Lincolnite

Eating out today? Consider checking your favorite restaurant's inspection history to see if they show a pattern of naughty behavior. Only the worst violations are shown in this database. If you want day-to-day minor violations you can see them at journalstar.com.

I sat out of post-election news for a day to let things settle. Now that we've all had a chance to process the happenings, here are a few of my reactions. 1. I'm glad the storm sewer bond issue passed. It's too bad the margin of victory was only 55-45, though. I suspect a large chunk of those who voted "no" voted reflexively against the notion of a new line on their property tax bills. These sorts of bond issues, which come up every couple years, are critical to sustaining Lincoln's infrastructure needs. These aren't cute or pet projects; they address fundamental livability issues. 2. I'm surprised Kate Bolz won her battle against Larry Zimmerman in my legislative district. Ms. Bolz had a brilliant grassroots campaign effort. I met her twice via door-to-door visits, and her campaign staff made contact via personal phone calls. That's powerful stuff for voters. Mr. Zimmerman's campaign, on the other hand, was paralleled by big-money supporters who relied solely on mailings riddled with scare tactics, name-calling, and bad grammar. Regardless of what you think about the candidates themselves, it's nice to see that the personal touch was victorious. 3. I'm positively giddy that Governor Heineman's favorite local candidates were shot down. I don't necessarily have anything against the candidates, but anything that makes Heineman sad puts a smile on my face. The Unicameral (justifiably) destroyed him in the 2012 session on Child Welfare Reform and other issues. I'm eager to see that continue. 4. As far as I've heard, voting at local polling places proceeded smoothly as usual. That's something to be a proud of, particularly in light of all the snafus around the country. You can thank your local poll workers for a large part of that. Interested in helping out next time around? Learn more about becoming a poll worker. 5. The Journal Star seems to think that Taylor Martinez's party affiliation is newsworthy. It's weird enough to me that we worship these kids as idols, do we really need to drag them through the muck of politics too?

Oops! I completely forgot to talk about one issue that's on the ballot today. There's a $7.9 million bond issue for storm sewers and such. These bond issues pop up every couple years, and typically they pass relatively easily. That's good. They feature critical infrastructure concerns that, while not sexy enough to deserve their own commercials and yard signs, are extremely important to our city. I strongly encourage you to vote FOR this year's bond issue.

Four constitutional amendments are on the ballot (PDF) tomorrow. Here's my quick summary of each. Amendment 1 would allow public officials to be impeached for illegal activity undertaken as part of their strategy to win the office. Currently a person could break every election law on the books, get elected, but escape impeachment because the actions didn't occur while in office. You might call this the Dave Hergert amendment. I haven't yet heard any good arguments against this amendment. I encourage you to vote "Yes". Amendment 2 is the "right to hunt" amendment. It would protect hunting and fishing in the state constitution. Not that hunting and fishing are threatened in Nebraska. Amendment 2 strikes me as a solution in search of a problem. Worse, I have an uneasy feeling that there will be unintended consequences; it's an abstract feeling, but nagging enough to really bother me. I encourage you to vote "No". I've made no secret about my disgust for term limits in the Unicameral. Amendment 3 would extend the present limit from two to three terms. I'm all for it. A constant rotation of two-term legislators is bad for the Unicameral's long-term health. Inexperience and discontinuity weaken the body overall. Three terms -- twelve years -- is a reasonable compromise between encouraging turnover and building experience and expertise. I encourage you to vote "Yes". Speaking of the Unicameral, Amendment 4 would increase legislators' pay from $12,000 to $22,500 annually. I have for years condemned their pathetic excuse for a paycheck. $22,500 is nowhere near where the salary should be -- I'd place it closer to $36,000 -- but it's better than nothing. Amendment 4 won't allow us to pay Senators their due, but it's a step in the right direction. I encourage you to vote "Yes".

Do you know where you vote tomorrow and which races affect you? Are you sure? Check your voter information before you head to the polls. You may also want to check out the Journal Star's candidate profiles (paywall) or 10/11's candidate profiles (free), particularly for the "minor" races like the NRD. Would you like to make any last-minute pitches for your favorite candidate(s)? Go right ahead. While you're at it, I wonder if you have any guesses about who I will support at the polls tomorrow.

The debate over the signage on the new LPS building is very interesting. It sheds some interesting light on how LPS sees itself; how they think the public sees them; how they want the public to see them; and the overall approach to openness in our local schools. The basic issue is this: the new LPS office building needs some sort of signage. "Too much" signage would draw the public eye and (allegedly) invite scrutiny over things like the size of the office building and the number of people (read: amount of red tape) inside. Too little signage will make it harder for people to identify the correct building, especially after Whole Foods and company open up nearby. The result of that conundrum is a host of signage possibilities, from 36-inch tall letters spelling out LINCOLN PUBLIC SCHOOLS DISTRICT OFFICES" on the O Street side to simple, smaller signage over the front door. Although I understand the District's fear of appearing bloated, any solution that deliberately obfuscates the nature of what goes on inside the building is irresponsible, and arguably even a little bit dangerous. LPS has always insisted that they have just the right amount of administration. If that's true, what's to hide? And certainly our local schools, as a public institution and caretakers of our children, ought to emphasize openness and transparency. They should be inviting the public in rather than trying to hide in plain sight. If LPS is truly concerned about the public's perception of the new building and the administrative activities within, they've already lost. This signage discussion will only serve to prove to detractors that the District is trying to hide something. The School Board oughtn't be making its decisions to satisfy its most petty critics anyway. There are real, substantive issues to resolve. Ultimately I'm a fan of "LINCOLN PUBLIC SCHOOLS" in reasonably large letters on the O Street side, and smaller signage near the front door. I don't care for the idea, championed by Kevin Keller, of adding "DISTRICT OFFICES". It's redundant and potentially gaudy, unless those words are much smaller. But kudos to Mr. Keller for wanting more information rather than less. What's your take on the signage debate?

I pick on Runza every now and then, especially with regard to their strange advertising practices. But other than a general sense of "it's not as good as it used to be", I don't have too much to complain about with regard to their food. (Then again, I've only eaten there a couple times in the past five years.) I quite like a good Runza, as do many Lincolnites. The folks over at Foodpocalypse wondered why we go gaga for Runza. Are Runzas actually good, or are we locals just conditioned to think they're so fantastic?

The meat-filled buns have been a part of my diet for as long as I can remember. The firm, chewy bread, like warm skin in my hands. The smell of meat. The soft squish of crinkle cut fries. When I hold a runza, I hold something weighty and substantial. I think of snow days, and family picnics, and movie night with my brother. For fast food, Runza isn't that bad.

Find out what they conclude.

Somebody called KLIN claiming that a gas station near the airport is advertising gas at one price, but only offering that price on one pump. I have no idea if that's true or not, but if so the gas station's owner is violating a law enacted in 2009 in response to exactly that sort of scheme. In particular, it is illegal to advertise "goods or services with intent not to sell them as advertised or [to advertise] the price in any manner calculated or tending to mislead or in any way deceive a person". If any of you happen to be near the airport I'd love to know if this is actually going on (again!). While you're there, you may want to slap a copy of this on the counter.

I have been to Fuzzy’s Taco Shop now a couple of times, and I would have to say that it has become my new favorite restaurant in downtown. As everyone knows, downtown is now inundated with Mexican-inspired fast casual places. In my mind, Fuzzy’s is probably most comparable to Wahoo’s Fish Taco: Both new comers, similar pricing points and atmospheres, and both focusing on fish tacos as their flagship offering. Although I like Wahoo's, I prefer the Fuzzy’s tacos. I have had both the fried and grilled fish tacos at Fuzzy's, and they are very tasty, though possibly smaller than those at Wahoo’s. Both times I have had the fried fish tacos, the fish was flaky and crispy, perfectly fried but with a thin batter. The signature garlic sauce and feta cheese they put on their tacos really work well on these guys. I have also had the shrimp tacos too, which are very good and I believe are pretty unique in Lincoln. The Fuzzy's tacos are $1.99 each, which is probably just the right price for them. But one can get a 2 taco combo plate with a choice of 2 sides for just $5.99. That to me is a very good price for a fast casual combo meal. Last time we were there, Ms. T had a fish and shrimp taco with crispy shells, the lime cilantro rice, and “Latin potatoes” as her sides (above). The potatoes were basically baked home fries but had chili, I believe cumin, and some other spices on them, and made for a good alternative to people who are bored with beans at Mexican restaurants. They definitely had a bit more of a kick than regular home fries. I opted for a fried fish soft taco and a crispy chicken taco combo plate (above). The chicken seemed to be mainly white meat and the pieces were slightly bigger than the stringy shredded chicken one can find elsewhere. The chicken taco was pretty good, though inferior to the fish and shrimp ones. I should also mention that both the crispy corn and the soft corn taco shells are pretty standard, but the combination of the meat with the garlic and feta compensate for that. Additionally, the hot taco sauce they offer (on the side) is actually really genuinely hot. When you combine the hot sauce with the garlic sauce and feta cheese, the results are tacos that are very flavorful, and in my mind quite distinctive. On my combo plate, I also had the potatoes, but tried the yellow “Mix-Mex” fried rice. The fried rice was a little heavier than the cilantro rice, but that of course is the idea behind fried rice (none of this by the way is remotely healthy food, but one shouldn’t expect that). Both the Mix-Mex and Ms. T’s cilantro lime rice were a little on the salty side for me, but with that again came a lot of flavor. Fuzzy’s also has two of those “Coca-Cola Freestyle” machines that have started popping up around town, the kind that offer dozens of different Coke products you choose from using a touch screen menu. I tried the Vanilla Cherry Coke, the Raspberry Coke, the Lime Coke, and some other sort of sugary/fruity soda. These new soda machines would drive Michael Bloomberg up the wall. I left Fuzzy’s on a fat and sugar high feeling very full. I should mention, both times I have been to Fuzzy’s it took the cooks probably about 8-10 minutes to turn around our orders. Unlike Oso or Chipotle and that genre, Fuzzy’s is not an assembly line type of restaurant with the food ready for instant service. So, there is a wait for your meal, but in my mind the wait is worth it. I actually prefer waiting for freshly fried fish or shrimp rather than having it sit around in a hot tray for a while Fuzzy’s Taco Shop rocks. I will be a regular customer for sure.

Lincoln's own Round-Abouts Restaurant is going to be featured on Food Paradise on the Travel Channel on November 7th and 9pm. Congratulations, folks! I hope the episode shows up online somewhere or else I won't be able to watch. Those of you who do get the Travel Channel, would you mind sharing the channel number on your system of choice?

It has happened again. Homeowners are up in arms over something they should have known before they purchased their homes. This time it's a sidewalk. A few homeowners in the area of Lucile Dr. and Pioneers Blvd. are peeved because their developer built a sidewalk in a commons area behind some of their houses. The sidewalk connects the neighborhood to the adjacent Billy Wolf Trail, which winds its way toward 70th Street and eventually toward Downtown. The residents don't like the fact that sidewalk users could see into their back windows if they were so inclined. One might feel a bit of sympathy for the homeowners if it weren't for the fact that the sidewalk has been part of the development's plans since the very beginning. The City has made it very clear that they want its bike paths to be connected to neighborhoods, and in this case the developer obliged. The only ones at fault here are those who purchased homes without understanding their homes' surroundings. This is a common pattern. This time it's "just" a sidewalk. A couple months ago it was a Walmart. Who knows what monstrosity will come next. Folks: study your homes' surroundings before signing on the dotted line! Nobody's going to feel sorry for you if you don't do your due diligence. Many thousands of dollars and your family's peace of mind are on the line. Surely that's worth a day of research.