Bellevue’s Top Ten Stories of 2024

At the Bellevue Times, we just completed our third year of publication with our iPhone/iPad App, our Andriod/Google Play App, and our Digital News Site. It was another year of growth with a 75% increase in the number of visitors and a 74% increase in the number of page views over 2023! Thanks to Offutt Air Force Base, Bellevue is a global community and we have readers from all over the world, checking in weekly to see what’s happening in Bellevue, Nebraska.

In 2024, we expanded our Public Record Section to include information on construction projects around town and information on city council, board of education, and planning commission meetings.

The Bellevue Community Calendar continues to be the most used feature of the site, with peak interest around major events such as Bellevue Rocks!, The Offutt Air Show, the Renaissance Fair, Olde Towne Halloween, and Olde Towne Christmas. Remember, you can add your community events to the calendar by clicking here.

The ten stories listed below had the most views, interactions, and engagements over the course of 2024. The stories vary widely in subject matter – from heart-warming stories that span the globe to major announcements here in town…. and maybe something about a waterpark. The thread that ties them together is that all have a connection to Bellevue.

Bellevue’s Top Ten Stories of 2024

#10: McDonald’s Opens New Location Near 25th & Capehart

Love ’em or hate ’em, the announcement of a fourth Bellevue McDonald’s location sure got people talking. After a quick blink-and-you’ll-miss-it construction, McDonald’s opened near 25th and Capehart Road a little over a week ago. Judging by the number of cars, it looks like more people love ’em than not.

#9: Bellevue Good Life

In July, the state officially approved an area in the south part of town as a ‘Good Life District’, which is a great step forward for the waterpark. The Good Life District will also include commercial and other retail opportunities around the waterpark as well as the Prarie Hill NC3 project, focusing on local and regional visitors.

#8: Google Fiber Begins Citywide Network Install

The announcement of Google Fiber coming to Bellevue was one of the top stories of 2023, and the follow-up story that the network installation was coming soon made our 2024 top ten. After many years of complaints regarding limited options, people are excited about more high-speed internet choices in Bellevue. In October, Google Fiber announced that it ‘turned on’ its first Bellevue neighborhood, with many more neighborhoods set to turn on in 2025.

#7: What Are They Building Over There?

We get asked varied forms of the basic question, “What are they building over there?” all the time. So this year, we decided to add a new page to the Public Record section and include updates on all of the projects around town, including start date and estimated completion date.

It was something the public wanted as the Bellevue Construction page is the busiest of the Public Record section of the Bellevue Times site. You can check it out for yourself here.

#6: New Bellevue Public Library Opens

After nearly 50 years at the John Rice building near Harvell and Lincoln, the Bellevue Public Library finally got its well-deserved upgrade. If you haven’t been to the new library, it should be near the top of your To Do List. While there, be sure to check out all of the amazing tech and tools available to the public in the maker space. The new library is located at 2206 Longo Drive.

#5: For the Love of Food Moves Into New Location

The Salgado family said goodbye to their much-loved food truck, relocated down the road into an indoor space, and ‘For the Love of Food Truck’ became ‘For the Love of Food Cafe’. Unfortunately, unexpected medical concerns caused owners Jackie and Moisés to close down for a then-undetermined amount of time… with no promise of reopening. Many prayers were answered, and the couple reopened in August They capped off their year by winning the Spirit of Bellevue People’s Choice Award in the 2024 Best of Bellevue voting!

#4: Who’s Who in the Board of Education Race?

There’s a lot said nationally about uninformed voters. It could be argued that this is not the case in Bellevue, as one of the top five most-viewed stories of the year involved the six candidates running for the Bellevue Board of Education. Each candidate was given the same three questions, and answers appeared exactly as written, except for some formatting changes. Views of this article surged throughout October and into early November, helping give voters a better idea who their choices would be. Look for more informational pieces like this leading into future elections.

#3: The Kumor Career Center Wows the Public

Absolutely amazing. That was the general consensus of the public who attended the ribbon-cutting of the newly remodeled Frank Kumor Career Center on the Bellevue Public Schools campus off Highway 370. If someone new to the area didn’t know this building used to be a lumbar yard, followed by a furniture store, they could be forgiven as the building has completely transformed and currently includes four advanced programs for students at Bellevue East and Bellevue West: Automotive Maintenance, Aviation, Certified Nursing Assistant, and Education. There is early talk about possibly adding a fifth program down the road.

#2: Omaha Bakery Changes Hands, but Real Story was Much More

This was a tough story to write. Going in with standard questions for a new business owner, they were quickly tossed aside as new Omaha Bakery owner Mohammad Ghaforzai opened up about his life in Afghanistan as he worked with US Special Forces as a translator, speaking four languages. Ghaforzai earned US Military commendations for bravery. Near the end of his service, Ghaforzai was given an opportunity to move to America, with his family set to come shortly after. Long story short, his family ended up stranded in Afghanistan due to a Taliban attack.

There is good news, however. In an excellent example of the Power of the Press, several key people saw this story as it continued to be shared over social media. A couple of those people knew others in power who could navigate the red tape and get his family to America.

#1: What Else? The Waterpark was the Talk of the Town this Year

The announcement of a 100,000 square foot regional waterpark to be built on the south end of Bellevue got everyone’s attention as social media filled up with questions, some excitement, and some doubt. Bellevue Mayor Rusty Hike sat down for an interview shortly after the announcement and we came ready with questions… questions that came directly from hundreds of social media comments. The first question asked? ‘How is this different from the many promised and/or failed projects from Bellevue’s past?’

As the ground-breaking appears to be set for March, the waterpark might likely be the top story in Bellevue for the next few years.

Just Outside the Top Ten:

• Five Guys Opens New Restaurant
• Crumbl Franchise Comes to Bellevue
• Haworth Park Floods
• Harbor Freight Opens Latest Store in Bellevue
• Bellevue University Provides Athletic Field House Update
• BPS Implementes Cell Phone Plan for the New School Year
• Agreement reached with Prairie Hill Farm Nonprofit to Oversee $600M Development

Looking Back… Bellevue’s Top Ten Stories of 2023:

• #10 – Mystery House No More
• #9 – Bellevue West Grad Enter the Shark Tank
• #8 – Nettie’s Restaurant Changes Course, Closes for Good
• #7 – Bellevue Chamber Back in Business
• #6 – Google Fiber Coming to Bellevue
• #5 – Jaiya Patillo’s Paris Olympics Push
• #4 – Dr. Simons-Bester Retires
• #3 – Two Happy Buddha’s
• #2 – Bowling on the Brink
• #1 – Two Dads Open a Bookstore in Bellevue