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Today’s Highlights:
- Chronic homelessness in Omaha is at a high due to the city’s lack of affordable housing, advocates say.
- Lawmakers want to swap federal ARPA funds with money from Nebraska’s general fund to extend the timeline for community projects that will help North and South Omaha.
- More than 27,000 Nebraskans are eligible to receive between $29 and $30 in a national TurboTax settlement.
Old Market Farmers Market Kicks Off New Season
Photographer Brock Stillmunks captures the food, flowers and homemade goods at the downtown event, which will be held every Saturday through Oct. 15.
By Reed Moore.
Around Omaha
An annual report shows the number of Omahans who are homeless increased between 2021 and 2022 — and chronic homelessness in the city is at a high. “There’s not enough housing, affordable, safe housing in the community,” Omaha’s homeless service coordinator Tamera Dwyer says.
Meet two of the Latinas leading Omaha’s culinary scene. Elie Berchal, the owner of Elie’s Chinchorro, and Zonia Villanueva, the owner of El Torogoz, share the stories of how they’ve grown their businesses.
Lawmakers, including Sen. Tony Vargas, want to swap federal ARPA funds meant for the state’s multimillion-dollar Economic Recovery Act with the same amount of money from Nebraska’s general fund. This will give North and South Omaha grant recipients more time to develop their community projects.
Dak Thon, the president of the South Sudanese New Community, speaks at Omaha 360’s meeting in an effort to bridge the gap among Omaha’s large South Sudanese community, Omaha police and other community leaders working to prevent violence in the city.
The Alpine Inn celebrates 50 years of food accompanied by wildlife in Omaha. Where else can you feast on fried chicken and full sized jumbo wings alongside … raccoons?
Upcoming Events
- May 11: Buddy Guy: Damn Right Farewell
- May 12: Noisefest
- May 12-14: Cinco de Mayo Omaha Festival
- May 19 – July 12: Shabnam Jannesari
Be sure to get the updated booster shot before heading to any of these events.
Around Nebraska
Legislature: A move to reduce the size of the state’s cash reserve fund — the money used to sustain state programs in hard times — ‘raises red flags’ for some state senators, the Nebraska Examiner reports.
A proposed canal to bring Nebraskans water from Colorado is close to receiving more than half a million dollars in state funds. But a report from Nebraska’s Legislative Research Office suggests an outside consultant may overestimate the amount of water the canal will deliver, Flatwater Free Press reports.
Public employees in Nebraska have had $230 million in student debt forgiven since 2021, the Lincoln Journal Star reports.
More than 27,000 Nebraskans are eligible to receive between $29 and $30 from a $141 million nationwide settlement with TurboTax’s parent company, Intuit, Attorney General Mike Hilgers’ office announces.
In Nebraska, local governments can sell someone’s house and keep the profit if the resident is behind on property taxes. But a case in the U.S. Supreme Court could change that.
Fact of the Day
From Harper’s Index
Factor by which the number of U.S. job-offer scams reported since 2019 has increased: 3
Source: Federal Trade Commission
DAILY FUNNY
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clicking the image or the link below.
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