Bella Caracta
MMJ / Reporter
Omaha, Neb.
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Bella Caracta joined 6 News in May 2022. She graduated magna cum laude from Duke University with degrees in psychology and global health and a certificate in policy, journalism, and media studies. In college, she was editor-in-chief of Juris, Duke’s Undergraduate Law Magazine.
While in college, she interned at ABC7 in New York and helped investigate consumer-related issues. She was also a local reporting intern for ABC11 in Raleigh-Durham where she wrote, edited, and shot her own stories. On Fridays, she worked for WRAL’s High School OT segment featuring competitive North Carolina football. She filmed the games live, called the play-by-play to the control room, and conducted post-game interviews with head coaches.
Bella is an athlete herself. She is a third-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and multiple-time world-champion in forms, weapons, and sparring. To stay connected to the sport, she started her own podcast where she interviews martial arts competitors.
In her free time, Bella enjoys exploring Omaha, especially going to the Farmer’s Market; cooking, and searching for the best ice cream spot in the city.
If you have any story ideas, please feel free to reach out to her.
Updated: 18 hours ago
|By Bella Caracta
Omaha’s new downtown library is officially open.
Updated: 18 hours ago
|By Bella Caracta
For most people, Sunday is a rest day, but Omaha’s female entrepreneurs were on the clock this weekend.
Updated: May. 21, 2023 at 10:54 AM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
Saturday, Omaha volunteers packed enough meals to feed 70 hungry kids for an entire school year.
Updated: May. 18, 2023 at 10:14 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
The biggest community in Shelby County, Iowa no longer has a police department.
Updated: May. 17, 2023 at 10:12 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
The school year isn’t even over yet and Omaha Public Schools has already traveled to dozens of recruiting events across several states to make sure there is a teacher in every district classroom next school year.
Updated: May. 16, 2023 at 5:57 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
The debate over LB574 is once again at the hands of Nebraska lawmakers, hours ahead of schedule.
Updated: May. 15, 2023 at 10:23 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
A curiosity that blossomed at age 12 helped 6 News meteorologists last Friday keep Nebraskans safe during a string of tornadoes.
Updated: May. 14, 2023 at 6:48 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
South Omaha boxer Johnny Montalvo made it to the finals of this year’s Golden Gloves of America National Tournament.
Updated: May. 10, 2023 at 10:17 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
A new study from the University of Toronto ranks Omaha among the top cities in North America for bouncing back after the pandemic.
Updated: May. 9, 2023 at 10:13 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
He said he's working with firearm trainers in the metro to increase public awareness of the importance of gun responsibility.
Updated: May. 8, 2023 at 10:25 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta and John Chapman
The shooting that happened early Sunday morning turned a bad weekend into a horrible dream for Gom Gout’s family.
Updated: May. 8, 2023 at 11:02 AM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
Omaha Veteran John Young Sr. recently took a fall while at a thrift store in Papillion.
Updated: May. 5, 2023 at 8:36 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
The rebuild is expected to cost upwards of a million dollars.
Updated: May. 4, 2023 at 10:19 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
A childcare provider in the metro had to make a difficult decision this week. It’s cutting down on weekday care. Our Bella Caracta found out those workforce shortages are impacting these centers across the city.
Updated: May. 3, 2023 at 11:35 AM CDT
|By Bella Caracta and Gina Dvorak
Omaha Police Officers Association President Tony Conner will join Mayor Jean Stothert for an announcement about the police union’s contract Wednesday afternoon.
Updated: May. 2, 2023 at 10:41 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
Enrollment in Omaha Public Schools’ virtual K-12 school has nearly doubled since it started in 2016. The deadline for new students to apply is Friday of this week. Tuesday night, parents got a chance to learn more about this alternative learning environment.
Updated: May. 1, 2023 at 10:43 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
For context, the search in 2017 for Logan took about a year.
Updated: Apr. 30, 2023 at 5:11 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta and Mike McKnight
The Nebraska Humane Society admitted they “did mistakenly euthanize a dog.”
Updated: Apr. 27, 2023 at 11:14 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
Vacant lots and high-interest rates hurt more than just the property owners. They could hurt everyone that benefits from county programs.
Updated: Apr. 26, 2023 at 10:43 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
Back to the drawing board, the Douglas County Commissioners go. They’re trying to build mental health facilities in downtown Omaha, but it hit a snag over cost and planning.
Updated: Apr. 25, 2023 at 4:38 PM CDT
|By Gina Dvorak and Bella Caracta
The Omaha City Council on Tuesday voted 5-0 temporarily removed Councilman Vinny Palermo from the office of vice president of the council.
Updated: Apr. 24, 2023 at 10:13 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
New information from federal indictments reveals that PACE, or Police Athletics for Community Engagement, is a small part in an otherwise extensive case involving an Omaha city council member, two former Omaha Police officers, and a fundraiser.
Updated: Apr. 23, 2023 at 5:45 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
Sunday, upwards of 5,000 people came out to Stinson Park in Aksarben Village for the 9th Annual Healthy Kids Day
Updated: Apr. 20, 2023 at 10:32 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
A University of Nebraska-Omaha student has a plan to run across the state of Nebraska.
