My interest was piqued a few weeks ago when I saw that Union Pacific had donated to the effort to build a new White House ballroom, a project of President Donald Trump.
FFP reporter Joshua Shimkus talked to industry analysts and experts who noted a few things tied to that Nebraska-headquartered company’s donation.
One: U.P. is right now pushing the biggest merger in recent railroad history, one that would make it by far the largest rail company in the country — and one that needs federal approval.
And two: President Trump has involved himself more than any other president in decisions like this merger — decisions that traditionally have been left to independent boards.
A good, smart story from Shimkus on the potential motivations behind that ballroom blitz.
Volleyball fam: Four generations of a Nebraska family have lived and breathed high school volleyball. They’re fans. They are players. Mostly: They are referees.
Meet the Janssens and the Kwapnioskis, who are carrying on the legacy that begins with great-grandpa — and continuing to do it despite the fact that refereeing any sport is getting tougher and in some cases uglier.
Story by a brand-new correspondent, Sheryl Schmeckpeper, a semi-retired Norfolk Daily News reporter and editor.
Stopped in Seward: Flatwater senior reporter Natalia Alamdari has done stellar work over the years reporting on Seward County, where the Sheriff’s Office has turned civil asset forfeiture — a controversial practice allowing law enforcement to seize motorists’ money without charging them with a crime — into an art form.
This week, following some good daily reporting from the Seward County Independent, Alamdari has an important follow-up.
The federal government earlier this year halted the sheriff’s ability to use those federal dollars after a U.S. Treasury review found that his office had spent $762,000 on “impermissible” spending.
He didn’t tell other county leaders about this for months.
Read that story, and if you are interested, we have a new quick-hit page, Stopped in Seward, that summarizes the story and features all of Alamdari’s reporting.
Got lead?: For more than a century, a smelting plant in downtown Omaha spewed lead-laced smoke across the city. Some 400 million pounds of the toxic metal — nearly the weight of Chicago’s Sears Tower — settled into the soil and bodies of countless east Omaha residents. Since 1999, the Environmental Protection Agency and City of Omaha have spent millions cleaning up the city.
Flatwater Free Press is now partnering with ProPublica to find out how effective this cleanup — one of the largest of its kind in American history — has been. And you can help! And get a free lead test to boot.
Remember the restaurant tax: Our Flatwater Explains series continues, as Omaha reporter Jeremy Turley dives into a blast from the past. Why are diners taxed extra in Omaha? He explains the once-controversial tax — and why it’s now likely around forever.
Helping our neighbors: Last Sunday, I pulled my car into a parking lot in midtown Omaha to a sight that both made me laugh and warmed my heart. It was Mayor John Ewing, dressed in a three-piece suit — he’d just come from church — and surrounded by, like, three dozen Cub Scouts who all appeared to be roughly 3 feet tall.
This little munchkin army was doing something so important: They were collecting food, like the box that Sarah and I had in our backseat, to feed those who are going hungry during this government shutdown.
As I’m sure you know, the federal government remains closed, and food aid that’s generally distributed to low-income Nebraskans is paused and the subject of a court case.
Our food banks are straining to meet the need. It’s time for us to do what our government isn’t.
Here I have tried to compile the stories from Nebraska newsrooms on how you can help feed the hungry in your community. If you see something missing, shoot it to me and I will get it in next week’s newsletter!
UNL offering free museum admission and food access in Lincoln
A roundup of various statewide sites from News Channel Nebraska
A statewide roundup story from Nebraska Public Media
Let’s do this together, Nebraskans.
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].
Sincerely,
Matthew Hansen, Executive Editor
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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:
- A huge scoop from the Journal Star’s Andrew Wegley. Senate candidate Dan Osborn’s campaign has been paying his wife’s Wyoming company. You may need Journal Star subscriber access to view this story … and honestly, it’s a good reason to subscribe to your local newspaper if you live there.
- Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers is suing a bevy of progressive groups, saying that they used foreign money to fund ballot initiative campaigns in violation of state law. Story by Juan Salinas II of the Nebraska Examiner.
- In the wake of controversial budget cuts, UNL professors are planning a no-confidence vote on the school’s chancellor, reports Nebraska Examiner’s Zach Wendling. Wendling also had a story this week on fights over how the university budget should be cut. Here’s another story on the no-confidence vote from the Journal Star’s Chris Dunker, appearing here in the Omaha World-Herald. (You may need OWH subscriber access to view that last one.)
- Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen says that the McCook Work Ethic Camp is now housing people in ICE custody. Check out the story from Nebraska Public Media’s Brian Beach.
- Pillen called for a state senator to resign this week after the senator was cited on suspicion of public indecency after an alleged incident with a legislative staffer. Stories by WOWT and the Examiner. Sen. Dan McKeon of Amherst has thus far resisted calls for his resignation, blaming left-wingers, throwing some shade the governor’s way and also pointing out that he apologized. Here’s that story from Chris Dunker at the LJS, who was busy this week. (You may need LJS subscriber access to view this story.)
- And finally, breaking news that just shocked me in Omaha: The Omaha Children’ Museum, which was slated to move to a new headquarters down by the redone Omaha Riverfront, has now paused its plan to move. Story by WOWT.
