Latest Blog Posts
Zion Up in Flames
I hate to see a nice landmark like Zion Church go up in flames. Here’s hoping the structure is sound enough that it can be at least partially repaired.
Bruning Campaign Begins
Surprise. Jon Bruning announced his candidacy for the 2008 U.S. Senate seat yesterday at the Unicameral. Actually, Bruning “pre-announced” his announcement on Tuesday with a New York-based daily, where he had apparently been fund raising. As pointed out by a reporter at the Unicam announcement, it seems a little dubious for Jon to be talking big about representing small town Nebraskans against “carpet baggers” when the guy is getting as much out-state support as the next politician. Talking to the New York Sun probably wasn’t the best media move Jon’s campaign could have done the week of his announcement(s). Advantage: Chucky.
LFR Missing the Target
KLIN News reported that Lincoln Fire and Rescue is missing its ambulance response time goals so far in 2007. City ordinance requires LFR to respond in under eight minutes 90% of the time. In the first three months of the year, they didn’t even come close:
- January: 85.98%
- February: 85.11%
- March: 83.78%
The new Fire Chief has his hands full ... if we ever hire one. See the Fire Department’s own report (PDF) on response times.
Clayton Anderson Heads to Space Today
Nebraskan Clayton Anderson is headed to space today. Launch time is 6:38 p.m. If you want to watch the launch live (or if you just want to watch a little NASA TV throughout the day), go here and click on “Launch Video Player” in the right column.
Wind? We Don’t Know Wind
So you thought it was windy the past couple days, eh? That was just a light breeze. This is windy.
I Like This Guy
I like people like Mathew Wegener. He is excited about Lincoln, and I’m excited for him. Best of luck, Mr. Wegener.
Arts Bring in the Money
According to a recent study (PDF), the arts and culture industry generates over $36 million in economic activity in Lincoln every year. That’s not a ton of money compared to other industries, but hey, I’ll take it.
Learn more about Lincoln’s art scene from the Lincoln Arts Council.
Enough Break-ins Already!
I am really fed up with reading article after article about school break-ins. Come on computer and electronics geeks—I know you’re reading this, don’t try to deny it—there has to be a simple and affordable way to cut down on these things. I’m thinking some motion sensors and a network of webcams could go a long ways toward slowing the damage and theft, or at least make it easier to catch the bozos who do this stuff.
Or dogs. Very hungry, very angry dogs.
I wonder how much money LPS loses every year to theft and vandalism? I would guess somewhere in the low six-figures.
What is Seng Up To?
A random thought for this morning: Now that Chris Beutler has settled into his new office, Ken Svoboda is back on the City Council, Roger Yant has faded back into the shadows, and Mike Deal disappeared altogether, I wonder what former Mayor Colleen Seng is up to? I know, I know, it’s tempting to joke that she probably makes her own ceremonial ribbons at home and she cuts them with giant novelty scissors. Kidding aside, Ms. Seng has a lot of passion for this city and I hope she’s putting it to use somewhere.
A Smoking Ban That’s Easy to Support
Now here’s a smoking ban I can support. BryanLGH Medical Center, Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center, and Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital will all go smoke-free beginning January 1. That’s smoke-free for everyone, everywhere on the hospitals’ respective campuses. If I were you I would try to avoid falling ill or scheduling surgery during the first week of January. There are going to be some very grumpy doctors and nurses wandering the halls.
A Bridge Made of People
I can’t say that I’m giddy over the design, but the new mural adorning the skywalk on 12th Street near O Street is an interesting idea that played out well. I had to laugh, though, when artist Larry Roots said
When I was looking at this bridge and trying to transform it into something else, I thought it could represent, literally, a human bridge.
A human bridge? Now that would have been cool.
Who Let the Dogs In?
The City Council voted unanimously to allow commercial pet boarding kennels inside the city. The kennels had previously been banned. An earlier effort to reverse the ban some ten years ago failed. The kennels will have to sit at least 200 feet from residential areas. They may be placed in commercial or industrial areas.
I generally support the ordinance change. It is unfortunate that it took the city this long to enact it. But there’s a comparison here that intrigues me. There is another longstanding city ordinance that came up for review not long ago. It too involved blocking certain types of businesses from operating within the city. But that ordinance was upheld, while the kennel ordinance was undone.
The other ordinance, of course, is our city’s multiplex theater ban, which prevents theaters with more than six screens from being built within the city. The effect has been to grant a virtual monopoly to Douglas Theaters on first-run movie theaters.
In both situations, current business owners opposed a change to city policy on the grounds that it would be unfair. The existing businesses had had to comply with certain rules, and new businesses should have to comply with those rules as well or they would have an unjust competitive advantage. In the case of the theaters, the argument worked. Lincoln’s anachronistic policy stands. On the matter of commercial kennels, however, the argument did not prove persuasive to even a single member of the City Council.
I wonder what the difference is? Speculate away. Or if you prefer, tell me why my comparison stinks.
Street Surfing
Last night’s rain sure was a drencher, no? At 625 Elm Street—that’s near 48th and Highway 2 for the uninitiated—we received about 1.4 inches in around 35 minutes. That was plenty to turn the street into an impressive rushing river. The wake left by the city bus as it passed even came well into our (uphill) driveway.
Did anybody top 1.4 inches yesterday? Was anybody near any of the impressive lightning strikes?
Your Role (and Mine) in Global Warming
Lincoln’s relatively cheap electric rates come at a cost: the coal that produces much of our power creates a lot of carbon emissions. If Congress ever decides to tax carbon emissions, wave buh-bye to those cheap rates.
Actually, I’m just using this post as yet another of my attempts to promote nuclear power. It’s clean. It’s safe. It’s cheap. Learn more.
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