April 19th, 2008
Omaha Streetcar and ProRail Nebraska participated together at this year's Earth Day celebrations at Elmwood Park. The weather was wonderful and attendance was great. Information on streetcars was distributed and over 50 people signed up as official Omaha Streetcar members. Omaha Streetcar would like to thank those that organized this wonderful event. If you would like Omaha Streetcar to participate in your event please contact us at info@omahastreetcar.com.

-Gerald

April 3rd, 2007
Omaha Streetcar presented to the Northwest Rotary. This was rescheduled from February due to snow. Omaha Streetcar would like to thank the Rotary for the invitation, and the audience for their support. Also, as part of our presentation, the Rotary donated a book in our honor to a local library.

Jason A. Smith

April 1st, 2007
Omaha Streetcar's March recruiting drive has successfully concluded. In all, over 70 new members were recruited. We would like to give a big welcome to our new members and thank you for your support. Omaha Streetcar is truly a growing and flourishing organization which wouldn't be possible without you. If you aren't yet a member of Omaha Streetcar, I encourage you to join and show your support for streetcars in Omaha.

Additionally, I'd like to recognize Gary Emenitove, our membership coordinator. Gary has been working behind the scenes adding new members and keeping our membership records in order. Not to mention tending to our group membership email and incoming mailboxes. The membership drive has added extra work, but undoubtedly the best kind of work.

Adam Streur

March 31st, 2007
Today Omaha Streetcar presented at the National Association of Rail Passengers Region 10 meeting. We would like to thank the organizations for the invitation and for the work devoted to organization the event. The audience was wonderful and Omaha Streetcar was able to recruit some new members. There were lots of words of encouragement, which is always motivating. All in all it was a great event, and Omaha Streetcar supports their mission of increased passenger rail.

Gerald W. Kopiasz

March 26, 2007
Spring is here already! Soon, so will the 2007 Omaha Streetcar Spring Forum! Monday, April 2nd we will post an official announcement here on the site with all the details for the spring event. So, stay tuned!

- Adam Streur

March 10, 2007
The annual St. Patrick's Day parade came to Omaha once again this year. Omaha Streetcar hosted a Street Demo to mingle with passers by, hand out information, and spread the word about streetcars. The weather was great and a good time was had by all. We would like to sincerely thank those that came up and said hello. Best of all, we were able to recruit 40 new members! We at Omaha Streetcar would like to thank those 40 new members for making this Street Demo a true success! Keep your eyes peeled for more Street Demos at the Omaha Streetcar Forums.

- Arnold Breslow

January 24, 2007
Today, Omaha Streetcar President, Gerald Kopiasz, presented to the Midtown Business Association, who meets at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Gerald's presentation focused on Omaha Streetcar, streetcar technology, the Omaha proposal, and streetcars benefits. Omaha Streetcar would like to thank the Midtown Business Association for the invitation.

- Vince Furlong

January 19, 2007
During Mayor Fahey's state of the city address, streetcars were mentioned. According to Mayor Fahey, "A year ago during my State of the City Address, I discussed a streetcar system within the downtown area. A system that would transport people to work and nearby entertainment venues, but just as important, would serve as a catalyst for large-scale redevelopment in the areas that it travels. I'm proud to say that dream is alive, and thanks to the study conducted by Heritage Services and the hard work of many others, we are closer than ever to making this project a reality. We are in the final stages of looking at its design and financing, and hope to make a decision in the next several months."

We at Omaha Streetcar thank the Mayor for keeping the spotlight on this opportunity. Furthermore we encourage him to push ahead with implementation and will do all that we can to support him.

Arnold Breslow

January 18th, 2007
At tonight's meeting we took some time to review 2006 and look ahead to 2007. There was much accomplished this past year to bring awareness to our mission of bringing streetcars back to Omaha. I'd like to share some of them with you and encourage you to tell us what you think.

Some of our stand-out successes in 2006 included redesigning the Omaha Streetcar website and moving it to a new server, providing greater bandwidth and capabilities. I would like to thank Jeff Huston for providing free hosting and bandwidth as we brought the organization out of its infancy and transitioned to a new provider. Also, Omaha Streetcar hosted its 2006 public forum at UNMC, which featured Keith Jones of Little Rock Transit and brought streetcars back into the limelight. The buzz about bringing streetcars back to Omaha continued through the fall with Omaha developers showing great support for streetcars by putting their desire on paper to the city council and highlighted in the Omaha World Herald. Shortly thereafter streetcars made a front page appearance in the City Weekly, bring more energy to the grassroots effort.

I'd like to thank the membership of Omaha Streetcar for their support. Whether you helped hold signs at 10th and Bancroft or simply told a friend about bringing streetcars back, we couldn't make this work without you. In 2007 we look to continue our mission of education, awareness and citizen involvement towards bringing streetcars back to Omaha, along with growing our membership. In fact, if you're not a member already, please take a minute to join Omaha Streetcar. Membership is free, just visit the membership page and sign up!

Streetcars are still the buzz! Mayor Fahey, in his State of the City address, displayed a great interest in planning out the design and financial components. With a decision pending in the next several months, a show of public support is paramount. We are already in the planning stages of our next Public Forum event in late spring to boost awareness and demonstrate the benefits streetcars can bring to Omaha.

Finally, tell us what you think! Email us at info@omahastreetcar.com with your thoughts and opinions of bringing streetcars back to Omaha. I'm excited about what 2007 holds for the streetcar movement. Thanks for your continued support as we aim to bring streetcars back to Omaha.

- Adam Streur

January 18th, 2007
On Saturday, December 23rd, 2006, Grow Omaha hosted Omaha Streetcar on 1110AM KFAB. Gerald Kopiasz represented the organization on the second half of the program. Grow Omaha is a weekly program each Saturday at 8am that is devoted to economic development in the Omaha metropolitan area. Omaha Streetcar was honored with this invitation and would like to thank hosts Jeff Beals and Trenton Magid for the opportunity. If you were not able to tune in, or would like to hear the broadcast again, the archived program can be found in the Grow Omaha Archives.

- Jason A. Smith

For more Omaha Streetcar news, visit the News Archives.