Colon Robots. That's All. 🦾

Hey Ledgers,

We start this beautiful Saturday morning with a burning question — who has the best hashbrowns in Lincoln? 🥔

Some believe it’s Tina’s. Others have dubbed Virginia’s Cafe the GOAT. At TLL, we want to settle the debate once and for all. So here’s your chance to let us know.

Reply to this email with your go-to hashbrown location. We’ll go to the top recommendations and report back on which crispy tater rises to the top. The evaluation method will be scientific, and the results contested. But, sometimes duty calls us to ask the hard questions.

In this week’s issue:

• Lincoln Housing: More apartments, fewer single-family homes.

• Colon Robots: Get used to it.

• What To Do: Birria Boss, the driving range, and family-friendly ogres.

• Sportz: Throw ‘em. Catch ‘em. Kick ‘em.

• Neighborhood Watch: Ranch home on 22 acres.

We’ll be back on our regular schedule next week. In the meantime, enjoy the first-ever Saturday morning edition of The Lincoln Ledger.

Thanks for hanging with us this week. 🫶

- Landon

COLON ROBOTS

Virtual Incision receives FDA marketing approval. 🦾

Get comfortable with robots, because they’re going to be getting comfortable with you (like, really comfortable).

Earlier this week, Virtual Incision, a Lincoln-based medical tech company, announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing authorization for its MIRA Surgical System. This marks a major step for the company, which started as a project by co-founders Shane Farritor and Dr. Dmitry Oleynikov in 2001, before officially forming the company in 2006.

What is MIRA?.. MIRA is the world’s first miniaturized robotic-assisted surgical device, for use in adults undergoing colectomy procedures.

📌 Why it’s important?… Robotic-assisted surgery is minimally invasive and very precise (a.k.a smaller incisions), which helps shorten recovery times for patients, as well as reduces the risk of infection, and improves overall patient outcomes. However, surgical robots are usually large and need a dedicated room. MIRA is smaller and portable, making it accessible to more medical facilities.

An eventful few weeks… The announcement comes on the heels of an exciting series of milestones for the company. Last month, they sent a version of their robotic system to space for tests on the International Space Station. They then were the first to complete a simulated procedure in space.

🧠 Smart family... Shane Farritor is the co-founder and CTO of the company and a professor of computer science and engineering at UNL. Does the last name sound familiar? Shane is the father of Luke Farritor, the UNL student who recently cracked the ancient Greek code we covered a few weeks back.

APARTMENTS EVERYWHERE

More apartments, fewer single-family homes. 🏡

If you’ve ever thought “there are so many new apartments in Lincoln,” it turns out that you were right. And there are even more on the way.

Around the city, apartment development is booming. Last year, the number of new building permits for apartments was the second highest since 2007, according to an article from the Lincoln Journal Star. Meanwhile, the market for single-family housing development is cooling down. Both new permits and house sales were down from 2022.

What’s going on with single-family housing?.. In a nutshell, there are several factors contributing to the current single-family housing situation in Lincoln.

• Interest rates are up, shrinking buying power for first-time home buyers, pushing many to rent instead.

• There were fewer homes sold last year, down 15% from 2022.

• The median price of a home is up 7.4% from 2022 (great for sellers, not so much for buyers, especially with rates).

• The number of new building permits decreased last year, down from 2022 (which is contributing to a widening gap for single-family housing supply)

📌 Why it matters… Affordable, single-family housing is a staple of the American economic profile. While not essential for a great life, owning a home continues to be a vehicle for many to build wealth. 

🕵️ Do a Deep Dive
This section would not have been possible without reporting by Matt Olberding. I would definitely encourage you all to read the full piece “Lincoln's apartment boom continues, but home sales slowing down”, it’s worth the time.

WHAT TO DO

Birria Boss, the driving range, and family-friendly Ogres.

Unless you want to cheer on some high school girls’ basketball, we’ll stay clear of the Haymarket this weekend while Girl’s State Basketball is in town. Today the weather is expected to be nice, so do your outdoor activities. Tomorrow (Sunday), you can expect a lot of wind — so we’ll find something inside to do.

