Real Estate News

South Dakota Is On Track To Spend $2 Billion On Prisons In The Next Decade

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Thu, 06/12/2025 - 12:00am

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Two years after approving a tough-on-crime sentencing law, South Dakota is scrambling to deal with the price tag for that legislation: Housing thousands of additional inmates could require up to $2 billion to build new prisons in the next decade.

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HGTV, TruTV Twins Pledge Omaha Return To Spark More Affordable Housing

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Thu, 06/12/2025 - 12:00am

Mayor-elect John Ewing with Anthony and Anton Downing at the Reignite2Unite developer symposium, at which all three spoke.
(Courtesy of Erin Grace)

OMAHA — The “Downing Brothers” — Chicago firefighter twins known for their HGTV show on real estate investment — were in Omaha for a brief appearance and committed to an encore visit they hope will electrify local affordable housing efforts.

In town to speak Thursday at a conference, Anthony and Anton Downing toured a few housing sites and visited with nonprofit leaders working in the industry.

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How Your Electric Bill May Be Paying For Big Data Centers’ Energy Use

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Thu, 06/12/2025 - 12:00am

In the race to develop artificial intelligence, large technology companies such as Google and Meta are trying to secure massive amounts of electricity to power new data centers. Electric utilities see the prospect of earning large profits by providing electricity to these power-hungry facilities and are competing for their business by offering discounts not available to average consumers.

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Old Omaha Potato Chip Factory Produces Paintings, Pottery, Art Pieces

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Thu, 06/05/2025 - 12:00am

An inaugural group exhibition and open house wraps up May 31. It’s open Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 2200 S. 24th St. in Omaha.
(Courtesy of Ilaamen Pelshaw)

OMAHA — Once one of the world’s largest potato chip factories, an Omaha plant that most recently was used to store truck tires has found its creative self.

The old Kitty Clover building, as locals know it, has undergone a multimillion dollar renovation on its 3.5-acre site south of downtown. And a chunk of the 85,000-square-foot facility has been transformed into a co-working hub for artists.

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Flatwater Explains: Sandhill Cranes

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Thu, 06/05/2025 - 12:00am

Each spring, some of Nebraska’s most anticipated visitors descend on the Platte River in droves, both by land and by air: the sandhill cranes and the people who come to look at them.

Hundreds of thousands of cranes embark on a long journey from their winter habitat in Texas and Mexico to their summer homes in Canada, straight through a line of U.S. states called the Central Flyway.

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North Dakota's Historic Sites Will Finally Have Toilets That Flush

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Thu, 06/05/2025 - 12:00am

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Lawrence Welk didn't have a flush toilet where he grew up, but visitors to his childhood home in rural North Dakota now do.

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Old Omaha Steel Plant Reborn As Catalyst Medical-Centric Office Hub, Investment Reaches $97M

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Thu, 06/05/2025 - 12:00am

A section of the Catalyst that features desk areas and smaller offices for lease. Above is the gantry crane that used to move steel around in the plant.
(Cindy Gonzalez / Nebraska Examiner)

OMAHA — Two decrepit buildings with an alley between them.

That’s how developer Jay Lund recalls the defunct midtown Omaha steel plant some four years ago when his team began contemplating a conversion project that partnered with the neighboring University of Nebraska Medical Center.

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American Parents Deserve Better Family-Friendly Policies

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Thu, 06/05/2025 - 12:00am

American Parents Deserve Better Family-Friendly Policies

Every family should have access to high-quality maternal health care, paid parental leave and affordable child care.

By Erica Phillips

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California Plan To Ban Most Plants Within 5 Feet Of Homes For Wildfire Safety Overlooks Some Important Truths About Flammability

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Thu, 06/05/2025 - 12:00am

Photos after the Los Angeles fires in January 2025 show many yards where vegetation didn’t burn while neighboring houses did.
(Chris Pizzello / AP Photo)

One of the most striking patterns in the aftermath of many urban fires is how much unburned green vegetation remains amid the wreckage of burned neighborhoods.

In some cases, a row of shrubs may be all that separates a surviving house from one that burned just a few feet away.

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Ideas Flow At Public Meeting For New North Omaha Innovation District Fueled By $30M State Grant

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Thu, 05/29/2025 - 12:00am

Dozens of people offered thoughts during a Wednesday public meeting about what the new innovation district in North Omaha should look like.
(Cindy Gonzalez / Nebraska Examiner)

OMAHA — Could North Omaha create its own version of Kansas City’s Keystone Innovation District? Or Indianapolis’ 16 Tech, or the RICE innovation hub in Atlanta, which focuses on building Black businesses?