Nebraska

New interim director of Nebraska African American commission sees pace picking up after turnovers | Nebraska Examiner

Published

2 years ago

January 15, 2024

New interim director of Nebraska African American commission sees pace picking up after turnovers | Nebraska Examiner

LINCOLN — A state agency charged with advocating for Nebraska’s African Americans has cycled through two executive directors in the three years since it launched.

Each stayed less than a year before resigning. A trio of spots on the governing board also are vacant as the Nebraska Commission on African American Affairs continues to find its bearings.

John Carter is chair of the Nebraska Commission on African American Affairs and, as of November, its interim executive director. (Courtesy of John Carter)

But a founding commissioner who is now filling in as interim director expects the commission to step up activity this year and amplify the voice of Nebraska’s roughly 92,000 African Americans in towns small, big, rural and urban.

Indeed, John Carter of Benkelman said he’d like the 14-member commission to go as far as to assume oversight of certain state economic development funds to help ensure that dollars intended for Black populations reach and impact them.

“If you’re going to have a legislatively mandated commission, it needs to have relevance. It needs to matter,” said Carter. “We’re hitting the ground running to identify and address the issues.”

Meetings this week to set a new pace

A pair of meetings scheduled this week should help set a new pace, said Carter and others familiar with the commission.

On Wednesday, the commission will hold a quarterly public meeting at 9 a.m. at the State Office Building in Lincoln. Among items to be discussed is a “lack of response” from Gov. Jim Pillen’s Office.

Carter said the governor’s staff hadn’t returned recent phone calls, email or meeting invites from the commission and said that was a barrier to filling board vacancies and moving forward in general.

A spokeswoman for Pillen, in response to a reporter’s query, said the commission is not a “code agency” and therefore is not subject to the governor’s direct control. But Pillen supports the commission’s statutory mission, Laura Strimple said, and has “demonstrated a strong commitment to expanding opportunities for Nebraska’s African American community.”

Gov. Jim Pillen met in July with members of the Nebraska Commission on African American Affairs. The governor’s spokeswoman described the meeting as extremely positive. The commission’s quarterly meeting on Wednesday carves out time to discuss “lack of response” from the Governor’s Office. (Courtesy of Nebraska Governor’s Office)

Strimple noted that the governor met with commission members in July, and she said he has been in contact with them through other state agencies such as the Department of Administrative Services.

Turnover at the commission has contributed to some communications delay that, Strimple said, “has been cleared up.”

Carter, who also is chair of the commission, said he hopes to see the commission this year take its place as a “true liaison” between the Black community, the state and the Legislature.

On Saturday, the commission plans its first community-based public meeting since a meet-and-greet session early on. It is to be held at 10 a.m. at North Omaha’s Malcolm X Center.

A key topic, commissioners said, is the industrial business park and multipurpose sports center planned in North Omaha — and how the state commission and community members can work together to have more influence on such high-dollar projects.

Commissioner Gwendolyn Easter of Omaha said she and others are concerned also because elected leaders of North Omaha were not invited to be part of the dignitary lineup that last week announced recipients of nearly $125 million in public funds for the business park and sports center.

More input in economic development

Carter said a goal is to see the commission become as or more involved than the Nebraska Department of Economic Development in such matters that involve economic growth projects in the Black community.

According to the 2020 legislation that created the commission, its functions include coordinating programs relating to the African American community and economic development.

Too often, said Easter, longtime African-American businesses and residents are overlooked and livelihoods are hurt in the name of bigger development. Changes in the North Omaha child care industry are an example, she said.

As larger early childhood education institutions entered the market with support from institutional leaders, she said, smaller and older businesses such as her Safe Haven preschool academy suffered.

“At one time that was our leading business that Black people thrived in,” she said of home-based and smaller day care settings. She advocates for more discussion and brainstorming with established residents and businesses.

If the aim of public dollars is to help bring change to a historically neglected community, Carter said, locals should be provided with more assurance that “indigenous” families and workers will benefit. He pointed to the planned North Omaha business park: “Will it support people or just be an extension of the airport?”

