Reader_October 2018

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O C TO B E R 2 0 1 8 | volUM E 25 | ISSU E 10

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A Bipartisan Conversation Brad Ashford InterviewS Bacon, Lee Terry InterviewS Eastman (pg. 6)

Year of the Woman?

Depends On Turnout (LEO A. Biga, pg. 14) and Cross-Overs (JOHN Heaston, pg. 12)

ART: Bemis art auction Dish: JINYA Serving up Fresh Hot Noods Film: All Superheroes Are SJWs Heartland Healing: The Life of Spice HooDoo: Spirited Sounds MUSIC: Backbeat Column OVER THE EDGE: Real. Fair. Accurate. For now... Theater: Theater for All

momentum F E AT U R I N G

Rhapsody in Blue

Joslyn Art Museum Friday, October 19

Iowa Western Arts Center Sunday, October 21

amballet.org | THE READER |

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publisher/editor....................John Heaston john@thereader.com graphic designer.......................Ken Guthrie, Sebastian Molina assistant editor................ JoAnna LeFlore joanna@thereader.com associate publisher.............Sal S. Robles sal@pioneermedia.me

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS healing................Michael Braunstein info@heartlandhealing.com

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COVER: A Bipartisan Conversation

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COVER: Year of the Woman

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COVER: Get out the Vote in East Omaha

arts/visual.................Mike Krainak mixedmedia@thereader.com eat........................................... Sara Locke crumbs@thereader.com film..................................Ryan Syrek cuttingroom@thereader.com hoodoo..................... B.J. Huchtemann bjhuchtemann@gmail.com music..........................Houston Wiltsey backbeat@thereader.com over the edge...............Tim McMahan tim.mcmahan@gmail.com theater....................... Beaufield Berry coldcream@thereader.com

SALES & MARKETING ................................................ Kati Falk kati@thereader.com

DISTRIBUTION/DIGITAL ......................................... Clay Seaman clay@thereader.com

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DISH: JINYA Serving Up Fresh Hot Noods

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PICKS: Cool Things to do in October

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ACCOUNT MANAGER

ART: Bemis Center’s 20th Benefit Art Auction

......................................... Tim Stokes tim@pioneermedia.me

OUR SISTER MEDIA CHANNELS

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Theater: Theater for All

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BACKBEAT: This Month’s Backbeat Column

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HOODOO: Spirited Sounds

OUR DIGITAL MARKETING SERVICES

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FILM: All Superheroes Are SJWs october 2018

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Heartland Healing: The Life of Spice CONTENTS

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OVER THE EDGE: Real. Fair. Accurate. For now...

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OCTOBER 2018

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Omaha Jobs: Scary Jobs In a month filled with ghosts and goblins, we turn out focus to jobs that can easily fall within the category of “scary jobs.” The problem, of course, is that “scary” can be fairly subjective. What one person finds scary, another person may find ideal.

Consider a job like a crime scene investigator. While some people would consider crime scenes as the thing of nightmares, others are excited by the prospect of piecing together the scene to recreate and solve the mystery of what happened. Obviously, what one person might deem scary, another might instead find fascinating. So if you read through this list and can’t understand why anyone would consider these jobs as scary, just remember it’s a subjective list.

Pilot

Entomologist

Paranormal Investigator

Two poisonous spiders are quite common in Nebraska: the brown recluse and black widows. Entomologists study bugs and arachnologists study spiders specifically. These professionals aren’t solely confined to jobs at the zoo here in Omaha, although the Insect Pavilion at the Henry Doorly Zoo is probably a favorite of these professionals. If this type of work excites you, you’ll be happy to know that the University of Nebraska at Lincoln has an Entomology Department that has both undergraduate and graduate programs.

investigator. This job investigates instances of paranormal activity; when a house is “haunted,” these are the people called in to explain what’s happening. Unlike many paranormal investigators on television shows, these investigators use scientific methods to figure out what’s going on; they don’t just try to communicate with spirits and obtain sensational footage.

Frequently, instances of paranormal activity can be explained by reasons other than the spiritual world.

Omahans who find this potentially scary work intriguing should check out UNO’s Paranormal Society.

Coroner Coroners direct examinations of bodies of the deceased to help determine cause of death. They may not be physicians, but instead are responsible for ensuring the examination is done correctly by the appropriate professionals.

They’re commonly elected to the role and interestingly there’s isn’t a national certification to become a coroner. The American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators provides continuing education and other resources for coroners or those who want to become coroners. Locally, the Douglas County Coroner’s Office is the source for death investigations within the Omaha area.

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Though flying may seem like a peaceful activity as you soar through the blue sky past the fluffy clouds, it’s important to remember that piloting an aircraft can be downright scary. Maybe that’s why there’s a nationwide pilot shortage. Low beginning wages and unpredictable work schedules might also contribute to people’s apprehension in pursuing a pilot career, but for some, the idea of being responsible for a huge vehicle flying through the sky is just a little too scary. If being a pilot sounds like a fun job to you, and you’re prepared for extensive training beforehand, plenty of excellent information is available through the Nebraska Aviation Council.

examination. Successful candidates will enjoy impressive benefits including paid vacation, a college incentive program, and extra pay for bilingual officers. And even though the job might be scary at times, it’s an occupation that is generally regarded with respect and appreciation among most residents.

Job searches can be scary Looking for work can be scary, no matter what job you’re looking for. Luckily for those in the Omaha area, these are many jobs from which to choose. Our low unemployment rate equals a variety of businesses looking to fill open positions.

Check out www.omahajobs.com to find your next job – scary or not.

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Police Officer Being in law enforcement can certainly be scary; you can never be sure how a situation will unfold, particularly in a climate where some residents don’t necessarily trust police officers. As a result, police officers consistently put their own well-being to the side in order to care for the community. The Omaha Police Department actively recruits new law enforcement professionals; applicants must not only apply, but also complete a written examination, a physical ability test, an oral interview, and an extensive background

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OCTOBER 2018

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VOTE NOVEMBER 6Th – Mail by october 26

Congressman Don Bacon A Bipartisan Conversation INTERVIEW by Brad Ashford

back out. We’ve got to find ways to stop that, because that’s raising the rates for everybody else. So, there are things I think we can make better with the system that we have.

EDITOR: This conversation has been edited for brevity.

BACKGROUND

Ashford: Do … we require pre-existing conditions to be covered?

Ashford: I know it’s the birthday of the Air Force today. And you’ve got your Air Force tie.

Bacon: I think we do. I think a country such as ours, we need to find ways to provide affordable health insurance.

Bacon: Had to celebrate.

Ashford: You’re running to represent us again. Give me a brief background of how you got to a place where you wanted to run for office?

Bacon: It started with my mom and dad were volunteers for Goldwater, so I was raised in this family that talked a lot of politics. And I became a Ronald Reagan campaign kid at 13, in 1976, when he lost to Ford. I remember crying the day he lost to Ford. So, I was very involved.

I knew all 100 senators, where they came from, all nine Supreme Court Justices. I read Human Events, National Review, U.S. News World Report in junior high and high school. So, I was just born with … an innate interest. I graduated high school at 16. When I went to college, I became the opinion page editor.

Ashford: Where did you go to college -Northern Illinois University?

Bacon: For my last two years. My first two years, I went to Northwestern in Orange City, Iowa.

I did some opinion page work there, wrote editorials. Ended up interning for a congressman -- his name was Ed Madigan -- when I was 20 years old.

So, I’ve always had an interest. And when I retired from the Air Force, I knew I wanted to get involved but I didn’t know where. … So, I got involved with Lee Terry’s campaign … but I had no intention of running for Congress. I just wanted to get involved.

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TAXES Ashford: How did you get into the Air Force?

HEALTHCARE YOUR

Bacon: I was a 90-day wonder, they call it, with officertraining school.

And I always liked military history, but at the time, you could probably relate to this, long hair was in, so the Air Force haircuts didn’t impress me.

Ashford: I take that personally.

Bacon: Well, I had long hair. … It was down to my shoulders when I got married. I don’t like looking at those pictures.

Ashford: Oh, boy.

Bacon: We’ll hide it. … But when I graduated at 20 out of college, I met a counselor that was a retired Air Force guy. …

He said, “Don, you ought to join the Air Force. You’ve got an interest in it.” And I just sort of thought about it. I go, “You know, he’s right.” And so, I went and signed up the next day.

Ashford: How many years did you serve?

Bacon: Twenty-nine years and eight months. … But I knew it was time to get out when it was time. The Pentagon’s not a fun place to be.

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COVER

Ashford: Nobody seems to care about healthcare.

Bacon: Polls, like, off the chart right now to fix it.

Ashford: How do you view a repeal (of Obamacare) after having been there two years now?

Bacon: You know, I never stood for just a repeal only. I always thought we had to have mechanisms to replace it. So, for example, I think I would replace the pool structure of ACA. When we put everybody in the same pool, it drove up the rates for the healthy folks and a lot of them got out, which made their costs go even higher. I think there’s ways to charge everybody at the healthy rate and use taxpayer money to help pay the difference of our high-risk people, called invisible pool.

There’re different ways to do it. We’ve got to find a way to lower rates, bottom line. Because those rates have doubled since Obamacare, or ACA, came in. I think you and I talked once about folks who don’t get insurance, but then they need it. They buy it and then they get

Ashford: You guys passed the largest tax cut in the history … I believe I’m right.

I mean, the Reagan tax cuts in ‘86 and now this ...

Bacon: I know it was the first tax reduction since ‘86 …

I think Reagan had a bigger one.

Ashford: But it was a big tax cut. It was a lot to bite off. Why did you vote for it? And … how do you see the immensity of the tax cut vis-a-vis the debt and the deficit?

Bacon: Well, the average Nebraska business was paying 33 percent or 34 percent, so they’re not getting a lot of deductions. Canada pays 15 percent.

England, I believe, pays 17 percent. Ireland is 9 percent. The average in Europe is 22 percent. I wanted to get us where we are at the average, so we could compete fairly and not put our businesses at a disadvantage. So that was my motivation on the business side. So, corporations or the smaller business, by and large, were paying rates at the 40 percent. So, we gave a 20 percent reduction. We wanted to keep our small businesses at a competitive level as well.

Now, on the personnel side, we lowered rates for about 90 percent of the folks.

There’ll be 5 percent paying more. I wish there was nobody paying more. That’s one of the things. You don’t get a perfect bill. There’re compromises.

VOTE NOVEMBER 6Th – Mail by october 26 IMMIGRATION Ashford: The administration has reduced refugees coming into the country, I think, to 30,000 for next year. It was 45,000 last year, whatever. It seems to me there’s a difference between someone who’s a refugee and someone who’s coming across the border illegally. How do you view that? How do you view our refugee program?

Bacon: I think we should be supportive of refugees. I had a brother. He was Vietnamese. He was a captain in the Marines.

In 1975, escaped. My dad took him in and he was America’s best citizen, really, by the time he was done. He became a self-made millionaire. He came here with a suitcase in his pocket. Couldn’t even speak English, but he owned a company of 500 by the time he retired.

And we bring in great people that understand the freedoms and the opportunities. I think as long as we have a vetting process so that we do a little bit of scrutiny on who’s coming in, then I think we need to be supportive of refugees.

Ashford: Dreamers and non-Dreamers.

How do you view those who are undocumented, without delving too deeply into each area, how do you see the policy behind that? How would you change it?

Bacon I realized, in the campaign ‘16, that it is one of the higher-intensity issues out there. So, I had to really immerse myself into it to understand it. Because I just, I was focused on national security. I was focused on tax reform.

Ashford: This is a new year.

Bacon: Our district wants to protect DACA. … But they also tell me, over and over again, “Don, but fix the problem. We don’t want to do a DACA program two years from now, four years from now, six years from now. So, fix the problem.”

ENVIRONMENT Ashford: What do you think about climate change and how should we address it?

Bacon: Well, I do think there is climate change. I always debate the how much of it’s manmade versus how much is it cyclical. But there is clearly a manmade element to it. But … there’s also a debate,

too, how much can we affect it? And I’d say, well, to me, it’s a moot point, because we want clean water, clean air. So, I think, to me, it’s all about leaving something better for our kids and grandkids.

And I’m proud of the fact that we have made the Great Lakes cleaner than what they were 30 years ago.

Ashford: And that’s a mandate to the EPA, anyway, is to have clean air and clean water.

Bacon: Right.

Ashford: There’s a debate about how you get there, but that’s already in the law, right?

Bacon: I think we have good regulations.

The problem is … and this is probably where you and I would disagree with, I thought President Obama went too far.

And I’ll give you an example.

Ashford: On what?

Bacon: Well, I worry about, like, on the coal mining.

Ashford: Oh, maybe we do disagree on it.

Bacon: But he was saying … You got to keep the streams clean, right? You cannot pollute a stream. … But there was a regulation put out that stopped any coal mine, even underground ones …

Ashford: No, it was top. I thought it was mountaintop.

Bacon: Well, I took it as …

Ashford: The whole deal.

Bacon: The whole deal. And that, I thought, it went too far. And yet, it’s still the streams are protected by other regulations. But it drove 75,000 people out of work. So, I try to find where’s that balance.

GUN CONTROL Ashford: What do you think about gun control?

Bacon: First of all, I think it’s a misnomer when people talk about assault weapons.

Really, it’s a code word for semiautomatic weapons. And then, we have about over a hundred different types of semiautomatic weapons. I know you and I debate about, OK, AR-15s. But, so, we do away with the AR-15, there’s still another hundred types out there. So, do we want to

ban all semiautomatic weapons? I don’t think so.

I would rather protect the law-abiding people’s rights and take away rights from those who are violent, who’ve demonstrated felony behavior.

I think where we really have the need is mental health. Because I think, when you talk about the killer from Florida, I think he had 37 reports to the police.

He should not have had his Second Amendment rights. We need to have a provision where if somebody is clearly violent, they’re mentally ill, that there’s a due process to take away their rights. I’m more keen on those kinds of avenues.

I do think we need more mental health provisions out there. So, I would say, I do think that even if … you’d change the cartridge size or the clip sizes … there’s still 300 million guns that are in our community or communities.

The schools still need to be hardened.

And I know that a lot of people don’t like that, but we have to look at how do we make the schools more secure?

NATIONAL DEFENSE & VETERANS Ashford: I know you’re supportive of the new medical center project.

Bacon: Mm-hmm.

Ashford: Looking at the VA generally and reform, how do you see that? Is there a downsizing of the VA in the future, or where do we peel off functions? How do you see that evolving?

Bacon: Well, we’ve had discussions on it. I’m not sure where is the long-range goal, but some of the feedback I’ve had from medical experts is they think the VA should specialize on war injuries. That should be their ...

Ashford: Prosthesis.

Bacon: Yeah, that should be their specialty because they’re dealing with...

Ashford: PTSD. Bacon: Combat wounds, PTS, things like that. So, it seems to me that they should always have a specialty in those areas because we do have veterans coming back that have been wounded, or PTS. And who else should have that other than

COVER

the VA? The VA should be the specialist there.

