Flatwater Free Press

Story by Greg Echlin. Photo by Liz McCue for the Flatwater Free Press.

Despite long odds, former Husker pitcher Thad Weber made it to the majors as a player. But for the past 8 years, he’s filled a different role to help the Chicago Cubs — all while living in Friend, Nebraska. 🔗 buff.ly/sMBO6yw

Story by Natalia Alamdari in partnership with Open Campus Media. Photo by Irene North for the Flatwater Free Press.

What’s the value of a college degree in the corner of the Panhandle? It depends on what you want to do with your life, Kimball students and teachers say. Kids here do go to college. They just don’t always come back. 🔗 buff.ly/rROWVqo

Story by Kevin Warneke. Photos by Darin Epperly.

New from FFP: Only 81 pay phones remain in Nebraska. They’re tucked into dark corners of hospitals, airport terminals, small-town gas stations. Flatwater’s Kevin Warneke goes on a hunt for the Disappearing Dial Tone. 🔗 buff.ly/wcY2sbg

Story by Sarah Baker Hansen. Photo by Ryan Soderlin for the Flatwater Free Press.

New at FFP: We've spent a year eating at some of Omaha’s oldest-school steakhouses, and some of its newest, like Ruhlman’s, in the heart of Ashland. It's drawing people in from Ashland, plus steak lovers from Omaha and Lincoln. 🔗 buff.ly/5twUyj8

Story by Jeremy Turley. Photo by Jeremy Turley/Flatwater Free Press.

New at FFP: Omaha’s car-centered layout makes traversing the city on foot difficult and sometimes dangerous. Members of a group called Strong Towns want to change that — one intersection at a time. 🔗 buff.ly/ZOS5JIw

Story by Greg Echlin. Photo by Liz McCue for the Flatwater Free Press.

New at FFP: Thad Weber’s job is straightforward: Help the Chicago Cubs win. But the former big leaguer doesn’t live in Chicago or either coast. Home base for Weber is a quiet Nebraska town with fewer than 1,000 residents. 🔗 buff.ly/sMBO6yw

Story by Leo Adam Biga. Photo courtesy of Nick Beaulieu.

Inspired by the Civil Rights-era documentary “A Time for Burning,” Omaha filmmaker Nick Beaulieu set out to document his own burning times. It led him home, to a relationship fractured by politics. 🔗 buff.ly/1f1CTb4

Story by Sara Gentzler. Photo courtesy of Julie Montpetit.

The move by Nebraska’s Department of Correctional Services to block an inmate from communicating with his then-girlfriend raises questions, says the department’s watchdog. 🔗 buff.ly/qA50wsh

New at FFP: Nebraskans are more educated than they were 50 years ago. But in places like Kimball, the number of adults with a college degree is on the decline. 🔗 buff.ly/ZxuQy8R

Story by Natalia Alamdari in partnership with Open Campus Media.

Story by Destiny Herbers. Photo by Rebecca S. Gratz for the Flatwater Free Press.

Paul Weishapl has been counting deaths he suspects are drug-related for years and then comparing what he knows to what’s listed on the death certificate. It often fails to mention an overdose. The first story in Dying Blind: 🔗 buff.ly/WFcUih3

Story by Leo Adam Biga. Photo courtesy of Nick Beaulieu.

New at FFP: A new documentary set in Omaha is generating buzz. At the heart of the story: A son, his dying father and an attempt to bridge America’s widening political divide. 🔗 buff.ly/1f1CTb4

Story by Sara Gentzler. Photos courtesy Julie Montpetit.

New at FFP: A Nebraska inmate serving a life sentence appeared on his then-girlfriend’s podcast to talk about their relationship. Then prison staff blocked the two from communicating. Now he is suing. 🔗 buff.ly/qA50wsh

By Lev Gringauz. Photo by Abiola Kosoko for the Flatwater Free Press.

Experts see opportunity in how companies can leverage AI and how local resources like the Scott Data Center can attract more businesses. But having enough power for data centers remains a concern. 🔗 buff.ly/St8N19t

Story by Emily Wolf. Photo by Abiola Kosoko for the Flatwater Free Press.

News deserts are expanding across the U.S. — and Nebraska is no exception. But there are bright spots, according to experts at FlatFest 2025, led by the growing nonprofit news sector. 🔗 buff.ly/tYsF1Zl

Story by Destiny Herbers. Photo by Laura Beahm for the Flatwater Free Press.

A new FFP investigation: Nebraska undercounts the number of people who die of drug overdoses, say state officials, experts and a first-of-its-kind Flatwater Free Press analysis. We’re dying blind. It’s costing us money, and lives. 🔗 buff.ly/WFcUih3

Story by Jeremy Turley. Photo by Sarah Lemke/Omaha Magazine. Story done in collaboration with Omaha Magazine.