Deputies responded to the scene along with Falls City Rural Fire and Falls City EMS. Upon arrival, emergency responders located a single-engine Cessna aircraft that had successfully completed an emergency landing following an apparent engine failure.

Two occupants were aboard the aircraft at the time of the emergency landing. Neither occupant was injured, and no medical treatment or transport was required.

To allow the roadway to be reopened, the aircraft was moved off the county road and onto private property near the landing site. The aircraft remains secured at that location pending recovery and investigation by the appropriate federal aviation authorities.

The Richardson County Sheriff’s Office notified the appropriate federal agencies. The National Transportation Safety Board, in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, will conduct the investigation into the cause of the emergency landing.

County road closures associated with the incident were removed later that evening, and normal traffic resumed.

The Richardson County Sheriff’s Office thanked Falls City Rural Fire, Falls City EMS and all assisting personnel for their prompt response and professionalism.

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Flatwater Free Press

Kirsten Johnson was sitting at home on Christmas Eve when a sharp wave of pain stole her next breath. More than a week past her due date, the first-time mother immediately recognized the first sign of labor.

Johnson and her husband left their rural home near Dunning and sped off on the two-hour trek to the hospital in Kearney, a trip Johnson had reluctantly made for dozens of appointments.

Battling heavy fog and icy roads, the couple arrived around 1 a.m. The contractions intensified just before dawn.

A few hours later, Johnson held her wailing baby boy after delivering him in a natural water birth on Christmas Day 2024. While successful, it also solidified Johnson’s desire for a different avenue for birth: midwifery.

“Being a first-time mom, you don’t know what to expect,” Johnson said. “So, just hearing that X, Y, Z can go wrong and people are going to pressure you into things, it’s a lot all at once. I think, had I have had a midwife with him, I would have felt a lot more empowered.”

Mothers like Johnson interested in alternative forms of birth run headlong into existing Nebraska law.

State law prohibits nurse midwives, the most qualified group of midwives, from assisting in home births even as mothers continue to seek such care from less-educated midwives and doulas.

Nebraska is the only state in the nation where certified nurse midwives — registered nurses with advanced training — can’t assist with home births. Nebraska is also one of only two states that requires physician supervision of nurse midwives.

A 1984 state law licensed and regulated nurse midwives, but a last-minute addition requested by the Nebraska Medical Association prohibited them from assisting in home births.

The measure also failed to address forms of unlicensed midwifery in the state. This allowed less-educated midwives to assist in home births until two years ago, when the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that all midwives must hold a license to practice.

In 2024, about five planned home births occurred in Nebraska per 1,000 live births, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. That number had slowly increased over the previous decade.

[graphic showing rise in home births]

Nurse midwives have been practicing in Nebraska hospitals, birth centers and clinics for more than 40 years — under the supervision of a physician.

Beyond their specialization in primary, sexual and reproductive care, nurse midwives can conduct exams, order tests, prescribe medications, do procedures such as pap smears and address gynecological concerns.

Ann Seacrest, who moved to Nebraska in 1981 while pregnant, led the movement to license nurse midwives after realizing there was no systematic way to receive midwifery care in the state. She began working on what became the 1984 law soon after delivering her baby.

While physician supervision agreements were standard at the time, Seacrest said the midwife legislation didn’t originally include the home birth restriction until the Nebraska Medical Association requested that such a provision be added. Wanting the measure to pass, Seacrest and other supporters agreed to the addition.

“I have huge remorse every time I get asked about home birth,” Seacrest said of the wording that prohibits nurse midwives from assisting in home births. “… I would do anything I could to undo it, because it shouldn’t be there. Particularly now, it shouldn’t be there.”

Although some efforts have been made over the years to reverse the restrictions, the Nebraska Medical Association and the Nebraska Hospital Association have begun to talk with the state’s nurse midwife group and expressed openness to supporting and advancing the profession with certain guardrails. 

“(Nebraska) families have strong feelings about home birth,” said Robert Wergin, president of the medical association. “… If they should occur, it should be with a highly trained person in a low-risk identified patient with collaborative arrangements made.”

A 2024 analysis from the Journal of Clinical Medicine found that midwife care often reduces medical interventions during childbirth with favorable maternal and neonatal outcomes in most cases. Additionally, a researcher at the Boston University School of Public Health found that states with larger proportions of their births attended by midwives tend to have lower infant and pregnancy-related mortality rates.

Elizabeth Mollard, president of the Nebraska affiliate of the American College of Nurse Midwives, said the state’s regulations have made it difficult for nurse midwives to function “from the get-go.”

Under the 1984 law, nurse midwives must practice under a licensed physician who is readily available for consultation. 

Mollard said many midwives have struggled to find physicians willing to sign a supervisory agreement because of possible liability risks. This has caused some nurse midwives to switch to non-birth-related roles or to leave the state altogether.

As of June, 113 people had active nurse midwife licenses in Nebraska. Approximately 87 were practicing in some capacity, while only 44 were providing birth services.

The supervision requirement has also been the “primary barrier” to opening and sustaining freestanding birth centers in Nebraska, Mollard said. Such centers in other states are run by midwives, exist separately from hospitals and handle low-risk pregnancies.

Nebraska has seen three separate freestanding birth centers fail over the years, with the latest closing in Lincoln in 2024. Although multiple factors led to their demise, Mollard said the underlying issue was unreliable physician collaborations.

