Humanities Desk

Each of Nebraska’s three continuum of care regions in Omaha, Lincoln and the rest of the state received more than $5 million in federal funds to assist individuals experiencing homelessness. Nebraska Field Office Director Kitty Amaya says this year’s grants are HUD’s largest annual investment nationally and reflect the need for services in smaller cities.

Ricketts joined 49 other senators in opposition to a border security bill and foreign aid bill that had the support of Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and most Senate Democrats. Ricketts explained his opposition in a press call Wednesday.

Newly-released data from higher education researchers shows Nebraska is behind the national average when it comes to community college students transferring to four-year universities and ultimately earning their bachelor’s degrees. Nebraska Public Media’s Kassidy Arena has the details.

There are plenty of elections this year including Nebraska primaries, local elections and a vote for U.S. president. This means people like Dwayne Hawkins—the director for Black Votes Matter Get Out the Vote initiative based in Omaha-- is very busy. Nebraska Public Media’s Kassidy Arena got a coffee with him to talk about what’s on his mind in this new role.

This November, voters will decide the next president. And depending on this outcome, Nebraska refugee resettlement agencies may have to quickly adjust how many new arrivals to prepare for. The refugee outlook for 2024 may be starkly different from 2025.

Aguilar’s Firearm Industry Nondiscrimination Act would prohibit state and local government entities from entering into a contract with a company that has a policy of discriminating against the firearm industry. Steve Hornady, president of Hornady Manufacturing, an ammunition company based in Grand Island, testified at Thursday’s legislative hearing on the bill.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers have released results from an electric vehicle crash test last fall. Cody Stolle, assistant director of UNL’s Midwest Roadside Safety Facility, says the research is important as electric vehicles, which can be much heavier than their gas-powered counterparts, become more common.

Under the current process, voters must sign a notarized affidavit to make that happen. Linehan, who introduced the new legislation, says her bill would only require voters to send a letter to the Secretary of State’s Office to remove their name.

Carol Blood, a Democrat State Senator from Bellevue, launched her campaign for Congress against Mike Flood Saturday afternoon. At a union hall in Lincoln, Blood criticized Flood for his role in an unproductive, hyper-partisan Congress. Blood promised to protect social security and access to abortion.

Earlier this week, the Nebraska State Board of Health voted to approve temporary regulations on gender affirming care for minor, bringing them one step closer to becoming permanent. The regulations included no significant changes to the regulations state Chief Medical Officer Doctor Timothy Tesmer (TEZ-muhr) approved in October. But on Wednesday, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services says it was notified that some comments submitted at a public hearing were not included in the hearing summary.