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...

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...

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...

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...

2012 Douglas County Poll Closing Analysis: Process, Methodology And Analysis

by John Heaston

Read the full story here.

2012 Voter File:

The initial voter data for 2012 obtained by The Reader was not useable for this initial analysis because it did not have polling location for each voter listed. It did have a large amount of voting data that would prove useful later.

The Reader obtained a new file with voters and polling places linked below. This file contained 314,969 voters and...

Regenerative Medicine Helps the Body to Heal Itself

by Steve Brewer

Regenerative medicine is a new way of treating injuries and diseases, using specially-grown tissues and cells, along with artificial organs. The goal is helping the body to regenerate itself.

It’s an emerging field with great potential, according to the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.

“These approaches can amplify our natural healing process in...

Environmental Alchemy

by Brandon Vogel

When it rains in Omaha, it pours raw sewage, industrial waste and toxic chemicals into nearby waterways. The city’s century-old sewer system is designed to either put it there or into your basement. Neither is an inviting option. But that design is changing thanks to a federal mandate from the Environmental Protection Agency. The oldest part of the city — nearly everything east of 72nd St....

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...