The Lincolnite Blog: Lincolnite: Lincoln, Nebraska's Online Community

Spring is Arriving in Lincoln

March 6, 2006 at 5:44pm By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

Looks like it’s supposed to rain over the next couple days. I know it’s way too early to get my hopes up, but wouldn’t it be great if we could make it through spring and into summer with a nice, solid foundation of moisture in the soil and in area lakes and ponds?

And have you all noticed how we went from virtually zero morning bird noise to a springtime morning symphony in the span of just about three days?

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48th and O-No!

March 6, 2006 at 12:56pm By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

I suppose the big news in Lincoln today is closing of 48th & O and the related re-routing of traffic. I’m sure glad I don’t regularly need to pass through that area. It doesn’t sound like much fun at all.

On the plus side, I hope the new and improved O Street means a new and improved area all around. The new shopping area on the southeast corner will get things started, and I suspect other developments will follow.

At least there are other ways to get around the 48th and O area. Imagine the troubles that’ll be caused by the closing of the O Street viaduct leading to and from West O. There aren’t many ways to get across the tracks to West Lincoln. I’m especially concerned for the “limited mobility” folks who can’t easily add a couple miles to their journey.

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Starship Troopers

March 5, 2006 at 11:47am By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

When the new parking garage/high-rise proposal was first announced, I didn’t think there would be much of an uproar about the Starship 9 going the way of the Dodo. The place is grungy and ill-maintained, and nobody goes there any more. Right?

Wrongo.

I’ve been impressed by the Starship Troopers, the defenders of Lincoln’s two buck “dollar theater”. I had no idea so many people were so passionate about the Starship. Unfortunately for them, there aren’t enough of them to halt the Starship’s demise. But based on what I’ve read and heard there ought to be enough of them to justify a replacement sooner rather than later.

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Giving Up the Ghost

March 3, 2006 at 7:24am By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

A few blogs on the Lincolnite blogroll have given up the ghost over the past month or so. It’s unfortunate to see them end, but I thank their authors for trying. I think this is a good time to put out the call for some new blogs to add to the blogroll. I know a lot of new Lincoln-related blogs have popped up lately. Which ones am I missing? Let me know about them in the comments.

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Coming Soon: Planet Sub

March 2, 2006 at 5:14pm By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

I noticed today that Planet Sub will be moving into the location vacated by Kep’s Sporting Goods on P Street downtown. It’s an awfully big storefront for what appears to be a fairly simple deli, so it’ll be interesting to see how they fill up all of that space. Looks like they’re shooting for an April opening.

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Another Bond

February 28, 2006 at 7:23am By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

The City Council last night voted to place another bond issue before voters. This time it’s a $2.7 million project to purchase 130 acres of green space adjacent to the South Beltway. The land will resemble the narrow green strip that follows Highway 2 from 17th to 56th Street.

I can’t help but be disappointed. In earlier discussions Lincolnites had set their sights high, proposing to extend Wilderness Park around the city as a massive and unprecedented green belt. The South and East Beltways were the perfect routes for this massive urban woodland. The bond issue that will go before voters in May is a joke in comparison.

The costs of the earlier grand vision would have been astronomical, of course, and it’s nowhere near certain that enough land could have been easily acquired to make the project worthwhile. But boy, wouldn’t it have been fun to try? I think Lincolnites could have latched onto that vision far more easily than they’ve latched onto the vision of a revitalized Antelope Valley, a renewed Downtown, or even a new convention center.

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Just Decide

February 28, 2006 at 7:21am By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

Douglas Theatre Company President David Livingston just wants the Lincoln City Council to make up its darn mind. I can’t say I blame him. I often feel the same way about our noncommittal City Council.

In this case, Livingston simply wants the City Council to say for certain whether the city’s theater policy is going to stick around for good. Councilman Jon Camp’s halfway solution—scrapping the current policy in seven years—has yet to be voted on. Even if it passes Douglas will have no guarantees. What’s to prevent the council from extending the restrictions indefinitely? Ultimately the theater policy is driven by the government’s fear of its constituents’ decisions. It’s all too paternal for my tastes.

More broadly, David Livingston has hit upon a frustration many Lincolnites have with the City Council. The Council, for whatever reason, is terrified of commitment. It’s not that I want seven inflexible automatons, but is it too much to ask for them to make up their minds now and then?

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Mayor Seng’s Nicknames

February 27, 2006 at 7:24am By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

I attended a gathering last night and somehow the conversation suddenly shifted to Mayor Colleen Seng’s many nicknames. Some of the nicknames included: