Nebraska

Amendment to guard Nebraska Environmental Trust falters in legislature after losing key support

Published

2 months ago

April 2, 2026

Amendment to guard Nebraska Environmental Trust falters in legislature after losing key support

Thursday marked a turning point in Nebraska’s 2026 legislative session: any bill that hasn’t already been brought to the floor for debate stands no chance of making it through the body and onto Gov. Jim Pillen’s desk.LR298CA now shares that fate with several other senator priority bills, despite it being scheduled for debate on Thursday morning.”There were about 15 bills, priority bills of other senators, that have yet to be heard,” Sen. Tom Brandt, who championed LR298CA, said. “And so, we felt very fortunate that we had a shot at this.”The proposal would have put a constitutional amendment to a vote of the people, aiming to erect more stringent guardrails around the Nebraska Environmental Trust. Budget legislation swept more than $10 million from the fund this year, and the measure sought to prevent that in the future.Brandt said he had the votes as of yesterday, but this morning, a couple of defections dropped the tally below the crucial 33-vote threshold. The body adjourned early without debate.”To be fair to everyone in this situation with their priorities, we will be passing over LR298CA,” Speaker John Arch said.Brandt said he wishes he had more time.”It is certainly disappointing,” Brandt said. “Normally, you would have time — you’d have hours to work a bill like that. And quite often you can get them to come back and vote your way.”The decision drew frustration from conservation advocates, who had been watching closely from places like Prairie Pines, a restored prairie and forest area outside Lincoln funded in part by Environmental Trust dollars.”It felt like a gut punch,” said Mark Brohman, executive director of the Wachiska Audubon Society. “I was hoping that someone would come out and say we’ve got something worked out, but it just didn’t happen.”Brohman said without additional protections to NET, the future of conservation work in the state would be more uncertain.”As long as they’re taking money from the Environmental Trust, it’s going to make our job tougher on the landscape,” Brohman said. “I’m really worried next year, without this protection going into place, that the trust will be another source of income they’ll come looking at again.”Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |

LINCOLN, Neb. —

LR298CA now shares that fate with several other senator priority bills, despite it being scheduled for debate on Thursday morning.

“There were about 15 bills, priority bills of other senators, that have yet to be heard,” Sen. Tom Brandt, who championed LR298CA, said. “And so, we felt very fortunate that we had a shot at this.”

The proposal would have put a constitutional amendment to a vote of the people, aiming to erect more stringent guardrails around the Nebraska Environmental Trust. Budget legislation swept more than $10 million from the fund this year, and the measure sought to prevent that in the future.

Brandt said he had the votes as of yesterday, but this morning, a couple of defections dropped the tally below the crucial 33-vote threshold. The body adjourned early without debate.

“To be fair to everyone in this situation with their priorities, we will be passing over LR298CA,” Speaker John Arch said.

Brandt said he wishes he had more time.

“It is certainly disappointing,” Brandt said. “Normally, you would have time — you’d have hours to work a bill like that. And quite often you can get them to come back and vote your way.”

The decision drew frustration from conservation advocates, who had been watching closely from places like Prairie Pines, a restored prairie and forest area outside Lincoln funded in part by Environmental Trust dollars.

“It felt like a gut punch,” said Mark Brohman, executive director of the Wachiska Audubon Society. “I was hoping that someone would come out and say we’ve got something worked out, but it just didn’t happen.”

Brohman said without additional protections to NET, the future of conservation work in the state would be more uncertain.

“As long as they’re taking money from the Environmental Trust, it’s going to make our job tougher on the landscape,” Brohman said. “I’m really worried next year, without this protection going into place, that the trust will be another source of income they’ll come looking at again.”

Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.

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Nebraska

Hundreds lose power across southeast Nebraska after Thursday morning storm

Published

7 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Press Room

Hundreds lose power across southeast Nebraska after Thursday morning storm

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Hundreds of people are without power in southeast Nebraska after a severe storm passed through Thursday morning.

The Lincoln Electric System outage map showed 115 customers without power across the city at 11:36 a.m.

