I am old enough to remember when the scariest form of power, the kind of energy that drew the most anger, was nuclear.
Three Mile Island. Chernobyl. Nebraska’s own yearslong controversy over storing nuclear waste, and Boyd County’s ultimate success in blocking that infamous nuke waste dump.
But Flatwater reporter Anila Yoganathan has a fascinating story out today, one showing that next-generation nuclear power may be coming to Nebraska.
And this time, it appears to have at least initial support from counties and residents, including those who have fought wind and solar energy.
Our story today explains this new kind of nuclear, shows its promise — and also details looming problems.
Streetcar-Car-Streetcar? Jeremy Turley recently wrote about how Omaha’s under-construction streetcar project is impacting restaurants and businesses along the planned route.
This week, he took a step back to look at the bigger picture. How and why did we move away from mass transit, like our longtime streetcar, in the first place? And why has that thinking changed to the point that we’re returning to it now?
It’s a story about Omaha’s downtown, America’s love affair with the automobile and how, in 2026, some residents and civic leaders alike want to return to a past with more foot traffic and fewer parking garages — a more vibrant downtown.
Thank you, Lincoln: Thursday was Give to Lincoln Day, and the city’s residents stepped up in a big way to fund this little nonprofit newsroom that can. Based on initial calculations, some 356 Lincolnites donated $56,162 to our cause.
You know where that money goes? It goes toward more of the journalism that you see here each and every week.
We have really beefed up our presence in Lincoln in the past year, with a Lincoln-focused reporter, a Lincoln office for other reporters and editors and good coverage of state government, the university system, education, childcare and the changing face of the city. We have some big stuff planned for later this year, too.
So thank you, Lincoln, for supporting the mission of nonprofit news.
I also really enjoyed that for most of the day, we were sandwiched between two worthy nonprofits, just behind the Nebraska No-Kill Canine Rescue and just ahead of the Cat House.
This proves scientifically that dogs are more important than nonprofit news. BUT NOT CATS.
Speaking of Lincoln stories: Earlier this week, we had a fun one from correspondent Tynan Stewart on a subculture I’d never heard of. These Lincolnites get together to play Ultimate Frisbee, which is very different from Frisbee Golf, by the way. But it’s not really a story about a sport. It’s a story about how important it is to find your people. It’s a story about connecting in an increasingly isolated world.
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].
See you next week,
Matthew Hansen, Executive 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:
- I’d be a deceitful man if I didn’t start this week with the Nebraska story I clicked on more quickly than anything else that came across my radar. It’s the story of a dog shooting a person.
- Really important story from the New York Times this week, one with interesting Nebraska implications. The Times uncovered how autism clinics are now a multibillion-dollar industry that is squeezing money out of Medicaid in sometimes highly questionable ways. But a graphic in the story also showed that Nebraska has flattened the curve on this spending. In a social post, Gov. Jim Pillen shared the story and said his administration had worked to fix the broken system.
- Nebraska is still lagging behind other states in using federal money to get high-speed internet to some residents, reports Erin Bamer of the Nebraska Examiner. But Pillen told the Examiner that he’s talking to the feds about using the leftover $350 million for things like high-tech precision agriculture.
- Nebraska’s public health lab spun up a new hantavirus test in mere days, reports the World-Herald’s Julie Anderson. (You may need OWH subscriber access to read this story.)
- The World-Herald’s Grace Lewis recently went to former Sen. Ben Sasse’s home church in Fremont and told the story of how that congregation — some of whom have known Sasse and his extended family for generations — is grappling with his terminal cancer diagnosis and the way he’s talking about it publicly.
- A few programs in Nebraska are doing something cool: They’re retraining formerly incarcerated Nebraskans to work in the restaurant industry. The work is being cheered on by Nebraska’s top prisons official. Interesting one from Nebraska Public Media’s Molly Ashford.
