Nebraska Update

The owner of several large newspapers in the Midwest on Thursday rebuffed the latest attempt at a takeover by a hedge fund known for gutting the news outlets it buys.

Lee Enterprises shareholders voted to re-elect three board of director nominees at its annual shareholder meeting. That fended off a campaign by Alden Global Capital that aimed to unseat the incumbent directors after a judge denied its request to put forth its own board of director nominees.

In a statement, Lee said shareholders re-elected chairman Mary Junck, chief executive Kevin Mowbray and lead independent director Herbert Moloney with each getting more than 70% votes cast in their favor.

A new study by Kansas State University researchers is looking at ways to reduce the risk of exposure to lead in soil in the hope of finding affordable methods that could be replicated around the country.

Ganga Hettiarachchi, a professor of soil and environmental chemistry, is leading the research with her team through a $700,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Hettiarachchi said conversations with officials from the health department and Brownfields program in Kansas City, Missouri, made her realize the scope of the issue.

“I came to know that the elevated blood lead levels in children in [the] urban core in Kansas City is about nine times higher than the national average," Hettiarachchi said. "And then nearly 50% of the parcels they tested, tested soil lead concentrations greater than 400 parts per million.”

Inflation is up nearly 8% in the Midwest region. Fischer and her colleagues believe more should be done about everyday prices like Gas – which is approaching $4 in Nebraska. A part of the solution to that problem, Fischer says, is weaning America off its reliance on Russian oil.

The Nebraska Legislature gave first-round approval to four big water projects, despite some senators' skepticism about a couple of them.

Nebraskans could carry concealed guns without the permit and training that's currently required under a bill to be debated Thursday; another bill says casinos in counties without a current racetrack would have to wait for a market analysis.

After over a week since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, one local Ukrainian biochemist is offering a sort of academic asylum in Lincoln for Ukraine refugees.

Midwestern lakes have become a hotbed of toxic algae blooms, largely caused by agricultural runoff. Without regular testing, visitors to lakes in many states have no idea what they're getting into.

Behind a record-setting performance from guard Jazz Shelley, Nebraska out-shot Illinois Thursday night in Indianapolis, on their way to a 18-point win. Shelley’s nine three-pointers set the Nebraska all-time record for threes in a game.

The blue and yellow glow of Nebraska’s Capitol is designed to show support toward Ukraine’s independence from Russia. Ukraine’s colors will be on display until Sunday, March 13th.

A Junior at Wesleyan University in Lincoln, she’s double majoring in Communications and Integrative Data Science and minoring in German. Under normal circumstances her schedule keeps her busy, but since her home country of Ukraine came under attack by Russian forces, finding the energy to keep up has been difficult