The Weekly Grind – Omaha's Young Professionals Radio Show

One Vote (Makes Nebraska) Matter: The Ben Nelson Saga

December 21, 2009 · 3 Comments

Hear what our listeners had to say on Saturday’s Show >>>

Who says one vote doesn’t make a difference?

Nebraska’s own Benator (Sen. Ben Nelson, D-NE) was the “National Figure of the Weekend,” tearing away the title from Tiger Woods (not the first thing Tiger has had taken away from him this week–ho!  *rimshot*).

In fact, Ben Nelson’s rather surprising decision to become Vote #60 for the government’s “Universal” Health Care plan has made some major waves on the national scene:

–Mike Huckabee held a rally here in Omaha at the Omaha Music Hall, hoping to change The Benator’s mind.

–Abortion opponents stunned by Ben Nelson’s change of heart.

–Senator Mike Johanns–also a former Governor of Nebraska–has some incredibly strong words for his colleague Ben Nelson.

(Ed. Note:  Regardless of where you sit on the health care debate–or what part of the political prism you reside in–you’ve got to admit it is somewhat refreshing to hear (er, read) such raw and emotional quotes from a politician.  You can tell ol’ Sen. Johanns is not reading from talking points from these quotes.)

–Did The Good Life get a $45 million Medicaid windfall because of Nelson’s vote?  Either way, Governor Dave Heineman is not happy.

All in all, it is interesting to see Nebraska yet again be a major player in national politics for the second time in the past 13 months.  This time, however, the impact was direct and the outcome undeniable.  Sen. Ben Nelson just opened the floodgates for the largest piece of legislation in the history of the United States.  Which side of history will his vote (and Nebraska’s influence) fall on?

Obviously, it remains to be seen.  According to the massive amount of phone calls we got while broadcasting the program Saturday morning, Sen. Nelson will end up on the wrong side of history.

It will be interesting what comes of this massive bill.  It was also interesting to consider that The Weekly Grind was the first media outlet in Omaha to report on and take reaction to the biggest vote–maybe–in the history of Nebraska politics on the national scene.  We appreciate all the calls.  Give us some more feedback in the comments.

And to Ben Nelson:  so much for your vote not being for sale, huh?

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December shows are hilariously pointless.

December 14, 2009 · 1 Comment

Let’s face it, people are insanely busy in December. And the last thing they have time for is coming on a Saturday morning radio show. So December has been a tough month in scheduling guests, but none the less, the fine hosts of The Weekly Grind continue to put together two hours of sometimes relevant comedy.

Take Saturday’s Episode. Our topics included holiday marketing, wedding gambling, monkeys, crappy radio show producers and more. So we apologize for the lack of guests. But we’re not apologizing for the hilarity.
DIG IT.>

For your further entertainment, here’s a picture of a crazy monkey. Hilarious, right?

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Dante Pizzeria Napoletana – OPENS TODAY!!!

December 10, 2009 · Leave a Comment


The much awaited opening of Dante Pizzeria Napoletana is happening tomorrow. And your friends at the Weekly Grind couldn’t be more exited. I mean, where else are you going to be able to play indoor bocce ball while eating phenomenal pizza?

DantePizzeria.com

THE LOWDOWN:
Naples-inspired and locally owned, Dante is a sophisticated casual Italian restaurant and bar featuring a menu inspired by traditional Italian culinary, specializing in authentic VERA certified Neapolitan wood-fired pizza.

Dante’s pizzas are prepared in the same way they were a century ago, cooked in an Italian designed Mugnaini brick oven with fresh mozzarella and dough made daily in-house. Chef/Owner Nick Strawhecker’s continually changing menu includes a broad selection of Tuscan and Southern Italian entrees, small plates and salads. Chef Strawhecker is proud to feature ingredients from farmers and growers throughout Nebraska and Iowa in his cooking.

