Neighborly news for every Nebraska community
The pie auction looks like a quaint tradition. It is actually a working piece of civic infrastructure—one that pays for scholarships, food pantries, fire gear, and the small kindnesses that hold rural towns together.
Open seats on city councils, school boards, and natural resource districts do not fill themselves. Across Nebraska, towns are trying low-pressure meet-and-greet events—civic speed-dating—to match everyday residents with local boards before reorganizations in early 2027.
Nebraska’s single-house, nonpartisan Legislature is odd by design—and oddly neighborly in practice. As lawmakers prepare for the 2027 session, we look at what the Unicameral gets right, where it strains, and why other states might want to borrow a habit or two.
Rural volunteer fire and rescue departments are facing a quiet staffing squeeze, and the consequences reach far beyond house fires. Here is why the ranks are thin in 2026, what departments are trying, and the practical ways neighbors can help.
Across Nebraska’s smaller communities, Thanksgiving is less a private dinner and more a public invitation. From Legion hall potlucks to Main Street pie tables, these ten traditions show how a extra chair can turn a holiday into a neighborhood.