Howdy, Omaha — it’s Jeremy.
This week, I’ve been thinking about the metro area with an expansive mindset. My reporting on federal funding freezes has pulled me further westward than I usually venture to the ever-charming Wahoo.
The seat of Saunders County straddles the line between rural small town and city-adjacent bedroom community. Somehow, it feels both classic and up-and-coming.
The community of 5,000 got some news last year that would make any town say “Wahoo!” when it won two federal infrastructure grants worth a combined $1.4 million. (Note: The date on the humongous check below is off by a year.)
The awards came with the promise of replacing century-old gas lines and installing energy efficient street lights — not sexy upgrades but needed ones, city leaders say.
But when Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office, one of his very first executive orders froze the two grants — and at least a dozen others in Nebraska — that derived funding from bipartisan legislation approved under his predecessor.
Frustrated by the freeze, Wahoo’s city administrator went to Washington to lobby for the money promised to her town. In the end, it looks like she got her wish.
Read the story here (or click on the photo above).
— Jeremy Turley, Flatwater Free Press
At the end of March, the Ralston Public Schools Board approved a new lease for the RISE Alternative School program, praised its recent graduate successes and addressed concerns about the location’s proximity to a bar. Board members also celebrated student achievements, including state wrestling medalists and the Class of 2025 valedictorians. Updates included legislative impacts, Seymour Elementary improvement plans and a proposed community garden aimed at addressing food insecurity in Ralston. 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
Lately, my brain has felt chained to my phone. There’s always another text to send, a post to like, a TikTok to scroll past. In an effort to detox and fix my too-short attention span, I’m exchanging screen time for book time. And that includes joining a book club.
Last night, I went to our first meeting. From the planned reading list, we all have great taste in books if I do say so myself. I’m very excited to spend the year reading through books like “My Brilliant Friend,” “Psalm for the Wild-Built,” and even a cookbook. I’m also excited to see what book-themed snacks we dream up every month.
My task at my first meeting was to bring two potential books to add to that list — my suggestions: “Wandering Stars,” by Tommy Orange; and “The Dream Hotel,” by Laila Lalami. Have a suggestion I should add to my reading list? Drop me a line at nalamdari@flatwaterfreepress.org
— Natalia Alamdari, Flatwater Free Press
Omaha’s blue dot survived another legislative challenge. A bill to switch the state’s process for awarding presidents electoral votes back to a “winner-take-all” approach failed to gather enough support to overcome a filibuster, writes Juan Salinas II at the Nebraska Examiner.
The union that represents Omaha police filed a complaint against the city for failing to address officer shortages and interfering with union work, according to KETV’s Aaron Hegarty. The city denied any wrongdoing and asked an oversight board to dismiss the complaint.
An investigation into screeching bird sounds led The World-Herald’s Dan Crisler to the vacant King Fong Cafe and a perennial question — what’s going on with that place? Famed director Alexander Payne, who owns the historic building, shines some light on the situation. (You may need a subscription to read this story.)
Thousands gathered at Memorial Park Saturday to protest President Donald Trump, part of nationwide demonstrations. Speakers included former (and possibly future) U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn, an independent, as well as Omaha mayoral candidate John Ewing, a Democrat, writes The Gateway’s Kaitlyn Kelly for the Nebraska Examiner.
The 15-year-old killed in a drive-by shooting two weeks ago was allegedly shot by a family friend. The boy’s mom shared her confusion and heartbreak with The World-Herald’s Dan Crisler. (You may need a subscription to read this OWH story)
Officials broke ground Wednesday on a new 100,000 square-foot, $45 million activities and sports complex in Levi Carter Park, reports WOWT’s John Chapman.
Business owners, advocates and a Catholic priest gathered to encourage Congress to keep tax credits that have helped many install clean energy infrastructure, according to Crisler at The World-Herald. The tax credits were created through the Inflation Reduction Act passed under President Joe Biden. (You may need a subscription to read this OWH story)
Omaha North High School is getting an athletic field — part of a multi-million dollar investment that also includes a new YMCA, according to the Nebraska Examiner’s Cindy Gonzalez. The project is being funded through a state grant program for North and South Omaha, along with an undisclosed amount of private money.
A legislative fight over what to do with kids who break the law is heating up. A bill from Sen. Terrell McKinney to fund a resource center sputtered back to life, writes Gonzalez at the Nebraska Examiner. Another bill backed by Gov. Jim Pillen, which lowers the age at which juveniles can be detained and charged as adults, is still on the docket.
Cass County commissioners delayed a vote on constructing a piece of a long-planned Omaha-to-Lincoln bike trail, according to Jill Lamkins at KMTV. Residents are frustrated by the planned bikeway’s proximity to their homes.
The Flatwater Free Press is published by the Nebraska Journalism Trust, a 501(c)(3) public charity