Howdy, Omaha — it’s Jeremy.
You might have heard about the basketball game coming up just after this newsletter drops. The Husker men are seeking to end 86 years of March Sadness today with their first-ever NCAA tournament win.
With the eyes of Nebraska fixed on college hoops, I thought I’d write about something as synonymous with the Big Dance as Cinderellas and buzzer beaters.
Sports gambling is illegal in this state unless you’re in a casino, but betting firms FanDuel and DraftKings recently launched apps that look a lot like sportsbooks in Nebraska. Welcome to the ever-expanding world of prediction markets.
Kalshi and other prediction market platforms allow online users to put money on sporting events, but instead of betting against a bookmaker, users are “trading” against each other.
That distinction lies at the heart of a contentious legal fight between the Trump White House and the states, but so far, the companies have been allowed to keep operating.
Leaders in Nebraska’s casino industry argue prediction markets are violating and undermining the state’s gambling laws. A couple of local sports fans I talked to are enjoying the newfound freedom to wager. Others worry it will lead to more addiction.
You can read the story here (or by clicking on the graphic above).
— Jeremy Turley, Flatwater Free Press
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‘The perfect sandwich’
With the best sandwiches in Omaha and Lincoln vying to win this year’s SBH food bracket, it felt like the right time to dive deeper on a hometown creation.
In our bracket, the Reuben has its own region — a reflection of how big of a deal it is here. I decided to embark on a mini-tour of Reubens around town to ensure I’m an informed voter.
Of course, that meant stopping at the sandwich’s birthplace, but it also brought me to a couple new-to-me Reubens.
Read my Reuben views here (or click on the photo above). And don’t forget to vote in the food bracket!
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.
March is showing off a little. One night, you are swapping business cards over coffee. The next, you are scream-singing to emo remixes in a packed bar. By the weekend, you could be talking policy over breakfast or mapping out your path to homeownership. These are the kinds of events that make Omaha feel alive, where real relationships start, good ideas get momentum and you leave glad you didn’t stay home.
Coffee and Connections
Sometimes, the best networking event is the one with no speeches or panels. This early morning meetup at Archetype is built for real conversation, fresh coffee and the kind of chance run-ins that can turn into future collaborations. Bonus points if you show up ready to wish Corey Spitzer a happy birthday between sips.
When: Friday, March 20, 7:30-9 a.m.
Where: 1229 Millwork Ave.
Omaha AI Business Accelerator Community Launch
Omaha’s AI conversation is getting a real-world kickoff with a night built for entrepreneurs, small business owners and community leaders ready to see what this technology can actually do. The soft launch blends networking, funding insight, wellness and business strategy with food, drinks, music and tours of the Enterprise Center, so you can leave with both fresh ideas and fresh contacts. If you have been waiting for a room where innovation feels local and useful instead of vague and buzzy, this might be it.
When: Friday, March 20, 6-9 p.m.
Where: 4611 S. 96th St., Suite 217
Emo Rave
Pull out the black outfit, overcommit to the eyeliner and prepare to yell lyrics like it is still your formative era. Emo Rave turns Shakedown Street Tavern into a sweaty little time machine packed with heavy bass, glow sticks and remixed heartbreak from the likes of My Chemical Romance, Paramore and Fall Out Boy. This one has limited capacity and all the ingredients of a fast sellout.
When: Friday, March 20, 8 p.m.
Where: Shakedown Street Tavern, 2735 N. 62nd St.
Coffee with Developers
If you care about where Omaha is headed, this is the kind of coffee meeting worth setting an alarm for. This month’s featured guest, State Sen. Terrell McKinney, brings frontline insight on housing, economic development and urban revitalization to a roomful of developers, investors and community stakeholders who are not just talking about change but helping shape it. Come for the coffee, stay for the policy talk that could actually move a project or perspective forward.
When: Saturday, March 21, 9-10:30 a.m.
