I wish I had better news to share at the start of my final newsletter of 2021. In fact, just below, we have a lovely Christmas story for you to read. But first, the hard truth: One of the state’s premier hospitals is being overrun by largely unvaccinated COVID-19 patients, and that overcrowding is leading to delays in medical care for very sick people who don’t have COVID-19. Just a few minutes ago, we published a story, written by me, that details the case of William Kieler, an 83-year-old from Peru, Nebraska. William’s a retired tugboat operator, a job you don’t hear much about in Nebraska. He’s a father of four. And he’s suffering from congestive heart failure and other medical problems…which is why, for three days earlier this month, a small county hospital near his hometown tried, and tried, to get him transferred to a big-city hospital. It took 80 hours.
It’s one thing to hear “the hospitals are full.” It’s quite another to know the impact of our modern-day version of No Room at the Inn. My sincere gratitude to the Kieler family and Bryan Health for granting me interviews on this important story. Get well, Mr. Kieler, and I hope you are back on your beloved river soon.
An age-old Christmas tradition, and a rebirth: We have arrived at the heartwarming version of our newsletter! It’s the story of a church in Lincoln, a church built by immigrants known as “Germans from Russia.” Did you know that 1/3 babies born in Lincoln early in the 20th century were from this immigrant group? And did you know that, to this day, they hold a special German language service each year? I sure didn’t, which is why I was thrilled to read this week’s story from Cindy Lange-Kubick. I just realized I typed “Karen” in the headline, and you might be thinking of the wrong Karen…no no no no no I’m talking about the immigrant group from Burma! An immigrant group who is now attending this 114-year-old German church, and making it their home, too. I want to put on a soft sweater and smooch this story under the mistletoe.
The last grains of sand, sifting thru 2021’s hourglass: I’m, uh, not gonna miss Year 2 of the global pandemic. But I am so proud that our small but mighty crew stood up Nebraska’s first statewide journalism nonprofit this year, calling it the Flatwater Free Press. And I know the staff at Flatwater, including new full-time reporters Yanqi Xu and Natalia Alamdari, have amazing things coming in 2022. If you would like to contribute to our year-end campaign, please do so right here. Every $1 you give right now becomes $3 thanks to our year-end NewsMatch campaign as well as our local matching grant. Thank you to the many, many of you who have already given. It means so very much to us.
Ok, we’re officially on break til Jan. 3. Maybe I will play golf in Nebraska on Christmas Eve. That’s totally normal. Maybe I will cue up some Mannheim Steamroller and do a robot dance to the synthesizer. Also totally normal. Maybe I will lie on my couch and binge-watch the last season of Narcos: Mexico. Ok that’s actually what I’m gonna do. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Joy and Peace on Earth and we’ll see you right back here in the New Year.
Sincerely,
—Matthew Hansen, Executive 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:
- We jointly published a story with KMTV Channel 3 News Now last weekend. Reporter Aaron Sanderford tells the tale: Some Omahans with disabilities feel like they are getting left at the curb by a ticketing issue with the Omaha rapid bus system.
- NOISE Omaha and its partner the Kansas Reflector have been breaking stories and making news on the state’s oh-so-troubled contract with Saint Francis Ministries since before we were born. This month, the state ended the contract with the company meant to manage child welfare cases in Omaha. NOISE and the Reflector are back with a wild new story…A half-million dollars charged to credit cards, and bribes paid to two-bit politicians in El Salvador, anyone?
- This story from the Associated Press created a bit of a stir…in a time of incredibly low unemployment, can Gov. Pete Ricketts force people to work?
Support us through our fiscal sponsor, the Nebraska Community Foundation:
