It was the summer of 2015. The sun had set and the big lights had turned on at the Antelope County Fair. Dust kicked up by the last bull still hung over the rodeo arena as I shimmied through the bleachers. That’s when I saw her.
Neon green shirt. Clipboard in hand.
In 2015 the Nebraska Legislature shocked the nation when it abolished the death penalty and overrode then-Gov. Pete Ricketts veto. That summer, petitioners like the one in the green shirt I saw as a Norfolk Daily News intern gathered enough signatures to put the issue on the ballot.
Ricketts and his family spent a lot of money to make that happen.
It’s just one example of the effect now-Sen. Ricketts and his family’s wealth has had on Nebraska politics, according to a new investigation by Flatwater’s Sara Gentzler and Alex Richards, a veteran data journalist and professor at Syracuse University. The family has spent millions on political causes, coalitions and races big and small, becoming some of the state’s top donors and shaping its future in the process.
This is the first in a series analyzing what happens when you combine politics, money and a state where the rich can make a big impact.
Read Sara and Alex’s story here (or click the photo above).
— Chris Bowling, Flatwater Free Press
This month you can look forward to exploring a historic neighborhood, learning about the business of art and sampling some of the most magnificent micheladas in the midwest. Feel the autumn!
Black Artist Meetup
Are you a BIPOC artist creating in isolation? Create alone no more! You can now connect and bond with others from the African diaspora during this free networking event.
– When: Sept. 19, 5:30 – 8 p.m.
– Where: Hot Shops Art Center, 1301 Nicholas St., Omaha
September Art Walk
Once upon a time there was a castle in Omaha. On the Third Thursday of every month, the castle would open its doors to the public. This isn’t a fairy tale, it’s real life! Bring the family to this fun-filled evening in the Joslyn Castle and Cathedral Creative District.
– When: Sept. 19, 5 – 8 p.m.
– Where: Joslyn Castle and Cathedral District – 3902 Davenport St., Omaha
Business of Art! Free Workshop
If you’re looking to turn your creative passion into a business, you’ll want to be at this one. UNO faculty are teaming up with the Benson Theater to give creatives a crash course on selling themselves, business plan basics and more. For the freeski!
– When: Sept. 21, 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
– Where: Benson Theater – 6054 Maple St., Omaha
Omaha Michelada Fest 2024
The first Omaha festival of its kind will feature food, music and a competition to crown the michelada champ. For the uninitiated, a michelada is sort of like a bloody mary with the vodka subbed out for Mexican beer. Get down there!
– When: Sept. 21, noon – 10 p.m.
– Where: Riverfront Plaza at the Lewis and Clark Landing – 345 Riverfront Drive, Omaha
— Xavier Jackson is an Omaha-based entrepreneur who connects creatives and forges more opportunities for them through his organization Local Art Plug.
If you’re like me looking for fresh vegetables, food trucks and fun flavors of hummus before September ends, the Gifford Park Neighborhood Market has you covered this Friday, starting at 5 p.m.
I love getting eggs from chickens raised not so far from me — they were delicious in my ramen! Plus, a live folk band, Midwest Dilemma, will play at this midtown block party.
— Yanqi Xu, Flatwater Free Press
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.
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.
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
Warren Buffet has told his three kids they have 10 years to give away his $144 billion fortune when the 94-year-old oracle of Omaha passes away. What will they spend it on? The Associated Press got a rare interview and learned … not much. Susie, Howard and Peter’s philanthropy already ranges from ending conflict worldwide to boosting causes in little ol’ Omaha.
Crossroads construction is no longer at a crossroads … maybe. Apartments, shops and entertainment space is planned for the long-delayed 72nd and Dodge streets renovation, set to break ground in May of next year and cost more than $860 million, according to reporting by Christopher Burbach at The World-Herald. (You may need a subscription to read this story.)
A moment of violence at an Omaha high school has brought school bullying back into the spotlight. A 14-year-old who shot a classmate at Northwest High earlier this month was subjected to “excessive bullying,” according to his lawyer. The World-Herald’s Lauren Wagner and Dan Crisler asked OPS officials how the district deals with bullying. (You may need a subscription to read the World-Herald’s stories.)
At North Omaha’s Mount Hope Cemetery, loved ones are upset that their ancestors’ graves are covered up by grass and weeds, WOWT’s Bella Caracta reported. A cemetery official said summer storms and a worker shortage are to blame for the lack of upkeep.
A local nonprofit is helping connect Omaha’s asylum seekers with housing, jobs and legal services as they await judgment in the city’s overloaded immigration court, the Nebraska Examiner’s Cindy Gonzalez reported. Among those aided by Omaha Welcomes the Stranger is a Cuban family that traversed half the continent before arriving here without money or a place to go.
The latest news about the Eppley Airfield makeover answers a burning question we all had: Will there be a Runza in the airport? The answer is yes — and Pitch Pizzeria, Block 16 and The Mill. The new-look terminal won’t be open until 2027, but frequent travelers are already licking their chops, KETV reported.
The Flatwater Free Press is published by the Nebraska Journalism Trust, a 501(c)(3) public charity