05/25/21 • Nebraska vaccine data • Nationwide case trends
Omaha Speeds Up with Rapid Transit, but the City Has a Long Way to Go
Access to good jobs, entertainment and other aspects of city life depends on a good transit system. Though Omaha’s made improvements, many residents say it’s far from perfect.
Reed Moore’s Daily Rundown
Happy National Tap Dance Day!
Put on your dancing shoes and groove to today’s news: Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert says residents are fed up with protesters’ “hateful and divisive acts,” Gov. Pete Ricketts vetoes increased food assistance, and summer activities return with 21-and-older events at the zoo and College World Series tickets going on sale June 7.
Around Omaha
- Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert says the city is “fed up with hateful and divisive acts,” following a protest outside the police union hall that featured severed pig heads.
- As the search for an 11-year-old La Vista boy with autism stretches on, grief counselors and child advocacy experts urge parents to talk to their children about the situation.
- Temperatures will continue to rise in Omaha today with a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon.
- With the CDC’s eviction moratorium running out by the end of June, some Omaha housing advocates are again warning of an eruption in court filings that will force people from their homes.
- College World Series tickets go on sale June 7 as the national baseball tournament returns to Omaha on June 19.
- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo will hold 21-and-older summer events starting on June 3.
- Metro Community College is offering free summer classes to high school students who want to get a jump on their higher education.
- The City of Omaha is collecting compostable yard waste until June 25. Leaves, grass clippings and other organic material must be in compostable brown bags purchased at hardware stores or garden centers.
Around Nebraska
- Gov. Pete Ricketts vetoes bills that would have expanded supplemental food aid and heating assistance. He also vetoes a bill that would have transferred the management of Omaha Public Schools’ troubled retirement plan to the state.
- Citing low COVID-19 numbers, Gov. Pete Ricketts announces the end of the state’s directed health measures, including mandating quarantines from people exposed to the virus.
- The Nebraska Legislature passes a bill that updates several concealed carry provisions, but takes out language that would have allowed people to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.
- Gov. Pete Ricketts has said Nebraska will soon pull out of the federal unemployment benefits program providing people with an extra $300 per week on top of state benefits. Some of the thousands still receiving those dollars are begging the governor to reconsider.
- With unemployment benefits drying up and directed health measures ending, many people now have to consider what it looks like to return to work in a post-pandemic world.
- It’s been six months since the vaccine came to Nebraska, and so far 1.7 million doses have been administered across the state.
- An executive order allowing take-out alcohol at bars and restaurants expires on June 1, but a bill on Gov. Pete Ricketts’ desk would make selling to-go drinks a mainstay.
- In Lincoln Public Schools, 26% of remote learners have failing grades. But some parents say virtual learning helped their children succeed.
Reed Moore’s Things To Do
Find more on our Things To Do page.
Dining After Dark in Omaha
Ika Ramen & Izakaya
- Benson: 6109 Maple St. (402) 558-2482
- Downtown: 1114 Jones St. (402) 916-4363
With one location downtown (aka Ika San) and one in Benson (aka Ika Benson), Ika Ramen & Izakaya hardly needs an introduction to those familiar with the local nightlife. Ika has essentially changed the palettes of many late-night food lovers and pub-goers as Omaha’s first ramen-devoted establishment.
And with another location on the way, rumored to be opening in Papillion this year, Ika Ramen no doubt will stick to it tried-and-true recipe for success. The city’s love for late-night ramen and sushi was too great to ignore.
After all, an izakaya is Japan’s artful version of the pub – intimate and cozy, with plenty of reasons to stay, eat and drink. Omaha’s Ika Ramen, open especially late on Fridays and Saturdays (until 2 a.m.), offers an essential and championed take on such iconic establishments.
The Daily Funny
