Nebraska

Nebraska Extension prepares kids, teens for babysitting jobs

Published

1 year ago

July 16, 2024

Nebraska Extension prepares kids, teens for babysitting jobs

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Over the summer months, many kids are looking for ways to fill their time, and add a little money to their pockets. One popular way to do that is babysitting. After a clinic on Monday, more than two dozen kids in Lincoln and Lancaster County are now better prepared to do the job.

The Building Better Babysitters clinic was hosted by the Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County to teach kids between the ages of 10 to 15 what they need to know to be successful. Participants learned crucial skills like CPR, how to change a diaper and how to create a babysitting kit.

“I have babysat a few times,” said Lucy Pflanz, a babysitting trainee at the clinic. “And I hope that I hope that this class would help improve my skills.”

Pflanz said she aspires to start her own babysitting business, and clinics like this help to better prepare her for any situation that might arise.

“It was nice learning how to like, deal with like a temper tantrum and that kind of stuff,” Pflanz said. “Because I know some kids who can get really big blowouts.”

For others, it’s not their first time attending the clinic. For Josie Branch, it’s about following her passion.

“I’ve told my mom so many times, when I grew up, I want to be, like, I want to teach people how to like babysit,” Branch said.

Hayley Jackson Perez, who taught Monday’s clinic, said with babysitting being a popular summer job, teaching youth how to babysit, and how to keep kids safe is important.

“What we’re seeing is that more adolescents are babysitting, and that more families are utilizing them,” Jackson Perez said. “And so again, we’re just trying to give the adolescent skills, and then really kind of looking at babysitting as a business.”

When those skills are utilized outside of the classroom and continue to grow, Jackson Perez said it can lead to long lasting impacts.

“To give children the opportunity to work with young children to say, this might be an experience that I want to have, especially when we think about the teaching shortage and education,” Perez said. “If we could get more people interested in teaching and working with young learners, it’s going to benefit our entire community.”

Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County will hold it’s next Building Better Babysitters clinic on July 30.

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Nebraska

Staff Predictions: Penn State vs. Nebraska

Published

14 hours ago

November 21, 2025

Press Room

Staff Predictions: Penn State vs. Nebraska

It’s the final stretch, folks.

The Nittany Lions secured their first win in an emotional victory over Michigan State last week, bringing home the Land-Grant Trophy as well as interim head coach Terry Smith and quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer’s first career wins.

Penn State hosts Nebraska in a must-win home finale on Saturday night. With a bowl game on the line, the Nittany Lions are riding a wave of momentum in hopes of bringing down the 7-3 Cornhuskers. Here’s how some of our staffers think Penn State will do on Senior Day.

Fernando Martinez Ruiz De Esparza (7-3): Penn State 27, Nebraska 17

The Nittany Lions will go out with a bang in their final game at Beaver Stadium.

Penn State finally won a game last week after a six-game losing streak and gave interim head coach Terry Smith his first win. It continues to play well with a lot of effort and grit, and the squad just had its best performance of the season. Despite the lost season, this team is still playing with a purpose as it looks to maintain bowl eligibility. They must win the remaining two games of the season to be bowl eligible, and I think we will see a Nittany Lion team that will be hungry for the win. With home-field advantage, Senior Day, and the momentum from last week’s win, Penn State has a lot of things going right for it heading into its final home game.

As for Nebraska, Matt Rhule has done a great job in rebuilding the program. It is 7-3 this season, and has great wins over teams like Cincinnati and Northwestern. However, the Cornhuskers lost their starting quarterback, Dylan Raiola, for the rest of the season due to injury, and will play this game with the backup quarterback, TJ Lateef. While they did beat UCLA in his first start, Raoila’s injury might be too much for the team to overcome, especially playing in an atmosphere like Beaver Stadium.

