No need to bury the lede here: Starting next week, you are going to see the first of several Flatwater Free Press stories on the invasion of Ukraine. These stories will be written from near the Ukrainian border.
FFP reporter Natalia Alamdari is prepping to fly to Warsaw, where she will hook up — and volunteer with — a group of Nebraskans attempting to help during what may be the biggest humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II.
She is going to tell the stories of Ukrainian refugees. She is going to tell the stories of Nebraskans who have put their lives on hold to try to help.
We’re thrilled to be able to bring those stories to you and to all Nebraskans. Much more to come.
By the way, as a reporter who once travelled to Afghanistan and has written many stories about that country — I promise you we aren’t going to ignore that humanitarian crisis and its local ties, either. In fact, we’re currently working on a story on Afghans in Nebraska that you will see in the weeks to come.
A volleyball legend finds the light: We don’t write about sports here at FFP. However, when one of Nebraska’s most revered public figures agrees to talk about his struggles with mental health — when he tells this story in the hope that he can help others — we do write about that.
Teaching behind prison walls: The aforementioned Alamdari and new reporting partner Melissa Rosales of Nebraska Public Media told a fantastic story on our website and on public radio this week.
There are a group of teachers who, in four counties of our state, teach kids who are in juvenile detention awaiting sentencing. These teens are behind in school, often woefully behind. They carry with them varying levels of childhood trauma and varying criminal charges, up to and including murder.
And this group of teachers — they somehow, some way, try to help these teenagers learn.
This is the first time we have partnered with Nebraska Public Media. We’re hopeful it will be the first of many. Telling important stories in words and also on Nebraska’s public radio airwaves…yes, please.
You people are the best: Our spring fundraising drive has almost ended, and my gosh it has been an unqualified success. We have busted well past our original goal of 100 new recurring donors, people who give us a few dollars each month. And we have easily added more donors this month than any in our short history. We’re not ready to announce the totals yet — we will next week — but I do want to say a heartfelt thank you.
You are powering this sucker. You value journalism and the way we’re trying to practice it here at FFP. You are making it possible for us to seriously talk about getting bigger. It’s just…it’s really nice. And I thank you from the bottom of my journalism-loving heart.
If you haven’t become a recurring donor yet, you can do so right here.
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:
- Aaron Sanderford of Nebraska Examiner followed up his incredibly important story on 8 women accusing gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster of sexual misconduct with another one — this one has witnesses stepping forward to detail what they say they watched Herbster do.
- Politico has an interesting story on how Nebraska has, by many metrics, enjoyed relative success against COVID, even as we have had the same fights (over mask mandates, vaccination rates, etc) as everywhere else.
- Grist with an important one on the environmental disaster in Mead, where residents continue to grapple with the toxic legacy of the AltEn plant.
- The governor has rescinded the appointment of a Chadron State College student trustee following allegations of sexual assault. Read or listen to this story from Nebraska Public Media’s Elizabeth Rembert and Bill Kelly.
