Jessica Wade
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(She/Her)
As seen in:
Nebraska Public Media,
MSN,
Nebraska Update,
Washington Times,
ReadWrite,
Fairfield Citizen,
Omaha World-Herald,
Post and Courier,
Post and Courier Beaufort County,
The Aiken Standard,
Times Union (Albany)
and
Covers:
City politics, city and civic issues
Senior Reporter | Nebraska Public Media Send news tips to jwade@nebraskapublicmedia.org | prev. w/ Omaha World-Herald ; Post & Courier
Articles by Jessica Wade
The interstate sliced up land north of Omaha’s downtown. $1M grant could help reclaim 20 acres
Three federal grants totaling $5.15 million will help Nebraska’s biggest city navigate its transportation and infrastructure needs. At the top of the list is an ambitious project that would reclaim nearly 20 acres of land sliced up by an interstate and highway. Known as “The Stitch,” the proposed project focuses on unusable land trapped within the ramps of U.S. 75, near 30th and Dodge streets.
Omaha needs more affordable housing. Can TIF help close the gap?
Can a widely used financial tool for redevelopment help Omaha solve its affordable housing problems? With an approval by City Council members Tuesday, the city may soon find out. After five months of research, the city’s planning department recommended the City Council approve five new policies and procedures around affordable housing and tax-increment financing (TIF).
America’s streetcar revival has seen mixed results. Is Omaha on the right track? Original
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Take a look at the branding, design and name of Omaha’s streetcar
The Omaha Streetcar has a name: Oscar. Mayor John Ewing and the city’s streetcar team rolled out the branding, design and name of the upcoming streetcar system at the Kiewit Luminarium Friday afternoon. Five focus groups and more than 1,200 surveys contributed to the final branding. “We were receiving ideas from across the community — through emails, on the Mayor’s Hotline and on the street,” Ewing said.
Take a look at what’s planned for Omaha’s Crossroads development
A 13-story mixed-use building next to Target, a new police and fire headquarters, green space and a 90,000-square-foot cinema. Those are among the elements of the long-awaited Crossroads project that developers shared with community members Wednesday. Within the next two years, nearly 40 acres of vacant dirt in the city’s center will transform into a dense development meant to revitalize one of Omaha’s busiest areas. It’s been a long time coming.
Take a look at what’s planned for Omaha’s Crossroads development
A 13-story mixed-use building next to Target, a new police and fire headquarters, green space and a 90,000-square-foot cinema. Those are among the elements of the long-awaited Crossroads project that developers shared with community members Wednesday. Within the next two years, nearly 40 acres of vacant dirt in the city’s center will transform into a dense development meant to revitalize one of Omaha’s busiest areas. It’s been a long time coming.
Omaha’s Little Italy sees resurgence amid 100 years of tradition
Just south of Omaha’s downtown are remnants of the city’s historic Little Italy. There’s Orsi’s Bakery on the corner, Sons and Daughters of Italy on 10th Street, and St. Frances Cabrini Church down the block. The neighborhood has seen changes through the years. There are fewer descendants of the Sicilian immigrants who shaped the area in the early to mid 1900s. More apartments and condos, newer homes and fewer Italian businesses.
Four additional voids were found in Omaha neighborhood before foundation collapse
There were more sinkholes in Omaha’s Blackstone neighborhood that didn’t make headlines. A large void opened in late June when the foundation wall of a vacant building collapsed, swallowing a sidewalk and part of the building at 3810 and 3812 Farnam St. A hole remains while the city awaits a decision from the building owners on whether to repair or demolish the property.
‘Critical to national security’: Health Secretary RFK Jr. visits UNMC biocontainment unit
The nation’s top health official was in Omaha Thursday. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. met with members of the press following a tour of the National Quarantine Unit housed within the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus. Kennedy’s visit came roughly two months after UNMC ended its hantavirus quarantine operation. Eighteen people were sent to the Omaha-based quarantine unit for monitoring following an outbreak of the disease on a cruise ship.
America’s streetcar revival has seen mixed results. Is Omaha on the right track?
