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Once Again

Host Bill Kelly is on a mission: digging through archives, dusting off documents and uncovering compelling stories from the past that matter again for the new history podcast Once Again.

Season 1

  • Season 1

Sugar Beet Immigrants

S1 Ep6 | 46m

Nebraska’s Atomic Experiment

S1 Ep5 | 40m

A Church Divided

S1 Ep4 | 39m

Riding the Train in Style

S1 Ep3 | 39m

The Rise and Fall of the Ak-Sar-Ben

S1 Ep2 | 38m

Meyer v. Nebraska

S1 Ep1 | 34m



Host Bill Kelly is on a mission: digging through archives, dusting off documents and uncovering compelling stories from the past that matter again for the new history podcast Once Again.

“As a longtime reporter, I think it’s important to view current events through the lens of history. This podcast dives deep into intriguing news stories from Nebraska’s past and connects them to today’s headlines.” –Bill Kelly, Host

Whether you’re just casually curious or a devoted history hunter, each episode revisits a fascinating chapter from recent Nebraska and Great Plains history and draws stunning parallels from the past to the present.

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Episode 1
Meyer v. Nebraska
In the 1920s, a Nebraska law made teaching German to children illegal. Soon after the law went into effect, Robert Meyer was arrested, charged and convicted. Rather than paying a fine, he fought. He challenged the ruling all the way to the United States Supreme Court. This decision sparked conversation about which liberties in America should be guaranteed, and Meyer v. Nebraska has been cited in some of the most consequential court decisions of the past 50 years.
Episode 2
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? Now, nearly 30 years later, Nebraska voters have once again put the state in the horse racing business.
Episode 3
Riding the Train in Style
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.
Episode 4
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.
Episode 5
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.
Episode 6
Sugar Beet Immigrants
Mexican immigrants first arrived in Nebraska to harvest sugar beets in the early 1900s. For over 100 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.