02/07: Baby elephant, Tour de Nebraska and crisis plan rollback
Former Husker Zac Taylor leads Bengals to Super Bowl
Former Husker quarterback Zac Taylor, who is now the head coach for Cincinnati, led the Bengals to victory in overtime against the Kansas City Chiefs during the American Football Conference championship game on Jan. 30. The Bengals will face the Los Angeles Rams at the Super Bowl on Feb. 13. This is the first time the Bengals have made the Super Bowl in 33 years, and it is Taylor’s third year as their head coach.
Omaha zoo welcomes baby elephant, the second this month
Claire, a 13-year-old African elephant at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium, gave birth to a male calf named Sonny on Jan. 30. The father is 21-year-old Callee. Sonny is the first male elephant ever born at the zoo and the second elephant born there this month. They are the first and only African elephants born at the Omaha zoo. According to a news release from the zoo, both are in good health.
The 34th Tour de Nebraska to run through Sandhills
Tour de Nebraska, a five-day annual bike tour through rural Nebraska, will take place June 22-26, starting and ending in Loup City. The 2022 theme is “The Year of the Sandhills.” The tour is back for its 34th year and includes overnight stops in Broken Bow and Ord. Organizers are expecting around 400 riders for the 235-mile route this year.
Refuse company accused of causing $211k in damage to Nebraska State Capitol out of negligence
In a civil complaint filed this week, Assistant Nebraska Attorney General Erik Fern said that a truck owned by a Lincoln refuse service, Uribe Refuse Services Inc., rolled down a loading ramp on the south loading dock and crashed into the west limestone wall on April 28, 2020. He said Uribe Refuse was negligent for failing to maintain control of the truck, to operate it at a safe speed and to properly engage the brake. The expected cost to repair the damage is $211,302– the amount the state is requesting– plus costs, attorney fees and interest.
Nebraska Medicine rolls back crisis plan
Nebraska Medicine announced on Feb. 4 that it is rolling back its Crisis Standards of Care plan on Feb 7. This means the hospital will gradually begin resuming surgeries and other procedures that were delayed over the last three weeks, Nebraska Medicine said in a tweet. The plan was put into place on Jan. 13. According to a news release, the change follows a decrease in COVID-19 admissions in the past week and a decrease in the number of staff in isolation. The Lincoln-Lancaster County COVID-19 Risk Dial is still in red (severe risk), as of Feb. 6.
Contributors: Hanna Christensen and Ramey Vachal
