The mark of a bad story: When you start off interested, get bored and quit.
The mark of a great story: When you start uninterested and grow more fascinated by the paragraph.
Our new story, Carson Vaughan’s tale about a Nebraska writer that Nebraska forgot, is one that falls firmly into the “great story” category for me. I didn’t know squat about said writer, Jim Thompson, and felt fine about it.
And then I started reading Carson’s story, which involves a creepy sheriff, Stephen King, Stanley Kubrick, little Burwell, Nebraska, Communism, Woody Guthrie, UNL, Hollywood, alcoholism and a small-town library with no books by the famed writer who grew up in said small town!
The story is a barn burner, and it stars Jeffrey Koterba’s illustration which you see above as well. Really, really happy Carson and Jeff teamed up on this one.
Earnest Jackson Still Locked Up: A week ago, we published a story, by myself and Natalia Alamdari, that looked at the eye-opening case of Earnest Jackson, a man imprisoned for nearly 23 years despite the fact that another man admitted to pulling the trigger…and then was found not guilty due to self-defense.
This week, the three members of the Nebraska Board of Pardons — Gov. Pete Ricketts, Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson and Secretary of State Bob Evnen — had a chance to free Jackson. That was the path being urged by loved ones of the victim, who say Jackson is innocent.
Without public discussion, the pardons board denied Jackson’s request for a commuted sentence. Barring other legal challenges or changes to state law, Jackson will stay in prison until at least 2029, when he’s eligible for parole. At that point, he will have been imprisoned for nearly three decades.
Total time it took the pardons board to reach its decision — less than two minutes, according to The World-Herald’s Martha Stoddard.
Here’s more from News Channel Nebraska, with a good TV interview of Earnest Jackson’s lawyer.
I’m going to be on First Sky Omaha Monday morning talking more about this case.
Big Award Time: A well-deserved shoutout to Shane Pekny, our development consultant with VGA and the man who keeps the FFP trains running. This week, Shane won a major national award from the Institute for Nonprofit News for the work he’s doing with FFP. In his nomination letter, our executive director and fearless leader Matt Wynn said Shane is “the secret sauce that makes Flatwater Free Press go.”
He sure is. Thank you and congrats to Shane!
Before we get to the rest o’ the news: A hearty welcome to the 291 of you (?!) who signed up for this newsletter in the past week. We’re now 6,200 strong. The veterans here know that some of our best story ideas come from readers. Those ideas 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].
See you on the flip side,
—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:
- Taxes! Due to a new state law, local governments now have to hold a public meeting and explain property tax increases to the public. Which is exactly what happened in Omaha Wednesday. The World-Herald’s Chris Burbach with the story.
- Bikes! The city of Omaha, home to nearly a million people in its metro area, will soon, again, have zero protected bike lanes. The city is tearing out its first-ever bike lane project after a closed-door meeting that infuriated the group that raised the money for the pilot project in the first place. KMTV Channel 3 News Now’s Alex Whitney dives into the controversial move.
- Beer! The University of Nebraska’s Board of Regents is considering a plan to sell alcohol during basketball games this year, the Journal Star’s Chris Dunker reports. As a Nebrasketball season ticket holder for two decades, I can assure you that a tall cold one might help make the frequent losing a bit easier to accept.
- Gambling! Nebraska’s first casino might open Saturday, reports the Nebraska Examiner’s Paul Hammel.
- And finally, and most importantly, a serious one from Chadron. Nebraska Public Media reporters Elizabeth Rembert and Bill Kelly with the story of a student’s suicide — and her family’s belief that Chadron State College isn’t doing what it would said it would do to honor her memory.
