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

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Poppin’ Wheelies

May 31, 2007 at 5:30pm By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

Hey cool, I (almost) saw this happen!

At 5:38 p.m., a trooper saw a motorcyclist popping wheelies near 27th Street and Old Cheney Road, said spokeswoman Deb Collins.

When the trooper tried to stop the man, he fled, resulting in a short chase that included the assistance of a State Patrol helicopter, Collins said.

I saw the trooper driving strangely at 48th and Highway 2 just minutes later, and just before 7:00 I saw a patrol car parked in the median near 27th and Pine Lake Road. I was confused about why the State Patrol seemed to be doing traffic work in the city.

One thing about this bugs me: why the helicopter? Since when does a doofus on a bike require the trouble and expense of a helicopter search? Yeah, I know, the biker ran away from the cops. But what were the odds that a helicopter search would find the guy? Surely pretty low in this sort of a situation. Assuming there wasn’t reason to believe the biker was linked to a more serious crime, I’m inclined to call the helicopter search a waste. Indeed, it was citizens on the ground who cracked the case:

After troopers ended the pursuit, the patrol started receiving calls from neighbors in the area who said the knew where the bike and driver were, Collins said.

The motorcycle was later found at a home on Birch Creek Drive, and around 7:30 p.m., police arrested the driver at his home on Coronado Drive, Collins said.

Timothy Wright, 19, was arrested and jailed on suspicion of speeding and fleeing to avoid arrest, Collins said. Wright does not have motorcycle license, she said.

I have to wonder if Wright’s neighbors weren’t tickled to finally nail a neighborhood menace.

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600 Miles An Hour

May 31, 2007 at 5:30pm By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

The fun Paleo-Future blog recently featured a 1901 story from the Lincoln Evening News on the 600 mph train of the future. Hmph, over a hundred years later and we’re still relying on a slightly less elegant form of transit.

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Playing Under a New Star

May 31, 2007 at 12:30pm By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

Lincoln Stars head coach Steve Johnson called it quits to go back home to Grand Forks. Johnson was the team’s only coach in its successful 11 year history. Somebody has some big shoes to fill.

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The Lawyer Says to Sue

May 31, 2007 at 12:20pm By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

Herb Friedman, a common presence on local television and radio commercials, has his say about the Time Warner mess in today’s Journal Star. It’s not a bad piece, but I came away feeling like the guy is a little dirty. Friedman proposes that “this is the stuff class actions are made of, and some customers might want to explore that option with counsel.” That’s probably true, but it seems to me it’s a little unethical of Mr. Friedman not to mention his own interest in a class action lawsuit. Mr. Friedman criticizes Time Warner for not being upfront about Navigator; shouldn’t he also be upfront about himself?

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Bike And Ride

May 30, 2007 at 12:25pm By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

StarTran won’t be adding bike racks to buses any time soon, sez maintenance superintendent Glenn Knust. One reason is that the added 18” would make the buses too long to fit in the garage. It’s mind-boggling to think that there aren’t 18” to spare in the garage, but hey, whatever. The second reason makes more sense: at 2,500 bucks a pop, the cost/benefit ratio is a little out of whack. At $1.25 per bus ride, that would mean the racks would have to generate 2,000 additional rider trips just to pay for a single bike rack. That isn’t worth it. Not even close.

But hold on a second. $2,500 per bike rack sounds obscene, doesn’t it? After all, isn’t a bike rack basically just a simple metal frame, perhaps with a couple straps? I would think a suitable bike rack could be constructed for about fifty bucks in parts, plus labor. Right? Can Lincoln’s bike riding community explain to me where the extra $2,450 comes from?

Hat tip: foxspit

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Ricky’s Back!

May 30, 2007 at 12:20pm By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

Competent to stand trial? Ha! Ricky Turco isn’t even competent to participate in society, as proven by his latest run-in with the police. The judge set bond at $500,000, five times higher than what the County Attorney requested.

The Journal Star apparently got tired of policing the comments on Turco-related articles because they didn’t allow comments about this most recent incident. That’s probably smart of them.

You know, Ricky Turco is obviously a maroon. That’s pretty hard to dispute. But he surely isn’t the only such maroon in town, just the most infamous one right now. I shudder to think that there are plenty of other Turco clones out there. Ugh.

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Friday Five

May 25, 2007 at 12:30pm By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

It’s about time the four peregrine falcon chicks at the capitol had names. Here are some of my suggestions:

North, South, East, and West, in honor of Nebraska’s north-south/east-west road grid.
Lock, Stock, Smoking Barrel, and Smoking Barrel
Herbie, Little Red, Durango, and Louie
George, William, Ernie, and, uhh ... one of these guys
Blizzard, Twister, Windy, and Drought

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A Thousand a Day

May 25, 2007 at 12:25pm By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

Despite my inability to keep anything but the blog updated, Lincolnite continues to draw more and more visitors. The site now averages over 1,000 visitors per day. If you’ll excuse the quick self-congratulations, I think that’s pretty cool. Lincolnite is no Drudge Report, but we have a nice little community of regular and, uhh, “irregular” readers. I would publicly thank some of the regulars but I know I would miss somebody and I definitely don’t want to offend.

If you’re wondering, yes, I do still have grand plans for this site. Time and money are, as always, the major constraints. A sane person might say “To hell with it! I’ll just make it a blog and call it good”. But I don’t wanna, so I’m not going to do that. Instead, I’m going to keep chipping away at this thing until it approaches my vision.

