LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Four petitions focusing on abortion have been circulating around Nebraska the past few months.

In Nebraska, abortion is banned after 12 weeks, with exceptions for sexual assault, incest and medical emergency.

The Protect Our Rights campaign looks to change that.

Its petition would provide a right to abortion under the state constitution.

Mo Neal, a petition circulator for the initiative, said this issue is a matter of health.

“It protects all persons — not just women, not just children,” she said.

In particular, Neal said it protects rape victims and allows women pregnant with fetuses that have “known genetic deformities” to “get the medical care they need.”

She said the reception from voters has been good, but there is more work to do.

“We need more signatures,” Neal said. “If you haven’t signed any of these yet, get out and find a place to sign. Or it doesn’t happen. It’s your vote.”

On the other side, there are three petitions.

The Now Choose Life Initiative would amend the Nebraska Constitution to recognize unborn children as persons under the law.

Then there’s the Human Life Protection Initiative, which would ban all abortions except to save the mother’s life.

Finally, the Protect Women and Children Initiative seeks to put the state’s current abortion restrictions in the constitution.

A petition circulator for this initiative, Walter O’Neal, has a close connection to the issue, saying he was almost aborted.

“We’re all products of the fact that our mamas were pro-life,” he said. “So, mine in particular, because I wasn’t supposed to be here.”

He said the initiative is a compromise on such a divisive topic.

“Let the voters decide between these three initiatives, and hopefully pick the one in the middle that’s going to satisfy the most people,” O’Neal said.

Supporters of each of the petitions have until July 3 to get enough signatures to get the issue on the ballot.

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The State of Nebraska has issued a health alert for toxic blue-green algae in two lakes.

Harmful algal blooms are affecting the Iron Horse Trail Lake in Pawnee County and Maskenthine Reservoir in Stanton County.

Samples taken earlier this week indicated that the toxin level given off by the algae is higher than normal, according to officials.

SEE ALSO: Beach at Nebraska’s Harlan County Reservoir closes due to E. coli

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy said signs have been posted at the lakes to notify the public.

Recreational boating and fishing are still allowed, but swallowing or any kind of exposure to the water can be dangerous.

Officials said to keep your pets away from the water.

People can still use the public areas for camping, picnics and other outdoor activities.

Nebraska men’s basketball coach Fred Hoiberg announced that Josiah Allick and Triston Simpson will join the Husker basketball staff as graduate assistants for the upcoming season. 

Allick will serve as a graduate assistant this season, as he rehabs following ankle surgery. He helped Nebraska to one of its most successful seasons in program history in 2023-24. The Lincoln, Neb., native played in 33 games, including 27 starts, in his lone season at Nebraska and averaged 7.3 points on 55 percent shooting and 5.4 rebounds per game. Allick led NU in field goal percentage and totaled a pair of double-doubles, including a 14-point, 11-rebound effort in the Huskers’ NCAA Tournament game against Texas A&M. He was recognized for his contributions on and off the court, as Nebraska’s Sportsmanship Award nominee in men’s basketball.

Allick, who also played at New Mexico and Kansas City, helped his teams win 91 games during his career, including 64 games over the last three seasons. Both Nebraska and UMKC posted their highest win totals in the last 30 years with Allick on the roster.  During his collegiate career, Allick totaled 1,246 points and 781 rebounds in 136 career games, including 111 career starts.

Allick, who graduated from New Mexico in 2023, is working on his master’s degree in business administration at Nebraska.

“We are excited to keep Josiah around our program,” Hoiberg said. “Everyone saw the contributions he made as a player here with his work ethic, selflessness and leadership abilities. He is an outstanding communicator who relates exceptionally well with people, and his experiences will help our current players as we continue to build a winning culture.”

Simpson returns to his hometown after spending the 2023-24 as an assistant at Indian Hills Community College. He helped the Warriors to a 29-6 record, North Central District and Region XI titles before the program reached the NCJAA semifinals.  Two players earned NJCAA All-America honors while seven players earned all-region accolades under his tutelage.

“We are pleased that Triston has joined our staff,” Hoiberg said. “He had a chance to get into coaching at the junior college level and helped Indiana Hills to the national tournament last year.  Triston was a multi-year starter at point guard at South Dakota and played professionally for a few years before getting into coaching, and that experience will help him as he continues his adjustment to the coaching ranks.”

Simpson played collegiately at South Dakota, where he was a three-year starter at point guard. A two-time All-Summit League honoree, he played 124 games for the Coyotes, totaling 1,193 points and nearly 400 assists. He averaged double figures in each of his final two seasons, including a career-high 14.0 points per game in 2018-19. During his four seasons at USD, the program won 81 games, including a 26-9 mark in 2017-18.

Following his collegiate career, Simpson played overseas professionally for three seasons, including stops in Iceland, Argentina, Cyprus and most recently in Estonia, where he played for Tallinna Kalev in 2022-23.

Simpson received a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from South Dakota in 2020.

Both Allick and Simpson are Lincoln natives who played at Lincoln North Star High School and for Coach Tony Quattrocchi. Allick and Simpson will join Nihilo Ibarra and Justin Moore as graduate assistants for the upcoming season.

https://huskers.com/news/2024/06/12/josiah-allick-and-triston-simpson-join-husker-mens-basketball-staff