The Omaha Police Department is changing its traffic stop protocol. Officers are now being required to ask people if they have a gun in their vehicle during a traffic stop. The policy change comes after a concealed gun law was passed in Nebraska in 2023.
Three passengers who were in boxer Terence Crawford's car at the time of a traffic stop in Omaha are filing a federal lawsuit against Omaha's police chief and more than a dozen officers. The passengers accuse the officers of violating their constitutional rights for pointing their guns at them after they had been legally informed of a gun in the car. The traffic stop took place just hours after a parade honoring Crawford earlier this year.
Authorities are on the lookout for an escaped inmate in Council Bluffs. Thirty-one-year-old Ashley Nicole Duncan failed to report back to the Council Bluffs Residential Correctional Facility last Thursday. Duncan was convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit a felony on property and assault with a weapon on peace officers.
A state legislative board met yesterday but didn't make a decision on what to do in regards to a Nebraska state lawmaker accused of inappropriate behavior. State Senator Dan McKeon of Amherst was cited for public indecency for allegedly touching a woman on her buttocks during an event at the Lincoln Country Club this past May. McKeon apologized, but says the incident was just a "light-hearted exchange. "The "Nebraska Examiner" reports that the Legislature’s Executive Board met behind closed doors yesterday to discuss the issue, but adjourned without taking any action.
A Nebraska lawmaker says she's twice been denied access to the "Cornhusker Clink." That's the nickname given to the Work Ethic Camp in McCook that's been turned into an ICE detention facility. State Senator Machaela Cavanaugh says she was turned away on two separate occasions, with officials saying she didn't give enough notice. But Cavanaugh says they want her to follow the federal rules. The Democrat maintains that contracts with federal agencies can't override state statute.
The next phase of the Omaha Streetcar construction is being planned. The demolition of a bridge near I-480 and Harney will take place starting January 9th.Preparation work for the demolition project will lead to overnight lane closures on I-480.
The University of Nebraska Omaha athletics department is getting a financial boost. More than 67 million dollars in private money has been approved to complete a training facility and clubhouse. University officials say the new facilities will generate extra revenue through sponsorships and ticketing.