Nurse midwives are a “highly trained workforce” that could help fill the gap in the state’s maternity care shortage, she said.

“It’s just silly when we see these statistics about maternal care deserts and that there’s no obstetric care provider in that community, and it’s like, ‘Oh, wait, actually there is,’” Mollard said, referring to nurse midwives. “It’s just our laws don’t allow them to actually care for patients.” 

In late April, a nurse midwife legally assisted with a home birth in Hastings after a pregnant mother named Hope Lindstrom sued the state. The state settled and allowed the birth to proceed in the home. Lindstrom had argued that the home birth ban on nurse midwives violated her 14th Amendment rights and religious freedom.

Heather Swanson, a nurse midwife in the state since 2002, attended Lindstrom’s birth along with two registered nurses. Before the birth, Swanson said she conducted a risk assessment to ensure Lindstrom was fit for out-of-hospital care. She also met with the city’s emergency medical services team to discuss a transfer in case of complications.

Lindstrom’s home birth gave Swanson and nurse midwives across the state hope for change. 

“I feel like there’s enough evidence to say planned home birth attended by a licensed provider is where we see the safest outcomes, if risks are appropriately assessed and attended to,” Swanson said.

On the other hand, Mollard said the current system of home birth in the state “is the most dangerous system of home birth.”

Mollard said home births have been handled “underground” by individuals with varying levels of experience. If something were to go wrong, there is little to no communication with healthcare authorities upon transfer to a hospital.

“Right now, we have a really ugly system where you have a choice of a hospital or giving birth alone or giving birth with somebody who is practicing illegally,” Mollard said. “If, for whatever reason, a hospital is not acceptable to you, then your two options that are left are not great options.”

Because of the 1984 nurse midwifery law, nurse midwives are the only type of midwife recognized under Nebraska statute. That lone recognition created an avenue for the less-educated midwives in the state, including certified professional midwives and traditional midwives, to practice unregulated.  

[sidebar explaining differences between midwives]

The loophole was addressed by the Nebraska Supreme Court in 2024 after it ruled that the state’s Uniform Credentialing Act restricts unlicensed persons from presenting themselves to the public as individuals qualified to treat any physical condition.

The cases that triggered the Supreme Court decision involve a now 78-year-old professional midwife named Judy Jones. She had attended home births in 2021 and 2022 in Madison and Douglas counties. In the Douglas County case, the baby died because the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck. 

Judy Jones is charged with unlawfully practicing as a nurse midwife after receiving a cease-and-desist order, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison.

The cases are moving through the courts in both counties. Trial dates have been set for this summer.

The regulations on midwives and home birth have left mothers in search of alternative birth services with one remaining option — unassisted birth. 

Madison Jones, a mother of four who lives in Hay Springs, is an advocate for midwifery care, but after moving to rural Nebraska in 2022, she found she had no midwife option. When it came time to deliver her fourth child last year, she decided to do it unassisted.

Madison Jones has worked as a labor and delivery nurse in Chadron and Alliance and as a certified doula. Her experience in maternity care made her feel more prepared to handle her own unassisted birth. She also lives within 25 miles of a hospital and said she could have gotten there quickly if complications had arisen.

Both nurse midwives and professional midwives are now engaged in separate legislative efforts trying to remove barriers to their work.

Nurse midwives want to receive full practice authority and be authorized to assist with home births. Professional midwives want to gain licensure from the state to legally do the same.

Two midwifery bills — one addressing nurse midwives and the other addressing professional midwives — were introduced in the 2025 legislative session by State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair but failed to advance.

Both midwife groups plan to continue their efforts in the 2027 legislative session.

Mollard emphasized that the primary goal of the nurse midwife legislation is not to move births out of hospitals. Instead, she said, it’s to make use of a workforce ready to provide women’s healthcare in “the communities that need it most.”

“We have licensed nurse midwives living in Nebraska who would like to be caring for women and families,” Mollard said.

Abigail Cada, a representative for the Nebraska Certified Professional Midwives Alliance, said acquiring state licensure would allow professional midwives to serve clients at home without legal uncertainty. 

Wergin, president of the Nebraska Medical Association, said nurse midwives could be important collaborators in both urban and rural communities. But the medical association, he said, does not believe professional midwives are equipped to “ensure patient safety” during home births.

“They don’t really have the formal medical training that a certified nurse midwife has, and their standards fall far short of what we felt was a safe maternity situation, especially in obstetrical emergencies,” Wergin said.

Margaret Woeppel, the chief nursing and informatics officer with the Nebraska Hospital Association, said the association is open to nurse midwives practicing to the full extent of their training with proper safeguards and coordination of care.

The medical and hospital associations produced a set of guidelines for home birth care that they say are needed to gain their approval in future legislation. The guidelines include the early recognition of high-risk pregnancies that shouldn’t be handled outside of a hospital and a written plan for transfer if a birth becomes complicated.  

Mollard said nurse midwives are accepting of the guidelines to allow them to practice without physician supervision and assist in home births. She’s hopeful that, by this time next year, Nebraska will join the majority of states providing access to alternate forms of birth care. 

“I think a lot of people misunderstand moms and babies who are pushing for midwifery care, thinking that the safety of our babies and ourselves aren’t our No. 1 priority,” Madison Jones said. “Women are still having unattended home births, and the bad outcomes that come from those things could be prevented by better midwifery care access.”

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraska’s first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.

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By Ben Goeser

Silicon Prairie News

Among the College World Series, World Cup and NBA Finals merch visible last week on the streets of Lincoln’s Haymarket, another familiar piece of branding was readily evident. While it is not unusual to see the Hudl logo in the area, with the sportstech company’s global headquarters being based there, June 8-12 marked a special occasion. 

It was Hudl Week 2026, bringing together employees from around the world to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hudl, the juggernaut born in Nebraska. Organizers said 27 countries and 38 states were represented. 

Since its founding in 2006, Hudl has demonstrated a startup journey of significant growth and market reach. The company offers a suite of video and analytics products, including software and physical cameras, for various sports at the youth, school and professional levels. 

The tech enables coaching staff to streamline the process for gathering data on team performance and sharing learned insights. Athletes are able to compile highlight reels that they then can share with prospective recruiters. Schools and organizations gain tools to engage with fans through streaming and sharing updates on game seasons. 

Ten years ago, Hudl was in the midst of constructing its headquarters. At the time, leadership said there were over 400 full-time employees across five continents and 12 countries. The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the office took place in 2017. 

The numbers may fluctuate, but it has since been reported that Hudl has scaled from three co-founders to over 5,000 employees. The company has touted 18 acquisitions, exclusive agreements and partnerships across sports leagues and support for “hundreds of thousands” of teams worldwide with its offerings. 

Hudl Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Brian Kaiser said Hudl Week was a chance for employees from all over to meet, build connections and embrace the company culture and outlook. He said Hudl used to hold a company retreat in Las Vegas, but the logistics for such a trip have become more difficult.

“We have about 1,600 full-time employees,” Kaiser said. “Plus, we have an additional about 3,500 employees in India and Egypt that are full-time Hudlies, but it’s a little different. They do a lot of our tagging and analysis work for us.”

“When we started Hudl back in the day,” he said, “we were just really passionate about it and did it with a couple friends and thought we were on to something, but certainly could not imagine where it’s at today.”

Such progress can be personified in Hudl’s workforce, as seen in Martha Reyna, a customer success manager for the company. Reyna was one of the almost 1,800 “Hudlies” and invited guests in attendance during Hudl Week.

Reyna is originally from Mexico, went to college in West Virginia and worked for the sports data company StatsBomb in the United Kingdom, where she lives. Hudl acquired StatsBomb in 2024. Although she was aware of Hudl, Reyna said Nebraska was never really on her mind. On this visit, she said the state had provided a welcoming atmosphere for her and her co-workers from across the world. 

“You see so many faces that you normally just message,” Reyna said. “And now actually seeing them in person, being able to talk to people from very different parts of the world — like speaking with someone from Europe and speaking with someone from Japan and speaking with someone from Nebraska — it’s just incredible to see everybody in the same place.”

Hudl has helped place Lincoln on the map for sportstech, inspiring other startups in the space to build in the state’s capital. Beyond charitable commitments to communities that employees call home, the company also remains a close collaborator with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and its talent pipeline. UNL is where Hudl’s co-founders got their start, and the school’s football team was its first customer.

“We have a lot of the benefits that come from being a more established company. We have the funds to invest and pursue good ideas. We have an incredible team,” Co-founder and CEO David Graff said. “But we certainly try to keep all the great things that come with being scrappy as a startup.” 

Leadership and impact 

Hudl’s three co-founders are Graff, Kaiser and John Wirtz. They started Hudl during their time as students at UNL and its Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management.

While Graff and Kaiser continue in leadership roles at Hudl, acting as CEO and CTO respectively, Wirtz has since stepped out of his position as chief product officer. Michelle Henry is the current CPO. 

“John taught me so much about how to think about product strategy tied to market outcomes, lead a team from the front and stay connected to our customers,” Henry said in an email to SPN. “It’s a big role. But I felt well-prepared to take that on because I had learned from one of the best.”

Now fulfilling a more part-time position as an executive adviser, Wirtz has continued lending a hand to Nebraska’s startup ecosystem. This includes acting in a mentorship capacity for other startups and student founders. He serves as a board member for Kearney-based utilities startup Fast Forward and chairs the advisory board for the UNL Center for Entrepreneurship. 

Samuel Nelson, director of the UNL Center for Entrepreneurship, said the name recognition of Hudl and having its leaders in UNL’s “backyard” give the college and its programming an advantage with recruiting talent.

Hudl has remained a core supporter of UNL’s programming, Nelson said. The company has been a source for classroom guest speakers, internships and sponsored projects for the Raikes School.

“I just don’t want to understate what Hudl does with the entire university because I’m just one sliver of what they do with the university,” Nelson said.

Tackling opportunities and the future

Hudl has progressed far beyond its early startup years. The environment has similarly shifted into a new era with NIL changes and pressures for solutions. 

Earlier this year, competing business QwikCut filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, claiming that Hudl monopolizes the market of school sports and athletics departments. QwikCut alleges that Hudl uses tactics such as acquisitions, agreements, exclusionary bundling prices and tech barriers to cross-platform video exchanges — making it difficult for competitors to fairly enter the space. 

Hudl’s attorneys argued in response that the complaint should be dismissed. They say QwikCut lists acquisitions that are too old or not relevant. They also say QwikCut has not proved anticompetitive conduct or unlawful actions and note that Hudl isn’t obligated to share its tech and help its competition. 

