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Flatwater Free Press

Flatwater Free Press

Nebraska’s first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.

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Home » Archives for Matthew Hansen

Author Archives: Matthew Hansen

Matthew Hansen is the editor of the Flatwater Free Press. Hansen spent 16 years at Nebraska newspapers, as a reporter at the Lincoln Journal Star and then a reporter and metro columnist at the Omaha World-Herald. The native of Red Cloud and one-time intern at the Red Cloud Chief and the Hastings Tribune now lives in Omaha and is married to Sarah Baker Hansen, a longtime Nebraska food writer and restaurant critic.

Posted inStatewide Newsletter

Polka with a president; The first (of many) lawsuits; Preserving the prairie

by Matthew HansenOctober 2, 2026October 12, 2026

Plus two free upcoming Flatwater events and a newsletter filled with Nebraska news

Enjoying my time with journalism hero George Packer in front of a sold-out Flatwater Free Press Festival crowd on Wednesday night.
Posted inStatewide Newsletter

Birthday feels; State makes suing state hard; Sheriff and ICE

by Matthew HansenSeptember 25, 2026September 30, 2026
Rushville, a northwest Nebraska town, sits at center stage in the superhero world, thanks to the new HBO hit series, “Lanterns.”
Posted inStatewide Newsletter

More questions on Pillen and no-bid contracts; Our fifth birthday is here; Rushville stars

by Matthew HansenSeptember 18, 2026September 30, 2026
Caption
Posted inStatewide Newsletter

Pillen and undocumented workers; Center of the storm; Future is now

by Matthew HansenSeptember 11, 2026September 30, 2026
Mila Herszbaum-Harding, a fourth grade teacher at Castelar Elementary School in Omaha, interacts with students. Omaha Public Schools, the district that educates the metro’s highest numbers of students in poverty, now has the state’s worst student-teacher ratios and worst teacher staffing levels.
Posted inStatewide Newsletter

Free $ to move to small town?; Following Doc Susan; Final (anonymous) resting place

by Matthew HansenSeptember 4, 2026September 30, 2026
Maddie Hall, a 29-year-old event planner, continues to rent in Omaha. She believes home prices are too high in the city, and wants the flexibility that comes with renting. Maddie is far from alone - for the first time in Omaha’s history, more apartments are being built than houses.
Posted inStatewide Newsletter

Flocking Off; Five Year Dreamin’; The Country’s Biggest Feedlot is Ours

by Matthew HansenAugust 28, 2026September 30, 2026
Posted inFlatwater Free Press

Flatwater is turning five. It’s time to consider what we built together — and to celebrate.

by Matthew HansenAugust 28, 2026September 8, 2026
Detasseling, a summer rite of passage for many Nebraska teens over the decades, is fading as a teen job in many places as they find other gigs.
Posted inStatewide Newsletter

Dirty tricks? Dirty (corn) work. The dirt on our 5th birthday.

by Matthew HansenAugust 21, 2026September 30, 2026
Omahan Natalie Thorpe’s 3-year-old stands barefoot in the family garden. The child tested high for lead as a baby. Thorpe’s yard has enough lead to be risky but not enough to qualify for government cleanup.
Posted inStatewide Newsletter

Priced out in Lincoln; Birthday talk; Wranglers vs. Levi’s

by Matthew HansenAugust 14, 2026September 30, 2026
Flatwater reporter Chris Bowling takes a soil sample from one of the 620 properties in the Omaha area that we tested for lead. Our results show that many Omaha homes have dangerous problems with lead — including some that had been previously cleaned up by the federal government.
Posted inStatewide Newsletter

Digging Up Dirt; Scary Scooters?; Tastes Like the ’90s

by Matthew HansenAugust 7, 2026September 30, 2026

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Flatwater Free Press

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

Flatwater Free Press
PO Box 31436
Omaha, NE 68131

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