Howdy, Omaha — it’s Jeremy.
There are four words journalists have learned to fear above all others: Health and Human Services.
We have all been that well-intended reporter covering health insurance or social welfare programs who gets entangled in an unforgiving web of complexities.
Most of us shy away from those topics after our first experience, but not FFP reporter Destiny Herbers. In her latest story, she decided to unravel part of the web, and we’re all better informed because of it.
Tens of thousands of Nebraskans are expected to lose Medicaid coverage due to President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” but the cuts will cause some people to lose another critical service: child care.
That’s because child care workers are more likely to be enrolled in Medicaid than the average Nebraskan, Destiny reports. If these workers or family members who depend on them lose coverage, they might have to close their day care.
An Omaha mom lost child care for her two girls after state cuts cost the provider’s mother her in-home nurse. Experts say the federal cuts will create more cases like it.
Read Destiny’s story here (or click the photo above).
Right after our newsletter came out last week, some huge food news came down the pike. Johnny’s Cafe was named a James Beard America’s Classics restaurant — an honor bestowed on just one other Nebraska restaurant.
Now, nobody — not even an ax-grinding Iowan — can deny the 103-year-old South Omaha steakhouse is a true classic.
Read our write-up on Johnny’s big day here.
— Jeremy Turley, Flatwater Free Press
‘Tis the season for fish
Every year between Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, thousands of Omahans flock to their local parish (or return to the parish for the first time since the last Fish Fry Season) to indulge in a simple tradition: fish and beer.
Readers have asked me for years to write about Fish Fry Season. They’ve asked me to rank fish fries (I still will not do that, do you think I’m crazy?). But I will, for the first time, build what I think is the city’s most comprehensive list of Omaha fish fries.
Here’s where you come in: Do you see something I missed? Do you have some details about your favorite fry that aren’t listed here? Or maybe your fish fry is on the list and needs updating. Let me know: [email protected].
If you’re not big on battered fish, I’ve still got you covered. My review this week covers the range of other options available at fish fries, such as the spanakopita at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in midtown.
I’ll see you one of these Friday nights in a fish-scented church basement of Omaha, PBR in hand. All the fish fries listed take place every Friday between the date range. Prices range from $7 to $15 a person, and children are often discounted.
Read my fish story 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.
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The Omaha art scene springs to life this March with a museum grand reopening,
traveling exhibitions, curated group shows and a contemporary
regional pop-up!
“Asking For It”
Benson First Friday kicks off with “Asking For It,” a traveling group exhibition curated by artists and educators Carolyn Albracht and Beatriz Rodriguez at the Radial Arts Center. Through painting, printmaking, collage and mixed media, 21 artists reflect on external and internalized misogyny and patriarchy through lived experience in contemporary society. This exhibit asks us to create dialogue, bring awareness and confront these social issues.
– When: Opening reception, Friday, March 6, 6-9 p.m. Gallery hours: By appointment
– Where: Radial Arts Center, 5915 Maple St.
University of Nebraska at Omaha Faculty & Staff Exhibition
Gallery 1516 is partnering with the UNO School of the Arts to showcase the wide range of both traditional and digital works created by the university’s faculty and staff. Don’t miss this opportunity to see the diverse works of nationally and internationally recognized artists based in the Art & Art History, Theatre and Writer’s Workshop departments.
– When: Opening reception, Friday, March 6, 6-8 p.m. Gallery hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., until April 4.
– Where: Gallery 1516, 1516 Leavenworth St.
BLACK but not the ART: Breaking the Frame
Artist, athlete and curator Ang R. Bennett curates “BLACK but not the ART” at the Nicholas Street Gallery. This exhibition of Black Nebraska artists challenges historical limitations and expectations of Black art, celebrating complex and expansive creative multimedia practices that “break the frame.”
– When: Opening reception: Friday, March 13, 5:30-8 p.m. Gallery hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. On view until March 29.
– Where: Hot Shops Art Center, 1301 Nicholas St.
El Museo Latino Grand Re-opening & Ribbon Cutting
There are only 17 museums dedicated to Latino art and culture in the United States, and Omaha has been home to one of these treasures for decades. Now, after two years of renovation and expansion, El Museo Latino reopens its doors with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a new exhibition and a community open house. Come tour the upgraded facilities and check out the updated exhibition spaces in this South Omaha gem.
