“I don’t like the lawsuits, but it does command some attention,” Davis said.

The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act contains specific rules that require public accommodations and private businesses to be accessible.

The lawsuits address a variety of issues that people with disabilities have difficulty dealing with, such as sloped parking lots, narrow handicapped-accessible spots, high tables or hallways that are blocked.

Davis has cerebral palsy, which limits her ability to walk and stand. Hillesheim was paralyzed from the waist down when his spine was severed during heart surgery as an infant. They both rely on wheelchairs.

“When I go into a business and can’t use the bathroom, that’s not fair,” Davis said.

Hillesheim said they used to point out issues to workers and businesses owners, but that rarely made a difference. He said advocacy alone doesn’t work, and he’s “tired of feeling second-class.”

Hillesheim and Davis have filed 93 percent of federal ADA discrimination suits in Nebraska since April 2017.

The two were previously involved in the Minnesota nonprofit Disability Support Alliance, which filed dozens of ADA discrimination lawsuits in that state. The group disbanded amid disagreements among members and allegations that some members were taking advantage of the lawsuit settlements.

Hillesheim said most of the money they receive from settlements goes toward paying their lawyer.

Kristal Stoner will also serve as vice president of the National Audubon Society.

Audubon Nebraska’s mission is to conserve and restore Nebraska’s natural ecosystems focusing on birds.

Stoner says birds are “a captivating link to the natural world and an incredible lens through which to view our greatest conservation challenges.”

Stoner holds a master’s degree in science with an emphasis in ecology, evolution and behavior from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Nebraska Wesleyan University.

38-year-old Victor Castillo-Pupo, of Grand Island, was driving a pickup truck east on a rural road early Sunday morning when it slid out of control. Investigators say the truck wen into the south ditch, across the road and into north ditch before rolling.

Dawson County Sheriff Gary Reiber says Pupo was thrown from the truck and pronounced dead at the scene.

Fresenius Kabi filed a notice Wednesday in U.S. District Court that it was dismissing the lawsuit, and Sandoz Inc. withdrew a motion to intervene in the case.

The lawsuit tried unsuccessfully to keep state officials from using what company officials suspected were their drugs in the Aug. 14 execution of Carey Dean Moore.

Nebraska executed Moore using a never-before-tried combination of four drugs. Fresenius Kabi presented evidence that it had manufactured at least one of the drugs, and Sandoz argued it may have produced another drug.

The companies argued that the execution would hurt their reputations and bottom lines if the public associated their products with executions.

Mark LaBouchardiere is the director of facilities at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the youth center. He tells The Kearney Hub that the fence is part of the 2018-19 business plan.

LaBouchardiere says the facility has had four escapes so far this year, but there were 17 escapes in 2017 and 36 in 2016.

More than 50 community members attended a Wednesday meeting to discuss additional ways to improve safety and security at youth rehabilitation and treatment centers in Kearney and Geneva. Sen. John Lowe of Kearney introduced an interim study resolution in March.