The US team has numerous training events and practices scheduled between now and August. This is in preparation for the Americas Zone World Championship Qualifier in Bogotá, Colombia. In Bogotá the US must finish as one of the top four teams to secure a spot in the 2014 World Championships in South Korea. Head Coach for the US Paralympics team is Ron Lykins who also coaches the University of Missouri wheel chair basketball team. Lykins job will become increasing difficult as he will have to trim the roster from 20 to 12 by July 1.

Coach Ron Lykins is in his first year coaching the men’s U.S. team, but has coached in three different women’s Paralympics. (Photo courtesy KVNO News)

“We have a lot to work with here,” Lykins said. “(We are) really happy with the type of players that we have and the quantity of the players that we had to choose from. Right now, the key thing is just trying to get them to play the way we want to but this weekend being our first time together here; we’ve made a lot of positive strides already,” he said. “We have a lot more to do, but now that we’ve been together I’ve been really happy with what we’ve been able to do so far,” Lykins said.

Lykins said wheelchair basketball players are doing things no one else thought was possible. Tilting on two wheels as they go up for a shot or a rebound, ball handling, utilizing skill shooting and the ability to stop on a dime and change direction.

“I think what you are seeing is ability out here,” Lykins said. “All the wheelchair is when these guys are playing is a piece of athletic equipment,” he said. “I think people, if they’ve never seen the game, they are thinking ‘okay they are in hospital chairs’, ‘it’s going to be this really slow paced game’, ‘guys can’t do much’, (but) you see guys (getting) knocked down, hop back up while they are strapped into their chair it kind of opens your eyes,” he said. “You see that the chair doesn’t do anything to prevent them from playing. It’s just another extension of them and they’ve learned how to use that to make them the best player the can be,” Lykins said.

Lykins, has coached the U.S. women’s team in the last three Paralympics (2004, 2008 and 2012). But this will be his first year coaching the men and Lykins said his coaching staff is working hard with the players to implement his game plan for Bogotá.

Matt Scott was on the 2007 US team that won the gold medal at the Pan-American games (Photo courtesy KVNO News)

Paul Schulte a three time Paralympian, knows the importance of training in the weeks before a qualifier. He said every practice is important to gelling together as a squad. Schulte also said he was impressed with the facilities the University of Nebraska Omaha had to offer and with Omaha in general.

“This is lovely, this is lovely,” Schulte said. “(I) haven’t been here before, but the facilities and the people are awesome and it’s just a great opportunity for us to get together, great centralized location for us to come and train real hard, hit it in preparation for qualifier,” Schulte said.

Schulte said he is surrounded by competitors on the team and that is something that helps him fight to get better every practice.

“We get together and we play hard,” Schulte said. “It’s neat to meet so many guys that kind of chose to reject feelings of self-pity, reject feelings of being concerned about the future and to really stick their neck out the and go for something and be fantastic,” Schulte said. “Now, when we get together we don’t talk about that kind of stuff. All we want to talk about is ball, and ‘who won?’ and how to do better,” he said. “But I think something that is very universal is how we kind of put the past behind us, focus on what we have and what can control and then choose a very tall mountain to climb and do it together,” Schulte said.

Another player Matt Scott agrees the preparation is a key time for a team to take shape and apply strategies through repetition.

“We get new faces, some new blood, and some young talent. And right now I’d say we are just getting comfortable with each other, so right now I’d say that’s the biggest challenge”, Scott said.

Scott is the wily veteran, as he plays professionally overseas for Galatasaray in Istanbul. Scott once scored 46 points in a game while playing in Turkey and he boasts both NIKE and Ralph Lauren sponsorships. But Scott wasn’t one to mince words about what he was looking for.

“We just won a bronze medal in the 2012 Paralympics, so we are very, very proud of that,” Scott said. “But we are trying to build off of that. The bronze medal is pretty, but our goals are a lot higher than that. So we want to pull gold,” Scott said.

Crowds poured into the stadium Friday morning in hopes of snagging a couple of autographs and perhaps even a fly ball from their favorite team.

Lee Malone, his wife Jennifer and their three children Jeffrey, Sarah and Jacob drove 11-hours from Louisville, Ky., to support their hometown Cardinals.

