Read past Reed Moore daily newsletters
HERE’S YOUR RUNDOWN
Happy National Get Out of the Doghouse Day
Sometimes, Reed Moore believes, all you need to do is hug it out.
Today’s news:
- The Crossroads project might look dormant, but developers say work that’s underway can’t be seen from the street.
- Alliance’s police chief is using an unconventional tool to hand out citations.
- Nebraska’s revenue receipts exceed expectations by 30% for the 2022 fiscal year.
REED MOORE’S FEATURED STORY
Digging up the Roots on Omaha’s Housing Segregation
A new research project is uncovering old efforts to keep Omaha neighborhoods white — and how our history impacts our present.
By Chris Bowling. Published in The Reader.
The Reed Moore newsletter is supported by:
COVID-19 UPDATE
‘Rona roundup:
After working for seven presidents over five decades, Dr. Anthony Fauci says he’s retiring before the end of President Joe Biden’s term. Despite cases and hospitalizations going up, Fauci says “we’re almost at a steady state” and that “we’re going to be living with this.”
If you’re not yet up to date on COVID vaccines, visit vaccines.gov to make your appointment today. To order more at-home COVID tests, visit CovidTests.gov.
By the numbers:
AROUND OMAHA
- The Crossroads project might appear dormant, with no sign of activity, but developers say work that’s underway can’t be seen from the street, including work on sewer systems. Initial building construction is expected to begin within the next year.
- After 20 years with the City of Omaha, Dr. Franklin Thompson is retiring. The four-term city councilman, who has been human rights and relations director since 2017, will spend time promoting his forthcoming autobiography and teaching at UNO. A national search will begin to replace Thompson.
- Omaha’s first Pride parade was in 1985. The roughly 60 participants had to shield their faces in fear of persecution, but still marched to remember those who died from AIDS. Thirty-seven years later, Heartland Pride brings thousands togethernear the Old Market for a parade and festival.
- Douglas County reports its third suspected monkeypox case, although it’s too early to tell if the person is a known contact to a confirmed case.
AROUND NEBRASKA
- Alliance’s police chief, Philip Lukens, is using an unconventional tool to hand out citations. The city is the first official client of Trusted Driver, a web-based tool that allows contactless communication between an officer and registered drivers, without the officer initiating a traffic stop.
- Nebraska’s revenue receipts exceed expectations by more than 30% for the 2022 fiscal year. The state had forecasted $4.88 billion in revenue but received nearly $6.35 billion. The surplus will go into the state’s Cash Reserve Fund.
- History Nebraska moves forward with tearing down an additional portion of the Neligh Mill. The Board of Trustees said the cost of preservation and maintenance was too high.
REED MOORE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT
This week:
- New Library: The Omaha City Council will hold a public hearing Tuesday, July 19, on a $20 million agreement with Community Information Trust (CIT) to design and contract a new library at 72nd and Dodge streets. The library would be incorporated with the current Do Space building, a nonprofit technology library owned and operated by CIT. The ordinance also holds that CIT intends to merge with the Omaha Public Library Foundation and enter into a contract with philanthropic group Heritage Services to raise funds for the project.
- Affordable Housing Funds: The City Council will hold a public hearing to allocate $20 million in COVID relief funds to Front Porch Investments. FPI will also raise an additional $20 million in philanthropic funding, resulting in a $40 million public-private partnership to assist affordable housing in Omaha.
- Board of Corrections: The Douglas County Board of Commissioners will receive a monthly update from Douglas County Corrections Director Mike Myers.
- ARPA: The Board of Commissioners will also vote on several proposed ARPA projects, including $700,000 to assist restaurants that have been impacted by the pandemic.
Every week, Anton Johnson picks noteworthy agenda items from the Omaha City Council and Douglas County Board of Commissioners. See the full Omaha City Council and Board of Commissioners agendas for Tuesday, July 19, and tune in here to the Douglas County Board at 9 a.m. and Omaha City Council at 2 p.m.
FACT OF THE DAY
From Harper’s Index
Percentage by which men are more likely than
women to view the Weather Channel as untrustworthy: 75
Source: YouGov (NYC)
DAILY FUNNY
Comic by Koterba. Support him on Patreon.