South Omaha Leaders
Fed Up With Being Left Out
Dozens of South Omaha advocates converge at the Nebraska state Capitol to ask the government to stop sidestepping their community and invest in job, housing and education programs that can lift it from pandemic “horrors.”
Story by Cindy Gonzalez.
Originally published in the Nebraska Examiner. Republished in The Reader.
Reed Moore’s Daily Rundown
Do a Grouch a Favor Day
Today’s news has one goal — help grumpy beings turn their frowns upside down: Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert tests positive for the coronavirus, state senators discuss a bill that would add the Holocaust and other acts of genocide to existing multicultural curriculum standards, and Lincoln widens its anti-discrimination ordinance to include sexual orientation and gender identity, prompting the Nebraska Family Alliance to file a petition to let people vote on it.
Harper’s Index Fact of the Day
Amount by which the price of a seat on a
Virgin Galactic spaceflight increased last year: $200,000
Source: Virgin Galactic (Mojave, Calif.)
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.
- Here’s the latest on a COVID-19 vaccine mandate exemption bill in the Legislature.
- Watch the Douglas County Board of Health’s monthly meeting.
- Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert tests positive for the coronavirus.
- A 2-year-old recovers from rhabdomyolysis, a COVID-19 complication.
- Doctors say pregnant people should get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Around Omaha
- Trinity Shakespeare, the 27-year-old woman who gave birth to a boy on a sidewalk, is booked into jail.
- The state — including Omaha — is in need of Black mental health care providers, according to UNMC’s Dr. Sheritta Strong
- Regan Rosseter of Omaha Westside is a force to be reckoned with on the wrestling mat, according to an Omaha World-Herald article.
- The city is busy preparing for Nebraska’s primary election in less than three months.
- A North O street will be named for renowned Omaha World-Herald photographer Rudy Smith Sr.
- Check out the latest in Lee Enterprises’ fight against an Alden Global Capital takeover.
Around Nebraska
- Catch up on the latest stories and news from Flatwater Free Press.
- Lincoln widens its anti-discrimination ordinance to include sexual orientation and gender identity, and the Nebraska Family Alliance files a petition to let people vote on it.
- Latest in the Legislature: Advocates want the state to spend a portion of Nebraska’s federal COVID-19 assistance on affordable housing. Senators discuss a bill that would take away the Nebraska State Board of Education’s power to craft health education standards, as well as a bill that would make school districts show learning materials to parents and a bill that would add the Holocaust and other acts of genocide to existing multicultural curriculum standards. An Afghan refugee urges lawmakers to help refugees find housing when they arrive. A minimum wage bill stalls.
- There are new details in the case of indicted GOP Rep. Jeff Fortenberry.
This Week in Your Local Government
The Omaha City Council meets to approve the Forever North Housing and Multimodal Transportation Strategy, a guide for development and infrastructure improvements in North Omaha. The City Council also approves $50 million in Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds to be distributed by Metro Area Continuum of Care for the Homeless. The Douglas County Board of Commissioners does not meet Tuesday.
Read local government reporter Anton Johnson’s full article for The Reader here.
To Reed Moore about the latest in local government,
check out this Omaha World-Herald story.
The Daily Funny
Click the image to see the full comic by Jen Sorensen, plus more daily funnies.
