logo
Plan for South Omaha's multimillion-dollar plaza makeover progresses

Plan for South Omaha's multimillion-dollar plaza makeover progresses

Yahoo03-05-2025

Public officials, merchants and community members gathered at the South Omaha La Plaza de la Raza for an update on the makeover of the plaza and other improvements made possible largely with a state grant and also funds from the City of Omaha and Douglas County. May 2, 2025. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
OMAHA — Construction is expected to begin this fall on the new La Plaza de la Raza, a pocket many call the heartbeat of South Omaha's historic commercial district.
But that's just the start of a $25 million-plus public investment on the main business corridor of a community known historically as a landing place for the state's immigrant population.
Leaders of the Adelante II initiative gathered Friday at the 24th and N Streets plaza and offered a progress report, this time sharing a stage with a host of elected officials and business representatives and reinforcing a theme of collaboration.
'Together we're bringing the heart of our community forward — adelante,' said Itzel Lopez, CEO of the Latino Economic Development Council, a lead partner on the project.
Currently a paved parking lot that shifts to fiesta grounds on certain occasions, the plaza is to be transformed via a $25 million state award from the North and South Omaha recovery grant program. Its projected opening is in 2027.
Douglas County and the City of Omaha each committed $500,000 from pandemic funds to the effort as well.
Key features include an amphitheater, stage, playground areas, open lawn, shaded family gathering area and signature art.
The plaza makeover is the anchor of the Adelante initiative, which includes other components:
Before the year's end, project leaders expect to have secured a site in the district for a multi-tier parking garage, with ground floor retailers, that will more than replace parking currently at the plaza lot.
Following that will come new sidewalk, streetscape and wayfinding improvements along the main 24th Street corridor to help create a uniform vibe from Q to F Streets, Lopez said.
Lopez said her organization is hoping to raise additional funds for other improvements to the corridor, including a building that would house the LEDC, employment and other programming.
Overseeing the Adelante II redevelopment is Canopy South, a nonprofit that calls itself a 'community quarterback.'
In addition to the 24th Street area improvements, Canopy South is leading the Q Street Collaborative initiative, which received a separate $39 million from the North and South Omaha recovery grant program for several other projects in South Omaha.
In all, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development in January 2024 awarded 130 groups and businesses a total of nearly $235 million through the North and South Omaha grant program.
Cesar Garcia, CEO of Canopy South, said the City of Omaha is handling the acquisition of Adelante's new garage site that is to offer parking for shoppers and workers of the area. He said choices have been narrowed to a few and negotiations are ongoing.
He said the plaza is a city-owned public space and will remain so once the plaza is revamped. Programming at the plaza likely will be a collaboration between the city and community organizations, Garcia said, though details are being worked out.
Also speaking at the Friday event was Douglas County Board Chair Roger Garcia; Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert; Omaha Public Power District CEO Javier Fernandez; South Omaha Business Improvement District President Ross Pesek; Nebraska Department of Economic Development's Javier Saldaña and LEDC President Armando Salgado.
Nebraska State Sen. Dunixi Guereca, former State Sen. Tony Vargas and Mexican Consul Jorge Ernesto Espejel Montes were among several dozen people who gathered at the plaza for entertainment by Mariachi music and dancers.
Among others were City Councilmen Pete Festersen and Ron Hug; U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb.; Denise Powell, who has announced her candidacy for Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District as a Democrat; merchants and community members.
'The Latino community is at the heart of South Omaha's story, and today we celebrate that legacy,' said Canopy South's Garcia, stressing that the improvements are for all of Omaha and tourists to enjoy.
'This is about investing in places that create the future we want for generations to come.'
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Nebraska auditor: Financial wrongdoing in local governments seems ‘increasingly commonplace'
Nebraska auditor: Financial wrongdoing in local governments seems ‘increasingly commonplace'

Yahoo

time8 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Nebraska auditor: Financial wrongdoing in local governments seems ‘increasingly commonplace'

