No Shortage of Issues Inside Nebraska’s Tight Labor Market
People in every industry are quitting and not coming back to the labor force, leading to more job openings than available workers and creating a tight labor market. Or, as the media calls it, “The Great Resignation.”
Story by Bridget Fogarty, Report for America Corps Member.
Published in The Reader.
Reed Moore’s Daily Rundown
Happy National Letter-Writing Day
Dear readers, today’s news thinks it’s been way too long since we wrote one another: Nebraska’s COVID-19 case rate is 13th-highest per capita in the U.S., the Omaha City Council will consider paying $42,500 to a Black mother and son alleging they were racially profiled, and 80 years after Pearl Harbor, forensic anthropologists from Offutt Air Force Base have helped identify over 90 percent of the service members who died, including those from Nebraska.
Harper’s Index Facts of the Day
- Portion of Americans who considered the summer of 2020 to be average or above average: 1/2
- Who considered the summer of 2021 to be bad or the “worst summer ever”: 1/4
Source: YouGov (NYC)
For nationwide COVID-19 case and vaccination trends, click here.
Around Omaha
- Thirty-year-old William Wright, who authorities say had a blood-alcohol content of 0.182 as he drove the vehicle that struck and killed 20-year-old Kaitlyn Van Essen, won’t be charged now, but he could be in the future. Meanwhile, 25-year-old Lindsey Cavlovic is calling for change in the Blackstone District, where Van Essen was killed and Cavlovic survived a hit-and-run.
- Union Pacific Railroad, based in Omaha, plans to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions 26% by 2030, in comparison to 2018 levels.
- The Omaha City Council will consider paying $42,500 to a Black mother and son alleging they were racially profiled when an Omaha police officer stopped them on Interstate 80.
- Following the census, the Omaha City Council considers making “minor adjustments” to Omaha’s seven City Council districts.
- The City of Omaha Parks and Recreation announces vandalism at the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge.
- Dig into the city’s landfills — and how they can become dog parks.
Around Nebraska
- It’s been 80 years since Pearl Harbor, and forensic anthropologists from Offutt Air Force Base have helped identify over 90 percent of the service members who died — including those from Nebraska.
- Nebraska’s COVID-19 case rate is 13th-highest per capita in the U.S., and hospitalizations continue to increase.
- Nebraska State Treasurer John Murante will run for re-election.
- “This was not a person who needed a class to understand that no meant no, correct?”: Check out the latest from Nebraska Public Media‘s continued coverage of Jane Doe v. the Board of Trustees of the Nebraska State Colleges. As Reed Moore reported last week, an anonymous woman alleges that Chadron State College didn’t go far enough in protecting her when she reported she’d been raped by a male student.
- Nebraska roads and broadbands are “not that bad,” according to an eyebrow-raising comment from University of Nebraska Regent and gubernatorial candidate Jim Pillen.
- In Case You Missed It: The University of Nebraska-Lincoln seems to have removed parts of its anti-racism plan, including a reference to author Ibram X. Kendi, who wrote How to Be an Antiracist, according to Fox News via Yahoo! News.
Follow Anton for Local Government News
The Omaha City Council and Board of County Commissioners are meeting today, and reporter Anton Johnson is sitting in on the City Council meeting. Follow Anton at @AntonIsWriting for live tweets, and to catch up on important items from today’s agendas. Tune in here to the Omaha City Council at 2 p.m.
Ever wonder who’s on the City Council? Click here to meet the members.
Reed Moore Presents a Film Review:
Gucci Gang Bags Boredom
As empty as a pleather knockoff clutch and as pointless as a pasta pencil, House of Gucci is a silly charade that makes Chef Boyardee and the Super Mario Brothers seem like nuanced Italian characters, writes Reader film critic Ryan Syrek.
As COVID-19 variants spread through the community, remember to get fully vaccinated, boosted and masked before heading to movie theaters.
Find film content here, and check out local guides here.
The Daily Funny
Comic by Jen Sorensen. To see more daily funnies, click the image.
