Lincolnite

Remember King's? Of course you do. It's a Lincoln icon! Except, well ... I suppose it has been gone for what, a decade now? Longer? King's was a longtime fixture in the Lincoln dining scene. There were a few around town at one point. The last location was at 9th and South, now the site of an Auto Zone and a KFC. King's was a 50's diner with all the staples: chili cheese dogs; milkshakes served with the tin; green rivers; and, of course, cheese frenchees. But why bring up King's now? Check out this Facebook post: Could it be true? Could King's really be back on the menu in Lincoln? I'm eager to see where this goes. I have many fond memories of King's, many of which feature the food and service -- two things that can easily be brought back in a reboot. On the other hand, recreating an original is extremely difficult. Impossible, even. They can't do any worse than Amigo's, I suppose, but that's setting the bar at ground level. Their only real competition within the same theme (sort of) is Don and Millie's, so there's certainly an opportunity to fill a gap in the market if they do it right. How would you do a new King's in Lincoln? Where would you put it? I've long thought that Don and Millie's would do well with a location on North 27th Street -- perhaps King's could get there first? Hat tip: Jack Mitchell. EDIT: Jack Mitchell has confirmed [Facebook] that King's is opening in July at 1st and O in the former Mr. Goodcents building. That's an, umm, interesting location choice.

Sarah was oh-so-kind to remind me that there are big plant sales coming up on each of the next three weekends. Those of you who, like me, have thought about de-grassing all or a portion of your yards will want to take note. And if you are as clueless as I am about all of this, you may want to contact a local garden center or consultant/coach before you go. Upcoming events include:

• 2013 Spring Affair Saturday, April 27, 9am - 4pm Lancaster Event Center
• Community CROPS 10th Annual Plant Sale [Facebook] Sunday, May 5, 11am - 3pm Ecostores Nebraska
• Nebraska Statewide Arboretum Spring Plant Sale Saturday, May 11, Time TBD NSA Shadehouse

Lincoln Running Company is hosting a 5K fun run tonight (Facebook link) to help raise funds for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. A $20 cash or check donation gets you into the run, plus a t-shirt. Runners will leave in waves from Lincoln Running Company (12th and Q) starting at 6:30pm. Note that this really is a "fun run". It's entirely non-competitive of course, and roads won't be closed so you'll have to obey traffic laws. I can't find a course description, but at one point I heard they were going to utilize the Antelope Valley bike trail. Maybe run out to Devaney Center and back? The forecast looks pretty crummy but local runners won't be fazed by that. After all, this entire spring has been pretty blah for outdoor training. What's one more cold, wet run? For the record, I'm not sure yet if I'll be attending. I'm scheduled to referee a soccer match, but I'm certain it will be cancelled due to unplayable conditions. It's possible, however, that I'll be moved to a different game being played on turf. If I wind up without a game, I'll be at the run. I hope to see some of you there.

Providing further evidence that you can do whatever you want as long as you have the lawmakers on your side, the City Council yesterday approved The Cube for the Haymarket's new "Railyard" area. The Cube is a 14 feet by 40 feet video screen that will feature art, promos, and who knows what else. And probably ads. I'm having a really hard time envisioning how this beast of a TV fits into the area so I'm eager to see it in action. Then again, I'm having a hard time picturing how the entire redevelopment area is going to come together. My brain still pictures train tracks where there are now buildings and streets. We're only a few months away from the big opening of all of this. I'm looking forward to it.

I've been promoting an idea on Twitter but it hasn't caught much traction. I would like to run it by you to see what you think. The Lincoln Marathon and Half-Marathon is coming up in a few weeks. The route uses a portion of the Boosalis Trail from 48th to 21st Streets parallel to Highway 2. Now, the Boosalis Trail is actually a bit of a bottleneck. In fact, its narrowness is one of the main reasons why Marathon organizers have limited total sign-ups to 10,000 participants. That's about to change, pending a few more signatures. If all goes well, the trail will be widened this summer. That would, theoretically at least, allow the Lincoln Marathon and Half-Marathon to expand to 15,000 participants. (Photo credit: Great Plains Trails Network) Here's my idea. Since the path is about to be torn out anyway, why not dress it up a bit for the runners and walkers? The most obvious opportunity is for Life is Right branding -- the arrows and branding colors -- to be painted onto the trail. In addition to that, remember those goofy street signs that have popped up on various holidays? Similar, running-related messages could be painted on the trail. There are a few of other possibilities. One is sponsorship messages. It's possible that local ordinances prohibit painting a big Pepsi logo on the trail, but if not, it'd be a nice way to recognize the run's sponsors. Another idea is to recognize all of the National Guard runners who participate in the Lincoln Marathon. Or more broadly, welcome runners from each state. You could draw each state and write the number of runners who came from there. My final idea is a series of Burma-Shave-style quips painted along the trail. Perhaps something like: One step, two steps Three steps, four Half-marathoners have Just six miles more! There's my idea. I received a tiny bit of support from Lincoln Track Club's Twitter account, but the City of Lincoln and Parks & Rec have been silent on the matter. What do you think about it?

