A Missing Endangered Advisory is issued for a 26-year-old pregnant woman from Stromsburg. The Polk County Sheriff's Office says Hannah Neville was last seen in Stromsburg on January 15th and she had been traveling to meet her boyfriend, 27-year-old Roberto Tanner, in Lincoln. A vehicle owned by Neville was found engulfed in flames near 39th Street and Cornhusker Highway on January 16th.Tanner is considered a person of interest in the case.
A protestor is taken to a hospital after being struck by an SUV at a student protest at Fremont High School. Police were called to the school yesterday afternoon after a student protestor was struck by a red SUV. The incident took place during a student-led protest of ICE immigration enforcement. Nebraska officials are responding, with Governor Jim Pillen saying political violence, no matter what, is never okay. Congressman Mike Flood says the video of the girl being struck by a car at the protest is disturbing.
A new bill regarding bathrooms is sparking a debate at Nebraska's State Capitol. A public hearing was held Wednesday night about LB 730, which would require schools and state agencies to enforce bathrooms and locker rooms based on a person's assigned sex at birth. State Senator Kathleen Kauth introduced the bill and said that it would "continue to establish a scientific standard for the state" rather than gender expression. Many people were for and against the bill, causing the hearing to last seven hours.
Nebraska lawmakers are considering two gender-affirming care proposals introduced by State Senator Kathleen Kauth; one bill would ban puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors, and the other would increase liabilities for medical providers who perform transition surgery.
Iowa senators are advancing a bill to allow eminent domain for pipelines as a last resort. Debate continues in the legislature as lawmakers consider competing bills tied to the issue. A bill already passed in the House earlier this year to completely prohibit the use of eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines. Senators believe their bill is a better compromise to create jobs and bolster Iowa's ethanol industry. Labor groups and the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association support the bill in the Senate while many landowners prefer the House bill.
College basketball action resumes this weekend. Omaha will visit Denver tomorrow afternoon. The Mavericks have won three of four to enter at 11-and-12.In other action, fifth-ranked Nebraska is set to host Number-10 Illinois on Sunday afternoon in Lincoln. The Huskers are coming off their first loss of the season and will enter at 20-and-1.Kansas State is at home against ninth-ranked Iowa State on Sunday afternoon. The Wildcats have lost seven of their last eight to enter at 10-and-11.