Small-Town Tire Fight Morphs
Into Bitter Battle Over Democracy
A dispute over the gigantic tire pile at the edge of Alvo, Nebraska,
spirals into a financial and constitutional fiasco.
By Yanqi Xu. Originally published in Flatwater Free Press. Republished in The Reader.
Reed Moore’s Daily Rundown
Happy Opposite Day
Today’s news can’t get enough broccoli and just loves doing the dishes: Dive deeper into the evacuation of around 24 people from an “unlivable” downtown apartment building, Lee Enterprises wants help battling back against a takeover by Alden Global Capital, and the Biden administration gives its first clean energy loan guarantee — and it’s to a Nebraska-based company.
Harper’s Index Fact of the Day
Portion of millionaires who worry about leaving
“too much” money to their heirs: 2/3
Source: The Motley Fool (Alexandria, Va.)
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.
- The current COVID-19 surge might be peaking and cases are down in Douglas County — but that doesn’t mean hospitals are out of the woods. Check out this video from the Nebraska Hospital Association on hospital operations during the coronavirus case surge.
- Here’s what happened at the hearing over Omaha’s mask mandate, with an order slated to be issued by noon today, Jan. 25.
- The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is flooded with coronavirus cases.
- There’s a new appointment-only testing site in town.
- “I just didn’t realize it would be this bad and I would be in delirium”: A couple previously hospitalized with the coronavirus tells people to get the vaccine.
- Papillion La Vista High School and La Vista Middle School get rid of their mask mandates.
For nationwide COVID-19 case
and vaccination trends, click here.
Around Omaha
- Dive deeper into the evacuation of around 24 people from an “unlivable” downtown apartment building.
- Robert Whitehouse, an educator and former NU regent, dies at age 77.
- Local universities are pushing back against misinformation in the media.
- Click here to learn the name of the elephant born at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium.
Around Nebraska
- Some Nebraskans could benefit from a Supreme Court case related to water pollution, according to Nebraska law professor Anthony Schutz.
- Latest in the Legislature: Lawmakers discuss a tax exemption for Social Security income, an attempt to restrict the number of casinos in Nebraska, and anti-choice bills. Read an overview from Nebraska Public Media here.
- Check out the Nebraska Examiner, a just-launched news outlet that’s free, independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan.
- Lee Enterprises, which publishes the Omaha World-Herald and almost every daily newspaper in Nebraska, wants help battling back against a takeover by Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund infamous for gutting newspapers.
- The Biden administration gives its first clean energy loan guarantee — and it’s to a Nebraska-based company.
- Brandon Straka, the social media influencer who posted a video of himself at the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack, gets three years of probation and three months of home detention.
This Week in Your Local Government:
Follow Anton for Local Government News
The City Council and Board of Commissioners are meeting today,
and reporter Anton Johnson is sitting in on the City Council meeting.
Follow Anton at @AntonIsWriting for live tweets, and to catch up on important items from today’s agendas. Tune in here to the Omaha City Council at 2 p.m.
The Daily Funny
Click the image to see the full comic by Jen Sorensen, plus more daily funnies.