There is no perfect recipe for streetcar success. But from route design to fare price, experts say, there are cities Omaha can look to. At the height of the modern streetcar boom, construction crews tore up roads in Washington, D.C., installed overhead wires in Atlanta and welded rails in Kansas City. But that was more than a decade ago. The urban transit trend fizzled once Obama-era funding dried up. Now, Omaha is belatedly hopping aboard to become the least populous metro with a modern streetcar.
America’s streetcar revival has seen mixed results. Is Omaha on the right track?
The lack of public consensus is still the Omaha project’s major shortcoming, said local real estate agent Ron Rubin, who is not related to Tom Rubin. In a 2023 letter to the Omaha World-Herald, he criticized the city for handing “profiteers access to citizens’ resources” without a public vote. “There’s no sense of citizen input,” Ron Rubin said in an interview.
Bellevue PD will continue use of shock gloves in Bryan schools
For now, school resource officers with the Bellevue Police Department will continue to use shock gloves inside Bryan High School and Bryan Middle School. Omaha Public Schools Superintendent Matthew Ray fielded questions about the gloves at Benson High School Wednesday morning. The use of the electric shock gloves, officially called G.L.O.V.E., brought a firestorm of criticism following an NPR news story last week.
Cost to repair or demolish Omaha building that partially collapsed would come from streetcar funds
Funds to demolish or repair a building along the Omaha streetcar route that partially collapsed in June would come from the city's streetcar fund. The former Brother’s Lounge cocktail bar at 3810 Farnam St. experienced a foundational collapse amid heavy rainfall and streetcar construction. Steve Jensen, a longtime city planner and interim director of the streetcar authority, said the city of Omaha is still investigating what factors may have contributed to the collapse.
Omaha residents, nonprofit leaders speak in support of proposed $1.7 billion budget
Omaha residents turned out at City Hall Tuesday evening to share their thoughts on the city's proposed 2027 budget. Several nonprofit leaders spoke in support of the Community Service Fund, which would allocate $3.6 million to more than 40 community programs. Among the speakers was Jason Feldhaus, executive director of Threshold CoC.
City will cover cost to repair or demolish partially collapsed building along Omaha streetcar route
The City of Omaha will cover the cost of demolishing or repairing a building along the streetcar route that partially collapsed in June. The former Brother’s Lounge cocktail bar at 3810 Farnam St. experienced a foundational collapse amid heavy rainfall and streetcar construction. Steve Jensen, a longtime city planner and interim director of the streetcar authority, said the City of Omaha is still investigating whether that construction contributed to the collapse.
Void remains in Omaha’s Blackstone neighborhood as city awaits decision from building owner
Omaha officials have not yet determined the cause of a void along the streetcar route that swallowed a sidewalk and partially collapsed a vacant building in June. Now, it’s up to the building owners whether to demolish or repair the remaining structure. Steve Jensen, interim executive director of the Omaha Streetcar Authority, said at a press conference Wednesday that the city is seeking a solution in the best interest of all parties involved. “We know there are two options,” Jensen said.
With new climate action grants, city of Omaha turns to teens and young adults for climate solutions
Omaha has joined a growing list of cities that aim to place climate solutions in the hands of teens and young adults. With City Council approval Tuesday, Omaha joined Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Youth Climate Action Fund, which will provide $50,000 to mobilize young people in designing and delivering solutions to climate-driven issues. The program calls for proposals from Omaha residents ages 15 to 24. Applications can be submitted online and are due by Sept. 8.
Labor Day weekend block party in downtown Omaha looks to support businesses along streetcar route
Come for the free activities and live performances, stay to support downtown Omaha’s struggling businesses. On Sept. 5, “Rally on the Route” will fence off 16th Street between Farnam and Harney streets for a block party that will include family-friendly activities during the afternoon and adult-centered entertainment in the evening.
‘Horrific’ conditions closed City View Apartments. A year later, questions of accountability remain
City View Apartments in downtown Omaha accumulated a long list of health and safety concerns before a new management company deemed the building uninhabitable last summer. A disabled veteran was trapped in his 10th floor apartment for weeks when the elevator stopped working. In a civil complaint, one woman wrote of human urine and feces in the stairwell, a kitchen sink that didn’t work and holes in the ceiling. Bed bugs forced some to leave their infested belongings behind.
