Experts in media, election security and counterterrorism spoke on ChatGPT, deep fake videos, voice cloning and more at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Saturday for Civic Nebraska’s AI and Democracy Community Summit. The panel included UNL public relations professor Bryan Wang, UNL journalism professor Matt Waite, Douglas County Election Commissioner Brian Kruse and UNO counterterrorism center director, Gina Ligon.

The Nebraska Legislature moved Friday toward restoring its oversight authority for state agencies, and lawmakers heard a proposal to help veterans accused of crimes avoid convictions.

Lincoln Public School students at four high schools had the opportunity to learn more about H-B-C-Us this week. Nebraska Public Media’s Kassidy Arena reports the informational sessions offered some students a first-time look at some of these schools.

A proposal to allow exceptions to Nebraska’s limits on abortion in cases of fatal fetal anomalies produced strong reactions at a public hearing Thursday. And, senators advanced a bill enhancing penalties for people who supply fentanyl-laced drugs that kill or seriously injure another person.

The hub of Lincoln’s bus system may be getting a new temporary location until the completion of a multi-modal transportation center in 2027. Lincoln Transportation and Utilities shared plans at a public open house Wednesday morning for a new transfer center location at 11th and L Streets, two blocks south of its current location next to the Gold’s Building construction site.

The Nebraska Legislature advanced a bill Wednesday aimed at increasing the availability of childcare, and senators debated increasing penalties for providing drugs that result in serious injury or death.

The initiative, called Nebraska Backs the Blue, aims to recruit officers to Nebraska by highlighting the state’s support for law enforcement, recreational opportunities and free college tuition program for law enforcement officials. “Our message today, while very important in Nebraska, is really a message to the rest of America. Nebraska is the best state in the union to work as a law enforcement official,” Flood said.

A former women’s basketball player at the University of Nebraska has filed a lawsuit claiming the school and the team’s head coach were aware of and mishandled an inappropriate sexual relationship between her and a member of the coaching staff.

A robot developed at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is among the first to complete a surgical simulation in space. A research team led by UNL engineering professor Shane Farritor received grant funding from NASA to send the robot to the International Space Station. The 2-pound robot, controlled by surgeons from across the United States, cut ten rubber bands as part of its initial space test.

Raybould’s LB1383 would establish Nebraska Tribal Community Assistance Program. The program would be funded through an initial transfer of $10,000,000 from the Intern Nebraska Cash Fund and provide at least one grant per year — up to $2,000,000 — to tribal water and sewer projects.

Spanish-speaking breast cancer survivors in the state now have a new resource for helping with mental health.

The Nebraska Legislature advanced a bill that aims to help financially struggling hospitals by increasing federal Medicaid reimbursements.

Doulas are trained birthing coaches who help women through pregnancy and childbirth. And if a bill passes through state legislation, this resource could be available to Nebraskans who use Medicaid. Nebraska Public Media’s Kassidy Arena has the story.

The Nebraska Legislature advanced a bill adding Medicaid services for pregnant women, and senators reached a temporary deal with the Pillen administration restoring some legislative oversight of corrections and child welfare.

Two bills that would impact state colleges had hearings in the Nebraska Legislature’s Education Committee today. One would prohibit diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and the other would eliminate tenure at state colleges.

. The Nebraska Legislature considered proposals Tuesday aimed at improving railroad safety and expanding broadband coverage.

A bill that would stop schools from punishing or prohibiting employees engaging in religious expression outside of class went in front of the state legislature’s Education Committee on Monday. State Senator Loren Lippincott said he wants to solidify the protections in state law following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that recognized a football coach’s right to pray after a game.

Gov. Jim Pillen said Nebraska will apply for the summer EBT program, and senators are considering money to prepare sites to attract industrial projects.

Despite the law requiring the government to accommodate interpretation, the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska said that doesn’t always happen in Omaha Immigration Court. A new report by the ACLU said Omaha Immigration Court violates due process in many cases.

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved transitioning out the University of Nebraska at Kearney’s Theatre program along with two other programs at their meeting Friday.

A District Court Judge in Hall County will decide if a 17-year-old should stand trial as an adult for allegedly extorting sex and explicit photos from other teenagers in central Nebraska. Details of the complex, disturbing case came to light during the Wednesday hearing to consider a motion to transfer the case to juvenile court. Seventeen-year-old Cody Holum of Doniphan faces 13 charges of human trafficking and four charges of 1st degree sexual assault. At an earlier hearing, he pled not guilty to all the accusations.

Each of Nebraska’s three continuum of care regions in Omaha, Lincoln and the rest of the state received more than $5 million in federal funds to assist individuals experiencing homelessness. Nebraska Field Office Director Kitty Amaya says this year’s grants are HUD’s largest annual investment nationally and reflect the need for services in smaller cities.

Grocery store owners and managers in Nebraska are excited about the prospects of a bill proposed in the Nebraska Legislature. LB 1116 would create a grant or loan program for locally run grocery stores. A store in west central Nebraska said they could use this money to try and grow its customer base.

Financial issues are plaguing Nebraskans’ ability to access long-term care. Bills in the Nebraska Legislature would increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for assisted living and nursing homes.

The idea of raising sales taxes in order to lower property taxes got a less-than-rousing reception in a hearing before the Legislature’s Revenue Committee Wednesday.

Counties would have to offer to buy properties for their assessed value, under a proposal heard Wednesday by the Legislature’s Revenue Committee. And senators advanced a bill aimed at making dental services available for more Medicaid recipients.

Ricketts joined 49 other senators in opposition to a border security bill and foreign aid bill that had the support of Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and most Senate Democrats. Ricketts explained his opposition in a press call Wednesday.

Newly-released data from higher education researchers shows Nebraska is behind the national average when it comes to community college students transferring to four-year universities and ultimately earning their bachelor’s degrees. Nebraska Public Media’s Kassidy Arena has the details.

A proposed constitutional amendment that would change the makeup of the State Board of Education drew opposition Tuesday at the Legislature’s Education Committee hearing.

Host Intro: Nebraska schools would have more options for armed personnel to confront possible shooters under a bill that drew strong support and opposition at a hearing Tuesday.

A man imprisoned for the past year after being convicted of sexual assault in Merrick County will get a new trial. In a very unusual move, Nebraska’s Attorney General filed a memorandum with the Nebraska Court of Appeals stating testimony that helped put 63-year-old Jack Tourtillott of Chapman in jail should not have been heard by the jury. The attorney recommended the jury’s guilty verdict be reversed. The court did so in January.

There are plenty of elections this year including Nebraska primaries, local elections and a vote for U.S. president. This means people like Dwayne Hawkins—the director for Black Votes Matter Get Out the Vote initiative based in Omaha-- is very busy. Nebraska Public Media’s Kassidy Arena got a coffee with him to talk about what’s on his mind in this new role.

Nebraskans will continue to switch their clocks twice a year, after senators rejected proposals today/Monday to stick with standard time or daylight saving time year-round.

The University of Nebraska announced a new full-ride scholarship starting in the fall for in-state students who receive a perfect score on the ACT. The President’s scholarship will cover all costs to attend the University of Nebraska – including room, board and books — plus a $5,000 stipend.

An effort to require two-person crews on trains crossing Nebraska fell short Friday in the Legislature. And senators heard a proposal to tighten requirements for local governments or businesses that want to condemn land.

State Board of Education members disagreed on a potential rule change that would prohibit sexually explicit content in school libraries at their meeting Friday.

This November, voters will decide the next president. And depending on this outcome, Nebraska refugee resettlement agencies may have to quickly adjust how many new arrivals to prepare for. The refugee outlook for 2024 may be starkly different from 2025.

Aguilar’s Firearm Industry Nondiscrimination Act would prohibit state and local government entities from entering into a contract with a company that has a policy of discriminating against the firearm industry. Steve Hornady, president of Hornady Manufacturing, an ammunition company based in Grand Island, testified at Thursday’s legislative hearing on the bill.

Governor Jim Pillen and the Department of Correctional Services announced Thursday the start of a new strategy to help incarcerated individuals re-enter their community.

Proposals to expand sales taxes to reduce property taxes ran into opposition in a public hearing Thursday. And, opponents of requiring two-people on train crews continued the first legislative filibuster of the year, leading the discussion onto some interesting sidings.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers have released results from an electric vehicle crash test last fall. Cody Stolle, assistant director of UNL’s Midwest Roadside Safety Facility, says the research is important as electric vehicles, which can be much heavier than their gas-powered counterparts, become more common.

Under the current process, voters must sign a notarized affidavit to make that happen. Linehan, who introduced the new legislation, says her bill would only require voters to send a letter to the Secretary of State’s Office to remove their name.

Property tax levies would be automatically reduced if valuations increased, under a proposal heard by the Legislature’s Revenue Committee Wednesday. And senators debated requiring at least two crew members on trains crossing the state.

Douglas County is taking steps to prevent drug overdose related deaths with a new program, The Douglas County Overdose Fatality Review Team(OFR).

The Nebraska Legislature continued debate Tuesday on proposals to have the state observe either yearlong Daylight Saving Time or yearlong Standard Time.

Lincoln has developed a way for the state’s resettled refugees to help fill the workforce. Nebraska Public Media’s Kassidy Arena shares more about a manufacturing course starting this weekend (Sunday).

Lincoln has developed a way for the state’s resettled refugees to help fill the workforce. Nebraska Public Media’s Kassidy Arena shares more about a manufacturing course starting this weekend (Sunday).

More than 49 percent of renting households in and around Kearney and Hastings experience cost burden. Housing cost burden is defined as any household spending more than 30 percent of their income toward rent and utilities.

Carol Blood, a Democrat State Senator from Bellevue, launched her campaign for Congress against Mike Flood Saturday afternoon. At a union hall in Lincoln, Blood criticized Flood for his role in an unproductive, hyper-partisan Congress. Blood promised to protect social security and access to abortion.

The Nebraska Legislature advanced bills Friday calling for partisan elections to public power boards, but then advanced a public health measure on a nonpartisan vote.

Nebraskans would stop having to “spring ahead” and “fall back,” under a bill for year-round daylight savings time being debated in the Legislature.

Earlier this week, the Nebraska State Board of Health voted to approve temporary regulations on gender affirming care for minor, bringing them one step closer to becoming permanent. The regulations included no significant changes to the regulations state Chief Medical Officer Doctor Timothy Tesmer (TEZ-muhr) approved in October. But on Wednesday, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services says it was notified that some comments submitted at a public hearing were not included in the hearing summary.

Host Intro: A fight over who controls more than $100 million intended to revitalize north Omaha spilled onto the floor of the Legislature Wednesday.

The Lincoln Public Schools Board of Education discussed a new contract for teachers that includes changes to professional learning time and an increase in the base annual salary at their meeting on Tuesday.

A law against texting while driving would be bolstered under a proposal heard Tuesday in a legislative committee. And a bill aimed at strengthening protections for freedom of religion is advancing in the Legislature.

Bills for better state contracts and easier occupational licenses are advancing in the Legislature.

In Lincoln and Omaha, hundreds of snowplow drivers have put in long hours over the last two weeks, with each city using a different strategy to keep the streets clear. Clayton Engelman, the transportation maintenance coordinator for the city of Lincoln, says major arterials remain the city’s priority after the snow stops falling. “Once the snow stops, that's usually what we call zero hour,” Engelman said. “And then at that point, we try to get the streets, the main streets, fully cleared before we move on into residentials.”

Host Intro: Governor Jim Pillen wants changes in how Nebraska tries to attract new people and businesses to the state. And the Legislature is moving on to debate bills without making major changes to its rules.

In December, the Nebraska Association of Public Employees was granted a motion of temporary relief, which halted the implementation of Governor Jim Pillen’s executive order requiring workers to return to the office in January. But Justin Hubly, the union’s Executive Director, says he received some complaints from union members that were required to return to in-person work despite the ruling.

Schools across the state are facing challenges with chronic absenteeism in students. One school district is using connections to overcome the issue and get students to school.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen talked about his priorities and drew a mixed reaction, while a bid to change legislative rules and require open elections for committee chairmanships fell short.

Governor Jim Pillen made his State of the State address today (yesterday). But as Nebraska Public Media’s Kassidy Arena reports, his speech was delayed by those concerned about his administration’s decisions.

As NioCorp prepares for its annual shareholders meeting, frustrated investors in Nebraska would like answers following what even the CEO calls a "disappointing" year. The company attracted small investors after it proposed to build a Niobium mine outside of Elk Creek, Nebraska. The project has yet to materialize. The stock languished in 2023 after joining the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. In the past year, the focus of the discussion among NioCorp shareholders shifted from the buzz about the prospects for a mine toward the under-performance of its stock.

The eighty-one year-old community activist and Sunday school teacher compared his campaign for Pete Ricketts’ Senate seat to David going up against Goliath in his opening speech. Love said his priorities as U.S. senator would include stronger gun control, more abortion access, and the creation of a robust farm bill.

.Senators introduced proposals to raise sales tax and eliminate exemptions to lower property taxes, and to tighten restrictions on foreign ownership of ag land.

The Legislature's Urban Affairs Committee advanced a proposal to shift control of north Omaha redevelopment funds, and legislative rules debate continued.

Sunday morning, the temperature in Lincoln fell to -18 degrees, making it the coldest day in the capital city since February 16, 2021. On that day, nearly three years ago, the temperature dipped to 31 below, contributing to rolling blackouts across the region.

Wind chills will dip as low as negative 30 degrees in Lincoln this week. That’s a looming concern for people experiencing homelessness. Nonprofits in Lincoln are encouraging people to seek refuge from the cold. People’s City Mission is opening its doors to everyone this week. Matt Talbot Kitchen and Outreach is open during the day.

CHI Health Center and Creighton University in Omaha set up a phone line to research long COVID across the state. They are also using the phone line to provide further care to those affected with continued symptoms.

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Nebraska Public Media remembers a visit Dr. King made to Lincoln, NE on December 30, 1964. From the stage at Pershing Auditorium, Dr. King spoke at the Methodist Student Movement Conference saying, “I need not pause to say how very delighted and honored I am to be here tonight and to be a part of this very significant conference.” Assigned security for Dr. King was 25 year old Lincoln Police Officer Al Maxey.

Due to the heavy winter storms this past weekend, some community resources have had to shift their plans

It’s been a busy week for Lincoln snowplow driver Brett Bratrsovsky. Lincoln is in its second snow emergency of the week, and Bratrsovsky has already worked multiple 12 hour shifts. He worked 16 hours on Thursday. While the early week storm had warmer temperatures and wetter snow, Friday’s accumulation has been colder and drier, making it easier to plow. But the wind is a problem.

The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled Janet Palmtag's defamation suit against the Nebraska Republican Party can go to trial.

The Nebraska Legislature began debating rules changes Thursday that some argued are necessary, and others criticized as an overreaction.

Sen. Merv Riepe proposed eased abortion restrictions in cases of fatal fetal anomaly, and the Rules Committe endorsed open elections for committee chairs.

The Nebraska Supreme Court is weighing who can legally help an expectant mother with the birth of her child in Nebraska. A pair of cases involving an unlicensed lay midwife triggered an appeal to the high court. District Court judges in Douglas and Madison Counties threw out charges against Judy Jones, an unlicensed lay midwife after she assisted in the birth of two babies in a home birth. The justices heard opposing points of view during oral arguments on Wednesday.

More than $120 million of state funds are heading to Omaha for the creation of a business park site and youth sports complex in the northeast part of the city. Governor Jim Pillen and Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert joined other civic leaders to make the announcement Wednesday. Nearly $90 million will help pay for land acquisitions and infrastructure development near Eppley Airfield, allowing private businesses to begin construction on the site upon completion.

League Builders Supply, a lumberyard and store in Stratton, Nebraska, is set to shut down in the coming weeks after owner Denis League retires. “I'm not going to say Stratton’s going to shrivel up and die, because I'm not here, but I don't think it's going to help anything,” he said. “And I feel bad about that, but there’s a point where you’ve got to take care of yourself and I think I’m there.”

Bills concerning reparations for slavery and abolition of tenure are among proposals to be considered by the Legislature.

Winter Storm Finn blanketed much of eastern Nebraska with snow over the last two days. Lincoln and Omaha each saw around 5 inches of snow Monday and Tuesday, while other parts of the state saw upwards of one foot. A spot near Daykin, a village in Saline County, had the storm’s highest measured snowfall in the state of 14.5 inches, according to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network.

Gov. Jim Pillen endorsed a 40 percent property tax cut Monday but did not offer a specific plan for how to achieve that.

A new resource for Nebraskans working to become U-S citizens is now available in Crete. Nebraska Public Media’s Kassidy Arena reports it was created due to an increased need in the community.

Senators introduced proposals dealing with the death penalty and degree requirements, while preparing for an upcoming debate on how they conduct business.

Local Native American advocates and a fish farm owner settled a series of court disputes against the city of Lincoln on Thursday. Advocates opposed a housing development the city approved back in spring 2022. The Wilderness Crossing Development is planned to be created next to sacred Native American prayer grounds, called the Niskíthe Prayer Camp.

The Nebraska Legislature began its 2024 session Wednesday with a mixture of hope and apprehension about doing the state's business

The U.S. Department of Education is slowly releasing this year's FAFSA form after a two-month delay due to changes from the FAFSA Simplification Act. One student managed to get in and complete his application among technical difficulties.

Nebraska has begun buying land in Colorado for the proposed Perkins County Canal.

