LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska motorcyclists will have to keep wearing helmets for at least another year.

Supporters of the effort to repeal the state’s helmet law failed to overcome a filibuster Tuesday. The bill would have removed a helmet requirement for riders older than 21 and prohibited children age 6 or younger from being passengers on motorcycles.

Sen. Robert Hilkemann, a retired Omaha podiatrist who led the filibuster, says repealing the helmet law would result in more deaths and serious brain injuries. He says Nebraska taxpayers also would end up paying for health care for injured motorcyclists.

Supporters and sponsor Sen. John Lowe of Kearney argued wearing a helmet is a matter of personal freedom and adults should be able to make that choice.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Teachers and students are rallying outside the Capitol before a hearing on a bill that would allow charter schools in Nebraska.

About 75 people gathered Tuesday to celebrate public schools and protest a measure sponsored by Sen. Tyson Larson of O’Neill. It would allow nonprofit entities to open charter schools in any district containing a school with low-performance ratings.

Current and former public school students say their schools serve all students by providing good teachers, extracurricular activities and transportation.

Sen. Rick Kolowski, a retired Omaha high school principal, says public school teachers they do important work and are “under attack” at both the state and federal level.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A committee has set an April 7 hearing date for a residency challenge against Nebraska’s longest-serving state senator.

The special committee voted 7-0 on Tuesday to hear the allegations brought by a political opponent of state Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha.

John Sciara of Omaha has alleged that Chambers lives in Bellevue rather than the north Omaha district he represents in the Legislature. Chambers has scoffed at the claim, providing utility and newspaper subscription bills and a phone book listing as evidence of his north Omaha address.

Sciara ran against Chambers last year but received less than 19 percent of the vote.

The 79-year-old Chambers served in the Legislature from 1979 to 2009. Term limits forced him from his seat, but he returned to office in 2013.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A legislative committee has started to piece together a comprehensive package of income and property tax reforms, but some Nebraska senators say they’re unlikely to reach a unanimous agreement.

Members of the Revenue Committee kicked off a broad discussion Tuesday about what they should send to the full Legislature.

Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion, the committee’s chairman, says the bill needs to address both income and property taxes to avoid a split between urban and rural lawmakers.

Smith has proposed a phased-in income tax cut on Gov. Pete Ricketts’ behalf. He says he’s not counting on full agreement from senators, but believes that the public expects lawmakers to act this year.

Sen. Paul Schumacher of Columbus says lawmakers have a long ways to go in their discussions.

Kearney, Neb. – The Tri-City Storm and Sammy’s Superheroes Foundation have partnered for the second straight season to fight pediatric cancer on “Sammy’s Superheroes Night”, presented by First National Bank, Saturday, March 18 at 7:05 p.m. against the Muskegon Lumberjacks.

Sammy’s Superheroes Foundation is a Nebraska-based pediatric cancer research and awareness group. Last season, the Storm raised just shy of $24,000 for the foundation.

Here’s a list of what the Storm will do to raise money for Sammy’s Superheroes and how fans can help.

1.    Tri-City will wear one-night-only Sammy’s Superheroes jerseys that will be auctioned off after the game, with all proceeds going to Sammy’s Superheroes Foundation.

2.    Fans that purchase tickets online or through the Viaero Center Box Office using the code “SUPERHEROES” will donate $5 from their $14 ticket to Sammy’s Superheroes Foundation. Purchase tickets to the game here. The Box Office is open from 11am-6pmand the phone number is 308-338-8144.

3.    The Storm and Sammy’s Superheroes Foundation will sell t-shirts and teddy bears at the game on the concourse and in the Storm Store to raise money. All proceeds go to Sammy’s Superheroes Foundation.

The Storm will give away superhero capes to the first 1,000 kids in attendance. For the second straight season, Tri-City players will “buddy up” with children affected by cancer before the game and give the kids a game-day experience. The all-access experience includes skating out on the ice with the children for pregame introductions.

Last season, Storm Captain Tory Dello gave his game-day experience to Sammy Nahorny, for whom the foundation is named, and the two remain in touch. The six players that buddied up with kids affected by cancer have made thank-you videos that will play during the game.

Tri-City and Sammy’s Superheroes Foundation have made two joint appearances in the last week to raise awareness for pediatric cancer. On Tuesday, March 7, Storm players and coaches signed autographs for fans at First National Bank in Kearney. On Thursday, March 9, the Storm team bus stopped at First National Bank in Columbus, Nebraska for the second straight season and players met kids affected by cancer. See pictures of the event here.

Sammy’s Superheroes Foundation was founded on August 1, 2012, one day after Sammy Nahorny was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, a solid tumor of the adrenal system. His mother, Erin, helped create the foundation as a support system for her family. The organization seeks to raise awareness for childhood cancer and donate funds to pediatric cancer research organizations.

The Storm’s engagement with the Sammy’s Superheroes Foundation is part of the team’s effort to help different organizations tackle cancer. Last season, Tri-City’s “Jerseys for a Cause” program raised more than $11,000, with about $2,000 of that going to the Sammy’s Superheroes Foundation. Through two seasons, the Storm has raised more than $23,000 through Jerseys for a Cause. In 2014-15, Tri-City partnered with Team Jack, another organization dedicated to fighting pediatric cancer, raising more than $16,000 through t-shirt sales, a silent auction and Jerseys for a Cause.

The Storm is home on Friday, March 17 against Muskegon at 7:05 p.m. to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, featuring $1 Coors Lights, green beer and koozie giveaway to the first 2,000 fans and a $5 Kids Friday.

Breaking News powered by Construction Rental…

Just before 4:00 a.m. this morning, North Platte Fire crews responded to a structure fire at the Holiday Inn Express, 300 Holiday Frontage Road.

Flames could be seen shooting about 20 feet up from the structure.  Fire agencies from numerous surrounding communities have been called in to assist.

We’ll have more details when they’re available.

Video courtesy of Tony Jolliffe

BRIDGEPORT, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing a Colorado man and then hiding his body in a barrel.

A Morrill County judge on Monday sentenced Zachary Mueller to life in prison after a jury convicted him in January of first-degree murder in the death of 33-year-old Pedro Adrian Dominguez, of Greeley, Colorado. Mueller also was sentenced to 20 to 40 years for using a firearm to commit a murder and 20 to 40 years for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Authorities say Mueller shot Dominguez in the back of the head while riding in a car in Bridgeport on Nov. 22, 2015. The body of Dominguez was discovered in a barrel on a Morrill County farm in December 2015.

U.S. regulators have approved a new drug as an initial treatment for postmenopausal women with a type of advanced breast cancer.

The drug, called Kisqali, is a pill that works to slow the spread of cancer by blocking two proteins that can stimulate growth and division of cancer cells.

It’s for women who have what’s known as HR+/HER2- breast cancer.

Developed by Swiss drugmaker Novartis, Kisqali is taken along with an older cancer drug called letrozole.

A study funded by Novartis of 668 women found that the two drugs together reduced the risk of death or the cancer worsening by 44 percent, compared to those receiving only letrozole.