Labor & Growth
Costco warehouse store that’s proposed for northwest Omaha gets Planning Board nod
OMAHA — A Costco store is part of a mixed-use development site proposed southeast of Omaha’s 180th Street and West Maple Road. Costco has acquired a 36-acre tract in that area, said attorney Larry Jobeun, who is representing the company. It wants to build a 160,000-square-foot Costco store and a motor fueling station on chunks […]
As teens wait for work, ag firms turn to guest workers to tend to Midwest cornfields
Over time, Lynn Leif found herself with less and less work to offer to teenagers. For more than 40 years, Leif and her family employed up to 500 middle and high schoolers to detassel corn in July and August. Based in York, Nebraska, she ran buses to pick up teens in neighboring Seward and all […]
Prairie preservationists mourn loss of virgin prairie at Google data center site
“Anybody can love the mountains, but it takes a soul to love the prairie.” — Willa Cather OMAHA — A prairie in bloom has a special attraction for biologists like Tom Bragg and Glenn Pollock. Both can tell stories of being chased off a small, private plot of virgin prairie they had individually spied while […]
America is in the middle of a labor mobilization moment
Labor Day 2022 comes smack bang in the middle of what is increasingly looking like a pivotal year in the history of American unions. The summer has seen a steady stream of workforce mobilizations. Employees at Trader Joe’s locations in Massachusetts and Minneapolis both voted to unionize. Meanwhile, restaurant chain Chipotle saw the first of […]
Nebraska’s Lincoln ranked as third-best state capital for living in U.S.
LINCOLN — An online financial advice firm is ranking Lincoln as the nation’s third best state capital to live in, right behind Pierre, South Dakota, and Madison, Wisconsin. SmartAsset.com rated state capitals on a variety of factors, including estimated cost of living, unemployment rate, income growth, and high school graduation rate. Lincoln ranked highest for […]
Nebraska ‘robotics cluster’ to receive $25 million from Biden challenge to train more workers in high-tech ag jobs
LINCOLN — A Nebraska coalition seeking to increase the state’s workforce in robotics and automated manufacturing in agriculture will receive $25 million through a workforce initiative of President Joe Biden. On Friday, the White House announced that the Heartland Robotics Cluster is one of 21 recipients nationally in the $1 billion Build Back Better Regional […]
Public hearing dates set to learn about submitting ideas for $335 million in Economic Recovery Act
OMAHA — Four public hearings have been scheduled for Omahans to learn more about how to submit proposals to use millions of dollars available under the Economic Recovery Act. The act, enacted with the passage of Legislative Bill 1024 by the Nebraska Legislature earlier this year, provides $335 million to assist North and South Omaha […]
CRE Summit to explore new partnerships and pandemic-related shifts in Nebraska real estate industry
OMAHA — Omaha is preparing to step up its role as a real estate development center by launching a local chapter of the Urban Land Institute. As an official link in that international network, local members would be able to tap into more consulting and training resources and form stronger regional and national partnerships, said […]
Nonprofit launches process to award millions of dollars to expand affordable housing
Have an idea that expands affordable housing options in Omaha? Front Porch Investments, in partnership with the City of Omaha, is seeking real estate developers and other applicants interested in a chunk of $40 million that’s been earmarked for affordable housing projects. Proposals for the initial round of funding are due by noon Sept. 13. […]
Former chunk of downtown Omaha Conagra campus soon to open as Brickline at the Mercantile
OMAHA — When a $500 million redevelopment plan was first announced for obsolete parts of Conagra’s downtown campus, two things hadn’t happened yet: the COVID-19 pandemic and the makeover of Gene Leahy Mall. Now, five years later, both those events to some degree have bolstered the outlook for the initial housing component slated to open […]
Nebraska unemployment ticks up as separate report ranks Huskers in top 10 states for labor productivity
OMAHA — Nebraska’s unemployment rate has ticked up a bit to 2% but remains the second lowest in the country, according to preliminary and seasonally adjusted Department of Labor data released Friday. Meanwhile, a separate report from a national publication, focused on digital transformation, shows Nebraska among the top 10 states for improved labor productivity […]
Nebraska legislative team drills down into details of spending $335 million in North, South Omaha
OMAHA — After hearing highlights from meetings held earlier this week with North and South Omaha leaders, a special legislative committee on Thursday moved closer to resolving a $335 million question. That is: How best can the panel identify projects that will spark wealth-building, well-paying jobs and generational change in the poorest areas of Nebraska? […]