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.
Published by jason@omahadail... on Tue, 01/27/2026 - 12:00am
LINCOLN — For the second quarter in a row, Nebraska’s federally measured Gross Domestic Product grew by about 5%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
On Friday, the BEA released its report on statewide GDP growth for the third quarter of 2025, which includes tallies for July, August and September. The report showed that Nebraska’s GDP grew 5%, tying the state with Iowa and Vermont for the 13th-highest GDP growth over that time.
Published by jason@omahadail... on Tue, 01/27/2026 - 12:00am
GRETNA, Nebraska — Gretna is poised to become home to Nebraska’s first Buc-ee’s travel center — a prospect city officials expect will kickstart further tourism development in the area’s once-conflicted “good life district.”
The path to landing what’s been described as “the Disney World of gas stations” was paved Tuesday night when the Gretna City Council gave initial approval to a request to annex about 43 acres southeast of Interstate 80 and Highway 31.
Published by jason@omahadail... on Tue, 01/27/2026 - 12:00am
“By construction, any automation will defeat the purpose of a live performance, which is the experience that the audience is paying for.”
Every few years, you’ll hear a familiar refrain: “Opera is dying.”
National surveys point to slumping attendance at live performances. Audiences are aging, leaving fewer fans to fill seats at productions of “La Bohème,” “Carmen,” “The Magic Flute” and the like, while production costs grow.