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At the beginning of 2020, things were looking up for Omaha resident Jolina Manley. She had a steady job at a call center; she was living in a townhouse subsidized by the Department of Housing and Urban Development; and she was taking classes in culinary arts.

“The kids were all in school," Manley says. "Everything this year started off like, 'Okay, this is going to be great. I'm going to do something and everything's going to be great.'”

If you're a child of the 70s, you might know her as Kalamity Kate on "Cartoon Corral" on Channels 10/11 in Lincoln. Younger generations might recognize her as a Twitter sensation. Eighty-two-year-old Leta Powell Drake is a Nebraska broadcasting veteran with more than 40 years of experience. Last month, a compilation of Drake's celebrity interviews from the 1980s went viral.

Black and Pink is an Omaha nonprofit supporting incarcerated members of the LBGTQ community and those living with HIV/AIDS, groups that can be especially vulnerable behind bars. With its yearly holiday cards campaign, the organization encourages those on the outside to remind folks in prison that they are not alone. Courtney Bierman spoke to Black and Pink members support coordinator Andrea Kszystyniak for more.

Strongly Worded Letters is a digital civic engagement toolkit for Omaha residents. Founders and Omaha natives Gab Rima and Johnny Redd use Instagram and other social media platforms to explain local politics and post scripts when getting in touch with representatives. Though Strongly Worded Letters encourages activism of all kinds, Rima says nothing quite captures passion like pen and paper.

Omaha native Amber Ruffin is one of the biggest names in comedy. When she joined the writing staff of "Late Night With Seth Meyers" in 2014, she became the first Black woman to write for a late-night talk show. Her segments "Jokes Seth Can't Tell" and "Amber Says What" were so popular that NBCUniversal gave Ruffin her own show: "The Amber Ruffin Show" on Peacock, the network's free streaming platform.

The Sonoran Desert is 100,000 square miles of punishing terrain stretching from Northwestern Mexico into Arizona and California. Since 1994, it has been the graveyard of thousands of migrants making their way to the United States. The exact number of casualties may never be known.

Ahead of Metro Tranit’s ORBT line’s launch on Nov. 18, you might have noticed colorful additions to bus stops along Dodge Street. Metro Transit partnered with Omaha by Design, an urban policy and design nonprofit, to enlist 10 local artists to create designs for the communication boxes at some new ORBT canopies. 

 When Lauren Citro tries to go to a playground with her family, she can run into a problem.

 “When I see all that sand, I'm like, ‘I'm going to have to carry him across,’” she says. “It's not going to go well.”

 Citro is referring to her son Brody. Brody has spina bifida, a birth defect in which the spinal cord doesn’t form properly. He uses mobility aids like sticks and a walker to get around.

Rusty the 7-month-old dalmatian is having the time of his life. He is face-to-face with a little white rat, who — don’t worry — is safely inside a cage.  

An exhibition at Omaha’s Generator Space looks at the intersection of clothing, the internet and the environment. Amplify Arts’ latest show "@VIRAL_RE_COLLECTION" features works by three artists: Jenna Boyles, Erin Smego and Omaha-born fashion designer Kate Walz. Omaha Public Radio’s Courtney Bierman spoke to the exhibition’s curators, Abby Fogle and Esaú Betancourt.

The Holland Center for Peforming Arts will hold its first indoor concert this weekend since the beginning of the pandemic. Singer-songwriter Willy Porter will perform Saturday, Oct. 3 to a socially distanced crowd. 

Porter is a Wisconsin musician best known for his 1994 album "Dog Eared Dream." His blues-rock songs are often accompanied by impressive fingerstyle guitar playing.

The Holland Center reopens for in-person entertainment this weekend with two days of free concerts. Holland Center Outdoors will take place on the building’s lawn with up to eight patrons inside one of a series of 10-foot by 10-foot painted squares.

Nebraska is the most landlocked state in the country. In “After the Flood,” this year’s Omaha Reads selection, that's a good thing. Nebraska author Kassandra Montag imagines a world overtaken by floodwater. When her Nebraska home floods, Myra flees with her young daughter Pearl. They sail the seas looking for Pearl’s older sister, who was kidnapped by their father before Pearl was born.

Trans Stitchin’ is a new, free community closet created to providing Omaha’s transgender community with an essential service: gender-affirming clothing. Patrons can either come during normal business hours or schedule an appointment to browse a closet bursting at the seams with donated items. It’s the passion project of friends Grady Schmitt and Maddelyn Bal. The founders joined Omaha Public Radio’s Courtney Bierman to talk about Trans Stitchin’s origins and mission.

Trans Stitchin’ is a new, free community closet created to provide Omaha’s transgender community with an essential service: gender-affirming clothing. Patrons can either come during normal business hours or schedule an appointment to browse a closet bursting at the seams with donated items. It’s the passion project of friends Grady Schmitt and Maddelyn Bal. The founders joined Omaha Public Radio’s Courtney Bierman to talk about Trans Stitchin’s origins and mission.

Destino, or destiny in Spanish, aptly describes the Latino Center of the Midland’s role in positively impacting the destiny and future of Omaha's Latino community. LCM's annual Destino Dinner raises funds in support of opportunities for youth, adults and families to find their path to a better destiny.  Executive Director Albert Varas talks about the upcoming event and the mission of the organization.

Omaha artist Watie White talks about his newest public projects, Lead Stories and 100 People.  You can learn more about the projects and the artist at watiewhite.com.

Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas is on the verge of breaking the team’s home run record.  Former slugger Steve “Bye Bye”  Balboni’s record of 36 home runs in one season has stood since 1985. But if you consider the Kansas City A’s era, the record is further away and held by a Nebraska native.  Some fans don’t want that record to fall, as Greg Echlin reports for Omaha Public Radio.