Got a crime to report but don't like talking to police officers? LPD has something new just for you. It is now possible to report crimes online via Lincoln Police Department's website. It's only for a subset of crimes, though. Obviously it's not for emergencies (call 911, you fool!), but there are oodles of other restrictions as well. Notably: it can't involve a weapon; it can't involve injury; it can't involve a known suspect; and it can't involve more than $500 in damage or loss. Still, there's some utility here. This is also a good time to remind you of your other, non-911 option for reporting trouble to the police. LPD has a non-emergency line: 402-441-6000. I have called the number several times over the years. I once called from my car at 13th & F because a high-as-a-kite man was wandering around the street having conversations with passing cars. (Not with the drivers, with the cars themselves.) Another time I followed a drunk driver to her home, giving a play-by-play to the officer on the phone as the driver hit curbs and drove erratically. The next step in reporting would be building something into the Lincoln Action Center app for iOS and Android. Then you could provide photos and even GPS data. Maybe some day.

The polls are open today, so go vote! No really! Yeah, I know you aren't excited. You probably aren't even sure what you're voting for. If that's the case, check out this election information. The quick-and-dirty summary is that you'll be voting to eliminate one City Council candidate before the May 7 general election. All for the low, low price of about $7.00 per vote! Make yours count. If you have no idea who the candidates are, the Journal Star has candidate profiles you can review. As is my usual approach I'm not advocating for or against any candidates. I am annoyed with the whole Gene Carroll / Mark Whitehead hatefest, but that's partisan politics for you.

Frustrated with the craptacularness of Windstream and Time Warner Cable as internet service provider options in Lincoln? You have other options, including locally-owned WideRange Broadband. LiquidRetro recently had WideRange Broadband install service at his home. Last night he wrote up a review:

I am on the top residential package (21×5) and am seeing download speeds between 18-20mb/s and uploads of between 5-7mb/s Upload speeds do seem to vary some, but they don’t dip that low, and are still significantly faster than I was previously receiving with my old ISP. Higher speeds are being seen at non peak times. The speed test screenshots speak for themselves. There are no bandwidth caps with the service either.

If you wind up pursuing service with WideRange Broadband, be sure to support LiquidRetro through their affiliate program by letting them know that he sent you.

The Central Plains Severe Weather Symposium and Family Weatherfest is tomorrow from 9am to 2pm at Hardin Hall on East Campus (33rd and Holdredge). It's a great annual event for all of you who, like me, are fascinated by weather. And let's face it, we Nebraskans love to talk about the weather! If you're on the fence about going, perhaps this is your incentive: the original Valentino's is about to be bulldozed. Love it or hate it, Val's is a local icon and you're running out of time to grab one last slice in the location that used to see lines stretch down the block.

I have long thought about redoing a sizable percentage of my yard. Large swaths of green grass just aren't for me, not to mention the fact that they are environmentally obnoxious. There have been a couple hurdles, though. What would I put there instead? Where will I find the time to do the transition work? How much will it cost, particularly since we have higher financial priorities right now? I'm closer this year to resolving those issues than ever before. Inspired in part by Benjamin Vogt, I'm about ready to give my yard new life in the form of more natural (and hopefully lower-maintenance) plants and grasses. I don't have a huge space to offer to the cause, but it's a start. I wonder if any of the rest of you have considered a similar change. Our ongoing drought and oppressive maintenance costs have forced Lincoln to make changes to the way it manages its greenspaces; it seems reasonable to think that property owners might take some of the same steps. Have you considered ditching the old Kentucky bluegrass in favor of tallgrass and milkweed? Would you consider such a thing? When I do follow through on this I'll be sure to take photos and document the process. Y'all may as well learn from all of the goofs I make along the way.