Cinco de Mayo, Primary Finish Line, Josh Fight 2

HERE’S YOUR RUNDOWN

National Nurses Day

The pandemic gave Reed Moore a newfound appreciation for these selfless professionals.

Today’s news: Omaha’s Cinco de Mayo celebrations are back. The gubernatorial candidates sprint to the finish line. A true battle for the ages returns to Lincoln in the form of the Josh Fight.

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COVID-19 UPDATE

‘Rona roundup:

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: The FDA is restricting the use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccines, following new research that shows added risk of blood clots. Federal funds for health care coverage of COVID-19 are waning, even as hospital costs are on the rise.

Here at home, COVID-19 cases in the Omaha metro have doubled in the last month, even as hospitalizations are 35% down. Despite this, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has removed its COVID-19 data dashboard, instead treating it as a portion of respiratory data.

By the numbers:

This graphic is updated as of 5:20 a.m. on May 6. For the latest stats, click the image, which sends you to the Johns Hopkins site.

AROUND OMAHA

Omaha’s famous Cinco de Mayo celebrations are coming back with a bang. It’s a weekend filled with festivities of all sorts, including a Saturday parade. (The Reader helps host these festivities and will be marching in the parade — come say hello to our team.)
Eppley Airfield says spring travel out of Omaha is at 85% of pre-pandemic levels, and that summer travel may be headed in the same direction. The increase comes as the airport’s Terminal Modernization Program resumes design work after a pandemic-induced pause. Construction on the terminal is expected to begin in late 2023, with a five-year timeline for completion.
Mayor Jean Stothert says the city is “essentially building a new downtown” by tearing down and relocating the W. Dale Clark Library, building a skyscraper for Mutual of Omaha in its stead, and building a streetcar line. Asked about running for a fourth term, she says she is unsure but has no ambition to run for higher office.
Omaha welcomes tech company WP Engine to town with an office opening. The company is based in Austin, Texas, but employs 155 people in Omaha with more hires on the way.
As Omaha Neon Sign Co. approaches its 100th birthday, the Omaha World-Herald profiles the company’s work through the years, what it’s doing now, and what the future holds.

AROUND NEBRASKA

On the Campaign Trail: A hearing on the legal battle between Charles Herbster, who sued for defamation and state Sen. Julie Slama, who has sued alleging sexual battery, is set for June. The candidates for governor (sans Jim Pillen) all appear together at a forum for likely the final time before the Tuesday, May 10, primary. Pillen plans a Monday, May 9, get-out-the-vote tour of six cities with Gov. Pete Ricketts and former Gov. Kay Orr. Herbster says he will skip a deposition in Slama’s countersuit in order to remain on the campaign trail. Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana say they are shifting to a fully grassroots petitioning process due to financial difficulties.
On Tuesday, May 3, Reed Moore reported that Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird was set to meet with Indigenous groups protesting a housing development near two ceremonial sweat lodges. Following the meeting, Baird indicated she would sign off on the proposed housing development, saying the developers have made sufficient concessions. The protestors say they have “other avenues through which [they] will continue to seek protections for this site and [their] ceremonies.”
On May 21, the Josh Fight returns to Lincoln for the second time, after last year’s event proved to be a smashing success. The reigning champion, 5-year-old “Little Josh” Vinson Jr., says he and his dad will attend. Tickets are on sale now.

PORTRAIT OF A PET

This is Dill Pickle. She loves sunny windows, cuddles and being brushed. If you think she’s the perfect furball for your family, click here to learn how you can bring her home.