Pick your Edition
Library Launches Adult Reading Program
April 9, 2010 • No comments
Reading programs aren't just for kids anymore, or just for summer. Bellevue Public Library is offering its first-ever reading program for adults – Water Your Mind: READ – complete with special programming, weekly drawings and grand-prize opportunities for card-holders who register, record the books they read or listen to and return the drawing slips. “We have a number of programs for children and young adults to encourage reading and reward those who are good readers,” Julie Dinville, adult services librarian, said. “We thought adults should be included too. Nationwide, I think libraries in general are trying to emphasize that reading is really for all ages.” To keep it simple and manageable for busy adults, the program has no minimum reading requirements.
read more »
Municipalities Gain Tool for Local Development
April 9, 2010 • No comments
Nebraska legislators gave local governments a new tool for enticing development and redevelopment within their boundaries by passing LB1018, the Nebraska Advantage Transformational Tourism and Redevelopment Act. The act allows municipalities – with voter approval – the opportunity to use their 1.5 percent sales tax as a rebate for up to 10 years to help investors offset development or redevelopment costs. In the Omaha Metro area, “large” means new development with private investments totaling $50 million, or redevelopment totaling $10 million. Only the sales tax reaped from the development itself is part of this incentive, giving developers another carrot to design a successful project. “To get major developments like this, we were hearing more and more that we
read more »
Mayor to Host Community Forums
April 8, 2010 • No comments
Mayor Jim Suttle is hosting a series of forums to seek input from community members before drafting the preliminary 2011 General Fund Budget. Directors and representatives from various city departments will be available for questions. Upcoming Forums: Monday, April 12: Teachers Administrative Building, 3215 Cuming St. Wednesday, April 14: Millard South High School, 14905 Q St. Monday, April 19: South High School, 4519 D. 24th St. Wednesday, April 21: Northwest High School, 8204 Crown Point Ave. Wednesday, April 28: Burke High School, 120th and Dodge Sts. All forums begin at 6:30 p.m. and end at 8 p.m. Attendees can expect a presentation from Mayor Suttle followed by breakout sessions. read more »
Discount Card Keeps Prescription Costs at Bay
April 7, 2010 • 1 comment
“This is a God-send.” “I’m so glad this program is here to help me.” “I couldn’t take these medications without this card.” These are just a few of the comments that pharmacies across Douglas County have heard from residents using the Douglas County Prescription Discount Card. At a time when Americans are paying more for prescription drugs than ever before, it is good to know about money-saving programs like this one. Douglas County launched the Free Prescription Discount Card Program in 2005 as an effort to help county residents afford necessary prescription drug purchases. Witnessing many people go without insurance coverage or not having adequate coverage to help pay for medication costs, County officials recognized a need for supplemental drug
read more »
Your Neighborhood and the IRS
March 31, 2010 • No comments
It’s April, and we all know what that means. We won’t repeat the old adage about death and … oh, never mind … but it’s a sure bet that many have the IRS on their minds this time of year. But what about your neighborhood association? Does your group need to worry, along with the rest of us, about that familiar deadline that falls on the ides of April? The Neighborhood Association of Greater Omaha will have all the answers in Your Neighborhood and the IRS, a Thursday, April 8 workshop that is part of their continuing Block of Builders series. Attorney Nathan Wilson will bring a plain-language approach to all of your questions about IRS issues, including how to retain a position of good standing regarding grant eligibility issues. Wilson is a member of the Fairmont
read more »
Earth Day Omaha Offers Fun, Food, Green Galore
March 31, 2010 • No comments
2010 marks the 40th anniversary since the first national Earth Day celebration. Omaha residents can join in the celebration on April 17 at the 2010 Earth Day Omaha event from noon to 8 p.m. at Elmwood Park. Hands-on demonstrations and lectures, childrens' activities, live music, award competitions, and more than 100 vendors and exhibitors make up the annual event festivities. As in years past, the stage is the main source of attraction with approximately six local bands scheduled to perform throughout the day. Live music will be interspersed with a variety of different speakers, green living demonstrations and environmental award presentations. “We are taking a little different focus with the speakers this year,” said Craig Moody, chair of the Earth Day Omaha Coalition
read more »
Accessible Art is the Aim of OCI
March 31, 2010 • No comments
We all have some art in our background, from formative finger painting experiences to high school slide shows to that first set of watercolors you’re still holding on to. The problem for many is that when school ends, all too often the opportunity for artistic expression does as well. That’s where the Omaha Creative Institute comes in. Since last May the organization, an initiative of the Hot Shops Art Foundation, has been offering “Come Create It” workshops as an opportunity for local residents to rekindle that artistic urge while also learning a little about a new medium as well. Every Saturday OCI offers a rotating schedule of two-hour classes in such disciplines as blacksmithing, glassblowing and jewelry making, among many others. Classes are kept small and
read more »
Two Green Moms, Craigslist and a Child Safety Mission
March 30, 2010 • No comments
Divine intervention by way of finding each other on Craigslist led two women to a discussion of common interests, talk that led ultimately to a partnership between busy moms who maintain households and jobs while raising seven children between them. Two years and 1,000 car seats later, Angela Brockman and Vicki Johnson have garages and a storage facility near 94th and I streets stuffed with car seats awaiting disassembly for recycling in their innovative, eco-centric program. It had begun with the simplest of ideas, but soon grew to offer broader solutions addressing their shared passions for car seat safety, parental education and recycling. “When I went to sell my son’s car seat I learned they expired,” Brockman said. “I started to do some research because
read more »
Community Gem Hiding Behind Willowdale Elementary
March 30, 2010 • 1 comment
A semi-circle of 165 inscribed bricks, four picnic tables, and a giant golden compass mark the centerpiece of a little-known gem tucked behind Willowdale Elementary School. What began as an idea for a little garden out back has morphed into a 2,800-square-foot Outside Learning Environment, affectionately dubbed OLE. The concept started with former first-grade teacher Nancy Wiederholt and one parent, Deb Anderson, who wanted to provide an opportunity for children to explore gardening. Work began on the garden in April 2000 and the project quickly took on a life of its own. Generous grants from Nebraska Greenspace, NRD, OPPD and countless families and area businesses propelled the little crop garden into a full-fledged outdoor environment that was dedicated by the mayor’s
read more »
Cooking Up Healthy Hearts One Feast at a Time
March 30, 2010 • No comments
Sizzle. Fry. Savor. These aren’t the typical words you expect to hear at a healthy cooking lecture, but these are just the savory words community members enjoy at the popular Lakeside Hospital Heart Healthy Cooking classes – a series of dinner lectures offered by the Alegent Health Heart & Vascular Institute. The dinner and lecture series seeks to educate area residents on implementing smart nutrition into everyday lifestyle. Each month, Alegent Health cardiac dieticians and cardiologists team up with local chefs to teach the community ways to cook, eat, and live heart-healthy. Community residents enjoy a delicious, professionally prepared meal while receiving healthy cooking recipes and heart-focused medical information. “It’s a great opportunity to find a better
read more »