There’s a variety of new wrinkles in the first debate-debate of 2022, including a Covid-19 turn of events.

As News Channel Nebraska first told you, statehouse hopeful Theresa Thibodeau accused the two top GOP candidates for governor—Charles Herbster and Jim Pillen—of blowing up a 1-hour TV debate in March.

And that part appears true.

At the same time though, Thibodeau said the debate—a KMTV/Omaha World-Herald joint venture—was put on ice because she was told by KM that Herbster and Pillen both said they wouldn’t debate if they were not provided the questions ahead of time.

Yea…not so much, at least according to KM News Director Geoffrey Roth.

Roth tells NCN no one asked for the questions ahead of time.

Thibodeau's campaign says Dave Roberts—who worked for KMTV quite a while ago and now works indirectly for the Thibodeau campaign— told Thibodeau's folks that Roth told him Pillen and Herbster wanted the questions prior to the debate.

In any event why does KM say the debate is off?

Well, Roth says Herbster who was informed of the planned time and date (March 21, 6 p.m.) in late December, eventually had a problem with that time and date while Pillen’s campaign was told about the debate but simply, “Never got back” to KM.

But we’ve also learned this: KM has a strict Covid-19 rule, you can’t debate if you’re not vaccinated (2-shots, no booster needed) and Roth says the rule was part of the proposal sent to both Herbster and Pillen late last year.

As NCN first reported Herbster is not vaccinated—he told me he wasn’t in May, 2021 and his campaign says that’s still the case today.

Pillen’s campaign tells me, “Jim Pillen’s personal medical decisions are none of your business.”

Just to be clear, KM says the debate is officially cancelled.