Hudl leadership declined to comment on the case.

Hudl has a track record of adapting to industry advancements, as seen in its efforts to move into sharable and streamable video content around the evolution of YouTube and Netflix. As needs have evolved for its own workforce, such as the rise of working parents, Hudl has put energy into addressing them — as seen in its childcare services housed at its headquarters. 

Kaiser said sports’ reliance on a “passion in humanity” makes it unique in weathering any complete disruptions in the rise of artificial intelligence. He said Hudl is exploring the impacts the tech can bring to athletes, games and the business. Areas of interest mentioned by Henry include AI-powered coaching assistants and cameras that can instantly provide stats when a game ends. 

“We’re building a single platform that connects coaches, athletes, analysts, sport scientists, parents, recruiters and fans around the most complete library of sports video and data in the world,” Henry said. “The future of Hudl is one where every moment in sports gets captured, every athlete gets the recognition they deserve and every program has the tools to win.”

Kaiser said that even with Hudl’s global presence, there has never been serious thought about moving the headquarters out of Lincoln. He credits community support, Midwestern culture and the investors who call the region home and said that being in Lincoln has actually pulled in more talent from abroad. 

“We’ve had a bunch of people move here after visiting from Barcelona, from London, from other international locations — moved to Lincoln because they like this place,” Kaiser said. “So, it’s not just me kind of making this up. The proof is actually in the results, and we see it.”

Hudl leadership said founders interested in building their own startups should seek experienced advisers for guidance. They credited mentors in the local ecosystem for helping them overcome the many challenges that came with scaling a company. They added that it’s important to spend time trying to understand the customer and surrounding oneself with a trusted team willing to voice opinions. 

“Find something you’re really passionate about, you really care about learning more about,” Graff said. “Root the products you build in those customers’ problems and finding great solutions for them.”

Silicon Prairie News is the leading independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on covering stories about innovation and entrepreneurship in Nebraska.

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Over the coming weeks, Falls City Journal staff, readers, advertisers and community members will work together as part of an important national effort examining how local newspapers can remain strong, sustainable and community focused for generations to come.

The project brings together newspaper leaders, journalism researchers and rural communities to help develop new models for local journalism at a time when newspapers across the country continue facing enormous challenges.

Teri Finneman, a journalism professor at the University of Kansas and co-author of Reviving Rural News: Transforming the Business Model of Community Journalism in the U.S. and Beyond, will be leading the initiative.

Finneman, who has worked with newspapers across the Midwest as part of the initiative, said communities selected for the project are chosen carefully.

“Falls City was a clear choice to be the next selection in this national project,” said Finneman, who is originally from a town of 2,500 in western North Dakota. “I was very impressed with how dedicated everyone on the staff is with serving this community. With the community’s help, we can really make the newspaper a beacon for others across the country to follow.”

The initiative will include community surveys, focus groups and public discussions designed to gather feedback from residents of all backgrounds and perspectives. Organizers said public participation will play a major role in helping shape future decisions and priorities for the newspaper.

The Falls City Journal is among only a limited number of newspapers nationwide given this incredible opportunity, which has already strengthened newspapers in North Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska and Kansas.

Falls City Journal publishers Brian and Nikki McKim said they are honored to have the newspaper chosen and believe the opportunity represents something much larger than the newspaper itself.

“This is a major opportunity not just for the Journal, but for our entire community,” said Nikki McKim. “We are incredibly proud that Falls City was selected to help lead conversations about the future of local journalism and rural communities.”

Since taking ownership of the Falls City Journal in September 2024, the McKim’s have focused heavily on investing in the newspaper.

“We truly believe in this newspaper and in our community,” Brian McKim said. “This initiative gives residents a chance to directly help shape the future of their newspaper. That is exciting and incredibly important”

Take the survey HERE

 At a time when many rural newspapers are disappearing, Falls City has been given an opportunity to help shape what the future of community journalism could look like locally and nationwide.

“The business model most newspapers still rely on was developed in 1833, when Andrew Jackson was president,” Finneman said. “It assumed news should be dirt cheap and endlessly subsidized by advertising. That model no longer works. No other business could survive on a 200-year-old structure. Newspapers have to change, and we need the community’s support to do so.”

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Scheduled donations, which account for 90% of all blood donations, have dropped sharply in recent weeks. As a result, the blood supply has fallen by several thousand units in just a week, raising concerns that the decline could worsen as we enter trauma season. This period between Memorial Day and Labor Day brings an increase in severe injuries from car accidents, ATV crashes, sports-related injuries and other summer activities. In fact, AAA reports that fatal crashes involving teen drivers rise by 30% during this time, often called the “100 deadliest days.” A single person injured in a serious car accident can require up to 100 units of blood.

“For a person suffering from severe bleeding – and the emergency medical responders caring for them – stopping the bleeding and stabilizing them is a race against an unforgiving clock,” says Dr. Emily Coberly, medical director for the Red Cross. “Every minute matters. For each minute that passes without blood transfusion, the risk of death increases by 11% for patients suffering from hemorrhagic shock. That’s why having a readily available blood supply is critical.”

Securing appointments in the coming weeks is critical to maintaining a healthy blood supply for all patients depending on transfusions. Make an appointment to give now by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App. 

