Nebraska
Nebraska bill would provide cancer benefits to firefighters
LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – A bill before Nebraska lawmakers would provide workers’ compensation benefits to firefighters diagnosed with cancer without requiring them to prove their cancer came from the job.
LB-400 entered its first round of debate Monday. The bill was introduced by Sen. Dave Wordekemper of Fremont, a longtime firefighter.
“Firefighters don’t want to die. They don’t want to leave their jobs, their families, their fellow firefighters,” Wordekemper said.
Cancer risks for firefighters
Wordekemper said firefighters face increased cancer risks compared to the general population.
“Firefighters face a nine percent increase in cancer diagnosis, and a fourteen percent increase in cancer-related deaths compared to the general population,” he said.
“This isn’t speculation, this isn’t a theory, this is an established scientific fact from an independent international body,” Wordekemper said.
Trevor Towey, president of the Omaha Professional Firefighters union, said modern fires pose greater chemical risks than in previous decades.
“Fires of today are not like the fires in the seventies and the eighties. The products that are inside homes burn faster, there’s chemicals in the fires and firefighters are exposed to that,” Towey said.
Opposition to the bill
The bill was opposed by Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte and Sen. Bob Hallstrom.
Jacobson argued the bill could be unaffordable for smaller communities.
“Villages and cities are paying for it; and how are they paying for it? With property taxes,” Jacobson said.
Jacobson said current law is adequate.
“The current law is working. No one is turning their backs on firefighters,” he said. “Their benefits are all better than any other city employee.”
Jacobson referenced his own skin cancer diagnosis during the debate.
“Some of you have probably noticed I have a couple of cuts on my face. Well, it wasn’t from shaving,” he said. “I’ve never been a firefighter, by gosh somehow I’ve got cancer, so I’m dealing with it. Not every firefighter gets cancer.”
Current law and proposed changes
Current Nebraska law lists 20 cancers as presumed job-related if a firefighter is diagnosed. However, families are not compensated until the firefighter dies.
Towey said several Omaha firefighters are currently battling cancer.
“I can tell you we have got about 5 or 6 right now, and a couple of them are continuing to fight for their lives,” he said.
“Why would not those same cancers be also presumed while they are still alive, while they can still recover, while they can still fight and come back and service our community? That’s all we’re asking for,” Towey said.
Under current law, firefighters who get cancer and believe it is job-related must sue insurance companies to receive benefits. The proposed bill would allow firefighters to receive workers’ compensation benefits automatically, with employers able to sue if they believe the cancer was not job-related.
Towey said 33 other states have similar legislation.
“We’re not asking something that is outrageous, we’re not asking for something to be created that doesn’t exist,” he said.
Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.
Kansas City continues to be a popular destination for Nebraska sports fans, as the 2026-27 non-conference basketball slate will add another former conference rivalry flair to the fun.
Nebraska basketball announced on Thursday that the Huskers would make a return to the T-Mobile Center and Kansas City in December to renew another former Big Eight and Big 12 rivalry. Nebraska will face Missouri on Saturday, Dec. 12, one season after the Huskers took on Kansas State in Kansas City. Ticket information for the contest will be announced in July, as tipoff time and broadcast information are set to be announced at a later date.
The former conference foes will rematch for the first time since Nebraska’s 69-58 home win at the Devaney Center on March 1, 2011. The 15-year wait is one that the program and its fans have been waiting for, according to the Huskers’ head coach.
“This is a matchup our fans will be excited about because of the history between the two programs over the years,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said in the announcement. “Coach (Dennis) Gates has a team that could challenge in the SEC this season, and this will provide us a strong test right after we finish our Big Ten December schedule. Playing this matchup in Kansas City brings back a lot of memories of old conference matchups, and I believe our fans will make this a great neutral-site environment.”
As Nebraska’s national mark has risen over the past three seasons, which included two NCAA Tournament trips and a Sweet 16 run last year, Missouri has also seen steady improvement under Gates. The Tigers have made an NCAA Tournament appearance in three of the last four seasons and are coming off a 20-13 season. Missouri has also totaled at least 20 wins in each of the last two seasons, along with double-digit conference victories in the SEC for the first time since joining the conference in 2012.
Missouri has also reloaded once again, securing a top-10 recruiting class this season, pairing with the 14th-ranked transfer class. The Tigers return six players from the 2025-26 season.
“When you look at scheduling, you have to mesh it with where the selection committee is,” Gates said Wednesday night at a ‘ZOU to YOU’ fan event in St. Louis. “So with the addition of spots in the NCAA Tournament, I think we got to do, and I have to increase our strength of schedule, because opportunity to get in there as a, not only a 20-win team, but something near below is definitely going to be there.”
