Hey Omaha,
As I dodged potholes on the climb up Evans Street, I remember wondering if I had the right address.
The lawns and houses of North Omaha had disappeared, replaced by thick woods surrounding 17 acres of grass and flowers. Something’s missing, I thought on my first trip here years ago.
For decades the the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation has dreamed of building up the site of the Omaha-born Civil Rights icon’s childhood home. But it had little funding. It took more a decade to get an official historic marker. Even longer to get a street named after him as well as a vistors center.
A $20 million grant from the state could make dreams into reality in the next few years. For current foundation members, it’s just another step in a long journey charted by generations of Black Omahans before them.
Read the story here (or click the link above)
— Chris Bowling, Flatwater Free Press
Clio is the hottest restaurant in Omaha. Can it handle the heat?
A restaurant can be new. It can be hot. It can be, like Clio, the new Mediterranean spot in the Old Market from Flagship Restaurant Group, a very long time before you can get a reservation on Saturday night.
But can it be a good restaurant, too? For Clio, the true answer to that question is still on the horizon. Some of the dishes, especially the small plates, and many of the cocktails, are quite good. But others aren’t as good. Service is scattered, and sometimes slow.
Popularity makes it a fun place to eat (the dips are as good as you have heard). But popularity also, at times, lessens the experience. Read my latest review, of Clio, and I’ll see you in two weeks.
Sarah Baker Hansen is an award-winning writer who has covered Omaha’s food scene for more than a decade. She posts restaurant reviews and food news on her blog, sarahbakerhansen.com.
The regional planning advisory committee meeting covered a $1 million amendment to the school nutrition fund, updates on the Phase II Facilities Master Plan and approval of architectural services for Underwood Hills. Discussions focused on state funding changes, rising costs and the complexities of school finance reform. The board also approved a new policy allowing students to repeat a grade at parents’ request and upcoming policy updates on conflict of interest disclosures.
Visit our site to read more of our notes and learn how you can become a Documenter.
— Leah Wambui Keinama, Nebraska Journalism Trust
Since moving to Omaha, there has been one seriously unexpected development in my life: I fell in love … with badminton.
Like many American school kids, I played the sport in gym, but I hadn’t pondered the the shuttlecock-and-racket game’s existence outside that narrow, peripheral context. Then about a year ago, Flatwater’s Yanqi Xu opened my eyes to a new world at the UNMC gym, a wondrous place where badminton reigns supreme.
Badminton is massively popular on a global scale, but similar to the metric system, America didn’t really get the memo. Most of the regulars at the UNMC gym grew up with the game in China or India, but they’ve graciously taken time to tutor me, a slow-footed novice, on the world’s fastest racket sport. Yanqi and I play several times a week, and if you stop by, we’ll teach you the ropes, too.
— Jeremy Turley, Flatwater Free Press
Each year, Omaha Public Library encourages the community to vote for and read one book as a way to promote literacy and inspire discussion. Join OPL in reading the 2024 selection, “The War Begins in Paris” by local author Theodore Wheeler, and engage further by participating in a program and discussing the book with friends, family and neighbors.
https://omahalibrary.org/omaha-reads
I know everyone’s famished for more updates since the Flatwater crew failed the Stellanator challenge a few weeks ago. OK, probably not. But I did want to let you know we’ve assembled my newsletter entries into a story on our website. In the same way I saved my Stellanator leftovers for the next day’s breakfast, you too can come back for seconds whenever you want.
— Chris Bowling, Flatwater Free Press
Five juveniles were charged in connection with the murder of Mursal Jama, KETV reported. The 64-year-old man had just ended his shift as an Uber driver when the minors allegedly shot him and stole his car earlier this month. Jama, who came to the U.S. as a refugee from Somalia, left behind a wife and 10 children according to a story from Kevin Cole in the World-Herald.
(Readers may need a subscription to view the second link)
The alleged involvement of an 11-year-old in Jama’s Omaha murder has reignited a public debate about juvenile justice, WOWT’s Bella Caracta reported. The young child allegedly involved in homicide had appeared in court weeks prior for unrelated charges, but a judge sent the child home because state law prohibits the detention of kids under 13.
Downtown Omaha’s only protected bike lane will be closed next month to make way for streetcar construction, WOWT reported. Mayor Jean Stothert proposed constructing a new bikeway on Harney and Farnam streets, but her office estimated it wouldn’t open until 2028.
Work on the project to revamp Crossroads Mall has languished, but city officials hope adding a new development partner will speed things up, WOWT’s John Chapman reported. A new-look plan for the central Omaha retail hub would add restaurant space and housing to the project.
Students at OPS’ J.P. Lord School left school early last week after mold was found on equipment and chairs, the World-Herald reported. The school, which serves students with multiple disabilities, remained closed until earlier this week. The district said no students were exposed to the mold.
You might recall a strange news blurb last fall about a kitten in Omaha testing positive for a strain of rabies not generally found west of the Appalachians. The discovery set off a massive, and ultimately successful, operation by health and wildlife officials to prevent the strain from taking hold in the Midwest, the World-Herald’s Julie Anderson reported.
(readers may need a subscription to view this story)
The Flatwater Free Press is published by the Nebraska Journalism Trust, a 501(c)(3) public charity