Nebraska

Caster helps public uncover Nebraska’s stories

Published

10 months ago

April 28, 2025

Caster helps public uncover Nebraska’s stories

Within the stacks of paper held in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Archives and Special Collections are thousands of stories. Josh Caster, archives manager at University Libraries, is one of the many staff members helping to bring those stories to the surface.

“If we’re not using this stuff and making connections with people, we’ve basically got a bunch of old paper,” he said. “It’s the people using it that brings it to life.”

Caster, a Husker alumnus, started in Archives and Special Collections as a student before eventually taking on a permanent role. His early experience gave him a good foundation in all aspects of the work and helped him identify a particular interest in reference work, or helping users find the right material for their research.

“I was exposed to the whole gamut of stuff an archivist could do,” Caster said.

Josh Caster enters the storage facility at the Library Depository Retrieval Facility.

Now, Caster gets to work with student workers and, along with Mary Ellen Ducey, university archivist, and other archives staff, pair students with jobs that fit their interests, whether that means the activity or the subject matter. He said it is rewarding to see them grow from student workers to professionals in the field in their own right.

“It’s neat to watch people when they’re freshmen and feeling stuff out and then you can watch them, in real time, gain competencies,” he said. “Eventually sometimes we’ll bring in donors or people interested in certain subjects and it’s nice to be able to be like, ‘You should talk to this student worker.’ They’ll talk about (the subject) with great knowledge and enthusiasm.”

Caster enjoys helping researchers identify which collection holds the answers they are looking for. With so much information at their fingertips, this can be a challenge.

“I’m always looking for the ‘Eureka moment,’” Caster said. “I want people to able to access the great stuff we have. I might not know the answer they’re seeking but I know where to show them to look, so I like connecting those pieces and I like when people walk away with whatever they’re looking for.”

Sometimes successfully finding those answers is a longshot. Recently, for example, a researcher was looking for images of quilts made by a specific quilter. Caster was able to work with them and cross-reference some collections down to the marginalia to find images of the individual quilter’s work.

“It was a needle in a stack of needles,” he said.

Promoting access to this kind of unique material is a passion of Caster’s. The preservation and record keeping and providing access work in tandem to ensure the wealth of information held in the archives is still valuable.

“If people aren’t looking at it, that effort and that great work of everybody that’s been in this department and this library is not being reaped,” Caster said. “I think it’s pretty core to the mission.”

Working with the material has given Caster a great appreciation for university. People might come across a document marking the beginning of a university department or organization or with the signature or an early important figure in university history.

“People will ask, ‘What evidence do you have of the beginnings of the university?’” Caster said. “We have the charter. We’ve got the origin document. There’s heavyweight people who have worked here throughout our history, so it’s cool to know who the real players were.”

Personally, Caster is also interested in some of the environmental history in the collection. Caster enjoys fishing and other outdoor activities outside the office, so he is partial to entries like photos taken by Erwin Barbour, an instrumental figure in the foundation of the Nebraska State Museum, or reports from a biologist working for an early incarnation of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

“He’s got old stocking reports for all these lakes I fish at to this day,” he said.

Caster speaks to people sometimes who don’t realize how many hidden treasures the archives hold about their own interests. A farmer might find relevant information about fertilizers and crop yields. Husker football fans might be amazed by a film reel of the Game of the Century or a photograph of Tom Osborne and Willie Nelson surveying Memorial Stadium for Farm Aid.

“I want to be part of that ecosystem that reaches out and says, ‘You want the stuff we have, even it you don’t know it,’” Caster said. “There’s human interest stuff for anyone here.”

Gems from the archive

Nebraska’s Josh Caster handpicked five of his all-time favorite gems from the University Archives and Special Collections. Check out the slideshow below, where the archives manager shares the stories behind each image with his personal touch and fun descriptions.

My folks have a cabin on a reservoir of the Tri-County Canal, a Dust Bowl-era irrigation project. This picture is from the opening ceremony near Holdrege, Nebraska, in 1938. Bonus points for the impromptu barrel stage.
University Archives and Special Collections
Ina G! Ina E. Gittings was an instructor and later physical director for women at the University of Nebraska. Her pole vaulting prowess has helped me on many requests!
Chancellor Martin Massengale, Coach Tom Osborne and Willie Nelson meet at Memorial Stadium. Farm Aid III was held there in 1987.
Not an outtake from a “Mad Max” movie, this is the 1904(5?) Husker football team. The gentleman on the far right is William Johnson. He was a lawyer in Omaha when he enlisted with the famed “Harlem Hellfighters” in World War I.
My man with the sick tat, stirring curds on East Campus in 1941. Big cheese guy here.

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Nebraska

Nebraska State Patrol troopers find 242 pounds of cocaine during commercial truck inspection

Published

2 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska State Patrol troopers find 242 pounds of cocaine during commercial truck inspection

LEXINGTON, Neb. (KOLN) – Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol arrested one person after finding more than 240 pounds of cocaine during a commercial vehicle inspection.

On Tuesday afternoon, an NSP Carrier Enforcement trooper conducted a commercial vehicle inspection on a semi tractor/trailer driven by Arwinderjit Singh, 30, of California, near mile marker 254 on Interstate 80.

