Editor’s note: a previous version of this newsletter did not include a link for the pigeon racing story. We’ve updated the link and resent the newsletter.
Howdy, Omaha — it’s Jeremy.
When I first heard that our city has a club of people who race pigeons, I had so many questions.
You can race birds? What would that even look like? How do you get them to come back? Who would be crazy enough to do something like this?
The best part of being a reporter is that I get paid to dive deep into my curiosities (if my editors share them), so I set out to learn more about the Omaha Racing Pigeon Association.
I found that the sport has century-old roots in Omaha and an even deeper history in Europe. I learned that pigeons’ incredible homing instincts allow them to navigate to their owners’ lofts from hundreds of miles away.
I tracked down the people who are crazy enough to raise, train and race pigeons, and let me tell you, they are a colorful bunch.
They include a nationally regarded pigeon handler who encountered the sport by accident while delivering newspapers; a Romanian immigrant who came to the U.S. with an abiding childhood dream to own land and pigeons; and a third-generation mortician who once had a red-tailed hawk for a pet.
Despite coming from different backgrounds, the birds bind them together, said Carter Mayotte, the ex-paperboy who now presides over the Omaha club.
“If it’s in your blood, it’s not coming out,” he said.
You can read my feathered feature here (or click the photo above).
— Jeremy Turley, Flatwater Free Press
Learn more about Flatwater Free Press sponsorship options »
Flatwater Free Press, in partnership with ProPublica, is working on a yearlong project about the the legacy of lead in Omaha. After decades and millions of dollars spent cleaning the toxic metal out of yards here, we’re taking a deeper look at how effective the cleanup has been — and we need your help to do it.
If you’d like to have your soil tested, fill out our online form. Please note: We’re prioritizing properties either in or near the Superfund site.
Have questions or a story to share about lead? Contact Chris Bowling.
Have ideas on how we can improve our newsletter? Got a gripe to share? Want to be entered to win a $50 Amazon gift card? If the answer to any of those questions is “Yes,” we would love for you to fill out a quick survey.
Surveys like this help us improve our newsletter and learn more about our readers.
The Nebraska Board of Pardons met Oct. 7 at the State Capitol, granting four pardons out of more than two dozen applications. Approvals went to Edward Burton, Daniel Reimers Jr., Michael Tallman and Skylar Penrose. Other requests were denied, including several applicants who testified about personal rehabilitation and community service. 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
About a year ago, I confessed to all of you my struggle with the spooky season and Halloween. Personally, I think it makes complete sense to be scared of masked figures jumping out of the shadows or to hold your breath while driving by graveyards so that you don’t get possessed. I love candy, but I also love living to see the more enjoyable holidays in November and December.
With that said, I was finally worn down by my co-workers to go to my first haunted house. While I know for sure the younger me would have run the opposite direction of Dungeon of the Damned in Omaha’s Old Market, older me did enjoy chatting with the clowns and seeing the ghouls show off their expert costume-making skills. I would recommend the experience for those who have a group to hide among.
And for my fellow scaredy cats who aren’t as easily bullied, check out Zootacular at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. Unlike haunted house employees in zombie makeup, the animals can be seen behind protective glass.
— Ben “Fear Conqueror” Goeser, Silicon Prairie News
A new study found that more than 17% of adults and about a quarter of young people in North Omaha meet the clinical threshold for post-traumatic stress disorder, John Chapman at WOWT reports. Some Douglas County commissioners questioned the study’s process, but advocates say the determination that mental health resources are too low in the area is not new.
A downtown Omaha resident says she’s suing Omaha Mayor John Ewing over a deleted Facebook comment, KETV reports. The commenter says she was blocked from Ewing’s professional Facebook page after questioning his promises to fix a sinkhole on 16th Street.
Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson will run for a second term in 2026, the Omaha World-Herald’s Dan Crisler reports. The Republican who narrowly won the office in 2022 has clashed with the Omaha Police Department and activists alike, though he says his “straightforward communication style” has attracted a diverse group of Sheriff’s Office applicants. (You may need a subscription to read this story.)
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and a Latino advocacy group have proposed housing Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees at the Douglas County Jail to provide “humane conditions” and allow people to be closer to family and legal representation.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: There’s a new effort to erase the Blue Dot. A group of conservative advocates called for a “winner-take-all” approach to electoral college votes in Nebraska, Hannah McIlree at KMTV reports. Currently, each congressional district in the state awards its own electoral vote, which has allowed the Omaha-area district to routinely vote Democratic in recent years.
The Flatwater Free Press is published by the Nebraska Journalism Trust, a 501(c)(3) public charity