Nebraska

Hundreds attend “Hands Off!” protest outside Nebraska State Capitol

Published

1 year ago

April 6, 2025

Hundreds attend “Hands Off!” protest outside Nebraska State Capitol

Emma Norwood, Channel 8

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The “Hands Off!” protest swept across the United States on Saturday to rally against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

The movement inspired hundreds of people to protest at the State Capitol Building in Lincoln.

Many carried signs and led chants to make their voices heard.

Maureen Ose, a Lincoln native, told Channel 8 the amount of people at the event is incredible to see.

“It feels good because this is what it’s all about,” she said. “You’ll see there’s so many signs here today that express so many viewpoints. That means that what’s going on in Washington right now is affecting everybody not in a good way.”

According to the organizers of the nation-wide protest, more than 600,000 people signed up for the event from coast to coast.

One of the activists, Kristie Pfabe, said she is inspired by the community coming together.

“I came here to get some hope because I’ve been feeling really hopeless,” she said. “When I see all of these people around me from my community, it gets me excited and it makes me want to do something. I’m hoping this inspires all of us to make phone calls, to advocate for things that we care about and to really love our neighbors as ourselves.”

Dave Phillips, who told Channel 8 he voted for and supports President Trump, said he is glad he could show up no matter the cause.

“This is my first time protesting,” he said. “It almost feels like I’m voting. It’s an honor to do that. Big turnout like you said, I’m glad Lincoln is involved. It’s a great start, need more of it and I think there will be.”

Kathryn Phillips said the turnout is a glimmer of hope for more people to express themselves.

“It’s easy to become complacent and I think as a society, we kind of have,” she said. “We have it so good and we kind of got taken by surprise by all of this. I’m with Dave, this is a good start and hopefully it will just build momentum.”

Tags: activists, Capitol Building, Chanting, Dave Phillips, elon musk, government, Hands Off, Hands Off Protest, hope, Inspired, Kathryn Phillips, Kristie Pfabe, Maureen Ose, Momentum, President Donald Trump, President Trump, Protest, protesters, Rally, signs, Washington

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Nebraska

Ex- O’Gorman star Bergen Reilly returns to Sioux Falls with Nebraska volleyball

Published

11 hours ago

April 11, 2026

Press Room

Ex- O’Gorman star Bergen Reilly returns to Sioux Falls with Nebraska volleyball

Nebraska volleyball will be playing a spring game at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 11, at the Sanford Pentagon in what will be a homecoming for the Cornhuskers’ All-American setter.

Bergen Reilly, a three-time South Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year while at O’Gorman, is a senior on Nebraska’s team. She has become a three-time All-American, three-time Big Ten Setter of the Year, a two-time First Team Academic All-American and the 2025 Big Ten Player of the Year.

Saturday’s spring game will represent her first game in South Dakota donning the red and white, and she isn’t quite sure how she’s going to feel stepping on the Pentagon court again for the first time in years.

“It kind of feels just like a full-circle moment getting to start off my senior year here,” Reilly said. “It’s the first spring game of my senior year, so it’ll be really cool to get to go home and have so many friends and family at the game and get to play at an arena I’ve played at a lot.”

Tickets for the event were sold out within minutes, meaning some of Reilly’s friends were unable to get them initially. The Sioux Falls native said she took all the extra tickets on the pass list, her parents have a 50-person suite and over 100 people have contacted her saying they’re going.

Nebraska volleyball is one of the biggest brands in the sport, and big crowds tend to follow. Bringing that fanfare to South Dakota is a point of pride for the former O’Gorman star.

“Everywhere we go, it’s always such a great atmosphere and most of the time the crowd’s cheering for us regardless of how far we are from Nebraska,” Reilly said. “It feels like Nebraska fans just spawn out of nowhere, but it’s been really cool to just see. Whether it’s Washington and Oregon or Rutgers, there’s people waiting outside of our bus after the game and getting to see that environment in South Dakota is going to be really special.”

That pomp and circumstance comes as volleyball has boomed as a spectator sport. The 2025 Nebraska-Texas A&M regional final averaged 1.2 million viewers on TV and peaked at 1.6 million, according to ESPN. Both are NCAA regional records.

That rise has been evident in South Dakota, with Harrisburg’s program rising to a nationally-relevant level after finishing the 2025 season at No. 8 in the AVCA/USA TODAY Super 15 poll.

“I could never imagine that volleyball would be where it is when I started volleyball and even just in middle school, like no one would have ever imagined that we sold out a football stadium and are traveling coast to coast and selling out, so it’s really cool that I could be a little part of that and I’m really happy that it’s it’s definitely getting there in South Dakota too,” Reilly said.

Reilly has become a star both in Sioux Falls and Lincoln due to her success on the court. Lots of young players look up to her, and that has led to some major buzz for her return to the Sioux Empire.

“I don’t even know if I necessarily have to handle it because for me it still feels not real that people are excited to see me or want to take a picture or want my autograph,” Reilly said. “It just feels like I’m still a high school girl that’s playing volleyball just because she loves it, so it’s really awesome that volleyball has given me these opportunities because it really is just me playing the sport that I love with some of my best friends.”

Adding to the nostalgia of the homecoming is the location. Reilly has won many tournaments, in both volleyball and basketball, on the courts at the Sanford Pentagon. She hasn’t really considered what the emotions will be like on the court early on in the game, even though it doesn’t officially count.

“I don’t know what’s going to be going through my head,” Reilly said. “I don’t know if it really feels real that I’m playing in Sioux Falls so I think that’ll take a second to sink in and I’m sure some memories will come flooding back from playing on the Pentagon floor for club tournaments and for high school volleyball and high school basketball, so I’m sure there’ll be a lot going on in my head.”

Reilly and the Cornhuskers will venture back to South Dakota for a regular-season game at South Dakota State on Wednesday, Sept. 2, in Brookings.

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Nebraska

Pinwheels, proclamation: Central Nebraska communities mark Child Abuse Prevention Month

Published

23 hours ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

Pinwheels, proclamation: Central Nebraska communities mark Child Abuse Prevention Month

GRAND ISLAND, KEARNEY, Neb. (KSNB) – Signs and pinwheels appeared around parts of Grand Island as part of Wear Blue Day, an effort to bring attention to child abuse prevention.

The Association for Child Abuse Prevention, along with Bikers Against Child Abuse and other volunteers, painted the town blue on Thursday.

In a Facebook post, the group said each pinwheel represents something bigger than all of them — a reminder of the children in the community who deserve safety, support and a voice.

The group said awareness matters, conversations matter and together they will continue to stand up for children and families impacted by abuse and neglect.

In Kearney, Mayor Jonathan Nikkila read a proclamation honoring the Family Advocacy Network (FAN) for Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Nikkila said FAN is the type of organization that is on the front lines in Kearney that most of us don’t see as much or don’t like to think can happen here.

He said FAN serves adults and children who suffer all kinds of abuse, advocating for and supporting abuse victims as they go through the law enforcement process.

Nikkila said they have an amazing heart for the people who need it the most.

Click HERE for information on child abuse and how to spot abuse or neglect by Nebraska DHHS.

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