– When: Ribbon cutting, Wednesday, March 18, 3-4 p.m. TAJIMAL K’IN: Festival of the Sun opening reception, Friday, March 20, 5-8 p.m. Community open house, Saturday, March 21, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Museum open Wednesday through Saturday after ribbon cutting.
– Where: El Museo Latino, 1407 S. 25th St.
Nostalgia: Moments in Time
Through painting, glass, mixed media and poetic text, artists Holly Tharnish and Nadine Saylor reflect and reimagine a time before digital technology. Drawing on the inner workings of memory, experience and identity, this exhibit creates visual narratives that hover between fragments of our past and our nostalgia for it.
– When: Opening reception:Thursday, March 19, 5-7 p.m. Gallery hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., until May 13.
– Where: Fred Simon Gallery, Nebraska Arts Council, 1004 Farnam St., lower level
Contemporary: A Pierce Street Art Exhibition
March wraps up with a special treat. After three years, Shiri Phillips once again transforms her art and design studio into one of the area’s hottest galleries. Phillips has curated a selection of the new works by some of the region’s favorite visual artists. Whether you are a serious collector or just an art appreciator, you will not want to miss this month’s pop-up showcase.
– When: Opening reception: Friday, March 27, 6-9 p.m. Gallery hours: By appointment until April 24.
– Where: Shiri Phillips Designs, 7640 Pierce St.
— 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.
The Omaha City Council advanced an $88 million wastewater equipment purchase and considered amending a 2024 construction agreement with McCarthy Building Companies for the Papillion Creek facility. Critics, including Platte Institute CEO Jim Vokal, raised concerns about bidding transparency ahead of a final vote next week. Read 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
We’re blessed at the Nebraska Journalism Trust to work with some wildly talented photographers. This month, I’m very into the idea that two of my favorite collaborators are showing deeply personal work at the same time.
Joseph Saaid is opening Still, Egypt, a photography exhibit tracing a return to Cairo and Alexandria with his father following his dad’s battle with cancer. After 16 years away, Joseph trains his lens on the quiet pulse of daily life — the human moments tucked inside the noise. The opening promises large-scale prints, film, music, Middle Eastern refreshments and an artist talk from Joseph himself. I can report that he is as charming as he is talented. Reserve your spot here.
And Abiola Kosoko — who created our very first photo essay on Black life in Omaha — has selected a series of demolition photographs now on display at Old Market Artists Gallery in the Passageway. I stopped by last week and I have to say, he underplayed how cool it is.
I love working with both of them journalistically. It’s a joy to see what happens when they roam purely as artists.
— Matt Wynn, Nebraska Journalism Trust
A 42-year-old Bellevue man was among the first U.S. soldiers killed in the war with Iran, The New York Times writes. Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens was one of six killed in a drone strike on a commercial port in Kuwait.
After brutally assaulting a Sarpy County woman, Benjamin Myers got out of prison and killed an Omaha woman, The World-Herald’s Grace Lewis reported. Myers’ first victim knew he would kill if given the chance and wondered why he wasn’t locked up longer.
(You may need a subscription to read this story.)
The City of Omaha and the Metropolitan Utilities District disagree about what caused a sinkhole near 67th and Pacific streets last week. MUD blamed a deteriorated city sewer while the city blamed a broken water main, Grace Lewis reported for The World-Herald .
The World-Herald will shut down its printing press in downtown Omaha and move production to Des Moines by the end of March, Matt Olberding writes at Nebraska Public Media.
The CEO of Hawkins Construction says the City of Omaha is being taken advantage of by another contractor on a $411 million sewer project, the Nebraska Examiner’s Cindy Gonzalez reported. Omaha-based Hawkins submitted an unsolicited bid for the project, which received heavy scrutiny during a Tuesday Omaha City Council meeting.
A downtown Holiday Inn closed its pool months after the Douglas County Health Department ordered it to do so, reports Aaron Hegarty at KETV. A county official said hotel management covered up signs warning attendees of safety violations. A hotel employee apparently drank pool water in front of Hegarty to prove it was safe. The hotel’s manager called KETV 45 minutes later to say the pool was closed.
The Flatwater Free Press is published by the Nebraska Journalism Trust, a 501(c)(3) public charity