Top Journal Star photos for January 2024
Kayla Newnam works on her Nebraska-inspired mural at the Hub Cafe, on Tuesday in Lincoln. Three years into her national murals project, "Out There Murals," Newnam is well on her way to her goal of painting a mural in every state. Newnam, based out of Phoenix, Arizona, started the project during the pandemic and has been crisscrossing the U.S. "It has been three years, two trucks, two trailers and three dogs, and now I'm on mural 18," Newnam said. Lincolnites are invited to come and meet Newnam on Wednesday at the Hub Cafe as she works on the latest mural between 5-9 p.m.
Students are silhouetted by the sun glare coming from a window as they work in independent study rooms at Kiewit Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. Kiewit Hall, the six-story, privately funded, $115 million building on the UNL campus, is the academic hub for engineering education. It connects five engineering facilities and is home to the construction management program. It offers a mix of multi-purpose classrooms, instructional labs, engineering student services, maker spaces for student organizations and a large outdoor plaza. It opened to students on Jan. 22, 2024.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln turfgrass science and management freshman Josh Hong cheers as he is shown on the video board during the Ohio State game on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Columbus' Colin Jaster bowls during the HAC Bowling Championships on Wednesday at Sun Valley Lanes.
Second grade student Ethan Sedivy, 8, holds up a globe in front of a wall mural of 174 various world flags, of which he drew 167 of, as it is displayed in a classroom at Morley Elementary School, on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. Ethan’s passion for geography has sparked new friendships throughout the school, especially with immigrant students. He is currently working on a Geography Bee for Morley’s fifth graders. He has plans to continue his project, even adding some posters to add facts and populations of the various countries he has learned about.
Nebraska's Keisei Tominaga (30) celebrates after making a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the Huskers' win over Northwestern on Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Performers take part in the Lion Dance during a Karen New Year celebration Sunday at Lincoln High School. The Karen Society of Nebraska put on the event, which celebrates the culture of the Karen, an ethnic group from Myanmar and Thailand. The celebration featured a fashion show, traditional dance performances, music and food.
Nebraska's Jamarques Lawrence (10) high-fives alumni as he takes to the court before the match against Northwestern at Pinnacle Bank Arena, on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, in Lincoln.
A corncob sign hangs on the plexiglass for the Cornhusker Bonspiel tournament on Saturday. Ten curling teams from across the country competed in the tournament.
A customer places a sports bet on a kiosk at WarHorse Casino on Friday. The state's four racetrack casinos brought in just over $89 million in revenue from slot machines, table games and sports betting in 2023.
Bundled up students enter Sheridan Elementary School before the start of the school day on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, in Lincoln.
Gov. Jim Pillen speaks during the annual State of the State address at the Capitol on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024.
Michigan's Taylor Williams (left) and Laila Phelia (right) compete for a rebound with Nebraska's Alexis Markowski (center) in the first half on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Lincoln East's Grant Schwerdtfeger (top) wrestles Millard South's Austin Summers in the 190-pound match on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Lincoln.
Lincoln Northeast's head coach Matt VanEngen writes "How Bad Do We Want It ?!?" on his dry erase board during a timeout in the final two minutes of the second half at Lincoln Northeast High School, on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024.
Black Hills Energy workers use machinery to dig into the ground in front of the rubble of a home that exploded early Tuesday morning near North 53rd and Gladstone streets. A neighboring house also sustained fire damage.
John and Ashley McClinton look at their son Buddy at their home in Lincoln on Monday. Weighing 14.1 ounces at birth, he is the smallest baby born at Methodist Women's Hospital in Omaha to survive and be discharged with minimal support.
Snow topped apartments are seen through a third floor window stairwell on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, in Lincoln.
A man wearing a leopard print blanket braves bitter cold gusts of snow and wind as he walks down South 17th Street, on Friday.
Nebraska's Alexis Markowski (40) attempts a shot against Illinois in the first half Thursday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Nebraska's Keisei Tominaga (30) reacts after scoring a 3-pointer against Purdue in the second half on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Nebraska's Juwan Gary (4) celebrates with fans after the Huskers defeated No. 1 Purdue on Tuesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Nebraska Wesleyan students Lucas Steuter (from left), Riley Cleaver, Jacob Wertz, and Zane Rosenberg try to hold together as they fly down a hill on their sleds at Holmes Lake on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024.
Ryan Gardner (left), production stage manager for "Les Miserables," works to adjust lighting on stage at the Lied Center for Performing Arts on Tuesday.
Traffic is seen moving down K Street in the snow on Monday.
