Nebraska Update

Gov. Jim Pillen is in Isreal this week to promote Nebraska trade and U.S. defense technology. The governor attended a swearing in ceremony for new troops in the Israeli army and visited the Nova Festival Memorial, which commemorates the victims of the Oct. 7 attacks. Pillen said he met with people in western Galilee who have endured thousands of warnings to take shelter over the last 18 months, but said the recent ceasefire negotiated by President Donald Trump has made things calm again.

Creighton University launched an online course this month to help educators understand best uses for AI in their classrooms. The $50, self-paced module covers basics of AI, ethics and ways to utilize it for teachers and students.

The first woman appointed to the Nebraska Supreme Court is retiring at the end of the month. Lindsey Miller-Lerman is also the longest-serving member of the Nebraska Supreme Court at 27 years. Justice Miller-Lerman told Nebraska Public Media’s Dale Johnson she always wanted to be a lawyer.

Not as many younger people are joining clubs like Rotary and Sertoma. A group of neighbors in the southeastern Nebraska town of Crete want to change that in their community, by bringing together people — young and old. Former state senator Laura Ebke helped found the group Crete Connect just a few days after the shooting death of political activist Charlie Kirk. Ebke spoke with Nebraska Public Media's Jackie Ourada about the community effort to bring neighbors back together.

Several weeks after Nebraska awarded its first medical cannabis cultivation licenses, the Omaha Tribe Cannabis Commission voted to award the tribe itself with vertical licensure. That allows the tribe to participate in all parts of the cannabis process, including the cultivation, manufacturing and sale of cannabis.

The Nebraska Storytelling Festival held its fourth annual event last Thursday in Lincoln. Ten Nebraskans got up on stage and told a story from their lives; all centered around the theme of “Lost and Found.”

Bats love to munch on insects like stink bugs and moths. Some farmers are now relying on the mammals for pest control – and ditching chemicals.

Supply is expected to pass traditional grain storage capacity in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. Some elevators, including historic Ely's in Nebraska, are adding temporary storage.

The Nebraska Investment Finance Authority estimates that around two-thirds of households are unable to afford Nebraska’s median home price, due in part to a shortage of around 120 thousand housing units in the state. For people with disabilities, the number of available units is much smaller. Omaha area resident Kathy Hoell said the availability of safe and accessible housing is "almost nonexistent."

Calvert Elementary third graders successfully campaigned to make the honeybee Nebraska’s state insect, and a bill was signed by the governor in 1975. Auburn Creative District Director Leslie Clark says she invited Willey to continue that theme, inspired by his message of connection to the community.