Latest Blog Posts
Wing Hut
Just last night I noticed that Wing Street, Pizza Hut’s attempt at a buffalo wing store, has spread throughout Lincoln. I’m a big wing fan so I’m intrigued by the possibilities here. Have any of you tried their wings yet? I’m not personally looking for gourmet; just something to satisfy the craving when the wing mood strikes.
Should We Read Into This?
In Deena Winter’s column today she notes that 2015 Vision has run a survey gathering public opinion on the proposed arena. The survey’s purpose was “to determine how much progress arena promoters have made, and ensure the public understands what’s being proposed”.
Here’s where I wonder if we should read between the lines. The survey results are private. However, more often than not when it comes to surveys like this, good news gets leaked and bad news doesn’t. 2015 Vision isn’t releasing any information at this time. It is difficult for me not to wonder if that suggests that arena backers have their work cut out for them. If the survey shows good news, I would expect the group to say something like “The survey results are private, but we are pleased with where things stand”. Instead we only got the first half of that sentence. Furthermore, Dan Marvin is on the record saying: “I think the vote’s gonna be a challenge. Let’s face it, we’re in a recession right now.” That doesn’t sound good.
In my experience, sentiment seems to run fairly positively toward the arena. Most Lincolnite commenters and nearly all of those who have responded to my questions on Twitter have supported the arena project. But that’s a very biased sample of Lincolnites. It’s a self-selected group that tends to be relatively active in Lincoln and educated in Lincoln-related issues. It’s possible the rest of Lincoln doesn’t view the arena as positively.
What do you think? Should we read into this at all?
A Different Kind of Food Bank
Most Lincolnites are at least vaguely familiar with the Food Bank of Lincoln thanks to the stellar work they do. Now there’s a new kind of food bank in town, this one for pets, thanks to Lincoln Animal Ambassadors. Charlene Kjelland writes:
We accept donations of just about any type of pet food so that we can provide pet food assistance to those in need.
The Pet Food Bank application can be filled out and mailed, emailed, or an applicant can call (402) 540-7017 and can be found on our website: http://lincolnanimalambassadors.org/PetFoodBankApplication.pdf.
...
The Lincoln Animal Ambassadors is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that formed in June 2008. Our mission statement is: The Lincoln Animal Ambassadors promotes enriching our community through progressive thinking, education, awareness and public support. We are committed to improving the lives of animals and alleviating cruelty in Lincoln and the surrounding area.
A Good Thing, But Not the Right Good Thing
It makes my stomach churn to see a perfectly good $45 million project shuttered by the City. The project—involving a hotel, apartments, and a parking garage—has been tabled by the City Council because (get this) it doesn’t feature enough empty space. More specifically, the proposed building comes too close to a currently non-existent linear “park” along M Street.
Look, I understand a Master Plan needs to look forward and there will no doubt be hiccups in the road between plan visualization and realization. But this just sucks. Somebody wants to spend $45 million in our city and we’re going to tell them no? And after all the recent failures Downtown? Ugh. I sure hope City officials are doing cartwheels and handsprings trying to get this thing to happen.
Calling Herbie Husker
Jack Mitchell wants to find out who this is:
Do you know him? He’s the spittin’ image of Herbie, that’s for sure.
Iran Attacks Lincoln!
I feel like the fact that Iran is testing its missiles in Lincoln is probably something Mayor Beutler should speak up about. Where’s the leadership? For that matter, where’s the nearest bomb shelter?
Local Boving Water Sports
I remember several weeks ago when somebody called @lincolnyakpolo followed me on Twitter. I thought to myself, “Yak polo? I’ve got to see what this is all about.” It turns out
Lincoln Kayak Polo is a club, offering a new sport to Lincoln. Kayak polo is something we like to call ‘the sport for everyone’. ... If you are at least 9 years old, you can play. We provide all of the gear (including kayaks) and instruction needed to have a blast. Sign up, and let us take care of the rest. Beyond kayak polo, we also offer paddling education and rentals. We also can accommodate your next group function!
Sweet! Today the club got some press from the Journal Star. Good work, folks.