More town halls

State Sen. Terrell McKinney (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

State Sen. Terrell McKinney, one of two African Americans in the Legislature, said the turnover of executive directors at the commission has not been “a good sign.” He said he is hopeful the commission will elevate its profile and connection to his North Omaha district, and believes the commission could become an effective ally.

“I welcome that,” he said. “There are not too many of us down there, and the commission can be a vital resource and ally to try and change things.”

Carter, a retired Dundy County sheriff’s deputy and former assistant police chief in Tekamah, said he envisions more commission-hosted town hall meetings across the state to hear how African Americans are faring.

From left, Commissioners Gwendolyn Easter, LaShawn Young and Connie Edmond at the State Capitol last year after testifying on legislation. (Courtesy of Gwendolyn Easter)

Individual commissioners already are expected to listen to people in their respective areas of the state and convey needs and progress to the larger commission.

But Carter plans to seek more funding so the commission can increase staffing and programming — “to do a better job of integrating African Americans into everyday life of Nebraska.”

He sees now as a “great time” for the state commission to raise the volume in relaying “community perspective” especially on economic empowerment.

He cited concern, for example, over the recent loss of key state cabinet-level African American officials including heads of the DED and Department of Health and Human Services. He also referred to the departure of an African American woman as CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce.

Opportunities and treatment of Nebraskans are not equal — and “depend on the color of your skin and where you live,” Carter said.

At least one way to make positive inroads, he said, is for commission representatives to visit towns across the state. He cited a Juneteenth celebration that he helped organize in McCook, Nebraska, a few years back.

Most who attended were white, Carter said. But information and soul food were shared, and he felt that many left with a greater understanding of African American history and struggles.

“What I’ve learned is if you go into communities, share experiences and stories … it can change minds and build relationships.”

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Nebraska

ESPN’s Analytics Reveal Strong Prediction in Illinois vs. Nebraska Matchup

Published

7 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

ESPN’s Analytics Reveal Strong Prediction in Illinois vs. Nebraska Matchup

On Saturday afternoon (3 p.m. CT, Peacock), No. 13 Illinois (8-2, 1-0 Big Ten) will host No. 23 Nebraska (10-0, 1-0 Big Ten) in Champaign for an early-season ranked-on-ranked Big Ten showdown.

The Cornhuskers made their season debut in the AP poll this Monday. Two days later, they dismantled – by 30 points – a Wisconsin club that entered the season ranked in the top 25, knocking off the Badgers 90-60 in Lincoln.

Blood in the water. 🦈📹https://t.co/LKzCqN3tcz
— Nebraska Men’s Basketball (@HuskerMBB) December 11, 2025

ESPN’s matchup predictor makes its pick for Illinois-Nebraska

Nov 29, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg watches from the sideline during the first half against the South Carolina Upstate Spartans at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Yet on Saturday, according to ESPN’s analytics, the odds are not at all in Nebraska’s favor. The matchup predictor gives Illinois a 77.5 percent chance of staving off the visitors this weekend.

And it makes sense for two key reasons: 1) Home-court advantage. Playing at home, especially in Big Ten action, already gives any team a massive leg up. For example, the Illini, despite losing 14 conference games over the past two seasons, have just five league losses on their home floor during that stretch.

2) Illinois is really good.

The AP poll doesn’t always reflect reality. Both of these clubs may, in fact, be better than their respective rankings in that poll. Nevertheless, the difference between the No. 20 team and the No. 25 team isn’t nearly as drastic as the difference between the No. 5 and No. 10 team.

The Illini should absolutely dominate the Cornhuskers on the glass. Given the relative shortcomings of Brad Underwood’s squad in that department in its past few outings, it’s possible the margin is closer than it should be, but Illinois will undoubtedly control the boards to at least some extent.

And given the level the Illini defense has been operating at, specifically on first attempts in each possession, the Cornhuskers are going to find points extremely tough to come by. Offensively, Illinois will surely rely heavily on its talent once again, staying away from any complex schematic design and simply letting its players operate.

