The Respect Nebraska Voters initiative will not appear on the ballot for the 2026 General Election. The decision by Secretary of State Robert Evnen comes from an objection filed by State Senator Machaela Cavanaugh and former State Senator Curt Frisen, arguing the initiative is not "limited to a single subject."Evnen's office says the determination letter will be released later on Monday. Organizers of the initiative say they'll challenge the decision in court, noting that they'll "keep fighting to ensure Nebraskans get the chance to vote" for this amendment on election day.
Three more suspects are arraigned in a petition fraud case in Lancaster County. Thirty-four-year-old Michael Smith, 28-year-old David Johnson and 41-year-old Ryan McKinney were arrested yesterday. The petition fraud case involves initiatives covering adding term limits and changing who is eligible to vote in Lincoln city elections. The Good Government Lincoln project submitted petition signatures in July, but about 70-percent of the signatures were found to be fraudulent.
An Omaha man is headed to prison for robbing an eastern Nebraska bank. Donte Orduna was sentenced to 17 years in prison for bank robbery and using a firearm during a violent crime. Prosecutors say Orduna and another man robbed a Cedar Bluffs bank at gunpoint in January 2025.
A lockdown incident at Westview High School in Douglas County is still under investigation. A school resource officer received multiple reports of an armed student at the school on Friday, which prompted a lockdown. As of yesterday, no charges had been pressed against the student in question, and no firearms were located following two sweeps of the school.
A Lincoln, Nebraska USPS employee is in custody after a package with contents valued at nearly 46-thousand dollars was stolen. Officers were called to the post office Saturday evening, with the victim saying a package belonging to him was stolen. The package contained six high-value football and basketball cards that wee purchased online and was scheduled to be delivered that evening. Officers say one of the cards was later posted for sale on Facebook, with officials arranging to meet with the seller later that night. Trenton Bogenreif was arrested and is facing a charge of theft by unlawful taking of five-thousand dollars or more.
The Omaha Storm Chasers are playing a new series this week. The team will host the St. Paul Saints tomorrow at Werner Park at 6:35 p.m. They'll continue playing against the Saints through Sunday. This comes after the Storm Chasers ended their series against the Iowa Cubs on a winning note.