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(AP) — Nebraska authorities said they don't expect any lingering problems related to Thursday's explosion of a railroad shipping container carrying an acid used to make explosives because the chemical largely burned off and any residue was contained at the scene. No one was injured in the blast at Union Pacific's massive railyard in North Platte, and no structures were damaged. But Thursday's incident in the Union Pacific railyard was nothing like that. He said the other container that burned in the fire likely contained memory foam — not another hazardous chemical. Union Pacific was able to continue operating part of the railyard throughout the incident, and full operations resumed after the fire was extinguished Thursday evening.

Persons: Dennis Thompson, ” Thomson, it's, Thompson, Warren Flatau Organizations: —, Platte Fire, Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, Union Pacific, Federal Railroad Administration Locations: OMAHA, Neb, — Nebraska, North Platte, Nebraska, Western Nebraska, Ohio, East Palestine , Ohio, Platte, Denver, Omaha

☆ A US Air Force spy plane built in 1962 had to make an emergency landing in Qatar. It's the latest in a string of incidents for the ancient fleet of aircraft.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A US Air Force spy plane flying for the 55th Wing made an emergency landing in Qatar on Monday. The US Air Force did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. It eventually joined the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base outside of Omaha in 1981 and is still flying more than 40 years later. The Air Force stands behind its incident-prone fleetThe Air Force says it plans to make upgrades to its RC-135 fleet, expecting the planes to fly for another 20 to 30 years. "I have complete confidence in flying this aircraft," 55th Wing vice commander Col. David Berg told the World-Herald in 2018.

Persons: it's, —, Michael Andrews, Steve Lynes, Qatar —, Heather Wilson, Wilson, Frank Strickler, Al Udeid, We've, Todd Feeback, John Rauch, David Berg Organizations: US Air Force, Wing, Service, Boeing, OMAHA, Air Force, Soaring, KC, US Air Forces Central Command, Herald, Offutt Air Force Base, Air, FAA, American Airlines, Al Udeid, Base, Kansas City Star, Tribune, Getty, Air Force Safety Center Locations: Qatar, Wall, Silicon, Bahrain, Nebraska, Omaha, England, Greece, Japan, Persian

A new accounting shows that at least 523 institutions were part of the sprawling network of boarding schools for Native American children. ‘War Against the Children’ The Native American boarding school system — a decades-long effort to assimilate Indigenous people before they ever reached adulthood — robbed children of their culture, family bonds and sometimes their lives. “The government was not done with war, so the next phase involved war against the children,” said Mr. Sherman, 83, a former aerospace engineer. Now 76, his voice grows shaky when he recounts the punishments children received — and how children were turned into punishers. Library of Congress, Chronicling AmericaA precise accounting of how many children died at Native American boarding schools remains elusive.

☆ Nebraska volleyball sets world record for attendance at a women’s sporting event, at above 92,000, school says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Jacob Lev | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Memorial Stadium was the place to be on Wednesday night when the University of Nebraska women’s volleyball team hosted in-state opponent Omaha. The official attendance of 92,003 in Lincoln – at what normally is the university’s football stadium – set the world record for the largest announced crowd at a women’s sporting event, according to the school. “Nebraska has the best fan base in the world, the best volleyball fans in the world,” Albert said before introducing head coach John Cook. “And I was thinking this morning, there’s only three things that shut down the University of Nebraska: 1) snowstorms, 2) Covid, 3) Nebraska volleyball in the stadium. During what the school called “Volleyball Day,” the record-setting crowd gave a roaring ovation to the fourth-ranked Nebraska volleyball team as players walked onto the court.