On Monday, Nebraska’s minimum wage increased to $12 an hour, making it the 18th highest state minimum wage in the country and one of 25 states increasing its minimum wage this year. In 2022, Nebraska voters passed an initiative raising the minimum wage from $9 an hour up to $15 an hour by 2026, increasing by $1.50 each year. After that, the wage will be adjusted in accordance with cost of living increases.

Santa Claus is about to come to town, but some families in the Lincoln metro area need some extra help. Center for People hosts Toyland, an event for families to fill up their stockings and put presents under the tree free of charge.

At an open house in Ogallala, residents of western Nebraska and Colorado had reactions ranging from enthusiasm to skepticism about plans for the Perkins County Canal.

In 2024, Nebraska state senators will decide what they want to do about fiscal and social issues, but also how they want to govern themselves.

Reporter Jolie Peal talks about first year covering education for Nebraska Public Media.

This holiday season, Nebraska Public Media is reflecting on stories and topics our newsroom has covered over the past year. Nebraska Public Media's Dale Johnson sat down with reporter Elizabeth Rembert to hear about her year covering agriculture and rural communities through our partnership with Harvest Public Media.

This holiday season, Nebraska Public Media is reflecting on stories and topics our newsroom has covered over the past year. Our team is made up of ten reporters, each one with their own beat. A beat is a genre of event-driven journalism where a reporter focuses on a particular issue, sector, organization, or institution over time. For example, typical beats include police, courts, government, business, and schools. Reporter Aaron Bonderson joined Nebraska Public Media in 2021 as an intern and started full-time in 2022. He is a Report for America corps member - the first at Nebraska Public Media. Aaron's job includes giving voice to underserved communities and people around the state. He also has a passion for sports. In 2023, one of the most memorable stories for Bonderson was Volleyball Day in Nebraska. Bonderson sat down with Dale Johnson to reflect.

Seventy-three counties in Nebraska are below the national average ratio of registered nurses to patients. That’s according to a Nebraska Hospital Association report. Nebraska Public Media reports on how the nursing shortage affects seniors in rural parts of the state.

This holiday season, Nebraska Public Media is reflecting on stories and topics our newsroom has covered over the past year. Nebraska Public Media's Dale Johnson sat down with new senior reporter Kassidy Arena to hear about what brought her back to the state and the type of reporting she'd like to focus on.

The Texas Longhorns swept the Nebraska Cornhuskers at the NCAA Volleyball National Championship in Tampa Sunday afternoon. Nebraska and Texas battled back and forth throughout the first set, but the Longhorns eventually pulled away, winning 25-22.

Gov. Jim Pillen's adminstration's consultant is to identify budget savings of 3% this year and 6% next.

Following a dominating victory over Pittsburgh on Thursday, the Nebraska volleyball team has earned a place in the National Championship match. The Huskers will take on Texas on Sunday at 2 p.m. The match will air on ABC. It’s the first college volleyball game broadcast on the network. Nebraska, who is seeking its sixth national title, is the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament after an impressive regular season and postseason run.

A woman in Lincoln is finding ways to grow her business by participating in local classes with ECHO Collective and Doane University.

Communities in western Kansas are trying a new AI tool to help them target economic growth and hopefully fight long-term trends of population loss.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers volleyball squad competes in the national semifinals on Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Panthers. Two more wins would give the Huskers its sixth national championship. Nebraska Public Media television sports producer Brock Lohr is in Tampa, Florida — the site of the Final Four. Nebraska Public Media’s Aaron Bonderson spoke with him about the turnout and excitement from the Nebraska faithful.

Generations of Native Americans have experienced historical trauma, due to centuries of mistreatment. One group of intertribal women are taking the steps to heal through a new creative outlet.

Independent candidate for president Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke to a crowd of several hundred people at Lincoln’s Royal Grove Tuesday night. Kennedy spent much of his speech Tuesday talking about how a small number of investment firms, namely BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street, are taking away wealth from the American middle class.

Nearly seven years ago, Michael Galindo died following a mob attack during a riot at the Tecumseh State Prison. On Tuesday, a Saline County jury found fellow inmate Eric Ramos guilty of taking part in the murder. Shortly after the jury returned to the Saline County District Court Tuesday morning to resume discussions they returned a verdict of guilt to murder in the first degree, carrying a life sentence.

After February's freight train derailment and chemical fire in East Palestine, Ohio, Democrats and Republicans — including Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley — joined to push for the Railway Safety Act of 2023. But the legislation is likely dead, says one industry expert who calls it "a political stunt."

After a month-long trial involving hours of surveillance video and surprise testimony from Ramos himself, attorneys made their final arguments Monday morning. Ramos is charged with killing fellow inmate Michael Galindo during a prison riot at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution in 2017. Prosecuting attorney Corey O’Brien presented the state’s case and said the video evidence of Galindo’s death was enough to charge Ramos with first-degree murder.

Nebraskans in District Two now have a new group to help people in the state learn about policies that affect their cost of living.

State employee union members filled the capitol rotunda on their lunch break Thursday to express concerns with the governor’s order ending remote work next month. Nebraska Association of Public Employees executive director Justin Hubly said the union renewed its demand to bargain with the Pillen administration and has given them until December 12th to respond.

On a given night in 2007, the state’s homeless population was about 35-hundred people. Last year, that total fell to about 22-hundred. Lee Heflebower is the chair of the Nebraska Commission on Housing and Homelessness. She says a new strategy to rehouse people has streamlined the process in Nebraska.

Next year’s FAFSA is delayed due to changes required by the FAFSA Simplification Act. Typically, the application is available on Oct. 1. This year, the U.S. Department of Education announced the form will come out by Dec. 31. At Lexington High School, faculty are trying to help students prepare for the delayed release.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said the first year's results on his effort to reduce property taxes were not not what he hoped for.

No consensus has been reached on how to honor children’s remains if they are found at the Genoa U.S. Indian Industrial School in Central Nebraska. By sifting through old documents in 2021, the Genoa Reconciliation Project estimated that 100 children died at the school. Diseases were the main causes of death. According to Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs executive director, Judi gaiashkibos, the NCIA hosted a call with 40 Native American tribes across the country last Thursday. All of those nations had youth enrolled in the Genoa federal boarding school.

Over 100 billion pounds of food goes to waste every year in America. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm to Food Bank is trying to cut down on that waste by connecting local farmers and food pantries, but its future depends on how much funding is included for the program in the next farm bill.

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents heard concerns from the public about proposed budget cuts and approved the NU interim president at their meeting on Friday. With a $58 million budget shortfall looming, the university system has been searching for ways to cut costs. Current NU President Ted Carter said campuses conducted zero-based budget reviews that were due to his office on Dec. 1. These reviews are intended to look at administrative functions, like information technology and facilities.

For three weeks, jurors in a murder trial in Saline County District Court have been witnesses to a prison riot. Surveillance footage captured during the 2017 uprising at the Tecumseh Correctional Facility plays a central role in determining whether inmate Eric Ramos took part in the murder of a fellow prisoner. Bill Kelly with Nebraska Public Media has been in court for much of the trial. A transcript of his conversation with Morning Edition host Dale Johnson follows.

Expecting mothers during 32 to 36 weeks and adults 60-years-old and older should get the RSV vaccine, according to CHI Health doctors. Dr. Michael Schooff, primary care medical director for CHI Health, said RSV can have a severe impact on infants and older adults. “They can get into a bronchiolitis or a pneumonia. Deeper and more severe infections in the lung can lead to difficulty breathing,” Schooff said. “People might need to go to the ER. Sometimes people need to be hospitalized and have help with breathing during these illnesses. And yes, sometimes it is fatal.”

Summary: Indigenous women from throughout Nebraska and parts of Iowa have been sewing and working on traditional garments for six months—all leading up to a first-of-its-kind fashion show.

Nebraska schools are wrestling with the problem of cellphones distracting students.

Climatologists are predicting a warmer and wetter than average winter this year thanks to El Nino, a climate pattern of warm air over the Pacific Ocean. Eric Hunt with the Nebraska State Climate Office said despite warmer temperatures, Lincoln is likely to receive more snowfall than the previous two winters. “I would basically tell anybody Grand Island and east, and particularly South of the Platte, to prepare for more snow than what we've had in the last couple of years,” Hunt said.

Newly released state assessment scores show Nebraska’s schools improved this past school year. Across the state, 58% of students were proficient in English Language Arts, 61% in math and 70% in science. These numbers are higher than before the pandemic. “Hopefully we can build on this momentum and work with our schools to really address issues of high quality materials that we're seeing have an impact in our classrooms, quality instruction, and really continue to help teachers teach because as everybody truly knows, that's where the magic happens in education,” Nebraska Department of Education Commissioner Brian Maher said.

Two Nebraska educators received a $25,000 surprise this past week. The teachers caught the attention of a national organization because of their teaching methods and love for the job. “I could think of 15 other people before myself that would receive an award in this school because this place is just filled with the best educators in Nebraska,” Leslie McIntosh, one of the recipients, said. “I couldn’t believe it.”

The tradition of harvesting an evergreen for the official Christmas tree of Omaha is almost one-hundred years old. It’s a trek that used to start across the country, but has transitioned to a more local journey.

Supporters of a plan to replace Nebraska's income and property taxes say they're hiring a petition circulation firm to try and get on next year's ballot.

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents is looking for a new president to run the NU system. Chairman Tim Clare discusses the search, his recommendation for interim president and more. Clare said the application for the position is open for candidates. “We are now in a position where we're full steam ahead with trying to get candidates in," Clare said.

Northern Nebraska’s Santee Sioux Reservation is still without safe drinking water after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a no-drink order in 2019. But in recent weeks, some progress has been made. The Santee Sioux tribal council voted to pursue funding for a pipeline bringing clean water from South Dakota in September, but several bureaucratic and financial hurdles need to be cleared before safe drinking water becomes a reality in Santee once more.

Hundreds of high school band, orchestra and choir students from across Nebraska came together last week to perform at All-State in Lincoln. This year, almost 750 students made one of the four groups.

Eric Ramos, the man accused of killing a fellow inmate at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution in 2017, is back in court after his initial 2018 trial ended in a mistrial. Opening statements for Ramos’ second trial began Wednesday afternoon at the Saline County Courthouse in Wilber, Nebraska. The State of Nebraska charged Eric Ramos with first degree murder, use of a weapon and tampering with evidence in the death of Michael Galindo during a 2017 riot at the state prison in Tecumseh.

Homeschool numbers increased all over the country at the start of the pandemic. Studies show many states have sustained that uptick. But Nebraska has a different story.

U.S. Department of Agriculture officials say a continuing resolution dodged the worst case scenario for food assistance programs if the government shuts down Nov. 17. Still, food advocates warn that Congress needs to act quickly and do more to make sure programs are fully funded.

“We felt as though silence would be better than making an attempt at words that might fall short," Rev. Sarah Rentzel Jones, who works at Countryside Community Church on the Tri-Faith campus, said. A church, synagogue and mosque sit on the Tri-Faith campus. The three communities are trying to support each other through the impact of the Israel-Hamas war.

Sen. Pete Ricketts wants to exempt military retirement from federal income tax, but most veterans would not benefit.

Entomologists say insects are declining at alarming rates — one major study estimates we’re losing 2% in total insect biomassevery year. Now, the National Academy of Sciences is preparing to embark on a study to understand insect trends across North America.

Since the 2018-19 school year, the Hazelwood School District has sharply increased its rate of investigating student residency eightfold, deploying a team of employees who can use intrusive tactics.

Before Abigail, no one had ever competed in wheelchair cross country in the history of the state. At least not according to the Nebraska School Activities Association. But this fall, Abigail competed in four races alongside other junior high runners, each a little more than one mile long. She says her teammates have helped inspire her to not give up when she’s tired.

Election integrity experts, including Nebraska’s Deputy Secretary of State for Elections, Wayne Bena, testified at a U.S. Senate hearing about threats to election administration Wednesday. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration Ranking Member Deb Fischer of Nebraska said she hoped to find solutions to problems facing election officials and volunteer poll workers.

The Nebraska Department of Education announced a $2 million commitment to Nebraska Growing Readers, which will distribute books to early childhood centers across the state. Mary Jo Pankoke is the CEO of the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation which is partnering with the state. She said one of the goals of the program is to address book deserts. The book distribution began at Educare Indian Hill in Omaha, and will expand to 18 other sites statewide.

Intended to improve patient care in long-term care facilities, the regulation would require nursing homes to staff a registered nurse for 24 hours a day. Tim Groshans, CEO of the Burwell Community Memorial Health Center, said it would give them less flexibility to accept patients and adjust staffing levels to fit patient needs.

Thousands of competitors come to the American Royal Livestock Show in Kansas City, Missouri, each year to show their best livestock. The competition includes children as young as 7 years old, who take part in a long tradition of raising and showing their animals.

The Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board increased its projections for state tax revenue in the upcoming year, but the board is less optimistic about fiscal year 2025. The board now projects Nebraska will collect $6.445 billion dollars in state tax revenue between July 2023 and June 2024. That represents an increase of nearly $8 million dollars from the previous projection set in April 2023.

Former Scottsbluff Police Captain Brian Wasson surrenders his law enforcement certificates over theft and use of drugs.

In Lincoln, the crisis Voices of Hope is having their annual fundraiser this week. Nebraska Public Media’ shares more about the difference the organization is making.

Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers and dozens of others AGs across the country are suing Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook. The lawsuits allege that Meta intentionally designed its social media apps to be addictive to children and teens, taking advantage of psychological vulnerabilities to make a profit.

62 percent of volunteer fire departments surveyed in Nebraska say recruiting is difficult, according to a Nebraska Public Media survey. Some diverse towns in Nebraska may try to recruit more People of Color to fill those gaps. How are those efforts going? And, why is it important for the community be represented in the fire department?

In most rural communities throughout Nebraska, the firefighters and EMTs who respond to emergencies are all volunteers. But according to survey data from Nebraska Public Media News, recruiting and retaining members has become more challenging in recent years. Nebraska Public Media’s Brian Beach reports how generational bonds and creative solutions are keeping volunteer fire departments alive.

About two-thirds of Rural Nebraskans’ think a lack of civil discourse is a somewhat serious (33%) or very serious (32%) problem in America. That’s according to the latest results of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Rural Poll.

A move to give Speaker pro tem Patrick McHenry the full authority of Speaker of the House fell short in a Republican Conference meeting Thursday. Flood began Thursday morning joining Jim Jordan in support of a resolution that would give McHenry the full powers of the Speaker of the House through the end of November.

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved the 22-member search committee to find the system’s next president on Thursday. The committee scheduled listening sessions on all four NU campuses for next week.

Nebraska Congressman Don Bacon joined 21 other House Republicans Wednesday in not voting for Jim Jordan as Speaker of the House. Instead, Bacon voted for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted by eight Republicans earlier this month. “He was really the best speaker we could have had,” Bacon said of McCarthy. “He had the experience, the staff. He's the reason we're the majority today.”

A board member of a natural resource district based in Norfolk has filed a federal lawsuit against the rest of the elected body claiming they violated her First Amendment rights. Melissa Temple claims the district brought illegal sanctions against her as part of a punishment for criticizing other board members.

Monarch butterflies travel hundreds and even thousands of miles in their migration to Mexico. Volunteer efforts to tag the butterflies have helped scientists learn more about their journey.

In his hometown of Casablanca, Morocco, Mohammed Sbai’s family felt tremors from the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that hit the country last month. Nebraska Public Media shares an update from one of the worst natural disasters in the last 60 years in Morocco.

Anyone who’s driven into Kansas City from the north has probably seen the swooping white steel fame of the Kansas City Current's new stadium going up. The team's new owners believe it can change women's soccer.

Proposed projects would add more than 3,000 miles of new carbon pipelines through rural parts of the Midwest. Some emergency officials are concerned about safety, especially after a rupture on a similar pipeline three years ago.

The Nebraska Supreme Court says the Department of Natural Resources can decide about a plan to divert water from the Platte to the Republican River.

It can be tough to find street and highway superintendents in many parts of rural Nebraska. Nebraska Public Media’s Aaron Bonderson reports on the issue of getting superintendents committed to living in remote parts of the state.

Nebraska Public Media and the Midwest Newsroom talked with teenage girl athletes about this moment in time and how they feel girls' sports have changed.

The town of Merriman, Nebraska no longer has its own ambulance service. The Sandhills Ambulance Service could no longer recruit enough qualified volunteers to transport emergency patients to local hospitals. The rescue squad served a 100 square mile area in the far-northwest corner of Cherry County. On Wednesday, the three-member board of Sandhills held a virtual meeting and voted to disband the service after a three-year-long effort to recruit capable Emergency Medical Technicians.

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved the start of a $450 million construction project that will change Memorial Stadium on Thursday.

Two Native American families have settled a lawsuit against the Cody Kilgore Schools with an agreement the district will no longer cut students' hair without the permission of parents. In 2020 an elementary school secretary cut the hair of the two girls during a check for headlice. The lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union maintained the Lakota Sioux believe long hair is a sacred symbol, only to be cut by select individuals. The school employee’s actions, it was argued, violated the Civil Rights of the students.

Nebraska’s three congressional representatives have voiced disappointment over Tuesday’s ouster of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. All of the House Democrats, along with eight Republicans led by Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, voted to remove McCarthy from the role.

Wildfires have become more common in Great Plains states. City outskirts and rural areas where cedars spread aggressively face some of the highest risks.

Nebraska's planning to build the Perkins County Canal at a cost of more than $600 million, but big practical and legal questions remain unanswered.

