The owner of surveillance cameras used by law enforcement is introducing changes as concerns grow over mass surveillance. Flock says it will protect privacy by purging camera data after seven days instead of monthly. It will also launch automatic audits for abnormal activity, which comes after several law enforcement officers were arrested for abusing the system. In addition, Flock will require police to submit a reason for each search of their camera platform. The reforms come amid criticism and vandalism of the license plates readers in Iowa, Nebraska and nationwide.
The University of Nebraska Board of Regents is approving an increase in state funding for its 2027-to-2029 biennial budget request. The regents also approved an inflation-based four-point-two-five percent increase in the base budgets for the NU System and the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture. The board also eliminated a series of degree programs including a bachelor's in ethnic studies and a master's in urban studies.
The city of Omaha is offering to pay for repairs or the demolition of the former Brother's Lounge building. A building foundation collapse at the site on Farnam Street earlier this summer has impacted rail work and impeded pedestrian traffic. The city has offered to use Omaha Streetcar funds to either repair or tear down the building.
A suspect believed to be armed with a gun is involved in a standoff in Omaha. Police say the incident began as a shoplifting incident at the Westroads Mall last night. The suspect fled from a traffic stop and went into a home near 38th and Browne Streets. Police believe two other people were in the home, and officers attempted to negotiate with the barricaded suspect.
The number of cyclosporiasis cases in Iowa is still climbing. Iowa Health and Human Services says the number of confirmed cyclosporiasis cases has reached 300 statewide. That's 28 cases more than last week and 231 more than the same time last year. Iowa is part of a multi-state outbreak tied to recalled shredded iceburg lettuce. More than 94-hundred cyclospora cases are tied to the recalled lettuce in 17 states.
Drought conditions are deepening in an already dry part of Iowa. The new National Drought Monitor Map shows a new area of severe drought in eight Western Iowa counties. That part of the state has seen some level of drought or near-drought for months. The map also shows a shift in moderate drought across parts of Western Iowa. Sixty-three percent of Iowa is drought-free this week. The new drought map doesn't reflect any of the heavy rain that fell Wednesday or Thursday.