When we started Flatwater Free Press, I had a list of Nebraska writers in my head, a dream list of writers I had admired up close or from afar, people I would absolutely love to hire to do many stories, or just one, for our little nonprofit newsroom.
At the very top of my list: Dirk Chatelain.
Today we published Dirk’s first story for FFP.
The man has been named Nebraska sportswriter of the year five different times — a fact I had to pry out of him when writing his bio yesterday — but he’s not really a sportswriter, not in my view at least.
Today’s story, for example, is about a boy, a ball and a hoop under a sycamore tree. It’s a story about history, segregation and the ghosts of Omaha’s Civil Rights era heroes. And it’s a story about the boy growing into a man — Creighton star Josh Jones — and deciding to save the legendary courts where he learned the game, preserve what he views as sacred for a new generation.
That’s not about points, rebounds or assists. That’s a story about trial and tribulation, love and loss, told through the vehicle of a game.
That’s what Dirk does. And that’s why I’m ecstatic to be publishing his first FFP story today, and hopefully more to come in the future.
State leader exits: Yesterday, Gov. Jim Pillen announced that Don Arp had resigned as head of the Nebraska Crime Commission. Interesting, because a few weeks ago, FFP revealed that a program Arp was in charge of — a program meant to aid Nebraska victims of violent crime — isn’t helping many victims at all.
FFP’s state watchdog reporter Sara Gentzler had receipts. She showed, for example, that Iowa, had aided 5,700 victims of violent crime in the past two years, paying for things like hospital bills and counseling sessions for those assaulted or raped, and funeral costs if a loved one was killed.
In that same time span, Nebraska — which has the same access to federal funding to help victims — had aided a grand total of 118 people.
When shown these facts, and many more, Arp told Gentzler in an email that it wasn’t a cause for concern. Memorably, he wrote this: “I know our program is serving crime victims well.”
Arp is now pursuing “other interests outside of state government,” according to a press release sent by the Governor’s Office yesterday. In the release, Pillen thanked Arp and wished him well.
A Flatwater Free Conversation: This week, host Mike’l Severe and food writer Sarah Baker Hansen sat down with Dave Utterback, the first-ever Nebraskan to become a finalist for a James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Midwest — the food equivalent of winning an Oscar.
It’s a conversation about sushi. But, more than that, it’s a conversation about taking risks to do what you love. Watch it, listen to it or read the transcript here.
A powerful first-person account: I’m proud to work with Flatwater Free Press’ full-time reporters every day. But I was especially proud Thursday, and to be honest, a little bit emotional, as I read Yanqi Xu’s first-person account of a horrific thing that happened to her last year. Yanqi took this searing experience and made it public in an essay she wrote for The Appeal. She did so, she says, because after she got lost in the victim support services system, she realized that her experience was far from uncommon.
She realized she could take this terrible thing and maybe use it to help someone else.
Which, in my mind, makes her the hero of this story.
Remembering John Beasley: I thought I knew this Omahan’s acting career, and then I read Leo Adam Biga’s fine obituary we published this week and realized I didn’t know diddly squat.
Beasley didn’t break out as an actor until middle age. He ran a local theater company that helped launch the careers of so many. And while he didn’t quite make it to Broadway, he did it his way ‘til the end. What a life.
Coming next week: An in-depth story that Greater Nebraska reporter Natalia Alamdari has been working on for several weeks. And much more!
Questions wanted: Some of our best story ideas come from readers, and they typically start with a burning question that just cries out for an answer. Have a question that our reporters need to look into? Complete this form or reach our newsroom at [email protected].
Sincerely,
—Matthew Hansen, Executive Editor
Here’s what we’re into this week: News from around Nebraska
Every week we like to share great Nebraska journalism, no matter who made it. Here’s what caught our eye this week:
- Speaking of those James Beard awards … an Omaha chef and restaurant owner covered himself in glory this week in the Washington Post. Nine employees corroborated a grab bag of allegations against this guy, including sexual harassment, physical and verbal abuse, racism, being drunk at work, doing drugs at work and … selling drugs at work! Fantastic. I won’t be eating at Dolce anytime soon.
- Hackers are targeting Nebraska agriculture. Nebraska’s governor knows this firsthand, reports Martha Stoddard for the Omaha World-Herald.
- As a native of Red Cloud I’m contractually obligated to share this story about Red Cloud’s most famed resident, Willa Cather, getting a statue unveiled in a pretty incredible spot this week. The Journal Star’s L. Kent Wolgamott with that story.
- The Nebraska Examiner’s Aaron Sanderford reports on some serious behind-the-scenes fights going on inside the Nebraska Republican Party.
- Omaha-area residents being super cool about the Pride Flag, Vol. 1. Then more Omahans being super cool about the Pride Flag, Vol. 2.
- This week was the 79th anniversary of D-Day. Nebraska Public Media has a fantastic little video on the Nebraskan who helped to win the war.
