(Originally published Jan. 20, 2022)
‘Hoping Beyond Hope’
Wednesday’s meeting on the area’s public health concerns was tame as Douglas County Health Director Lindsay Huse shared COVID-19 and staffing updates while taking questions from board members.
But even some positive signs are outweighed by the reality that
COVID-19 is still at its peak in the community.
By Reader Intern Regan Thomas.
Reed Moore’s Daily Rundown
Happy National Coffee Break Day
No matter what you drink — java, joe, mud, bean — today’s news knows every worker’s best friend is a coffee break: The Omaha Police Department’s Capt. Kathy Belcastro-Gonzalez is placed on administrative leave, a resolution seeks to get rid of the State Board of Education and put the Nebraska Department of Education under the governor’s control, and a bill would stop police officers from lying to juveniles during criminal interviews.
Harper’s Index Fact of the Day
Percentage change over the past two decades in the number
of U.S. estates paying estate taxes: −96
Source: Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center (Washington)
Reed Moore’s COVID-19 Roundup
As announced in the Wednesday, Dec. 29, bonus newsletter, in light of the Omicron variant, Reed Moore will replace the “Thing To Do” section with a COVID-19 spotlight featuring coronavirus-related content. The Reader believes it’s irresponsible to promote events when hospitals are nearing capacity and some community members refuse to get vaccinated. As cases continue, The Reader won’t promote any events — be they concerts, plays, art-gallery openings or stand-up comedy — that don’t require
masks, vaccination and social distancing.
- COVID-19 and Schools: Millard Public Schools is in “crisis mode,” Bellevue cancels three days of classes, and Grand Island and Beatrice are similarly strained.
- The City of Omaha and the State of Nebraska put forth arguments about whether it’s necessary to urgently block Omaha’s mask mandate.
- The state’s coronavirus hospitalizations reach more than 700 for the first time since December 2020.
- Nebraskans with booster shots are 46 times less likely to be hospitalized with the coronavirus than their unvaccinated counterparts.
- Stuck at home with COVID-19? Here are some things you can do to help yourself, according to Nebraska Medicine.
- COVID-19 in Lincoln: Lincoln and Lancaster County are still in the highest COVID-19 risk category, and an area movie theater will begin offering some showings only to vaccinated people.
For nationwide COVID-19 case
and vaccination trends, click here.
Around Omaha
- The Omaha Police Department’s Capt. Kathy Belcastro-Gonzalez is placed on administrative leave.
- Near Omaha: Dig into the controversy surrounding Bellevue’s Olde Town development.
- Omaha needs to work harder to prevent pedestrian deaths, according to advocates.
- An international youth hockey tournament is coming to an Omaha-area arena.
- BNSF Railway attempts to stop 17,000 workers from going on strike.
- Check out this Omaha Civil Rights History Timeline, spanning 1855 – 2020.
- Read this Flatwater Free Press deep dive into an Omaha couple’s journey to create nonalcoholic spirits and develop their business, Sandhills Elixir.
Around Nebraska
- Latest in the Legislature: A resolution seeks to get rid of the State Board of Education and put the Nebraska Department of Education under the governor’s control, a proposal to mandate DNA samples from those charged with crimes moves forward, a bill would bar police officers from lying to juveniles during criminal interviews, a bill increasing religious freedoms stalls, and another bill pushes back against businesses or organizations that boycott Israel.
- Who’s in the Running: GOP Reps. Don Bacon and Adrian Smith file for reelection to the U.S. Congress, and state Sen. Tony Vargas files to run against Bacon.
- The sale of AltEn byproducts to Kansas company B Cole Agricultural is no longer happening.
- Check out this Omaha World-Herald deep dive into Nebraska’s economic future.
The Daily Funny
Click the image to see the full Doonesbury comic by Garry Trudeau,
plus more daily funnies.
