HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS!!
SANTA is coming to Eagle!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Ages 0 - 5: 11:00am - 12:00pm
Ages 6 and Up: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
In the Community Center
This Event is brought to you by EagleVision
Eagle United Methodist Church Invites YOU!
Eagle United Methodist Church (little white church on Mainstreet) invites you to the childrens program "The Real Reason For The Season" this Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 11:00am.
The kids have worked hard learning their parts and preparing to entertain you!
"Journey Into Christmas" Holiday Open House
A year's worth of activities celebrating A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich as the One Book One Nebraska selection for 2009 will conclude with the annual "Journey Into Christmas" Holiday Open House at the Bess Streeter Aldrich House. Located at 204 East F St., Elmwood, NE, the event runs every Saturday and Sunday in December from 2:00-5:00 p.m.
Eleven rooms in the author's historic home have been dressed for the holidays. Rooms are decorated by local clubs and families, each with its own tree and unique theme. Visitors are invited to enjoy complimentary cookies and hot cider after their tour.
Admission is $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children ages 6-12. Visit http://www.bessstreeteraldrich.org/ for more information.
Third cycle 2009 planning grants announced
DECEMBER 9, 2009 (LINCOLN, NEB.)-The Nebraska Department of Economic Development will award a third cycle of 2009 Community Development Block Grant planning grants. Applications will be accepted beginning January 11, and the process will remain open until all funding is gone.
For a copy of the application guidelines, go to http://www.neded.org/content/view/107/239/
For questions, including the availability of funding, contact Kevin Andersen at 800-426-6505, 402-471-3775 or kevin.s.andersen@nebraska.gov.
California Firm Expanding in Grand Island
Structured Solutions, Inc., of Altadena, Calif., plans to create approximately 130 jobs in the next several months in Grand Island. It is the company's first major expansion outside its headquarters.
Structured Solutions, Inc. plans to eventually hire as many as 200 employees, with positions paying competitive wages and a full benefits package.
Lt. Gov. Sheehy and a business recruitment team from DED traveled to California in October to pitch the advantages of doing business in the state to executives of several technology companies, including Yuan who had already visited Grand Island.
Yuan sited the partnerships involved in the project, and the connections to college campuses as a factor in the decision to locate in Nebraska. Structured Solutions Inc. staff and several professors with Central Community College's Grand Island campus will work together to develop training programs and courses tailored to the company's employment needs.
The highly technical computer database business provides leading next-generation integrated loan management systems that integrate best practice origination, servicing, collections, recovery management, asset management, document management, and accounting into one web-based platform. At the core of this platform are a centralized notes system, role-based workflow, and analysis engine that allow businesses to run more efficiently and profitably by eliminating errors, improving communications, and providing a single source for operational, financial and risk-management information.
Contact Pat Langan at 800-426-6505, 402-471-3766 or pat.langan@nebraska.gov.
Omaha Tops Forbes List as America's Best Bang-For-The-Buck City
The Omaha metro area ranked No. 1 on Forbes' America's Best Bang-For-The-Buck City, based on its solid housing markets, relatively stable employment, enviable cost of living and quick commutes, making it the country's most affordable metro area to live.
See Forbes' complete listing of "Best Bang-For-The-Buck Cities" at www.forbes.com/2009/11/30/cities-affordable-cheap-lifestyle-real-estate-housing-foreclosures_chart.html
Nebraska Legislature Issues Congrats To State
During the Legislature's 2009 special session, Nebraska lawmakers approved a resolution noting the state's "high performance rankings in various categories in competition with other states." The resolution (LR24) also congratulates DED and its' affiliates "for their diligence in working with the Legislature to keep Nebraska competitive and vibrant". The resolution offered many state rankings that DED continues to promote worldwide.
To view LR24, visit: http://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/Current/PDF/Intro/LR24.pdf.
Third Cycle 2009 Planning Grants Announced for Nebraska Communities
DED will award a third cycle of 2009 Community Development Block Grant planning grants. Applications will be accepted beginning Jan. 11, and the process will remain open until all funding is gone.
For a copy of the application guideline, visit www.neded.org/content/view/107/239/.
For questions, including the availability of funding, contact Kevin Andersen at 800-426-6505, 402-471-3775 or kevin.s.andersen@nebraska.gov.
AP Analysis: Nebraska is Third Best for Economic Stress
The Associated Press has released its latest monthly analysis of economic stress in more than 3,100 U.S. counties, based on unemployment, foreclosures and bankruptcy rates. The AP's Economic Stress Index calculates a score from 1 to 100 based on a county's unemployment, foreclosure and bankruptcy rates. Under a rough rule of thumb, a county is considered stressed when its score exceeds 11.
The Midwest was again the least-stressed, with North Dakota scoring 3.89, South Dakota scoring 5.14 and Nebraska scoring 5.51 among the three least stressed states.
See www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/12/07/business/AP-US-Stress-Map.html.
2009 Nebraska Travel Industry Award Winners Announced
Winners of the 2009 Nebraska Travel Industry awards at the Nebraska Travel Conference, hosted by DED's Travel and Tourism Division includes:
The Friend of Tourism award went to KHAS-TV News 5, www.khastv.com
The Outstanding Event for a Community up to 9,999 award went to the Wilber Czech Festival, www.ci.wilber.ne.us/festival_events.asp
The Outstanding Event for a Community of more than 10,000 award went to Dancers of the Plains, www.archway.org
The Outstanding Regional Association award went to the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway, www.sandhillsjourney.com
The Outstanding Tourism Campaign award went to Grow Garden County, www.co.garden.ne.us
The Outstanding Tourism Publication award went to Lincoln Convention & Visitors Bureau, www.lincoln.org
The Outstanding Web site award was a tie. Winning sites were Kool-Aid Days, www.kool-aiddays.com, and the Nebraska Flyway Partnership, www.nebraskaflyway.com
The Outstanding Tourist Attraction award went to Wessels Living History Farm, www.livinghistoryfarm.org
The Outstanding Nature Tourism Entity award went to the Rowe Sanctuary & Iain Nicolson Audubon Center, www.rowesanctuary.org
The Henry Fonda Award went to The Kesselring Family, www.highplainshomestead.com
Contact Micheal Collins at 800-228-4307, or email: mcollins@visitnebraska.org.
Alliance Earns Nebraska Economic Development Certified Community Designation
Alliance has earned the designation of Nebraska Economic Development Certified Community.
The program, sponsored by the Nebraska Diplomats, is one of a few nationally that recognizes communities' economic development preparedness. DED administers the application process.
For information, or a full list of certified communities, visit: www.neded.org/content/view/380/669/ or contact Linda Black at 308-991-2986 or linda.black@nebraska.gov.
THE NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
www.neded.org | 800-426-6505 | patty.wood@nebraska.gov
301 Centennial Mall South | P.O. Box 94666 | Lincoln, NE 68509-4666
Our Mission: To develop economic opportunities by keeping Nebraska businesses,
communities and people competitive.
If appropriately credited, material in this newsletter may be reproduced without permission. It is the policy of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development not to discriminate on the basis of sex, disability, race, color, religion, marital status, age or national or ethnic origin.