Humanities Desk

Recently, Fischer introduced the Amtrak Transparency Act, which would expand Amtrak board meetings to include additional stakeholders and require public notices 30 days prior to meetings. The legislation would also require bonuses exceeding $50,000 dollars to Amtrak employees be disclosed to Congress.

What may be the world’s largest collection of clown dolls is in a northeast Nebraska city with a population of just over 1,000 people.

Rocco’s Pizza and Cantina was buzzing Thursday afternoon on the first day of the annual College World Series Jell-O shot challenge. Fans from across the country can buy five-dollar Jell-O shots in their favorite school’s color and for each shot purchased, one dollar is donated to a food bank in the university’s hometown, while 50 cents goes to an Omaha food bank. Owner Kevin Culjat said the competition began in 2018 and has grown each year since.

Senators Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts are cosponsors of legislation to overturn a U.S. Department of Education rule extending Title Nine protections to include gender identity. The Congressional Review Act allows Congress the ability to overrule federal regulations from government agencies by passing a joint resolution. The resolution can be vetoed by the president and would need a two-thirds majority of the House and Senate to override the veto.

The Forbes Advisor team analyzed more than 20 metrics from 95 cities across the country, considering affordability, availability, amenities and safety. Kasey Ogle with Nebraska Appleseed, an organization that advocates for affordable housing, says conditions are difficult for renters in Nebraska and she is surprised to see Lincoln at the top of the Forbes ranking.

The five-member board, led by Gov. Jim Pillen, voted unanimously to approve the results. Secretary of State Bob Evnen said the 2024 primary was a historic election for Nebraska, as it was the first to require voter ID.

Nonpublic schools now have more flexibility in choosing books through the state’s textbook loan program. That’s a change from when they could only request what the public school in their district asked for.

At a series of town halls across the state, Governor Jim Pillen has said he wants to reduce property taxes in Nebraska by 40% by expanding the sales tax base in a special legislative session this summer. Ernie Goss, an economics professor at Creighton University, said high property taxes hurt economic growth more than high sales taxes.

Kansas City musician Nate Hofer took his pedal steel guitar 30 feet down into an inter-continental ballistic missile silo to record a hopeful reminder that nuclear war is not inevitable.

The Omaha Summer Arts Festival is host to around 130 art booths, live music, local food vendors and a hands-on children’s fair. This weekend is the festival’s 50th anniversary, but it’s also its final year.