KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE / TAR SANDS . . . The comment period for messages of concern about the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline to bring Canadian tar sands through Nebraska’s groundwater-rich Sand Hills and the Ogallala Aquifer has ended. This past week, Lincoln Journal-Star published an editorial opinion, “Pipeline needs more scrutiny.” June 30, 2010 letters to the editor are here.  Three July 2nd letters are here.
On July 2nd, thirteen environmental groups, including Sierra Club and Wachiska Audubon, formally objected to the proposal and requested either rejection of the project or further review to ensure it will be safely operated and monitored. The groups sent a 35-page letter to the State Department. A July 3rd Omaha World Herald article covering the group action is here.
A June 28th press advisory from Plains Justice, a public-interest energy and environmental law center in Vermillion, South Dakota, released a report showing that defective steel might have been used in TransCanada’s already constructed Keystone pipeline. The group has asked the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to fully investigate, and to reduce the pipeline’s operating pressure until it can be fully tested. “Keystone XL Environmental Review Fatally Flawed” is here.
Further concerns may still be addressed on line to Nebraska Congressional Representatives and the governor as follows: Rep. Jeff Fortenberry; Rep. Lee Terry; Rep. Adrian Smith; and Governor Dave Heineman.  Green Notes will continue to update the situation as new information becomes available.
           Reminder:  Every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. Read “Help Save the Earth, Time to Subsitute Hemp for Oil” here.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

CANNABIS INDEPENDENCE DAY RALLY . . . Monday, July 5, 2010, starting around 12:30pm, HEMP, Helping End Misguided Prohibition, will sponsor a Rally at the State Capitol Building, and a parade through downtown Lincoln. The United States was founded by farmers who prospered from the production of hemp–the world’s most versitile crop. The HEMP group’s goal is to educate, legislate, and liberate cannabis.

GROW AND SHARE . . . Starting Monday, July 5, 2010, local gardeners can take excess fruits and vegetables to Campbell’s Nurseries, 2342 South 40th and 7000 South 56th Street, Lincoln, every Monday and Tuesday. The food will be collected for the Food Bank of Lincoln, and distributed to 65 Southeast Nebraska agencies serving low-income people and families. Gardeners can also drop off produce at the Food Bank, 4840 Doris Bair Circle–about three blocks north of 48th and Superior, Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm. Click here for tips on how to process produce for sharing. For more information, contact Cory Priefert at Campbell’s, 402.423.4556, ext. 233; or Cheri Lawrence at the Food Bank, 402.466.8170, ext. 106.

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, from noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. The lunch-hour presence reminds the governor of a constituency that does not want state killings. Weekly vigils have taken place year-round since July, 1991. All abolitionists are welcome to participate for a few minutes, or the hour. For information about Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty, click here.

LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Lincoln peace vigils continue at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets, every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mark at 402.499.6672 or e-mail mark [at] weddleton [dot] com for more information.

WACHISKA AT THE ZOO . . . Meet Wachiska Audubon members at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, this Wednesday, July 7, 2010, for a free evening beginning with a bring-your-own brown bag picnic at 6:00pm. Park in the zoo’s lots, 27th & A Streets, and gather outside the main entrance (before crossing the zoo’s railroad tracks) between 5:45 and 6:00pm. The Wachiska group will be admitted free at 6:00pm sharp. After a brief program and presentation of the Lyman Award for the zoo’s Healthy Families Play Outside (HFPO) Initiative, everyone will be free to roam the zoo for the evening. Phone the Wachiska office, 402.486.4846, with any questions. There is no rain date for this event.

PASTORS FOR PEACE CUBA FUNDRAISER . . . The 21st annual Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba arrives in Lincoln on Sunday, July 11, 2010 for a potluck fundraiser at the home of Peter and Jodi Spalding. The Social Justice Committee of First Presbyterian Church, is hosting the 6:30pm event. Pastors for Peace volunteers from the US, Canada and Europe expect to collect 100 tons of aid from 125 communities during a two-week caravan that will converge in McAllen, Texas before traveling to Cuba. Please call the church office at 402.477.6037 for more details on this humanitarian effort.

LINCOLN FARMERS MARKETS . . . Locally grown produce and baked goods are available at Lincoln Farmers Markets five of the seven week days.  Saturdays through October 9th, the Haymarket Farmers Market will be open from 8:00am to noon. The Old Cheney Road Garden Market at 55th Street and Old Cheney Road (behind the Lincoln Racquet Club) is open from 10:00am to 2:00pm every Sunday through November 7th. Other Lincoln Markets include
— Havelock Farmers Market, behind the businesses at 62nd and 63rd Streets and Havelock Avenue, Wednesdays 3:00 to 6:30pm, May 5 to October 27th.
— Piedmont Farmers Market, 1265 South Cotner Blvd. Saturdays 8:00am to noon, May 15 to September 18. Vendor spots available. Call Randy Nelsen at 467-2777.
— Centennial Mall Garden Market, 14th and M streets, east side of the Nebraska State Office building. Wednesdays noon to 4:00pm, July 7 to August 25th.
— Community Crops Farmers Market, Pentzer Park, 27th and Potter (2 blocks north of 27th and Holdrege), Thursdays, 4:30-7:30pm, June 3 through September 30, 2010.
— Backyard Farmer’s Market and Exchange, Tuesdays, 4:30 to 7:30pm, in the St. Paul United Church of Christ parking lot at 1302 “F” Street, June 1st through September 28, 2010.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

JULY 5TH IMMIGRATION RALLY . . . Students 4 Immigration Reform will be celebrating Independence day on Monday, July 5, 2010, with a rally begining at 12:00pm in front of the Tree of Life on the corner of 24th and L streets, in Omaha. After the rally, around 1:30pm, there will be a voter registration barbeque hosted by the Association of Latino American Students (ALAS) at Unity Park, just south of Missouri Avenue on 18th street. Everyone is welcome. Visit the Facebook Group here.

OMAHA PEACE VIGILS . . . Omaha peacemakers vigil every Wednesday, 4:30-5:30pm, at StratCom/UN-O, 6801 Pine Street, east of the Scott Technology Center on the Un-O campus. Free parking is available at the NE Corner of 67th Street and Pine in a student lot. For more information, phone Jerry Ebner, 402.502.5887. Every Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, there is an Anti-War and Peace Vigil at 72nd and Dodge Streets. Contact Steve Horn at 402.426.9068.

NO OFFSHORE; YES TO CLEAN ENERGY . . . There will be an Omaha protest demonstration, “Say Yes to Clean Energy,” during rush hour on Wednesday, July 7, 2010. Meet at 72nd & Dodge between 5:00 and 5:30pm. Park on the west side of Petco, not at Target. Signs will be available, or bring your own.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday evening, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. The event is always free and open to the public. This week’s film is “Meeting David Wilson,” a feature length documentary about the enduring legacy of slavery in today’s young black society. Watch the trailer here.  For more information, click here.  The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

PROGRESSIVE OMAHA . . . Canceled due to illness.

SIERRA BIKE RIDE . . . Sunday, July 11th, 2010, Sierra will host a 26 mile round trip ride along the Oak Creek Trail between Valparaiso and Brainard, Nebraska. This former Union Pacific rail winds through wooded, rolling hills and offers “highland” vistas along the way. For more information, and to rsvp, e-mail bobbygoetschkes [at] hotmail [dot] com or phone 402.614.4788.

OMAHA FARMERS MARKETS . . .Global research confirms food choices contribute the highest percentage to our carbon footprint; even more than transportation.  The advantages of shopping locally go far beyond environmental impact. Farmers markets are the best way to choose local. Click here for a list of Omaha area Farmers Markets including Benson, Bellevue, Papillion, Auburn, Beemer, Bennington, Falls City, Plattsmouth, and Wayne, Nebraska; Glenwood, Council Bluffs, and Griswold, Iowa.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

BLOSSOMS, BUTTERFLIES & BIRDS . . . The third annual Blossoms, Butterflies & Birds Tour will be Wednesday, July 7, 2010, at the Northeast Nebraska Resource Conservation & Development Council Office, 702 East Park Avenue, Plainview, Nebraska, from 8:15am to 2:00pm. The tour includes speakers, transportation, a fried chicken picnic lunch with the Amish, seldom traveled back roads, and exclusive butterfly destinations. Pre-register at 402.582.4866 or northeastrcd [at] plvwtelco [dot] net

BUY FRESH. BUY LOCAL . . . . Farmers, gardeners, and craftspeople meet through The Nebraska Food Cooperative, an on-line, year-round farmers’ market and local food distribution service offering the best in local freshness. For ordering and pickup schedules, refer to the calendar here.  Click here for products and prices from North Star Neighbors, a Cooperative member that doesn’t therapeutically medicate or unduly confine animals. Click here for Tomato Tomäto, Omaha’s year-round indoor Farmer’s Market at 156th & West Center. Shop for fresh foods grown in or very near your own community at Open Harvest, Lincoln’s member-owned natural foods retail cooperative in expanded space at 1618 South Street. Buying local grows family farming, grows the local economy, and is thousands of miles fresher.

HELP NEBRASKA GREENS WITH GOODSEARCH . . . Each time you search the Internet (or shop online at a participating store), a donation can be made to Nebraska Green Party at no cost to you! To help NGP in this way, enter Nebraska Green Party where it says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR? here.  Bookmark the GoodSearch Homepage, or make it your Home Page. Enter the url you want in the GoodSearch search box. Each time you do, one penny will be donated to Nebraska Greens. THANK YOU for supporting Nebraska Greens.

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente

EARTH CIRCLE . . . On the first day of each month, people around the world stop for five minutes to visualize peace and focus on new levels of kindness, understanding, and compassion necessary for collectively facing the challenges of the 21st century. NewDimensions invites peacemakers everywhere to join at 4:00pm Greenwich Mean Time, 10:00am in Lincoln and Omaha, 9:00am in District 3 where Mountain Time begins, on Thursday, July 1, 2010, with the intention of deep healing for the Planet and all its people. Click here for more information about Earth Circle.