• ⛳️ Day Date to the Driving Range (DDTDR)
  This afternoon, you’re going to the driving range to hit some balls. Don’t worry about being good, just have fun. Head to Holmes Lake Golf Course or Highlands Golf Course and work on your swing.
  DRIVE AWAY

• 🌮 Saturday Night Tacos at Birria Boss
  Tonight, we’re going out for birria tacos made by the boss. Go with friends and eat your meal tapas style. Order everything on the menu, you will not be disappointed.
  WHERE TO FIND THE BOSS

• 👹 Ogre Theatre
  On Sunday, spend a bit of time with your favorite Ogre at the Lied Center. Grab last-second tickets and bring the family. It’s sure to be a great show. Here’s a bit of inspiration to get you ready.
  GRAB TICKETS

SPORTZ

A roundup of sports headlines.

• 🏈 Football: Former Husker Ameer Abdullah to star in the drama “Break the Cycle” alongside Cuba Gooding Jr.

• ⛹️ NCAAMB: Husker men lose on the road to Ohio State (78-69).

• ⚾️ Baseball: Huskers come back late to beat College of Charleston (6-5).

•  🏐 Volleyball: Supernovas beat Atlanta Vibe (3-0) last night, improving their record to 6-3.

• 🏃 Track and Field: Husker men finish second in the Big Ten Indoor Championships.

• 🥎 Softball: Husker softball fell in their home opener to Wichita State (7-1)

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

7433 SW 27th St, Lincoln, NE 68523

Honey, we’re getting goats. 🐐

You’ve been yearning for a fresh beginning, feeling overwhelmed by the relentless pace of the big city life (in Lincoln). You often find yourself dreaming aloud to friends about owning a slice of land, tending to your herd of goats, and embracing a self-sustained lifestyle rooted in the earth. You want to be “one with the land”. And now, you just found your dream home.

Set on 20 acres of land on the outskirts of Lincoln, this spacious 4,440 square-foot ranch is your escape. Alongside the main residence, a separate barn adds utility to your countryside living. As a bonus, the land has already been approved to subdivide into separate lots, or you can keep it all to yourself and enjoy the solitude.

Things you’ll probably say after buying this home.

• “Can you go fetch my Phillips head from the barn?”

• “The dog’s got another sticker bur!”

• “I love plain tomatoes with a little bit of salt.”

• “That damn wind, it’s like we are living in the Arctic!”

❤️ KEEP: The land, the layout, the beautiful cabinetry, the ranch vibes, the large windows, the butler’s pantry, and the enormous double-door fridge. 😍

🗑️ TOSS: The pendant lights over the island, the tan interior color, the faucets (upgrade while keeping the champagne bronze), the textured ceilings (personal preference), and potentially the cherry-toned floors (the verdict is out on this one).

💡 ONE IDEA: Add a bigger deck off the side of the home, and clear some space to make way for a pool. This home would be perfect for a private pool area.

The Details:

• 5 bed, 4 bath

• 5,080 sq ft

• Built in 2015

• A lot of room for your goats

CHECKLIST

Things to do if you’re feeling ambitious this weekend.

👖 Pack up some old clothes and take them to your favorite donation center.

🪟 Wash your windows.

💡 Swap out that lightbulb that has been keeping your home dark for too long.

🥕 Clean out your fridge. Say farewell to that unopened bag of baby carrots.

💌 Write a handwritten note for someone you appreciate.

HEADLINES

More news from around the capital.

• Rooftop Bar: Bierhaus Maisschäler in the Haymarket to expand the beer hall with a rooftop bar.

• Bussin: StarTran board approves controversial move of transfer center.

• Train Derailment: A train collided with a fertilizer truck near Exeter.

🐻 WEEKLY WILDCARD (a headline we never saw coming)

• Empyrean x Mill: Two Lincoln staples collaborate to create a new beer called “Cold Brew Cream Ale.”