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HERE’S YOUR RUNDOWN
Happy National Candy Cane Day
Once the Christmas tree comes down, Reed Moore will have a month’s worth of these treats to savor.
- Film critic Ryan Syrek is not a fan of Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio.”
- A popular Bellevue restaurant catches fire and is deemed a total loss.
- A 28-year-old former legislative aide is appointed state legislator for District 21.
The Passion of the Pinocchio
Hey, kids — do you like carpentry, resurrection and fascism?
Film review by Ryan Syrek. Published in The Reader.
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COVID-19 UPDATE
Set up an appointment for the new booster today.
By the numbers:
AROUND OMAHA
- The City of Omaha continues its request of a new trial in the case of former OPD Capt. Kathy Belcastro-Gonzalez. Deputy City Attorney Michelle Peters says in court filings that one juror spoke to people about the trial, something allegedly learned by a former police officer. The jury awarded Belcastro-Gonzalez $700,000 after determining she was wrongfully passed over for a promotion.
- A Bellevue restaurant catches on fire and is deemed a total loss. Nettie’s Mexican restaurant has been near 13th and Harrison for over three decades, and it’s unclear what comes next. “Hopefully, we can rebuild,” the owner’s grandson said.
- OPS Superintendent Cheryl Logan won’t get a severance package when she leaves in June, but she will be vested in the district’s pension system. Logan will receive over $500,000 in compensation during her final year with OPS, but it isn’t clear how much she will receive in pension funds.
- The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office confirms that the body found in Topeka, Kansas, is that of Omaha woman Cari Allen. Allen had been missing for five weeks. County Attorney Don Kleine says he’s waiting for autopsy results before filing charges against the man suspected of kidnapping her. The suspect was arrested in Belize.
AROUND NEBRASKA
- Beau Ballard, 28, will be appointed to the Nebraska Legislature. He will represent the 21st District, which includes northwest Lincoln and northern Lancaster County. The seat’s current occupant, Mike Hilgers, was elected attorney general in November. Ballard, a former aide to Hilgers, takes office on Jan. 4.
- In a rare press availability, Gov.-elect Jim Pillen sits down with the World-Herald to discuss how he’ll accomplish his campaign promises. The incoming governor, a Columbus resident, emphasized tax reform and school funding as priorities during his campaign. He also discussed abortion and the U.S. Senate appointment.
- Supporters of the Lincoln Fairness Ordinance file paperwork to begin collecting signatures for a ballot initiative. The group collected enough signatures in June, but the election commissioner threw them out because it was unclear whether they were collected by volunteers or paid organizers.
- The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services advises against consuming alfalfa sprouts while officials investigate a set of gastrointestinal illnesses. DHHS says the illness is likely from the salmonella bacteria.
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
Minimum percentage of grocery store
employees who left their jobs last year: 48
Source: FMI, The Food Industry Association (Arlington, Va.)