For more than a century, a smelter and other factories spewed 400 million pounds of lead dust across Omaha's east side. Faced with similar concerns, 13 states passed laws requiring all kids to get a blood test before kindergarten. But not Nebraska. 🔗 buff.ly/KBLSiXG

NEW: For more than a century, a smelter and other factories spewed 400 million pounds of lead dust across Omaha’s east side. Faced with similar concerns, 13 states passed laws requiring all kids to get a blood test before kindergarten. But not Nebraska.

New at Flatwater: Doug Straub has a trach and a G-tube. He’s totally immobile, wheelchair bound and cannot speak. He’s one of almost 600 Nebraskans who saw their funding cut after being assessed by a new tool, rolled out by DHHS last year. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/ubfdH8p

Our final spring event is coming up in two days! We're teaming up with The Atlantic to discuss the importance of local journalism, Nebraska’s civic innovations and the future of public life in the Midwest. We can't wait to dive in!

The soil that propelled eastern Nebraska into an agricultural powerhouse is also the main reason Omaha sees more sinkholes than several of its Midwestern peers. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/dn0mN72

We brought some of our best reporting to the stage last Friday in Kearney, Nebraska, at our inaugural Flatwater Forum!

In our final panel today, we talked about entrepreneurship as an economic engine. Dave Rippe, the Owner of Queen City Development, urged Nebraska to support its budding startup ecosystem.

Our fifth panel today featured Adam Grabenstein, a farmer who lives south of Gothenburg, where thousands of his acres were among those burned in what has already been a record-setting wildfire season in Nebraska, where temperatures are rising and precipitation is declining.

Our fourth panel featured Aubrey Vacura, a high school sophomore from Elwood, who has experienced mental health challenges – and difficulty accessing care in Nebraska, which scored near the bottom of the Treatment Advocacy Center 2020 grading of each state’s psychiatric treatment laws.

In our third panel, the Dean of the College of Business at the University of Nebraska-Kearney said a drop in state funding – which used to make up more than a third of NU’s budget – has been “very challenging” for the institution. Read our budget coverage here 🔗 buff.ly/eSfiCvi

In our second panel, Nebraska Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeffrey Funke said the judicial branch is trying to incentivize lawyers to return to rural counties – 12 of which in Nebraska don’t have a single attorney residing and practicing in them. Read our reporting here 🔗 buff.ly/qvVuRyC

In our first panel today, members of the Lexington community recalled the shock and disbelief they felt when Tyson Foods announced last November it would close its plant there. And they recalled, soon after, trying to figure out how to help the 3,000 employees who lost their jobs.

The stage is set at the historic World Theatre in Kearney! Panels kick off at 1 p.m. today. We’re diving deep into the stories shaping central Nebraska, including the fallout from the Tyson plant closure in Lexington, the future of higher ed and more. Thanks for joining us!

In 2024, we spoke with environmental groups, tribes and ranchers, who worried a new NPPD transmission line would damage the Sandhills' unique terrain and wildlife. The project is now resuming, according to KNOP in North Platte. Read our original story by Destiny Herbers 🔗 buff.ly/miblSDH

Dorothy Lynch is a color not found in nature. It’s a salad dressing eaten on virtually every other food. Some Nebraskans love it. Other Nebraskans love to hate it. No one else has ever heard of it. The history and ongoing legacy of Dorothy Lynch, by J.J. Harder. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/oCNLJWk

Today we’re joining newsrooms nationwide in the first annual Local News Day. Much of our reporting begins with you, people who trust us to take a closer look at what's happening in your town. Thank you for believing in the power of telling important Nebraska stories and supporting local news.

Omaha recorded more than 2,000 “cave-ins” over the last five years, but only one sinkhole video went viral. The soil under the city tells the story. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/dn0mN72

The CEO of Avera Creighton Hospital in rural Nebraska argues her hospital is not in danger of closing, but conceded that Medicaid cuts will be painful. A $50 billion government fund created after outcry over Medicaid cuts last summer will do little to help. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/drsQ8Pb

Mari Sandoz’s second novel sparked outrage in Lincoln. She left and never moved back. Now, that controversial story is getting another life with a performance that kicks off Thursday at the Lied Center. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/ZMeo0w3

Mike Wintz spent much of March fighting fires and keeping his cattle business afloat — and he’s far from alone. A warming planet is expected to bring more intense fires to the state, posing yet another major challenge to Nebraska’s cattle industry. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/vGMdvC0

A year into President Trump's second term, Nebraska's once-robust refugee resettlement landscape has practically disappeared. Of the four resettlement agencies, only one is actively resettling refugees. Newcomers number in the dozens, and they’re all coming from one country. 🔗 buff.ly/JNXAcTd

The tale of the Lincoln, Nebraska, Gyro wars started 40 years ago with two side-by-side shops selling gyros to college kids late into the night. Now, it continues by day into the next generation with two more shops. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/wx2bNQ6

Lori Potter, now a freelancer for the Flatwater Free Press, has been photographing the cranes that come through Nebraska for nearly four decades. Today, she reflects on the years of watching the cranes with a photo essay on one of the world's greatest migrations. See more 🔗 buff.ly/hhbNHxk

New at Flatwater: The recent wildfires are an indicator of what a warming planet could mean for Nebraska — and the potentially disastrous impact on the state’s beef industry. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/vGMdvC0

The place we know as Omaha started under a different name: “Omaha City.” Though the “city” appendage stuck with Kansas City and Sioux City, it faded from Omaha’s name as a collection of shacks transformed into a railroad boomtown. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/tka4XUy

