Howdy, Omaha — it’s Jeremy.
Growing up attending affluent public schools, I took for granted the way kids with special learning needs were integrated into my classes.
The tone-setter for my entire student career came on the first day of kindergarten when I met Alan. He was blind but otherwise no different from any of us. He was learning to read and do math, he played sports (later going on to swim collegiately) and became friends with other 5-year-olds.
Over the years, I sang in seasonal school productions with Connor and played baseball with Henry, both of whom had autism. I rode the bus every morning with Jordan, who had Tourette syndrome, and hung out with my friend’s brother Harrison, who had Fragile X.
During the school day, some kids went to different classrooms for a few hours, but they came back for other lessons and activities. It shocked me to later learn that many students with disabilities don’t get that kind of well-rounded experience.
In recent weeks, K-12 reporter Lauren Wagner talked to several parents who wanted better special education for their kids. They felt like their sons had been cast aside by schools that couldn’t meet their needs, causing the boys to act erratically.
The parents applied to get their kids transferred to higher-achieving districts through a state program known as option enrollment, but each time they got the same answer: Denied.
Until recently, few people knew how often Nebraska school districts rejected transfers to students with disabilities compared to their peers.
In today’s story, Lauren and I dove deep into the issue and found massive disparities. One local school district denied 30 transfer applicants during the 2023-24 school year — all were students with disabilities.
Read the story here (or click the photo above).
We also have something a little more upbeat — and sweet. Erin Grace followed the funky grooves wafting from a “semi-subterranean downtown hole-in-the-wall” and found Parfait. She got to know each member of the three-piece cover band, which you can catch all over downtown Omaha, and came back with a great story.
— Jeremy Turley, Flatwater Free Press
The Omaha summer art scene kicks off with a brand-new arts festival, an investigation into the relationship between art and AI and an exhibition on glass. And that only scratches the surface of what June has to offer!
Omaha Art Fair
Start a new summer tradition with the inaugural Omaha Art Fair. Held in Aksarben Village, Omaha’s latest art festival brings more than 150 visual artists from across the country, along with some of the area’s best food and live music. Admission is free to everyone, so tell your family and friends!
– When: Friday, June 6, 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday, June 7, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., and Sunday, June 8, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: Aksarben Village, 67th Street and Mercy Road
Mediums // Aspen Monet Laboy
This month, BFF Omaha’s flagship gallery brings us the work of Omaha glass artist and poet Aspen Monet Laboy. Laboy draws inspiration from lived experience and everyday life, then sculpts glass through its language of reflection and refraction. Don’t miss this amazing exhibition of a medium rarely shown in the metro!
– When: Opening reception: Friday, June 6, 6-10 p.m.
– Where: Petshop Gallery, 2725 N. 62 St.
Made in the Plains
The Joslyn showcases 20 artists living in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota in their latest exhibition, “Made in the Plains.” Explore this rich survey of contemporary art from the Midwest (Omaha is well represented) through a diverse body of mediums and themes.
– When: Public opening: Saturday, June 7, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Gallery hours: Tuesday, Friday-Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Wednesday-Thursday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., until Sept. 21.
– Where: Joslyn Art Museum, 2200 Dodge St.
Not a Reagan Pufall Art Show
Award-winning photographer, digital artist and educator Reagan D Pufall explores artificial intelligence’s understanding of human emotion and internet culture through a series of prints of AI images generated on the Midjourney platform. Pufall questions the role of intellectual property and copyright issues in a new technological era.
– When: Opening reception: Friday, June 13, 6-10 p.m.
– Where: Project Project, 1818 Vinton St.
An Afternoon with Samuel Bak
Samuel Bak and Alexandra Cardon will discuss “War Games,” an exhibit that explores the experiences of childhoods spent in war zones and the peace that can be found in the aftermath. This in-person discussion will be followed by a Q&A session.
– When: Saturday, June 14, 2 p.m.
– Where: The Samuel Bak Museum, 2289 S. 67th St.
