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HERE’S YOUR RUNDOWN
Happy National Spaghetti Day
This is Reed Moore’s mantra: “Spaghetti is love.”
- Discover the weirdest spots in Omaha with The Reader’s Matt Casas.
- It’s the first day of the Legislature’s 2023 session, the most diverse in history.
- Heartland Family Service provides an update on the relocation of Legacy Crossing tenants.
Weirdest Places in Omaha
Uncover the spots that only a select few have heard about, let alone visited.
By Matt Casas. Published in The Reader.
The Reed Moore newsletter is supported by:
AROUND OMAHA
- Heartland Family Service (HFS) says it has found housing for 34 families from Legacy Crossing. HFS had planned on providing tenants with hotel rooms for two weeks, but a spokesperson says that’s been extended by another two weeks. HFS says relocation efforts could continue for up to “a couple of months.” (Donations at this link will go to HFS’ relocation efforts.)
- U.S. Rep. Don Bacon has harsh words for the handful of colleagues preventing the election of Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House. Bacon told KFAB Radio that “you don’t negotiate with terrorists” and that he’ll continue voting for McCarthy, the first candidate in a century to not be elected speaker on the first ballot.
- Bennington’s fire chief, Dan Mallory, says the transition from an all-volunteer department to one with full-time paid staff has been a success. Mallory says that with an all-volunteer staff, the average response time was eight to nine minutes; paid firefighters have helped shorten that to four.
- Omaha-based nonprofit Girls Inc. hires Angela McGraw as its next executive director. McGraw, who previously headed Do Space, was the top candidate from a national search of 91 candidates. The retiring executive director, Roberta Wilhelm, oversaw massive expansions and fundraisers that featured speakers such as Malala Yousafzai, Desmond Tutu and former President Barack Obama.
AROUND NEBRASKA
Today, Jan. 4, is the first day of the Nebraska Legislature’s 2023 session.
- It lasts 90 days, but it’s anyone’s guess as to how it could go. More than a fourth of the 2017 session was spent fighting over rules. If that’s repeated, it could delay the election of committee chairs and legislative work.
- It’s also the most diverse Legislature in history, with two Black, two Latino, one Asian American, two openly LGBTQ+ legislators and a record 18 women.
- There are plenty of competing priorities for senators, but one thing is for sure: this year will include a lot of water infrastructure.
- After two decades, Greenwood’s I-80 Speedway is closing and selling its assets via auction. The Kosiski family, which owns the speedway, has sold the land. Steve Kosiski says this will allow the family to focus on other projects.
- UNMC rolls out a scholarship program aimed at getting out-of-state nursing students to relocate to its rural campuses. The program, called Nebraska Neighbors, is open to nursing students entering traditional or accelerated baccalaureate of science programs based in Scottsbluff, Kearney or Norfolk.
- U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse delivers a farewell address decrying performative politics and extreme partisanship in the Senate. Meanwhile, the New Republic calls Sasse “Quitter of the Year.”
REED MOORE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT
The Omaha City Council and Douglas County Board of Commissioners are not meeting this week. Check back here next week to see what your local government is (or isn’t) up to.
Follow local government reporter Anton Johnson on Twitter to keep up with anything else that may be in the works.
FACT OF THE DAY
From Harper’s Index
Number of hours by which the amount of work needed each month
to afford the typical U.S. rent has risen in the past two years: 8
Source: Zillow (Seattle)
DAILY FUNNY
Comic by Jeffrey Koterba. Support him on Patreon.
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