MONEY IN POLITICS Ashford: Do you think there’s too much money and influence in politics?

Bacon: I do, but I don’t have a good answer for it. I mean, our race was $14 million.

Ashford: That’s way, way, way too much money.

Bacon: Yeah, you had $2.5 million. I had $1.5 million and another $10 million...

Ashford: Are you saying that ...

Bacon: There was $10 million of outside money that came in.

Ashford: Well that gets down to you’re a number almost. I was a number. You’re on a list. You know, do we have to keep Bacon or throw him out? Do you want to throw out Ashford? Damn right. And, you know, that’s what happens. But it’s a lot of money, isn’t it?

Bacon: It is a lot of money. But that’s one side of the debate. I mean, $14 million for one race, obviously not money wellspent. I mean, it just seems like that could have better uses. But here’s the other side of that. Let’s say you’re a soybean farmer, but you want to have advocates for you in Washington. You don’t have a lot of money, but you want to give them $1,000 to help advocate for you and all the soybean farmers. So, this money is a voice for folks, whatever their ...

Ashford: It’s the difference between PAC money and dark money, where you don’t know ... PAC money, where you have an organization like the Farm Bureau or some group ... At least you know where the money’s coming from. But with the dark money part, when you don’t know who the donors are, that’s a problem.

Bacon: Yeah. We need transparency. So probably the middle ground on this is that there are no anonymous names, we know who’s putting in the money. Because I think that that puts a little light on it. So that’s something that probably we could all agree on. The more transparency, the better.

They sign you a new contract or they don’t.

| THE READER |

October 2018

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VOTE NOVEMBER 6Th – Mail by october 26

Kara Eastman A Bipartisan Conversation INTERVIEW by Brad Ashford

Lee: OK. Well, then you’re talking about one person.

EDITOR: This conversation has been edited for brevity.

Eastman: Right. But I think this is something that we know is a problem and that the very wealthy in this country have managed to get away with not paying their fair share in taxes and it’s ...

BACKGROUND Lee: How long have you been in Omaha?

Eastman: I moved to Omaha about 12 years ago, because my husband took a position at Creighton in the history department. And at that time our daughter was about 5, and Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance was just getting started.

My background is in social work and nonprofit work, especially building nonprofits.

And so, they hired me to start the organization. At that time the group grew out with your help of the Lead Superfund sites, and Omaha is still the largest residential superfund site in the nation as a result of lead contamination. … And over time, we developed it to not just focus on lead, but all environmental hazards in the home.

So, including lead but also mold, radon, anything inside the home that was impacting children’s health.

I’m originally from Chicago. I’ve moved around a little bit. I met my husband in California and then ... but I’ve lived in Wisconsin, I’ve lived in Massachusetts, and before moving to Omaha we lived in Orange County, California. Because my husband was getting his PhD at UC-Irvine, and I was growing a national volunteer program for people with ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Lee: But you’ve done a lot in healthcare, so would that be your level of expertise or just is that your passion?

Eastman: Well, both. I’ve spent my career over 20 years in nonprofit work.

I’ve run shelters, homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, developed that program, and then also I’ve worked in environmental health. In Omaha, I’ve raised over $13 million to

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October 2018

Lee: Is there a difference between legal and fair? Because usually the people pay what is required by the IRS. Eastman: Of course, usually. invest in energy-efficient, safe, healthy housing. So, I’ve worked on racial, social, environmental justice my whole career.

way that healthcare coverage has gone, in the wealthiest YOUR country in the world, we can afford to provide healthcare to everybody. And I believe healthcare is a right and HEALTHCARE we have to make sure that people aren’t having to choose like my Lee: Probably the most well-discussed mom did between taking medication issue is healthcare. What is your defithey need and their lives. People are nition of coverage for everyone. The dying because of this issue. platitude is Medicare for All. Explain What is the price that we’re willing to put what that means. on a human life?

Eastman: The reason I decided to run for Congress is because of my mom.

In 2016, she was diagnosed with can- TAXES cer for the fifth time and in that bout was prescribed a pill that was $2,500. Lee: One of the issues you’ve raised is taxes, particularly on the wealthy. How And she wasn’t able to take that pill do you define wealthy? because of the cost, which meant she wasn’t able to leave the home until she Eastman: If we look at just people earnpassed away a year ago. I have met so ing … people in that 1 percent, peomany people in knocking on doors in ple earning over $250,000 a year, we this district who tell me that they’re now know, especially from our current facing very similar situations, that president that very wealthy people in they’re paying outrageous costs. our country aren’t really paying taxes, I had somebody send me a Facebook message showing me the cost of $29,000 for her child’s asthma issues This is devastating people in our community. And when we look at the

| THE READER |

COVER

or maybe we don’t know enough because he’s not willing to release his tax report.

Lee: It’s the wealthy doing that or are you saying they’re cheating?

Eastman: I’m not saying that necessarily that everybody’s cheating. I mean, but there are loopholes that we’ve given them.

Lee: What would be your plan to fix that?

Eastman: I believe we need to flip the current tax bill that the Republicans passed. So that the very wealthy and large corporations are paying higher taxes.

We have people living in poverty who are struggling because of this. I worry about the middle class. … I believe in a system where rich people can get richer and where poor people can get richer, and that’s the system that we need to set up. We need to be fighting for everybody.

IMMIGRATION Lee: What’s your views on border security?

Eastman: I am in favor of border security. We have border security and yet we continue to have people coming to the country illegally. And now under the current administration, we have these immoral policies of kids being separated from their families. So, we need comprehensive immigration reform.

We need for people to be able to come to this country because we have a defi-

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October 2018

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VOTE NOVEMBER 6Th – Mail by october 26 cit in our workforce, and we need immigrant labor to fill that. But I’m particularly concerned about the Dreamers in our district. I’ve met a lot of them, I’m friends with a lot of Dreamers, and they’re scared. They are scared of deportation. They’re scared of being torn away from their families.

I have a friend who wants to go to law school. She’s grown up in this country.

She’s gone to school here. She’s been an incredibly productive member of our society, but she’s terrified that she might invest in law school and then get deported. We need to pass a clean Dream Act for these kids. It’s just not fair to them.

some great things, there are more things we need to be doing.

Lee: Something else?

Eastman: Well, so a tax incentive for geothermal is great, but to install geothermal in your house is like a $25,000 endeavor. There are very few people that can afford to do that. So, this is where we have to be making investments in renewables. I strongly believe that in Nebraska in particular, we could be investing a lot more in wind and solar.

ENVIRONMENT

If we move toward a cleaner, healthier planet and reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, and stopped warming the planet, we’re all going to see the benefits from that. So, I don’t see why we wouldn’t move toward these things …

Lee: What are your key issues on the environment?

GUN CONTROL

Eastman: I believe that climate change is the No. 1 moral issue facing our kids, we’re really leaving this for them to clean up, and I want my daughter, and your kids, and grandkids, to be able to ... do you have grandkids yet?

Lee: No. Eastman: OK, someday? I want them to be able to breathe clean air and drink clean water. And I’m concerned about the status of our planet. And having worked for the last 12 years in the community and seeing the impact that high utility bills have on families where you have people living in poverty who pay such a disproportionate amount of their income going toward utility bills.

If we invest in energy-efficient, safe, healthy housing in these communities, which is what we should be doing, we generate a workforce, we increase the tax base for the communities, we create a safer and healthier living condition, and people’s utility bills go down while also saving the planet. So, it’s a win-win for everybody.

Lee: We’re doing those type of things with the efficient housing and trying to use cleaner energy. Is it because we’re not moving fast enough to do this?

Eastman: Well, I think what you said is key, right? That we’re trying to use cleaner energy. We have to be using cleaner energy because we’re getting to a point where this is a crisis. And so, while in our community we’ve done

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October 2018

Lee: Guns. I’m going to tell you right now, I have several. Are you going to take my guns?

Eastman: No. The day after the Parkland shooting, my daughter, who is now a senior at Central, came to me and said that she was afraid to go to school. And, honestly, I looked at her and immediately, like, flashed back to the day she was born, and how, you know, looking at that small baby and recognizing that she’s my responsibility. You know, I did what any good parent would do. I lied to her and told her to go to school and she’d be fine. But I remember watching her drive away and I …

She was fine, but she had a right to be scared. There had been a shooting in her parking lot. This is a serious issue and the fact that we have not been able to take more proactive measures and that the reality is, is that our teenagers are being braver about these issues than we are as adults to me is immoral.

So, there are simple common-sense gun-safety regulations that we could be enacting now. … Eighty-six percent of Republicans support background checks, mandatory waiting periods, and banning the sale of assault weapons, of weapons of war, are a great start.

Lee: I dispute this, but real automatic rifles are already banned.

Eastman: The reality is, these weapons are getting into the hands of people who shouldn’t have them. And I’m not

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interested in jeopardizing the rights of responsible gun owners. … The problem is not the responsible gun owners.

NATIONAL DEFENSE & VETERANS Lee: What are your thoughts about the military and Offutt Air Force Base?

Eastman: I’ve talked to a lot of people who are stationed at Offutt, a lot of vets who’ve lived in the district. One of the concerns that I have about the military is … how when we look at things, like practical things, like housing or healthcare or the availability of jobs for military spouses, these are things that we need to be investing in a little bit more.

Because if we look at housing on the base, it’s not as high quality as I would like it to be. There’re bases around the country that don’t have clean water, where people are using bottled water. So, we need to make sure that if people are going to be willing to serve this country, that we’re honoring them back by making sure that they’re taken care of.

Lee: Would you reduce the budget for the military?

Eastman: I don’t necessarily think that we need to reduce the budget, but I do think we need to create efficiencies and move some money around. I’m particularly concerned about the lack of funding at the State Department, because really what we need to be doing around the world is using diplomacy first. And if we don’t have cabinet positions filled or adequate funding, we’re seeing a 22 percent reduction in State Department funding in the current budget. I mean, this is a problem, and this is going to create more problems for the United States and put our military personnel in jeopardy.

MONEY IN POLITICS Lee: What are you concerned about regarding money and politics.

Eastman: Well, it’s been interesting to do this, to run for Congress as a nonwealthy person, as a non-millionaire because, even from the beginning ... you’re told, open your Rolodex, to which I did, and then, you know, asked my nonprofit friends for the $50 that they were able to give me to run. So,

the reality is, this system is set up for wealthy people, the average net worth of somebody in Congress is a million dollars.

I’m not accepting corporate PAC money ... because I believe we have to stop allowing the … influences of lobbyists and corporations in Congress. … I do fundamentally believe we need to get money out of politics because it’s a threat to our democracy. And so, not taking corporate PAC money in a campaign is one of the ways to do that.

Lee: Has any money from Planned Parenthood …have you accepted any of their money?

Eastman: I have been endorsed by Planned Parenthood, but I do not believe that we have a PAC check from Planned Parenthood at this point.

And I’ve been endorsed by labor unions and all kinds of other amazing organizations.

Lee: So, what I was ... not trying to trap you per se, but sometimes people say, “I don’t like the PAC money.” But they’ll take something from, “Oh, well, that’s an organization I really like.”

Well, it’s the same thing, if you’re taking PAC money.

Eastman: Right. And taking corporate PAC money and PAC money are different things. … I’m not taking corporate PAC money, but yes, I’m taking money from PACs that align with the values of my campaign. And Planned Parenthood, in their amazing healthcare that they provide to women that I’ve accessed and that my daughter has, I would be proud to take their money.

Lee: So, PAC money at some level is OK. Eastman: Campaigns are expensive, right? And for us to be competitive and to be able to get the word out, money has come from all kinds of places.

However, over 90 percent of the donations to my campaign have come from individuals as opposed to my opponent where his is a lot fewer. Most of his money is coming from PACs. This is a people-driven campaign and while, yes, I’m certainly proud to be aligned with PACs that ... where our values align, that doesn’t mean that in Congress I will be beholden to anybody other than the voters of this district and the people who are hopefully going to vote me in, in November.

UNTIL october 26

BY-MAIL EARLY VOTING BALLOT

VOTE NOVEMBER 6Th – Mail by october 26 YOUR

Restoring Balance and Why the Middle Matters INTERVIEW by Brad Ashford

BY JOHN HEASTON

B

eyond all the rhetoric, platforms, door-knockers, non-stop TV ads and mailers, the cold, hard fact is elections are decided by voter turnout and the “middle.” That’s especially true here in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District (CD2), comprised of Douglas County and the western two-thirds of Sarpy County.

CD-2 had the 2nd closest Congressional race in the country in 2016. Less than 2% of the vote, approximately 2,300 voters, would have swung it the other way. That’s how things roll here. But that 2 percent is less than half of one percent of adults eligible to vote.

Consider this: • In the last presidential election, 2016, approximately 15.5 percent of eligible adults weren’t even registered to vote. Over 40 percent of the eligible adults in Douglas and Sarpy counties did NOT vote, based on U.S. Census and county election commissioner data.

• That was up from the previous presidential election, 2012, when over 37 percent of eligible adults didn’t vote.

• In the 2014 mid-term election, the closest comparison to this year’s election, almost 64 percent of eligible adults didn’t vote. That means if 36 percent shows up to vote on Nov. 6, only 19 percent of eligible adult could decide our political leadership.

We are not unique. This story plays out across the country, which is where the “middle” comes in.

12

October 2018

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YOUR

VOTE NOVEMBER 6Th – Mail by october 26

The “middle” is the independents and “leans” either way, non-party activists, neither hardcore viewers of MSNBC nor Fox News. Most people, attentions splintered across devices and channels, concerns relentlessly focused on living their lives.

It’s not necessarily cultural backgrounds, ethnicity or class, though those things and more have a big impact on political affiliations. Progressive and conservative, diverse but separate, CD-2 is a body politic with an electoral vote that could go either way. In 2008 it was the blue dot. In 2012 and 2016, we were part of the red sea.

Hopefully, the middle is still about listening to one another and learning to share and debate our ideas to find a better way. That’s Omaha. We say it’s the Nebraska way. Unfortunately, we have had oneparty rule for too long.

Most would say, and the data shows, that our system is unfair and tilted, even if it’s the one of the best in the world. A lot of benefits are rightfully earned, but in the grand scheme of things, the rich are getting a whole heck of a lot richer, the poor stay poor and the middle still struggles.

That’s not fair.

If you think we can do better, and you should, then please vote to elect Kara Eastman to Congress, Jane Raybould for Senator and Bob Krist and Lynne Walz for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, respectively. Not only does it bring balance to our two-party system, but all four candidates are brave enough and qualified enough to make positive change and to create a fairer system that benefits those who need it. All of them will have to work across the aisle, not only in state government, but also in our federal delegation.

Don Bacon, Deb Fischer Pete Ricketts and Mike Foley aren’t bad people, but their political party has shifted so far that it’s leaving far too many behind, creating a governance that is not balanced. We live in the freest, most prosperous, highest opportunity country in the world – with Omaha being one of its top 100 communities no less. Why are we leaving so many behind, especially compared to our peers in other industrialized countries?

Why are voices of consideration like U.S. Senator Ben Sasse and the late statesman and U.S. Senator John McCain so ostracized? Congressman Don Bacon deserves a lot of credit for going anywhere, answering any question, any time, and running a constituent-focused office. But for a general who built his career in a military tradition that upholds our highest values, why not show CD-2 some more Nebraskan independence while in Washington? As a member of the Congressional Climate Caucus, why equivocate on man’s contribution to global warming, as if the cause changes the fact we’re dumping a huge problem on future generations of an entire planet, even if thousands of fading jobs not in our state are doomed?

has substantially addressed elevated lead blood levels in children.

Is it to pander to a small percentage that ALWAYS shows up to vote, from as low as 19% (based on the last midterm election) to as high as 31% (last presidential election) of eligible adults in our community? While votes do determine elections, we need honest leadership, one that’s willing to buck a rabid base and act in a more bipartisan fashion.

All of them have taken a stand against the corrupt influence of money in politics, refusing corporate PAC money. While new quarterly fundraising figures will be reported after this goes to press, Eastman has raised nearly 4 times the amount of money from small individual contributions (under $200), $289,032 compared to Bacon’s $76,567, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Why The Year of the Women

If you take out the money Bacon has raised from PACs, $848,678, and other sources of funds not from individual contributions, they are nearly neck-and-neck in overall fundraising. Bacon’s large individual contributions exceed Eastman’s by over 45 percent. This doesn’t include the $1 million coming from outside groups committed to Bacon, almost entirely Rep. Paul Ryan’s PAC and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which Eastman hasn’t matched.

Raybould has helped lead a family business grocery business, Super Saver and Russ’s Markets, that has served the basic necessities of generations and is one of the very first employee-owned businesses in Nebraska.

...as conservative Republican sage George Will put it, “to vote against [Republican] cowering congressional caucuses is to affirm the nation’s honor while quarantining [the President].”

Eastman has proven to be that kind of leader. She worked with our Republican Congressman and Union Pacific, one of our largest corporations, to finally fund and manage a clean-up effort for the largest residential Superfund site in the country, one that had plagued generations, especially those on the east side of Omaha.

That was a large and very complex effort for Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance, one that

Krist is a retired Air Force veteran who flew more than 100 combat sorties and was appointed by a Republican governor to a northwest Omaha district, where he won reelection twice. He left the Republican party because of Governor Rickett’s strong-arm tactics and uncompromising positions, inviting former educator and state senator Walz to join him.

YOUR

Stand up to the bad influence of money in politics and make some history by electing the first woman to represent CD-2. Use your vote to support the ticket with women at the top.

To say it’s an interesting time in politics would be an understatement. While not the tumult of the Civil Rights fight or Vietnam, not even close to the violence of the Civil War and the fight to end slavery, this country drastically changed direction after this recent presidential election.

Changing directions isn’t necessarily bad, but drastic during a time of steady prosperity and peace, without character or goodwill, only leads to more division.

Cries for unity are disingenuous when they don’t meet in the middle. There’s a lot to be said for populism, but the constant barrage of lies, insults and scandal should be a clear sign to any true patriot that the messenger is too deeply flawed to ultimately deliver.

While both political parties have their own entrenched interests and entitled structures, it’s currently a false equivalence. When almost an entire political party turns on standards they used to hold as gospel, ones we could respect as Nebraskans, then as conservative Republican sage George Will put it, “to vote against [Republican] cowering congressional caucuses is to affirm the nation’s honor while quarantining [the President].”

This is only The Reader’s 4th endorsement, but we strongly encourage you to vote a straight Democratic ticket. It’s Omaha’s unique contribution to Nebraska politics. It will force the Republicans to get a backbone for decency and keep their word on things like fiscal responsibility, global leadership and due process.

And if you truly believe we’re in a dangerous time, then please consider what you can do to get out the vote and have honest, level conversations with your neighbors, especially the middle.

The arc of justice and opportunity is bending, ever so slowly, but only if we show up to vote and collaborate will we move forward.

EVERY VOTE COUNTS COVER

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October 2018

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VOTE NOVEMBER 6Th – Mail by october 26

Nonprofits leverage community roots-bases in attempt to register voters and

get them to the polls

BY LEO ADAM BIGA

W

ith American civil discourse and liberties under assail, nonprofits are doing civic engagement around voting to get people’s voices heard.

Heartland Workers Center runs a large Get Out the Vote (GOTV) machine. Center Executive Director Sergio Sosa senses great urgency from HWC’s Latino base for the Nov. 6 midterm general elections.

“The current political climate is causing fear among those most vulnerable,” he said.

“This climate has also motivated many to become more engaged in the voting process as a way to combat that fear. Immigration has recently become more important for Latinos, especially after DACA being under threat and the termination of Temporary Protected Status.

“The recent separation of families at the border and raids in O’Neill, Nebraska, only made this issue more urgent.”

Perennial issues – healthcare, education and the economy – have voters’ attention, too, he added.

The same holds true in the African-American community. It’s where Barry Thomas. an organizer with Omega Psi Phi fraternity’s Omaha chapter, Beta Upsilon, became a GOTV activist in response to proposed voter ID laws in Nebraska.

“Knowing the challenges and obstacles African-Americans faced to get the right to vote, when things start happening to take the franchise away it’s a red flag or warning call to say we’re going backward instead of forward,” said Thomas, social studies curriculum director for Omaha Public Schools. “That’s awakened a lot of people to get active to ensure we don’t let things slip back.”

Collective outreach, advocacy and impact are by-words in this age of connectivity and networking as energized groups try turning apathy into social action.

Longtime local players in the election arena use various means to reach voters.

Civic Nebraska educates folks about voting rights.

The similarly named Nebraska Civic Engagement Table (NCET) acts as facilitator, expert and support for many nonprofits doing the grassroots work.

Heartland and League of Women Voters Nebraska helped form NCET to foster a civic collaborative.

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October 2018

He’s seeing increased engagement.

“When we launched in 2016 there were only a few nonprofits here that had ever done civic engagement with nonpartisan voter registration–voter turnout,” said NCET Executive Director Zack Burgin.

The Table began with 16 founding members and now has 50-plus. It supports organizations serving historically underrepresented communities or, in voting parlance, the Rising American Electorate: ** Young adults.

“This year I’ve seen more requests from people to become deputy registrars – the folks authorized to go out and represent our office to register voters – than in 2016, which was a presidential year.”

He said the number of early ballot requests is nearly four times that of the last gubernatorial race in 2014.

“Also, our voter registration has topped 350,000 for the first time ever. It tells me a lot of people are interested in voting.” left to right: Arlenne Rodriguez, Karina Hernandez, Angie Remington, Zack Burgin, Aracely Rodriguez, Brett Andres, and Kinzie Mabon

** Single women. ** People of color. ** Low-income earners. ** Returning citizens.

Thomas’ fraternity partners with groups focused on activating more African-American voters.

“We align our efforts to have a wider net of individuals we can capture, so it’s not just an organization doing a separate, isolated event but all of us collaborating to have a broader outreach with multiple events.”

Fraternity brothers and other partners assist Black Votes Matter in getting voters to the polls on Election Day. Last April’s North Omaha Political Convention showcased this collective strategy in the lead up to the May primary. Since then, the network’s been at schools, churches and events such as A Taste of North Omaha.

“We’re going to where people are at to try to make sure they are aware,” Thomas said. “More than anything, it’s being present in the same proximity as people to make sure they are presented with opportunities to learn and to be engaged.”

“Our entire theory of change is that nonprofit messengers are the most effective voices for civic engagement,” said Burgin.

His organization provides capacity building training, grant funding and how-to tool kits that include, he said, “language tested and effective at increasing voter participation, such as reminding folks to be a voter instead of telling them to vote.”

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Resources also instruct how to stay compliant with state voter registration rules and laws. Members reach out to voters in myriad ways: ** Door-to-door canvassing. ** Manning information-registration tables at block parties, inside lobbies, outside stadiums or gyms. ** Direct mail. ** Peer-to-peer social influence via email, phone or text.

“We make it so organizations can adapt tools for their own work and message.” said Burgin.

The Table also provides members access to the Voter Activation Network (VAN), whose public data base allows organizations to strategically target by voting patterns and demographics Heartland’s staff of community organizers provides experience and expertise tor nonprofits interested in GOTV work. Its organizers have worked with One World Community Health Centers, Latino Center of the Midlands, Intercultural Senior Center, South High School, Bryan High School, small businesses, educators and community leaders.

Meanwhile, the Douglas County Election Commission (DCEC) serves as convener and clearinghouse for all things voting and election related. It works closely with The Table and its most active members.

Deputy Commissioner Chris Carithers welcomes all the help his office can get in sharing registration-election deadlines, dates and procedures.

Barry Thomas reads the same signs. “I’m definitely encouraged by it,” he said. “I’m just hoping no matter what happens in November the people who’ve become engaged, excited, motivated will remain so and not leave this civic engagement on the table. We want to make sure people stay aligned and in tune, so that we can let our voices be heard moving forward.

“I would love to see more young people being a little more attentive and better represented.”

His fraternity partners with its local college-based chapters and with the Black Excellence program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha to reach Gen Z. “We want to make sure more young people are aware and active to bring about change for their future. What’s happening today is going to have a longer impact on them than it will on anybody else.”

In his role with Omaha Public Schools, Thomas facilitates a partnership between OPS and the League to register seniors in all American Government classes on Constitution Day. “We provided American Government teachers voter registration packets resulting in pledges from students to vote and to encourage their friends and family to vote,” said the League’s Joanna Lindberg. “These students will receive postcard and text reminders to vote and utilize our nonpartisan voters guide.”

Krystal Fox, a millennial who does GOTV work through the League and her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, also wants more young people participating.

“Trying to change that culture is going to be long-term. I think we’re at a good point to do it because a lot of young people are upset with what happened in the last election.

BE A VOTER. SAVE NEBRASKA

VOTE FOR DEMOCRATS Use this slate card so you know who the Democrats are on your ballot. Election Day is Nov. 6. Early voting starts Oct. 9 at the Douglas County Election office.

CONGRESS & STATEWIDE • Jane Raybould Senate

• Kara Eastman

House of Representatives

• Bob Krist Governor

• Lynne Walz

Lieutenant Governor

• Spencer Danner Secretary of State

• Jane Skinner

Auditor of Public Accounts

DISTRICT

• Larry Bradley

• Angela Monegain

• Elizabeth O’Connor

• Ron Hug

University of Nebraska Board of Regents, District 4 University of Nebraska Board of Regents, District 4

• Barbara Weitz

University of Nebraska Board of Regents, District 8

• Amanda Bogner

Omaha Public Power District

• Tom Barrett

Omaha Public Power District

• Eric Williams

Omaha Public Power District

• Sean Fennessy

Educational Service Unit 3

• Mike Forsythe

• Brett Kuhn

• Shannon Coryell

• Tonya Ward

Public Service Commission Legislature, District 4

• Machaela Cavanaugh Legislature, District 6

• Mina Davis

Legislature, District 8

• Megan Hunt

Legislature, District 8

Educational Service Unit 3 Douglas-Sarpy Learning Community Coordinating

• Melinda Kozel

• Jackie Collett

Legislature, District 20

• Deborah Neary

Nebraska State Board of Education

• Scott Packer

Metropolitan Community College Board of Governors

• Erin Feichtinger

Metropolitan Community College Board of Governors

• Jim Begley

Metropolitan Utilities District

• Jason Valandra

Douglas-Sarpy Learning Community Coordinating

• Mike Hughes County Sheriff

• John Ewing, Jr.

County Treasurer

• Marlon Brewer

Omaha Public School Board

• Marque Snow

Omaha Public School Board

• Shavonna Holman

Omaha Public School Board

• Kimara Snipe

Omaha Public School Board

• Amy Parks

Elkhorn Board of Education

• Jon Genoways

Fort Calhoun Board of Education

• Mike Petersen

Fremont Board of Education

Metropolitan Utilities District

• Dulce Sherman

Natural Resources District

• Stacy Jolley

Natural Resources District

• Mary Roarty

• Jim Thompson

DOUGLAS COUNTY

• Bradley Ekwerekwu

Legislature, District 18

Metropolitan Community College Board of Governors

Douglas-Sarpy Learning Community Coordinating

• Anayeli Martinez Real

• Steve Lathrop • Scott Winkler

• Maureen Monahan

• Fred Conley

• Wendy DeBoer

Legislature, District 12

Metropolitan Community College Board of Governors

Douglas-Sarpy Learning Community Coordinating

• Erik Servellon

Legislature, District 10

Metropolitan Community College Board of Governors

• James Cavanaugh

Millard Board of Education Millard Board of Education Ralston Board of Education

• Jay Irwin

Ralston Board of Education

County Commissioner

• Terri Alberhasky

County Clerk of the District Court

• Brian Kavanaugh

County Assessor/Register of Deeds

• Patrick McCarville

• Jennifer Hernandez

Ralston City Council

Douglas-Sarpy Learning Community Coordinating

• Diane Battiato

Douglas-Sarpy Learning Community Coordinating

• Donald Kleine

• Amanda Wright

• Tom Doyle

• James Gilg

• Mark Hoeger

• Brian Thommes

Douglas-Sarpy Learning Community Coordinating

County Attorney County Engineer

Ralston City Council

West Board of Education West Board of Education Boys Town Village Board

POLLS OPEN Nov. 6, 2018, 8am-8pm CT

FIND YOUR POLLING LOCATION or EARLY VOTING OFFICE at nebraskademocrats.org, info@nebraskademocrats.org, 402-434-2180

PAID FOR BY NEBRASKA DEMOCRATIC PARTY

| THE READER |

OCTOBER 2018

15

VOTE NOVEMBER 6Th I definitely feel that pain as well.”

Joanna Lindberg, who heads the local League of Women Voters GOTV committee, said, “In 2018 we have registered 657 individuals at 84 events with our priority focus on low voter turnout areas of the city.”

Fox said she’s learned it’s best to keep things simple.

“As soon as I can get you to agree voting is important, then we can go deeper about how you make your decisions and where you can go to find more information about candidates and issues.”

Chris Carithers supports diverse GOTV efforts, he said, “because you’re talking to people all across the spectrum about how their vote matters and counts.”

“Some of the groups are left leaning, some are right leaning and some straight down the middle,” he said.

“The more information groups can provide their constituents, then the smoother the election’s going to go, and the more people are going to understand the safety and security of the election.”

Regardless of their leanings, nonprofits conduct very different GOTV efforts than do political parties.

“Nonprofits are doing it for their community,” said NCET’s Zack Burgin. “They’re saying vote for yourself, vote for your family, vote to empower your community – not vote for this agenda or for this specific candidate.

These nonprofits are just saying what’s important is your voice regardless of who you vote for.”

Since 2012 Heartland Worker Center has conducted its I Vote for My Family campaign.

“It started in South Omaha and now it’s active in North Omaha, Bellevue, Nebraska City, Schuyler, Columbus Norfolk and Grand Island,” said HWC’s Sergio Sosa. “Our efforts are heavily focused on door to door. We also call people. We’re trying a new strategy called relational organizing that asks a person to list their network of relationships. We contact them several times to remind them to vote.

