Savannah Moyle proudly displays the bike she calls "Big Yellow Hornet". Moyle said her friends refuse to be seen with her and the bike.
Photo: Mike Schaefer, NewsNetNebraska
This fall, Savannah Moyle is running into a lot more company on the bike paths around the UNL campus. "I've actually hit two people already," the sophomore said.
More bikers than ever seem to be crowding the paths across campus this year, students, campus police and bike-shop owners say. Along with the occasional mishap, the proliferation of bikes is leading to jammed bike racks and a rise in thefts.
No official statistics are kept on the number of bikes at the university, but about 138 bicycles were parked in racks outside of the Nebraska Union and the Selleck Quadrangular around 3 p.m. Wednesday. Only a handful of empty spots were left and several bikes were illegally locked to handrails and fences.
(left to right) Cleto Martinez, Margarido Espinoza and Victor Ambame lay the groundwork for cement on the city's Antelope Valley Project on 20th and "Q" Streets. Marlenia Thornton, NewsNetNebraska
If you feel like you've been suffering through more road construction in Lincoln, it's not your imagination. Even in this time of economic uncertainty, big money is being spent on road work all across the capital city. And, thanks to federal stimulus money coming down the pike, even more construction looms in the city's future.
Workers have set up orange cones along 48th St. between Vine and "R" Streets, multiple areas of "O" Street, downtown intersections and more. This has left residents like Chad Anderson, 29, wondering where the money comes from. "Everybody's poor - I'm poor, the government's poor-so it's a little weird they decided to do all this," he said. "I would think they could have done something else with [the money]."
Kelsey Streeter, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln freshman fashion merchandising major, wanted to attend a private art institute until the recession depleted her savings.
Photo: Nate Kelly, NewsNetNebraska
Despite word that the recession is ending, some Lincoln residents are still feeling the financial heat.
Last week, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the recession is “very likely over.” He qualified his statement by saying the economy is still fragile and the recovery may be a slow one.
Bob Sabacky’s job as manager at Russ’s Market was downsized from full time to part time. Besides the loss of work hours, he said, the recession has changed his normal routine.
“I’m walking and taking the bus a lot more,” Sabacky said. Janelle Hotory, manager of the Caffina Café, said she has not been affected much by the recession, but has noticed fluctuating costs.
“I just watch the gas prices go up and down,” Hotory said.
To see how the recession has affected others, click here.
Claire Harlan-Orsi, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln first-year English graduate student, catches up on current events while reading The New York Times Monday afternoon in UNL's City Campus Union.
Photo: Kelli Sajevic, NewsNetNebraska
As President Obama faces a difficult decision regarding Afghanistan, some residents of Lincoln trust he'll make the right choices.
The president was recently advised by Gen. Stanley McChrystal to send more troops to combat Taliban forces in Afghanistan. Obama has not announced his decision, but some Lincoln residents believe in his judgment.
"Whatever he does is what I'll go with, what I'll trust," said Lindsey Persigehl, a senior fashion merchandising major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Lizzie Novich, a sophomore environmental studies major at UNL, also has faith in Obama's leadership.
"I'd probably tell him to listen to a lot of people and get their opinions and do what he thinks is best," she said.
NewsNetNebraska explores what's going on in Lincoln. Check in every Tuesday and Thursday to learn about sports, entertainment, cultural and educational events on tap for the Capital City.
