Robotic surgery system gets approval
It’s been a big past 12 months for the Lincoln-based company, Virtual Incision.
After 20 years of development, the creator of a surgical robot that recently was shot into space and used to perform a successful remote surgery on the International Space Station received the go-ahead to use its surgical robot commercially.
The company announced Monday that it has received marketing authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for its robot-assisted surgical device to be used in colon resection surgeries.
“It’s a big milestone for the company,” said Shane Farritor, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, who is one of the company’s co-founders.
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Wiping student loan debt
Hundreds of Nebraskans have started receiving an email from President Joe Biden announcing their student loan debt has been wiped out under a new income-driven repayment plan that launched last year.
About 750 borrowers in Nebraska have had a total of $5.3 million in student loan debt canceled through the program, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
The latest relief program allows for borrowers with less than $12,000 in debt to have their loans canceled after 10 years of payments.
Any borrower enrolled in the plan can have their debt forgiven after 20 or 25 years, depending on the type of loan, regardless of the amount.
Prairie Wolves make NCAA Division III Tournament
The Nebraska Wesleyan men’s basketball team is heading to San Antonio after hearing their name called during Monday’s NCAA Division III Tournament selection show.
The first and second rounds will be hosted on the campuses of the top 16 seeds in the field. The Prairie Wolves will play on the campus of Trinity University.
Wesleyan faces off with Centenary at 5 p.m. on Friday. The winner of that game will play Trinity or Texas-Dallas in the second round on Saturday.
The Prairie Wolves earned their bid after winning a fifth consecutive ARC regular-season title but fell short to Loras in overtime in the conference tournament.
That’s it for Tuesday, Feb. 27. Stay in the know with Lincoln’s longest-standing news source at JournalStar.com and we’ll see you back here tomorrow.
Top Journal Star photos for February 2024
South Sioux City’s Tony Palmer reacts after defeating Elkhorn’s Mason Villwok during the class B 215lb championship matchat the CHI Health Center, on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, in Omaha.
Valentine’s Day quartet members Bob Lundberg (from left), Rick Pape, Jerry Neeman and William Sheldon sing love songs for Zach Millikan while he cuts a customer’s hair at Straight Edge Barber Shop in Lincoln. The singers are members of the Lincoln Continentals, a men’s barbershop chorus that divided into quartets on Wednesday and delivered singing valentines and boxes of chocolates around town.
Waverly’s Drew Moser (left) blows a kiss to the crowd as he celebrates pinning Beatrice’s Merrick Johnson (right) during the class B 175lb championship matchat the CHI Health Center, on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, in Omaha.
Gov. Jim Pillen (at podium) is joined by state senators as he announces the state will participate in the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer Program after previously saying Nebraska wouldn’t take part during a press conference in the Warner Chamber at the Capitol.
Lincoln Pius X assistant coach JJ Clark (left) celebrates after Joe Andreasen won his Class A 175-pound championship match at the state wrestling tournament Saturday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
North Platte’s Tyler Haneborg, right, reacts after losing to Omaha Bryan’s Abdirahman Unle during the Class A 113-pound championship match at the state wrestling tournament on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Lincoln High School SRO Ofc. Nolan Hauser stands in the hallway during a passing period to direct hallway traffic at Lincoln High School, on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024.
Scottsbluff’s Chance Houser hugs his aunt Heather Cranmore (first left) and mother Chrissy Houser (right) while fans cheer him on after he defeated Lincoln Christian’s Luke Farmen during the class B 126lb championship match at the CHI Health Center, on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, in Omaha.
A bicyclist passes underneath the P street bridge that runs over the Billy Wolff Trail as Lincolnites take advantage of a warm afternoon on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in Lincoln
Members of the “What the Cluck” team wear inflatable chicken costumes to participate in the Polar Plunge event at Holmes Lake on Saturday.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln sociology junior Shyionna Thatcher (from left) and nutrition and health sciences junior Madison Marten throw confetti into the air after Nebraska scored its first points against Penn State on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Lincoln Christian’s Luke Farmen (left) wrestles Bennington’s Brayden Kreikemeier during a Class B 126-pound quarterfinal match at the state wrestling tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
A Lincoln Lutheran student exits through aside door before the start of school at Lincoln Lutheran, on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, in Lincoln. Students who are in the Acts of Random Kindness club made paper flowers to hand out to other students for Valentine’s Day.
Students in the Acts of Random Kindness club work on making paper flowers to hand out before the start of school at Lincoln Lutheran, on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, in Lincoln. Students who are in the Acts of Random Kindness club made paper flowers to hand out to other students for Valentine’s Day.
Bishop Neumann’s Connor Schutt (52) dunks during the game against Ashland-Greenwood on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, at Bishop Neumann.
Ignacia Hernandez, 90 (left), kisses her husband Chris, 95,while they are reflected in a mirror that hangs over photos from their time together at their home in south Lincoln, on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. The couple is celebrating their celebrating their 75 years of marriage this February.
