Hello and Happy 2022! Between the Omicron wave and subzero wind chills, it’s a heckuva way to ring in the New Year. But the eternal optimist in me sees better days really soon. Until then, it’s a perfect time to hibernate and read, say, a newsletter from your favorite Nebraska journalism nonprofit. First up this week: A nice story out of North Omaha. You probably know Bud Crawford as a boxing champion, as one of Nebraska’s greatest athletes. But our story this week suggests he’s more than that. He’s also a mentor to an 11-year-old sixth grader without a Dad whose life could go in a good direction, or a bad one. Who, Bud says, “reminds me of me.” Our freelancer Leo Adam Biga introduces you to Bud’s relationship with Reno.
Prison blues: It’s no secret that Nebraska’s prisons are wildly overcrowded and understaffed. Starting next week, new FFP reporter Natalia Alamdari is going to peel back the curtain and show us the consequences of those dueling crises on taxpayers, on prison guards, and on the prisoners themselves. She’s going to follow that story with several more important ones on Nebraska’s prison system. Natalia is a thoughtful, dogged reporter, and I’m excited to publish her first story for us.
Help make us better: We want Flatwater Free Press to be responsive to you, our readers, which is why we ask you for story ideas most weeks. Here’s another way you can help: Take our first reader survey. Please take a minute to reflect on the stories you’ve read in FFP. It’s only three questions! Your responses will be anonymous. Thank you for reading and for helping strengthen our journalism in 2022.
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:
- Speaking of the Nebraska prison system, World-Herald reporter Sara Gentzler is doing a bang-up job of covering this multi-faceted problem. Here are recent stories on what the Nebraska Legislature may do to try to fix the faltering prison system, and on how one state senator is blocking the release of a public report because she doesn’t like all its recommendations.
- Oh COVID. We would like to ignore you, but the Omicron wave is hammering Nebraska , it’s hard to get tested in Omaha and Lincoln and everywhere else, and the true height of the wave isn’t being captured because rapid tests aren’t included in the totals. Good and important reporting there from Omaha’s KMTV Channel 3, the World-Herald, the Lincoln Journal Star and Nebraska Public Media.
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