Sara Gentzler
@saragentzler.bsky.social
Nebraska state gov watchdog, Flatwater Free Press ✍️ signal: saragentzler.06
Reposted by Sara Gentzler
New at FFP: The state’s watchdog for child welfare has launched an investigation into the sex abuse allegations involving staff at the state-run youth rehabilitation center in Kearney. 🔗 buff.ly/EwM9ZUY
October 24, 2025 at 2:30 PM
New at FFP: The state’s watchdog for child welfare has launched an investigation into the sex abuse allegations involving staff at the state-run youth rehabilitation center in Kearney. 🔗 buff.ly/EwM9ZUY
Reposted by Sara Gentzler
New at FFP: The prison in Tecumseh had long been a tinderbox when inmates started fires in their cells in 2023. This time, an inmate died. Months later, so did a deputy warden facing discipline. An investigation by the Flatwater Free Press and Lincoln Journal Star. 🔗 buff.ly/GlaKC78
September 12, 2025 at 3:00 PM
New at FFP: The prison in Tecumseh had long been a tinderbox when inmates started fires in their cells in 2023. This time, an inmate died. Months later, so did a deputy warden facing discipline. An investigation by the Flatwater Free Press and Lincoln Journal Star. 🔗 buff.ly/GlaKC78
Reposted by Sara Gentzler
Breaking news: Yanqi Xu, FFP senior reporter, is a fellow in the New York Times’ Local Investigations Fellowship. Led by former NYT editor Dean Baquet, the year-long program helps journalists produce investigative work in their state. Let’s hear it for Yanqi!
July 25, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Breaking news: Yanqi Xu, FFP senior reporter, is a fellow in the New York Times’ Local Investigations Fellowship. Led by former NYT editor Dean Baquet, the year-long program helps journalists produce investigative work in their state. Let’s hear it for Yanqi!
Reposted by Sara Gentzler
We’re hiring! The Flatwater Free Press, in partnership with Grist, is seeking a reporter to cover climate change in Nebraska. Learn more: buff.ly/g8va2D3
July 25, 2025 at 8:00 PM
We’re hiring! The Flatwater Free Press, in partnership with Grist, is seeking a reporter to cover climate change in Nebraska. Learn more: buff.ly/g8va2D3
Reposted by Sara Gentzler
New at FFP: Nebraska is one of the worst states in the country for Black maternal and infant health. Momentum is building to change that, but new federal policies could threaten that work. 🔗 buff.ly/5vfgZBR
July 10, 2025 at 2:31 PM
New at FFP: Nebraska is one of the worst states in the country for Black maternal and infant health. Momentum is building to change that, but new federal policies could threaten that work. 🔗 buff.ly/5vfgZBR
Reposted by Sara Gentzler
FFP senior reporter Natalia Alamdari, and Marco, are national award winners. "Marco's Journey" won the National Award for Education Reporting. Read "Marco's Journey," Alamdari's national award winner, here 🔗 buff.ly/Hs4aobS
Congratulations, Natalia!
Congratulations, Natalia!
May 29, 2025 at 7:03 PM
FFP senior reporter Natalia Alamdari, and Marco, are national award winners. "Marco's Journey" won the National Award for Education Reporting. Read "Marco's Journey," Alamdari's national award winner, here 🔗 buff.ly/Hs4aobS
Congratulations, Natalia!
Congratulations, Natalia!
Reposted by Sara Gentzler
New at FFP: Nebraska Public Power District’s newest land came with an eyebrow raising price tag of $5 million — around five times the assessed value. NPPD said a competing offer drove the price. Experts think if NPPD had used eminent domain, they might have saved millions. 🔗 buff.ly/ZyKcqCb
May 16, 2025 at 2:28 PM
New at FFP: Nebraska Public Power District’s newest land came with an eyebrow raising price tag of $5 million — around five times the assessed value. NPPD said a competing offer drove the price. Experts think if NPPD had used eminent domain, they might have saved millions. 🔗 buff.ly/ZyKcqCb
Reposted by Sara Gentzler
If you want to read more about it, please check out my friend @saragentzler.bsky.social's story in the Flatwater Free Press: nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news...
