Lincolnite: Lincoln's Online Community

Hi-Five

October 13, 2005 at 8:22am By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

Congratulations to Gary Walker, who won the right to use his Freedom Flyer as a smokers’ haven outside the Hi-Way Diner.

Next up: the Lincoln City Council bans smoking in private vehicles.

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No U-Stop for You

October 13, 2005 at 8:21am By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

I don’t necessarily disagree or agree with the Planning Commission’s decision to deny a U-Stop and McDonald’s just north of Lincoln High School. But this caught my eye:

Several commissioners noted high schoolers would be crossing busy Capitol Parkway to get to McDonald’s.

Since when was having to cross the street to get to a business a reason to deny a zoning change request? Are Links incapable of crossing streets? Odd, that, since many of their parking spaces are across one or more streets from the school.

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Another One Bites the Dust

October 12, 2005 at 8:28am By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

Klein’s Food Center is closing its doors. After three generations, the old-timey grocery store just couldn’t compete any more. It’s a huge body-blow for the neighborhood around 11th & ‘G’ Streets.

It’s also not a surprise. Klein’s is an anachronism, a store for the wrong age. It’s also dirty and cluttered, and the prices are high. It has been mis-managed for years. A source with insight into the store’s inner workings has related to me many stories of financial disaster and inventory messes. It’s some wonder the store wasn’t forcefully shut down months—or even years—ago.

Still, there’s a certain sadness to seeing a multi-generational “mom ‘n pop” store go under, especially in a neighborhood with few grocery options. Area residents will now have to go to 17th & South or 17th & Washington for their groceries. That’s no easy jaunt for the many who do not own or cannot afford to operate a vehicle.

Expect a “fast money” business to have moved into the store’s location within weeks.

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Spend Some Time With Grandma

October 7, 2005 at 8:41am By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

Every Friday evening before Husker home football games a small group of Cornhusker Marching Band members perform pep band tunes and fight songs at Misty’s Restaurant & Lounge (Havelock location) and Grandmother’s Restaurant. The bands perform two 30-minute sets at both locations, at 7:30pm and 8:30pm at Misty’s, and 10:00pm and 11:00pm at Grandmother’s G-Ma’s.

The Misty’s performances are known to attract groups of fans for the opposing team because tour groups bring them in. You’re also fairly likely to see minor celebrities at Misty’s; Lee Corso, Keith Jackson, and other sports celebrities have been known to eat there before the next day’s broadcast, for example. The G-Ma’s performances are much...wilder. The crowd is younger, with a heavy presence of current and former Cornhusker Marching Band members. Don’t expect to have much freedom of movement at either location; things get a little cozy during the sets.

If you have a chance sometime this season, drop by Misty’s or G-Ma’s, or both. In fact, The Missus and I are going to try to hit the 10:00pm performance at G-Ma’s tonight. I hope to get there around 9:00pm so I can wolf down a plate of Super Nachos after I finish reffing a soccer game out at Abbott Sports Complex.

See you there!

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Endangered

October 7, 2005 at 8:19am By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

The Salt Creek Tiger beetle is officially endangered now. I can’t say I really give a hoot. The guy in Oregon whose tax dollars will be used to try to bring back an insignificant beetle population might have a problem with it, though.

I wonder: the article notes that “about 2,470 acres of saline wetlands are in public ownership or protected by conservation easements.” Why aren’t there plans to do something with that land? At nearly four square miles, it’s far too large a chunk of land to just sit idle. And the land contains rare saline wetlands, which are valuable in their own right. Why not turn the land into a huge park? A park featuring walking trails and educational exhibits describing saline wetlands would nicely complement Pioneers Park’s role as a prairie park.

The general public will never sympathize with the plight of a mere beetle. They will not accept that 150 pathetic bugs have the power to prevent Lincoln from developing almost four square miles of valuable real estate near the Interstate. Lincolnites have, however, proven to rally behind their parks. Remember the fuss over Nine Mile Prairie? Lincolnites were up in arms over the possibility that the view from the prairie could be ruined by a couple power poles that would not have even been placed within the prairie itself. And the Friends of Wilderness Park have an impressive amount of influence over city planning decisions.

