Jacob York

Omaha Farmers Market

Time is Running Out to enjoy the Omaha Farmer’s Market

Here at the Omaha Farmer’s Market you can enjoy, great food, great music and a great atmosphere.

Time to enjoy the Farmer’s Market is running out. There are two main locations: one in the Old Market off of 10th and Jackson and the other is located in Aksarben Village off of 67th and Center.

The Omaha Farmer’s Market is an enjoyable event for all ages.  One patron, Andy, says, “It’s great to come out here and you know just smell all the fresh food around and then the music playing in the background, you know just all the people gathered around it just makes for a really great experience.”

Yes, the end of the year is coming and that means that the Omaha Farmer’s Market will start its  winter hiatus on October 16th. So you only have a few weeks left to enjoy the riches of the Omaha Farmer’s Market. Mike Van Weight weighs in with his thoughts about the turnout at the Omaha Farmer’s Market this time of year.  “It’s really hit and miss, when the weather is beautiful, people like to come outside and see what everybody’s got available, when the weather’s not so beautiful, people like to stay inside, but always the beginning of the year there’s a big crowd and even now I think there’s a good sized crowd too.”

“It’s great, it’s great to be able to come down here and check out all the local grown produce and see what Omaha has to offer around, and all the local farms and it’s great to come out and get fresh food,” says Andy.

So if you find yourself looking for a fun place to visit, while it’s still open, visit the Omaha Farmer’s Market. The times for these two farmer’s market’s are from 8 – 11 on Saturday’s at The Old Market and from 9 – 1 on Sunday’s at Aksarben Village.

Trans Canada Pipeline – Are the Sand Hills in trouble?

The environment is a very hot button issue and the ecosystem of the Sand Hills is in jeopardy with the proposed route of the Trans Canada Pipeline, this issue has brought out a fiery emotion from those that are closest to this ecosystem.

The proposed pipeline will disturb the fragile infrastructure of the Sand Hills and could have ramifications on the land that could be detrimental to the well being of both man and beast.
Ben Gotschall, a Fourth Generation Rancher of the Sand Hills explains, “The sand hills are a vegetated sand dune formation, their grass stabilized and it’s taken 10,000 years for the grass to stabilize that sand and the way we make a living there is, the cattle eat grass, that’s all they eat and so if we don’t have the grass we don’t have anything.”

As the debates rage on, and will continue on in the upcoming days, weeks and months there are Pro-Pipeline supporters who know how important the environment is to our livelihood. Bill Keffer, Lawyer of the Local 798, gives his insight about the environment, “The environment will be protected.  This project would not be allowed if there was any concern about the kind of widespread, wholesale environmental damage that a lot of the debate ends up seeming to revolve around.”

The pipeline not only could disrupt the grazing land for the cattle but could also damage the water supply of the Ogallala Aquifer, Graham Christensen, of the Nebraska Farmer’s Union, tells us what water means to the farmers and ranchers of the Sand hills, “Water is the lifeblood of our state, but it’s also the lifeblood of our industry. Our farmer’s depend on this water not only to quench their thirst but also to irrigate cropland and produce food for the nation.”
That’s why plain and simple Bruce and Scott Betcher say that all they are trying to do is save the water and the Sand Hills. They want to see the pipeline go a separate direction and go around the Aquifer.

Jenn Rae Hein, Communications Director and Spokesperson for Governor Heineman, goes into detail about what the Environmental Impact Study showed, “there would be minimal damage if a spill were to occur in this area.”

As she continues to explain the Governor’s position you can see that this is not only an issue that citizens around the Aquifer are struggling to deal with, but an issue that everyone in the state of Nebraska is dealing with, “It’s just not something that we’re willing to risk. When it comes to protecting the Ogallala Aquifer, even a minor risk is not something that we’re willing to accept.”
The Sand Hills are an undeniable resource of value to every Nebraskan, that resource that they give us is water, which in turn, gives us grain, cattle and ultimately food. The Trans Canada Pipeline is a controversial issue that will not settle down even after a decision is reached on the issue. The final public forum is taking place in Washington D.C. on October 7th, 2011. Sit back and settle in as we await the decision and the unrest that is sure to follow after that.

Scary Acres: Nebraska’s Number One Haunted House Attraction

There are a lot of Haunted Houses in and around Omaha and if you want to experience the highest rated haunted house in the Omaha market check out Scary Acres off of 168th and Giles.

To continue with that high rating, in 2012 Scary Acres is planning on adding one or two new attractions.  Another way that Scary Acres provides top quality haunted house attractions is by preparing everything that goes into these houses.  When they came to Scary Acres, there was nothing but corn, they have built everything that you see there.

For those of you thinking that Scary Acres is the same old park year after year,  you will be delighted to hear that there are new attractions coming next year, and every  year the current attractions get renovations to switch things up.

There is a great amount of pride that goes into their work, from the production at the attractions to the make-up.

The owner of Scary Acres, Don Losole says he will not go to another haunted house, because he doesn’t want anyone to think that he is stealing an idea from them. He believes that the haunted houses in Omaha are phenomenal and very safe.

Scary Acres brings celebrities in quite often.  Next weekend  Tony Todd will be there from Candyman.   The following weekend R.A. Milahoff will be at Scary Acres.  He played Leatherface in The Chainsaw Massacre.

Obama Student Loan
2 November 2011

“Know Before You Owe” Plan

            President Barack Obama has revealed his newest plan to the public, it is the “Know  Before You Plan”. This plan is designed to save student time and money when paying off student loans. The current system forgives borrowers of their loan debt after 25 consecutive years of payment.  President Obama’s plan reduces that by 5 years. Another component that will change with this plan is the percentage of the payment that comes from the borrowers discretionary income, reduced from 15% to 10%.

            As with anything that seems too good to be true, there is a catch. You must have student loans in 2012 and have loans from one of the previous four years to qualify for this. Students around the Omaha-Metro are somewhat skeptical of the plan.

            J.R Powell, a senior at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, voiced his concern about President Obama’s “Know Before You Owe” plan, saying, “They want to make it easier for student to pay off their loans, but it’s going to hurt the taxpayers in the long run.”

            As with anything we won’t fully know the benefits or ramifications of this plan until it has been in place for a few years. Will this plan even make it that long, only time will tell.