Ricketts’ Riches: Record election spending shows senator’s family far from done in Nebraska
Sen. Pete Rickets and his parents shattered their previous spending records during the recent election cycle. The family spent roughly $1 of every $11 spent by anyone on any Nebraska political race, P...
nebraskapublicmedia.org
May 13, 2025 at 3:47 PM
If you want to read more about it, please check out my friend @saragentzler.bsky.social's story in the Flatwater Free Press: nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news...
As of April, there were no nurses trained and working in abortion at Omaha's Planned Parenthood clinic, employees told me. The political environment is hostile to clinics like this - but employees say the organization has created "a ban of its own."
New story 👇
New story 👇
New at FFP: Current and former employees at Planned Parenthood Omaha say poor management has contributed to an exodus of workers, limiting abortion access at the state’s lone clinic still performing procedures. Read the full story 🔗 buff.ly/3fCvN56
May 1, 2025 at 3:47 PM
As of April, there were no nurses trained and working in abortion at Omaha's Planned Parenthood clinic, employees told me. The political environment is hostile to clinics like this - but employees say the organization has created "a ban of its own."
New story 👇
New story 👇
In light of today's debate in the unicameral: Here's my story about Nebraska's proposed ban on "lab-grown meat." flatwaterfreepress.org/people-shoul...
Where’s the beef? Not all Nebraska producers on board with Pillen’s proposed ‘lab-grown meat’ ban - Flatwater Free Press
From the respite of his Callaway office, after a cold January day spent working cattle, Jim Jenkins wrangled with a question: Do you think much about meat
flatwaterfreepress.org
March 31, 2025 at 7:38 PM
In light of today's debate in the unicameral: Here's my story about Nebraska's proposed ban on "lab-grown meat." flatwaterfreepress.org/people-shoul...
Reposted by Sara Gentzler
This is why journalists make public record requests: the real worries of policymakers come out in those internal documents. From state-government watchdog reporter Sara Gentzler at Nebraska's Flatwater Free Press: buff.ly/4klFXcQ. @flatwaterfreep.bsky.social @saragentzler.bsky.social
March 30, 2025 at 3:22 AM
This is why journalists make public record requests: the real worries of policymakers come out in those internal documents. From state-government watchdog reporter Sara Gentzler at Nebraska's Flatwater Free Press: buff.ly/4klFXcQ. @flatwaterfreep.bsky.social @saragentzler.bsky.social
Reposted by Sara Gentzler
After a week-long debate — Paid sick leave carveouts for smallest Nebraska businesses, minors, temp ag workers advance in the statehouse.
Via @nebraskaexaminer.com
nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/28/p...
Via @nebraskaexaminer.com
nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/28/p...
Paid sick leave carveouts for smallest Nebraska businesses, minors, temp ag workers advance • Nebraska Examiner
Nebraska state lawmakers advanced a bill that seeks carveouts to a voter-approved paid sick leave law before it takes effect in October.
nebraskaexaminer.com
March 28, 2025 at 8:33 PM
After a week-long debate — Paid sick leave carveouts for smallest Nebraska businesses, minors, temp ag workers advance in the statehouse.
Via @nebraskaexaminer.com
nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/28/p...
Via @nebraskaexaminer.com
nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/28/p...
In all my reporting on this, the message from child care providers and parents is clear: Something isn’t working.
This year, there’s also a clear response from most lawmakers and advocates: Don’t expect help from the state this year.
This year, there’s also a clear response from most lawmakers and advocates: Don’t expect help from the state this year.
New at FFP: Nebraska has a child care crisis – and with lawmakers confronting a budget shortfall, it’s unlikely going to get better this year, advocates say. FFP Reporter Sara Gentzler explains 🔗 buff.ly/Ba56rla
March 28, 2025 at 5:09 PM
In all my reporting on this, the message from child care providers and parents is clear: Something isn’t working.
This year, there’s also a clear response from most lawmakers and advocates: Don’t expect help from the state this year.
This year, there’s also a clear response from most lawmakers and advocates: Don’t expect help from the state this year.