LOCATION:
Shops of Legacy at 168th and Center, Omaha, NE

HOURS of OPERATION:
Friday, December 11: 4pm – 1am
Saturday, December 12: 4pm – 1am
Sunday, December 13: 4pm – 11pm
After Sunday, December 13
Sun – Thurs: 11:30 am – 11:00 pm
Fri – Sat: 11:30 am – 1:00 am

FIND US ONLINE:
DantePizzeria.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Omaha-NE/Dante-Pizzeria/150828298289

FOOD:
Wood-fired Pizza: Dante’s 12 inch, VERA certified pizzas are prepared in the same way they were a century ago, cooked in an Italian designed Mugnaini brick oven with fresh mozzarella and dough made daily in-house, and San Marzano tomatoes (grown in the rich volcanic soil of Mt. Vesuvius). Seasonal, locally procured toppings will include roasted mushrooms, organic artichokes as well as fennel sausage from a recipe handed down from the Chef’s Italian great grandmother. They are served with classic presentations, artisanal ingredients and a crisp-thin wood-fired crust.

Entrees:
The continually changing menu includes a broad selection of Tuscan and Southern Italian entrees, small plates and salads. Nightly specials, in-house made pastas and proteins feature ingredients from farmers and growers throughout Nebraska and Iowa, adhering to Dante’s Slow Food Association membership.

The Oven:
Omaha’s only wood-fired oven by Mugnaini was constructed from special clay only available from the hills above Florence, Italy and naturally quarried material that has the characteristics of absorbing heat, evenly distributing it and then retaining it for long periods of time. The oven’s heat reaches 800 degrees, cooking pizzas in only 90 seconds.

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Ultra Lounges, Douches and the Huskers.

December 7, 2009 · Leave a Comment

That was Saturday’s show. Which is now available for download.

We also talked Husker/Creighton basketball with Nick Bahe from the Schick & Nick Show, which airs on ESPN Radio 1620 AM, every weekday from 9 a.m. to noon.

Enjoy the podcast if you missed the live show on Saturday. And you can also download it from iTunes if you so desire.

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November 28 Show – Holy Guest Hosts, Weekly Grind!

December 2, 2009 · Leave a Comment

We had a whole grip of special guest hosts!  We had Eric Strovers, Assistant DA in Pott County, IA; UNMC Pharmacist Josh Hite, and Kiewitt Superintendent Trevor Fitch.  Good times!  And as always, we had former Husker tight end Jon Bowling breaking down the Colorado game.

We talked Creighton basketball, Nebraska football, Black Friday, Menards (they suck!), mind reading, the last time we used combs, Tiger Woods having an Allen Iverson-type night, lawyerin’, superintendin’, and pharmacin’.  All in all, great times, and a heartfelt “thanks” to everyone that ensured that Mike Shearer wasn’t the only person on the radio Saturday.

Download Saturday’s show HERE.>

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Hard To Believe It’s Time For “The Best Music Of The 2000’s” Stories

November 24, 2009 · Leave a Comment

 

The Hold Steady Almost Killed The Sokol Underground

But it is.  Good God, it’s almost 2010.

 

*Side note:  It truly is incredible to consider for myself the difference in my life from the year 2000 to today.  I was a junior in college in Lincoln, having a grand old time, and just started dating someone.  I know am a homeowner in Omaha with said “someone” and have a beautiful daughter with her.  And it seems like 2000 was approximately 2 days ago.  Incredible.

So you’re starting to see the inevitable “Best of the ’00’s” articles and blog posts.  I typically am only interested in the music version of these lists.  The one I saw is from–for my money–the most reputable music site out there anymore, The Onion’s AV Club.

When I first saw this link, I couldn’t immediately think of anything really.  But wow–once I started reading through this list, I realized how good of a decade it has been for music.  Perhaps that’s a personal preference, but there are some all-timer’s in there.  For me, age 21-30 was far more influential for my musical tastes than, say, my high school/early college years because it has been the past 10 years where I really branched out and started discovering more genres and getting into a diverse array of music.  But I digress.

Check out the AV Club’s “Best of the Decade” story. Here is their Top 6:

(Why Top 6?  Because #6 is awesome, and I wanted to include it.)