Persons: Trev Alberts, ” Albert, John Cook, Cook, there’s, ” Cook, wasn’t, Bob Devaney Organizations: CNN —, University of Nebraska women’s, Omaha, Lincoln –, –, UEFA Champions League, Barcelona, Wolfsburg, Camp, University of Nebraska, Nebraska, Rose Bowl, Huskers, Bob Devaney Sports Center, NCAA, Nationwide Arena Locations: Lincoln, Barcelona, Spain, Camp Nou, Nebraska, “ Nebraska, United States, China, Pasadena , California, Wisconsin, Columbus , Ohio

In Florida, Senate Bill 254, enacted in May, banned gender-affirming care for minors but also created less-noticed barriers for adult care. The state laws largely intervene to stop gender-affirming medical care around adolescence: treatments such as puberty blockers, hormones and later, in rare cases, surgery. Medical consensus favors gender-affirming care as essential and sometimes life-saving, after careful consideration by multiple providers. But he also said gender-affirming medical treatments were extreme. Colorado has not enacted restrictions on gender-affirming care.

Persons: Marci Bowers, Jesse Ehrenfeld, you've, Bill, Rylee Brock, Gary Click, Boston Children's, Thomas Satterwhite, Satterwhite, Joseph Knoll, Syvonne Carter, Daniel Trotta, Donna Bryson, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: World Professional Association for Transgender Health, American Medical Association, Endocrine Society, American Academy of Pediatrics, Ohio House, FBI, U.S . Department of Homeland Security, Boston Children's Hospital, Multispecialty, Boston, Reuters, Fenway Institute, Boston Police Department, Massachusetts State Police, Colorado Children's Hospital, Colorado, Spektrum, 26Health, Thomson Locations: Massachusetts, United States, Florida, Champaign , Illinois, Omaha, Nebraska, Ohio, Boston, Texas, Colorado, Colorado , Illinois, New York, California, San Francisco, Orlando, Melbourne, Plume

☆ How States Are Threading the Needle on Flag Design
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Mitch Smith | Sarah Almukhtar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +11 min

But it found that changing a state flag to make it stand out from the crowd is not a simple process. How States Are Threading the Needle on Flag Design Mitch Smith reported on the Utah flag from Centerville, Orem and Salt Lake City. And they don’t look like any other state’s flag. A version of Maine’s 1901 flagIn Michigan, a lawmaker suggested a panel to consider new flag designs. Some Utahns have already adopted the new flag design, even though it doesn’t officially become the state flag until next year.

Persons: Mitch Smith, Sarah Almukhtar, Brad Holdaway, SuAnn Taylor, “ They’re, Mr, Holdaway, Utahns, of Jesus Christ, Spencer Cox, Cox, Kim Raff, The New York Times “, ” Ted Kaye, NAVA, ” Mr, Kaye, Elizabeth Goodspeed, ”, Goodspeed, “ Hope, Laura Scofield, Doris Turner, Illinois ’, doesn’t, Chad Saunders Organizations: Republican, Beehive State, of Jesus, Gov, The New York Times, American Vexillological Association, Texas, Lone, Capitol, Democrat, Lone Star State Locations: Utah, Centerville, Orem, Salt Lake City, U.S.A, Illinois, Maine , Michigan, Minnesota, California, Rhode Island’s, Nebraska, Texas, California’s, Carolina’s, Maryland , California, South Carolina, New Mexico, South Dakota, Florida, Louisiana, Louisiana . Mississippi, Mississippi, Maine, Michigan, Utah In Utah

☆ ACI Worldwide fined $25 mln for multibillion-dollar mortgage payment 'fiasco'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Signage is seen at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 14, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew KellyJune 27 (Reuters) - The top U.S. consumer finance watchdog on Tuesday said it had fined the Nebraska payment processor ACI Worldwide (ACIW.O) $25 million for improperly processing more than $2 billion in mortgage payment transactions without customer authorization. ACI Worldwide consented to the CFPB order without admitting or denying responsibility. According to the CFPB, during a test of the payments platform in April 2021, ACI improperly used actual consumer data, rather than dummy data, which illegally initiated more than $2.3 billion in payments. Reporting by Douglas Gillison; Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Cooper, Rohit Chopra, Douglas Gillison, Chizu Organizations: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, Mr, Consumer Financial, Bureau, ACI, Thomson Locations: Washington ,, Nebraska

Up to five of the 11 Crop Watch locations received no rain over the last week, and only one tallied 1 inch or more. Each week the Crop Watch producers assign condition scores to their fields on a 1-to-5 scale. Crop Watch conditions do not incorporate yield assumptions, which will come later in the season. Eight of the 11 Crop Watch corn fields carry a condition score of 4 or better as do seven of the soybean fields, though there are no perfect 5s. Photos of the Crop Watch fields can be tracked on my Twitter feed using handle @kannbwx.

