The City of Omaha has opened the We Make Omaha Future Lab, a civic engagement “experience” inviting input to shape the development of an updated Future Land Use Map. We Make Omaha is the public engagement effort for the City of Omaha’s new comprehensive plan, a plan for Omaha’s growth and development over the next 20 years. The plan, expected to be complete at the end of 2026, will replace Omaha’s current Master Plan, which was adopted in 1997. The process has already engaged more than 7,000 people in planning for Omaha’s future. Joining City Planning staff, project partners, and community members, Mayor John W. Ewing Jr. visited the Future Lab in Aksarben Village last week to kick off a month-long opportunity for everyone to weigh in on possible development scenarios. At the Future Lab, participants explore four scenario narratives, each representing different possible futures of growth in Omaha. They learn about each scenario, ask questions, weigh tradeoffs and record their...

The Greater Omaha Chamber today expressed strong support for the proposed merger between Omaha-based Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, as the companies prepare to refile their application with the Surface Transportation Board on April 30. The Chamber emphasized the proposal’s potential to expand competition, strengthen the national freight network and deliver meaningful economic benefits for businesses across the country. The proposed merger would create a seamless, coast-to-coast rail network, improving efficiency, reliability and service for American businesses. By eliminating costly handoffs between carriers, the combined system would enable faster freight movement and unlock new opportunities for growth across the supply chain. “This is about whether the United States is serious about competing in a global economy where speed, reliability and scale matter,” said Heath Mello, president & CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber. “Since the beginning, Union Pacific and Omaha have...