Flatwater Free Press

09/08/2026

See you there! Excited for this collab with Film Streams.

09/07/2026

In case you missed it: Omaha Public Schools, the district teaching most of the metro area’s students in poverty, now has the worst teacher staffing levels and worst student-teacher ratios in Nebraska, a new Flatwater analysis shows.

Read more 🔗 https://buff.ly/qunncdi

Story by Henry J. Cordes. Photo by Naomi Delkamiller.

09/04/2026

On September 23, we are welcoming legendary journalist George Packer to the FlatFest stage! Flatwater Fellow Kaitlyn Kelly sat down with him for a Q & A ahead of the event to talk about his path into journalism, his experience at national news outlets and what about this work gets him up in the morning. Read the full interview 🔗 https://buff.ly/WbX74oK

To get a free copy of his latest book and meet Packer in person, purchase a FlatFest ticket here 🎟️ https://buff.ly/oGTHk5V

09/04/2026

New at Flatwater: For decades, Nebraska small towns have tested ways to attract new people and new homes to keep their communities afloat. The Pawnee City Community Foundation tested its own last year. Here's what happened 🔗 https://buff.ly/TZbUmf1

Story by Natalia Alamdari. Photo by Lily Smith.

09/03/2026

What happens when a city bans Flock cameras but it doesn’t own them?

Flatwater’s Report for America corps member Pierce Gentry went to Ord, Nebraska, to find out.

Read more 🔗 https://buff.ly/8xXR11M

🎥: Lily Smith and Naomi Delkamiller

09/03/2026

New at Flatwater: Omaha Public Schools, the district teaching most of the metro area’s students in poverty, now has the worst teacher staffing levels and worst student-teacher ratios in Nebraska, a new Flatwater analysis shows.

Read more 🔗 https://buff.ly/qunncdi

Story by Henry J. Cordes. Photo by Naomi Delkamiller.

09/02/2026

Flatwater is turning five. In those five years, Editor Matthew Hansen says, we’ve grown from a startup operating out of a broom closet to a force that on its best weeks shows Nebraskans what makes Nebraska special, and also reveals what’s broken and may need fixing.

Read about Flatwater's past and our present, and our upcoming anniversary events to celebrate 🔗 https://buff.ly/oJT7i5A

09/02/2026

New at Flatwater: More than 110 years after the death of Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte, Native women in Nebraska are still inspired by her to go into the medical field.

Read more 🔗 https://buff.ly/L3XcR0I

Story by Leo Adam B**a. Photo by Jerry L Mennenga for the Flatwater Free Press.

09/02/2026

You asked us about Medicaid, so we asked Nebraska’s U.S. Senate candidates directly at the debate hosted by News Channel Nebraska tonight. Here are their full responses:

The question: Congress last year passed a budget reconciliation package, commonly known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” that will cut one trillion dollars from Medicaid over the next decade and cost 10 million Americans their health insurance. Advocates have warned that the 50 billion dollar rural health fund within the bill will provide only short term relief. A Flatwater Free Press reader asks: What will you do to ensure the affordability and quality of health care delivery in Nebraska?

Thank you to all of our readers for submitting questions. We will continue asking them on and off the debate stage.

09/01/2026