Public safety, parks and more highlight Omaha's proposed $1.7 billion budget Original
Major investments in Omaha’s parks and public safety lead the city’s proposed 2027 budget. City Council members and the public will get to weigh in on the proposal in coming weeks. As currently written by the mayor’s office, the budget will total $1.7 billion, with a roughly $600 million general fund.
New $181M headquarters for Omaha police, fire planned at Crossroads
Omaha’s new public safety headquarters is planned to take shape within the long-awaited Crossroads development. City leaders say the $181 million facility will “move us into the 21st Century.” The 275,000-square-foot development is slotted for a 3.2-acre site between Cass and Chicago streets near 74th Avenue. It’s estimated to hold more than 300 public safety professionals from the Omaha Police Department and Omaha Fire Department.
Pete Buttigieg stumps for Nebraska CD2 candidate Denise Powell in South Omaha
A race of national significance brought a nationally known Democrat to South Omaha Tuesday. Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg endorsed Democratic 2nd District Congressional nominee Denise Powell at a campaign event held in Metro Community College’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing.
‘Monumental opportunity': Omaha Inland Port Authority unveils plans for innovation district
The Omaha Inland Port Authority unveiled the location for its headquarters Tuesday morning, a major step in the publicly funded entity’s mission to grow economic opportunity in north and east Omaha. The group’s headquarters and innovation district will be built near Ames and North 28th avenues on a site zoned for commercial and light industrial uses. A “creative construction campus” will be the highlight of the district. The campus will develop training and businesses in 3D-printed homebuilding.
Omaha looks to transform parks and public spaces with boost from philanthropic dollars
“We are about $5 million short on our operating expenses annually,” Morrison said, “and about four and a half to $5 million short on our capital investments, compared to our peer cities.” Mayor John Ewing announced in March a $5 million investment from undisclosed philanthropic donors meant to close the funding gap and address needs highlighted in the study.
UNO continues work on $17.1 addition to Biomechanics Research Building
Work continues on the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s $17.1 million Biomechanics Research Building addition. Originally opened in 2013, the facility was the first stand-alone building in the world dedicated solely to biomechanics research. A 30,000 square-foot addition was completed in 2019. Construction of this second 19,000-square-foot, three-level addition is expected to be completed in early 2028.
$56.2M project will turn South Omaha grain silos into market-rate apartments
Decommissioned grain silos have long towered over a South Omaha neighborhood. By the end of 2029, they’ll be transformed into 223 market rate apartments. The $56.2 million project at 34th and Vinton streets includes the demolition of most of the 120-foot tall silos, with a few to be incorporated into the design. Plans call for four buildings. Two will be built atop the remains of the silos.
At Fontenelle Forest, a refuge gives injured raptors second chance at life
Ell Kinsey paused in front of a large, fenced in enclosure to glance at the two eagles inside. “Eat your fish, eagles,” she said. She carried on, ready to check in with the rest of the flock: an internet-famous screech owl, an inquisitive turkey vulture, and an attention-loving peregrine falcon. On the edge of Fontenelle Forest in Bellevue, Kinsey is among a small team that cares for more than 20 winged carnivores. Raptor Woodland Refuge is 30 feet above the forest floor.
‘No room for error': UNMC reflects as quarantine ends for hantavirus cruise ship passengers
After 42 days in quarantine, the last of the hantavirus cruise ship passengers have gone home. Leaders at the University of Nebraska Medical Center said the experience offered lessons for the next quarantine unit activation and “showed what Nebraska is all about.” “It's a long activation period, and over those six weeks, there's really no room for error,” said Dr. Michael Wadman, chair of the National Quarantine Unit.
Omaha has another sinkhole. This one swallowed a sidewalk on the streetcar route
It happened again. The city of Omaha awoke to another sinkhole Sunday morning after a portion of sidewalk in the popular Blackstone District collapsed, exposing a basement. A stretch of Farnam Street between 38th Street and 38th Avenue remained closed Monday as crews assessed the scene. While the city hasn’t yet determined the cause of the collapse, the hole is on Omaha’s future streetcar route, which has been under heavy construction for months.
