February 4, 2012

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Six Nebraskans flew with legendary WWII unit featured in new film

January 19, 2012 By

2LT Ralph P. Orduna of Omaha

The movie “Red Tails” opens tomorrow, telling the story of the historic all-black unit of World War Two fighter pilots called the Tuskegee Airmen.

A half-dozen Nebraska men flew with that remarkable unit.

Historian Michael Kates says their heroics in aerial combat were amazing, flying single-man fighters to escort and protect large bombers.

“They were noted for never losing a bomber plane and their mission was a very high-risk mission. For example, Luther Smith flew 133 combat missions, something that is unheard of, and he shot down a number of planes,” Kates says. “It’s stories like that that get lost in history and I think it’s good for us to go back and really talk about what these men did.”

The unit flew some 15,000 missions over Europe, North Africa and Sicily. They shot shot down 111 enemy planes and destroyed nearly 300 on the ground.

Kates says the men in the group were also noted for what they did -after- the war.

“A lot of these men, what you’ll find out with the Tuskegee Airmen, they went on to become community leaders, they went on to become national leaders and were really generous with their time and made sure their communities were taken care of,” Kates says. “You had some really quality men that came out of the Tuskegee Airmen.”

Of the six Nebraskans who were part of the Tuskegee Airmen, five were from Omaha: Alfonza Davis, Charles Lane, Jr., Harrison “Harry” Tull, Robert Holts and Ralph Orduna. The unit also included Paul Adams of Lincoln.

For more information on the Nebraskans who served in the unit, see: PDF Airmen

Kates is executive director of the Fort Des Moines Museum in Des Moines, Iowa, which has an exhibit featuring the men who served in the unit.

Filed Under: Human Interest, Military, News, Recreation & Entertainment

Cost to play Powerball doubles

January 16, 2012 By

Nebraskans who grab a dollar out of their pocket to buy a Powerball ticket will now have to grab two. The Powerball ticket price change went into effect over the weekend. Mary Neubauer with the Iowa Lottery says the price hike was needed to improve the game and to offer larger winnings.

Neubauer says when the game started in 1992 the jackpot started at $2-million and grew from there. Powerball determined they needed bigger jackpots to catch people’s attention.

Along with charging $2 for each ticket there are also changes within the game. They include doubling the starting jackpot, adding a one-million dollar cash prize given to those who match the first five numbers drawn and increasing the odds of winning.

Players will still select the first five numbers out of 59 possible but the number of options in the Powerball pool will go from 39 to 35.

Already there are grumblings from some former Powerball players who say the increase has put them out of the game for good. Powerball is played in 42 states.

Filed Under: Human Interest, News

Hobby of keeping honey bees is the latest buzz

January 16, 2012 By

Photo by Alex Ebert

Nebraskans who are looking for a new hobby in the new year might consider the vital and fascinating world of raising honey bees.

Beekeeper Andy Joseph says it can become a profitable business and it doesn’t take a lot of money to get started.

“You’re looking at an initial investment for two hives plus all of the basic equipment you’ll need, it’s going to cost you a few hundred dollars, I’d estimate around $300 for an initial basic investment,” Joseph says. “That isn’t that much if you’re comparing it to other kinds of agriculture, even keeping chickens yourself.”

In addition to producing honey, bees are responsible for the pollination of many crops. Joseph has been beekeeping for about 12 years and says the remarkable insects appeal to a broad spectrum of people.

“It’s not just your older, male, rural sort of person anymore,” Joseph says. “That stereotype is pretty much blown away. We’ve got urban people, plenty of women are getting into it. Probably over half the people in these courses are women. We even have youth taking up interest, so, all types of people.”

A big tract of land isn’t a requirement for beekeeping. Joseph notes that he once kept bees when living in an apartment building.

For more information, visit: nebraskabeekeepers.org

 

Filed Under: Agriculture, Human Interest, News

Postage going up January 22nd

January 13, 2012 By

It will soon cost more to mail that letter or package. On January 22nd the U-S Postal Service is increasing the price of a first class stamp a penny to 45-cents, postcards up 3 cents to 32-cents, letters to Canada or Mexico 5-cents to 85-cents and international destinations up 7-cents to $1.05.

Roger Humphries is the spokesman for the Omaha Post Office and says priority mail will also go up 3.1-percent and Express Mail up 3.4-percent. Prices will be adjusted for other services including Parcel Select, Parcel Return, International Mail, and Premium Forwarding and Post Office Box services.

Humphries says the U-S Postal Service is introducing several new services. He says the now offer a package intercept service. Customers that want to get a package back can recall it before it arrives at the destination. The Postal Service will offer a new Express Mail Flat Rate Box where customers can ship a box overnight, anywhere in the country for one price regardless of weight up to 70 pounds. That price is $39.95. Priority mail pricing will offer an average 6.8-percent discount off retail prices for customers using online and other authorized postage payment methods. New customers will also be able to rent Post Office boxes for a shorter period of time. They will now offer 3-month options instead of the standard six-month rental.

The Forever stamps will be honored after the rate change. The U-S Postal Service states the price increase is small and is needed to help address their current financial crisis. This is the first rate hike in 2 1/2 years.

Filed Under: Human Interest, News

Social media maven says don’t fear Facebook’s new “Timeline”

January 13, 2012 By

The popular social networking website Facebook is constantly undergoing changes, but none quite like the Timeline feature that’s now being launched.

While some Nebraskans may be hesitant to depart from our familiar profile pages, social media expert Drew McLellan has already made the leap and says it was a simple, step-by-step process.

“The one thing you do need to think about is one of the main features on the Timeline,” McLellan says. “That cover photo, that long horizontal photo becomes the header to your Facebook page. You’re going to want to think about what photo you want to have and have that ready to upload.”

The new Timeline feature re-arranges items on the page and orders posts, pictures and everything else based on reverse chronological order. Most recent items are at the top with the ability to scroll all the way back to the year a person was born.

“There are parts of it I do like,” McLellan says. “I like the layout of it, but I’m not so sure that I’m going to spend a lot of time on my friends’ profile pages, flipping back to their birth years and all of that sort of stuff.”

While it may take some Nebraskans a little time to get the hang of the new format, McLellan says it’s a masterful way for Facebook to give itself staying power, especially for younger users.

“Imagine a kid is 14 or 15 and they just opened a Facebook page,” McLellan says. “Fast forward ten years. Literally, their entire life is going to be chronicled and easy to find on Facebook. It really does become almost like a scrapbook of your life.”

The website claims to have 700-million members globally and McLellan says he doesn’t see anything else on the horizon that could challenge Facebook — though he admits, something new could come out tomorrow.

“For a lot of people, Facebook has become ‘the’ place that they have the widest connection of old friends and new friends and work friends and college friends,” McLellan says. “It’s hard to imagine unraveling that and starting all over again somewhere else, but in the social media world, you never say never.”

Nebraskans need to get used to the Timeline structure of Facebook, as he says it will be forced upon all users within another several weeks.

Privacy settings sometimes get jumbled with this sort of major shift in the program, so he recommends taking a close look at all of your settings, and for parents, especially those of your child’s page.

Filed Under: Human Interest, News, Recreation & Entertainment
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