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Today’s news:
- Film critic Ryan Syrek tries to withstand the endless gore of “Infinity Pool.”
- The Eppley Airfield expansion is set to begin construction in the coming months.
- Gov. Jim Pillen’s tax plan would benefit the wealthiest taxpayers and cost the state $1.5 billion in tax revenues.
Double, Double, Spoiled and in Trouble
“Infinity Pool” offers the next logical step in wealth legal privilege.
Film review by Ryan Syrek. Published in The Reader.
AROUND OMAHA
Construction on the expansion of Eppley Airfield is set to continue in the coming months. In 2021, the airport entrance received a facelift, with the terminal drop-off area coming next. A spokesman for the airport says modernization of the inside terminal will begin in late 2023 or early 2024.
Two players on Burke High School’s basketball team receive a one-game suspension for volunteering with the Special Olympics. Jay Bellar, the executive director of the Nebraska School Activities Association, says students’ participation in outside games once the season begins violates a state rule.
A report from MAPA says the most cost-effective way to slow traffic on the 2.5-mile stretch of North 30th Street that overlaps with Highway 75 is to shrink the four-lane street to three. Other options include relocating traffic to North 28th Street or building a bridge along the Missouri River. The City of Omaha says it’s reviewing the findings.
Nebraska lawmakers are meeting with city officials and lobbyists to discuss the streetcar project. State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn says lawmakers weren’t aware of the project when the city announced it last January. She has introduced legislation to restrict TIF usage and assign responsibility for the cost of utility work, which the city and MUD have been fighting over for months.
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Jan. 31: Fitz and the Tantrums with BabyJake
- Feb. 7-12: Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird
- Feb. 10-11: Omaha Symphony Romeo & Juliet
- Feb. 13: Bead Bash
- Feb. 19: STRFKR with Das Kope
- Feb. 21-25: Omaha Fashion Week Spring 2023 Season
- Feb. 23: Live @ LOW END | C. Spencer Yeh
- Feb. 23: Unsane with Violenteer and Big Water
- Feb. 24: The Simon & Garfunkel Story
- Feb. 24-25: NETWAR 41.0
Be sure to get the updated booster shot before heading to any of these events.
AROUND NEBRASKA
Gov. Jim Pillen’s plan to drop the individual and corporate income taxes would mean $1.5 billion less in revenue through June 2027. The plan proposes tax cuts to benefit at least 50% of people who file taxes in Nebraska, with the wealthiest benefitting most. Critics say cutting the top rate leaves behind low- and middle-income Nebraskans.
Inside Gov. Pillen’s budget proposal is a $14 million transfer from the Nebraska Environmental Trust to the State Water Resources Cash fund. Sandy Scofield, president of the Trust, says the transfer is brazen and W. Don Nelson, a former state official, says the Trust is meant to aid environmental projects, not to be the “governor’s piggy-bank.”
Nebraska lawmakers say no action is expected on a residency complaint filed against state Sen. Tom Brewer. But one senator anonymously tells the Nebraska Examiner that the Legislature should consider the constitutional questions raised by the complaint before risking the legality of any bills Brewer’s vote may be crucial to passing.
Lincoln City Councilman Richard Meginnis won’t run for re-election this spring after one term on the council. Meginnis, the only Republican on the officially nonpartisan council and a former school board member, says he no longer enjoys public service. His decision means three of the four people elected in 2019 are not running again.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
The Omaha City Council will vote on an additional $19 million in emergency rental assistance, which may be the last round of funding the city receives. The City Council will also discuss an update to the agreement with Front Porch Investments to use COVID relief funds for housing efforts. The Douglas County Board will vote on a resolution to support bills introduced in the Nebraska Legislature.
Every week, Anton Johnson picks noteworthy agenda items from the Omaha City Council and Douglas County Board of Commissioners. See the full City Council andBoard of Commissioners agendas for Tuesday, Jan. 31, and tune in here to the Board of Commissioners at 9 a.m. and City Council at 2 p.m.
FACT OF THE DAY
From Harper’s Index
Portion of tech workers in the U.S. who
say they have been bullied at work: 4/5
Source: Workplace Bullying Institute (Clarkston, Wash.)
DAILY FUNNY
Comic by Jeffrey Koterba. Support him on Patreon.
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