Natalia Alamdari here filling in for Matthew Hansen, and I’ve got the perfect Arbor Day read for you: When you think of Nebraska, you probably don’t think of trees. We don’t have the forests of redwoods and sequoias that California has, or the vast pine forests of Maine.
But what we do have, are hearty, resilient, thick-skinned trees strong enough to tough it out on the harsh prairies. The biggest of those trees end up on the Nebraska Forest Service’s Champion Tree Register.
Last week, Flatwater photographer Lily Smith and I tagged along as the keeper of the register, Justin Evertson, went out to measure a few potential new champs. We walked through a quarter mile of tall-grass prairie to measure a bur oak dubbed the Mother Oak by the landowner’s grandsons; then over to Arbor Day Farm to take a look at a persimmon and another bur oak contender. You’ll have to read to find out who made it on the list.
RIP Big Snap: When state officials announced that Big Snap Daddy, the world’s largest and likely oldest common snapping turtle, had to be euthanized, the Flatwater Slack was distraught. We also had a lot of questions. Did Big Snap have any little snappers? What clued his caretakers at the Schramm Education Center into his declining health? What did he like to eat? Would there be a funeral? Flatwater reporter Andrew Wegley got to investigating. Read his obituary on the dino of Gretna here.
Primary prep: It can be hard to keep up with all the national headlines about federal efforts to overhaul elections. So just what do you need to know about elections in Nebraska? The May primary is business as usual, Flatwater correspondent Christopher Burbach reports. The general election in November is a bit murkier.
Rejected fix: Last year, FFP reporter Jeremy Turley and Lauren Wagner of the education news outlet The 74 Million reported that Nebraska schools frequently deny students with disabilities trying to transfer from one district into another. A bill in the Legislature that would have banned disproportionate rejections made its way to the governor’s desk this session, Turley reports. But the final version of the bill gutted the fix parents and disability advocates were fighting for.
Dreaming of ramen: I love ramen. I love basic microwaved ramen, ramen dressed up with whatever’s in my fridge, ramen made by actual restaurant professionals. And this week’s restaurant review from Sarah Baker Hansen has added a new spot to my list of Omaha food joints to try: Crafted Ramen Misolado. Read the full review here.
Support our work: Our spring fundraising campaign is underway, which means – if you haven’t already – now is an excellent time to start supporting this newsletter and the Flatwater Free Press. So far, we have 88 new donors signed up to give monthly or annually. Our goal is 100. Help us over the finish line today. If you appreciate the stories above, as well as our work on lead contamination, sinkholes and the streetcar, as well as stories on our state’s rich history and rich food, please become a supporter. Start a new monthly gift by May 1, and we’ll send you a gift. We’re offering T-shirts, tote bags, and posters from local artists, including an eye-catching piece from Dundee that I’ll for sure be ordering. See your gift options and make your donation here.
And the winner is …: We’ve had a string of wins lately: Last week, Flatwater won the Nebraska Press Association’s 2026 Better Newspaper Contest, taking home the inaugural top prize in a newly created division for the state’s biggest newspapers and nonprofits. I couldn’t be prouder of the hard work of my talented coworkers. You can read the full list of awards we took home here.
Sincerely,
Natalia Alamdari, Investigative Editor
Thanks to this week’s sponsor
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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:
- In Dawson County, unemployment has surged to 17% after Tyson’s closure, Alex Makovicka of KRVN reports. That’s up from 3.4% in January and is the highest unemployment rate in the state.
- In 2023, the state awarded a company a $5 million grant to produce a film on the life of Chief Standing Bear. That grant was recently suspended, after the State Auditor’s Office found no evidence of the matching funds the company was required to commit to the project. Anna Kleiber at the Lincoln Journal Star brings you the story. (You may need an LJS subscription to read this)
- The “inappropriate relationship” that caused former University of Nebraska President Ted Carter to step down from his post at The Ohio State University last month started when he was at NU, according to an OSU report this week. NU is now reviewing its own records to see if Carter gave preferential treatment to the woman, Matt Olberding of Nebraska Public Media reports.
- More university news: International student enrollment numbers have dropped across Nebraska universities, Hannah Nazarenus of Nebraska Public Media reports. It’s part of a national trend that is hurting universities’ tuition revenue.
- A new study by an environmental advocacy group found that drinking water systems serving 65 million Americans had elevated levels of nitrate. Of those, roughly 42 million live in five states – one being Nebraska, according to the nonprofit news site Stateline.
In Nebraska, Flatwater senior reporter Yanqi Xu helped bring the nitrate issue to the forefront with her 2022 reporting. - Another Lincoln police officer accused of sexual misconduct has resigned. As the Lincoln Journal Star’s Lori Pilger reported, he is the third LPD officer accused of sexual misconduct to resign in the past nine months. (You may need an LJS subscription to read this)
