Common Sense Adds to Truancy Law

by Robyn Wisch

It’s a plan that builds on an older plan. Last year, LB 800 was signed into law. That enacted sweeping reforms in truancy prevention and juvenile justice – if a child was truant for more than 20 days of the school year, the county attorney would get involved, and the parents and children might find themselves in court or facing fines. That led to an influx of truancy cases that county attorneys...

Inviting Nebraska Dreams

by admin

by Lindsey Peterson

Crete, located in southeast Nebraska, is a town not unlike many other rural towns. It faces an increasing immigration population and a burdened education system. And, like others, it’s scrambling to find ways to handle an influx of students and parents who don’t speak the language.

What does make Crete different is the lack of picket lines, protests and media coverage....

Omaha Cycling Getting Up to Speed

by Jessica Clem-McClaren

Balancing breakfast is always easier when you’ve got to bicycle to work. Pounding down the “Works” breakfast at Radial Cafe is a recipe for disaster while summiting the hills in Omaha. It is not easy to be sick on a bicycle, particularly when maneuvering through rush hour traffic.

Why cycle? Control your portions, save on gas, get those calves swollen and be the sweaty envy of your co-workers...

Shedding light on city development: Early success with online involvement tool EngageOmaha.com

by Jessica Clem-McClaren

Last Saturday I stood in line at the farmer’s market, while a woman beside me clicked the tiny keys on her phone with the fervor of a child opening a gift. Interested in her eagerness, I snuck a glance. She was “tweeting” a plug for the new crop of yellow squash. Within minutes, her phone was beeping like a car alarm, nearly as brash and startling.

This is the world of social media, where...

Zoning Board of Appeals votes on Emerging Terrain’s grain elevator banners Thursday

by Sally Deskins

An essential Omaha public art staple, the continuation of the Emerging Terrain Grain Elevator banners along Interstate 80 near downtown will be voted on June 16 by the Zoning Board of Appeals. The first 13 banners went up last fall, and 12 additional one will be added on the topic of “Transport(ation),” which Emerging Terrain is soliciting designs for now. They were not approved at a...

A new commitment to historic South Omaha

by Brandon Vogel

South Omaha has always been the home of industry and immigrants. The languages change, the residents keep coming from new and different locations, the jobs are constantly evolving but the neighborhood itself has always been Omaha’s melting pot. It’s defined by two things: hope and hard work. That’s why they come and that’s what they do. And while South Omaha has displayed a remarkable...

Under the Influence

by Jasmine Maharisi

Barbara Garcia dumps a shoebox-full of pill bottles onto her bedspread.

“This one is for my heart,” she says, plucking a bottle from the pile. “This other one here is for migraines. And this is for depression.”

The list continues. The 57-year-old Omaha native takes 25 medications for ailments ranging from asthma to breast cancer. Although she receives Medicaid, the program doesn't cover all...

On Edge

by Andrew Norman

Sitting across the table from Mark Christensen, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed state senator from Imperial, I can't help but wonder if he's packing heat. After all, the National Rifle Association-endorsed Christensen, 48, has introduced some of the most radical gun-rights bills in the country, including a measure that would have allowed teachers to carry guns in school. Another, the so-called...