The FBI Omaha Field Office is working with the Omaha Police Department to find Cindy Valle, who went missing on August 26, 2011. She was 15 years old and five months pregnant at the time.

Farmers say Title One — a farm bill program that sends money when crop prices or harvests get low enough — isn’t working as a buffer against tough years. Yet others argue the nearly 100-year-old safety net is costing billions of dollars with few strings attached.

Nebraska's proposed Perkins County Canal could mean less water for Colorado farmers. But it could be a long time before the effects are clear.

Nebraska says its proposed Perkins County Canal is needed because of development in Colorado. Colorado officials say the canal won't stop development, but could hurt that state's farmers.

After a series of high-profile setbacks, a new mural in Lincoln hopes to provide a sense of hope to Nebraska’s LGBTQ community. Nebraska Public Media’s William Padmore talked with members of the community about how they see their situation and whether there’s hope for the future

Nebraska has revived plans to build a canal to bring South Platte River water from Colorado. But is the canal necessary, and will it deliver the promised benefits?

School bus drivers are in short supply nationwide, and Nebraska is no exception. Larger districts are still looking for bus drivers to fill positions. Smaller districts are managing to keep a full staff thanks to community members who are willing to step up. Nebraska Public Media's Jolie Peal reports on what could be contributing to the driver shortage in different areas across the state.

Food waste takes up space in landfills and produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Composting that waste can reduce climate impacts and save municipalities money on landfill fees, but concerns about bad smells and pests sometimes get in the way.

Homicide is a leading cause of maternal mortality, and experts say the problem is getting worse.

The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services is still having trouble finding enough employees, according to a recent report. Doug Koebernick, the state’s Inspector General of Corrections, says that as of June 2023, NDCS had 377 vacancies out of more than 2500 total positions.

Federally subsidized crop insurance made record-high payouts last year. While climate change is making farming more risky, the federal program often shields producers at taxpayer expense. Some argue it’s time that the fast-growing program encourages farmers to mitigate their risks.

Small rural communities often have to get creative to generate tourism and public interest. One central Nebraska town is hoping to do so by throwing avocados - really, really far

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska are part of an emerging “extreme heat belt” that could deliver more scorching days within 30 years. So far, there’s no unified plan to make our dwellings safe in the dangerously high temperatures to come.

For the past four years, Santee has not had access to safe drinking water. And for four years, the tribe has been unable to afford the necessary infrastructure to fix the problem. “We’re supposed to be the greatest country in the world," Kameron Runnels, Santee Sioux Vice Chairman said. "Yet, we have a community right here in our state that can't even drink its own water.”

The Farm-to-School movement is out to revolutionize the humble school lunch with food grown on local farms. But the path from cropland to cafeteria is full of complicated twists and turns. A new wave of federal funding is trying to smooth the way.

Over 6,000 St. Louis-area child abuse and neglect cases remain open due to staff shortages

The Nebraska Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday on a proposal to divert water from the Platte to the Republican River

A fifth of reported heat-related deaths between 2017 and 2022 were agricultural workers, according to OSHA data. Many are calling attention to the under-reported impact of climate change on this group from heatwaves.

New Latin drag night a safe space for Iowans and Nebraskans following anti-LGBTQ bills

University of Nebraska-Lincoln students started classes this week, and Chancellor Rodney Bennett started his first school year leading them. The former president of the University of Southern Mississippi took over the role from Ronnie Green, who retired at the end of June. Nebraska Public Media’s Jolie Peal spoke with the new chancellor starting with the excitement around Volleyball Day.

The group cleaning up the AltEn ethanol plant near Mead has a pilot plan for cleaning up the mountain of pesticide sludge. Nebraska Public Media’s Elizabeth Rembert reports they’ll try moving it to a landfill near an Omaha suburb.

Memorial Stadium will be packed at the end of this month, with more than 90-thousand people expected to watch Nebraska’s best volleyball programs in action. Four teams will compete in the first-ever Volleyball Day in Nebraska. Record-breaking ticket sales highlight the significance of volleyball to the Cornhusker state. Nebraska Public Media’s Aaron Bonderson reports on how the sport got to this point…

Gov. Jim Pillen announced Thursday the state will build a new prison in northeast Lincoln.

A research team from multiple universities is developing technology that can detect salmonella contamination in a matter of minutes.

Journalists at the Marion County Record worked late into the night to publish their first issue since the widely-criticized raid. “SEIZED… but not silenced,” its headline read.

Experts worry hoarding is on the rise in Kansas amid a lack of support for those who struggle with it, straining families and communities.

Gov. Jim Pillen appointed Steve Corsi to head the Department of Social Services; some of Corsi's social media posts spark concerns.

Warm weather in the South and cold weather in the Midwest knocked out a significant number of the nation’s peach crop this year, leaving a shortage across the country.

Thousands packed Omaha’s streets on Saturday to celebrate Crawford after his win over Errol Spence, Jr. The latest triumph made him the first male boxer to hold all four major titles in two different weight classes.

Senior citizens who want to live in the same rural towns where they grew up face a growing problem ... how to get around. Unreliable transportation means many seniors have trouble shopping for groceries, visiting family and getting to medical care. However, there might be one solution.

Legal sports betting in Kansas came with mobile casinos that offer easy access to place wagers online. Experts say that also comes with a higher risk of addiction.

Members of Nebraska's congressional delegation talked about subjects including immigration, trade, ethanol, and partisanship at a meeting Tuesday.

May 5, 2023 is a day many residents of Franklin, Nebraska will never forget. That’s when tennis ball sized hail and heavy winds bombarded the Republican River Valley town of less than 1,000 people. By late July, roofing crews could still be seen throughout the town, working through triple digit temperatures to repair damage sustained several months ago.

A group of Midwestern shrimp farmers are on a mission to provide Americans with better-tasting, sustainable shrimp. The industry struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, but farmers remain hopeful that indoor shrimp farming will come back stronger than ever.

Barbers from across Nebraska are sharpening their shears and queuing their clippers in preparation for the Battle of the Barbers event in Omaha. But, the event is shaping up to be much more than a simple contest.

An EF-1 tornado ripped through the town of Sutton Saturday morning. The storm didn’t lead to any injuries, but there was extensive damage to the town 70 miles southwest of Lincoln.

Over 700 teaching positions were vacant or filled with an unqualified individual last year, according to the Nebraska Department of Education. Other issues, like burnout and low teacher pay, are making it hard for teachers to stay in the classroom. An organization called Educators Rising is trying to help fill those positions by encouraging students to overcome these issues and become teachers.

The town of Winslow gained statewide attention for its plan to save the community from future floods by moving its uphill. However, the plan has almost ground to a halt, and while some community members support it, most cannot afford it, while others are actively fighting to keep the town where it is.

Elderberries are native to the Midwest, but the commercial cultivation of the crop is relatively recent, and saw a big increase during the coronavirus pandemic. That has the burgeoning industry wondering if its future is as a small, niche crop or something bigger.

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Willa Cather is one of the most celebrated American writers from the Midwest for her depictions of life in the great plains. This week and next, 25 academics from across the country are convening in Nebraska to critique her works and methods.

This year is the 20th anniversary of a Nebraska Army National Guard peacekeeping mission in Bosnia. At the time, a NATO-sponsored mission was rare for the Guard. Nebraska Public Media reports on the lasting impact of the so-called “Taskforce Huskers” mission.

A court hearing Wednesday considered the constitutionality of a law restricting both abortion and health care for transgender youth.

10% of Iowa’s Methodist congregations are leaving the church. The denomination is wrestling over the future of LGBTQ members and whether they can be clergy.

Dryness in the Great Plains began spreading east this year, affecting much of the Midwest and endangering crops, livestock and river transportation. Recent rains have been a god-send, but will it be enough to loosen the years-long drought?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture gave two companies the green light last month to produce and sell their cultivated chicken meat across the country. But it could still take years before people can buy the new meat at grocery stores.

The promise of $405 million will help connect more Nebraskans, but challenges remain.

In an effort to reach zero carbon emissions by 2050, the Biden administration is offering more tax credits for carbon capture sequestration and utilization. The program once expected to cost $3.2 billion now could exceed $100 billion.

Storm chasers of different ages and backgrounds explain why they chase storms, and how social media is transforming the profession

Congress expanded work requirements for food assistance during the debt ceiling negotiations, a move that would normally happen in the Farm Bill. Shortly before that, the state of Kansas made similar changes.

Abortion is still legal in Iowa a year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the nationwide right to terminate a pregnancy. But just like this time last year, it’s not clear how long that will last. An Iowa Supreme Court order this month left only one thing certain—Republican lawmakers will try again to restrict abortion.

In 2020, a group of Nebraska ranchers and cattle feeders came up with a plan to establish their own meat plant. It’s a proposal to break away from the four massive companies that control the beef market. Three years later, they're working on construction and housing.

Hospitals across the country have recruited nurses from around the world to make up for U.S. labor shortages. But demand for international workers is delaying visas and slowing the flow of nurses able to come to Kansas.

Nebraska will receive more than $400 million in federal infrastructure funding to improve broadband access in the state.

A summer camp in Nebraska is trying to spark Native American students’ interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Twenty-seven middle school students from more than eight tribes in Nebraska and South Dakota toured the Aerospace Museum in Ashland, Nebraska, earlier this month.

Extreme drought, low levels in water towers may lead to complete sprinkler ban

University of Nebraska President Ted Carter speaks on tuition increases, politics in education and beer at Memorial Stadium.

For two years, federal funds have been available for states to extend postpartum health care from two months to a full year for moms on Medicaid. The policy is popular across the Midwest, with Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska all adopting an extension. Iowa remains hesitant.

Iowa was one of the first states to legalize same-sex marriage, years before it would be allowed across the rest of the country. During that time in between, couples flocked to the state to tie the knot, and in particular, one small town became a popular destination.

The anti-abortion movement is contending with a growing faction that calls for abortion patients to be criminally punished.

There’s a battle going on within the Nebraska Republican Party. In interviews gathered over months, both current and former officials within the NEGOP say incidents in Sarpy, Dixon and York counties are indicative of a statewide battle between longtime “establishment” officials and “far-right” newcomers.

Several groups of women over 50 are now playing competitive basketball. From Kansas to Iowa to Texas and beyond, these women openly admit they are “off their rockers.”

In April, a new lease agreement from the Bureau of Reclamation, who manages the land, requires the owners to remove the trailers from the lakes by Nov. 1, 2024.

The pallid sturgeons outlasted dinosaurs, but human changes to the Missouri River nearly wiped out the prehistoric fish. Some experts think the fish’s struggle could signal larger problems on the Big Muddy, especially as climate change accelerates.

Last fall the Mississippi River fell to low water levels when a flash drought exacerbated a dry spell in the upper part of the river’s basin. Soon it was more expensive for a grain company to send corn from St. Louis to New Orleans than it was to ship to China.

A growing legal movement to grant natural entities like rivers and forests legal rights is gaining traction in the U.S., and environmentalists are now setting their sights on the Mississippi River.

The Winslow Volunteer Fire Department began the process of burning down homes they once committed to protect. The Dodge County community intends to torch around 20 homes and businesses ruined by the massive flood of 2019 in an attempt to clear the flood plain and return the area to green space. Plans to relocate the town have stalled.

The Nebraska Legislature made big changes to the state's economic and social policies in its just-concluded session.

Between 2010 and 2020, Omaha lost 7,000 affordable dwellings for people making low incomes, according to a City Planning Department report called the Housing Affordability Action Plan (HAAP).

The bill allows prisoners who receive a 20 year sentence to be eligible for parole 2 years before their mandatory discharge date.

The Nebraska Legislature will end its 2023 session Thursday, with several of its major enactments facing legal or political challenges.

FOX’s “Farmer Wants a Wife” recently wrapped up its first season, and it got Harvest Public Media wondering what dating is like for farmers and ranchers. Turns out, dating in a small town isn’t always easy.

Kansas SB 180 will bring a host of changes, including limiting trans residents’ access to bathrooms. Much is still unknown about how it'll be enforced.

The Nebraska Legislature gave final approval Thursday to tax cuts and school aid increases.

The Nebraska Legislature passed tax-credit funded scholarships and advanced criminal justice reforms Wednesday.

Agreement appears near on some aspects of criminal justice reform, as Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh continues to slow down legislation.

The Nebraska Legislature debated photo ID requirements to vote, and Gov. Jim Pillen signed restrictions on abortion and health treatments for transgender youth into law.

The United Nations has declared 2023 the International Year of Millets — a type of small grain mostly grown in parts of Asia and Africa. The highly resilient and cost-friendly grains could make them the next crop for U.S. farmers in the midst of climate change.

The Nebraska Legislature gave final approval Friday to a bill restricting abortion and medical treatments for transgender youth.

This Thursday, Lincoln’s public transportation system will restore offering rides at night. Since last summer, StarTran and Paratransit, its service for people with disabilities, have stopped service at 7 p.m. Nebraska Public Media reports what the full service means to people who use Paratransit.

The Nebraska Legislature approved budget bills and wrangled over voter IDs, abortion and transgender health restrictions Thursday.

Nebraska state senators reflect on cowardice and incitement after their tumultuous debate on abortion and trans health restrictions.

Fifty years ago, the United States, North and South Vietnam, and the Vietcong signed a peace agreement in Paris ending America’s direct military involvement in the Vietnam War.

The Nebraska Legislature on Tuesday added abortion restrictions to a bill restricting health treatments for transgender youth.

Auctions —a marketplace for knick knacks, farm land and everything in between — are often also social gathering events for rural communities. That’s changing as more auctions go online.

The Nebraska Legislature gave second-round approval Thursday to bills designed to reduce income and property taxes, despite criticism that the cuts might not be sustainable.

The Nebraska Legislature debated the use of funds for needy families, and the size of the state's cash reserve Wednesday.

The company’s self-declared strategy is to buy single-family rental properties around the region, including North Omaha and in Council Bluffs. A Midwest Newsroom investigation uncovered neglect, aggressive evictions and rising rents where VineBrook moves in – mostly non-white neighborhoods.

The Nebraska Legislature gave second-round approval Tuesday to far-reaching changes in education funding.

The Hastings Ground Water Contamination site was the first Superfund in Nebraska. After 40 years of working with the EPA, the city has learned a lot.

Abortion will be debated again, and restrictions would be imposed on companies that use certain Chinese telecommunications equipment, under proposals discussed in the Nebraska Legislature.

It's a good amendment. We have to wait and see the actual amendment when it comes from Bill drafters. But if everything follows through with agreement, we should be in a good place.

The Wizard of Oz and Kansas have been inseparable since farm girl Dorothy Gale first skipped down the yellow brick road. But having an enduring image from the Dust Bowl 1930s might also hold Kansas back from what it wants to be today.

The Legislature Thursday rejected attempts to stop or scale back canal and prison projects.

The Nebraska Legislature debated a state budget for the next two years on Wednesday.

Efforts to try and keep teachers teaching, and to disrupt the so-called 'school-to-prison' pipeline, were debated in the Legislature Tuesday.

A proposal that would have prohibited most abortions after about 6 weeks of pregnancy fell one vote short Thursday in the Nebraska Legislature.

Nebraska’s school funding system has kept politicians, taxpayers and educators arguing for decades. It’s probably kept people confused for just as long. Nebraska Public Media’s Elizabeth Rembert decided she was tired of feeling like she was in the dark and asked some experts to explain the system.

The report from the Society of Family Planning also shows abortions via telemedicine have doubled in the U.S. after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Providers say constantly changing state laws leave patients confused about where they can access reproductive care.

In extremely rare cases, bird flu can infect and kill cats and dogs when the pets eat birds with the disease.

Nebraska health care advocates say there aren’t enough home health care professionals in the state. Since the start of the pandemic, it’s estimated that 33 percent more Nebraskans are being referred to health care at home because of the overcrowding at hospitals. That’s according to Janet Seelhoff, Executive Director for the Nebraska Association of Home Healthcare and Hospice.

A complaint that Sen. Megan Hunt failed to disclose a potential conflict of interest sparked emotional debate in the Nebraska Legislature.

The Nebraska Legislature gave first-round approval Tuesday to a bill requiring gas stations to sell E-15 gasoline, and Gov. Jim Pillen signed into law a bill allowing Nebraskans to carry concealed weapons without a permit.

It's harder for Kansans to get liver transplants than it used to be, highlighting inequities in a system that doctors say has always been unfair.

Across the Midwest, some city codes threaten people with fines for having milkweed on their property. But experts say many places have dropped those rules to support monarchs with urban and suburban butterfly gardens.

Self-control, love and forgiveness are just a few of the virtues discussed at Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday. About 2,000 people gathered in the early morning in Southwest Lincoln on Friday.

The Nebraska Legislature is considering requiring gas stations to install E-15 pumps.

The Legislature gave final approval today/Wednesday to a bill allowing Nebraskans to carry concealed weapons without a permit.

Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh discussed cash for needy families, broccoli, and hostas in the Legislature Monday.

The Biden administration wants the U-S carbon footprint to be at net zero by 2050. As part of that goal, the federal government is offering big incentives to remove carbon dioxide -- including from ethanol plants. There are three major pipeline proposals that would capture CO2 from ethanol plants around the Midwest and store it underground. The ethanol industry is fully on board, but others question the climate benefits.

Proposals to help hospitals and nursing home patients were slowed by a filibuster Friday in the Legislature.

Proposals to help hospitals and nursing home patients were slowed by a filibuster Friday in the Legislature.

The Nebraska Legislature gave second round approval Thursday to prohibitions on surgery, hormones and puberty blockers for transgender youth, but only after the chief sponsor agreed to negotiate about changes before a final vote.

