Nebraska
Nebraska AG Mike Hilgers pitches crime package focused on consumer protection | Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — Under a crime-fighting package pitched Thursday by Attorney General Mike Hilgers, Nebraskans scammed out of money or property might have another way to recoup some of their losses by freezing the assets of alleged fraudsters.
Potential victims of sex trafficking or exploitation might have a clearer path to stop websites from profiting from posting their images or videos.
Local hemp growers would be regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture instead of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.
And the sale of hemp-based delta-8, which often laces food items with THC, would be expressly outlawed.
“All of these have to do with protecting vulnerable Nebraskans, and, in particular, giving our office more tools to protect those who are exploited by bad actors,” Hilgers said.
Three bills from three senators
Hilgers said the three-bill package would be introduced in the coming days by State Sens. Carolyn Bosn of Lincoln, Christy Armemndariz of Omaha and Teresa Ibach of Sumner. None of the bills had yet been assigned a number, nor were they made available for independent review on Thursday.
Bosn, a former Lancaster County prosecutor, said her bill would create a process for the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office to ask a judge to freeze the financial assets of someone charged with fraud or deceptive trade practices.
Today, she said, Nebraska courts can’t prevent a person or business from spending ill-gotten gains until after a civil case is concluded.
Bosn and Hilgers said the bill might help Nebraskans fighting disreputable online sellers of iPhones or other products who failed to deliver purchases.
“This lets us get a subpoena, get the information that shows that you have the accounts … and then take that information and say … we’re making a formal request with the court,” Bosn said.
Armendariz proposes extending the state’s powers against trafficking online, nonconsensual sexual content beyond Nebraska’s borders. She said she wants to “take power away from traffickers and strengthen our ability to empower victims.”
Hilgers said some adult and child victims of sex assault and others who were recorded without consent struggle to get out-of-state internet content providers to stop sharing such images and videos.
Armendariz’s bill, which Hilgers said also would strengthen the state’s other protections against human trafficking online, would make it easier to stop the distribution.
Hemp changes
A third bill, being brought by Ibach, would shift responsibility for regulating hemp growers back to the federal government from the state. Ibach said she seeks the change because USDA is better equipped to oversee hemp growing, not because she wants to stop hemp from being grown.
“Those that already produce hemp in the state, this will not inhibit their ability to do that if they’re successful hemp farmers already,” she said.
The other part of Ibach’s bill takes aim at delta-8, one of Hilgers’ top targets since the 2023 legislative session ended. He said the bill would clarify that products containing the hemp-based chemicals are illegal.
Today, he said, there is some confusion about whether selling such products is legal, and many stores sell products that look like junk food which are laced with THC. He said his chief reason for outlawing delta-8 is to keep people safe from potential harm.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has acknowledged hearing concerns about delta-8 products the FDA hasn’t approved that are being sold in dispensaries and vape shops, and concerns about some potentially harmful synthetics used in processing them.
Some people have reported to the FDA instances of hallucinations, vomiting, anxiety and loss of consciousness after consuming some delta-8 THC products.
Local sellers of the items have defended themselves and their products from Hilgers’ accusations, saying that their products are safe and that what they sell is legal.
Ibach and Hilgers said they are not trying to restrict CBD-containing products that are legal under federal law. But Hilgers said he wants to get delta-8 THC products off store shelves in Nebraska. He said the law already prohibits selling the products but said it requires lawsuits to resolve.
“There are a lot of stores around the state, and … making sure that there is no uncertainty as to what the rules of the road are, I think, will help those retailers,” Hilgers said.
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An SEC defensive back is headed to Lincoln via the transfer portal.
Former Georgia DB Justyn Rhett has committed to Nebraska. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
Rhett appeared in four games over two seasons for the powerhouse Bulldogs. He finishes his Georgia career with three tackles.
The 6-1, 200-pound DB got to Athens from the football factory out of Las Vegas, Bishop Gorman. A four-star prospect out of high school, Rhett was selected to play in Under Armour All-America Game and picked Georgia over Alabama, Michigan, Florida State, LSU, Tennessee, Oregon, Notre Dame, Oregon, and more.
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LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — One match left: Louisville, which knocked out Pittsburgh, plays Penn State, which ousted Nebraska with a five-set reverse sweep.