Have any of you done yak—I mean kayak—polo yet?
Smooth Criminal
If you haven’t already been doing so, be sure to follow the Lincoln Crimestoppers blog. At worst you will get an idea of the sorts of crimes going on around Lincoln; at best, you may be able to help solve a crime or two. And while you’re doing it, you get to laugh at guys like this:
The Best Non-Emergency Health Center in Lincoln
Which is the best non-emergency health clinic in Lincoln? For that matter, how many are there in Lincoln? I’m aware of two.
The only clinic I’ve been to is Linc Care [WARNING: obnoxious music]. For the most part they’ve gotten the job done for me. Wait times have ranged from a few minutes to probably 30 minutes or so. I went to Linc Care twice for heat-related issues. The first time they got me fixed up; the second time I was close enough to heat stroke that the doctor sent me to the emergency room instead. (That was a rough night.) I fortunately haven’t been back to Linc Care in a couple years.
The Missus has been utilizing Urgent Care Clinic of Lincoln [WARNING: obnoxious music and obnoxious narration] for the past couple years. UCC seems to be a higher-tech operation than Linc Care, and The Missus has nothing but praise for it so far. I haven’t personally been there; The Missus went there a couple days ago for a quick ear / sinus infection diagnosis.
Which is your favorite non-emergency clinic in Lincoln? Are there others I’ve missed that Lincolnites should know about?
The Quest to Fill Hawthorne: Part 384
No, LPS still hasn’t figured out for sure what to do with Hawthorne Elementary, but LPS administrators have made their recommendations: move Bryan Community and throw in some district offices for good measure. I’m particularly amused that Hawthorne’s neighbors are ok with moving Bryan, but they don’t want district offices because “the public schools are already kind of administration heavy”. Keeping district offices out of Hawthorne won’t slow the red tape machine, but I give the neighbors a virtual slap on the back for the effort.
The only thing that concerns me about moving Bryan is that LPS plans to keep Hawthorne in a condition that would allow it to easily transform back into an elementary school should the need arise. That’s great, but then what happens to Bryan? Let’s not turn Bryan into a homeless wanderer that gets uprooted every few years. That’s not good for students, it’s not good for teachers, and it’s not good for public perception of the program. If we’re going to move Bryan, it ought to be with the goal of finding it a permanent home.
Let’s Go Streaking
The talk of the town this week is Husker football’s 300th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium. I’ll be there. Will you?
I’m trying to guess how many of the 300 sellouts I’ve attended. I’m going to put it at about 55-60. Many of those came during college thanks to cheap student tickets and then four years of marching band. How many games have you been to?
You’re Going to Hate Me for Bringing This Up
I should really buy a new shovel before the first snow arrives. It hurts to think a think like that in September.
How Much Should Lincoln Do?
I don’t have any experience dealing with a dilapidated house in my neighborhood. At least, nothing like this. So it’s difficult for me to know just how realistic these Clinton residents are when they rant against the City’s impotency or unwillingness to actually do anything about trouble houses. Are their expectations fair and reasonable?
We all wish our neighbors would take good care of their property, but most of us don’t want our neighbors getting too nosy about what we do with our homes. Many “newer” neighborhoods have agreements of varying strictness regulating what can and cannot be done to a property. That’s a reasonable, private way of handling the matter, although it can in some cases have the unpleasant side effect of stripping character and color from an entire neighborhood. Beyond those agreements, to what degree am I responsible for the effect of my property’s state on your property’s value? Do I have any obligations to my neighbors, beyond reasonable health and safety measures?
There are a lot of interesting questions here. How we discuss and answer these questions will say a lot about Lincoln as a community. What will you argue for and against as this conversation develops?
Dinner Date’s Equipment For Sale
Dinner Date is selling off all of its equipment this Saturday and Sunday. Check out what’s for sale. They’ve got everything from freezers to a couch to miscellaneous kitchen utensils.
By the way, they are also offering up all of their recipes in a $25 cookbook. If you like their meals—we do!—the cookbook could be a good buy for you.
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