This will be a good game, but I think Penn State has been playing inspiring football since Terry Smith took over, and for that reason, the Nittany Lions win this game and keep their bowl eligibility alive heading into the season finale. Matt Rhule will learn why he shouldn’t have signed that extension with Nebraska.

Michael Zeno (7-3): Penn State 28, Nebraska 21

I’ve bought back in. Terry Smith ain’t losing another game. Nebraska, with its newly extended coach, might have a better record and a bowl game secured, but they are without starting quarterback Dylan Raiola. Their backup fared well against UCLA, but this Penn State defense has been ruthless the last two weeks.

Jim Knowles needs to keep dialing up the pressure, and Nittany Nation needs to bring it. No Thanksgiving slumber, go out and beat the Cornhuskers and set up a battle for bowl eligibility in New Brunswick next week.

CJ Gill (7-3): Penn State 31, Nebraska 24

Terry Smith is coaching the Nittany Lions this Saturday, not Matt Rhule. And that’s a good thing for Penn State fans everywhere. Smith and the guys are coming off a much-needed win last week on the road at Michigan State, and the blue and white will use the momentum to get another win against the Huskers under the lights at Beaver Stadium on Senior Day.

Both teams are on their backup quarterback at this stage in the season, but I don’t expect the offenses to struggle to score points. Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton are both hungry as they are chasing program records. Penn State’s defense will need to do its best to contain Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson through four quarters if the Nittany Lions want Rhule to leave his alma mater with a loss.

Jamie Lynch (4-6): Penn State 35, Nebraska 21

I think Penn State is going to shine on Saturday. The pencil is sharp, and the team will continue to write its story.

Under the lights at Beaver Stadium, this group will keep proving to the world that they are not quitters. Look for the players to feed off the crowd energy, and for the defense to maintain its upward trajectory. I expect a strong offensive showing as well, with Kaytron Allen wanting to break the rushing record on his home turf.

Jason Perry (3-3): Penn State 31, Nebraska 24

I want to start by congratulating Terry Smith on his first win as head coach. No matter what direction Penn State decides to go next year, it would be nice to keep Smith on the staff. After he leads the team to another win this Saturday night, and there’s no doubt in my mind that he will, he has a strong case to keep that head coaching job for himself.

Nebraska will not be an easy opponent by any means, but I’m confident in this Nittany Lion defense to shut down a team that hasn’t scored more than 30 points in a game since early October and is playing with a backup quarterback. If the offense plays like it did against Michigan State, I expect Penn State to walk out of Beaver Stadium with the win.

Brandon Collica (4-0): Penn State 27, Nebraska 20

Penn State, coming off a big win against Michigan State, will look to continue its newfound streak against the Cornhuskers of Nebraska. Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola is out for the season, which will lead to the Nittany Lions’ victory and Terry Smith’s second career win.

Karlee Feger (3-1): Penn State 21, Nebraska 10

I think Penn State is going to close out its last home game on top. Coming off an exciting win for coach Terry Smith, this team has a new fire. As Grunkemeyer gains more confidence each game and Kaytron Allen is creeping in on becoming the all-time career rushing yards leader for a Penn State running back, this team is more motivated than ever to finish the season strong.

Brian Kriley (1-1): Penn State 24, Nebraska 10

Penn State was able to finally gain momentum and secure its first Big Ten win last week. Most of the Nittany Lion offense went through Kaytron Allen on the ground, and they should be able to keep that going against a bad Nebraska run defense. Ethan Grunkemeyer is looking more comfortable as he gets more in-game reps, and he should be fine enough to manage the game. On the other side of the ball, Penn State’s defense has had a really strong last couple of games. With a backup quarterback, I don’t see Nebraska getting much going on offense, and Penn State should be able to send the Cornhuskers packing with a comfortable win on Senior Day.

Ericka Apolskis (1-2): Penn State 27, Nebraska 10

Nittany Lions by a million.

