News
U.S. House Democrats push for congressional hearing on child labor violations
WASHINGTON — Top Democrats on the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee are urging Republican Chair Virginia Foxx of North Carolina to hold a hearing this month on the uptick in child labor violations. Democratic Reps. Bobby Scott of Virginia, the ranking member of the committee, and Alma Adams of North Carolina, the ranking member […]
Gov. Jim Pillen signs proclamation honoring 75th anniversary of establishment of Israel
LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen signed a proclamation Thursday honoring the 75th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel and recognizing its relationship with Nebraska. The relationship, officials said, includes cultural, educational and technology exchanges. It extends to shipments of kosher beef from Nebraska and components for missile defense systems produced at Lincoln’s […]
Social media, trauma, hate speech add to youth mental health crisis, U.S. Senate panel told
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators agreed during a hearing Thursday the country’s children are going through a youth mental health crisis, though some of the committee’s members disagreed about what role Congress has to play. Senators detailed a complicated patchwork of issues that contribute to youth mental health challenges, including violence and trauma within schools and […]
White House to name coordinator to push back against book bans, among new LGBTQ protections
WASHINGTON — As part of the celebration of Pride month, the Biden administration on Thursday announced several new protections for LGBTQ+ youth and families, including the position of a federal coordinator to counter the massive wave of book bans across the country. President Joe Biden was scheduled later Thursday to host a Pride event at […]
U.S. Supreme Court rules Alabama’s congressional maps violate Voting Rights Act
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling that Alabama’s 2022 congressional maps violated the Voting Rights Act, a ruling that preserves a major part of the Voting Rights Act and could lead to new congressional maps in Alabama. A three-judge panel in January 2022 ruled that maps approved by the Alabama […]
Upset mobile home owners seek reprieve from federal agency’s order to move out
LINCOLN — Seventeen years ago, Bill Roddy found a little piece of paradise along a quiet reservoir in southwest Nebraska. Roddy, then living in the Denver area, purchased a mobile home that was for sale on leased land that sits along Swanson Reservoir, a 5,000-acre fishing and recreation lake near Trenton. Soon, Roddy was a […]
Public input sought on deployment of federal broadband funds
LINCOLN — Public input is being sought at a string of meetings concerning the quality and availability of high-speed internet across Nebraska, and how new federal funding should be spent. The sessions are designed to help the state develop a comprehensive approach to provide quality digital access across the state. The Nebraska Legislature recently passed […]
Former VP Mike Pence launches 2024 bid, criticizes Trump’s Jan. 6 actions
ANKENY, Iowa — Former Vice President Mike Pence announced his candidacy for president Wednesday to a crowd at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, focusing on the differences between him and former President Donald Trump, who is also running again in 2024. While Pence praised the conservative successes he and Trump achieved in office, […]
Statue of renowned Nebraska author Willa Cather unveiled in U.S. Capitol
WASHINGTON — Pulitzer Prize-winning author Willa Cather, who brought to life the Great Plains of Nebraska, is now honored with a statue in the U.S. Capitol, becoming the 12th woman represented in the National Statuary Hall Collection. U.S. and Nebraska lawmakers on Wednesday unveiled the bronze figure of the woman who wrote the widely acclaimed […]
White House launches national plan to address gender-based violence in the U.S.
For the first time in history, the White House has launched a national plan to address gender-based violence on a federal level, introducing seven strategic action plans to help communities across the United States. “As long as there are women in this country and around the world who live in fear of violence, there’s more […]
Effects of climate change on farming, federal spending explored by U.S. Senate panel
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators on the Budget Committee dug into the impacts of climate change on farming during a Wednesday hearing, raising concerns about what the next few decades hold for food production and the way of life. But Republicans and representatives of farm groups pushed back against increased government regulation. Brent Johnson, president of […]
A $25 million gift to NU will expand ‘The Barn’ into a rural student center and boost programs at urban UNO
OMAHA — A $25 million gift from a local philanthropist couple is to transform “The Barn” at the University of Nebraska’s rural agricultural campus and also spur more innovative projects at NU’s urban Omaha campus. Announced Wednesday, the pledge by Barbara and Wally Weitz of Omaha will direct $19 million to UNO and $6 million […]