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State Sen. John Cavanaugh kicked off his bid to become the next congressman for Nebraska's Second District Tuesday night. In a speech to several hundred supporters gathered at Omaha's Firefighters Union Hall, Cavanaugh vowed to stand up to President Donald Trump and work to protect Medicaid, social security and public lands.

New data from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services suggest a disconnect between people with developmental disabilities who are offered money by the state and getting them connected to services. More than 3,000 families have been offered state funding, since Governor Jim Pillen launched an initiative last spring to end an eight year waiting list. But data show not many families are using the state funding.

Bur oak trees are some of the most common native Nebraska trees that shade many city parks and congregate in the state's eastern deciduous forests. They're hardy trees, known to withstand a range of stresses, including Nebraska's harshest weather. But they're dying en masse due to years of devastating drought.

A Lincoln nonprofit collaboration has launched a new website to share immigration information and resources. Its aim is to address misinformation and fear amid heightened attention on immigration enforcement.

Concerned citizens met at Omaha's Tri-Faith Center to express their concerns about the “big, beautiful bill's” cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and access to federal loans for medical students.

Nebraska Congressman Don Bacon says he supports President Donald Trump's attack on Iran and believes the President does not intend to start a long-term war with the country. Monday afternoon, Bacon said people tend to overestimate Iran's capabilities but underestimate the country's intentions for the West. He said America's military is in a strong position to respond to retaliation.

Governor Jim Pillen and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services on Monday announced the end of the developmental disabilities waiting list.

Since being identified as its own distinct subspecies, the Salt Creek tiger beetle has been receiving help in its fight for survival. How is the project going after over ten years?

Across much of the Midwest, the atmosphere is becoming warmer and retaining more water, leading to heavier downpours. A two-crop system called relay intercropping could help farmers buffer weather whiplash and boost profits.

Frank Lloyd Wright is the most widely known architect in the world. The only structure he designed in Nebraska is the Sutton “Prairie School” house in McCook, built in 1905. David Wendell, of Holdrege, has a sizable collection of Wright artifacts on display for a “first of its kind” exhibit at Pioneer Village in Minden. Nebraska Public Media's Dale Johnson caught up with Wendell at our studios in Lincoln.

The Great American Comedy Festival, celebrating Johnny Carson's Legacy in Norfolk returned for its 16th year.

The 19th superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol comes to the job with 32 years of law enforcement experience. Colonel Bryan Waugh spent the last six years as Police Chief in Kearney. Nebraska Public Media's Dale Johnson asked Colonel Waugh how it feels going from policing 34,000 people in a community to overseeing a statewide law enforcement agency in charge of protecting 2 million people.

Nebraska food bank representatives said they are concerned how cuts to SNAP, Medicare and Medicaid will impact those who rely on the programs. The House of Representatives has already approved the cuts, and now the Senate will decide on them.

Everyday Nebraskans could be on SportsCenter. ESPN's flagship show SportsCenter will broadcast a show in Nebraska this summer during the Cornhusker State Games.

Planned Parenthood Advocates' annual state gathering in Sarpy County was postponed out of an abundance of caution for staff, supporters and community, according to the group's website. State Sen. Ashlei Spivey, an abortion rights advocate in the Nebraska Legislature, was scheduled to be the event's keynote speaker. She says the news coming out of Minnesota this week was terrifying.

The School as Hub model connects families with their school community from their child's birth to starting kindergarten and beyond. School officials and researchers say it helps families feel like they belong in their school, potentially leading to better attendance rates.

A gasoline blend with 15 percent ethanol offers a cheaper option at the pump and a steady market for Nebraska's corn producers. For some members of Nebraska's federal delegation, allowing its sale year-round is a legislative priority, while others say ethanol expansion comes with negative environmental and economic impacts.

In the last 75 years, college baseball has been categorized by a rollercoaster of changes, especially in the last 30 years. Regulations on the ball and bats and a new stadium are just a few of the differences in today's series.

The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services says it's received bids for building a new prison in Lincoln, but won't say how much they're for.

A Nebraska teacher will be honored at the end of June as the Braille Institue's “Teacher of the Year.” Audrey Graves has worked with students who are blind or visually impaired for 20 years across Nebraska as well as in some Iowa and Missouri towns.

Douglas County Board President Roger Garcia said his wife's aunt was detained in Tuesday's raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement

In May, the federally funded child care program Head Start was included in President Donald Trump's draft proposal of cuts he was planning to send to Congress. He backed off of defunding Head Start, but advocates say their work isn't done.

Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr. was officially inaugurated as Omaha's 52nd mayor in a ceremony held Monday evening.

New World Screwworms used to be a constant concern for ranchers, until they were eradicated from the U.S. in the 1960s. Now that they're on their way back, those who remember dealing with them have warnings about their impact.

Nineteen rural Nebraska hospitals announced Thursday that they are joining together to bolster the services they offer. This network includes hospitals from all across the state.

Nebraska's Secretary of State Bob Evnen announced today/Friday that he is running for his third term in office. The Republican was first elected in 2018 and oversaw the implementation of the state's voter ID law. He said that under his leadership, no state has had more secure or accurate elections than Nebraska.

More than half of Nebraska's counties, most of Kansas and all of Iowa are labeled as radon hot spots. The harmful gas is nearly undetectable and can show up in any building, including homes. Health officials and radon mitigators say it's easy to test for and fix, but harder to get the word out.

