I think they will continue,” Holdcroft said. “What we do with the Gretna district is still up in the air.”

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Nebraska

4.1-magnitude earthquake hits south-central Nebraska

Published

1 hour ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

4.1-magnitude earthquake hits south-central Nebraska

People across Nebraska and Kansas reported feeling an earthquake Sunday afternoon.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a quake measuring 4.1 on the Richter Scale struck around 1 p.m. about 3 miles east of the Webster County village of Cowles, which is in south-central Nebraska near the Kansas border.

A quake of that magnitude is considered “light” and not likely to cause damage.

But the USGS received dozens of reports from people who said they felt the quake, some as far away as Omaha and Manhattan, Kansas. Numerous people took to social media to report feeling the quake.

Two aftershocks of 2.6 magnitude later occurred near the original quake site, one about 90 minutes after the initial quake and one later Sunday night.

Earthquakes are relatively rare in Nebraska, but the state does usually record one or two minor ones per year. The last time Nebraska recorded a quake of a magnitude 4 or above was in December 2023, also in Webster County.

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Nebraska

Nebraska Lottery results: See winning numbers for Powerball, Pick 3 on March 2, 2026

Published

13 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

The results are in for the Nebraska Lottery’s draw games on Monday, March 2, 2026.

Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on March 2.

Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing

02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from March 2 drawing

21-28-58-65-67, Powerball: 25

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 2 drawing

7-5-8

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 2 drawing

03-08-09-17-25

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning 2 By 2 numbers from March 2 drawing

Red Balls: 14-26, White Balls: 17-18

Check 2 By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning MyDay numbers from March 2 drawing

Month: 05, Day: 03, Year: 23

Check MyDay payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 2 drawing

28-41-42-50-55, Bonus: 02

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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Nebraska

NioCorp to start work on its minerals mine in southeast Nebraska

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

NioCorp to start work on its minerals mine in southeast Nebraska

NioCorp announced Monday that it plans to start work on its critical minerals mine in southeast Nebraska.

The project, which the company is calling its mine portal project, will involve building a main entrance to the Elk Creek underground mine and will serve as the primary access point for personnel, equipment, and materials for the underground mining operations. It also will include excavating bedrock, drilling and blasting to establish the twin mine ramps, on-site access road construction, and construction of on-site supporting infrastructure.

The project, which will cost nearly $45 million, is set to get underway before the end of the month. It marks the first time Colorado-based NioCorp will actually start any significant work on the main mine, from which the company hopes to extract niobium, scandium, titanium and other minerals.

“Given the size of this excavation work, the portal project really marks the beginning of a major pre-construction activity at the Elk Creek Project site and is an important step toward preparing for underground development,” Scott Honan, the company’s president and chief operating officer, said in a release.

Mark A. Smith, Niocorp’s chairman and CEO, called the project, “a significant milestone.”

Niocorp has spent more than 15 years trying to develop the mine on land in Johnson County, about 65 miles southeast of Lincoln.

The company still needs to raise a significant amount of money to make the $1.2 billion mine a reality, though. In December, NioCorp said it had raised about $360 million, or a little more than a quarter of the total cost. It is still waiting for approval of a $780 million debt financing application from the Export-Import Bank of the United States.

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