Where: 2112 N. 30th St., Suite 201
YP Sip & Social
If your group chat keeps saying “we need to network more,” this is your chance to finally do something about it. Hosted by the Urban League of Nebraska Young Professionals, this monthly social brings together entrepreneurs, creatives and community builders for the kind of conversation that can turn into real opportunities. Come for the good energy, stay for the people who might end up in your circle by the end of the night.
When: Friday, March 27, 6-9 p.m.
Where: 1917 S. 67th St., Suite 140
Passport to Homeownership
If buying a home feels like trying to read a map with no legend, this is your place to start. Hosted by Locale Real Estate Group, this laid-back workshop breaks down the homebuying process in plain language and puts real estate pros in the room to answer the questions people are usually too overwhelmed to ask. Come ready to learn, get grounded and leave a little closer to your future front door.
When: Saturday, March 28, 10 a.m.-noon
Where: 1701 N. 24th St., Suite 102
— Xavier Jackson is an Omaha-based entrepreneur who connects creatives and forges more opportunities for them through his organization Local Art Plug.
For years, I used my outdoor Ooni pizza oven to make cheesy, saucy, pillowy pies. I struggled in the early phases. Doughs stuck to the peel and collapsed into mounds on the oven’s 16-inch baking stone. I also learned pre-heating is a requirement for a crisp bottom.
By last year, I felt I had reached a higher echelon of pizza-dom. Then the oven was gone.
It was my fault. The Ooni was left in my backyard, protected only by a chain-link fence and a belief in my fellow man’s kind-hearted nature. My greatest hope is that an aspiring pizzaiolo absconded with it. But I’ve come to terms with the fact it probably ended up in a pawn shop.
But you have to keep moving. Recently, I bought a new oven at a steep discount on Facebook Marketplace. It’s not as big or nice, but I’m telling myself it’s not the tools that make the craftsman. As I’m writing this, the temperature’s rising and I’m thinking of summer nights eating fresh-cooked pizza. Ooni, wherever you are, I hope you know you’ll never be forgotten.
This slice is on me, old buddy.
— Chris Bowling, Flatwater Free Press
Omaha sent firefighters and specialized vehicles to help stem western Nebraska wildfires, WOWT reported. OFD Chief Kathy Bossman said the department hadn’t dispatched firefighters outside the Omaha area in the last several decades. Two of the fires are the largest and second-largest in state history.
Mayor John Ewing and a member of his security team helped put out a car fire in a Walgreens parking lot near Douglas Street and Turner Boulevard, Grace Lewis at The World-Herald writes. (You may need a subscription to read this story.)
Housing developments that get public tax subsidies may be required, or at least incentivized, to include affordable housing, Julie Anderson at The World-Herald writes. Omaha City Council member Pete Festersen said he has asked that city planners and Omaha’s Affordable Housing Task Force come up with a proposal by May 5. (You may need a subscription to read this story.)
The Nebraska Supreme Court says a former U.S. marshal can run for Douglas County sheriff after the county election commissioner said he did not meet qualifications to be on the ballot, Juan Salinas at the Nebraska Examiner writes.
The head of an Omaha-based film studio says unfair scrutiny has imperiled grant funding for a project that can boost Nebraska’s movie economy. The state says the studio may not have been spending the money correctly. Cindy Gonzalez at the Nebraska Examiner says the situation is a rare peek behind the curtain at a massive state grant program designed to help disinvested parts of the city.
A Honduran man was sentenced to 14 months in prison for waving a box cutter at federal agents during an Omaha immigration raid last summer, Cindy Gonzalez at the Nebraska Examiner writes. He will be deported after he serves his sentence.
Union Omaha will play its matches this season at Creighton University’s Morrison Stadium instead of at Werner Park in Papillion, WOWT reported. A team official said the temporary move gets the soccer team closer to its future home stadium near Millwork Commons, which it hopes to open in 2028.
The Flatwater Free Press is published by the Nebraska Journalism Trust, a 501(c)(3) public charity