Howdy, Omaha — it’s Jeremy.
In Nebraska and much of the country, the name Planned Parenthood is synonymous with abortion and the fight to preserve access to it.
But Planned Parenthood is more than the contentious issue people associate with it — it’s a private organization, a medical provider, and for some, a workplace.
The nonprofit’s Omaha clinic recently suffered setbacks amid an exodus of employees alleging organizational dysfunction and dismissive leadership, as FFP watchdog reporter Sara Gentzler writes.
The internal turbulence has produced external consequences: the number of abortion procedures plummeted in the past month and a half at Nebraska’s lone provider of the procedure, employees say.
The staffing turnover has also impacted other parts of the operation. The clinic paused rapid testing for HIV and syphilis after discovering inconsistencies in staff training.
Minnesota-based executives rejected claims that management is disconnected from clinic staff and said surgical abortions will continue under replacement staff in May.
Read the story here (or click the photo above).
— Jeremy Turley, Flatwater Free Press
We’re celebrating a milestone here at the FFP Omaha newsletter: We hit 10,000 subscribers in March! Thanks to all of you for reading, sending story ideas and sharing our work with your friends.
You can help our Flatwater Free Press team hit another milestone. This spring we’re looking for 200 new recurring donors. These are the folks who pitch in $10 or more a month to sustain our nonprofit newsroom, so we can keep digging into the stories that matter to Omaha.
Donate today and we’ll send you a T-shirt, tote bag or Nebraska artist-designed poster as a thank you.
May is a rich, full month for the Omaha and Nebraska art scene! We celebrate the grand reopening of our state art museum, hear experimental approaches to architecture, explore life-like ceramic sculptures and have the opportunity to practice our life drawing skills.
Alternate Plains
This month, interdisciplinary artist Nolan Tredway transforms Ming Toy Gallery with his playful installation Alternate Plains. Tredway’s work asks the audience to reimagine the “Great Plains” through the lenses of science fiction, speculative history and cryptids. I can’t wait to be transported to an alternate reality by this amazing Lincoln artist!
– When: Opening reception: Friday, May 2, 6-9 p.m. Gallery hours: Wednesday-Friday 1-6 p.m., Thursday 5-8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
– Where: Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple St., Omaha
Grand Reopening of the Museum of Nebraska Art
Kearney’s Museum of Nebraska Art is dedicated to exhibiting Nebraska artists, art and culture! This weekend the MONA reopens after an extensive three-year restoration, renovation and 23,000-foot expansion. Come celebrate this milestone event with live music and hands-on art activities, and explore the permanent collection and new exhibits by contemporary Nebraska artists.
– When: Public opening: Saturday, May 3, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Museum hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m.
– Where: Museum of Nebraska Art, 2401 Central Ave., Kearney
RE-WORK
Curator John Paul leads an exhibition of a dozen local, visual, sound and street artists to reimagine historical works of art in the public domain. You don’t want to miss this interdisciplinary remix and “rework” of classic and contemporary works at Amplify Arts’ Generator Space.
– When: Opening reception: Friday, May 9, 6-9 p.m. Gallery hours: Thursday-Friday 1-5 p.m., until June 27.
– Where: Amplify Arts’ Generator Space, 1804 Vinton St., Omaha
Maple Street Construct Design Lecture Series
Maple Street Construct bridges art, design and the built environment through their gallery, studio and residency programs. MSC kicks off their 2025 design lecture series with architect Kevin Cavenaugh, the founder of Guerilla Development, an experimental and inventive real estate company based in Portland, Oregon.
– When: Thursday, May 13, 6-8 p.m.
– Where: Omaha Conservatory of Music, 7023 Cass St., Omaha
UNDERCURRENTS
Lincoln’s Nathan Murray returns to North Omaha’s Union of Contemporary Art with his life-like ceramic sculptures that explore race, intersectionality and ethnic identity. Murray is a nationally and critically acclaimed sculptor who has exhibited widely across the country, been featured in numerous publications and won many prestigious awards. You don’t want to miss this exhibition of one of the best figurative sculptors of our time!
