If Matthew Hansen were writing the newsletter this week, he’d take this opportunity to sing praises of the Nebraska elixir that is Dorothy Lynch. He’d tell you how he’s poured the neon-orange dressing onto cheeseburgers, pizza, nachos, fries, turkey sandwiches and many, many salads. Our executive editor loves Dorothy Lynch so much, he has brought a bottle to office potlucks.
But I am not native-Nebraskan Matthew Hansen — I’m a Texan who has tried Dorothy Lynch once. And truthfully, reader, I can’t remember what it tastes like or what I thought of it. But before you grab your pitchforks, today’s story by Flatwater contributor J.J. Harder makes me want to go out and buy a bottle.
This story is funny, nostalgic and jam-packed with fun facts and history about the iconic Nebraska dressing. Grab yourself a salad, a bottle of Dorothy and get to reading.
Hole-y ground: In the days after a sinkhole swallowed up two vehicles on Pacific Street, I had friends and family from all over the country asking me about it. But as Jeremy Turley reports, Omaha’s viral sinkhole is just one of thousands of “cave-ins” the city sees every year. Read Turley’s journey to the center of the sinkhole here.
Back in the capital city: The harassment Mari Sandoz received after publishing her 1939 book “Capital City” practically ran the Nebraska-born author out of town. Her Lincoln neighbors didn’t appreciate the way Sandoz described residents of a “fictional” college town in her book. Now, her novel will have a second shot in Lincoln, this time in the form of a play. Read more from Flatwater freelancer Tynan Stewart.
Hospital woes: $50 billion in federal rural health grants were meant to help rural hospitals. But that funding was meant for health care innovations —investments in things like new tech devices and healthy food programs at schools. The money doesn’t cover essentials for hospitals that can barely keep the doors open. It’s a national issue that hits Nebraska hospitals. Read more here.
The Atlantic comes to Omaha: To you folks who RSVP’d to our event with The Atlantic next week, we’ve got a venue and time for you: Doors open at 5:30 p.m. April 15 at the Leo Ballroom at 2027 Dodge St. Join us for conversations about journalism and public life in the heartland from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The full lineup of speakers (including yours truly) is live online now.
Tri-Cities Fiesta: As you read this, a big chunk of the Flatwater staff is hanging out at the World Theatre in Kearney for our first-ever Flatwater Forum Tri-Cities Edition. We here at FFP love “journalism on stage,” and we’re so excited to bring the conversation to central Nebraska. Thanks to everyone who joined us today.
In our video era: You may have noticed more videos appearing in our stories and on our social media. That’s thanks to our new engagement journalist Naomi Delkamiller and visual coordinator Lily Smith. They already have brought you amazing videos like this one of reporter Anila Yoganathan discussing data centers in Nebraska, or this one of food critic Sarah Baker Hansen going on a gyro tour of Lincoln. We’re so excited to see what they make next.
Sincerely,
Natalia Alamdari, Investigative Editor
Thanks to this week’s sponsor
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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:
- Imagine leasing a 450,500-plus-square-foot office space for just $120 a year. That’s the deal the University of Nebraska got on the former Cabela’s corporate campus in Sidney. Cindy Gonzalez at the Nebraska Examiner brings you the details on what the university has planned in the Panhandle.
- Several parts of Nebraska have seen groundwater levels decline from spring 2024 to 2025. That’s about 25% of all measured wells in the state. Nebraska Public Media’s Jackie Ourada with the story.
- Remember the Omaha attorney who was chastised by the Nebraska Supreme Court for using AI to write a legal brief? Last week, the Counsel for Discipline recommended he be temporarily suspended. The Lincoln Journal Star’s Lori Pilger had the story. NPR also references the situation in this story about how more and more lawyers nationally are leaning on AI. You’ll need a Journal Star subscription to read the LJS story.
- Proof that everyone needs a copy editor: A printing error means hundreds of licenses issued by the Nebraska DMV aren’t Real ID compliant. The DMV is replacing the incorrect cards for free. WOWT’s Ron Johnson with the story.
- The Kearney SportsPlex is set to have drawn in 150,000 attendees in its first year of operating, Mike Konz of the Kearney Hub writes. The indoor event space averages about 3,000 to 3,500 participants at weekend tournaments and sports camps, and it has helped keep sports tourism consistent year-round in Kearney, coordinators said. (You’ll need a subscription to the Kearney Hub to read this story.)
- A federal judge delayed a major power line project in the Sandhills for nearly six years. Now, the Nebraska Public Power District is back to restarting construction. Beatriz Reyna with KNOP News brings you the update. Flatwater reporter Destiny Herbers wrote about the stalled project in 2024, speaking with ranchers and Rosebud Sioux Tribe members opposed to the project.
- When former Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer last December, he called it a “death sentence.” Months later, Sasse talks with the New York Times about what that diagnosis was like, treatment and pain management, watching a fractured country and how he’s living his life and focusing on his family in what are likely his final months. Read the transcript or listen to the interview here.
- This story is behind a paywall, but it was too crazy not to share. A journalist in Colorado was fired for making up quotes. She changed her name, padded her resume with fake jobs and got back to journalism — ending up at the Sidney Sun-Telegraph, working there for a few months. Now she’s facing prison time. Jaw-dropping quotes from Sun-Telegraph Publisher Barbara Perez in here.
