Nebraska
Four ballot initiatives in Nebraska tackle abortion in their own way
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.
ALLIANCE, Neb. (WOWT) – Carhenge, a replica of the world-famous Stonehenge made of old cars, opened in the Nebraska Panhandle in 1987.
According to Visit Nebraska, it was constructed in Alliance by the Jim Reinders family in memory of his father during a family reunion.
Carhenge also includes sculptures made of old cars and car parts.
It is open year-round and free to visit.
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LINCOLN, NEB — With less than 1% of Nebraska’s native tallgrass prairie remaining, Lincoln officials say a newly acquired tract of land could help preserve a disappearing part of the state’s landscape while expanding outdoor recreation opportunities for future generations.
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and city leaders announced the purchase of nearly 100 acres southwest of Pioneers Park for $924,630 through a partnership involving the City of Lincoln, the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, and Solidago Conservancy.
The acquisition advances the Prairie Corridor on Haines Branch project, a long-term effort to establish a continuous conservation and recreation corridor stretching from Pioneers Park Nature Center in Lincoln to the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center near Denton.
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said the project will provide additional opportunities for residents and visitors to experience Nebraska’s prairie landscape while protecting natural resources.
“Advancing the Prairie Corridor, we create more opportunities for residents and visitors to hike, bike, explore nature, and experience the beautiful landscape that defines our region,” Gaylor Baird said. “We protect vital natural resources that improve water quality and help reduce flood risk downstream, and we preserve an important part of Nebraska’s natural heritage for future generations.”
The newly acquired Prairie Corridor Link property is intended to help connect Pioneers Park Nature Center and Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center through a continuous protected prairie and trail system.
Plans for the Prairie Corridor include restoring over 5,000 acres of prairie lands (~2,000 acres of tallgrass prairie, and ~3,400 acres of native prairie) and constructing a 14.5-mile multiuse trail that will connect to Lincoln’s existing trail network.
“This property is a piece of a long-term vision to connect Pioneers Park Nature Center and Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center through a continuous corridor, protected prairie, and trail,” Gaylor Baird said.
Parks and Recreation Director Maggie Stuckey-Ross said approximately over a majority of the Prairie Corridor Trail project has now been secured.
“Once complete, the corridor will include a continuous 7,400-acre passage of tallgrass prairie and a 14.5-mile multiuse trail, and in just nine years, nearly 70% of the Prairie Corridor trail corridor has been secured,” Stuckey-Ross said.
Project leaders say the Prairie Corridor has the potential to become a destination for hikers, cyclists, students, and nature enthusiasts from across Nebraska while helping preserve one of the state’s rarest ecosystems for future generations.
More information about the Prairie Corridor on Haines Branch is available at PrairieCorridor.org.
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