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.
Published by jason@omahadail... on Tue, 01/20/2026 - 12:00am
The first time Carlos Cuevas made tamales, the dish was a birthday gift for his girlfriend Gillian, a vegan who craved a meal nowhere to be found in Nebraska.
The second time it was for their 200 wedding guests.
The third time was the launch of their made-to-order tamale delivery business.
Now, Cuevas and Gillian Cromwell Cuevas have partnered with Katie and Noah Mock, the couple behind fan favorites Nite Owl and Fizzy’s, to turn that craving into a full-fledged, brick-and-mortar restaurant in Little Bohemia.
Published by jason@omahadail... on Tue, 01/20/2026 - 12:00am
OMAHA — A youth sports facility has come up as another potential use as part of a North Omaha business park site to be developed with help from a $90 million state grant.
Described as an indoor-outdoor multipurpose complex for “soft turf” sports — such as football, soccer, softball and baseball — the possible project would rise at the Enterprise Park near 16th and Locust Streets, a tract that had previously been downplayed because of environmental cleanup costs.
Published by jason@omahadail... on Tue, 01/20/2026 - 12:00am
Central bankers from around the world have issued a joint statement of support for US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, as he faces a criminal probe on top of mounting pressure from US President Donald Trump to resign early.
It is very unusual for the world’s central bank governors to issue such a statement. But these are very unusual times.
Published by maggie@omahadai... on Tue, 01/13/2026 - 12:00am
Dr. Ali Khan knelt down outside a Karachi doorway and extended his hand. The young girl who, moments earlier, had just received the polio vaccine extended her hand and a skeptical look toward the smiling doctor in a red hat emblazoned with a white N.