Norris Public Power District’s outage map also shows 45 customers affected by the storm. As of 11:36 a.m., there were nine active outages.

According to the Nebraska Public Power District outage map, 657 customers were affected by the storm. Most of the affected customers were near Plattsmouth in southeast Nebraska. As of 11:37 a.m., 27 customers remain without power.

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Nebraska

Mandatory evacuation orders for area near Crawford, Fort Robinson

Published

17 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Press Room

Mandatory evacuation orders for area near Crawford, Fort Robinson

Mandatory evacuations have been ordered near Crawford, including Fort Robinson State Park, as the South Fork Fire continues to spread in western Nebraska.

According to the City of Crawford, evacuations are currently underway for an area north of Crawford that includes the area south of Dodd Road, west of Dodd Road, and FF Street.

Fort Robinson has also been evacuated.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission said Fort Robinson State Park and Peterson Wildlife Management Area have been temporarily closed due to the fire.

The fire has burned approximately 9,000 acres and is currently 0% contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Nebraska Game and Parks said the park and the WMA will remain closed until further notice to support firefighting operations and protect public safety.

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Nebraska

Nebraska State Runner-up and Futures Finalist Matt Brailita (2026) to Swim for Johns Hopkins

Published

1 day ago

June 10, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska State Runner-up and Futures Finalist Matt Brailita (2026) to Swim for Johns Hopkins

Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.

Omaha, Nebraska native Matt Brailita is headed to Baltimore in the fall. He announced his commitment to Johns Hopkins University earlier this spring, writing on social media:

“I am very excited to announce my commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at Johns Hopkins University ! I’m extremely grateful for everything my family, friends, and teammates have done to support me every step of the way. A special thanks to Coach Tom and Coach Andy for always pushing me beyond what I believed in. Also a huge thanks to Coach Scott and Coach Chris for giving me this opportunity of a lifetime. GO BLUE JAYS!”

Brailita swam for Omaha’s Millard North High School under coach Andy Cunningham. He wrapped up his senior season with a pair of runner-up finishes at the 2026 NSAA Championships, earning lifetime-best times in both the 200 IM (1:50.84) and 100 breast (56.01). He also notched a PB in the 50 free (20.76) while leading off Millard North’s 200 free relay in prelims. He anchored the same relay in finals, splitting 20.01. Brailita leaves Millard North High School as a 10-time State medalist and a multiple-event team record-holder. He was 2026 Metro Conference champion in the 100 fly and as a member of 2 relays, and he was nominated for Metro Omaha World Herald Swimming Athlete Scholar.

Brailita swims year-round with Greater Omaha Aquatic Leopardsharks under coach Tom Beck. In addition to IM and breast, he excels in fly and free. In March, he competed at Columbia Sectionals, where he finaled in the 50 free (15th), 100 breast (11th), 50 fly (8th), 100 fly (10th), and swam prelims in the 50 breast (8th) and 200 IM (10th). He left the meet with new PBs in the 100 free (46.30), 50 breast (26.25), 50 fly (22.51), and 100 fly (49.86).

Last summer, Brailita hit LCM lifetime bests in the 50 breast (30.81), 100 breast (1:06.84), 200 breast (2:29.93), and 200 IM (2:11.12) at Madison Futures, making finals in the IM. He opened the 2026 long-course season with a pair of PBs (24.83 in the 50 free and 27.09 in the 50 fly) at the GOAL Sprint Cup in April.

Brailita will join the Blue Jays’ class of 2030 with Alistair Guth, Finn Nelson, Lukas Funderburk, Matthew Ko, Nicolas Aldana Huelga, Samuel Zhang, and William Thurk. His best times would have scored in the ‘A’ finals of the 200 IM, 100/200 breast, and 50/200 free, and the ‘B’ finals of the 100 free and 100 fly at the 2026 Centennial Conference Championships.

Best SCY times :

200 IM – 1:50.84
100 breast – 56.01
200 breast – 2:06.83
50 free – 20.76
50 free relay split – 20.01
100 fly – 49.86
200 free – 1:41.83
100 free – 46.30

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