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This blog has been silent since 2011, when I was asked to shut it down after taking a journalism job. So unless you’ve got a tip about Minneapolis-St. Paul, (in which case, email me at deenawinter@hotmail.com), you’ll have to rely on the Nebraska media to get your story out. Best wishes.
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Winterized 
Deena,
what about this fund and how did Duncan Aviation (private company) got the money from it?
Mayor Chris Beutler praised the expansion and said it was an example of the need for “appropriate economic development incentives” to help the city’s large employers.
Beutler approved the use of $150,000 from the city’s Fast Forward fund to move a water main that is in the way of where Duncan wants to build.
http://journalstar.com/search/?l=50&sd=desc&s=start_time&f=html&q=duncan+aviation
Deena, what about this fund?
Looks like Mayor Beutler decided it was worth giving them some economic development incentive money to encourage the expansion. This came from the Fast Forward Fund.
Duncan Aviation employees have been dealing with salary reductions and a pay freeze for over two years. One would think that the people running this operation would do whatever they could to benefit their own, not just themselves. I can only wonder how many of the employees out there have had to sacrifice their homes or child’s activities just to pay the bills. May be a bit difficult to retain good workers when they hear news like this (maybe they all knew it was happening and agree to it).
Some economic incentive would be for them to pay their workers their hard earned money back.
Duncan employees are working for 75% of their pay for over 2 yrs now.
Do they need to build a new hanger?? Are there still the two huge Air Force base hangers standing empty?
..but their short range plan is for the taxpayer to pay for their new hanger (and the ramp and street improvements)!!… and whether or not any new jobs are actually created, they get to keep it! Does the customization and refinishing of private jets sound like an interest in the greater good? If so, then maybe the average Lincoln citizen, who will most likely never sit in a private jet, should fund the expansion of a company owned by some of Lincoln’s wealthiest citizens. If not, then maybe we should invest our collective revenues in projects and activities which involve and benefit as many people as possible…