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HERE’S YOUR RUNDOWN
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Today’s news: An Ohio-based private corporation has been quietly buying up Omaha-area homes over the last three years. The Nebraska Supreme Court rules in favor of a meatpacking worker in a lawsuit against his former employer. Whether or not the Nebraska Legislature has the votes to ban abortion in a special session is anyone’s guess.
REED MOORE’S FEATURED STORY
Being Poor Is Pricey
When Melissa Connelly, a 40-year-old single mom who lives in Fremont, was barred from housing assistance last year, she was forced to make budget cuts.
By Leah Cates. Published in The Reader.
REED MOORE >>
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COVID-19 UPDATE
‘Rona roundup:
Pfizer says a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine gives kids under the age of 5 years a strong immune response. It plans to submit the data to the FDA this week as it requests an emergency-use authorization. The company says its clinical trials show a vaccine efficacy rate of 80.3%. Pfizer initially tried two doses on kids, before mixed results led it to use three. The pediatric dose is one-tenth of an adult dose.
If you’re not up to date on COVID-19 vaccines, visit vaccines.gov to find an appointment near you. If you need more at-home tests, visit CovidTests.gov to see if they are available for your household.
By the numbers:
AROUND OMAHA
- An Ohio-based private corporation has been buying up Omaha-area homes at a speedy rate over the last three years. The Flatwater Free Press and KETV team up to give you the details.
- The folks designing the new downtown library — Noddle Companies, HDR, and Margaret Sullivan Studio — hold an open house to hear what the community envisions in the new structure, to be located at 1401 Jones St.
- Counterterrorism researchers at UNO are working to identify violence prevention opportunities in the aftermath of a shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., where a suspected white supremacist is accused of killing ten Black people.
- Metro Transit is extending its free rides for K-12 students. The program, called K-12 Rides Free, was scheduled to end on June 10, but is being extended through the summer to help students who use the bus system get to their summer jobs and volunteering opportunities.
- The inaugural NOMAFest takes place at North 24th and Lake Streets, with vendors and live music. Organizers say they are planning more opportunities for the North O community to get together.
AROUND NEBRASKA
- The Nebraska Supreme Court rules in favor of a meatpacking worker in a lawsuit against his former employer. Saied Badawi was fired from JBS after refusing to perform the job of a colleague who was out with COVID-19, with JBS saying it amounted to misconduct. Badawi sued to receive his unemployment benefits, arguing in court that performing two jobs at once was different from having an assignment transfer.
- In the beginning, a once-heralded criminal justice reform proposal seemed promising. Gov. Pete Ricketts was an active participant, and the effort had been successful in conservative states like Texas. But just as quickly as it came together, it fell apart. Henry Cordes looks into what went wrong in Nebraska for the Flatwater Free Press.
- If Roe v. Wade is overturned, will the state Legislature have the 33 votes necessary to ban abortion if a special session is called? The Nebraska Examiner tries to answer that question.
REED MOORE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT
This week:
- New Equipment for OFD: The Omaha City Council will meet Tuesday, May 24, to vote on an $11 million purchase of new vehicles and equipment for the Omaha Fire Department. The purchase would include 11 emergency vehicles and seven medical units over the next three years. Public hearing was held last week.
- Downtown Omaha Tax and Assessment: The City Council will hold a public hearing on the Omaha Downtown Improvement District Association’s budget plan, which will levy a special tax and assessment on parts of downtown.
- ARPA: The Douglas County Board of Commissioners will meet Tuesday, May 24, to discuss allocating funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. The projects include $19,800 to Omaha Cornhusker Cosmopolitan Foundation to help a camp for diabetic children from economically disadvantaged families, and $280,000 for the Flow Through Summer program for youth and parents to reduce youth crime.
Every week, Anton Johnson picks noteworthy agenda items from the Omaha City Council and Douglas County Board of Commissioners. See the full Omaha City Council and Board of Commissioners agendas for Tuesday, May 24, and tune in here to the Douglas County Board at 9 a.m. and the Omaha City Council at 2 p.m.
FACT OF THE DAY
From Harper’s Index
Portion of monkeys implanted with Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain chips
between 2017 and 2020 that have died: 7/10
Source: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (Washington)
DAILY FUNNY
Comic by Koterba. Support him on Patreon.