The Rise and Fall of the Ak-Sar-Ben

Sugar Beet Immigrants

Mexican immigrants first arrived in Nebraska to harvest sugar beets in the early 1900s. For over a hundred years, the demand for their labor and policies to turn them away have shaped parts of Nebraska's economy. In this episode of Once Again, we visit Scottsbuff to talk with those familiar with history and people who worked in the sugar beet fields. We'd love to hear your feedback on the podcast! Please answer a few questions in this short survey: NebraskaPublicMedia.org/podsurvey [https://NebraskaPublicMedia.org/podsurvey] © 2025 Nebraska Public Media Foundation. All rights reserved. Discover images and additional information about the series at https://NebraskaPublicMedia.org/onceagain.

Nebraska’s Atomic Experiment

In 1962, homes and businesses in Nebraska received electricity generated by nuclear energy for the very first time. The Hallam nuclear power plant, known as Sheldon Station, was a demonstration project of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission in partnership with Consumers Public Power. It was one of the first nuclear plants in America. Its unique design made it the first and only sodium-graphite reactor to work in tandem with a traditional coal-powered generator. In this episode of Once Again, we share the story of a power plant that was shut down after only two years, which could be considered either an innovative experiment or a technological failure. The remains of the reactor are buried just a few miles from the state capital. Now, the science behind the Hallam plant is being revisited as the Nebraska Public Power District considers expanding the availability of nuclear power with a new generation of small reactors. We'd love to hear your feedback on the podcast! Please answer a few questions in this short survey: NebraskaPublicMedia.org/podsurvey [https://NebraskaPublicMedia.org/podsurvey] © 2025 Nebraska Public Media Foundation. All rights reserved.   Discover images and additional information about the series at NebraskaPublicMedia.org/onceagain.

A Church Divided

In the 1990s, a Methodist Church in Omaha began blending talk of religion with talk about sexual orientation – a conversation far out of the norm. Next came a controversial wedding. Normally a happy occasion, it quickly turned ugly, and the pastor who performed the wedding ended up on trial, cracking the foundation of the Methodist Church. The fight within the church spanned months with Reverend Jimmy Creech front and center. In this episode of ‘Once Again’, Nebraska Public Media’s Bill Kelly shares the story of how that same-sex wedding in Omaha led to the Methodist denomination breaking apart internationally.  We'd love to hear your feedback on the podcast! Please answer a few questions in this short survey: NebraskaPublicMedia.org/podsurvey [https://NebraskaPublicMedia.org/podsurvey] © 2025 Nebraska Public Media Foundation. All rights reserved.   Discover images and additional information about the series at NebraskaPublicMedia.org/onceagain.

Riding the Train in Style

Since the tracks were built, trains have moved goods across America around the clock – traveling through big cities and small towns alike. But the history of passenger rail in the United States is not so cut and dry. People have long shown interest in hopping aboard a train, and in the early 1900s, it was the only way to get from one coast to the other. Through the middle of the century, a trip by rail was viewed as glamorous. But by the 1970s, the business turned so unprofitable that the government was forced to take it over, creating the Amtrak service. Now, demand has Once Again increased for rail travel, with more and more people thinking of punching a ticket. Nebraska Public Media’s Bill Kelly climbs aboard the California Zephyr to explain the history of passenger rail in America and how its future might hang in the balance. We'd love to hear your feedback on the podcast! Please answer a few questions in this short survey: NebraskaPublicMedia.org/podsurvey [https://NebraskaPublicMedia.org/podsurvey] © 2025 Nebraska Public Media Foundation. All rights reserved. Discover images and additional information about the series at https://NebraskaPublicMedia.org/onceagain.

The Rise and Fall of the Ak-Sar-Ben

More than a century ago, one of the most popular horse racing tracks in America called Nebraska home. Ak-Sar-Ben in Omaha drew race fans from across the Midwest, flourishing in the state’s largest city. That is until the 1990s when the track vanished. But how did Ak-Sar-Ben go from being the place to be to shuttering its gates for good? Nebraska Public Media’s Bill Kelly finds out, and explains how now, nearly 30 years later, Nebraska voters have Once Again put the state in the horse racing business.  We'd love to hear your feedback on the podcast! Please answer a few questions in this short survey: NebraskaPublicMedia.org/podsurvey [https://NebraskaPublicMedia.org/podsurvey] © 2025 Nebraska Public Media Foundation. All rights reserved.   Discover images and additional information about the series at https://NebraskaPublicMedia.org/onceagain.