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Home - News
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The News Hound - |
POLITICO
Nobel laureate launches Grameen Omaha
Muhammad Yunus knows about humble beginnings. In 1976 the young economics professor at Chittagong University in Bangladesh gave $27 to a group of impoverished craftsmen. He never expected to get the money back, but he did. The simple exchange sparked an entire movement to ameliorate conditions of the poverty stricken worldwide, with Yunus as its cheerful, optimistic leader.
Yunus started the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh with a radical shift in money lending philosophy based off “mutual trust, accountability, participation and creativity” rather than collateral or credit scores. Small loans are given almost exclusively to women. Group lending creates peer pressure and support to pay back the money. Grameen has hundreds of small loan centers in Bangladesh, as well as a burgeoning program in New York City with payback rates around 98 percent. |
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Up Front - |
Nebraska abortion proposal could be strictest in U.S.
Three years ago Tiffany Cambell and her husband had to make a choice of the worst possible order: Whether to sacrifice one son to save another. Nineteen weeks into her third pregnancy, Campbell was elated to learn she was carrying twin boys. She also learned the brothers were sick. A circulation disorder was causing one to get too much blood while the other wasn’t getting enough. After consulting with doctors and seeking spiritual guidance, the Campbell’s decided to abort one child at 22 weeks to give the other a fighting chance.
“We would have buried two babies instead of one,” she told the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee during a Feb. 26 hearing. “Today we have a healthy 3-year-old boy who is the treasure of his older brother and sister.” |
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Fool's Gold - |
The Olympics and Its Stars Pimp for Junk Food
by Vanessa Richmond, AlterNet
Maybe you thought that junk food and soft drinks would take a hike during the Olympics, the world’s largest celebration of bodies at the peak of health and fitness. But if you thought that, you’d be wrong.
McDonald’s and Coca Cola are almost as ubiquitous as the five rings up here in Vancouver. We’re drowning in evidence of the detrimental effects of soft drinks, and being crushed under the weight of research about the consequences of junk food. Yet these Olympics seem to be setting records for the number of billboards and TV commercials selling sugar-filled and empty calorie food and drink. And also for the number of athletes shilling them, and even equating them with national pride. If you believe what you see and hear, you’d think junk food and soft drinks are the stuff Olympic and other dreams are made of. |
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The News Hound - |
POLITICO
Iowa lawmakers consider regulations
Iowa lawmakers are considering legislation to regulate amateur mixed martial arts fights much like amateur boxing. Professional MMA bouts are currently regulated in the state, but amateur fights are not. Under the bill, introduced by Sen. Bill Dotzler of Waterloo fight organizers would need to have a doctor present at all matches, fighters would undergo pre- and post-match physicals, and need to be tested for HIV and Hepatitis. Organizers would also have to give 5 percent of admissions to the state’s athletic fund. Nebraska adopted similar rules in 2007.
Several organizers told the Omaha World-Herald they support most provisions of the bill because it makes the sport safer and would ensure its longevity. |
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Up Front - |
For decades Nebraska public power utilities have used eminent domain as a last resort to build public power lines on private property. Under a proposed bill, utilities could extend that authority to help private companies build lines to transmit wind energy across state lines.
Using eminent domain for private projects is just one point of contention in the Legislature’s efforts to spur wind development. While nothing specifically prohibits privately owned wind farms in the state, private developers have been reluctant to build here, fearing public utilities, such as OPPD, could use eminent domain to take over projects after they’re built. |
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The Jump - |
This neck of the woods isn’t teaming with winter Olympians. There are no mountains where the next Bode Miller or Lindsey Vonn can train. It’s unlikely the next Shaun White will call the Omaha-area home, and while youth hockey and figure skating clubs have taken some strides in recent years, it’s probably a long time until an area youngster will represent the good ol’ U.S. of A. on the Olympic level.
However, if there are tykes out there that dream of one day piloting a $30,000 fiberglass sled down a mountain at speeds approaching 100 miles-per-hour, you’re in luck, you have a local role model in the form of Curt Tomasevicz. |
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The Future of Islam - |
Project Interfaith hosts
Dr. John Esposito
by David Williams
President Obama has his work cut out for him. Reaction across the globe to his “Kansas to Cairo” initiative, a bridge-builder to Muslims everywhere, has been almost universally positive, or at least so among the Muslim world.
