Reader Radio Dives Deep into the History of Omaha Alt News
News Editor and Reader Radio Producer Chris Bowling sits down with Editor and Publisher John Heaston, who co-founded The Reader in 1994.
Reed Moore’s Daily Rundown
Happy Go for a Ride Day
Today’s news invites all to set their spirits free on whatever mode of transportation suits them best: Nebraska’s unemployment rate hits an all-time low for the country, comedian Amber Ruffin, who’s from Omaha, reflects on the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict, and there’s a petition drive to get rid of the Nebraska State Board of Education, education commissioner and Nebraska Department of Education, replacing them with an Office of Education that answers to the governor.
Harper’s Index Facts of the Day
Minimum percentage by which carbon emissions of the average
single man exceed those of the average single woman: 16
Source: Annika Carlsson Kanyama, Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm)
For nationwide COVID-19 case and vaccination trends, click here.
Around Omaha
- Kellogg’s resumes contract talks with striking workers — including those in Omaha.
- Transgender Day of Remembrance was Saturday, Nov. 20 — and 2021 is the deadliest year so far for trans and nonbinary people in the U.S. In honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance, UNO’s The Gateway chats with Eli Rigatuso, a writer, speaker and activist whose work is featured in The Reader’s Omaha Pride in 2021.
- Check out the latest episode of 1st Sky Omaha in which Reader writer Leah Cates talks child care in Omaha, journalism as social activism and more.
- “You matter so much that the second you start to get a sense that you do, a man will grab a gun he shouldn’t have in the first place and travel all the way to another state just to quiet you”: Emmy-nominated comedian Amber Ruffin, who’s from Omaha, reflects on the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict.
- Black & Pink, an Omaha-based nonprofit fighting the prison-industrial complex, kicks off a campaign to write holiday cards to incarcerated people.
- Nicholas Mullins, a skateboarder who is blind, teaches a skateboarding workshop to local kids who are visually impaired.
- Check out local activist Leah Bifano’s article, “Kenneth Jones: A Father, A Brother, A Friend, and another life taken by the Omaha Police Department.”
- The Omaha Lancers hockey team will restart operations, even as team president Dave DeLuca is on administrative leave after a third-party investigation of the team kicks off.
- Boxing champion Terence Crawford, whose hometown is Omaha, wins his highly anticipated fight against Shawn Porter.
- According to the U.S. Department of Education, under 38% of Nebraska eighth-graders are proficient in math. Omaha STEM Ecosystem is determined to change that.
- Take a deep dive into the local significance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” often referred to as the Black national anthem, which has come into the limelight as Gov. Pete Ricketts opposes it being played at Huskers basketball games.
Around Nebraska
- Types of corn believed to be extinct are once again harvested in the heartland. Learn what that means to the Pawnee people.
- Nebraska’s unemployment rate is the lowest in recorded U.S. history.
- There’s a petition drive to get rid of the Nebraska State Board of Education, education commissioner and Nebraska Department of Education, replacing them with an Office of Education that answers to the governor. Education experts have concerns about the initiative, which follows Gov. Pete Ricketts’ resistance to proposed health education standards.
- Here’s what the federal infrastructure bill might mean for Nebraska.
- The state’s three representatives vote against Biden’s Build Back Better plan, which passes in the House of Representatives.
In Your Local Government:
City Council to Discuss Action Plans for Affordable Housing and Climate Change, and Legislative Package
Presented by Reader government reporter Anton Johnson.
- Affordable Housing and Climate Action Plans: City leaders from Omaha and Lincoln held a joint meeting last week to discuss common issues, including affordable housing and climate change. On Tuesday, the Omaha City Council will vote on two resolutions to develop action plans for both issues by January 1, 2023.
- Legislative package: The City Council will vote on several resolutions to submit proposals to the Nebraska Legislature ahead of its session in January. The Omaha Police Department made multiple requests, including a bill to allow mental health professionals to place individuals in emergency protective custody, and Council President Pete Festersen requested support for LB 453, which would amend the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act to require that landlords comply with any rental registration ordinances. Other requests can be found on the City Council agenda, items 76-88.
- County board: The Douglas County Board of Commissioners will meet Tuesday to hold a public hearing on proposed revisions to general assistance guidelines and vote on more than $3.6 million from ARPA for a new HVAC system and other upgrades for the sheriff’s building.
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 City Council and Board of Commissioners agendas for Tuesday, Nov. 23, and tune in here to the Douglas County Board at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Reed Moore’s Thing To Do:
Upcoming Blues Shows
Reed Moore presents events from Reader Hoodoo Blues
columnist B.J. Huchtemann’s latest roundup, “Grooving & Giving.”
- Wednesday, Nov. 24, 6-9 p.m., at The Jewell is a Kris Lager Band CD-release show for Lager’s latest recording, Blues Lover.
- Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal take Lincoln’s historic Zoo Bar on Saturday, Nov. 27, 5 p.m.
As the delta vs the delta variant spreads through the community, remember to get fully vaccinated and mask up — even if you’re fully vaxxed — before checking out shows.
Find more music content here, and check out local guides here.
The Daily Funny
Comic by Koterba. To see more daily funnies, click the image.