All who come to give by May 31 will get an exclusive Red Cross beach towel, while supplies last. Those who come to give June 1-28, 2026, will receive a $15 e-gift card to a merchant of choice, plus be automatically entered for a chance to win one of two $7500 gift cards. See RedCrossBlood.org/June for details.

Summer challenges

A sharp drop in scheduled donations is especially troubling now, during a season when blood collection can be difficult due to end of the school-year activities, travel and school breaks, as well as severe weather and heat that can disrupt blood drives entirely. Large-scale sporting events in the coming months can also add pressure to the blood supply at a time when every donation is crucial. Now is the time to make and keep blood donation appointments to ensure blood products are readily available for people living with chronic illness, new mothers, surgery patients and those facing traumatic injuries.

“Every unit of lifesaving blood on an ambulance, emergency medical helicopter or in a hospital didn’t get there by accident. It’s there because someone rolled up their sleeve to give blood,” adds Coberly.

How to donate blood

Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.orgor call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass^® to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.

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By Anila Yoganathan

Flatwater Free Press

This story is made possible through a partnership between Flatwater Free Press and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.

NEBRASKA CITY — Standing before the Otoe County Board and a room of neighbors, Wynee Benedict ticked through a long list of concerns.

Do we have enough water for them? Who pays for their power? What if they create a heat island?

The source of Benedict’s worries: data centers. Since learning their county could become home to a new data center, Otoe County has been abuzz with questions and concerns like Benedict’s, leading some residents to call for a temporary ban on the industry. 

That’s effectively what the board did Tuesday, voting to suspend the permits needed for a new data center for up to a year, according to commissioner Chuck Cole. The pause is intended to give county officials more time to study the issue and update its regulations. 

Opposition to data centers is growing in Otoe County, and around the country. The massive, resource-guzzling buildings needed to power artificial intelligence and our digital infrastructure have emerged as a galvanizing issue. Local governments from California to Maine have adopted or are considering temporary bans. And at least 14 states so far this year have weighed statewide moratoriums.  

Elsewhere in Nebraska, Madison County earlier this month set requirements for data centers to get a special permit, which allows added oversight and public input. In Gage County, the planning and zoning commission will hold a hearing on a data center moratorium in June, according to reporting by the Beatrice Daily Sun.

And more will likely follow suit thanks to a recent change in state law forcing counties to make a decision on some projects within a certain amount of time, said Jon Cannon, executive director of Nebraska Association of County Officials. The goal, according to the bill’s supporters, was to prevent counties from needlessly delaying projects. But the law could have an unintended consequence. 

“I think that you’re likely to see a number of counties that say, ‘We need to get our regulations in order,’ and … they may put moratoriums on a lot of things, not just data centers,” Cannon said.

Data centers are just the latest in a long line of controversial developments, like wind and solar, that counties in Nebraska and other states have grappled with. And much like those other developments, attitudes toward data centers could vary from county to county, Cannon said. He advises developers to be transparent with residents in rural Nebraska about large projects, including data centers, as soon as possible.

“When people are aware of something coming to town, because, ‘Oh, my neighbor told me that he just signed this big contract for a right of way,’ when people find out that way, they get very excited, and not in a good way,” Cannon said.

In Otoe County, residents who spoke at the county board meeting appeared to have different views on whether to temporarily ban data centers.

“We have said ‘no’ to a lot of things, almost a knee-jerk reaction. Maybe we need to say ‘yes’ to a few things,” resident Jim Nemec said at the meeting, adding that he understood the need for a temporary ban to study the issue. “But I also worry about the intention or impression it gives. Are we sending out the impression that business is closed here?”

Others echoed concerns expressed by Benedict, who referenced reporting by the Flatwater Free Press about a proposal by Google to build a massive new Nebraska data center. The center could require more than triple the electricity the entire city of Lincoln uses during the hottest months of the year, when electricity use spikes. 

The proposal, detailed in documents shared at a private utility meeting in January, did not identify a specific location. However, Flatwater reported that a potential partner in the overall project — the Omaha-based private energy developer Tenaska — had optioned large chunks of land in southeast Nebraska, including Otoe and Gage counties. The news sparked discussions in both counties.

In the 500-person village of Adams, nearly 70 people filled the local community center on a Sunday in late April. Organizers shared what they had heard about the potential project, including plans for a large private natural gas plant to power a new data center. They also relayed general information about data centers and residents speculated about the potential impact on local water sources. They strategized about how they could make their voices heard and discussed the potential for a countywide moratorium in Gage County.

“We have been going with the assumption that this would be for a natural gas power plant as well as a data center, and so the No. 1 concern there is going to be the water,” said Anna Wolken, a Gage County resident who helped organize the meeting. “Both the natural gas power plant would be using water, and then the data center would be using water from there, too.”

Residents will be able to voice their concerns at the county’s planning and zoning commission hearing for the moratorium in June.

Nationally, energy demand has emerged as a leading issue. In Virginia, home to more operating data centers than any other state, the primary electric utility has had to postpone connecting some new data centers because they don’t have enough power or transmission infrastructure, said Joe Lerch, director of local government and policy at Virginia Association of Counties.

“Electricity use has been the biggest issue in Virginia,” Lerch said.

Nebraska lawmakers, at the prompting of Gov. Jim Pillen, moved earlier this year to minimize the energy impact on Nebraskans. They passed a bill allowing for the creation of private power generation built for the purpose of serving a large industrial customer to hook up to the grid. While the new law is not exclusively for data centers, it’s largely viewed as being for that industry.

