This Day in History - October 12: Columbus day becomes a legal holiday despite Nebraska’s resistance

October 12, 1911 - 1911 was the first year Columbus Day was celebrated as a legal holiday in Nebraska. The Nebraska Legislature rejected the holiday two years before and faced resistance despite passing later on. The State Board of Education...

Ricketts Supports Defense Bill With Major Nebraska Wins

October 12th, 2025 | Media Release Nebraska U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts last week recognized passing the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA authorizes funding levels and authorities for the U.S. military. This ensures American...

Former military man convicted in US for leaking classified information about war in Ukraine on dating site

In the United States, retired officer David Slater was sentenced to 70 months in prison. He worked as a civilian in the Air Force and passed classified information about the Russian-Ukrainian war on a dating website. ABC News writes about this....

Nebraska's medical cannabis program would be among country's most restrictive | Analysis

Frustrated by the changes a governor-appointed board is making to a voter-approved medical marijuana measure, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana Director Crista Eggers described the commission’s slate of rules as “the most restrictive, conservative,...

Northeast Nebraska deputies stop drivers going over 100 mph

NORFOLK, Nebraska (KTIV) - Deputies with the Stanton County Sheriff’s Office pulled over a teenage driver speeding at 129 miles per hour Saturday, Oct. 11. According to a press release, the Sheriff’s Office says a motorcycle was spotted on Highway...

Today in History - Oct. 12: Columbus Day becomes holiday in Nebraska

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - On this day in 1911, Columbus Day became a legal holiday in the state of Nebraska. The bill creating it had been voted down before by Nebraska legislators, and not everyone was thrilled about the new observance. Banks and...

Rep. Don Bacon comments on human rights abuses and blames Democrats for government shutdown

Rep. Don Bacon, who represents Nebraska’s 2nd district in the U.S. Congress, posted a series of statements on his social media account on October 11, 2025, addressing issues ranging from human rights abuses to the ongoing government shutdown...

Partisanship strains Nebraska Legislature, 4 senators tell UNL students

Nebraska's nonpartisan Legislature has become increasingly divided, making it harder to address issues affecting communities across the state, four state senators told students Thursday. “Issues that affect North Omaha affect places in western...

Political Voices: Stop making things worse

A cardinal rule as elected officials is not to break things — as in, if it isn’t broken, don’t “fix” it — not unlike the medical profession’s Hippocratic oath: First, do no harm. Our state faces multiple self-inflicted health-care crises that...

Government Shutdown Adds Pressure to Struggling Farm Economy

The government is still shut down amid a congressional stalemate. On this week’s episode of Agri-Pulse Newsmakers, Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., discussed which farmer-facing programs she's worried could be affected. She also expressed concern the...

Pete Ricketts highlights Taiwan legislation and criticizes government shutdown

Senator Pete Ricketts, representing Nebraska in the U.S. Senate, recently addressed multiple issues through a series of posts on his social media account. His comments ranged from foreign policy and domestic government operations to local...

Nebraska’s broadband plan: squandering $405 million for rural high-speed internet

If there were a trophy for squandering opportunity, Nebraska would already have it on the shelf. On Sept. 3, the Nebraska Broadband Office, or NBO, released its draft final proposal for how to spend $405 million in federal broadband funds....

Rachel Bitecofer: Name One Legal Ruling Biden Ignored

Rachel Bitecofer is a Democratic strategist whose X bio reads, "This account kills fascism." That's cute, but she's not a nice person. She joked about how we'll know when President Donald Trump is really dead — MAGA will commit mass suicide...

Maryland football concedes late score for second straight week, falls 34-31 to Nebraska

New week, same result and similar reasons for Maryland football’s failure. All week, the Terps emphasized that last week’s loss was the first adversity they faced all season and an opportunity to grow. Maryland entered the fourth quarter on...

Rising postpartum depression: Support and awareness at Nebraska’s “The Climb” event

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Postpartum depression rates more than doubled from 2010 to 2021. One in five women will experience a maternal mental health disorder like depression or anxiety, and 20% of maternal deaths are attributed to suicide. The...

Sheriff proposal to lease Nebraska jail space to feds for migrant detainees appears iced out

The Douglas County sheriff’s proposal to rent Omaha-based jail space to the federal government for use as migrant detention appears to have hit a dead end. A majority of the Douglas County Board, which oversees the county jail as the Board of...

Governor Pillen supports legal action to keep OPPD North Omaha Station using coal

Governor Jim Pillen has expressed support for a lawsuit filed by Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers that seeks to prevent the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) from ending coal energy generation at its North Omaha Station. The legal action...

14 Wild, Shocking, And Unbelievable Government Cover-Ups That Will 100% Upset You

In the late 1980s, the Franklin Community Federal Credit Union in Omaha, Nebraska, collapsed amid evidence that its manager, Lawrence E. “Larry” King Jr., had embezzled nearly $40 million. As investigators and legislators probed the missing funds,...

Nebraska man sentenced for sending top secret information to person on dating platform

HI MADISON. THANKS. A FORMER OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE EMPLOYEE PLEADS GUILTY TO SHARING CLASSIFIED NATIONAL DEFENSE INFORMATION. U-S ATTORNEY’S OFFICE SAYS 64 YEAR OLD DAVID SLATER WORKED AT U.S. STRATCOM AND ATTENDED BRIEFINGS REGARDING RUSSIA’S WAR...

Rep. Don Bacon highlights military ties and media appearances on October 10

Rep. Don Bacon, U.S. Representative for Nebraska's 2nd District | Don Bacon Official Website Rep. Don Bacon, U.S. Representative for Nebraska's 2nd District | Don Bacon Official Website Rep. Don Bacon, a U.S. Congressman representing Nebraska’s...