Hi everyone, Natalia Alamdari here! I’m taking over this week’s newsletter to tell you all about my new role here at FFP: Seacrest Greater Nebraska reporter.
When I was in college, a longtime journalism professor left my writing class with one piece of advice that’s stuck with me ever since: “Go to the place.”
So that’s exactly what I plan to do.
Me and my red Subaru are ready to crisscross this big ol’ state of ours, bringing you the wild, the unexpected and the important from all the parts of Nebraska that aren’t Omaha or Lincoln.
I want to bring you a close-up look at the culture of rural places, challenging your assumptions one story at a time. I want to feature places you maybe haven’t heard of and voices you wouldn’t normally expect. And I want to investigate and hold the powerful people in these small towns and villages accountable, when there are increasingly fewer and fewer reporters around to do so.
Think of it as an ongoing portrait of Greater Nebraska.
But in a state so big, I need your help. So let’s meet each other online! I’m starting Greater Nebraska Office Hours – a chance for you, dear reader, to sign up for a 15-minute slot to chat with me about whatever story idea you’re dying to get off your chest. The first Office Hours are from 2-4 p.m. Jan. 31. Sign up here. Can’t make it? Drop us a line at [email protected]. There will be more of these, so don’t fret if you can’t get a slot next week!
The first story in this Greater Nebraska journey dropped earlier this week: On the edge of Kearney, wedged between a solar field and a corn field, there’s an 11-acre cryptocurrency mining facility. This 100-megawatt collection of shipping containers and computers needs just as much electricity to run as the entire rest of the city of Kearney.
To city officials and the Nebraska Public Power District, it’s a cash cow and a way to keep energy rates low. But to others, it’s an environmental nightmare.
From the Sandhills to Iraq and back: Small family farming and ranching is becoming increasingly rare. But some programs are trying to bend that trend, helping veterans who want to work the land learn the skills they need. Freelancer Leo Adam Biga tells the story of one such rancher, and how the agricultural life brought him peace, stability and community after combat.
Sweet digs: The FFP team’s moved into a new home! We’ve got new desks, we’ve got plenty of natural light, we’ve got a sweet Nebraska-themed gallery wall! But we also have loads to unpack, more desks to construct, and lots and lots of furniture arranging ahead of us. It’s gonna be great.
Work with me!: We’ve got not one, but TWO job openings right now! First up, an investigative reporter that’s the Omaha metro counterpart to my Greater Nebraska focus. We’re talking deeply reported stories that matter – and hold institutions accountable – in Nebraska’s nearly 1-million person metro.
We’re also hiring a Silicon Prairie News reporter to cover business, bringing you a mix of scoops and in-depth analyses on all things entrepreneurial. Help us plan our business coverage by taking this short questionnaire.
Here are both job listings – send ‘em to a journalist in your life!
Cheers to our sponsor: Dry January may be coming to a close, but zero-proof spirits from our sponsor Sandhills Elixir can have a place on your bar cart all year long. This weekend, sip on a booze-free cocktail, made by Nebraskans who support local journalists, while catching up on some Nebraska storytelling! Because sometimes you just want a fun little drink.
You should totes buy a tote: If you’ve gathered anything about me through these newsletters, it’s that I love a good tote bag, so much so that I’ve been dubbed FFP’s Vice President of Totes. Celebrate my new job with me by treating yourself to a lovely FFP tote!
Or a T-shirt, or a mug, all made by Raygun, a company that supports local journalism and supports non-profits, two awesome things.
See y’all on the road,
—Natalia Alamdari, Seacrest Greater Nebraska Reporter
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:
- We’re going to court next week, fighting a $44,000 charge from the Nebraska Department of Energy and Environment for records digging deeper into Yanqi Xu’s coverage of nitrate in Nebraska. Bayley Bischof over at 10/11 NOW has the update.
- A year ago, dozens of Omahans found themselves unexpectedly displaced, after the city vacated a downtown apartment building that had fallen into dangerous disrepair. This week, Omaha World-Herald photojournalist Anna Reed brings you a short documentary asking the question: What went wrong at Flora Apartments?
- Omaha’s streetcar project got the New York Times treatment this weekend. For those of you following along Omaha’s streetcar saga, this story might feel incomplete, pitting the mayor and city officials against none other than Warren Buffett. I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that the Times links to several stories from local reporter extraordinaire Jessica Wade.
- Before FFP, I covered education, so this one’s of extra interest to me – Gov. Jim Pillen has said changing how Nebraska funds its schools is one of his main priorities this session. World-Herald reporter Henry Cordes walks you through the current proposal, which includes a cap on annual school district property tax increases, and a massive influx of cash for students with disabilities.