ESPN and Big Ten Network analyst Emily Ehman and VolleyballMag editor Lee Feinswog look back on an incredible Thursday night at the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship:
Dana Holgorsen, John Butler talk bowl prep and being “light on your feet”
In today’s college football, coaches must have their head on a swivel.
That’s true during the season of course, but it’s now a way of life once the transfer portal opens in December and rosters start moving and shaking. And things get even more wild if you’re at a program that’s playing in a bowl game, or even the College Football Playoff.
It’s a balancing act that all staffs are going through right now. Nebraska’s included.
“You’ve got to be light on your feet, man,” Nebraska defensive coordinator John Butler said during a press conference over Zoom on Thursday. “I mean, you’re maybe in the middle of a game-plan meeting and all of a sudden you got to jump out and you’re having a 30-minute meeting with a prospect that’s in on a visit, or you’re jumping on a Zoom doing it. Or you’re watching 15 minutes of tape to make sure that, hey, this guy just jumped in and he wants to visit us. So I think you got to be a fast thinker and mover and a shaker, quite frankly.”
This whole process has taught Butler, who spent the 2024 season as the defensive backs coach under now-departed DC Tony White, that these traits are as important as ever: Being decisive. Being organized. Following a road map to achieve a goal and not deviating from it when there’s chaos all over.
“You’ve got to have a plan and a vision for what you’re looking for, because everything happens so fast,” Butler said. “You have a guy get in and get out, get in and get signed. And at the same time, you also got to keep an eye on your roster constantly, because there’s people reaching out. There’s people reaching out to your players, whether it’s direct or it’s people reaching out through a third party. And it’s unfortunate in this environment.
“People said, ‘Hey, it’s like NFL free agency.’ No, it’s not. NFL free agency is regulated.”
As Husker fans have come to learn, just because a player says he’s going to enter the transfer portal doesn’t mean he actually will. And sometimes when a player actually enters his name in the portal, there’s always a chance they could withdraw their name and return to their program if each side wants.
Nebraska saw that happen with defensive lineman Keona Davis, who briefly entered the portal before withdrawing and staying at NU for 2025. There was also running back Emmett Johnson — he announced he would enter the portal but never made it there.
Holgorsen played a key role in convincing Johnson to stay at Nebraska.
“We had some long talks after the season, and I got to know him better as a person,” Holgorsen said of his relationship with Johnson. “I did that with a bunch of them, but him in particular was probably about the first one that came in and was excited about what we did, but there was some buts. So we had some long talks. I think he’s a great kid and he’s going to be a special player here. Excited to coach him.”
On Holgorsen’s side of the ball, he’ll have to adjust his game plan now that he’ll be without a handful of players he was able to use during the regular season.
Running back Dante Dowdell transferred to Kentucky on Friday. A tight end Holgorsen really liked, Nate Boerkircher, transferred to Texas A&M. Receiver Isaiah Neyor has chosen to opt out of the Pinstripe Bowl to focus on his NFL aspirations. Offensive lineman Micah Mazzccua, who began the year as the starting right guard but finished the season rotating with Gunnar Gottula at left tackle, won’t play in the bowl because he’s getting surgery to fix a torn labrum he played through during the season.
There will be holes to fill on Holgorsen’s offense in the bowl game and beyond in 2025. But Holgorsen brushes all of this chaos off. He’s a go-with-the-flow guy. He doesn’t pretend to have answers to fix college football. What he does have, though, is a plan.
“There’s been a lot of talk out there about something needs to happen. That’s above my pay grade,” Holgorsen said. “So, the few kids who decided to do that (leave), we wish them well, and you just go replace them. It’s as simple as that.”
Part of that replacement process needs to happen for the bowl game with current members of the roster. Behind Emmett Johnson, expect Rahmir Johnson — he’s native of the Bronx and will have several family members and friends at Yankee Stadium — to play often as it’ll be his final game in a Husker uniform.
But with Dowdell and Gabe Ervin Jr. gone from the team, perhaps this Pinstripe Bowl will feature another big back on Nebraska’s roster who’s seldom been used: redshirt freshman Kwinten Ives, a 6-3, 210-pounder.
“You know, 23 (Dowdell) isn’t playing in the bowl game but 28 (Ives) is gonna go in there and he’s gonna play his tail off because he’s had nine spectacular practices,” Holgorsen said. “I think that’s how you got to look at it. You don’t worry about the ones that aren’t playing. You worry about the ones that are playing, and you coach them and you try to develop them, put them in position to hopefully be successful.”
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