We do also provide information via email and on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. We’ve partnered with newspapers and radio stations to disseminate our message.

“But canvassing is the most effective strategy.”

Burgin said the strength of nonprofits doing GOTV is their “roots and relationships in the communities in which they are experts.”

“They’re there year-round and are going to continue engaging these communities,” he said. “Political campaigns come and go. Nonprofits stay – and that’s central to our mission.”

16

October 2018

90s Angst, Dungeons & Dragons and Coming of Age.

The League is also focused on educating prisoners and ex-offenders about their voting rights.

“We try to hit communities less likely to be targeted by the campaigns,” said League member Krystal Fox. The League publishes an annual voters guide and it conducts weekly candidate forums on KPAO-TV. It’s also produced videos and handouts in the languages of several Omaha refugee and immigrant communities.

Hear tland also translates election materials.

Nonprofits provide captive audiences for the Douglas Country Commission to impart election information as well as pools of potential precinct poll workers.

When Chris Carithers talks to groups or neighborhood associations, he often corrects misinformation.

“There’s a perception we don’t count certain ballots. Actually, every ballot that’s cast does get counted if at all possible. There are legal issues that prevent some ballots from being counted but those are very small numbers. We do everything we can to accept ballots. We don’t look for reasons to reject – we look for every reason possible to accept.

Oct. 12 – Nov. 4, 2018

“If there are early ballots we can’t accept, Civic Nebraska is one of the groups that helps chase down those voters and explains to them why their ballot wasn’t accepted and what they can do to get it accepted so that we can count it for the election.”

Tickets on sale now!

Written by Qui Nguyen

Keeping GOTV players on the same page is part of his job.

“We have a monthly meeting with the stakeholder groups to take care of any questions or foreseen problems and to help coordinate any election activities, so that people know the rules – what they can and can’t do. We also address how to get a hold of us in case they run into any problems so we can get anything remedied as quickly as possible.”

Visit votedouglascounty.com or call 402-444-VOTE (8683) Read more of Leo Adam Biga’s work at leoadambiga.com.

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September 27th – October 21st, 2018

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OCTOBER 2018

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JINYA SERVING UP FRESH HOT NOODS The Ramen Chain Launches Omaha Edition

BY SARA LOCKE

I

EAT

walked up to JINYA Ramen Bar at 7010 Dodge for their media soft open in midSeptember with an awful lot of hope in my heart. Frankly, I expected Omaha to have sprouted a dozen ramenries after the overwhelming success of Ramen Fest, and the clear talent Omaha chefs have for the pain staking process.

As it stands, Omaha has few choices for a choice bowl, and I was excited to learn we would soon have one more spot to sink our sticks.

The décor is a bit off-brand for the area it occupies, but the clean look of the bold lettering is a bright start. The entryway feels a touch claustrophobic, but in a familiar way that’s even a little inviting.

Upon entering, you are greeted by a chorus of servers, hosts, and chefs shouting “Irassyai”, or welcome. I took my seat at the bar and had just enough time to take inventory of the layout and design of the interior. A representative informed me that the design is the traditional décor of all JINYA restaurants, and It’s pleasing without feeling at all overdone.

While the restaurant was very busy, and working out opening night kinks, our server was knowledgeable, patient, and unperturbed by the infinite questions the patrons fired at her, and wore a relaxed smile the entire evening.

I began with a JINYA Bun and hot sake, which arrived very quickly. The pork was very fatty, which I overheard someone complain about, though it was the same texture and fattiness I’m accustomed to in a steam bun. I found the meat itself very pleasing, and while I often find steam buns over-sauced, the ratio was excellent. My only issue was the texture of the bun itself, which was somehow papery and gummy at once. If I had to wildly guess (which I kind of do) the bun was placed on a plate that was straight out of the continued on page 20 y

SARA LOCKE is the Contributing Editor for The Reader’s Food section. She is fluent in both sarcasm and pig Latin, and is definitely going to eat the contents of her to-go box in her car on her way home. Follow her restaurant reviews and weekly what-todos online at http://thereader. com/dining/crumbs . Follow @ TheReaderOmahaDish on Instagram to find out what else she’s sinking her teeth into.

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OCTOBER 2018

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EAT

Saturday,September October 30, 6, 2018 Saturday, 2017 AM - 12 12 PM PM 8 AMOld Market Old Market Farmers Farmers Market Market and Howard Howard St.) ((10th/11th 10th/11th and St) Food Day brings us together to celebrate and enjoy real food and to push for improved food policies.

Enjoy interactive booths, kids’ activities, live music, the awards ceremony and more!

Food Day inspires Americans to change their diets and our food policies as we are united by a vision of food that is healthy, affordable, and produced with care for the environment, farm animals, and the people who grow, harvest, and serve it. Food Day is a day to resolve to make changes in our own diets and to take action to solve food-related problems in our communities at the local, state, and national level.

Awards Ceremony from 10:00 -10:30 AM Healthy food and healthy food policy is a growing movement in our community and to recognize the hard work and vision of those organizations and individuals leading the charge locally, we’ve created the Food Day Omaha Awards to celebrate our advocates in 6 areas: Producer of the Year ◆ Restaurant of the Year ◆ Retailer of the Year Nonprofit of the Year ◆ Food Day Champion ◆ Lifetime Achievement * For more information about sponsorship opportunities or reserving a booth, visit www.fooddayomaha.com

Thank you to our sponsors!

| THE READER |

OCTOBER 2018

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Old World Charm - Delicious Dining - Unique Shopping www.oldmarket.com

you won’t goaway hungry

y continued on page 27 sanitizer, which caused the bottom of the bun to cook and sit in condensation.

I looked through the menu multiple times, but I knew before I opened it that I would be ordering the Tonkatsu. What I hadn’t considered was that there are about 20 optional add-ins offered.

My dining companion ordered the chicken ramen with cheese and tomatoes. The broth was on the thin side, and the cheese and tomato altered the traditional flavors of the ramen to such a degree that it read more as Italian take. If you’re dining with someone who’s a bit hesitant to try the cuisine, it’s an excellent ramen-lite option.

There are two options for Tonkatsu, Spicy or Black. I opted for the latter, which still features a moderate dose of the fiery red chili paste featured in the spicy dish, just a more modest kick. The rest of the bowl was comprised of pork chashu, kikurage, green onion, garlic oil, fried onion, and the thin noodle (there are two options)

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topped with 2 sheets of nori.

The fact is, I have seen three types of Tonkatsu broth in Omaha. The first, a savory soup. Thin, but nice. The second, greasy water. One part chewing the fat (literally) and one part water, the two separated by the laws of chemistry. Then the third. The third was what I was served in my JINYA Tonkatsu Black.

Velvety, unctuous, and rich, you can taste the time the stock was allowed to develop. Tiny pools of garlic oil suspended in the rich base make the broth a hearty meal on its own. As I slurped the last of my noodles, our attentive server casually gestured toward a sign on the counter that informed me of the option to add more of the house-made noodles to my bowl.

The original serving was generous already, and while I was a bit beyond satisfied, I was in a committed relationship with the bowl of 20 hour stock, and I’m no quitter.

This bowl is not for dieters, or those prone to gout. Or those who let themselves feel guilty over heavenly indulgences or cringe at the phrase “Mouth Feel”, because you’re going to hear it and against every desire in your body, you’re going to use it when describing your bowl.

The dessert menu was as tempting as the main courses, and I struggled between the mochi ice cream and the popsicle, which our waitress described as “very pretty”. I still feel good about my decision to put myself into sleepy-full status with my order of the panna cotta. Cold and creamy, topped with graham cracker croutons and a mint leaf, it was a sweet end to a savory evening.

Vegan options are available, and most bowls are easily customizable. A kids meal covers all the bases with a small portion of chicken ramen, chashu rice, crispy chicken, sweet potato fries, orange, candy, and vanilla ice cream. The prices seemed very reasonable upon reading the menu, but when you have the actual portion in front of you, it’s easy to feel you’re getting the better end of the deal. Use the money you’re saving to tip your staff. They’re truly top-shelf.

While JINYA is a California-based chain restaurant, the noodles and broth are all made fresh daily, and through a grueling process that takes the manufactured feeling out of the establishment. What JINYA gains through being a chain is a clear understanding of who their client base is, and how to run a clean operation.

If you’re a ramen purist, you will have a few issues with the execution. You’re not going to find the love you found in Sunday Night Ramen or Ugly Duck here, but you’re going to find a damn delicious bowl, and you’re going to leave satisfied.

JINYA Ramen Bar 7010 Dodge st Website: https://jinya-ramenbar.com/menu/

October 3-November 3

Expressions in Fiber Art IV Connect Gallery (3901 Leavenworth St.) connectgallery.net Closing out the year and their run in their space on Leavenworth, Connect Gallery will be showcasing the Biennial Exhibition, Expressions in Fiber Art IV, opening October 3. Works in a wide variety of fibers and will include wall hangings, weavings, clothing, purses, hats, non-traditional quilts, etc. from Layna Bentley, Doug Boyd, Shelly Burge, Rachel Droppers, Melinda Eames, Lou Farmer, Carol Fettin, Agneta Gaines, Joan Getzfrid, Kitt Hamersky, Linda Huryta, Randi Hunter, Deb Koesters, Deb Korytowski, Marian Maas, Deb McColley, Cheri Miner, Jean Munhall-Sitzman, Jay Rich, Caroline Schmitz, Therese Straseski, Alice Threlkeld, Barbara Trout and Dorothy Tuma.

Artist reception will be held Friday, October 12 from 5:30-9pm. Along with the exhibit are a two workshops on October 13 an 27, fashion show on October 20 and a fiber/materials swap on November. ~Melinda Kozel

October 4th-31st

Walk The Night –

Spirits to Enforce Neale Woods Nature Center (14323 Edith Marie Avenue) www.walkthenightwithme.com

The fifth installment of BLUEBARN’s acclaimed immersive theatre series is located once again at Fontenelle’s Neale Woods Nature Center. You’ll choose from one of four dif-

ferent ways to experience the first half of the show. Come again and choose a different Act 1 ticket for an entirely different show. With four main pathways, simultaneous action taking place throughout the space, and multiple decisions to make as you chart your course through the story…the best way to fully experience Walk the Night: Spirits to Enforce is to come more than once.

There are no set theatre seats. Guests are free to explore.

Comfortable footwear is recommended. Performances include acrobatics, dance, fight choreography, live music and possible 1-on-1 interactions. ADAcompliant pathways are readily available.

You begin either by venturing ahead into the unknown forest, or by staying in safety with your group. The encounters you have and decisions you make will determine how you witness the orchestration of what may well be a plot for revenge…

Showtimes: Thursdays-Sundays @ 7:00pm with a second show on Fridays and Saturdays @ 9:00pm. There will be two special performances October 30 and 31@ 7pm. Single tickets are $25 General/$20 Senior/Student.

Unlimited Passes available for $45 General/$40 Senior/Student. Location: Neale Woods Nature Center, 14323 Edith Marie Avenue in Omaha, ½ mile north of Hummel Park. ~Beaufield Berry

October 4

Vein

Lookout Lounge Lookoutomaha.com

In the early 2000s, rock was dominated by two genres: emo and nu metal, with Taking Back Sunday and Jimmy Eat World battling for airtime on modern rock radio with System of

a Down and Linkin Park. The genres fizzled by the late aughts, but since then, emo has come back in full force, with bands like Joyce Manor and Tigers Jaw opening their diaries to the indie masses.

So, emo’s had its resurgence, but what about nu metal? What about the breakdowns, industrial guitars and turntable scratches? Well, it might be back in the form of Boston five-piece Vein. Their June debut LP, Errorzone, though heavily indebted to metalcore, often recalls the chaotically atonal thrashing of early Slipknot and Deftones. And after touring with a like-minded band in Pittsburgh’s Code Orange (who have collaborated with Corey Taylor), perhaps it’s time for nu metal’s return.

Vein plays Lookout Lounge this month, and tickets are $10.

October 5

AJJ

The Waiting Room Waitingroomlounge.com

~Sam Crisler

October 5 - November 30

Twinkle in Joe’s Eye Petshop Gallery (2725 North 62nd St.) bensonfirstfriday.com Artist Joe Pankowski likes to breathe life into the figures he creates. Whether as a contour formed with a ballpoint pen, the object built from a 3D printer, or the animated being that lives in video, his work takes on a life that’s gradually and anthropomorphically birthed from dreams and thought experiments.

Pankowski’s surrealist progenies will be on display in a self-titled solo show at the Petshop Gallery, opening with an artist reception on Friday, October 5. A multi-media exhibit, Pankowski’s work will span from drawings to castings, video to electric circuitry. ~Melinda Kozel

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AJJ, formerly known as Andrew Jackson Jihad, has been no stranger to Omaha the last few years, playing the Big O in the falls of 2016 and 2017. And though the snarky Phoenix folkpunk band has never reached sold-out-theater status, they’ve got an oddball fanbase that reaches to the punks who grew up on Against Me! and kids who came of age in the last five years with adolescent-friendly bands like The Front Bottoms. That’s not to say AJJ’s fanbase is a byproduct of other bigger folk-punk acts — that would discount the band and its albums that have become legitimate classics in the past decade or so, like 2007’s People Who Can Eat People… and 2011’s Knife Man. With frontman Sean Bonnette’s ever-self-aware lyrics through a working class lens and the band’s musicianship — instrumentally dense in the context of punk rock — AJJ are a constant treasure trove of honesty and vulnerability in an increasingly superficial world. Need a breath

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of fresh air? Go see them at the Waiting Room.

Tickets are $16. ~Sam Crisler

— Special Pick — Saturday, October 6

Food Day Omaha 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Old Market Farmer’s Market www.fooddayomaha.com

October 6

Graphic Coverage Two exhibits illustrate past & present Joslyn.org Joslyn Art Museum opens two exhibitions beginning Oct. 6, that underscore, in distinctly different ways, communication through patterns.

quilt by the award-winning Michael James, who is the Ardis James Professor of Textiles, Merchandising & Fashion Design and Department Chair at UNL. Simultaneously, the latest offering in the Riley CAP Gallery are recent photographs

by Richard Mosse. The Irish-born, New York based documentary photographer has challenged himself to find more provocative ways to bring the global human crises of war, poverty and displacement into focus for audiences too removed, uninformed or numbed to traditional newsfeeds.

In Heat Map, the featured series of largescale photographs, Mosse has used militarygrade thermal imaging cameras to stitch together a portrait of the vast scope of refugee migration. His images illuminate the vast, sprawling patterns of tent cities and staging sites in intimate and nearly surreal detail.

Both Pattern and Purpose: American Quilts from the Shelburne Museum and Richard Mosse run from October 6 through January 6, 2019, at Joslyn Art Museum. There is an admission fee for the quilt show. The museum is located at 2200 Dodge Street and is open TuesSun from 10am-4pm; late ‘til 8pm on Thurs.