A new report from the Environmental Working Group found targeting the U.S. Department of Agriculture's conservation funding to the Mississippi River region would have huge benefits to water quality and the climate.

These parts of the country are also where the number of severe events are steadily increasing.

The Nebraska Legislature voted 33-16 Tuesday evening to prohibit most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy.

Opposition to a ban on health treatments for transgender youth continued to slow the Nebraska Legislature Tuesday.

Dale Johnson Interviews Senator Pete Ricketts and talks WOTUS and SNAP Benefits.

Elevated Access recruits hobby pilots to fly abortion patients out of states with bans. They offer a window into the increasingly scrappy tactics of abortion rights groups in a post-Roe America.

The Nebraska Legislature's Appropriations Committee on Thursday endorsed building a new, $350 million prison.

Senators in the Nebraska Legislature are combining bills to get things done in a session that's so far been characterized by filibusters.

The Nebraska Legislature gave first-round approval Tuesday to a bill making big changes in how the state finances schools.

The Nebraska Legislature gave first-round approval Monday to a package of property tax changes.

After the end of pandemic-era free meals, schools are reporting rising school meal debt and fewer kids in their free and reduced price programs.

The Nebraska Legislature on Friday began debating a bill designed to lower property taxes and advanced a measure to coordinate broadband expansion.

The Nebraska Legislature gave first-round approval Thursday to a series of income tax cuts.

Three finalists for Nebraska Commissioner of Education publicly interviewed with the State Board of Education today/Thursday. Either Brian Maher, Summer Stephens, or Melissa Poloncic will be the next Commissioner of Education.

The Education Committee advanced big changes in school funding, and the full Legislature began debarting income tax cuts Wednesday.

Nebraska lawmakers gave second-round approval Tuesday to a bill allowing the carrying of concealed weapons without a permit.

The Nebraska Legislature voted Tuesday to suspend its rules in an attempt to speed up business; senators on the losing side claimed it was an effort to stifle minorities.

The Nebraska Legislature discussed improving mental health services, as fallout from this week's debate on trans health treatments for youth contiinued.

Young Americans are becoming less religious. That is the conclusion UNL sociology professor Philip Schwadel has made from his research into the topic. A decline in religious affiliation isn’t just an interesting thing to note, it has a broad societal impact. Nebraska Public Media’s William Padmore spoke with Schwadel about the trend ahead of a public lecture he will deliver on the topic March 30.

The Nebraska Legislature gave first round approval Thursday to a ban on surgery, hormone treatments and puberty blockers for Nebraskans under age 19.

In parts one and two of our series on esports, we analyzed why colleges in Nebraska are rushing to create teams and what the players get out of the experience. Today we explore what esports opportunities are available for Nebraskans who don’t play on a team.

Personal and policy arguments highlighted the Nebraska Legislature's second day of debate on treatments for transgender youth.

Rural areas are losing grocery stores to consolidation faster than their urban counterparts — but some communities have come up with innovative solutions.

The United States Air Force is on the verge of purchasing hundreds of acres of land in Nebraska, Wyoming and Colorado as part of its plan to modernize its land-based nuclear missile force. The project replaces Minuteman III missiles, in service since the early 1970s, with a new class of Sentinel nuclear weapons. Public meetings are being held to share information about the lease and purchase of additional land to accommodate huge new telecommunication towers.

The Nebraska Legislature began debate Tuesday on a proposal to prohibit surgical or medical treatment to help young people with gender transitioning.

In part one of our series on the growth of Esports in Nebraska, we explored why colleges in the state are rushing to create esports teams. Today, we explore the question of what’s in it for the video game players filling teams’ ranks. Spoiler Alert: Money is a big factor, but not the only one.

In part one of our series on the growth of Esports in Nebraska, we explored why colleges in the state are rushing to create esports teams. Today, we explore the question of what’s in it for the video game players filling teams’ ranks. Spoiler Alert: Money is a big factor, but not the only one.

Gering, Nebraska, will host the first gravel cycling national championships in September. This event through USA Cycling will bring potentially thousands of cyclists to the area for a 131-mile bike race around the area's landmarks.

People who use public transportation in Lincoln aren’t able to get rides after 7 p.m.. The change took effect on Aug. 18, 2022. The lack of evening rides affect all people who use public transit in Nebraska’s capital city. However, that especially interferes with the independence of people with disabilities.

People who use public transportation in Lincoln aren’t able to get rides after 7 p.m.. The change took effect on Aug. 18, 2022. The lack of evening rides affect all people who use public transit in Nebraska’s capital city. However, that especially interferes with the independence of people with disabilities.

Esports, or playing video games competitively, is the newest sensation sweeping the nation and Nebraska is no exception. At both the collegiate and high school levels, it seems Nebraska schools are all in. This is part one of a three-part examination on the growth of esports in the state.

Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh ended her filibuster protesting a ban on medical treatments for transgender youth, while one dealing with transgender athletes will remain in committee.

Sen. Merv Riepe proposes to have restrictions take effect after 12 weeks

Speaker John Arch said he won't avoid scheduling bills just because opponents are filibustering to stop them.

Sen. Terrell McKinney accused the Department of Correctional Services of not maintaining the Nebraska State Penitentiary to create pressure for building a new prison, a charge the department denied.

Sen. Terrell McKinney accused the Department of Correctional Services of not maintaining the Nebraska State Penitentiary to create pressure for building a new prison, a charge the department denied.

Legislation is being proposed at the federal and state level to restrict foreign ownership of farmland, especially by China. The scrutiny comes after a Midwestern project was scuttled by military concerns and the flight of a Chinese spy balloon across the U.S.

The Nebraska Legislature's Executive Board held a public hearing Thursday on Sen. Steve Erdman's proposal to return to a two-house legislature.

The grief and heartache caused by two major earthquakes in Turkey and Syria hasn’t stopped at their borders. The tragedy has killed at least 50,000 people and has left millions of survivors homeless in the two nations. But, its impact is felt all over the world. One Lincoln man was personally affected.

While food prices won’t rise as sharply in 2023, they could still increase about 8% over last year’s rates, according to forecasts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Nebraska Legislature gave first-round approval to a bill authorizing tax-credit-funded scholarships to private and religious schools.

On Feb. 17, 2017, Joe and Sarah Dudley were getting ready for a late Valentine’s Day celebration when Joe started complaining about feeling sick. He had a bad headache. “So I told him to go lay down, and we’d just celebrate another time,” Sarah said. Shortly after, Joe started running a high fever – 103.6 degrees. He could barely walk, so Sarah brought him to an urgent care clinic in Des Moines, Iowa. The physician’s assistant on duty diagnosed Joe with the flu – despite a negative test – and sent him home. He was too weak to walk out of the clinic. “They brought a guy back with a wheelchair, put a gurney bill down and physically put him in the wheelchair – physically sent him home,” Sarah said. Joe got sicker, and two days later, ended up in the emergency room. At the hospital, doctors told Sarah that Joe didn’t have the flu. It was much worse. He had bacterial meningitis, which by then was on track to cause permanent brain damage. Sarah watched it unfold over the next few weeks. Joe had three strokes – two while hospitalized in the intensive care unit. “When he was actually able to come out of it, he had to relearn to walk, relearn to talk. [He had] permanent nerve damage on his right side, lost his hearing,” she said. Sarah said the illness drastically changed Joe. The man she married was calm and avoided conflict. The one who left the hospital became prone to anger and bouts of paranoia. “You never know what mood he's going to be in, or what's going to set him off, and there's no cure for it,” she said. Shortly after, the Dudleys decided to pursue a medical malpractice case against the clinic. The case took up the next six years of the Dudleys’ lives. The case went to trial in late 2022 after the Dudleys could not reach a settlement with the clinic’s insurance company. A jury last November awarded the Dudleys $27 million in non-economic damages for Joe’s initial misdiagnosis and the lifetime of support he will likely need for his brain injury. The clinic has appealed the case, so the Dudleys have yet to receive any money. When – or if – they do, Sarah said much of the award will go toward Joe’s medical care in the future. “With his brain injury, he's going to go downhill pretty quickly – dementia, it's going to come eventually,” she said. If the Dudleys were to pursue their case now, under a new Iowa law, their outcome would look much different. Iowa joined most Midwestern states, including Missouri, Kansas and Wisconsin, when it passed a law in February putting a hard cap on non-economic damages that can be awarded by a jury for medical malpractice. Iowa’s new law caps non-economic damage jury awards at $1 million when an independent clinic is involved, like in Joe Dudley’s case. For hospitals, the limit is $2 million. Starting in 2028, that cap will increase by 2.1% each year. The law also created a task force to make recommendations to reduce medical errors. https://www.iowapublicradio.org/state-government-news/2023-02-16/iowa-governor-signs-cap-on-medical-malpractice-damages-for-pain-and-suffering https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=90&ba=HF%20161 The health care industry has long pushed for these caps on damages awarded for things that can’t be assigned a monetary value — like pain and suffering. They claim the caps help clinics stay open by avoiding sudden high-dollar financial blows while helping to attract much-needed health care providers. But some question whether these caps help – or hurt – Midwesterners seeking justice for medical errors. ‘It sucks to be sued’ The Dudleys case was one of two high-dollar medical malpractice jury awards that grabbed headlines in Iowa last year. The other was a nearly $98 million award to an eastern Iowa couple whose infant sustained extensive brain damage from a botched delivery. About half that award was non-economic damages. It’s believed to be the highest payout in state history. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/health/2022/03/22/mercy-hospital-iowa-city-medical-malpractice-lawsuit-kromphardt-jill-goodman-97-million-verdict/7129763001/ These cases are one of the reasons the health care industry has sought hard caps on non-economic damages. Andy Conlin, a lobbyist for the Iowa Independent Physician Group, shared his opposition to the bill at a subcommittee hearing on the bill in January. “You never know when you're going to end up…seeing one of these, these judgments come down the pike and really negatively impact your facility, maybe even put your facility out of business,” Conlin said. However, these high-dollar jury awards are exceptionally rare in the U.S. For the past six years, Iowa has averaged 160 medical malpractice case filings a year. They make up a fraction of a percent of the average 666,000 civil cases filed in the state, according to the Iowa Judicial Branch. https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/FN/1368141.pdf The vast majority of medical malpractice cases don’t go to trial because they either get dismissed by a judge or reach a settlement before. From 2018 to 2022, just 48 cases in Iowa ended up before a jury, and of those cases, juries ruled in favor of the plaintiff – people like the Dudleys – seven times. [Source: Iowa Judicial Branch spreadsheet] These big awards aren’t the health care industry’s only concern. They say caps also lower the rate of increasing medical malpractice insurance premiums and help to entice badly-needed doctors to Iowa’s rural areas. Mikayla Brockmeier, a third year medical student at Des Moines University, helped lobby for the caps. Brockmeier said before Iowa passed its law, she and other med students were seriously considering leaving Iowa to practice in neighboring states like South Dakota, which has a non-economic damage cap of $500,000. “If you do not feel like you have the support of the state, then honestly, it makes it really incredibly hard to practice,” she said. But opponents say caps do little, if anything, to help the growing financial and staffing challenges the health care industry is facing. “I think the story here is pretty simple. It sucks to be sued. It's really not fun,” said Charles Silver, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin who has studied the effects of Texas’ non-economic damage cap extensively. https://law.utexas.edu/faculty/charles-m-silver/ Texas passed a constitutional amendment in 2003 that capped non-economic damages at $250,000 for an individual. https://www.texmed.org/TexasMedicineDetail.aspx?id=58464 The Texas Medical Association claims the move has since brought more licensed physicians into its rural areas. https://app.texmed.org/tma.archive.search/5238.html Silver said his research contradicts this claim. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3309785 “If you have a growing population, you need to control for that,” he said. “And when you control for that, in Texas, what you find is that the physician population actually grew slightly more slowly after tort reform than before.” Federal projections of obstetricians and gynecologists, or OB-GYNs, in the Midwest also paint a conflicting picture of this concern. OB-GYNs have one of the highest rates of medical malpractice claims. https://iid.iowa.gov/documents/med-mal-report-2021 According to federal figures, by 2030, Iowa, Kansas and North Dakota — states with non-economic caps — are projected to have the greatest shortage of OB-GYNs in the Midwest, while Illinois, a state with no caps, is among states projected to have more than enough OB-GYNs. https://bhw.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/bureau-health-workforce/data-research/projections-supply-demand-2018-2030.pdf It’s also unclear how much influence caps have on premium rates for medical malpractice insurance. According to the Medical Liability Monitor, Iowa had the fifth-lowest average premium rate in the country in 2022. [Source: Spreadsheet from Iowa Justice Association] Minnesota, which has no caps, had the lowest average rate in the country. While Illinois, another with no caps, had the second-highest rate. A 2003 Government Accountability Office report studied the reason for a sharp increase in medical malpractice premiums in the early 2000s, which sparked tort reform policies in places like Texas. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-702/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-702.htm It found several factors played into the increasing premiums, including the fact that insurer losses on malpractice claims had increased overall in the past decade, but other significant factors had nothing to do with the liability system. They included the fact that insurance companies had recently taken a financial hit on their investments and also that the number of companies competing in the medical malpractice marketplace had dropped since the 1990s. There’s no clear consensus from research on how non-economic damage caps affect things like premium rates and physician recruitment, said Robert Leflar, a retired law professor at the University of Arkansas, who’s an expert in tort reform. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012369213604791 But he said there’s one group that clearly benefits from the caps: “the insurance companies who have smaller payouts and who have less risk of huge payouts.” The Iowa Insurance Institute did not respond to requests for an interview. Leflar said it’s also clear who is hurt by caps. “The seriously disabled people,” he said. “The people who suffer through a lifetime of paralysis or pain and the family members of disabled people who have to give up a lot of their lives to take care of them.” Damage caps can make it harder for such people to sue because medical malpractice lawyers will be less likely to take on their pricey cases with less payout, Leflar said. ‘There’s not much left’ Roxanne Conlin, the Dudleys’ attorney, said it’s likely she wouldn’t have been able to take their case now, as the total payout

A debate in the Nebraska Legislature over taxpayer funded scholarships to private and religious schools turned personal Tuesday.

The Nebraska Legislature began debate Monday on a proposal to authorized tax-credit-funded scholarships to private and religious schools.

A Nebraska mosque is trying to help with recovery from two major earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria in February.

A new study shows a threefold increase in Midwest farm acres using the offseason crops to help protect the soil and reduce runoff, but it still makes up less than 8% of all farmland.

The Nebraska Legislature advanced a proposal to let people carry concealed guns without a permit, and senators heard a proposal to let them serve three consecutive terms instead of two.

The Nebraska Legislature continued debating loosening concealed carry laws, while a proposal to let Ukrainian who fled the war drive in Nebraska appears poised to move ahead.

The Nebraska Legislature began debate Wednesday on a bill that would permit Nebraskans to carry concealed weapons without a permit.

Amid statewide low participation, even finishing a full season has become a win. With only eight players, the Nebraska City Lady Pioneers are pushing through.

The Transportation and Telecommunications Committee heard proposals to expand highways in eastern Nebraska, while Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh continued to slow things down over her objections to proposed restrictions on abortion and trangender treatements.

Rural America is not known for its public transportation. But as its residents get older faster than their urban counterparts, the need is increasing. Some communities are finding ways to provide rides.

The Legislature's Revenue Committee heard a proposal to give tax credits to organizations that provide help for pregnant women.

Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering is sponsoring a bill for $26 million in state aid for infrastructure costs around Kimball.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen endorsed a bill that would allow the state to borrow up to $450 million to speed up road construction.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen endorsed a bill that would allow the state to borrow up to $450 million to speed up road construction.

As small town populations decline, people in places like western Kansas look for ways to keep their rural farming and ranching lifestyle alive for the next generation. Some families think youth rodeo might be part of the answer.

The Nebraska Legislature considered arguments for and against a new prison and an opening prayer in discussions Tuesday.

Accurate weather information is important for farmers, emergency responders and researchers managing extreme conditions. But many monitoring networks are limited by unstable, patchwork funding.

The Nebraska Legislature advanced bills Thursday on subjects ranging from National Guard tuition and morale to regulation of pet insurance.

Carrie Jones appeared in court Wednesday as a suspect in the Laurel quadruple murder case. Prosecutors accuse her of encouraging her husband to kill a man whom she said was sexually harassing her, setting off three other killings.

The Nebraska Legislature spent Wednesday discussing appointments without reaching debate on substantive bills.

With the murder of Tyre Nichols last month, the national conversation has once again turned to police brutality and how to best prevent it. Nebraska Public Media's William Padmore speaks with University of Nebraska at Omaha Criminology and Criminal Justice Professor Justin Nix about state of policing in America today.

A proposal would deny universal service funds to companies using some Chinese telecommunications equipment.

Some senators resisted the renomination of Jim Macy to head the Department of Environment and Energy over the agency's record on the AltEn ethanol plant.

The child care gap across the country is more than 30%, meaning the need for quality child care far outweighs the supply — and it's worse in rural areas.

The Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee heard a proposal that would bar state and local governments from making contracts with businesses if they support a boycott of Israel.

The Legislature's Judiciary Committee heard proposals Thursday to legalize marijuana for medical purposes, decriminalize it, and legalize its sales and use.

Proposals to ban gender transitioning surgery or medicine for young people, and to prohibit police from deceiving them during questioning, were the subject of public hearings in the Nebraska Legislature Wednesday.

