By Erin Bamer | Reporter
“I think things are getting so divided that it’s nice to see a candidate that can bring everybody together, even if you know everyone doesn’t fully agree on everything they stand for.” - Omaha resident Juno Kelly, at a rally for nonpartisan U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn.
Independent U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn speaking durring his rally in La Vista on July 30, 2026. (Photo by Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)
ELECTION 2026
By Juan Salinas II
LA VISTA — Some of the people who crowded into the Astro Theater on Thursday to hear registered nonpartisan U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn kick off his statewide tour said that while they may not agree with everything the former union leader says, they plan to support him in November because they like his “independence.”
A sign in front of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services’ Lincoln Public Assistance Office on Oct. 30, 2025. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)
HEALTH
Health advocates raise alarms about Nebraska’s ‘rushed’ implementation of Medicaid work requirements
By Erin Bamer
LINCOLN — After Nebraska implemented new Medicaid work rules eight months ahead of a federal deadline, Angela Lindstrom with the Health Center Association of Nebraska said some residents have waited up to 90 minutes on the state’s phone line to get their questions answered.
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services releases a “dashboard tool” and provides an update on its first year implementing the federal Rural Health Transformation Program. (Stock photo by IronHeart/Getty Images)
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
By Cindy Gonzalez
LINCOLN — Nebraska so far has awarded nearly $100 million of its $218.5 million first-year allotment from a federal grant program aimed at filling healthcare gaps in rural communities.
Nolan Xavier Wells, center, with his parents, Christine Wells-Wonsley and Elmore Wonsley. After Nolan’s death in early July during a boat trip with a group of white friends, his parents commissioned an independent investigation with the help of civil rights attorney Ben Crump. (Photo courtesy of Ben Crump Law)
PUBLIC SAFETY
By Amanda Watford
After investigators ruled 31-year-old high school counselor and coach Kelsey Harris’ death a suicide in 2021, her mother, Kellee, said she was not convinced the inquiry had answered the most important questions.
President Donald Trump on July 31, 2026 defended his “anti-weaponization” settlement fund as he sought confirmation of his nominee for attorney general, Todd Blanche. In this photo, Trump looks on during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on May 27, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
D.C. BUREAU
By Ashley Murray
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump defended his highly criticized, nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” settlement fund on social media and in a Cabinet meeting Friday, as two key Republican senators withheld support for the president’s nominee for attorney general over Trump’s refusal to formally end the pot of money.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Nebraska Democrats vow to fight Forbes’ ‘disingenuous’ lawsuit | Juan Salinas II
86 Nebraska counties facing drought approved for loan assistance | Zach Wendling
COMMENTARY
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Ricketts outraises Osborn in Nebraska US Senate race | Juan Salinas II
Douglas County sees continued rise in cyclospora infections | Cindy Gonzalez
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