Nebraska

State chief medical officer a no-show at Nebraska gender care briefing • Nebraska Examiner

Published

2 years ago

February 29, 2024

State chief medical officer a no-show at Nebraska gender care briefing • Nebraska Examiner

LINCOLN — The state’s chief medical officer, through his agency’s legal counsel, declined to attend a legislative briefing Thursday as requested by the Health and Human Services Committee.

The HHS Committee requested last week that Dr. Timothy Tesmer give an in-person update on the ongoing rules and regulations process regarding gender care for minors. Those provisions became law Oct. 1 through Legislative Bill 574.

State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha questions Dr. Timothy Tesmer, the state’s chief medical officer. May 25, 2023. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, who led opposition to LB 574, said Tesmer’s absence was disappointing, particularly when he committed to keep the committee informed.

“He has not kept that commitment,” Cavanaugh told the Nebraska Examiner.

DHHS ‘must respectfully decline’

State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, committee chair, read a letter sent just before the Thursday briefing from Bo Botelho, chief legal officer for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

Hanse wrote the amendment to LB 574 delegating authority to the chief medical officer to write the rules and regulations.

Botelho’s letter told the committee that because the final regulations are currently under review by the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, and will soon go to the Governor’s Office for final say, DHHS “must respectfully decline” to participate in the briefing.

Unanswered questions

Cavanaugh introduced LB 879 this year to repeal LB 574. She withdrew it last week just after Hansen formally requested the update briefing, stating it was mutually agreed between the two that a public briefing with Tesmer would be a “more beneficial avenue” than a public hearing that wouldn’t advance the bill.

Cavanaugh said her intention was to get answers for concerns raised by families of transgender youths and medical providers after a Nov. 28 hearing on the regulations.

“I think that they deserve an answer as to what the thought process is behind them and what the reasoning is,” Cavanaugh said.

With a four-page document in hand, with more than two dozen questions she planned to ask Tesmer, Cavanaugh spent most of the 10-minute briefing reading the questions out loud. They ranged from whether DHHS consulted with local physicians and/or considered possible mental health impacts to Tesmer’s philosophy on gender identity patients.

Future briefing possible

State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair. March 22, 2023. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

Hansen noted that communication among branches of government can be difficult, and he’s hoping Thursday can begin a process of more communication as many committee members have questions and concerns, as do their constituents.

“We’re hoping this can be the start of it and we can maybe even have a briefing sometime down the road when things can get more settled,” Hansen said.

The current set of temporary gender care regulations expire in one month, the future of gender care regulations hinging upon the current drafts in the Attorney General’s Office.

Cavanaugh said any public information is good and important, and she welcomes another briefing. However, she called Botelho’s justification “ludicrous” for a process that is supposed to be public.

“That’s not a real reason,” Cavanaugh said. “It’s really unfortunate that he (Tesmer) would not come because the questions are real.”

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Nebraska

Hundreds lose power across southeast Nebraska after Thursday morning storm

Published

9 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Press Room

Hundreds lose power across southeast Nebraska after Thursday morning storm

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Hundreds of people are without power in southeast Nebraska after a severe storm passed through Thursday morning.

The Lincoln Electric System outage map showed 115 customers without power across the city at 11:36 a.m.

Norris Public Power District’s outage map also shows 45 customers affected by the storm. As of 11:36 a.m., there were nine active outages.

According to the Nebraska Public Power District outage map, 657 customers were affected by the storm. Most of the affected customers were near Plattsmouth in southeast Nebraska. As of 11:37 a.m., 27 customers remain without power.

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Mandatory evacuation orders for area near Crawford, Fort Robinson

Published

19 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Press Room

Mandatory evacuation orders for area near Crawford, Fort Robinson

Mandatory evacuations have been ordered near Crawford, including Fort Robinson State Park, as the South Fork Fire continues to spread in western Nebraska.

According to the City of Crawford, evacuations are currently underway for an area north of Crawford that includes the area south of Dodd Road, west of Dodd Road, and FF Street.

Fort Robinson has also been evacuated.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission said Fort Robinson State Park and Peterson Wildlife Management Area have been temporarily closed due to the fire.

The fire has burned approximately 9,000 acres and is currently 0% contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Nebraska Game and Parks said the park and the WMA will remain closed until further notice to support firefighting operations and protect public safety.

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Nebraska

Nebraska State Runner-up and Futures Finalist Matt Brailita (2026) to Swim for Johns Hopkins

Published

1 day ago

June 10, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska State Runner-up and Futures Finalist Matt Brailita (2026) to Swim for Johns Hopkins

Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.

Omaha, Nebraska native Matt Brailita is headed to Baltimore in the fall. He announced his commitment to Johns Hopkins University earlier this spring, writing on social media:

“I am very excited to announce my commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at Johns Hopkins University ! I’m extremely grateful for everything my family, friends, and teammates have done to support me every step of the way. A special thanks to Coach Tom and Coach Andy for always pushing me beyond what I believed in. Also a huge thanks to Coach Scott and Coach Chris for giving me this opportunity of a lifetime. GO BLUE JAYS!”

Brailita swam for Omaha’s Millard North High School under coach Andy Cunningham. He wrapped up his senior season with a pair of runner-up finishes at the 2026 NSAA Championships, earning lifetime-best times in both the 200 IM (1:50.84) and 100 breast (56.01). He also notched a PB in the 50 free (20.76) while leading off Millard North’s 200 free relay in prelims. He anchored the same relay in finals, splitting 20.01. Brailita leaves Millard North High School as a 10-time State medalist and a multiple-event team record-holder. He was 2026 Metro Conference champion in the 100 fly and as a member of 2 relays, and he was nominated for Metro Omaha World Herald Swimming Athlete Scholar.

Brailita swims year-round with Greater Omaha Aquatic Leopardsharks under coach Tom Beck. In addition to IM and breast, he excels in fly and free. In March, he competed at Columbia Sectionals, where he finaled in the 50 free (15th), 100 breast (11th), 50 fly (8th), 100 fly (10th), and swam prelims in the 50 breast (8th) and 200 IM (10th). He left the meet with new PBs in the 100 free (46.30), 50 breast (26.25), 50 fly (22.51), and 100 fly (49.86).

Last summer, Brailita hit LCM lifetime bests in the 50 breast (30.81), 100 breast (1:06.84), 200 breast (2:29.93), and 200 IM (2:11.12) at Madison Futures, making finals in the IM. He opened the 2026 long-course season with a pair of PBs (24.83 in the 50 free and 27.09 in the 50 fly) at the GOAL Sprint Cup in April.

Brailita will join the Blue Jays’ class of 2030 with Alistair Guth, Finn Nelson, Lukas Funderburk, Matthew Ko, Nicolas Aldana Huelga, Samuel Zhang, and William Thurk. His best times would have scored in the ‘A’ finals of the 200 IM, 100/200 breast, and 50/200 free, and the ‘B’ finals of the 100 free and 100 fly at the 2026 Centennial Conference Championships.

Best SCY times :

200 IM – 1:50.84
100 breast – 56.01
200 breast – 2:06.83
50 free – 20.76
50 free relay split – 20.01
100 fly – 49.86
200 free – 1:41.83
100 free – 46.30

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