Rachael Joyner at Florida Atlantic University, Phillip Lucas and Kendra Desrosiers at Howard University, Tracy Boyer at University of North Carolina, Michelle Chan at Pepperdine University, Chris Welch at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Ben Doody at Fairfield and Chris Burcham at Tulane University contributed to this article.

CNN: Campus Politics: From storming dorms to abject apathy

The area is in the midst of moderate to severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Sittig, a political scientist at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

CNN: Republican Prospects Strong in Nebraska

Young Democrats at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's student union stuck address labels to stacks of mail flyers, while, one floor up, College Republicans brainstormed on how to increase interest in the November 7 elections.

CNN: Campus Politics: From storming dorms to abject apathy

Conducted by researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the survey of 1, 000 married dads and non-dads found that 77% of men rate being a good father as very important, while only 49% said the same about a successful career.

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The widespread blazes are more typical of the wildfires that break out in the grasslands of the Midwest and Great Plains this time of year, said Mark Svoboda, a climatologist at the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

WSJ: Brush Fires Sear Region

LINCOLN, Nebraska (CNN) -- Issues like the war in Iraq and the debate over what to do with immigration have no doubt controlled the news media in recent months, but will those issues control how students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln vote November 7?

CNN: U: The hot issues for Nebraska students

Smith says Lincoln benefits from consistent employment through the state government and University of Nebraska.

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Lincoln has a metro population of 280, 000 and is home to the University of Nebraska.

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