By Aaron Sanderford | Editor-in-chief
“I’d say the message about Cavanaugh’s [legislative] seat. … In an election this close you can’t say anything hinges on one issue, but the introduction of that issue in the race becomes a very important factor.” - Randall Adkins, political science professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, speaking about fears of losing the “blue-dot.”
Denise Powell prepares for an interview in Omaha on April 11, 2026. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)
ELECTION 2026
By Juan Salinas II
OMAHA — Business and nonprofit consultant Denise Powell beat two elected officials who had been on Omaha-area ballots for years, surviving a heated, six-person primary that Democratic voters in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District hadn’t seen in years.
Black Elk Peak, the tallest mountain in South Dakota’s Black Hills, will host a hike on May 30, 2026. commemorating the collaboration that led to the book, “Black Elk Speaks,” as well as the renaming of the peak a decade ago. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)
ENVIRONMENT & AGRICULTURE
By Nebraska Examiner staff
LINCOLN — One of the nation’s most notable literary hikes will soon celebrate its 10th anniversary. The John Neihardt-Black Elk Hike will be held Saturday, May 30, beginning at 9 a.m. at the Sylvan Lake Trailhead in South Dakota’s beautiful Black Hills.
Conceptual drawings of the future Malcolm X birthsite near 35th and Pinkney Streets in North Omaha were on display Tuesday at an event marking Malcolm X’s birthday and updating the planned campus renovation. The campus centerpiece would be a museum and cultural center funded in part with a $20 million state grant. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
ICYMI
By Cindy Gonzalez
OMAHA — On what would have been Malcolm X’s 101st birthday, leaders of the city in which the slain human rights activist was born revealed new details about a possible $120 million revamp of the campus that marks the historical icon’s birthplace.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville and former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones won the Republican and Democratic nominations for governor on May 19, 2026, setting up a rematch of their Senate battle in 2020. (Photos and graphic by Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)
ELECTION 2026
By Anna Barrett
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville and former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones won the Republican and Democratic nominations for governor on Tuesday, setting up a rematch of their Senate battle in 2020.
Indiana State Police patrol vehicles sit ready for deployment in Indianapolis. In 2025, the overall violent crime fell an estimated 9.3% compared with 2024, according to the FBI’s latest release of preliminary data. (Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
PUBLIC SAFETY
By Amanda Watford
U.S. violent crime fell sharply in 2025, according to preliminary federal data, with murders dropping an estimated 18.1% — a decline that could push the national homicide rate to its lowest level on record if the figures hold.
Indiana State Police patrol vehicles sit ready for deployment in Indianapolis. In 2025, the overall violent crime fell an estimated 9.3% compared with 2024, according to the FBI’s latest release of preliminary data. (Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
ELECTION 2026
By Ross Williams
JACKSON, Ga. – Georgia’s U.S. Senate primary race is headed to a runoff on the Republican side between Congressman Mike Collins and former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley.
Mifepristone is one part of a two-drug regimen commonly used to terminate a pregnancy before 10 weeks and for miscarriage treatment. (Natalie Behring/Getty Images)
ABORTION POLICY
By Robin Opsahl
Gov. Kim Reynolds signed 13 bills into law Tuesday — including several that could impact Iowans’ access to reproductive healthcare. The law, which will officially take effect July 1, comes amid a national discussion on access to mifepristone.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Nebraska’s Capitol Cat bids farewell | Noelle Annonen, NPM News
State tourism grants boost volleyball event | By Cindy Gonzalez
NU officials celebrate rural health complex in Kearney | By Cindy Gonzalez
COMMENTARY
OPINION: Accurate ‘adulting’ good for kids | By George Ayoub
OPINION: Strong hospitals start with strong leaders | By Mike Freel
EDITOR'S CHOICE
New nonpartisan push in NE-01 as Ahlman joins race | By Juan Salinas II
Scott Petersen wins GOP primary for secretary of state | By Erin Bamer
Burbank wins Nebraska Dem U.S. Senate primary | By Juan Salinas II
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