The cost to the city would be minimal relative to the size of the project. In fact, it’s likely the state and feds would cover a good chunk of the cost. Start-up expenses would include parking lots, walking trails, wooden bridges over wetland/marshy areas, and educational exhibits. Much of the labor required woul
d be fairly basic, and could be completed by Boy Scouts (Eagle Scout candidates, in particular) and other community groups via efforts similar to the Adopt-A-Trail program.

That, or we can let all that land sit idle and listen to Lincolnites bitch about “that stupid beetle” for the next couple decades.

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Lincoln’s, Umm, Finest

October 4, 2005 at 8:38am By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

Applebee’s was selected as Best Dinner and Best Lunch in KFOR’s annual Best of Lincoln survey. Admit it, somebody among you voted for Applebee’s. Tell me who you are so I can kick you in the shin.

Morons.

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A Battle Afoot

October 4, 2005 at 8:29am By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

It would be a shame to see Eiger Corp. pursue legal action in their quest to build a 12-18 screen theater in southeast Lincoln. I can’t say I blame them for being fired up. Douglas has held a city-endorsed monopoly in Lincoln for years by virtue of the city’s restrictions on theaters outside of Downtown. I’m sure it really gets Eiger’s goat that even Lincoln’s city council members think the restriction is bad policy, and yet they continue to support it anyway.

If Eiger does pursue legal action, it will be interesting to see on what grounds they file suit. I’ll defer to Mr. T and other commenters to shed light on the potential legal questions. My gut instinct, though, is that Eiger should lose any legal challenge of the ordinance. Although I think the six-screen restriction is stupid, I also think that as long as there are zoning laws, it is a community’s right to enforce such a restriction. Then again, that attitude lies on the slippery slope toward allowing a community to enforce pretty much any property restriction. Maybe a property owner ought to be able to use his property however he sees fit. That attitude, too, is laced with problems. In truth, the matter has me in a bit of a mental bind.

There may, in fact, be a solution other than just letting the courts hammer it all out. Public opinion seems to lean toward dumping the policy. No, that’s too understated. Every indication I’m aware of is that public opinion is tilted heavily in favor of letting Eiger Corp. build its 12-18 screen complex. I would guess the current policy is opposed by Lincolnites 2 to 1; in an election, I think it would likely lose 3 to 2 (because voters tend to be a bit more conservative about these sorts of things when they show up to the polls).
Would a petition campaign compel city council members to change their minds? My instinct says no. Mayor Seng would almost certainly not be swayed. (By the way, I haven’t given ol’ Mayor Seng a pat on the back for actually taking a stand on this issue. By my count that makes, uhh, well, one issue that she has taken a stand on since she took office. Way to go Mayor Seng!) A petition campaign, or some other sort of survey, would make clear the voters’ preferences, however. If members of the City Council were to choose to ignore a resounding roar of disapproval from the voters—if, of course, such a roar actually occurred—they would do so at their peril. Although such a campaign would not be legally binding, it would be politically persuasive, maybe even enough to avoid some of the expense of money, time, and energy in the courts.

Do you folks see the same level of disapproval with the current policy that I see? Is the desire for change as strong as I think it is, or am I misperceiving public sentiment? If you could “vote” via a petition or survey, what vote would you cast?

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Congratulations, Mr. T!

October 3, 2005 at 10:09pm By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

Ladies and gentlemen, please rise and applaud the great and wonderful Mr. T. One of his posts is the first result if you search Google for...well, see for yourself.

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Attention Downtown Diners

October 3, 2005 at 1:59pm By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

Noodles & Company will finally open the doors of its Downtown location next week. I’ve managed to snag a few invitations to free “sneak peek” meals this Wednesday evening and Thursday noon. I’ll let y’all know if I end up with any extras.

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