Nebraska

Nebraska AG Mike Hilgers pitches crime package focused on consumer protection | Nebraska Examiner

Published

10 months ago

January 4, 2024

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.

State Sen. Carolyn Bosn of Lincoln speaks on Dec. 6. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

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.

State Sen. Christy Armendariz of Omaha listens to a colleague. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska News Service)

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.

State Sen. Teresa Ibach of Sumner speaks on the legislative floor on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, in Lincoln. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

“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.

Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers holds a press conference on consumer protection action targeting “deceptive” labeling of delta-8 products. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)

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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Nebraska

Dylan Raiola believes criticism of Nebraska OC Marcus Satterfield is ‘unfair’

Published

6 hours ago

October 31, 2024

Press Room

Dylan Raiola believes criticism of Nebraska OC Marcus Satterfield is ‘unfair’

After suffering two losses in a row, there has been mounting criticism of the Nebraska Cornhuskers offense and specifically offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield. However, freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola believes that criticism is unfair.

While being asked about the offense’s lack of explosive plays, Raiola shared that he’s confident the Cornhuskers can find more big plays. He also took the time to point out that he feels Satterfield is giving them opportunities but the issue has been execution.

“I feel confident. I think it’s just a matter of execution, now,” Dylan Raiola said. “You know, Coach Satt gives us the plays to go do it and as players we have to go out there and execute it. I know Coach Satt’s getting a lot of heat right now on his plays that he’s calling and I think that’s unfair to him.”

The numbers on offense haven’t been great for Nebraska this season. It’s been three weeks since the Cornhuskers scored more than 17 points in a game and Nebraska only scored more than 30 points twice, both of which were non-conference games.

For the season, Nebraska is 93rd in the country in total offense, averaging 358.1 yards per game. Then, the Cornhuskers are 96th in scoring offense this season, averaging 24 points per game.

“He can’t go out there and make plays and do everything that he’s coaching us to do,” Raiola said. “So, as players and as the quarterback of this offense, I take the responsibility for that and for us to go out there and execute. That’s not his fault. Yeah, I think we can push the ball down the field and I think we will.”

That relationship between Dylan Raiola and Marcus Satterfield is, of course, vital to the Cornhuskers moving forward. Still a freshman, Raiola is growing as a quarterback and that growth is largely going to be thanks to the work that Satterfield does.

For the season, Raiola has completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 1,744 yards and nine touchdowns to go with seven interceptions. That’s 218 passing yards per game. However, in Nebraska’s last three games, Raiola hasn’t thrown a touchdown and has four interceptions. Twice in those three games, he’s thrown for less than 200 yards in the game.

Nebraska is currently 5-3, looking to snap a two-game losing streak and get to bowl eligibility for the season. If they do, it would be the program’s first time getting to a bowl since 2016. Standing in Nebraska’s way is a UCLA team coming off its first Big Ten win.

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Nebraska

Bold Predictions: Nebraska vs. UCLA

Published

14 hours ago

October 31, 2024

Press Room

Matt Rhule, Dylan Raiola and Nebraska football return to the field for one of the Huskers’ most important games of the season as they seek bowl eligibility vs. UCLA on Saturday.

The Huskers (5-3 overall, 2-3 Big Ten) were reeling coming off a 56-7 loss at Indiana but rebounded in a significant way last week to nearly pull off a road upset of No. 4 Ohio State in a 21-17 loss.

Now, Nebraska returns to Lincoln for its first home game since a 14-7 win over Rutgers on Oct. 5 as it hosts the struggling Bruins (2-5, 1-4) at 2:30 p.m. CT this Saturday on Big Ten Network.

UCLA faced a daunting schedule to open the season but ended a five-game losing streak to No. 13 Indiana, No. 16 LSU (road), No. 1 Oregon, at No. 3 Penn State (road) and unranked Minnesota* with a 35-32 win at Rutgers two weeks ago before hitting a bye week.

Inside Nebraska publisher Zack Carpenter, staff writer Steve Marik and recruiting analyst Tim Verghese give their takes and projections on how they envision things playing out between the Huskers and Bruins in the latest edition of Bold Predictions.

*All rankings are current. Indiana was unranked, LSU was ranked No. 16, Oregon was ranked No. 8, and Penn State was ranked No. 7 at the time of those games.

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Nebraska

Keys to Victory: Nebraska vs. UCLA

Published

21 hours ago

October 30, 2024

Press Room

Nebraska welcomes UCLA to Lincoln on Saturday. The Huskers are playing to become bowl eligible for the first time in nearly a decade. The Bruins, who will be coming off a bye week, started off with a bear of a schedule that included Indiana, LSU, Oregon, and Penn State. They have seen some success more recently, with a close loss to Minnesota followed by a win over Rutgers.

