By Erin Bamer | Reporter
Despite dropping hints that she may drop out to clear the field for nonpartisan candidate Dan Osborn, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Cindy Burbank has yet to make an official decision. The deadline is Aug. 3.
Nebraska Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Cindy Burbank in Lincoln on June 17, 2026. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)
ELECTION 2026
By Juan Salinas II
LINCOLN — Two months after Nebraska Democrats chose her as their U.S. Senate candidate, Cindy Burbank is still in the race, despite having hinted she may drop out to clear the field for nonpartisan candidate Dan Osborn to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts in November.
Cory Ritter of Blue Mound, Illinois, stands next to the grain bin where his father, Tom Ritter, died. Dr. Salah Issa, an assistant professor and extension specialist at the University of Illinois, said 95% of grain-bin incidents are preventable and that prevention starts by installing systems in or near grain bins that can safely break up clumps and address grain-flow problems from outside the bin. (Estefanía Pinto Ruiz/KWQC)
ENVIRONMENT & AGRICULTURE
By Estefanía Pinto Ruiz
BLUE MOUND, Illinois — Tom Ritter and his son, Cory, had worked together with their families every harvest season for the past 20 years.
A mail-in ballot dropbox on P Street Northwest in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
ELECTION 2026
By David Lightman
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s latest shot in a relentless war on how elections are conducted has triggered enormous concern among voting rights activists.
The National Museum of American History sits on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (Photo courtesy National Museum of American History)
D.C. BUREAU
By Amelia Twyman
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s latest attack on the Smithsonian Institution represents an attempt to replace a shared American history with his own ideology, academics said as the Smithsonian defended its longstanding position as a nonpartisan actor.
Firearms for sale are displayed at the Centennial Gun Club in Centennial, Colo., in June 2026. Nearly 45,000 people died from firearm-related injuries in 2024, down about 5% from the previous year, according to a new analysis of CDC mortality data. (Photo by Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline)
PUBLIC SAFETY
By Amanda Watford
Firearm homicides in the United States fell sharply in 2024, but gun suicides reached a record high, according to a new analysis of federal mortality data by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.
A Special Public Policy Briefing from States Newsroom and KFF
The public is invited to a special public policy briefing on significant changes coming to Medicaid. The free virtual event will be hosted by healthcare policy experts from KFF and journalists from States Newsroom, the nonprofit news organization that operates 39 state news outlets, including the Nebraska Examiner. The in-depth discussion will focus on the impacts that federal funding cuts, work requirements and state policy are having on healthcare in the United States. Journalists and policy experts will explain the latest developments and discuss the political debate around these changes. The panel discussion will be followed by an audience Q&A. The event will be held Thursday, July 23 at 11 a.m. CT.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Nebraska abortions rose nearly 8% in 2025 | Erin Bamer
Bellevue cybersecurity campus poised for takeoff | Cindy Gonzalez
Nonpartisan NE-03 candidate enters race as write-in | Juan Salinas II
COMMENTARY
OPINION: The Supreme Court headline is not what you think | George Ayoub
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Pillen pivots focus from primary to general election | Zach Wendling
Nebraska Secretary of State calls RNC lawsuit ‘a little baffling’ | Juan Salinas II
North Omaha officials see change at ‘innovation district’ | Cindy Gonzalez
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