In 10 years’ time, what news will shape your memory of 2022? Will you remember when you first heard Russia invaded Ukraine, or will you think of crowds gathered at Omaha City Hall to protest the Supreme Court’s leaked decision to overturn Roe v. Wade? Will advertisements from midterm election candidates play in your head? […]
Posted inNews
Soccer and Small Businesses: The Simple Foundation Invests in Omaha’s Immigrant and Refugee Youth
Before five o’clock on any given weeknight, the South Omaha building at 3003 Q St. is relatively quiet. Then the kids start to arrive. Some come by bus from North and South Omaha neighborhoods; others get dropped off by family or walk over from their homes at the neighboring Southside Terrace Apartments, Omaha’s largest public […]
Posted inNews
A Morning in Omaha’s Immigration Court
At 8:20 a.m. on a sunny Wednesday morning in October, about 25 people crowded the hallway in a government building on the edge of Omaha. Three young women chatting in Spanish leaned against the windows and sat in black metal folding chairs as they waited for a courtroom door to open. In the lobby near […]
Posted inCulture
November Notes
Some notable events hit at the beginning of the month. There’s a benefit for Lincoln guitarist Benjamin Kushner on Friday, Nov. 4, 5:30-8:30 p.m., at The B. Bar. Kushner plays with both Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal and Mezcal Brothers. Alt rock fans will recognize Kushner as a former guitarist for The Millions. Kushner is […]
Posted inVisual Arts
Ofrendas De Corazón at the Benson Theatre
The Mexican American Historical Society of the Midlands, or MAHSM, will celebrate Día de Muertos at the Benson Theatre, 6054 Maple St., this Wednesday, Nov. 2. Ofrendas De Corazón runs from 7 to 9 p.m. and includes verbal ofrendas, poetry, music and dance performances from more than forty contributors to celebrate and honor people’s loved […]
Posted inNews
As Nebraska’s Latino Voters Grow in Power, Candidates Fight for Their Support in the Second District
Latinos are the second-largest group of voters and the fastest-growing demographic in Nebraska. They’ve been a politically powerful group in the 2nd Congressional District, where candidates are fighting for their vote.
Posted inCulture
Shinyribs
Sunday, Oct. 23, 8 p.m., $35 GA to $600 VIP boothBarnato, 225 N 170th St #100, Omahabarnato.bar/events Austin supergroup Shinyribs is self-described as “a sonic melting pot of Texas blues, New Orleans R&B funk, horn-driven Memphis soul, country twang, border music, big band swing, and roots-rock.” The band is led by vocalist-songwriter-guitarist Kevin Russell, commanding […]
Posted inCulture
Dance-Floor Fix
A recent weekend of music at Lincoln’s historic Zoo Bar reminded me how much serious, national-level talent we have locally. Matt Cox & The Marauders played the early show on a Friday, Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal played the late show that night and an early show the next. These are two of the best […]
Posted inEconomy
Nebraska’s Next Governor
Nearly eight years ago, in his inaugural address, Gov. Pete Ricketts pointed to the challenges Nebraska faces in creating jobs. “There’s a barrier to creating jobs here in the state. And it’s Nebraska’s high taxes. We must cut taxes,” Ricketts said. In April 2022, Ricketts signed into law a $900 million tax cut that lowers […]
Posted inNews
Competitive District 2: Voters Weigh Inflation, Jobs as Vargas Challenges Bacon for Congress
Araceli Guzman takes a breath and knocks on a door near 32nd Ave. and Martha St. in Omaha’s Hanscom Park neighborhood. The morning sun reflects off her wide-brimmed hat and neon green vest as she waits for someone to walk to the door, but she’s met with silence. Then she knocks again. Finally, the door […]
Posted inNews
While Fewer Nebraska Children Live In Poverty, New Data Report Shows “A Long Way To Go” For Racial Equity
In 2020 a little more than 12% of Nebraska kids — or 56,828 children — lived in poverty, down for the eighth consecutive year since the state’s child poverty rate neared 18% in 2013. But a new report shows while fewer Nebraska children live in poverty, children of color continue to grow up poor at […]
Posted inMultimedia
Everything We Saw at the Omaha Mobile Stage Youth Talent Show
Just as the golden hour sunlight hit the new Gene Leahy Mall amphitheater, young dancers and singers took the stage to perform in the Omaha Mobile Stage Youth Talent Show on Friday, September 9. While families sat in lawn chairs to cheer on their kids, and visitors to the new public space stopped to catch […]
Posted inMusic
Soul Connections
There are plenty of great club shows filling the early fall schedule, starting with the Blues Society of Omaha weekly shows that rotate among several venues this month. Thursday, Sept. 1, 6-9 p.m., Omaha’s own Nate Bray & The Soul Supremes perform at The Strut. Thursday, Sept. 8, 6-9 p.m., it’s the Brotherhood Tour featuring […]
Posted inNews
Omaha GED Classes Open Doors, Help Immigrant Parents Support Kids In School
This story was first published in El Perico, The Reader’s Spanish-English sister publication. Read the original story in English and Spanish. Patricia Paniagua drove home from Metro Community College in early May feeling nervous. After almost two years of studies, the 41-year-old mother of three had just taken an hour-long math test, the fourth and […]
Posted inNews
Omaha Opens Pandemic Rental Assistance to All, Regardless of Citizenship. Here’s How to Apply.
All Omaha renters hurt by the pandemic can now apply for emergency rental assistance regardless of their citizenship or U.S. legal status. The City of Omaha reversed its legal position last week Wednesday on who can receive the federal Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) money, removing citizenship as a qualification for the rental and utility relief […]
Posted inNews
For Some Latino Omahans, Solving Health Disparities Starts in the Garden
It’s 11 o’clock on a sunny June morning in La Vista, Nebraska, and four young women are admiring more than three dozen leafy green vegetables poking out the dirt on the south side of Zoraida Llasaca’s home. Llasaca, a woman born in Peru who has called Nebraska home for the past 18 years, smiles beside […]
Posted inCulture
Hot, Hot, Hot
If you are an Eastern Nebraska blues fan, chances are that Lincoln’s Zoo Bar had something to do with your discovery of the music. Even if you’ve never made it to the club. If you went to blues shows at Omaha’s old Howard Street Tavern or Kansas City’s Grand Emporium, you felt the impact of […]
Posted inNews
OPD Officer On Paid Leave, Investigation Into Use of Force In Juvenile Arrest
An Omaha police officer has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation to examine his use of force during the arrest of a young boy Tuesday, according to the Omaha police department. Social media posts and witnesses say the child was 12 years old. Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said he placed […]
Posted inNews
OPS Board of Education Approves Proposed Stipends for Staff as Teacher Shortage Continues
This story is part of (DIS)Invested — a longterm Reader investigation into Omaha’s inequities. *** The Omaha Public Schools Board of Education has approved amendments to the district’s federal pandemic relief funds, including a proposal to put funds towards stipends for full-time staff and part-time staff in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school year. At a nearly three-hour […]
Posted inNews
While Teachers Need Support Now, Programs Strengthen the Future of Teaching
This story is part of (DIS)Invested — a longterm Reader investigation into Omaha’s inequities. *** Editor’s note: At the time this story originally published in The Reader‘s June print issue, the Omaha Public Schools district had not allocated ESSER, or Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, funds toward teacher pay. The online story has been updated to […]
Posted inNews
“We are Tired, We Feel Used”: Ahead of Staff Exodus, OPS Teachers Demand Action From Board
This story is part of (DIS)Invested — a longterm Reader investigation into Omaha’s inequities. *** Adam Byers didn’t have “a fraction of the support” he feels he should have as a first-year teacher in his Omaha Public Schools classroom this year. That’s why he’s resigning from the district, he told the board of education in a meeting […]
Posted inTheatre
Experts Say Students Need Help, Not Punishment as They Cope with Pandemic
While suspensions dropped in OPS schools during the pandemic, disproportionate suspension rates for Black students persisted.
Posted inEducation
OPS Board Approves Revisions to Code of Conduct to Address Serious Fights, Gender Neutral Language
Students in the Omaha Public Schools will have a revised code of conduct in the next school year. In an hour and a half long meeting at the OPS Teacher Administration Center Monday night, all nine members of the OPS Board of Education approved the second reading of the code of conduct. Under the revised […]
Posted inMultimedia
Building “The Good Life” For All Nebraskans, Not Just Some
Cammy Watkins and Maggie Wood believe honest conversations about equity and inclusion in Nebraska’s schools and businesses — and in everyday life — can help create The Good Life for all Nebraskans, not just some. They are the co-executive directors of Inclusive Communities, a nonprofit organization providing advocacy and education around diversity and equity in […]
Posted inNews
In Caring For Omaha’s Most Absent Kids, Many Still Fall Through the Cracks: “Everybody Should Have the Resources I Have.”
The GOALS Center addresses attendance and truancy issues for students in metro schools. But advocates say the absentee interventions aren’t reaching the students who need them most.
Posted inNews
How One Omaha High School Addresses Chronic Absenteeism
This story is part of (DIS)Invested — a longterm Reader investigation into Omaha’s inequities. *** Editor’s note: The Omaha Street School refrained from sharing students’ last names to protect their privacy. For the first half of her freshman year, Mercy had her routine down at Omaha South High School. She’d go to one class to be marked […]
Posted inNews
Omaha Public Schools Board Makes Masks Optional
The Omaha Public Schools Board of Education approved a resolution to drop the district-wide mask mandate at Thursday night’s board meeting, making it optional to wear masks in OPS buildings as of Friday. Teachers, students, parents and OPS staff sat in the Teacher Administration Center building, 3215 Cuming St., on Thursday to hear the board’s […]
Posted inNews
White Student Enrollment Slides in OPS, Nearby Districts
This story is part of (DIS)Invested — a longterm Reader investigation into Omaha’s inequities. *** When the pandemic shut down in-person and virtual classes for Omaha Public Schools in March 2020, Jenelle Emory would sit in her home with her daughters — a first grader and a kindergartener at Adams Elementary — and walk through the packet […]
Posted inNews
Photo Collection: We Made Ourselves at Home in Memorial Park
Among lawn chairs and picnic blankets spread across Memorial Park at last Saturday’s City of Omaha Celebrates America summer concert, one seat stood out— a couch. Our team at The Reader set up our “living room” and invited concert goers to stop by for a free portrait and a copy of our August issue. With […]
Posted inMusic
Fiery Music Forecast
Héctor Anchondo’s first trip to Memphis for the 2015 International Blues Challenge was the inspiration for In the Market for Blues, an Old-Market-based, multi-venue, multi-band event that has grown exponentially each year. The festival is now supported by the Blues Society of Omaha and a variety of sponsors. After a year off with pandemic closures, […]
Posted inNews
Ital Becomes Vital In North Omaha
In June, 22 year old Imani Murray opened Ital Vital Living, a drive-thru smoothie and juice store at 2323 N. 24th St., with her mother and sister by her side.
