The Lincoln Board of Education gave Superintendent John Skretta some homework Tuesday night.
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Top Journal Star photos and videos for July 2026
Marilyn Hooper, left, leads a group of “Pissed Off Grandmas” in songs of protest outside Bellevue West High School, where Rep. Mike Flood hosted a town hall on Tuesday.
After popping his bubblegum, Bryan DeWilde of Omaha tries to return the bubblegum to his mouth without using his hands in the bubble blowing contest during Seward’s Fourth of July celebration Saturday, July 4, 2026, in downtown Seward.
Lennox Rose Easley, playing Opal, bottom, leaps into a group picture with Harper Jo Madsen playing Skipper, top Lydia Robinson playing Annie, left, and Marley King playing Tessie, before a dress rehearsal for "Annie" on Monday, July 6, 2026, at the Pinewood Bowl Amphitheatre.
A runner makes their way along the Prairie Corridor trail with the Capitol in the distance at Pioneers Park on Monday, July 6, 2026, in Lincoln.
Ken Baldinger, dressed up as Uncle Sam, stands outside the Seward County courthouse during Seward's Fourth of July festival Saturday. The festival's theme this year was "One Nation, Many Stories" to honor America's 250th birthday.
Mary Sneed of Malvern, Iowa, paints a mural Wednesday on the west side of the Kohll's Rx's new building, 3333 O St. Sneed said owner David Kohll asked her to paint the pharmacy's founder, Louis Kohll, and include some of the items they sell to help people remain independent, like walkers, scooters and wheelchairs. “The heat has been better than it was,” said Sneed, who is painting along with her daughter, Maggie. “We just try to take breaks from the heat and will come out when it is cooler as well.”
Rosston Pile, left, throws a cupful of water at his friend Olivia Kingston at the Trago Park sprayground on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Lincoln.
Michael Moeller is lit by ceiling light as he restocks fireworks at Kracklin Kirks Fireworks Stand on Monday, June 29, 2026, in Denton. Garth Bornschlegl, manager of the stand, said fireworks sales are up by about 45% this year as Nebraskans prepare to celebrate America's 250th anniversary.
Katie Speer and Zach Witt with Bryan Young Professionals help pack a time capsule Monday at Bryan East Campus. Bryan Health placed a time capsule to mark the end of its 100th anniversary, which will remain sealed until the organization celebrates its sesquicentennial (150 years) in 2076.
Electrical Enterprises apprentice Adam Hanau, center, opens his mouth to hold a wooden block as his teammates, including lead electrician Phillip Herzog, left, pile on more during the inaugural Construction Olympics on Saturday at NeighborWorks Lincoln.
Chelsey and Jesse Nielsen, right, get married in the Sunken Gardens while surrounded by family and friends on Friday, June 26, 2026. The Sunken Gardens is honoring America's 250th anniversary with a theme inspired by the country's quilting past. "Quilts are such a huge part of America and America's 250th birthday. We got a lot of inspiration from some of the designs and concepts we saw there," said Zac Halley, supervisor for the public garden district at Parks and Recreation.
Zehana Gebremeskel buckles her daughter Rakeb Hirpesa, 4, into a car seat outside of their home on Thursday. Gebremeskel is looking to purchase a wheelchair-accessible vehicle to take Rakeb, who has a rare genetic condition, to appointments in Omaha.
Michael and Tina White lounge in some water to cool off Monday in Lincoln. Monday was another brutally hot day in the Capital City, which reached a high of 98 degrees and a heat index of 110. The extreme heat is expected to taper off somewhat with highs in the lower 90s and mid to upper 80s forecast for the rest of the week.
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird climbs through a round window between interior spaces during the opening of the STEAM Activity Center to complete the FiftyOne Commons development in northeast Lincoln.
After an injury left him paralyzed, Ivan Wilks said a new workforce development program at SCC has put his life back on track. “It’s been really hard to get a job ever since my accident,” Wilks said. “Taking this course has really helped me along that way.”
A member of the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office (LSO) enters the room with a handgun and shield during active violence training at Malcolm Public Schools on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at Fern Westfall Elementary School in Malcolm.
Seven-year-old Cannon Corbett, from Illinois, watches goat tying from a railing during the 78th National High School Finals Rodeo on Tuesday at the Sandhills Global Event Center. The rodeo, which drew more than 1,900 young people and their families to the competition in Lincoln, wrapped up on Saturday.
An aerial view of the North 14th and Superior streets roundabout Tuesday. The roundabout logged the most crashes of any intersection in the state in 2025 with 37.
Amber Weyer, from Lincoln, shoots during the pocket billiards portion of the Cornhusker State Games on Saturday, July 18, 2026, at Madsen's Bowling & Billiards in Lincoln. Now 42 years in the running, the Cornhusker State Games is a statewide amateur sports festival spanning a wide variety of activities for all ages, with more than 70 sites in Lincoln, Omaha and surrounding communities this year.
UNL Ph.D. student Yi-Hang Park gathers specimens with a net during the annual conference for the American Arachnological Society on Tuesday at Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center near Denton. Scientists from around the world gathered in Lincoln to share spider research, challenge misconceptions and celebrate the fascinating biology of arachnids. Researchers were able to explore the prairie to document arachnids.
Red Quill Tattoo artist Matthew Luettger inscribes a hotdog tattoo on to Melissa Gilley on National Hot Dog Day at The Creamery Building in the Haymarket on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in Lincoln.
