A bomb threat is to blame for an evacuation at Eppley Airfield in Omaha. Omaha Airport Authority officials say the bomb threat was communicated about 8:20 yesterday morning, and the terminal was temporarily evacuated as a precaution. Officials say Eppley police worked with the FBI, TSA, and Omaha police to resolve the issue.
An Omaha airport is dealing with flight delays and cancellations due to extreme weather conditions. The storm has brought ice, power outages, impassable roads and frigid cold to much of the southern and eastern United States. Eppley Airfield is now dealing with flight changes within their arrivals and departure schedules. Arrivals are facing ten delays and five cancellations, while departures are facing ten delays and two cancellations. A full list can be found on fly-oma-dot-com.
Four people are taken into custody by ICE at the Douglas County Courthouse. Federal agents took the four people into custody yesterday morning before they were able to attend their scheduled criminal hearings. Officials say three of the defendants were facing DUI charges, and one was facing a hit-and-run charge.
A former Nebraska state lawmaker is headed to trial. Former State Senator Dan McKeon of Amherst will stand trial in Lancaster County on March 19th on a misdemeanor public indecency charge. McKeon is accused of inappropriate touching at a party in Lincoln last year. He resigned from the legislature earlier this month.
A new bill that refines Nebraska's medical cannabis regulations is sparking a debate over commission powers. The 28-page proposal, described as a "cleanup bill," outlines several key initiatives including funding for staff, a patient registry and a seed-to-sale tracking program to stop black market activities. Committee Chairman Rick Holdcraft said that funding would come from sales tax. The bill has faced opposition from Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana who claim that it would "redefine qualifying conditions, restrict certain forms of cannabis, and impose stringent requirements on physicians." Holdcroft denied these claims and says the bill aligns with voter intentions.
A bill in the Iowa Senate would make weather-altering sciences a crime. The bill passed unanimously out of subcommittee and must clear committee before appearing on the Senate floor. Geoengineering activities like cloud seeding have drawn concern from constituents. The measure would make it a Class D felony for practicing the science with a punishment up to five years in prison. Opponents of the bill said cloud seeding has been studied for over 70 years and doesn't create new weather patterns, it just enhances current conditions.