It is here at home that the effort to seek common ground needs work.
A Gallup poll released Jan. 21 said 43 percent of Americans admit to feeling prejudice against Muslims, a number more than twice that of the same metric (18 percent) when it comes to thoughts on Christians.
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The News Hound - |
POLITICO
Suttle: State of the city is strong
In his first State of the City address, Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle gave a mostly positive assessment of the city and his term. The 40-minute speech at Hot Shops Art Center downtown addressed one major concern: the $500 million police and fire pension shortfall. Suttle praised a “historic agreement” he reached with the Omaha Police Officers Association that would create wage freezes and end “pension spiking.” The controversial practice occurs when officers stack overtime in their final months on the job to boost pension payouts.
“Spiking is a concern to our citizens, and has been met with decisive action,” Suttle said.
Suttle criticized city council members who have hesitated to approve the contract. Council members have been meeting with city department heads and actuaries to determine effects of the proposal on taxpayers. Councilman Pete Festersen said he and his colleagues are far from a vote. Council member Jean Stothert has been among the most outspoken critics of the deal between the mayor and police union. |
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Up Front - |
Targeting children of
incarcerated parents
There are more than 8,000 kids in Douglas and Sarpy counties with at least one parent incarcerated. Many of those children live in North Omaha. On Feb. 10 the Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church officially announced the launch of a mentoring program to help this at-risk population.
The Amachi Mentoring Coalition Project was started in Philadelphia in 2000. According to program officials, Amachi is a West African word that means “Who knows what God has brought us through this child.”One-on-one mentors commit to four meetings, four hours a month to be “councilors, confidants, and friends” to vulnerable children, said Gethsemane Pastor Anthony Butler. |
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Corn, Cattle and Wind? - |
Wind power could be
Nebraska’s next big export
by Bryan Cohen
Wind turbines on huge flatbeds, barreling down I-80 and across state lines. Despite its location in the middle of the nation’s “wind belt” that fleeting image has essentially characterized Nebraska’s wind energy development to date. A new effort by utilities and lawmakers would keep some of those turbines planted in Nebraska, but the power they produced would still leave the state.
Nebraska is ranked third in wind energy potential, but is 26th in wind energy production. Iowa ranks second in production, with significantly less potential. A group of state senators, local power utilities, and wind developers started meeting last year to start turning things around. |
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The News Hound - |
POLITICO
Husker ticket giveaways to public officials draws scrutiny
Nebraska government agencies are spending over $1 million a year on advertising on the Husker Sports Network, and getting thousands of football tickets in return. It’s a relationship State Auditor Mike Foley calls a bit “too cozy.”
“I am not comfortable with how some agencies are spending large sums of public money and receiving gifts and incentives for personal use in return” Foley said. “My view on this is really quite simple: State employees and their family and friends should not be attending Husker sporting events on the public’s dime.” |
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Up Front: Constitutional Amendment Targets Health Care - |
The health care debate has taken a new spin in the heartland. On Feb. 3, the Legislature’s Heath and Human Services Committee heard testimony on a proposed constitutional amendment that would prohibit any Nebraska law that restricts health care choices or mandates health care coverage. It would block health insurance mandates (like the one in Massachusetts) and penalties on those who refuse it.
If passed, Legislative Resolution 289CA would put the proposed amendment on the November ballot. |
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No Pretty Woman - |
Short film takes an honest look at sex trade in Nebraska
by Bryan Cohen
There are more than 35 listings for escorts in the Omaha Yellow Pages. On Feb. 1 alone, there were 103 posts on Craigslist for discreet sexual encounters in Omaha, with several mentioning the exchange of money. Last year there was an average of just over 3 prostitution arrests per week in Omaha, including several high-profile sting operations.
