Nebraska
Nebraska Humane Society working to become ‘no kill’ shelter
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – The Nebraska Humane Society is closer than ever to becoming a “no kill” animal shelter after implementing changes over the past year.
Data from the national animal welfare organization, Best Friends Animal Society, showed nearly 1,700 cats and dogs were euthanized in Nebraska shelters last year, with more than 1,100 of those at Nebraska Humane Society in Omaha.
“It really is a tough topic to talk about, but they are decisions that have to be made occasionally,” said Steven Elonich, the Nebraska Humane Society’s VP of PR, Marketing and Internal Communication.
Unlike some shelters, Elonich said NHS does not euthanize for space nor based on time but will for other circumstances.
“If you have a cat who’s 17 years old that comes in with cancer, is it better to give them relief or is it better to let them spend their time suffering? If you have a dog who comes in with multiple bites, is it better for the community if we put them back out there again?” explained Elonich.
In the last seven years, NHS has increased the number of animals saved from euthanasia, from 79.6 percent in 2017 to 86.4 percent in 2023, according to Best Friends Animal Society.
NEBRASKA HUMANE SOCIETY SAVE RATES
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79.6% | 79.8% | 80.2% | 83.6% | 85.3% | 86.9% | 86.4% |
Now NHS is working to become “no kill,” which is defined as saving 90 percent of animals a year.
To help them get there, Best Friends Animal Society embedded an employee at NHS for a year.
“Best friends did an embed with us beginning in July of 2023, just ended in June of 2024. They started a number of programs and helped us with a number of programs we already have in existence to try to help us get closer to that number,” told Elonich.
New programs include Barks and Rec, which Elonich explained, “is kind of like renting a dog for a day. It gets them out of the shelter, it relieves stress, it gets them in front of more people that may otherwise not see them.”
They also started daily playgroups for dogs to help socialize them, making them more adoptable.
To prevent an overflow of cats they started a Community Cat Project.
“Kitties that are clearly not comfortable being inside cats, we’re able to trap, neuter, release, do vaccinations and get them back out there where they’re happiest and not have to look at euthanasia and those types of options for those cats,” said Pam Wiese, the Nebraska Humane Society’s CEO.
NHS is also trying to increase adoptions and reduce surrenders by offering resources, such as financial support or training.
“It’s about teaching people to be better pet owners, it’s about offering resources to help them keep their pets when times are hard, and it’s about us having best practices internally to make sure pets have the best outcome when they get out of here,” explained Elonich.
After a year of implementing these changes, the results are in. “It’s been really successful,” said Elonich.
“It (NHS) had been no-kill every month this year except for one, where they had a little bit of a dip, but they’re doing tremendously,” said Stacy Rogers, Best Friends Animal Society’s Regional Director for Great Plains and Midwest.
Elonich feels confident NHS will maintain the 90 percent no-kill benchmark for the remainder of 2024.
Rogers added, having the public support these efforts will be key to continued success.
“Getting your community to come in and foster pets when you’re full and adopt animals. Even if they’re not in the position to adopt or foster right now, support the shelter through sharing the message or making donations,” told Rogers.
Wiese said, unlike a decade ago, NHS now operates around 80 percent capacity, which is around 550 animals a day. This ensures they have room for emergency intakes and avoid getting overwhelmed with animals.
Rogers also reminds people who are looking for a specific breed to always check shelters first. “I was just at a shelter this week that had poodle mixes and beagles and a pug mix, and everything that people think they’re not going to find in a shelter are there.”
Best Friends is helping other shelters across the nation to become no-kill. Sometimes those efforts include helping change city ordinances to allow stray cats to live outside and implement community cat programs, like the one in Omaha.
States that are no kill include Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Delaware. Rogers said heavy spay/neuter initiatives were implemented on the east coast much sooner than the rest of the country, helping those states achieve that status.
The two states with the highest rates of euthanasia in the U.S. are Texas and California, according to Best Friends.
Copyright 2024 WOWT. All rights reserved.
Nebrasketball is one step closer to finishing off its roster construction for next season.
On Thursday, South Dakota State center Damon Wilkinson committed to the Huskers. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Career Experience
The 6-foot-10, 245-pound Wilkinson spent the last three seasons at South Dakota State, developing into an All-Summit League-level player. Most recently, as a sophomore, the De Smet (SD) native averaged 13.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists for the Jackrabbits.
