Hate to rub it in, but if you’re reading this on Friday afternoon I’m sitting down the first base line at Wrigley Field, drinking a cold Budweiser as I watch the Chicago Cubs play afternoon baseball just as God and Harry Caray intended.
But do not fear: I have ripped a hole in the time-space continuum in order to bring you this newsy Friday newsletter despite my vacation. We can only hope that I write it better than the 2022 Chicago Cubs play baseball. (A pretty low bar, I realize.)
First up: I knew that teachers often spent money out of their own pockets to buy supplies for their classrooms. But I had no idea just how widespread — and costly — this practice was and is in Nebraska.
Teachers in Nebraska spend hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars on things that school districts can’t afford, like colored paper or puzzles. They also spend on things that families of low income can’t give their kids, like birthday treats for the class or winter gloves or, in some cases, food.
There is a new Omaha company that’s trying to help by connecting teachers who need help with parents and others who want to provide it. And there are a host of nonprofits and donation platforms that Nebraska teachers annually use.
But it’s still a problem. Addie Costello with the story on Nebraska’s school supply shortage.
State senator’s journey: Sen. Terrell McKinney went to Africa earlier this summer, part of an effort to establish a sister city relationship between his North Omaha legislative district and a township in Accra, Ghana’s capital city. But, while there, he tells our freelancer JD Avant that he learned more about North Omaha, and about being Black in Nebraska.
“The barriers that you have to jump over, crawl through, and shake to get anywhere in Nebraska as a Black person is a reason you see so many young Black people just leave,” McKinney said.
A mini-profile of the 32-year-old who replaced Ernie Chambers in the Nebraska Legislature.
Two is becoming three: Next week executive director Matt Wynn and I will be doing final interviews for our state government watchdog reporter job, FFP’s newly created role. I’m very excited to be hiring our third full-time reporter for such an important reporting job . And I’m thankful to you, our loyal readers and donors, for making this possible. And that’s not all: With your continued support, more exciting FFP expansion news is coming your way soon!
You can’t see me right now, but I’m peering over my sunglasses and raising my eyebrows at you from the passenger seat as Sarah drives us east toward Chicago.
See you next week back in Nebraska,
—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:
- If history is any guide, Jim Pillen is the favorite to be Nebraska’s next governor in conservative-leaning Nebraska. But he created a bit of a kerfuffle this week when his campaign confirmed he won’t debate opponent Carol Blood. It raises an obvious question: Why? Nebraska reporters looked into it and discovered that it will be the first time in a half-century that Nebraska has no gubernatorial debate. World-Herald reporter Martha Stoddard on the fallout.
- There’s been a fair bit of national attention this week on a new peer-reviewed study and report on what residents in every state can expect from extreme heat and flooding caused by climate change. You can go right to the source and look up your Nebraska zip code here.
- I have been meaning to mention this one for months: If you have HBO or HBO Max and haven’t watched “Mind Over Murder” drop this newsletter and start it right now. It’s a six-part documentary series focused on the story of an infamous murder in Beatrice. It follows the so-called “Beatrice Six.” But it also shows detectives, attorneys, Beatrice residents and members of the murder victim’s family grappling with the information that the people who confessed to murder didn’t actually commit it. It’s stunning storytelling. I highly recommend.
- All in all, it’s been a good few years to be a Nebraska farmer. But this good chapter may be coming to a close for Nebraska ag in 2022, reports 10/11 News.
- And finally, bikes! Omahans are riding ‘em more since the city put in its first-ever protected bike lane. The Omaha Reader with this story, which raises questions about whether that bike lane will become permanent.