As the old adage goes: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And with an Illinois offense currently ranked No. 5 in KenPom in terms of efficiency, it very clearly isn’t broken.

As Nebraska has done all season thus far to its opponents, Fred Hoiberg’s unit figures to make the Illini appear somewhat less than. But between the size and talent disparity, not to mention the home-floor advantage, Illinois will still very likely put an end to Nebraska’s exceptional undefeated start – even if it is a tighter battle than the Illini would like.

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Nebraska

York lottery player wins $3,125 in Nebraska Pick 4 drawing

Published

19 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

York lottery player wins ,125 in Nebraska Pick 4 drawing

LINCOLN, Neb. (KSNB) – One lucky player who bought a Nebraska Pick 4 ticket for the Wednesday, Dec. 10, drawing is holding a ticket worth $3,125.

The ticket was sold at Pump & Pantry No. 16 at 109 Lincoln Avenue in York. The winning numbers from Wednesday’s Nebraska Pick 4 drawing were 02, 00, 01, 05.

Winning Nebraska Lottery tickets expire 180 days after the drawing. Tickets with total prize amounts of $501 to $19,999 must be claimed by mail or at a regional lottery claim center. Additional information about claiming prizes can be found at nelottery.com or by calling 800-587-5200.

Nebraska Pick 4 is a daily lotto game from the Nebraska Lottery. Players select four numbers, each from a separate set of digits from 0 through 9, for a chance to win up to $6,000. Players choose one of six bet types to set their play style and potential prizes. The odds of winning the $3,125 prize in Nebraska Pick 4 are 1 in 10,000.

Click here to subscribe to our KSNB Local4 daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.

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Nebraska

Emmett Johnson leaves Nebraska with sterling legacy, All-America status

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Emmett Johnson leaves Nebraska with sterling legacy, All-America status

LINCOLN, Neb. — One month ago, on the heels of a breakthrough performance by Emmett Johnson against UCLA, Nebraska launched a Heisman Trophy push for the junior running back.

Johnson enjoyed the limelight. Fans flocked to see him during an appearance in downtown Lincoln and at the high school championship games inside Memorial Stadium. He traveled home to Minneapolis during the Huskers’ bye week and visited his high school, Academy of Holy Angels. He had stopped in previously, but this trip was different.

“It was like a celebrity came to the school,” Holy Angels coach Jim Gunderson said.

In the final two games of the regular season with Nebraska, Johnson rushed for 320 yards, but the Huskers lost them in ugly fashion against Penn State and Iowa to cap a 7-5 regular season. As fast as the Heisman campaign began, it was over — but worthwhile, nonetheless.

Johnson ran this season in part so that running backs at Nebraska who follow him can fly. He leaves Nebraska with a sterling legacy.

On Wednesday, Johnson became the first Nebraska player to receive first-team All-America mentions since linebacker Lavonte David in 2011 — and the fourth running back in the past 70 years, matching Mike Rozier (1982 and ’83), Jarvis Redwine (1980) and Jeff Kinney (1971). His final year ranks among the top five in school history by a running back. Stack it alongside Rozier’s 1983 Heisman season, Lawrence Phillips in 1994, Ahman Green in 1997 and Ameer Abdullah in 2013.

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule and his staff aim to use Johnson’s success to help bring backs to Lincoln who can finish what he started.

“It’s very much not in vogue anymore not to wait your turn,” Rhule said. “Sometimes, it’s like, ‘I’ll just go here and do this, just go there.’ But guys like Emmett had chances. And they stayed. And he deserves everything that he’s getting.”

Johnson was named the Big Ten running back of the year, a first at Nebraska. Last Friday, he declared for the 2026 NFL Draft, foregoing his final season of eligibility and the Dec. 31 Las Vegas Bowl.

High praise for the B1G’s top back@Emmett21Johnson pic.twitter.com/g7EhpUE2EP
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) December 11, 2025

What separated Johnson this year?

• His 1,130 yards in Big Ten play were the most by a Power 4 back in conference play. He stands alone with 1995 Heisman winner Eddie George as the only Big Ten players to total 1,100 rushing yards and 300 receiving yards in one season of league play.

