Some of the best stories involve a simple ingredient: People trying to make their small corner of the world a little bit better. Those genuine do-gooders are at the heart of a story by FFP Omaha reporter Chris Bowling. It’s also about a beloved senior center, the FBI, fraud, destructive raccoons and a nonprofit struggling to overcome the crimes of former leadership.
This is FFP managing editor Ryan Hoffman, filling in this week for the inimitable Matthew Hansen (be honest, did I fool you?).
Disclosures and poor impersonations aside, Bowling’s story is well worth a read. He reports how a South Omaha senior center came into existence (the aforementioned do-gooders) and how that building ended up in the hands of PACE, a nonprofit (also with do-gooder origins) derailed when its former director was arrested in a sweeping fraud investigation that also involved a now-former Omaha city councilman.
PACE, which got the building for $1, plans to sell it for $500,000. The original owners are trying to block the sale.
Then there was one: Less than a year after lawmakers passed a 12-week abortion ban, Nebraska is down to one surgical abortion provider. Options are dwindling even as more out-of-state residents – folks from places like Missouri, Mississippi and Texas – are traveling to Nebraska to receive abortion services.
FFP senior reporter Yanqi Xu talked to doctors about why this matters. She also spoke with advocates on both sides of this issue and stopped by a longtime Bellevue clinic that, as Yanqi writes, has been symbolically and practically situated at the center of Nebraska’s abortion fight.
And the Oscar goes to: Famed director and Nebraska native Alexander Payne sat down with Mike’l Severe for our latest Flatwater Free Conversation.
Payne chats about his latest film “The Holdovers,” which is nominated for multiple Academy Awards. But the freewheeling conversation also covers growing up Greek in Omaha, Paul Giamatti, “Star Wars,” writing at the Elkhorn Public Library and more. Watch it for yourself.
Strength in numbers: The Nebraska Journalism Trust, FFP’s parent organization, is growing! New board members. New employees. New reporters. Read all about the latest additions to the team in this update from NJT Executive Director Matt Wynn.
See you Tuesday: Speaking of the Trust, we’re co-hosting an event at Omaha’s Tri-Faith Initiative on Tuesday, March 12. The conversation will feature a panel of Nebraska experts discussing faith and climate change. FFP journalists, including this stand-in newsletter writer, also will be there. The discussion, sponsored by Humanities Nebraska, is free and open to everyone. Learn more and register here.
Thanks for reading,
—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:
- Organizers with the signature-gathering campaign to put abortion protections on the November ballot tell Nebraska Public Media’s Elizabeth Rembert that they are on track and feeling positive. Nebraska Right to Life says they’re focused on educating voters in hopes of defeating the measure if it makes it on the ballot.
- An internal Omaha police bulletin noted the city is seeing a large increase in methamphetamine tied to Mexican cartels. The bulletin, obtained by the The World-Herald’s Molly Ashford, also referenced the fatal shooting of two men at a South Omaha nightclub by off-duty officers.
- The Red Way debacle in Lincoln is still ruffling feathers months later. Last week, a Lancaster County commissioner called for the firing of the Lincoln Airport’s director, the Journal Star’s Pat Sangimino reports. Meanwhile, the Nebraska Auditor’s Office told Sangimino that the failed airline service had paid all outstanding refunds.
- Rural grocery stores face an uphill battle to keep their doors open. Now states across the Midwest, including Nebraska, are floating proposals to support these stores, which are often the lifeblood of their communities. An excellent story by Stateline published by the Nebraska Examiner.
- Talk about a find! A man purchased a bunch of old films for $20 at an auction in Omaha. In the collection was a silent film from 1923 starring the groundbreaking star Clara Bow. It’s the only known copy of the film. Such a cool story by WOWT’s Marlo Lundak.
- There are still plenty of unanswered questions concerning the shuttering then reinstatement of a popular Facebook page where folks share photos from across Nebraska. The social media giant declined to answer questions (this is my surprised face). Another one from Sangimino at the Journal Star.
- The OWH’s Lauren Wagner with an important story on the toll evictions are having on Nebraska children. Read it.
FFP reporter Jeremy Turley has done a ton of equally important reporting on evictions faced by public housing tenants.
And speaking of evictions, a proposal to “seal” dropped or dismissed eviction filings from public view died in the Legislature on Thursday following a two-day filibuster. The bill’s failure came despite a compromise meant to assuage concerns, the Nebraska Examiner’s Paul Hammel reports. - And to close things out, a heaping helping of inspiration to take into the weekend. In the span of a few years, Gracie Grote became a single mom, lost her own mother, battled depression and saw her father diagnosed with cancer. In May she’ll graduate with her master’s degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. I’m grateful Gracie shared her deeply personal story, and I’m grateful that the OWH’s Emily Nitcher told it.
Today’s newsletter is sponsored by:
Planning + Outcome Perfected