TAR SANDS COMMENTS DEADLINE FRIDAY . . . As oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico destroys habitat and livelihoods, the extraction of oil from Canadian tar sands is having a similar impact on fragile ecosystems and communities deep in the North American interior, but another environmental disaster can still be averted if enough people speak up. Learn about “the most destructive project on Earth” threatening our region’s Ogallala Aquifer, here.  “This proposed route through Nebraska is guaranteed to decimate and destroy a huge amount of fragile rare habitat that is vulnerable,” says Buffalo Bruce, Platte Valley Group Conservation Chair. Click here for a map of the pipeline through Nebraska, and Sierra’s statement in opposition to “An Oil Disaster We Can Still Stop.” Click here for a 1:33 minute video and action alert to “Stop the Tar Sands.”
Letters and editorials published this week include “Share your concerns;” “TransCanada pipeline plan threatens the Sand Hills;” and “Pipeline promotes possible tragedy.”  A Sunday, June 27, 2010 Omaha World Herald article indicates two members of Nebraska’s congressional delegation are raising concerns. 50 Members of Congress Warn State Department Against Rubberstamping 2,000-Mile Oil Sands Pipeline. “Tar Sands Poised to Become the Next Fossil Fuels Disaster” reports on how the project would impact other states as well as Nebraska, and includes a photo of the impact a Syncrude operation has had on the Canadian landscape. Click here for June 25th coverage of Syncrude’s conviction of provincial and federal charges in the deaths of 1,600 ducks that got sucked into the slime of the company’s tar sands tailing pond in 2008.
          Make online comments to the Department of State here.  E-mail comments to xlpipelineproject@state.gov  Contact Nebraska Congressional Representatives: Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, 1517 Longworth House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515, 202.225.4806, 402.438.1598 (Lincoln); Rep. Lee Terry, 1524 Longworth HOB, Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.4155, 402.397.9944 (Omaha); Rep. Adrian Smith, 503 Cannon House Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.6435, 888.ADRIAN7 (Toll Free); and Governor Dave Heineman, PO Box 94848, State Capitol Bldg., Lincoln, NE 68509, 402.471.2244.
Meanwhile, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. Read “Help Save the Earth, Time to Subsitute Hemp for Oil” here.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, from noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. The lunch-hour presence reminds the governor of a constituency that does not want state killings. Weekly vigils have taken place year-round since July, 1991. All abolitionists are welcome to participate for a few minutes, or the hour. For information about Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty, click here.

LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Lincoln peace vigils continue at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets, every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mark at 402.499.6672 or e-mail mark [at] weddleton [dot] com for more information.

LINCOLN FARMERS MARKETS . . . Locally grown produce and baked goods are available at Lincoln Farmers Markets five of the seven week days.   Saturdays through October 9th, the Haymarket Farmers Market will be open from 8:00am to noon. The Old Cheney Road Garden Market at 55th Street and Old Cheney Road (behind the Lincoln Racquet Club) is open from 10:00am to 2:00pm every Sunday through November 7th. Other Lincoln Markets include
— Havelock Farmers Market, behind the businesses at 62nd and 63rd Streets and Havelock Avenue, Wednesdays 3:00 to 6:30pm, May 5 to October 27th.
— Piedmont Farmers Market, 1265 South Cotner Blvd. Saturdays 8:00am to noon, May 15 to September 18. Vendor spots available. Call Randy Nelsen at 467-2777.
— The Mid-Week Haymarket Farmers Market, 12th and R streets. Tuesdays in June from 5:00 to 7:00pm, in conjunction with Jazz in June.
— Centennial Mall Garden Market, 14th and M streets, east side of the Nebraska State Office building. Wednesdays noon to 4:00pm, July 7 to August 25th.
— Community Crops Farmers Market, Pentzer Park, 27th and Potter (2 blocks north of 27th and Holdrege), Thursdays, 4:30-7:30pm, June 3 through September 30, 2010.
— Backyard Farmer’s Market and Exchange, Tuesdays, 4:30 to 7:30pm, in the St. Paul United Church of Christ parking lot at 1302 “F” Street, June 1st through September 28, 2010.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

LGBT RIGHTS PROGRAM . . . Tuesday, June 29, 2010, Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail will host UN-L’s Pat Tetreault, Assistant Director of Student Involvement for LGBTQA Programs & Services, discussing defining moments in the history of human rights at the Carl T. Curtis National Park Service Building, 601 Riverfront Drive, Omaha, 7:00pm. The free program will feature a film highlighting gay and lesbian rights, and a panel of speakers who will share what it’s like to be a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered person in Nebraska.

OMAHA PEACE VIGILS . . . Omaha peacemakers vigil every Wednesday, 4:30-5:30pm, at StratCom/UN-O, 6801 Pine Street, east of the Scott Technology Center on the Un-O campus. Free parking is available at the NE Corner of 67th Street and Pine in a student lot. For more information, phone Jerry Ebner, 402.502.5887. Every Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, there is an Anti-War and Peace Vigil at 72nd and Dodge Streets. Contact Steve Horn at 402.426.9068.

COLLECTIVE ACTION NEEDED . . . There will be a discussion about how to unite against the Keystone XL Pipeline and preserve Nebraska’s fragile eco-system on Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 6:30 to 8:00pm at W. Dale Clark Library, 215 South 15th Street, Omaha. Without collective action, the Keystone Pipeline will be extended to carry oil from tar sands in Canada directly across Nebraska. For a map of the Ogallala Aquifer, and contact information for further details, click here.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday evening, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. The event is always free and open to the public. This week’s film is “Medieval Lives (The Monks, The philosopher).” This Terry Jones adventure series is focused on the medieval world. For more information, click here. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

GOglbt NETWORK MEETING . . . The mission of Greater Omaha GLBT Professionals Network is to advance growth and equality for its members, businesses and allies by providing educational, networking, and community-building activities. The GOglbt Backyard Summer Social will be Thursday, July 1, 2010, 5:30pm, at 319 South 53rd Street, hosted by Gary and Shelley Kiel.  Click here for more information.

OMAHA PRIDE PARADE . . . “One candle in the darkness ignited hope—25 Years of Nebraska Pride,” is the theme of this year’s Omaha Pride Parade from approximately 10:00am to noon on Saturday, July 3, 2010, starting at 10th & Pacific Streets.  Email tyler [at[ tylerrichard [dot] com if you’d like to march with the Pro-Choice Coalition.

OMAHA FARMERS MARKETS . . .Global research confirms food choices contribute the highest percentage to our carbon footprint; even more than transportation.  The advantages of shopping locally go far beyond environmental impact. Farmers markets are the best way to choose local. Click here for a list of Omaha area Farmers Markets including Benson, Bellevue, Papillion, Auburn, Beemer, Bennington, Falls City, Plattsmouth, and Wayne, Nebraska; Glenwood, Council Bluffs, and Griswold, Iowa.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

CENTRAL NEBRASKA PEACEWORKERS VIGIL . . . The CNPW June Peace Vigil at State Street and Webb Road in Grand Island, is Wednesday, June 30, 2010, from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Stop by for the hour, or as long as you wish. Signs are provided, or you may bring your own.

PRE-REGISTER BY FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2010 . . . The third annual Blossoms, Butterflies & Birds Tour will be Wednesday, July 7, 2010, at the Northeast Nebraska Resource Conservation & Development Council Office, 702 East Park Avenue, Plainview, Nebraska, from 8:15am to 2:00pm. The tour includes speakers, transportation, a fried chicken picnic lunch with the Amish, seldom traveled back roads, and exclusive butterfly destinations. Pre-register by July 2nd at 402.582.4866 or northeastrcd [at] plvwtelco [dot] net

BUY FRESH. BUY LOCAL . . . . Farmers, gardeners, and craftspeople meet through The Nebraska Food Cooperative, an on-line, year-round farmers’ market and local food distribution service offering the best in local freshness. For ordering and pickup schedules, refer to the calendar here. Click here for products and prices from North Star Neighbors, a Cooperative member that doesn’t therapeutically medicate or unduly confine animals. Click here for Tomato Tomäto, Omaha’s year-round indoor Farmer’s Market at 156th & West Center. Shop for fresh foods grown in or very near your own community at Open Harvest, Lincoln’s member-owned natural foods retail cooperative in expanded space at 1618 South Street. Buying local grows family farming, grows the local economy, and is thousands of miles fresher.

HELP NEBRASKA GREENS WITH GOODSEARCH . . . Each time you search the Internet (or shop online at a participating store), a donation can be made to Nebraska Green Party at no cost to you! To help NGP in this way, enter Nebraska Green Party where it says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR? here.  Every time you use the GoodSearch toolbar, one penny will be donated to Nebraska Greens. Download the GoodSearch Toolbar here. THANK YOU for supporting Nebraska Greens.

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente

Congratulations to Ruth Thone, Lincoln writer and Neighborhood Extra columnist, for three Nebraska Press Women Communications Awards recognizing work published in 2009. Read Thone’s current “At My Age” column here.

TAR SANDS COMMENTS DEADLINE EXTENDED . . . The National Sierra Club is calling the proposed Keystone pipeline project “An Oil Disaster We Can Still Stop.” Click here for a 1:33 minute video and action alert to Stop the Tar Sands. As oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico destroys habitat and livelihoods, the extraction of oil from Canadian tar sands is having a similar impact on fragile ecosystems and communities deep in the North American interior, but another environmental disaster can still be averted if enough people speak up.  The deadline for comments of concern about the threat to our Ogallala Aquifer, has been extended to July 2, 2010.  Learn about “the most destructive project on Earth,” here.  “This proposed route through Nebraska is guaranteed to decimate and destroy a huge amount of fragile rare habitat that is vulnerable,” says Buffalo Bruce, Platte Valley Group Conservation Chair. Click here for the pipeline map through Nebraska, and Sierra’s statement in opposition to the proposed plan. A June 12th Omaha World Herald Public Pulse letter, “Aim pipeline away from aquifer,” is here.  Also on June 12th, a leaked pipeline sent oil spilling into a Salt Lake City creek, coating geese and ducks and closing a park.  Officials said Saturday a cleanup effort is expected to last weeks.
A June 7, 2010 Lincoln Journal-Star editorial, “Impact of oil spill will be profound,” ends with a warning that after the Gulf coast disaster, official assurances of safety are not very convincing. A Sunday, June 13th front page LJS feature story, “A Line in the Sand,” is accompanied by “Pipeline runs through layers of bureaucracy,” and a letter to the editor, “Don’t risk water supply.”  Make online comments to the Department of State here.  E-mail comments to xlpipelineproject@state.gov
Meanwhile, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. Read “Help Save the Earth, Time to Subsitute Hemp for Oil” here.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, from noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. The lunch-hour presence reminds the governor of a constituency that does not want state killings. Weekly vigils have taken place year-round since July, 1991. All abolitionists are welcome to participate for a few minutes, or the hour. For information about Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty, click here.

LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Lincoln peace vigils continue at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets, every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mark at 402.499.6672 or e-mail mark [at] weddleton [dot] com for more information.

JUNETEENTH IN LINCOLN . . . Juneteenth, celebrating the Emancipation Proclamation that ended slavery in the United States, will be observed in Lincoln on Saturday, June 19, 2010, 11:00am to 5:00pm, at Pentzer Park, 27th & Potter Streets. Hosted by the Clyde Malone Community Center, all of Lincoln is invited to celebrate African-American contributions to the community. Local bands Bossphilly, Cool Poppas, and Darryl White’s group will perform; local physicians and the Lincoln/Lancaster County Health Department will provide free screenings and health information; area universities and youth-serving organizations will have information and takeaways from 11:00am to 1:00pm; the Kids Corner will include a water slide and bouncy house running from 1:00 to 5:00pm; and free food will be served beginning at noon. An events schedule is here. For more information, call 402.474.1110 or click here.

