WAYNE— A “reveal” of what a Nebraska poet hid inside a lonely monument a century ago revealed more of what Mother Nature could wreck over the span of 100 years. On Saturday, descendants of John Neihardt revealed what they’d found inside an “altar to courage” that the poet and members of a fan club from […] The post Contents of memorial to mountain man Hugh Glass revealed at Neihardt event appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.

OMAHA — Gov. Jim Pillen joined leaders from the Omaha, Bennington, Elkhorn and Waterloo areas in thanking Nebraskans for listening to weather forecasts that warned them to take shelter during Friday’s storms. “It is an extraordinary miracle that we’ve had this kind of a cell come through, and no categories (of serious injuries), and no […] The post Pillen confirms no loss of life from Friday storms, but hundreds lost homes appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.

WAVERLY, Nebraska — A wave of at least six tornadoes that local meteorologists called “historic” swept across eastern Nebraska on Friday, flattening a business, flipping a train and destroying dozens of suburban homes near Omaha. But as of late Friday, officials had confirmed no serious injuries or deaths from some of the worst storms to […] The post ‘Historic’ Nebraska tornadoes, storms leave damage in their wake appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.

OMAHA — If red-led Nebraska holds a special session this summer and decides to award its five Electoral College votes to the statewide winner of the presidential vote, then blue-led Maine will match it, canceling any advantage for former President Donald Trump. Maine House Majority Leader Maureen Terry issued a statement Friday saying that local […] The post Maine draws a line in the Sandhills: Will match Nebraska on winner-take-all appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.

LINCOLN — The University of Nebraska Board of Regents selected Dr. Jeffrey Gold on Friday in a nearly unanimous vote as the university’s ninth system president. Regents voted 7-1 to appoint Gold, currently chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center and NU’s executive vice president and provost (chief academic officer), to take over the […] The post ‘The future is bright’: Regents confirm Dr. Jeffrey Gold to lead University of Nebraska appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.

Editor’s note: This report was updated after Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes on Friday announced the names of those whose names initially were redacted when indictments were announced earlier this week. Less than a week after the Republican National Committee unveiled a “historic” new program to monitor the polls for fraud, a top lawyer with […] The post Top GOP ‘election integrity’ lawyer charged in Arizona fake elector scheme appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.

Horses will continue to run wild in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, the National Park Service announced Thursday. The future of the wild horse herd had been in question during an environmental assessment process by the National Park Service that began in 2021. The agency said it has ended that process. “We had […] The post Wild horses to stay in national park; management plan needed, advocate says appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.

LINCOLN — A $1.5 million state grant to the Arbor Day Foundation is intended to help improve the Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City. In honor of Arbor Day, observed in Nebraska and across the nation on the last Friday of April, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development outlined how the public funds are to […] The post State funds will help spruce up Nebraska City’s Arbor Day Farm; weekend holiday activities planned appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.

Colorado could be one of the first states to broadly regulate generative artificial intelligence, as lawmakers consider the balance between setting guardrails on a potentially-harmful technology and stifling innovation and entrepreneurship. Senate Bill 24-205 seeks to limit discriminatory uses of AI technology by requiring businesses to self-report instances of bias to the state. It passed […] The post Colorado lawmakers consider landmark artificial intelligence regulations appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.

PLATTSMOUTH, Nebraska — A basketball court was resurrected in this town’s old high school, though the hoop today is more for show than sport and is likely to become the backdrop for a trendy coffee bar. Chalkboards remain in what once were the chemistry and math rooms, now apartments. Look-alike book lockers line the main […] The post Century-old Cass County schoolhouse gets new life in $16M project boosted by historic tax credits appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday released a sweeping set of rules aimed at cutting air, water and land pollution from fossil fuel-fired power plants. Environmental and clean energy groups celebrated the announcement as long overdue, particularly for coal-burning power plants, which have saddled hundreds of communities across the country with dirty air and […] The post New EPA rules will force fossil fuel power plants to cut pollution appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.

LINCOLN — A Nebraska mother whose daughter was sexually assaulted while in the care of Lincoln Public Schools said Thursday a veto of legislation meant for more accountability came as “a gut punch.” For five years, Loree Woods has advocated on behalf of her daughter Taylor, who is now 27, after she was sexually assaulted […] The post ‘We were so close’: Nebraska mother responds to veto of child sexual assault and abuse bill appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.

WASHINGTON — U.S. House lawmakers will no longer be able to request earmarked funding for some nonprofits under a change in eligibility made by the Republican chairman of the Appropriations Committee on Thursday. The alteration is related to an uproar during last year’s annual government funding process, when House Republicans, who are in the majority, […] The post U.S. House GOP bars earmarks for certain non-profits, after controversy over LGBTQ projects appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court appeared skeptical Thursday of former President Donald Trump’s argument he is immune from criminal charges that he tried to overturn his loss in the 2020 election. But conservatives who dominate the court appeared open to returning key questions to a trial court, possibly delaying Trump’s prosecution beyond the November […] The post U.S. Supreme Court floats return to trial court for Trump in presidential immunity case  appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comments from Dr. Jeffrey Gold and additional details about the proposed contract terms. LINCOLN — Barring any late surprises Friday, Dr. Jeffrey Gold said he is excited to likely take the helm as the University of Nebraska’s ninth president, effective July 1. The University of Nebraska Board of Regents […] The post Regents to vote Friday on next NU president and to approve key contract terms appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.

LINCOLN — A new study ranked Nebraska among the top 10 states in the nation for risky housing conditions related to a heavy influence of corporate investors. The Private Equity Stakeholder Project, a nonprofit watchdog, released its first state-by-state “risk index” aimed at informing policymakers about problems that can arise from imbalanced investment by big […] The post Study ranks NE among top 10 states for risky housing due to big corporate investors appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Thursday over former President Donald Trump’s pursuit of absolute immunity from criminal charges alleging that he schemed and knowingly fed lies to subvert the 2020 presidential election, eventually leading to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. In the final argument of this term, the justices […] The post Trump’s claims of presidential immunity to be probed at U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.

U.S. Supreme Court justices spent two hours Wednesday morning debating whether a federal law about emergency treatment encompasses abortion care even in states with strict abortion bans, with no clear indication of how they may ultimately rule. A decision could come as soon as the end of June whether Idaho’s near-total abortion ban means doctors […] The post Supreme Court justices appear split over whether to protect abortion care during emergencies appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.

LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen on Wednesday approved a Nebraska lawmaker’s replacement “school choice” measure as opponents now weigh how they will fight the new law. Legislative Bill 1402, from State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, will devote $10 million to the state treasurer to distribute private K-12 scholarships to prospective students. It also […] The post Pillen approves Nebraska’s newest ‘school choice’ law as opponents weigh next steps appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.

LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen vetoed legislation Wednesday that would have allowed new lawsuits against school districts or other political subdivisions if they failed to act on suspected claims of child sexual assault or abuse. Pillen on Wednesday night announced his signatures of 10 other bills, including the state’s replacement “school choice” law, and the veto […] The post Pillen vetoes Nebraska child sexual assault and abuse proposal appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.