In the 1950s, the Milwaukee Braves ran an annual summer baseball school in Nebraska. The MLB franchise didn’t pick Omaha or Lincoln for its high-profile camp. Instead, it tapped a Sandhills town with 1,200 residents. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/r17dKUf

Nebraska is seeking to end Medicaid retroactive coverage, a move that will save the state millions each year. Hospital officials say it will inflict $2 worth of pain to hospitals for the state to save $1. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/n18gGeX

Conservationist George Archibald has traveled the globe to observe cranes. Still, he makes sure to travel back to Nebraska every March to take in “one of the world's great migration spectacles.” Read more 🔗 buff.ly/OwOK9bO

New from Flatwater Explains: The Council Bluffs businessmen who founded a settlement across the river wanted it to sound big and bustling. They dubbed it “Omaha City,” even though almost nobody lived there. As it grew into a real city, its name shrank. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/uqm4yaC

Parents struggle to keep up with child care costs, while providers scrape to make enough to keep doors open. In Lincoln, 11 child care centers have closed since 2023. Here’s the latest on legislative efforts to ease a seemingly intractable problem. 🔗 buff.ly/CMx8E8T

In the 1950s, young men and teenage boys descended on the Sandhills town of Rushville each summer, drawn by a long-shot chance to play major league baseball. Residents still remember those days now seven decades later. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/r17dKUf

Despite a state ban on online sports gambling, prediction markets have allowed Nebraskans to put money on everything from Husker basketball to the 2024 presidential election in Omaha’s “Blue Dot.” The markets say their users aren’t betting — they’re trading. Read more buff.ly/qncVwLW

The top administrator at the state-run Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center in Kearney was fired last week. She’s the only known termination so far at the center, where multiple teens have accused staff members of sexual abuse. Read more from Sara Gentzler 🔗 buff.ly/O6M2o5Y

Nebraska-raised shrimp? A UNL freshman is one of two farmers in the state licensed to raise white saltwater shrimp. It’s hard, risky work — and declining in the U.S. 🔗 buff.ly/px5qG8w

New at Flatwater: The state is seeking to end a provision designed to prevent low-income Nebraskans from going into severe medical debt. State officials say it will save money. But hospital leaders say it will burden an already stressed system and hurt vulnerable residents. 🔗 buff.ly/n18gGeX

Kirsten Mahrt processed the news twice in three months: Her son’s child care provider was closing its doors. Hundreds of Lincoln parents have experienced the same in the last few years, even with the city’s unique local support system. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/pT0xQAJ

Sarah Baker Hansen embarked on a mini-tour of Reubens around Omaha. Read the review now 🔗 buff.ly/Q5waOEF and vote in the annual food bracket for your favorite Reuben! 🗳️ buff.ly/uUWEThN

New at Flatwater: Despite a state ban on online sports gambling, Nebraskans can easily put money on Husker games, and countless other events, via prediction markets. Gaming leaders say the markets are skirting the law and denying Nebraska millions in tax dollars. 🔗 buff.ly/lFcyHZC

Nebraska-raised shrimp? A 19-year-old is one of two farmers in the state licensed to raise white saltwater shrimp. It’s hard, risky work — and declining in the U.S. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/px5qG8w

New at Flatwater: As private energy developer Tenaska scoured southeast Nebraska for land to house a potential data center and power plant, the company found some landowners willing to sell — including a state lawmaker. Read the full story 🔗 buff.ly/b7uMRZr

An internal report in October concluded there are no systemic problems at the state-run youth treatment center in Kearney. Five months later, a second employee was criminally charged with sexually abusing a teen at the center. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/OHLllOS

A small business selling vanilla-infused products has built a loyal following in Grand Island. The founder of this one-man operation has a mission: create opportunities for farmers in his home country of Comoros. 🔗 buff.ly/ZZ7pTPi

Google has privately proposed building a new data center in Nebraska that could require three times the amount of electricity needed to power all of Lincoln during the hottest months of the year, according to documents obtained by the Flatwater Free Press. 🔗 buff.ly/6FlWg7H

UPDATE: A second employee is facing criminal charges in connection with sexual abuse allegations involving teens at the state treatment center in Kearney. The charges came nearly five months after state employees determined there was no systemic problem at the center. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/OHLllOS

Roughly 10 years ago, developers broke ground on an ambitious project to replace a blighted public housing development in North Omaha. A decade later, Highlander has proven an undeniable improvement. But some question if it’s really for North Omahans. 🔗 buff.ly/NIQj94K

Fouad Mhadji Issa couldn’t find a single vanilla processor when he moved to Nebraska. So, he did it himself. His small business selling vanilla-infused products has built a loyal following in Grand Island. It's also helping farmers back home in Comoros. 🔗 buff.ly/ZZ7pTPi

Two decades ago, state law allowed a cop to keep his Nebraska certification after he surrendered his South Dakota certification for disorderly conduct. He continued working in law enforcement, without incident, for decades. Now he is the top cop in Dakota County. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/geUBCLc

There’s new relief coming for laid-off workers in Lexington. Omaha-based Sherwood Foundation announced a $1.1M gift to Lutheran Family Services (LFS) to support employees laid off in the Tyson closure, according to the Nebraska Examiner. The aid application can be accessed here: buff.ly/idQhtOd

Nebraska has 30% fewer child care workers than it did in 2019. The shortage is expected to worsen in the coming years as federal cuts to Medicaid spending trickle down. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/DmkFSQS

New at Flatwater: 20 years ago, a South Dakota police officer gave up his law enforcement certification after starting a bar fight. But he continued working in law enforcement in Nebraska. Last month, he was named sheriff of Dakota County. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/uvdi5ms