Millennial Fever is Back

by Tim McMahan

This happened a few years ago. I was called into the office because a new YouTube video had just been placed online that unveiled the secrets of the “Millennial Generation,” and my boss wanted to show it to the head of our HR department on my just-acquired iPhone -- my iPhone 1.0.

We rushed up to her office, and I slid my iPhone across her desk while telling her how to watch the video. “Just...

Top Teachers

by STAFF

In honor of National Teacher  Appreciation Day and in recognition of our own Teacher Appreciation Day this Saturday, May 11, 6 p.m. at Aksarben Village, The Reader reached out to the Learning Community school districts to get the names of teachers recognized for their hard work, dedication and effectiveness. Here is just a small sampling of the educators who help shape our children’s growth...

The Future of Funny Books

by Tim McMahan

Last Saturday was Comic Book Day, an annual celebration of the classic illustrated story and a clever way to get people into comic shops to part with their hard-earned money, and I didn’t go.

Not because I don’t love comics. On the contrary, I grew up lost and wandering through a world populated by the superhuman superheroes that make up the Marvel Universe -- Spider-man, The X-Men, The...

If You’re Not At The Table, You’re On The Menu

by Liz Codina

“In 2008 all eyes were on the Latino vote. That year we had 19.5 million registered Latinos that were active to vote,” Miriam Peña, the executive director for the Colorado Progressive Coalition and Colorado Progressive Action, told an Omaha audience. Since then “in the 2012 all eyes were on the Latino vote because that number went up to 23.4 million eligible voters.”

On the evening of...

Showing Up

by Kietryn Zychal

“Attendance is one area where 90 percent does not equal an A,” according to Sharif Liwaru, Elementary Schools Director at UNO’s Attendance Collaborative. That is because a 90 percent attendance rate equals 20 days of absence -- the number that triggers a referral to the County Attorney as mandated by LB 933. 

“A kid missing a couple days of school every couple of weeks may not seem like a lot of days gone, but...

My Two Moms

by Leo Adam Biga

With gay marriage being assailed during an Iowa House Judiciary Committee public hearing in 2011 Zach Wahls offered counter testimony that not only charged the proceedings but the national dialogue about the issue.

Raised by same sex partners, Wahls made the case that sexual preference has nothing to do with effective parenting. He used himself as a case in point. The 21-year-old University of Iowa student and...

If it feels hotter, that’s because it is

by Kietryn Zychal

After the hottest start to a year ever recorded in the United States, local activists gathered to point out the obvious from a symbolic spot.

Career National Weather Service meteorologist John Pollack is devoting his retirement to educating the public about climate change, suggesting ways to lower carbon emissions. Standing in front of the “high and dry” Salute to Labor statue on the riverfront that was...

Anatomy of an Election

by Kietryn Zychal

It takes months of planning, last minute details and tight organization to make an election go smoothly. “Election Day is the part that everybody sees,” said Election Commissioner Dave Phipps in his office at the Douglas County Election Commission on 115th and Davenport Streets. “Nobody wants to really know what happens and how you get to that point.”

“They just want to know that they can go to their polling...