#6:  The Hold Steady, “Separation Sunday”

#5:  Wilco, “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot”

#4:  Outkast, “Stankonia”

#3:  Radiohead, “Kid A”

#2:  Kanye West, “The College Dropout”

#1:  The White Stripes, “White Blood Cells”

I think that Top 6 is pretty stout, and you could really interchange any of them (although I think the White Stripes are pretty overrated for my taste).  I’m glad that Kanye is where he should be; that album is incredible.  I think due to his increasing douchebaggery has overshadowed just how good of music he puts out there (particularly his first three albums).  Wilco is Wilco, and Yankee is probably their best album.  Stankonia is as influential an album as will be produced in our lifetimes, let alone that decade.  And Separation Sunday is probably my favorite album by the finest rock and roll band in America right now.  Here are some other highlights for me from the list:

#50 – Broken Social Scene, “You Forgot It In People;” #37 – Justin Timberlake, “Justified” (yeah, I said it, but it’s undeniably a great pop record); #34 – Clipse, “Lord Willin’;” #33 – Death Cab for Cutie, “Transatlanticism;” #30 – Sufjan Stevens, “Illinois;” #28 – Ghostface Killah, “Supreme Clientele;” #26 – Amy Winehouse, “Back To Black;” #25 – Madvillian, “Madvilliany;” #9 – Jay-Z, “The Blueprint.”

Biggest Omission:  D’Angelo, “Voodoo.”  For my money, one of the best soul albums ever made, and a Top 5 album of all-time for me personally.  It is borderline criminal it’s not on here.

Other omissions:  Common, “BE;” Coldplay, “A Rush of Blood To The Head;” Arctic Monkeys, “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not;” Vampire Weekend, “Vampire Weekend;” Kanye West, “Late Registration;” Gnarls Barkley, “St. Elsewhere;”  Al Green, “Lay It Down;” Jay-Z, “Unplugged;” Ryan Adams, “Gold;” The Roots, “Phrenology;” Q-Tip, “The Abstract;” J Dilla, “The Shining”

So where are you at?  What are your top albums of the past 10 years?  What are your glaring omissions?  Leave ‘em in the comments.

 


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Dante Pizzeria Napoletana, Opening Soon.

November 23, 2009 · 2 Comments

On Saturday’s show, we were excited to have on Nick Strawhecker, the executive chef and owner of Dante Pizzeria Napoletana…opening next month in Legacy (168th & Center)

What Nick is bringing to Omaha is something special and we’re all very excited. Oh, and we almost forgot to mention that Dante Pizzeria will have Omaha’s only indoor bocce court! Talk about authentic Italian.

Anyway, check out the show, and in the meantime check out this article about Dante Pizzeria from the Omaha World Herald.

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Chime in: If you had 10 billion dollars…

November 16, 2009 · 2 Comments


If you were the leader of Omaha…and had an unlimited amount of money at your disposal, what would you do with it? What would you like to see in Omaha?

Throw all political and budgetary issues aside. For the purpose of this question, there is no budget shortfall. We just want to see what ideas people have for the city, whether it be big or small, expensive or cheap. So what do you think?

We talked about this at some length during Saturday’s Show. But now we want to hear from you. So leave a comment and tell what you’d like to see in Omaha. And don’t hold back. I mean, Jeff suggested an NFL team. So no dream or idea is off limits.

Some other ideas we threw around:
- better mix-use development of the riverfront
- a “Power & Light” district revamp at Crossroads
- A train system
- etc.

So what do you think?

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Knock Knock. Who’s There? United Way.

November 10, 2009 · 1 Comment

Just a reminder, the United Way still needs our help to raise a little money before the holidays. And it only costs you $5.00.

Please, take two minutes and check out give5midlands.org.

And spread the word.

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Ameripride featured in World Herald

November 2, 2009 · Leave a Comment

ameripridelogo
We love it when our sponsors get the press they deserve. Like Ameripride. They’ve been one of our partners from the beginning of our show, and they were just featured in the money section of the Omaha World Herald. So now you can all read how great of a company they are.

Like this fun fact: They were actually started in Lincoln in 1889. Making them the oldest company in the uniforms and linens industry.

Read the article. >

Thanks again, Ameripride, for your continued support of the Weekly Grind.

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