On the plus side, I think I will have some time this summer to devote to Lincolnite. I’ve given up baseball umpiring (for this year, anyway) so that gives me an opening. Also, I’m picking up some nice freelance web development work that’s helping on the funding side of things.

Anyway, thanks to everyone—all 1,000+ of you—who spend a little piece of your day around here. If at any time you have comments, questions, suggestions, or contributions, please let me know.

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Lincolnites are…

May 25, 2007 at 12:20pm By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

...some of the most materialistic people and superficial people in the country it looks like it falls behind so many other core counties of metro areas.
...distressed to learn that during their 24 hour shift Firefighters also require nourishment.
...now armed against harmful chemicals from terrorists.
...proud of their “state-of-the-art” downtown, too.
...so friendly, chances are they’ll quietly watch from afar and then offer their congratulations after your ceremony is over.
...struggling with the fact that each household can expect to pay an addition $200 per year after the City and County spend every cent of extra property tax revenue generated by the recent property reevaluations.
...doing things for the betterment of Lincoln.
...bound to take advantage of the city’s movie theatre abundance.
...beautiful in their own special way
...depending on the trails for commuting year-round, providing yet another reason for them to be cleared and navigable.

So sayeth Google.

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Take a Tour of Whittier

May 25, 2007 at 12:20pm By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

The old Whittier Junior High on Vine Street has been semi-abandoned for a long time. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has plans—or at least hopes—for it, though, thanks to the Antelope Valley Project. Have you ever wondered what Whittier is like these days on the inside? Go ahead and take a tour.

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Mission to 9 South Chargrill Aborted

May 24, 2007 at 12:30pm By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

The Missus, Robbie, and I made it into 9 South Chargrill last night, but we didn’t get seated. Their high chairs hadn’t been delivered yet so we would have had to improvise with Robbie. There are some restaurants in which I would have been willing to wing it, but Robbie was a little cranky, there were a bunch of people in the restaurant, and we had no idea how quickly we would get our food and get out of there. I am the sort of parent who wants his kid to be able to adapt to unique situations, but not at the expense of other customers who just want to enjoy a nice meal. So we left and ate at Yia Yia’s instead.

A couple quick reactions. First, 9 South is pretty small. Did I say small? I meant cozy. In a good way. Most tables were full last night at 6. Service looked like it might have been a little slow—not atypical for a new, local joint in the first couple weeks after opening—though that perception was based on pretty limited evidence. The menu is mostly meat-based with a few vegetarian items. Prices were mostly in the $10-$20 range, if I remember correctly. I have a paper version of the menu at home that I need to scan for you.

So that’s strike 2 for the Wilsons at 9 South. We’ll keep trying, though. If any of you make it there, please do report back.

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You’re Paying For the Qwest (But Don’t Expect a Discount on Tickets)

May 24, 2007 at 12:30pm By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

Lincoln was axed from the so-called Qwest Center Bill, so Lincoln’s proposed arena and/or convention center won’t see any tax assistance for now. Senator Bill Avery and others hope to change that next year. For now, about $1.4 million that could have gone to programs across the state will now be funneled to the Qwest to pay off construction bonds. Funny, I don’t recall the Qwest’s supporters including a discussion of the facility’s reliance on state tax support when they made their pitches before it was built.

Norfolk Senator Mike Flood proposed the bill. Why is a Senator from Norfolk spearheading a bill that benefits Omaha? Senator Flood says that the Qwest is a “gem for all Nebraskans”, and that the Qwest deserves state tax support because Nebraskans from across the state use the facility. I don’t follow. Why should every Nebraskan have to help subsidize private interests through the use of public funds? Shouldn’t those who use the facility be the ones to pay for it?

Lincolnites need to think about these issues because we will be dealing with them very soon. How much tax support as a Lincolnite or a Nebraskan are you willing to give to the proposed arena and/or convention center? For how long?

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Rain and Skeeters

May 24, 2007 at 12:25pm By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

I haven’t noticed any mosquito armies this year—and thank goodness for that. I’m generally an insect fan, but nobody sucks my blood without my permission. That’s just rude. Have you folks in other parts of Lincoln noticed a rush of the little buzzing bozos thanks to May’s heavy rains?

Speaking of heavy rains, my rain gauge showed over 1.25 inches this morning, while KLIN was reporting 68 hundredths at their station. I’m just glad we got some moisture. I had held off on watering my garden because the forecast promised rain Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. When I looked outside this morning my plants seemed very pleased by the overnight shower.

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Lincoln, Nebraska is…

May 24, 2007 at 12:25pm By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

...a great place to live and work.
...in the Central Time Zone.
...a fast growing community with friendly neighborhoods, low crime rates, a great health care system and an excellent educational system.
...the tenth healthiest city for pregnancy according to BabyFit.com’s list of Top 100 Cities for Healthy Pregnancies.
...the state capital and second largest city in Nebraska.
...located in Lancaster County.
...a community of 215928 people and is the home of Nebraska Wesleyan University.
...recognized nationally for its football team from the University of Nebraska.
...very, very radical when it comes to encouraging poor people to have babies the public schools give people backpacks of food to encourage the poor people with babies to have more of them and additionally as was discussed before they offer free-baby care to high-schoolers who have babies.
...squarely in the middle, say observers.

So sayeth Google.

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