Omaha

Although the law kept her from adopting her son, a woman involved in a 20-year, same-sex relationship has the right to seek custody and visitation rights for a child born to her now-estranged partner, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled. The Court ruled she has the right to argue she became a parent through her parenting of a boy born to her partner, Susan Schwerdtfeger, in 2001 through IVF. The case marks the first time the state court has provided guidance in the polarizing area of custody and visitation rights of same-sex couples parents.

The “Celebrations” page of the Omaha World-Herald provides a place to celebrate weddings, engagements, and anniversaries. Nearby Iowa, four other states, and DC have legalized same-sex marriages. The paper announced it will publish news of marriages from those jurisdictions. The paper commissioned a poll and with findings that show a majority of Omahans support either same-sex marriages or civil unions.