“I graduated from the University of Louisville so we’ve been Cards for life,” Lee said.

The family decided to attend their first College World Series following the Louisville and Vanderbilt game.  They plan to tour the city before heading back to Kentucky.

“They want to go to the Children’s Museum and the Old Market,” Jennifer said.  “We have heard about a few things that sound interesting.”

For many in attendance, the College World Series in Omaha is a cherished family tradition that they look forward to every year.

“When we first started coming it was lightly attended and they used to let us run onto the field after the championship game was finished,” said Omaha native, Lou Domenge.  “To us it’s the biggest week of the year when the World Series comes here.”

Jessica Nielsen has brought her children and others from their neighborhood to the Omaha Fan Fest the past three years. She said the family friendly event is a lot of fun for everyone.

“I think it’s a great attraction for Omaha,” Nielsen said. “It showcases our city well and it’s a great event for families.”

Cameron Gordon,11, loves playing baseball. He hopes to receive a baseball scholarship and play in the big leagues.

“I like playing baseball and I want to get to this stage in my life and play in the College World Series in front of my hometown,” Gordon said.

The College World Series and Omaha Fan Fest will wrap up with the Championship Game on either June 25th or, if necessary, the 26th.

For a theatre company known for their mainstage classics like The Christmas Carol, Fiddler on the Roof, and Hairspray, director Susie Baer Collins says there are few shows as iconic as The Wizard of Oz.

“This is the 1987 version of the Royal Shakespeare Company stage production of The Wizard of Oz,” Collins said, “which was the first stage production to get all the rights to all the MGM music and the text of the actual film. So there are word for word moment in the show that the audience could recite along with the actors.”

The key to the Omaha Playhouse production Collins says, is meeting audience’s expectations that include their fond memories of the MGM film, while still putting the Playhouse stamp upon it. They accomplish this with the personal touches that actors place on their characters along with the ingenious designs of the set, lights, sound, and costumes and video projections by Delinea Design.

“We are video projecting this magical element that becomes the great and powerful Wizard of Oz. There are other projected moments but the biggest one for us is the tornado itself.”

Collins assured KVNO that the tornado sequence will surely be one to remember.

This past weekend, though took an unexpected turn of events when actor Noah Diaz, who plays the Scarecrow, landed awkwardly during a choreographed scene and injured his hip. In taking full precautions for Noah, the Playhouse had to cancel the second act of Saturday’s performance. After a quick visit to the doctor, Diaz was back dancing around for the Sunday matinee but Collins wanted to assure those patrons who missed out on Saturday that they haven’t forgotten them and are exploring options to come see the show again.

“We’re even looking now where we might add another performance just to accommodate the people who have only seen Act One of The Wizard of Oz and see if they’d like to come back and see the whole show all the way through or maybe just give them some timing so that they are here at intermission and can go into the second Act. But we hope to make amends to everyone who was sent away without getting back to Kansas.”

            The Wizard of Oz runs through June 30th on the Hawks Mainstage of the Omaha Community Playhouse. For tickets, call (402) 533-0800 or visit omahaplayhouse.org or ticketomaha.org

Update: The Omaha Playhouse confirmed that the added performance will be Tuesday June 25th at 7:30pm

The Hoosiers have collected an overall record of 48-14, the best in Indiana history, on their way to the College World Series in Omaha. But it wasn’t a season without trials, according to Head Coach Tracy Smith. Indiana had an 18 game winning streak heading into a series with Michigan State, where they dropped three games in a row – all three on walk-off hits, baseball’s equivalent to a buzzer beating shot.

“We didn’t rant and rave,” Smith said. “The guys didn’t panic, we just collectively at the end said ‘Hey I trust you, you guys should do your jobs, and not make more out of it than it is.’ We didn’t play that poorly, let’s just keep being who we are and fortunately things worked out for us.”

Indiana led the B1G in BA (.306) and team ERA (2.67) (photo courtesy wiki commons)

Smith says his team fought hard following the Spartan series, going on another nine game tear and winning its last five series to close out regular season play. Smith says true freshman pitcher, Will Coursen-Carr has certainly earned his scholarship this postseason. It was Coursen-Carr, who was on the mound for clinching victories in the Big Ten Tournament, NCAA Regional and Super Regional this past weekend against Florida State.

