10/11/21 • Nebraska vaccine data • Nationwide case trends
The Poorest County in Nebraska Is the Most Vaccinated. Here’s Why.
Nearly three-quarters of eligible residents in tiny Thurston County have been vaccinated, beating even the metro counties of Douglas and Lancaster, which both have vaccinated roughly 70 percent of eligible residents.
Story by Tim Trudell. Originally published in Flatwater Free Press.
Republished in The Reader.
Reed Moore’s Daily Rundown
International Day of the Girl Child
Today’s news is all for empowering girls and amplifying their voices: State officials won’t release prison reports, emails might illuminate why the proposed sex-ed standards stop short, and former President Donald Trump’s adviser on immigration now works with Republican gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster.
Harper’s Index Fact of the Day
Estimated number of Americans it takes to produce
enough carbon dioxide to cause one temperature-related death: 3
Source: R. Daniel Bressler (NYC)
Around Omaha
- From the Saint Francis Ministries saga to new construction projects in Dundee and southwest of the Old Market, go in depth on the latest headlines with 1st Sky Omaha.
- Nebraska Medicine makes the list of most-trusted health system brands in the U.S., according to branding agency Monigle.
- Omaha Children’s Hospital collaborates with Pfizer to learn about the coronavirus vaccine for kids ages 11 and under.
- An Omaha man accused of storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 pleads guilty to one count of disorderly conduct.
- Yesenia Valenzuela serves the Latinx community as the Office of the Mayor’s new community liaison. Read about her work in Spanish on Mundo Latino.
Around Nebraska
- State officials won’t release prison reports from a nonprofit group looking at criminal justice data to help the overcrowding crisis.
- Stephen Miller was former President Donald Trump’s adviser on immigration, and he wrote the family separation policy. Now he’s working with Republican gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster.
- It’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Nebraska.
- Wildfires in the northwestern U.S. and Canada, in addition to the Nebraska panhandle, are negatively affecting the state. Check the air quality near you with this tool from AirNow.
- “Non-scientific, appalling, ghastly, radical”: Read about the emails that may shed light on why the state’s proposed sex-ed standards were stopped.
This Week in Your Local Government:
Corrections Update, and Black Maternal Health Month
Presented by Reader government reporter Anton Johnson.
- Douglas County Corrections: Douglas County Department of Corrections Director Mike Myers will give a monthly report to the County Board during Tuesday’s meeting. During last month’s report, Myers said the department was trying to address issues with staffing by boosting morale.
- Black Maternal Health Month: The County Board will read a resolution recognizing October as Black Maternal Health Month. The resolution also recognizes I Be Black Girl, a local organization devoted to supporting Black women.
- No City Council: The Omaha City Council will not meet this week.
Every week, The Reader‘s Anton Johnson picks noteworthy agenda items from the Omaha City Council and Douglas County Board of Commissioners. See the full Douglas County Board of Commissioners agenda for Tuesday, Oct. 12, and tune in here to the Douglas County Board at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Reed Moore’s Things To Do:
Upcoming Blues Shows
Reed Moore presents events from Reader Hoodoo Blues columnist
B.J. Huchtemann’s October roundup, “Eclectic Energies.”
~ Blues This Week ~
- Thursday, Oct. 14, 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.): The wonderfully eclectic and magical roots music of Pokey LaFarge takes the stage at Slowdown. LaFarge is back on the road in support of In the Blossom of Their Shade, an album he wrote and recorded in Austin and Chicago during the pandemic shutdown.
- Also Oct. 14: The Brian England Groove Prescription plays at Stocks n Bonds.
- Bonus Item — Rock Music & Movies: Remember the Drumstick, a documentary about a Lincoln rock club that booked a dizzying list of rising rock and country stars in the 1980s, will be screened at the Flatwater Film Festival at the Rivoli Theater in Seward this weekend.
As the delta variant spreads through the community, remember to get fully vaccinated
and mask up — even if you’re fully vaxxed — before checking out these shows.