Nebraska
Republicans grab majority on all but one Nebraska legislative committee • Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — Conservatives in the Nebraska Legislature appear poised to wrest a partisan advantage on all but one legislative committee for the next two years, moving two Lincoln Democrats off a key committee on which they previously served.
The Committee on Committees, which sets committee assignments for state senators, voted 12-1 on Thursday to advance a preliminary slate of committee placements. It came after the placement committee stalled in its deliberations Wednesday evening, primarily over whether the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee would lean left or right, or have a 4-4 split.
Partisan fight continues over committee assignments in Nebraska Legislature
As of late Wednesday, the eight-member Government Committee was set to have three Republicans and five members that leaned left — four Democrats and one nonpartisan progressive. Under the new slate, Republicans will hold five seats, which they desired as the minimum end result of deliberations.
Of 13 other standing committees, all but one will be led by a Republican chair with a GOP advantage behind them. Urban Affairs will be led by Democratic State Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha, set to be split 4-3 to Democrats.
The Legislature is officially nonpartisan, though all but one of the 49 members are either Republican or Democrat, and they sometimes split along party on contentious issues.
Importance of majority
State Sens. Mike Jacobson of North Platte and Mike Moser of Columbus said that the breakdown better mirrors the state’s party registration data. As of Jan. 1, Nebraska had 1.27 million registered voters: 49% Republican, 27% Democrats, 22% nonpartisan and 2% Libertarians or Legal Marijuana NOW registrants.
“I don’t know why, on those key committees, we would not continue to have a Republican majority on those,” Jacobson said.
The committee assignment process considers the state’s geography, as the state’s 49 lawmakers are divided into three caucuses, roughly mirroring Nebraska’s three congressional districts.
Moser said committee assignments are made based on a few key factors, including committee incumbency, senators’ assignment preferences, caucus balance and partisan balance.
Incumbent Democratic State Sens. Danielle Conrad and Jane Raybould, both of Lincoln, will no longer serve on the Government Committee, where they sat for the past two years.
The two senators will swap with freshman Republican State Sens. Dave “Woody” Wordekemper of Fremont and Stan Clouse of Kearney on the Natural Resources Committee.
Clouse is in the 3rd Congressional District, while the others who were moved are in the 1st Congressional District.
Jacobson said the “irony” of the move is that his 3rd District Caucus gave up a seat on the Natural Resources Committee, where many proposed bills will likely impact the 3rd District. The sprawling 3rd Congressional District is the state’s largest geographically.
Jacobson said part of the consideration isn’t just about potential 2025 bills, but also 2026. Jacobson said he considers the Government Committee as important as tax- or budget-focused committees.
Other trades proposed
State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln, the lone Democratic representative from the 1st District Caucus on the Committee on Committees and the Legislature’s Executive Board, said he preferred a contingent offer the night before that would have made the Government Committee a 4-4 split.
The 2nd District Caucus, led on the Committee on Committees by three Democrats and one nonpartisan progressive, offered to flip freshman Omaha State Sens. Dunixi Guereca, a Democrat, and Bob Andersen, a Republican, between the Government and Natural Resources Committees.
“I thought that distribution, not everyone would love it, but it was acceptable,” Bostar said. “I think that with kicking folks off of Government from the 1st Caucus, it becomes problematic to me.”
Republicans drew their line in the sand for a 5-3, GOP-led Government Committee, and they rejected, by a 7-6 vote, advancing the 4-4 split.
The 2nd District Caucus representatives offered a different trade if a 5-3 Government Committee was non-negotiable: to swap Democratic State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha on the Government Committee with Republican State Sen. Rick Holdcroft of Bellevue on the Judiciary Committee.
If accepted, the proposed 5-3 GOP-led Judiciary Committee would be split evenly instead, mirroring a partisan split from the past two years that bottled up many bills in a committee that typically considers the most bills each year.
Conrad, who said she knew her 1st District caucus might not honor her seniority, which is the most in the current Legislature in her 11th year, said she’ll be honored to serve on Natural Resources, or wherever she ends up.
“It’s an honor to serve in the Nebraska Legislature and no matter what petty scores are settled over personalities or partisanship, I’m gonna work hard all day, every day in good faith with anybody at any time,” Conrad said in a text.
‘The nuclear option’
Moser said it isn’t in the best interest of Nebraskans “to allow one party to dominate a community by — not manipulating the rules, but kind of using the nuclear option,” referencing the push by Democrats and progressives to take over the 2nd District Caucus slots on the Committee on Committees.
“It’s a political maneuver on their part to try to dominate as many committees as they can with the minority members they have,” he continued. “They can control their own caucus, but they can’t control the 1st or 3rd.”
Democrats have little control in the 49-member body, where Republicans maintain 33 seats, enough to break filibusters and pass conservative priorities if all vote in lockstep. The 13-member Committee on Committees is split 8-5 between Republicans and Democrats and a progressive nonpartisan.
State Sen. John Fredrickson of Omaha, from the 2nd District Caucus, said that he and his fellow caucus members are proud of the work they did in setting committee assignments for their members.
The Committee on Committees will meet one more time to prepare a final report, which isn’t expected to deviate from the preliminary report. The full Legislature will consider the assignments next week.
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Not even more sickness could stop the No. 12 Nebraska men’s basketball team.
With a nasty flu strain ripping through the Huskers and the UNL campus as a whole, Nebraska needed a little more time to take care of Maryland, but freshman star Braden Frager and his team-high 21 points and eight rebounds led a late NU surge for a 74-61 victory over the Terrapins. Forward Pryce Sandfort added to the effort with 16 points and eight rebounds while both Rienk Mast (13) and Sam Hoiberg (12) also reached double figures.
Now with just three games remaining in the regular season, the Huskers venture west for a two-game road trip to L.A., where they start off against a USC team in the middle of a long losing skid. Here’s all you need to know for Saturday’s mid-afternoon showdown between the Huskers and Trojans.
How to Follow Along
- Matchup: Nebraska (24-4, 13-4 B1G) at USC (18-10, 7-10 B1G)
- When: Saturday, February 28
- Where: Galen Center, Los Angeles, Calif.
- Time: 3 p.m. CST
- Watch: Big Ten Network
- Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates
USC Scout
Head Coach
- Eric Musselman | 2nd season at USC; 11th as HC
- 35-28 (.556) at USC; 256-121 (.679) College Career Record
- 6x NCAA Tournament Apps., 2x Elite Eight, 2x Sweet 16, 1x CBI Championship
- 3x MWC regular season, 1x MWC tournament
- 1x MWC Coach OTY (2018), 1x NBA D-League Coach OTY (2012)
- Previous head coach at Arkansas, Nevada, Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors
- Previous assistant at LSU, Arizona State, Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic and Minnesota Timberwolves
2024-2025 Record & Awards
- Record: 17-18 (7-13 B1G, T-12th)
- Finish: L, 60-59 to Villanova in CBC Quarterfinals
- All-B1G: 1x Honorable Mention
All-Time Series
- USC leads 6-5
- Jan. 22, 2025, last matchup, 78-73 USC
Key Returners
- Terrance Williams II | F | Gr. | Was off to a great start with 10.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last year before getting knocked out for the season just seven games in; has not been the same with just 2.5 PPG in 27 contests this season.
Key Departures
- Desmond Claude | G | Transfer | Named All-Big Ten Honorable Mention last season for the Trojans after leading the team with 15.8 points per game, but transferred to Washington over the offseason.
- Wesley Yates III | G | Transfer | Another player that transferred to Washington, the Texas native was second on the team last season in scoring (14.1) and steals (40) as a redshirt freshman.
- Chibuzo Agbo | G | Graduated | Veteran guard that scored 11.8 points per contest while leading the team with 76 made three-pointers as part of his final college season.
- Saint Thomas | F | Graduated | The Omaha native and Millard North graduate scored 9.5 points and grabbed 5.9 rebounds per game in his final college season.
- Rashaun Agee | F | Graduated | A 6-foot-8 veteran forward who proved to be USC’s most dangerous threat off the bench by scoring over nine points per game.
- Josh Cohen | F | Graduated | A 6-foot-10 post that started in 25 of his 33 appearances while adding 5.9 points per game for the Trojans.
- Clark Slajchert | G | Graduated | Another key reserve for the Trojans who put up four points per game in 11 minutes across 27 games.
- Kevin Patton Jr. | F | Transfer | After scoring 9.8 PPG at San Diego, the California native saw limited action for USC off the bench to prompt his transfer to New Mexico over the offseason.
- Matt Knowling | F | Graduated | Played in 27 contests with an average of over 18 minutes, but added little production with three points and 2.6 rebounds.
Impact Transfers/Newcomers
- Rodney Rice | G | Jr. | The third leading scorer from a Sweet 16 Maryland squad last season, the transfer scored over 20 points per game for the Trojans before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in December.
- Chad Baker-Mazara | G/F | Gr. | A veteran transfer that aided Auburn’s run to the Final Four last season, the Dominican Republic native leads all active Trojans with 18.6 points per game and 71 total assists.
- Ezra Ausar | F | Sr. | The 6-foot-9 forward transfer from Utah scores over 15 points per game and grabs over six rebounds per contest in an elevated role after the injury to Rice.
- Alijah Arenas | G | Fr. | The son of former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, the true freshman missed the first 18 games of the season, but he’s been highly productive with a 13.9 points per game average in his first 10 college games.
- Jacob Cofie | F | Soph. | A massive 6-foot-10 forward from Seattle, the Virginia transfer gives USC a weapon inside with 9.8 points and seven rebounds per game as a full-time starter.
- Kam Woods | G | Gr. | A mid-season transfer from Robert Morris, where he led the program to its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance, the Alabama native has added over eight points and four rebounds in 16 contests this year.
- Jordan Marsh | G | Jr. | The 2025 Big South Conference Newcomer of the Year last season at UNC-Ashville, Marsh acts as the sixth man for the Trojans with 6.7 PPG to lead all reserves.
- Jaden Brownell | F | Gr. | A 6-foot-10 bench forward, the USC big man was a 14-point scorer at Samford last season before making his way to L.A.
- Jerry Easter II | G | Fr. | An Ohio native who went to the heralded Link Academy in Missouri, Easter II has earned six starts in his 26 appearances by scoring 4.4 points per game.
- Gabe Dynes | C | Jr. | The 7-foot-5 center led the country in blocks (104) last season at Youngstown State before transferring to USC, where he’s putting up three points per game, but has collected 30 blocks while only averaging 12 minutes per appearance.
Outlook
A veteran head coach at both the college and NBA levels, Eric Musselman was at the center of one of college basketball’s wildest coaching carousel moves following the 2023–24 season, leaving Arkansas for USC and paving the way for the legendary John Calipari to take over the Razorbacks program.
While Calipari marched his team to a Sweet 16 appearance in his first season, Musselman’s debut season in L.A. ended with a quarterfinal loss in the CBC for an underwhelming year. What followed was an exodus from the program, with top-two scorers Desmond Claude (15.8) and Wesley Yates III (14.1) both transferring to Washington despite standout seasons. Six others graduated, including Omaha native Saint Thomas (9.5) as well as Chibuzo Agbo, a veteran guard who scored 11.8 points per game in his final college season.
That resulted in a whole new crop of transfers to join the team, including the crown jewel of the haul in Rodney Rice, who played a big part in helping Maryland reach the Sweet 16 last season. The junior started out hot for the Trojans, logging over 20 points per game, but a devastating shoulder injury ended his season just seven games in, which immediately lowered the ceiling for a USC team with decent talent. Chad Baker-Mazara has stepped up in the place of Rice with 18.6 points per game and a team-high 71 assists after transferring from Auburn, where he helped the Tigers reach the Final Four.
Utah transfer Ezra Ausar has produced at a high level with over 15 points and six rebounds per contest. Despite missing the first 18 games of the season, true freshman Alijah Arenas has averaged 13.9 points per game as a starter. Sophomore and Virginia transfer Jacob Cofie is the muscle in the post, scoring 9.8 points per game and grabbing a team-high seven rebounds per contest. Similar to Arenas, Robert Morris transfer Kam Woods has been a big mid-season addition with over eight points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Plus, Jordan Marsh (6.7), Jaden Brownell (5.3), and 7-foot-5 center Gabe Dynes give Musselman the opportunity to mix-and-match his lineup off the bench depending on the matchup.
The Rice injury is massive, and could end up being one of the primary reasons for the Trojans missing the NCAA Tournament, for which they are a bubble team in the latest projections. It’s crunch time for USC, which is in the midst of a four-game losing streak after dropping contests to Ohio State, No. 10 Illinois, Oregon, and UCLA. Three of those four were winnable for the Trojans and games that could really haunt them as they search for key wins down the stretch to lock up a spot in March Madness.
Against a Trojan team that doesn’t defend well, but ranks as one of the top rebounding teams in the conference, USC is an interesting matchup for Nebraska. Being on the road and dealing with more sickness isn’t helpful, but I’m riding the Huskers for this one to reach 25 wins on the year.
Nebraska
Nebraska State Patrol troopers find 242 pounds of cocaine during commercial truck inspection
LEXINGTON, Neb. (KOLN) – Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol arrested one person after finding more than 240 pounds of cocaine during a commercial vehicle inspection.
On Tuesday afternoon, an NSP Carrier Enforcement trooper conducted a commercial vehicle inspection on a semi tractor/trailer driven by Arwinderjit Singh, 30, of California, near mile marker 254 on Interstate 80.
During the inspection, the trooper became suspicious of criminal activity. An NSP K-9 detected the odor of a controlled substance inside the cab of the semi, troopers said.
After searching the cab, troopers located 242 pounds of cocaine concealed underneath the sleeper bed, NSP said.
Singh was arrested on suspicion of possession of cocaine, possession with intent to deliver, possession of an open alcohol container, no drug tax stamp and displaying a fictitious license plate.
Singh was lodged in Dawson County Jail, and his bond was set at 10% of $2 million. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 12.
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OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Creighton Prep senior Zaiyahn Ornelas won his fourth consecutive Nebraska state wrestling title on Saturday.
According to NSAA records, he joins 39 other wrestlers in state history to accomplish the feat.
“It’s a great feeling,” Ornelas said. “It’s a feeling everybody wants.”
Ornelas won three Class C state titles at Wilber-Clatonia at 106, 113 and 120 pounds before transferring to Creighton Prep for his senior season, where he competed in Class A at 126 pounds.
“Three state titles there and then just thought I could bump up my competition,” Ornelas said.
“Zaiyahn is one of the cleanest technicians I’ve ever seen. That’s a huge testament to his coaching staff at Wilber,” Fisher added.
Ornelas was one of four Creighton Prep wrestlers to win state titles this season, helping lead the Jr. Jays to the Class A team title. Teammates said his presence in the practice room raised their level of competition.
“I could never slack off just because my competition in the state was easy. I always had to come in this room and get better or else I was going to get beat,” said sophomore Cruzer Dominguez, a two-time Class A state champion at 106 and 120 pounds.
Sophomore Kameron Green, the Class A 144-pound state champion this year, also credited Ornelas for aiding in his development.
“Zaiyahn being a training partner has helped me in tremendous ways,” he said. “When he wrestles, he’s not the nicest or shyest kid, but he’s tenacious and tough.”
Junior JT Smith, a two-time state champion at 175 and 190 pounds, said the achievement carries weight for the entire team.
“It’s something really special to have a teammate that’s a four-time state champion,” he said. “That’s something everyone wants to be.”
Fisher said Ornelas’s attitude set the tone from the start.
“He has so many skills and then coming into our room, he’s extremely coachable. Every time he came in here he was humble, ready to work, wanting to get better and that’s why he is as good as he is,” Fisher said.
Ornelas signed to wrestle at the University of Nebraska in November. He said the move to Creighton Prep delivered what he was looking for.
“This is the reason why I came here. I went out to explore, to find the best, and this is the territory that I found. If it wasn’t for these guys — the push — I would have not been there,” Ornelas said.
“It’s hard to believe. That’s kind of what I wanted since the beginning, freshman year,” he said.
—
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