Nebraska Humane Society’s $8M project looks to bring affordable vet care to the Omaha metro
An $8 million project at the Nebraska Humane Society looks to bring more affordable veterinary care in the Omaha metro. The nonprofit this week announced plans to transform its spay and neuter center into a low-cost Pet Wellness Center. The new space will offer spay and neuter services, preventative care, vaccinations and dental services with the goal of keeping pets with their owners. In the past, the spay and neuter facility operated as a “one and done” resource.
Omaha Chamber opposes ordinance to restore $15 minimum wage for younger workers
The Omaha City Council heard from the public Tuesday on a proposed ordinance that, if passed, would keep the minimum wage in the city at $15 an hour for all workers. The Greater Omaha Chamber is among those in opposition. to the council, Omaha Chamber President Heath Mello wrote that the metro must continue to grow wages, but through economic growth rather than an ordinance.
He’s been on parole for decades. Cannabis gummies could land him back in Nebraska prison
Donald Moore spends much of his day in the front room of his Fremont home. He sits in an old leather chair, watches television, cares for his wife and fixes up guitars to sell. The 61-year-old suffered a stroke several years ago that impacted his mental capacity. Recent heart issues and complications from COVID-19 have worsened his health. Amid a growing list of medications, he opted for what he calls “a holistic” approach.
Stingray Beach reopens at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo after renovations
Renovations are complete and the public is again welcome at the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium’s interactive stingray exhibit. Stingray Beach closed last summer following the deaths of multiple stingrays. Zoo officials said the renovation process began with a comprehensive evaluation of the systems that support aquatic animal health.
Data centers take center stage at North Omaha townhall
The future of data centers in Nebraska took center stage at a North Omaha town hall Thursday evening. The event was hosted by State Sens. Terrell McKinney and Ashlei Spivey, who alongside Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh sponsored a bill in the Nebraska Legislature that looked to help regulate data centers. Parts of their bill were adopted and passed in LB1010, which requires reports on annual power usage, water usage and ownership.
Omaha City Council considers ordinance to restore $15 minimum wage for younger workers
“They went and voted on it overwhelmingly to support the dignity of workers, not to have a race to the bottom, but to have a minimum wage established,” Begley said. Under his proposed ordinance, the city’s Human Rights and Relations Department would implement the minimum wage law and “work with employers to ensure that employees are notified of the yearly changes” and that requirements are met.
Take a look inside Omaha’s $26M streetcar maintenance facility
On the eastern edge of downtown Omaha, a 30,000-square-foot building will hold the city’s future streetcars. Construction on the roughly $26 million streetcar maintenance facility is still underway. Within the next year, the concrete building east of Eighth Street along Riverfront Drive will become a hub for the ambitious streetcar project. “It will be the place where our six vehicles are maintained, washed and repaired,” said Omaha Mayor John Ewing.
Douglas County Public Defender seeks budget increase to challenge controversial forensic methods
Ballistic analysis, handwriting examination and fingerprint comparison are forensic methods used for decades within the criminal legal system that have come under scrutiny in recent years. Defense teams across the country increasingly hire costly expert witnesses to challenge what some call the misuse of forensic sciences. In Douglas County, the Public Defender’s Office recently requested a budget increase for the 2026-2027 fiscal year of $45,000 in professional fees needed to pay those experts.
Douglas County Public Defender seeks budget increase to challenge controversial forensic methods
Ballistic analysis, handwriting examination and fingerprint comparison are forensic methods used for decades within the criminal legal system that have come under scrutiny in recent years. Defense teams across the country increasingly hire costly expert witnesses to challenge what some call the misuse of forensic sciences. In Douglas County, the Public Defender’s Office recently requested a budget increase for the 2026-2027 fiscal year of $45,000 in professional fees needed to pay those experts.
‘It’s devastating’: As legal avenues close, undocumented Nebraska immigrants live with uncertainty
Nebraska Public Media made the editorial decision not to publish Mayra’s full name amid her pending immigration case. Mayra set a large stack of papers on her kitchen table. She took a seat and shuffled through copies of legal records, letters from attorneys and interview schedules. The mother of four had saved hundreds of documents tied to her immigration case. She pulled from the pile a “letter of intent” filed in 2023.