Melanie Thalhimer (0-2): Penn State 28, Nebraska 14

After the emotions of last week’s win, I’m hopeful the Nittany Lions can pull off another one. Penn State was able to build solid momentum on both offense and defense, so if they carry that same energy into Saturday, I’m confident the team can give coach Terry Smith and the seniors one last win at Beaver Stadium.

Alexander Holmes (0-0): Penn State 17, Nebraska 10

The soon-to-be chilly night game at Beaver Stadium between Penn State and Nebraska should be exciting. This quarterback battle will be something no one wants to miss between Ethan Grunkemeyer behind the Penn State offense and the true freshman TJ Lateef behind the Nebraska offense. I believe Penn State wins this game 17-10. I don’t think the game will be high-scoring, primarily because of Penn State’s elite defense, but also because the Nittany Lions’ offense hasn’t been as hot as we’d like.

Oscar Orellana (4-6): Penn State 24, Nebraska 13

Penn State will build off its momentum gained against Michigan State and pull within one game of bowl qualification. The Nittany Lions will roll into Beaver Stadium for one last ride in 2025 behind Terry Smith while celebrating their seniors. It’ll be a special and emotional night for Penn State, which is why I think the boys will pull out the win. Kaytron will go for 150+ to break the all-time rushing record at home.

Cooper Cazares (4-6): Penn State 24, Nebraska 20

Penn State is riding a wave of momentum right now. With their back against the wall in a night game at Beaver Stadium, the Nittany Lions will roll to their second straight win on Saturday night. #BackItUpTerr #CoachT

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Nebraska

Pace Too Much for Golden Eagles as Nebraska Rolls to 103-58 Win

Published

1 day ago

November 20, 2025

Press Room

Pace Too Much for Golden Eagles as Nebraska Rolls to 103-58 Win

Nebraska's Britt Prince poured in a career-high 30 points in NU's win over Oral Roberts Wednesday night. — Nebraska’s Britt Prince poured in a career-high 30 points in NU’s win over Oral Roberts Wednesday night. / Nebraska Athletics

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Dylan Raiola’s quarterback brother, Dayton, decommits from Nebraska

Published

2 days ago

November 19, 2025

Press Room

Dylan Raiola’s quarterback brother, Dayton, decommits from Nebraska

There won’t be a Raiola succession plan in Lincoln.

Dayton Raiola — a three-star passer in the 2026 recruitment class and the brother of current Cornhuskers QB, Dylan — decommitted from Nebraska on Wednesday morning before the early signing period. Dayton is the seventh-ranked uncommitted pocket passer, according to ESPN.

Nebraska now no longer has a 2026 quarterback commit with Raiola’s decision.

“My recruitment is 100% open,” Raiola told Rivals’ Chad Simmons.

He had originally committed to play for Nebraska in September 2024 after selecting the Big Ten program over Appalachian State and Charlotte.

Raiola has been a two-year starter at Buford High School in Georgia.

The move by him puts the Cornhuskers’ 2026 recruiting class in a precarious position with just nine pledges three weeks before the early signing period.

Nebraska already has one of the smallest recruiting classes in the FBS for 2026.

The Raiola name carries a bit of weight with the Nebraska football program, with Dayton and Dylan’s father, Dominic, having played for the Cornhuskers in the late ’90s and early 2000s and their uncle, Donovan, currently the offensive line coach for the program.

Dylan Raiola is out for the remainder of the year after he broke his fibula on Nov. 1 against USC, but prior to the injury, he had passed for 2,000 yards and 18 touchdowns in nine starts for Nebraska this season.

Dylan Raiola is out for the rest of Nebraska’s season. Getty Images

True freshman quarterback TJ Lateef has been starting for Nebraska with Raiola out with the injury, helping to lead them to a win over UCLA on Nov. 8 with a 205 passing yards and three touchdowns.

While the 2026 class may be small, Nebraska does have a commitment from four-star quarterback prospect Trae Taylor for 2027.

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