The Nebraska State Auditor's Office is located in the State Capitol. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — After Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley issued a recent statement exposing alleged financial improprieties involving several local governments, he said his office faced a surge of callers requesting probes of their towns, too. It's a common response, Foley said, after news hits of a small-town investigation by the auditor. 'The phone starts ringing,' he said, repeating a common refrain: ''Hey look at us. Look what's happening in my village or county too.'' While grateful for the interest, Foley said such complaints are 'disconcerting' in that they could signal rising misuse of public resources in smaller public entities across Nebraska. He said the alerts also 'distract' from one of his office's other main tasks, bird-dogging the 'mega agencies' of state government. 'How much time can you spend on the Decatur Housing Authority when you've got DHHS sitting over there with 40% of the state budget?,' Foley said, referring to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley said he won't announce a decision on whether he will seek reelection in 2026 until late this year or early in the next. He told the Nebraska Examiner he's happy as auditor. 'I've got a great team, very dedicated, very talented people. Happy to be here,' said Foley, 71. Foley, a Republican, said he has enjoyed his auditor tenure — 'both times.' His most recent election in late 2022 had him sworn in Jan. 5, 2023. He also served as auditor from 2007 through 2015. In between, Foley served as Nebraska's lieutenant governor. Foley began the 2014 election cycle as a candidate for governor but was defeated in the primary by future running mate Pete Ricketts, who selected Foley as his lieutenant in September 2014. Ricketts is now a U.S. senator. Foley also previously served in the Legislature, serving a Lincoln-area district from 2000 to 2007. — Cindy Gonzalez In his most recent press release June 3, Foley grouped highlights of eight audit letters he sent local governments. His office's allegations ranged from a Decatur housing chief giving herself more than $18,000 in unsupported payments to a Nemaha County commissioner caught on camera using a county gas pump to fuel his personal truck. Not all caller alerts result in investigations, Foley said, particularly if the person complaining doesn't provide enough detail. When a probe of a local government entity is launched, he said, an auditor team typically spends weeks collecting and analyzing information. In many cases, he said, someone is fired or results are turned over to law enforcement. Foley said the Auditor's Office staff of nearly 50 is down from about 60 three decades ago — and has audit oversight of roughly 2,500 units of local government. Under their watch are state agencies, officers, boards, commissions, certain political subdivisions and federal funds under contract. While acknowledging state budget concerns and competing demands, he noted that the state spends about $200 to audit every $1 million in spending. 'That's not a very good ratio.' Standing out as troubling trends during auditor reviews, Foley said, are misuse of credit cards and government-owned vehicles. 'Credit cards are an enormous headache for auditors and for these agencies,' he said, adding that too many agencies allow too many credit cards to be in circulation and are too loose with controls. Agencies are starting to install GPS trackers on public vehicles, he said, which has led to improvements. Foley assembled those eight letters sent over six weeks to local governments as part of an effort to underscore his sense that there has been an 'uptick in improper financial practices in local governmental entities.' (He said the auditor's office, meanwhile, continues to do other work and conduct other reviews.) 'Unfortunately, these more recent eight examples of both accounting incompetence and apparent financial malfeasance at political subdivisions are not unusual,' said Foley. 'Based upon my office's ongoing work, especially over the past year or so, they seem increasingly commonplace — making heightened vigilance, by public servants and citizens alike, ever more crucial.' The examples cited: Decatur Housing Authority in Burt County: In addition to allegedly processing about $18,000 in excessive compensation and unsupported reimbursements to herself, the executive director reportedly mishandled cash rental payments resulting in roughly $8,000 in 'missing money.' She reportedly tried to delete hundreds of computer files. Furthermore, Foley noted that his office earlier this year had sent a separate audit letter to the woman's previous employer pointing to an alleged salary overpayment to herself of about $11,000. The auditor's report on the Decatur Housing Authority did not indicate an effort by the audit team to contact the housing director, who was reportedly terminated from her job in February. The report said it forwarded information to various law enforcement and government agencies. The housing authority board, in its response to the state, said it was implementing steps recommended by the auditing team. Cedar County: A former Cedar County commissioner allegedly used a county pickup truck for personal business — though the commissioner denied that a few photos included in the report represented him on unofficial business. The same commissioner, according to the auditor's report, allegedly allowed payment for county services with gift cards that were largely unaccounted for — something also denied by the commissioner. The auditor's report said the former commissioner didn't provide an explanation for a gift card that was produced during the review. The county also was accused of not following proper bidding procedures for nearly $1 million in contracts. Village of Pleasanton in Buffalo County: Public employees allegedly spent more than $20,000 on village business at Menard's over a two-year period, and one employee allegedly used about $2,000 in rebate coupons as well as several hundred dollars in store credit vouchers for personal purchases. Separate 'shoddy accounting' practices, according to the auditor, resulted in the village paying thousands of dollars of claims. Village of Farnam in Dawson County: The audit team, as part of its review, identified 22 months of utility and other services, or about $2,700, that the former Village Clerk did not bill to herself. At the time of the auditor's letter, she was on the Village Board. She was found guilty of official misconduct in May, paid $3,151 in restitution, and a sentencing is set for July. Nemaha County and Nemaha Rural Fire District 4: Auditors reported that a county commissioner was photographed March 24 using a fuel pump that can be accessed after hours by personnel with insider knowledge. Dundy County: A deputy county clerk who resigned from her position at the request of the Dundy County Board continued to work and was paid full-time wages despite a considerable drop in responsibilities. Custer County: Employees are able to clock in and out of work using mobile devices, and a county highway worker was alleged to be at home or at her kids' events when she was supposed to be at work. She resigned before she could be questioned, the auditor said. Village of Litchfield in Sherman County A Village Clerk, prior to resigning, allegedly paid herself at least $2,200 more than allowed and was paid $763 in 'suspicious' reimbursement. The village allegedly failed to withhold proper taxes from employee paychecks, opening the community to retroactive payments and penalties. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