For more information, visit www.joslyn.org or call 402/342-3300. ~Janet L. Farber

October 6-7

Autumn Fire:

Omaha North Hills Pottery Tour Pattern and Purpose: American Quilts from the Shelburne Museum highlights 34 outstanding examples of textile design and craft from 3 centuries of quilt-making. These textiles represent not only the skill and creativity of their makers, but often reflect contemporaneous design trends and community histories.

The best among them feel bold, fresh and timeless. Included in the exhibition is a studio

of wizardry, a bit of Harry Potter and the alchemist at work. Combinations of earth, fire, water, and air, a wave of the wand and POOF! Magic gone right! The result, a beautiful vessel to hold the stuff of life.”

Tour stops throughout Nebraska omahanorthhillspotterytour.com Making for a great day trip as autumn arrives, the 14th Omaha North Hills Pottery Tour opens this weekend, Oct. 6-7, as nineteen potters from both near and far gather to share their creative shapes and styles “as diverse as a wizard’s spells.”

Spokesman for this annual event, Carol Dennison adds, “Pottery entails a certain kind

Visitors can follow this free, self-guided tour along scenic Hwy 75 between Omaha and Herman, just north of Blair, NE. Along the way, nationally recognized clay artists will offer handmade articles for everyday use as well as sculptural artworks.

Four tour stops include The Florence Mill, a historic Mormon grain mill, John Dennison’s studio in Ponca Hills, Too Far North Wine Tasting in Ft. Calhoun, and Liz Vercruysse and John Martelle’s Big Table Studios in Herman, NE. This year, Tom Hubbell, Omaha potter, will be a new face at the Florence Mill.

Each stop has its own magic. “While there’s no ‘eye of newt’ in the homemade soups or wood fired pizzas, there’s a chance to sit a spell with the wizards themselves and to learn something of their art and craft and maybe, just, maybe feel the magic,” Dennison said.

Tour hours are 10AM-7PM on Saturday and 10AM-5PM on Sunday. Download a tour map and meet the artists at www.omahanorthhillspotterytour.com.

Literary Festival.” Five of Edgar Allan Poe’s stories and four of his poems will be performed in different rooms throughout the castle. The dramatizations will include The Tell-Tale Heart, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Cask of Amontillado, The Masque of the Red Death, and The Imp of the Perverse, as well as the poems Annabel Lee, The Spirits of the Dead, and The Raven. The audience, in small groups, will move from room to room, led by a docent that will perform the poems. - Showtimes: Tuesdays thru Saturdays at 7:30 pm. Admission is $15 for students and Joslyn Castle members and $25 for the general public.Reservations are required. For Tickets, call 402-595-2199. ~Beaufield Berry

October 7

Soccer Mommy Reverb Lounge Reverblounge.com

~ Mike Krainak

October 7-20

Tales of Poe Joslyn Castle www.joslyncastle.com This October, the Metropolitan Community College Theatre Program will present Tales of Poe at Joslyn Castle. The production is in collaboration with the “Joslyn Castle Art &

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October 2018

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Sophie Allison’s songs are intimate -sometimes to the point where it makes you uncomfortable. Her music looks at love and relationships through the prism of youth in a way you’re only capable of doing for a few short years. I ask the 21-year-old Nashville

singer/songwriter behind Soccer Mommy if she thinks that she will ever regret any of the lyrics she’s penned and without missing a beat she responds “Oh god yeah, it’s already happening now.”

Allison can take comfort in the fact that there is nothing on her debut studio album, this year’s Clean, for her to be ashamed of. The album takes the journal entry pop she honed over her Bandcamp releases and channels it into a clear, concise picture of young love and heartbreak.

On the songs where Allison isn’t spilling her guts, she’s talking about how she longs to be the cool, detached indie muse. Here’s the thing, she already is. She’s got a killer collection of vintage band t-shirts (“My favorite is the Billy Ray Cyrus one because it reminds me of a Friday the 13th poster”), she gets free guitars from Fender, and she even spent time taking music business classes at NYU (“I never had the chance to use what I learned on a promoter trying to screw us”). Plus, she’s toured heavy-hitters like Mitski, Slowdive, and Luna.

It’s the perfect show to go to if you’re looking to see some great indie rock, or just up your indie credibility.

vival, Scranton, Pennsylvania’s Tigers Jaw was one of the pioneers. Their early records were filled with bluntly earnest lyrics about heartbreak that were glazed over melodic hardcore instrumentals with a hint of melancholy. Ten years since the release of their self-titled second LP — the one that put Tigers Jaw on the map — they’re celebrating its anniversary with a nationwide tour that stops at The Slowdown this month. Tickets are $15. ~Sam Crisler

October 12

Fleetwood Mac Pinnacle Bank Area pinnaclebankarena.com

Tigers Jaw Slowdown TheSlowdown.com

When emo was at its peak, it was being championed by Hot Topic and the second coming of glam rock, in makeup-soaked bands like My Chemical Romance, Paramore and Fall Out Boy. It was overblown, over-produced and overdramatic, and that’s what teenagers dug about it. But it was a far cry from the genre’s humble beginnings in basements and Midwest emo bands The Promise Ring and Mineral. It wasn’t soon after mainstream emo’s popularity died down in the late 2000s that sad kids returned to recording DIY and touring in their parents’ vans again. Of the genre that would become known as the emo re-

The Omaha Creative Institute is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide artists with professional development assistance through grants, training and facilitating exposure. Their Artist-run Exhibitions Program lends local artists backing and support for organizing, marketing and mounting a curated exhibition.

In Thicket is on display at the Omaha Creative Institute starting with a public opening on October 12th. The opening reception is from 6PM to 8PM, and the gallery is located at 1419 South 13th Street, suite 103. The exhibit will run through November 9th. Further information is available by calling 402-996-1092, or at their Facebook page, Omaha Creative Institute. ~Kent Behrens

~Beaufield Berry

October 13

October 12

An Evening with Marcey Yates

Henry-Smith:

~Houston Wiltsey

October 11

Delve into the alternate universe of Dungeons & Dragons, filled with a five-eyed dragon, homicidal fairies and loads of 90s pop culture nostalgia. Following the death of her sister Tilly, Agnes Evans discovers Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook and stumbles into an imaginary world where she begins to better relate to her often-misunderstood sister. Packed with humor and heart, this coming-of-age adventure/comedy explores the world of fantasy role-playing games and the rare opportunity to connect with a lost loved one. Written by Qui Nguyen | Director Beth Thompson. Showtimes: Thursday – Saturday 7:30 pm, Sunday 2:00 pm. Admission: Adults $24-$50 – Ticket prices vary by performance and seat location.

For tickets: (402) 553-0800. Disclaimer: Contains adult language, sexual themes and stage violence.

Exhibiting with Henry-Smith will be videographer Alexis Christine Maine, who also curated the exhibition. Maine combines selfcaptured content with “appropriated” content, calling to task our tendency to compare and judge as we participate in life.

I don’t think I should really have to explain this one but I will anyway. Fleetwood Mac might have been the band of the 1970s. They had one of the greatest three-album runs in history with their self-titled 1975 record, Rumours, and Tusk. The singles they produced during that time were just as impressive: “Rhiannon,” “Go Your Own Way,” “Dreams,” “Sara,” and the list goes on. This is the band that made “Gypsy” for God’s sake.

This is also the band’s first tour without pivotal guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, the man that helped to construct all those wonderful songs and albums listed above. Buckingham apparently left the band over a dispute involving the setlist -- he wanted to play newer material and the other members wanted to stick to the classics. It’s not the ideal way to see the band, but it is still a chance to see them, and you should take advantage while you still can.

They aren’t the Rolling Stones, after all, they can’t go on doing this forever.

‘In Thicket’ Omaha Creative Institute (1419 South 13th Street, suite 103) fb.com/omahacreativeinstitute/

October 12 – November 4

Omaha Creative Institute (OCI) presents In Thicket, featuring the work of photographer and poet Sean D. Henry-Smith. The exhibit is described by OCI as “a miniature translation for the artist’s latest evolving body of work, With You in the Slow Hour, which relays to viewers the importance of stillness and intimacy in photography.”

Omaha Community Playhouse TicketOmaha.com

Henry-Smith’s previous works in this series elicit quiet contemplation while engaging the viewer in an active examination of our interpretations of the every-day and the real.

~Houston Wiltsey

She Kills Monsters

pickS

Benson Theater (6058 Maple St.) VerseInc.org

The talent of rapper, spoken word artist and music producer Marcey Yates is featured for this monthly showcase produced by Verse, Inc. Along with Cellist Maurisa Mansaray and Violinist Heather Horste, the evening will highlight the lyrical talent of Yates in an intimate setting at this historic Benson Theater. Yates is commonly known for his lead connection with the band called The Dilla Kids which recently performed at MAHA Festival and plenty of other stages across the region. Yates is a

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23

prolific Hip Hop artist and is also a producer, promoter and music manager. Show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $10. ~Staff

October 13

Stations of Blue Gallery 72 Gallery72.com Architects Prinz, Nesbit break with tradition in a soulful, favorite hue at G72 What do you get when you combine two architects-turned-artists, both of whom gave up the cubicle and T-square (Dad, what’s a Tsquare?) for the paintbrush and brayer? Find out this October 11th when Gallery 72 presents Stations of Blue: Tom Prinz and Michael Nesbit.

Still involved in the world of architecture and the built environment, both artists go well beyond a simple paintbrush and brayer, delving into digital media, sculpture, collage, and installation. Both artists embrace the forces of chance and happenstance in their work, freeing themselves from the constraints of precision and the mechanical.

Stations of Blue represents a yearlong visual conversation between Thomas Prinz and Mike Nesbit regarding the color Blue.

A conversation that began as a topic for describing nature has become quite personal to each artist and their own reflection on such a sublime color as blue. This dialogue plays out at different scales, tones and values. Texture and media used add a multitude of possibilities to advance the conversation and image.

The emotional indeterminacy of Blue leads to a process of visual expression where the out-

come is unforeseen, as Matisse said, “a certain blue penetrates the soul”.

Omaha’s Tom Prinz is locally and most recently known for his “ripped paper” collages that tear open the envelope between the worlds of painting, sculpture and installation. Readers may remember Nesbit from last year’s installation project Flood, presented at the Standard Oil building at 18th and Howard. This exhibit features monotype prints, paper collages and digital prints, all with a theme of the color blue, and presented as both solo works and collaborative pieces.

Nesbit is an artist based in Los Angeles, California. With a background in architecture, his multidisciplinary paths greatly inform his artwork, allowing Nesbit to explore areas between art and architecture with a focus on technique, repetition, and representation.

The exhibit coincides with Nesbit’s newest installation project, The Blues, to be installed near Napier, Iowa, south of Des Moines.

Gallery 72 is located at 1806 Vinton. The October 11th opening runs from 5PM to 9PM, and a Gallery talk is scheduled on October 13th from 2PM to 3PM. Both are free. The exhibit hangs through November 3rd. Contact info@Gallery72.com for further information. ~Kent Behrens

khakis-wearing nerd rockers could meet postrock-leaning emo-rockers could meet synthwielding dance-punks, and that’s pretty close to who Seattle rock band Minus the Bear were when they broke through that year on their sophomore LP Menos el Oso. Thirteen years later, their delay-laden grooves and virtuosic guitar tapping has proven to inspirational to countless mindlessly tapping imitators, and while Minus the Bear are still the tappers supreme, and they reaffirm it once again on their latest EP, Fair Enough. But after Fair Enough and a two-month farewell tour, Minus the Bear are calling it quits. Omaha is one of the first stops on the tour, and Massachusetts postrock band Caspian opens the show. Tickets are $25. ~Sam Crisler

— Special Pick — October 17

Local University 8 a.m.-4:15 p.m.

Do Space (room 219) LocalUOmaha.com

October 19 – November 3

Bram Stoker’s

Dracula

Hanscom Park United Methodist Church (4444 Frances St.) circleom.booktix.com/

Adapted by Ryle Smith | Directed by Angela Dashner.

Disclaimer: Contains adult language and violence. Suggested PG-13 Join us for Halloween with a special showing on Wednesday, October 31 @ 9:00 pm – there will be treats and maybe some tricks. After the show, there will be a talkback with the artistic staff and actors. Showtimes: Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm. Adults $20 | Senior/ Military/TAG (special) $15 | Students $12. ~Beaufield Berry

October 20

North Omaha Neighborhood

Leadership Academy Girls Inc. (2811 N 45th St) oneomaha.org/register

The Neighborhood Leadership Academy (NLA) is a series of workshops focused on building organizational skills to grow capacity in neighborhood leadership. In an effort to make these workshops more accessible, these will be held for the first time as one day event at Girls Inc. in North Omaha. Workshops were selected through a survey of community leaders and are designed to address local neighborhood needs. Facilitated by experienced community leaders and stakeholders, participants will be able to choose which workshops will be most beneficial to them.

The day starts at 8am and will wrap up at 3pm. Breakfast and Lunch will be provided.

Childcare is also available. Space is limited so registration is encouraged at oneomaha.org/ register.

October 14

Minus The Bear The Waiting Room Waitingroomlounge.com

~Staff

Thru October 21 There will also be an opening night reception with refreshments.

Ah, 2005, when the Internet’s global takeover was taking hold and allowing subsects of the music web to interact with sounds and styles they’d never heard before. Polo-and-

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October 2018

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Dracula tells the story of an English solicitor named Jonathan Harker who visits Count Dracula at his castle in Transylvania to conduct a real estate transaction. He’s nervous about the visit, nothing the fear in the peasants who live in the surrounding countryside. Soon, Harker discovers the source of their fear: Dracula is a vampire.

Hyde, Dr. Jekyll, Hyde Mahoney State Park For tickets: 402-944-2523 Showtimes: Fridays & Saturdays @ 7:30 pm | Sundays @ 3 pm Ticket Prices: Adults – $7.00, Children 12 and under – $5.00 Special Price for families: 2 adults and 2 children under 12 – $20.00

FOLLOW US ON 7300 Q ST | RALSTONARENA.COM

The Melodramas Where throwing popcorn is encouraged!

Eugene T. Mahoney State Park in conjunction with Popcorn Productions will be serving it’s 26th year entertaining family crowds at The Denman and Mary Mallory Kountze Memorial Theatre. Patrons are encouraged to “boo” and throw popcorn at the Villain, “cheer” on the Hero, and “sigh” at the plight of the Heroine.

THE AMERICAN LED ZEPPELIN

THURSDAY NIGHT JAZZ

~Beaufield Berry

October 26

Hella-Ween 3

LIVE AT

RALSTON ARENA

Lookout Lounge Lookoutomaha.com No, this isn’t the show where you’re going to see hella songs from legendary experimental band Ween. This one’s more for the folks who have dreamt of seeing Paramore, Third Eye Blind and Rage Against the Machine all on the same bill. Those bands sharing a bill is about as likely as pigs flying, but the next best thing will be at Lookout Lounge at the end of this month when local bands Salt Creek,

THURSDAY NIGHT

October 18 2018

OCTOBER 18 | 8PM | $30 TICKETS

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT RALSTON ARENA BOX OFFICE RALSTONARENA.COM - 800.440.3741

R A L S T O N A R E N A . C O M

~Sam Crisler

om /t

FRIDAY OCT 19, 2018 7PM DOORS 8PM SHOWTIME

w

Jocko and Mad Dog and the 20/20s put on the guises of Third Eye Blind, Rage and Paramore, respectively, for Halloween cover sets. Throw on a costume and jam to “Know Your Enemy,” “Misery Business” and “Semi-Charmed Life.”

