Nebraska
Pillen budget proposal would bury all 'good life’ districts, but lawmaker holds out hope for a fix • Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — All of Nebraska’s “good life” districts appear to be in a precarious spot — not just the embattled one in Gretna — as Gov. Jim Pillen’s proposed budget seeks to deny $5 million a year set aside for the new state incentive that had been committed for multiple years to boost the buildout of those destination sites.
Pillen’s recently revealed biennial budget package targets “Good Life Transformational Projects” as one of about 50 programs and incentives the Legislature and governor approved over the past five years but that Pillen now proposes cutting. It’s part of his strategy to address a projected two-year $432 million state budget shortfall.
Specific to the good life districts, the governor wants to reject roughly $5 million annually in incentives budgeted through 2029, for a revenue savings of about $20 million in four years. The plan notes that the benefit was to stretch longer, for up to 30 years — derived from a now-controversial cut in the state sales tax rate within the district boundaries.
Here’s how the incentive works: Under the 2023 Good Life Transformational Projects Act, championed by then-State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Omaha, the state sales tax within up to five “good life” districts is to be slashed in half, from 5.5% to 2.75%. The idea was that the difference would be redirected to help develop unique, entertainment and shopping districts that ultimately and over time would rake in more tourists and money for the state.
Controversy swirls
Controversy has swirled around the incentive — mostly as it relates to the largest and highest-profile district — in Gretna. The state approved that district based on an application by Nebraska Crossing owner Rod Yates and last April cut the sales tax within the district’s city limits.
But Gretna officials and Yates deadlocked over terms for his multibillion dollar mega sports-themed vision. Without an actual project or mechanism in place to recapture the vacated portion of the tax, an average of $300,000 a month in sales tax revenue has been lost. As of November, more than $2.2 million was forfeited, according to an update from the Nebraska Department of Revenue.
The governor told reporters at a budget briefing last week that he regrets signing into law certain funding incentives, including the good life districts, and he sees now as the time to “reverse” the course.
State Sen. Brad von Gillern, who has replaced Linehan as chair of the Legislature’s Revenue Committee, said that he has not seen the bill language reflecting the governor’s request. But he said that, as described in the proposed budget, the entire good life district concept would end.
The Omaha senator prefers less drastic measures. He said he is working with a group of state senators on revised legislation that would “preserve the program in a more workable way.”
Besides Gretna, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development has approved formation of good life districts in Grand Island, Bellevue and Omaha. All are in various early stages, with Gretna the last to hold a local election (on Jan. 14) that was required under a 2024 revision to the good life law. Voter approval was needed to tap into the state incentive to help private development.
There is no denying, von Gillern said, that state officials have not been pleased with certain aspects of the law, including that state tax revenue went uncollected in Gretna without even benefiting a project.
Yates persists
Linehan, the sponsor of the original legislation, also has publicly denounced how the law has played out — not only in Gretna, she told the Nebraska Examiner, although that is where her fury was focused.
In her recent criticism, Linehan said the 2024 revisions to the legislation also opened the door for cities to use the incentive in a way she believes lawmakers did not intend, for projects less spectacular than one-of-a-kind. She said that the state did not give up revenue for cities to use the public incentive on non-extraordinary ventures.
“Shame on me,” she told the Nebraska Examiner previously. “But something is very wrong here.”
Yates, meanwhile, asked the DED on Jan. 13 to terminate his district application. He said he now is seeking someone to push alternative legislation that would help his vision materialize. He said he has amassed partners ready to build arenas and other components and has not given up.
Yates said he has continued to talk with representatives of the Pillen administration. The governor and K.C. Belitz, DED director, had been involved early on in Yates’ vision, at one point traveling to New York to help the former Husker split end’s effort to woo a pro hockey team to Nebraska and the Gretna good life district.
Von Gillern told the Examiner that said he does not plan to introduce separate legislation to catapult that mega project and did not know of any such bills in the pipeline.
State officials said Jan. 13 that they would seek information from Gretna officials to determine if the approved Gretna project and district remain viable. The 2,000-acre district’s boundaries include and surround the Nebraska Crossing campus near Interstate 80 and Highway 31, between Nebraska’s two largest cities, Omaha and Lincoln.
Gretna sees district surviving
DED said it has the authority to terminate the good life district if it determines the approved project is no longer viable and if termination is in the best interests of the state economy.
Gretna’s Mayor Mike Evans has said they would present evidence to the state that the district should continue, even without Yates’ participation. He said multiple developers within the district are capable of delivering a transformative project.
