Humanities Desk
A special collection of Signature Stories that looks at life and culture in Nebraska through history, literature, religion, and art. This feed is updated continuously.
Episodes
September 10, 2025 • 1 min
Gov. Jim Pillen and Nebraska Department of Agriculture Director Sherry Vinton recapped their recent visit to Japan while speaking at Husker Harvest Days, an ag show just west of Grand Island. The trip came on the heels of a trade deal with Japan signed by President Donald Trump last week. As part of the deal, Japan agreed to invest $550 billion in projects selected by the U.S. government. Pillen said he told Japanese officials he w...
Mark as Played
September 9, 2025 • 1 min
Gov. Jim Pillen declined to sign draft regulations for the medical cannabis industry the commission approved last week. In a letter to the commission sent Thursday, Pillen wrote "Leaving the cultivators without a limit would increase likelihood of an overabundance of cannabis product that creates an unregulated, unintended black-market supply.” The commission responded by placing a limit of 1,250 flowering plants for each cultivato...
Mark as Played
September 8, 2025 • 54 secs
The city has earned a national recognition for building an inclusive community. It’s the second city in the state to earn this label.
Mark as Played
September 5, 2025 • 1 min
Nebraska farmers entering harvest season with near record high corn and soybean yields have been met with low prices for their crops. Coupled with higher than usual input prices due to tariffs, many will lose money this year. Smith, who serves as chair of the Congressional Agriculture Trade Caucus, says he is hopeful that President Trump will work to open up new markets for farmers and reach trade deals to bring down tariffs. Brian...
Mark as Played
September 4, 2025 • 1 min
Pillen’s team says the Work Ethic Camp in McCook – which currently provides rehabilitative programming to low-risk offenders – will soon house undocumented immigrants arrested by ICE. The administration clarified it will only house Level 1 detainees, meaning those with minor criminal records and non-violent felonies. After the briefing, Judiciary Committee Vice Chair Wendy DeBoer told reporters she has "grave concerns" about the p...
Mark as Played
August 28, 2025 • 1 min
More than a week after Gov. Jim Pillen announced that the McCook Work Ethic Camp would be used as an immigration detention facility, some state lawmakers are still seeking answers on the details. Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Megan Hunt sent a letter to Judiciary Committee chair, Sen. Carolyn Bosn, requesting a legislative hearing to address questions surrounding the project. The letter was signed by 12 other state senators. “We urge y...
Mark as Played
August 26, 2025 • 5 mins
Uncertainty on whether there will be a Historic Preservation Fund in the 2026 fiscal year, has those in the museum and preservation communities worried. A group of volunteers is working to get a North Omaha building added to the National Register of Historic Places before the end of this congressional fiscal year.
Mark as Played
August 20, 2025 • 57 secs
Nebraska’s federal delegation has been busy throughout the August recess sharing the benefits of the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ in their home state. Sen. Pete Ricketts kept the trend going on Wednesday at a roundtable with farmers, ranchers and local officials in Broken Bow. Ricketts said he covered a variety of topics including biofuel expansion, firefighting coordination and mental health needs at the meeting, which was closed to the ...
Mark as Played
August 20, 2025 • 1 min
The governor said the facility would house minimal to low-risk detainees for between five and fifty days until they are able to see a judge. In two other immigration-related announcements also made Tuesday, state officials said that approximately 20 Army National Guard soldiers will provide support for Nebraska-based ICE enforcement, and that the State is empowering Nebraska State Patrol troopers to arrest people suspected of immig...
Mark as Played
August 18, 2025 • 1 min
Bacon says he wants to see a peace deal allow Ukraine to join NATO (NAY-toe) and not place any limit on the size of Ukraine’s military. Bacon has also cosponsored legislation that would impose sanctions on Russia and other countries buying its imports. Republican majority leaders in the House and Senate have said they want to wait for Trump’s approval before moving forward. But Bacon says he would consider using a discharge petitio...
Mark as Played
August 18, 2025 • 3 mins
Most people think of California for surfing. But surfers can be found from Wisconsin to Texas on lakes, rivers and even man-made water parks.
Mark as Played
August 15, 2025 • 1 min
As Nebraska’s row crop production continues to grow, farmers are looking for new markets for their corn and soybeans. Jet fuel made from biomass could be the answer they are looking for. At Friday’s Sustainable Aviation Fuels Conference in Ashland, political and business leaders alike said the state is well-positioned to become a major player in the burgeoning industry. Jacki Fee, a biofuels specialist with Cargill, explained why.
Mark as Played
August 14, 2025 • 56 secs
Several hundred state leaders in agriculture and manufacturing gathered in Kearney today/Thursday to discuss how to develop Nebraska’s economy. Gov. Jim Pillen touted the potential for Nebraska to grow its bioeconomy through investments in ethanol, sustainable aviation fuel and plastic products made from corn. Thursday morning, Husker football head coach Matt Rhule addressed the summit with a message about dreaming big. The govern...
Mark as Played
August 5, 2025 • 5 mins
Emma Harner, a musician who grew up in Nebraska, got to play at Chicago’s Lollapalooza last weekend with Boston based band Jesse Detor. She has been playing guitar for only 5 years, yet has managed to already travel abroad because of her music. Nebraska Public Media’s Arthur Jones got to chat with her and hear her story so far.
Mark as Played
August 5, 2025 • 56 secs
Members of Nebraska’s federal delegation shared their legislative priorities with the state’s business leaders in Ashland Tuesday. At the annual federal legislative summit hosted by the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, Sen. Deb Fischer, Sen. Pete Ricketts, and Rep. Mike Flood explained how the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ could help grow Nebraska businesses.
Mark as Played
August 4, 2025 • 59 secs
Congressman Mike Flood’s third town hall of the year was his biggest, and arguably most contentious one yet. The 850-seat Kimball Recital Hall on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus was filled with a crowd that wasted no time vocalizing their criticisms of the representative. Following an invocation, Pledge of Allegiance and performance of ‘God Bless America,’ Flood began touting the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ that he and 217 of h...
Mark as Played
August 4, 2025 • 4 mins
Comic Con Nebraska held its inaugural event at Omaha’s C-H-I Health Center this weekend. The con was host to artists, authors, vendors and even an arcade, but according to those attending the con, it was more than that.
Mark as Played
August 4, 2025 • 1 min
The University of Nebraska was selected to receive a grant to continue its work uncovering and publicizing the journalistic writings of famed poet Walt Whitman. The National Endowment for the Humanities selected the project as one of 97 recipients across the country receiving grants for August 2025. The university will receive $300,000 over the course of three years for its research.
Mark as Played
July 31, 2025 • 54 secs
Benson is hosting its New Americans Arts Festival today, and organizers say it has a new meaning this year.
Mark as Played
July 31, 2025 • 54 secs
Comic Con Nebraska is coming to Omaha’s C-H-I Health Center this weekend. The new ‘con’ is the first event being put on by Octopus Events Group, whose members have previously put on comic cons in Portland and Seattle.
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Charlie is America's hardest working grassroots activist who has your inside scoop on the biggest news of the day and what's really going on behind the headlines. The founder of Turning Point USA and one of social media's most engaged personalities, Charlie is on the front lines of America’s culture war, mobilizing hundreds of thousands of students on over 3,500 college and high school campuses across the country, bringing you your daily dose of clarity in a sea of chaos all from his signature no-holds-barred, unapologetically conservative, freedom-loving point of view. You can also watch Charlie Kirk on Salem News Channel