Lincolnite

Man, there sure is a lot of anger and frustration in Lincoln these days. Can you feel it? It's palpable to me. Some of it is justified, and some of it is a tad irrational. But whether or not one person's disgust makes sense to another person isn't really the point. It is there regardless. Mayor Seng doesn't seem to recognize the problem. She canned the fire chief, said some angry words, and then disappeared. Hardly the sort of leadership that builds trust in the wake of a controversy. The City Council doesn't act like they care. They recently aborted discussion on a controversial topic, fostering further distrust from an already distrustful -- and vocal -- segment of the population. Nobody in the private sector is stepping up, either. LIBA, for example, only seems to make itself known when it wants to be contrarian, and the Updowntowners' decision to kill off July Jamm -- although probably the right decision for them -- didn't exactly boost the community spirit. There are so many things I want to do and say to try to make things better. But it's tough when I am, for all intents and purposes, just another guy who thinks he has answers. Why should anybody listen? I guess that's why I'm working so hard behind the scenes on Lincolnite. It's my little soap box, for one, but it's also a way to show Lincoln's beauty and to open communication about the community. That's what Lincolnite was intended to be all those years ago when I first started thinking about the project in my dorm room at UNL, and that's still my goal for it today. I'll get 'er there eventually. Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked. Does anybody else feel the tension in Lincoln? Or is it just me?

Robbie slept over nine hours last night, and dad slept like a rock for eight. I haven't had eight uninterrupted hours of sleep in what seems like ages. Ahhhhh... In other Robbie news he's working on rolling over. He has a ways to go, but he'll get there. His neck strength is still really good, and he still jabbers like a used car salesman. As The Missus' grandmother used to say, "He's such a person!" I really need to get some more photos posted, don't I? I'll get on that ASAP.

Some random thinking for this fine Wednesday morning: Let's say LPS sticks with its current $1.05 tax rate. Considering how much property valuations went up this summer, that will mean a substantial rise in income for the district, and a hefty increase in property taxes for more Lincoln residents. It stands to reason that substantially higher property taxes would generate a lot of anger among Lincolnites, and LPS would burn a lot of good faith by not spending less. But I wonder if, from the district's perspective, this isn't a very good time to tick off the taxpayers. The voters just approved a big bond issue back in February, so LPS probably won't be around to ask for more money for a couple years. By the time they return with another bond issue, its possible the voters will have cooled off enough to be willing to give the bond a fair shake. Then again, Lincolnites can hold a grudge as well as anyone, and it may take more than just a couple years to restore faith in the district. Other bonds for local government would face the axe, too. And the current school board members would be on the hot seat the next time they're up for election. I don't actually think LPS would do something like that, but it's kind of fun to think about the strategic implications of such a move. Me, I think the rate will end up around $1.03, and wherever it ends up this year it will be back to $1.05 within three years.

Lincolnite's own D.M.B. is headed for the greener pastures of Imperial, Nebraska where he has accepted a broadcast position with a local radio station. He will be doing play-by-play of local sporting events, among other responsibilities. It's a great gig doing what he loves. Congratulations, D.M.B.!

My apologies if posting is a little light this week. I don't know if it'll turn out being a lighter week than normal, but it's shaping up that way so far. I haven't been sleeping worth squat, and in most of my spare time I have been working on Lincolnite behind the scenes. In fact, some of you may have caught a sneak-peak yesterday afternoon when I accidentally made some changes go live. I'll get things back to normal as quick as I can.

The City Council gave the OK to bike lanes Downtown on 11th Street from K to Q, and on 14th Street from L to R. It's not much, but it's a good start in a long-fought battle to try to give bike riders a little more security Downtown.

Mr. T got lost yesterday and couldn't find Pioneers Park. I don't want to see that happen again, so I made him a little map:

Just for fun, and to follow up on yesterday's riddle, here are five riddles, of varying difficulty, on a common theme:

1. I'm dead and buried now, lying in a giant's shadow. But unlike my kin, who lives just across the street, I never had to sleep in the doghouse. What am I?
2. I was an oasis in the city. Which way to go was my visitors' only plight. Today the biggest hazard is blight! What am I?
3. In my youth I danced with Hollywood's biggest stars. The 70's were cruel to me, but I've cast those ugly days aside. Tommy was my friend for a day; do you think he'll ever come back? What am I?
4. In my day my best friends were jerks. Today, my good name is sullied by "friends" of a different sort. What am I?
5. My first is a moth that may drive you mad. My last is easily surmised with a little common sense. Just ask Thomas! What am I?

And the bonus question: What's the common theme?

Lincoln isn't the only community experiencing a larger-than-usual number of houses on the market.

Inner thoughts upon my face, Upon the wind I try to flee. If a Gadsden flag had I, It would read "Don't Write on Me!" What am I?

Daisy loves summer. Summer means bugs, and bugs make great play toys. There has been an influx of grasshoppers in our backyard over the past few days. Daisy is in heaven. Grasshoppers are the perfect bug toys: they hop around erratically, but not so much that Daisy can't catch them. And even better, they don't seem to know when they're supposed to be dead, so they keep providing entertainment long after they've been mangled. It's great from my perspective because I don't have to resort to pesticides to protect my plants. I just let Daisy out back and a while later the patio is littered with dead and half-dead grasshoppers. All is well as long as she doesn't actually eat the pests. Have you ever cleaned up dog vomit filled with grasshopper parts? Whew! That's a foul brew.

The City Council's next likely move on the concealed carry topic will probably be restricting who is eligible to received a concealed carry permit in Lincoln. Some local leaders, including Mayor Colleen Seng and Councilman Ken Svoboda, want to plug perceived holes in the state law. The Mayor would like to add to the list of cannot carriers those guilty of "assaults, making menacing threats, contributing to the delinquency of a child, public indecency and second-offense driving under the influence." The justification behind the first one is obvious. The second one is also fairly obvious, although "making menacing threats" is a somewhat fuzzy offense. But I'm not sure I get the relationships between the last three and an individual's likelihood of being more likely to commit a gun offense. And public indecency? Really? If a guy is indecent, chances are he probably doesn't have any place to conceal his gun! Ken Svoboda's list is similar, and includes "stalking, violating a protection order, impersonating a peace officer, indecent exposure and driving under the influence offenses." Again, the first three I understand, while the last two seem unrelated. Are flashers and public urinators more likely to commit gun crimes? How about folks convicted of multiple DUI offenses? If not, why are those offenses on the list?

Lincoln should be proud that use of bike trails is increasing each year. The latest survey by the Great Plains Trails Network was conducted on Sunday, July 9. A total of 6,986 trail users were counted that day.

According to the Journal Star, the state's new concealed carry law permits private property owners to bar concealed weapons from their premises. Doesn't that go without saying? Hasn't a private property owner always been able to bar weapons from her property? I know several of you regular readers will know the answer to that. Could you give me the skinny, please?