On behalf of the Common Fan podcast, here are three keys to victory for the Huskers, and two keys to victory for all the fellow Common Fans.

NEBRASKA’S KEYS TO VICTORY

Don’t Lay an Egg. I don’t know how else to say this. Nebraska needs to not choke on Saturday. The Huskers are 5-3, one win away from being bowl eligible for the first time since 2016. UCLA is 2-5. UCLA has a first year head coach. While they’ve shown improvement in recent games, UCLA is not the better team. Conversely, Nebraska is the team with the second year head coach whose culture is firmly established. Nebraska will be playing at home. Nebraska is favored (most betting lines currently have the Huskers favored by around seven points). THERE IS NO REASON NEBRASKA SHOULD LOSE THIS GAME. If we want to point to the tough but competitive loss at Ohio State as a turning point, a moral victory, a valuable lesson, any of those things…they need to show the same championship level effort and take care of business against UCLA.

And while I would have much preferred Nebraska had beat Illinois and/or Indiana and/or Ohio State, it will be pretty cool if the Big Red can get the bowl monkey off their back at Memorial Stadium in a conference game in November, a month that has been a struggle in recent years. The home crowd should be juiced on Saturday.

Suffocate the Bruins. UCLA holds one distinction coming into this game. They are, in fact, the worst rushing team in the country, sitting dead last among all FBS teams from sea to shining sea. That translates to 134th nationally. The Bruins are averaging an anemic 2.54 yards per carry, and have gained a total of 452 yards on the ground so far this season. The next team on the list (you know, the 133rd ranked team) is more than 150 yards better than that! Somewhere, Johnathan Franklin is weeping. Nebraska on the other hand is 12th nationally in rushing defense, having just put on a clinic in stopping the run against one of the best teams in the country. I expect the Huskers to be able to completely shut down UCLA’s run game, making the Bruins one-dimensional and making it hard to move the ball at all. This is a matchup that favors the Blackshirts. If they show up like they did against Ohio State, they could flirt with a shutout.

More Field Goals Please. You never quite know what to expect from Nebraska’s offense. While certain parts of the operation have shown promise this season, it’s been very inconsistent. Which means it would be really helpful if they can get three points when three points are there for the taking. It would be fun if this discussion was unnecessary because Nebraska was finishing drives and getting into the end zone, but that hasn’t been the case nearly often enough this season. Enter John Hohl. He came into the year as the backup kicker, and after an injury to starter Tristan Alvano, went 1 for his first 5 attempts. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he made all three attempts against Ohio State, drilling two of those from more than 45 yards out. Hallelujah! Nebraska’s special teams play has been so inconsistent, it’s hard to know if we can count on the field goal unit to make kicks reliably moving forward. But Coach Rhule had previously commented that Hohl was making kicks in practice, and he made his coach look good this past Saturday. If Nebraska is going to win one or more of its final four games, making field goals has to be part of the equation.

COMMON FAN KEYS TO VICTORY

Homeward Bound. Nebraska will play at home for the first time since the Rutgers game on October 5. I’m sure it’s a welcome sight for the boys in red, after back to back road losses to two of the nation’s best teams in Ohio State and Indiana. This UCLA game is critical to the Huskers’ chances of making a bowl game and having a successful season. Memorial Stadium has been electric all season long, and I expect it to be on fire on Saturday afternoon. You’ve had a couple weeks off, Common Fans. If the yard work and the home improvement projects aren’t completed by now, they’ll just have to wait. Let’s get down to the old stadium early, bring your best tailgating game, and get ready to get loud.

Tailgate Time. Speaking of tailgates, the Common Fan Podcast is hosting one on Saturday. If you’re a regular listener to the podcast, or a regular reader, or just a fellow Husker-football-obsessed Common Fan, stop by and say hello. We’ll be in Lot 10, on W Street between 14th and 16th. We’d love to meet you and share in some Husker cheer before the Big Red takes down UCLA and we’re dancing in the streets to celebrate finally getting back to a bowl game.

As always, GBR for LIFE.

MORE: Matt Rhule Already Sees Great Improvement From Dylan Raiola

MORE: Adam Carriker Says Refs Need Postgame Press Conferences

MORE: No Excuses — Nebraska Needs to Beat UCLA

MORE: Could Dylan Raiola Start Using His Legs More Down the Closing Stretch of the Season?

MORE: Analytics Preview: Nebraska Football vs. UCLA

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

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