Top 8 stories of 2024 include Lincoln skid loader rampage, Nebraska tornado outbreak
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — It was an eventful year — to say the least — in Lincoln and throughout Nebraska.
Some news in Lincoln made national, and even international, headlines.
A community mourned the on-duty death of a police officer, weather went wild and in the Husker sports world, long droughts were finally broken.
Here is a look back at the top eight local stories of 2024 in chronological order, as chosen by a vote of newsroom staff.
Skid loader rampage in southeast Lincoln
Courtesy Lancaster County Department of Corrections/Travis Holm
On Jan. 14, a man drove a skid loader into several vehicles — including a police cruiser — near 70th Street and Nebraska Parkway, according to police.
The rampage was captured on videos sent to Channel 8.
Police said the driver, Samuel Peyrot, also hit two nearby businesses.
In total, police estimated that he caused $114,000 in damage.
In October, Peyrot was found not guilty of seven felony charges by reason of insanity only.
Athletic Director Trev Alberts abruptly leaves Nebraska
The Houston Chronicle reported on the morning of March 13 that Athletic Director Trev Alberts was leaving Nebraska for Texas A&M.
Fans spent the day in a frenzy of speculation on whether the news was true.
But within hours, it became official. The university announced that Alberts was resigning.
He said the timing of the resignation, which came while both basketball teams were in the postseason, was not “not ideal.”
The news shocked Husker fans, who viewed Alberts — a former NU football player and ex-A.D. of the University of Nebraska at Omaha — as a favorite son.
A week later, interim University of Nebraska President Chris Kabourek hired Troy Dannen, the athletic director at Washington, to replace Alberts.
Nebraska men make first March Madness in 10 years
Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Keisei Tominaga vs. Texas A&M.
Just four days after Alberts’ departure, the Nebraska men’s basketball team was selected for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014.
And their opponent would be Alberts’ new employer, Texas A&M.
But when game day came on March 22, there was a streak that the Huskers couldn’t break.
Nebraska lost 98-83 to continue its all-time winless record in the NCAA Tournament.
Ceresco Police officer dies in line of duty
Officer Ross Bartlett
On April 12, Ceresco Police Officer Ross Bartlett was killed in a crash during a traffic stop in northern Lancaster County.
The next day, a mile-long procession brought his body to Lincoln, where people lined the streets to pay their respects.
A similar scene played out later that week during Bartlett’s funeral procession.
His service at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church was filled with first responders and included a 21-gun salute.
In October, the man accused of causing the deadly crash, Tony Pierce, was charged with felony motor vehicle homicide. Investigators think he was using his phone.
Pierce is due back in court Jan. 22.
Tornadoes hit Nebraska’s metro areas
Numerous tornadoes touched down in Nebraska on April 26, which is celebrated as Arbor Day in the Cornhusker State.
The outbreak was notable for the fact that tornadoes were on the ground in each of the state’s two largest cities.
One twister started in northeast Lincoln, then traveled to the Waverly area, wiping out an industrial building in its path. Three workers there were injured.
The moment that tornado touched down was aired live on Channel 8 via the tower camera as Chief Meteorologist Rusty Dawkins provided coverage.
The video of his reaction made “World News Tonight.”
Another tornado tore through west Omaha and Bennington, damaging or destroying hundreds of homes. There were no deaths or serious injuries.
A tornado also touched down at Eppley Airfield before quickly moving into Iowa.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of photos and videos of the twisters were posted on the NOW Local News App.
Woman declared dead is found alive at funeral home
Butherus Maser & Love Funeral Home
McKenzie Johnson, Channel 8
Lincoln was in the national news again on June 3, when a mortician realized that the woman he was about to embalm was still breathing.
Constance Glantz, 74, was pronounced dead that morning at The Mulberry at Waverly nursing home.
A doctor signed her death certificate, and she was taken to Butherus, Maser & Love Funeral Home, where staff discovered that she was alive.
A staff member began performing CPR, and Lincoln Fire & Rescue took her to a hospital.
The news was reported by The Guardian, the Hindustan Times and other global outlets.
Officials said the funeral home did everything right.
But the nursing home was put on probation for nor following its death declaration protocol.
The Department of Health and Human Services said the nurse who pronounced Glantz dead did not check her blood pressure and did not have a second nurse confirm that she was dead.
NU regents vote to allow alcohol at Memorial Stadium
Memorial Stadium before the Louisiana Tech game in 2023.
On Oct. 4, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents voted 7-1 to allow the sale and consumption of alcohol at Husker football and volleyball games.
It was something many fans had been requesting for years and that other fans have been warning against.
Nebraska was the only Big Ten school that didn’t serve alcohol at its football stadium.
Alcohol sales at Memorial Stadium and the Bob Devaney Sports Center will start in the fall of 2025.
You can already drink at every other Husker sporting event.
Huskers break bowl game drought, have winning season
Nate Johnson, Channel 8
Nebraska football defeated Wisconsin on Nov. 23 to clinch its first bowl game in eight years.
That bowl game drought was the longest of any Power 4 team.
On Dec. 28, Nebraska played Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl.
The Huskers won 20-15 to finish the season 7-6, the team’s first winning record since 2016.