Nebraska's Jaz Shelley (front) competes for the ball with Indiana's Sara Scalia in the first quarter on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Nebraska's Peyton Robb looks to pin Wyoming's Cooper Voorhees in the 157lb match at the Devaney Sports Center, on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024.
Wyoming's Mason Ding is taken to the floor after a leg sweep by Nebraska's Nash Hutmacher in the Heavyweight match at the Devaney Sports Center, on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024.
Mike Alessi (center) jumps during the General Tire Arenacross Nationals event on Friday at Sandhills Global Event Center. The show will be back again tonight at the Event Center at the TractorHouse Pavilion. The doors open at 5:30 p.m. and show starts at 7 p.m. The track was built using 150 dump truckloads of dirt.
Chloe Wolff shows off some of the bracelets Friday that she made to raise money for local nonprofits.
Lincoln East's Landon Moser slams Kearney's Taj Wilson to the mat during the 165lb match, during a dual held at Lincoln East High School, on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024.
A red panda eats bamboo leaves that came in a wrapped present at the Lincoln Children's Zoo on Thursday. As part of an enrichment day, zookeepers shared holiday-themed treats — a lettuce Christmas tree for the tortoises and Christmas "cookies" for the giraffes — to help stimulate the animals' natural behaviors.
Nebraska's C.J. Wilcher (0) celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer in the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024.
Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha (left) speaks to Sen. Teresa Ibach of Sumner during the first day of the Legislature on Wednesday.
Lincoln East's Avari Wischhof swims the girls 100-yard freestyle during a dual against Omaha Marian on Tuesday at Lincoln East. Wischof won this event and helped the Spartans set a pool record in the 400 relay.
Omaha Marian's Willow Petri spins through the air as she completes a dive in the Girls 1 meter diving event, during a Swim dual held at Lincoln East High School, on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, in Lincoln.
Maryland's Allie Kubek (14) reacts after being called for a foul against Nebraska's Alexis Markowski (not pictured) in the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena, on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023.
A pair of walkers stroll atop the dam at Holmes Lake at sunset on Saturday. Weather in Lincoln this January is expected to be frigid. Single-digit temperatures are expected at least for the first week.
A pig is seen on the desk of Gov. Jim Pillen, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023, in Lincoln.
Lennie Kuszak of Ord carries a flag that reads "God is pro-life" during the annual Walk for Life rally outside of the Capitol on Saturday.
Dat Tran tosses a bluegill back into the water while ice fishing at Holmes Lake on Friday. The ice measured at approximately 8 inches thick, but it probably won't stay that thick for long. While weekend highs are expected to remain in the mid to upper 30s, Lincoln is headed for a warmup next week. High temperatures are forecast to be in the low 40s Monday-Wednesday, with 50s possible Thursday and Friday.
High School students in the welding course sit on a table as they meet with Gov. Jim Pillen during his tour of The Career Academy on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, in Lincoln.
TCA is one of Lincoln Public Schools’ focus programs and it’s a collaboration between LPS and Southeast Community College (SCC). The program allows high school juniors and seniors to take specific career pathways courses while earning credits from LPS and SCC.
Wahoo's Gretchen Seagren (left) and Malcom's Abby Zegar collide while going for a rebound during the game on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, in Malcom.
The State of Nebraska will award $89.6 million in federal economic recovery money to a partnership led by the North Omaha-based Omaha Economic Development Corp. to build an business park.
"Wastewater leaving the property went into a ditch near the facility, which leads to the Wood River," said the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy.
A 36-year-old Omaha man was arrested after he allegedly rammed an Omaha police car, pushing that car into an officer and then leading police in a chase in central Omaha.
Chancellor Rodney Bennett announced the finalized budget cuts, which were made public last November, in a message to UNL faculty, students, and staff.
Omaha community advocate Preston Love Jr. plans to announce he will seek the Democratic Party nomination for the 2024 U.S. Senate special election in Nebraska.
A new Aldi store is under construction in Papillion at the Settlers Creek shopping center.
Ryan Poe, 39, of Omaha, was sentenced in July 2006 for the murder of 23-year-old Trever Lee in Douglas County. Poe was being treated for a medical condition.
When confronted with the allegations of an $885,000 fraud, the man allegedly described a complicated situation involving a friend being ransomed by kidnappers, according to the investigator.
Chris Kabourek, the University of Nebraska's interim president, said he doesn't see his job as simply keeping the seat warm for the next system leader.
The Nebraska Humane Society is working with rescues in other states to find the next stop for the 50 dogs taken from a breeding facility in Boyd County near Spencer.
