Published by maggie@omahadai... on Thu, 07/02/2026 - 12:00am
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Summer camps and other outdoor activities were canceled Monday as tens of millions of people across the Midwest endured a heat wave that is expected to spread eastward this week. Communities opened cooling centers and urged people to take it easy and stay hydrated.
Published by maggie@omahadai... on Thu, 07/02/2026 - 12:00am
To Protect Its Drinking Water, This City Has to Appeal to the Oil Regulators That Put It at Risk
Down a dirt road in northwest Oklahoma, only a few hundred yards from where the city of Enid draws its drinking water, a company injects the toxic byproduct of oil production deep underground.
Published by maggie@omahadai... on Thu, 06/25/2026 - 12:00am
OMAHA — Carolyn Williamson’s thoughts rolled back to the glory days of the North Omaha historic business district, before the late 1960s riots when jazz clubs flourished and, she said, there seemed to be a grocery store on every street.
Williamson, 79, and husband Charles, 84, likened the neighborhood today to a food desert. They said they have to drive outside that traditional heart of Omaha’s African American community to buy their preferred fresh protein and produce.
Published by maggie@omahadai... on Thu, 06/25/2026 - 12:00am
When your disappointment rises alongside your age, is it a sign of getting older? Does that mean you aged poorly? Or is it that an adult had set your expectations too high, and your now-elderly eyes have had time to adjust? I am thankful that, as a child, my conservative father never pressured me to think any certain way. Unlike teachers at school or classmates who would make light of what used to be conservative values, there was never any sort of presumption from my old man on what I should or shouldn't be.
Published by maggie@omahadai... on Thu, 06/25/2026 - 12:00am
Buying her first home on Detroit’s far east side in 2021 was the moment when a lifelong dream finally came within reach for Kim Page.
“I accomplished something that I always wanted to do,” said Page, who grew up in the city. “I always wanted to buy my own home since I was like 18. I never wanted to rent from anyone.”
Published by maggie@omahadai... on Thu, 06/25/2026 - 12:00am
BLAIR, Nebraska — For about three years, Jason Thiellen of E&A Consulting Group watched client after client turn down the prospect of developing a housing subdivision on a tract of land near the Walmart in this town of about 8,000 people.
At the same time, Blair City Administrator Phil Green was on a mission to spur new residential dwellings that would grow the town and its tax base and keep local workers from living away.
Published by maggie@omahadai... on Thu, 06/18/2026 - 12:00am
Somewhere out there, some young boy or girl is driving around in daddy’s souped-up sports car without a care for consequences. It is not an unreasonable imagining, as stereotypes exist (for better or worse) because there are enough people who have known, who feel, or otherwise believe that such a person represented by the stereotype exists. Suffice to say, a young adult who is unburdened by the consequences of his actions, because of the connections or wealth of his parents, is at the least, a fable; one we see often enough in teen movies.
Published by maggie@omahadai... on Thu, 06/18/2026 - 12:00am
LINCOLN — A collection of outdoor sculptures that stirred criticism and conversations 50 years ago is about to take another ride into the spotlight.
To mark the 250th birthday of the United States, the Nebraska Arts Council is planning a series of events to celebrate the eight sculptures placed at Interstate 80 rest stops as part of the nation’s bicentennial in 1976.
Published by maggie@omahadai... on Thu, 06/18/2026 - 12:00am
Pause for a moment and listen. What do you hear? Chances are, somewhere in the background, is the ever-present hum of a road.
More than 4.2 million miles of public roads crisscross the lower 48 states – enough to reach the Moon and back almost nine times. This vast network of roads spiderwebs its way across the contiguous U.S., leaving only about 5% as an inventoried roadless area or wilderness.
Published by maggie@omahadai... on Thu, 06/11/2026 - 12:00am
Every internet search, streamed video and AI-generated response depends on a data center somewhere. Driven by rapid growth in artificial intelligence, cloud computing and cryptocurrency, data centers have become the backbone of the modern digital economy. But though their key role is in enabling virtual and remote experiences, data centers are physical buildings in real communities around the nation and the globe.