Deciding where to live, work and raise a family are some of the most important decisions people make in their lives. Here are the most important factors that draw people to Nebraska’s mid-sized cities.

The Legislature's Education Committee heard proposals Tuesday to give schools $1500 per pupil, and to significantly increase special eduation aid.

The operators of a “skill game” casino in North Platte have been accused of failing to pay more than $1.5 Million in taxes over the past three years. Mark and Bridget Haneborg, owners of the River Valley Casino, were charged last week following a year-long investigation by the Nebraska Department of Revenue. Court documents filed by the Nebraska Department of Revenue (NDR) claim their investigators determined the Haneborgs earned income of over a million and a half dollars from 2019-2021. The couple, filing a joint tax return, paid only a fraction of the estimated 170 thousand dollars due in taxes and interest, according to the arrest affidavit.

Genetically modified foods have been on supermarket shelves since the 1990s, but they’ve only required a label for the last year. The USDA says implementation and compliance with the program have been “successful,” while experts suggest consumers aren’t noticing the labels.

A proposal to value agricultural land by its income producing potential rather than market value got a mixed reaction at a public hearing Friday.

The trouble for Rolland Carroll started last fall. That’s when the 61-year-old said his apartment complex in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, informed him that his federal housing aid for his one-bedroom apartment had been reduced months ago. He owed more than $2,000 in back rent. “I was in shock,” Carroll said. “Like, how the heck could I owe this amount of money without you guys saying something months ago?” Carroll doesn’t own a car and works odd jobs through a local temp agency. He struggled to pay the back rent and come up with $339 for his portion of the monthly rent. “November and December – there had been hardly any work at all. So I was in a real bind,” he said. A few days after Christmas, his apartment complex filed to evict him. Carroll said he was worried because local shelters were full and he has many chronic health issues that cost money. “I'm diabetic. I have arthritis. I have asthma. I’m just a total mess,” he said. With the help of nonprofit Iowa Legal Aid, Carroll successfully got the case dismissed at his hearing in mid-January because his apartment failed to give him sufficient notice. Now, he said he’s still struggling to pay rent and his apartment continues to send him notices threatening to file another eviction. It’s taking a toll on his health. “I've been so darn stressed out,” Carroll said. “My mental health is really poor at the moment.” Eviction as a health issue With the end of pandemic-era housing support like eviction moratoriums and federal rental assistance, many Midwesterners face housing insecurity. Eviction filings in Iowa have been increasing for the past decade. After a short dip in 2020 and 2021, they hit a record high of more than 18,000 in 2022, according to Iowa Legal Aid data. The eviction moratorium issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ended in mid-2021. And Iowa – like most states – ended its federally-funded emergency rent and utility program last year. “Rent makes up a huge portion of the household expenses,” said Nick Graetz, a postdoctoral research associate with Princeton University’s Eviction Lab. “And it’s just been spiking at unprecedented rates during the pandemic. But rents have been outpacing wages for decades.” Since March 2020, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment has increased 13% percent in Iowa, nearly 18% percent in Missouri and more than 26% percent in Indiana, according to the U.S. News and World Report. Eviction filings are trending upward in Indiana and Missouri, too. Facing eviction can take a huge toll on someone’s health, Graetz said. “The result is that people go from paying 60% of their income on rent to 70% of their income on rent, and sort of just have to absorb that cost by forgoing things like preventative health care, facing higher food insecurity, you know, things like that,” he said. According to a literature review published in the journal Social Science and Medicine, studies have tied eviction to depression, anxiety, high blood pressure and child maltreatment. A 2021 study published in the journal Pediatrics found women in Georgia who faced eviction during pregnancies were more likely to have children with lower birth weights. Chronic health issues or a health emergency can also put a renter at higher risk for eviction. “It's hard when you're trying to navigate something like that, “Graetz said. “Maybe [you] fall behind on rent, and then you can quickly get into this space where it becomes really difficult to avoid an eviction filing.” Possible legislative help Federal and state lawmakers have proposed a variety of policy solutions to combat evictions, including new tenant protections and expanding emergency rental assistance programs. Iowa lawmakers have allocated more than $300 million for tax credits to incentivize developers to build affordable housing. Minnesota lawmakers are considering a rent voucher program that could help 220,000 households. However, it’s often unclear which policies are most effective, said Katie Moran-McCabe, the lead law and policy analyst at Temple University’s Center for Public Health Law Research. “We often don't see those laws being evaluated,” she said. “So is the law working? Is it doing what it's intended to do? Are there any unintended consequences?” Nonprofit programs step up One growing solution has been eviction diversion programs, like the eviction diversion help desk program run by Iowa Legal Aid. The nonprofit launched the program in spring 2020, which placed an eviction help desk in the courthouse of Polk County, Iowa’s most populous county. Similar programs exist in Illinois and Missouri. The rapid rise in requests for eviction assistance compelled the Iowa Legal Aid to reshuffle its priorities, executive director Nick Smithberg said. “Basically, it's structurally changed our organization,” he said. “Where historically housing work was about a quarter of our caseload, it's risen to half.” Since 2020, the program expanded to five other county courthouses. Smithberg said he would like to see it in more. “I think that we're going to see a very, very disturbing time in the history of this state,” he said. “It's just an all-time record. I don't think people have seen the effects of something like this for a sustained period of time. And I think that it's going to be very eye-opening for a lot of folks when you start seeing people out on the streets.” Eviction is a civil proceeding, which means defendants are not constitutionally guaranteed the right to an attorney the way they are when facing criminal charges. In the Midwest, only a handful of cities in Ohio, Missouri and Minnesota legally guarantee renters facing eviction a right to an attorney. Most renters fighting evictions – who are disproportionately women, people of color and those with disabilities – rely on programs, like Iowa Legal Aid, if they’re available. Jon Biderman, an attorney with Iowa Legal Aid who helps run the eviction help desk at the Linn County courthouse in eastern Iowa, said his job is often to work out a deal with landlords so renters can have more time to come up with a plan. He wants to help tenants avoid adding an eviction to their record, which can make finding housing much more difficult. “Homelessness – being put out – is such a crisis for a person that if you're able to prevent that, or even buy them a week, that can really make a difference in a person's life,” he said. Other programs like the Health and Human Rights Clinic at Indiana University’s Robert H. McKinney School of Law have also shifted their priorities away from other health care-related cases, like access to insurance and affordable prescription drugs, to focus more on housing. “Originally we did mostly access-to-health care type work,” said Fran Quigley, a clinical professor at IU, who directs the clinic. “But during the pandemic, the most critical need we saw in our community was responding to housing.” Quigley said it’s going to take much more than eviction diversion programs like his to tackle this growing public health crisis. He said he’d like to see major policy changes, like stronger tenant protection laws and much more funding behind federal housing vouchers, to keep people in their homes. “We, as a nation, make a mistake of treating housing as a commodity and not a right,” he said. This story comes from a collaboration between Side Effects Public Media, based at WFYI, and the Midwest Newsroom — an investigative journalism collaboration including IPR, KCUR 89.3, Nebraska Public Media News, St. Louis Public Radio and NPR.

The publishers of the Flatwater Free Press filed a lawsuit asking the court to require the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) provide internal emails without charging tens of thousands of dollars for staff time to comply with the request.

The Revenue Committee heard proposals to lower personal and corporate income taxes, and switch community colleges away from using property taxes.

The USDA has reinforced oversight on organic certification and enforcement to prevent mislabeled products, in what advocates are calling the biggest update in decades.

Supporters and opponents of proposed abortion restrictions pack Capitol hearing.

Did showing jurors dozens of gruesome photographs during the trial of Bailey Boswell make it impossible for the woman to get a fair trial? Nebraska’s Supreme Court considered the question during oral arguments challenging the life sentence Boswell is currently serving in a state prison. She was found guilty of conspiring with Aubrey Trial to torture and murder Sydney Loofe of Lincoln in 2017.

The Flatwater Free Press, a Nebraska-based non-profit news organization, is suing the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy over a public records request related to nitrates in Nebraska’s waterways.

Supporters promoted proposals to build a convention center in Lincoln and to alllow more types of foods to be sold in farmers markets.

Nebraska legislative committees heard proposals Monday to deal with the teacher shortage.

The Environmental Protection Agency recently released new rules regarding the Waters of the United States that decide which bodies of water fall under federal protection. But a case the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on soon throws those rules into question and could mean less protection for wetlands.

An attempt to change which committee will hear a proposal to restrict abortions falied again in the Legislature Friday.

The Nebraska Pheasant Restoration Act (LB 400), sponsored by Senators Tom Brewer and Steve Erdman, would set aside $500,000 in state funding for a “nest predatory program.” If passed, the bill would allow the state to pay hunters for the carcasses of 50 thousand predators, authorizing payments for ten dollars for every listed predator trapped or killed. Wildlife biologists question the effectiveness of programs linking predator reduction to increasing the number of game birds. They cite research indicating a lack of undisturbed nesting cover limits ring-necked pheasant populations.

Opponents of abortion won a preliminary skirmish in the Legislature Thursday, and the Judiciary Committee held a public hearing on allowing Nebraskans to carry concealed weapons without a permit.

Despite a spike in deaths from COVID-19 and fewer births, recent research suggests rural counties saw population growth during the first year of the pandemic. Remote work opportunities could have contributed to more people moving to scenic rural destinations.

Gov. Jim Pillen's State of the State speech produced mixed reactions among legislators.

If you're driving an electric vehicle west on I-76 from Nebraska to Colorado, the first opportunity to get a charge is in Julesburg, Colorado. That's a 130-mile stretch between Ogallala and Julesburg where there are no public, EV fast-charging stations. As KUNC's Rae Solomon reports, there's an increasing need for rural charging stations as the number of electric vehicles on the road rapidly increases.

Nebraska state senators have been doing a lot of just standing around and talking lately. Speaker John Arch says that's a good thing.

Post-COVID care centers have been popping up across the country as millions of Americans struggle with the aftereffects of the virus. The centers are typically in larger cities and can have months-long wait times.

A proposal to grant temporary teaching licenses to veterans got a mixed reaction in an Education Committee hearing.

Carrie Jones appeared in court ) to face allegations that she was involved in a quadruple murder in Laurel, a northeast Nebraska town of about 1,000. Prosecutors say she acted with her husband to carry out a crime that left four people shot to death in their homes last summer, but she didn't enter a guilty or not guilty plea.

A husband and wife accused of murdering four people in a small Nebraska town are scheduled to appear in court Monday. Nebraska Public Media’s Jackie Ourada spoke with reporter Elizabeth Rembert to catch up on the case before the hearing.

The Nebraska Legislature Thursday defeated a proposed rules change that would have banned guns from the Capitol.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen proposed a wide-ranging package of tax cuts Wednesday.

There are 44 counties in the country with no grocery store at all, according to the USDA. Nebraska has 10 of them. Nebraska Public Media reports on how some towns are providing access to fresh groceries.

After the deadly bird flu hit egg-producing flocks, the supply of eggs shrank dramatically. That’s led to historically high prices for consumers.

Gov. Jim Pillen unveiled his proposed changes to state aid to schools, while bills were introduced on gender and photo IDs.

After decades of irrigation, the aquifer that makes life possible in dry western Kansas is reaching a critical point. Several counties have already lost more than half of their underground water. But a new plan could save more of what’s left.

Guns would be banned from the Nebraska Capitol and those under 19 would be prohibited from attending drag shows under proposals in the Legislature.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen says he'll appoint former Gov. Pete Ricketts to the U.S. Senatte, and the Legislature's Rules Committee held a public hearing about proposed rules changes.

Opponents of abortion say they'll introduce a proposal to ban the procedure at about 6 weeks gestation.

In many rural towns, local hospitals are community fixtures. When they close, the entire community feels the ripple effects.

Senators hear about the need for a lot more housing, and a bill would allow casinos to be built sooner in western Nebraska.

Last October, wildfire sparked by an ATV consumed roughly a quarter of this living landmark in the heart of the Nebraska Sandhills. But in a man-made forest, officials say, there’s no roadmap for recovery

The Nebraska Legislature avoided a meltdown and approved committee assignments Monday.

Legislation and programs in states like Missouri and Nebraska are paving the way to welcome large livestock operations by limiting local control over the facilities. Some rural residents worry about the potential pollution and decreased quality of life that will bring.

States, local governments and internet providers have until Friday, Jan. 13 to challenge the Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Map. The map shows where service is and isn’t across the country.

Democrats in the officially nonpartisan Legislature said they were being denied their desired committee assignments as bill introductions continued.

Doug Peterson talks about scheduling an execution, the future of the death penalty, and his decision to take on the Biden Administration and Big Tech in the federal courts.

Jim Pillen has been sworn in as Nebraska's next governor. The former Board of Regents member and pig farmer said in his speech that he plans to embrace limited government and fiscal conservatism.

Jim Pillen was sworn in as governor, and senators began introducing legislative proposals Thursday.

The Nebraska Legislature began its 2023 session Wednesday, with talk of unity but hints of battles to come.

Nebraska innovators and entrepreneurs offer advice, perspective. Part of the Nebraska Public Media "What If..." project.

Commissioner of Education, Matthew Blomstedt stepped down from his role on Tuesday, January 3rd. Nebraska Public Media spoke with him about his experience as commissioner during a particularly chaotic time and what it all means going forward.

The 2023 Nebraska Legislature has big opportunities based on the state's fiscal health, but could also be gridlocked by partisan wrangling.

Nebraska Public Media News reporter Fred Knapp interviews Gov. Pete Ricketts about his time in office and his future.

Beau Ballard, a former aide to Sen. Mike Hilgers, will be appointed to replace Hilgers in the Nebraska Legislature.

Last year, more than 5,000 Native women were reported as missing across the country. Murder is the third leading cause of death for Native women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Lack of rainfall and water restrictions are two early signs of the future that are causing water worries to bubble up in Lincoln. As drought plagues the state, and with climate change promising more of the same, there is a plan to have a second water supply in place by 2048.

Attorneys for Nebraska election officials across the state asked a Lancaster County District Court Judge to throw out a lawsuit claiming secretive billionaires and political elites controlled recent state and federal elections. Rick Hill of Lincoln sued Nebraska's Secretary of State, election commissioners in all 93 counties, and a private company, Election Systems & Software of Omaha, claiming they are part of a global plot.

Federal funding for agriculture research has fallen by a third over the past two decades, sinking to 1970s-era levels. Researchers worry that could hinder the country’s ability to maintain the domestic food supply in the midst of climate change.

For the first time, the state board voted Wednesday to say that Kansas shouldn’t pump the Ogallala aquifer dry to support crop irrigation. The underground water source has seen dramatic declines in recent decades.

There is a nationwide educator shortage and Nebraska is no exception. The Nebraska Department of Education reports last year there were 482 unfilled education positions in the state.

The South Beltway road project linking Nebraska Highway 2 with U.S. 77 and ultimately Interstate 80 by skirting the south edge of Lincoln opened Wednesday.

Black Americana” or “Black Memorabilia” are terms used to describe collectibles, usually from the early 1900s with African American themes. Today, such figures have become rarities and are openly for sale in Nebraska antique shops. Nebraska Public Media News explores the ethical value of selling what many would consider offensive relics of the past.

Russ Barger is demanding state election officials stage a recount by hand.Attorneys for the State of Nebraska dispute state law requires a hand recount. Hearing the case, Lancaster District Court Judge Kevin McManaman raised questions that reflected his skepticism about the unusual request.The judge will review the arguments and issue an opinion, but he did not indicate when that would occur.Russ Barger of Lincoln lost the general election in Legislative District 26 to George Dungan by 224 votes, or a difference of more than 1% of the ballots cast. State law only allows for an automatic recount if the margin falls under the 1% threshold. Barger's race does not meet that thresholdqualify, but he wants to pay for the recount with his own money.

The Census of Agriculture produces the clearest snapshot of agriculture in the U.S. as it exists. The USDA will begin mailing questionnaires to all known agricultural producers this month.

A Federal District Court judge in Nebraska will decide whether or not a jury will determine the outcome of a discrimination lawsuit against the Omaha Fire Department. The civil rights lawsuit filed by former Omaha firefighter Jane Crudup described "deeply disparaging treatment" from the fire department. The lawsuit has been blasted by city attorneys who call it "simply a money grab" by a former employee "looking for a windfall from the citizens of this City."

After many grueling months of the COVID pandemic, Nebraska small businesses came back strong this holiday season. But how have local businesses adapted to the new landscape of local shopping?

TC Energy says it's excavating the section of its Keystone pipeline that broke last week near Washington, Kansas.

A winter storm is expected to hit Nebraska Monday night in what is expected to be a significant weather event, especially for the Northwest panhandle. National Weather Service Meteorologist Michael Charnick talks with Nebraska Public Media News about what to expect and how to prepare.

Midwesterners are becoming more familiar with derechos after two major storms hit the region in as many years. Scientists are grappling with how to define the storms, gather data and predict what the future of derechos will look like.

A couple whose family farm was damaged by an oil spill from the Keystone pipeline react to the situation.

Nebraska Public Media's Fred Knapp reports from the scene of the Keystone Oil pipeline leak near the Nebraska-Kansas border.

The new designation calls for cutting rural hospital services down to an emergency department and outpatient clinic only. In turn, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements would increase.

A top Colorado water official says that state needs more information to see if Nebraska's proposal conforms to an interstate agreement.

Report suggests that litter from chicken farms has upped contamination of water.Official with processing plant says study admits it can’t accurately measure fluctuations of contaminants.

Multiple Nebraska hospitals say they’re shuffling patients to care for all the sick people walking into their emergency departments. Finding appropriate care for pediatric patients is proving to be the biggest challenge facing multiple Midwest hospitals.

Bobcat hunting and trapping is commonplace throughout much of the United States, with the exception of a handful of holdout states. Despite the abundance of the wildcat nationwide, some conservationists are pushing back on the open season.

A consultant says a proposed canal from Colorado would be worth the cost, but questions remain.

The city of Lincoln is considering where to get more water for its growing population.

Every county election official in Nebraska is being sued by one man. The court filing names county election officials in all 93 counties and asks the judge to require local Sheriffs collect the ballots cast in recent elections and conduct a “forensic audit.” He demands the state legislature require the use of hand-counted paper ballots. Hill also seeks a billion dollars in damages.In response, the Nebraska Attorney General and the state’s largest counties filed motions asking the lawsuit be dropped.

Bird Flu Vaccination

Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts is leaving office after eight years in which he pursued conservative policies and oversaw challenges including flooding and the pandemic.

Think of this year’s drought as a sort of dress rehearsal to consider the drier, hotter future that scientists predict climate change has in store. Long-lasting droughts could alter how we eat, how we breathe and where we get our water from.

From deadly wildfires to choking dust storms to decimated crop harvests, this year’s drought has left its mark across the country. For the hardest hit areas, such as the Great Plains, recovering from the far-reaching impacts of this historically dry year won’t be easy.

This is the first state testing since the start of the pandemic.

To better coordinate an emergency response with local fire departments, the company stages realistic mass casualty scenarios.

Officials say the Omaha school retirement system is improving, while others are being watched.

The Farm Bill, that sets important policy on everything from crop insurance to SNAP benefits, is up for renewal next year. But the results of the midterm elections may not shed much light on how that legislation will end up.

Lawyers for a Lincoln Native American prayer camp and a local landowner are asking the Lancaster District Court to allow them to have a hearing with the City Board of Zoning Appeals.

It looks like there will be 32 Republicans and 17 Democrats in the officially nonpartisan Nebraska Legislature next year, leaving Republicans one vote short of a "filibuster-proof" majority.

At a series of town hall meetings, executives with Colorado-based NioCorp once again told neighbors around the proposed Niobium mine to be patient because the wait will be worth it. For almost 20 years, the company has said the development of the billion-dollar mine could advance quickly if only an investor with deep pockets would step forward. CEO Mark Smith says the recent partnership with an investment firm could allow NioCorp to list on the NASDAQ stock exchange and could replace the need for a single large investor.

A company accused of using child labor to clean meatpacking plants is asking for a delay in court proceedings and the names of the children it allegedly employed.

During the holidays, eggs are already a hot commodity for baking and other seasonal meals. However, outbreaks of bird flu across the state has impact the population of laying hens and caused a nearly 25% decrease in egg production.

Housing for 140 inmates could be out of commission for up to two years after a broken pipe flooded medium and maximum security cells at the Nebraska State Penitentiary.Photos show large hoses draining water out of mud-coated hallways in a section housing medium to maximum-security inmates. Bbased on preliminary estimates, the steps needed to make the building suitable for occupation again could take the entire housing unit offline for the next one to two years.

The U.S. Department of Labor accuses Packers Sanitation Services Inc. of using child labor to clean the JBS Swift meatpacking plant in Grand Island.

Aubrey Trail’s defense attorneys argued the sentence was unconstitutional. The justices disagreed, noting the using a three-judge panel emphasizes the rule of law over the personal opinions of jurors. The Court also rejected claims the judge should have declared a mistrial.

Third District Representative Adrian Smith is seeking the chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees tax legisation.

Three of the four winners of yesterday's elections were backed by a conservative PAC. Protect Nebraska Children was the PAC supporting conservatives Kirk Penner, Sherry Jones, and Elizabeth Tegtmeier who all won. The PAC was formed to stop comprehensive sex education proposed by the board last year.

Republican and Democratic officials differ on whether the GOP will have a "filibuster proof" legislative majority next year.

Urban farmers are trying to buy vacant lots for their farms to bring fresh, healthy food and green space to their neighborhoods, but they face challenges in acquiring that land.

The Nebraska Supreme Court must decide if a District Judge in Cherry County made the right call when throwing out a lawsuit filed by opponents of a wind farm.The 19 wind turbines required a permit from the County commissioners. A citizen’s group, Preserve the Sandhills, went to court to block that vote, claiming two of the three county commissioners and their families could profit from the project.

Nebraska state senator Tom Brewer, on his second trip to Ukraine, is delivering supplies and dodging rockets.

When Nebraska voters go to the polls next week, they will decide if the state’s minimum wage will increase from $9 per hour to $15. Nebraska Public Media’s Will Bauer reports ballot initiative 433 revives a long standing debate.

Pheasant season kicked off in Nebraska last weekend (October 29th). Nebraska Public Media’s Aaron Bonderson reports extreme drought and wildfires are stunting the upcoming season…

When voters go to the polls on Nov. 8, they'll be asked to decide on a constitutional amendment that, if approved, would change the way they vote for the foreseeable future. You currently don’t need a photo ID to cast a ballot, but the passage of Amendment 432 would change that.

When voters go to the polls on Nov. 8, they'll be asked to decide on a constitutional amendment that, if approved, would change the way they vote for the foreseeable future. You currently don’t need a photo ID to cast a ballot, but the passage of Amendment 432 would change that.

After COVID-19 protocols nearly wiped over the 2020-2021 RVS season, health department are battling back against a second year of unusually early surges.

The national battle against abortion has reached small local governments. Towns in Iowa, Nebraska and Texas have banned abortion within their borders, even if they don’t have a clinic. But in one community, that effort could interrupt abortion access for the entire region.

With newly renovated facilities at the Reller Prairie Field Station, forensic anthropology students will use the location to study the decomposition of human bodies

A new general permit would set requirements for large cattle operations like feedyards for five years, beginning April 1, 2023. But first, the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy will get input on the proposed draft in a public hearing on Thursday, Sept. 29.

Latino voters are the second largest and fastest-growing demographic in Nebraska. They’ve been a politically powerful group. In 2020, the predominantly Latino South Omaha neighborhood helped win Omaha’s electoral vote for Joe Biden. But that same year, Republicans cut into Democrat’s national lead with Latino voters. Nebraska Public Media’s Elizabeth Rembert takes us to South Omaha, to learn how the changing sentiments of Latino voters could impact the election for the second congressional district.

Although the Nebraska Legislature is officially nonpartisan, recent trends suggest party affiliation could play a major role in outcomes next year.

U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska continues to face pushback from students and faculty at the University of Florida after he was selected as the school's lone finalist for its presidency.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress showed a nationwide decline in test scores.

For many people, fall is marked by taking trips to the pumpkin patch, getting lost in a corn maze or catching a hay ride. These seasonal activities are part of agricultural tourism, and it's a booming industry.

With Election Day weeks away the candidates vying for Nebraska’s 1st District Congressional Seat are seeing support from individual donors as they raise and spend vast amounts of money. Nebraska Public Media’s William Padmore reports what the candidates' fundraising numbers could signal about the financial health of both campaigns in the crucial days before the election.

The inspector general for Nebraska prisons wants a new correctional facility in Lincoln for dangerous inmates to open in a slow, controlled manner. The 29-page report made 10 recommendations for the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services – eight of which the department rejected.

Republicans and Democrats running for the Nebraska State Board of Education differ on how to bolster the teacher workforce in Nebraska. The number of unfilled teacher positions in Nebraska went from 232 in 2016 to 482 last year, according to the Nebraska Department of Education.

Patrick O'Donnell, clerk of the Nebraska Legislature since 1978, is stepping down at the end of this year.

The people of Springfield, Missouri that lived near a company that did work for the Navy had no idea that a toxic solvent, disposed of improperly, had made its way into their drinking water – until a public apology from the state.

Some Nebraska state senators want the Legislature to investigate the Department of Education's handling of critical race theory.

Four seats on Nebraska’s State Board of Education are up for grabs in November. For the last year and a half, proposed sex education standards from the officially nonpartisan board have some parents up in arms. Issues, like the teacher shortage persist.

The Heartland Expressway will connect Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Colorado. The cities of Scottsbluff and Alliance will be key points along the new highway.

Hospitals across the U.S. and in Nebraska may be looking at cutting some of their health care operations as federal COVID-19 funding runs out. Hospital systems are still balancing sky-high wages, inflated equipment pricing and increasing pharmacy costs.

In their final debate before Election Day, candidates in Nebraska's Second Congressional District found some common ground while insisting they had voters' best interests at heart. Incumbent Congressman Don Bacon and his Democratic Party opponent Tony Vargas found much to disagree about when discussing helping the American middle class, the usefulness of federal COVID relief aid, and climate change.

Farm implement manufacturers, including giant John Deere, are well on their way to deploying autonomous tractors. Prototypes are in the field now, and they could be widely available by the end of the decade.

When the COVID-19 pandemic upended life around the world, artists were particularly hard hit. Now, vaccines are widely available and many arts organizations received federal funding to keep them afloat. Nebraska Public Media’s William Padmore reports on how Nebraska’s arts sector is fairing.

Republican Jim Pillen leads Democrat Carol Blood in funding and polling in the Nebraska governor's race.

Students from Union College helped people in Fort Myers Florida who suffered from the damage of Hurricane Ian. Nebraska Public Media’s Isabella Benson reports on the service crew’s journey last week.

Farmers are dealing with more and heavier rainfall events throughout the Upper Midwest. Some farmers install drainage tiles and trenches to handle the water, but that can lead to soil erosion and flooding downstream.

Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott called upon the governors of Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota to prevent Tyson Foods from moving more than 500 jobs out of the tri-state area.The food company will be closing its corporate offices in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota – which borders Sioux City. The large community employer will be consolidating all three of its corporate offices to its headquarters in northwest Arkansas.Scott said Tyson's move will have a terrible impact on the area, resulting in the loss of 580 jobs for the area. He asked the tri-state governors – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem – to step in.“Go see the people at Tyson, write letters, do whatever,” he said at a city council meeting on Monday evening. “But, take the lead on this because they are not going to listen to local communities and it is terribly important that we don’t lose those jobs.”Employees at the Dakota Dunes office will have to opt to relocate to the corporate headquarters or accept a severance package.The company's processing plant in Dakota City will not be impacted.Scott said the Sioux City Chamber of Commerce has been unsuccessful in its attempt to get Tyson to reconsider its decision. In a statement to the Sioux City Journal last week, Chamber president Chris McGowan said the organization would work “tirelessly” to assist the impacted employees find new jobs locally.U.S. Representative Randy Feenstra, who represents the 4th Congressional District, also issued a statement last week, urging the company to reconsider their decision to move the office.“This decision is absolutely contrary to the values I share with the Siouxland community, and represents a complete disregard for the employees and families who have been loyal to Tyson for more than two decades,” part of Feenstra’s statement read.The relocation process will begin in early 2023, according to Tyson Foods announcement.

Redrawn boundaries in Nebraska's Congressional Districts mean thousands of additional voters with ties to Offutt Air Force Base will cast ballots in the 1st District this November.Residents in central and western Sarpy County will join neighbors in Bellevue in selecting Republican Mike Flood or Democrat Patty Pansing Brooks as their representative in Washington. For the candidates, it's a large and important constituency interested in the base's impact on jobs and daily lives, defense issues, and veterans' affairs.

Nebraska's first lady appears in video endorsing the Democratic congressional candidate opposing the Republican candidate favored by her husband.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case this month over whether California overreached with an animal welfare law which regulates housing requirements for pigs if the pork will be sold in the state. Two large pork industry groups say that burdens pork producers outside of California.

A Nebraska Democrat hasn’t won a statewide election since 2006. And that’s one of the reasons why Republican Jim Pillen is widely expected to win the governorship when voters go to the polls next month. Nebraska Public Media’s Will Bauer has more on the Columbus-area pig farmer’s vision for the state and what he stands for as a University of Nebraska regent .

If a survivor of childhood sexual abuse tells someone what happened to them, studies suggest most don’t do it until they’re well into adulthood. But many Iowans abused as children run out of time to sue their abusers at age 19. Survivors and some lawmakers are working to get rid of the time limit on civil lawsuits related to child sex abuse with the hope that they can protect kids in Iowa.

A North Platte television news director will clean out her desk Monday night after the station fired her over the weekend for helping collect signatures for a ballot initiative to ban abortions in the neighboring town of Curtis.The vice president and general manager of KNOP in North Platte confirmed Melanie Standiford was fired on Friday – the same day the Flatwater Free Press quoted Standiford about a petition drive in Curtis.

State Senator Carol Blood promotes strategic planning and practical solutions in her Democratic candidacy for governor of Nebraska.

The Supplemental Nutrition Education Program (SNAP-Ed) is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and helps SNAP recipients learn how to eat healthy food on a budget. Its employees complain of wages so low that they themselves qualify for SNAP.

University of Nebraska regent Jim Pillen will vote in support of two major UNL athletic proposals scheduled for the regents meeting Friday. Nebraska Public Media’s Will Bauer has more on the Republican nominee for governor’s votes on alcohol sales and broadcasting rights.

The outcome of this November's elections to the Nebraska Legislature will determine the prospects of next year's legislation on abortion.

Two thirds of farmers said the pandemic affected their mental health, according to an American Farm Bureau poll. The U-S Department of Agriculture has awarded grants to states across the country to help improve mental health outreach among farmers. As Kendall Crawford reports for Harvest Public Media, some Midwestern states are distributing the resources not only to farmers, but also to the business and community members they interact with daily. And a warning for our listeners, this story mentions suicide.

Historically dry weather across Nebraska is a big factor for farmer this fall as corn and soybean harvest are underway. The state just recorded its driest August in 128-years of record keeping. University of Nebraska-Lincoln broadcasting professor Barney McCoy reports for Nebraska Public Media News.

Nebraska’s Secretary of State’s office announced three public hearings on two ballot initiatives Monday ahead of the November 8th election. Nebraska Public Media’s Will Bauer has more on what the initiatives are and when Nebraskans can learn more about them.

The City of Lincoln filed a lawsuit that aims to keep a housing development moving forward, despite concerns from local Native American groups. Nebraska Public Media’s Will Bauer has more on the growing rift between the city and the Niskíthe prayer camp.

The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission approved the Warhorse Casino in Lincoln, the first in the state's history.

The craft beer industry is driving farmers in the Midwest to grow hops for their local beer makers. But the crop is not easy to grow — it’s labor intensive and expensive.

Federal and state agencies spend millions of dollars every year to keep destructive invasive carp out of the Great Lakes. Meanwhile, at least 25 destructive species — like water fleas and bloody red shrimp — are inching closer to the Mississippi River Basin.

Colorado officials say Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts is wrong when he says Colorado is not sending Nebraska enough water.

New York Times Best Selling Author Candice Millard is this year’s Governor’s Lecture in Humanities Series. Throughout her career, Millard has used her skill as a journalist and author to explore, humanize and contextualize people and events in ways that may be surprising to readers. In her latest book, River of the Gods, Millard explores the ill-begotten journey to discover the source of the Nile River in Egypt. Nebraska Public Media’s William Padmore got the chance to sit with Millard a few days before the lecture and has this preview…

Dunn Ranch Prairie has the first grassbank in the Midwest, a partnership where The Nature Conservancy allows local ranchers to graze their cattle on its grasslands while the ranchers’ pasture is allowed to rest.

Nebraska law allows telehealth services for a host of medical situations – but not for abortion. It’s part of a patchwork of regulations in states around the Midwest that leaves providers and patients to navigate legal gray areas around the region. For the Midwest Newsroom, Farah Yousry reports.

Gov. Pete Ricketts says Colorado is not sending the amount of water it's required to have in the South Platte River at the state line.

Fatima Larios’ family hoped school officials could use her death as a way to help others trapped in abusive relationships seek support. Years later, the family thinks the Nebraska school has quietly tried to distance itself from the tragedy.

The Nebraska Board of Pardons unanimously voted to deny Earnest Jackson’s commutation request for immediate release on Monday.Jackson’s family, friends, lawyers, volunteer groups – and the victim’s family – all say Jackson did not kill Larry Perry – a crime which Jackson has served 22 years in prison for.“I'm so hurt that I'm speechless,” said Jackson’s sister, Remee Greer. “I came here optimistic, hoping for the best, praying for the best but understanding how things go.”

Scott Frakes offers some thoughts on staffing, crime and punishment, and a new prison.

Johnson and Douglas counties approved regulations allowing the construction of what would be the largest utility-scale solar farm in Kansas. But while residents say they support green energy, there's a vocal contingent pushing back against building 2,000 acres of panels so close to their communities.

A tentative railway union agreement stopped a worker strike this week, but Nebraska farmers have been dealing with railway issues throughout the year. Nebraska Farm Bureau's president talks about how the railway staffing shortage has impacted farmers.

A new report says Nebraska prisons are less overcrowded and understaffed than a year ago, but still short of medical personnel.

Nebraska Director of Natural Resources says a proposed canal to bring water from Colorado could alleviate future droughts.

Mickey Joseph made his first public comments as the interim head coach of the Nebraska football program Tuesday. They come after former coach Scott Frost was fired over the weekend. Nebraska Public Media’s Will Bauer reports Joseph talked briefly about his goals.

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in Nebraska. Addressing this issue – especially in rural parts of the state – can be difficult. Nebraska Public Media’s Will Bauer reports about the challenges to prevent suicide in rural areas and what officials plan to do about it. We should note: Some people may find this four minute story disturbing.

Nebraska’s head football coach is out. On Sunday, University of Nebraska-Lincoln athletic director Trev Alberts fired Scott Frost in his fifth season with the Huskers. Nebraska Public Media reporters Will Bauer and Aaron Bonderson reflect on what led up to Frost’s departure and what’s next for the program.

Veterinarian clinics in rural towns have been dramatically declining in numbers for decades. Rural veterinarians often get paid less than urban practitioners, take on more workload and carry thousands of dollars in debt from medical school.

Gov. Pete Ricketts' toured the route of his proposed canal to bring water from Colorado to Nebraska this week.

Long after church bells have stopped chiming, this small northwest Iowa bar holds a different kind of Sunday communion. Folks from across the state pilgrimage to Pomeroy, a town of just under 500 people. All because of one unassuming bar that’s drawing big acts from all over the country and then letting the bands keep the money.

Abortion restrictions will likely affect Black women the most. Many are concerned about the impact on Black maternal mortality, and the risk of criminalization.

Lincoln’s Sunni Muslim population is growing. With the addition of more Afghan refugees in the past few months, their mosque needs an upgrade. Nebraska Public Media’s Will Bauer reports on the Muslim community’s to plan to finish a long standing project.

There are less COVID-19 patients in hospitals, but staffing remains a challenge. We hear from Bryan Health's chief medical officer on issues sticking around even though COVID-19 surges dwindled months ago.

Scott Frakes is resigning his position as the director of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services.

Mount Rushmore and the Great Lakes are a couple of the Midwest’s tourism magnets, but some states sometimes have to work against their reputations to attract visitors. They’re getting creative by highlighting amenities that can be a bit off the beaten path.

For a little over a month, groups of blind and visually impaired Nebraskans have been gathering in Omaha for pottery lessons. The goal of the nonprofit putting on the classes? Provide a chance for students to transcend their disabilities through art.

For decades, Midwest teenagers have been hired by seed companies to walk fields of corn and help out with the pollination in a process called detasseling. It’s fondly seen as a local rite of passage. But an investigation by the Midwest Newsroom found seed companies have posted jobs to avoid teenagers and opt for migrant workers instead.

As the CEO, Smith oversaw the merging of the reservation’s hospital and public health department, Nebraska Public Media spoke with Smith about her time as CEO of the health system

The Nebraska Republican Party has endorsed Kathy Wilmot over fellow Republican Matt Williams for University of Nebraska regent.

Pickle Creek runs two miles through Ste. Genevieve County’s sandstone valleys. It carries some of Missouri’s cleanest water, but residents worry that could change if Nexgen Silica gets full approval to mine sandstone on a 249-acre plot of land along nearby Highway 32.They don’t have to look very far to see the outcome they fear most. Ste. Genevieve sits near Missouri's Old Lead Belt, where mining lasted from the 1700s to 1972 and spanned nearby Washington, Madison and St. Francois counties.The industry produced nine million tons of lead and 250 million tons of hazardous mining waste.Decades later, some residents are still dealing with toxic waste left behind by lead mining.“There is literally a Superfund site sitting in the middle of town that they capped off, but for decades it was just loose, blowing lead everywhere,” said Samantha Danieley, who grew up in Washington County and now lives in St. Francois County. The new mine has nothing to do with lead, but residents fear history could repeat itself. Lead mining and silica mining can both produce invisible dust that can harm a person’s health if swallowed or inhaled once it’s in the air. Brothers Larry and Patrick Kertz are lifelong residents of Ste. Genevieve. They remember riding motorcycles past the hills of mine waste 35 miles from home in the 1970s and 1980s. After living in the shadow of lead mining, Larry Kertz said he wants a better understanding of what will be left when the silica mine is no longer useful. “It could be a big ditch with a huge waste pile of silica sand that could blow out into the area,” he said. “They're not really addressing what's going to be done after the mine is over.”Other residents are worried about how the mine will impact the natural environment. “We want to raise our kids in this beautiful outdoorsy environment with farm life and all these things,” said Jillian Ditch Anslow, a mom to a 14-month-old daughter who started Operation Sand, an organization to oppose the silica mine earlier this year. “And now we have this potential threat to our children's health and development.”Lasting legacyThe fight over Nexgen’s silica mine has rekindled a debate that has played out in communities across the country, where the lasting legacy of lead mining means residents regularly risk contact with the neurotoxin in their daily lives.Lead persists in the environment, including in water and soil where it can pose a threat to the health of people living nearby. After the mining ended in the Old Lead Belt, several large areas of mine waste, called chat dumps, were left behind in the region.A combination of years of blowing winds, runoff from rain and manual transportation by locals of waste materials have supercharged the toxin’s reach. The Big River, a tributary of the Meramec River, also transported toxic mine waste downstream.“I remember growing up in Potosi and we would pick pieces of lead up off the ground,” Danieley said. Some of the piles left behind span upwards of 1,000 acres, said Jason Gunther, a project manager with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) who oversees remediation work in Big River Mine Tailings Superfund site, including St. Francois County. “This material was also set above these towns, some of these piles were 300 feet above the neighboring towns,” Gunther said. “They would blow… Not just gravel-sized materials but also much finer materials.”He estimates the soil on 5,000 properties in St. Francois County has been contaminated by lead, although soil sampling isn’t complete. Even if a sample comes back at 800 parts per million – double the concentration considered safe by the EPA for children to play in – it could be years before the soil is remediated because of the high number of properties testing with high concentrations. “It's not uncommon to see some that are above 2,000 parts per million,” Gunther said. Natural levels of lead in soil typically range from 50 to 400 parts per million, according to the EPA. Gunther expects soil remediation and pile stabilization work to continue beyond 2030.Meanwhile, locals have adapted to life under the toxic circumstances. Danieley said when her teenage children were younger, she worried about letting them play outside. Children can become poisoned from playing in contaminated soil when they get lead dust or paint chips or dust on their fingers then put their hands in their mouths. Danieley also worried about how the contaminated soil could impact local farming. “If you're out doing yard gardening, and you're digging through all this lead contaminated dust, you're getting that dust on your hands, you're possibly ingesting it,” she said. Mining isn’t the only way lead can end up in soil, says Jeff Wenzel, bureau chief for the Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.Soil along busy roads can also be contaminated from before gasoline was unleaded and paint chips from old houses can taint soil in yards. But in Missouri in particular, lead mining contributed significantly to contaminated soil in some areas. “Lead mining has been in Missouri pretty much since since Missouri was a state even before Missouri was a state,” Wenzel said. Once lead makes it into soil, it can pose a major health hazard for people living nearby. Wenzel says that beyond the hand-to-mouth route, lead particles can also be breathed into the mouth then swallowed.Crops planted in tainted soil can also pose a threat. “Your root crops can have dirt or soil left on them, so you want to clean those really well,” Wenzel said. “We see uptake in plants, especially plants like kale. Things like green plants that can live multiple years or come back year after year especially can have a pretty high lead accumulation.”According to the World Health Organization, there is no safe level of lead, and even low levels of exposure has been shown to cause cognitive impairment in children.Research dating back decades has shown that children living near mining areas are more likely to have elevated blood lead levels than children who don’t. Missouri's Old Lead Belt counties aren’t the only former mining regions devastated by the impacts of the industry long after it ended. Galena, Kansas, is part of the Tri-State Mining District that spanned parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri until the 1970s. The rural town of less than 3,000 people was named after the lead ore known as galena after it was found there in the late 1800s.In the same county in Treece, Kansas, the Picher Lead Company of Joplin, Missouri, discovered lead and zinc underground in 1914, according to a 2012 article published in The New York Times. By the 1920s, the site was the largest producer of zinc and lead in the country and by 1981 the EPA ranked Treece as the most contaminated area in the country. Today, it’s a ghost town, bought out by the federal agency.Waste from zinc and lead mining covered 4,000 acres in Cherokee County when the mining ended.The EPA is still taking remedial action on the site and conducting investigative work on nearby watersheds. Silica health risksIn Ste. Genevieve, Anslow wants to keep her town from becoming a case study for how silica mining impacts human health.Silica mining typically relies on open pit or dredging mining methods. The process can generate dust-sized particles invisible to the naked eye that can be inhaled and reach the lungs. Over time, extended exposure is associated with silicosis, lung cancer or chronic bronchitis. People working directly with silica dust are most at risk for developing medical lung conditions, said Bobby Shah, a pulmonologist with St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield, Missouri. “We definitely have known for decades that silica itself is harmful to the lungs,” Shah said. “Patients across that spectrum of acute, chronic or accelerated [silicosis], can develop scarring in their lungs, the term that is commonly used as fibrosis,” Shah said, “and they can quickly and then from there on, develop even more respiratory symptoms.”Shah said there’s not enough data to know what risk silica particles pose to the general population surrounding a mining site, but people who smoke are more likely to develop medical conditions related to exposure. “I don't want my daughter to be where it's like, okay, ‘Let's come and sample and let's monitor the children's health in Ste. Genevieve County,’” Anslow said. Mitigation processes will help limit the mine’s impact on residents’ health, said Clark Bollinger, Nexgen’s general manager.“Certainly the dust will not be an issue,” he said. “The noise – we've got ideas and things in place to help mitigate some of the noise for the local residents.”Bollinger said the site contains enough reserves for around 50 years of mining and that there’s a plan in place to restore the area and ensure it’s safe after the mining ends by installing a large lake. He also said the mine will have minimal or no impact on nearby Hawn State Park or the local watershed and aquifer. Missouri Parks Association executive director Kendra Varns Wallis said it’s not yet possible to know for sure how the mine could impact local water sources and wildlife and expressed concern about its proximity to Hickory Canyons Natural Area. “There couldn’t be a worse place to put it, honestly,” Wallis said. As Ste. Genevieve residents fight against the mine, Nexgen remains far from breaking ground. Some of Anslow’s work with Operation Sand paid off when county commissioners and the county health department passed an ordinance prohibiting new mines from opening within a half-a-mile of schools, towns, churches and public wells.Nexgen has filed a suit asking a judge to strike down the ordinance. In July, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Land Reclamation Program granted the company one of three permits required to operate the mine. The company m

Blue-green algae appears in lakes all over the Midwest during the summers and can make both people and animals ill. Few states have routine testing programs to check for the toxic algae, but some local and volunteer groups are stepping in to fill that gap.

It’s been 63 days since the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade. In Nebraska, abortion access remains unchanged, as state law bans abortion 20 weeks after fertilization. Nebraska Public Media’s Will Bauer went to Planned Parenthood’s clinic in Lincoln to get a tour and hear what’s changed since June.

Members of Nebraska's congressional delegation say improvement is needed in the nation's legal immigration system.

Much of the Great Plains is way behind on moisture. The drought has drained water levels at many rivers and lakes, uncovering historical relics that are typically submerged.

Secretary of state's office says supporters of legalizing medical marijuana did not turn in enough valid signatures to put the issue on the November ballot.

DHHS set a goal of resolving 90% of the 988 calls by phone. In the first month, the state’s call center at Boys Town received more than 1,538 calls, and 96% of those were resolved by phone.

Across the Midwest, farmland prices have risen sharply from last year, in part because of high commodity prices and a global food shortage. The highly competitive market, which often includes investors, can make it difficult for young farmers to grow their businesses.

The Douglas County Health Department held a press conference on Thursday morning to address the death of a Douglas County child, suspected to be caused by a deadly infection from water-borne amoeba

A legislative committee is looking for ideas to revitalize north and south Omaha.

Recent survey results show commercial honeybees are on track to have another year of colony losses. A decline in these essential pollinators could hinder food production.

Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Jim Pillen will not debate before the election, according to his campaign. Pillen’s decision would make him the first governor since at least the 1970s that didn’t debate.

The EPA says emissions from a Columbus factory create risks of cancer; Becton Dickinson says the facility is safe and getting safer.

Ho-Chunk is the first player to build a comprehensive casino off reservation land in Nebraska. Last year, Ho-Chunk paid about $5 million in reinvestment to the tribe. Of that reinvestment – the tribe budgeted out about $3.7 million for their general fund. That’s used for tribe programs like Ho-Chunk language preservation, the annual homecoming celebration, healthcare and substance abuse services, and more.

Ho-Chunk is the first player to build a comprehensive casino off reservation land in Nebraska. Last year, Ho-Chunk paid about $5 million in reinvestment to the tribe. Of that reinvestment – the tribe budgeted out about $3.7 million for their general fund. That’s used for tribe programs like Ho-Chunk language preservation, the annual homecoming celebration, healthcare and substance abuse services, and more.

The Inflation Reduction Act repeals and replaces part of the American Rescue Plan Act that earmarked $4 billion in debt relief for farmers of color.

Before farmland covered more than 90 percent of the state, the vast majority of Iowa was prairie. But, the tall green fields dotted with wildflowers that once dominated the state began to vanish as settlers put it under the plow.Now, only a tiny sliver of Iowa prairie land – less than 0.1 percent – remains untouched by the agriculture and development that surrounds it.

A former township official was among those who voted themselves an extra $1,000 a week for a $600 a year job.

Silvopasture is the practice of grazing livestock in a forested area instead of an open pasture. It’s a very old practice that might see new life.

A Norfolk, Nebraska abortion case highlights law enforcement's access to online messages and suggests future litigation over state regulation of abortion medication.

At the most recent Winnebago Tribal Council meeting, representatives from AT&T's FirstNet service presented to the council about their wireless 5G network for first responders

Freight rail workers are threatening to strike pending ongoing contract negotiations with the carriers they work with. Nebraska Public Media News reports on what’s at stake for the roughly 116,000 workers and for consumers across the country.

Plans to stop burning coal next year at the North Omaha Station, a chief supplier of electricity to the region, likely won’t happen on schedule.Instead, the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) wants North Omaha Station, one of the country’s top emitters of nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide, to keep operating until 2026.OPPD said the delayed closure was unavoidable but disappointed those who expected the utility to make good on a pledge to stop burning coal at North Omaha Station by the end of 2023.

New startup aims to build a healthy and sustainable industry using Aronia Berries.

A study spearheaded by the University of Nebraska Medical Center is looking at how different areas of Omaha are affected by hot weather.

Climate experts say summer nights have gotten warmer. One study found the average minimum temperature in the United States has gotten warmer by 2.5 degrees over the last 50 years. For farmers, this means crops and livestock could suffer.

In parts of the Midwest where lead mining and smelting lasted for over a century, communities are still dealing with toxic waste left behind by the industry.Lead, a dangerous neurotoxin, persists in the environment, including in water and soil, where it can pose a threat to the health of people living nearby. The risk is especially acute for children, who can unintentionally ingest lead by putting their hands in their mouths and whose brains and bodies are still developing.It can be spread to other areas, like yards and schools, by rainfall, and can also taint aquifers or vegetables in gardens, making them harmful to consume.Now researchers are working to limit the impact of lead in the environment on people, and they believe they’ve found a promising solution: Plant life.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said he would not call a special legislative session on abortion because there is not enough support to overcome a filibuster.

9 forensic scientists from Colombia will receive training at the DPAA office at the Offutt Air Force Base. They hope to bring what they learned back to Colombia to assist in their work of identifying human remains

Nebraska's harsh weather conditions have created a large setback in the state's wheat harvest.

Over 50 high school athletic trainers and emergency personnel attended a heat illness and fall sports safety training session on Friday. The training session went over heat illness procedures and other athletic safety heading into the fall sports season

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln releases their COVID-19 plan for the school semester as Lancaster County's risk dial remains at High.

Farmers can use far less chemical fertilizer — which can be expensive and harmful to the environment — and maintain high crop yields, according to a new study.

Missouri residents may have heard ghoulish tales of “Doc Annie” Smith, a physician who looms large in the state’s mythology for performing illegal abortions in the early 1900s. Today, the truth about her work has largely disappeared.

One opponent of abortion says chances of a special session to restrict the procedure in Nebraska are "remote."

The Omaha FBI field office held a Diversity Agent Recruitment event on Wednesday night, aimed at attracting potential new agents from diverse backgrounds. The event had 40 attendees and was a success, according to the Omaha FBI

Grand Island Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Tawana Grover Speaks to Nebraska Public Media about the challenges of the upcoming school year, including: teacher shortages, trans rights and an ongoing pandemic

The Ewing Family lost the home and ranch that had been in the family for generations.

Firefighters have made great progress in containing the Carter Canyon fire that began from a Saturday evening lightning strike. Public information officer Benjamin Bohall said the effort will soon be turned over to the Gering Fire Department

The legal fight over Nebraska's signature distribution requirement for initiative petitions is continuing.

Nebraska Public Media's Bill Kelly reports from Gering on efforts to contain the wildlfire.

A Lincoln nonprofit kicked off its first ever technology classes on Friday, targeted to help those who are changing careers or who simply need help developing skills to find jobs. Hosted by the Center for People in Need, EduTech is free for its students. It’s funded by the $600,000 share the city of Lincoln received from the American Rescue Plan Act.

The leader of a Nebraska veterans' organization criticized the failure of burn pit legislation in the Senate, but Nebraska's senators expect it will pass.

Conservation has been a popular part of agriculture for decades. But it’s become controversial since the Biden administration announced a national conservation goal. Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts has spearheaded a movement that likens conservation to government control.

Rising interest rates and a falling GDP have cooled the Nebraska housing market, but it's still healthy, says state Realtors president.

Two teenagers attempted to steal a 2013 Hyundai Tuesday evening while filming themselves for Tik Tok.

Nebraska-based GS Labs failed to deliver COVID-19 tests on time despite advertising a fast and reliable product. According to a Minnesota Public Radio report, the Omaha company is under investigation from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.

Ho-Chunk Incorporated officially expanded to Omaha on Wednesday. It broke ground on a similar racetrack - casino or “racino” in Lincoln in early July.CEO Lance Morgan said that the new casino in Omaha will employ more than 1,000 employees and bring in over $100,000 in revenue in the first year.

BYLINE: Niara Savage and Samantha Horton—A vintage military-style trunk she bought at an eastern Michigan flea market when she was a teenager became a staple of Jennifer Poupard's life.Poupard, now 37, originally bought it to store her CDs. Over the years the trunk — styled with leather handles and metal buckles — served as a container for shoes, a coffee table and as a resting place for a record player.When her child, Wallace, was born in 2013, it was put to a new use.“[Wallace] would pull the stand at that trunk and turn around and run to me,” Poupard said. “And that is around when I noticed the numbers going up.”The numbers that went up were Wallace's blood lead levels.Poupard was participating in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program -in Chicago at that time, which required Wallace to receive regular blood lead tests.In 2014, Wallace’s 18-month lead check came back as 5.3 micrograms per deciliter. At the time, the Centers for Disease Control’s reference level was 5 micrograms per deciliter. The CDC lowered that threshold to 3.5 in October 2021.After consulting with other moms in an online Facebook group, Poupard began to believe her beloved heirloom may have been the culprit.The Missouri Independent and NPR's Midwest Newsroom are collaborating to explore the issue of high levels of lead in children in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.Vintage products purchased at thrift stores or antique shops were often made decades ago – long before current federal regulations on toxic substances went into effect.Lead paint is regularly found in vintage items more than 40 years old. But the sale of vintage items containing lead paint isn’t regulated, and many buyers aren’t aware of the threat the neurotoxin poses when bringing second-hand finds into their homes.‘No normal level of lead’Lead paint and lead pipes are cited as the top risks of lead exposure to children. Poisoning from consumer goods and antiques is rare. Still, state health department websites for Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska warn about the dangers of lead in hand-me-down furniture and old ceramics and antique toys. [Lead product recalls chart]Elevated blood lead levels in children are typically discovered through routine screenings, not because the child showed signs of poisoning, said Dr. Denise Hooks-Anderson, a family physician who previously practiced in St. Louis for 10 years. Symptoms of lead poisoning include abdominal pain, constipation, fatigue, and maybe headaches, Hooks-Anderson said. And even if there are no immediate symptoms to warn parents and doctors, the long-term consequences of lead exposure for children can be severe.“One of the most dangerous misconceptions about lead is that levels have to be really high to cause damage,” Hooks-Anderson said. “There is no normal level of lead. Having any lead in our blood is abnormal.” In a 2010 study researchers with Oregon State University, the State University of New York and the University of California-Berkeley purchased used items from second-hand and antique stores. They found that leaded items could be purchased at each of the stores they visited in Virginia, New York and Oregon, and that 19 of the 28 purchased items violated the 1978 federal standard banning the use of residential paint containing greater than 600 parts per million lead. The most toxic item researchers tested was a salt shaker lid containing 714 times that limit. Researchers agreed, at the time, that it would likely be impossible to regulate the sale of second-hand items at antique stores and flea markets and that children should not be allowed to come into contact with items purchased from an unregulated seller.Concerned about where the lead was coming from, Poupard sought answers online. That's where she found Tamara Rubin, an activist for consumer goods safety with a large online community. Rubin founded Lead Safe Mama LLC in 2016 to formally continue the work she’d started in 2008 educating the public about lead hazards after her own children were poisoned. She estimates she interacts with up to 100 people a day, answering questions and providing resources. About “90% of my readership is moms,” Rubin said, “Moms and grandmas.”In Rubin’s private Facebook group of more than 18,000 members, parents seek support and advice from one another about experiences involving lead poisoning or childrens’ exposure to leaded items. Rubin sent Poupard 3M swabs to test items in her home for lead, as she’s done for countless other families. “And I tested the trunk. And that was positive, like immediately bright red on the swab,” Poupard said. That’s when she recalled the first summer she had the trunk, when her health had taken a temporary turn for the worse around the same time that she was using a metal scraper and wire brush to strip off the green paint on the trunk.It's unlikely the trunk was the only thing contributing to Wallace's lead levels in the older apartment. But Poupard immediately covered it with a sheet to limit Wallace's exposure. But given its size, it took years for her to finally get the trunk out of their lives. And when she was finally able to get rid of it, she wanted to make sure on one else would bring it into their home.“I wrote with permanent marker all over it like in huge letters lead paint on all the sides and inside,” Poupard said. “And I timed it for when the garbage truck should be coming that day or the next day. Building materials like doors, window sashes and decorative items from before 1978 are particularly risky, said Dr. Kandace Fisher-McLean, a professor with the University of Missouri Extension and Coordinator for the National Healthy Homes Partnership. Vintage dishware, ceramic items, silverware, jewelry, toys and furniture are also more likely to contain lead.But there isn’t a reliable way for a person to assess whether an older object is a lead hazard.“You can certainly use that age marker, as a general sort of rule of thumb,” Fisher-McLean said. “But with all of the items that are on the market, and all of the ways that and means that people could obtain these items, from antique stores, to flea markets, to thrift stores to garage sales, there was absolutely absolutely no way to regulate all of the things that are already on the market.” Lead has to get inside the body to be dangerous, and children are most vulnerable, Fisher-McLean said. “Children are naturally curious, and they put their hands in their mouth. They touch lots of things, then they put their hands in their mouth.” As a good rule of thumb, “don't purchase vintage toys for your children to play with,” Fisher-McLean cautions. Vintage dishes can be especially risky as they’re exposed to heat and light over time, leading to the production of lead dust that poses a danger if ingested or inhaled, Fisher-McLean said.When 15 children and adults tested positive for elevated blood lead levels tied to the use of ceramic ware last year, the New York Health Department issued a warning about purchasing or using traditional ceramic ware from flea markets, street vendors or places where it’s difficult to determine the manufacturer or how the product was made.At the Chesterfield Antique Mall in St. Louis County, Missouri, a vintage 1940s dish set is on display and for sale.“A piece like that might be beautiful to hang on your wall or to put in a china cabinet,” Fisher-McLean said. “But certainly, it's not something that you want to be eating off of.” Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas declined to comment on policies regarding the sale of damaged or vintage dishes and toys. Discount store itemsEven new items can pose threats of lead exposure. Discount stores including Dollar General, Family Dollar and Dollar Tree offer thousands of products at low prices, from essential items to kids’ toys. With hundreds of discount stores across Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri, people can come to rely on these retailers — especially when they might be the only options within a short distance from home. Campaign for Healthier Solutions, a nonprofit that works to reduce lead and other toxic elements in items purchased at discount stores, has conducted studies over the years on the lead levels in things like tablecloths, jewelry and toys sold at discount stores. [Bargain stores, poor tracts scatter plot]Its most recent study found that of 226 items tested, the level with toxic chemicals, including lead, dropped from 81% in 2015 to 53% in 2022. While the lead levels were improved, lead soldering in toys and headphones targeted towards children were found to have high levels of the toxic metal.The group wants discount stores to demand manufacturers produce products with no lead, said José Bravo, national coordinator for the Campaign for Healthier Solutions.“Lead is such an easy lift for stores or retailers to go upstream to their suppliers and say, ‘Guess what? No lead is safe lead, right,’” he said.Bravo said the reduction in the number of items being found with toxins is progressing. Along with the report, one of his organization’s efforts is communicating with each company’s executives to update their policies to expand the restricted substance list. But the lists are only being applied to the store labeled products, meaning more work needs to be done so it applies to everything sold. Dollar Tree’s corporate spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment. The federal Consumer Goods Protection Agency sets standards for tolerable amounts of lead in products. So far this year six products have been recalled for exceeding a lead concentration of 90 parts per million in children's products. Bravo said leaving it up to regulators isn't always enough.“Most often enough, people would say, ‘Well, yeah, you know, the EPA, or the Food Drug Administration, or somebody is safeguarding our health when it comes to them.’ That's no

Unanimously passed, the $20 million will just provide a chunk of the cost for the new, more centrally located, library at the corner of 72nd and Dodge. The rest of the cash will be covered by a local nonprofit, Heritage Omaha. The new library is scheduled for a 2025 opening.

Nebraska State Senator Tom Brewer says Ukrainians are united against the Russian invasion, but need more help from the United States.

Coy Johnston clocked a cumulative time of 13.79 seconds over his three runs, which was the lowest average time across the 126 contestants. “I felt pretty confident in myself,” he said. “The plan going out there was to win the whole thing."

People who are pregnant in rural areas generally have a harder time reaching a doctor. Dr. Anne Banfield saw this firsthand when she worked as an OB-GYN in rural West Virginia.“We have a lot of mothers in our country who are suffering, because potentially in many cases, there are breakdowns in the prenatal care system,” Banfield said.About half of all counties in the U.S. lacked a dedicated OB-GYN in 2019, according to data from the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration analyzed by Louisville Public Media.Since the Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade in June, states have begun implementing their own laws surrounding abortion and reproducive rights. There’s concern among physicians and public health experts that pending abortion bans in places already lacking maternal health resources could lead to worse outcomes.

Native American tribes and communities are creating formal programs that focus on their traditional foods to not only combat systemic food insecurity, but also connect people to their culture.

Norfolk area real estate president Rob Dover will serve out the remainder of Mike Flood’s term in the Nebraska Legislature’s 19th District, which covers Madison County and southern part of Pierce County. Rep. Mike Flood vacated the 19th District seat after being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives last month. Voters had elected Flood in 2020 to a four-year term, and Dover will serve through January 2025.

The White House is asking Gov. Ricketts to help promote a federal program offering reduced internet costs

A new virtual reality art exhibit at KANEKO in Omaha gives viewers a front-row seat to the immigration crisis at the U-S, Mexico border. KANEKO is one of the few places in the world right now where you can see the exhibit after numerous sold-out international tours. Nebraska Public Media’s Jackie Ourada has more on the Oscar award-winning Carne y Arena exhibit that shows what many people endure as they try to find the “American dream.”

Thirteen years after the federal government last raised the federal minimum wage, a ballot initiative in Nebraska aims to raise Nebraska’s minimum to $15 per hour by 2026. “I think Nebraska's graduated scale is fairly conservative and will be easy to hit,” said Mike Draper, who owns Raygun, a clothing and design store in Omaha.

High input costs have pushed up food prices at grocery stores. But local farmers have been able to keep prices more stable, and that’s attracting new customers.

The Omaha FBI office will be holding a Diversity Agent Recruitment event on August 3 to hire new agents, especially from diverse applicants

Every two years the Nebraska Hall of Fame Commission selects a prominent person whose residence in the state contributed to their greatness and place in history. This year nominees, put forward by members of the public, include the controversial civil rights leader Malcolm X, a famed baseball pitcher, a Pulitizer Prize-winning composer, and a pioneer in promoting women’s sports. Public hearings on the candidates begin this evening in Lincoln.

The Nebraska Medical Association is asking its members for their input on abortion restrictions that may be proposed in the Legislature.

Agriculture companies are increasingly paying farmers to capture carbon. But some say the newly budding carbon marketplace isn’t enough to fight climate change.

Can someone’s behavior be an indicator that the person may carry out a mass shooting? That is the focus of a document published by the University of Nebraska’s National Counterterrorism, Innovation, Technology, and Education Center. In it, they connected federally recognized behaviors indicating someone may be planning violence to the shooter behind the mass killing in Buffalo, New York earlier this year. Nebraska Public Media’s William Padmore spoke with the author of the document Clara Braun and Center Director Dr. Gina Ligon.

The U.S. Congress passed the “Keep Kids Fed Act,” which returns the school lunch program to an income-based system. The act passed just days before the universal free lunch program was scheduled to end June 30.VanLear was shocked and panicked to hear the news.“Crap, I got to reach out [and] figure out the budget,” she said.Who qualifies?Penny VanLear works two jobs. One at H&R Block where she’s been for 12 years. The other at the City of Lincoln’s Treasury office. VanLear said they didn’t have to worry about paying for lunches before the pandemic.“We were still qualifying for free at that point, with the four kids,” VanLear said. Adam, 19, has since graduated and goes to Southeast Community College in Lincoln. Now with three dependents instead of four, VanLear is put into a different income bracket. She fears her three kids won’t qualify for free lunches.

Nebraska State Senator described visiting a town near the front where people have been living in basements for months.

Newly-elected Nebraska Republican Party Chairman Eric Underwood says he wants a more locally-centered, less "top-down" approach.

Nebraska State Senator Patty Pansing Brooks told Vice President Kamala Harris the fight to protect abortion rights in Nebraska will continue.

There aren’t any definite numbers about how many farmers belong to the LGBTQ community in the U.S, but many are making a point to become more visible in their rural communities.

Petition campaigns to put voter ID requirements and a raise in the minimum wage turned in far more signatures than required, while the campaign for medical marijuana was closer to the miniumum number required.

A U.S, Court of Appeals ruling could throw out at least one ballot initiative aimed for the November elections

Reports from campaigns to require voter ID, raise the minium wage, and legalilze medical cannabis detail fundraising and spending.

Following the reversal of Roe v. Wade, 24 senators urged President Biden to ensure American’s right to an abortion, according to a letter sent to the president. One part mentioned “using federal property and resources to increase access to abortion.”A separate Supreme Court ruling states that non-natives can be prosecuted for violating state law on Native American land, which is federally owned. That and pushback from Native American spokespeople makes it unlikely for an abortion clinic to open on reservation land.

A proposed industrial park with rail access near North Platte brings the promise of change, along with challenges.

Farmers across much of the Corn Belt got a late start planting their corn this year. July could make or break this year’s crop. A poor harvest could fuel inflation and have a ripple effect for consumers.

Former Chadron State college student Caleb Tegtmeier had been on track to represent his school on the state college board. But the governor revoked Tegtmeier's appointment after multiple women accused him of sexual assault in civil court. Last month a judge ruled Tegtmeier must stay away from two of the women making the allegations.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts is reacting to Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont's invitation for businesses to relocate after the Supreme Court's abortion ruling.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is in the process of renewing its master general permit for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations throughout the state. Environmental groups worry the new regulations won’t be stringent enough, pointing to a recent permit change at one facility.

Prairie wildlife needs a patchy landscape, in which different areas bear the marks of varying degrees of grazing. Scientists have a plan to achieve that.

Thousands of people in Nebraska suffer from Long COVID, suffering long-lasting symptoms.

A UNO political science professor expects lots of outside money and ads in November's Flood - Pansing Brooks rematch.

The longtime state senator won the special election Tuesday night to fill the vacant seat of Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District for the U.S. House of Representatives, according to the Associated Press, soundly defeating fellow state senator Patty Pansing Brooks.

A Federal Judge in California sentenced former Nebraska Congressman Jeff Fortenberry to two years probation and over 300 hours of community service after being found guilty of three counts of lying to federal investigators. He must also pay a $25,000 fine. At today’s sentencing hearing, Judge Stanley Blumenfeld said, “what is clear is that Mr. Fortenberry turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the information that he was clearly provided by Dr. Ayoub in June of 2016.” “The evidence clearly supports the finding by the jury that Mr. Fortenberry was not blind and he was not deaf. He saw, he heard, and he certainly knew by the contributions were, at a minimum, conduit contributions.”

In his rookie season, Briscoe became the first black man to start at quarterback professionally. He started five games. He broke the Bronco rookie record with 1,897 yards of total offense and 14 touchdown passes.

A restaurant in Lincoln is, like many businesses, offering financial help to employees who may need to travel to get an abortion.

Nebraska lawmakers split in their reactions to the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, while the prospects of a special legislative session to change Nebraska's abortion laws remained uncertain.

Don Bacon said the court’s decision means a successful day for those fighting for decades to overturn Roe v. Wade.Bacon said he believes life starts prior to 15 weeks of conception but encourages anti-abortion state senators to work with those they may not agree with. Tony Vargas is state senator for the 7th District of Nebraska, which is in the Omaha area. The Democrat U.S. congressional candidate for Bacon’s current seat says he stands by women’s reproductive rights.Vargas says there’s a group of senators that will stand up against abortion bans in the state legislature.

A new report says Nebraska is losing taxpayers to other states due to domestic migration.

The budget, unanimously passed by the regents, will not raise tuition across the system for the second straight year. Thursday’s decision includes operating budgets for all four university campuses.

The lines were long Wednesday morning at Speedy Gas. The Nebraska chapter of Americans for Prosperity covered the Bellevue gas station’s cost, allowing it to drop its prices from $4.65 to $2.38 from 8-10 a.m.

Nebraska state Sen. Tom Brewer is heading to Ukraine to train people there on using a new type of sniper rifle.

The schools can also be referred to as Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI’s) by the federal Department of Education. Once a school’s enrollment reaches 25% Hispanic students of its full-time undergraduates, it can apply to become a HSI. UNK’s undergraduate census from last fall indicates 13% of its full-time students identifying as Latino or Hispanic. The school enrolls 226 more Hispanic students now than ten years ago. Kelly Bartling, Vice Chancellor for Enrollment, said the school could get HSI recognition in 20-30 years, with more concerted efforts.

A preivew of the candidates running in the 1st District Special Election on June 28th

The Republican National Committee opened a community center aimed at attracting Hispanic voters in south Omaha.

A missile silo from the 1960's in York has been converted into an underground home, and it is now on the market for someone looking for a unique place to call home.