Hey Omaha, Chris here.
Every community has to have its hubs — a coffee shop, a grocery store, a doctor’s office — where people get together in big and small ways. It’s not common (at least not in Omaha) to have all of those things within walking distance of where you live. It’s probably even less common that they’re all in one place.
But that’s what you get at the Highlander. As Chris Burbach writes in his story today, there’s always something happening at the complex of housing and businesses on North 30th Street. You might hear the soft exhales of a yoga class, a drill team smacking sticks against snare drums, students planning a group project over coffee or co-workers talking over lunch. There’s also a grocery, a center for community services and an event space for meetings or workshops.
It has been about 10 years since community leaders, city planners, philanthropists and business people got together and broke ground on the project. And to hear Chris tell it, the Highlander seems to have lived up to the promise of building a place where North Omaha can gather.
Check out his story here (or click the photo above).
— Chris Bowling, Flatwater Free Press
A bracket between bread
Lots of folks are gearing up for March Madness. Over here, I’m gearing up for my fifth SBH food bracket, and for the first time, it’ll be hosted in partnership with the Flatwater Free Press. You will be able to vote on my site AND on Flatwater. A bigger audience means more competition!
Before we announce the bracket lineup, we need your help: What sandwiches would you like to see included? Fill out our form and nominate your pick in one of our eight categories: banh mi, breakfast sandwich, chicken sandwich, deli sandwich, French dip, gyro, Philly and, of course, the Reuben. Recommendations must be a locally owned business in the Lincoln or Omaha area.
Look for the full bracket announcement on Monday, March 16. First-round voting will start at noon.
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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Saturday is $1 beer night at the Omaha Supernovas’ home volleyball match against the league-leading Indy Ignite. I’d argue, though, that you shouldn’t need cheap beer to get you to the CHI Health Center to watch volleyball.
My wife and I have had season tickets to the ‘Novas since the team debuted three years ago. We’ve followed Nebraska volleyball for years, but it’s pretty hard to get Husker volleyball tickets. Luckily, the Supernovas (and the Omaha-based LOVB Nebraska team that plays in a different league) both have plenty of former Nebraska and Creighton players.
But the players don’t need to be from here to become fan favorites. Brooke Nuneviller, who is from Arizona and played in college for the University of Oregon, has become the face of the program. The 2025 outside hitter of the year is the franchise’s leader in points, kills, digs and sets played.
The Supernovas’ matches themselves are exciting, and the players are super athletic — jumping, blocking, digging and smashing volleyballs all over the court. And the crowds in Omaha average well over 10,000 spectators per match. It gets loud in there.Tickets for upper-bowl seats for Saturday’s match cost $8 (plus fees, of course), and tickets are available for this season’s five other remaining regular season matches.
— Bob Glissmann, Nebraska Journalism Trust
The Omaha City Council shot down an appeal over a rejected contract bid from a company tied to former Councilman Vinny Palermo, WOWT’s John Chapman reported. An attorney claimed that Palermo, who served more than a year in prison following a fraud conviction, was merely an employee of the tree service company, and his son, Vinny Palermo Jr., is the real owner. The council voted unanimously to reject the company’s appeal.
The City Council opted to delay a vote on a $411 million wastewater proposal from McCarthy Building Companies after a competitor, Hawkins Construction, claimed the price of the project was too high, KETV’s Aaron Hegarty reported. Omaha-based Hawkins submitted an unsolicited bid for the project in December.
The Douglas County Republican Party filed a complaint against Democratic candidate for sheriff Mark Martinez, arguing that the former Omaha police deputy chief does not hold an active peace officer certificate, the Nebraska Examiner’s Juan Salinas reported. Martinez’s campaign said the law doesn’t specify such a certificate must be active and called the complaint a “desperate attempt” to protect incumbent Sheriff Aaron Hanson.
Nebraska Medicine will build a $99 million clinic in midtown to anchor its dermatology program and meet demand for outpatient gastrointestinal and behavioral health services, The World-Herald’s Julie Anderson reported. The four-story clinic will sit at the corner of 42nd and Farnam. (You may need a subscription to read this story.)
A cyclist died in downtown Omaha after being struck by a semi, adding to the list of recent fatalities suffered by cyclists and pedestrians in the city, WOWT reported. Omaha removed its only protected bikeway downtown for streetcar construction in 2024, and safety advocates say the city has become increasingly dangerous for cyclists.
Mary Kathleen Schneider, who fought federal bureaucracy to find out what happened to her husband in Vietnam, has died at 78. The daughter of former Omaha Mayor Al Veys, Schneider challenged the narratives surrounding her husband’s disappearance and continued to advocate for veterans after his remains were found, The World-Herald’s Marjie Ducey reported. (You may need a subscription to read this story.)
The Flatwater Free Press is published by the Nebraska Journalism Trust, a 501(c)(3) public charity