It’s scorching hot this weekend — why not curl up inside with the A/C blasting and catch up on this week’s Flatwater reads?
First, we’ve got a blast from the past out of Beatrice: The Beatrice High Class of 1961 graduated into a decade of culture wars and turmoil. Their young adulthoods were shaped by the fight for civil rights and the rise of feminism; the dread of the Cold War. They watched the assassinations of JFK, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy. The Vietnam War raged, Watergate shook the nation.
All before the class’s 15-year reunion.
That year — 1976 — alumnus John Spence had an idea. He would make a film about his classmates. How had they all turned out during those 15 years of chaos, and how were they all getting by?
The result was “Reunion ’61-’76,” a feature-length documentary documenting the 15-year class reunion that coincided with the U.S. bicentennial 50 years ago.
This year, a sharper, digitized version of the film will debut as part of the Made in Nebraska film series in Lincoln. Flatwater correspondent Leo Adam Biga talks to members of the class in today’s story.
Food pantry pains: Earlier this year, the Trump administration recommended that states keep undocumented immigrants from accessing emergency food assistance provided by the federal government. Nebraska hasn’t decided whether it will enforce citizenship requirements, but officials and volunteers at Nebraska food banks and pantries are already worried about how possible restrictions could harm communities and make people in need scared to seek help. Read more in this week’s story from Kaitlyn Kelly.
Small-town hospitality: The man behind a central Nebraska hotel empire is currently under investigation by the feds. Federal court filings allege that Kearney’s Paul Younes and two family members are stonewalling an investigation into whether the family’s businesses improperly obtained over $4 million in relief funds during the COVID-19 pandemic. The family’s attorney says they’ve cooperated with investigators for years, and are fed up with the “frivolous” investigation. Flatwater’s Sara Gentzler and Emily Wolf bring you the story, complete with local leaders’ take on Younes’ influence on Kearney.
Another story out of Kearney: The man overseeing Nebraska’s state-run youth facilities is out of a job. It’s the latest development in the sex abuse scandal involving teens at the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center in Kearney. Read Sara Gentzler’s update here.
Mr. Gentry Goes to Nebraska: Meet Flatwater’s newest reporter, Pierce Gentry! Pierce is our first reporter based in central Nebraska, where he’ll cover the Tri-Cities and surrounding rural communities. You can welcome him with a note or a tip at [email protected].
Join us at the farm: Here’s your weekly reminder that tickets for the 2026 Flatwater Free Press Festival are on sale! We’ll ring in Flatwater’s fifth birthday with a barn party, food, drinks and a Q&A with legendary journalist George Packer. More info on tickets and the venue here.
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? Reach our newsroom at [email protected].
Thanks for reading,
Natalia Alamdari, Investigative Editor
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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:
- You’re out of luck if you want to enjoy a beer at a University of Nebraska at Kearney football game this year: The required $5 million insurance policy for alcohol sales is too pricey for the college’s vendor, Nebraska Public Media’s Aaron Bonderson reports.
- Stop reading if you’re grossed out by poop: Yesterday, I heard a doctor refer to cyclospora’s gastrointestinal side effect as “explosive, voluminous diarrhea” and that made me want to puke. Well, the parasite has found its way to Nebraska — the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department confirmed five cases on Thursday, 10/11 News reports. I’m guessing most of us are avoiding lettuce right now?
- Democratic voters’ turnout in Nebraska’s primary exceeded Republican turnout for the first time in more than 30 years, an analysis by the Nebraska Examiner’s Juan Salinas II found. Leading Democrats see it as a sign of “enthusiasm,” but an expert warned the statistic shouldn’t be used to make predictions about the general election come November.
- The University of Nebraska’s four campuses face a combined $29 million in reductions after Gov. Jim Pillen’s memo last week calling on state agencies to cut funding by 5%. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln plans to defer investments in classroom, technology and infrastructure improvements in order to cut spending by $13.9 million, the Lincoln Journal Star’s Chris Dunker reports.
- Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley announced that recent audits uncovered alleged misuse of funds in five Nebraska communities totaling nearly $50,000. Small-town fraud is nothing new: A few years ago, former Flatwater intern Addie Costello found that over the course of a decade, city and village clerks in 17 Nebraska towns stole $1.7 million from local coffers.
- Nebraska became the first state to implement the Trump administration’s mandate of Medicaid work requirements. It’s leading to “extreme mass confusion” for Medicaid participants, NBC News reports. (You need a subscription to read this story.)
