Local News in Omaha
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Jill Anderson and friends bring show with something to say to the Bluebarn Theatre
Veteran Omaha theater artist and singer Jill Anderson is known for deep subject dives – from Irish folk music to literary icons. As writer-director of a new staged concert at the Bluebarn Theatre, “Rise: Songs of Resistance and Resilience,” she delves into social justice music.…
Have a child under 12? The City of Omaha wants to hear about your childcare needs
The City of Omaha is calling on parents and guardians with children 12 years old and younger to fill out a survey. The results will help shape the city’s and local nonprofit’s mission to address affordable childcare and early childhood education. Organizers gathered in the…
Farnam Street bridge to reopen ahead of schedule
An Omaha bridge project is wrapping up sooner than expected and will reopen this week. Omaha Mayor John Ewing announced Thursday that the Farnam Street Bridge will officially reopen to traffic by 3 p.m. Friday. A press release stated the reopening represents an important…
Charges dropped in case of man bringing firecracker to Omaha airport
Federal prosecutors dismissed the case against a man accused of bringing a firecracker through security at Omaha’s Eppley Airfield. The government’s motion to dismiss the case was granted by a judge on Tuesday. Che Salpas, an Oregon resident who was in Nebraska to visit family,…
Omaha City Council approves match of $1.5M federal grant for study of North Freeway improvements
The Omaha City Council unanimously approved a $189,500 contribution Tuesday for a pilot program meant to reconnect a community divided by the North Freeway. Combined with a $1.5 million federal grant, the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Planning Agency (MAPA) and the City of…
State auditor finds issues in Douglas County benefits program
State Auditor Mike Foley is calling for benefits reform in Nebraska’s largest county. In a letter to the Douglas County Board of Commissioners Tuesday morning, Foley’s office identified multiple issues with the county’s Department of General Assistance that “merit corrective…
Ex-NU coach John Cook is celebrity guest for ‘Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!’ Omaha show
A volleyball legend in Nebraska will take the stage at Omaha’s Orpheum Theater this week as the celebrity guest on NPR’s “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!” live show with Nebraska Public Media. John Cook, former head coach of the Nebraska volleyball team and current co-owner and general…
Interfaith Alliance to launch ‘The Vote is Sacred’ tour in Omaha
A national interfaith bus tour is kicking off in Nebraska’s largest city. “The Vote is Sacred” get-out-the-vote bus tour, organized by the nonpartisan Interfaith Alliance, will start on Oct. 6 in Omaha — the day after early voting begins, and four weeks before Election Day. Each…
An 82-year-old master gardener is leading an effort to make South Omaha’s 24th Street bloom again
The last-blast-of-summer morning sun was beginning to blaze as Master Gardener Bob Elkins parked on Omaha’s historic South 24th Street and pulled tools and a garden hose from the back of his Kia Soul. He set the gear near two bags of greenery. One bag brimmed with coleus of many…
Men’s sober living home in Omaha aims to fill a gap in outpatient care
A men’s-only sober living home opened in Omaha this week, offering a structured place to live for men going through outpatient addiction treatment. Aaron Barnes runs the home, called RCVRY House. Barnes struggled with addiction himself and has been sober for more than 10 years.…