Non-Profit News

Veterans Club In NE’s Oldest Prison Is Saluted At Vietnam Vet Reunion

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 08/14/2024 - 3:00am

Jaime Obrecht (left) and Roy Schoen are long-time volunteers with the veterans club at the Nebraska State Penitentiary and were co-chairs of the 39th annual Nebraska Vietnam Veterans Reunion this weekend in Lincoln.
(Paul Hammel / Nebraska Examiner)

LINCOLN — Every year, a wreath is placed on the grave of Beryl Zich.

It has been a solemn tradition since her death in 2005, a way to pay tribute to her love and dedication for her son, Larry, a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, who was listed as missing in action until his remains were identified in 2022.

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A Six-String Made From Memorial Stadium? Nebraska Guitar Maker Gives New Life To Historic Timber.

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 08/07/2024 - 7:00am

Phil Whitmarsh made this electric bass from decking salvaged from the USS Texas. The patina of the raw wood, primer, sealer and the gray topcoat paint of the ship’s deck are all visible on the instrument’s body.
(Flatwater Free Press)

Phil Whitmarsh starts a lot of conversations with an offbeat question: Have you ever played a 500-year-old guitar?

Eventually, he’ll hand you Mary Kate. The instrument resembles a Fender Telecaster, the six-string synonymous with Americana twang and favored by artists like Bruce Springsteen and Keith Richards.

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'Donald Being Donald'

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 08/07/2024 - 6:00am

In her 2019 memoir, Kamala Harris wrote, "My mother understood very well that she was raising two black daughters. She knew her adopted homeland would see Maya and me as black girls, and she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident, proud black women."

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States Have Increased Anti-Abortion Center Funding By Nearly $500M Since Roe Was Overturned

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 08/07/2024 - 5:00am

Originally published by The 19th

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Harris, Democratic Leaders Honor Jackson Lee At Houston Service

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 08/07/2024 - 3:00am

Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, praised the late U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, one of the most prominent Black women lawmakers in Congress, in a Thursday eulogy focused on the Texan’s decades of fierce advocacy.

“Her fight was born out of love, she had a big, big heart,” Harris said. “Very few people have loved the people of Houston more than Sheila Jackson Lee.”

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Students Join Educators And Advocates In Effort To Reverse Book Bans Across The Country

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 08/07/2024 - 2:00am

Originally published by The 19th

Casting shadows over both public and school libraries, book bans have hit record numbers and continue to trend upward. But education experts say that despite these “bleak” realities, the power to preserve literary freedom still remains in the hands of concerned parents, kids and educators.

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Good Wheel to All, and to All A Good Bike!

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 07/31/2024 - 7:00am

In 2008, Free Bikes 4 Kidz was born as a one-time hobby in a two-car garage, when a group of passionate cyclists collected, refurbished, and gave away 250 bikes over a two-week period, then the following year – 5,000 bikes, and only grew from there.
(Free Bikes 4 Kidz)

“Good Wheel to All, and to All A Good Bike!”

That’s the refrain that now cycles throughout the metro – just in time for the holiday season, thanks to Free Bikes 4 Kidz. The Omaha nonprofit helps bring joy to under-served boys and girls during their annual bike give-away, held mid-December.

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Caring About The Truth, Being Well-Informed Are Civic Responsibilities

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 07/31/2024 - 5:00am

One wonders these days if the post-truth era has reached new depths. A chasm where the art — and science — of fact-checking political pronouncements continues, but respect for it or authenticated evidence or the verifiable truth appears closer to death than ever before.

And do we even care?

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Can Tech Help Solve The Los Angeles Homeless Crisis? Finding Shelter May Someday Be A Click Away

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 07/31/2024 - 4:00am

David Clarke, who is suffering homelessness and living in his car, cuddles with his six dogs early morning in a parking lot in Los Angeles on Tuesday, July 9, 2024.
(Richard Vogel / AP Photo, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Billions of dollars have been spent on efforts to get homeless people off the streets in California, but outdated computer systems with error-filled data are all too often unable to provide even basic information like where a shelter bed is open on any given night, inefficiencies that can lead to dire consequences.

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What GoFundMe Conceals: The Campaigns That Fail

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 07/31/2024 - 3:00am

GoFundMe Chief Executive Officer Tim Cadogan poses for a photo in Altadena, Calif. on Friday, April 19, 2024. Mexican fundraisers can now solicit donations on GoFundMe, the company announced Tuesday, under an expansion that the crowdfunding giant hopes is the first of additional entrances into untapped Latin American markets. Mexico marks the 20th country serviced by GoFundMe.
(Richard Vogel / AP Photo)

Long before the advent of reality television, the popular game show “Queen for a Day” thrilled American audiences by giving women who told heartbreaking tales of financial struggles a chance at winning expensive items that could help solve their problems.