Daily Minute: The Bay's impact; food insecurity rises; StarTran station moving

The Bay's impact

At 19 years old, Miles Salazar already has real-world experience producing music shows in venues such as Bodega's Alley in downtown Lincoln thanks to graduating from Bay High, the Lincoln Public Schools focus program at The Bay focused on content creation and emerging digital technology.

Salazar's story is just one example of the impact the nonprofit devoted to youth development has had.

Co-founder Andrew Norman said the idea for The Bay came from trying to connect with underserved children in the community.

Said Norman: "The Bay is a space for young people to have their first 'aha!' moment. You know, from fashion to music to gaming to skateboarding.”

Food insecurity climbs

From July 2019 to June 2020, more than 193,000 households in Southeast Nebraska were served through the Food Bank — which includes services like a mobile food bank, pantries and its long-running Backpack Program in area schools. The Food Bank covers 16 counties in Southeast Nebraska.

The following fiscal year, that number increased to 256,000 households and leaped to 477,000 for the period from July 2023 to June 2024.

With food insecurity on the rise, food banks, soup kitchens and other programs have attempted to reach more people and fill a growing need.

StarTran station moving

StarTran's temporary bus transfer station will relocate from 11th and N streets to 11th and L streets on Jan. 16.

StarTran announced the transition Monday that it says is meant to enhance rider safety, provide more amenities and shift operations away from the ongoing redevelopment and construction at the Gold’s Building.

The new temporary bus transfer station is scheduled to operate for roughly three years while the city builds a new $32 million multi-modal transportation center on the block bordered by Ninth, 10th, G and H streets.

That’s it for Tuesday, Dec. 31. Stay in the know with Lincoln’s longest-standing news source at JournalStar.com and we will see you back here on Friday.