BACKYARD WILDLIFE TOURS . . . The 21st annual Wachiska Audubon Society Backyard Wildlife Habitat Tour will be Sunday, June 20, 2010. Concentrating on north Lincoln this year, yards will be open from 11:00am until 4:00pm. Visit all or any of the gardens in any order. Descriptive brochures and maps will be available at all sites. Featured yards are: Jean Starita – 5609 Knox Street; Rich & Pam Brunke – 850 Irving Street; John & Marty Eischeid – 6420 Walker Avenue; Cindy & Steve Harris – 1141 North 81st Street; Pam & Kent Swanson – 2209 Vale Street; Nancy & Curt Youngman – 8940 Holdrege Street; Lincoln Water System – 2021 North 27th Street; Emily & Gregg Lanik – 610 South 30th Street; T. Marni Vos – 700 South 30th Street. Call Anne or Lynn at 423.6524 with any questions.

LINCOLN FARMERS MARKETS . . . Locally grown produce and baked goods are now available at Lincoln Farmers Markets five of the seven week days.
Saturdays through October 9th, the Haymarket Farmers Market will be open from 8:00am to noon. The Old Cheney Road Garden Market at 55th Street and Old Cheney Road (behind the Lincoln Racquet Club) is open from 10:00am to 2:00pm every Sunday through November 7th. Other Lincoln Markets include
— Havelock Farmers Market, behind the businesses at 62nd and 63rd Streets and Havelock Avenue, Wednesdays 3:00 to 6:30pm, May 5 to October 27th.
— Piedmont Farmers Market, 1265 South Cotner Blvd. Saturdays 8:00am to noon, May 15 to September 18. Vendor spots available. Call Randy Nelsen at 467-2777.
— The Mid-Week Haymarket Farmers Market, 12th and R streets. Tuesdays in June from 5:00 to 7:00pm, in conjunction with Jazz in June.
— Centennial Mall Garden Market, 14th and M streets, east side of the Nebraska State Office building. Wednesdays noon to 4:00pm, July 7 to August 25th.
— Community Crops Farmers Market, Pentzer Park, 27th and Potter (2 blocks north of 27th and Holdrege), Thursdays, 4:30-7:30pm, June 3 through September 30, 2010.
— Backyard Farmer’s Market and Exchange, Tuesdays, 4:30 to 7:30pm, in the St. Paul United Church of Christ parking lot at 1302 “F” Street, June 1st through September 28, 2010.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

COMMUNITY CONVERSATION . . . “Brown person, show me your papers,” a discussion of the resurgent face of racism and the new civil rights struggles, will be Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 7:30 to 9:00pm, at Grace United Methodist Church, 2418 E Street, Omaha. Panelists at the community conversation sponsored by Nebraskans for Peace will be Latina civil rights attorney S.A. Mora James; staff attorney for the Nebraska Appleseed Center, Norman Pflanz; and Paul Olson, UN-L professor emeritus and President of NFP. NFP’s Statement on Anti-Immigrant Sentiment in Nebraska is here.

OMAHA PEACE VIGILS . . . Omaha peacemakers vigil every Wednesday, 4:30-5:30pm, at StratCom/UN-O, 6801 Pine Street, east of the Scott Technology Center on the Un-O campus. Free parking is available at the NE Corner of 67th Street and Pine in a student lot. For more information, phone Jerry Ebner, 402.502.5887. Every Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, there is an Anti-War and Peace Vigil at 72nd and Dodge Streets. Contact Steve Horn at 402.426.9068.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday evening, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. The event is always free and open to the public. This week’s film is Ridley Scott’s “The Kingdom of Heaven,” Food and drink is available. A lively discussion follows each showing. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

OMAHA COAL PROTEST . . . Thursday, June 17, 2010, 11:00am, Nebraska Green Party will join Nebraskans for Peace, Physicians for Social Responsibility and 350.org for an hour-long Clean Energy Rally and Peaceful Demonstration at the Union Pacific corporate headquarters, 14th and Douglas, Omaha, to focus local attention on the dangers of coal and Nebraska’s leading role in the transport of this dirty, deadly energy. Environmental activist, author and 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben will be the featured speaker. Author of the first book to address the global warming threat, The End of Nature, McKibben has been sounding the alarm about fossil fuels and carbon emissions for over two decades. 350.org is the worldwide movement to cap carbon dioxide particles in the atmosphere at 350 parts per million. Learn more here.

JUNETEENTH IN OMAHA . . . Saturday, June 19, 2010, 10:00am to noon, Omaha NAACP will sponsor the 2010 Juneteenth Celebration Parade. Line-up starts at 8:00am. The parade route begins at 30th & Parker, proceeding northbound to 30th & Sprague. For more information, click here or call 345.6227.

OMAHA FARMERS MARKETS . . .Global research confirms food choices contribute the highest percentage to our carbon footprint; even more than transportation.  The advantages of shopping locally go far beyond environmental impact. Farmers markets are the best way to choose local. Click here for a list of Omaha area Farmers Markets including Benson, Bellevue, Papillion, Auburn, Beemer, Bennington, Falls City, Plattsmouth, and Wayne, Nebraska; Glenwood, Council Bluffs, and Griswold, Iowa.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

NATURAL LEGACY PROJECT . . . The Scottsbluff public input meeting for the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project is Tuesday, June 15, 2010, at the North Platte Natural Resources District office, 100547 Airport Road. The Chadron public meeting will be Wednesday, June 16th, at the Upper Niobrara White NRD office, 430 East Second Street. Both public meetings will be from 6:00 to 8:00pm. Click here to learn about Nebraska’s blueprint for conserving wildlife and their habitats.

BUY FRESH. BUY LOCAL . . . . Until local markets begin again, farmers, gardeners, and craftspeople meet through The Nebraska Food Cooperative, an on-line, year-round farmers’ market and local food distribution service offering the best in local freshness. For ordering and pickup schedules, refer to the calendar here. Click here, for products and prices from North Star Neighbors, a Cooperative member that doesn’t therapeutically medicate or unduly confine animals. Click here for Tomato Tomäto, Omaha’s year-round indoor Farmer’s Market at 156th & West Center. Shop for fresh foods grown in or very near your own community at Open Harvest, Lincoln’s member-owned natural foods retail cooperative in expanded space at 1618 South Street. Buying local grows family farming, grows the local economy, and is thousands of miles fresher.

HELP NEBRASKA GREENS WITH GOODSEARCH . . . Each time you search the Internet (or shop online at a participating store), a donation can be made to Nebraska Green Party at no cost to you! To help NGP in this way, enter Nebraska Green Party where it says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR? here.  Every time you use the GoodSearch toolbar, one penny will be donated to Nebraska Greens. Download the GoodSearch Toolbar here. THANK YOU for supporting Nebraska Greens.

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente

ACTION ALERT ON TAR SANDS IN NEBRASKA . . . As oil flooding into the Gulf of Mexico destroys habitat and livelihoods, the extraction of oil from Canadian tar sands deposits is having a similar impact on fragile ecosystems and communities deep in the North American interior. Learn about “the most destructive project on Earth,” threatening Nebraska’s Ogallala Aquifer, here.  “This proposed route through Nebraska is guaranteed to decimate and destroy a huge amount of fragile rare habitat that is vulnerable,” warns Buffalo Bruce, Platte Valley Group Conservation Chair. Click here for the pipeline map through Nebraska, and the Sierra Club statement in opposition to this project. The most recent Lincoln Journal-Star letter to the editor, “Danger to water supply,” is here. Learn about this proposed project, and make online comments of concern to the Department of State here.  The comment deadline has been extended to Wednesday, June 16, 2010.  Meanwhile, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. Read “Help Save the Earth, Time to Subsitute Hemp for Oil” here.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, from noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. The lunch-hour presence reminds the governor of a constituency that does not want state killings. Weekly vigils have taken place year-round since July, 1991. All abolitionists are welcome to participate for a few minutes, or the hour. For information about Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty, click here.

LINCOLN COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE . . . The city-county Planning Department will spend the next 12 to 18 months updating the Comprehensive and long-range transportation plans. Community outreach has begun with a survey posted through June, here.  The first public meeting will be Tuesday, June 8, 2010, 2:30 to 4:30pm, in council chambers, County-City Building, 555 South 10th Street. Click here for more information, or phone the Planning Department at 402.441.7491.

WORLD OCEANS DAY . . . Tuesday, June 8, 2010, World Oceans Day, HuffingtonPostGreen invites readers and friends to brainstorm and discuss helping with the Gulf coast oil blowout on Tuesday, 8:00pm, at Sur Tango, 1228 P Street, Lincoln. Click here for details of the HuffPost Meetups Everywhere.

LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Lincoln peace vigils continue at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets, every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mark at 402.499.6672 or e-mail mark [at] weddleton [dot] com for more information.

TOUR DE FARM NEBRASKA 2010 . . . This year’s Tour De Farm Nebraska day-trip will be Saturday, June 12th. The intermediate level biking tour from Lincoln to Raymond and back to Lincoln starts at Indigo Bridge Books, 701 P Street, 9:00am, stopping at Common Good Farm for lunch and a walking tour, then on to Branched Oak Farm for an afternoon treat, and supper at Pepe’s Veggie Mex Bistro. For more information click here, or contact Ruth, 402.783.9005, or farmers [at] commongoodfarm [dot] com. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required.

GARDEN TOURS . . . The Garden Club of Lincoln will host free public tours of six gardens on Saturday, June 12, 2010, from 9:00am to 1:00pm. Breakfast in Bethany Park, from 7:30 to 9:00am, at the shelter house, 65th and Vine Streets, will start the day. Click here to find addresses for the six gardens under “If you go.”

WATERFEST . . . Saturday, June 12, 2010, Lincoln will host the third annual Waterfest at Holmes Lake Park. The free celebration, from 5:00 to 8:00pm, will feature fishing, canoeing, a raptor release, educational exhibits, refreshments and prizes, plus a performance by PANgea. Click here to learn more about the event.

FWP POTLUCK PICNIC . . . Friends of Wilderness Park will host a summer potluck picnic Sunday, June 13, 2010, starting at noon in the Day Camp Area north of First and Calvert Streets, Lincoln. Bring food to share and your own dishes. Everyone is welcome.

