Latest news with #UnionCollege
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Effort to let largest Nebraska cities consolidate elections will include Lincoln
Nine of the 10 Lincoln and Lancaster County state lawmakers joined a town hall at Union College on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023, in Lincoln. Back row, from left, are State Sens. Beau Ballard, Carolyn Bosn, Eliot Bostar, Myron Dorn, George Dungan and Lincoln Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Jason Ball. Front row, from left, are State Sens. Jane Raybould, Anna Wishart, Danielle Conrad and Tom Brandt. Not pictured: Sen. Rob Clements. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — Lawmakers rejected a last-minute amendment Thursday to keep Lincoln city elections in off years, rather than allowing city officials to tie them to statewide elections. The amendment, from State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln, came after concerns from some Lincoln city officials that the amended Legislative Bill 521 could cause problems for the capital city. The original bill from State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha would have allowed just Omaha to move its elections, but when the proposal was amended and attached to LB 521, it added Lincoln. The amendment to remove Lincoln from the bill failed 16-30. A reconsideration motion failed 18-26. The broader bill advanced by voice vote to the third and final round of debate. Century-old state laws dictate the election timing for cities the size of Omaha (metropolitan class, 400,000 or more residents) and Lincoln (primary class, 100,001 to 399,999 residents). Omaha and Lincoln city officials can already advance changes to their city charter to move election timing, but without a law such as LB 521, the changes could not be carried out. Dungan, who said he just started talking with Lincoln officials shortly before the debate on Thursday, said Lincoln's city charter is 'significantly different' than other cities, such as Omaha. He argued LB 521 didn't necessarily contemplate what to do with elections for Lincoln Airport Authority or Lincoln Public Schools board members. 'I would encourage my colleagues who are not from Lincoln to maybe just defer at this point,' Dungan said. State Sen. Carolyn Bosn of Lincoln asked Cavanaugh if he 'would agree that what's good for the Omaha elections to be on some sort of consistent patterns … that same logic would apply uniformly then in other areas.' Cavanaugh responded that he would like to see the elections moved but that he would support Dungan's motion. Cavanaugh has said the back-to-back elections can lead to voter fatigue. Changing the elections could save about $500,000 for Lincoln and more than $1 million in Omaha. State Sen. Jane Raybould of Lincoln, a former member of the Lincoln City Council and Lancaster County Board of Commissioners, said she would have preferred a separate hearing and proposal related to Lincoln, with more local input. In odd-numbered years, Omaha primary elections are the first Tuesday of April, while general elections are the first Tuesday after the second Monday in May. Omaha city elections are every four years, the year after presidential elections. For Lincoln, the general election is the first Tuesday in May, and the primary election is four weeks prior, every other year. Omaha's general mayoral election is this Tuesday. Lincoln held its general election this week; its mayor is not on the ballot until 2027. Of the nine senators who represent parts of Lincoln, the vote fell along party lines. Democratic State Sens. Eliot Bostar, Danielle Conrad, Dungan, Jason Prokop and Raybould, all of Lincoln, supported the carve out. Republican State Sens. Beau Ballard of Lincoln, Bosn, Rob Clements of Elmwood and Myron Dorn of Adams opposed it. 2025 city elections Omaha primary (April 1): 25.69%. Omaha general (May 13): (To be determined). Lincoln primary (April 8): 24.53%. Lincoln general (May 6): 22.40% (nearly 8,000 early vote ballots, about 4% turnout, will be counted later this week). 2024 statewide elections Omaha primary (May 14): 26.79%. Omaha general (Nov. 5): 75.37%. Lincoln primary (May 14): 15.40%. Lincoln general (Nov. 5): 78.02%. 2023 city elections Omaha primary: (N/A) Omaha general: (N/A) Lincoln primary (April 7): 33.38%. Lincoln general (May 2): 46.22%. 2022 statewide elections Omaha primary (May 10): 31.74%. Omaha general (Nov. 8): 53.92%. Lincoln primary (May 10): 33.6%. Lincoln general (Nov. 8): 57.57%. 2021 city elections Omaha primary (April 6): 28.50%. Omaha general (May 11): 32.74%. Lincoln primary (April 6): 24.86%. Lincoln general (May 4): 29.34%.