Tenaska, the private energy developer, provided input on the legislation, and the company’s CEO spoke in favor of the bill during a legislative hearing. 

BOX Tenaska still optioning land

Earlier this year, Flatwater reported that private energy developer Tenaska has struck tentative agreements with landowners in southeast Nebraska to potentially purchase their land. The company has continued to do so. The acreage tally is now up to:

• At least 1,509 acres in Gage County (previously at least 1,000 acres)
• Nearly 680 acres in Lancaster County (previously at least 450 acres)
• At least 1,123 acres in Cass County (previously at least 860 acres)
• At least 1,454 acres in Otoe County (previously nearly 300 acres)

And Tenaska is likely not the only company looking to power new data centers. Troy Uhlir, a Madison County commissioner, said that Minnesota-based renewable energy company Geronimo Power has expressed interest in locating in Madison, Wayne and Pierce counties to support data center development.

It’s hard to know how much data centers are impacting Nebraska. There’s no centralized information source for their location, ownership and water usage. 

But that is expected to change. 

Lawmakers approved a separate bill this year aimed at increasing transparency. It requires data centers to annually report the names of their owners and developers, physical size, location, annual electricity demand, annual water usage and any sales and use tax exemptions and incentives they receive. 

That information will likely be helpful to local officials, like those in Otoe County, as they weigh regulations. 

Benedict is happy that the commission voted for the moratorium. Now, she and her neighbors are turning their attention to research these developments’ impacts to share when the county committee comes back with a draft. 

“We needed regulations on the books prior to a data center coming to this county,” Benedict said. “We don’t want to have to play catch up and regulate something that’s already here.”

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraska’s first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.

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Formed on August 28, 2025, Partners In Community, LLC was created to facilitate the transition of the historic First Presbyterian Church facility into a permanent home for a vital umbrella of community missions. Operating regionally under the name The Center, the independent entity will directly serve the residents of Richardson County, Nebraska, and Brown County, Kansas.

The facility will act as a “forever home” for four distinct pillars of community support and culture:

The Presbyterian Performing Arts & Conference Center, Mission Angel Food, Seniors at the Center, Respite Commons.

“We retain the ‘Presbyterian’ name to honor nearly two centuries of service, but we move forward as an independent entity dedicated solely to our neighbors,” said Rick Martin, President and Project Manager. “I am honored to introduce this vision not just as a representative of a new organization, but as a neighbor who shares our collective pride in the heritage of Richardson County.”

Grand Opening Event: “Community Amplification.”

To celebrate this milestone, The Center will host its maiden event kickoff on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at 2:00 PM, officially opening the 2026 Season under the theme of “Community Amplification.”

The premier performance will feature:

Brian Hoppe on the historic pipe organ; Michele Gaskill on the Boston-Steinway Piano and The Clefsmen, celebrating their landmark 60th anniversary this year, directed by June Bower and accompanied by Glenda von Behren.

The event is free and open to the public.  Preserving History, Building the Future Since assuming stewardship, leadership has worked tirelessly to revitalize the historic venue. Upgrades include reconfiguring rooms for modern conference use, meticulously maintaining the historic pipe organ and Boston-Steinway piano, and installing state-of-the-art streaming capabilities to broadcast future cultural events globally.

The work is guided by a local Board of Directors and supported by an Advisory Board with local, national, and international networks.

To ensure professional stewardship during this transitional phase, The Center has partnered with the Richardson Foundation while its independent non-profit status is being finalized. All current donations are being directed through the Richardson Foundation (designated for The Center) to ensure donors receive proper tax-deductible credit.

“We thank each and every one of you for standing with us in prayer, emotional support, and financial considerations to make our dream a reality,” Martin added. “Please come to your Center a place to gather, grow, and celebrate.”

The post Historic Falls City Church re-imagined as “The Center” for arts and community serves-maiden event set for June 7, 2026 appeared first on THE FALLS CITY JOURNAL.

Flatwater Free Press

Ella Ricker was sitting in her elementary school orchestra class when she first considered a career in teaching. Her orchestra teachers at Lincoln Public Schools made learning to play music so fun, she wanted to share that joy with others. 

As a teacher, Ricker said, seeing her students excited to play their instruments and perform in school concerts was her favorite part of the job. But it was also only one part of a growing list of responsibilities in a profession in which she said a good work-life balance had become unattainable.

So, after nine years with LPS and 14 years into her career, Ricker left the profession last May — she would have to rely on income from pet-sitting until she could find something else. But a year later, she now watches people’s pets for a living, sometimes earning more than she did as a teacher, she said.

Ricker’s decision to quit teaching is an increasingly common one in Nebraska.

As of May 15, only 27,840 of the nearly 45,500 Nebraskans licensed to teach here have actually worked as teachers in the state this school year, according to a Flatwater Free Press analysis of state Department of Education data.

That means roughly 40% of certified Nebraska teachers aren’t teaching in public or private classrooms this academic year.

That number includes the normal churn, like retirements and teachers moving out of state or up into administrative roles, the department said. But it also includes many like Ricker — teachers who have exited the profession.

The Flatwater Free Press spoke with 13 former teachers who have left teaching. Many cited unsustainable, high-stress work environments with frequent expectations for unpaid labor and limited schedule flexibility. They noted shrinking student attention spans, additional learning requirements and feeling unsupported by parents or school leaders.

