Cars speed up and down 13th Street as the lights from surrounding businesses flash neon colors. Behind a brick wall and metal door on the main strip, something unknown awaits. On Saturday, July 17, curious Omahans finally got to crack it open and see what lay hidden behind the brick façade. “What we wanted to […]
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Posted inNews
With more immigrants on the way, how Ebrahim found his American Dream
This story originally published in Flatwater Free Press. It is a storybook summer night in Omaha, and Ebrahim Abdulsattar is sitting under a pink-striped sky in Aksarben, eating a chocolate crepe and considering his happy fortune. He is married to Lubna al-Sebaie, a woman who shares his Muslim faith, intellectual curiosity, and zest for road […]
Posted inNews
Nebraska Prisons Leaders Wrote a Bill to Release Prisoners Earlier. They’re Applying the Law in a Way that Doesn’t.
This story was originally published in the Flatwater Free Press In 2011, the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services wrote a bill that would allow well-behaved prisoners the chance to shorten their time behind bars. Eleven years later, that same department is applying the resulting law in a way neither the state senator who sponsored the […]
Posted inNews
Being Poor Is Pricey
This story is part of a series, published in The Reader and on omahajobs.com, that spotlights the experiences of low-income, working families in Omaha. This is also part of a larger series about inequity in Omaha, titled “(Dis)Invested.” When Melissa Connelly, a 40-year-old single mom who lives in Fremont, was barred from housing assistance last year, she […]
Posted inNews
With New HQ Planned, City Places Lower Priority on Library Budget
This story was originally published in The Flatwater Free Press. The city’s main library will be different. The operation and funding structure of the library system — even if it grows to 13 branches — will remain the same. The library’s share of the city budget is down from previous years. Still, mayor Jean Stothert […]
Posted inNews
Nebraska 6-Week Abortion Ban on Doorstep of Becoming Law, Tally Shows
Based on interviews and a tally by the Flatwater Free Press, the bill appears to need just two Republican votes to have enough support to become law.
Posted inNews
Omaha City Council Approves Liquor License for Good Life Sports Bar, and Public Works Gives Storm Update
The Omaha City Council discussed a liquor license for the controversial Good Life Sports Bar, rezoning ordinances and storm recovery during Tuesday’s city council meeting.
Posted inCulture
Amid Floods and A Pandemic, Omaha Plant Store Finds Its Roots and Thrives through Adversity
Walking into (drips) botanical elements is like walking through an enchanted forest. From floor to ceiling, the store is covered with hefty leaves, creeping vines and prickly cactus hairs, broken up by rocks and crystals sprinkled between the plants. Under beaming natural light, the scent of flowers and local handmade candles consume the air as […]
Posted inNews
From Kilgore to The Capitol: Native Moms Who Sued School after Haircutting Support Bill Seeking to Protect Students’ Religious, Cultural Freedom
This story was originally published on Flatwater Free Press The Native woman wearing feathers in her braided hair took a seat facing eight members of the Nebraska Legislature. Alice Johnson stared down at the paper in her hands, the speech she’d practiced over and over until no amount of nerves could mask its message. “Our […]
Posted inOver The Edge
Burning Down the House
Let me start by telling you who Denver Dalley is. Because some of you (OK, most of you) don’t remember or weren’t around when Omaha was at the center of the indie music world, circa 2001-2005. Dalley was (and is) a stellar guitarist and songwriter who played in seminal Omaha indie punk band Desaparecidos with […]
