Nebraska
Former Defense Secretary Hagel backs Nebraska proposal expanding access to veterans court services | Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — Former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel joined a Nebraska legislative push Friday to expand the number and types of wayward veterans who can access some of the structure and support provided by problem-solving courts.
Hagel and several veterans advocates spoke during a Judiciary Committee hearing for Amendment 2668 to Legislative Bill 253 from State Sens. Justin Wayne of Omaha and State Sen. Tom Brewer, who represents north-central Nebraska.
Hagel told senators and a pre-hearing crowd that American justice needs to find better tools to deal with veterans back from the nation’s longest wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, tools he said would have helped Vietnam, Korea and World War II vets.
“We have had so many deployments over the last 20 years, and veterans have had so many redeployments going back,” Hagel said. “It’s unfair, I think, for all veterans to be treated the same way (by the justice system).”
Services in more places
The proposal would let every Nebraska state court connect veterans with some of the wraparound services offered today by separate veterans courts in Douglas, Sarpy, Lancaster, Adams, Hall and Buffalo Counties.
Unlike the fuller county problem-solving courts, which experts said serve 5% of eligible veterans, this proposal would instead rely on the federal Veterans Administration for services such as mental health counseling and medical help.
Brewer, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, called the proposal a starting point that would be good for veterans, good for Nebraska and “good for our communities.”
“This bill is probably not perfect,” Brewer told the committee. “We were rushed when we put it together. We’re probably 90% there. Let’s focus on the concept.”
Brewer said he, Wayne and State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Omaha, a former Hagel staffer, spent the past two weeks weighing parts of a model proposal by the Hagel-led Veterans Justice Commission. Hagel said the bill offers veterans another chance to succeed.
Separate from veterans courts
Brock Hunter, a Veterans Justice Commission lawyer in Minnesota who led efforts in that state on handling veterans in 2021, said AM 2668 would supplement the “gold-standard model” of separate veterans courts.
“We still want those courts to operate,” Hunter said. “This is meant to expand where some of those services can reach.”
Hunter said he understands when people question whether the VA or private providers have the capacity to serve rural veterans who need mental health care. He said most rural veterans already travel some distance for care.
Under the proposal, each veteran’s case would get a specific plan for supervision, goals, rules and treatment requirements.
Expanded eligibility
The bill would expand which veterans are eligible for help. It would broaden the group from nonviolent offenders chosen by county prosecutors to participate in a veterans court to any veteran deemed worthy by a judge.
Among newly eligible veterans would be those charged with violent crimes in situations where their actions can be tied to mental or physical health issues stemming from their military service. Nebraska veterans courts don’t allow that today.
Hagel said he and the Judiciary Committee trust judges to use the facts and information they have about individual cases to make the best decision on who should be eligible for diversion. People who complete most veterans court programs have their charges set aside.
Questions about process
State Sen. Carolyn Bosn of Lincoln, a former Lancaster County prosecutor, questioned the reasons for pulling the decision making from county attorneys and giving it to a judge. She asked testifiers why unelected judges would be better.
Dan Zigg of the Nebraska County Attorneys Association said the proposal places too few restrictions on which crimes would be eligible. He said people charged with sex assault, child sex assault and human trafficking might be deemed eligible as the bill is currently written.
Wayne, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, questioned why prosecutors need a say in the process over judges. He said the committee was starting the conversation and would decide its approach and find a way forward.
Brewer, in closing remarks, expressed frustrations about the hearing devolving into turf battles over who should have what authority instead of considering the people the measure could help. Veterans deserve better, he said.
Next steps
Hunter said Minnesota, in its veterans court service expansion law, gives access to expanded services to veterans who are eligible for probation and are charged with low-to-moderate felonies. Veterans charged with more serious felonies can have their status as a veteran considered as a mitigating factor at sentencing.
The Nebraska proposal would also allow any veteran to have their status as a veteran considered as a mitigating factor.
The proposal would provide services to veterans who were discharged because of substance abuse disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, mental health conditions or sexual abuse while in the military. Today, many of those folks can’t easily get help, Hunter said.
Hagel told the Examiner he hopes Nebraska will give judges more options with veterans than just issuing a criminal sentence. His group has found no hard numbers for jailed or imprisoned veterans, but estimates place the number near 200,000 nationally.
“When veterans get in trouble, judges have very few options other than to sentence veterans,” Hagel said. “This allows them to take a look at the facts and really understand what we’re dealing with here. Are there options?”
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LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — No. 2 Nebraska volleyball welcomed UCLA to the Big Ten on Friday night by defeating the Bruins in four sets.
The Huskers won their first conference match 25-22, 25-10, 23-15, 25-22 at the Devaney Center.
Nebraska outhit UCLA 0.246% to 0.153%.
Andi Jackson and Taylor Landfair each made 13 kills to lead the Huskers.
On defense, Lexi Rodriguez racked up 20 digs, followed by Bergen Reilly with 13.
Nebraska plays another new Big Ten member, No. 20 USC, on Sunday. The match will air on the Big Ten Network at 6:30 p.m.
