A dedicated grief center is now open in Omaha. Collective for Hope has opened the Courtnage Home for Health and Hope. The facility will help people, families, and organizations understand the impact of grief and offer them a place of support.
Omaha firefighters are taking part in the Fill the Boot campaign this year. The nationwide campaign raises money for families impacted by neuromuscular diseases. Over the past 20 years, the Omaha Professional Firefighters Association has raised more than one-point-four-million-dollars for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Flags will be flown at half staff across Iowa this weekend in honor of a national agriculture leader. Ray Gaesser passed away September 5th. He was President of the Iowa and American Soybean Associations, and an active conservation leader. Flags will be flown at half staff starting today until sunset Sunday, September 20th.
Drought conditions are decreasing in Iowa. The new National Drought Monitor Map is showing a significant reduction in drought conditions in the western and northwest parts of the state. Rain across the last week has cut moderate drought to just a pair of small areas in Northern and far Western Iowa. There are near-drought conditions in the far northwest corner of the state. Right now, 86-percent of Iowa is drought free.
Five entrepreneurs from across the U.S. will compete in Washington, DC today for a million dollars in cash from the Trump administration. The Million Dollar Pitch Competition will feature five small businesses from California, Georgia, Iowa, Maine and Wyoming pitching their products for celebrity judges including Nicki Minaj, with the event hosted by former TV Superman Dean Cain. A news release by the Small Business Administration says the five finalists were chosen from about 12-hundred businesses across the country. They'll be greeted by President Trump in the Oval Office and the competition, which is being taped for a TV special, will air in October.
Omaha was named one of the three American host cities for the 2027 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Cup. CHI Health Center will host pool play and round-of-16 matches for the sport's "flagship international tournament. "In a statement, Governor Jim Pillen the news shows the state has the "greatest volleyball fans anywhere." The matches will be held from August 20th to September 5th, 2027, with Omaha's dates not announced.