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School bonds had a relatively successful night overall, with voters in the Wausa, Logan View, Sterling and Minden School Districts approving tax increases to construct new school buildings and improve athletic facilities. In the Ashland-Greenwood School District, voters approved an override of the district's property tax levy. However, in Columbus and Stanton, voters rejected bonds aimed at funding construction for new buildings.

Nebraska high school wrestling fans will likely notice officials huddled around a monitor during this year's state finals. That's because coaches will have the chance to challenge calls, under an experimental rule approved by the NSAA Board of Directors on Wednesday.

Start your day with Nebraska Update – your trusted daily news podcast for statewide headlines and valued perspective – all in just a few minutes. From the Capitol to your community, Nebraska Public Media's local journalists bring you the state's top stories every weekday morning. Launching Nov. 11.

Eighteen-year-old Marshall Fry was charged with making terroristic threats and arrested Oct. 22 in Sarpy County. An affidavit from the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office stated that the Instagram account “marshall506861” posted the comment, “Finna shoot you guys up,” on a post from Scary Acres, a seasonal haunted house attraction. Michael Halbleib, Scary Acres' head of security and a former Omaha police officer, reported the comment to the Sheriff's Office on Oct. 6. Following the report, Investigative Sgt. Matt Barrall said the Sheriff's Office issued a search warrant for the account to Meta, which provided an ISP address, phone number and birthdate that linked the account to Fry. The sergeant said Fry's search history revealed alarming results.

Data released in October showed that four in five Nebraska children who want to be in an afterschool program miss out. Afterschool Alliance, a national afterschool organization, conducts the study every five years.

Despite tariff concerns and low grain prices, Nebraska ag producers are on track for a good year overall. Net farm income in the state is projected to reach around 8.4 billion dollars, up from just under 6 billion dollars last year. Increased livestock receipts and government payments represent the bulk of the additional income, which were enough to offset lower crop receipts and production expenses.

The University of Nebraska Omaha's Center for Research and Human Movement Variability has made Nebraska an internationally recognized player in the biomechanics field. Now, with a final round of funding from the National Institutes of Health, MOVCENTR will work to future-proof its services, therapies and research.

Temperatures remained into the 80s well in the fall this year in parts of the Midwest. Agrivoltaics offers a respite to extreme heat and land access for new farmers.

The three members of the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission did not attend a public hearing on the draft regulations for the substance in October, but they did consider six categories of recommendations that came from the hearing. The recommendations included allowing additional forms of cannabis, increasing the number of licensed facilities and increasing the plant limits for cultivators.

Each year, the Star City Hearse Club does their Halloween Hearse Tour. They are becoming a Halloween staple, but they want to do more.

For 39 years, Ken Siemek has been presence in living rooms in Lincoln and across the state of Nebraska as Chief Meteorologist for 10/11 television. After 44 years at 10/11, Siemek retired at the end of October. Nebraska Public Media's Dale Johnson sat down with his longtime broadcast friend to talk about humble beginnings and a remarkable career.

Nebraska lawmakers were given a spooky revenue projection on Halloween, but it didn't come as surprise to fiscal committee leadership. The Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board revised its April state revenue projections downward by around $120 million dollars for FY2025-26, and $247 million for FY2026-27. That means the state's budget shortfall – which was already at $95 million following the recent legislative session – has ballooned to more than $450 million over the current biennium. The revenue forecast is used as the basis for the Legislature's constitutional obligation to balance the state budget. A state statute calls for an additional 3% reserve to be included.

The state's budget challenges may make holding the line on property taxes the short-term goal.

Next year will be a time of belt-tightening in the state capitol. That's the sentiment from fiscal committee leadership ahead of the 60-day session that begins in January. Changes from the One, Big Beautiful Bill Act are estimated to cost the state more than $200 million in revenue over the next two years. That, combined with lower-than-expected state tax revenues over the summer, means the Legislature will likely make additional cuts to the biennial budget it passed in the spring. Revenue Committee Chair Brad von Gillern said some ways of raising revenue, such as reversing income tax cuts or rolling back business tax incentives, should be off the table.

Doane University and Nebraska Methodist College will partner on a new accelerated nursing pathway to help address health care shortages across the state. The official program begins in fall 2026, but leaders said the two institutions already share many students.

Local contractors say they have enough local labor to detassel Nebraska's seed corn but they're losing work to migrant workers on H-2A visas. A 2024 Nebraska law attempted to increase transparency in detasseling labor practices.

An American Association of University Professors report showed that the University of Nebraska is in “good financial health” amid ongoing budget cut discussions. The Lincoln campus chancellor will submit recommended cuts to the Board of Regents before its December meeting. The latest proposal included eliminating six programs.

