Nebraska

Billboard campaign aims attention at fund for out-of-state care • Nebraska Examiner

Published

2 years ago

June 12, 2024

Billboard campaign aims attention at fund for out-of-state care • Nebraska Examiner

OMAHA — After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and sent abortion law back to the states, Nebraska lawmakers made it harder for women to get an abortion.

The officially nonpartisan Legislature banned most abortions after 12 weeks gestational age, or roughly 10 weeks after conception, tightening the previous 20-week ban.

But women still seek reproductive care later than Nebraska law allows. A group of local funders with national help and ties are raising funds and awareness of out-of-state options.

Billboards and web ads

The group, Nebraska Abortion Resources, says it is doing so by spending “tens of thousands” of dollars on a billboard campaign along major highway and interstate corridors in Omaha and Ashland.

The billboards are located near 43rd and Dodge Streets, Interstate 80 near the 42nd Street exit and I-80 near Ashland. The group is also advertising on Instagram and Facebook.

The billboards say, “Abortion Should NOT Be a Crime.” They hint at legal consequences in Nebraska and other states when women have sought care too late, including a Norfolk-area case.

In that case, a Nebraska mother and daughter were convicted of charges stemming from the daughter aborting a fetus at 29 weeks of gestation, beyond the state’s then-allowed timeline.

Investigators said in court documents that the mother bought the oral medication online to end her daughter’s pregnancy and that the two women buried the fetus.

Organizers say the billboards focused on crime because Nebraska has shortened how long a woman has to decide the fate of her pregnancy, and many women can’t get an appointment in time.

Opponents call ads misleading

Abortion-rights opponents call the ads misleading and say they are meant to draw attention to the ballot initiative and drum up support from people willing to consider other options.

Shelley Mann, who spoke for the group behind the billboards, has spoken publicly in support of the ballot initiative to put a right to an abortion in the state constitution.

Staff time to Nebraska Abortion Resources is listed as an in-kind donation from Protect Our Rights, the group pushing the abortion-rights amendment campaign.

She considers the “complicated” Norfolk case a cautionary tale of what can happen when states make women feel they have few choices other than to break the law.

“That’s two people who have had to go to jail because of seeking abortion care,” she said. “How could we have put an environment where they wouldn’t have had to do this secretly?”

Costs the group covers

The billboards list the website, AbortionNotACrime.com, where women who need care but might not be able to afford it can apply for financial assistance for travel costs and care.

Ashlei Spivey of Protect Our Rights, the Nebraska group pushing to add a right to an abortion to the Nebraska state constitution, spoke about the importance of letting women and their doctors make health care decisions. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)

Among the parts of the process the group will help pay for: flights, gas, lodging, meals, care and missed wages for people who lack paid sick days from their job or jobs.

The website says part of its funding comes from the Chicago Abortion Fund, an Illinois-based group that raises money to make reproductive care more affordable.

An appointment for an abortion often costs $800, she said. Out-of-state appointments often cost more, Mann said, and costs can skyrocket quickly if you don’t have a place to stay.

“We collect donations … and our whole purpose is to make sure the financial implications of having an abortion are never a concern when somebody is making that decision,” Mann said.

Hundreds have sought help

Her group has helped about 900 people seek care, she said. She makes social media posts on TikTok and has supported women seeking care at an abortion clinic in Bellevue.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen addresses a crowd of anti-abortion advocates outside the Capitol. April 12, 2023. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)

Nate Grasz of the Nebraska Family Alliance said he sees the effort by Nebraska Abortion Resources as “very deceptive” and part of an effort to “stoke fear into voters.”

His group supports a competing amendment initiative that would prevent lawmakers from loosening abortion restrictions beyond current law but would let them ban or restrict it further.

Neither he nor Sandy Danek of Nebraska Right to Life said they knew much about the group. Danek said it could be the start of funding other states have seen with abortion on the ballot.

Mann said she hopes voters will see her group’s point.

“Nebraskans want health care not handcuffs,” she said. “Why are we putting ourselves in position where we have to think about what is happening criminally?”