Gretna officials have said they wanted to work with Yates, but he was not willing to budge on what they believed were legal and financial risks for taxpayers. They said his demands involved possible use of eminent domain, as Yates owned only a slice of the property within the district.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
They say all roads lead home, and for Daniel Kaelin, that remains true as he returns to Lincoln after a year away from the program in 2025.
The former four-star Belleview West (NE) star heads into his sophomore season in his second stint as a Husker, ready to compete for an impactful role. Though he’ll likely be on the outside looking in, in terms of earning the starting job, after gaining starting experience at his previous school, he won’t go down without a fight.
Now, after roughly a week and a half of spring football practices in the books, Kaelin met with the media Wednesday. During his time at the mic, the Nebraska native touched on a variety of topics, including his decision to come home, an ego-less quarterback room in Lincoln, and much more.
It didn’t take long for the will-be sophomore to get asked about his decision to return to Nebraska. After explaining the values he got out of his time away, Kaelin described it as something he’s as excited about as he is thankful for.
“It’s been really good,” said Kaelin. “Nebraska’s my home, and there are so many people on this team that I have a good relationship with. So, the transition has been really smooth. I’ve been enjoying being back, for sure”.
Leaving after the end of the 2024 season, Kaelin’s path towards competing for a starting job appeared to be full of obstacles. But a little over a year after he transferred to Virginia, the situation has changed dramatically. Back in the scarlet and cream, a year older and with more experience, the soon-to-be third-year player is enjoying his return, to say the least.
In his time as a Cavalier, the then-redshirt freshman saw action in seven games. Despite a sparing role, he still managed to throw for the first 339 yards of his career, while also scoring his first collegiate touchdown. Kaelin also proved to be a threat on the ground, with 12 carries for 72 yards.
In total, he amassed 400 all-purpose yards at Virginia and comes to Nebraska more battle-tested than before. Here, the 6-foot-3, 218-pounder will look to grow even more, but was asked to reflect on what he gained during his stay on the East Coast.
“It was my first time being away from home,” he said. “I think that year- doing things on my own- was probably big for me becoming an adult. I think I learned a lot about myself that way”.
Between personal development and his time on the field, Kaelin’s lone season at Virginia was not for nothing. Instead, a more mature version of the young quarterback is what the Huskers are getting back amongst their ranks. He also provides them with the third quarterback to have started a Power Four game in their career.
After discussing what he gained in his time away, Kaelin was then asked to explain how he landed back in Lincoln ahead of the 2026 season. To somewhat of a surprise, the Nebraska native suggested it wasn’t initially planned. Rather, the opportunity presented itself, and both sides agreed.
“I didn’t really even expect to be leaving the last school I was at,” Kaelin said. “Things kind of happened pretty quickly. When I got in the portal, I was able to get in touch with Coach Rhule, and when I knew that this was a possibility, it just made a lot of sense for me. It is really comfortable for me coming back home and being around people that I know”.
Using his past relationships with coaches and players such as Carter Nelson and Bode Soukup, the former in-state signal-caller is what you’d call back home. Confident, comfortable, and with a lot more to prove, he’ll look to make an impact on the field for the first time as a Husker this fall.
Kaelin was then asked to shed light on the dynamic within the quarterbacks’ room, and his response sounded similar to that of quarterback coach Glenn Thomas earlier in the day. Instead of pushing each other away due to competition, the position group is looking to help each other grow. In fact, Kaelin suggested it may be the most unified position group he’s ever been a part of, and something he views as a positive change.
“There’s egos,” he said. There’s money involved. I think that can create some tension or problems sometimes. There haven’t been any type of issues like that with the room that we have right now; it’s been great.”
While some suggest that his comment may be a back-handed dig at former signal-callers within the room, it’s clear that the Huskers no longer have an issue with competition in 2026. Instead, the group is pushing eachother to improve. And when spring ball and fall camp come to a close, the best man for the job will emerge with the others’ full support.
A big change since Kaelin was on campus in 2024 is NU’s retooled wide receiver room. After welcoming in a new position coach, the Huskers have been able to recruit, retain, and add several high-level players to the unit. When asked to offer his thoughts on the room, the will-be sophomore didn’t hold back his early praise.
“A big thing that we’ve noticed so far is we have guys that make plays,” Kaelin said. “We’ve been challenging them to- when the ball is in the air, it has got to be theirs. We don’t want 50/50 balls. They’ve got to go make plays. And so far, they’ve definitely been doing that. It’s been really impressive to watch”.
Not only are the Big Red’s pass catchers bigger, deeper, and faster than before, but it’s beginning to pay off for the offense this spring. There’s still plenty of time for the quarterbacks and wideouts to develop chemistry, but early reports suggest the relationship has started well.