The teachers who spoke to Flatwater have retired early or left teaching for a range of careers in higher education, business, therapy, self-employment, healthcare and/or nonprofit work. Most said they would not return to the profession or would need to see major changes before doing so.

“Teaching is a relatively high-quit, turnover line of work,” said Richard Ingersoll, a former high school teacher himself who is now a professor of education and sociology at the University of Pennsylvania.

“The conventional wisdom is long that we have these shortages, that we don’t produce enough people … and then you look at the data and you find that, well, there’s actually a whole lot of people out there,” Ingersoll said. “The problem isn’t so much that we don’t produce enough (teachers), it’s that we lose too many.

“The issue is, well, can we keep them in the first place? But also, what does it take to get them to come back in?”

Ricker’s story mirrors others’ who say they had little choice but to leave the field. She frequently had to stay past school hours to attend mandatory meetings and trainings, she told Flatwater, without acknowledgment in her paycheck or from administrators for the extra time. That lack of recognition and support, she said, coupled with years of rising work demands, led her to quit after the 2025 school year.

“Every year I was teaching, they kept putting on more and more, like, things that we needed to do, more requirements we needed to meet,” Ricker said. “But we didn’t have any more time to do them.”

She knows other teachers who have left after feeling similarly burnt out. Many, she thinks, were dedicated educators who would worry about their students after school, then spend their evenings preparing for the next day’s classes.

“But there’s nothing to show for it at the end of the day, you know?” Ricker said. 

***

Nebraska’s teacher shortage has shown improvement, the state reported in its most recent teacher vacancy survey. Unfilled positions, classified as any left vacant or filled by someone other than a fully qualified teacher, dropped by around 669 to 489 from last school year to this year — a marked improvement from the over 900 reported in the 2023-2024 school year. The number of fully vacant positions has also decreased annually since.

But these survey reports can be imperfect indicators of how the state is actually trending, said Tim Royers, president of the state teachers union, the Nebraska State Education Association. He said the surveys are structured around posted positions that go unfilled.

“But I know that there’s districts across the state that have simply not posted a position because they know they won’t fill it, right?” Royers said. “So that doesn’t show up on that report.”

The problem is a national one. A 2025 survey from researchers at the University of Missouri found that 78% of teachers surveyed have considered or plan to leave teaching since the 2020 pandemic. Ingersoll said the profession has become more taxing as the demands on teachers have increased. “But, the time, the resources, the tools, the autonomy to meet the demands” haven’t. Teachers, he said, rarely get a say into the key decisions that impact their job.

Josh West, who taught math for seven years at Lincoln and Elkhorn Public Schools, said teaching became notably less enjoyable after the pandemic. Fewer students seemed to apply themselves, he said, and there was little support from the district to hold students accountable for their own progress in school.

He constantly worried over his students’ success, to the point where it wore on his mental health. He felt he was failing as an educator.

“I felt like I wasn’t making much of a difference,” West said. “It was making me anxious. I was not happy. I was emotionally exhausted at the end of every day.”

After the 2023 school year, West quit teaching with no backup plan. It was a big risk, he said, and it wasn’t easy to leave the job for which he’d obtained a degree or his position as a track and cross-country coach.

“You feel like you’ve gave up almost a decade of your life at that point,” West said. “You’ve put in all these years, and you’re almost starting from scratch again. And it was a scary feeling, not knowing for sure where I’d even be working.”

The hardest part for West: The feeling that he was giving up on his students. Those relationships are what he misses most about teaching, he said. Everything else made it easy to leave — the pressures from parents and principals, the feeling of running on empty with little time for life beyond work.

West eventually found a job with the state Department of Health and Human Services, where he took a small pay cut. He said it was worth it. Now, West works as an analyst for an insurance company, making more money than he ever did as a teacher, he said.

Teachers will leave the profession with no guarantee of a raise, with many taking a pay cut, said Gema Zamarro, a professor in education reform and economics at the University of Arkansas. They will sacrifice pay for a chance at a more manageable job, she said.

After the 2024 school year, Kate Geiger left her job as a special education teacher at a public elementary school in Omaha for an office manager position at an engineering firm. She also teaches yoga at an Omaha yoga studio, something she has done since she began teaching.

The career change has improved her schedule, mental health and salary.

“I’ve never cried at work,” she said. “I get lunch every single day if I want it.”

She recalls a moment in teaching where she wondered if she would have the time to attend a family member’s funeral. “That’s silly, right? But it was just, I mean, it was so hard to be able to do that stuff,” she said, especially when many students relied on her for individualized support. 

People don’t realize the extent to which teachers’ workloads have grown in the last decade, said Kathy Poehling, the president of the Omaha Education Association, a local affiliate of the state teachers union. There is greater stress on teachers, she said, especially those in special education. They have more paperwork and complex regulations to navigate.

Geiger agrees the job changed in her eight years as a special education teacher. She said she loved her school and, for the majority of her career, enjoyed going to work. But her last year of teaching was so stressful, she said, that she was literally ripping strands of hair from her head.

“I struggled moving out of education because I really felt like I was making a difference in the world,” Geiger said. “But I was just like, I think, at my breaking point.”

