By Chris Bowling/The Reader When COVID-19 ripped through meatpacking plants in the spring, it put Nebraska on the map as one of the top hot spots for the virus. Despite calls from advocates, Gov. Pete Ricketts said he didn’t want to shut down the plants where workers, who kept supply chains moving by breaking down chicken, beef and […]
Articles by Chris Bowling
Worker speaks out about conditions inside packing plant
By Karlha Velásquez Lee el artículo en español en El Perico.comP Paying for her coronavirus test, inhaling noxious chemicals and enduring a continued lack of transparency. That’s the experience of one employee inside one of Nebraska’s hardest-hit meatpacking plants who says employees are still afraid of the coronavirus’ spreading despite protections put in place. “I […]
“If I could get 500 people at my door this week, I’d get all 500 of them jobs”
As businesses close and applications for unemployment benefits increase by the hundreds, one Omaha staffing agency said it can’t fill jobs in some sectors fast enough. Those industries trying to meet demand on everything from face masks to food packaging, said Carol Neff, co-owner of Remedy Staffing, a franchise of a national private staffing company. […]
Mobile pantry distributes hundreds of meals, but some leave empty handed
By Chris Bowling for The Omaha Reader Grab-and-go pantries, led by Food Bank for the Heartland, started last week to feed kids missing out on lunch as schools closed to stymie the spread of Covid-19. These weekly pantries will take place at 13 Omaha Public School locations—available to all kids not just OPS students—and will […]
Fuera de La Causa, pero no fuera de combate
Hace más de 150 años, los vagones que transportaban viajeros hacia el oeste llegaron a las últimas colinas a lo largo de las orillas del río Missouri. Al otro lado de esas aguas vieron una tierra nueva y expansiva que esperaban que ofreciera oportunidades y libertad. Y a través de las dificultades del clima frío […]