For Kaelin, it was positive to see the metaphorical boy return as a man. Not only has he gained experience and found success on the field, but he’s also come back with a deeper understanding of what it takes to lead a team. By all accounts, it appears his teammates have taken a liking to him, so don’t be surprised if he sees the field in some role this upcoming fall.
Again, he’s far from guaranteed the starting job here in Lincoln and will have to beat out two players with more experience than he has. Still, it is more than likely that he will take his first snaps as a Husker at some point in 2026. Were he to take meaningful reps, the third-year sophomore has already been tested before, and that gives Nebraska reason for optimism about the room.
Overall, he sounded as if he was preparing to be more than ready when his opportunity comes. Returning home did not come without a price, but don’t expect Kaelin to remain silent his second time around. The Huskers are looking for a player who can reliably make plays, and it’s hard to argue that there would be another player in his position group who cares more about the program than he does.
Still, he’ll have to prove his skill is worthy of deserving that chance. Spring should tell a lot about where he stands.
Nebraska
In a first for Nebraska, federal judge awards attorney’s fees to immigrant who was detained without bond hearing
For the first time, a federal judge in Nebraska has awarded court costs and attorney’s fees to an immigrant who prevailed in a lawsuit challenging his detention without bond.
Senior U.S. District Court Judge John Gerrard, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, issued the ruling on Tuesday and awarded $1,535.23 to Edgar Eduardo Cadillo Salazar. Gerrard had previously ruled that Salazar’s detention at the Cass County Jail without bond was unconstitutional and ordered the government to provide him with a bond hearing or release him from custody.
Under the federal Equal Access to Justice Act, individuals and businesses that prevail in civil lawsuits against the federal government can file a motion to hold the government liable for attorney’s fees and court costs. Judges can order the government to cover those costs unless they find that the government’s position was “substantially justified,” or if “special circumstances make an award unjust.”
Before last summer, when the Department of Homeland Security revised its longstanding interpretation of statute, only immigrants who were encountered at the border or other ports of entry were subject to mandatory detention. Immigrants encountered after residing in the U.S. were typically subject to discretionary detention and eligible for a bond hearing.
The new interpretation has led to detention without bond for tens of thousands of immigrants who would have previously been eligible to bond out – and it’s led to an endless stream of wrongful detention lawsuits in Nebraska and around the country. A Reuters investigation found that federal courts have ruled against the mandatory detention policy more than 4,400 times.
In Gerrard’s order granting Salazar’s request for attorney’s fees, he said the government’s position that all undocumented immigrants are ineligible for bond hearings was not substantially justified.
“This ‘new understanding’ of a decades-old statute has resulted in the government detaining hundreds of thousands of nonviolent individuals, often without due process or other constitutional protections,” Gerrard wrote. “It has also sparked thousands of lawsuits where courts have ordered release of those wrongfully detained, for which neither immigration courts nor the Department of Justice have seemed prepared.”
He continued: “The government has not provided any justification, let alone a substantial one, for its radical departure from the historical treatment of noncitizens who entered the United States without inspection. Its arguments rely purely on statutory interpretation; the government apparently expects it can transform an entire area of administrative law because it unilaterally decided that, for thirty years, everyone was wrong about what a statute meant.”
Salazar was later denied bond by an immigration judge and remains in custody, according to his attorney, Alexander Smith.
Two similar motions were denied last month by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bazis, an appointee of former President Joe Biden. In both cases, Bazis had ruled in favor of the detained immigrants, and they were later released on bond per her orders. But in her opinions denying attorney’s fees under the EAJA, she found that the government’s position on mandatory detention was “substantially justified.”
“The Court cannot say that the Federal Respondents’ pre-litigation decision to treat [the respondent] as being subject to mandatory detention, while not ultimately correct in this Court’s view, lacked a reasonable basis in law or fact,” Bazis wrote in a footnote of her opinions.
The issue of mandatory detention is currently under consideration by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Nebraska and other Midwest states. In oral arguments last month, the appellate court’s conservative judges appeared friendly to the mandatory detention policy.
The UCLA men’s basketball team made Senior Night one to savor Tuesday, dominating No. 9 Nebraska 72-52 at Pauley Pavilion for its 20th victory of the season and third over a top-10 ranked opponent.
The Bruins improved to 20-10 overall and 12-7 in the Big Ten with one regular season game remaining, Saturday at crosstown rival USC.
Trent Perry scored 20 points, Eric Dailey Jr. had 14 and three players — Tyler Bilodeau, Skyy Clark and Xavier Booker — each added eight points.