Add to this that “Johns” come from all walks of life, as do the women and men whose services they purchase, and that you probably couldn’t pick them out just by looks, and that prostitution in rural areas (especially along I-80) is rampant, it becomes clear why Kim Carpenter chose the name she did for her short film on sex trade in Nebraska. |
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The News Hound - |
POLITICO
Whiteclay revenue may provide further
development to area
Gov. Dave Heineman, Attorney General Jon Bruning and state Sens. LeRoy Louden, Colby Coash and Russ Karpisek met with tribal officials in Whiteclay, Neb. to discuss legislation to fund economic development or health care projects in the Whiteclay area.
The proposal would retain 70 percent of sales tax revenues from liquor sales in Whiteclay to fund the program.
Whiteclay has often been criticized for contributing to the alcohol problems on the neighboring Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The senators hope the revenue would provide services such as an alcohol-treatment center. |
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Up Front: Keeping the dream alive? - |
Maria Flores thought she was just coming to the U.S. on vacation from Mexico. The then-17-year-old was about to start her senior year in high school and was eager to become a chemical engineer. But when the summer of 1999 ended and no bags were packed, she became suspicious. That’s when her mother dropped the bombshell: The family was staying in Nebraska.
Flores was angry and confused. Since she didn’t speak English, she was sent back to ninth grade. But eventually, she came around to life in the U.S. |
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Of Weeds and Needs - |
Bill would require drug tests for welfare recipients
by Ryan R Dudzinski
If you receive direct cash or medical benefits from the state, you shouldn’t be using illegal drugs. The premise seems simple enough, but a bill in the Nebraska Legislature seeking to enforce it faces a history of lawsuits and failed attempts in other states. The bill is also raising concerns for medical marijuana patients and advocates, who say their form of self-medication is cheaper and more effective than prescription drugs.
Introduced by Sen. Charlie Janssen of Fremont, the bill seeks mandatory drug tests for welfare recipients. If individuals were caught using illegal substances, they would be ineligible for welfare cash payouts, food stamps, and similar state assistance for up to one year. Janssen says drug testing would help ensure that welfare recipients are on the road to finding employment and getting off of state assistance. |
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The News Hound - |
POLITICO
The cost of a life
The death penalty debate in Nebraska no longer centers on how to carry out an execution, but on the costs of capital punishment. The Legislature began a new debate on the death penalty after a proposal to repeal the death penalty went nowhere.
Sen. Brenda Council of Omaha proposed the bill and an amendment that requested an audit to determine the costs of carrying out the death penalty versus non-death penalty sentences for those convicted of first-degree murder. Council said carrying out the death penalty is ten times more expensive than life sentences. “The death penalty is an enormously expensive and wasteful program with no real benefits,” she said. |
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Up Front - |
Real Film Incentives in Nebraska
Two bills recently introduced by State Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha represent the latest effort to provide Nebraska’s nascent film industry with economic incentives.
Mello’s LB 1073 centers on the Nebraska Film Enhancement Tax Credit Program, a stimulus for made-in-Nebraska film, television, video, Web projects. It would provide up to 17 percent of a project’s documented in state expenditures — on everything from wages paid to cast and crew, to construction, photography, editing, and facility — equipment rental qualifying for a refundable tax credit at production’s end.
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Final Plunge for the 49'r? - |
Historic Dundee bar could make way for another chain pharmacy
by Ben Hankey
You’ve no doubt heard the rumors: the 49’r could be 86’d. Thousands of Facebook users have rallied on a “Save the 49R” page. But online discussions abound about the live music venue’s demise, there is scant information on owner Mark Samuelson’s deal with pharmacy giant CVS. Samuelson and his employees have declined interviews with The Reader. CVS employees, as per their contracts, must remain tight-lipped. |
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The News Hound - |
POLITICO
Counting the invisible kids
The report is in. The much-anticipated publication of Voices for Children in Nebraska was officially released via interactive “webinar” by Kids Count in Nebraska. The report focuses on the condition of children under 18 who live with at least one immigrant parent.
“This is what the children of immigrants look like,” said Mark Mather, a demographer with the Population Reference Bureau in Washington, D.C. “This report combines the topic area of migration with the work we’ve done with the Annie E. Casey foundation. So we combined those pools of research to see how immigrant children are faring in the United States.” |
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