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TODAY’S TOP STORIES:
- The Reader’s Tim McMahan talks with ChatGPT about Omaha’s music scene.
- The City of Omaha and MUD reach an agreement on how to pay for streetcar-related utility work.
- Nebraska lawmakers propose action against Chinese-owned telecommunications firms.
Chatting With Our Inevitable Replacement
What OpenAI’s ChatGPT knows about our music scene will surprise you.
By Tim McMahan. Published in The Reader.
AROUND OMAHA
The City of Omaha and MUD reach an agreement over how to pay for the utility work needed to build a streetcar system. The agreement was reached just one hour before the Legislature was set to debate a bill that would put the city on the hook for the cost. MUD will pay $7.6 million of the estimated $20.5 million, with the city paying the rest. Both parties say this agreement prevents any potential rate increases.
Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson says his request for disability is simply a procedural piece that would allow him to reapply in the future. Hanson says he badly injured his right knee during a home invasion call in May 2015, making him eligible. He says if he doesn’t go through this process now, he won’t be able to apply later.
The intersection of 192nd and Capehart is the best location for an I-80 interchange in western Sarpy County, according to a study. Other possibilities are 168th and Schram, 180th Street, 204th and Fairview, Platteview Road and Pflug Road. The study has been submitted to the Nebraska Department of Transportation and the state Highway Administration. The project could take up to 10 years to finish.
Pro volleyball is coming to Omaha. Musician Jason Derulo and local businessman Danny White are co-owners of a team that will be one of eight in the Pro Volleyball Federation. Derulo has put out a call for name suggestions on social media, and speculation is wild about what this means for the sport and our city.
The Blackstone District is opening 300 parking spots from the former Mutual of Omaha employee lot, located just north of 36th and Farnam. The parking spots cost $5 per day and can be paid via scanning a QR code on a phone.
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Feb. 17: Modern Quilting on the Prairie
- 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
- Feb. 27: Trixie and Katya Live
Be sure to get the updated booster shot before heading to any of these events.
AROUND NEBRASKA
Legislature: A bill introduced by Sen. Eliot Bostar would ban the state’s Universal Service Fund, made up of customers’ wireless company fees, from being distributed to cell phone firms that use China’s Huawei or ZTE equipment on their network. Sen. Suzanne Geist, the chair of the Telecommunications Committee, is in support of the bill.
The Flatwater Free Press wins its lawsuit against the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy. Flatwater sued over a $44,000 fee charged by the state in response to a records request pertaining to nitrate, which it has been reporting on in recent months. Flatwater’s suit claimed the fee was an unlawful and expensive estimate. (https://teledentistry.com)
In an attempt to hire and retain more teachers, at least six school districts in Nebraska have switched to a four-day week. The move has pleased teachers and parents alike, but the jury is still out on whether it’s helping students perform better in the classroom.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
The Omaha City Council approves American Rescue Plan Act funding for parks.
Click here to read local government reporter Anton Johnson’s full article for The Reader.
FACT OF THE DAY
From Harper’s Index
Percentage by which young adults are more likely
to smoke cigarettes than adults 65 or older: 50
Source: Gallup (Washington)
DAILY FUNNY
Comic by Jeffrey Koterba. Support him on Patreon.