The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce has a new President and CEO. Todd Bingham comes to Lincoln having led the Manufacturers Association in Utah, a state known for high-tech and diverse industries. Nebraska Public Media's Dale Johnson sat down with Bingham to find out how his Utah skills will benefit him in Nebraska.

The Omaha Arts Fair is making its debut this weekend. This is following the Omaha Arts Festival stopping after 50 years of operation last year.

The Nebraska Legislature finished its 2025 regular session with widely varying opinions about how well senators handled the state's business.

State Auditor Mike Foley has issued audit letters to eight local government units in the past six weeks highlighting alleged financial malpractice. The offenses include a Nemaha County commissioner using a county gas pump to fill his personal vehicle, a Custer County employee who recorded work hours while at her children's school events and Pleasanton village employees who used their 11% rebates from village expenses at Menards for personal purchases. Foley says he didn't remember there being so many cases during his previous term as auditor between 2007 and 2015.

The Nebraska chapter of the nation's oldest Latino advocacy group is closing its doors for now.

Farmers continued to take on more debt through the first quarter of 2025, prolonging a trend from last year. That's as farm incomes have shrunk over the last couple of years, and some worry President Trump's tariffs could make economic conditions tougher.

The Nebraska Legislature wrapped up its 2024 regular session Monday with praise for its work, mixed with caution.

A proposal banning certain forms of hemp and so-called synthetic cannabis was passed over Friday before a vote could be taken. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Kathleen Kauth, made the decision after it appeared there would not be the votes necessary to overcome a filibuster attempt. Progressives filed motions to stop an amendment clarifying that the bill wouldn't supersede the medical marijuana initiatives Nebraskans passed in November from being added to the bill. Sen. Ben Hansen, who voted for the bill on the first two rounds, said without the amendment, he couldn't support it moving forward.

Gov. Jim Pillen celebrated new laws he said would protect children online, and lawmakers approved extending tax deductions for private education to pre-college levels.

CHI Good Samaritan hospital in Kearney just upgraded its NICU. Tele-health neonatologists and new equipment can provide more specialized care, lower the number of babies that need to be transferred to Lincoln or Omaha hospitals.

It's reported that a new prison complex north of Lincoln is over budget and behind schedule. Bids on the new prison must be in by the end of the day Tuesday, June 3. Nebraska Public Media's Dale Johnson asked Rob Jeffreys, Director of Nebraska's Department of Corrections, what happens after all the bids are in.

The Nebraska Legislature advanced a measure dealing with college testing, amid recrimations about another attempt to approve a lower minimum wage for teen workers.

The state auditor's office found administrators at Isanti Community Schools spent more than $300,000 in questionable purchases, including golf equipment and memberships, gift cards and a senior trip to Florida.

The Nebraska Legislature gave final approval Wednesday to scaling back paid sick leave approved by voters, but didn't take up a proposal for a lower minimum wage for teenage workers.

A Nebraska-based company spent two years figuring out there is a disconnect between what educators are teaching K-8 students in math and what those students are tested on. Now, it aims to solve that disconnect.

A bill restricting some consumable hemp products in Nebraska advanced to the final round of debate in the Legislature Tuesday Afternoon. Under a bill from Sen. Kathleen Kauth, LB316, some consumable hemp products would be reclassified as marijuana, which is currently illegal for recreational use in the state. To remain legal, THC – the chemical responsible for making a user high – must make up less than 0.3% of the processed hemp product's total weight with a limit of 10 total milligrams of THC per package.

The Nebraska Legislature upheld Gov. Jim Pillen's veto of a bill aimed at cracking down on bedbugs in Omaha Housing Authority buildings.

Nebraska has seen a steady increase in calls to 9-8-8, a number that connects people to counselors that can provide crisis support for mental health concerns, substance abuse disorders, loneliness and more. In fiscal year 2023, there were about 19,000 calls to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline from Nebraskans. In 2024, just over 23,000 Nebraskans called in. There have been around 20,000 calls in the current fiscal year, representing a 14% increase in monthly calls compared to last year.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office has a new position focused on connecting justice-involved young people to educational opportunities. It's meant to be proactive and offer support the whole way through.

The Legislature's General Affairs Committee heard testimony from Lorelle Mueting and Dr. Monica Oldenburg, who were both selected by the governor from a pool of applicants. Mueting serves as a prevention program director at Heartland Family Service, while Oldenburg is an anesthesiologist who previously practiced in Colorado. Both have a history of opposition to medical marijuana legalization.

Creighton baseball is playing in the Big East Tournament this weekend and that means head baseball coach Ed Servais only has a few games left. Servais is set to retire after leading the program for 22 years.

This Mental Health Awareness month, the Lincoln Police Department is celebrating a successful start to its co-responder program -- a team-up with mental health professionals that could decrease the use of jails and emergency medical services. Lincoln announced plans for the co-responder program in September, with a partnership between LPD and CenterPointe, a mental health and substance abuse care clinic that conducts street outreach and crisis response. It began in early March.

The Nebraska Legislature Thursday revived a proposal for a lower minimum wage for young workers, but final approval may have to wait 'til next year.

State senators considered a package of education bills Wednesday afternoon. By the end of the day's debate, only the underlying bill, LB306, remained. The legislation initially contained six different bills after an amendment, AM1335, from the Legislature's Education Committee combined them. The section of the bill from Sen. Loren Lippincott, originally LB550, which would excuse students from public schools to attend religion classes, was among the most controversial. It would require school districts to adopt policies allowing students to miss up to one class period per week for an off-site course in religious instruction.