And if you’re closer to Grand Island, Lincoln or Kearney, similar Halloween-themed shows will also be happening in those cities. Search “Hella-Ween 3” on Facebook for more information.

bo

y

an evening of comedy with

FRI

10/19 8PM $5 DOOR

RALSTON ARENA

MORE INFO AT RALSTONARENA.COM // BILLENGVALL.COM

pickS

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October 2018

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IN CONCERT

Donor-artists in tune with musicians Azure Ray, Destroyer in Bemis Center’s 20th Benefit Art Auction

ART

T

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OCTOBER 2018

he Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts’ major fundraiser, an annual Metro institution, returns this October, and despite a two decades long evolution, incrementally as well as experimentally, patrons might easily conclude: “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

Apparently that’s a good thing, given the popularity and anticipation of what has become known simply as the “Bemis art auction” in the community. Yet, current Executive Director Chris Cook added a key word to its title in 2015 in order to correct any misconceptions about the auction’s real purpose. “‘Benefit’ was added to Art Auction in 2015 to directly illustrate that this event supports the participating artists and raises critical resources for Bemis Center programs,” Cook said in a recent interview. Those programs include especially the venue’s internationally known artist residency and its recent successful, yearlong curator in residency program.

Bemis officials said in 2015 that the original title risked giving the negative impression that it (auction) offered collectors an opportunity to purchase art at “a bargain price. The name has been changed to emphasize that the (auction) is a fundraising event.”

Now in its 20th year, the fundraiser title has evolved again, adding yet another element of inducement to the evening’s main mission.

Known as the Benefit Art Auction + Concert 2018, it climaxes Friday, Oct. 26, with a silent auction opening at 5:30 p.m. and a music concert following at 9:30 featuring dream-pop duo Azure Ray and a rare solo performance by Vancouver indie-rock band Destroyer.

A Members Preview of all the work up for ELLA WEBER - A COLD CUT ABOVE, 2018 auction and a reception for the artists will be held Friday Oct. 12, before this exhibition opens to the public the following day. Director Cook said 150% of retail, if they can’t live with the possibility the purpose of having the Benefit Art Auction of losing them at the auction.”

Exhibition open to the public prior to the main Cook added that the artist reception is a chance event is two-fold. to celebrate as well as thank participating artists, “The participating artist’s works are viewed by “without whom this event would not be possible.”

Bemis gallery visitors who may or may not attend One might also add that it offers collectors as the Benefit Art Auction, thereby expanding well as artists a chance to socialize as well as awareness and audience for the work of each network for mutual benefit outside of the normal artist,” he said. “Secondly, patrons have the gallery opening. opportunity to either scope out their favorites The starting bid for the more than 300 works and make a game-plan before Auction night in the silent auction from approximately 215 or purchase pieces at the Buy It Now prices of local and national artists is 60% of the retail

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ART

price provided by the artist including framing, if applicable. Cook promises “a wide range of price points beginning at $90 opening bids on works that retail for $150.” He promises an additional benefit or two for donors that evening.

“Patrons will also have the opportunity to win a piece of art worth $10,000 created and donated

by Gunderson’s Jewelers,” he said. “A limited quantity of $25 raffle tickets will be available for purchase October 12–25 by cash or check. The winner will be announced in-between bands at the Concert.”

There will also be an installation of a painting

by Nebraska-born artist Barbara Takenaga placed within a wallpaper backdrop of the same painting. This will also serve as this year’s artist-created photo booth where Benefit Art Auction patrons can have a complimentary commemorative photo taken.

The format for the silent auction remains the same as previous years: four sections on the first floor closing sequentially each half hour beginning at 7:45 p.m. A mix of 2D, 3D and video will be hung and arranged just shy of a “salon style” that would inhibit patron viewing and bidding. That said, Bemis expects a large crowd of more than a thousand, making a planned visit to the exhibition preview prior to the auction all that more beneficial for would-be collectors.

Among the 215 donor-artists are some wellknown regional and national artists including Nebraska-born, New York-based artist Barbara Takenaga; Brooklyn-based visual artist Sheila Pepe; New Mexico-based multimedia artist Paula Wilson; Lincoln-based painter Keith Jacobshagen; Omahabased mixed media artist Steve Joy; and Iowa-born, Montana-based sculptor and printmaker John Buck.

It’s this willingness on the part of all artists to help other artists succeed that Bemis must find most encouraging with regard to its mission.

“Many past Bemis Artists-in-Residence share the reason they participate in the Benefit Art Auction is to help Bemis Center continue to provide other artists with the time, space, and resources they received,” Cook said. “Local beloved artists such as Ella Weber, Vera Mercer and Therman Statom continue to participate in the Benefit Art Auction as an opportunity to share new work.”

For Cook then, the traditional Bemis auction is a shared benefit including one for potential collectors. He cites such works for bid as “a never seen before photo by local artist Ella Weber and two brand new paintings by Steve Joy, a popular pointer among local collectors.”

The overall list of participants in the auction is an impressive mix of established, mid-career and emerging artists including Betty Woodman, Watie White, Mary Zicafoose, Kim Darling, Lori Elliot-Bartle, Shea Wilkinson, Christian Rothman, Angie Seykora, Thomas and Christopher Prinz, Meghan O’Connor, Troy Muller, Joe Broghammer, Joey Lynch, Holly Kranker, Susan Knight, Michael James, Phil Hawkins, James and Jennifer Bockelman, Jess Benjamin, Corey Broman, Will Anderson, Richard Chung and Kenneth Adkisson, Bob Culver, Ghost of a Dream, Catherine Ferguson, Ying Zhu, Camille Hawbaker and many, many more.

You get the “picture,” as it were. Collectors and patrons could get that and more by supporting the 20th annual Bemis auction whose extra added “benefit” has always been its underlying mission: artists helping other artists. You might even say that artist are “in concert” with Bemis.

BARBARA TAKENAGA - FOR CB, 2010

JESSICA SEGALL - UNCOMMON INTIMACY, STILL 1, 2017

ART

| THE READER |

OCTOBER 2018

27

THEATER FOR ALL

Ollie Webb Center continues their dedication to theater with The White Gander.

BY BEAUFIELD BERRY

THEATER

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OCTOBER 2018

or over 60 years the Ollie Webb Center has been the pinnacle of education and advocacy for Omaha’s developmentally disabled community. Ollie Webb Center has helped thousands of people live their lives to the highest capacity through education, outreach and training in life skills. Over the last decade, under the guidance of Executive Director Laurie Ackermann, Ollie Webb has introduced theater into its curriculum offerings with a spectacular program called Art of Imagination.

Ollie Webb’s “Art of Imagination” program is modeled after the InterAct Center in Minneapolis, which has spearheaded some of the greatest advancements in theater for all with a mission of creating ‘art that challenges perceptions of disability’. Like InterAct, Ollie Webb Center employs professional performers to work alongside their students to create theatre. Since the program’s inception, the production size has grown impressively; from sold out shows in the Blue Barn Theatre space, to this year’s venue - the grand and historic Scottish Rite theatre, a perfect fit for its expanding needs.

“Scottish Rite has provided us with so much support: rehearsal space, educational space for classes and a beautiful theatre to showcase our production.” says Ackermann, who in tandem with Jim Hoggatt and Robin McArthur helms the Ollie Webb Organization.

In addition to the onstage experience, Ollie Webb

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THEATER

offers daytime classes in such subjects as prop and costume design, dramaturgy, video production and even puppetry - the products of which all go to support the final production.

The cast of The White Gander is comprised of 70 percent persons with disabilities and 30 percent top professionals from the Omaha music and theatre world. Many of the actors who share the stage with the Ollie Webb students feel a sense of warm camaraderie. Regina Palmer and Bethany Hillmer are two local actors featured alongside students in this year’s production.

Palmer states, “It has been such a joy collaborating with the students and staff of the Ollie Webb Center. I feel like this experience has really brought me back to the bare bones of theatre and we now get to build on that solid foundation.

The students are amazing and compassionate and driven and so marvelously talented. I’m excited to share this production with the community. Their fearlessness has truly reminded me why I love theatre as much as I do. It is for everybody.”.

Bethany Hillmer who plays a key role says, “Ollie Webb highly values the artists they contract and employ. The staff members are so accommodating and thrilled to be working with us. All of the students are interesting, authentic, passionate, and extremely hard working individuals. They are wholly themselves on stage which is refreshing and inspiring to my acting

process. These guys are masters of having a GREAT experience onstage.”

That enthusiasm and heart was echoed throughout the participants of this program; from the staff, community professionals and students, alike. Ollie Webb student Alan Friedman, exclaimed via phone from Jim Hoggatt’s office. “I love it and I love Hamilton!”

Jill Anderson, a familiar face from the Omaha Theatre and music world, serves as the writer and director of this year’s production. She is delighted with the symbiotic relationship between the students and guest professionals from the Omaha performance community.

“Not only are the students receiving mentorship and modeling from experienced performers but the professional guest actors and musicians are learning how to work with people with developmental disabilities; learning to approach the work with no preconceived notions, great patience and a wide open heart. There is a valuable interchange going on here.”

Jill Anderson was first introduced to the Ollie Webb theatre program in 2012 when she attended “Fear Liath”, a play written and directed by a dear friend, Amy Kunz. She was stunned by the beauty of the production, “it was mind blowing! Everyone in the audience had tears running down their faces because of the power of that show. I think there was a major paradigm

shift that night between when the audience walked in, expecting to see disability and impairment, and when they walked out having seen a story beautifully told through hard work, focus and tremendous love. That feeling of love and support was palpable and the result was not a display of disability but a triumph of ability.”

When Kunz couldn’t return for the next show, she asked Anderson to throw her hat in the ring, which she was excited to do, eagerly signing on to direct the next full scale production.

“This has been one of the greatest gifts of my career. I couldn’t be more excited! I am approaching the direction of this production in a professional style. This is not ‘let’s do a nice little play’, we are bringing our best game to every aspect of this show. Not scaling down our ambitions in any way.”

In this production, an individual’s “best game” might involve clarifying diction if they happen to have speech issues, working on swifter , smoother movement if a student is working with gait problems. Perhaps the “best game” is finding the depth of emotion required for a key moment in the story.

Jenny Koley, one of the student performers appreciates the time and care taken in Anderson’s directorial style and with the community actors, “It makes me feel special and like I can do anything. We’re all friends and that helps us to do the best and be great actors onstage.”

The staff at the Ollie Webb center has many people to thank for championing the theater program and contributing to its growth and success over the past ten years. Just a few of the many people they’d like to thank: The Simon Foundation, The Sherwood foundations, Nebraska Arts Council, Great Plains Theater Conference, Carolyn Anderson and WhyArts?, Nils Haaland, Susan Clement-Toberer and the Blue Barn, Love’s Jazz, Opera Omaha, The Rose, St Matthews Church, the extremely generous people of the Scottish Rite Masonic Center: John Maxell, Micah Evans, Barb Coonce, Greg Swinarski, Jim Wolfe, and so many others.

“We’ve gotten grants to do some great projects throughout the years,” Jim Hoggatt muses. “Our goal is to continue to have the funding to support one full scale play or musical a year. Everything we do is about inclusion and community. In our work we will always partner with different entities in the community and a mix of actors with and without disabilities. It’s about the process. That’s what it’s all about.”

The White Gander: An Irish Folktale - Written and Directed by Jill Anderson - will take place at the Scottish Rite Center from October 25th-28th, 2018. Showtimes are Thursday thru Saturday at 7pm and Sundays at 6pm. Admission is $10 and up. For tickets to White Gander or more information about the program call: 402-3465220 ext. 31.

THEATER

| THE READER |

OCTOBER 2018

29

BACKBEAT COLUMN

BACKBEAT

B Y H O U S T O N W I LT S E Y

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OCTOBER 2018

WOLFMOTHER GUITARIST ANDREW STOCKDALE

S

ummer is officially over. I know, that’s kind of a bummer, but September still gave us enough great shows and a few new releases that helped us wring every ounce of enjoyment of the fleeting warm weather days.

Lincoln Calling celebrated its 15th birthday in style last month with some stellar performances.

Though the headliners weren’t quite as big as last year (no Charli XCX this time around), I think it helped the festival to maintain the vibe that this was a hotbed for young and exciting bands. My colleague Tim McMahan made the argument that it’s reminiscent of the early

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MUSIC

years of Austin’s South by Southwest and it’s easy to see the parallels; lots of venues, both in and outdoors, the bands were hungry to make their mark, and a price tag that was more than reasonable.

Highlights from this year’s iteration didn’t just come from the acts that were higher up on the billing either. Matt Whipkey gave a solid set filled with new tunes from his album Driver about his exploits working for Uber, while Jared and the Mill brought an excellent dose their western (and I mean John Waynestyle western) rock that ended up being the best set at the Zoo Bar on Thursday evening.

Twinsmith even put on a showcase at Duffy’s were also some hard-rocking shows earlier in the that included some of their favorite artists. The month.

Lincoln band also kicked off the showcase with Wolfmother’s set at the Waiting Room was an a set that drew from their first two records, absolute hoot. Lead singer Andrew Stockdale both of which were released on Saddle Creek, looks virtually identical to how he did 12 years that had the audience collectively swaying to ago when the band released its debut album in their indie pop grooves.

America -- baggy t-shirt, skinny jeans, Chelsea Headliners Japanese Breakfast and Parquet boots, and a giant plume of voluminous, chestnut Courts didn’t disappoint either. The former’s curls (albeit flecked with a touch of grey, just like spacey bedroom pop has the same expansive his beard). intimacy (I know, that sounds contradictory) in Stockdale and company ran through a set of a live setting that it does on record. Songs like modern hard-rock favorites, including “Woman” “Road Head” and “Diving Woman” filled the and “Joker and the Thief,” with a few of songs Bourbon Theater with their gentle beauty; the from Stockdale’s newly-released solo album, former built upon a simple guitar hook and Slipstream. While the former songs were certainly fluttering Eastern-sounding keys and the latter’s the crowd-pleasers, it was the latter tunes that saccharine fuzz reminiscent of early Deerhunter. flashed Stockdale’s promise as an artist with The songs sound like dreaming if that makes any staying power, or, at least why I’ll continue to sense. listen to him.

