Humanities Desk

Anthony's Steakhouse in Omaha is closing its doors, marking another tally for the steakhouses in the city that have shuttered.

The latest COVID data shows a slight dip in Nebraska cases and hospitalizations, but that doesn’t mean Nebraska has seen its peak quite yet.

As of last Friday, the statewide 7-day average still stands at nearly 3,400 cases per day, according to the CDC. That’s down from a high of nearly 4,000 a day earlier.

The state’s dashboard shows that, over the weekend, hospitalizations dropped by 32, to just above 640. And, across the state, hospital capacity remains between 20 and 30% free.

Small towns far from big cities rely upon federal grants to help them, but numerous definitions of what the government considers rural make that complicated.

The Bigfoot Crossroads of America Museum and Research Center in Hastings will be featured in the U.S. Library of Congress Archives.

Nationwide, COVID-19 disproportionately affected communities of color — in part because the U.S. relies on immigrant workers in food and agriculture.

Richard Charles Carson was 92 years old when he passed away on December 19th in Studio City, California. Carson was born the youngest of three children in Clarinda, Iowa in 1929. Later, his family settled in Norfolk, Nebraska where he graduated high school in 1947.

Drew DeCamp is a registrar at the Elkhorn Valley Museum in Norfolk which features galleries of the Carson family. DeCamp said Dick Carson had a laid back personality, much like his older brother Johnny.

Methodist Hospital in Omaha reports nearly 180 healthcare workers out sick, which includes more than 50 nurses. Elective surgeries are being postponed or canceled currently at Methodist. Todd Consbruck is the president and CEO at Avera St. Anthony's Hospital in the northern Nebraska town of O’Neill. Consbruck says nurses and doctors in O’Neill are growing weary emotionally and physically due to pressure from the omicron variant.

Over one month ago, Lyons, Nebraska had brown tap water with high levels of iron and manganese. In the process of replacing filter beds at its treatment plant, a temporary filter system was put in place. That filter broke down and Lyons was forced to issue a boil water order. Now, Lyons is running water through its new filters at the treatment plant and the water passed a partial test by the state.

Douglas County's first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer started working this week.

Omaha’s January 6th Vigil will be located at the College of Saint Mary’s fieldhouse and online. The event will start with a speech from the college’s president Maryanne Stevens, then a prayer and three songs to be performed by the Omaha Justice Choir. There will be three additional speakers after the music, each from Black Votes Matter, Civic Nebraska, and the Women’s Fund of Omaha.