“To have the baseball in his hands at the end of the season, in those championship pressure packed situations, we felt very, very comfortable with it,” he said. “Glad we had him rested and ready to go because I don’t know if there were more important situations then when he had the ball in his hands,” Smith said.

Smith said having a team that led the Big Ten in total team ERA and batting average makes for good balance. He also said giving players a sense of ownership over the program has allowed his team to flourish.

“I think we are so far beyond that, because I think to be a good baseball team and for guys to buy in – you have to empower your players,” Smith said. You have to let them know that you trust them. I think as my team has grown, I’ve also grown as a coach. I always try to motivate how I like to be motivated. I don’t like somebody sitting over the top of me all the time telling me what I need to do. ‘Yea you trust me to do the job, now let me do the job.’ So I have tried to instill that into our team, but I’ve made it very clear to our team that guys, we are going to be as good as you want to be because this is your baseball team. I think they’ve embraced that,” Smith said.

Indiana faces off against Louisville Saturday at TD Ameritrade Park at 7pm. Louisville is a team Indiana squared off with twice in the regular season. The Hoosiers took the first game 2-0 before dropping the second meeting 6-2 in March. Smith calls his short time in Omaha thus far a blessing and a treat. He hopes to surprise fans as the first Big Ten competitor in the CWS in 29 years.

Gary Susser(L) helped expose an unlicensed doctor on the CBS show, “60 Minutes.” He is pictured with Dr. David Crouse, president of the Nebraska Coalition of Lifesaving Cures. Photo by KVNO News.

Stem cell tourism was the topic of a luncheon hosted by the Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures June 11 at the Thompson Alumni Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska Omaha.

Dr. David Crouse, president of the coalition, and Gary Susser, an advocate for responsible stem cell research, partnered to relate the dangers of medical tourism.

Susser, his wife Judy and their son Adam, who has cerebral palsy, was the spotlight of a “60 Minutes” investigation on that very issue.

There are anywhere from 60,000 to 750,000 medical tourists annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unfortunately, unlicensed doctors promising cures will scam many out of thousands of dollars.

“Medical tourism preys on the hopes, fears and wants of parents and families who have children or others who are stricken with what may be thought of as incurable ailments or diseases,” Susser said.

Last year, Susser and his family helped expose Dan Ecklund and his facility, Tech Labs of Ecuador.

Ecklund arranged plans to administer four stem cell transplants, which each costs $5,000, to the then eleven-year-old Adam. It turned out that Ecklund’s license had been revoked and the stem cells he had shipped to the United States were dead.

“They’re nothing but snake oil salesmen telling you as we were told that if we did purchase these stem cells over the internet and we paid the doctor cash to administer them that there’s a 75 percent chance that our son’s cerebral palsy could be cured,” Susser said.

Crouse said people should be wary of overseas clinics promising miraculous results.

“My recommendation to individuals is that they go someplace that they feel comfortable asking those questions,” Crouse said. “ Often that will be a university medical center.”

Crouse will be speaking about the irresponsible use of stem cells for profit during the Omaha Science Café at the Slowdown tonight at 7 p.m.

Stothert, who defeated Jim Suttle, was joined by family, friends and supporters to celebrate the beginning of her four-year term.

“Thank you all for believing in me,” Stothert said. “I am grateful and I will work every day to earn your continued trust and your confidence.”

Stothert expressed optimism about Omaha’s future and stressed a “for the people, by the people” agenda. She vowed to stick to her principles by being transparent, listening to the people she represents, respecting differences in opinions and having high standards.

“The people of Omaha have a spirit of progress and we will rely on each other and we will work together to make positive changes,” she said.  “This attitude will endure and our city will improve because of it.”

She was met with a round of applause when she acknowledged sentiments on her historical achievement.

“I am honored beyond words to serve as the first woman mayor of Omaha and I am determined to serve in a way that can provide any individual regardless of their race, gender, their color or their creed the confidence to pursue their goals,” Stothert said.

Governor Dave Heineman emphasized how important Omaha and the metro area are to the state and encouraged Stothert to make a difference for the citizens of Omaha.

“We need and we expect the Omaha metropolitan area to be a leader for economic growth,” he said. “You have in the past, and I am confident that you will do even better in the future.”