Week 5 of the 2024 Nebraska high school football season is here and High School on SI is debuting the first computer rankings in Nebsraka this season.
There is a three-team battle for the Class A leaderboard between Elkhorn South, Papillion-Lavista, and Omaha Westside. See if these heavyweights continue their unbeaten streaks this Friday, September 27 on our Nebraska football scoreboard.
SBLive’s formula was created using its own linear algebra-based ranking algorithm inspired by the Colley Bias-Free Ranking Method. Colley’s Method was created by Wes Colley, Ph.D., an astrophysicist at the University of Alabama at Huntsville. He devised his algorithm in order to help address the subjectivity and controversy regarding BCS college football selections in the 1990s and early 2000s, using a method that used no subjective variables.
Here are SBLive’s latest Nebraska football computer rankings, as of September 25, 2024:
NEBRASKA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COMPUTER RANKINGS
CLASS A | CLASS B
CLASS C1 | CLASS C2
CLASS D1 | CLASS D2
CLASS D6
SBLIVE SPORTS LAUNCHES HIGH SCHOOL ON SI
High School On SI will serve as the premier destination for high school sports fans, delivering unparalleled coverage of high school athletics nationwide through in-depth stories, recruiting coverage, rankings, highlights and much more. The launch of a dedicated high school experience expands Sports Illustrated’s reach to even more local communities as fans can now truly follow athletes from “preps to the pros” on a single platform, bringing them closer to the action than ever before.
For more information, visit si.com/high-school.
— Ben Dagg | @sblivesports
Purdue football coach Ryan Walters previews Nebraska
The Boilermakers (1-2) open their Big Ten season Saturday by hosting Nebraska.
WEST LAFAYETTE − Nebraska was once the hated rival for Ryan Walters.
The Purdue football coach grew up in Colorado and in the 1990s, Colorado and Nebraska was must see TV. Then Walters went on to play for Colorado, like his father.
Now it’s Nebraska that Walters needs to beat to stop a sinking ship.
Purdue is trying to avoid a third straight loss and also hoping to resurrect an offense and defense that have drifted into the Big Ten abyss the past two games.
The Huskers visit Ross-Ade Stadium for their first road game of the season and the Boilermakers hope that a raucous Homecoming environment can help rattle Nebraska and freshman sensation quarterback Dylan Raiola.
More: BoilersXtra Podcast: Nebraska preview and preseason basketball buzz
Raiola was one of the top quarterbacks in the 2024 recruiting class and he’s shown why. The Nebraska signal caller is second in the Big Ten with eight touchdown passes and has thrown for almost 1,000 yards in four games.
Nebraska won its first three games with relative ease before losing to Illinois in overtime last week.
More: His dad was Super Bowl MVP, now Purdue football receiver adding knowledge for Boilermakers
Raiola’s top target has been Isaiah Neyor, a transfer from Texas and a former teammate of Purdue QB Hudson Card with the Longhorns. Neyor’s four touchdown receptions are fourth most in the league. How much does the return of Nyland Green help Purdue’s defense?
Nebraska’s defense averages six tackles for loss and 2.8 sacks per game, led by senior linebacker John Bullock (25 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 sacks).
Purdue football QB Hudson Card, ‘Still a lot of belief in this team’
Heard what Boilermaker quarterback Hudson Card said about Purdue’s 1-2 start and Saturday’s game vs. Nebraska.
How does Purdue’s offense match up with Blackshirts
Nebraska’s defense, known as the Blackshirts, will be a tough unit for the Boilermakers to try to rectify a struggling passing attack.
Purdue did run the ball well at Oregon State, which has proven struggles against the run this season. Devin Mockobee did become the 12th player to join Purdue’s 2,000-yard club after rushing for 168 yards last Saturday. He needs 40 yards to pass Purdue legend Leroy Keyes for 11th most in school history.
It’ll be tough to do that against the Cornhuskers, who are allowing just 94.3 rushing yards per game and just 12.8 points per game. Purdue averages 354.7 yards of offense, which ranks 95th in the country and 13th in the Big Ten, with 583 yards against Indiana State doing the heavy lifting to support that average. Over the last two weeks, that average is 240.5 yards.
“After the Notre Dame game, I think that Notre Dame was extremely physical, played really, really hard and we challenged our guys as a team and obviously as an offensive unit, the physicality has to be there,” offensive coordinator Graham Harrell said. “If we’re going to be successful, then we have to be physical.”
Prediction: Nebraska 30, Purdue football 20
The Boilermakers bounce back in terms of competitiveness, but there’s three games of data (or four in Nebraska’s case) saying these teams are not playing at the same level right now.
Until Purdue’s defense shows it can set the edge and not get gashed for chunk plays running outside the tackles, it’s hard to believe the Boilers will beat anyone. If it’s more of the same Saturday, Nebraska’s run game, which isn’t a strength, could get a boost.
The Boilermakers also need to show some semblance of a passing game against a secondary that’s been pretty good against. Purdue’s best bet is to keep it close and hope for a chance at the end. That starts with not falling behind early, which has happened the past two weeks.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
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