Star City Blog

Blog Talk Live: Interview with Crystal Powers, Slow Food Nebraska (with audio)

Tune in to Blog Talk Live tonight at 6pm on KZUM 89.3 FM and KZUM-HD to learn more about Slow Food Nebraska from Crystal Powers, the current president of the Slow Food Nebraska Planning Committee.  Crystal attended UNL as an undergrad and completed her Masters in Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Cornell University.  She now works as an Extension Engineer at UNL to reduce the environmental impacts of livestock agriculture.

Slow Food is a non-profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.  Slow Food Nebraska was started in 2004 to bring together those in and around Lincoln to share good, clean, and fair food.  Their next event is the Eggstravaganza! on April 25th, with this year's theme being Time for Lunch, real food in schools.  They have great food, great people, and wonderful entertainment.  To find out more go to www.slowfoodnebraska.org or email slowfoodnebraska@gmail.com.

Audio from this program:

Part 1: Interview with Crystal Powers

Part 2: That's Why They Call Them Pirates

Dennis Kornbluh is the publisher of Star City Blog and the host of Blog Talk Live, which airs every Tuesday from 6-7pm on KZUM 89.3 FM, on the web at kzum.org, and on KZUM-HD.

UPDATED: Blog Talk Live: Interview with Doug Emery, City Councilman

by Dennis Kornbluh

Tomorrow on Blog Talk Live from 6-7pm Central I'll talk to Doug Emery, chairman of the Lincoln City Council.  Doug is a native of Lincoln who has lived in Northeast Lincoln for over 50 years. He is a graduate of Northeast High School and attended the University of Nebraska. Doug's wife Denise is a lifetime Lincoln resident and is a partner at Jack Keef Ford in Crete, Nebraska. Their daughter, Jennifer is a University of Northern Iowa graduate who is married and has three children. Their son, Shane, is a recent graduate of the University of Nebraska and works and lives in Fairbury Nebraska.

Lancaster County Democratic Party Hosts Race, Politics, and Community Involvement Forum

The Lancaster County Democratic Party will host a forum on Race, Politics, and Community Involvement on Wednesday, January 20th from 7 PM to 9 PM at the Clyde Malone Community Center in the gymnasium, 2030 U Street, Lincoln, NE 68503.

Dr. Miguel Carranza, Professor of Sociology and Ethnic Studies at the University of Nebraska, and T.J. McDowell, Executive Director of the Clyde Malone Community Center, will be the featured speakers. This free forum is open to the public and to persons of all political persuasions who can contribute to a meaningful discussion.

Questions should be directed the Lancaster County Democratic Party at 476-2268 or coordinator@lancastercountydemocrats.org

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UPDATED: Blog Talk Live: Interview with Dan Marvin

Tune in to Blog Talk Live on Tuesday, December 8 at 6pm to hear Dennis Kornbluh interview Dan Marvin, former Lincoln City Councilman and current president of Marvin Investment Management, Co.  Dan spent four years in the Lincoln city council, and decided not to seek reelection this past Spring.  In November 2008 he was a favorite to win election to the District 27 legislative seat, but narrowly lost.  Since then he has been overseeing the Lincoln Haymarket Arena project.  On this program we'll discuss the arena project: what it will deliver, how it will be paid for, and how it will benefit the city of Lincoln.

Audio for this program is posted below in two parts:

BTL_Dan_Marvin_08DEC09_Part1 26:49

BTL_Dan_Marvin_08DEC09_Part2 27:02

Blog Talk Live airs every Tuesday from 6-7pm on KZUM 89.3 FM, on Time-Warner cable channel 10, and on the web at kzum.org.

Join the Lancaster County Democratic Party at Central Committee Nov. 17

Please join the Lancaster County Democratic Party at the Central Committee, which meets on the third Thursday of every month (next meeting is this Tuesday, November 17th) at 7:00 pm at the Communication Workers of America (2448 N Street). 

Central Committee is the governing body of the Lancaster County Democratic Party and is open to the public.  Voting status is now obtainable under new guidelines.  This month our meeting is going to be structured differently.  We will be discussing the Legislative Team structure, our subcommittees, and how to get involved in the upcoming 2010 election.  Learn how you can be an active Democrat in our community and find a committee to suit your particular area of interest.   

Lancaster County Democratic Party Hosts Immigration Forum

The Lancaster County Democratic Party will host a forum on Immigration on Wednesday, November 18 from 12 PM to 1 PM at the Nebraska Club, 20th floor, USB Building, 235 S 13th St., Lincoln.  Norm Pflanz of Nebraska Appleseed will be the featured speaker for this event, and the topic is “Nebraska’s Immigration Opportunity and How to Fix a Broken System.” 

The forum is open to the public and to persons of all political persuasions who can contribute to a meaningful discussion.   

Lancaster Democrats Celebrate Anniversary of Obama’s Election with Call to Service Open House

On the one year anniversary of President Obama’s election, the Lancaster County Democratic Party will hold an open house for democrats interested in running for office.  The open house will be on Wednesday, November 4th from 5:30-8:00 p.m. at the Lancaster County Democratic Party, 2215 C Street.   

“If you have ever considered running for public office, I urge you to attend our open house,” said Becki Gaston, chair of the Lancaster County Democratic Party.  

TD Ameritrade Chairman Joseph H. Moglia to Speak Oct. 16

Joseph H. Moglia, chairman of TD Ameritrade Holding Corp., will give a lecture at 2 p.m. Oct. 16 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management. His talk, "How WE got here -- and where YOU are headed," is free and open to the public and will be presented at the Kauffman Academic Residential Center, southeast of 14th and Vine streets.

Moglia was elected chairman of the TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. effective Oct. 1, 2008. From March 2001 through September 2008 he served as the company's chief executive officer. Moglia joined TD Ameritrade from Merrill Lynch, where he served as senior vice president and head of the investment performance and product group for Merrill's private client division. He oversaw all investment products, as well as the firm's insurance and 401(k) businesses.

Nebraskans Featured in New National Video and Center for Rural Affairs Report

The stories of three Nebraskans struggling to access and afford health insurance have been highlighted in a short national video, “Rural Issues in Health Care Reform,” Community Change and in a new report released by the Center for Rural Affairs, “Sweet the Bitter Drought.”  The video and the report are particularly timely as the Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to vote on its health care reform bill this week.  Now is the time to ensure that the needs of Nebraskans, not insurance companies, are addressed in the health reform bills being considered in Congress.

Senator Ben Nelson on Health Care Reform

By Sylvia Hermanson

When Congress heads back to work after Labor Day, health care reform will again top the agenda — particularly in the U.S. Senate, where the details in the second of two draft bills have yet to be finalized. Bipartisan negotiators on the Senate Finance Committee have worked for months without reaching an agreement and President Obama will put some pressure on the process when he addresses a joint session of Congress Sept. 9th.

For Nebraska's Senator Ben Nelson, fresh from a series of public meetings around the state exchanging views with his constituents on possible reform measures, it's clear that doing nothing about the existing system of health care in this country is not an option. To him, enacting a reform bill is the fiscally responsible thing to do. He recognizes that something must be done in the face of spiraling health insurance costs.