Lincolnite

Looking for a volunteer gig, and the opportunity to learn a few things to boot? If so, check out the volunteer opportunities at the Nebraska State Historical Society. For example, the annual docent training series at the Nebraska History Museum runs from October through January. If there were thirty hours in the day I'd be all over that, but for now it'll have to wait. Are you interested? Contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) at 402-472-4955.

I apologize to those of you who are looking for Mr. T's Where in Lincoln post this morning. He is out of town and I was supposed to cover for him. Unfortunately, I have barely been home since Friday, and this morning I had to do paperwork associated with an ejection in a recent soccer match I officiated. I'll get you some kind of Where in Lincoln post or other game just as soon as I can.

Maybe "lives" is too enthusiastic, but there's evidence to suggest that the ugly patch of blacktop at 13th and Q won't remain an ugly patch of blacktop for as long as, say, the parking lot that preceded Embassy Suites:

According to the mayors office, the City of Lincoln has received a proposal for the development of City-owned land on the south side of "Q" Street between 13th and 14th streets. The proposal includes retail and residential space as well as public parking.

We've heard that song before so we'd best not hold our collective breath. Still, I for one am willing to hold out a tiny bit of hope that a project at that site will come to fruition sooner rather than later. Here's hoping for a 2011 start date!

How sad is this Don Walton headline: House race could focus on policy. Wait, could? How sad is it that it's news when a political race could actually focus on issues?

I know this is late notice, but my dad has four tickets for sale for today's game. 48 yard line, East balcony. Awesome seats. Make an offer.

There's a lot to be said about the same-sex marriage debate, but since so little of it is what I would consider a Lincoln-related issue I won't go that direction right now. But I do want to bring up the plight of Bambi and Sarah Fentress, two women who are married in Iowa but who can't change their last name here in Nebraska as easily as a married couple can because their Iowa marriage isn't recognized here. You might ask, "Can't one of them just change her name through the traditional name-change process?". Well yes. But they don't want to do that. It's too expensive, and besides, there's the principle of the matter. I can't help them with the principle. They're fighting Nebraska's Constitution. Want to take on the Constitution? Go right ahead, but then you're really talking about some costs. I looked up Nebraska's name-change process. It's very straightforward, and at $82.00 not outrageously expensive. Consider it a fancy dinner with appetizers, dessert, and some wine. I imagine quite a few folks would step up to help cover that cost. I know, I know, it's the principle of the thing. If the Fentresses want to fight that fight, more power to them. I'm just saying the name change process isn't out of reach.

Good ol' Hawthorne Elementary. What should we do with you? There are plenty of ideas floating around: turn it back into an elementary school; use it as a magnet school; use it for the Bryan Community; use it for district office space; sell it; and so on. 10/11 even reports that it could be sold to Bryan LGH, an option I've not heard before. I wonder if that's true, or if 10/11 just doesn't know the difference between Bryan Community and Bryan LGH. I think my favorite option right now is using it for Bryan Community. I'm not sure why. I suppose I hear enough positive comments about Bryan that I think it's a program worth expanding. I could also get behind a magnet school concept of some sort. The School Board will vote within the next 30 days so if you have new ideas you'd better toss them into the mix soon. What would you like to see happen to Hawthorne?

Lina's -- one of my favorite local Mexican restaurants with locations at 10th & High and 70th and O -- was briefly named Tina's when it first opened. They changed their name apparently to avoid a spat with Tina's Cafe. But apparently their name change isn't quite complete, as demonstrated by their credit card ID, which I noticed today on my online bank statement:

VISA PURCHASE TINA S RESTAURANT LINCOLN NE US

Better to be over-prepared than under-prepared I suppose, though the notion of LPD training for a riot in Lincoln does sound a little silly. I know, I know, it's only silly until the training is needed. It makes me wonder... I was a part of a riot of sorts in Downtown Lincoln once. I rode around in my friend's T-top Camaro for hours among thousands of Husker fans on a cold, January night after one of the Huskers' national championship victories. I even made it onto an Omaha television station's "congratulations Huskers" commercial, which earned me the nickname Party Boy from my track coaches. Good times, good times. When was Lincoln's last "real" riot? I suppose it's not unfair to consider some late-night O Street shenanigans a "riot"; certainly police have to be careful how they respond amidst all the people and the booze. Have we had any good political riots in Lincoln?

Suggestions, Lincolnites?

I don't get out to Coddington Avenue very often, so I was surprised recently to see just how crummy that road has gotten between Highway 77 and Van Dorn. Not only is the road in rough shape, its two lanes don't do a very good job of managing traffic flow. Fortunately for residents in the area Coddington is now on the City's widening list. Deena Winter suggests area Councilman Jon Cook may have sold his soul to the devil to Mayor Beutler, swapping a "yes" on the Mayor's pet "one-stop development shop" for the road improvements. I don't have any opinion on that, except I will say that if a deal had to be made to get the job done, that's not such a terrible deal. It sounds like the road project will not take the form of one of Lincoln's nasty five-lane scars (like Pioneers between 70th and 84th), but rather something more modest (and hopefully less bugly). I sure hope that's true. Nothing about Coddington requires a beast of a road. I would argue, in fact, it would even do well with two lanes, a center turn lane, and a bike lane. Given Lincoln's track record, I won't hold my breath for that.

I'm always surprised that store clerks fall for "quick change" or "short change" scams, such as the one that caught Walmart and McDonald's recently. Combine a "customer is always right" mentality with the numbing effects of a day on the job and it's easy to see how a clerk could make a mathematical mistake. However, with a little training it's very easy to see the scam coming: Show employees a video like that every now and then and they'll be able to pick up on the scam quickly before any money is lost.

I missed the news from last Friday that the Board of Regents approved the Devaney Center expansion. The facility upgrade will cost around $18 million and will include a basketball practice facility, new training space, and new office space. Not long ago many people feared that if UNL were to invest in Devaney on this sort of project it would signal a vote of no confidence against the proposed Haymarket arena. That sentiment has changed lately, with the buzz now indicating that the Huskers are likely to be behind the arena ... for now. An unfavorable result in next spring's vote could still cause Dr. Tom to call up the renovators to put in place an all-out Devaney renovation. The Huskers can't wait forever, after all. You know, if we were to just put a dome over Memorial Stadium the basketball team could play in there, and it would make a great arena (as demonstrated by the Larry the Cable Guy show). Hmm...

The past several months have been filled with State Fair goodbyes. In many ways I'm sick of hearing about it. Just leave already! And yet... I'm not one to get teary-eyed over the Fair's departure, but boy is it going to seem weird not having it around. Heck, just learning to call State Fair Park "Innovation Campus" is going to feel odd for years to come. (Not least because "Innovation Campus" is kind of hokey.) State Fair Park is the next Miller & Paine; years from now you'll be able to tell how long somebody has lived in Lincoln by what they call that patch of land. The move to Grand Island is going to be a huge disruption to the State Fair. Here's hoping it's worth it.