Parquet Courts were an altogether different Metallica stopped by Lincoln for a towering experience. The band’s first album, 2012’s set of classics at the Pinnacle Bank Arena. There Light Up Gold, was full of punk burners and were flames, there were lights, video cubes angular, post-punk oddities. For 2018’s Wide dangling from the ceiling, and even drones Awake, the band’s sixth album and their first flying over the band. Thirty-five years after the with Danger Mouse at the helm as producer, the release of their debut album Kill ‘Em All, the band have transformed into something dancier. band still sound incredibly sharp. They shredded You could hear it on tracks like “Wide Awake!” their way through tunes like “Hit the Lights” and and “Almost Had to Start a Fight/In and Out “Seek and Destroy” from their aforementioned of Patience.” The set wasn’t all that dissimilar debut, terrorized younger members of the from their early afternoon show at Lollapalooza audience with the proggy stomp of songs from earlier this year -- which was definitely not a Ride the Lightning, and even won the audience bad thing. over with new material from Hardwired... to Grammy-winner Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz, Self-Destruct. otherwise known as Fantastic Negrito, brought There are also a pair of new releases this his mix of blues, R&B, and funk for a fantastic month that are definitely worth checking out. First, Friday night set at the Bourbon. Dphrepaulezz Jacob James Williams and Magu released a sixpicks and chooses from those genres to create song EP -- three from each artist -- titled ‘Tickled what he calls “black roots music for everyone,” Pink.’ Magu starts off the EP with a mix of trebly and everyone at his set was certainly enjoying lounge rock that often ends in horn exploration cuts from his 2018 record Please Don’t Be from Sam Kalhorn and Cameron Thelander, Dead. the group’s trumpet player and saxophonist Criteria put on a searing set for all the respectively. Jacob James Wilton’s side of the Omaha indie-rock die-hards on Friday. For the record is a bit stranger. There’s a heavy amount uninitiated, Criteria is ex-Cursive member Steve of flange used on the tracks and some genuinely Pedersen’s project. The band started in 2003 strange choices when it came to recording and it sounds exactly as you would imagine the vocals. It is, however, an engaging listen if a band started by an ex-Cursive member nothing else. would sound like during that time. There’s the Houma, an Omaha hardcore three-piece hard-nosed emo of the early Cursive records, made up of drums, bass, and vocals, also put elements of late ‘90s alt-rock (think Modest out a six-song record. The album, titled Irregular, Mouse), and even some pop-punk. Pedersen is sinister. The bass sounds sludgy, the drums delivered the songs with a visceral vocal crash, and with titles like “Raw” and “Lifeless performance and a near unsettling amount of and Heavy,” you can probably guess the lyrical conviction. The searing red and yellow lights content isn’t on the sunnier side. Not the most that were enhanced by the thick slabs of fog uplifting way to end, I know, but hey, it’s the only added to the intensity of the show. It was end of summer and I think we’re all feeling a pretty epic. I’m certain I probably missed at little blue. least a few great sets. Unfortunately, I just can’t make it to everything.

Lincoln Calling wasn’t the only major musical event to roll through the Heartland either, there

Join us for FREE Wednesdays 6:30 - 7:30 pm

The Commons Community Center Enter through door #4 on the east side of the building

7020 Cass • Omaha, Nebraska 68132 (402) 556-6262 • www.fumcomaha.org

MUSIC

| THE READER |

OCTOBER 2018

31

SPIRITED SOUNDS

Catch plenty of rich musical treats in the metro this month!

BY B.J. HUCHTEMANN

HOODOO

J

HOODOO focuses on blues, roots, Americana and occasional other music styles with an emphasis on live music performances. Hoodoo columnist B.J. Huchtemann is a senior contributing writer and veteran music journalist who received the Blues Foundation’s 2015 Keeping the Blues Alive Award for Journalism.

Follow her blog at hoodoorootsblues.blogspot.com and on www.thereader.com.

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OCTOBER 2018

osh Hoyer & Soul Colossal returns to Lincoln after their second European tour. They spent six weeks playing to appreciative crowds while debuting their brand new CD Do It Now (Silver Street Records) for audiences in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Spain. Check Facebook.com/joshhoyerandsoulcolossal for European press interviews, reviews and live performance videos. Do It Now CDs are only available in the U.S. at live shows with vinyl for sale at the band’s Dec. 29 show. Friday, Jan. 18, 2019, is the official world-wide release date when the recording will be available in online platforms and at joshhoyer.com. Catch Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal at Lincoln’s Zoo Bar Friday and Saturday, Oct. 5 and 6, 9 p.m. The band plays Omaha’s Slowdown Sunday, Oct. 28, opening for Orgone in an 8 p.m. show.

In other Silver Street Records news, label owner Charles Hull has released his own musical project under the band name Tragic Jack. Hull and Marty Amsler, former bassist for The Millions, have paired up for the guitar-and-piano-driven rock/pop release, Glasshouse Town, featuring Justin Lepard on cello, Lance Lehman on guitar and Brent Vignery on drums. Check out the project at tragicjack.com. Tragic Jack has CD release shows at Lincoln’s Zoo Bar Friday, Oct. 12, and at Harney Street Tavern Friday, Nov. 9.

Both shows 9 p.m.

Chrome Lounge Thursdays The Blues Society of Omaha’s weekly Thursday shows at Chrome Lounge continue with Biscuit Miller Thursday, Oct. 4. Orphan Jon & The Abandoned, led by UK guitarist Jon Orphan, is up Thursday, Oct. 11. The band received two nominations in the 2018 Blues Blast Music Awards. One of the top contemporary sax players in the U.S., Jimmy Carpenter, brings his own band to the Chrome stage Thursday, Oct. 18.

Canada’s Murray Kinsley & Wicked Grin play Thursday, Oct. 25. Homegrown musician Heather Newman brings her K.C.-based Heather Newman Band to town Thursday, Nov. 1. All shows are 6-9 p.m. Vocalist and sax player Vanessa Collier plays Chrome Saturday, Oct. 27 5:30 p.m. for a BSO Halloween party.

Zoo Bar Highlights Lincoln’s Zoo Bar is jumping with great music including the Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal shows Oct. 5 and 6, 9 p.m. Contemporary blues guitar great Eric Gales takes the stage Tuesday, Oct. 9, 6 p.m., and the amazing 24th Street Wailers are back Wednesday, Oct. 10, 6-9 p.m. Grammy-winning guitarist Paul Nelson plugs in Wednesday, Oct. 17, 6-9 p.m. The Zoo celebrates co-owner Pete Watters’ birthday Thursday, Oct. 18, 6-9 p.m. Multiple Blues Music Award nominee and singer-songwriter-saxophone player Vanessa Collier is up Wednesday, Oct. 24, 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31, it’s a double-bill with Nikki Hill and the Heather Newman Band.

Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials play Friday, Oct. 26, 5 p.m. and

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HOODOO

Saturday, Oct. 27, 6 p.m. Keep up with the schedule and late-breaking news like the surprise Sept. 4 Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore pop-up show at zoobar.com.

Nebraska Blues Challenge Watch OmahaBlues.com and the Blues Society of Omaha at Facebook.com/BluesSocietyOfOmaha for details on the Nebraska Blue Challenge October preliminary rounds and finals on Sundays at Chrome Lounge. The challenge this year added solo/duo entries along with bands and will send both a band and a solo/due act to represent the BSO at the International Blues Challenge hosted by the Blues Foundation in Memphis at the end of January 2019. Winners will be selected by judges using the same point system that is used by the IBCs. Hot Notes Wednesday, Oct. 10, 8 p.m. guitar great Eric Gales plays The Waiting Room with Sebastian Lane opening. Acclaimed duo The Lowest Pair play Sunday Roadhouse at the Reverb Lounge Sunday, Oct. 21, 5 p.m. See sundayroadhouse.com. Lindsay Beaver & The 24th Street Wailers play Barley Street Tavern Thursday, Oct. 11.

The 21st Annual Blues Masters at the Crossroads takes place in Salina, KS, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 26 and 27. Performers include the iconic Bobby Rush, Mud Morganfield, Marquise Knox, 79-year-old Beverly “Guitar” Watkins, Kenny Neal, Robert Finley, Larry Garner and Lil’ Ray Neal. See blueheavenstudios.com for the schedule, advance tickets and lodging information.

Hoodoo favorite Sax Gordon Beadle dropped a brand new CD at the end of August. Rock & Roll Lives Here was released on Beadle’s own Gotta Have It Records. It’s a powerhouse exploration of his personal intersection of soul, R&B, blues and rock with Beadle’s self-described “extreme sax” at the center. He’s a master of that oldschool honkin’ and bar walkin’ style R&B saxophone. Find out more at saxgordon.com and check the disc out or purchase digital downloads or CDs at cdbaby.com/cd/saxgordon4.

Kris Lager Band hosts another Hullabacruise on the River City Star Friday, Oct. 5, with a 7 p.m. load in and an 8 p.m. See krislagerband.com for tickets.

The second annual Porchfest OMA happens Sunday, Oct. 7, 1-6 p.m. in the Gifford Park neighborhood. Over 25 primarily folk and roots artists perform on multiple stages including the Farmer’s Market Stage, seven porch stages and an open mic stage hosted by Aly Peeler.

The event is free and family friendly. Donations will be accepted. For all the details see PorchfestOMA.com.

Memphis guitar star Jeff Jensen plays The B.Bar below Castle Barrett Friday, Oct. 12, 5:30 at The B. Bar. Check the other Friday early shows and the complete music schedule at Facebook.com/TheB. BarOmaha.

“I think this means no candy.”

4923 Center - Est. 1945

402-932-5116

Monday-Friday 3 - 7pm Omaha's Best Happy Hour!!!

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OCTOBER 2018

33

ALL SUPERHEROES ARE SJWS Comic Book Movies in an Age of Political Insanity

B Y R YA N S Y R E K

FILM

T

For better or worse, depending on who you ask, senior contributing writer RYAN SYREK has been reviewing movies and writing about popular culture for more than 15 years. In print, on social media (twitter.com/thereaderfilm), on the radio (CD1059.com) and on his podcast, Movieha! (movieha.biz), Ryan tries to critically engage pop content while not boring anybody. Send him hate, love or local movie news items at film@thereader.com. .

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OCTOBER 2018

hese days, every doo-doo-headed meat sack inevitably finds a group of likeminded equally-doo-doo-headed meat sacks, and they create some intellectually dishonest “controversy” that is transparently about nothing more than their own shortcomings and hateful views. This controversy is then given a “gate” suffix, because apparently that’s the only thing we’ve decided to take away from Watergate.

Comicsgate is the latest incarnation of chestbeating testoster-ignorance, and it’s about exactly what you’d think it is: Certain manbaby halfwits are threatened by the influx of women and people of varied backgrounds and sexuality into their sandbox, so they are doing a big tantrum on the Twitters. This would be easy to laugh off, except comic book movies have become the single biggest creative medium consumed in the world, so it’s time to start considering them in a political context.

Wars That Aren’t Infinite To completely oversell things: James Gunn could well be the Franz Ferdinand of an upcoming culture war. Gunn was shitcanned from directing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after a campaign by an alt-right buttmunch tied to a conspiracy theory that led to someone shooting up at a pizza place. Despite helming two films that made $1.5 billy at the box office, a politically motivated takedown got Gunn axed.

It should be noted that the unfunny, horribly insensitive tweets from years prior that provided the fodder for the firing very much do suck. So as hard as it is for many to process, there are two whole lessons to be learned here. First, don’t make jokes about rape, pedophilia or other sensitive subjects because comedy isn’t permission to be terrible and you’re not funny enough anyway.

Second, the biggest company in the world, Disney, caved to political pressure. If you want evidence that comic book movies and politics are now intertwined, poof there’s your proof.

Casting Stones Over Casting Roles Considering anything that actors do to be truly “brave” typically feels overly generous. I

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FILM

mean, anything that Bradley Cooper can do can’t be that inspiring. Still, given the bile and anger spewed at anyone who isn’t straight, cis and white taking any role in a nerd-adjacent property, it’s quasi-impressive anyone still does it. As the predominant creative genre worldwide, comic book movies suddenly have an added responsibility. As Black Panther powerfully proved, representation matters. Thankfully, it proved this by using Hollywood’s favorite language: money.

Just the other day, rumors surfaced that Michael B. Jordan was being considered as the next Superman after the departure of Henry Cavill, who took his controversial mustache (controstache?) and vile #MeToo thoughts with him. Jordan has only ever been amazing on screen, and that includes him attempting to act next to Miles Teller in a Fantastic Four adaptation that’s worse than the one with Michael Chiklis in a rubber suit. When people are discussing whether Jordan “can” or “should” play Superman, they are actually debating the potential of a black man to embody universally heroic characteristics.

The very fact that angry white dudes are pissed about potentially losing their grasp on the role inherently suggests that it matters who wears that cape.

As Goes Spider-Man, So Goes Planet Earth It’s not just about who plays what roles.

Consider The Dark Knight’s pontification of surveillance and authoritarianism in the wake

of the War on Terror™ or the inspiring embrace of Wonder Woman by so many. Comic book movies are no longer dismissible as silly, garish nonsense. They are colossal influencers of ideology and important conduits for change and progress.

If that seems silly to you, consider that superheroes are often referred to as modern day mythology. Greek stories about Gods weren’t all tales of Zeus playing “hide the lightning bolt.”

They were morality plays played by non-mortals.

The DC and Marvel icons have that same potential, and not just on kids. As social media posts will prove, there is not a huge intellectual disparity between those groups. I mean adults and kids. There is a huge chasm in the intellectual disparity between DC and Marvel. I kid…

The point is that it very much matters that Killmonger referenced slavery in the biggest domestic box office hit of this year. It very much matters that DC was blasted by both homophobes and the LGBTQA community for casting Ruby Rose as the new Batwoman. It very much matters what themes and issues the next phase of Marvel movies chooses to tackle. It always has, but more so than ever before for just so many reasons.

Let’s close with this: Many of the comicgaters hilariously bash “social justice warriors.” By pretty much any definition of that set of words, literally every superhero is included in that category. That means critics who bash proponents of certain comic book content by calling them “SJWs” are essentially saying “you’re bad because you’re just like the heroes I like.” That’s fun, right?

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Friday, November 9th 7:00 p.m.

Joslyn Art Museum Witherspoon Hall On the stage-wide screen!

Doors open at 6 p.m.

2200 Dodge St. Omaha, NE 68102 Tickets $24.00

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| THE READER |

On sale NOW at Omaha Hy-Vee grocery stores Limited tickets also available at the door A Benefit for the Nebraska Kidney Association

For more information call 402-932-7200

OCTOBER 2018

35

PAGLIACCI

Leoncavallo OCTOBER 19 & 21, 2018 | ORPHEUM THEATER OPERAOMAHA.ORG | 402.346.7372 | TICKETOMAHA.COM | 402.345.0606

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OCTOBER 2018

| THE READER |

NIC CAGE LIVES IN A BLACKLIGHT PAINTING Mandy Is an A-Grade B-Movie

B Y R YA N S Y R E K

I

n a fair and just world, Mandy will become such a massive cult hit that people will replace the tired and lame repetition of “Oh, hai Mark” with chants of “You vicious snowflake!” or “You ripped my favorite shirt!”

