Latest Blog Posts
Your Next Superintendent
Susan Gourley, we hardly knew ya.
Dr. Gourley is leaving LPS next year and it is time to start thinking about her replacement. I was going to write a post about two things: (1) the characteristics I expect/desire from a superintendent, and (2) the questions I would ask candidates if I were to sit in on an interview. But as I started to write up my thoughts I realized I haven’t put enough thought into the topic yet. So I’m coming to you for some help.
What characteristics do you expect/desire from a superintendent? What questions would you ask candidates if you were to sit in on interviews?
I will get the ball rolling with a couple contributions. First, I want a superintendent whose emphasis is on education. Not public education, but education. It’s an important distinction, and perhaps a counterintuitive one to expect from the would-be leader of the state’s second-largest school district. But to me it’s critical. Public school officials who emphasize the “public” in public education do a disservice to students and the community, in part by allowing themselves to be distracted by an “us vs. them” mentality. It oughtn’t be that way.
As for questions I would ask, I might start with something like: Lincolnites love our schools, but we hate taxes. LPS consumes, by far, the largest chunk of our property tax dollar. What can you, as superintendent, do to keep our taxes as low as possible and yet still provide the quality of education we expect and our kids deserve?
Have at it, Lincolnites.
MS Fundraiser at Great Harvest
Very near our house are two excellent bakeries at 48th and Old Cheney: Grain Bin and Great Harvest. Not only do they both have fantastic products, they also both happen to be run by incredible people.
The last time The Missus was in Great Harvest they told her about an upcoming fundraiser. I received an e-mail today (thanks, Gene!) with the details:
Raisin’ Dough on Sunday!
From Kevin Horne, owner of Great Harvest Bread Company of Lincoln:I have a request to make. Please visit our bakery this Sunday and pick up a loaf or two of bread. It is our second annual fundraising event, Rasin’ Dough, benefiting the Nebraska Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Julie and I are donating the bakery, all the ingredients & expertise. That means every dollar you spend goes to the National MS Society. We don’t keep any of it - when I say 100% I mean 100%!
When I was diagnosed with MS five years ago, the society was there to provide me and my family with vital information. Today the Society conti nues to help me and so may others.
So, I hope to see you Sunday as we work hard to sell 1,000 loaves of bread. The bakery will be open between 10 and 4 and staffed by a crew of many volunteers. It will be fun and quite an exciting day! If you or someone you know would like to help out, we could probably use your help. Call the bakery at 421-0195.
Forwarding this to 5 of your friends won’t bring you good luck forever, but it might help us raise more dough!
Thank you! Kevin
South Side of 48th & Old Cheney
Special Event Times 10-4
Sunday, August 16
You can count The Wilsons in for a loaf or two. See you at Great Harvest on Sunday!
Good News for Music Fans
KRNU (90.3 FM) is making a few changes in time for this fall:
Rick Alloway, KRNU’s general manager, said “Beginning this fall, the station is undergoing a programming adjustment and adding an additional Web channel that will nearly double the amount of available programming and the opportunities for majors in the college. This fine-tuning of the 90.3 KRNU format will create a modernized training experience for students while focusing more attention on the alternative/indie music interests of the 18-to-24-year-old listening audience. At the same time, the creation of the second Web channel will allow the continuation of the innovative and eclectic programming the college has always produced.”
Sounds interesting. After I read the press release I tuned in to the station’s online live stream. What did I hear? An acapella tune from Riverdance followed by an acapella tune in Finnish. Definitely not what I expect to hear on the radio, which is exactly what I would expect from a station like KRNU.
Friday Distractions
I went to YouTube to look for a particular video, and what did I find? Why, one big, giant, Stay Puft distraction. This is not what I needed on a day when I need to be very productive.
I Hope I Don’t Catch That!
My first thought when I saw this headline—”Pelini has serious mien this season”—was: What is that, some kind of mange?!
I suspect somebody at the LJS was playing Scrabble at work yesterday. Or spending too much time on reference.com.
Let’s Check Those Ratings
An Omaha company wants to build a new, 92,000 square foot nursing home at 91st and Highway 2. Menards’ back yard isn’t where I would want to live out my assisted-living years; I’m a much bigger fan of facilities located within residential areas, but to each his own. Anyway, since nursing home ratings have been in the local news in the context of the potential Lancaster Manor sale, I thought I would look up the ratings of Vetter Health Services’ other Lincoln nursing homes. As it turns out, both Milder Manor and Village Manor are rated as 3-star (out of 5) facilities.
Hmm ... I wonder if Vetter would be interested in buying Lancaster Manor?
Meet Up Today For Ribs
Ribfest starts up today. Carnivores, rejoice! I plan to be there at noon today. If you’re around I would love to say hi. The Lincolnite crew usually sits in the tent on the west side of the grounds. I’m the bald guy, and Mr. T is the guy who looks exactly the opposite of Mr. T. We would love to see you there!
Pathways
“Pathways: From Brain Injury to Hope” featuring patients at Madonna looks interesting:
Follow the journey of four individuals as they find their way from the tragedy of brain injury to new hope through rehabilitation. Though each person is unique, with different types of injury, they all share the same path - the sudden shock and heartbreak of an unexpected accident, cognitive and physical damage, followed by life-saving medical care and intense rehabilitation. Forming a new, broader family with their doctors, nurses, therapists and others on their Madonna care team, these courageous people - Alexis, Derek, Mandy and Christian - make their way to a new future filled with hope and possibilities. Save the date for the documentary premier: October, 13, 2009, in Lincoln, Nebraska.
It’s not clear to me what kind of documentary this is going to be. Something shown at The Ross? A web special? Broadcast on local television?
Raspberries to Jon Camp, Closet Commie
No, Jon Camp probably isn’t really a Commie pinko* (as far as we know!). But he is in Russia right now, meaning he missed the public hearing on the budget and he will miss the final vote on the budget. That’s lame, Jon. Very, very lame.
* Can I help it that I grew up around Major Burns and Colonel Flagg?
We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know
The Lancaster County Board will vote in executive session on August 27 on whether to continue negotiations for selling Lancaster Manor to Hunter Management. Meanwhile, groups continue to dig up dirt, and new groups are asking for more information. Which leads me to ask: At this point, can the County Board possibly decide to sell considering we don’t even know what we don’t know? There’s a haze around Hunter Management, there’s a haze around the Manor’s finances, Mike Foley’s audit isn’t due until late fall. Sheesh. This could—and perhaps should—stretch well into next year.
Make a Play For It
The Lincoln Community Playhouse is having a rough time these days. There are leadership issues and attendance In These Economic Times™ isn’t as good as would be hoped.
I know very little about the Playhouse’s current condition. My conceptions of the Playhouse come almost entirely from the many shows I saw there as a youth. I want it to succeed not only because it’s a valuable community asset, but also because its failure would mean losing a connection with my past. I haven’t been to an event at the Playhouse in many years.
Come to think of it, I don’t know anybody who has recently been to an event at the Playhouse. The question is, why? A part of it surely must be visibility. Way back when I went to shows in large part because Playhouse actors made regular appearances at my elementary school. Talk about great advertising! I don’t know if they still do that; if they don’t, they should. Regardless, although that may help with the youth shows it does nothing for the majority of the population that doesn’t have kids in elementary school. How is the Playhouse trying to reach out to me? Advertising in the newspaper? That’s not enough. Maybe there’s more to their efforts but I haven’t seen it. Perhaps I’m just not in their target demographic.
I’ll ask you, Lincolnites: Have you been to a show at the Playhouse recently? Are you aware of the Playhouse and its upcoming shows? How visible is the Playhouse to you? What would it take to make it more visible, and thus more likely that you (or people like you) would go to a show?
Let’s Meet for Ribs
Over the past couple years we have had a little meetup at Ribfest. Nothing formal, just a group of Lincolnites sitting around over a plate of ribs. This year Mr. T and I will be at Ribfest on Thursday around noon. We usually sit under the tent on the west side of the fenced-off area. Are any of you interested in joining us?
The Missus and I may also return on Thursday evening. We don’t know exactly what time we’ll be there yet --probably around 6:00pm—but we would be happy for you to join us then if you can’t make it at noon.
The Best Ribs in Lincoln Can Be Found At…
In honor of Ribfest this week (Thursday thru Sunday), I want to know how you will finish the following sentence:
The best ribs in Lincoln can be found at _______
My current favorite ribs are at Paul’s (48th and Pioneers). I had a batch of unbelievable ribs at Skeeter Barnes (56th and Old Cheney) a while back, but the ol’ Skeeter isn’t consistent enough to be the best. The ribs I had a Phat Jack’s (4050 Cornhusker) at a fundraiser a few weeks ago were good, but I need to sample the in-store fare to really get a feel for where PJ should place.
Have at it, Lincoln. Who makes the best ribs in town?
Where in Lincoln is this?
EDIT: Digital humanities maven and techno-librarian Karin correctly identified this location. Good going Karin!
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