Persons: Karen Braun, Robert Birsel Organizations: Crop, U.S . Department of Agriculture’s, North Dakota, Nebraska and, Reuters, Thomson Locations: FONTERUTOLI, Italy, United States, South Dakota , Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, North Dakota, Nebraska, Indiana, Nebraska and South Dakota, Ohio, Minnesota, Kansas, Kingsbury , South Dakota, Freeborn , Minnesota, Burt , Nebraska, Rice , Kansas, Audubon , Iowa, Cedar , Iowa, Warren , Illinois, Crawford , Illinois, Tippecanoe , Indiana, Fairfield , Ohio, The North Dakota, Griggs County

☆ Here are key things to know as Supreme Court nears decision on Biden's student loan forgiveness
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The United States Supreme Court Building Geoff Livingston | Moment | Getty Images1. You'll be able to read the ruling on the Supreme Court's website, likely some time in the morning of decision day. A top Education Department official recently warned that resuming student loan bills without Biden's loan cancellation could trigger a historic rise in delinquencies and defaults. They said the decreased revenue for MOHELA, or the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, could leave the agency unable to meet its financial obligations to Missouri. Student loan borrowers gathered outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 27, 2023, the night before the court hears two cases on student loan forgiveness.

Persons: Geoff Livingston, Mark Kantrowitz, Kantrowitz, You'll, Biden, Elizabeth Prelogar, Prelogar, they'd, Mark, servicers, Amy Coney Barrett, James A, Campbell, Barrett wasn't, you've, Annie Nova Organizations: United States Supreme, Supreme, Department, Republican, GOP, South Carolina –, Job, Network Foundation, Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, CNBC, U.S Locations: delinquencies, — Arkansas, Iowa , Kansas , Missouri , Nebraska, South Carolina, Missouri, Nebraska

☆ 6 protesters were arrested after some threw tampons on the floor while the Nebraska legislature voted to restrict gender-affirming care and abortion
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Police in Nebraska said they arrested six protesters at the state capitol in Lincoln on Friday. The Nebraska state legislature passed the Let Them Grow Act, which is expected to become law. A press release from the Nebraska State Patrol said officers noticed the group on the balcony of the state legislature when the protesters started yelling around 2:40 pm. —Nebraska State Patrol (@NEStatePatrol) May 20, 2023The Nebraska State Patrol did not immediately return Insider's request for further comment on Saturday. Nebraska passed Legislative Bill 574 on Friday, which limits abortion and gender-affirming health care.

☆ Chief Standing Bear is honored on a USPS Forever stamp
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Harmeet Kaur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The stamp, which features a portrait of Chief Standing Bear by illustrator Thomas Blackshear II, was unveiled last week at a ceremony in Lincoln, Nebraska. “I hope this stamp will serve as a reminder of the lessons we’ve learned from Chief Standing Bear, and the brave Ponca people, especially here in the Cornhusker State.”Chief Standing Bear was a leader of the Ponca people in the late 1800s. An archival photo of Chief Standing Bear, a leader of the Ponca people in the late 1800s. In 1879, a newspaper editor interviewed Chief Standing Bear while in detention, and the story of his plight gained national attention, according to the Oklahoma Historical Society. In a speech before the court, Chief Standing Bear said through an interpreter, “That hand is not the color of yours, but if I pierce it, I shall feel pain.

