Along S. 24th St..

[Omaha Cowboy]

From today's W-H:

'From where Clarence Barker stood - among the light-up Virgin Mary statues and switchblade knives that he sells - the City of Omaha's cure for South 24th Street was looking worse than the disease.

The construction was part of Mayor Mike Fahey's and the South Omaha Business Association's $3.5 million-to-$4 million project to beautify South 24th Street from L to Q.

When the orange barricades finally came down, "No Parking" signs went up outside the Odd Lot, El Dorado and Santa Barbara.

The business owners lost their on-street parking. Police started issuing parking tickets. Clarence Barker hit the roof.

Initially, the parking had been removed to make space for a turn lane, said James Thele, assistant director of community development in the Omaha Planning Department.

"However, we have come to understand that the necessity for parking stalls at that corner is great, so we put (the parking) back," he said.'..

The complete W-H story link:

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1636&u_sid=2081807

..Ciao..LiO....Peace