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.
LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – On this day in 1930, a new addition was hoisted atop Nebraska’s Capitol Building.
The statue of “The Sower,” modeled after the traditional method of hand-sowing grain for planting, stands 19-and-a-half feet tall.
It was created by New York sculptor Lee Lawrie.
The Sower is represented as a barefoot man, with his sleeves and pant legs rolled up as he works.
It stands as a symbol of the importance of agriculture in Nebraska.
—
MORE LOCAL HISTORY
—
On July 4, 2026, our country will celebrate its 250th birthday. Every day leading up to it, First Alert 6 will take a look at the people and events that shaped our area.
—
Get a first alert to severe weather approaching your area. Download the First Alert 6 Weather app.
Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.
GRETNA, Neb. (WOWT) – A new recreation area opened Thursday in Gretna, honoring a notable Nebraska Native American while reducing flooding risks.
The Sergeant Mad Bear Recreation Area, located just off 168th and Giles, was officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The park is named after Sergeant Mad Bear, a Pawnee warrior who lived in the area during the 1860s. He was wounded in battle and became the first Native American in the country to receive the Medal of Honor.
“This lake that we’re here for is named after one of our soldiers. And a revered soldier,” said Pat Leading Fox, head chief of the Pawnee Nation Chiefs Council.
Honoring Pawnee heritage
Leading Fox said he was honored to see Mad Bear’s name live on at the site.
“He’s a Pawnee member. He’s a member of the band that I represent, Skidi Band, S-K-I-D-I. And to stand here, you know, where he could possibly have, you know, walked, you know, really is touching,” Leading Fox said.
For Leading Fox, the park represents more than a place to relax.
“This is our homeland here so you I always say home, we’re home,” he said.
Dual purpose: recreation and flood control
The park also serves as a flood reservoir, one of many managed by the Papio Missouri River NRD.
“This is part of a larger plan to control flows downstream. It works in conjunction with the levees and with the other reservoirs,” said Ian Ghanavati of the Papio Missouri River NRD.
The reservoir is currently empty but designed to fill with rainwater.
“Where the rock is, where you can kind of see the edge of the earth, that’s where the shoreline will come up to. We just need some rain to fill it,” Ghanavati said.
Community amenity
The empty reservoir has not deterred park visitors, who are already using the area’s other amenities.
Jen Boswell, a park visitor, said she uses the walking trail regularly.
“They just put in the trail from our street down to the path here. So yeah, I try to come down and walk at least three times around,” Boswell said.
Boswell said she is looking forward to using the park more as it develops.
“Walk, play, ride our bikes, scooters around here, fish. I think you could even put maybe like a kayak in here once it’s ready. So it’s going to be a great addition to the area for sure,” she said.
Sergeant Mad Bear is the second reservoir to open in the Papio NRD, following the Forest City Reservoir which opened last fall.
Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.
-
Colorado8 minutes agoEx-owner of Colorado funeral home where decomposing bodies were found is sentenced to 30 years
-
Connecticut14 minutes agoFairfield police cancel Jennings Beach Carnival over public safety concerns
-
Delaware20 minutes agoPhoto Gallery: Smyrna Boys Lacrosse vs Sussex Central – Milford LIVE! – Local Delaware News, Kent and Sussex Counties
-
Florida26 minutes agoBrowns trade up, select Florida OT
-
Georgia32 minutes agoSteelers select Georgia CB Dalyen Everette in third round of 2026 NFL Draft
-
Hawaii38 minutes ago‘Trashy’: visitors complain over homeless encampment on Waikiki beach
-
Idaho44 minutes agoIdaho Department of Lands to hold fire prevention meeting at Clarkston
-
Illinois50 minutes agoPatriots take Illinois edge rusher Gabe Jacas 55th overall in 2026 NFL Draft