Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of May 2026

Jasper Stone Partners and Poag Shopping Centers announced that the Maine-based company had signed a lease for the space. The nearest L.L. Bean stores are in Minnesota, Colorado and Indiana.

The first round of severe weather could develop Friday evening. The severe weather hazards could peak on the days following.

Whitney Hansen also grew her lead Friday over incumbent Jim Cavanaugh in the Douglas County Board District 2 Democratic primary.

An all-girls middle school set to open in North Omaha this fall aims to help students reach their academic potential while centering cultural knowledge. 

A campaign led by I Be Black Girl hopes to raise awareness and improve outcomes for the disproportionate number of Black women and children who are reported missing in Nebraska.

A judge sentenced a 41-year-old Omaha man to two years in prison Tuesday in Sarpy County District Court, one year each for separate felony convictions.

An off-duty Norfolk police officer charged with driving while intoxicated has had the charge amended to willful reckless driving.

An OPPD employee faces felony witness tampering and bribery charges after authorities say he offered his father's alleged sexual assault victim free rent to drop the case.

The four top communities — Sutherland, Beatrice, Brownville and Norfolk — emerged from an initial pool of about 16 communities identified earlier in a study.

Organizers of the 2026 CRE Summit are hosting an informal student networking event May 28 that will serve as a sneak preview of the Aug. 21 summit in Omaha. 

Paul Bissen, 32, faces felony charges after investigators say he sexually assaulted a child under 12 in rural Dodge County on April 3.

A Council Bluffs man was sentenced to 50 years in prison after a Pottawattamie County jury found him guilty of second-degree murder in 1989 cold case.

Two Hooper residents were arrested after the Dodge County Sheriff's Office conducted a search warrant following an ongoing narcotics investigation.

A hit and run at a Burger King off 72nd and Blondo Streets sent a man to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The original tune for the folk song "Wabash Cannonball" was by a Rock Island freight agent working in Council Bluffs when trains by that name were rolling into Omaha.

Omaha eighth grader Sarah Fernandes has advanced to the final preliminary round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. 

Omaha’s 13 outdoor public pools will open Monday with four more taking the plunge one week later just in time for a sizzling start to the summer season. 

Here's how every House member voted on the E15 ethanol bill, which passed with bipartisan coalitions forming on both sides.

Omaha eighth grader Sarah Fernandes was eliminated in the semifinals at the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Wednesday after being tripped up by an Ojibwe word.

A small airplane crashed Wednesday morning in a field near Blair's airport, according to the City of Blair.

Omaha arrested a man who they believe stabbed his 26-year-old son Wednesday night in North Omaha.

The Omaha Parks and Recreation Department announced Wednesday evening that one city pool would not be opening for the 2026 season, and several others face delays stemming from maintenance issues.

A U.S. District Court judge sentenced the man and woman after the couple participated in a fraud scheme that netted them more than $1 million from COVID-19 era government programs.

A federal judge sentenced a 27-year-old man to 10 years in prison in connection with the man’s involvement in sex trafficking at an Omaha hotel early last year.

A man was sentenced Wednesday to 121 months in federal prison after shooting a neighbor during an argument on the Omaha Nation Reservation in August 2025.

The dirty soda concept, a throwback to the soda fountain, took off in Utah and has continued to expand its footprint. Now, a FiiZ Drinks will open in Gretna.  

A 34-year-old Omaha man charged with stabbing his mother to death last year was found not guilty by reason of insanity by a Douglas County District Court judge.

Omaha's Benson Park, which once hosted college softball's national tournament, was created in 1931 from land that had been renowned horticulturist Theodore Williams' fruit farm.

Two people, including a former City of Omaha Finance Department employee, charged in connection with a sex trafficking ring last fall have reached plea agreements.

WK Kellogg Co. confirmed its Omaha plant will permanently close in August 2026, eliminating 451 jobs in two phases starting in July.

Several downtown and midtown Omaha streets will close next week for streetcar construction and related utility work, affecting routes just before the College World Series. 

An Omaha-based tech company that offers an anonymous check-in tool for schools found that teachers reported struggling the most with health during the 2025-26 school year. 

Council Bluffs police made five arrests in connection with a pair of robberies that occurred Monday night at separate locations.

Despite a change in state law, the Omaha Public Schools have opted to continue limiting suspensions of student in pre-kindergarten through second grade.

