NEBRASKA GREEN PARTY CANDIDATES . . . Green Party candidates for 2008 in Partisan elections are Steven R. Larrick, U.S. Senate; and for Douglas County Board, District 1: Scott Hoffman; District 3: Derek Glaser; District 5: Susan Koneck. Laverne Thraen has filed for the Non-Partisan OPPD Board of Directors Metro District, and Doug Paterson is a candidate for Public Service Commission District 2 in Omaha.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION BUDGET CUTS . . . Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler has proposed cutting StarTran bus service between 10:00am and 2:00pm daily. At a time when mass transit is needed more than ever, instead of leading the effort to use fewer fossil fuels and promote cleaner air by offering bus ride incentives, the Mayor wants to cut service. The City Council appears ready to recommend that StarTran fares be increased to avoid dramatic reductions in midday service. Students, senior citizens, low-income workers and families, the blind and their supporters are urged to attend a public City Council Hearing on the budget, including the StarTran issue, scheduled from 2:30 to 6:00pm and 6:30 to 10:30pm, Monday, August 11, 2008, at the first floor Council chamber, County-City Building, 555 South 10th Street, Lincoln.

MEET U.S. SENATE CANDIDATES . . . On Tuesday, August 12, 2008, Green Party candidate Steve Larrick will participate in a South Platte United Chambers of Commerce Meet-the-Candidates-Bar-B-Q from 5:00 to 7:30pm at Fort Kearney State Park, just south of the Kearney exit off Interstate 80. Larrick was invited to the event following a Green Party protest of his exclusion at the June 5th Senate candidates debate at Boys State. Supporters are invited to meet up in Kearney, or carpool from Lincoln with Steve. Phone Steve at 402.435.5612, or e-mail slarrick1 at msn dot com.

WEDNESDAY PEACE VIGILS . . . Join weekly peace vigils at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets in Lincoln, every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mark at 402-499-6672 or mark at weddleton dot com for more information.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL LETTER-WRITING GROUP . . . Join human rights activists and local Greens at Jones Coffee, 727 South 11th, Lincoln, between 7:00 and 9:00pm, Wednesday, August 13, 2008. The group meets every second Wednesday on the month for fair trade coffee to learn about human rights violations around the world, what is being done to address them, and letter-writing. Contact Matt Gregory for more information, by phone at 402.570.7840, or e-mail plylas at hotmail dot com.

“EDUCATING CHILDREN IN NATURE” . . . The Education Committee will host the August meeting of Wachiska Audubon Society, Thursday, August 14, 2008, 7:00pm at Dick Administration Building on the Union College campus, 3800 South 48th Street, Lincoln. Shelly Smith, an Omaha Public Schools music teacher, will show excerpts from a DVD featuring a student performance with a migration montage; and Nancy Furman, of the Pioneers Park Nature Center, will speak about The Healthy Families Play Outside partners program. Wachiska is celebrating 35 years of sharing “the experience and love of nature–that life may flourish in all its natural diversity.”

ENGLISH LANGUAGE TUTORS NEEDED . . . The Lincoln Literacy Council needs volunteer tutors to teach English as a Second Language and basic English literacy to adults in Lincoln. No teaching experience is necessary. The next training session begins Tuesday, August 19, 2008. Registration is required. Phone 402.476.7323, or click here for more information.

GROW AND SHARE FRESH PRODUCE . . . Area gardeners are invited to take excess fruits and vegetables to Campbell’s Nurseries, 2342 South 40th Street and 7000 South 56th Street, Lincoln, where it will be collected by the Lincoln Food Bank and distributed to 100 agencies in Southeast Nebraska that serve low-income individuals and families. Produce may also be dropped off at the Food Bank, 4840 Doris Bair Circle (three blocks north of 48th & Superior Streets), 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday. Do not pre-wash or refrigerate produce, and transport it in paper sacks rather than plastic bags to avoid spoilage.

HIROSHIMA-NAGASAKI EXHIBIT . . . During the month of August, a 30 piece Hiroshima-Nagasaki Exhibit is on display at First United Methodist Church, 2723 North 50th Street, Lincoln. Monday through Friday, enter through the north side door. The exhibit is in the basement.

We are not the alternative; we are the imperative. ReShape ’08. Register Green. Vote Green.