- Video shows Reign Ultra Lounge, 3's Lounge and North Omaha communities.
- Mele Mason the president of the North Omaha Commercial Club and Jay Overton speak with me about the $50K grant Lantex LLC is in line to receive from the Department of Economic Development.
- In 2023 Terrell McKinney introduced LB 531 allocating over $400 million dollars to revitalize low-income areas in Omaha. Most of the money was given out by the Department of Economic Development.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
We have new information regarding why the Department of Economic Development is reviewing the grant awarded to a North Omaha business.
I’m your North Omaha neighborhood reporter, Melissa Wright, and this story centers around what happened at a bar years ago and who owned it at the time.
Jay Overton once owned this bar when it was called Reign Ultra Lounge. Locals say Overton wasn’t a good neighbor and filed complaints with the city.
“Shootings, riots, drug dealings, noise,” said Mele Mason.
In 2020, the city council denied the bar's liquor license renewal, citing a list of issues like excessive noise and fights.
Mele Mason, the president of the North Omaha Commercial Club, says she wants the state to know the same things she and others told the city council.
“In the years we dealt with Mr. Overton, he kept saying he was going to make things better, add security, he was going to change the kind of venue that the bar was...and he never did.” said Mason.
Now, Overton owns Lantex LLC. The company was awarded a $50,000 grant earlier this year to repair run-down housing in North Omaha.
It is one of dozens of North and South Omaha organizations that received millions from the state.
I have learned the Department of Economic Development is reviewing the grant proposal because of the complaints received from the Commercial Club.
I talked with Overton after he learned about the review. He says the group lodging these complaints isn’t focused on growth.
“There are two North Omahas and I had to learn that... like I said there’s the North Omaha that actually wants to work together and make bettering of the community, and then there’s another North Omaha that’s apart of the attack front.” said Overton.
Overton tells me he has not received those funds yet.
I also reached out to the DED for an update on their review, I have not heard back.
In Florence I'm Melissa Wright your North Omaha neighborhood reporter.
The North Omaha Commercial Club reached back out to us to clarify that they support money from the DED going to North Omaha. However, they do not support Jay Overton receiving the grant money from the state.
"We fully support using the money to rehab homes and businesses in the North Omaha area, we know that...that needs to be done and we support it," said Mason.
