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Nebraska is the latest state to ban transgender students from girls' sports

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Nebraska is the latest state to ban transgender students from girls' sports


LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen signed into law Wednesday a measure banning transgender students from girls’ sports, making the state the latest to keep transgender athletes from competing on women’s and girls’ teams.

Pillen signed the law flanked by dozens of lawmakers, women athletes and other advocates — including former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines, who has made a name for herself as a vocal advocate of banning transgender athletes from women’s sports.

The measure passed by the Nebraska Legislature last week broke a filibuster by a single vote cast along party lines. It was pared down from its initial form, which also sought to bar transgender students from using bathrooms and locker rooms corresponding with their gender identity.

Sponsors agreed to drop the bathroom and locker room ban when one Republican — Omaha Sen. Merv Riepe — declared he would vote against it otherwise.

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The measure was first introduced in 2023 by then-freshman Sen. Kathleen Kauth, but failed to advance as lawmakers angrily argued over Kauth’s other bill that sought to bar gender-affirming care for transgender minors under the age of 19. An amended version that banned gender-affirming surgery — but not all gender-affirming care — for minors later passed and was enacted that year.

On Wednesday, Kauth promised to revive her bathroom and locker room ban next year, reiterating her rejection that people can determine their own gender.

“Men are men and women are women,” she said, and urged voters in Riepe’s district to pressure him to support it.

Republicans behind the sports ban say it protects women and girls and their ability to fairly compete in sports. Opponents say with so few transgender students seeking to participate in sports, the measure is a solution in search of a problem.

Fewer than 10 transgender students have participated in middle school and high school sports in the state over the past decade, according to the Nebraska School Activities Association.

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At least 24 other states have adopted similar bans. President Donald Trump also signed an executive order this year intended to dictate which sports competitions transgender athletes can enter and has battled in court with Maine over that state’s allowing transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska denounced the measure.

ACLU Nebraska Executive Director Mindy Rush Chipman said the ban “slams the door shut” for some transgender students to fully participate in their school communities.

“This ban will only create problems, not solve any,” Rush Chipman said, adding that “the constant targeting of LGBTQ+ Nebraskans must stop.”



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UNMC teams with Central Nebraska Health Departments to assess needs, test water after March wildfires

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UNMC teams with Central Nebraska Health Departments to assess needs, test water after March wildfires


The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) is partnering with local health departments in Central Nebraska to survey residents about ongoing needs following wildfires that burned in March 2026 and to provide free water quality testing.



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$22,000 2by2 winning ticket sold in Grand Island

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,000 2by2 winning ticket sold in Grand Island


GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) – A Grand Island lottery player is holding a winning ticket worth $22,000, according to the Nebraska Lottery.

Officials said one ticket purchased for the Monday, June 22 2by2 drawing matched all four winning numbers to claim the game’s top prize.

The Nebraska Lottery confirmed the ticket was sold at Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh, 118 Wilmar Ave. in Grand Island.

The winning numbers for the June 22 drawing were Red 10 and 18, and White 17 and 23.

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Nebraska Lottery officials noted winning lottery tickets expire 180 days after the drawing, and prizes of $20,000 or more must be claimed in person at Nebraska Lottery headquarters in Lincoln. More information on claiming prizes is available at nelottery.com or by calling 800-587-5200.

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Copyright 2026 KSNB. All rights reserved.



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‘No room for error’: UNMC reflects as quarantine ends for hantavirus cruise ship passengers

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‘No room for error’: UNMC reflects as quarantine ends for hantavirus cruise ship passengers


After 42 days in quarantine, the last of the hantavirus cruise ship passengers have gone home.

Leaders at the University of Nebraska Medical Center said the experience offered lessons for the next quarantine unit activation and “showed what Nebraska is all about.”

“It’s a long activation period, and over those six weeks, there’s really no room for error,” said Dr. Michael Wadman, chair of the National Quarantine Unit.

Eighteen American passengers from a cruise ship that saw a hantavirus outbreak arrived at UNMC on May 11. Their quarantine in Omaha was part of a nationally coordinated effort to assess, contain and treat any potential infections.

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Late last week, UNMC was down to six of the original 18 passengers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requested that passengers remain in quarantine through May 31. But symptoms of hantavirus can take up to 42 days to appear, so all passengers were “strongly encouraged” to stay through June 21.

Hantavirus is an illness typically tied to rodents, but it may have passed from human to human aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. Three ship passengers died from the disease.

Wadman said the quarantine unit aims to “constantly improve,” so UNMC leaders listened closely to the needs and experiences of those under quarantine.

“None of us can say we know what it’s like, and we want that feedback, so that we can do better every time we activate,” Wadman said. “The people in Nebraska also stepped up.”

Local restaurants delivered food. Nearby schools sent cards. Omaha Steaks grilled out in the parking lot, and online support rolled in.

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Lessons learned in Nebraska will be shared with other regional treatment centers, said Angela Vasa, director of isolation and quarantine for special pathogens at Nebraska Medicine. That includes mental wellness forums for those in quarantine and improved day-to-day operations.

With the hantavirus quarantine coming to a close, Vasa said UNMC is keeping a close eye on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. No cases have been reported in the United States.

“At this time, we don’t have an official request or an active request to accept any individuals exposed to Ebola virus disease or Bundibugyo virus,” Vasa said, “but our team is ready, and we maintain that readiness through our training, our drills, and so should the need arise, our team would be able to respond in in response to that request.”



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