Special education jobs continue to be the most difficult for schools to fill, topping the list for unfilled teacher positions reported by the state since at least 2009. Other specialized areas, including foreign language, music and advanced math and science, trend high on that list — industries that seek these skills tend to offer more competitive pay and benefits than teaching.

Many of the teachers with whom Flatwater spoke said they didn’t pursue the job for the pay, but cited money as another factor in their decision to leave. 

According to a National Education Association report published in April, Nebraska’s starting salary for teachers, around $40,000, ranks second to last nationwide, above only Montana.

“I knew teaching wasn’t the best-paying job going into teaching,” West said. “But when you have all this other extra stuff on top of that, it’s just one other thing to add on the list of like, ‘Wait, why am I not doing another job that’s gonna pay more and will probably be better for my mental health?’”

***

Multiple superintendents from public schools across the state said in emails and interviews with the Flatwater Free Press that they have been able to fill teacher vacancies in recent years, but that it has been challenging. The number of applicants continues to decline, they say — or there are none at all.

Royers said one of the best ways to tackle this shortfall is to focus hiring efforts on the overlooked group of people already certified to teach in Nebraska, by addressing the concerns that drove them out of the profession in the first place.

“We’re ignoring what we (as an organization) feel is a group that is job ready, has the skills, clearly, at one point, had the passion,” Royers said. 

Ricker said she would have to see more support before ever considering a return to teaching orchestra. She’s still debating whether to renew her teaching certificate, which would expire in July.

It was hard to give up her health insurance as a teacher, she said, but the career switch has given her the ability to enjoy more of life. She can travel or watch events like the recent lunar flyby from home. “I’ve definitely noticed I’m happier and more calm this year,” she said.

Kael Welch, who taught for five years at Millard Public Schools and another five at Phoenix Academy in Omaha, said she thinks younger professionals have become better at prioritizing a work-life balance, whereas she never felt like she had that choice.

“I just thought it was expected of me to take all this work home and spend my own money in the classroom and spend my own free time, you know, doing things for work,” she said.

Welch’s sister, Erin Lane, taught fourth grade at Blair Community Schools for 15 years. 

She retired early in 2022, a year after the school had returned to in-person learning after the coronavirus pandemic. But many of the responsibilities asked of teachers during the pandemic continued once it ended, she said, due to new technology and cleanliness requirements. Student behaviors also grew more disruptive and difficult to manage, she said.

Yet Lane said she loved when she would help a student learn something. She can still recall little details about her former students, like what they liked to read, and students whose graduation parties she’s now invited to. That was the magic in teaching, she said, when she knew she had made a lasting impact on a student. 

Now, Lane said, those rewarding moments are too easily forgotten. “It feels like that’s kind of been beaten out of us,” she said. “And, if you don’t have that, then you’re really missing what teachers used to love about teaching.”

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraska’s first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.

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In the Republican primary for Richardson County sheriff, Rick Hardesty received 764 votes while Nicholas C. Aitken received 580 votes. One write in vote was recorded.

Falls City voters narrowly favored Kevin Malone in the mayoral primary race. Malone received 374 votes while Kenny Killingsworth received 370 votes. Dennis Miller received 148 votes, Mark A. Galaska received 26 votes and one write in vote was recorded.

In the Falls City Council Ward 2 race, Sean Nolte received 105 votes, Robert D. Olberding received 79 votes and Terry Kermoade received 67 votes.

In the Humboldt mayoral race, Kevin Burnison received 118 votes, Jan Wilhelm received 56 votes, Ted B. Schuler received 25 votes and James Cherry received 12 votes.

Richardson County voters in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate favored Pete Ricketts with 1,014 votes. Todd Knobel received 102 votes, Debb Axtell Schultz received 104 votes, Mac Stevens received 43 votes and Eric Mortimore received 32 votes.

In the Republican gubernatorial primary, Jim Pillen received 876 votes in Richardson County. Gary L. Rogge received 140 votes, John Walz received 115 votes, Sheila J. Korth-Focken received 71 votes, Jacy Todd received 39 votes and Sal Holguin received 19 votes.

Republican voters favored Adrian Smith for Congressional District 3 with 925 votes over David P. Huebner with 343 votes.

In the Republican secretary of state race, Scott Petersen received 677 votes while Bob Evnen received 512 votes.

Joey Spellerberg received 1,108 votes in the Republican state treasurer race.

Mike Hilgers received 1,120 votes in the Republican attorney general race.

Mike Foley received 1,138 votes in the Republican state auditor race.

On the Democratic ballot, Cindy Burbank received 269 votes in the U.S. Senate race while William J. Forbes received 85 votes.

Becky Kelly Stille received 326 votes in the Democratic Congressional District 3 race.

Lynne Walz received 293 votes in the Democratic gubernatorial race while Larry Marvin received 62 votes.

Sarah J. Slattery received 290 votes in the Democratic secretary of state race while Lee M. Cimfel received 49 votes.

Daniel Ebers received 323 votes in the Democratic state treasurer race.

Jocelyn Brasher received 324 votes in the Democratic attorney general race.

In the State Board of Education District 5 race, Angie Eberspacher received 566 votes, Lana Daws received 497 votes and Michaela Conway received 433 votes.

According to unofficial totals, 1,889 ballots were cast in Richardson County. Of those, 1,357 were Republican ballots, 372 were Democratic ballots, eight were Libertarian ballots, three were Legal Marijuana NOW ballots and 149 were nonpartisan ballots

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