Perhaps you’ve heard about, or maybe even voted in the “Coolest Thing Made in Nebraska” competition (get your Round 3 vote in by Sept. 17th here)…But did you know The American Outlaws - the largest group of fanatical U.S. National Men’s & Women’s Soccer team supporters, with over 200 chapters nationwide and a massive social media influence - was made in Lincoln? We talk about that and a lot more in Part II of our conversation with AO Impact (the charitable arm of The American Outlaws organization) Executive Director Monica Bosiljevac…WHAT ELSE?* Omaha Doctor charged in fatal Dodge Street crash from WOWT* Council Bluffs police investigating suspicious death after woman’s body found in motel room from Jake Anderson of KETV* Three shootings in two weeks near 50th & Fontenelle Boulevard from Sarah Fili of KETV

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DISCLAIMER: Despite the warning above, don’t just wait to listen to this one until you’re able/about to check out The RiverFront - listen to it once right now, then listen to it a second (or third!) time immediately before (or during!) your journey inside…Because the thing is - any/every OMAPOD (but especially this particular episode) is like a virtual trip to the park. It stimulates the imagination and inspires creativity. It relaxes the nerves and calms the mind. It benefits physical, mental and emotional well-being. It teaches. It gives life- alright, fine, I’ll stop.Sorry. Peep that calendar of events at TheRiverFront here. (Sign-up for their newsletter at the bottom right of the page) For the stat aficionados: 75,000 visitors grand opening weekend! (credit: this pod episode) 10,000 have used the skate ribbon already! (credit: also, this pod episode)If you’re at the park (or not) and are looking for something to read, may I suggest:* A nice remembrance of former Douglas County commissioner Michael ‘Mike’ Kelley by Cindy Gonzalez at the Nebraska Examiner. * A look, also by Cindy Gonzalez, at a failed late effort by City Councilmember Juanita Johnson to shift one million dollars to a small business initiative. * Ron Hug takes Palermo’s City Council seat - by KMTV’s Molly Hudson.* Douglas County Attorney’s office says third person present at alleged hate crime won’t be charged - from KETV’s Jake AndersonON A SERIOUS NOTE:I don’t think our local establishment media has grasped or captured yet the significance of the loss of Doctor Matthew Latacha in a tragic bicycle accident Sunday, but medical professionals around town are upset both by his untimely demise, of course - and that this is an especially devastating and scary loss in the surgical field, as he was an expert with a unique skillset in performing the ‘watchman’ implant procedure. * KETV’s Sarah Fili talks to grieving patients here.

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NEWS: BRIEFPigs and Power: Part Two.Nebraska Examiner: Legislature hires outside lawyer to advise about work of inspectors general.Highpoint Apartments: Was the (formerly condemned) complex formerly known as Legacy Crossing.Erin Grace: Closes the book on The Reader.

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Flatwater Free Press Editor Matthew Hansen and I chew the fat about their incredible new series on Governor Pillen and his rise - Pigs and Power: Part One.And in other filthy rich Nebraska political figures news, The New York Times features former Senator and current President (of the University of Florida) Ben Sasse (remember him?)- and casually mentions “his five-year contract is worth as much as $10 million in compensation”… Ahh…So… we’ll just go ahead and start the work week on that note, then…TGIM!

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You made it to the end of the longest short week in history! Congrats! Let’s celebrate by having a little fun today. We kickoff today’s pod with this:What’s Deion Sanders really like when the cameras are off? Go click play above and hear all about my former co-worker with some juicy behind-the-scenes gossip… You’ve heard all about the X’s & O’s and the hype videos and the highlights - but have you heard about ‘Sanders Claus’ - the sketch/sitcom/film character & concept that he desperately tried to get off the ground? You wanna bring something different to your watch party besides your guacamole dip? Drop that he sometimes wanted to be addressed on-set at The NFL Today as ‘Sanders Claus’ on ‘em - you won’t hear about that anywhere else but here. Then we go right onto the bustling floor of Husker Hounds and hear from their employee of 15-years, manager Kayleigh Weeks, about how the fan base has been expressing their support financially after a tough loss with a big game ahead. * Evan Bland of the Omaha World-Herald has a story about Deion’s connection with some other Nebraskans here.A DIFFERENT TYPE OF PIGSKINIf you’re not a football fan, or are looking for something a little more substantive after gorging yourself on football all day Saturday and Sunday, check out the Flatwater Free Press and the second installment of their ‘Pigs and Power’ series here. GBR!

