Nebraska News Service - Audio Report

The Lincoln Firefighters Association hosted the first-ever Cornhole for Coats on Oct. 23. The event benefits Operation Warm, an organization that helps provide free winter coats to children.

Operations Manager Kevin Poague and Education Directer Jason St. Sauver, both of the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center in Denton, offer guided bird walks on the third Tuesday of each month. The aptly named Third Tuesday Bird Walks provide an opportunity for Nebraskans to learn about species native to the prairie of southeastern Nebraska. However, these birds, along with birds across the country,...

Experts are warning we could see a resurgence in the flu this winter. The CDC reports relaxed COVID-19 measures such as lapsing mask mandates may result in an increase in flu in the 2021–2022 flu season. This is bad news as Nebraska is still averaging more than 600 COVID-19 cases each day, potentially leading to a “twindemic.” The CDC says a twindemic could emerge as people get sick from the flu a...

UNL students, Amy Conner and Des Backer, said they are often targeted by sexist players in online multiplayer video games. Two studies published out of Ohio State University and Florida State University found this harassment has major effects on the mental health and well-being of women.

A controversial Texas law banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy went into effect on Sept. 1, 2021. Senate Bill 8 bans abortions after medical professionals can detect a heartbeat—which can be as early as six weeks. A study from Monmouth University shows 54% of the public disagrees with the Supreme Court, which allowed the Texas law to go into effect. Andi Curry Grubb, state executive dire...

A local entrepreneur and music artist named HAKIM is influencing the rap culture around Lincoln. He has released eight full albums and is working on releasing another in the future.   HAKIM has 422 monthly listeners on Spotify, his most frequently streamed songs off the album “Cream of Crop 2” are “Back Seat Freestyle” and “New Edition.” Despite his success, he said being a rapper in Nebraska can...

Toxic behavior in video games can take a toll on players' mental health. Online multiplayer games like Overwatch have text and voice chat so players can communicate with each other. It’s through these channels that toxicity like trash-talking, hate speech, and sexual harassment occurs. Sam Newell and Steven Spotanski are two members of UNL Revival, University of Nebraska Lincoln's Overwatch team,...

The Dig Deeper Farm Tour gave Southeast Nebraska residents the chance to get out and learn more about local agriculture. Wally Graeber, the program coordinator for the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society, encourages Nebraskans to get out and see the benefits of supporting local farms. FULL STORY - https://nebraskanewsservice.net/news/farm-tour-opens-doors-for-learning-and-discovery/

Noah Velinsky, a former Husker sprinter needed an outlet for his anxiety after a year marked by COVID-19, and he found it in country music. Velinsky began successfully making music on his own, then through social media and chance encounters, formed the Noah James Band in 2021. The band has been performing in and around Lincoln since its formation. FULL STORY - https://nebraskanewsservice.net/multi...

Members of the Lincoln community gathered at the Union Plaza Amphitheater on September 9th for the 3rd annual Hub and Soul music series. This event is open to people of all ages and backgrounds to celebrate music, local food and Lincoln’s parks. The first week of the series was postponed due to a heat advisory and the second was canceled due to weather. On the 9th, the temperature was 85 and sunny...

With Nebraska's sellout streak on the line, Dr. Lawrence Chatters, the University of Nebraska's Senior Associate Athletic Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, found a solution that would allow for underprivileged youth from around the state to attend the home opener against Fordham, continuing the sellout streak.

Hundreds gathered to protest in response to the sexual assault allegation that occurred on Tuesday, Aug. 24, at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's campus. The crowd first assembled Tuesday, Aug. 24, outside of the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity house where one of its members is alleged to have sexually assaulted a UNL student in the early morning hours of Tues...

Cody Thomas, Nebraska State Patrol Public Relations Director and  Bill Kovarik, Highway Safety Administrator of the Highway Safety Office discuss the recent "U Text, U Drive, U Pay" distracted driving campaign to raise awareness about distracted driving. Full story - 

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is returning to full capacity and decreasing web-conferencing offerings for the fall 2021 semester. Sophomores Hallie Gutzwiller and Hannah Bartling discuss their experiences with online classes.

Last year, 22 year-old Tucsonan student Josh Swain, created a Facebook group chat. This group chat, was comprised of around 20 others, all with the name: "Josh Swain."  His message read: "You're probably wondering why I've gathered you all here today." Josh then issued the formal invitation: "Precisely, 4/24/2021, 12:00 p.m., meet at these coordinates, (40.8223286, -96.7982002) we fight, whoever w...

The game of chess has seen massive growth in popularity since the beginning of the pandemic. A group of Lincoln players have found a unique over-the-board experience. Cigarz Lounge near 8th and Q street in Lincoln hosts a Monday night chess league every week. Owner of Cigarz Lounge Stacy Williams and league judge Steve Kuzma began the league in September 2020. Participants play for weekly prizes a...

As summer draws near, small towns across Nebraska are busy planning the return of their annual summer celebrations after COVID-19 eliminated most events beginning in the spring of 2020. Cindy Walsh, co-coordinator of Ashland’s Stir Up celebration, and Ashland resident Marilyn Wright discuss what the return of the event means to the community. Full Story: https://nebraskanewsservice.net/news/small-...

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s LGBTQA+ & Women’s Center hosted a “What does it mean to Be a Man?” webinar April 15. Male students and faculty of UNL were encouraged to attend, share stories and discuss what they believe it means to be a man. Derrick Gulley, program coordinator for the LGBTQA+ & Women’s Center, and Trenton Haltom, Ph. D. candidate in sociology, talk about the importan...

 The Beatrice Public School district is one of the first districts to eliminate its mask mandate. Beatrice is the closest proximity school district to Omaha and Lincoln to do so. The school board voted to eliminate the mask mandate at its April board meeting after teachers reported they had been vaccinated.   Jason Alexander, superintendent for Beatrice Public Schools, explains how the district ma...

Many Nebraska artists and creatives have felt their creativity and motivation to produce art decrease dramatically throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Local Lincoln jewelry designer, crafter, and small business owner Alison Stasny, owner of Spitfire July, said not having a physical separation from her day job and creative space at home negatively impacted her ability to create. Omaha artist, painter...

Kim Morrow, director of Climate Planning and Resilience at sustainability company Verdis Group, and Vivian Nguyen, contractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development and co-founder of Sustain UNL, spoke at the Solve Climate by 2030 webinar on April 7. Morrow and Nguyen spoke to an audience of students, faculty and staff about how people can be better climate activists, reduce their carbo...

Lincoln Public Schools will open the doors to a new high school in the fall of 2022. This would be the seventh LPS high school in Lincoln. Scott Wieskamp, director of operations for Lincoln Public Schools, said another high school was severely needed because of overcapacity. The school’s location will be at Northwest 48th and West Holdrege Street. Cedric Cooper, current Schoo Middle School princip...

Normally, members of the Catholic faith are obligated to attend mass every week, according to the church’s canon law. However, since COVID-19 started, the Catholic Dioceses of Nebraska issued a general dispensation excusing Catholics from the requirement. On March 31, Archbishop Lucas of Omaha announced the dispensation will end the weekend of May 22. Leah Heyen is a home health care worker from L...

Without prior experience in healthcare, Diane Sprock left her career in insurance after nearly 35 years to help the elderly during the pandemic.

Entertainment venues lost nearly $40 million last year with the cancellation of concerts and other live events. With the return of live events, venues have welcomed fans back after a year of limited entertainment. Curtis Ray, director of events at Ralston Arena, and Chris Kotulak, CEO of Fonner Park, discuss how their venues handled the first wave of live events. Full story: https://nebraskanewsse...