Gov. Heineman said he wants to strengthen and enhance the partnership between Omaha and Nebraska in the areas of job growth, crime reduction and education.

“We want to work with you to find common ground and common sense solutions that are mutually beneficial to both of us,” Heineman said.

One Nebraska rancher who has been affected directly from the ongoing drought in western Nebraska is Deborah Cox co-owner of the Cox Cattle Company, 27 miles northwest of Mullen in Cherry County. Cox says she has been forced to make cuts to nearly all facets of her business.

“We’ve had to downsize on our cattle numbers by quite a bit,” says Cox. “Our hay production has dropped considerably,” she said.

Cox says the drought has forced ranchers to import open range feed from Canada to meet increasing demands for hay. Bryce Anderson, senior ag meteorologist at Telvent DTN agrees with Cox’s sentiments. Anderson said he noticed a rise in exported feed from Nebraska to ranchers in Oklahoma and Texas during a farm show in 2011. Anderson noted a conversation he said with a Kansas farmer that day.

Only 7.48 percent of Nebraska currently sits in an exceptional drought. That’s the worst category according to the US Drought Monitor, down from 26% three months ago. (Photo Courtesy Wiki Commons)

“He said ‘You know I’m really worried, when I see all this feed being hauled out and going from (Nebraska) south.’ Because he said ‘…if it turns dry next year, what are we going to do (up) north?’ He said ‘we are going to have to go to North Dakota and Canada to get our hay.’ And that is exactly what happened,” Anderson said.

“The hay supplies moved south two years ago,” Anderson said. “And now the drought has moved north and it has caught everybody,’ he said.

Running a ranch in the Sandhills, Cox said, isn’t the same as in different parts of the Great Plains.

“The severity (of) our land, we’ve had to be very careful to what we do on our property itself,” Cox said. “Because of the fragile hills out here, you cannot run things on there without ruining (the land) for years down the road. It’s not just a one or two year drought. It (also) affects us in the long run,” Cox said.

Cox says there is a delicate balance of keeping good grazing practices even when weather conditions are normal. But after selling a large portion of her herd, Cox remains optimistic. Optimistic but cautious.

“We’ve visited with my father in law also,” Cox said. “They said in their lifetime they have never seen a drought this severe. (So) we are not out of the water on this one,” Cox said.

Navigator Leslie Priebe decided to use her nursing background to help others. This is her first year working with the program. Photo Courtesy of KVNO News

Renee Johnson was diagnosed with B5IS stage zero breast cancer April 10. The 44-year-old therapist immediately leaned on her mother, a breast cancer survivor, and her husband for support, but found she needed more help when it came to understanding her ordeal.

“You hear cancer and everything just kind of slows down. It was terribly frightening and you don’t know what you’re dealing with,” she said.

Johnson decided to call the Community Breast Health Navigator and Cancer Support Program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The program, which is in its third year, trains volunteers to help breast cancer patients choose the best treatment options.

Dr. Edibaldo Silva, surgical oncologist/co-founder of the program, said navigators are trained for 20 weeks about the most recent medical advancements in breast cancer.

“The navigators are not only a second set of ears but an educated second set of ears that can really help the patient not only make the right decision, but the right decision for her,” he said.

Johnson said her navigator, Leslie Priebe, was more than just someone to bounce ideas off of.

“She cares and you can tell that she cares and is willing to help in any way that she can, which is huge when you’re going through something like this,” Johnson said.

Priebe, a former nurse at Immanuel Medical Center, says watching patients go home confused after a doctor’s visit motivated her to volunteer her time as a navigator.

“As soon as you get assigned a patient and start to hear their story you’re automatically invested in their life and just want to help them in any way that you can,” Priebe said. “She [Renee] has been able to help me because she’s the one that’s gone through the experience and been able to come back and tell me how it went with her. Hopefully I can use everything she’s taught me to help somebody in the future.”

Susan G. Komen Nebraska recently granted $66,717 to recruit and train more navigators through UNMC. Karen Daneu, executive director, says the program is great for breast cancer patients as they go through treatment.

“They really empower the women so that they can advocate for their own best breast health and make sure that they are knowledgeable about the latest and greatest choices that are available in breast cancer treatment,” Daneu said.

