Hey Omaha, Chris here.
We’ve got a big newsletter this week so let me get straight to the point.
What would it cost to stop the streetcar? And would that price be worth it?
Those have been questions for Omaha’s mayoral candidates ever since the project became a tense knot at the center of the race. Former state Sen. Mike McDonnell says Omaha is digging a financial hole for an unpopular project. Mayor Jean Stothert says to abandon ship now would carry “devastating” side effects.
A letter I got from the city Tuesday outlines those fears: more than $100 million wasted, lawsuits, budget cuts, raised taxes and a damaged reputation with the people the city borrows money from. The phrase “the city’s savings would be destroyed” was used if that’s any indication of the letter’s tone.
McDonnell told me that’s an exaggeration. The city would absorb a financial hit, but it could negotiate. Let’s put it to a vote, he said.
The Democrats in the race, John Ewing and Jasmine Harris, both say they’re not fans of how the streetcar came to be. But they’re also on board with Stothert: too late to hop off now.
Hope you’ll take a look at the story ahead of the April 1 primary. Read it here (or click the photo above).
The federal cost cutting has impacted weather balloons, which experts say are crucial in everyday forecasting as well as extreme scenarios like tornadoes or blizzards.
Omaha and Rapid City, South Dakota, stopped deploying the balloons while several cities in the region halved operations. The National Weather Service said staffing shortages motivated the decision. The Trump administration is looking to cut 1,000 jobs — on top of hundreds that have already been cut.
“It’s not a good thing” to make those cuts right as tornado season begins, a retired National Weather Service meteorologist told freelance reporter Nancy Gaardner. Read the story here.
If you haven’t checked out our voter guide for the upcoming city elections in Omaha and Lincoln, let me cordially invite you to do so now.
It’s chock-full of context about the races, responses from the candidates and information on how to vote. It’s easy to use, concise and looks pretty cool. Shoutout to FFP Managing Editor Ryan Hoffman for putting it together.
— Chris Bowling, Flatwater Free Press
Looking for a civics-centric side hustle? Join us for a Documenters informational session this Saturday, March 29! We will be at inCOMMON at 11:00 a.m. Whether you’re a high schooler looking to build your resume or a retiree with some free time, we want to see you there!
Documenters are trained and paid to attend public meetings and record what they see and hear. Our efforts put more eyeballs on government officials and build a more robust public record. At this session you will learn everything you need to know about joining our crew of engaged citizens!
— Leah Wambui Keinama, Nebraska Journalism Trust
All of the bird chatter in Nebraska this time of year is about the migrating sandhill cranes, and rightly so — they’re magnificent beasts. But you don’t have to drive to Kearney to catch a glimpse of a blue jay, an American kestrel or a turkey vulture. Fontenelle Forest is the year-round home of many species of feathered friends and a seasonal residence for dozens more. I’ve heard killdeers are back in the area, and I’d love to hear their distinctive “killlllldeeeer” call ringing through the marsh.
I’m still pretty lousy at birding — or as I call it, “the original Pokémon GO” — but I find it a good way to be present in nature and appreciative of the wild things in our midst. Someday, I’ll be able to tell a downy woodpecker from a hairy woodpecker. Maybe the breakthrough will come on my planned morning hike this weekend.
Fontenelle Forest offers occasional naturalist-led bird walks, but they sell out fast so plan ahead! You also can’t go wrong with a self-guided hike. Pro tip: I like to start at the lesser used Camp Wa-Kon-Da entrance.
— Jeremy Turley, Flatwater Free Press
The Omaha World-Herald laid off several longtime journalists, including military/transportation reporter Steve Liewer, who shared about his termination in a tweet. Current and former colleagues lamented the cuts on social media, with one noting “there is barely anything left of the news staff.”
Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers sent cease-and-desist letters to 104 Delta-8 THC retailers in the Omaha area, alleging they sold illegal high-concentration products, 10/11 reported. The AG said his office would initiate litigation against the stores that do not voluntarily comply with the law within 30 days.
Omaha Fashion Week’s producer condemned a runway appearance of what seemed to be a swastika pinned to the back of a jacket, Marjie Ducey at the World-Herald writes. The designer Kelli Molczyk, a former senior vice president at Buckle in Kearney, told KMTV the symbol was actually a pinwheel cut from an old quilt. Buckle announced Molczyk’s resignation on March 21.
During a virtual town hall, Republican Congressman Don Bacon said top White House officials should take responsibility for the accidental leak of Yemen military strikes to The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg. Bacon also assured constituents that Elon Musk’s DOGE is not a threat to Social Security and Medicaid, the Nebraska Examiner reported.
A Honduran man accused of killing 21-year-old Sarah Root while drunkenly street racing in 2016 appeared in court after his home country extradited him to the U.S., WOWT reported. Congress recently passed a law named for Root that requires undocumented immigrants who committed violent crimes against Americans to be detained regardless of bail status, per KETV.
Pothole season is upon us, raising an age-old question: Could our roads be built more durably? A much-hyped concrete additive known as graphene could theoretically double the life of asphalt, but officials say the new material is still largely untested and prohibitively expensive, Liewer reported.
The Flatwater Free Press is published by the Nebraska Journalism Trust, a 501(c)(3) public charity