Boston Globe
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
They said they were ‘just friends' — but their closest friends saw something more
Jacinta Utubor and Anthony Boone Jr. were just friends. They insisted when their friends referred to Jacinta as Jacinta Boone. And when a student ambassador asked when they were going to get married. And when their mutual friends had lovingly teased them ... for nearly two years. ''You guys are meant to be — he's in love with you,'' Jacinta remembers her then-roommate telling her. 'And I'd be like, 'OK, like, guys, please .' But still, it never made it awkward between me and him because we were just so close." Watertown newlyweds Jacinta Utubor and Anthony Boone Jr. first met as freshmen at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y. They got married on March 30, 2025, at Avenir in Walpole. One in a Million Weddings./One in a Million Weddings They first met in September 2015. Anthony was a New Haven, Conn., native and first-generation freshman at Union College, a small liberal arts school in Schenectady, N.Y. Advertisement Jacinta, who grew up in Lowell, had already spent the summer on campus for the university's Academic Opportunity Program. When Anthony searched for friendly faces at the first Black Student Union meeting, he immediately noticed social butterfly, Jacinta, smiling back. 'I love dorky, cute guys,' explains Jacinta. And Anthony was a dorky, cute guy: 'He was shy, but he's still very talkative. He's like a Wikipedia; he would just talk about anything.' They forged a close friendship over shared bio textbooks and harmless pranks. Any semblance of a crush had 'literally disappeared' when Jacinta learned Anthony had a girlfriend back home. (They broke up after freshman year.) It was purely, mutually platonic — until July 2017. They were both part of a group text chat that summer, but one day, Anthony's phone rang. Advertisement It was Jacinta. 'It was the happiest moment I had that whole summer,' he says. 'It just felt good to talk to her. … She was checking up on me … That's when I started feeling differently [about her].' Related : They met in person at Logan Airport that fall; both were headed to São Paulo, Brazil, for a semester abroad program. Jacinta's mother and sister watched as the two scrambled to redistribute her overcapacity suitcase. When Jacinta began her tearful goodbyes, her mother had laughed. 'You're going to be fine, ' Jacinta remembers her saying, 'Anthony's right here.' For their first two years at Union College, Jacinta says Anthony felt "like a brother" — including all the "annoying" parts. "Everyone knew Anthony had to bother me at some point of the day," she says with a laugh. "It was his favorite thing to do." One in a Million Weddings./One in a Million Weddings In Brazil, the two shared the same route to their respective host families, andAnthony began to accompany her home from campus. 'I started making subtle moves — because in Brazil, there's a ton of PDA everywhere," he says with a laugh. He started by holding her hand. 'I was freaking out,' Jacinta says. They began the ritual of stopping at a local pastel stand, eating delicious, flaky pastries while walking Avenida Paulista. After several weeks, Anthony kissed Jacinta's cheek as they said 'goodbye' at her front door. 'Again,' he reasons, " Brazil .' Jacinta had already informed their friends at home about Anthony's behavior. There were 'butterflies,' but she was more confused than conflicted. Meanwhile, the friends were messaging Anthony: 'They were kind of instigating — like, 'We heard about what's going on with you. How do you feel about that? '' Anthony planned a rooftop proposal with the help of Jacinta's future bridesmaids and family, who invented an 'event' for her cousin's haircare company, Kasali Hair Co., to get her there. The proposal included oversized light-up letters that spelled "Marry Me" and their favorite song, "Blessed" by Daniel Caesar. One in a Million Weddings./One in a Million Weddings By October, Jacinta wanted some answers. It was well-after midnight when they arrived at Anthony's in Villa Mariana to " talk" per Jacinta's request, after late night tacos. They sat on his bed, staring out the window, with the moon's glow illuminating their silence. Advertisement Finally, Jacinta broke the ice: 'Our friendship has changed.' The talk lasted hours, but led to a simple question: 'Jacinta Utubor, do you want to be my girlfriend?' They kissed — exchanging 'I love yous' days later. Friendship anchored their love through changes and challenges. They spent the next summer together on the Curry College campus for teaching fellowships with When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Anthony was temporarily marooned with Jacinta and her mother in Lowell when travel felt too risky. The contents of his weekend duffel bag stretched across three months, as he taught remotely from their home. The time solidified his place in her family: 'We became much closer as friends,' he says of her mother. Jacinta Utubor and Anthony Boone Jr. also had a Nigerian ceremony, hosted by her mother at the Hellenic Cultural Center in Lowell the Friday before their Sunday reception in Walpole. Mofliks He moved to Albuquerque in October 2020 for a job with the CDC as a public health associate. Jacinta began to apply to nursing schools. There were visits every other month and Facetime and texts to sustain them in between. When Anthony returned for a master's program at the Boston University School of Public Health two years later, Jacinta completed her nursing degree at Simmons. She joined Brigham and Women's Hospital's oncology department as an RN. As their professional lives settled, they bought an apartment in Watertown in June 2023, finally home. Anthony proposed on the rooftop of a South End high-rise on July 1, 2023. Surrounded by a heart-shaped ring of rose petals, he said: 'We always say that time and distance were the main things keeping us from each other. Now that we live together, there's no more distance. And I don't want to waste any more time.' Advertisement Jacinta and Anthony, now 27 and 28, wed March 30 at It was the second time they had pledged their commitment that weekend. That Friday, Jacinta's mother had hosted their traditional Nigerian wedding at the Hellenic Cultural Center in Lowell. Their 150 guests then returned for the Sunday wedding and reception. For Jacinta, a floral arch was a "non-negotiable." Boston Flower Co. made one using silk flowers. "The first time I saw it, I just got emotional," Jacinta says. One in a Million Weddings./One in a Million Weddings The couple prioritized hiring Black vendors and enlisted They exchanged 'I do's' beneath an elaborate arch made from silk hydrangeas, roses, orchids, and anthuriums created by Following dinner, back-to-back stroll performances — led by Anthony and his Alpha Phi Alpha brothers and Jacinta and her sorority sisters of Sigma Gamma — got guests on their feet. Tears were shed as Jacinta and her mother swayed to Mariah Carey's 'Hero,' and the couple swept the floor to 'First Time' by Teeks. Speeches included playful gloating by wedding party members who had predicted a forever kind of love since they were undergrads. For the couple, the quieter moments stood out most. Jacinta's favorite memory was just after their jumping the broom ceremony. They took a long pause after they landed on their feet to say 'I love you.' 'We were staring at each other like, 'We did it. We finally did it,'' she says. For Anthony, it was just as Jacinta began to walk down the aisle, and 'Fall for You' by Leela James began to play. Advertisement '[She] always joked, 'If you don't cry when the curtain opens and you see me, I'm going back. We're going to start over,'' Anthony says with a laugh. No do-overs were necessary. Read more from , The Boston Globe's new weddings column. Rachel Kim Raczka is a writer and editor in Boston. She can be reached at
