Trading Spaces 🔁

Howdy Ledgers,

It’s a bad weekend to be a block of goat cheese. That’s right, we’re coming into farmers’ market season.

This weekend marks the opening of the Sunday Farmers’ Market at College View as we work our way up to full produce force next week when the Haymarket Farmers’ Market comes to life. Start pinning Bon Appetit articles about tomato pies & dreaming of the day your locally sourced produce becomes more than compost.

In this week’s issue:

• Prison: Lincoln solidifies the location of the new prison.

• Money Ball: What’s going on with Memorial Stadium?

• What To Do: Kinda Social Club, Spring Game, and Tree-Hugging.

• Sportz: A physical activity participated in for entertainment.

• Neighborhood Watch: Where the blacktop ends.

TLL ARTISTS SERIES Nº 1 | "Beers in the Ballpark"  | Jake Chapman

This is a shirt really nice shirt… with what we think is an even nicer design. It’s the first in a limited series with local artists inspired by happenings covered in TLL. Side effects of TLL merch may include a contagious perception that you are Really Cool.

If you want one, there are two ways to get it…

1. Purchase it here. 👈

2. Or, refer TLL to people who would like it. 👯‍♀️ The top three referrers over the next week get a shirt for free. You’ll have from when you receive this until 12:00 AM on Friday, 5/2/24. We’ll report back with the winners next week.

Note: Please have your friends use the referral link at the bottom of the newsletter so that we can add them to your count.

The artist… Jake Chapman is an award-winning artist and art director based in Lincoln, Nebraska.

If you’re reading this, we will assume that you are safely tucked away from the weather. Or maybe your toxic trait is that you like to stand on the porch and watch as the storm comes in.

In either case, stay safe out there. 🫡

- Landon

PRISON

City Council approves prison land swap.

When you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place, simply put a prison between them.

On Monday the Lincoln City Council unanimously voted on a land swap that will allow the State of Nebraska to build its $350M facility just north of Interstate 80 at 70th and McKelvie streets in Lincoln. While it seems public opinion favors this new spot more than the initial location, local parties are still not thrilled with the decision, as they don’t feel the state allowed public input into the process.

The prison saga (TLDR):

• Aug 17th, 2023: The original prison location proposed was 112th and Adams streets in northeast Lincoln, which drew immediate opposition from local residents.

• Aug 30th, 2023: Governor Jim Pillen and Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird announced a property swap agreement in which the state would build on city-owned land north of I-80 adjacent to 70th Street.

• Apr 23rd, 2024: Lincoln City Council unanimously votes to approve land swap, enabling construction to move forward.

🔢 By the Numbers

• 150: The age of the current prison facility

• 1,500: The number of beds at the new facility

• 70: The number of locations reportedly considered by the state

• $350M: The expected price tag for the new prison’s construction

What next?… Construction for the new prison will begin in the fall of 2024. For now, the approved location brings a close to the latest chapter of this saga.

MONEY BALL

What's going on with Memorial Stadium? 🏟️

Of the achievements during Trev Alberts’ tenure as the UNL Athletic Director, perhaps none were more major or controversial than the proposed improvements project for Memorial Stadium. But with Alberts’ departure and the arrival of Troy Dannen as the new AD, communications have been silent and left many wondering, where does the project stand?

With questions on the project funding currently being addressed by a stadium committee, Dannen shed some light on the project during an interview on Huskers Radio Network this week, suggesting that it is in the same place as before his arrival.

The original plan… The $450M proposed stadium upgrades include improved bathrooms and concessions, a new multi-level student section, chairback seats in the south stadium, and accessibility enhancements. These changes would reduce the stadium's capacity from 90,000 to 80,000 if confirmed.

The project status, as it stands today:

• The University of Nebraska Board of Regents preliminarily approved the project in October 2023

• Phase One of the project is underway, with up to $45 million dedicated to infrastructure and mechanical system updates

• A committee is exploring funding sources and will present findings to the board of directors in June

☝️ First things first… Dannen has emphasized the importance of completing improvement projects for track and field, baseball, and softball facilities. Regarding the stadium itself, he has highlighted the need for several key enhancements beyond the south stadium, including installing seat-backs in the west stadium, improving WiFi connectivity, and upgrading concessions. So don’t fret, you may be able to post your BeReal on time from the stadium on game day with a more PREMIUM hot dog in your hand (give me Runza or give me death).

WHAT TO DO

Kinda Social Club, Spring Game, and tree-hugging.

The weekend is set to be one of the best of the spring. From Spring Game festivities, we should be in store for a good one…that is, if the rain stays away. 🤞

🍎 Kinda Social Club [WEATHER PERMITTING]
Assuming the weather lightens, We’ll be a little social (but not too social). After work, we’ll have a short happy hour with our friends at Saro Cider. We’ll listen to live music for an hour or so before grabbing a quick dinner. We’ll end our abridged night out with a mochi donut from Modo Mochi Donut (we highly recommend the strawberry 🍓). We’ll bask in the luxury of an early night and hit the hay by 10:00 pm—after all, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.

🏟️ Fake Football
We all need a win sometimes. And that’s where the Red-White Game comes in. We’ll break out the ponchos and head downtown early in the morning for a day filled with tailgating and a cup filled to the brim with Nebraska football Kool-Aid (this is definitely our year). The game starts at 11:05 am, so you'll want to get downtown early. Irish trash cans await at McKinney’s for a post-game morale boost (IYKYK).

Here are a few game-day reminders:

• You’ll want a clear bag for the stadium

• You’ll want a rain jacket

• You’ll need a Busch Lite to embrace the day fully

🌳 Arbor Day LNK
Sunday is for the trees. Arbor Day Foundation is hosting its second annual Arbor Day LNK in the beautiful Antelope Park. The event starts at 12:30 pm and will be perfect for the fam. Grab a free tree, listen to live music, and have fun learning about the green giants that keep our planet clean and healthy.
GET DETAILS

SPORTZ

Sporting headlines from around the capital.

• 🏆 Ranked: UNL ranked #7 in the latest Learfield Director’s Cup standings.

• 🥇 MVP: Nebraska released its Most Outstanding Female Student-Athlete of the Year finalists.

• 🎾 Tennis: UNL Women’s Tennis advances to the Big Ten Quarterfinals.

• 🏈 Football: In case you missed it earlier, this weekend is the Red-White Game. 😉

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

6201 S 148th St. Walton, NE 68461

Where the blacktop ends. 🚜 

After a million-dollar high rise last week, it’s time we get back to our Nebraskan roots, pull up our Uggs (a well-known blue-collar staple), and make a life out where the blacktop ends and the seasonal allergies run rampant.

This charming little ranch, with its not-so-tiny 41 acres of land, is set east of Lincoln, just outside city limits. Complete with four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a deck that beckons for some summertime sunsets — this home will have you ready for country living. Of course, no homestead is complete without a toy barn, and this place has you covered with its separate two-stall building.

If you have the vision, this project might just be the perfect spot to make something special in an increasingly crowded zip code.

Here’s the Plan, Family (Wo)Man
You’ll pour a bit of yourself into this one because it is more than a house; it’s a lifestyle. On this little patch of land is where you’ll decide to raise your family. You’ll watch from the back deck as their childhood flies by in a blur of barefoot playtime, summer days out by the pond, and fall bonfire nights where you’ll invite their friends (and the cool parents, too).

You’ll teach them to appreciate the land, how to ramp a four-wheeler out of a ditch, and the value of a bit of manual labor now and then. They’ll grow up with all the experiences of the city nearby and all the free space to let their minds and creativity come to life. 🥺

The Details:

• 4 beds, 3 baths

• 41.72 acres

• Built in 1969

• Enough land to mandate the purchase of a tractor (with a mower attachment)

CHECKLIST

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

• 🏃 Do your final long prep run. The Lincoln Marathon is next week.

• 🪢 Organize the cables on the back of your TV.

• 🧊 Defrost your freezer.

• 💨 Clean your keyboard with a can of compressed air.

• 🧽 Wipe down your cabinet fronts in the kitchen.

HEADLINES

More news from around the capital.

• Callback: Bryan Olesen advanced to the live rounds of The Voice, and hosted a party at the Bourbon.

• Bad Luck: The same vehicle has been stolen three times this year in Lincoln, making the 2013 Hyundai Elantra the hottest car in the 402.

• Money.EDU:The new UNL president will be one of the highest-paid in the nation, receiving $1,062,573/year.

• Meat and Beer: The iconic Lincoln store staple is rumored to be closing, according to Reddit.

🐻 WEEKLY WILDCARD (a headline we never saw coming)

• Goat Wrangler: The City of Lincoln Animal Control wrangled a stray goat this week. The headline says the kid was an easy snag (humble brag 🙄).