Hastings, NE is a city in the southern part of Nebraska, two and a half hours away from Omaha. It has a population of around 25,000 and is famous for the invention of Kool-Aid in 1927.

Here are a few things that are illegal in Hastings:

• Posting up anything on public property, such as posters and fliers on light poles, so good luck if you have a garage sale or missing pet.
• Blowing grass clippings into the street, or disposing of them down a storm drain or on an abandoned lot.
• Leaving political signs up more than 48 hours after the election.
• Spitting on the sidewalk.

These are rather odd, to be sure, and worth giving a side-eye. Here’s something, however, that isn’t illegal in Hastings:

• It is illegal for couples to sleep together nude or have intercourse without wearing a nightshirt. As such, all hotels in Hastings are required to provide guests with a clean, white, cotton nightshirt.

Now, why might I write about something that is both not true and hyper-specific? Because if you are writing about odd laws in Nebraska, or are even just looking them up for fun, this little lie will appear on every website on the subject. And to my disappointment, it is definitely a lie. I have spent months looking through Hastings’ city ordinances, looking through Nebraska law sites, even writing to the Hastings’ city council. I was honestly contemplating driving down to Hastings’ just to rent a hotel room and see if anything came of it, but I couldn’t justify it to my wallet to rent a room only a few hours away from my own house.

I have no idea how this story got started, but it is pervasive. I even found it mentioned on an LSTAT prep website, and yet it is not a real law. And, again, I wish it was, as that would have made for an amazing article right there.

But what this does highlight is that it is important to double-check everything you find online. Despite what might show up on Google, not everything that is shown on there is an honest fact, and if you can’t find a primary source, you might not want to trust it.