Republicans have tried to pass a continuing resolution to keep the government funded at previous levels through late November, but it's failed 13 times to receive the 60 votes needed in the Senate to pass. Democrats say they want to negotiate an extension of tax credits for people who receive health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Speaking with the press Wednesday, Ricketts said that won't happen until after the government is reopened.

41 million Americans are expected to lose their SNAP benefits at the end of the month due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. Within Nebraska, SNAP benefits will be paused as of Wednesday, October 29.

Gov. Jim Pillen is in Isreal this week to promote Nebraska trade and U.S. defense technology. The governor attended a swearing in ceremony for new troops in the Israeli army and visited the Nova Festival Memorial, which commemorates the victims of the Oct. 7 attacks. Pillen said he met with people in western Galilee who have endured thousands of warnings to take shelter over the last 18 months, but said the recent ceasefire negotiated by President Donald Trump has made things calm again.

Creighton University launched an online course this month to help educators understand best uses for AI in their classrooms. The $50, self-paced module covers basics of AI, ethics and ways to utilize it for teachers and students.

The first woman appointed to the Nebraska Supreme Court is retiring at the end of the month. Lindsey Miller-Lerman is also the longest-serving member of the Nebraska Supreme Court at 27 years. Justice Miller-Lerman told Nebraska Public Media's Dale Johnson she always wanted to be a lawyer.

Not as many younger people are joining clubs like Rotary and Sertoma. A group of neighbors in the southeastern Nebraska town of Crete want to change that in their community, by bringing together people — young and old. Former state senator Laura Ebke helped found the group Crete Connect just a few days after the shooting death of political activist Charlie Kirk. Ebke spoke with Nebraska Public Media's Jackie Ourada about the community effort to bring neighbors back together.

Several weeks after Nebraska awarded its first medical cannabis cultivation licenses, the Omaha Tribe Cannabis Commission voted to award the tribe itself with vertical licensure. That allows the tribe to participate in all parts of the cannabis process, including the cultivation, manufacturing and sale of cannabis.

The Nebraska Storytelling Festival held its fourth annual event last Thursday in Lincoln. Ten Nebraskans got up on stage and told a story from their lives; all centered around the theme of “Lost and Found.”

Bats love to munch on insects like stink bugs and moths. Some farmers are now relying on the mammals for pest control – and ditching chemicals.

Supply is expected to pass traditional grain storage capacity in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. Some elevators, including historic Ely's in Nebraska, are adding temporary storage.

The Nebraska Investment Finance Authority estimates that around two-thirds of households are unable to afford Nebraska's median home price, due in part to a shortage of around 120 thousand housing units in the state. For people with disabilities, the number of available units is much smaller. Omaha area resident Kathy Hoell said the availability of safe and accessible housing is "almost nonexistent."

Calvert Elementary third graders successfully campaigned to make the honeybee Nebraska's state insect, and a bill was signed by the governor in 1975. Auburn Creative District Director Leslie Clark says she invited Willey to continue that theme, inspired by his message of connection to the community.

According to the USDA, The national herd is at a 75-year low, as the country has lost more than 150,000 cattle operations since 2017. At the same time, demand has grown by around 9% in the past decade, leading to record high beef prices. The new plan would streamline grazing permits and begin enforcing compliance of products with a “Made in the USA” label.

Barr Middle School and Walnut Middle School met on the gridiron on Oct. 16, exactly 100 years from the first time the rivals faced off. People from both sides of the matchup reflect on what the game means to the community and how it's changed through the years.

The state football playoffs kick off this week, starting with eight-man action Thursday. Classes A-C2 have their final regular season this week. With an eventful regular season wrapping up, many people fear what the most recent regular season means for the future of high school sports.

Nebraska Lottery Sales were down by more than 36 million dollars in fiscal year 2025 compared with the previous fiscal year. In 2004, Nebraska voters approved a constitutional amendment requiring that lottery proceeds are distributed among the Nebraska Environmental Trust Fund, the Nebraska State Fair Board, legislatively directed education programs and the Compulsive Gamblers Assistance Fund.

On Oct. 17th, 2000, Gina Bos was last seen leaving a pub in downtown Lincoln. She has been missing ever since. Her sister, Jannel Rap, advocated for the day to be turned into a state holiday. The Unicameral passed legislation last year to make that happen. Law enforcement officers and family members read off names of missing persons in Nebraska, including some who haven't been seen since the 1970s.

Students who are chronically absent, which is missing 10% or more of school, see lower test scores and are less likely to attend college, according to new data from the Nebraska Statewide Workforce and Educational Reporting System. State education department officials hope to reduce the chronic absenteeism rate by half in the next five years.