DeSantis suspends Osceola County Sheriff after he is arrested on racketeering charges
DeSantis suspends Osceola County Sheriff after he is arrested on racketeering charges

Yahoo

time4 days ago

  • Yahoo

DeSantis suspends Osceola County Sheriff after he is arrested on racketeering charges

Suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez (Photo from the Florida Sheriffs Association) Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez from office on Thursday shortly after he was arrested on felony charges of racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier's Office of Statewide Prosecution charged Lopez and four other individuals in a 'massive Central Florida gambling operation,' according to a press release issued by the attorney general's office. 'Initially engaging the operation for campaign contributions and personal payments, Sheriff Lopez played a multifaceted role in expanding and protecting this illegal enterprise, using his office to shield the enterprise from law enforcement,' the release said. DeSantis has appointed Christopher Blackmon to take over the Osceola County Sheriff's Department. Blackmon has been serving as the Central Region Chief for the Florida Highway Patrol since November 2023 , and before that served as a troop commander and major in the FHP. Between 2007-2016 he worked as a resident security agent for Major League Baseball, according to his LinkedIn account. Lopez began serving in the Osceola County Sheriff's Department in 2003 while he was still serving in the U.S. Navy Reserve. He rose up the ranks before ultimately being elected sheriff in 2020, becoming the first Hispanic in Osceola County to do so. A Democrat, he was re-elected last fall. There had been scandals under Lopez's tenure, including a 2022 sheriff deputies' killing of a man who drove a car carrying two passengers accused of shoplifting $46 in pizza and Pokemon cards. A grand jury report later said the killing could have been avoided if not for their faulty judgement and their department's 'poorly crafted policies on the use of appropriate force in response to minor crimes,' the Orlando Sentinel reported. Lopez also ended up agreeing to pay a $250 fine last December in a plea deal with then-State Attorney Andrew Bain for inadvertently posting a photo on social media of a crime victim who was a minor. That later led Bain to add Lopez's name to his office's Brady Identification System, which lists the names of law enforcement officers who have a history of misconduct. The AG's press release says a multi-agency investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and joined by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement began looking into Lopez and his associates starting in 2023. The investigation ultimately uncovered 'a criminal organization operating an illegal gambling enterprise throughout Central Florida, particularly in Lake and Osceola Counties.' Lopez and his associates ran a lottery, slot machines, and a 'gambling house out of a business known as Fusion Social Club,' according to the charging document filed in Florida's Fifth Judicial Circuit. The alleged criminal operation generated $21.6 million in profits, according to the AG's office. According to an official with the Lake County Jail, Lopez is being held without bond pending a June 30 arraignment. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE

Lincoln entrepreneur running for open NU Board of Regents seat in 2026
Lincoln entrepreneur running for open NU Board of Regents seat in 2026

Yahoo

time5 days ago

  • Yahoo

Lincoln entrepreneur running for open NU Board of Regents seat in 2026

Brent Comstock of Lincoln is the first announced 2026 candidate for the District 1 seat on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents held by Regent Tim Clare of Lincoln, who says he will not seek a fourth term on the board. (Candidate photo courtesy of Comstock campaign | University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus photo by Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — A Lincoln entrepreneur born and raised in Auburn announced his 2026 candidacy Wednesday for an open seat on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. Brent Comstock, 29, is the CEO of the Lincoln-based marketing firm BCom, which he started a decade ago, after having thought up the idea for the business while he was in school. The District 1 seat Comstock is running for is held by Regent Tim Clare of Lincoln, who told the Lincoln Journal Star in April that he would not seek a fourth six-year term next year. NU Board of Regents District 1 includes the northern half of Lincoln, as well as the surrounding communities of Emerald, Malcolm, Agnew, Raymond and Davey. Comstock said it's important to preserve Clare's legacy of being principled and that he hopes to continue Clare's ability to bring all Nebraskans to the table. 'With the current political climate and the current budget environment, I think the next decade is going to shape how future generations choose to work and live here in the state,' Comstock told the Nebraska Examiner. 'All of that future depends on a strong, forward-thinking university system that brings everyone to the table and recognizes that every Nebraskan is impacted by what happens through the university system.' Comstock said NU is the 'most important public institution in the state,' from Nebraska Extension and 4-H in rural communities to degree programs across NU campuses and world-class research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. 'I think it touches every person in Nebraska,' Comstock said. Comstock, the son of a plumber and a former special education teacher, is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He said he made his own college decision similar to other small town Nebraska kids: on finances, dreams and aspirations. A scholarship made it more economically viable to go to school in North Carolina, Comstock said he returned home and invested in BCom, which partners with start-up companies, a bipartisan group of candidates and other causes or organizations. Comstock's campaign announcement included endorsements from Nebraskans, including Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, community leader and philanthropist Connie Duncan, former State Sen. Matt Williams of Gothenburg (who ran for the regents in 2022) and former U.S. Sens. Bob Kerrey and Ben Nelson, who both also served Nebraska as governor. In a statement, Gaylor Baird said Comstock 'helped put Lincoln on the map' and has played a key role in shaping Lincoln's 'growing entrepreneurial ecosystem.' He lives and works in the downtown and Haymarket space in Lincoln. 'Brent understands that the success of the university and the success of Lincoln are deeply connected. He brings people together — across politics, industries and generations — to focus on what really matters: education, opportunity and progress,' Gaylor Baird said. 'He's exactly the kind of regent we need right now.' Jeff Raikes, the former Microsoft executive and Nebraska native who co-founded the Raikes Foundation, also endorsed Comstock. The Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is named after Raikes, the former CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Raikes said in a statement that Comstock understands that NU 'is not only a world-class institution, but also a vital economic engine for our state.' 'His ability to work across sectors and across the aisle makes him exactly the kind of regent we need to lead with vision, integrity and purpose,' Raikes said. Clare ran unopposed in 2014 and 2020 and won in 2008 with 58% of the vote. New district boundaries took effect in 2021 and match those of the State Board of Education District 1, which in November elected newcomer Kristin Christensen. Races for the education boards are officially nonpartisan, and Comstock is a registered nonpartisan, while Clare is a registered Republican and Christensen is a registered Democrat. Christensen won with 58% of the vote in a highly watched election in November, succeeding former State Board of Education member Patsy Koch Johns, a Democrat first elected in 2016. Comstock said that while he would bring a 'fresh perspective,' he also brings a decade of leadership in building a company in the Cornhusker State. 'I told people, if I were ever to seek elected office, I would want it to be in a place that we can make impact that touches as many people as possible,' Comstock said. 'I think that this is the moment to do that.' The top two vote-getters in May 2026 will advance to the November 2026 election. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store