Your Mom 🤰

The Lincoln Ledger: May 10th, 2024

May 10, 2024

Happy Friday Ledgers,

They gave us the gift of life; in return we’ll give them a subpar brunch buffet. That’s right, it’s Mother’s Day weekend. And fitting with the occasion, we’ve developed a realistic gift guide for all the moms out there based on many years of being a mediocre child.

A Realistic Gift Guide for Mother’s Day 😘 (love you, Mom)

What she actually wants

What to give her

A grandchild

A candle

A weekly phone call

A framed family photo

To fix electronics without complaint

A digital framed photo

To spend quality time with family

A gift certificate for a massage with a stranger

A nice family meal (for once)

2 of 3 kids arrive on time, the last stumbles in 40 minutes late and wreaks havoc

Family photos

A JCPenny sibling photoshoot that can never be seen

In this week’s issue:

  • State Rankings: Nebraska ranks #3 in 2024 Best States Rankings.

  • What To Do: Ghost hunters, birding, and Mother’s Day.

  • Sportz: Run high. Jump far. (or the reverse)

  • Neighborhood Watch: The real slim Brady (w/ guest designer Kayla Stock).

TLL X JAKE CHAPMAN | ARTISTS SERIES Nº 1  | "Beer in the Ballpark"

Shameless merch drop here for really cool people. Don’t be the friend that doesn’t have the first-ever TLL shirt.

I have two words for you: “Moms Rock.”

- Landon

Last Week’s Poll Results:
What should they name the baby penguin?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Runza (42%)
🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ Sparky (for LES) (31%)
🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ Boaty McBoatface (18%)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Sid Dillon (6%)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ NEBCO (3%)

STATE RANKINGS

Animation Halloween GIF by Bob's Burgers

Nebraska ranked number three in list of best states. 🥉

U.S. News, best known for its listicles for MBA program applicants, has released its 2024 Best States Rankings. It’s good news for Nebraskans as we’re now ranked third overall, up from fourth place in 2023. According to their methodology page, the survey ranks states based on 71 metrics across eight categories such as: economy, education, healthcare, infrastructure, and quality of life. It averages survey responses over a three-year period, a total that includes nearly 70,000 people.

What’s driving the high rankings?.. There are a few key details that jumped out when looking at the data.

  • Overall Solid Performance: Nebraska ranked in the top 20 in seven of eight categories. The exclusion? Healthcare, where we ranked #25.

  • Strong Fiscal Stability - 3rd Overall: We were very strong here with balanced short-term and long-term fiscal stability.

  • Infrastructure - 4th Overall: We ranked in the top ten of all subcategories here, including transportation, internet access, and energy. Clearly, this report has never seen 27th Street in Lincoln. 🕳️

🔢 Nebraska → by the numbers:

  • GDP: $178 billion (#35 in the U.S)

  • Population: 1,978,379 (#37th in the U.S.)

  • Median Income: $41,403

  • College Educated: 46.20%

📌 Why it matters: Annual rankings generate significant media attention, especially for the top and bottom-ranked states. This publicity can shape public perception of a state's economic climate and highlight its strengths to potential investors and companies looking to expand.

🫠 Proof Pudding: At this point, there’s not enough definitive data to properly quantify the direct economic impact of the rankings. However, the results do suggest the rankings could have a positive influence on state economies overall.

WHAT TO DO

survivor: ghost island crying GIF by CBS

Ghost hunters, birding, and Mother’s Day.

This weekend, we’ll be a bit quirky. The weather looks good overall, so get out there and make the world your oyster.

👻 Ghost Hunters:
Tonight, we’ll get a little out of our comfort zone and go on a guided ghost tour of the Haymarket. To be honest, we don’t know what to expect with this one, but the event listing was so good we had to include it. Don’t be the 🆒 guy in the tour group, and have some fun learning about Lincoln’s spooky side.

🦤 Bird Girl:
On Saturday, we’re unleashing our inner bird watcher. Make the short drive over to Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center in Denton, NE for Super Bird Saturday. Learn the basics of birding during one of the best migratory seasons of the year. Enjoy, take it slow, and get in touch with nature. 