LINCOLN FARMERS MARKETS . . . Locally grown produce and baked goods are now available at Lincoln Farmers Markets five of the seven week days.
Saturdays through October 9th, the Haymarket Farmers Market will be open from 8:00am to noon. The Old Cheney Road Garden Market at 55th Street and Old Cheney Road (behind the Lincoln Racquet Club) is open from 10:00am to 2:00pm every Sunday through November 7th. Other Lincoln Markets include
— Havelock Farmers Market, behind the businesses at 62nd and 63rd Streets and Havelock Avenue, Wednesdays 3:00 to 6:30pm, May 5 to October 27th.
— Piedmont Farmers Market, 1265 South Cotner Blvd. Saturdays 8:00am to noon, May 15 to September 18. Vendor spots available. Call Randy Nelsen at 467-2777.
— The Mid-Week Haymarket Farmers Market, 12th and R streets. Tuesdays in June from 5:00 to 7:00pm, in conjunction with Jazz in June.
— Centennial Mall Garden Market, 14th and M streets, east side of the Nebraska State Office building. Wednesdays noon to 4:00pm, July 7 to August 25th.
— Community Crops Farmers Market, Pentzer Park, 27th and Potter (2 blocks north of 27th and Holdrege), Thursdays, 4:30-7:30pm, June 3 through September 30, 2010.
— Backyard Farmer’s Market and Exchange, Tuesdays, 4:30 to 7:30pm, in the St. Paul United Church of Christ parking lot at 1302 “F” Street, June 1st through September 28, 2010.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OMAHA PEACE VIGILS . . . Omaha peacemakers vigil every Wednesday, 4:30-5:30pm, at StratCom/UN-O, 6801 Pine Street, east of the Scott Technology Center on the Un-O campus. Free parking is available at the NE Corner of 67th Street and Pine in a student lot. For more information, phone Jerry Ebner, 402.502.5887. Every Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, there is an Anti-War and Peace Vigil at 72nd and Dodge Streets. Contact Steve Horn at 402.426.9068.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday evening, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. The event is always free and open to the public. This week’s film is “Tapped,” a documentary that examines the role of the bottled water industry and its effects on our health, climate change, pollution, and our reliance on oil. Watch the trailer here. Food and drink is available. A lively discussion follows each showing. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

PROGRESSIVE OMAHA . . . The next Progressive Omaha meeting will be Saturday, June 12, 2010, 6:00 to 9:00pm, at 4924 Chicago in Dundee. The speaker will be social justice advocate Wendy Bechtel. There will be a potluck from 6:00 to 7:00, followed by the speaker until 8:00pm, and business meeting/social time until 9:00pm. Progressive Omaha provides information, education and support to people and groups through a website, speakers bureau, film festival, calendar of events, and monthly meetings. All progressives are welcome. For more information, e-mail kabrams123 [at] cox [dot] net

BENSON SUMMERFEST . . . Saturday, June 12, 2010, the Benson Business Association will sponsor the 2010 Benson SummerFest on Maple Street between 59th and 63rd Streets. The all-day event will start with a Pancake Feed, 8:00 to 10:30am, and a Farmer’s Market from 8:00 to noon. An Outdoor Concert featuring various bands will be from noon to 8:30pm, an Art and Crafts Show will run from 9:00am to 5:00pm, and there will be Music After Dark featuring 18 bands at eight venues from 9:00pm to midnight. Click here for schedule, map, vendors and bands.

OMAHA FARMERS MARKETS . . .Global research confirms food choices contribute the highest percentage to our carbon footprint; even more than transportation.  The advantages of shopping locally go far beyond environmental impact. Farmers markets are the best way to choose local. Click here for a list of Omaha area Farmers Markets including Benson, Bellevue, Papillion, Auburn, Beemer, Bennington, Falls City, Plattsmouth, and Wayne, Nebraska; Glenwood, Council Bluffs, and Griswold, Iowa.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

BUY FRESH. BUY LOCAL . . . . Farmers Markets have begun again, but farmers, gardeners, and craftspeople still meet through The Nebraska Food Cooperative, an on-line, year-round farmers’ market and local food distribution service offering the best in local freshness. For ordering and pickup schedules, refer to the calendar here.  Click here for products and prices from North Star Neighbors, a Cooperative member that doesn’t therapeutically medicate or unduly confine animals. Click here for Tomato Tomäto, Omaha’s year-round indoor Farmer’s Market at 156th & West Center. Shop for fresh foods grown in or very near your own community at Open Harvest, Lincoln’s member-owned natural foods retail cooperative at 1618 South Street. Buying local grows family farming, grows the local economy, and is thousands of miles fresher.

HELP NEBRASKA GREENS WITH GOODSEARCH . . . Each time you search the Internet (or shop online at a participating store), a donation can be made to Nebraska Green Party at no cost to you! To help NGP in this way, enter Nebraska Green Party where it says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR? here. Every time you use the GoodSearch toolbar, one penny will be donated to Nebraska Greens. Download the GoodSearch Toolbar here.  THANK YOU for supporting Nebraska Greens.

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente

EARTH CIRCLE . . . On the first day of each month, people around the world stop for five minutes to visualize peace and focus on new levels of kindness, understanding, and compassion necessary for collectively facing the challenges of the 21st century. NewDimensions invites peacemakers everywhere to join at 4:00pm Greenwich Mean Time, 10:00am in Lincoln and Omaha, 9:00am in District 3 where Mountain Time begins, on Tuesday, June 1, 2010, with the intention of deep healing for the Planet and all its people. Click here for more information about Earth Circle. Shared intention is a powerful force.

ACTION ALERT ON TAR SANDS IN NEBRASKA . . . As oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico destroys habitat and livelihoods, the extraction of oil from Canadian tar sands deposits is having a similar impact on fragile ecosystems and communities deep in the North American interior. Learn about “the most destructive project on Earth,” threatening Nebraska’s Ogallala Aquifer, here.  A 2.42 minute video, “Quest for oil leaves trail of damage across the globe,” that covers the catastrophe already in play at Alberta, Canada, is here.  When viewed in a global context, U.S. oil exploration, production and consumption is turning Earth into a toxic-waste dump. If the TransCanada Keystone Pipeline goes through the Ogallala Aquifer (the cheapest route from Alberta to the Gulf Coast), Nebraskans will live with the threat of an inland catastrophe. A Lincoln Journal-Star letter to the editor May 14, 2010, “Pipeline to disaster” is here.  Click here for a letter to the Grand Island Independent. Learn about this proposed pipeline through Nebraska. Then make online comments of concern to the Department of State, where final approval is necessary before going forward, here.  The comment deadline has been extended to Wednesday, June 16, 2010.
           Meanwhile, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. Read “Help Save the Earth, Time to Subsitute Hemp for Oil” here.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, from noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. The lunch-hour presence reminds the governor of a constituency that does not want state killings. Weekly vigils have taken place year-round since July, 1991. All abolitionists are welcome to participate for a few minutes, or the hour. For information about Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty, click here.

FOOD BANK BENEFIT . . . The eighth annual Empty Bowls Food Bank Luncheon will be Tuesday, June 1, 2010, 11:00am to 1:00pm, at Embassy Suites, 1040 P Street, Lincoln. Tickets include a handcrafted bowl from Down Under Pottery, and may be reserved by phoning the Food Bank at 402.466.8170, or click here.

LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Lincoln peace vigils continue at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets, every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mark at 402.499.6672 or e-mail mark [at] weddleton [dot] com for more information.

COMMUNITY CONVERSATION . . . “Brown person, show me your papers,” a discussion of the resurgent face of racism and the new civil rights struggles, will be Wednesday, June 2, 2010, 7:30 to 9:00pm, at the Lincoln Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street. Panelists at the community conversation sponsored by Nebraskans for Peace will be Latina civil rights attorney S.A. Mora James; staff attorney for the Nebraska Appleseed Center, Norman Pflanz; and Paul Olson, UN-L professor emeritus and President of NFP. NFP’s Statement on Anti-Immigrant Sentiment in Nebraska is here.

LINCOLN FARMERS MARKETS . . . Locally grown produce and baked goods are available at Lincoln Farmers Markets five of the seven week days. Saturdays through October 9th, the Haymarket Farmers Market will be open from 8:00am to noon. The Old Cheney Road Garden Market at 55th Street and Old Cheney Road (behind the Lincoln Racquet Club) is open from 10:00am to 2:00pm every Sunday through November 7th. Other Lincoln Markets include
— Havelock Farmers Market, behind the businesses at 62nd and 63rd Streets and Havelock Avenue, Wednesdays 3:00 to 6:30pm, May 5 to October 27th.
— Piedmont Farmers Market, 1265 South Cotner Blvd. Saturdays 8:00am to noon, May 15 to September 18. Vendor spots available. Call Randy Nelsen at 467-2777.
— The Mid-Week Haymarket Farmers Market, 12th and R streets. Tuesdays in June from 5:00 to 7:00pm, in conjunction with Jazz in June.
— Centennial Mall Garden Market, 14th and M streets, east side of the Nebraska State Office building. Wednesdays noon to 4:00pm, July 7 to August 25th.
— Community Crops Farmers Market, Pentzer Park, 27th and Potter (2 blocks north of 27th and Holdrege), Thursdays, 4:30-7:30pm, June 3 through September 30, 2010.
— Backyard Farmer’s Market and Exchange, Tuesdays, 4:30 to 7:30pm, in the St. Paul United Church of Christ parking lot at 1302 “F” Street, June 1st through September 28, 2010.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

JUNE HUNGRY CLUB . . . Wednesday, June 2, 2010, at noon, Gary Wasdin, Executive Director of Omaha Public Library, will address The Hungry Club [pdf] at Big Mama’s Kitchen, 45th & Bedford, discussing short and long term plans for services and programs in North Omaha, and the role of library as a community builder. There is no cost except for a choice of soul food from the menu.

OMAHA PEACE VIGILS . . . Omaha peacemakers vigil every Wednesday, 4:30-5:30pm, at StratCom/UN-O, 6801 Pine Street, east of the Scott Technology Center on the UN-O campus. Free parking is available at the NE Corner of 67th Street and Pine in a student lot. For more information, phone Jerry Ebner, 402.502.5887. Every Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, there is an Anti-War and Peace Vigil at 72nd and Dodge Streets. Contact Steve Horn at 402.426.9068.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday evening, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. The event is always free and open to the public. This week’s film is “Blessed By Fire,” an Argentinian military drama in the tradition of “Full Metal Jacket” and “Coming Home.” Food and drink is available. A lively discussion follows each showing. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

GOglbt NETWORKING MEETING . . . The mission of Greater Omaha GLBT Professionals Network is to advance growth and equality for members, businesses and allies by providing educational, networking, and community-building activities. Thursday, June 3, 2010, there will be a special screening of WORD IS OUT followed by a panel discussion at Film Streams, 1340 Mike Fahey Street. Click here for the Film Streams OUT IN FILM event page, for advanced tickets, and more information.