Omaha Children’s Museum celebrates 50th anniversary, plans for new facility still paused
An Omaha staple recently celebrated a major anniversary. Last week, the Omaha Children’s Museum marked 50 years of service.
‘It’s devastating’: As legal avenues close, undocumented immigrants in Nebraska live with uncertainty
The Reader made the editorial decision not to publish Mayra’s full name amid her pending immigration case. Mayra set a large stack of papers on her kitchen table. She took a seat and shuffled through copies of legal records, letters from attorneys and interview schedules. The mother of four had saved hundreds of documents tied to her immigration case. She pulled from the pile a “letter of intent” filed in 2023.
Omaha-area shopping center purchased by New York-based company
One of the metro’s most popular shopping centers has a new owner. Shadow Lake Towne Center in Papillion was purchased in early May by New York-based company DLC for more than $94 million. The previous owner, PREP Property Group, bought the open air retail space in 2018. The purchase is the first Omaha investment for DLC, said Chief Executive Officer Adam Ifshin. The company specializes in open-air retail spaces, with properties across the United States.
A haunting mystery in a Nebraska town: How a federal Native American boarding school lost its dead
No one can find the graves. For 50 years, Native American children from across the country were brought to the Genoa U.S. Indian Industrial School, a federally run boarding school in rural Nebraska. Multiple generations were stripped of their language, physically abused and isolated from their communities in the name of forced assimilation. At least 86 students are known to have died there. Records show nine students were buried in the now-missing school cemetery.
$120M Malcolm X cultural center aims to make North Omaha an international destination
Ambitious plans call for a $120 million mixed-use campus to rise on the site of Malcolm X’s birthplace in North Omaha. The project, led by the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation, would place a cultural center and museum at 34th and Evans streets. Future phases include affordable housing units, a financial incubator, public green space and a hotel.
$120M Malcolm X cultural center aims to make North Omaha an international destination
Ambitious plans call for a $120 million mixed-use campus to rise on the site of Malcolm X’s birthplace in North Omaha. The project, led by the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation, would place a cultural center and museum at 34th and Evans streets. Future phases include affordable housing units, a financial incubator, public green space and a hotel.
Cavanaugh leading tight race for Nebraska's 2nd District
If Cavanaugh wins, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen can appoint a replacement to complete his term, which ends in 2028. Pillen is expected to appoint a conservative representative in the reliably Democratic district. If no other seats in the Legislature flip from Republican to Democrat in November, that would solidify a filibuster-proof supermajority for Republicans. This outcome is not a guarantee, however.
City of Omaha approved $52M in TIF loans in 2025. These are the projects that made the cut.
Multi-family housing, commercial space and a Little Bohemia revitalization. Upward of $159 million in tax-increment financing, or TIF, was allocated in 2025, according to the city’s annual TIF report approved by the Omaha City Council this week. The total accounts for 22 projects. Used in Omaha for more than four decades, TIF is a financing tool regularly sought in local development efforts.
Omaha’s professional soccer team is getting a downtown stadium
A new 6,500-seat soccer stadium in downtown Omaha is one step closer to breaking ground following an important approval last month. Union Omaha, the city’s professional soccer team, plans to build the stadium as the anchor of a 20-acre entertainment district in north Downtown. The City Council last month unanimously approved $48 million in tax-increment financing for the $332 million project.
The tracks Omaha paved over: How the 20th-century streetcar shaped a growing city
Editor’s note: This story is part of a collaboration between Flatwater Free Press and The Reader examining Omaha’s future streetcar. Ernest Wintroub ushered his 7-year-old son Frank out the door of their Dundee home on a brisk spring evening in 1955. They stood on the street corner and listened for the familiar rumbling. For 86 years, streetcars had crisscrossed Omaha.
Legacy on rails: How Omaha's historic streetcars shaped the city
The antiquated public transportation tool had outlived its useful life as cars took the wheel of Omaha’s westward expansion. An editorial published by The World-Herald a month before the final trolley run in 1955 offered an apathetic eulogy: "San Francisco may cling to its obsolete cable cars, but we surmise there will be few lamentations when the last of Omaha's streetcars goes out of service," the editorial said.
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