Nancy Gaarder has 40 years experience covering the news in Nebraska and neighboring Missouri, first as a reporter and editor for the St. Joseph, Mo., News-Press and then for 28 years at the Omaha World-Herald. She has been honored by the Great Plains Journalism Association for news and feature writing. She has broken stories on misconduct by government officials and has been the go-to reporter in Nebraska for news on climate change and extreme weather. She is the author of Nebraska Weather. A graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism, she is a former board member of the Society of Environmental Journalists. She resides in Omaha, where her spare time is spent bicycling and hanging out with friends.