SPRING CANOE/KAYAK PADDLE . . . There will be a Sierra Club Nishnabotna Canoe/Kayak Paddle, Saturday, June 5th 2010, starting in Botna Bend Park, Hancock, Iowa. Carpool from Wohlner’s Grocery at Stinson Park, east of 72nd and Maple, Omaha, meeting at 8:00am sharp. For more information, and to rsvp, e-mail bobbygoetschkes [at] hotmail [dot] com or phone, 402.614.4788.

MENTOR FAIR . . . Thousands of Omaha youth are waiting for mentors. The Midlands Mentoring Program team, All Our Kids, will be at Westroads on Saturday, June 5, 2010, noon to 4:00pm, with information about how to become a mentor. The benefits of committing one hour per week for one year can last a lifetime. Learn more about Building Bright Futures here.  Contact Midlands Mentoring Partnership at 402.932.2025, ext. 1005, or e-mail dneary [at] mmpomaha [dot] org for more information.

OMAHA FARMERS MARKETS . . . Global research confirms food choices contribute the highest percentage to our carbon footprint; even more than transportation.  The advantages of shopping locally go far beyond environmental impact. Farmers markets are the best way to choose local. Click here for Michael Braunstein list of reasons to shop farmers markets. Click here for a list of Omaha area Farmers Markets including Benson, Bellevue, Papillion, Auburn, Beemer, Bennington, Falls City, Plattsmouth, and Wayne, Nebraska; Glenwood, Council Bluffs, and Griswold, Iowa.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

NEBRASKA SANDHILLS DIVERSITY TOUR . . . This year’s Sandhills Grazing Systems and Grassland Bird Diversity Tour near Burwell, Nebraska is June 2 and 3, 2010. Learn how rangeland management impacts the agricultural industry and provides an exceptional environment for Nebraska’s bird habitat. Click here to download the brochure and registration form.

NATURAL LEGACY PROJECT . . . A Norfolk public input meeting for the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project is Wednesday, June 2, 2010, 6:00 to 8:00pm, at the Lifeling Learning Center, 801 East Benjamin Avenue. Click here to learn about Nebraska’s blueprint for conserving wildlife and their habitats.

BUY FRESH. BUY LOCAL . . . . Farmers Markets are beginning again. Farmers, gardeners, and craftspeople still meet through The Nebraska Food Cooperative, an on-line, year-round farmers’ market and local food distribution service offering the best in local freshness. For ordering and pickup schedules, refer to the calendar here.  Click here for products and prices from North Star Neighbors, a Cooperative member that doesn’t therapeutically medicate or unduly confine animals. Click here for Tomato Tomäto, Omaha’s year-round indoor Farmer’s Market at 156th & West Center. Shop for fresh foods grown in or very near your own community at Open Harvest, Lincoln’s member-owned natural foods retail cooperative at 1618 South Street. Buying local grows family farming, grows the local economy, and is thousands of miles fresher.

HELP NEBRASKA GREENS WITH GOODSEARCH . . . Each time you search the Internet (or shop online at a participating store), a donation can be made to Nebraska Green Party at no cost to you! To help NGP in this way, enter Nebraska Green Party where it says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR? here.  Every time you use the GoodSearch toolbar, one penny will be donated to Nebraska Greens. Download the GoodSearch Toolbar here. THANK YOU for supporting Nebraska Greens.

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente

CONGRATULATIONS to Lincoln Icons of Peace and Justice, Lela Shanks and Leola Bullock, for their honorary Doctor of Humane Letters awards from Doane College on May 16, 2010.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

NEW ARENA COMMENTARY . . . No2Arena Spokesperson Brad Carper’s May 23, 2010 letter to the editor at Lincoln Journal Star outlines suggestions for how to proceed with the West Haymarket project, addressing the contamination clean-up issue, and challenging the mayor to keep his word. “If this project proceeds, it should be able to withstand the scrutiny of the people who are paying for it.” Read the letter here. Nebraska Green Party thanks all the dedicated volunteers who gave time, passion, energy and money to educate voters about the facts before the May 11th primary election.

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, from noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. The lunch-hour presence reminds the governor of a constituency that does not want state killings. Weekly vigils have taken place year-round since July, 1991. All abolitionists are welcome to participate for a few minutes, or the hour. For information about Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty, click here.

LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Lincoln peace vigils continue at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets, every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mark at 402.499.6672 or e-mail mark [at] weddleton [dot] com for more information.

WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH KANSAS? . . . The documentary film What’s the Matter with Kansas?, is showing at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center Friday, May 28 through Thursday, June 3, 2010. Show times are available here.  One of the main characters in the film, Kansas Farmers Union President Donn Teske, will appear at the 7:30pm screening on May 28th to participate in a question and answer session with the audience. The film deals with the ascendancy of conservatism and how conservative political strategists won the hearts and minds of Americans. Watch the trailer and learn more here.

WILDFLOWER WEEK AT SPRING CREEK PRAIRIE . . . Wildflower Week at Spring Creek Prairie, 20 minutes southwest of Lincoln, starts Saturday, May 29, 2010, with “Native Plants for the Landscape,” 2:00 to 3:00pm, presented by botanical consultant Kay Kottas. To learn about native prairie wildflowers at this workshop, make reservations at 402.797.2301 by Thursday, May 27th.

LINCOLN FARMERS MARKETS . . . Locally grown produce and baked goods are available at Lincoln Farmers Markets five of the seven week days. Saturdays through October 9th, the Haymarket Farmers Market will be open from 8:00am to noon. The Old Cheney Road Garden Market at 55th Street and Old Cheney Road (behind the Lincoln Racquet Club) is open from 10:00am to 2:00pm every Sunday through November 7th. Other Lincoln Markets include:
— Havelock Farmers Market, behind the businesses at 62nd and 63rd Streets and Havelock Avenue, Wednesdays 3:00 to 6:30pm, May 5 to October 27th.
— Piedmont Farmers Market, 1265 South Cotner Blvd. Saturdays 8:00am to noon, May 15 to September 18. Vendor spots available. Call Randy Nelsen at 467-2777.
— The Mid-Week Haymarket Farmers Market, 12th and R streets. Tuesdays in June from 5:00 to 7:00pm, in conjunction with Jazz in June.
— Centennial Mall Garden Market, 14th and M streets, east side of the Nebraska State Office building. Wednesdays noon to 4:00pm, July 7 to August 25th.
— Community Crops Farmers Market, Pentzer Park, 27th and Potter (2 blocks north of 27th and Holdrege), Thursdays, 4:30-7:30pm, June 3 through September 30, 2010.
— Backyard Farmer’s Market and Exchange, Tuesdays, 4:30 to 7:30pm, in the St. Paul United Church of Christ parking lot at 1302 “F” Street, June 1st through September 28, 2010.

WILDFLOWER WEEK . . . Sunday, May 30, 2010, well known photographer Michael Forsberg will kick off Nebraska Wildflower Week at Homestead National Monument near Beatrice, with a presentation about his new book, “Great Plains–America’s Lingering Wild,” at the Education Center. The talk will begin at 1:00pm and 3:00pm, with book signings at 2:00pm. The book explores wildlife, habitats and conservation challenges in the heartland of Nebraska.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

NATURAL LEGACY PROJECT . . . Public input meetings are being held statewide to help the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project update and improve the state’s wildlife action plan. In Omaha, the meeting will be Wednesday, May 26, 2010, 6:00 to 8:00pm, at the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District office, 8901 South 154th Street. Learn how to get more involved with protecting Nebraska’s wild places. Click here for news from the NRD.

OMAHA PEACE VIGILS . . . Omaha peacemakers vigil every Wednesday, 4:30-5:30pm, at StratCom/UN-O, 6801 Pine Street, east of the Scott Technology Center on the Un-O campus. Free parking is available at the NE Corner of 67th Street and Pine in a student lot. For more information, phone Jerry Ebner, 402.502.5887. Every Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, there is an Anti-War and Peace Vigil at 72nd and Dodge Streets. Contact Steve Horn at 402.426.9068.

OMAHA GREEN DRINKS . . . Omaha Green Drinks will meet Wednesday, May 26, 2010, 5:30pm to close, at Whole Foods Market, 10020 Regency Circle, in the education room across from the coffee bar. Green Drinks, informal social networks of environmentally interested people, are now meet in 685 cities worldwide.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday evening, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. The event is always free and open to the public. This week’s film is “Profit Motive and the Whispering Wind.”  Food and drink is available. A lively discussion follows each showing. For more information, click here. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

OMAHA FARMERS MARKETS . . . Global research confirms food choices contribute the highest percentage to our carbon footprint; even more than transportation.  The advantages of shopping locally go far beyond environmental impact. Farmers markets are the best way to choose local. Click here for Michael Braunstein’s reasons to shop farmers markets. Click here for a list of Omaha area Farmers Markets including Benson, Bellevue, Papillion, Auburn, Beemer, Bennington, Falls City, Plattsmouth, and Wayne, Nebraska; Glenwood, Council Bluffs, and Griswold, Iowa.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

NATURAL LEGACY PROJECT . . . A public input meeting will be held in North Platte to help the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project update and improve the state’s wildlife action plan on Thursday, May 27, 2010, 6:00 to 8:00pm, at the West Central Research and Extension Center office, 402 West State Farm Road. Click here for news from the NRD.

BUY FRESH. BUY LOCAL . . . . Farmers, gardeners, and craftspeople meet through The Nebraska Food Cooperative,  an on-line, year-round farmers’ market and local food distribution service offering the best in local freshness. For ordering and pickup schedules, refer to the calendar here. Click here, for products and prices from North Star Neighbors, a Cooperative member that doesn’t therapeutically medicate or unduly confine animals. Click here for Tomato Tomäto, Omaha’s year-round indoor Farmer’s Market at 156th & West Center. Shop for fresh foods grown in or very near your own community at Open Harvest, Lincoln’s member-owned natural foods retail cooperative in expanded space at 1618 South Street. Buying local grows family farming, grows the local economy, and is thousands of miles fresher.

HELP NEBRASKA GREENS WITH GOODSEARCH . . . Each time you search the Internet (or shop online at a participating store), a donation can be made to Nebraska Green Party at no cost to you! To help NGP in this way, enter Nebraska Green Party where it says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR? here. Every time you use the GoodSearch toolbar, one penny will be donated to Nebraska Greens. Download the GoodSearch Toolbar here. THANK YOU for supporting Nebraska Greens.

