Latest Blog Posts
Let’s Eat Ribs on Thursday
Who is up for some ribs tomorrow? Any and all are welcome to meet me at Ribfest tomorrow. I will plan to be at the west entrance (near the YWCA) at noon. After getting my food, I will plan to sit under the tent on the west side (the same place we ate last year). I’m a slow eater, so don’t worry about rushing if you’re running behind.
Oh, and don’t forget to bring some cans of food for the Food Bank of Lincoln, which gets you in for free between 11:00am and 1:00pm on both Thursday and Friday.
Chickens and Pigs and Cattle, Oh My!
The Lancaster County Fair is going on today through Sunday. The action has already begun with the 8:30am 4-H English horse jumper show, and continues through midnight.
That’s a Lot of Cabbage and Onions
Did you know there are 16 Runza locations in Lincoln? I had no idea there are that many. Who knew Ov’n St’f’d Sandwiches—or whatever excessively-punctuated name they’re calling runzas these days—were so popular?
Working the Chain Gang at Pansing Park
I don’t think I have any inherent beef with having inmates do work for Parks & Rec. It’s a win-win: Parks & Rec, short on cash, gets cheap labor; bored inmates get some activity and work experience. Only non-violent, low-risk inmates would be used, of course.
Personally, I’m a big fan of programs that give inmates something productive to do. Although the retributionist in all of us might prefer that certain criminals be locked in their cells with nothing but the bare necessities, simple math will tell you that it’s often less costly to society when convicts leave jail in a productive capacity than it is to keep them incarcerated or to reincarcerate them. (Notice I said “often”, not “always”.) That’s particularly true for most non-violent offenders.
Parks and Rec director Lynn Johnson has some concerns about the proposal, and rightly so. But it’s clear there’s excess work to be done. Trash could be picked up more frequently. Grass could be mowed more often. Baseball and softball fields could be kept in better condition. Restrooms could be kept cleaner. And so on. In the wintertime, inmates could be used to clear sidewalks and other pedestrian areas around public buildings and parks, leaving regular personnel more time to focus on the city’s streets.
It’s still early, though, so I look forward to seeing more details as the idea develops. How much will it cost? What jobs will they do? Will they wear pink?
Another Hundred Mil for UNL
UNL’s research funding leveled off a bit this year, but still increased 3.2% to $105.7 million. That’s a nice little chunk of change. Although UNL and NU leaders talk about how UNL’s research funding benefits Lincoln and Nebraska, it would be nice to see some numbers rather than just general statements. Even a periodic report—every three to five years, say—would be great. Does such a report exist?
The Perils of Not Following the Local News
Week after week, I see articles in the Journal Star or hear stories on KLIN about the success of the latest prostitution sting by LPD in or near Near South. Today I woke up to the same old news: seven more men were arrested for soliciting prostitution in that neighborhood.
Seriously guys, are you trying to get caught? LPD hasn’t exactly been secretive about their anti-prostitution efforts in that part of the city.
I wonder how many men LPD has caught in those stings. Dozens for sure.
Is Lincolnite Misbehaving?
I received a report that Lincolnite doesn’t always load correctly. Sometimes it can take a few page refreshes to get things to show up properly. This specific report said it started around last Wednesday.
Is anybody else having problems with pages not loading, or only getting partial page loads? If so, please let me know.
Ainsworth Makes The New York Times Online
Pleasantly surprised to see that the online version of the Times’ “above the fold” story this morning is on the development of wind power out in Ainsworth by NPPD.
Whatchu Talkin’ ‘Bout, Don?
In today’s Don Walton column, he includes this sentence near the end:
Irony: Deregulation is a favorite theme of the business community, but deregulation of the airline industry could forever place limits on Lincoln’s potential for economic growth.
I’m missing his point. Could somebody tell me what he’s trying to get at?
Where in Lincoln is this?
I knew this might be a hard one, so I took a hint photo as well:
Congratulations Nikki! Your formidable knowledge of Lincoln, and tenacity, is indeed impressive.
Jwilt...dude, you were one google search click away from the answer. A geek god such as yourself should be ashamed. 
You Will Continue to Sit on That Old, Worn-Out Chair and You’ll Like It!
I just recently noticed an oddity in the City Council’s proposed changes to the Mayor’s budget:
Cut $300 for replacement of office chair in Public Works and Utilities, Fleet Services - $300.
I wonder whose chair that was supposed to be, and why the Council doesn’t want him or her to sit in comfort.
A Sports Section That’s 40% Advertisements
The print edition of today’s Lincoln Journal Star sports section is a perfect illustration of the frustrations some of you have expressed lately about the LJS’s lack of content. Page 3 is 50% advertisements. Page 4 is 100% advertisements. Page 5 is 100% advertisements. With 2.5 pages of ads in a six-page section, you’re looking at 40% ads, 60% content. Of that 60%, most of page 2 and page 6 are raw data (various sports results and baseball stats, respectively). And about 1/3 of page 1 is taken up by a large photo and headline that several of you have railed against.
I’m still a subscriber and I don’t plan to unsubscribe any time soon. But at 60/40, the ratio of content to ads is getting scarily close to the likes of Cosmo.
Adult Diapers Are OK; Umbrellas Are Not
Since Senator Bill Avery proposed a sales tax holiday on back-to-school items in Nebraska, you may be interested in knowing how Iowa handles their holiday. Here are the rules, along with a list of sample taxable and exempt items. For example, corsets are exempt, as are fur coats, riding pants, and tuxedos. Meanwhile, scuba gear, martial arts attire, golf gloves, and checkbook covers are taxable.
One of the rules strikes me as odd. That rule states: “Businesses cannot advertise that they will pay or otherwise absorb the sales tax on items that don’t qualify.” Why not? If I run a business and I want to have a 10% off sale during the sales tax holiday, that’s legal. But if I want to have a 5.5% off sale (or whatever the sales tax happens to be), that’s illegal. Huh?
Several states have sales tax holidays on various items at various times of the year. You may want to read up on what other states are doing.
Surprising Stat of the Day: Crime is Down
I was very surprised this morning to see that crime in Lincoln has dropped significantly—by 19% or 13% in the first half of the year, depending on how you choose to crunch the numbers. That’s impressive for several reasons. One is that, as I have mentioned before and as Chief Casady likes to talk about, Lincoln isn’t exactly crawling with cops. That’s not to say we should have cops on every corner, just that an increased police presence is generally going to be expected to decrease certain types of crimes.
Another reason is the economy. My gut instinct tells me that there should be an inverse relationship between “the economy” (a fuzzy concept to be sure), and rates of certain crimes, such as theft. Maybe Lincoln is bucking the trend, for some reason. Or perhaps my gut is dead wrong.
Beyond all of that, I think some of the credit has to go to Lincolnites. Scoff if you will, but I think there is a kernel of truth to the notion that Lincoln is still a small town at heart. Enough Lincolnites are connected to other Lincolnites by social bonds—even relatively weak bonds of acquaintanceship—that the community fabric holds together pretty well. In that sort of an environment, crime can be expected to stay lower than it otherwise would be. Of course, there are plenty of factors straining those bonds so even if this is all true, we’ve got our work cut out for us to keep it together.
Go at it, you amateur criminologists. What’s up with the big drop in the crime rate?
Remember Those Coke Commercials Before Movies? They’re History
Matt Olberding says today’s the day that Marcus Theaters switches from Coke to Pepsi. Or, if you’re like me, from Sprite to Sierra Mist or Mountain Dew.
On this topic, are you among the “It’s the end of the world! / This is the greatest news EVAR!” crowd, or the “Yaaaaaaawn” crowd?
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