Nebraska
Training academy brings more nutritious meals to Nebraska’s students
School lunch professionals from across the Cornhusker State came to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s East Campus June 2-6 to learn more about how to create more efficient school kitchens and healthier meals for its kids.
The Child Nutrition Training Academy, hosted by the university’s Hospitality, Restaurant and Tourism Management program in partnership with the Nebraska Department of Education, includes sessions on topics like nutrition, food safety, management and menu planning, as well as lab sessions, where participants got to prepare some simple recipes from a variety of flavor profiles.
“We’re always going to find a way to serve lunch,” said Renee Cornett, food and nutrition services operations manager for Gretna Public Schools. “Even for simple recipes, if you learn a faster way or a way to organize your kitchen, once in a while you can have (something different).”
Ajai Ammachathram, associate professor and program director of Hospitality, Restaurant and Tourism Management, said the goal of the week-long workshop is to help the 50-plus attendees learn practical skills, understand resources and gain ideas for how to utilize nutritious ingredients in multiple ways to create varied menus.
“It gives them the tools they need to make healthy, tasty meals while staying on top of all the rules,” he said. “The training ensures that staff are not only compliant with federal and state regulations but are also empowered to create appealing, nutritious meals that support student health and learning.”
Ammachathram said providing training in these areas and ways to incorporate nutrient-dense, fresh items in Nebraska students’ meals boosts academic performance, improves mood and behavior in the classroom and encourages lifelong healthy eating habits.
“When kids eat fresh, nutritious food, they feel better, focus more, and do better in school,” he said. “It helps their bodies and brains grow strong. Plus, when meals look and taste good, kids are more likely to eat them—and that means fewer hungry students and happier classrooms.”
Brenda Windmuller, a consultant for the workshop who led the cooking lesson on Latin American dishes on June 4, said she wanted to offer small, manageable changes the participants might be able to make in their schools. The recipes were designed to demonstrate ways, for example, to substitute fresher ingredients when possible while still complying with regulations on school menus.
“They would make their own seasoning blend instead of going to the store and buying something premade that has a lot of sodium in it, or using fresh limes instead of buying lime juice,” Windmuller said.
Food professionals in all areas are looking for ways to incorporate more cooking from scratch, Windmuller said, in part because it is the best way to ensure more nutrient-rich ingredients, as opposed to pre-prepared items that might be microwaved or reheated.
“They’re convenient but they come with extra preservatives like sodium, which we know is not a healthy lifestyle,” Windmuller said. “By teaching these skills, how to cut fresh fruits and vegetables, how to source locally, it all plays together.”
Dusty Stevens, food service director for Superior Public Schools, said she appreciated that the recipes from the lab sessions were created with a school kitchen setting in mind. For Stevens, the information about menu planning was some of the most valuable. Most schools struggle with budget and staffing shortages in their kitchens, she said, and she said the workshop helps participants make the most of their staff and funds while still providing meals the students want to eat.
“They’re not just walking into the lunchroom every day and it’s exactly the same,” she said. “It’s recipes for schools specifically, because there’s a lot of recipes we’d love to try but sitting down and formulating it properly is daunting.”
Learning the best ways to source and prepare fresh ingredients has educational benefits to kids along with the nutritional ones. Proper preparation results in better flavor, so kids understand what healthy foods they like to eat but also what those foods are supposed to taste like, and they’ll be more likely to continue to eat those foods.
“If they get a hard cantaloupe, they’ll know, ‘That one wasn’t as good but I still like cantaloupe,’” Cornett said.
Cornett said the opportunity to connect with other school lunch professionals was one of the most valuable parts of the experience. She and another attendee shared workarounds and tips for a software both districts used.
“You have a problem and they’ve found a different solution or another approach, so that’s really useful,” Cornett said. “(They might have) different ways of packaging things we haven’t thought of.”
Stevens said even simply having the support of other professionals who deal with the same problems is helpful.
“You learn so much from your peers,” Stevens said.
Nebraska
Nebraska State Patrol troopers find 242 pounds of cocaine during commercial truck inspection
LEXINGTON, Neb. (KOLN) – Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol arrested one person after finding more than 240 pounds of cocaine during a commercial vehicle inspection.
On Tuesday afternoon, an NSP Carrier Enforcement trooper conducted a commercial vehicle inspection on a semi tractor/trailer driven by Arwinderjit Singh, 30, of California, near mile marker 254 on Interstate 80.
During the inspection, the trooper became suspicious of criminal activity. An NSP K-9 detected the odor of a controlled substance inside the cab of the semi, troopers said.
After searching the cab, troopers located 242 pounds of cocaine concealed underneath the sleeper bed, NSP said.
Singh was arrested on suspicion of possession of cocaine, possession with intent to deliver, possession of an open alcohol container, no drug tax stamp and displaying a fictitious license plate.
Singh was lodged in Dawson County Jail, and his bond was set at 10% of $2 million. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 12.
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OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Creighton Prep senior Zaiyahn Ornelas won his fourth consecutive Nebraska state wrestling title on Saturday.
According to NSAA records, he joins 39 other wrestlers in state history to accomplish the feat.
“It’s a great feeling,” Ornelas said. “It’s a feeling everybody wants.”
Ornelas won three Class C state titles at Wilber-Clatonia at 106, 113 and 120 pounds before transferring to Creighton Prep for his senior season, where he competed in Class A at 126 pounds.
“Three state titles there and then just thought I could bump up my competition,” Ornelas said.
“Zaiyahn is one of the cleanest technicians I’ve ever seen. That’s a huge testament to his coaching staff at Wilber,” Fisher added.
Ornelas was one of four Creighton Prep wrestlers to win state titles this season, helping lead the Jr. Jays to the Class A team title. Teammates said his presence in the practice room raised their level of competition.
“I could never slack off just because my competition in the state was easy. I always had to come in this room and get better or else I was going to get beat,” said sophomore Cruzer Dominguez, a two-time Class A state champion at 106 and 120 pounds.
Sophomore Kameron Green, the Class A 144-pound state champion this year, also credited Ornelas for aiding in his development.
“Zaiyahn being a training partner has helped me in tremendous ways,” he said. “When he wrestles, he’s not the nicest or shyest kid, but he’s tenacious and tough.”
Junior JT Smith, a two-time state champion at 175 and 190 pounds, said the achievement carries weight for the entire team.
“It’s something really special to have a teammate that’s a four-time state champion,” he said. “That’s something everyone wants to be.”
Fisher said Ornelas’s attitude set the tone from the start.
“He has so many skills and then coming into our room, he’s extremely coachable. Every time he came in here he was humble, ready to work, wanting to get better and that’s why he is as good as he is,” Fisher said.
Ornelas signed to wrestle at the University of Nebraska in November. He said the move to Creighton Prep delivered what he was looking for.
“This is the reason why I came here. I went out to explore, to find the best, and this is the territory that I found. If it wasn’t for these guys — the push — I would have not been there,” Ornelas said.
“It’s hard to believe. That’s kind of what I wanted since the beginning, freshman year,” he said.
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Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry has selected a former state senator and longtime board member to lead the chamber while it searches for a new president and CEO.
Board of Directors Chair Pat Keenan said Thursday that Matt Williams of Gothenburg agreed to serve as interim president.
ALSO READ: Nebraska Chamber president and CEO resigns after less than a year
“The Board is grateful to Matt for stepping into this role during a very active and productive time for the Nebraska Chamber,” Keenan said. “He has steady leadership, strong relationships and trust from his many years of advocacy for economic development, and decades of experience working with the legislature and state government on tax policy and economic development incentives.”
Williams represented District 36 in the Nebraska Legislature from 2015 to 2023.
The chamber said Williams has had a lifelong career in banking and serves as chairman of Flatwater Bank. He previously served as chair of the Nebraska Bankers Association and the American Bankers Association.
His long involvement with the chamber includes membership on the Board of Directors; he currently serves as director for District 6. In 2025, he was named to the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame.
“The Nebraska Chamber is on rock-solid footing, with the clear vision of the Board, and talented and hard-working staff hitting its stride in legislative policy and advocacy, technology, manufacturing, leadership-development, fund-raising and membership. The success of cutting-edge initiatives like 6 Regions, One Nebraska, the launch of the Go Big Future series, and the strong member engagement across the state demonstrate the success and strength of this organization. I’m excited to lend my support in whatever way I can for the Chamber. I know how strong businesses and communities make for a stronger Nebraska, and I’m glad to be part of that.”
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
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