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente

Congratulations to British Greens on winning their first seat in Parliament last week. The Party’s leader, Caroline Lucas, overturned a 5,000-strong Labour majority to take the Brighton Pavilion constituency. From GreenParty.org.uk: “Hundreds of thousands of Green voters across the country now have, for the first time, a voice in parliament, and genuinely progressive views on issues such as the economy, health, and the environment will now be heard.” Watch video of Lucas after her “breakthrough victory” here and here.

HELP NEBRASKA GREENS WITH GOODSEARCH . . . Do you search and shop with Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox? If so, this Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, GoodSearch will donate $1 to Nebraska Green Party for each new GoodSearch toolbar downloaded. Then every time you search or shop online at a participating store, a donation will be made to Nebraska Green Party at no cost to you! Enter Nebraska Green Party where it says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR? here.  Click here to download the toolbar. THANK YOU for supporting Nebraska Greens.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

HAYMARKET ARENA DEVELOPMENT: AFTER THE VOTE . . . 56% of voters supported the new local bond issue in Lincoln; 44% voted no in the Tuesday primary election. New arena supporters spent six years and at least $680,000, much from out-of-state developers, on their successful campaign. Opponents spent twelve weeks and less than $15,000 on educating voters with *the facts.* Greens are proud to be aligned with the educators. This was a David and Goliath effort of concerned citizens stepping up with their time, passion, comparatively little money, and determined energy. The historic charm and unique atmosphere of the Historic Haymarket District will now be a thing of the past. January 1, 2011 will bring new taxes, at first on every food and drink purchase at public places. Property tax increases are assumed to follow. Meanwhile, there is a green-light rush to buy contaminated railyard land the city was prevented from testing for toxins until after the purchase.  Read “What happens next?” here.
The May 12th Lincoln Journal Star quotes an associate athletic director at Un-L as follows: “…it will be very noticeable that it is the University of Nebraska basketball arena. We want to brand it, inside and out, with our N.” That article is here.  Click here for local tv coverage, including Nebraska Green Party’s Steve Larrick on concerns about building a 16,000 seat basketball facility in a flood plain. We will be watching what happens next.
Now Nebraska Greens will focus on helping prevent a “Pipeline to disaster” in Congressional District 3, where one of the dirtiest, most destructive projects on Earth is set to begin soon. Read about a massive pipeline, Keystone XL, designed to carry tar sands from Canada into the United States, here. Proposed to cut through Nebraska’s most precious water resource,a 254-mile portion of the underground petroleum line involves the Ogallala Aquifer.

LUNCH AND LEARN . . . Reservations are due by Monday, May 17th, for this month’s League of Women Voters Lunch & Learn, Thursday, May 20, 2010, at the 20th floor US Bank Building, 13th and M Streets, Lincoln. W. Cecil Steward, professor and dean emeritus of the University of Nebraska College of Agriculture, will present “Sustainability in Lincoln” at the noon event.  Click here for “Sustainable landscaping the logical choice,” a Green Page article by Steward in the LJS Neighborhood Extra, Saturday, May 1, 2010. Phone 475.1411 to make reservations, or e-mail lwv-ne [at] inebraska [dot] com.

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, from noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. The lunch-hour presence reminds the governor of a constituency that does not want state killings. Weekly vigils have taken place year-round since July, 1991. All abolitionists are welcome to participate for a few minutes, or the hour. For information about Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty, click here.

NATURAL LEGACY PROJECT . . . Public input meetings are being held statewide to help the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project update and improve the state’s wildlife action plan. In Lincoln, the meeting will be Monday, May 17, 2010, 6:00 to 8:00pm, at the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District office, 3125 Portia Street. Learn how to get more involved with protecting Nebraska’s wild places. Click here for news from the NRD.

WIND DISTRIBUTION WEBINAR . . . There will be a webinar to address interconnection, engineering, and operating issues with connecting wind turbines to distribution systems on Wednesday, May 19, 2010, from 9:00am to 11:00pm. Lessons will be presented based on actual case studies. This is the third webinar in the 2009 – 2010 series on the topic of Wind and Renewable Energy. View previous and upcoming webinars in this series here.  To participate, click on the REGISTER tab here and choose “Transmission, Interconnection and Integration Issues.” You will receive an email with the webinar log-in details. If you have any questions, phone Garrett Shields, 303.425.6800 ext. 469.

WASTECAP ROUNDTABLE . . . Recycling Enterprises, 6100 North 70th Street in Lincoln, will host the Lincoln Green Team Roundtable on Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 11:30am to 1:00pm. Learn what is being done to reduce environmental impact, what successes and obstables are being faced locally, and network at the free luncheon roundtable. Make reservations at 402.436.2383, or by e-mailing rbeckman [at] wastecapne [dot] org.

LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Lincoln peace vigils continue at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets, every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mark at 402.499.6672 or e-mail mark [at] weddleton [dot] com for more information.

WINONA LADUKE RETURNS TO LINCOLN . . . Activist, environmentalist, author and former Green Party vice-presidential candidate Winona LaDuke will give the Keynote Address at the fifth annual Chief Standing Bear Celebration Breakfast, Friday, May 21, 2010, at the Cornhusker Hotel Ballroom, 333 South 13th Street, Lincoln. Doors open at 7:00am for the 7:30 to 8:30am event. For more information, phone the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs, 402.471.3475, or e-mail scott [dot] w [dot] shafer [at] nebraska [dot] gov.

FRANK LAMERE ON WHITECLAY . . . Friday, May 21, 2010, 6:30pm, Native American activist Frank LaMere will speak about the Whiteclay situation at Goodrich at Dawes Middle School, 5130 Colfax Avenue, Lincoln. The public talk is sponsored by the Lincoln Public Schools Indian Education Program.

NEBRASKANS FOR JUSTICE BENEFIT . . . Saturday, May 22, 2010, 5:00 to 8:00pm, Nebraskans for Justice will host a wine and cheese reception for the benefit of political prisoners Ed Poindexter and Mondo we Langa at Gallery 9, South 9th Street, Lincoln. All proceeds from the sale of paintings by Sandra Steen will go to support the work of NFJ to free Ed and Mondo. For more information, e-mail mdickin [at] lps [dot] org.

LINCOLN FARMERS MARKETS . . . Locally grown produce and baked goods are now available at Lincoln Farmers Markets five of the seven week days.  Saturdays through October 9th, the Haymarket Farmers Market will be open from 8:00am to noon. The Old Cheney Road Garden Market at 55th Street and Old Cheney Road (behind the Lincoln Racquet Club) is open from 10:00am to 2:00pm every Sunday through November 7th. Other Lincoln Markets include:
— Havelock Farmers Market, behind the businesses at 62nd and 63rd Streets and Havelock Avenue, Wednesdays 3:00 to 6:30pm, May 5 to October 27th.
— Piedmont Farmers Market, 1265 South Cotner Blvd. Saturdays 8:00am to noon, May 15 to September 18. Vendor spots available.  Call Randy Nelsen at 467-2777.
— The Mid-Week Haymarket Farmers Market, 12th and R streets. Tuesdays in June from 5:00 to 7:00pm, in conjunction with Jazz in June.
— Centennial Mall Garden Market, 14th and M streets, east side of the Nebraska State Office building. Wednesdays noon to 4:00pm, July 7 to August 25th.
— Community Crops Farmers Market, Pentzer Park, 27th and Potter (2 blocks north of 27th and Holdrege), Thursdays, 4:30-7:30pm, June 3 through September 30, 2010.
— Backyard Farmer’s Market and Exchange, Tuesdays, 4:30 to 7:30pm, in the St. Paul United Church of Christ parking lot at 1302 “F” Street, June 1st through September 28, 2010.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OMAHA FARMERS MARKETS . . . Global research confirms food choices contribute the highest percentage to our carbon footprint; even more than transportation.  The advantages of shopping locally go far beyond environmental impact. Farmers markets are the best way to choose local.  Click here for Michael Braunstein’s reasons to shop farmers markets. Click here for a list of Omaha area Farmers Markets including Benson, Bellevue, Papillion, Auburn, Beemer, Bennington, Falls City, Plattsmouth, and Wayne, Nebraska; Glenwood, Council Bluffs, and Griswold, Iowa.

CECILE RICHARDS IN OMAHA . . . After-work cocktails & food will start at 5:30pm, Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at the Slowdown, 729 North 14th Street, Omaha. President of Planned Parenthood Federation, Cecile Richards, will be speaking at the event. Four Nebraska Senators will also receive special awards. There will be music and a cash bar. For more information e-mail gloria [dot] goodwin [at] ppheartland [DOT] org or phone 402.557.6680.

OMAHA PEACE VIGILS . . . Omaha peacemakers vigil every Wednesday, 4:30-5:30pm, at StratCom/UN-O, 6801 Pine Street, east of the Scott Technology Center on the Un-O campus. Free parking is available at the NE Corner of 67th Street and Pine in a student lot. For more information, phone Jerry Ebner, 402.502.5887. Every Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, there is an Anti-War and Peace Vigil at 72nd and Dodge Streets. Contact Steve Horn at 402.426.9068.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday evening, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. The event is always free and open to the public. This week’s film is “The Murder of Fred Hampton.” Watch the trailer for this “chilling slice of American history” here.  Food and drink is available. A lively discussion follows each showing. For more information, click here.  The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

MALCOLM X CELEBRATION FESTIVAL . . . Omaha’s annual Malcolm X Birthday Celebration and African Festivial will be Saturday, May 22, 2010, Noon to 4:00pm, at the Malcolm X Memorial Birth Site, 3448 Pinkney Street. The day-long African culture and arts event will feature a marketplace, craft vendors, African games, drumming, dance, story telling, sing-a-longs, African attire and apparel, a flag display from African countries, African arts/craft making, music, educational workshops, and food. The African Cultural Connection, an organization of professional artists, will join the celebration. For more information, click here or call 590.7526.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

NATURAL LEGACY PROJECT . . . The Kearney public input meeting for the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project is Thursday, May 30, 2010, 6:00 to 8:00pm, at Yanney Park ERC Building. Click here to learn about Nebraska’s blueprint for conserving wildlife and their habitats.

PEACE WORKERS MEET . . . Sunday, May 23, 2010, Central Nebraska Peace Workers, a Chapter of Nebraskans for Peace, will meet, 3:00pm, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 5th and Cedar Streets, in Grand Island. (Use northeast entrance, downstairs.) Everyone is welcome.

BUY FRESH. BUY LOCAL . . . . Farmers, gardeners, and craftspeople meet through The Nebraska Food Cooperative, an on-line, year-round farmers’ market and local food distribution service offering the best in local freshness. For ordering and pickup schedules, refer to the calendar here. Click here, for products and prices from North Star Neighbors, a Cooperative member that doesn’t therapeutically medicate or unduly confine animals. Click here for Tomato Tomäto, Omaha’s year-round indoor Farmer’s Market at 156th & West Center. Shop for fresh foods grown in or very near your own community at Open Harvest, Lincoln’s member-owned natural foods retail cooperative in expanded space at 1618 South Street. Buying local grows family farming, grows the local economy, and is thousands of miles fresher.