An off-duty Omaha police officer deployed a Taser while making an arrest of a 35-year-old man early Tuesday in connection with an earlier robbery. 

Saturday's Bike with Mike event on the Wabash Trace Nature Trail will feature a behavioral health village featuring eight local behavioral health organizations.

Philip Hendricks, a 33-year-old retired Air Force technical sergeant and father of five, is being remembered for his devotion to family and his community. His 1,000-watt smile, too.

A proposed redevelopment of the Saddle Creek Marketplace in Omaha is headed back to the City Council as debate continues over affordable housing, grocery access and future of existing businesses.

As Nebraska continues to grapple with a teacher shortage, a training program now available in the state hopes to build more pathways to the classroom. 

Paul Brown, an attorney and real estate developer, who personally donated $500,000 and helped raise $5 million more for Gallagher Park, will be honored Sunday at a groundbreaking ceremony.

The wastewater treatment plant expansion will help South Sioux City accommodate new housing developments and expansions at a handful of industrial facilities. 

Douglas County residents will notice road closures on Sunday due to Omaha's first Ironman race. 

Monica Weber says she performed with more "oomph and heart" in response to racist comments about her casting as Elsa in "Frozen" at the Rose Theater.

OPPD is asking for the public's help naming two female peregrine falcon chicks that hatched at their North Omaha station.

8,000 spectators and 2,000 athletes took over Gallup Riverfront Park for the inaugural Ironman 70.3 in Omaha. 

More than 420 tickets, including 65 for failure to use seat belts, were issued by Omaha police officers during a six-day "Make It Click" campaign designed to improve traffic safety.

A local developer is in the "very earliest stages" of considering a large redevelopment project involving the Center Mall, Omaha's oldest indoor shopping center, city officials said last week. 

The demolishment of two empty buildings is the first step in work being done at the Children's Square campus in Council Bluffs.

Omaha police officers rescued a 4-year-old boy from a house fire early Tuesday in the Aksarben neighborhood.  

The first phase of a five-part Saddle Creek Marketplace project in Omaha would be the construction of a four-story building with 138 market-rate apartments along 46th Street.

An Omaha man was sentenced to two years' probation after his 5-year-old son was shot by a gun that fell from the father's pocket as he slept.

The largest annual event for US Quadball — a league whose sport is inspired by the fictional game Quidditch from “Harry Potter” — will be held in La Vista.

The Omaha City Council is considering an ordinance that would set a minimum wage of $15 an hour for most workers of all ages and tie future increases to inflation.

The Elkhorn Public Schools have named a superintendent-elect set to take over the role in July 2027. 

The University of Nebraska at Omaha has named the director of the Nebraska Early Literacy Workshop to the school's first presidential chair position.

Nebraska's largest roller coaster is opening up at Fun-Plex in Omaha this Friday bringing along other new improvements to the ride park. 

The zoo has taken a year to enhance the infrastructure, care protocols and habitat design at Stingray Beach after the death of animals that led to its closure last summer.

In 1976, Omaha was a city experiencing significant changes due to forced busing, suburbanization, declining industries and racial integration efforts.

Executive Editor Ben Doody announces that Aaron Sanderford is coming back to The World-Herald as the newsroom's managing editor for news.

A program started by Metropolitan Community College has improved outcomes for Omaha-area students who struggle with math by catching them up before they get to college, a study found.  

Some Omaha bars are choosing not to carry their most popular drinks. The reason? They are supporting striking unionized workers at the beverage distributor Premier-Midwest Beer & Beverage.

A return to high heat is expected Wednesday in Omaha along with the possibility of a thunderstorm or two in the overnight hours.

The 18-year-old Sarpy County man who threatened on social media to shoot up the popular Halloween attraction in October was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison.

A Douglas County Corrections GED teacher faces five felony counts after investigators say she let an inmate take photos and make video calls on her cellphone.

Two adults and a 3-year-old child were injured when they bailed out of a vehicle after its brakes failed early Tuesday in Omaha's midtown area. 

After missing the original deadlines, Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District Republican nominee Brinker Harding submitted his financial disclosures to the Clerk of the U.S. House late last week. 

Papillion Days will get under way Wednesday and run through Father's Day weekend. Many activities will take place in and around the newly renovated City Park.