☆ A ‘Greenwich Village’ on the Prairie
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Carson Vaughan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Were I to write a Mari Sandoz biopic, I’d start with a shadow racing across her desk. I’d start at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 16, 1935. I’d start with a 39-year-old hayseed — thin as a fence post and prickly as barbed wire — assaulting her typewriter on the ninth floor of the Nebraska State Capitol as a local bank teller plunges 135 feet to his death on the stone transept below. Perhaps I’d cut to the fingernail marks he left on the observation deck five floors above, or the note he left behind. “Why, I’d rather write my own way and dig ditches for my soup and hard tack than write lies for a yacht and sables.

☆ Dr. LeRoy Carhart, Fierce Defender of Abortion Rights, Dies at 81
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Alex Traub | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Around 30 states, including Nebraska, outlawed the procedure. It was one that Dr. Carhart said he never used and that he described as “distasteful.” Nevertheless, he believed that the wording of the law was so broad that it could render illegal other types of abortions, and he sued Nebraska’s attorney general, Don Stenberg. Dr. Carhart became the lead plaintiff in two Supreme Court cases. When the George W. Bush administration enacted the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, Dr. Carhart sued again. The Supreme Court reversed course, however, with the author of the decision, Justice Anthony Kennedy, arguing that the federal law “expresses respect for the dignity of human life.”

☆ South Carolina and Nebraska lawmakers voted down abortion bans, exposing a chasm on the issue for Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

— Abortion bans in deeply conservative Nebraska and South Carolina both fell short of advancing in close legislative votes amid heated debates among Republicans, yet another sign that abortion is becoming a difficult issue for the GOP. In South Carolina, lawmakers voted 22-21 to shelve a near-total abortion ban for the rest of the year. Katie Glenn, the state policy director for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, characterized the failure of both proposed abortion bans as disappointing. The failure to advance abortion restrictions has confounded conservatives who dominate both Nebraska and South Carolina and exposed a chasm on the issue of abortion within the GOP. Riepe and some Republicans across the country have noted evidence pointing to abortion bans as unpopular with a majority of Americans.

☆ Nebraska hasn't passed a single bill this year because one lawmaker keeps filibustering in protest of an anti-trans bill: 'I will burn this session to the ground'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Azmi Haroun | Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Nebraska state senator has filibustered every bill in this year's legislative session. State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh is doing so in opposition to an anti-trans bill, The Washington Post reported. "This bill legislates hate and targets trans youth," Cavanaugh told The Post. "I will burn this session to the ground over this bill," Cavanaugh told her colleagues in a February session, according to the Post. "The dream would be for the bill to die and for us to move forward with the work of the state," Cavanaugh told the Post.

☆ How an often overlooked World War II-era shipbuilder designed the boat that Eisenhower said 'won the war for us'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Katie Sanders | Mara Storey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The Higgins boat is one of the iconic vessels of World War II. Andrew Higgins, center, developed several kinds of landing craft that were invaluable during World War II. His landing craft were used in every major amphibious assault of World War II, from the shores of Europe to the Pacific islands. National World War II MuseumBorn in Nebraska in 1886, Higgins ran newspaper routes and started a lawn-mowing company as a child. In one instance, Navy officials expressed interest in seeing a design for a new 56-foot tank landing craft three days before a scheduled visit to see another type of landing craft.

☆ Facebook and Google are handing over user data to help police prosecute abortion seekers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Police make requests for social media user data to aid prosecution after a crime has been committed. ProPublica found similar web trackers that capture user data on the sites of at least nine online pharmacies that offer abortion pills by mail, including Abortion Ease, BestAbortionPill.com, PrivacyPillRX, PillsOnlineRX, Secure Abortion Pills, AbortionRx, Generic Abortion Pills, Abortion Privacy, and Online Abortion Pill Rx. Private content by users — such as location data or messages — requires law enforcement to obtain a warrant before it can be turned over. She said because the platforms themselves are unlikely to prioritize user privacy, the burden to do so falls on the individual user. "All the angst directed social media services for being a pawn in law enforcement's game seems misdirected to me.