The Rural Mainstreet Index, a metric created by Creighton University professor Ernie Goss, is at its lowest level since May 2020. The index comes from a monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas across a ten-state region. Goss says a combination of tariffs and weak grain prices are hurting economic activity. However, Nebraska's year-to-date exports on agricultural goods and livestock are up by nearly 50%, despite a sharp decline in trade with China. Goss says the state's strong livestock industry could be to thank.

The fight over medical cannabis access continued in Nebraska Wednesday, as dozens of advocates spoke out against proposed regulations from the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission. More than 71% of voters in the state supported legalizing the use of up to five ounces of marijuana for medical purposes by qualified patients in the November 2024 election. The proposed regulations provide a pathway for patients to access that in theory, but many at Wednesday's hearing said the restrictions amount to a de facto rejection of the voters' intent.

Colorado officials are rejecting Nebraska's complaints involving the South Platte River and the proposed Perkins County Canal.

Both Republicans and Democrats are pointing to each other in the “blame game” for shutting down the federal government. Nebraska Public Media's Dale Johnson caught up with Jane Kleeb, chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party, and asked what Democrats must emphasize to get more Americans on their side.

Advocates for All Nebraskans, a nonprofit lead by former Nebraska Republican Party chair Eric Underwood, introduced its fourth and fifth petitions of the 2026 election cycle Tuesday. One of the proposed constitutional amendments would require all elections in the state to be conducted exclusively through paper ballots that are counted by hand. The other would give all five of the Nebraska's electoral votes to the statewide winner instead of the current congressional district allocations. Lincoln radio host Doug Fitzgerald said the petition drives have national implications that cannot be overstated.

Total alcohol sales in Memorial Stadium topped $2.07 million through the first four Nebraska football home games. That's according to data sent to Nebraska Public Media News from Husker Athletics.

Omaha's AfroCon was this past Saturday. A convention that focuses on all things nerdy, it also centers creating and maintaining community within North Omaha.

Faculty, staff, students and community members discussed issues with the budget reduction process during hearings at the start of October. The Academic Planning Committee wrapped up hearings on Friday and will pass along their recommendation to the chancellor by Oct. 24.

The Trump administration is promising billions in a bailout for farmers. This harvest season the trade war with China has added to the farm economy's woes, as producers deal with lower crop prices and high costs.

Nebraska's capital city may soon have a new requirement for the owners of cryptocurrency ATMs. Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird announced Thursday she will be proposing an ordinance that would require crypto or Bitcoin ATM owners to post a sign warning users of scam risks associated with the machine. According to data from the Lincoln Police Department, the number of local fraud cases involving cryptocurrency has more than doubled since its categorization began in 2021.

AfroCon is back in Omaha for its seventh year in a row this Saturday. Planned and put on by Omaha nonprofit, the House of Afros, Capes and Curls, the goal is to provide a place where people of color are openly welcomed and can feel comfortable to indulge in their ‘nerdy' interests.

Nebraska's largest casino operator is expanding its facilities once more, thanks in part to its refinancing of $300 million in startup loans. Since Nebraskans voted to legalize casino gambling at racetracks in 2020, WarHorse Gaming – a wing of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska's economic development corporation, Ho Chunk Inc. – has taken full advantage. WarHorse currently operates casinos in Lincoln and Omaha, and a new location is being planned for South Sioux City. CEO Lance Morgan said the ability to refinance startup loans at a lower interest rate shows investor confidence and will help the operation continue to grow.

U.S. Rep. Mike Flood discusses the federal government shutdown, ACA tax credits, agriculture economic assistance and the Farm Bill.

While the process to bring medical marijuana to Nebraska is moving in fits and starts, plans for recreational marijuana are moving quickly. The Omaha Tribe of Nebraska, which legalized cannabis for both recreational and medical use in July, has announced plans to open a dispensary early next year.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Glenn Korff School of Music and the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film may have one director for the two schools under the university's budget cut proposal. The music director spoke with Nebraska Public Media about how this decision could hurt each program.

The first two medical cannabis cultivator license applications have been approved in Nebraska. Nancy Laughlin-Wagner on behalf of Midwest Cultivators Group in Omaha and Patrick Thomas of Raymond will each receive an offer of licensure to grow and cultivate up to 1250 flowering marijuana plants for medical purposes. Their applications were among the four that were randomly selected to be scored by the members of the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission's evaluation team, which includes all three commission members: Chair Monica Oldenburg, Lorelle Mueting and J. Michael Coffey.