Nebraska

Nebraska medical marijuana advocates surpass one of two key signature hurdles

Published

2 years ago

May 19, 2024

Nebraska medical marijuana advocates surpass one of two key signature hurdles

LINCOLN — Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana announced Thursday it has likely crossed one of two significant hurdles as it tries to get the issue on the ballot for the third straight election year. Crista Eggers, campaign manager of Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana. Sept. 13, 2023.

Crista Eggers, campaign manager for the petition drive, said the group is confident it has collected the minimum required signatures for two petitions across at least 38 of the state’s 93 counties. That multicounty requirement is for at least 5% of voters in each county to sign.

“The finish line is absolutely in sight, but not without all hands on deck,” she said.

‘We need to come in strong’

Eggers declined to release the list of counties expected to qualify but said the campaign has at least 55,000 signatures on each of its petitions. Volunteers are now shifting their work to get at least 87,000 verified voter signatures on each petition before July 3.

However, volunteers are seeking many more signatures over that threshold, and more counties, to provide a buffer against any challenges, Eggers said. Volunteers with Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana sort through boxes of petitions submitted just before a deadline in 2022 to submit signatures to qualify for the November ballot. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)

For example, in 2020, the campaign gathered enough signatures and passed the multicounty requirement but the measure was kicked off the ballot because it wasn’t a “single subject.” In 2022, the group tried again but fell short in gathering overall signatures and for qualifying counties.

This is why the effort kicked off earlier this time, with two petitions: one that would protect patients and caregivers and another that would set the regulatory environment for medical cannabis.

“We cannot come in here just crossing the finish line — we need to come in strong,” Eggers said. “We still have a lot of work ahead of us in the next 50 days.”

‘A really great beginning’

Last month featured one of the group’s largest pushes, with 45 events across the state in 22 counties on April 20, a date that holds significance for advocates of marijuana. The events stretched from Alliance in western Nebraska to Nebraska City, near the Iowa border.

Eggers said those events spread visibility as she and others fight for their loved ones or for themselves. Patients bear the weight of pressing for legalization, she said, “which is absolutely wrong.”

“It should not take mothers of sick children and individuals who have spouses on hospice at home,” she said. “They shouldn’t have to be out gathering these signatures, but that is the reality, and this is how important it is for all of these individuals.” Lisa Post, at left, holds a Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana T-shirt beside Trisha Petersen on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, on Lincoln, Neb. The two became best friends during the campaign. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

Lia Post of Springfield, who is one of the original signature gatherers, says she is involved with the petition campaign because she has a rare illness called complex regional pain syndrome.

“I think it’s a really great beginning,” Post said of Thursday’s milestone. “But we’re really far from the end, and I hope people get involved.”

Federal reclassification moves ahead

Thursday’s announcement came the same day the U.S. Justice Department formally moved ahead in reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug.

The Drug Enforcement Administration will next take public comment on the proposed shift, which would reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I drug, such as heroin and LSD, to a Schedule III substance, like ketamine and some anabolic steroids, which have medicinal properties.

Gov. Jim Pillen said in September that legalizing marijuana “poses demonstrated harms to our children” and that access to medical marijuana should only happen if it obtains approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Thirty-eight states have legalized medical marijuana while 24 of them, plus Washington, D.C., have also legalized recreational use. The other states, including Nebraska, allow limited access to cannabis products with little to no THC, according to the Pew Research Center.

Eggers said the reclassification doesn’t change what the Nebraska campaign is doing but underscores that what the advocates are doing is right.

“Now we know, without a doubt, that this is a medicine and patients in our state deserve this as a treatment option,” Eggers said. “We as a state have to make that stance, and we have to solidify that.”

Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Cate Folsom for questions: info@nebraskaexaminer.com. Follow Nebraska Examiner on Facebook and Twitter.

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Nebraska

Hail, rain, snow move into eastern Nebraska, western Iowa

Published

6 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Hail, rain, snow move into eastern Nebraska, western Iowa

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – An active weather pattern is moving into the region starting tonight, bringing some snow into the region, according to KTIV’s forecast in Sioux City.

A First Alert 6 viewer sent footage of the storms while traveling on Interstate 80 near West Branch, Iowa.

Hail near West Branch, Iowa

TUESDAY NIGHT

In Siouxland, a batch of precipitation moves in after midnight. It could initially start as rain, but most of the precipitation will fall as snow. Snow showers will likely last through sunrise on Wednesday morning.

The snow will stay light with accumulations near an inch or less. This could create some slick spots on the Wednesday morning commute. Temperatures will probably fall a bit below the freezing mark.

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Nebraska

Shelter in place issued after suspicious object found in mailbox

Published

18 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Shelter in place issued after suspicious object found in mailbox

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — UPDATE: Grand Island Police said around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday that the shelter in place order has been lifted .

GIPD said the item was retrieved by the Nebraska State Patrol Bomb Squad, who is investigating.

The area has also now been reopened.

ORIGINAL STORY:

The Grand Island Police Department has cordoned off a local block and is urging residents to shelter in place.

According to GIPD, officers responded to the 4300 block of Sherwood Road just before 2:00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. A resident reported finding a suspicious cylindrical object wrapped in duct tape inside a home.

The Nebraska State Patrol Bomb Squad has been called to the scene to investigate the device.

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Nebraska

68 students chosen as Nebraska Young Artist Award winners

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

68 students chosen as Nebraska Young Artist Award winners

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts has announced the winners of the 29th annual Nebraska Young Artist Awards.

The awards recognize 11th-grade students from Nebraska for their talents in visual art, dance, music, theatre, and film and emerging media arts.

Sixty-eight students from more than 40 high schools across the state have been selected as award winners and will be invited to a day of activities on campus March 25.

“Our faculty always look forward to this event,” said Chris Watson, director of recruitment for the college and coordinator of the awards. “They love meeting enthusiastic young artists, working with them and celebrating their talent.”

Students applied for the recognition and submitted an example of their work. Applications were received from 92 students. Hixson-Lied College faculty chose the winners.

Award winners were also asked to nominate the teacher who provided them with the greatest amount of mentoring and support in the development of their special talents.

Each student will receive a certificate and an original piece of artwork commissioned for the event and created by a School of Art, Art History and Design student.

Following is a list of award winners by hometown, with their high school and specialty area(s).

Aurora: