Casting shadows over both public and school libraries, book bans have hit record numbers and continue to trend upward. But education experts say that despite these “bleak” realities, the power to preserve literary freedom still remains in the hands of concerned parents, kids and educators.
Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 07/31/2024 - 7:00am
“Good Wheel to All, and to All A Good Bike!”
That’s the refrain that now cycles throughout the metro – just in time for the holiday season, thanks to Free Bikes 4 Kidz. The Omaha nonprofit helps bring joy to under-served boys and girls during their annual bike give-away, held mid-December.
Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 07/31/2024 - 5:00am
One wonders these days if the post-truth era has reached new depths. A chasm where the art — and science — of fact-checking political pronouncements continues, but respect for it or authenticated evidence or the verifiable truth appears closer to death than ever before.
Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 07/31/2024 - 4:00am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Billions of dollars have been spent on efforts to get homeless people off the streets in California, but outdated computer systems with error-filled data are all too often unable to provide even basic information like where a shelter bed is open on any given night, inefficiencies that can lead to dire consequences.
Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 07/31/2024 - 3:00am
Long before the advent of reality television, the popular game show “Queen for a Day” thrilled American audiences by giving women who told heartbreaking tales of financial struggles a chance at winning expensive items that could help solve their problems.
Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 07/31/2024 - 2:00am
BUNDIBUGYO, Uganda (AP) — The drunken man kicked the saucepan off the fireplace, demanding to know why dinner was not ready. Then he struck his wife with a piece of firewood, triggering a fight. They grappled before being separated.
Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 07/24/2024 - 8:00am
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Wide-eyed piglets rushing to check out the visitors to their unusual barn just might represent the future of organ transplantation – and there’s no rolling around in the mud here.
Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 07/24/2024 - 7:00am
As America contends with an attempted assassination of a presidential candidate and a sitting president’s momentous decision not to seek re-election, we need to find the reset button. The country could use a deep breath, a count to 10, a break from the 24-hour news and noise cycle.
For eight years, researchers have been quietly putting together the largest, most comprehensive study on programs that give people a monthly stream of cash — no strings attached. Over time, does that income transform people’s lives?
Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 07/24/2024 - 5:00am
An Iowa woman who formerly worked for the South Dakota Department of Social Services is accused of stealing an estimated $1.8 million from the department’s Division of Child Protection Services over the course of 13 years.