👩‍👧‍👦 Mother’s Day Brunch and Clay:
In celebration of your mother, we’ll hit up one of the many brunch spots around town. If you don’t already have a reservation at Piedmont Bistro, DISH, or Green Gateau, we’d recommend checking out the Scarlett Hotel’s brunch on the rooftop as an option. The food is solid, and the atmosphere is elite.

Note: Ticket sales end today (Friday) if you are interested.

After filling yourself with breakfast potatoes, take your mom on a day date to the annual Lincoln Clay Tour. You’ll visit artists in a self-guided format around town, peruse ceramic art, and maybe pick up a new piece (who doesn’t need another beautiful bowl).

SPORTZ

Sporting headlines from around the capital.

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

GIF of different photos from the home

The real slim Brady. 🙄

Plucked straight from 1970s TV, this midcentury ranch in the Country Club neighborhood could be a cousin to the iconic home of the Brady family. From what we can see, a troupe of house elves has kept it impeccably clean over the years (not so much as a speck of dirt to be seen). This means you’ll have options: move into what appears to be a very well-maintained home or spend some time updating it according to your vision.

Note of appreciation for the maintainers
For those who take amazing care of the things you own, whether it be your home, vehicles, etc—keep doing you. There is a real beauty in keeping things running like a top.

The Details:

  • 4 beds, 2 baths

  • 2,270 sq/ft

  • Built in 1968

❤️ KEEP: The downstairs living room and fireplace (has good vibes), the deck, the layout, the large backyard, and the top-to-bottom cleanliness.

🗑️ TOSS: The exterior paint combo (we can elevate this a little), the main level carpets, and toss some landscaping in the backyard to give it more purpose and structure.

🖼️ THE STYLE: Warm Wood Neutral Wonder
We asked TLL contributor and real-life interior designer Kayla Stock to redesign this beauty. Here’s her mood board and design breakdown. 👇

Featured Designer:
Kayla Stock, Interior Designer
📸 IG: @kay.stock | 🟦 FB: Kay Stock Design

The Design Breakdown - Kucera Drive

“This is what I call a home with really good bones.

The home sits under the trees with its unique structure and warm materials. The inviting nature of the exterior is promising, for those of us who aren't scared of warm wood!

Side note - warm wood is BACK and you can't tell me differently!

If I were the buyer, I would keep the warm wood throughout the home and make other adjustments to brighten it up and make it feel more fresh. To me, the red brick in the entrance feels heavy and dark. I would replace the brick and carpet leading up into the living room with "Opal Oak" , a light neutral oak floor, as seen in the Pinterest board.

In the kitchen, I would keep the cabinets and update the hardware. The Opal Oak would flow through the kitchen. To bring a softer look, I would replace the countertops with a white quartz that has soft warm veining and bring it up the backsplash.

Without going stark white, I’d suggest lighter warm white paint tones with a neutral background (See Pinterest). I would also replace the window coverings and opt for something more light and airy. Lastly, keep the interesting light fixtures, or go thrifting for ones that suit your style better.

Kayla Stock, TLL Contributor

CHECKLIST

The to-do list for people who get stuff done.

  • ♻️ Drop off your glass recycling to the nearest recycling center.

  • 🪪 Update your nearly expired credit card on that one software subscription you actually need.

  • 🤰 Pick up a last-second Mother’s Day gift.

  • ⛱️ Commit and purchase some outdoor furniture.

  • 🚰 Clean out that drain that’s not draining.

HEADLINES

More news from around the capital.

  • Coffee: Rose Cat, an inclusive coffee shop that employs people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), has officially opened its doors in Lincoln.

  • Firefighters: The City of Lincoln and the Firefighter’s Union agreed to a new contract that will see pay increases of 18% over the next three years.

  • Streets: A $2.6M street repair project is set to begin on Leighton Avenue (from 48th St. to 70th St.)

🐯 Weekly Wildcard:
One headline (or post) we never saw coming.

ABOUT TLL

We created this sliver of the internet to make it easy for no-coasters to keep tabs on what’s happening in Lincoln and to give you new ideas on how to spend your time.