• Johnson led the nation by accounting for 40.8 percent of his team’s total yards.

• He was the fourth FBS player since 2017 to average 120 yards rushing and 30 yards receiving.

• His 1,821 yards from scrimmage and 1,451 rushing ranked second and third, respectively, in the FBS.

In form true to his roots, Johnson proved wrong skeptics who believed he could not handle 20 carries per game in Big Ten play.

Does everyone realize how freaking good Emmett Johnson is for @HuskerFootball ? Dude is a straight balla. Quick, decisive, tough, great as a receiver. One of the most underrated RB’s in the Country!
— David Pollack (@davidpollack47) November 28, 2025

“He has always had that chip to prove people wrong and be great,” Gunderson said. “This is how he envisioned it going, and he wasn’t going to be denied.”

Four years ago, on a Sunday in mid-December, less than a week before the signing period opened, Johnson accepted a Nebraska scholarship offer. Ron Brown extended it.

A month earlier, Scott Frost, the Nebraska coach from 2018 to 2022, fired four offensive assistants. Brown, with 24 years of experience as a Nebraska assistant under three head coaches, was elevated late in that season from offensive analyst to running backs coach. He reviewed tape of Johnson, who scored 42 touchdowns and rushed for 2,500 yards at Holy Angels in 2021.

And Brown wondered why no big school had snatched up Johnson.

“I was perplexed,” Brown said. “Because when I saw Emmett play, I thought, ‘This guy is special.’”

Brown had recruited Abdullah from high school in Alabama to Nebraska in 2011. And Brown coached Abdullah in his back-to-back 1,600-yard seasons as a junior and senior before an NFL career that continues this year in its 11th season. In Johnson, Brown saw some of Abdullah’s vision, change of direction, endurance and ability to recover.

Brown quizzed Gunderson, the Holy Angels coach, about Johnson.

“I probably threw 100 questions at him,” Brown said, “looking for something that might be a little bit off, something that I had missed.”

Nothing.

“Coach Brown could just see the intangibles,” Gunderson said, “the stuff that isn’t measured. He saw the potential and the kind of kid who was going to work and who believed in himself.”

Johnson started six games as a redshirt freshman in 2023. He started five in 2024 and found his rhythm in the Nebraska offense when Dana Holgorsen arrived as coordinator last season. In December 2024, Johnson considered entering the transfer portal.

Holgorsen’s commitment helped get him to stay.

“ I think he just wanted to know that somebody had a plan for him,” Gunderson said.

The plan was never to leave Nebraska early. Johnson simply wanted the chance to receive a heavy workload.

He got 32 offensive touches against Cincinnati in the 2025 opener, 24 against Michigan, 23 against Maryland and 29 against Northwestern. In November, after quarterback Dylan Raiola was injured, Johnson stacked three games with 31 opportunities apiece and a 27-touch effort against Penn State.

“This dude really did what he said he was going to do,” Nebraska tight end Luke Lindenmeyer said.

His reliability never came into question.

“I’m so proud of Emmett, man,” senior cornerback Ceyair Wright said. “I think his success is a product of who he is as a person, how he treats people and the work that he puts in.”

Emmett Johnson shouldered a heavy load late in the season, garnering 27-plus touches in each of his final five games for Nebraska. (Harry How / Getty Images)

His humility and care for others rate as Johnson’s most admirable trait. Johnson said he wanted to share credit with his teammates for the accomplishments of this season. He rushed for 177 yards in the first half against Iowa and 217 for the game. But he stressed in the aftermath that he felt badly for older teammates who played their final games in Lincoln on Black Friday.

Turns out, he was among them. Johnson takes pride, he said, in building a new reputation for Nebraska running backs — more than a decade after Abdullah departed, three decades after Green and 42 years after Rozier’s Heisman.

“It matters a lot,” Johnson said, “because Nebraska is a special place. I want to be able to have recruits look at this place and know it’s special. It is special. I’m blessed to be the one doing that and helping. It’s bigger than just football.

“There are a lot of great humans here. That’s what I want to help push.”

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