The Reader

El Perico is Omaha's original bilingual (Spanish / English) community newspaper and digital platform, founded in 1999 by ABM Enterprises and its three founders - Carlos Alvarez, John Barrientos and Marcos Mora. In 2004, El Perico became part of Pioneer Publishing, joining Omaha's original alternative newsmedia The Reader and one of its earliest job boards and career resources, Omahajobs.com. El Perico's editorial content includes local, national and international stories that are most relevant to Omaha's diverse Latino community. Most stories are provided in both Spanish and English with some content only provided in Spanish, oftentimes with the English version running in The Reader. El Perico's award winning coverage (three Jose Marti Awards) includes important community news, especially immigration, organizing, health, education and politics, as well as community life (our community photos section and business profiles), sports, culture and employment. Along with its sister publication The Reader, El Perico has led in covering the rise of nativist activities (we were among the first to cover Kris Kobach's drive to implement local immigration laws, including in Fremont, NE), worker organizing (and the fight for fair labor conditions) and civic engagement, working with ABC affiliate KETV to cover the closure of polling places in minority communities in 2012, half of which were restored after our reporting) and the Heartland Workers Center to promote neighborhood organizing and to distribute Voters Guides. El Perico's editorial is led by Publisher/Editor John Heaston and Associate Publisher Karlha Velásquez, with a wide range of community contributors, especially editor/writer Salvador Robles and photographer/writer Bernard Montoya.