“Nebraska’s got a great team,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “This is the best we’ve played all year — they brought out the best in us. We went from our worst defensive effort to our best. They outhustle everyone they play, but not us. Tonight we were great, but I love the way they play. If we had their attitude we’d have their record.”
Eric Freeny had four points, five rebounds and three steals in 18 minutes for UCLA, which got 26 points in the paint and 17 second-chance points.
“Effort is what it takes to win in March,” Freeny said. “It was our last home game. Coach keeps on pushing me to be better everyday.”
Sam Hoiberg had 12 points to lead Nebraska, but Pryce Sandfort, who began the game leading the conference in three-pointers made per game, was held to nine points.
“Sandford has been unbelievable so to hold him to nine points is amazing,” Cronin said. “Brandon Williams was the unsung hero.”
Williams had six points and three rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench.
The Bruins were in control from the opening tip-off and never trailed the Cornhuskers (25-5, 14-5). UCLA improved to 10-3 in all-time against Nebraska and the win greatly strengthened its resume for the NCAA tournament as the Bruins also beat then-No. 4 Purdue 69-67 on Jan. 20 and then-No. 10 Illinois 95-94 in overtime on Feb. 21 on Donovan Dent’s layup with one second left.
“We have to take attitude we came with tonight, bottle it up and take it on the road,” Dailey Jr. said. “We’ve got so much left. The season’s not over… we’re only as good as our last game. It’s all about how you respond. I love the fight that we played with tonight.”
This is the fifth time in Cronin’s seven seasons that the Bruins have won 20 or more games. They are 17-1 at home (their only loss in overtime to Indiana on Jan. 31).
“Since I’ve been here we don’t lose much at home.” Cronin said.
UCLA went ahead by 15 points, 37-22, on Perry’s three-pointer with 2:41 left and led 37-24 at intermission. The Bruins shot 50% from the field in the first half (15 for 30) while Nebraska was only 31% (nine for 29).
The Bruins increased their advantage to 18 points on Dailey’s dunk less than five minutes into the second half and the visitors got no closer than nine the rest of the way.
Prior to pregame introductions the Bruins honored seniors Bilodeau, Dent and Clark; fifth-year player Jamar Brown; redshirt seniors Steven Jamerson II, Jack Seidler and Anthony Peoples Jr; and redshirt junior Evan Manjikian. In a media timeout, midway through the first half, former coach Jim Harrick (who led UCLA to its 11th national championship in 1995) was honored and got a loud ovation.
“I’m happy for our seniors, I didn’t want them to lose their last game at Pauley,” said Perry, who reversed a subpar performance at Minnesota, where he was 0-for-7 from the field with one rebound and one assist in 26 minutes. “I had to come out here tonight and bounce back for my team. I play for something bigger than myself and I’m fortunate to have the type of guys I do around me.”
UCLA guard Skyy Clark looks to pass while under pressure from Nebraska guard Sam Hoiberg and forward Berke Buyuktuncel in the second half.
(William Liang / Associated Press)
Over the last four games, Dent has 46 assists and just two turnovers.
Bilodeau has scored in double figures in 26 of 28 games played, totaling 20 points or more nine times.
Dailey moved to within five points of reaching the 1,000-career point milestone.
UCLA has now made at least one three-pointer in 887 of 888 games dating to February 2000.
“We had one practice this week, that’s it,” Cronin said. “We watched film, had a heart-to-heart talk and a shoot around today but that’s it.”
How a clump of moss helped convict grave robbers in Illinois
Watch Indiana basketball’s Lamar Wilkerson give his mom a Cadillac
Iowa House OKs ‘3 strikes’ bill with 20-year prison terms. What to know
RESULTS: NE Kansas high schools to play Saturday after Wednesday sub-state wins
Northern Kentucky claims 4 titles at Class 3A indoor track state meet
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
DHS defends McLaughlin against allegations husband’s company profited millions from ad contracts: ‘Baseless’
Sánchez defies Trump in political gamble as Madrid say no to war
Satellite images show Iran school strike hit more buildings than earlier reported
US submarine sinks Iranian warship by torpedo in a first since World War II
Which oil and gas facilities in the Gulf have been attacked?
-
World1 week agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Wisconsin3 days agoSetting sail on iceboats across a frozen lake in Wisconsin
-
Maryland4 days agoAM showers Sunday in Maryland
-
Denver, CO1 week ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Florida4 days agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days
-
Oregon6 days ago2026 OSAA Oregon Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets – FloWrestling
-
Massachusetts2 days agoMassachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks