Nebraska

Senators return to State Capitol for second session of 108th Nebraska Legislature

Published

2 years ago

January 3, 2024

Senators return to State Capitol for second session of 108th Nebraska Legislature

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – On Wednesday, as a bright, blue-skied day settled over the capital city, state senators in the Capitol building called for a cloudless session.

For seven months, the George Norris Legislative Chamber sat dormant after a spasm of infighting last year. As they return to work, senators said they’re hoping last year was an anomaly.

“The energy feels great in the halls,” Sen. Anna Wishart said. “And so I’m optimistic we will have a good session.”

Inside the chamber, business started with elections of chair and vice chair of the important Executive Board. Sen. Raymond Aguilar will take the place of former Sen. Tom Briese, now Nebraska’s state treasurer, as chair, and Sen. John Lowe will be vice chair.

Speaker of the Legislature John Arch made an appeal to his fellow senators to show respect and avoid the pitfalls of last year.

“We have a treasure that is much easier to tear down than to build up,” Arch said. “Our society must look to this institution to govern wisely with thoughtful professionalism and decorum. We must set the example so that our society respects the institution.”

This session brought a new face into the ranks of the 49 legislators: Sen. Fred Meyer, who was appointed to replace Tom Briese.

“It’s been an honor to be selected to serve,” Meyer said. “At this point, I don’t know what I don’t know, but I’m anxious to learn.”

And this year is the final consecutive time a slew of term-limited senators will get to pace up and down the chamber floor.

“It’s bittersweet,” Wishart said. “It’s been the most incredible chapter of my life… and I’m just going to soak everything in and be really grateful for having one more year.”

The first few weeks will be marked by a wave of bill introductions and debates over rule changes, which will shape procedure going forward. Arch said he doesn’t want those debates to spill into late January, but there are several proposed rules packages for the legislative body to mull over.

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Nebraska

Nebraska Court of Appeals upholds conviction of Grand Island man in sexual assault case

Published

1 hour ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Nebraska Court of Appeals upholds conviction of Grand Island man in sexual assault case

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — The Nebraska Court of Appeals has affirmed the conviction and sentencing of a Grand Island man charged with sexually assaulting a minor.

Cory Gilmore was sentenced in June to 36 to 48 years in prison on two counts of first-degree sexual assault. Court records said he was initially charged with first-degree sexual assault of a child, first-degree sexual assault and third-degree sexual assault of a child, but pleaded no contest to the two sexual assault counts as part of a plea deal.

According to an arrest affidavit, a report of a possible sexual assault came into the child abuse hotline that Gilmore sexually assaulted a minor girl when he was intoxicated.

A Grand Island police officer later interviewed the girl – who is younger than 19 years old – who said she was sexually assaulted by Gilmore from early 2021 to December 2023.

In his appeal, Gilmore claimed the District Court abused its discretion by imposing an excessive sentence. He also claimed his trial counsel was ineffective in failing to take the deposition of the alleged victim and failing to move to withdraw Gilmore’s plea before sentencing.

In its ruling, the Court of Appeals denied Gilmore’s claim of ineffective trial counsel. In his appeal, Gilmore said that at sentencing, he notified his counsel that he wished to withdraw his no-contest plea as he didn’t want to plead guilty or to say he did something he didn’t do.

The Court of Appeals said that at no point did Gilmore inform the District Court that he wished to withdraw his plea and that the District Court asked him if he made his plea “knowingly and voluntarily.”

The Court of Appeals also said in its order that at Gilmore’s sentencing hearing, the District Court looked at Gilmore’s risk to reoffend, his criminal history and the fact that he “showed no remorse for the trauma he has inflicted” in imposing its sentencing. The Court of Appeals said this was appropriate and that his sentencing was not excessive.

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Nebraska

Nebraska collects $200k in child support from gambling winnings

Published

13 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Nebraska collects 0k in child support from gambling winnings

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has collected more than $200,000 from gambling winnings to go toward child support arrears just three months after implementing the program.

The Gambling Winnings Setoff for Outstanding Debt Act was approved through the passage of Legislative Bill 1317 and signed by Gov. Jim Pillen in 2024.

“This program ensures funds are being used to help support kids across Nebraska,” said Gov. Pillen. “Parents have an obligation to their children, and we’re guaranteeing their well-being by collecting these winnings.”

The collections began Sept. 2, 2025. The act requires gaming operators to withhold a portion of winnings from individuals who have an unpaid debt with the state and remit the funds to the Department of Revenue.

From there, the collected funds are distributed to various agencies, including DOR, Department of Labor, Department of Motor Vehicles, and DHHS.

Within the first 13 weeks, $529,091.47 was dispersed to these agencies, with DHHS receiving $215,852.98 for the Child Support Enforcement Program.

“By administering these dollars directly to families, the Child Support Enforcement Program is setting our state’s children up for success,” said Shannon Grotrian, director of the Office of Economic Assistance. “It’s making an immediate impact on their livelihoods and making sure they have what they need to grow and thrive.”

For more information on Nebraska’s Child Support Program, visit the DHHS website.

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Big Ten basketball power rankings: Look out for Nebraska

Published

1 day ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Big Ten basketball power rankings: Look out for Nebraska

Another week of college basketball action saw significant movement in the Big Ten Conference. Out of nowhere, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are 11-0 to start the season and are quickly ascending the national rankings. They dominated the Wisconsin Badgers on Wednesday night, handing Greg Gard the most lopsided loss of his coaching career.

Along with Nebraska, Michigan, Purdue, Michigan State and UCLA are tied atop the conference standings at 2-0. That top group will likely remain consistent over the next few weeks before the Big Ten schedule intensifies in early January.

As we enter the final stretch of nonconference play, here is an updated snapshot of the full conference power rankings. Michigan remains the leader.

Updated Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings (Dec. 15)

Michigan Wolverines (10-0, 2-0 Big Ten; No. 1 in KenPom) — No change
Purdue Boilermakers (10-1, 2-0 Big Ten; No. 6 in KenPom) — No change
Michigan State Spartans (9-1, 2-0 Big Ten; No. 12 in KenPom) — No change
Illinois Fighting Illini (8-3, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 14 in KenPom) — No change
Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-0, 2-0 Big Ten; No. 21 in KenPom) — Up 6
Iowa Hawkeyes (9-2, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 20 in KenPom) — No change
USC Trojans (10-1, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 38 in KenPom) — No change
Indiana Hoosiers (8-3, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 26 in KenPom) — Up 2
Wisconsin Badgers (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 37 in KenPom) — Down 4
Ohio State Buckeyes (8-2, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 39 in KenPom) — Down 1
UCLA Bruins (7-3, 2-0 Big Ten; No. 31 in KenPom) — Down 3
Washington Huskies (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 48 in KenPom) — No change
Northwestern Wildcats (6-4, 0-2 Big Ten; No. 58 in KenPom) — Up 1
Oregon Ducks (5-5, 0-2 Big Ten; No. 84 in KenPom) — Up 3
Maryland Terrapins (6-5, 0-2 Big Ten; No. 100 in KenPom) — No change
Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-5, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 108 in KenPom) — No change
Penn State Nittany Lions (8-3, 0-2 Big Ten; No. 107 in KenPom) — Down 4
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-6, 0-2 Big Ten; No. 147 in KenPom) — No change

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