Lincolnite

Sometimes I like to search Google News for articles that contain "lincoln nebraska" or related queries. Here is a fairly random collection of my recent finds:

• Ted Sorensen talks about his roots
• Former Lincolnite John Moran is performing in Tel Aviv
• I'll bet most of you didn't know that "the palm-down, extended-arm salute was the officially prescribed form at Prescott School in Lincoln, Nebraska" in 1941
• UNL is getting many Paul Fell cartoons and illustrations

Sorry all you yardwork slackers out there, the City Council nixed the idea of doubling the City's weed height allowance from 6" to 12". The amusing thing about this community-wide discussion has been listening to people complain about the height of the grass and weeds in several City parks and adjacent to various bike trails. Parks and Recreation was recently ranked as one of the least important departments in all of City government. Parks & Rec has already been cutting back on its mowing schedule over the past several years. If they face budget cuts, or even a stagnant budget while having to maintain more parks and bike path miles, we'll be seeing more and more neo-tallgrass prairies around town. Actually, that makes me wonder. What is the net cost/savings of planting an acre of parkland with native grasses and plants? I spend a lot of time on the Helen Boosalis Trail -- aka the Highway 2 trail -- and I have been pleased with the areas of native grasses already planted. Several more acres could be added. I wonder if it's worth it?

Star Tran has finally -- finally! -- made some adjustments to its routes. After months of talk, the new routes will kick in on Thursday, June 5. A series of open houses -- including two today at Energy Square from 11:00 to 1:00 and 4:30 to 6:30 -- will help introduce riders to the new routes and schedules. I rode Star Tran for years, so even though I don't currently use their services, I'm trying to follow this transition. Star Tran's riders tend to be creatures of habit so I don't expect the new route schedule to go over well in the short term. I suspect it will take a few months for folks to really be able to judge the new system's worth. Are any of you Star Tran riders? Have you evaluated how the new system will affect your usage of the city's buses?

Yowzers, I can hardly believe my little boy turned two today. No, wait, that's a lie. I can definitely believe it. When Robert turned one, it felt weird. But he has seemed like a two year-old for a couple months now. This birthday didn't sneak up on me like the last one did. There's no disguising the arrival of the Terrible Twos. Not that Robbie is all that terrible yet, but he can throw a fit when he's motivated. Now that Robbie is two, all sorts of doors will open for him: He doesn't sit still very often: This didn't turn out half bad, considering I just held out the camera and clicked: Don't mess with this guy! Robbie is going to clean up this town: For the record, Robbie weighs in at a slim-and-trim 25 pounds and he stands 33 inches tall. That puts him squarely in the 30th percentile. (In contrast, his cousin Sam is 7 months younger but could eat Robbie for breakfast.) This morning Robbie got to open his presents from mom and dad. The two big winners were a book about vehicles and a nifty "bike". Tonight he will get to eat at either Gateway (for the carousel) or Red Robin (for the "balaloons"). And then tomorrow is his birthday party at the awesome Antelope Park playground. We'll be there from about 1:00 until 2:30 or 3:00. Stop on by and say hi!

The Mayor's road design task force has released its report. The skinny: there's plenty of money to be saved in our road construction budget. We just need to cut back on some of the "nice-to-haves" and focus more on the "need-to-haves". No surprise there. I have long been critical of the City's excesses in new road construction. I would tell you more about the report, but despite assurances in the City's press release that the report is online, I haven't found it yet. It isn't on the committees and task forces page, nor is it on the task force reports and initiatives page. Oh there it is. Dang, they sure didn't make it easy to find. You can find the report here. Among the report's findings:

• Use several different road types over the next 20 years to help stretch road funds;
• Lincoln can't afford to build roads today to meet needs that won't exist for decades;
• Changes in road type don't diminish safety, just convenience;
• Money can be saved over the long term through road offsetting, use of asphalt, and asphalt reuse/recycling.

I encourage you to take a look at the report (PDF) yourself. It's a refreshing read. Or maybe I just think that because it confirms many of my existing opinions. Gotta love confirmation bias.