The Community Breast Health Navigator and Cancer Support Program is open to women living in the Omaha-Council Bluffs area. Services are free of charge.

For more information about the program, log on to www.nebraskabreasthealthnavigator.com.

This year, the governor came in on the last day and thanked lawmakers for what he said was a good session. Their work on the state budget was one thing he singled out:

“ We agreed on the most important funding issues including a tuition freeze for the University of Nebraska and our state colleges,” said Heineman. “Increased funding for K-12 education, special education and early childhood education, funding for a new central Nebraska veterans home and rebuilding the cash reserve,” said Heineman.

At the same time, Heineman pointed to an area where he disagreed with many senators:

“I want to personally thank the many senators who questioned the affordability and sustainability of expanding Medicaid,” said Heineman. “Thereby protecting middle class families from a tax increase or reductions in the funding for their children’s education,” said Heineman.

The governor’s comments came one day after advocates of expanding Medicaid vowed to renew their efforts next year.
Heineman also touched on another issue likely to dominate next year:

“In 2014 we will have the opportunity to take a giant step forward regarding tax relief and tax reform. The focus should be about lower taxes and more job creation, not higher taxes and more government spending,” said Heineman.

This year, Heineman proposed abolishing income taxes by ending sales tax exemptions. The Legislature killed the plan following heavy opposition from farm and business groups. That plan by the governor was supposed to be “revenue neutral” – not collecting any more or less in taxes overall.

Sen. Galen Hadley of Kearney, chairman of the Revenue committee, has said the goal of the tax study he will lead is equity. Asked about Heineman’s recent statements about lowering taxes, Hadley said after the governor’s speech the two goals are not incompatible:

“I think one can lead to the other,” said Hadley. “Really when you talk about taxes you talk about the base times the rate. And we’re going to be spending a lot of time talking about the base – what should we be taxing? And then we can apply whatever rate we want to that base, and we can get what we need,” said Hadley.

Overall, it was a difficult session, Speaker of the Legislature Greg Adams said. But he credited lawmakers with tackling the tough issues:

We didn’t shy away from them. We debated them,” said Adams. “At times we were emotional; at times it became very divisive. But you know what? That’s what deliberative bodies in a representative democracy do. It’s not meant to be easy. It’s going to be difficult. But we didn’t back away,” said Adams.

Adams said senators were exhausted. He urged his colleagues to take a break, and then “get right back at it.” Legislators will study issues including taxes, education, Medicaid and water for the rest of the year, and then reconvene to consider all those and more next January.

Fischer met with the Senate Armed Services Committee on Monday of this week to discuss pending legislation concerning sexual assault in the military. She believes the bill, which requires a more rigorous screening and certification process, will add a heightened level of accountability and scrutiny to the position.

“We must ensure that those charged with keeping our men and women in uniform safe within their own ranks are of the highest caliber,” Fischer said. “The bill introduced by myself and Sen. Shaheen does advance that goal.”

During Tuesday’s conference call, Fisher also noted that the senate plans to vote on the farm bill beginning Thursday morning.  While Fisher said that she is generally pleased by the provisions in the bill to maintain and strengthen the crop insurance program, she is concerned about spending for nutrition programs that currently are included in the proposal.

“Out of the $760 billion that is slated to be spent in the next 10 years, only $4 billion is being cut by this Senate bill,” Fischer said. “I believe this proposal misses some key opportunities in additional savings in the nutrition titles by not eliminating loop holes or duplicative programs.”

Fischer said she plans to look for additional opportunities to support good agricultural policy that’s also cost effective.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues on efforts to improve the bill on our agriculture industry, which is the No. 1 industry in the state of Nebraska.”

The current policy on student loan debt will also be considered by the full senate on Thursday. Congress has until July 1 to decide if interest rates on subsidized Stafford Loans will increase to 6.8 percent.

“As many college graduates face an uncertain future in a difficult job market upon acquiring their degrees, Congress does have the opportunity to help ease some of their worries with respect to student loan debt,” she said.

Fischer said she does not agree with the Democrats proposal to temporarily extend the current rate of 3.4 percent for two years and offset the $8.3 billion cost of the extension with permanent tax hikes.

She does support an alternative proposal authored by her fellow Republican senators that would base the student loan interest rates off investment market rates.