A Lincoln man was arrested after police say he rammed a skid-steer loader into several vehicles, including a police cruiser, during a rampage outside Home Depot in southeast Lincoln.
Troopers rescued several motorists in Saunders and Butler counties after whiteout conditions on Nebraska 92 left them stranded for hours, according to a Nebraska State Patrol news release.
The Kearney Volunteer Fire Department said an “electrical event” was the cause of a house fire that killed a woman in southeast Kearney.
One person was seriously injured early Tuesday morning when a home in northeast Lincoln exploded, according to Lincoln Fire and Rescue.
CHI Health and Creighton University School of Medicine have launched a phone line intended to help connect Nebraskans with care and gather more information about the coronavirus' lingering effects.
Deputies found one dog in distress and another that had died.
Twin River Consolidated School is trying to get a school bond issued to modernize and potentially rebuild their current three-building structure into something more accessible with fewer problems.
Court records indicate the man had picked the girl up at a high school basketball game in Dawson County, then took her to his apartment.
A deaf truck driver was awarded $36 million last year in a lawsuit against Nebraska's Werner Enterprises. Last week, a judge cut the award to $335,682.
Water filled the building’s basement and rose to at least two feet on the building’s main floor before staffers opened doors to release the water.
According to the sheriff's office, the GTG Group facility and contents inside were estimated at $1.1 million. The fire is believed to be accidental.
Nebraskans could use deadly force to defend themselves whether at home, at work, in their vehicle or out in public under a bill introduced in the Legislature.
A preliminary investigation by police found that the pedestrian was walking northbound on 13th Street on the edge of the curb lane.
A report published from the National Council on Teacher Quality rates Nebraska 'weak' in implementing policies to ensure teachers are prepared to teach the science of reading.
The distinctive Valley sign, erected in 1954, remains part of the town landscape that saw its 1880s train depot not recover from flooding nearly a century later.
Six people were wounded inside Kansas City’s Crown Center in a shooting that drew a major police response and shut down the shopping mall on Wednesday evening.
A lawmaker introduced a bill to let school employees carry firearms on school grounds, but said the choice would be left to districts. An opponent called it a bad idea.
Two Lincoln corrections staff members were injured in recent assaults by inmates at the Reception and Treatment Center, according to the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services.
A 51-year-old North Platte man died after his pickup truck ran into the side of a semitrailer truck Wednesday night.
The race to build more racetrack casinos in Nebraska has another entry. Fremont now is the seventh city where additional casinos are being proposed, beyond the initial six already authorized.
A Lincoln house sustained significant damage after children accidentally started a fire in the basement, according to Lincoln Fire and Rescue.
State did not intend to violate order to pause return-to-office mandate, Nebraska official testifies
While Nebraska's executive branch argued Friday that it didn't intentionally disregard an order to pause return-to-office directives for state employees, union officials said some agencies are still in violation.
The Nebraska agency that regulates gambling spent $30,000-plus to buy a semi-automatic rifle for each of the agency’s 10 investigators, citing the need to protect casino-goers from active shooters.
A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder in connection with Omaha's first homicide of the new year.
The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office and Waverly Fire and Rescue responded to a house fire that resulted in a total loss early Monday morning, according to the sheriff's office.
A bill that would remove existing barriers to occupational licensure has made it through the first round of debate in the Nebraska Legislature with little pushback.
A Columbus Lakeview High School student died Sunday, his 18th birthday, in a one-vehicle collision on a Platte County road.
A 53-year-old Bennington man was arrested on suspicion of attempted felony assault after he allegedly fired a shotgun at another man who was seeking a "romantic encounter."
Nebraskans have started encountering the state's new voter identification requirements now that the window for requesting early ballots is open — and initial reports are good.
Nebraska lawmakers took a step toward updating the process that put a troubled Kansas-based nonprofit in charge of Omaha area child welfare cases and led to other major contract failures.
A 23-year-old Nebraska man with two prior child pornography convictions was sentenced last Thursday in federal court to 20 years in prison for distributing child sex abuse materials.
Research shows the best ways to teach reading, but the strategies aren't always used in Nebraska schools. Some still use outdated or ineffective methods — and the state isn't forcing them to change.
Nebraskans who undergo a colonoscopy shouldn't have to worry that their insurance won't cover removal of potentially cancerous tissue during the process, a state lawmaker says.
The Nebraska native competing on this season of "The Bachelor" arrived at the mansion to meet Joey Graziadei tossing dough — a nod to her family's pizza restaurant.
