Good morning, this is Omaha Local Pulse for Friday, May 9th, 2025.We start today with the excitement building in South Omaha for the 105th annual Cinco de Mayo celebration. Festivities begin tonight at 5 on South 24th Street, with live music, vibrant parades, and a mix of delicious local food. The event continues into Saturday, bringing families and neighbors together in one of Omaha’s oldest cultural traditions. If you plan to join, expect the streets to be lively, and parking in Little Bohemia and surrounding neighborhoods to fill up early.Sunshine and warm weather return today, giving us a perfect backdrop for all those outdoor events. We’re expecting highs in the upper 70s with a light breeze, making it ideal for the Cinco de Mayo parade, youth soccer at Tranquility Park, and the many yard sales that dot our neighborhoods this weekend. Looking ahead, this pleasant stretch should hold through Sunday, with only a slight chance of rain late in the weekend.Turning to city hall, the Omaha Planning Board met earlier this week at 1819 Farnam Street, reviewing several development proposals. Among the highlights, new plans are advancing for mixed-use spaces near Aksarben Village and continuing debate about affordable housing requirements for new downtown projects. These decisions affect not just what our neighborhoods look like, but also who gets to call Omaha home.In business news, there’s a mix of openings and closings to report. The long-vacant hotel off 72nd Street has finally sold, clearing the way for redevelopment, though details remain under wraps for now. Meanwhile, the beloved Corner Cafe near 144th and Center announced it will close at the end of the month, citing staffing shortages and rising costs. On the job front, Omaha continues to see steady growth, with local employers posting around 1,800 new openings this week alone, especially in healthcare, logistics, and tech.Real estate remains as hot as our weather. Median home prices have edged up again, hovering near three hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Families are still finding it challenging to score homes near good schools, but new listings in westside and Millard neighborhoods may offer hope.Our schools are shining this week. Fremont High’s construction students just finished building an energy-efficient house, a project now up for public viewing before it hits the market. Westside’s girls’ soccer team pulled off a dramatic overtime win last night at Phelps Field, moving on to the state semifinals.Crime remains low, but there were a few incidents to note for public safety. Police responded quickly to a break-in on Maple Street late last night, making an arrest within an hour thanks to neighbor tips and home security footage. No injuries were reported, and officers praised the community’s vigilance.Before we close, a feel-good story. Ralston’s public library book bike rolled through town yesterday, making surprise stops at local parks and handing out free summer reading kits to dozens of excited kids. It’s just another example of neighbors making Omaha a little brighter, one small act at a time.This has been Omaha Local Pulse. We'll see you tomorrow with more local updates.This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

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