Lincolnite

OK, I don't actually need my bathroom "pimped", but we are looking for a nice remodel. Our bathroom has been an eyesore since we moved into this house. We're finally going to do something about it. Can you help The Wilsons find a good person (or people) to do the work? Our to-do list includes:

• Install a shower head (currently just a bathtub)
• New bathtub
• Possibly tile the shower. Or we may just go with a surround. We haven't decided.
• Remove a half wall thingy and move the electrical outlet that's currently on it.
• New cabinet.
• New lights.
• New toilet.
• New flooring.
• New paint.

So yeah, that covers just about everything. We won't necessarily have a pro do all the work, though. I can handle painting walls and putting in a toilet, for example. But if somebody wants to do it all and the price is right, then they can have it. Actually, except for putting in a shower I could probably do all the work myself. And I may. But frankly it's probably more economical for a guy like me to recognize my weaknesses and thus to hire out most of the work. Our budget is modest but realistic, and the bathroom is fairly small. This isn't some sort of marquee job involving renovating an 800 square foot master bath. Just a nice simple job. If you know of somebody -- whether a company or an individual -- who might be interested (and who would like the publicity of being seen here), please leave a comment. Or I can be contacted directly at mrwilson at lincolnite dot com. Thanks for the help, folks!

Yesterday my father and I discussed the new hardware store that's slated to open in the former Hy-Vee at 40th and Old Cheney. We began talking about all the hardware stores that have come and gone over the years in south Lincoln. We came up with a pretty sizable list. But one hardware store stumped us. What was the name of the hardware store that used to be located in Briarhurst Plaza where Earl May and Dietze Music (and a couple other businesses) currently reside? Was it an Ace? True-Value? Baker's? Something else? Oddly enough we were able to take ourselves on a virtual tour through the old store -- we covered everything from the location of the key-making machine to the distinctive hardware store smell -- but we couldn't come up with the name. Help! And while you're at it, feel free to reminisce about hardware stores around town that stick in your mind. Edited to add: I should clarify that I'm not talking about the most recent hardware store tenant. I'm talking about the hardware store that was there around the mid- to late-80's. Maybe the most recent hardware store (True Value) was just a slimmed down version of the old store, but I was thinking they were different animals.

If all of the projects proposed for Downtown Lincoln actually happen -- and that's a big fat if -- Lincoln is really going to look different ten years from now. Consider:

• Lincolnites will vote on a new arena and associated projects next spring;
• Other Haymarket projects, including a hotel project actively moving forward, are also in the works;
• A combination retail, parking, hotel, and apartment project at 10th and M, first discussed several years ago, now appears to be making progress;
• A property owner near 13th and L wants to open his land for redevelopment (though he isn't in any hurry);
• The Catalyst One block is back in the news with two developers interested;
• Let's not forget about Antelope Valley to the east which, if City officials are correct, should start paying dividends over the next ten years;
• And of course there's Innovation Campus to the north.

Is all of that stuff going to happen? Not likely, if history is any indication. At least not as currently proposed. But the sheer number of relatively big projects in the pipeline is encouraging. Also encouraging to me is that two of the proposals are in south Downtown. South Downtown hasn't seen a whole lot of love in recent years. But surely it has plenty of potential; with the capitol to the east, local government to the south, and The Cornhusker to the west, there are lots of opportunities for growth. (I still think we should have more seriously examined the possibility of putting the arena in the area.) But beyond the benefits to that local area, how about the possibility that investment in south Downtown could gradually benefit the neighborhood nearby? I'm really stretching by this point, but wouldn't it be great to see some of those old houses and apartments get some serious fix-me-up treatment? In any event, the Downtown area seems well poised to take advantage of the post-recession recovery. I'm crossing my fingers.

Maybe it has been there for a while, but just this morning I noticed some new commenting guidelines on the Journal Star's website:

Keep it clean. Avoid language that is obscene, vulgar, lewd or sexually-oriented. If you can't control yourself, don't post it. Don't threaten to hurt or kill anyone. Be truthful. Don't lie about anyone or anything. Be nice. No racism, sexism or any other sort of -ism that degrades another person. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK, and forgive people their spelling errors. Let us know if it's getting out of hand. Please use the "Report Abuse" button on offensive comments. Share what you know, ask about what you don't. Give us your eyewitness accounts, background, observations and history. What more do you want to know about the story? Stay focused, and ask questions. Keep on the story's topic. And remember - don't feed the trolls.

How sad is it that they have to post an elementary school-style list like that? I suppose it's even sadder that it probably won't help.

I was up late last night (and early this morning) finishing up a new homepage for UNL Summer Sessions. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. My colleague Josh Heyer did the design and I did the HTML, CSS, and just a touch of javascript. I also snuck in a little easter egg. Can you find it?

Oh so that's how they are going to keep water in the new Antelope Creek channel:

We think there's enough water coming down Antelope Creek year-round to keep a fresh flow in there. But if we need to supplement it, there are wells we can put into it or we can release water from Holmes Lake.

It sure feels like cheating to suck water out of a well just to keep water in the creek. But at least there's a plan to keep all this from turning into a dry ditch, right? It's a little difficult to believe that after all these years the end of the Antelope Valley Project is in site. The flood control portion is practically finished, and the roads will be finished in a couple years. Now, can we please get started on that beltway?