09/22/21 • Nebraska vaccine data • Nationwide case trends
“It Was Just a Nightmare”:
High Schoolers Reflect as They Continue Pandemic Learning
Though loosened CDC guidelines and vaccination eligibility for those 12 and older allowed for a sense of normalcy over the summer, the surging delta variant brings a sobering reality: Omaha’s students and teachers have entered a
third school year of pandemic learning.
Story by Bridget Fogarty, Report for America Corps Member. Published in El Perico.
Reed Moore’s Daily Rundown
Happy American Business Women’s Day
Today’s news hears glass ceilings shattering all over: The principal of a Bellevue elementary school is charged with DUI and placed on paid leave, the U.S. House of Representatives lets the Omaha VA Medical Center keep using private aid to build hospitals, and CHI Health critical care team members see a shortage of monoclonal antibody treatments for the coronavirus.
Harper’s Index Facts of the Day
- Factor by which high-income college applicants are more likely than low-income applicants to write essays about mental health: 1.5
- About sports: 4
- About failure: 4.5
Source: Benjamin Gebre-Medhin, Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley, Mass.)
Want to get vaccinated in Douglas County this week? Here are upcoming clinics.
Around Omaha
- The Rev. Michael Gutgsell, a former Roman Catholic Church’s Archdiocese of Omaha chancellor, is accused of stealing $275,000.
- Omaha Public Schools will have a new website for the first time in almost 10 years.
- The U.S. House of Representatives lets the Omaha Veterans Affairs Medical Center continue using private aid to build hospitals.
- COVID-19 vaccination rates in the Black community are low. Local health experts and community institutions are trying to change that.
- CHI Health critical care team members see a shortage of monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19, and they must prioritize who gets the treatment. The majority of people hospitalized for the coronavirus are unvaccinated.
- Coronavirus insurance waivers are expiring.
- U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona selects five schools in Nebraska — including three in Omaha — to be National Blue Ribbon Schools. See the institutions here.
- Omaha and Carlentini, Sicily, become sister cities.
Around Nebraska
- Andrew C. Miller, 46, principal of a Bellevue elementary school, is charged with DUI and placed on paid leave following a crash that critically injured 58-year-old motorcyclist Bruce Blaydes.
- A climatologist says climate change is the culprit for intense summer weather, from flash flooding to a powerful windstorm.
- Lawmakers can’t reach a consensus, so redistricting might be delayed. That would probably also push back the primary election next year.
In Your Local Government: Omaha City Council Talks TIF
The Omaha City Council meets Tuesday to approve multiple requests for tax-increment financing on affordable-housing projects. The Douglas County Board of Commissioners also meets to receive a COVID-19 update from Douglas County Health Department Director Lindsay Huse.
Read local government reporter Anton Johnson’s full article for The Reader here.
Reed Moore’s Things To Do:
Lincoln Calling 2021 Music & Arts Festival
The 18th annual Lincoln Calling returns,
bringing much-needed diversity to Nebraska stages.
Event Pick by Matt Casas. Published in The Reader.
As the delta variant spreads through the community, remember to get fully vaccinated and mask up — even if you’re fully vaxxed — before going to public gatherings. Find more music content here, and check out local guides on our Things To Do page.
The Daily Funny
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