Stacy Griffin creates a Valentine’s Day floral arrangement in her store Petal Creations on Tuesday. Griffin said she tells customers that “get-out-of-trouble flowers always cost more than the stay-out-of-trouble flowers.”
Lincoln East senior Cassidy Bell helped write a bill, introduced by Lincoln Sen. Danielle Conrad this legislative session, that would require all schools to provide free menstrual products in their restrooms.
Nebraska’s Natalie Potts (22) and Nebraska’s Kendall Moriarty (15) chase after a loose ball during the second half of the game against Iowa on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Nebraska’s Kendall Coley, center, cries while celebrating with her team after winning over Iowa on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska won 82-79.
Nebraska’s Sam Hoiberg (1) is fouled by Michigan’s Will Tschetter (42) during the second half of the game on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Nebraska’s Peyton Robb waits for a challenge call to be reviewed at the end of his 157-pound match against Michigan on Friday at the Devaney Sports Center.
Carsen McBride, 12, practices pitching with his dad as the sunsets on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024 at Lewis Fields.
Meadow Lane Elementary fifth graders Ava Schilousky (from left), Dani Thompson and Aurora Cordova react as their Dash robot knocks over the final bowling pin in their test course at Meadow Lane Elementary School.
Adelyn Baxter, 3, watches videos on a phone while her mother, Rachel Baxter, sets up a display for the 52nd annual Nebraska Builders Home & Garden Show at the Sandhills Global Event Center on Thursday. The show features ideas for landscaping, decorating, remodeling and building a new home. It runs 1-9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Adult admission is $10 or $8 with a non-perishable food item for the Lincoln Food Bank.
Members of Ferocious Jungle Cat, Myles Jasnowaki (from left), Ian Fleming, Will Harman, Jack Rodenburg and Mike Masin, perform during the first night of the Lincoln Exposed music festival at the Zoo Bar.
Jaci Bunting, 12, smiles as her mom Sara helps hold her volleyball jersey for Nebraska’s Lexi Rodriguez to sign during a National Girls and Women in Sports Day event on Wednesday at Hawks Championship Center.
Belmont Community Scholar Jaleah Loudermilk (right) leads her fellow scholars in raising their fists as they finish a rewritten speech from the book “Justice is …” during the African American Read-In held at the LPS District Office on Wednesday.
Customers are reflected by a refrigerator door held open by Nash Leef, a farmer at the Salt Creek Farmers’ Cooperative, as he looks for groceries during the opening of Open Harvest Co-op Grocery on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024.
Walkers are obscured by a thick fog on a path on top of the dam at Holmes Lake on Monday. Dense fog enveloped most of Lincoln Monday morning but later cleared up, bringing sun and temperatures in the upper 40s Monday afternoon. It will be even warmer the rest of the week, with forecast highs in the 50s Tuesday and Friday and the 60s Wednesday and Thursday, although those days will also bring high winds and a chance of rain. Temperatures are forecast to fall back into the 40s for the weekend, and there is a slight chance of some light snow.
Lincoln East senior Hannah Tang has been selected to represent Nebraska at the 62nd annual United States Senate Youth Program, Tang poses for a portrait at Lincoln East High School, on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024.
Nebraska’s Antrell Taylor wrestles against Illinois’ Chris Moore during the 165lb match on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Lincoln’s Kai Janviriya celebrates his goal in the final seconds of the second period with Dashel Oliver (24), Jared Mangan (center) and Jack Pechar (21) against Omaha on Saturday at the Ice Box.
Nebraska’s Alexis Markowski (40) tips a rebound out of the grasp of Rutgers’ Mya Petticord (3) and Chyna Cornwell (54) during the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena, on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024.
the Lincoln Police Department and Lincoln Fire and Rescue respond to a crash at 52nd and O St., on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024.
Lincoln Pius X’s Sidda Hagedorn (from left), Natalie Prichard (12), Ava Markowski (40), Brynn Sebek (20) and Ellie Wells (52) celebrate after winning the game against Lincoln North Star on Friday at North Star High School.
Lincoln Pius X’s Amudi Musa lifts Raymond Central’s Remington Parham during their 132-pound match Friday at Norris High School.
Bob Brandt sets down Unadilla Billie, the town’s newest taxidermic groundhog, in the middle of the street to see if she casts a shadow outside the town community center during a small gathering in Downtown Unadilla on Friday. Billie did not cast a shadow, which means an early spring. Nationally, live groundhog Punxsutawney Phil also predicted an early spring. People in Lincoln and southeast Nebraska have already been experiencing a very early spring, with temperatures on Friday reaching into the 60s for the third day in a row. The forecast calls for temperatures that are somewhat cooler but still well above average. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high in the low 50s on Saturday, around 50 on Sunday and then 50s and maybe even more 60s next week. There also is a 50% chance of rain on both Saturday and Sunday.
Nebraska fans storm the court after the game against Wisconsin on Thursday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska won 80-72 in overtime.
Aris Bertwell, 4 (left), and Cora West, 3, peer out from viewing holes in a jungle gym tunnel at Primrose Schools located inside the Hudl building.
Nebraska players run on to the court before the game against Purdue on Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.