Nebraskastate

A Nebraska couple have opened a glamping site near the remnants of a ghost town along the Oregon Trail in Clay County. Owen and Kim Nelson built Spring Ranch Campground around an old gravel pit, transforming overgrown terrain into an outdoor getaway. The couple officially launched the business in 2022.

Pet food manufacturer Alphia plans to lay off 93 workers at its Pawnee City, Nebraska facility starting in February 2027, as it transitions from manufacturing to warehouse and distribution operations. The company notified the Nebraska Department of Labor through a WARN Act letter. Some affected employees will be offered transfers to Alphia's facility in Bern, Kansas, approximately 20 miles away.

A 20-year-old woman died in a two-vehicle crash in Stanton County, Nebraska on Thursday morning. A southbound SUV driven by a 35-year-old woman collided nearly head-on with a northbound sedan at the crest of a hill on 563rd Avenue, about seven miles northwest of Leigh at 7:44 a.m. The driver of the sedan, Christina Brandl of Humphrey, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Nebraska State Patrol is launching a new initiative to notify parents if explicit content of their children is being shared online. The state is projected to receive more than 7,000 cybertips in 2026 alone, with a growing number involving minors sharing sexually explicit content of themselves.

Three people were injured in a shooting at the main post office in Des Moines, Iowa on Thursday morning. Des Moines police said the suspect has been detained and the victims' injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. Officers responded within three minutes of the 911 call, which came in around 9:10 a.m. from inside the post office on Second and University Avenue after shots were fired on the second floor.

Nebraska Secretary of State-elect Scott Petersen, a Republican who won with 54 per cent of the vote, said he wants to change the state's 35-day mail-in voting period. He will be sworn in on 7 January. Petersen called the extended period too long and said it 'incentivizes outside money to come into Nebraska and harvest ballots' over the 35-day window, though he said Nebraska's voting systems cannot be proven to have problems. He proposed returning to one-day elections with true absentee voting rather than eliminating mail-in ballots altogether. Any changes would require the state legislature to act.

Two people were seriously injured in a car crash near South Bend on Tuesday. A car driven by a Nebraska City woman failed to stop at a stop sign on Quarry Oaks Drive and collided with a semi-truck driven by a man from New Castle, Delaware at the intersection of Highway 66 and 310th Street at about 3:44 p.m. The woman sustained severe injuries whilst the two occupants in the truck sustained minor injuries. All three were taken to CHI Health Bergan Mercy. The crash remains under investigation and charges are pending.

Congress set aside $50 billion to shield rural health providers from Medicaid cuts over the next decade. Nebraska received $218 million of that funding, but analysis shows less than 20% has gone to rural hospitals, with much going to big cities and out-of-state contractors instead. State leaders argue more money will eventually reach rural areas. Garden County's only hospital, which filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy in August, was denied a grant application for $828,231.

A verdict has been reached in a child torture trial in Gage County, Nebraska. On Wednesday, 32-year-old Timothy Erks was found guilty of five felony counts, including negligent child abuse, related to the June 2025 death of five-year-old Felix Reyna. His sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

Nebraska election results appear to end the conservative filibuster-proof majority in the Legislature, with seats across the state, including in the Omaha area, likely going to progressives. The 110th Legislature will convene on 6 January 2027 and will face a budget hole and property tax crisis. The 49 senators must first elect a new leader to succeed Speaker John Arch.

Three new members have been elected to the North Platte school board in Nebraska. Stuart Simpson won Ward 1 with 53 per cent of the vote, defeating Shreya Agrawal. In Ward 2, Hyde won with 51 per cent against Harlan Anderson's 49 per cent. Kyle Nichols won Ward 3 with 59 per cent, defeating incumbent Emily Garrick.

Nebraska's senior night volleyball match against Iowa on Saturday, 14 November, is set for 6 p.m. at the John Cook Arena at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln. The Huskers will honour their four seniors—Laney Choboy, Andi Jackson, Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly—following the match. Nebraska is currently 23-0 overall and 12-0 in the Big Ten Conference.

Republican congressman Mike Flood won re-election in Nebraska's 1st Congressional District with a lead of about 9,000 votes over Democratic challenger Chris Backemeyer. Flood addressed supporters at Nebraska Republican Party headquarters in Lincoln on Wednesday morning, joined by senators Pete Ricketts and Deb Fischer and other state officials. He said there was more work to do, citing the Farm Bill, National Defence Authorisation Act and Clarity Act as priorities for the lame-duck session. Backemeyer conceded the race and congratulated Flood, saying the campaign had motivated thousands of Nebraskans to make their voices heard.

Nebraska voters have rejected two ballot initiatives to legalise online sports betting. Initiative 441, which proposed a regulatory framework and tax structure for mobile sports wagering, failed 54.5 per cent to 45.5 per cent, with a companion constitutional amendment defeated by a similar 55 per cent to 45 per cent margin. The initiatives followed a more than 22 million dollar campaign by Tax Relief Nebraska, a coalition backed by state casinos and online sports betting groups. Proponents argued the measures would capture revenue from Nebraskans already betting illegally or across state lines and direct proceeds toward property tax relief. Opponents, including the anti-gambling nonprofit Gambling with the Good Life, raised concerns about addiction risks and questioned whether meaningful tax relief would materialise.