Arwinderjit Singh mugshot(Dawson County Jail)

During the inspection, the trooper became suspicious of criminal activity. An NSP K-9 detected the odor of a controlled substance inside the cab of the semi, troopers said.

After searching the cab, troopers located 242 pounds of cocaine concealed underneath the sleeper bed, NSP said.

Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol arrested one person after finding more than 240 pounds... — Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol arrested one person after finding more than 240 pounds of cocaine during a commercial vehicle inspection.(Nebraska State Patrol)

Singh was arrested on suspicion of possession of cocaine, possession with intent to deliver, possession of an open alcohol container, no drug tax stamp and displaying a fictitious license plate.

Singh was lodged in Dawson County Jail, and his bond was set at 10% of $2 million. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 12.

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Nebraska

Athlete of the Week: Creighton Prep boys wrestling’s Zaiyahn Ornelas

Published

14 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Athlete of the Week: Creighton Prep boys wrestling’s Zaiyahn Ornelas

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Creighton Prep senior Zaiyahn Ornelas won his fourth consecutive Nebraska state wrestling title on Saturday.

According to NSAA records, he joins 39 other wrestlers in state history to accomplish the feat.

“It’s a great feeling,” Ornelas said. “It’s a feeling everybody wants.”

The senior ended his career as the 39th four-time state champion in Nebraska history, winning three at Wilber-Clatonia before joining the Jr. Jays.

Ornelas won three Class C state titles at Wilber-Clatonia at 106, 113 and 120 pounds before transferring to Creighton Prep for his senior season, where he competed in Class A at 126 pounds.

“Three state titles there and then just thought I could bump up my competition,” Ornelas said.

“Zaiyahn is one of the cleanest technicians I’ve ever seen. That’s a huge testament to his coaching staff at Wilber,” Fisher added.

Ornelas was one of four Creighton Prep wrestlers to win state titles this season, helping lead the Jr. Jays to the Class A team title. Teammates said his presence in the practice room raised their level of competition.

“I could never slack off just because my competition in the state was easy. I always had to come in this room and get better or else I was going to get beat,” said sophomore Cruzer Dominguez, a two-time Class A state champion at 106 and 120 pounds.

Sophomore Kameron Green, the Class A 144-pound state champion this year, also credited Ornelas for aiding in his development.

“Zaiyahn being a training partner has helped me in tremendous ways,” he said. “When he wrestles, he’s not the nicest or shyest kid, but he’s tenacious and tough.”

The sophomore won his first state title after finishing as a runner-up at 126 pounds as a freshman.

Junior JT Smith, a two-time state champion at 175 and 190 pounds, said the achievement carries weight for the entire team.

“It’s something really special to have a teammate that’s a four-time state champion,” he said. “That’s something everyone wants to be.”

The junior finished the season as a back-to-back state champion after winning a gold medal at 175 pounds as a sophomore.

Fisher said Ornelas’s attitude set the tone from the start.

“He has so many skills and then coming into our room, he’s extremely coachable. Every time he came in here he was humble, ready to work, wanting to get better and that’s why he is as good as he is,” Fisher said.

Ornelas signed to wrestle at the University of Nebraska in November. He said the move to Creighton Prep delivered what he was looking for.

“This is the reason why I came here. I went out to explore, to find the best, and this is the territory that I found. If it wasn’t for these guys — the push — I would have not been there,” Ornelas said.

“It’s hard to believe. That’s kind of what I wanted since the beginning, freshman year,” he said.

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Nebraska Chamber taps former state senator to lead during leadership transition

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska Chamber taps former state senator to lead during leadership transition

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry has selected a former state senator and longtime board member to lead the chamber while it searches for a new president and CEO.

Board of Directors Chair Pat Keenan said Thursday that Matt Williams of Gothenburg agreed to serve as interim president.

ALSO READ: Nebraska Chamber president and CEO resigns after less than a year

“The Board is grateful to Matt for stepping into this role during a very active and productive time for the Nebraska Chamber,” Keenan said. “He has steady leadership, strong relationships and trust from his many years of advocacy for economic development, and decades of experience working with the legislature and state government on tax policy and economic development incentives.”

Matt Williams(NE Chamber)

Williams represented District 36 in the Nebraska Legislature from 2015 to 2023.

The chamber said Williams has had a lifelong career in banking and serves as chairman of Flatwater Bank. He previously served as chair of the Nebraska Bankers Association and the American Bankers Association.

His long involvement with the chamber includes membership on the Board of Directors; he currently serves as director for District 6. In 2025, he was named to the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame.

“The Nebraska Chamber is on rock-solid footing, with the clear vision of the Board, and talented and hard-working staff hitting its stride in legislative policy and advocacy, technology, manufacturing, leadership-development, fund-raising and membership. The success of cutting-edge initiatives like 6 Regions, One Nebraska, the launch of the Go Big Future series, and the strong member engagement across the state demonstrate the success and strength of this organization. I’m excited to lend my support in whatever way I can for the Chamber. I know how strong businesses and communities make for a stronger Nebraska, and I’m glad to be part of that.”

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