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Nebraska

Nebraska Football Offers In-State Legacy Offensive Lineman

Published

8 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska Football Offers In-State Legacy Offensive Lineman

New Husker offensive line coach Geep Wade has stayed busy in his first few weeks on the recruiting trail for Nebraska football.

Nebraska extended a scholarship offer Saturday to in-state offensive lineman Barrett Kitrell. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Class of 2027 interior lineman from Ashland confirmed the offer on social media. Iowa offered him earlier in the week, and he has other Division I offers from South Dakota State, Kansas and Iowa State.

Kitrell has visited a number of schools through his junior season, stopping at South Dakota State, Wyoming, Iowa State, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska.

God is so good! After a great conversation with coach @GeepWade I am blessed to receive my 6th D1 offer from Nebraska! @HuskerFootball @AGBluejayFball pic.twitter.com/h3ciXeG727
— Barrett Kitrell (@BarrettK54) January 10, 2026

Kitrell has family ties to Nebraska football across two generations. His father, Barry, was a fullback for the Huskers from 1984-88. His brother Bo was a Husker fullback and tight end 2014 to 2018.

In addition, Barrett’s brother Blake was a Tulsa wide receiver, while brothers Brett and Bryce played at Ohio, having been recruited by Frank Solich.

Barrett Kitrell is a three-sport athlete for Ashland-Greenwood, competing in football, basketball, and track and field for the Bluejays. He has seen varsity action in all three seasons of his football career, playing in 33 games. The Bluejays have won a playoff game each of the past three seasons, advancing to the Class C1 semifinals this past year.

Kitrell becomes the third offensive line prospect offered by Wade and the Huskers this week, joining Grinnell, Iowa, prospect Will Slagle and 2028 prospect Wyatt VanBoening from Mundelein, Illinois. VanBoening also is the son of a former Husker, Simon VanBoening, a linebacker on the Huskers’ 1997 roster.

Nebraska offensive line coach Geep Wade | Nebraska Athletics

The Huskers are aiming for a massive overhaul of their offensive line, starting with replacing Donovan Raiola as the position coach. Wade, who came to Nebraska from Georgia Tech, has been retooling his line in early 2026 with transfer portal additions, bringing in Iowa State’s Brendan Black and South Carolina’s Tree Babalade. Nebraska has seen three linemen choose to exit via the portal: Brian Tapu, Houston Kaahaaina-Torres and Jason Maciejczak.

Kitrell could add athleticism to the offensive line, as he finished second in the Class B discus as a sophomore with a personal-best throw of 172’2 while finishing fourth in the shot put. Kitrell averaged four points and four rebounds per game for the Ashland-Greenwood basketball program as the Bluejays claimed the Class C1 championship in 2025.

Kitrell becomes the 16th interior offensive line offer for Nebraska’s 2027 class. The class is headlined by four-star quarterback Trae Taylor and in-state rising stars Tory Pittman III and Matt Erickson.

IU dominated but then ‘it was just turnovers’ to blow 16-point lead vs Nebraska

Published

20 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

IU dominated but then ‘it was just turnovers’ to blow 16-point lead vs Nebraska

Indiana men’s basketball lost to Nebraska 83-77 after leading by as many as 16 points.
Coach Darian DeVries cited a bad stretch, including key fouls on Tucker DeVries and turnovers, as the turning point.
The Hoosiers have three more opportunities for a Quad 1 win in their upcoming games.

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana men’s basketball coach Darian DeVries thought his team played well for about 28 minutes Saturday afternoon.

In those 28 minutes, IU built up as much as a 16-point lead against undefeated Nebraska. The Hoosiers went on a 12-2 run to end the first half, then extended that lead early in the second half.

Then, the defense started crumbling. Tucker DeVries picked up two fouls in the course of 21 seconds, forcing him to the bench. The Hoosiers started turning the ball over.

And Indiana’s upset bid fell apart, as the Hoosiers dropped an 83-77 decision to the Cornhuskers (16-0, 5-0 Big Ten).