In total, he’s appeared in 59 games, including 19 starts. During the 2025–26 season, Wilkinson averaged 23.9 minutes per game while shooting 58.9% from the field and 72.0% from the free-throw line.
Nebraska is getting a player who scored in double figures in each of his final eight games, including a 19-point outing and three games with 18 points during that stretch. His career high, 24 points, came against UNO.
Where Wilkinson Slots in for the Big Red
Wilkinson has the potential to start for the Huskers next season. Regardless, he gives Fred Hoiberg some much-needed depth in the frontcourt. Nebraska has already signed Boston College transfer Boden Kapke, who stands 6-foot-11 and 255 pounds, but adding another experienced big man would help bolster the rotation for another potential NCAA Tournament run.
After establishing himself as one of the better bigs in the Summit League a season ago, Wilkinson’s production is well known. However, the jump to the Big Ten, widely regarded as the best conference in college basketball last year, will be a significant step up.
Still, his size and length would help replace what NU lost. Rebounding and interior scoring were two areas the Big Red struggled with despite all the success they saw. Wilkinson could provide an answer to both, helping Hoiberg stay more competitive against the top teams in the conference, like Michigan, Illinois, and Purdue.
NU’s Roster (With Wilkinson and Current High School Commits) Moving Forward
|
2026-27 |
2027-28 |
2028-29 |
2029-30 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cale Jacobsen- Sr. |
Will Cooper- Sr. |
Leo Curtis- Sr. |
Jacob Lanier- Sr. |
|
Henry Burt- Sr. |
Taj DeGourville- Sr. |
Braden Frager- Sr. |
Colin Rice- Sr. |
|
Pryce Sandfort- Sr. |
Damon Wilkinson- Sr. |
Jacob Lanier- Jr. |
Ty Schlagel- Jr. |
|
Connor Essegian- Sr. |
Leo Curtis- Jr. |
Colin Rice- Jr. |
|
|
Boden Kapke- Sr. |
Braden Frager- Jr. |
Ty Schlagel- So. |
|
|
Trevan Leonhardt- Sr. |
Jacob Lanier- So. |
||
|
Kadyn Betts- Sr. |
Colin Rice- So. |
||
|
Will Cooper- Jr. |
Ty Schlagel- Fr. |
||
|
Taj DeGourville- Jr. |
|||
|
Damon Wilkinson- Jr. |
|||
|
Sam Orme- Jr. |
|||
|
Leo Curtis- So. |
|||
|
Braden Frager- So. |
|||
|
Jacob Lanier- Fr. |
|||
|
Colin Rice- Fr. |
Husker Potential Starting Lineup
The window to enter the transfer portal closed April 21, but Nebraska is still not done adding to its roster. Even so, the foundation of next year’s lineup has already largely taken place.
Pryce Sandfort and Braden Frager are set to return, and the Big Red added Sam Orme, Kapke, Kadyn Betts, Trevan Leonhardt, and Taj DeGourville as well. That gives the Huskers multiple starting-caliber pieces to replace those that were lost from a season ago.
Frager and Sandfort are expected to start as off-ball guards, with Leonhardt likely taking over primary ball-handling duties. Orme and Kapke appear to be the leading candidates at the four and five spots, though both will still need to earn their roles. Either way, Nebraska has depth, and adding Wilkinson only strengthens it further.
Why Nebraska Makes Sense for Wilkinson
Even if he doesn’t fit into a starting role in 2026–27, the former Jackrabbit still has multiple years of eligibility remaining to develop in the Big Ten. And at the very least, he will factor into Nebraska’s rotation.
NU doesn’t have an abundance of players listed near the 7-foot range, so Wilkinson’s ability to score and rebound made him a clear priority on his visit this week. Besides those mentioned, Nebraska’s top – and only – returning frontcourt player is the 7-foot-2 Leo Curtis.
After leading Nebraska to a Sweet 16 appearance with an underfunded roster just over a month ago, the coaching staff has proven it can develop players at a high level. For a player like Wilkinson, with multiple years of eligibility remaining, Lincoln presents a strong opportunity to grow within a rising program.
