Let’s roll into Memorial Day weekend with a good, ol’ fashioned American comeback story, which also happens to be a fish story.
A few years ago Dave Utterback was recently fired and nearly broke. He was armed only with an idea, and a crazy one to boot.
He was gonna open a high-end, wildly creative sushi restaurant. He was gonna do it even though all his credit cards were maxed and even though he couldn’t afford a sign and even though he wasn’t sure he had the chops to make his vision real.
And he wanted to do it with amazing fish in … Nebraska. Oh-so-very landlocked Nebraska.
Nuts, right? Never, ever gonna work.
Ahem.
Today, as you will learn in our newest story in Flatwater Free Press, Dave Utterback has ascended higher than any chef in Nebraska history. His restaurant, Yoshitomo, is at the epicenter of his growing Omaha food empire. He’s a finalist for the food equivalent of an Oscar. And the story of how he got there is just as delicious as his food.
Story by a longtime food writer and restaurant critic you may have heard of, last name of Baker-Hansen.
Wind woes: Wind and solar energy is expanding in Nebraska, but it’s also running into a variety of problems. One hidden way it’s struggling — there aren’t enough skilled workers to do the job. FFP fellow Evelyn Mejia with the story of the state’s struggle to train the very people we need to build Nebraska’s clean energy future.
Memorial Day memory: I have written many, many stories in my life, and to be honest I’ve forgotten most of them. But, as any seasoned reporter can tell you, there’s always a few that stick with you forever.
Such as it is with a long-ago story I wrote about a history teacher in Pender and his son, Sgt. Joshua Ford. It published on Sept. 11 weekend, 2010, but on Memorial Day I always find myself remembering Josh and his dad Lonnie and that little country cemetery outside of town where they rested together.
Gender affirming care fallout: The Nebraska Legislature did something very big last week, and, love it or hate it, we shouldn’t ignore it. Normally I would put these in the “News from Around Nebraska” section down below, but there has been so much good journalism out of the vote to ban gender-affirming care for minors that it deserves its own spot. If you haven’t, I highly suggest you read:
An incredible story from New York Magazine on the weeks leading up to the gender affirming care ban vote. It takes you behind the scenes, and places you in the scene, in a way that great stories can. And it does something else: It confirms that at least one state senator who voted for the ban didn’t know much about it — including that similar “bill mill” bills are getting introduced across the United States.
Speaking of said bill mill … here’s a valuable Associated Press story that shows that the gender affirming care bans now becoming law in states like Nebraska originate from a small group of far-right interest groups.
And finally, a good local story from the Journal Star’s Chris Dunker, who talks to the family of a trans teen now considering leaving Nebraska.
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].
Have a fantastic Memorial Day weekend,
—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:
- A teacher at Norris High School was arrested on suspicion of sexual abuse of a student. The Journal Star’s Andrew Wegley uses court records to show us that, a month before the arrest, another student warned school administrators of the sexual abuse … and was told to shush up.
- Nebraska releases more prisoners onto the streets with no probation or parole supervision than almost any other state in the country. World-Herald Legend Henry Cordes with the story of why we keep letting prisoners “jam out.”
- The exodus of Omaha-area teachers continues. While fewer educators are leaving compared to 2022, this year’s numbers are still above pre-pandemic levels. World-Herald education reporter Lauren Wagner reports on this troubling trend.
- Finally, from the Washington Post, a lovely, heartbreaking story of football, brotherhood and brain trauma playing out in small-town Nebraska.
