Riverside Chats
Latest Episodes
197. Clarice Dombeck Makes her Pitch for Regional Metropolitan Transit Board
Clarice Dombeck is a candidate for the Regional Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Board of Directors in District 2. The Transit Authority, also known as Metro, is responsible for running Omaha’s bus system, including ORBT and MOBY services. The first elect
196. Shelley Mann Explains 3 Reproductive Rights Petitions
Shelley Mann is the founder and executive director of Nebraska Abortion Resources, also known as NEAR. Mann started NEAR in 2020 with a mission of providing financial aid to people seeking abortions. That assistance can take different forms, such as payin
195. Lucia Pedroza-Estrada on Empowering the Youth, Advocacy, and the Nuts and Bolts of Grantmaking
In today's episode, Michael speaks with Lucia Pedroza-Estrada, Elevate Omaha’s advocacy and grantmaking director. Born in Guatemala, and a self-described lifelong lover of politics, Pedroza-Estrada’s work involves acting as a connector to elected of
194. Maggie Winton on 50th Annual Omaha Summer Arts Festival
The Omaha Summer Arts Festival is a weekend-long, annual celebration of the city’s culture. The festival includes an artist market with more than 130 vendors, a lineup of local musicians, and lots of local food. This year’s festival is June 7 through Ju
193. Ja Keen Fox on Forthcoming Nonprofit News Service 'The Dreamland Report'
Ja Keen Fox is an advocate from Nebraska with experience in political organizing, journalism, and media. Earlier this year, Fox began working on The Dreamland Report, a nonprofit news service expected to launch this November. Fox created the serice in an
192. Susi Amendola on New Book 'The Centered Heart' and What We Get Wrong About Stress Management
Susi Amendola is a yoga therapist, author and Ornish Lifestyle Medicine trainer. She has more than 30 years experience in yoga and stress management. Her studio Yoga Now, where she still teaches, opened in Benson in 1983. Amendola also directs the studio’
191. Jessica Scheuerman and Keiria Marsha on the Omaha Mobile Stage and Pull Up and Vibe
The Omaha Mobile Stage is a traveling performance venue that was built out of an 18-foot box truck. The truck is rented for block parties, markets, youth talent shows and other community-centered events as a platform for all kinds of live performance. On
190. Qasim Shabazz Asad on Overcoming Systemic Challenges and Founding the Black Agenda Alliance
Qasim Shabazz Asad is a co-founder and co-chair of the Black Agenda Alliance, a Pan-African group working to improve social, economic and cultural conditions in Omaha’s Black community In 2019, Asad and other community members formed the Black Agenda Al
189. Miah Sommer on Astute Coffee's Mission of Supporting Foster Care–Impacted Youth
Miah Sommer is the founder and executive director of Astute Coffee, formerly known as the Bike Union. The nonprofit coffee shop employs young adults impacted by the foster care system and creates programming to give them the tools to succeed in the workfo
188. Maurtice Ivy on Her Nebraska Athletics Career and Promoting Equity in Sports
Maurtice Ivy was a record-breaking basketball player as a student at Central High School in the 1980s. She went on to play for the Nebraska Cornhuskers women’s basketball team, where was the first player in Husker history to surpass the 2,000-point barr