The addition of Wilkinson leaves Hoiberg with one remaining roster spot for the 2026-27 campaign.
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LINCOLN, Neb. (KSNB) – Nebraska has some new millionaires, so check your tickets to see if you are one of them.
Two lucky players who bought Powerball tickets for the Wednesday, April 29, drawing are holding tickets worth $1 million.
The Nebraska Lottery has confirmed that two tickets sold for Wednesday’s $143 million Powerball drawing matched the first five numbers, but not the Powerball number itself.
- Trotter’s Whoa & Go Express IV, 1111 S. 2nd St. in Ord.
- Mega Saver, 4725 S. 77th Ave. in Omaha.
The winning numbers from Wednesday’s Powerball drawing were 3, 19, 35, 51, 67; the Powerball was 15.
Thirty-four $1 million Powerball winning tickets have been sold in Nebraska since the $1 million prize was added to the game in January 2012.
Winning Nebraska Lottery Lotto tickets expire 180 days after the drawing.
If your prize is $20,000 or more, you must claim it in person at Lottery headquarters in Lincoln. Additional information about claiming prizes can be found at the Nebraska Lottery website, nelottery.com, or by calling 800-587-5200.
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Copyright 2026 KSNB. All rights reserved.
KEARNEY, Neb. (KOLN) – Nebraska’s auctioneers battled on stage at the 43rd annual Bid-Calling/Ringman competition in Kearney. The event, organized by the Nebraska Auctioneers Association, was held in conjunction with the 78th annual Nebraska Auctioneers Association Convention, which ran from April 23-25.
Nebraska is known in the auctioneering industry for producing many national and world champions.
Weston Hottell, 17, from Kimball, competed against other auctioneers at the contest.
“As a kid in Nebraska, there’s not much to do, so you spend enough time around sale barns and I’ve always liked to talk, figured I might as well get paid to do it,” Hottell said.
After going to school to become an auctioneer, Hottell opened his own auction company, Hottell Auctions, last September.
Brant Pavel, an auctioneer from Chambers, said Nebraska has a strong reputation in the industry.
“I believe at one point, Nebraska had the most world champion auctioneers of any state,” Pavel said.
Clay Schaardt, vice president of the Nebraska Auctioneers Association, said competitors are judged on multiple criteria.
“The auction competitors are judged on speed, rhythm, and clarity of their chant. They’re also judged on their appearance,” Schaardt said.
The competition featured five bid-calling participants and 12 ringman participants.
During the first round, the crowd bids from the seats and watches the auctioneers provide two items to sell. The association provides the third item. After the top 10 are selected, the rest are sequestered while they each answer two questions about auctioneering.
William Yokel, an auctioneer from Friend, said the interview portion is critical. One of the questions was, “In your opinion, what is the difference between a good auctioneer and a great one?”
In response, Yokel said, “integrity” makes all the difference.
“Doing the auction chant, only 5% of the job. And the other 95%, it’s, do you know what item you’re selling? Do you know who you’re working for?” Yokel said.
After the interview portion, Pavel said the ringman competition adds to the experience.
“It makes you want to bid again when somebody looks at you and say, you’re out. Peer pressure, it gets you, it gets me,” Pavel said.
Schaardt said this sense of urgency is felt more intensely during live auctions.
“There are a lot of online auctions and more and more the online auction world has really taken off. And I would say a lot of our members use online auctions,” Schaardt said.
But Schaardt said the traditional auction format still has value.
“For example, there’s a lot of emotion connected to real estate and you cannot- you really can’t get that emotion out, you know, if you’re doing it online only,” Schaardt said.
At the end of the competition, Hottell was crowned rookie of the year, Pavel won the ringman competition and Yokel won the bid-calling contest.
“The auction chant made me smile and I just said to myself one day that I’m going to make people smile just like they did to me and here we are,” Yokel said.
Kaden Schow of Schow Auction Service/Schow Realty in Paxton was named reserve champion auctioneer. Jace McKay of JW Auctions in Ericson was named runner-up auctioneer.
The top 10 finalists were Mike Harris, Westen Hottell, Jace McKay, Jacob Ogan, Clay Patton, Brant Pavel, Randall Pelster, Jim Pursell, Kaden Schow and William Yokel.
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
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