Snow way I'm leaving the house ⛄️

The Lincoln Ledger: January 3rd, 2025

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The Lincoln Ledger
January 03, 2025

Happy Friday Ledgers,

Alright, Midwesterners, snow is officially here. With 6-8 inches expected this weekend, now is the time to remember your training: take it slow, be gentle on the accelerator and brakes, and don’t be afraid to put it in 4WD if needed.

The most magical part of the first snow of the year? Pretending like you couldn’t possibly leave your house, canceling all prior plans, lighting every candle you own, and never putting real pants on.

Embrace the first-Nebraskan-winter-snow now, people will start whipping their rear-wheel sedans at top speeds through neighborhoods soon enough.

How bald are your tires?

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In this week’s issue:

  • Medal of Valor: Lincoln police officer honored with the highest public safety officer award

  • What To Do: Southern cooking, buckets, and home alone

  • Sportz: Pop-Tarts continues to dominate bowl season memes

  • Neighborhood Watch: A winter retreat

For those with a snowblower, check the gas levels tonight, start it up, and rest easy knowing you’re about to be the hero of your neighborhood. With snow becoming increasingly rare in Lincoln, relish every moment you have to put that $700 must-have piece of equipment to work.

- Landon

Last Week’s Poll Results:
Do you think everyday people can pull off work overalls? Asking for personal vindication against my wife ...

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 👏 Yeesss. Get those Carhartts. (53.00%)
🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️ 🙅‍♀️ No. Leave the work britches to the working boys and girls. (47.00%)

MEDAL OF VALOR

MEDAL OF VALOR: President Joe Biden is awarding a Medal of Valor on Friday to the Lincoln Police Department sergeant who jumped into a frigid pond in February 2023 to save a woman from drowning in her car. From Aaron Sanderford:

— Nebraska Examiner (@nebraskaexaminer.com)2025-01-03T12:02:01.157Z

Lincoln police officer receives Medal of Valor.

Today, one of Lincoln’s very own police officers received the Medal of Valor from President Joe Biden. Sgt. Tu Anh Tran received the medal in Washington, D.C., alongside other nominees in recognition of service that went above and beyond within their communities.

The backstory… In the winter of 2023, Sgt. Tran responded to a call that a Hyundai Elantra had crashed into a pond at Wilderness Ridge in South Lincoln with the driver trapped inside.

Like a hero straight out of an action movie, Sgt. Tran braved the frigid 20-degree weather, shedding his bulletproof vest and belt before plunging into the icy water. The car, rapidly taking on water, had forced the woman inside to retreat to the back seat. Battling poor visibility, Tran swam to the sinking vehicle, blindly reaching out as he swung open the back door. His outstretched hands met hers, and as he helped tow her to shore, the vehicle fully submerged (END SCENE).

For his service, Sgt. Tran has already been awarded the Carnegie Hero Award and has now been recognized at the highest level.

Putting this achievement into perspective… There are over 1,143,000 public and state law officials and over 1,041,000 career and volunteer firefighters (as of 2020) in the U.S. In the ceremony today, President Biden honored just eight public safety officers.

About the Medal of Valor… Established in 2000 by President Bill Clinton, the Medal of Valor is the nation’s highest award for public safety officers. It is awarded to those who have shown exceptional courage, regardless of personal safety, to save or protect human life.

🧷 Sources (the real journalists):

WHAT TO DO

Southern cooking and buckets. 👩‍🍳

🍗 Dinner at Lila Mae’s
Out from 2024: ultra-restrictive diets. In for 2025: eating mostly healthy, but making room for excellent foods that exist outside traditional diet boundaries.

With two WHOLE days of healthy eating under our belt; tonight we’ll enjoy an excellent meal without fear of overindulgence courtesy of Lila Mae’s Southern Kitchen and Lounge. For those new to this Southern food favorite, Lila Mae’s is sweet (and spicy) satisfaction that delivers every time. Our go-to is the Nashville Hot Chicken Strips.

BE FOREWARNED: If your server asks you for the spice level, don’t be a damn hero.

🏀 Basketball at the Devaney Center
The Devaney Center is the place to be this weekend for basketball fans. On Saturday at 4:00 PM, watch Nebraska take on #15 UCLA in what’s shaping up to be a thrilling showdown. More of a Sunday vibe? Catch the women’s team battling Penn State at 2:00 PM.

Post-game, head to JTK for the perfect refuel. Keep it classic with their wagyu burger—equal parts delicious and budget-friendly. Pro tip: JTK opens at 5:00 PM, just in time to cap off your hoops-filled day with a great meal.

🏠 (OPTIONAL) Home. Alone.
After a truly taxing 16-hour work week, it’s time to relax & unwind, taking advantage of a winter weekend & your propensity for the homebody lifestyle. Pop by a local book or game store for a puzzle, shop the epic cheese counter at Leon’s, pick up a bottle of red from Meier’s Cork N’ Bottle and put your phone on DND. You’re not leaving home for the weekend.

SPORTZ

Sporting headlines from around the capital.

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

Winter retreat. ❄️

The holidays have been filled with busyness. You’ve rushed from store to store (or, more realistically, from Amazon tab to Amazon tab), enjoyed weeks of non-stop socializing with family and friends, and took in all the sounds and lights of the season. It’s been lovely but also tiring. You need a real break - to spend some time in a peaceful, quiet retreat where nothing disturbs us till May.

Just some peace and quiet in a tranquil location, surrounded by the beauty of winter, where the sounds and smells of a gentle crackling wood fire fill the air. For the hygge period of the year, you’ll call this 7-acre plot in Martell, Nebraska home. Filled with plenty of nooks and lounge areas and a multitude of windows to enjoy the wintery views, this home is the perfect place to read, and lounge, and lie about—’til the spring comes to thaw us out.

The Details:

  • 3 beds, 3 baths

  • 2,240 sq/ft

  • Built in 1981

  • 5.21 acre lot

  • A wonderful wood-burning fireplace

❤️ KEEP:
The truly lovely four seasons room, the carport where we’ll store our firewood, all of the windows (and sliding doors), and the exterior, which suits the home well.

🗑️ TOSS:
The kitchen, which in reality is completely fine, but we think this home needs something different in terms of cabinetry and countertops. The exposed fireplace exhaust pipe on the second floor (maybe it is there for functional purposes?) and the bathrooms, which need a little updating.

CHECKLIST

An over-ambitious weekend to-do list.

  • Purchase a new shovel and some ice melt (here’s a pet-friendly version)

  • Try some new health foods in honor of the New Year, our top favorite is CocoJune yogurt (not sponsored)

  • Pick out a new book (rent it on Libby or from your local library)

  • Start preparing your taxes by taking an hour to locate any business receipts from last year

  • Clean your sink drain (here’s how)

HEADLINES

More news from around the capital.

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

ABOUT TLL

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