By Erin Bamer | Reporter
“Some days I feel like I could write a 10-page paper on all the ways the agency/organization lack the basic components of an effective organization. I believe that if this organization was a private corporation, it would be bankrupt.” - Nebraska Department of Economic Development staffer, in an annual state employee survey.
Maureen Larsen, director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. (Courtesy of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development)
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
‘Too many reasons to list’: Nebraska DED staffers express low confidence in agency leaders in survey
By Erin Bamer
LINCOLN — In a survey of Nebraska Economic Development staff, roughly half of the current workers heavily criticized the department’s leadership, claiming management cares more about budget cuts and downsizing than taking care of their employees.
A ceremonial groundbreaking was held over the weekend for a nonprofit grocery store supported partly by a state grant. The enterprise, to be operated by Heart Ministry Center, will rise on a few acres shown here near 25th and Lake Streets. Among those who scooped dirt to mark the occasion were Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr., Heart Ministry Center’s Damany Rahn and Omaha City Council member LaVonya Goodwin. (Photo by Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
LABOR & GROWTH
By Cindy Gonzalez
OMAHA — A jingle created and sung by Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr. especially for the occasion kicked off a groundbreaking Saturday for a grocery store described as key to restoring dignity and economic vitality to one of Nebraska’s most distressed areas.
HIALEAH, FL – SEPTEMBER 23: Mary Arguedas, who does not have insurance because she can not afford it, waits to be examined by her OB/GYN, Vivian Chona, at the Jessie Trice Community Health Center, Inc. on September 23, 2009 in Hialeah, Florida. A new census report showed that 53.1 percent of adults ages 18-64 in Hialeah lack health insurance — almost three times the national average. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
HEALTH
By Nada Hassanein
Women giving birth in rural communities were more likely than peers in urban areas to receive oral opioid prescriptions for pain upon leaving the hospital after a cesarean section, according to a new analysis of data from half a million C-sections.
Greg Lange of Bismarck, North Dakota, drops off his absentee ballot and his wife’s at the Bismarck Burleigh County Office Building on June 8, 2026. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
COMMENTARY
By George Ayoub
Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has decided that the voting chops of 11 Nebraska counties (and millions of other Americans) casting their ballots by mail are legit, let’s get on with this election already.
The Columbia Princess Ferry stays on the Gifford side of the Columbia River as the Modrite Fire exhibits extreme fire behavior just south of Inchelium, Washington. Fires in the state hit tribes particularly hard this year. (Photo courtesy of Colville Tribal Broadcasts, News and Information)
INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS
By Nada Hassanein
Neighbors across the Colville Tribes communities in Washington state knew Matilda Bob’s log home as the “rainbow house,” for its brightly painted exterior.
Now it’s gone.
Sparked by a lightning strike in mid-July, the Kaiser Canyon Fire destroyed Bob’s home and 42 other houses on the Colville Reservation, along with 100 outbuildings such as sheds and barns, tribal leaders said.
The statue of former Husker football coach Tom Osborne is unveiled in the Nebraska State Capitol Rotunda on Sept. 18, 2026. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)
ICYMI
By Juan Salinas II
LINCOLN — Husker legend and former congressman Tom Osborne’s bust was unveiled Friday as he was recognized as the first living member of the Nebraska Hall of Fame.
President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the East Room of the White House on July 16, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Saul Loeb/Pool – Getty Images)
D.C. BUREAU
By Ashley Murray
WASHINGTON — A federal judge told the Trump administration Friday a case against the Department of Justice’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund is “still alive and kicking.”
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Visit Nebraska leader touts tourism impact, Buffalo County growth | Cindy Gonzalez
Drop in Nebraskans receiving public food assistance hastens | Cindy Gonzalez
COMMENTARY
Careless budget decisions threaten state’s stability | John Stinner
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Nebraska Examiner launches 2026 General Election Voter Guide | Zach Wendling
Nebraska Senate race mud-throwing continues, but do voters care? | Juan Salinas II
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