Fifty four years ago, Richard Nixon was a new president, Mick Jagger was a young rock star and Tom Osborne was the young offensive coordinator of the Nebraska football team. (He wouldn’t be head coach for three more seasons!)
But that year, 1970, is also the year that the the federal government seized a piece of land from the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. Louis LaRose was a young, 28-year-old tribal council member when it happened. In one way, the seizure wasn’t particularly surprising, since the U.S. government had forced the Winnebago to relocate five different times in the previous century while pursuing policies and breaking promises that took a staggering amount of land from the tribe.
But this time turned out to be different. Because for the past 54 years, the Winnebago have fought that 1970 land seizure in the courts. They have fought it in the halls of Congress. Last year, an 81-year-old Louis LaRose — reelected to the council! — traveled to D.C. yet again to fight to get it back.
FFP reporter Destiny Herbers with the story of a 54-year-fight, and what happened after a Nebraska tribe spent lifetimes trying to right a wrong.
Following the money: It’s one of the oldest axioms in journalism, and this week reporter Chris Bowling did just that to tell readers a story about a small state program funneling millions to crisis pregnancy centers in Nebraska.
These centers do a bunch of great things for young parents and families in need, supporters say. They also are often transparently anti-abortion organizations, say opponents, who argue they fail to provide full information and can endanger pregnant women.
Late-breaking news!: As I was writing this newsletter, I got an email informing me that the Flatwater Free Press is a finalist for not one but two prestigious national awards. Our series, “Who’s Buying Nebraska?” a multi-story project written by Herbers and senior investigative reporter Yanqi Xu, is an Institute for Nonprofit News award finalist for explanatory reporting.
I’m biased, but I think the series is a marvel of reporting. Xu and Herbers, using records originally obtained by a UNL journalism class (Go Huskers!), slashed through a series of (often purposefully) confusing sales and land ownership records to show that the Mormon Church, Bill Gates, Facebook and numerous out-of-state buyers are gobbling up Nebraska farmland.
Now’s the time to check out “Who’s Buying Nebraska” if you haven’t.
And I am also pleased as punch to say that the Flatwater Free Press itself is a finalist for Institute for Nonprofit News’ “Startup of the Year.” That award honors “a young organization, operating for less than three years, for establishing strong support of their journalism throughout the community and the revenue growth to sustain it.”
We don’t need awards to know our small but mighty newsroom is producing impactful journalism that is being read, discussed and supported by people like you. But the awards sure are nice, too.
Strumming a singular six-string: I straight-up adored the first two sentences of freelancer Michael Wunder’s story we published Wednesday.
“Phil Whitmarsh starts a lot of conversations with an offbeat question: Have you ever played a 500-year-old guitar?
Eventually, he’ll hand you Mary Kate.”
Day to remember: We are teaming up with The Atlantic, the nation’s No. 1 news magazine, to bring you a day and night of journalism on stage in Lincoln Oct. 23.
Buy your tickets now to the 2nd Annual FlatFest! They continue to sell briskly. It’s a party/pep rally for journalism held this year at Lincoln’s historic train station. I’m busy lining up a few journalism stars with Nebraska ties to have a convo with me during the event. We’ll announce ‘em soon. It’s gonna be great.
Earlier that day, FFP and The Atlantic are putting on a very cool event called State of Our Union, a series of panels and Q&As with leaders, newsmakers and experts that you can attend for free. Learn more 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? Complete this form or reach our newsroom at [email protected].
Catch you next Friday,
—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:
- Nebraska’s Omaha-area congressional district — Democrats like to call it the blue dot, but in reality it’s more of a purple-red dot — looks to be wildly competitive again this year. Nebraska Examiner’s Aaron Sanderford with a story today on the latest polling.
- The world’s largest time capsule is in Seward, it includes a 1975 Chevy and “innumerable bottles of booze” and it’s going to be cracked open next year. The World-Herald’s Emily Nitcher with the story.
(May need subscriber info to access.) - Here’s an interesting one out of Omaha. ConAgra is opening their test kitchens to the public for the first time in history this weekend. Here’s Mike Hogan’s KIOS “Live and Local” interview with the company’s senior culinary director Tom Frain.
It’s part of this weekend’s Open Omaha, during which 75 Omaha spaces — including Elevator, where FFP is headquartered — are open to the public. Learn more and see the full list. - “We need it desperately.” There are now seven community health centers in Nebraska, which concentrate on getting more affordable health care to patients of lower income. Nebraska Public Media’s Meghan O’Brien on a new federally qualified health center in Hastings.
- The Lincoln Airport is struggling to find another air carrier after Red Way’s failure. And I’m trying to not be offended that one expert referred to the Lincoln Airport — in the shadow of Omaha’s Eppley, but also less able to access some federal funding than Nebraska’s smaller airports — as a red-headed stepchild. Story by the Journal Star’s Pat Sangimino.
(May need subscriber access to read.) - Ten years ago, the Islamic State began a genocidal campaign to wipe out the Yazidis in Iraq. Many ended up in Lincoln, which is now believed to be home to the largest Yazidi community in the U.S. Nebraska Public Media’s Fatima Naqi and Kassidy Arena with the story.
