Flatwater managing editor Ryan Hoffman here, coming to you with a confession of sorts. Between high school and college, I began to question the unquestionable. I was 18, working a summer job at a beer distributor and making what felt like an absurd amount of money ($12 an hour!). The company even offered to help employees earn a commercial driver’s license — a literal license to a middle-class life.
Why was I going to college in the fall?
Younger Nebraskans are increasingly wrestling with a similar dilemma as the labor market changes and college becomes increasingly expensive. And in the Panhandle, it appears a number of students are forgoing four-year degrees altogether.
Six counties have seen the number of bachelor’s degree-holding residents decline over the past decade, senior reporter Natalia Alamdari reports in a story we published today (reported in collaboration with Open Campus, a nonprofit newsroom covering higher ed).
Reasons for the trend vary, but cost and distance are both factors. In Kimball County, which has seen the greatest decline, school officials don’t steer students toward one path over another. They try to provide a whole-picture view so students can make informed decisions.
My folks were not receptive to my less-informed thinking. And now the confession: They were right. Today, I get to help some of the most talented journalists in Nebraska tell important stories — stories like Natalia’s.
The beer distributor got gobbled up by a private equity firm a few years ago. It shuttered the warehouse where I once worked. Cost savings.
Podcast punishment?: Julie Montpetit and Nicholas Ely’s marriage isn’t your typical love story. Julie lives in Canada. Nicholas is serving a life sentence in a Nebraska prison.
But the two connected and, in their own words, fell in love. Julie started a podcast to destigmatize relationships like theirs, and she he had Nicholas on her first episode.
Then, they allege, prison officials moved to block them from communicating. Now, Nicholas is suing several prison employees, reports FFP government watchdog reporter Sara Gentzler.
Across the great divide: I don’t think I’m breaking any news by saying it feels like many of us are living in different worlds. Divisive politics, cultural splintering and the ideological-siloing machines in our pockets can make common ground feel impossible.
Omaha filmmaker Nick Beaulieu tried to find that elusive common ground. His efforts to repair his relationship with his dying father drive “My Omaha,” Beaulieu’s new documentary. The film is generating a good amount of buzz for its honesty and its relevance, writes correspondent Leo Adam Biga.
WE WANT YOU: In communities across Nebraska, elected officials are making decisions that shape our daily lives: how to fund our schools, when to pave our streets and where to build new homes.
Nebraskans have a big say in these decisions — but only if we know the who, what, where, when and why of local government meetings.
That’s why we’re teaming up with the Scottsbluff Star-Herald newspaper to expand our Documenters program to the Panhandle. Through Documenters, community journalists — people just like you — get trained and paid by the hour to attend and take notes about public meetings.
All ages and backgrounds are welcome to join us, in Omaha and now in the Panhandle. If this sounds interesting, contact Leah Wambui Keinama, director of civic engagement, or learn more about the process here.
Speaking of Documenters, thanks to a national campaign, donations supporting our Nebraska Documenters program will be matched dollar for dollar through Sunday, Sept. 28. We aim to raise $5,000 to recruit and pay more of these community journalists. Please consider pitching in today.
Long story short: Last week, we published a truly impressive story about how Nebraska is undercounting overdose deaths. That has compounding costs that are felt across the state, from our big cities to our small towns. You can read the story here.
And if you’re strapped for time, you can get the high points here in this quick-hit version.
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].
Thanks for reading,
Ryan Hoffman, managing 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:
- The former head of the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission allegedly received money, private dances and sexual acts in exchange for helping two Lincoln strip clubs avoid scrutiny, reports 10/11 NOW. If that wasn’t enough, prosecutors alleged in court that one of the clubs’ owners has ties to the Hells Angels, notes Lori Pilger at the Lincoln Journal Star. (May need a subscription to read the Journal Star story.)
- The number of law enforcement agencies seeking agreements to perform federal immigration duties is surging across the Midwest, including in Nebraska, reports Naomi Delkamiller with the Midwest Newsroom.
- Nebraska will get hotter and wetter, according to an updated state climate report. As Paul Hammel at the Nebraska Examiner reports, the changing climate could complicate life for Nebraska farmers.
- The state’s largest school district has seen a decrease in suspensions and expulsions, but racial disparities persist, reports Luna Stephens with the Omaha World-Herald. (You may need a World-Herald subscription to read this story.)
- I don’t know much, but I do know better than to try to summarize the words of Carson Vaughan, so just do yourself a favor and enjoy this NYT piece about a summer trip through the Sandhills. If it doesn’t make you want to get in the car and go, you should probably go see your doctor — you might be dead.
Carson’s piece got me thinking about some of his past work for Flatwater, particularly this tale about an infamous Nebraska cattle baron and his $40 million mansion. - Nebraska corn farmers are set to harvest their best crop in years thanks to some late summer rain. But slumping commodity prices and ongoing trade disputes will likely prevent them from capitalizing on a strong season, reports Jackie Ourada at Nebraska Public Media.
- The company behind a carbon capture pipeline traversing the state is deploying a novel tactic to ease community concerns: money. Hammel at the Examiner writes that the initial $500,000 donation to a community fund was made as part of a compromise with Bold Nebraska, the organization that fought the Keystone XL pipeline.
