Happy weekend, Nebraskans. Before we get to our stories this week, allow me to speak to you for a brief minute about brain drain. You have heard politicians and state leaders bemoan this for years, as we watch smart, talented young adults — the potential building blocks of our state’s future success — wave goodbye and leave for LA or New York, Austin or Atlanta, Colorado or Minnesota or Florida.
But there’s an antidote for this. It’s brain gain. And I’m proud we are doing it at FFP.
Take Emily Wolf, FFP’s new Lincoln reporter whose first story we published today. She’s not from Nebraska. She’s a talented graduate of the University of Missouri, who has done good work in Kansas City and Fort Worth. Now she has moved here, with her talented partner, to report and write important stories. She’s a brand-new Nebraskan, as are many of FFP’s young, talented journalists.
Our newsroom, and our state, are better for it.
Emily’s first story nicely underlines my point. In her first weeks on the job, she dug deep into four recent killings where an abuser killed a victim of domestic violence. What she learned: These four killings are a flashing red warning sign of an even wider problem in Nebraska.
Join me, especially those of you in Lincoln, in waving hello to new neighbor and new Nebraska journalist Emily Wolf.
Ghost town steak: When Nebraska food writer extraordinaire Sarah Baker Hansen named her yearlong series on Nebraska’s most famous food Steak Town USA, I didn’t realize she meant a town of zero people.
But that’s where we found ourselves recently, in the central Nebraska ghost town of Sacramento. We traveled there so Sarah could profile a remarkable steakhouse that’s somehow becoming more and more popular in 2025 as it blends old-school charm with 21st century creativity. Here’s her story on The Speakeasy, a truly singular Nebraska steakhouse.
Join the cool kids club: Every April, the flowers bloom and the Flatwater Free Press asks you for money. It’s our annual spring donor drive, where we work to sign up new recurring donors who see the value of nonprofit news and thus sign up to give us $10/month, or $20/month, or an annual gift, or whatever fits your circumstances.
This is the easiest way to donate, setting it and forgetting it. It’s how I donate to FFP each month. And if you sign up here, you can peruse our cool thank you gifts.
I’m deciding between the art of the dancing crane or a brand new Flatwater Free Press tank top that shows off my guns. I should probably go with the poster, as I don’t want anyone fainting from the sight of my massive biceps.
Speaking of flexing: Our journalists are working hard, doing important work, providing crucial news to Nebraskans. As a newsroom we are growing, greatly expanding our reach and our audience, and giving away our stories for free to every Nebraska media outlet (70 of them ran an FFP story in March) and every Nebraskan.
Feel compelled to support that work? Here’s the handy-dandy, super-simple sign up.
Sword fight! I wouldn’t dare leave out a third story we published this week, because I’m afraid one of the story’s subjects might impale me with a long blade. It began as a hobbyist club, mostly Lincoln dudes intrigued by swords.
But a fascinating thing has happened to the Nebraska Swordfighters Guild in recent years, correspondent Liz McCue reports. A college course attracted new participants. The guild grew and diversified. And now it’s more than a sword-fight club. It’s its own community.
Update: Last Friday we published a story on a man who had a protection order slapped on him after he allegedly sent many lewd photos to a 24-year-old woman, repeatedly drove by her home and let her know that he knew when her boyfriend wasn’t there. That man was the police chief.
Emphasis on was. On Tuesday, we reported that the police chief in Mitchell had been dismissed
A message from an FFP partner: I love Nebraska for its creative places and its creative people.
My name is Teliza Rodriguez, and I coordinate the Creative Districts program for the Nebraska Arts Council. Creative Districts are communities of all sizes – cities, towns, or neighborhoods – where art and culture are driving growth and economic development.
To celebrate and promote these communities, we commissioned local artists to create posters. Each is unique and evokes something special about its place and its people: the architecture of Omaha’s Castle & Cathedral District, the running waters of Norfolk’s Riverpoint, and the wildlife of Chadron’s Open Frontier. A couple posters tell a story about the whole state.
As a reader of the Flatwater Free Press, you know that sharing stories about local communities is important. That’s why the Nebraska Arts Council and Flatwater have teamed up to produce these posters.
How can you support creativity and community-building in Nebraska, or get your hands on one of these posters? There are a few ways:
- Read all about the Creative Districts and even learn how your community could establish one through the Nebraska Arts Council.
- Make sure to check out the map of certified districts and find the one closest to you.
- Stay tuned for more from the Nebraska Arts Council here.
Thank you!
–Teliza V. Rodriguez
And back to me for the last word: It’s so nice to work with the Nebraska Arts Council on these posters each spring. As previously mentioned, you can peruse them and get one for free with a new recurring donation to FFP.
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].
See you next week,
—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:
- I nearly lost my Red Cloud card last week after I neglected to mention that a truly momentous occasion occurred in my hometown. They opened a brand-new 27-room boutique hotel in a historic building on Main Street. It took years of dreaming and scheming, and $8 million in investment. Now it’s reality, and will allow more people to stay in town as they check out the National Willa Cather Center and all the Cather sites. I got my first look at it on Saturday, and it’s incredible. Stories from News Channel Nebraska, Pure Nebraska and allegedly retired Nebraska Examiner reporter Paul Hammel.
- A really crucial story from the Omaha World-Herald’s Henry Cordes. Insurance rates are spiking in Nebraska, in fact surging more than in any other state in the country. Why? Cordes talks to experts who point at extreme weather events tied to climate change. (You may need OWH subscriber access to read.)
- Speaking of important stories tied to extreme weather: UNL’s High Plains Regional Climate Center went dark this week, closed by federal funding cuts. The 38-year-old center provided data for CropWatch, a farming tool, the Cattle Comfort Index, a tool for ranchers, and the National Drought Mitigation Center which tracks drought conditions across the U.S.
That story is by Chris Dunker of the Lincoln Journal Star. (May need LJS subscriber access to view.) Here’s another, by Nebraska Public Media’s Arthur Jones. - The Daily Nebraskan, the UNL student paper of which I’m a proud alum, broke some big news the other day, reporting that a small number of NU international students have had their visas revoked. Story by Lisa Fruehling and Justin Diep.
- A tornado just north of Omaha touched down Thursday night, caught on camera by KETV Channel 7’s Bill Schammert.
- After a long, serious fight, UNO and UNK faculty got their biggest pay increases in years. Story by KNLV radio in Ord, and a more in-depth story by the Journal Star’s Chris Dunker, who must not have slept this week. (May need LJS subscriber access to view.)
- And finally, a Nebraska ranch is up for sale at a historically large price. But not all members of the ranch family are thrilled with that. Story by the Nebraska Examiner’s Cindy Gonzalez.