From a random “Cheddar Goblin” to a former Law & Order lawyer whipping his junk out while listening to a song he wrote about himself, writer/ director Panos Cosmatos’s film traffics in gleeful absurdity. A surreal revenge tale painted in hallucinatory brushstrokes, crammed with the best kind of inoffensive and outlandish gore, Mandy is a fearlessly original love-it-or-hate-it proposition.

Mandy begins with an opening text crawl so goofy, George Lucas referencing space taxes is now in second place. Mandy (Andrea Riseborough) and Red (Nicolas Cage) are truelove lovers living in what appears to be a fantasy scene airbrushed on the side of a van in 1983.

One day, a handful of “weirdo hippie types” show up. The leader of the Children of the New Dawn, Jeremiah Sand (Linus Roache), started his cult after his music career failed. If you think that sounds like an outlandish plot point, Google “Smallville actress.”

After he catches a fleeting glimpse of Mandy, Jeremiah commands his acolyte, Brother Swan (Ned Dennehy), to kidnap her by blowing a magic rock horn and summoning leather-clad extras from Hellraiser who are riding ATVs and drink blood. Although “avenge the murdered lady” is a tired, gross plot device, Mandy doesn’t revel in the torture of women to the same sick degree as most in the subgenre. Although it is definitely yet-another example of fridging, the grotesque violence is almost entirely saved for Red’s bonkers murder quest.

And it is a true fantasy quest, complete with the crafting of a giant metal decapitator sword/ axe/scythe-thing, prophetic visions, and religious themes of damnation and redemption. Mandy is as ridiculous as it is meticulous. Cosmatos isn’t flinging random nonsense against a neongraffiti-covered wall; it is filled with intentional symbology. The essence of a good B-movie lies

NEW RELEASE

Colette

Ruth Sokolof Theater — Starts Friday, October 12, 2018 in its maniacal and rabid sincere approach. That is a sentence that also describes the very essence of Nicolas Cage. No one has ever been more comfortable exposing every possible bit of eye white, face covered in blood, spewing pitchperfect insanity like “I am your God now!”

From the gorgeous faux-painted chapter titles to the synth-y perfection of Jóhann Jóhannsson’s score, Mandy is a real-deal cultmovie in an era rife with preening pretenders.

More than anything, it represents the kind of confident strangeness that can make cinema feel legitimately bold and weird instead of safe and same-y. Honestly, it’s kind of great that it was so quickly released for digital download, as watching it that way first will make going to the theater to see the limited showings feel more like hitting up a midnight movie event.

If you are the type predisposed to hate something like Mandy, once will be too much. But if you’re the sort who revels in violent abstract fantasy lunacy, make room in your regular rotation.

1340 MIKE FAHEY STREET OMAHA , NE 68102

THE MARY RIEPMA ROSS MEDIA ARTS CENTER 313 N. 13TH STREET, LINCOLN NE

| WWW.THEROSS.ORG | 402-472-5353

SHOWING IN OCTOBER

Four Stars Synopsis: A hallucinatory revenge movie filled with gloriously cheesy dialogue and Nic Cage going maximum bonkers, this is a true cult classic that is destined for midnight movie screens.

FILM

| THE READER |

OCTOBER 2018

37

LIFE OF SPICE

HEARTLAND HEALING

BY MICHAEL BRAUNSTEIN

HEARTLAND HEALING is a metaphysically-based polemic describing alternatives to conventional methods of healing the body, mind and planet by MICHAEL BRAUNSTEIN. It is provided as information and entertainment, certainly not medical advice. Important to remember and pass on to others: for a weekly dose of Heartland Healing, visit HeartlandHealing.com and like us on Facebook. .

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OCTOBER 2018

N

ot much of a Dune fan but I know enough about Frank Herbert’s epic fantasy series to recognize what he called “spice.” It was a fictional transcendent drug that was essentially the decay left from a giant species of space worms. It conferred long life and biological stability as well as various levels of ecstasy. To read the internet these days, our real-life spices are touted to do much the same.

Though immortality and intergalactic travel are unlikely to be found in your kitchen’s spice rack, there are some amazing qualities to spices that have made them one of the world’s most coveted commodities. History tells of spice trains crossing Middle Eastern deserts from exotic locales bringing the magic of spice to the West. Spices remain just as treasured as they were when carried by camelback; perhaps more so.

Turmeric. It’s the spice that gives Indian and southern Asian food that characteristic amber tint. More fragrant than tasteful, it’s an essential for curries. Medicinally, various components of turmeric have been found wonderful breath-freshener. Make a pomander with clove and an to be powerful anti-cancer agents, pain relievers and more. One study orange and you’ll have a natural, chemical-free air freshener that kills found turmeric’s prevalent agent, curcumin, equivalent to ibuprofen for bacteria, too.

Saffron. True saffron is one of the priciest of spices, going for up to pain relief of arthritis. National Institutes of Health has registered over 71 clinical trials completed or underway to study use of dietary curcumin for $5000 a pound. It takes 75,000 flowers to produce one pound of the spice. In use as a medicine for over 4000 years, saffron is believed to a variety of clinical disorders.

Cinnamon. Who doesn’t love cinnamon? We see it spicing up be anti-cancer, an immune system booster, good for eyesight and an apple cider, sprinkled with sugar on buttery toast or dashed on a cup aphrodisiac.

Chocolate. More accurately, cacao, is from the seed of the plant. of cocoa. Cinnamon is harvested as the bark of a tree initially cultivated in Ceylon and falls in the category herbalists call a “warming aromatic.” When it’s roasted, shelled and ground, you have pure, raw cocoa. As Cinnamon warms the body and improves circulation. It also stimulates such, it’s a powerful antioxidant with proven healthful qualities. Once digestion. Cultures throughout the ages have used cinnamon to fight a Hershey or Mars get hold of it, adding fat, refined sugar or corn syrup, cold. It is a mild expectorant and cinnamon oil has been used topically forget it. But in a more or less dark chocolate form, it reportedly lowers blood pressure, stimulates serotonin, lowers cholesterol, protects the to treat bee and insect stings. Consider cinnamon the next time you have a cold. Instead of drugs with side effects that won’t cure a cold anyway, heart and boosts cognitive function (thinking).

Many spices can boost your health and should be a part of your use a cup of hot water with cinnamon, a little fresh grated ginger root and some lemon. Sinuses clear and colds disappear, naturally. And I’ll “kitchen medicine cabinet.” Some applications (such as oils) can be very never forget the beautiful, exotic wench from the Cat & Fiddle named powerful. Getting advice from an appropriate healthcare professional is a good idea and going with the purest, organic forms of spice is best.

Cinnamon who met many of the same qualities of the spice.

Cayenne.3 Known as capsicum or plain red pepper, it’s a Spices are often grown with the use of pesticides so avoiding those is powerhouse of healing properties. Cayenne defines spicy and hot. preferable.

When shopping for spices, check the stores that have bulk supplies.

Medically, it’s as much a wonder drug as aspirin was once considered.

Cayenne is useful in alleviating debilitating arthritis pain. Capsaicin, an Whole Foods, No Name Nutrition and Next Millennium carry bulk. active ingredient, is a main component in expensive over-the-counter Savings are substantial. Some of the ethnic markets like Namaste (114th and prescription pain medications. You can use the pepper itself; & Dodge), Asian Market (north 76 Street), Jacobo’s (24th & “L”,) and powdered in capsules, or as ointments. Cayenne stimulates the immune Tulsi Indian Grocery (130 & Arbor,) have unique selections of packaged system and relieves congestion from colds. Next time you try chicken spices.

All of the above stores offer product at prices far below the individually soup, make it spicy! Dr. James Duke writes that cayenne treats arthritis, backache, bunions, heart disease, ulcers, carpal tunnel, emphysema, packaged small bottles of spices at the standard grocer. That way you fever, herpes, indigestion, pain, psoriasis, shingles and more. Cayenne can try the spice of life without hitching up your camel. promotes circulation and endorphin production. In 1990, actor James Be well.

Earl Jones told me about a supplement using cayenne that he used to quit his two-pack-a-day Newport habit. Worked for me and my Heartland Healing is a metaphysically based polemic describing Camels, too.

Cloves are the dried flower bud of the clove plant. Pungent, sharp alternatives to conventional methods of healing the body, mind and and powerfully aromatic, cloves enhance meals in fruit dishes, desserts planet. It is provided as information and entertainment, certainly not and candied meats like hams. Anyone with a toothache while away medical advice. Important to remember and pass on to others: for a from the dentist knows clove oil is a powerful pain reliever. It’s a proven weekly dose of Heartland Healing, visit HeartlandHealing.com. and like antiseptic, too. Some people find lightly chewing on a whole clove a us on Facebook.

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HEARTLAND HEALING

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OCTOBER 2018

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OVER THE EDGE OVER THE EDGE

is a monthly column by Reader senior contributing writer Tim McMahan focused on culture, society, music, the media and the arts. Tim has been writing about Omaha and the local indie music scene for more than two decades. Catch his daily music reporting at Lazy-i.com, the city’s longest-running blog. Email Tim at tim.mcmahan@gmail.com.

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OCTOBER 2018

REAL. FAIR.ACCURATE. FOR NOW… Faced with declining readership and a shift to out-of-state management, could a new union at The Omaha World-Herald turn things around?

BY TIM MCMAHAN

I

picked up a copy of the Sunday Omaha World-Herald at Baker’s last weekend to see what I’d been missing all these years.

We quit getting the paper almost a decade ago but kept the Sunday edition coming because, well, just because. Then a few years ago during September the paper began arriving late, as in after my morning coffee, which negated one of the few reasons left for getting the paper in the first place.

After three weekends of late papers (promptly received after complaining to their customer service line), I finally asked the kindly OWH operator what the deal was, and was told, “Sorry, but the Huskers played a late night game, and we have to hold the presses to get in all of the coverage, which results in late delivery the following morning. We hope you understand.”

I did not understand and cancelled the paper. As someone who doesn’t give two shits about the Huskers, the paper’s priorities were made crystal clear, and they had nothing to do with me enjoying the weekly “funnies” alongside my morning coffee. In the paper’s defense, I’ve been told by a number of OWH staffers that the above story is complete hogwash, that they’ve never held the paper for football coverage.

All I can tell you is what I was told. In the end, it didn’t matter. We would have cancelled eventually.

In an era when most people get their news from various internet sources, the printed newspaper is becoming as obsolete as a milk box or a land line.

These days, I look to Twitter for my news.

If some tragedy strikes anywhere in the world or if Trump once again says something characteristically asinine, I see it first on my phone. Then I seek out a web source for confirmation, and finally I’ll go to Facebook to see how my friends and family are (over)reacting. And I’m not alone, based on how the paper’s readership has steadily declined over the past decade.

What’s left are four types of people who still subscribe to the Omaha World-Herald.

The first is old people who don’t like, don’t trust or don’t know how to use the internet. Theirs is a readership that is literally dying off.

Then there are the die-hard Husker fans addicted to the paper’s next-day wall-to-wall coverage of a game they likely watched the day before. That group, too, is shrinking every season that the once mighty Huskers fail to win a national — or even a conference — title.

Then there are the friends and family of people who actually work at the newspaper — another ever-dwindling support group.

And finally, there’s the philanthropic Samaritans, those who subscribe to the World-Herald for the same reason they give money to nonprofits and local charities — because it’s the right thing to do. They don’t actually read the paper; they just like the idea of a paper.

To add to its misery, it seems the Omaha World-Herald has been doing whatever it can to piss off that fourth group, as well as potential future subscribers. One recent headline, “Where millennials live in the Omaha area — and where to move if you want to find or avoid them,” stirred up a fuss-storm in social media by those appalled at the crass generalizations. As one person commented: “It’s now so popular to group-dismiss people. Just lump into one category, cherry pick commonalities and voila! invalidate.”

She drove her message home with a sad-face emoji.

If there’s one audience the OWH should be courting, it’s millennials; but this headline seemed intent on pushing them away.

Another miss-fired headline: “Nightlife review: Papillion is the new Benson.” The story’s lead says Papillion is just right for the “Gen-X set and any demographic that enjoys good times and better parking.” Unfortunately

| THE READER |

OVER THE EDGE

this clumsy attempt at sarcasm or satire was lost on those who only read the headline in Facebook and never clicked to the story for fear of slamming into the OWH’s paywall or the paper’s ghastly online experience beset with autoplay videos and circus-barker-style banner ads.

Speaking of ways to antagonize potential subscribers, consider the OWH’s weekly “bag o’ savings” distribution. No matter how many times you call to stop it, there it is, every Wednesday, like a paper canker sore wrapped in a plastic bag to be tossed in the recycling bin unread.

A few months ago, the paper’s owner — Berkshire Hathaway — handed control of the Omaha World-Herald and its websites to Lee Enterprises, a Davenport, IA-based company that operates 46 daily newspapers around the country.

I remember the day Warren Buffett’s company bought the OWH and how the staff, who had watched subscriptions and advertising headed everdownward, thought they found their savior. They forgot Warren is first and foremost a businessman.

The management shift to Lee resulted in a number of OWH employees losing their jobs and gave potential readers like me one less reason to subscribe. If it ain’t even managed locally, is it still “our hometown paper”?

Well, the answer to that question is “Yes.” The World-Herald is still written and edited by friends and neighbors. And by god, despite everything I just wrote, I want it to survive, even if it’s a sad ghost of its former self.

Maybe the new union will make a difference. A couple weeks ago, we heard (via social media, of course) about the Omaha World-Herald Guild, “a union of frontline journalists working hard to produce Nebraska’s No. 1 newspaper.” According to its website (owhguild.com) 73 of the paper’s journalists signed union cards and are asking BH Media and Lee Enterprises to recognize them as stakeholders.

In some ways, it feels like a last gasp by a group of individuals who haven’t had a raise in years, who are only asking for fair wages and benefits and some advance notice before the next round of layoffs. Would a union even have the leverage to go on strike, and what if it did?

At stake, says the guild’s website: Journalism. And local control.

I’m old enough to remember when every issue of the World-Herald — not just the Sunday edition — was a butt-slapper, over an inch thick and chock full o’ stories. Everyone subscribed in the days before the internet because it was the only place to get real news. And now with the proliferation of click-bait bullshit social media “news sites,” us-versus-them television cable “news” channels and our current Liar-In-Chief White House Thug whose every utterance seems made up on the fly, newspapers like the Omaha WorldHerald are our last bastion of unbiased fact-finding, fact-checking and factpublishing.

Which brings us back to that Sunday paper sitting in a pile at my feet, whose cover is, as per usual, bannered with the usual Husker nonsense.

But look beneath the masthead and you’ll find an in-depth story about an ordinance that targets local slumlords who create living hells like the roachinfested Yale Park Apartments at 34th and Lake streets. Where else are you going to find thorough reporting on this local issue? Certainly not on the internet or social media.

Maybe it’s time to subscribe again.

Over The Edge is a monthly column by Reader senior contributing writer Tim McMahan focused on culture, society, music, the media and the arts. Email Tim at tim.mcmahan@gmail.com

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