Nebraska basketball coach Fred Hoiberg has been rewarded – in a big way – after leading the Huskers to their best season in history.

Hoiberg on Friday was named The Associated Press National Coach of the Year.

Hoiberg led Nebraska to a 28-7 season that included a school record for both overall victories and conference victories, a record 24-game winning streak and the first two NCAA tournament wins in the school’s history.

He did all that with a team that among its seven regular players included two walk-ons, a redshirt freshman and a player who missed all of last year with a knee injury.

“It took us some time to get here, but it was all about getting the right players in here, especially the ones that the fans could get behind,” Hoiberg told The Associated Press.

That team was picked to finish 14th in the 18-team Big Ten this year. Instead, the Huskers finished tied for second.

Hoiberg summed up the team’s accomplishments in an interview with college basketball reporter Andy Katz.

“For all the things we accomplished this year — top five ranking, 20 straight wins, 15 wins in league — you know, a lot of doubters,” he said. “I think we accomplished a lot.”

Hoiberg becomes the first Husker men’s basketball coach to win the AP award in its 59-year history. He joins former Husker women’s basketball coach Connie Yori, who won the award in 2010.

The award comes after Hoiberg was named Big Ten coach of the year last month by the league’s coaches.

The coach who won only 24 games his first three seasons has won a school record 72 the past three seasons and this year became the first Husker men’s basketball coach in history to string together three consecutive 20-win seasons.

The university, recognizing his achievements, signed Hoiberg to a contract extension last month that raises his salary from $4.35 million a year to $5 million and extends his tenure through the 2031-2032 season.

Work will begin on US-26, from Mitchell to Scottsbluff

Weather permitting, work will begin April 13, 2026 on U.S. Highway (US-26), from reference post 13.25 to reference post 21.25, according to the Nebraska Department of Transportation.

Simon Contractors, Inc., from Cheyenne, Wyo., is the contractor for this project. Work includes installing ADA ramps at various locations in the town of Mitchell, pavement repair and paving new asphaltic concrete between Mitchell  and Scottsbluff. Traffic will be maintained with lane closures. A 12-foot width restriction will be in effect. Anticipated completion is Oct. 2026.

Motorists are reminded to drive cautiously in and near work zones, to buckle up, and put phones down.

Work will begin in District 5 Sidemount DMS Boards

Weather permitting, work will begin April 13 on the District 5 Sidemount DMS Boards project, according to the Nebraska Department of Transportation.

Watts Electric Company, of Waverly, is the contractor for this project. Work includes installing digital message boards and automated gates at various locations in the panhandle of Nebraska. Traffic willbe maintained with shoulder closures. Anticipated completion is Oct. 2026.

Motorists are reminded to drive cautiously in and near work zones, to buckle up, and put phones down.

Work will begin on N-250, north of Lakeside

Weather permitting, work will begin April 13 on Nebraska Highway 250 (N-250), from reference post 0.2 to reference post 13.38, according to the Nebraska Department of Transportation.  Work will also resume south of Smith Lake, from reference post 13.38 to reference post 26.10.

Werner Construction, of Hastings, is the contractor for both projects. Work includes asphalt paving, culvert extensions, curb and gutter, flumes, and grading and seeding. Traffic will be maintained with lane restrictions and a pilot car with flaggers. A 12-foot width restriction will be in effect. Anticipated completion is Nov. 2026.

Motorists are reminded to drive cautiously in and near work zones, to buckle up, and put phones down.

NDOT, UNO Conducting Community Stakeholders Survey and Public Meetings for Unmet Needs of Rural Intercity Bus Service

The Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) is partnering with the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Center for Public Affairs Research (UNO CPAR) to conduct an Intercity Bus Service Study of the intercity bus services available in Nebraska.

As part of the Study, NDOT is requesting input from stakeholders and community members with an interest in the state’s intercity bus public transportation services by utilizing the survey link provided below. NDOT administers the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA’s) Section 5311(f) funding for rural intercity bus services in Nebraska, and this survey is an important element of the consultation process required under this program. A major focus of this effort is to determine the need for state/federal assistance to maintain current services or provide expanded connections from rural areas to connect with the national intercity bus network. By using these services many Nebraska residents can reach key connecting points for more distant travel.

Comments can be submitted via the survey at ndot.info/656469. Answers to the survey are confidential and will only be shared in the aggregate form. Comments must be submitted by April 30, 2026.

In addition to the survey, there will be two public meetings scheduled via Zoom to gather input. The first meeting will be on Tuesday, April 21 from 1-2 p.m. To join the meeting, visit unomaha.zoom.us/j/95425601695 and enter meeting ID 954 2560 1695. The meeting can also be joined via one tap mobile at +17193594580,,95425601695# US or +12532050468,,95425601695# US.

The second meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 29 from 9-10 a.m. To join the meeting, visit unomaha.zoom.us/j/92503332015 and enter meeting ID 925 0333 2015. The meeting can also be joined via one tap mobile at +16694449171,,92503332015# US or +16699006833,,92503332015# US.

Input from the meetings will be used by NDOT as it considers using federal funds to maintain the existing intercity services or provide additional intercity services.

For questions about the survey, please contact Clay Stevens, UNO Center for Public Affairs Research, at claystevens@unomaha.edu. For questions about the consultation process or the intercity bus program, contact Sarah Soula at NDOT at sarah.soula@nebraska.gov or 402-479-4871.

Appropriate provisions for the hearing and visually challenged or persons with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) will be made if NDOT is notified by April 8, 2026.  For those without internet access, information may be obtained at NDOT Headquarters, 1500 Nebraska Parkway, Lincoln, NE 68502 or by contacting Sarah Soula, NDOT Transit Manager, at 402-479-4871 or sarah.soula@nebraska.gov.

For more information visit ndot.info/intercityf3e2cc.

Thursday marked a turning point in Nebraska’s 2026 legislative session: any bill that hasn’t already been brought to the floor for debate stands no chance of making it through the body and onto Gov. Jim Pillen’s desk.

LR298CA now shares that fate with several other senator priority bills, despite it being scheduled for debate on Thursday morning.

“There were about 15 bills, priority bills of other senators, that have yet to be heard,” Sen. Tom Brandt, who championed LR298CA, said. “And so, we felt very fortunate that we had a shot at this.”

The proposal would have put a constitutional amendment to a vote of the people, aiming to erect more stringent guardrails around the Nebraska Environmental Trust. Budget legislation swept more than $10 million from the fund this year, and the measure sought to prevent that in the future.

Brandt said he had the votes as of yesterday, but this morning, a couple of defections dropped the tally below the crucial 33-vote threshold. The body adjourned early without debate.

“To be fair to everyone in this situation with their priorities, we will be passing over LR298CA,” Speaker John Arch said.

Brandt said he wishes he had more time.

“It is certainly disappointing,” Brandt said. “Normally, you would have time — you’d have hours to work a bill like that. And quite often you can get them to come back and vote your way.”

The decision drew frustration from conservation advocates, who had been watching closely from places like Prairie Pines, a restored prairie and forest area outside Lincoln funded in part by Environmental Trust dollars.

“It felt like a gut punch,” said Mark Brohman, executive director of the Wachiska Audubon Society. “I was hoping that someone would come out and say we’ve got something worked out, but it just didn’t happen.”

Brohman said without additional protections to NET, the future of conservation work in the state would be more uncertain.

“As long as they’re taking money from the Environmental Trust, it’s going to make our job tougher on the landscape,” Brohman said. “I’m really worried next year, without this protection going into place, that the trust will be another source of income they’ll come looking at again.”

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