A 4The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office says the man had inappropriately touched the victim and showered with her, according to the probable cause affidavit.
An Omaha teen and his father appeared in court Tuesday in connection with Saturday's homicide outside an Omaha gas station.
The Millard Public Schools and Millard Education Association have agreed on a boost in pay for teachers and school nurses in an effort to recruit and retain more staff in the district.
One person died Tuesday morning in a fire at a trailer home south of Kearney in central Nebraska.
Former Husker football player Demoine Adams was saved by his wife and the work of a Lincoln Police Department dispatcher after he suffered a serious medical episode earlier this month.
Christoper C. Arps, who does business as Capital City Roofing and Construction, faces fines of $100 a day and potential arrest if he doesn't comply with a subpoena by Friday.
A teaching aide at York Elementary School was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of sexual abuse.
Nebraska’s leading economic indicator rose 1% last month, according to the most recent report from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. That's the biggest increase since March.
The fate of a bill that would help the City of Omaha establish an inland port authority to revitalize low-income neighborhoods remains unsettled in the Nebraska Legislature.
A 40-year-old man was killed after he was hit by a truck near Metro Community College's Fort Omaha campus Wednesday night.
A manufacturer will pay a $37,026 fine and install a $244,000 fire suppression system after a three-alarm fire in 2022 sent black smoke billowing through a neighborhood south of downtown.
The Nebraska State Patrol had its hands full on Wednesday after six people were arrested or cited following five separate foot and vehicle pursuits in a 24-hour period.
Nebraska Chief Justice Michael Heavican thanked state lawmakers in a speech Thursday for helping the judicial branch fill vacant positions, while warning about cyberthreats to sensitive court records.
The arrests were part of a coordinated effort between multiple agencies of law enforcement known as the CODE task force, covering a 22-county area in southwest-central Nebraska.
Republican Congressman Mike Flood made it official that he will seek a second term representing Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District.
The voter initiative to repeal a new Nebraska tax credit law for private school scholarships prompted more sparring by lawyers and lawmakers over whether it should remain on the ballot.
A new, 7,000-seat soccer stadium for Union Omaha and a future women's soccer team is coming to downtown Omaha.
A Lancaster County judge heard closing arguments in the Nebraska attorney general's constitutional challenge of the criminal justice reform bill passed by the Legislature last year.
The Nebraska Lottery said Friday that the winning ticket for Thursday's Nebraska Pick 5 draw was sold at the Casey's General Store at 4002 Adams St.
The driver of the pickup was traveling southbound on U.S. 77 when they attempted to turn east onto Pickrell Road and spun out of control due to slick road conditions.
Giving sterile needles to drug addicts to reduce the spread of infectious diseases like HIV drew widespread support Friday from Nebraska lawmakers.
Little mini Statues of Liberty used to be delivered by Boy Scouts to cities and town across Nebraska, including Lincoln. They stood, and still stand, in many Nebraska communities.
A York man was arrested after authorities searched a home in 1700 block of North Iowa Avenue in York.
Two Lincoln corrections officers suffered concussions after inmates assaulted them earlier this week, according to a Nebraska Department of Corrections news release.
A 52-year-old Bellevue woman was killed in a crash on Highway 75, according to the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office.
Subsidizing the cost of care for child care providers' own children could be a "game-changer" for Nebraska employers struggling to fill jobs, a legislative committee was told.
A teenage boy from Blair was sentenced to nearly four years of probation for his part in sexual assault of another teen with a broom handle.
A Lincoln man found guilty of escape from custody and leading police on a reckless two-hour chase across Douglas County was sentenced Thursday to 2½ years in prison.
The man was driving a Buick Century when he collided with a Honda Accord driven by a 17-year-old girl from Omaha, police said.
A 74-year-old Lincoln man was defrauded of more than $1 million after befriending a stranger online who encouraged them to buy and sell items using cryptocurrency, police say.
State troopers on Thursday seized 33 pounds of meth after a traffic stop on Interstate 80 near York, according to the Nebraska State Patrol.
A driver who died after being ejected from a pickup truck that collided with a semitrailer truck Friday just north of Beatrice in Gage County has been identified.
Both of Nebraska's U.S. senators have formally filed to run for office again, likely ensuring state voters will see familiar names on the November 2024 ballot.
The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission has grown rapidly with new casinos opening up. Now lawmakers are talking about giving the governor more say in overseeing the agency.
A proposed entertainment, dining and shopping district along I-80 in Gretna would tap Nebraska's new "Good Life" incentive program, but state lawmakers might require local voter approval.
Like every other sector of the economy, Nebraska hospitals face rising labor costs, not to mention higher costs for pharmaceuticals. Hospitals say reimbursement rates from insurers have not kept pace.
A former Omaha police captain who was previously awarded nearly $1 million by a federal jury after being passed up for a promotion is making additional allegations in a new lawsuit.
County- and Nebraska-run detention centers put more juveniles into solitary confinement for longer stretches of time in 2023, according to a recent report.
The city agreed to pay $650,000 to a former firefighter and $250,000 to a current firefighter, both women who alleged sexual discrimination.
SpaceMIRA will conduct a series of experiments on surgical procedures in a zero-gravity environment and give a surgeon the opportunity to operate the robot remotely from hundreds of miles away.
Class sizes need to be more manageable, especially when special education students are involved, in order to keep teachers from being overwhelmed, a Lincoln lawmaker says.
Omaha-based Goldenrod Cos. recently bought the 11-story Collins Crossing tower in Richardson, Texas, which is a suburb of Dallas.
The Midwest Roadside Safety Facility at UNL said new roadside barrier systems will need to be developed capable of safely redirecting or stopping electric vehicles that run off the road.
Lawsuit claims Lincoln district failed to respond swiftly to incidents of assault, sexual harassment
A lawsuit filed against Lincoln Public Schools claims that a middle school student suffered severe emotional distress after LPS failed to swiftly respond to incidents of assault and sexual harassment.
A Nebraska State Patrol trooper lost control of their cruiser on ice early Wednesday in southwest Lincoln, causing a three-car collision that injured three people.
The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office wants to speak with the person who wrote an anonymous letter to Crime Stoppers about missing Lincoln man Tyler Goodrich, Capt. John Vik said.
The Pioneers Park Nature Center recently acquired six more bison from the Crane Trust near Alda, bringing the total number of its herd to 12.
Students at private and faith-based schools in Nebraska would be able to get a $1,500 state-funded savings account for educational needs under a bill that prompted a contentious hearing.
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and Maj. Gen. Craig Strong of the Nebraska National Guard are traveling to Texas on Sunday for an update on the situation at the southern border.
Transform Nebraska seeks to improve educational attainment and program participation for inmates as a way to slash the state's recidivism rate in half by the end of the decade.
A Nebraska Army National Guard helicopter performed an emergency landing after sustaining damage during a training flight in central Nebraska.
The reductions are part of an effort to trim $5 million from UNK’s budget, including $3 million from academic programs created by declining enrollments and increased costs of operations.
Two off-duty police officers shot and killed two men early Saturday in South Omaha, according to the Omaha Police Department.
Luke Farritor, a Lincoln native and senior at UNL, is among three people who will share the $700,000 grand prize for the Vesuvius Challenge.
Two men shot and killed by off-duty Omaha police officers shot early Saturday in South Omaha have been identified.
Nebraska's Jim Pillen was among 13 Republican governors who visited Eagle Pass, Texas, on Sunday for an in-person security update on Operation Lone Star at the southern border.
Ken Prorok, a Lincoln native and chief sheriff's deputy in South Dakota, was killed when a man allegedly drove into him during a pursuit Friday north of Sioux Falls.
Nebraska lawmakers advanced a bill that would expand insurance coverage of routine colonoscopy screenings, drawing mass bipartisan support — but some opposition.
Scottsbluff's sole remaining news station closed quietly last week. Owner Gray Television closed the station in a move coinciding with the sale of the station, others to another broadcast group.
The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating after a teenager was killed in an officer-involved shooting in Columbus on Tuesday.
The EPA has now decided to go with the partial demolition of a building in order to complete its cleanup.
Nebraska lawmakers heard comments Tuesday on a bill that would nullify the November referendum on a law providing tax credits for donating to scholarship funds for private and faith-based schools.
Nebraska lawmakers advanced a bill to give the Department of Economic Development a say in state tourism matters.
Steve Corsi, the new CEO of the Department of Health and Human Services, formerly worked for Epiphany Associates, which was contracted by Nebraska to cut costs across state government.
A tense exchange over race, crime and disparities in the judicial system capped off an otherwise banal hearing Thursday on Nebraska's proposed "stand-your-ground" law.
Mark Onwiler won $10,000 in a national challenge from Farrell’s Extreme Bodyshaping after losing 140 pounds.
A last-ditch effort to get federal food benefits to Nebraska children stalled, with supporters complaining that a delay in voting on the proposal was really an attempt to kill it.
An Omaha man was sentenced Monday to one to two years in prison for attempted sexual assault of a minor, six years after fleeing from Douglas County.