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What do you get out of our sister city relationships? Go click play above and find out how to acquire your complimentary fruit basket, gift bag, robe and frequent flyer miles! Okay, that’s a joke… please don’t bother the good folks about that at the Omaha Sister Cities Association (try saying that six times fast - actually, don’t - people will think you’re on edibles). But - do give it a listen to find out: Where are our sister cities…and what does that even mean and entail, anyway? And, all joking aside - you could actually get some free stuff* if you’re traveling to one of them… (* - the aforementioned ‘free stuff’? Pride.)They do benefit our community in a number of surprising ways. *COUGH*We also get an amazing international tour of what it’s like to travel with the Governor or Mayor and their entourage on a sensitive overseas trade mission - what happens during their briefings, at the negotiating table, what’s the end game and what is it like when China’s really upset that Taiwan is the next stop on the itinerary? * Information on the One Community Cultural Festival at the Gene Leahy Mall on Saturday, Sept. 16th - here.* Information on the Japanese Ambience Festival at Lauritzen Gardens on the weekend of Oct. 7-8th - here. *COUGH*WHAT ELSE? * Longtime contributor B.J. Huchtemann says goodbye to The Reader - which is ceasing publication soon - and updates us on co-founder John Heaston’s battle with leukemia in this essay, “See You on the Dance Floor.”It’s getting - *COUGH* - hazy… too hazy to see the keyboard. I feel faint. It’s Thursday.*COUGH*

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If today’s discussion on the new sober living house Reformation at the CrossRoads resonated with you, and you - or someone in your world - might be interested in applying for that crucial House Manager position that’s talked about - you can find more information and the application for the position here.RaCR Facebook. LinkedIn.If you’re wondering why yesterday’s chemical-ish smell in the air came from wildfires, click here. If you’re wondering why the 911 network backup systems failed to work during the recent outages - so is The State. Paul Hammel of the Nebraska Examiner tells us more here. If you’re wondering what that sweet, sweet dog in the picture above is looking at - he’s peering deeeeeeeeep into your soul. And letting you know everything is gonna work out just fine. Relax. It’s Wednesday. You’ve got this!Right?

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As I mentioned previously, I was lucky to get to present OMAPOD at 1 Million Cups (LinkedIn here) last week. Organizer Justin Krug comes on today to tell us all about why you should make a point to head down to Millwork Commons on a Wednesday morning, besides the FREE coffee… Stay to the end for a story so good I’ll be disappointed if I can’t get a Friday Night Lights re-boot going from the power of it alone! It’ll also make you hungry for pizza.

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There’s so much incredible stuff coming next week to OMAPOD that The Government has decreed you can just go ahead and take Monday off to prepare for it! Don’t worry - you’ll get five days worth of entertainment and enlightenment in just four.And since you’ve got that extra day, Flatwater Free Press has launched “Pigs and Power” - a series focused on Nebraska’s governor… Here’s Part One.Epic week - thanks to all the great new supporters I met at the United Way Campaign Kickoff breakfast event on Tuesday and at my 1 Million Cups presentation on Wednesday - I know I said yesterday we’d discuss it today. That’s the only time I’ve broken my ‘don’t tease a guest or topic’ rule - and sure enough…things changed. We’ll catch you up on that Tuesday (wait a second, I just broke it again!)… most likely. See you then - have a great Labor Day weekend!

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Good morning - and welcome to 67 new subscribers! So happy to have you on board…Thanks to all of you who were at my 1 Million Cups presentation yesterday morning at Millwork Commons - we’ll be talking about that on tomorrow’s pod. I was overwhelmed by the positive response and everyone who came out. I continue to be blown away by the response to this - we’ve got some incredible things lined up in the coming weeks and I was so excited to see familiar faces and meet some great new people after the presentation yesterday. One person in particular who was a pleasant surprise to see come out was Mansa Latham (email: [email protected]) - we recorded today’s pod after my event yesterday and he catches us up on what it’s like being in the early stages (week 2 of 16) of the NMotion Venture Studio program.Enjoy!

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