– When: Opening Reception: Saturday, May 17, 6 -8 p.m., Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 1-8 p.m., Friday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
– Where: The Union for Contemporary Art, 2423 N. 24th St., Omaha
Figure Drawing: Omaha
For the last two decades, Rachel Mindrup has been organizing open life drawing sessions for the art community. For a minimal fee, participants work with two professional live models. Whether you are a veteran artist maintaining your life drawing practice, or a beginner developing your representation of the human form, this is an excellent event to build skills at all levels! Drawing supplies not provided.
– When: Thursday, May 22, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
– Where: The Church / Art House, 3101 S. 20th St., Omaha
— Bart Vargas is a visual artist, educator and advocate based in Omaha, Nebraska. He publishes a weekly list of local arts, culture and entertainment events on social media, and operates an international studio with his wife Bekah Jerde.
Omaha Metro Transit reported a 7% increase in ridership this March, with student trips making up nearly 50,000 of the 280,000 total rides. The board also celebrated 15-year-old Avery Hightower as the winner of the Wheel Appeal art contest and previewed expanded summer service for major events like the College World Series. Metro’s 2024 financial audit came back clean, and a new documentary, “Car Centric,” will debut May 8 as part of the Reimagine Omaha initiative. Read the full summary here and the full meeting notes on the Documenters website.
Want to help inform your community and create better journalism while getting paid? Become a Documenter today.
— Leah Wambui Keinama, Nebraska Journalism Trust
The sun is shining. The birds are chirping. Omaha-area cyclists are flocking once again to Mineola, Iowa.
Yes, most patient reader, spring has arrived.
I found out about the taco ride along the Wabash Trace Nature Trail last year and have been anxious for it to start again. Every Thursday from spring to fall you can hop on the trail at Iowa West Foundation Trailhead Park in Council Bluffs, pedal 10 miles along the tree-lined, paved path and hop off at Mineola (pop. 154) for tacos and drinks at Tobey Jack’s. The time I went there was a band playing and plenty of space in its outdoor area.
It draws about 1,000 riders every week, according to the restaurant’s website. I believe it. The trail’s length helps spread out the riders, but you’ll definitely see big crowds at the halfway point where people gather for drinks and snacks as well as at Tobey Jack’s, which has excellent food.
— Chris Bowling, Flatwater Free Press
The dormant Crossroads redevelopment may see some progress, writes Cindy Gonzalez at the Nebraska Examiner. By June, the city and the project’s Utah-based developer expect to break ground at the northwest corner of 72nd and Dodge streets on a building that would include “dining, movie theaters, bowling, an arcade, climbing wall, laser tag and more.” The project’s lack of progress for years has been a source of recent political consternation.
In other development (or lack thereof) news: Democrat mayoral candidate John Ewing challenged Republican Mayor Jean Stothert on stalled progress at the site of the old Civic Auditorium at a debate Sunday hosted by KETV. That prompted the developer to blog about the “practical realities” of big projects.
U.S. Rep. Don Bacon is mulling retirement at the end of the two-year term he narrowly won in November, the Nebraska Examiner’s Juan Salinas II reported. The Republican said he’ll make a decision this summer. State Sen. John Cavanaugh and Denise Powell, a political fundraiser, are two Democrats considering a run for the seat.
Bacon also continues leveraging his position as a key moderate in the House, this time by saying he wouldn’t agree to Medicaid cuts beyond $500 billion, according to Politico. His stance could complicate a major bill for Republicans that targets border security, energy policy and an extension of President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.
Authorities recovered the bodies of three people from the Missouri River, all believed to have drowned after being swept up in the river’s current more than two weeks ago. One has been identified as Lah K Tray Moo, an 18-year-old OPS student. The other two are believed to be Laiana Green, 18, and Eh Cress Moo, 11, The World-Herald’s Kevin Cole and Dan Crisler reported. (You may need a subscription to read this story.)
A tenants rights group is challenging accusations that it’s practicing law without a license. A professor at Creighton Law School told Greta Goede at KMTV that Omaha Tenants United sending demand letters to landlords does not appear to violate the law.
Union Omaha also said it’s looking for a new downtown home after abandoning a plan to build a stadium off Abbott Drive, KETV reported.
Correction: Last week we wrote about a possible development along the Field Club Trail. It would actually be along the South Omaha Trail.
The Flatwater Free Press is published by the Nebraska Journalism Trust, a 501(c)(3) public charity