☆ Her Cheer Squad Quit Days Before the State Championships. So She Went Alone.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Joseph De Avila | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Katrina Kohel went to high-school football games with her family as a child, dreaming of becoming a cheerleader. Making history by becoming the first cheerleader to perform solo at the Nebraska State Cheer and Dance Championships, however, wasn’t in the plans.

☆ Ron DeSantis' past views could come back to bite him in Iowa, a critical state for any GOP challenger to Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Ron DeSantis' potential bid to dethrone former President Donald Trump could hit a critical snag in Iowa, home to the first-in-the-nation caucuses. "If you come to Iowa, you're going to talk about agriculture," Monte Shaw, the executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, told Insider. DeSantis won't be alone in facing questionsTrump's own administration was hammered over its handling of the renewable fuel standard. Like Iowa's senators, he was also deeply frustrated by how Trump's EPA enforced the renewable fuel standard. Chris Carlson/APTexas Sen. Ted Cruz was hammered for months on the campaign trail for wanting to phase out the Renewable Fuel Standard.

☆ A Democratic Nebraska lawmaker vowed to filibuster every bill so the GOP-led legislature couldn't ban abortion and limit transgender health care: 'I want to annoy you'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Nebraska lawmaker promised to filibuster every bill introduced this session in order to block an abortion ban. Senator Machaela Cavanaugh is also trying to stop a bill that would ban gender-affirming care for minors. "This is how the session is gonna be — for every bill," Cavanaugh told KMTV. At Thursday night's session, Cavanaugh was heard filibustering through Legislative Bill 147, KMTV reported, but she isn't stopping there. Cavanaugh told KMTV "her fellow senators forced her hand with their lack of collegiality."

☆ The House Ethics Committee may not go after 'loyal soldier' George Santos, ethics experts warn
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The House Ethics Committee could investigate George Santos over his alleged malfeasance. But ethics experts warn that the evenly-divided committee — composed of five Republicans and five Democrats — is unlikely to move swiftly or even take significant action on Santos. That's where the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) — a separate investigative entity run by a non-partisan staff — could step in. And the Department of Justice could simply ask both the Ethics Committee and OCE to stand down, as they've already reportedly done with the Federal Election Commission. The office frequently makes preliminary investigations of complaints against members of Congress, making a referral to the House Ethics Committee if they determine the offense to warrant further inquiry.

☆ Former Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts to Fill Vacant U.S. Senate Seat
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Shannon Najmabadi | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Jim Pillen speaking in Lincoln, Neb., after the Nebraska gubernatorial election was called in his favor in November. Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen on Thursday appointed his predecessor to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Ben Sasse , a Republican who resigned earlier this month to become president of the University of Florida. Pete Ricketts , a Republican who served two terms as Nebraska’s governor, will hold the seat until a special election is held in 2024 in the solid conservative state. He would have to run again in 2026 to serve a full six-year term in the Senate.

☆ Nebraska Gov. Pillen appoints former Gov. Pete Ricketts as Ben Sasse's Senate replacement
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Summer-Concepcion-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Summer Concepcion | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Ricketts, a Republican like Pillen and Sasse, will serve two years ahead of a 2024 special Senate election. Sasse, a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump and his supporters, officially resigned from the Senate on Sunday. Pillen said Ricketts was tapped for Sasse’s seat after more than 100 people applied and nine were interviewed. Following Pillen’s remarks, Ricketts thanked the governor, saying he was proud to support his campaign, and also thanked Sasse for his service. A top political ally of Pillen, Ricketts endorsed Pillen to succeed him and was a favorite to replace Sasse.

☆ One of the most powerful rich families in American politics just got their son in the Senate
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ricketts' family owns the Chicago Cubs and has broadly supported conservative causes. Ricketts will replace former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse who left the chamber. Pete Ricketts will be joining the US Senate, an appointment that caps his political comeback and cements his family, which owns the Chicago Cubs, as one of the most powerful forces in American politics. Sen. Deb Fischer, a two-term Republican incumbent and loyal ally of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, is also up for reelection then too. Along with owning the Cubs, the Ricketts family has long been among the biggest funders of Republican campaigns.

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