Jonathon Braden – Journalist, Writer, Reporter

Jonathon Braden is a reporter for the Omaha World-Herald. He mostly writes about education, focusing on Omaha Public Schools, a school district with about 50,000 students. Before writing about schools in Omaha, Jonathon wrote about crime for five months, working overnight. But before that, he wrote about schools at the Columbia Daily Tribune for 18 months, his first job upon graduating from the University of Missouri in December 2008.

This is his site, where he writes about random sightings, a cool thing he saw, tennis and just about anything. Got an idea? Let him know.

Some things, as a reporter, you sometimes get tired of. As a schools reporter, one of those things can be forums. You heard the word and you think, 10 people sitting around listening to someone talking for two hours.

I thought the same thing would happen the other night. I was wrong.

OWH: 85 show up at OPS forum

They wanted to ask questions when they were supposed to give answers.

What makes up the school district’s benefits?

They wanted to discuss specifics when asked about the general.

What about those administrative positions? Which ones are going to get cut?

They wanted an option D when there was only A, B or C. And they weren’t bashful about being specific themselves.

Many of the 85 people at a public forum Thursday night brought their questions, worries and complaints about the Omaha Public Schools budget.

They bowed their heads, closed their eyes and stood in silence.

After a few moments, the Millard school board did its best to resume regular business Monday night, the board’s first meeting since the Jan. 5 shooting at Millard South High School.

OWH: Millard board remembers fallen

Omaha World-Herald: The gunfire at Millard South made a long-time coach there shake his head — his school was now the one on television, the one everyone was reading about and the school that would have to recover from its own shooting.

“It hurts a lot,” said Larry Ribble, 67, who retired after coaching boys track and basketball at the school for 30 years. “With time, some wounds will be healed, but it’s just really a setback.”

(Far, far better reads about the Millard South High School shooting on Omaha.com.)

Omaha World-Herald:

“Sector 1, go ahead.”

“OPD is en route to South 28th Avenue for smoke in that area,” a female dispatcher says.

The night begins with an assignment, a rarity for Daniel Hagen, an Omaha Housing Authority security guard. Most of the time, Hagen patrols the Southside Terrace Garden Apartments, the largest remaining public housing cluster in Omaha, on his own.

He cruises the neighborhood, coasting down hills, lurching up streets, waving to some people, waiting for eye contact from others.

But he’s rarely told what to do, except for right now, about 10 p.m. on a recent Friday.

The temperature in the teens, the wind in the 30s. And smoke in the area.

Omaha World-Herald: Sharif Liwaru moved here from California as a 17-year-old who knew one thing about Omaha: It was Malcolm X’s hometown.

Liwaru became second vice president of the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation while attending Omaha North High School.

And on Thursday night, he led a ceremony that fulfilled one of the foundation’s longtime goals: the grand opening of the new Malcolm X Center, 3463 Evans St.

Every apartment building has some characters. The good ones do, anyways.

And after living in Omaha for a few months, I’ve met some of the residents in my building. Most are kind and cool; others mean well. About a week ago, I met, or I should say, I heard of some characters here.

It was about 10:15 a.m. I was still sleeping; I worked until 3 a.m., probably fell asleep by 4:30 or so. The sun had fought through my closed blinds. And the noise had waltzed through my open window.

Most days, letting the typical noise – birds chirping – and the typical sun – gorgeous – was a good thing. Time to wake up. This day, I heard something different: “Go poop, Mylo. Go poop,” the older woman said.

I didn’t need to hear anymore; I knew who was in the courtyard that sits in the middle of my building, the courtyard that my bedroom window opens up to. It was the woman and her four weiner dogs, scampering around a grass square surrounded by brick walls. Some freedom.

Apparently, one of the dogs is named Mylo. And, apparently, Mylo was supposed to be pooping. He was, however, not pooping.

What also became apparent to me was that this woman had a little boy with her, in addition to the four weiner dogs. “Go poop, Mylo. Just go poop,” the boy said in his prepubescent high-pitched voice, a little whiny but mostly a little boyish.

The little boy must have thought Mylo didn’t hear his grandmother or mother.

I stared my ceiling, thinking this must be ending soon. I was still awfully tired from the previous night; I must not have gotten good sleep.

Then the chorus cranked up their request, the mom first alone, and then two together, telling poor Mylo to go poop already, as if poor Mylo could hear them, as if poor Mylo didn’t want the shouting to stop.

The chanting stopped a few minutes later, or I fell asleep to those chants (I wonder what I dreamed…)

But I went to back to sleep hoping Mylo would solve his apparent constipation and hoping Mylo’s owners would realize you don’t make demands to Mylo.

I also went back to bed realizing this building has more characters than I thought, Mylo, not included.

Omaha World-Herald: They saw signs instead of snow.

They felt warm hugs instead of cold chills.

And the biggest difference for the once-stranded Omaha hikers was the indescribable feeling of being home.

Omaha World-Herald: Nearly two years ago, a Bryan High School freshman was shot in the face and killed. Police quickly identified the alleged gunman. An arrest warrant was issued. Today, he remains free, his whereabouts unknown.

Authorities in Omaha think the man is somewhere in Mexico, but so far they have been unable to bring him back to Nebraska to face charges.

The slaying of Eric Tongvanh, 15, is an example of how criminal suspects can evade punishment by heading south. And it illustrates the obstacles authorities can face in trying to extradite people from Mexico.

“I think people who commit murders or any type of violent crime know exactly what to do — and that’s to get out of town,” said Matt Kuhse, deputy Douglas County attorney, who has at least three cases fitting that description.

Omaha World-Herald, Wednesday, Oct. 20