I walked to the local grocery store on Nov. 4, 2020, and picked up two editions of the Omaha World-Herald: the previous day’s paper showing the pre-election info, and that day’s paper, showing post-election coverage. The two papers together felt sadly thin, as print newspapers around the country have dwindled due to rising costs.

A new form of news now fills the void in a variety of ways: nonprofit journalism is largely printed online, funded by donors instead of advertisers, and committed to the type of passionate, driven stories once available in those daily papers. The main story in this month’s issue is about the rise of nonprofit journalism as produced by three entities here in Omaha.

The second feature speaks to a big topic happening worldwide: the Ukraine and what is happening to people who are leaving their homeland. Kelly Lytle has visited the Ukraine and is now helping others by taking them into her home.

Another Ukraine story is the History article, which is about Assumption Ukrainian Catholic Church here in Omaha. This Byzantine Catholic church started in the 1950s with the first wave of Ukrainian immigrants and is going strong today.

Gene Leahy Mall reopened July 1 with a plethora of activities, including a free Omaha Symphony concert with Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth and a multimedia presentation. This beloved entity of Omaha is the subject of the Nostalgia article this issue, and writer James Vnuk recounted his memories as well as those of people such as Brian Leahy, son of the mall’s namesake, Mayor Gene Leahy.

The A+C Music article this round is about Nebraska native Evan Bartels, who played in Omaha clubs but has since made his way to Nashville, Tennessee, and a record deal, in a relatively short timeframe.

The Dining Review takes readers to Fremont and The Woodcliff Restaurant. While the reviewer has many reasons for reviewing restaurants in Omaha—whether someplace is new to try or an old favorite—this restaurant was chosen as being a “W,” the letter of the alphabet next in line for the A-Z Food Tour group.

There’s a lot of articles that, like the main feature and history article, touch on nonprofits. The September issue also highlights the Big Give. These native advertising pieces provide information about many nonprofits around the area.

On a personal note, this is my last issue of Omaha Magazine. Starting in late July, I am transitioning to nonprofit communications. The past seven years at Omaha Publications have been some of the best of my life, and I leave behind a work family, and publications, unlike any I have experienced in my 20-year career. It has been a pleasure to serve you, the readers, through the stories of this amazing city in which we all live. The new editor will take over this column in October.

There are many great stories in this issue. I hope you enjoy them all.

This article originally appeared in the September/October 2022 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.