According to Next Generation Consulting, Omaha is the fifth sixth-best midsize city in the United States for Young Professionals. According to NGC’s website, “the seven indexes of a “Next City” are: Earning, Learning, Vitality, Around Town, After Hours, Cost of Lifestyle, and Social Capital. The rankings announced today are based on a city’s total score in all seven indexes.”
Here are the top-10 cities in the “Midsized Magnets:”
1. Madison, WI
2. Minneapolis, MN
3. Colorado Springs, CO
4. Atlanta, GA
5. St. Paul, MN
6. Omaha, NE
7. Cincinnati, OH
8. Boise, ID
9. Durham, NC
10. New Orleans, LA
We say that Omaha was 5th because everyone and their damn dog knows that Minneapolis and St. Paul is the same place.
In other Nebraska news, Lincoln ranked #15. St. Louis is #19. I think the discrepency is totally due to Lincoln being home to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and St. Louis being home to those filthy Cardinals. Discuss.
Saturday we had the chance to talk with Jeff Slobotski of Silicon Prairie News. They’re doing some great things for Omaha, so if you haven’t checked them out, you should. Thanks again to Jeff for a very insightful and inspiring interview.
So when you get a chance, be sure to download the show.>
In other news, Mustaches 4 Kids has raised over $10,000 for Camp CoHoLo. And this Thursday is the final Mustache Showdown. Join them at the Omaha Royals game followed by the Finale party at Starsky’s. MC’d by yours truly…the Weekly Grind.
We’ll see everyone there.
Also, become a Facebook Fan of ours and you’ll be entered to win a Savings Sidekick Coupon Book.
Wow. Omaha Mayor-Elect Jim Suttle’s new co-Chief of Staff–because you typically need two of them–Matthew Samp supposedly a few years ago was sleeping with a 14-year-old. Who eventually killed himself. Oh, and Samp reportedly kept nude photos of this 14-YEAR-OLD.
Suttle’s response?
Suttle said he did not run background checks on Samp or anyone he has hired, saying such checks were a “suspicious, punitive system, and that’s not something I build on.”
“What goes on in private lives is private business,” he said. “I don’t sit down with anybody and say, ‘Tell me about your past.’”
I absolutely am with him for “what goes on in private lives is private business.” However, when that private business involves having sex with young boys and taking nude pictures of them, then that’s a whole new ball of wax.
It’s stunning on its own that this guy got such a high-level job. It’s even more stunning when you consider Suttle’s response:
Suttle, however, said he believed the allegations were a “character assassination” of Samp. He pointed out that he’s heard rumors about most of his political colleagues throughout his years in public life.
“You have to set (rumors) aside,” Suttle said, “and just look at whom is trying to embarrass whom. I’ve seen this, and this happens.”
Incredibly disappointing. But guess what? That’s what happens when you elect someone Mayor that you didn’t know a damn thing about.
Mayor-Elect Suttle needs to fire this man immediately and offer an apology to the family of the young man that he took advantage of, as well as the people in Omaha for this embarrassment.
EDIT #1: Whoops: forgot to provide the link to the OWH story. Just so people don’t think that I am simply “throughing” accusations….
EDIT #2: Suttle “put this issue in the history books” and is not allowing Samp to serve in his administration. Good. I’m sure his other co-Chief of Staff is solid…
Steve Oltmans was fired from the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District in 2006 for “a material breach of contract’’ after his board said it had lost confidence in him in the wake of an affair with a former board member.
The affair sparked a special audit that showed no criminal deeds but did reveal incomplete NRD expense records and violations of IRS rules under Oltmans’ watch.
