Nebraska Update

Nebraska Public Media spoke to one farmer whose crops suffered significant damage during Tuesday night's storm. Becky Stahr said the golf-ball sized hail hit Tuesday night on the way home from the movies. "It sounded like someone was taking a baseball bat to a piece of metal. It was just absolutely scary."

A federal judge ruled Monday a petition drive in Nebraska does not need to obtain signatures from 5% of voters in at least 38 counties, dealing a win for the medical marijuana supporters who challenged the state law.

Agriculture companies are looking for people who are interested in science, and hiring managers are increasingly looking for people who don’t have traditional ag backgrounds.

The special election for Nebraska’s 1st District Congressional Seat is June 28th. In an hour-long televised debate, Sunday the Democrat at Republican candidates discussed a variety of issues. Nebraska Public Media News reporter William Padmore monitored the debate

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine cut off wheat exports, while drought conditions in the Great Plains will further reduce grain stocks. Reduced supplies could trickle down into higher prices for grocery list staples, such as bread and pasta.

Paul Sanderford will be inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Friday in Knoxville, Tennessee. Nebraska Public Media’s Will Bauer caught up with the former NU coach at his home in Kentucky to discuss his career and the evolution of women’s college sports.

Nebraska's First (And Only) Astronaut Embarks on A New Mission: Preparing the SAC Aerospace Museum for a New Era

A walk-in freezer about two stories high sits in one corner of a warehouse owned by a food bank called Hawkeye Area Community Action Program Inc.

Chris Ackman, the food bank’s communication manager, points to the shelving racks where any donated venison the organization receives is typically stored.

Known as the Help Us Stop Hunger, or HUSH, program, the venison is donated by hunters from around the state, and Ackman says the two-pound tubes of ground meat go pretty quickly, lasting only a few months.

“It's a pretty critical program, I think, because there are a lot of hunters in Iowa," he said. "And, it's well enjoyed by a lot of families as well."

Similar programs around the country have been applauded as a way for hunters to do something they enjoy while also helping feed those in need. Iowa hunters donate around 3,500 deer a year through the program.

A walk-in freezer about two stories high sits in one corner of a warehouse owned by a food bank called Hawkeye Area Community Action Program Inc.

Chris Ackman, the food bank’s communication manager, points to the shelving racks where any donated venison the organization receives is typically stored.

Known as the Help Us Stop Hunger, or HUSH, program, the venison is donated by hunters from around the state, and Ackman says the two-pound tubes of ground meat go pretty quickly, lasting only a few months.

“It's a pretty critical program, I think, because there are a lot of hunters in Iowa," he said. "And, it's well enjoyed by a lot of families as well."

Similar programs around the country have been applauded as a way for hunters to do something they enjoy while also helping feed those in need. Iowa hunters donate around 3,500 deer a year through the program.

Sioux City refugee organizations have resettled about 50 Afghan refugees into the community since their arrival in August, after their country fell to the Taliban. But, an even larger group of refugees has moved to western Iowa to work for Tyson Fresh Meats at the Dakota City plant just across the border in Nebraska. For many, that means living hours away from their caseworkers and the resources they need to start anew.