This is FFP managing editor Ryan Hoffman, filling in for Matthew Hansen. About five years ago I was sitting in Waverly on the verge of boredom-induced insanity. Local elected folks were debating whether to participate in a study that would monitor nitrate levels in the soil.
Beyond the science (and there was a lot of science), the conversation largely focused on two goals: saving farmers money and preventing costly infrastructure upgrades.
I don’t recall much discussion about health concerns. But I do remember walking out of the meeting as a reporter thinking, “how the hell am I going to make this interesting?”
That entirely forgettable day of small-town newspapering was the first thing that came to mind after reading FFP investigative reporter Yanqi Xu’s 2022 reporting about Nebraska’s nitrate problem.
High nitrate levels, Yanqi wrote, are linked to different forms of cancer and other serious maladies. Nebraska has the highest pediatric cancer rate west of Pennsylvania.
The reporting unquestionably put a spotlight on the problem. Bills were introduced at the Legislature, and Gov. Jim Pillen requested a study that offered free testing to some 29,000 households across rural Nebraska.
The results of that study, as Yanqi reports in our story published today, show that rural Nebraska’s nitrate problem doesn’t appear to be getting any better.
Some 40% of private wells tested contained levels of nitrate that one Nebraska medical expert considers unsafe for children. About 15% failed to meet the federal drinking water standard.
If more isn’t done to reverse the current trend, it will get to the point where we won’t be able to dig a new well without striking nitrate-rich water, a former state lawmaker said. “Good luck finding good water to mix with the bad water.”
Nebraska proDOGEy: A little over a year ago, University of Nebraska-Lincoln student Luke Farritor was basking in international acclaim for his work deciphering ancient scrolls with AI. Now, he is one of the young computer engineers working to slash federal spending for the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency.
The 23-year-old’s role has divided folks in his home state, as FFP reporter Chris Bowling writes.
Killing Science: Speaking of Washington and slashing, the Trump administration’s plan to cut spending at the National Institutes of Health would have major repercussions for Nebraska research institutions, particularly the University of Nebraska. The cuts — which have been temporarily blocked by a federal judge — would mean layoffs and less cutting-edge medical research, officials told FFP reporter Jeremy Turley.
One researcher summed up the mood this way: “It feels like science died — the killing of science.”
Neapolitan perfection: Maybe it’s just the hunger talking, but I’m pretty sure I’d run barefoot from Lincoln to Omaha right now to eat every menu item pictured in this review of Dante by Sarah Baker Hansen. Seriously, I’d crash through a brick wall with more vigor than the Kool-Aid Man for the pizza alone. And I ain’t sharing.
Dante emerged as a forerunner of culinary trends when it opened in west Omaha 15 years ago. And “it has endured as one of the most reliably wonderful restaurants in Omaha, always surprising, always seasonal, always pushing Omahans to expand their Italian palette,” writes SBH.
Questions wanted: Some of our best story ideas come from readers, and they typically start with a burning question that just cries out for an answer. Have a question that our reporters need to look into? Complete this form or reach our newsroom at [email protected].
Stay warm,
—Ryan Hoffman, managing editor
Here’s what we’re into this week: News from around Nebraska
Every week we like to share great Nebraska journalism, no matter who made it. Here’s what caught our eye this week:
- Lincoln businesses with ties to the Hispanic community say they have had fewer customers in recent weeks amid the Trump administration’s promises of mass deportations, reports the Journal Star’s Neal Franklin. (May need a subscription to read the Journal Star story.)
- An effort backed by Gov. Jim Pillen to lower property taxes by boosting state aid to schools got a warm reception during a recent legislative hearing, per the Nebraska Examiner’s Zach Wendling.
Speaking of schools, the head of the state teacher’s union and a leading proponent of school choice legislation spent more than an hour debating a range of education issues, Wendling reports. - While Pillen’s school funding proposal found a reservoir of support, his effort to combine the Department of Environment and Energy with the Department of Natural Resources faced opposition and appears to be on shaky ground, reports Andrew Wegley at the Journal Star. (May need a subscription to read the Journal Star story.)
- You think you wear a lot of hats? Kimball County emergency communications dispatcher Darlene Tiner has to field calls, dispatch emergency service and … serve as the county jailer. “We do it all here,” Tiner, who is retiring after nearly 28 years, told Forrest Hershberger at News Channel Nebraska.
- The dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development has halted food and ag research at federally-funded university labs across the country, including here in Nebraska, reports Harvest Public Media. The story, published by Nebraska Public Media, notes that some labs have already had layoffs.
- I’ve covered plenty of recall efforts. They typically never make it to the ballot. And when they do, they usually fail. That’s why this story from 10/11’s Sara Badura caught my attention: McCool Junction voters earlier this week recalled a village board member. The man who led the effort accused the board member of violating open meetings laws and subjecting employees to abusive behavior.
- An investigation by the State Ombudsman’s Office found “reasonable grounds” to support claims of mismanagement by the Nebraska State Historical Society’s previous interim leaders, reports the Nebraska Examiner’s Paul Hammel.
- A bill that would give the City of Omaha the authority to regulate the area’s public housing authority faced pushback in the Legislature. City officials were among the opponents, reports Erin Bamer of the Omaha World-Herald. (May need a subscription to read The World-Herald story.)
The bill is the latest move targeting the Omaha Housing Authority, which has faced heightened criticism. A 2023 Flatwater investigation revealed that OHA filed to evict tenants who were eligible for rent exemptions, among other findings. The agency is also facing a class-action lawsuit alleging it ignored and failed to eliminate bed bug infestations. - Boxing’s long-reigning welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford is getting back in the ring, though the Omaha native will likely have to wait a little bit, according to an Associated Press report published by The World-Herald. (May need a subscription.)
ESPN, which also reported on plans for the match, ranks Crawford as its No. 2 pound-for-pound boxer.