Marked for Unbelonging
Artist Lindsey Weber pushes back against rigid systems of belonging in traditional society through fragmented rural images reminiscent of classical Dutch Vanitas paintings. Witness how Weber explores the ways internet culture and identity politics collide with farm production and the natural world.
– When: Opening reception: Thursday, June 26, 5-7 p.m.
– Where: Fred Simon Gallery, Nebraska Arts Council, 1004 Farnam St., lower level
— 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 Downtown Improvement District board is preparing to engage incoming Mayor John Ewing on such priorities as homelessness, ordinance enforcement and supporting the streetcar project.
At its May 27 meeting, the board also approved new leadership and outlined summer initiatives, including a June 8 cleanup, and expanded art walks. With the College World Series approaching, the district is ramping up safety, lighting and beautification efforts to welcome the crowds. 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
Join us for a discussion on mental health in Omaha
On Thursday, June 12, Flatwater is heading to the Westside Community Schools Community Center to talk mental health: Where is our community succeeding? Where is it falling short? What opportunities are out there to improve a vital system?
Our panelists represent public health, homelessness services, treatment providers in communities of color and family members of people with severe and persistent mental illness. Check out our website to learn more and RSVP for the free event. This is the first in a series of discussions we’re hosting with the Omaha Community Foundation to talk about important issues in our area.
Life is worth living, friends, because we’ve finally reached one of my favorite times of year — it’s time to go to the pool.
Last year, fellow FFP reporter Chris Bowling introduced me to the Elmwood Park pool. It’s since become one of my favorite places in Omaha. For just $5, you can lounge in the sun and float to your heart’s content, all while the most suburban summer playlist pours out of tinny speakers that take me back to 2005. Sometimes, the ice cream man even makes an appearance.
It’s perfect and I love it. That’s where I’ll be this weekend (weather permitting) with my sunscreen and a poolside sandwich in tow.
— Natalia Alamdari, Flatwater Free Press
A woman accused of unlawfully practicing midwifery in Douglas and Madison counties says she’s on a mission from God. The 77-year-old’s claim will challenge how far a new state law should go in enhancing religious protections against government overreach, writes Henry Cordes at The World-Herald. (You may need a subscription to read this story.)
Authorities with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested a man Tuesday they say is in the country illegally, according to KETV. A GoFundMe to pay for his legal expenses, which has raised thousands of dollars, claims he was wrongfully arrested. A federal spokesperson said that is false. Yesterday, Mayor-elect John Ewing criticized the arrest, saying, “That’s not the way we want to do law enforcement in Omaha, Nebraska.”
(You may need a subscription to read The World-Herald’s story.)
Douglas County commissioners paused a $130,000 grant for a Sheriff’s Office department after a deputy from that team shot and killed a 19-year-old during a firearm investigation on May 22, reports Melissa Wright with KMTV. Commissioners said they want more information on the special operations group.
Mayor-elect John Ewing made the rounds at The World-Herald, KETV and KMTV to talk about roads, the streetcar and retaining nearly all of outgoing Mayor Jean Stothert’s staff. Ewing will be sworn in on Monday. (You may need a subscription to read The World-Herald’s story.)
Omaha food pantry leaders say a proposed cut to the federal food stamps program would create overwhelming demand among locals experiencing food insecurity, reported The World-Herald’s Luna Stephens. (You may need a subscription to read this story.)
Gov. Jim Pillen said he wouldn’t veto any bills after the Legislature adjourned, Cindy Gonzalez at the Nebraska Examiner reported. Two of those bills come from Omaha state senators and would increase benefits for foster care children and pay for a family resource center in North Omaha.
After more than two decades helming the organization that transformed Omaha’s riverfront, Roger Dixon will retire at the end of the year, writes The World Herald’s Henry Cordes. Dixon, the CEO and president of the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority, oversaw construction and management of the CHI Health Center, Charles Schwab Field and the city’s new riverfront park system. (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