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Saying Hy to Northeast Lincoln
Hy-Vee plans to build a new 84,000+ square foot store at 84th and Holdrege. Hy-Vee will also build a gas station at the site.
It’s easy to ho-hum a new grocery store, but the announcement should be received as good news by many of the people who are concerned about the impending closing of the 70th and O Hy-Vee. Granted, 84th and Holdrege is quite a hike from 70th and O, but given the drastic differences between old Hy-Vee buildings and their newer crop of stores, many shoppers will find the longer drive worthwhile.
Stewing
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?
Nine is Just Fine
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.
The Politics of School Spending
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.
A Classic
I think I may have mentioned before, that the upcoming Scorcese file this fall - The Departed - is based on the HK classic ”Infernal Affairs.” Well in the past few days, it was just announced that the preview for Scorcese’s version was released on yahoo’s movie site. I am looking forward to seeing this one. But do yourself a favor and see the original before the remake.
Imperial’s Newest Resident
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.!
Just a Little Quiet
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.
Ride in the Street
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.
Lost
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:
Riddles Revealed
On Friday I presented five riddles as part of this blog’s ongoing Friday Five feature. It took a couple days, but foxspit, huskerpilot, and christopher pieced it all together. The answers are on the inside. Don’t peak if you haven’t given the riddles a try.
In case you don’t want to go read the answers, I’ll go ahead and ask this here: were the riddles any good? Shall I make more riddles in the future?
High School Days
In a very belated spring cleaning, today I came across a few old reminders of past days when I was young, dumb, and lived in the Twin Cities. Does anyone here remember Husker Du? They were one of the seminal hardcore bands along with Black Flag and others on the SST label, as well as Twin Cities’ natives along with The Replacements and Soul Asylum. The ticket stub is from one of their last shows ever at First Avenue in Minneapolis (in fact I mean that literally) that I saw way back when I was, gosh, a sophomore in high school! Somewhere (in my parent’s basement), I should still have an LP of their first release: Land Speed Record.
The other ticket is from a Sonic Youth show I saw right after they released Daydream Nation – the record that confirmed their greatness (and years before Nirvana hit MTV). I remember old buddy Christine squealing about seeing Kim Gordon in the ladies room, and how those guys had to bring on new Fender Jaguar guitars after every song since they broke so many strings. It was probably one of the top 5 best concerts I have ever seen in my life. Sonic Youth, by the way, is still going strong and has recently released a great album that I purchased the other day finally – Rather Ripped – arguably their best record since Daydream Nation way back in 1988. Also, members of both Husker Du and Sonic Youth are interviewed in We Jam Econo – a documentary of another immortal group of SST label artists – The Minutemen.
Oh yes...Good memories. And to think today I can’t even stand the noise in the Chipotle across from the Nebraska book store.
The Chuckster Strikes Again
Not noted in the recent LJS article, but picked up from today’s The Washington Note:
I haven’t decided yet how I’ll vote on Mr. Bolton.
I wonder about this, especially since he supported Bolton in last year’s hearings. There are a few scenarios here I can think of at a minimum:
1) Chucky has actually decided he will vote for Bolton, but made this statement to create some suspense and attention knowing he can get some good press since the Senator from Ohio has changed his mind this time around.
2) Chucky is truly undecided because - as opposed to last year’s hearings when much (though far from all) of the criticism of Bolton was character-based - the record has since shown that since Bolton’s recess appointment, its become apparent that the guy hasn’t performed too well by anyone’s standards.
3) Chucky is truly undecided because he objects on constitutional grounds to the White House’s balking to provide material on Bolton to the Foreign Relations Committee for review.
4) Chucky has decided he will vote for Bolton, but has made this announcement to get some press (see #1), and is keeping his options open not so much for a presidential run, but for an appointment to Sec State in either a future Repub or Dem administration in 2008.
5) Chucky is truly undecided (and will vote no) based on #2+#3, and is keeping his options open not so much for a presidential run, but for an appointment to Sec State in either a future Repub or Dem administration in 2008.
My hope is #5, my guess is #4.
Friday Five
Just for fun, and to follow up on yesterday’s riddle, here are five riddles, of varying difficulty, on a common theme:
- 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?
- 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?
- 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?
- In my day my best friends were jerks. Today, my good name is sullied by “friends” of a different sort. What am I?
- 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?
We Are Not Alone
Lincoln isn’t the only community experiencing a larger-than-usual number of houses on the market.
A Riddle
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?
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