Let's compare internet connection speeds so we can help each other comparison shop. Here's how we'll do it:

1. Avoid any bandwidth-hogging activities, such as file sharing
2. Go to SpeedTest.net
3. Click the pyramid associated with Kansas City, MO to start the test
4. Record the download and upload speeds. If you run the test more than once, record the fastest speeds
5. In the comments, note your ISP; your service plan and monthly cost; your download speed; and your upload speed

How does your speed compare to others in Lincoln and Nebraska?

Don't go to NebraskaSpending.com. Seriously. You'll spend way too long clicking around and looking at numbers. Now I'm curious just how complete the data is. For example, is it really possible that we have a 23 month contract totaling $254,417.85 for "size 5 reg men's work boot"? How do you spend $250k on size 5 boots? Hopefully the description field isn't fully descriptive, or we have a whole bunch of Correctional Services employees with really small feet.

Can anyone explain why it is that the sign for "Tina's Mexican Restaurant" on 10th near Van Dorn Park reads like "Lina's Mexican Restaurant"? In the LJS review last month, it states that "Tina's" was named after the owner's daughter. Anyway, I'm glad to see this place take off the way it has. It reminds me quite a bit of D'Leon's, but as an improved D'Leon's version 1.5. The chicken fajita plate is excellent - a plate of grilled chicken cooked with onions, bell peppers and a pretty spicy sauce, along with rice, beans, and choice of warm corn or flour tortillas. I'd just like to know what the deal is with the name of this place.

Mayor Beutler has warned LPS that he may yank $178,000 in funding that goes toward LPS's Community Learning Center (CLC) initiative. LPS funds the project to the tune of approximately $843,000. The leaner the budget gets, the more likely the mayor has to dig into projects like this. But just for fun, let's speculate a bit. Mayor Beutler has made it clear that the City doesn't take very much of our property tax dollar, and he has pointed out that LPS is the big pig at the property tax trough. Could this be part of a plan to shift more of the community's focus to LPS's share of our property tax bills, gradually taking the heat off the City? I think it's possible, if not likely. In a way, I'd be disappointed if that's not what Beutler is up to. What do you think?

The jail bond issue was defeated yesterday. Not that it matters. The jail will be built anyway. Will the County Board take away any lessons from the vote? I wouldn't bet on it.

It's unfortunate that Russ Schultz has to deal with a lot of unsubstantiated complaints in his line of work. That's annoying to deal with no matter who you are. But the guy is nuts if he thinks he's going to convince Lincolnites to let weeds grow twice as tall as current regulations allow. The current limit is six inches worth of ugly weeds. Mr. Schultz wants to increase that to an even foot, consistent with many other comparable cities in the region. He says it'll help cut down on the number of "false" complaints so that he can focus on the real scofflaws. I doubt many Lincolnites really care about the number of unsubstantiated complaints he has to deal with. They just want to make sure their neighborhood doesn't look like a dump, and understandably so. Now that I look at a ruler, six inches isn't all that tall. It's easy to see why Mr. Schultz has to deal with a lot of complaints. It wouldn't take long at all for a lot to fill with six inches worth of weeds. Incidentally, if you want to complain about weeds, you can do so online.

Your high school civics teacher wants you to vote today. Don't have any idea what's on the ballot? The Journal Star has a quick guide. One of the most interesting issues will be the Lancaster County jail funding proposal. I've talked about the mess that is the jail several times, so I won't go into it again. Will Lincolnites vote for the funding, knowing it's probably the best financing mechanism for the all-but-inevitable jail? Or will they send the County Board a message by voting nay, forcing the Board to find money elsewhere?

Remember to vote today. There are quite a few interesting contests and items on the ballot. As far as the big race to fill Hagel's seat goes, Johanns should coast to a REALLY easy win over Pat Flynn today. I sense that Pat is a little too far out there to pose any sort of viable challenge against an established and well-known figure like Johanns. A bit more interesting will be Scott "Speed Racer" Kleeb against Tony Raimondo. Neither of them have held high profile offices before, and not much is known about them generally, at least here in Lincoln. I am predicting Kleeb will win the democratic race by a clear margin. Here's a photo a friend took of Scott campaigning last Saturday in Columbus.