News Briefs
Groundbreaking Tomorrow for North Omaha Trail Phase 2
Spark CDI and its urban design hub, the Fabric Lab, are hosting a groundbreaking for Phase 2 of the North Omaha Trail tomorrow, April 17, at 2 p.m. at 26th & Lake Street. Phase 2 of the trail follows a route from 24th & Ohio Street to the Baby Bob bridge downtown and is funded with $8 million from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. – Mark Champion
Creighton’s Rural Mainstreet Index Remains Below Growth Neutral
Creighton University’s Rural Mainstreet Index fell below growth neutral for the third consecutive month. Led by Dr. Ernie Goss, the index surveys bank CEOs in rural areas of a 10-state region dependent on agriculture and energy. The April reading improved to a weak 47.9 from March’s 40.9. It’s the 14th time since January 2025 that the index landed below growth neutral. The index ranges between 0 and 100, with 50.0 representing growth neutral.
Dairy Chef Expands to Additional Hy-Vee Locations
Dairy Chef products are now available at additional Hy-Vee locations in Omaha, including stores near 180th & Q Street and 132nd & West Dodge Road. The local ice cream shop, located at Elkhorn, is offering quarts and rotating flavors at the new locations, while select stores continue to carry its cookie sandwiches. – Nicole Buntgen
Featured Project
Roller Coaster Construction Goes Vertical
Construction has gone vertical on MAMMOTH, a roller coaster that will debut this summer at Fun-Plex, the amusement park at 7003 Q Street. MAMMOTH will be 2,000 feet long and will rise 70 feet in the air. Fun-Plex says the ride will be the biggest...
Featured Stories
MidAmerican Energy Adventure Tower & Missouri River Pier Nearing Completion
The MidAmerican Energy Adventure Tower and the Charles E. Lakin Pier are on schedule for completion this June along the Council Bluffs Riverfront. Grow Omaha toured the two structures this week along with Pete Tulipana, president and CEO of Southwest Iowa Nonprofit for Collective Impact (SINC), which is developing the projects, and representatives from Lueder Construction, the general contractor. Omaha-based HDR designed both projects. Construction first began in November 2024. The tower is 138 feet tall and located just north of the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. The pier is under construction between Interstate 480 and Harrah’s Casino. The MidAmerican Energy Adventure tower is nestled among Missouri River cottonwood trees on the wet side of the levee. The tower is accessible from the Bob Kerrey bridge via an elevated walkway known as the Treetop Walk. The tower is being built above the flood zone, at the levee system’s elevation, to allow opportunities for use when the Missouri...
NAI NP Dodge Announces Kristi Andersen as President
NAI NP Dodge today announced the appointment of Kristi Andersen as president, effective April 20. NAI NP Dodge is the commercial brokerage division of NP Dodge, Omaha’s largest full-service real estate company. Andersen brings a diverse background to NAI NP Dodge, having served as a top-producing commercial real estate agent, communications consultant and active community leader. She succeeds Deb Graeve-Morrison, who is retiring after 16 years with NP Dodge. Prior to joining NAI NP Dodge, Andersen served as a vice president at both CBRE and Colliers in Omaha. She focuses on leasing and selling office, industrial and retail properties for landlords and tenants. She has represented a wide variety of clients, from small business owners to Fortune 500 companies, and has led millions of dollars in successful real estate transactions. She has also been named a CoStar Power Broker. She will continue to actively represent commercial real estate clients in her role as president. In this role,...
City Council Unanimously Supports Union Omaha Stadium Development
The Omaha City Council unanimously supported the Union Omaha stadium and mixed-use development redevelopment plan in this week’s meeting. After agreeing to delay the vote to approve the Tax Increment Financing application last week, the city council voted 7-0 to approve the plan. Some concerns voiced last week including potential environmental remediation and the city’s purchase of the land before the State of Nebraska’s approval of the turnback tax package were reiterated, but all members have indicated that they fully support the project and believe the economic and community benefits once completed. The developers’, which include Union Omaha’s ownership and Hines, a Houston-based real estate development company, are on a tight timeline for approvals. They are wanting to start construction on the $125 million, 6,500-seat stadium in the fall with an anticipated opening for the 2028 season that spring. While the project hinges on the state’s approval of the $25 million turnback tax...
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Grow Omaha
Sports
The April 16th Sports Report
League One Volleyball announced its 2026 season awards last Friday, and Jordan Larson was named 2026 Outside Hitter of the Year, adding to her decorated career. Larson finished top 10 in the league in kills (234), points (267) and aces (15) in her final season....
Visit
Omaha
Visit Omaha Shares Tourism and Hospitality Job Openings
Visitor spending supports more than 16,000 jobs in Omaha, and Visit Omaha is helping connect job seekers to those opportunities. The organization’s careers page on VisitOmaha.com features current openings at hotels, attractions and entertainment venues throughout the...
Omaha
Transportation
Grow Omaha Streetcar Topics: Rail Work Update: Welding & Locating
A rail stick being moved across the Gene Leahy Mall bridge on 10th StreetAnother milestone occurred for the Omaha streetcar project this morning as the first rail sticks were moved from the laydown area to the specific site to be installed in the street. This occurred...
Local
History
Burlington Place at Gene Leahy Mall
Just two buildings were saved when the city embarked on its plan to build Central Park Mall. The first is the former Nash Block at 9th & Farnam Street, a holdover from Jobbers Canyon. The second is the former Burlington Headquarters Building just one block west....
Non-Profit
News
The April 16th Non-Profit News
Spark CDI and its urban design hub, the Fabric Lab, are hosting a groundbreaking for Phase 2 of the North Omaha Trail tomorrow, April 17, at 2 p.m. at 26th & Lake Street. Phase 2 of the trail follows a route from 24th & Ohio Street to the Baby Bob bridge...
Grow Omaha
Arts & Culture
The April 16th Arts & Culture Report
Habitat Omaha will hold the Pope Leo-Inspired Wall-Raising event at 6731 North 50th Avenue on Saturday, April 18th at 9:30 a.m. This multifaith youth-volunteer movement will raise the first wall of 20 homes to be built over the next two years as part of Omaha’s “Pope...
Greater Omaha
Chamber
Unicameral Passes Grow the Good Life Act
The Greater Omaha Chamber yesterday applauded the Nebraska Legislature’s passage of LB 1165, the Grow the Good Life Act, one of the most significant economic development packages in recent years aimed at strengthening Nebraska’s ability to compete for jobs, talent,...
New Restaurants
Coming Soon
Fiiz Drinks
10215 South 168th Street
Opening early summer
Beatniks
Countryside Village
Opening April 18
Anthem
1205 Howard Street
Opening April 16
Wing It On!
Harvey Oaks Plaza
Coming soon
New Retailers
Coming Soon
The UPS Store
18870 Oakmont Drive
Now open
Miss A
Westroads Mall
Coming soon
Golf Galaxy
12204 K Plaza
Now open
JD Sports
Nebraska Crossing
Opening this spring
Restaurants Closing
Toppers Pizza
741 North 114th Street
Closed
Dolce
12317 West Maple Road
Permanently closed
Benjamin’s Neighborhood Kitchen
3623 North 129th Street
Permanently closed
Burger King
13750 West Maple Road
Permanently closed
Retailers Closing
Coco & Charlie’s
Olde Towne Elkhorn
Closing February 25
Family Fare Supermarket
5110 South 108th Street
Closing March 6
Eddie Bauer
Nebraska Crossing
Permanently closed
Found: Vintage Market
6022 Maple Street
Closing soon
Grow Omaha Eats
Barroco Wine Bar Mixes Old-World Romance & Great Cocktails
Barroco Wine Bar & Craft Cocktails opened in 2020 in Rockbrook, along South 108th Street between West Center Road and Prairie Hills Drive. Husband-and-wife team Tyler and Heather Ray had already begun developing the space when the pandemic hit, pushing their…
Storm Chasers’ Ballpark Food Plays in the Big Leagues
The Omaha Storm Chasers held a media day last week, which included a sampling of new culinary creations for the 2026 baseball season. I was lucky enough to get an invitation, something I wouldn’t willingly pass up. Jennifer and I had the privilege of trying a 2-foot wiener, a new…
The Committee Chophouse Serves History and Steak at 1,200 Degrees
The Committee Chophouse opened December 2020 just after the Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel opened for guests following a major renovation. It’s nestled in the building’s lower level and is a big part of the rebirth of the historic Blackstone Hotel. Walking into the hotel feels like…
Grow Omaha Flicks
You, Me & Tuscany Coasts on Charm and Scenery
★ ★ You, Me & Tuscany is a story about a young woman named Anna (Halle Bailey), who dropped out of culinary school two months before graduation when her mother became deathly ill. Understandably, her mom’s death sent her life spiraling out of whack. When we first meet her, she’s at a crossroads. She wants to get her life back on track but has neither the means nor the deep-seated drive to do so. The film begins with Anna begging her friend Claire for a free room at the hotel she manages…
Beast Throws Punches but Ducks the Drama
★ ★ ½ Beast is about a disgraced MMA fighter named Patton James (Daniel MacPherson) on the verge of a middleweight title. As the film opens, he knocks out an opponent in six seconds, then we flash forward 10 years to find him working as a fisherman. In that time, he served prison time for a bar fight, got married and had a daughter. We see none of this and miss a great deal of dramatic setup that could have paid dividends as the film ratchets up the tension. As it is, we get a paint-by-numbers…
Faces of Death Revives the Title, Not the Terror
★ ★ Faces of Death attempts to ask the same question as the 1978 film that shares its title: Is this real? The original film boasted ‘Banned in 46 Countries’ on its cover. No doubt, that helped propel it to cult classic status. It was also hard to find, likely on purpose. You wouldn’t find the film at Hollywood Video or Blockbuster. If you found it, it would be at a mom-and-pop video store that also had a curtained-off room in the back. Supposedly, someone at my junior high school had a copy and held a watch party…
Latest Grow Omaha Shows
Radio Show
The April 11th Radio Show
This week’s Grow Omaha Radio Show covers a wide mix of Omaha growth, business and restaurant news in a tighter show format. The episode includes a Grow Omaha Eats review of Barroco Wine Bar & Craft Cocktails, major development updates like Crossroads going...
Uncut
The April 11th Uncut
This week’s Grow Omaha Uncut brings together some of the metro’s biggest business, development and restaurant stories in one episode. The show includes a Grow Omaha Eats segment on Barroco Wine Bar & Craft Cocktails, the News of the Week with updates on Crossroads...
Highlights
Business Spotlight with Legacy Collective
This week’s Grow Omaha Business Spotlight features Legacy Collective, a new women-focused membership club in Omaha created as a space to work, rest and grow. Founder Dr. Sasha Shillcutt explains how the club combines workspace, a quiet lounge, events, food and drink...
