Published by jason@omahadail... on Tue, 02/17/2026 - 12:00am
It’s February, and you grab a box of cheap Valentine’s chocolate from the grocery store on your lunch break. Later, you’re eating it at your office desk when you realize someone else is watching. Suddenly, you feel a flicker of embarrassment. You hide the box away, make a joke or quietly wish they hadn’t noticed – not because the chocolate tastes bad, but because you don’t want to be judged for choosing it.
Published by jason@omahadail... on Tue, 02/17/2026 - 12:00am
WASHINGTON — In a notable break from President Donald Trump’s signature trade policy, several House Republicans joined Democrats in passing a resolution to terminate the president’s national emergency at the northern border that triggered tariffs on Canada just over one year ago.
The measure, passed 219-211, revokes Trump’s Feb. 1, 2025, executive order imposing tariffs on Canada, which he triggered under an unprecedented use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA.
Published by jason@omahadail... on Tue, 02/10/2026 - 12:00am
For many women in the U.S. and around the world, motherhood comes with career costs.
Raising children tends to lead to lower wages and fewer work hours for mothers – but not fathers – in the United States and around the world.
As a sociologist, I study how family relationships can shape your economic circumstances. In the past, I’ve studied how motherhood tends to depress women’s wages, something social scientists call the “motherhood penalty.”
I wondered: Can government programs that provide financial support to parents offset the motherhood penalty in earnings?
Published by jason@omahadail... on Tue, 02/10/2026 - 12:00am
When U.S. Border Patrol agents entered a Target store in Richfield, Minnesota, in early January, detaining two employees, it marked a new chapter in the relationship between corporate America and the federal government.
Across the Twin Cities, federal immigration enforcement operations have turned businesses into sites of confrontation — with agents in store parking lots rounding up day laborers, armed raids on restaurants and work authorization inspections conducted in tactical gear.
Published by jason@omahadail... on Tue, 02/10/2026 - 12:00am
LINCOLN — A Nebraska lawmaker wants to stop public power district boards from closing or altering energy generation facilities in the state, in a move that appears aimed at preventing migration from coal to other sources of power.
Published by jason@omahadail... on Tue, 02/10/2026 - 12:00am
As Americans grow increasingly frustrated over their electricity bills, states are trying to keep the nation’s growing number of data centers from causing higher energy costs for consumers.
For years, many states competed aggressively to land data centers, sprawling campuses full of the computer servers that store and transmit the data behind apps and websites. But many officials are now scrutinizing how those power-hungry projects might affect the electric bills of households, small businesses and other industries.
Published by jason@omahadail... on Tue, 02/03/2026 - 12:00am
LINCOLN — When the pandemic hit shortly after they had launched a decorative metalworking shop, Sheila and Paul Johnson of Bennet, Nebraska, were worried: “What’s going to happen now?”
As it turned out, home improvement projects boomed and so did requests for the couple’s FabriPlas Metal products that range from fun fence toppers to deck panels featuring trees, wildlife and other nature scenes.
“Demand really went up,” Sheila told the Nebraska Examiner, “Like, it’s not stopped.”
Published by jason@omahadail... on Tue, 02/03/2026 - 12:00am
A variety show that’s still revered for its absurdist, slapstick humor debuted 50 years ago. It starred an irreverent band of characters made of foam and fleece.
Long after “The Muppet Show”‘s original 120-episode run ended in 1981, the legend and legacy of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and other creations concocted by puppeteer and TV producer Jim Henson have kept on growing. Thanks to the Muppets’ film franchise and the wonders of YouTube, the wacky gang is still delighting, and expanding, its fan base.
Published by jason@omahadail... on Tue, 02/03/2026 - 12:00am
LINCOLN — Three Nebraska businessmen representing a diversity of beginnings have landed in this year’s Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry Business Hall of Fame.
The 2026 honorees are DJ Eihusen of Chief Industries, Grand Island; Rodrigo López of AmeriSphere Companies, Omaha; and the late John E. Olsson of John E. Olsson Professional Engineering, Lincoln.