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

THE NEW ARENA QUESTION: VOTE TUESDAY . . . CD 1 Nebraska Greens co-sponsored the only Haymarket Arena Opposition Forum with the UN-L Progressive Student Coalition Wednesday, May 5, 2010, at Mary Riepma Ross.  The full house audience heard presentations by members of the No2Arena group, and independent concerned citizens raising issues of environmental contamination at the toxic railyard waste site; extracting diesel from the soil; the cost–much larger than any other regional arena facility; financing; engineering; infrastructure and parking. Soil and groundwater samples from a lumber yard parcel of the site had volatile organic compounds, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, and arsenic, at concentrations exceeding health benchmarks. The lumber yard is slated to be capped and converted into parking–in the flood plain.  Natural Resources Director Steve Larrick focused on the flood plain issue, presenting a simulated video of what will happen when Salt Creek waters inevitably rise creating a flooding disaster at the proposed location.
A May 5th Lincoln Journal Star article says “The campaign to convince Lincoln voters to approve an arena project next week has a war chest of about $680,000–almost 54 times the size of its opponents’.” Click here for financial report coverage, including individual and business donor lists.  Click here for “Everything you ever wanted to know about the arena vote,” the final feature story on this issue, Sunday, May 9th. Letters to the editor opposing arena development in Lincoln’s Historic Haymarket District outnumber pro-arena letters eight to one in this last Sunday edition before the vote. Click here for the full page of letters, and here for Scott Wendt’s Local View, “No vote is the right vote.”
The May 11th vote is on a $25 Million Bond Issue, a small percent of the unknown actual costs to Lincoln taxpayers, projected by No2Arena to be at least $808 Million. The fake democracy of such a vote is another reason to question the City’s agenda. We also know that Nebraska law was changed by LB 402, signed by the governor May 22, 2009, requiring 50 percent of voters, rather than 51 percent, to approve the bond. Read the bill here. [pdf] The development project can now go ahead with a reduced percentage of the vote, not 51% as had been previously required by law. More fake democracy, slipped past voters and enacted without notice.
“City, developers yet to ink arena agreement,” a May 2, 2010 LJS article, is here.  It reports “The agreement would release BNSF from paying for any environmental damage.”
The proposed arena site is highly contaminated with toxic railyard waste. The City of Lincoln will be assuming liability for cleaning up 130 years of toxins. The railroads will have no clean-up responsibility after this proposed deal. Click here for a list of toxic contaminants at the Haymarket site.
Click the links here to download Kandra Hahn’s presentation from the “Haymarket Arena: Yes or No?” question and answer session, “Top 10 Reasons to Vote Against the Arena Ballot Issue.”   Phone Kathy at 402.202.8153, or e-mail KathyKBD [at] aol [dot] com to learn more. Click here to become a “Vote NO to Lincoln’s Haymarket Arena” Facebook fan. Join the collective opposition affirmation that “We will win the No2Arena Vote.” Spread the information. Share the intent. And plan to join Greens and Haymarket development opponents for an Election Night Victory Party at Uncle Ron’s, 2137 Cornhusker Hiway, starting at 7:00pm, Tuesday, May 11th.        SAVE THE HAYMARKET.

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet at the information desk on the lower level of the State Capitol. The lunch-hour presence reminds senators of a constituency that does not want state killings. Weekly vigils have taken place year-round since July, 1991. All abolitionists are welcome to participate for a few minutes, or the hour. For information about Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty, click here.

TUESDAY IS ELECTION DAY . . . A sample ballot is here. [pdf]  If you haven’t voted yet, please do your research and  vote.      Save the Haymarket.

LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Lincoln peace vigils continue at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets, every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mark at 402.499.6672 or e-mail mark [at] weddleton [dot] com for more information.

BIKE TO WORK WEEK . . . Lincoln residents are encouraged to participate with the bicycling community and Bike to Work Monday, May 17th through May 21, 2010. On Friday, May 14th, there will be a Kickoff Event. Bikers can join local celebrities, 7:30am, at one of four locations and bike as a group to Centennial Mall. Meet at Peter Pan Park, 32nd and Y streets; Champions Club, Stadium Drive; Lincoln Children’s Zoo, 27th and B streets; or Salt Creek Levee Trail, west end of A Street viaduct. An 8:00am rally on Centennial Mall outside the State Office Building will feature refreshments, exhibits and drawings for prizes. For details, contact Mike Heyl, mheyl [at] lincoln [dot] ne [dot] gov or phone 441.3889.

CITY BUDGET INPUT . . . The next Taking Charge all-day discussion on the city budget is Saturday, May 15, 2010, at the County-City Building, 555 South 10 Street, LIncoln. All residents will be able to participate in an online discussion on the city’s Facebook page.  The city of Lincoln is preparing a budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal year, which begins Sept. 1.
To participate online, send an e-mail to mayor@lincoln.ne.gov. Portions of the May 15th event will be carried live on 5 CITY-TV, and streamed live at lincoln.ne.gov (click on the 5 CITY-TV logo).

BIRDATHON FIELD TRIPS . . . Two Wachiska Audubon field trips are planned for Saturday, May 15, and Sunday, May 16, 2010. Meet in the Wilderness Park parking lot off Saltillo Road west of 27th Street, Saturday at 9:00am, to tally as many species as possible for the 22nd annual Birdathon fundraiser. Sunday, May 16th, a scenic Stone Creek hike will begin at 8:00am. Click here for “A Birder’s Eye View,” by John Carlini. Phone John at 475.7275 for more information.

LUNCH AND LEARN . . . Reservations are due by Monday, May 17th, for this month’s League of Women Voters Lunch & Learn, Thursday, May 20, 2010, at the 20th floor US Bank Building, 13th and M Streets, Lincoln. W. Cecil Steward, professor and dean emeritus of the University of Nebraska College of Agriculture, will present “Sustainability in Lincoln” at the noon event.  Click here for “Sustainable landscaping the logical choice,” a Green Page article by Steward in the LJS Neighborhood Extra, May 1, 2010. Phone 475.1411 to make reservations, or e-mail lwv-ne [at] inebraska [dot] com.

LINCOLN FARMERS MARKETS . . . Locally grown produce and baked goods are now available at Lincoln Farmers Markets five of the seven week days.
Saturdays through October 9th, the Haymarket Farmers Market will be open from 8:00am to noon. The Old Cheney Road Garden Market at 55th Street and Old Cheney Road (behind the Lincoln Racquet Club) is open from 10:00am to 2:00pm every Sunday through November 7th. Other Lincoln Markets include:
— Havelock Farmers Market, behind the businesses at 62nd and 63rd Streets and Havelock Avenue, Wednesdays 3:00 to 6:30pm, May 5 to October 27th.
— Piedmont Farmers Market, 1265 South Cotner Blvd. Saturdays 8:00am to noon, May 15 to September 18. Vendor spots available. Call Randy Nelsen at 467-2777.
— The Mid-Week Haymarket Farmers Market, 12th and R streets. Tuesdays in June from 5:00 to 7:00pm, in conjunction with Jazz in June.
— Centennial Mall Garden Market, 14th and M streets, east side of the Nebraska State Office building. Wednesdays noon to 4:00pm, July 7 to August 25th.
— Community Crops Farmers Market, Pentzer Park, 27th and Potter (2 blocks north of 27th and Holdrege), Thursdays, 4:30-7:30pm, June 3 through September 30, 2010.
— Backyard Farmer’s Market and Exchange, Tuesdays, 4:30 to 7:30pm, in the St. Paul United Church of Christ parking lot at 1302 “F” Street, June 1st through September 28, 2010.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OMAHA PEACE VIGILS . . . Omaha peacemakers vigil every Wednesday, 4:30-5:30pm, at StratCom/UN-O, 6801 Pine Street, east of the Scott Technology Center on the Un-O campus. Free parking is available at the NE Corner of 67th Street and Pine in a student lot. For more information, phone Jerry Ebner, 402.502.5887. Every Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, there is an Anti-War and Peace Vigil at 72nd and Dodge Streets. Contact Steve Horn at 402.426.9068.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday evening, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. The event is always free and open to the public. This week’s film is “In the Loop.”  Food and drink is available. A lively discussion follows each showing. For more information, click here.  The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

AFRICAN CULTURE CONNECTION . . . The 2nd Annual African Culture Event, Yam Festival, will be Friday, May 14th and Saturday, May 15th, 2010, at the Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass Street. Yams, the first of harvested crops, are important to many African cultures. Yam festivals are held across West Africa at the end of rainy season. Local and international artists will be featured in a folk-tale about a very special yam festival within a kingdom in the tiny country of Benin. For more information, phone artistic director Charles Ahovissi, 402.238.8259, or click here.

POUNDING THE PAVEMENT . . . Omaha progressives will meet Saturday, May 15, 2010, 2:00pm, at 1214 North 34th street, to discuss the nuts and bolts of door-to-door organizing, working people in community neighborhoods, and building a strong multi-racial political movement. Saul Alinsky’s Rules For Radicals is one of the texts to be considered. For more information, contact jack [at] progressiveomaha [dot] com.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

TAR SANDS IN NEBRASKA . . . One of the dirtiest, most destructive projects on Earth is set to begin in Nebraska soon. A massive pipeline, Keystone XL, designed to carry tar sands from Canada into the United States, is proposed to cut through Nebraska’s Ogallala Aquifer, Nebraska’s most precious water resource. Tar sands are a thick, black dirt derived from the soil under forests of Canada that produce 20% more global warming pollution than conventional oil. The Department of State has recently scheduled public hearings on the project in York, May 10; and Atkinson, May 11. Click here for more details, and to sign up to attend a public hearing to stop this dirty pipeline.

GRASSLAND BIRD DIVERSITY TOUR . . . Registration is due by May 15, 2010, for the Nebraska Sandhils Grazing Systems and Grassland Bird Diversity Tour, June 2 and 3, 2010, near Burwell. The two-day event will be based at the Switzer Ranch & Nature Reserve. Download the registration form here, or phone Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition Coordinator Marcy Hunter, at 402.465.4304.

BUY FRESH. BUY LOCAL . . . . Until local markets begin again, farmers, gardeners, and craftspeople meet through The Nebraska Food Cooperative, an on-line, year-round farmers’ market and local food distribution service offering the best in local freshness. For ordering and pickup schedules, refer to the calendar here.  Click here for products and prices from North Star Neighbors, a Cooperative member that doesn’t therapeutically medicate or unduly confine animals. Click here for Tomato Tomäto, Omaha’s year-round indoor Farmer’s Market at 156th & West Center. Shop for fresh foods grown in or very near your own community at Open Harvest, Lincoln’s member-owned natural foods retail cooperative in expanded space at 1618 South Street. Buying local grows family farming, grows the local economy, and is thousands of miles fresher.