Kansas City road trips have had promising returns for Nebraska athletics in the last 365 days, as Nebraska football secured a season-opening victory over Cincinnati inside of Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium. Husker basketball then followed in December with an 86-85 win at the T-Mobile Center against Kansas State in late November. The Huskers held off a second-half rally by the Wildcats after leading 45-35 at halftime of the Hall of Fame Classic.
The Huskers’ leading scorer in the win, Pryce Sandfort, returns to lead a new core of Huskers after the NCAA Tournament run in March. Sandfort, Braden Frager, Cale Jacobsen, and Connor Essegian all participated in the contest a season ago and return to the team this year for a return trip to Kansas City.
None of the returning players have faced Missouri before, as the two programs rematch with a 126-93 all-time record in favor of the Tigers. Although Nebraska took the last matchup, the series is 5-5 in the last 10 matchups overall, as the last Kansas City neutral site contest went in favor of Nebraska 75-60 back on March 10, 2010.
The contest marks the third non-conference neutral-site game that has been announced by Nebraska, as the Kansas City road trip pairs with the Huskers’ visit to Uncasville, Conn., to face Providence and a visit to the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., to battle Boise State. Nebraska will also take on Creighton in Omaha at the CHI Health Center for a true road game in its non-conference.
“Everybody’s playing neutral site games right now just to try to bolster up their budgets. We have some of those in place,” Hoiberg said Tuesday during his media availability. “Those neutral-site games are important for a team like us. We have to do everything we can to compete against teams that spend a lot more… Scheduling is a lot different than it used to be.”
Nebraska basketball will report back to campus in August and begin its fall practices in preparation for the exhibition slate starting on Oct. 9 as Nebraska hosts Saint Louis, then travels to BYU on Oct. 16.
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Athlon Sports has released its annual quotes from anonymous Big Ten coaches about the upcoming college football season. After reviewing the quotes, it’s clear that the Big Ten’s coaches don’t think very highly of the Huskers and even made several strange statements about the current state of the program.
One coach criticized Nebraska’s handling of the quarterback situation. Opening day starter Dylan Raiola transferred after two years with the program. He transferred to Oregon, where he could redshirt in 2026 now that the Ducks’ starting quarterback, Dante Moore, is returning to Eugene next season.
In 22 career games at Nebraska, he threw for 4,819 yards, 31 touchdowns and 17 interceptions while completing 69.1% of his passes. The 2025 season was cut short after suffering an injury in a loss against USC. In nine games this season, Raiola threw for 2,000 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions.
One coach believes Raiola’s departure could be the end for Nebraska football. The anonymous coach believes that Raiola was the glue that held Husker football together.
“They’re in a ton of denial with the quarterback situation. Dylan Raiola is as good as they get as a player and as a person; losing him, I thought he was their last hope. He was the pin that was holding that thing together.”
Nebraska will have a new opening day starter in 2026. The Huskers have a QB room that includes TJ Lateef, UNLV transfer Anthony Colandrea and Virginia transfer Daniel Kaelin.
Colandrea comes to Nebraska following a breakout junior year with the Rebels. The St. Petersburg, Florida, native finished the 2025 season throwing for 3,459 yards, 23 touchdowns, and nine interceptions with a 65.9 completion percentage.
The former Rebels’ play earned him the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year award. Before UNLV, Colandrea played two seasons at Virginia. In 19 games, he totaled 4,083 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns and 20 interceptions.
Another Big Ten Coach went after coach Matt Rhule, saying the Husker staff has too much turnover to maintain continuity.
“(Head coach) Matt Rhule has some great aspects. He can make you run through a wall, but there’s just always so much turnover with his staff. I know that it’s a tough environment for those coaches to be in. Rhule makes it like that on purpose because he doesn’t want you to get comfortable. I don’t want to say his model isn’t going to work, but I don’t know.”
Rhule is breaking in several new staff members in 2026. Geep Wade (offensive line), Rob Aurich (defensive coordinator) and Tyler Yelk (safeties coach) join the Huskers this season.
Nebraska opens the 2026 season on Saturday, Sept. 5, when the Ohio Bobcats visit Memorial Stadium. Kickoff time is set for 11 a.m. CT and the game can be seen on FS1.
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NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (KNOP) -The Miss Nebraska festivities kicked off tonight at Venue 304 with opening ceremonies.
The week-long event began with a ceremony to give the delegates a chance to introduce themselves to the community before official competition begins.
Each contestant was joined alongside a young girl, where they had the opportunity to be given a crown and sash by a Miss Nebraska member.
Officials say the event is about inspiring young women across the state.
“What it does is it helps them really build that stage presence confidence, and it really allows them to see kind of what we’re all about. We’re more than crowns; we’re more than sashes, but really about building confidence in young women. And they get to see that, and they leave with that confidence after their week-long journey with their candidate,” said Audri Pelton-Johnson, co-director of Miss Nebraska.
The first night of official competition begins Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
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Copyright 2026 KNOP. All rights reserved.
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