Updated: Apr. 20, 2023 at 10:29 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
The types of AI that healthcare providers at CHI Health use are the kind patients rarely see.
Updated: Apr. 19, 2023 at 10:14 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
As construction season ramps up across the metro, sidewalks are getting impacted too. There are walkability concerns that come when crews need extra space to do their jobs. 6 News looked into how concerned citizens and the city are making sure everyone can safely use the limited available area.
Updated: Apr. 18, 2023 at 10:16 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
The Omaha City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to dedicate 21st Street near Logan Fontenelle Park in Vivian Strong’s name.
Updated: Apr. 17, 2023 at 10:21 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
Last Friday, 250 people attended a startup job mixer with 15 Nebraska companies looking to hire talent. The turnout points to an emerging community supporting startups in the metro says Laurel Oetken, with the Greater Omaha Chamber.
Updated: Apr. 17, 2023 at 10:59 AM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
Sunday hundreds of people gathered at the Omaha Design Center to support nurses in shelters and domestic violence homes across Omaha and Council Bluffs.
Updated: Apr. 17, 2023 at 10:55 AM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
Sunday, more than 200 family and friends honored a young Omaha woman on what would’ve been her 21st birthday.
Updated: Apr. 16, 2023 at 5:16 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
Sunday, trans rights supporters protested on Dodge Street.
Updated: Apr. 13, 2023 at 3:18 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta, Kevin Westhues and Gina Dvorak
As firefighters from around the Omaha-metro were working to contain a brush fire that had spread near NP Dodge Park on Thursday afternoon, the governor declared an emergency for the state and issued a ban on open burns for the next few days.
Updated: Apr. 12, 2023 at 10:18 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the City of Omaha and the Omaha Housing Authority $5 million through the Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants. It rounds out $25 million awarded under the same grant back in 2019.
Updated: Apr. 11, 2023 at 10:27 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
Nebraska is just one of seven states in America that doesn’t make its legislative proceedings available on demand. 6 News spoke with Senator Tom Brewer who introduced a plan to create a digital archive for the legislature.
Updated: Apr. 10, 2023 at 10:15 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
Before being elected as Douglas County Engineer, Todd Pfizer was the City of Omaha Engineer. A major focus of his work now is an area outside of the city in Northwest Douglas County.
Updated: Apr. 10, 2023 at 10:54 AM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
This is the last week to catch the two current exhibitions at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in downtown Omaha.
Updated: Apr. 9, 2023 at 5:49 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
You could own a piece of Omaha’s history. A riverboat that’s welcomed thousands of guests and helped make countless memories.
Updated: Apr. 5, 2023 at 4:21 PM CDT
|By Marlo Lundak and Bella Caracta
A petition to initiate a ban on abortion in the city of Bellevue has failed.
Updated: Apr. 4, 2023 at 6:29 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
The Omaha City Council voted against roundabouts that would turn Farnam Street into a two-way all-day road.
Updated: Apr. 3, 2023 at 10:19 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
The memory of a fallen soldier from the Heartland is living on. Corporal Matthew Alexander of Gretna was killed in Iraq 16 years ago. The war hero and a new police K-9 in Nebraska City share a connection.
Updated: Apr. 3, 2023 at 7:14 AM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
Multiple pet food pantries across the metro say they’re facing shortages in pet food for their pantries. Fewer donations paired with increasing need are putting stress on Omaha-area animal rescues.
Updated: Mar. 30, 2023 at 10:25 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
A grant from the federal government is coming to the Omaha Police Department. It’s dedicated to solving cold cases with DNA testing.
Updated: Mar. 30, 2023 at 9:00 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
An Omaha nurse practitioner and Creighton professor will be awarded for her research in pediatric care for families with terminally ill children.
Updated: Mar. 29, 2023 at 10:21 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
Tuesday, the Omaha City Council approved via a resolution a $6 million bid for construction near downtown on the riverfront. It’s for another pedestrian bridge connecting the ballpark and arena area to the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge.
Updated: Mar. 28, 2023 at 10:20 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
You asked the city to fix the roads and they say they’re working on it. Tonight, 6 News is digging into this year’s major projects around the metro.
Updated: Mar. 28, 2023 at 2:28 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
Sunday, Iowa residents came together for a town hall asking what they can do about three proposed CO2 pipelines. Each one would go through dozens of counties in Iowa.
Updated: Mar. 27, 2023 at 9:57 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
6 News spoke with Nebraska lawmakers about where they stand on the issue.
Updated: Mar. 23, 2023 at 12:19 PM CDT
|By Cassie Crowe, Bella Caracta and Gina Dvorak
Nebraska lawmakers on Thursday voted to advance LB574, which would ban gender-affirming care for youth.
Updated: Mar. 22, 2023 at 5:55 PM CDT
|By Bella Caracta
On Day 2 of the three-day debate on LB574, some state senators have raised concerns about the legality of the bill opposing gender-affirming care for youth.
Updated: Mar. 21, 2023 at 12:23 PM CDT
|By Gina Dvorak, Dave Zawilinski and Bella Caracta
Mayor Jean Stothert presented her State of the City address in Omaha City Council Chambers on Tuesday afternoon. Her 10th annual address comes as several city projects are underway.
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