Posted inDining
Reimagine What Food Can Do: For These Omahans, It’s About Community
The pandemic pushed restaurant owners to their financial, emotional and mental limits. But from that same chaos rose a young, diverse slate of Omahans who either opened their own food businesses after March 2020, or found new meaning behind why they make their meals while in the COVID-19-induced solitude. Throughout the month of July, The […]
Posted inMovies
Apocalypse Nah
A democracy is only as strong as the ability of the public to form a consensus, which requires thoughtful discussion. Sadly, persuasion isn’t just a dying art, it’s been intentionally euthanized. “Knock at the Cabin” is a movie about a small group of people who desperately need to convince another small group of people to […]
Posted inMovies
The Best Films of 2022
A sign that cinematic output has been throttled and distribution channels are at least modestly improving, for the first time in 20 years I actually saw every flick on my “must watch before I make my best of 2022 list” list. Even though I wait until the February issue to drop this list, typically at […]
Posted inMovies
Cutting Room for February 2023
No film news this month, only gratitude for two local fellas no longer with us. I have no special insights about Mike Hill or Lew Hunter. I never met either. I do know lots of people who did. To a person, each man was spoken of with the kind of praise you can’t fake. One […]
Posted inNews
Pillen Proposed Tax-Cut Prompt Criticism from Community Colleges including Metro in Omaha
LINCOLN — The lead sponsor of Gov. Jim Pillen’s proposal to cut state income taxes fended off doubts Thursday that such a $1.5 billion reduction in state revenue was affordable and wouldn’t harm state services. State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn said the state has more than a $2 billion surplus of state tax […]
Posted inNews
Unlikely champs: NorthStar, program for North Omaha boys, wins lacrosse title
It happened on a late spring Saturday afternoon in Omaha. The cool mid-May breeze caused the fans ringing Westside High School’s modest football field to curl up under their blankets and jackets. They watched, peering through the late afternoon sun, as 16 high school lacrosse players made history. The NorthStar lacrosse team, a group of […]
Posted inNews
New Prison Report Recommends Not Just One New Prison, but Another 1,500 Beds in a Decade
This story was originally published by the Nebraska Examiner. LINCOLN — Before 2030, Nebraska will need another 1,500 prison beds, even after building a $350-million, 1,500-bed replacement for the aging State Penitentiary in Lincoln, a new report says. The long-awaited Facility Master Plan for the Nebraska Department of Corrections states that after the new prison […]
Posted inNews
Nebraska Voter ID Bill Revised before Lengthy Public Hearing That Draws Mostly Foes
This story was originally published on the Nebraska Examiner. LINCOLN — An amendment to a proposed voter ID law, one that calls for mail-in voters to see a notary, was among points that drew fire during a public hearing Wednesday that stretched nearly six hours. “It’s full of flaws and bureaucratic B.S.,” Jaden Perkins, a […]
Posted inNews
Cardiac-Activity Abortion Ban Bill Draws Hundreds to Nebraska Capitol
This story was originally published by the Nebraska Examiner LINCOLN — Proponents and opponents were given three hours each Wednesday to argue over State Sen. Joni Albrecht’s bill aimed at outlawing abortions in Nebraska after an ultrasound detects embryonic cardiac activity. Hundreds in an overflow crowd waited hours to testify for two or three minutes […]
Posted inNews
Man Who Opened Fire at West Omaha Target Bought His AR-15 Four Days Prior
Police have identified the man who fired bullets inside a West Omaha Target mid-day Tuesday. Joseph Jones, 32, of suburban Omaha, purchased the AR-15 rifle he brought to Target on 17810 West Center Road four days prior at a Cabela’s sporting goods and outdoors store, according to police. Jones had 13 magazines of ammunition, police […]
Posted inNews
Omaha Superintendent, Other School Officials, Say Governor’s Revenue Cap Would Harm Education
This story was originally published be the Nebraska Examiner LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen’s plan to further restrict spending by local school boards ran into opposition and concerns Wednesday from school district representatives. During a public hearing on Legislative Bill 589, education representatives, including Cheryl Logan, superintendent of the Omaha Public Schools, said his plan […]