Lincolnite

I don't know what it is about trains that evokes so much passion from some people. Whatever it is has been in plentiful supply lately in Lincoln because it seems like the Lincoln Area Model Railroad Club and Museum is in the news every other week. This time the topic is their effort to move a depot, caboose, and train signal from Innovation Campus to the Lancaster Event Center grounds. There they would become part of the club's proposed model railroad museum. Speaking of the museum, I'll be very impressed if the club manages to raise the $500,000 they need. That's a lot of money for any group of hobbyists to raise. I hope they get there. You can bet my son Robert will spend many hours at the museum once it's finished. I hope they sell annual memberships.

The Advocate recently came out with their list of the gayest cities in America. Probably not surprisingly, Lincoln was not on the list. Or maybe the omission is surprising to those of you who have heard the same urban legend I've heard. Back in junior high -- or heck, maybe even elementary school -- I first heard the claim that Lincoln has the most gay people per capita in the United States. I heard it over and over and over again. You can find references to this "fact" online and you will occasionally hear somebody pass it along in a conversation. The trouble is I have never seen anything remotely resembling a reputable source for it. So two questions. First, is the legend true? I doubt it, but stranger things have happened. Lincoln is probably the gayest city in Nebraska, but that wouldn't be very surprising at all. But even believing that we have the highest gay population in the region, much less the country, is extremely difficult. Surely Iowa City, Lawrence, and Boulder would be expected to rank higher than Lincoln. Second, where and when did the rumor originate? It has been around for at least 15 to 20 years. Perhaps it was true long ago but it's no longer true today. Whether or not it is or was true, somebody had to be the first to report it. A local newspaper? A national magazine? A comedian with a taste for irony? How many of you have heard this claim passed along as fact? Do you have any idea where or when it originated?

Have you ever wanted to watch KLIN's Jack & John first thing in the morning? Well, neither have I. But now we can, thanks to a couple webcams in the studio. It's a pretty good video feed and the audio syncs well. Good work, fellas!

Sun oh sun where did you go / Please come back, we miss you so! One of the few things I don't like about winter is the extended periods of cloudy days. I sit in my basement at a computer all day. Is it too much to ask to come upstairs and see the sun every now and then? Yeesh.

For many years some Nebraskans have complained about the Nebraska School Activities Association's (NSAA) freedom from the requirements that other governmental entities must obey, such as open meetings, open records, and so on. Here's the thing: the NSAA is a private non-profit. A substantial majority of its member organizations are government entities (public schools), but the NSAA itself is private. Our own Sen. Bill Avery wants to change that. LB 1021 would force the NSAA to abide by open meeting and open records laws. If it doesn't, its assets will be liquidated and distributed to its member schools. That sounds like something straight out of Venezuela. To the best of my knowledge the NSAA is a voluntary, private organization tacitly approved by the State, but not explicitly created by or controlled by the State. If that's true, Senator Avery's bill makes me uncomfortable. I don't like the idea of the state government taking over a private entity by force of law. If Senator Avery thinks the NSAA is so terrible, why doesn't he instead craft a bill that creates the state's own controlling body for school activities? Or simply forbid public schools from joining organizations that meet (or fail to meet) specific criteria? Even putting aside the creepy "do what we say or we'll take over your organization" perspective, Senator Avery's bill takes school activities exactly the wrong direction. There should be far less government control over (most of) the activities overseen by the NSAA, not more. LB 1021 takes Nebraska farther into a quagmire we ought to be working our way out of. I could go on about that for hours. What do you think of Sen. Avery's bill, or the NSAA in general? Is Avery on the right track?

The Missus and I attended our first foster parent training course through Christian Heritage last night. We came to the decision to go through the training fairly recently, but foster parenting is something we had considered for quite some time. Various factors came together a couple weeks ago and, well, here we are. If all goes well we will have finished our twice-a-week, three-hours-per-session training by the first week of March, and state licensing will come shortly thereafter. And after that? Who knows! Nebraska's system is undergoing a lot of changes these days, hopefully for the better. It will be interesting to see how things work as a participant, as opposed to just reading headlines in the Journal Star. Have any of you done foster parenting, or do you have any experience with the system? Would you like to get started?

I went out to Fallbrook last night to attend a meeting at the YMCA. On my way there, I got suckered in by this false left turn lane: OK, I get it. It's there in preparation for some future development. But wouldn't it make sense to block it off until there's something to turn left to? Maybe the City likes trapping unsuspecting drivers in turn lanes to nowhere. Sadistic punks.

This isn't Lincoln related, but I have to share it anyway because it's so darn exciting. I want to congratulate Omaha's Edvin Jurisevic for being named Nebraska's first ever FIFA International Referee. Edvin is one of only six such referees in the United States. This is a huge achievement for Edvin and for Nebraska's referee development program. Edvin has gradually worked his way up the ranks, beginning with youth and high school games here in Nebraska, and working his way up to MLS and various international assignments. As a FIFA International Referee Edvin will be able to referee any match in the world, including World Cup matches. I have had the pleasure of refereeing with Edvin several times, both as his assistant and with he as mine. It's a joy to see him achieve this honor. Edvin will be officially presented with his new badge at a ceremony in Omaha tomorrow evening. Congratulations, Edvin!

From Deena Winter:

"Don't build it and I guarantee your taxes will go up." -- Councilman Doug Emery, in one of his many comments arguing in favor of building a new arena posted on a JournalStar.com story.

But the opposite is also true: build it and your taxes will go up. Granted, a good chunk of the burden of those taxes will fall on visitors, but certainly not all of it. The message here seems to be "One way or another, your taxes are going up". That's not a very sexy marketing slogan.

Now that Rothchild's is gone and Knight's Clothing is closing up shop, I wonder just how many local clothing stores there are in Lincoln. Can you help compile a list? I can't think of many, but I don't know if that's because there aren't many, or because I just plain don't shop for clothes. The only two that come immediately to mind are The Black Market (Downtown on O Street) and Pixi Chicks (College View). Actually, I'm not even sure The Black Market still exists since I haven't been near there in many months. I know Pixi Chicks is around, though, since I drive up 48th Street all the time. Can you help add more local clothing shops to the list?

Matt Olberding says Five Guys is coming to Downtown. Commence salivating. The only question is, where in Downtown will they locate? Matt previously reported on some action in the bugly building next to the Douglas Building (nee Cinema Twin). That wouldn't be a bad location for a burger joint. Where else might they end up?

Now that LIBA has announced their support for the Haymarket arena, I can't imagine this May's vote failing. Darn near every major group in Lincoln has come out in support of the arena. Opponents are many, but they just don't have the political oomph that supporters have. Far be it from me to declare the arena a winner, but at this point it's going to take one hell of a hail Mary pass to take it down.