Reposted by Sara Gentzler
New at FFP: DOGE, the cost-cutting team headed by Elon Musk, has canceled the leases on buildings where Nebraska farmers meet with federal workers, where western Nebraskans get tax help and where tourists to Valentine learn about the Niobrara River. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/5uFMcSy
March 14, 2025 at 2:09 PM
New at FFP: DOGE, the cost-cutting team headed by Elon Musk, has canceled the leases on buildings where Nebraska farmers meet with federal workers, where western Nebraskans get tax help and where tourists to Valentine learn about the Niobrara River. Read more 🔗 buff.ly/5uFMcSy
Reposted by Sara Gentzler
New at FFP: Their flights were booked. They had signed a lease. They were ready to come to Nebraska. Until President Donald Trump signed an executive order bringing refugee resettlement to a halt. Now, a Syrian family stays stranded in the Middle East. Read the full story → buff.ly/2vombF3
March 13, 2025 at 2:39 PM
New at FFP: Their flights were booked. They had signed a lease. They were ready to come to Nebraska. Until President Donald Trump signed an executive order bringing refugee resettlement to a halt. Now, a Syrian family stays stranded in the Middle East. Read the full story → buff.ly/2vombF3
Reposted by Sara Gentzler
This is kind of remarkable. Gov. Pillen holds a townhall in the deep red Panhandle, brings up his effort to make Nebraska a winner-take-all state, and gets roundly jeered by the crowd: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWb1...
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen Questioned on Winner Take All and the Nebraska Blue Dot
YouTube video by KNEB TV
www.youtube.com
March 12, 2025 at 1:49 PM
This is kind of remarkable. Gov. Pillen holds a townhall in the deep red Panhandle, brings up his effort to make Nebraska a winner-take-all state, and gets roundly jeered by the crowd: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWb1...
Reposted by Sara Gentzler
Records obtained by Flatwater Free Press reveal Nebraska officials worried about far-reaching fallout from the Trump administration’s funding freeze directive, from disaster recovery to aid for mothers and infants.
Read more ➡️ buff.ly/4klFXcQ
Read more ➡️ buff.ly/4klFXcQ
March 3, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Records obtained by Flatwater Free Press reveal Nebraska officials worried about far-reaching fallout from the Trump administration’s funding freeze directive, from disaster recovery to aid for mothers and infants.
Read more ➡️ buff.ly/4klFXcQ
Read more ➡️ buff.ly/4klFXcQ
Reposted by Sara Gentzler
New at FFP: In the wake of the Trump administration’s freeze on federal grants, the governor’s office offered a reassuring message. Internal communications paint a more chaotic picture. FFP reporter Sara Gentzler unpacks the story 🔗 buff.ly/4klFXcQ
February 28, 2025 at 3:05 PM
New at FFP: In the wake of the Trump administration’s freeze on federal grants, the governor’s office offered a reassuring message. Internal communications paint a more chaotic picture. FFP reporter Sara Gentzler unpacks the story 🔗 buff.ly/4klFXcQ
“I don’t know how much we want to fight to keep it,” a policy adviser to Gov. Pillen wrote of the biggest-ever federal grant to NDEE. “We can use it to benefit farmers and agriculture in the state, but don’t want to run counter to Trump’s Administration.”
flatwaterfreepress.org/this-is-wild...
flatwaterfreepress.org/this-is-wild...
‘This is wild’: Emails show Trump funding freeze sparked concern in Nebraska state agencies - Flatwater Free Press
Records obtained by Flatwater Free Press reveal Nebraska officials worried about far-reaching fallout from the Trump administration’s directive, from disaster recovery to aid for mothers and infants
flatwaterfreepress.org
February 28, 2025 at 2:09 PM
“I don’t know how much we want to fight to keep it,” a policy adviser to Gov. Pillen wrote of the biggest-ever federal grant to NDEE. “We can use it to benefit farmers and agriculture in the state, but don’t want to run counter to Trump’s Administration.”
flatwaterfreepress.org/this-is-wild...
flatwaterfreepress.org/this-is-wild...
Reposted by Sara Gentzler
Launching a starter pack for people looking for Nebraska news. I'll keep it updated as more people come around. Let me know if there's anyone I missed. go.bsky.app/H4vLz4m
January 22, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Launching a starter pack for people looking for Nebraska news. I'll keep it updated as more people come around. Let me know if there's anyone I missed. go.bsky.app/H4vLz4m