Hey Omaha, Chris here.
Every once in a while we publish a story that really punches me in the gut. Today’s flattened me like a cement mixer.
It’s about U.S.-friendly Afghans targeted by the Taliban. The people fled Afghanistan, flew from one country to the next and trudged past corpses in the jungle toward hope for safety — the U.S.-Mexico border.
Instead Nasrin Nawa talked to several people who had their asylum status rejected by Omaha’s immigration court, which leads the nation in denying asylum status. If the Afghanis lose their appeal, they could be sent back to Afghanistan which would be a “death sentence” one man said.
“I would rather the U.S. kill me than send me back to Afghanistan, where my children will have to watch the Taliban execute me” another said.
That fear went up with the election of President Donald Trump who took an already byzantine immigration system and threw it into a blender. The people Nasrin talked to are left wondering — does anyone care what happens to us?
Seriously, read this story: link here or click the photo up above.
— Chris Bowling, Flatwater Free Press
Steak Town USA: The Committee Chophouse
Since the launch of Steak Town USA last month, a lot of people have asked me the same couple of questions: what makes a steakhouse? And what is the future of steakhouses in Omaha? I posed both those questions to the chefs and manager of the Committee Chophouse, the second story in our year long exploration of beef in Nebraska.
They gave me several answers — one especially that surprised and delighted me and that you can read in the story today. The conversation only reaffirmed what I already thought: the Committee does the work of straddling Omaha steakhouses past and future.
Read my review here (or click on the photo above).
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 Omaha Public Schools board unanimously approved a “moonshot goal” to have all students reading on grade level by 2030, with discussions on how it will address historic inequities and support special education and English language learners. Public comment included concerns about protections for transgender students, but the board cited open meetings laws as a limitation on discussion. The board also approved a legislative positions report and recognized the achievements of students and staff. 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
As of my birthday last month I am officially in my late 20s, which means I am decrepit in the eyes of the tastemaking teens who preside over popular culture. So, in an effort to feel young and cool again (I was never cool), I will be attending an event this weekend named for one of the few Gen Z-isms I understand: Glizzy Fest.
A “glizzy” is a hotdog – don’t ask me why — and Glizzy Fest is a “hotdog-core mixed genre music festival” in Benson, according to its promoters. It’s hard to know what that means, but my love for tubular meats has never steered me wrong.
I’ll be at the Reverb Lounge on Friday night with one hand holding a Chicago-style glizzy and the other fist-pumping to the music of Otis Julius, The Scabby Ghouls and The Carrion Crawlers. If the hotdog hangover isn’t too strong, maybe I’ll go to Day 2 of the festival at the Waiting Room Lounge on Saturday. Happy Glizzing!
— Jeremy Turley, Flatwater Free Press
Mayor Jean Stothert says a report from a city-comissioned firm proves, once again, the city is following state law in its use of a development tax break, Chris Burbach at The World-Herald writes. The city’s use of tax increment financing, particularly for the planned streetcar, has become an issue in the upcoming city elections.
If you launch a startup in Nebraska you’re more likely to fail here than all but one other state, according to a new report. Our friends at Silicon Prairie News have a great story on challenges and opportunities for the state’s tech companies the report outlined.
A commercial passenger plane coming from Omaha nearly collided with a private jet at a Chicago airport Tuesday. This is the latest in a recent string of airline accidents or near misses, although data shows airline travel is about as safe as it’s ever been, according to a CNN data journalist.
President Donald Trump wants to upgrade America’s missile defense system — a tall order but a big opportunity for U.S. Strategic Command based at Offutt Air Force Base. While a country-wide shield has been a dream since the Cold War, the cost and logistics have kept it grounded, writes Steve Liewer at The World-Herald.
(You may need a subscription to read this story)
About 2,500 people gathered to see Bernie Sanders in Omaha last Friday. The Vermont independent and past presidential hopeful drew a diverse crowd which Jamie Reiff, a student at the University of Nebraska—Lincoln, captured excellently.
Five employees of a North Omaha arts organization were fired the same day workers planned to ask their boss to recognize their union, Chris Burbach at The World-Herald writes. The executive director said The Union for Contemporary Art is “restructuring.”
(You may need an OWH subscription to read this story)
The University of Nebraska at Omaha closed its diversity office last Friday following a federal directive to eliminate those initiatives or lose federal funding, writes The Gateway (which has done some good reporting on this). That same day, a judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from making the proposed cuts, saying it’s likely unconstitutional.
Bennington residents have to decide: build a new $112 million high school or keep operating just one with crowded classrooms. Enrollment at the suburban school district has exploded, but residents have so far rejected efforts to expand capacity. The World-Herald’s Luna Stephens dug into this story.
(You may need an OWH subscription to read this story)
The woman who died during last week’s freezing temperatures is remembered as a bold advocate for Omaha’s homeless community, writes The World-Herald’s Dan Crisler. There’s also great photos of Krissy Gallagher-McMillan from when she testified against a bill that would have upped state penalties for people sleeping outside. That effort failed last year, but its sponsor Mike McDonnell, a current Omaha mayoral candidate, recently made homelessness a top issue for the upcoming election when said he would fire the city’s homeless services coordinator “on day one” if he were elected.
(You may need a subscription to read The World-Herald’s story)
If you want some deeper reads on homelessness in Omaha, read Flatwater’s stories about Roland Busby, street medics and the city’s homelessness data.
A Valley man is having trouble changing his daughter’s legal name, the New York Times reports. Through a series of unusual circumstances, the rosy-cheeked, blonde toddler’s name was recorded on her birth certificate as “Unakite Thirteen Hotel.”
The Flatwater Free Press is published by the Nebraska Journalism Trust, a 501(c)(3) public charity