HELP NEBRASKA GREENS WITH GOODSEARCH . . . Each time you search the Internet (or shop online at a participating store), a donation can be made to Nebraska Green Party at no cost to you! To help NGP in this way, enter Nebraska Green Party where it says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR? here.  Every time you use the GoodSearch toolbar, one penny will be donated to Nebraska Greens. Download the GoodSearch Toolbar here.  THANK YOU for supporting Nebraska Greens.

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

THE NEW ARENA QUESTION . . . Lincoln Journal Star letters to the editor continue to express concern over various aspects of the proposed Haymarket District development project the City of Lincoln is promoting exhaustively. A Sunday, May 2, 2010 LJS article “City, developers yet to ink arena agreement,” is here.  It reports “The agreement would release BNSF from paying for any environmental damage.” A May 2 Local View, “Common sense doesn’t support arena,” is here.  “No2Arena calls for full disclosure of EPA testing” is reported here.   “Project won’t be boon it’s promised to be,” another Local View, is here.  Coverage of a No2Arena press conference on financial aspects of the issue is here.  The proposed arena site is highly contaminated with toxic railyard waste. The City of Lincoln will be assuming liability for cleaning up 130 years of toxins. The railroads will have no clean-up responsibility after this proposed deal. Click here for a list of toxic contaminants at the Haymarket location site.
Nebraska Green Party and the UN-L Progressive Students Coalition are sponsoring the only Opposition Forum on arena development Wednesday, May 5, 2010, 5:30 to 6:30pm at The Ross.  See Green Notes below for details of various opportunities to Learn the Facts about the project this week before the May 11th vote on a small percent of the unknown actual costs to Lincoln taxpayers.
The No2Arena group will meet Saturday, May 8, 2010, 10:00am, at the Huntington Day Center, 47th Street and Huntington. Yard signs and bumper stickers are still available there, and by phoning 488.8519. To help prevent the purchase of toxic land in a flood plain for this development project, write your own letter to the LJS editor and e-mail it to oped [at] journalstar [dot] com. Phone Kathy at 402.202.8153, or e-mail KathyKBD [at] aol [dot] com to learn more and volunteer help with neighborhood flier distribution. Click here to become a “Vote NO to Lincoln’s Haymarket Arena” Facebook fan. Join the collective opposition affirmation that “We will win the No2Arena Vote.” Shared intention is a powerful force. Spread the information. Share the intent. SAVE THE HAYMARKET.

2010 FARMERS MARKETS BEGIN . . . Locally grown produce and baked goods are now available at Lincoln Farmers Markets five of the seven week days.  Saturdays through October 9th, the Haymarket Farmers Market will be open from 8:00am to noon. The Old Cheney Road Garden Market at 55th Street and Old Cheney Road (behind the Lincoln Racquet Club) is open from 10:00am to 2:00pm every Sunday through November 7th. Other Lincoln Markets include:
— Havelock Farmers Market, behind the businesses at 62nd and 63rd Streets and Havelock Avenue, Wednesdays 3:00 to 6:30pm, May 5 to October 27th.
— Piedmont Farmers Market, 1265 South Cotner Blvd. Saturdays 8:00am to noon, May 15 to September 18. Vendor spots available. Call Randy Nelsen at 467-2777.
— The Mid-Week Haymarket Farmers Market, 12th and R streets. Tuesdays in June from 5:00 to 7:00pm, in conjunction with Jazz in June.
— Centennial Mall Garden Market, 14th and M streets, east side of the Nebraska State Office building. Wednesdays noon to 4:00pm, July 7 to August 25th.
— Community Crops Farmers Market, Pentzer Park, 27th and Potter (2 blocks north of 27th and Holdrege), Thursdays, 4:30-7:30pm, June 3 through September 30, 2010.
— Backyard Farmer’s Market and Exchange, Tuesdays, 4:30 to 7:30pm, in the St. Paul United Church of Christ parking lot at 1302 “F” Street, June 1st through September 28, 2010.  Vendor applications are  due by May 15th.   Contact Jeff Eggers, himo83 [at] hotmail [dot] com.

REGISTER TO VOTE . . . The voter registration deadline for Lincoln’s May 11th primary election, including a vote on the proposed Haymarket District arena development, is Monday, May 3, 2010. Any Lancaster County resident may register in person at the Election Commissioner’s office, 601 North 46th Street, 8:00am to 6:00pm. Voter registration will also be available on Monday at Walt Branch Library, 6701 South 14th Street, 4:30 to 6:00pm; and Eisley Branch Library, 1530 Superior Street, 4:30 to 6:00pm. Click here (pdf) for a sample ballot. REGISTER TO VOTE and SAVE THE HAYMARKET.

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet at the information desk on the lower level of the State Capitol. The lunch-hour presence reminds senators of a constituency that does not want state killings. Weekly vigils have taken place year-round since July, 1991. All abolitionists are welcome to participate for a few minutes, or the hour. For information about Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty, click here.

LEARN THE FACTS . . . Tuesday, May 4, 2010, No2Arena spokespeople Brad Carper and Scott Wendt will be on NET Radio 91.1FM with Clay Masters. The series begins airing at 6, 7, and 8:00am; 4:30 and 5:30pm.

LEARN THE FACTS . . . Wednesday, May 5, 2010, spokespeople from both the pro and con sides of development in the Historic Haymarket District will be on KFOR’s Lincoln Live radio program, 11:00am to noon, 1240AM, answering call-in questions. Phone 489.1240.

LEARN THE FACTS . . . Nebraska Green Party will co-host a free Public Forum “In Opposition to the Arena” on Wednesday, May 5, 2010, 5:30 to 6:30pm at the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater, 313 North 13th Street, Lincoln. The UN-L Progressive Student Coalition will co-sponsor the Opposition event.

LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Lincoln peace vigils continue at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets, every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mark at 402.499.6672 or e-mail mark [at] weddleton [dot] com for more information.

HAVE YOU HEARD *ALL* THE FACTS? . . . Arena Pros and Cons will be debated Thursday, May 6, 2010, 5:30 to 7:00pm, at the Haymarket Apothecary Building Ridnour Room, 809 P Street, Suite 500, Lincoln. Kandra Hahn will represent the opposition in this free public event. Questions for either side must be pre-submitted to qspjoanne [at] neb [dot] rr [dot] com or infone [at] afphq [dot] org by Wednesday, May 5th. LEARN THE FACTS.

SAVE THE HAYMARKET . . . No2Arena will meet Saturday, May 8, 2010, 10:00am, at Huntington Day Center, 47th Street and Huntington, Lincoln. Packets of fliers need distributed in targeted precincts. To help, phone Kathy at 402.202.8153, or e-mail KathyKBD [at] aol [dot] com. This will be the last weekend before a May 11th vote.

ANNUAL COMMUNITY CROPS PLANT SALE . . . The seventh annual Community CROPS Plant Sale will be Saturday, May 8, 2010, 2:00 to 4:00pm, at West Gate Bank, 50th and O Streets, Lincoln. There will be vegetable, annual and perennial plants at this fundraiser for community gardens. Click here for details, or phone 474.9802.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OMAHA FARMERS MARKETS OPEN . . . Area farmers markets open this weekend.  Global research confirms food choices contribute the highest percentage to our carbon footprint; even more than transportation.  The advantages of shopping locally go far beyond environmental impact. Farmers markets are the best way to choose local. Click here for a Michael Braunstein list of reasons to shop farmers markets. Click here for a list of Omaha area Farmers Markets including Benson, Bellevue, Papillion, Auburn, Beemer, Bennington, Falls City, Plattsmouth, and Wayne, Nebraska; Glenwood, Council Bluffs, and Griswold, Iowa.

OMAHA PEACE VIGILS . . . Omaha peacemakers vigil every Wednesday, 4:30-5:30pm, at StratCom/UN-O, 6801 Pine Street, east of the Scott Technology Center on the Un-O campus. Free parking is available at the NE Corner of 67th Street and Pine in a student lot. For more information, phone Jerry Ebner, 402.502.5887. Every Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, there is an Anti-War and Peace Vigil at 72nd and Dodge Streets. Contact Steve Horn at 402.426.9068.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday evening, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. The event is always free and open to the public. This week’s film is “The Silence of Neto,” a Guatemalan film that chronicles one boy’s coming-of-age in that country. Food and drink is available. A lively discussion follows each showing. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

PROGRESSIVE OMAHA MEETING . . . The next Progressive Omaha meeting will be Saturday, May 8, 2010, from 6:00 tp 9:00pm, at 4924 Chicago, in Dundee. Speaking will be John Hansen, President of Nebraska Farmers Union, discussing “Globalization and its Impact on Family Farmers.” There will be a potluck from 6:00 to 7:00, Hansen will speak between 7:00 and 8:00. Group business and social time will follow.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

TAR SANDS IN NEBRASKA . . . One of the dirtiest, most destructive projects on Earth is set to begin in Nebraska soon. A massive pipeline, Keystone XL, designed to carry tar sands from Canada into the United States, is proposed to cut through the Ogallala Aquifer, Nebraska’s most precious water resource. Tar sands are a thick, black dirt derived from the soil under forests of Canada that produce 20% more global warming pollution than conventional oil. The Department of State has recently scheduled public hearings on the project in Fairbury, May 6; York, May 10; and Atkinson, May 11. Click here for more details, and to sign up to attend a public hearing to stop this dirty pipeline.

BUY FRESH. BUY LOCAL . . . . Farmers Markets have begun again. Farmers, gardeners, and craftspeople still meet through The Nebraska Food Cooperative, an on-line, year-round farmers’ market and local food distribution service offering the best in local freshness. For ordering and pickup schedules, refer to the calendar here. Click here for products and prices from North Star Neighbors, a Cooperative member that doesn’t therapeutically medicate or unduly confine animals. Click here for Tomato Tomäto, Omaha’s year-round indoor Farmer’s Market at 156th & West Center. Shop for fresh foods grown in or very near your own community at Open Harvest, Lincoln’s member-owned natural foods retail cooperative at 1618 South Street. Buying local grows family farming, grows the local economy, and is thousands of miles fresher.

HELP NEBRASKA GREENS WITH GOODSEARCH . . . Each time you search the Internet (or shop online at a participating store), a donation can be made to Nebraska Green Party at no cost to you! To help NGP in this way, enter Nebraska Green Party where it says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR? here.  Every time you use the GoodSearch toolbar, one penny will be donated to Nebraska Greens. Download the GoodSearch Toolbar here.  THANK YOU for supporting Nebraska Greens.

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente