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    #nebraska

    Explore " #nebraska" with insightful episodes like "Ep 20: American Gothic: Love & Murder Part 5", "Ep 19: American Gothic: Love & Murder Part 4", "Ep 18: American Gothic: Love & Murder Part 3", "Ep 17: American Gothic: Love & Murder Part 2" and "Ep 16: American Gothic: Love & Murder Part 1" from podcasts like ""Across the DinerVerse", "Across the DinerVerse", "Across the DinerVerse", "Across the DinerVerse" and "Across the DinerVerse"" and more!

    Episodes (10)

    Ep 20: American Gothic: Love & Murder Part 5

    Ep 20: American Gothic: Love & Murder Part 5

    The FINAL Installment of this true-crime series of podcasts originating from the Anvil Bar & Grill in beautiful downtown Curtis, Nebraska.  A heinous double homicide as told by the confessed killer, Harold Nokes.

    A secret love affair turned into a battle for Harold's affections between two women, his wife, Ena, and his mistress, Kay Hein. But it was Kay's parents who were shot and killed and butchered in the basement of the Nokeses home in McCook, Nebraska fifty years ago.

    In his own words, Harold explains how and why Edwin and Wilma Hoyt were murdered. Your job is to listen carefully and determine for yourself if his story is true or total bullshit--perhaps he and his wife Ena did it in cold blood to get Kay's parents out of the way in hopes of reviving their passionate menage' a trois.

    We also hear from former Frontier County Sheriff, Lannie Roblee, and the author of the book on the case, "In Cold Blood", Mr.  James Hewitt.

    Even by today's standards, this story is haunting, grotesque and hard to imagine. That's why the series is entitled, "American Gothic."

    I've uploaded lots of actual case files, transcripts, letters and photos on my Patreon page. Get access for as little three-bucks--and thanks for subscribing and listening.

    Show Notes:

    Patreon Page
    www.patreon.com/dinerverse

    IN COLD STORAGE
    In Cold Storage: Nebraska Press (unl.edu)
    Also available on Amazon.

    The Anvil Bar & Grill
    223 Center Ave.
    Curtis, Ne.  69025
    308-367-5119
    https://anvilbarandgrill.com

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    Ep 19: American Gothic: Love & Murder Part 4

    Ep 19: American Gothic: Love & Murder Part 4

    The fourth installment in this true-crime series of episodes originating from the Anvil Bar & Grill in Curtis, Ne. Podcast host John Murphy dives into the criminal investigation of the gruesome murders of Edwin and Wilma Hoyt after a menage' a trois love affair involving their daughter, Kay Hein, and a married couple, Harold and Ena Nokes ended badly.

    Murphy interviews lead investigator Lannie Roblee, Frontier County Sheriff at the time, about the challenges of trying to prove the Nokes' guilt when there was little evidence that pointed directly to them. Nebraska State Patrol investigator Jack Sexton and "In Cold Storage" book author, James Hewitt, also provide commentary and insight into the case.

    The episode begins with details from the first interviews with Harold and Ena who categorically deny any involvement or knowledge about what happened to the Hoyt's on the night of September 23rd, 1973.  But later, Harold confesses he and Ena made a plan to visit the Hoyt's at their rural farm to discuss the difficulties they were having with Kay. Harold admits bringing a .22 caliber Ruger pistol with him in case things got out of hand.

    Sheriff Roblee (retired) explains how, for the first time in Nebraska law enforcement history, eavesdropping devices were used to listen in on the Nokes' conversations as a way to help build the case against them--and it didn't run too smoothly.

    Roblee also shares how a Denver psychiatrist concluded Harold was extremely vulnerable and probably very stressed about what they had done and could be broken if he was arrested and separated from his wife. Which is what Roblee did. They also learned from the recorded tapes the Nokes' made a suicide pact which was foiled.

    Everything builds toward next week's final episode when Harold Nokes' full confession on how the Hoyts were killed and dismembered is made available to the general public for the first time ever.

    Show Notes:

    IN COLD STORAGE
    In Cold Storage: Nebraska Press (unl.edu)
    Also available on Amazon.

    The Anvil Bar & Grill
    223 Center Ave.
    Curtis, Ne.  69025
    308-367-5119
    https://anvilbarandgrill.com

    Support the show

    Ep 18: American Gothic: Love & Murder Part 3

    Ep 18: American Gothic: Love & Murder Part 3

    The third installment of this true-crime series about one of the most infamous murder cases in Nebraska history--the killing and butchering of beloved farm couple, Edwin and Wilma Hoyt. Originating from the Anvil Bar & Grill in Curtis, Ne., retired Frontier County Sheriff, Lannie Roblee, takes podcast host John Murphy through the ins and outs of the investigation.

    The episode also features key highlights from official interrogations/depositions of the Hoyt's daugher, Kay Hein, and the man convicted of the murders, Harold Nokes.

    Kay and Harold were engaged in a long-term affair until Harold's wife, Ena, became a third participant in the relationship during the swingin' 70's, when pretty much any and everything was fair game in the bedroom.

    The menage' trois soon fractured and Kay cut ties with the Nokeses, but Harold wouldn't let her go. Kay was so harassed and bullied by the couple she tried to take her own life. Edwin and Wilma came to Kay's defense and pushed back against Harold and his wife. When Kay ended it for good, the harassment escalated when road signs painted with vulgar comments about Kay's sexual exploits started showing up around town.

    Then, the unthinkable happened. The Hoyts suddenly disappeared and days later, human body parts stated floating on the surface of a nearby lake. Kay and the local cops had a good idea who did it, but they had no way to prove it. It was going to take something unique to break the case.


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    Ep 17: American Gothic: Love & Murder Part 2

    Ep 17: American Gothic: Love & Murder Part 2

    The second installment in this true-crime series of podcasts surrounding the brutal murders of Edwin and Wilma Hoyt in McCook, Nebraska in the fall of 1973.

    Originating from the Anvil Bar & Grill in Curtis, Nebraska, as well as the Hi-Way Diner in Lincoln, host John Murphy shares for the first time, exclusive audio from taped interviews with the key people involved in the case: confessed killer, Harold Nokes, his lover and daughter of the murdered couple, Kay Hein, and lead investigator, former Frontier County Sheriff, Lannie Roblee.
     
    Murphy also speaks with clinical and forensic psychologist, Dr. Mario Scalora, PhD., about the interpersonal dynamics and possible state of mind that put Kay, Harold, and his wife, Ena, on a journey of sexual exploration that descended into obsession and murder. Murphy questions Scalora on the possibility of all three being undiagnosed sex addicts--which wasn't even on the map of psychological study at the time.

    You will hear from Harold and Kay directly on how they met, became lovers, and turned their affair into a three-way relationship with Harold's wife, Ena--an arrangement that couldn't withstand the emotional pressures of sharing physical love and living a double life.

    This episode also features thoughts and comments from James Hewitt, a retired attorney and author of the book about the case, "In Cold Storage."

    Show Notes:

    IN COLD STORAGE
    In Cold Storage: Nebraska Press (unl.edu)
    Also available on Amazon.

    The Anvil Bar & Grill
    223 Center Ave.
    Curtis, Ne.  69025
    308-367-5119
    https://anvilbarandgrill.com

    The Hi-Way Diner
    2105 Nebraska Parkway
    Lincoln, Ne. 68502
    (402) 423-6066
    www.hiwaydinerlincoln.com

    Support the show

    Ep 16: American Gothic: Love & Murder Part 1

    Ep 16: American Gothic: Love & Murder Part 1

    The title harkens back to the 1930 classic painting, "American Gothic" by Grant Wood which is displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago. Intended to convey a positive image of rural American values, this episode (and future episodes) leans into the other meaning of "gothic", in this instance, relating to something mysterious, grotesque or horrific.

    Podcast host, John Murphy, travels back to his hometown of McCook, Nebraska to explore the infamous Hoyt murders from fifty years ago that erupted after a three-way love affair soured, resulting in the killing and heinous butchering of Edwin and Wilma Hoyt, the parents of a daughter entangled in the relationship.

    For the first time, recorded interviews of those involved are revealed, as well as detailed and explicit documents from the once sealed case files. 

    Murphy also interviews lead investigator Lannie Roblee, forensic psychologist, Dr. Mario Scalora PhD, and the author of a detailed book about the crime entitled, "In Cold Storage."

    The grisly events played out across three counties in southwest Nebraska during the fall of 1973.

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    Ep 15: Are We Losing Our F#!king Minds?! Featuring Clinical Psychologist Dr. Mario Scalora, PhD.

    Ep 15: Are We Losing Our F#!king Minds?! Featuring Clinical Psychologist Dr. Mario Scalora, PhD.

    This is kind of a surprise bonus episode. I've been working for months on a true-crime series of podcasts from my hometown of McCook, Nebraska, where a heinous double murder was committed out of a love-triangle gone bad--and the people killed had no direct involvement with this salacious three-way affair. It's a bonkers story. 

    I not only interviewed the lead investigator of the case, but I also talked with the author of a book about it (IN COLD STORAGE, University of Nebraska Press), and will include audio from official police interviews and the murderer's confession.

    I wanted to include a forensic psychologist on the podcast to bring some clinical insight into the mindset of the people involved and how normal, everyday people go off the rails and do things they would never rationally do under normal circumstances--and I found one, Dr. Mario Scalora, PhD, from the University of Nebraska. Listen for him on upcoming episodes about this jaw-dropping case.

    But I also started talking to Mario about our nation's collective mental health right now and what the hell's been going on with the insane number of mass shootings, the uptick in violent and overall crime, divisiveness and just how people seem really pissed off and angry about everything.

    This episode is a result of that extended conversation which I thought was pretty interesting and I hope you do to.

    Recorded at the Hi-Way Diner in Lincoln, Nebraska. Go Big Red! 

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    Homing in on the Prairie with Willa Cather's My Ántonia

    Homing in on the Prairie with Willa Cather's My Ántonia

    Willa Cather's most famous novel was published only two months before the Armistice ended the bloodshed of the Great War, and in its powerfully imagistic portrait of Midwestern homesteading, it offered readers an emotional connection to the nation's founding myth of pioneer fortitude. Yet My Ántonia wasn't just a story about pilgrims' progress across the prairies: it was a story of immigrants struggling to realize the American Dream that appeared in an era of extreme xenophobia that will feel painfully resonant to contemporary readers. In telling the story of the resilient Ántonia Shimerda and other "hired girls" from Bohemia (the modern-day Czech Republic) and other Eastern European states, Cather paid tribute to real-life migrants she had grown up with in Red Cloud, Nebraska, a small but artistically vibrant train depot that today does a thriving business in Cather tourism. In addition to Cather's powerful style and her warm memories of farming struggles, we focus on the friendship between Ántonia and the orphaned narrator, Jim Burden. At the end of the day, My Ántonia is possibly the greatest story about a platonic friendship between a woman and a man in American literature.    

    Episode 65 - Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska

    Episode 65 - Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska

    Jennie and Dianne delve into the beauty and stories of Lincoln, Nebraska's Wyuka Cemetery; a cemetery with the distinction of being the only state appointed cemetery in the United States. Follow along with them as they explore the flora and fauna, the statuary, and the many unique monuments of this 140 acre park cemetery. They also share the ordinary extraordinary stories of a tragic train accident, a beloved singer, a freed slave who fought in the civil war and others.

    Resources used to research this episode include:
    Zimmer, Ed. Wyuka Cemetery: A Driving & Walking Tour. Lincoln, Nebraska Humanities Council, 2009, pp. 1-88.

    Cemetery, Wyuka. Wyuka Funeral Home, Cemetery & Park Fact Sheet. Lincoln.

    Cemetery, Wyuka. Interesting Facts About Wyuka. Lincoln.

    Chatfield, Penelope. "Wyuka: A "Rural" Cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska." Editorial. Nebraska History, 23 Apr. 2014, pp. 183-192.

    Fullerton, Patrick. "Gordon MacRae Biography." https://m.imdb.com/. m.imdb.com/name/nm0534286/. Accessed 3 Jan. 2022.

    "Burlington Wreck." https://www.newspapers.com/. 1 June 1911. www.newspapers.com/search/#query=Burlington+Wreck&s_place=Indianola%2C+NE&dr_year=1911-1911. Accessed 3 Jan. 2022.

    McCuin, LaShanda. "Richwood Memorial Garden Manager removes headstones, local families grieve ." https://www.knoe.com/. 2 Jan. 2022. www.knoe.com/2022/01/03/richwood-memorial-garden-manager-removes-headstones-local-families-grieve/. Accessed 3 Jan. 2022.

    Defending Ignorance!

    Defending Ignorance!

    Defending Ignorance is the world we now live in! We continue to create soft people, allowing disrespect and blatant disregard for authority figures in America. I dive deep into the Trent Dilfer debacle, along with Cam Newton being cut, and this fake high school Bishop Sycamore who fenagled its way on ESPN, and discuss ESPN's blindfolded display of who they are hiring and who they display on TV! Plus Kanye West, my food chain disappointments of the year, along with JUJU Smith performing the crate challenge right before the season starts! I also discuss Scott Frost's continued excuses at Nebraska and the people who hired him should be fired! Along with how personal trainers and 7on7 coaches have ruined the youth and football as a whole at the high school and college level!

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