Howdy, Omaha, it’s Jeremy.
When you work a news beat long enough, you start to feel like you understand the lay of the land. You become confident — even convinced — that you know what’s going to happen.
But invariably, something happens that you didn’t expect, knocking you back down to earth.
That’s how I, a housing-obsessed reporter, felt upon reading the news that a group of Bellevue renters had formed a union to fight against alleged landlord neglect. Tenant unions are a staple of the housing scenes in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, but in Omaha, the concept is downright newfangled.
I wanted to learn more, so I set out to talk to tenants, organizers and landlords at the heart of this story. Here’s what I found: this isn’t a one-off, and it could be the beginning of a movement with potential to shift the local landlord-tenant dynamic.
Three tenant unions have formed in the metro area since July and more are likely to follow. Renters like Spencer Antrim (pictured above) say it feels like the first step toward holding their landlord accountable.
Read the story here (or click the photo).
— Jeremy Turley, Flatwater Free Press
Due to a lack of quorum, the Omaha Human Rights and Relations Board held an informal discussion on recent activities and future plans. Assistant Director Christian Espinosa reported on successful housing outreach and upcoming efforts in North and South Omaha. The HRR Martin Luther King “Living the Dream” event is set for Jan. 20, and there’s a call for volunteers, with a focus on increasing outreach to the disabled community. 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
While I’m a huge fan of fall, I’ve never enjoyed “spooky season.” Afraid of simply the opening of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” as a kid, I still can’t force myself to pass the Halloween decorations in Home Depot this time of year. So when my radio job had me go to Scary Acres to promote their seasonal horror attractions, I was terrified.
However, that night, I got to drive our station’s car behind the scenes where the monsters get ready. I watched a masked man with a chainsaw pick up loose garbage by a trash can. I saw zombies likely being dropped off by their parents. I witnessed a ghoul give a little girl a fist bump after they complimented each others’ shoes. Nothing was more humanizing than seeing a “murderous” clown needing five minutes on the ground to stretch their legs after pulling a muscle chasing the (much scarier) unsupervised group of middle schoolers.
So this season, even if you’re like me and irrationally experience fight or flight, remember there are faces behind the masks and makeup. The monsters also complain about why it’s still hot out in September. And if you bump into Scrappy the Clown, tell him I said “Hi.”
— Ben Goeser, Silicon Prairie News
Each year, Omaha Public Library encourages the community to vote for and read one book as a way to promote literacy and inspire discussion. Join OPL in reading the 2024 selection, “The War Begins in Paris” by local author Theodore Wheeler, and engage further by participating in a program and discussing the book with friends, family and neighbors.
https://omahalibrary.org/omaha-reads
The Environmental Protection Agency established the Omaha Lead Superfund Site in 1999 after decades of emissions contaminated soil in east Omaha. The site became one of the biggest residential lead cleanup efforts in U.S. history, addressing soil contamination on more than 40,000 properties.
The Flatwater Free Press is testing the effectiveness of these cleanup efforts, and we need your help. If you live east of 52nd Street in Omaha and want to know where your lead levels stand, we’ve got a testing kit with your name on it. Pick one up from any of the following library branches: A.V. Sorensen, Washington, Downtown, Florence, South or Willa Cather.
Just fill the tube up with soil from your yard, complete a short form, return the kit the library and we’ll test the lead levels free of charge. If you picked up a kit, please return it to your local library!
Check the status of your property by visiting the EPA’s Omaha Lead Superfund Site website.
If you have any questions, contact Leah Wambui Keinama at the Nebraska Journalism Trust.
Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said the officer who killed an unarmed Black man while serving a no-knock warrant should be fired, The World-Herald’s Luna Stephens reported. County Attorney Don Kleine declined to press charges against OPD Officer Adam Vail, but a grand jury will assemble to review the case.
(You may need a subscription to read this story.)
A final push to wrest control of Omaha’s lone electoral vote fizzled out Monday when Sen. Mike McDonnell said he would not support a “winner-take-all” approach. That means our humble city could still play a big role come Election Day.
(You might need a subscription to read the New York Times’ story.)
The results are in: Omaha’s young professionals have mixed feelings on the city. In a new survey they listed job opportunities, housing costs and transit as weak spots, though nearly 90% said they enjoyed their quality of life here, reports Lauren Wagner at The World-Herald. (You may need a subscription.)
The ownership of Omaha’s minor league baseball team is changing hands. The former Storm Chasers owners say the move allows them to focus more on a planned $300 million, 18-acre development anchored by a Union Omaha soccer stadium along Abbot Drive, writes Cindy Gonzalez at the Nebraska Examiner.
Construction along Harney Street shut down Omaha’s only protected bike lane earlier this month. Proposed alternatives have raised old concerns about the city’s infrastructure, writes Trilety Wade with Safe Streets Omaha.
Whether or not Omaha’s claim to the reuben’s creation is true, the city does have a lot of them. Dan Hoppen, of Restaurant Hoppen, put his cholesterol levels on the line, tried them all and ranked them best to worst.
The Flatwater Free Press is published by the Nebraska Journalism Trust, a 501(c)(3) public charity