The Reader

Three federal grants totaling $5.15 million will help Nebraska’s biggest city navigate its transportation and infrastructure needs. At the top of the list is an ambitious project that would reclaim nearly 20 acres of land sliced up by an interstate and highway. Known as “The Stitch,” the proposed project focuses on unusable land trapped within the ramps of U.S. 75, near 30th and Dodge streets.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center will soon be home to a first-of-its-kind training facility specializing in air transport of people with highly infectious diseases. On Friday, elected officials joined representatives of UNMC and the U.S. Air Force to break ground on the new Infectious Disease Air Transport, or IDAT, facility. It will be used to train healthcare and military personnel to safely transport patients impacted by high-consequence infectious diseases.

Habitat for Humanity of Omaha is preparing to host its annual craft beer and food tasting event. The 20th Annual Brew Haha will be held Friday, Sept. 11 at the Heartwood Preserve at Heartwood Park, 301 S. 145th St. A press release stated that Brew Haha is Omaha’s signature craft beer and food tasting event and that ticket sales help local families achieve affordable homeownership.

Thanks to (gestures at everything), the phrase “too on-the-nose” is a criticism that outlived its usefulness far before a movie about how corporations are bad was shelved for a tax write-off by a real-life corporation. It’s still funny though! Coyote vs. Acme is only in theaters because a dedicated, vocal fanbase and grassroots movement got it released. This is what counts as a win these days, people. So, I don’t know, vote or something?

The Blues Society of Omaha (BSO) continues to offer a curated calendar of area blues and roots music events at omahablues.com. The BSO is also hosting its annual competition to send a band and a solo or duo act to represent the area in the Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge (IBC), which will be held Jan. 19-23, in Memphis. The deadline to enter the competition is Friday, Sept. 25. The Nebraska Blues Challenge will be held Sunday, Oct. 25 at The B. Bar.

Can a widely used financial tool for redevelopment help Omaha solve its affordable housing problems? With an approval by City Council members Tuesday, the city may soon find out. After five months of research, the city’s planning department recommended the City Council approve five new policies and procedures around affordable housing and tax-increment financing (TIF).

A group of Omaha stamp enthusiasts will host its annual show later this month in celebration of the society’s 100th anniversary. The Omaha Philatelic Society, which celebrates and collects postage stamps, will hold its centennial stamp show on Sept. 19-20 at the Center for Advanced Manufacturing on Metropolitan Community College’s South Omaha campus.

When the time comes for Jennifer Parks to restock her refrigerator, it’s not just food she thinks about. It’s distance. Parks, a longtime North Omaha resident, knows that grocery stores are few and far between in the area, and says recent changes have made it more difficult for people like her to buy quality produce. In the past year and a half, three well-known grocery stores have closed in North Omaha, exacerbating the community’s ongoing struggle with healthy, affordable food options.

Every time Heather Campbell and her family move, she has to find a new vet, car shop, pediatrician and grocery store. They’ve moved four times in the last five years, the most recent move happening this summer to Mississippi. Campbell is from Nebraska originally, and went to college in Lincoln. “I have a grocery store that I love, and we left it.

On a weekend visit to the Omaha Farmers Market, you can find local growers selling tomatoes and greens, cottage bakers with a table full of bagels and artisan makers selling unique, handmade gifts. But spend a little time talking to Maggie Winton, Marketing and Communications Director for the Omaha Farmers Market, and it becomes clear that she sees something much bigger. For Winton, the market is an ecosystem. It’s a place where farmers make a living. Entrepreneurs test new ideas.