“It’s disappointing, for sure,” Darian DeVries said. “We played well for a good 25, 27, 28 minutes, whatever, and then just had a bad stretch in there, and the game flipped. That’s why the turnovers are a big piece of that. We had, (a 16-point lead) and Tucker picked up his third and fourth foul on back-to-back possessions. Then they went on a 10-0 run right after that. That was a big turning point in the game, I thought, when he picked those two up.”

It seemed like the coaching staff (and fans) didn’t agree with those fouls, either.

Tucker DeVries’ third foul came as he fell on the ground while trying to defend Berke Buyuktuncel’s shot. Buyuktuncel continued to attempt a shot after the fall, and he got tangled in DeVries’ legs, falling himself, and officials called a foul on DeVries. Both Tucker and Darian DeVries, along with the crowd of 13,000 fans, didn’t agree with that foul.

Tucker DeVries’ fourth foul, which forced him to the bench for eight minutes, came just 21 seconds after his third. On the Hoosiers’ next offensive possession, DeVries attempted to shoulder his defender to get more space, and got called for the offensive foul and the turnover.

Indiana (12-4, 3-2) turned the ball over on four of its next five possessions, Darian DeVries said, and Nebraska capitalized for a 12-2 run to tie the game.

“I just think we didn’t have the type of possessions we needed after (Tucker DeVries) went out again, and most of them, it was just turnovers,” Darian DeVries said. “We didn’t get shots at the goal. I thought there might’ve been one or two in there where I think Lamar (Wilkerson) drove it hard and tried going through contact, and we didn’t get one there, but outside of that, we just didn’t get very good possessions. Our movement wasn’t as good.”

After Nebraska went on that run, all the momentum shifted to the Cornhuskers. In ways, the Hoosiers couldn’t get out of their own head, and the mistakes kept coming.

“We’ve talked to them a lot about that next play mentality,” Darian DeVries said. “Win that next play, and not compound mistakes. I thought tonight, again, for a stretch there was a period where we let one mistake turn into two. Then, instead of digging in and really making sure we get a quality possession the next time, we compounded it with another turnover. It led to back-to-back-to-back. All of a sudden your lead is gone, and momentum is real. It shifted pretty quickly there.”

This game, especially taking into account the 16-point lead Indiana once had, was a crucial opportunity for the Hoosiers to get their first Quad 1 win of the season.

But the Hoosiers, sitting at No. 30 in the NET rankings, still have three straight Quad 1 opportunities coming up in two road tilts at Michigan State and Michigan and a home game against Iowa in the next two weeks.

Those games, much like Nebraska, will be tall tasks. But, DeVries said, if the Hoosiers can execute for a full game like they did in those 28 minutes on Saturday, they’ll have a chance at them.

“When they’re executing the way that they did the first 25 minutes, it looks really good,” DeVries said. “And they’re doing a great job, and they’re defending and getting movement and things.”

Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.

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Nebraska

$3,125 Nebraska Pick 4 winning ticket sold in York

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

,125 Nebraska Pick 4 winning ticket sold in York

LINCOLN, Neb. (KSNB) – One lucky player who bought a Nebraska Pick 4 ticket for the Thursday drawing is holding a ticket worth $3,125.

The ticket was sold at Pump & Pantry #16, 109 Lincoln Avenue, in York. The winning numbers from Thursday’s Nebraska Pick 4 draw were 09, 06, 01, 02.

Winning Nebraska Lottery Lotto tickets expire 180 days after the drawing. Tickets with total prize amounts of $501 to $19,999 must be claimed by mail or at a Regional Lottery Claim Center. Additional information about claiming prizes can be found at the Nebraska Lottery website, nelottery.com, or by calling 800-587-5200.

Nebraska Pick 4 is a daily Lotto game from the Nebraska Lottery. Players select four numbers, each from a separate set of digits 0 through 9, for a chance to win up to $6,000. Players decide what type of play style and potential prizes to play for by choosing from one of six bet types. The odds of winning the $3,125 prize in Nebraska Pick 4 are 1 in 10,000.

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