Hug, Melton, Roe, Festerson, Goodwin is absent.

Mr.

President.

To the Republic for which it stands.

One nation under the indivisible with liberty justice.

May have a seat.

For the remarks today, I wanted to uh show a little bit of love to our planning department.

It's been about 30 years since Omaha developed a vision for its future with the Omaha Master Plan.

Our city is growing and it faces challenges and opportunities, a lot different than it did back in the 1990s.

It's time for a new comprehensive plan.

Our planning department wants to hear your voice.

You can help guide the future of our city's growth and development by taking a short 12-minute survey.

In the survey, you'll be asked about your experience living in Omaha, your preferences for future development of our city, and your support for different types of growth.

You can find the survey online at We Make Omaha.gov.

A comp plan is a city's vision for the next 20 years.

It outlines a city's preferred direction and where we grow.

In order to make good decisions about Omaha's future that reflects who we are as a community, we need a new comprehensive plan, and we need your participation.

We make Omaha.gov.

Before we begin, we got a couple of proclamations today.

The first one is by Councilmember Pete Fesserson, and the second one is by Councilmember Brinker Harding.

Thanks, Mr.

President.

Uh, I have just two things I want to note today.

First of all, if you're a winter Olympics fan like I am, uh, you're sad to see that event end.

It's been tremendous over the last couple of weeks, and ended uh in a very exciting faciting fashion with both the women's and men's hockey teams winning gold in overtime.

Uh the one Omaha connection I wanted to note in that respect is uh you may not know that on the men's hockey team, uh, Jake Guntzel uh was a participant who's an Omaha native, uh went to UNO, played UNO hockey, and now plays for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

So he's now a gold medalist, and we're very proud of that uh with him being from Omaha.

The second thing I want to note uh that we're also very proud of, and also includes athletic prowess, is my friend Taryn Smith.

If she wants to come down to the podium, please as you may have seen in the Omaha World Held recently, uh there was a story about Taryn's adventure uh being the first woman uh in history to complete what's called the toughest row across the Atlantic Ocean from uh the Canary Islands to Antigua, uh 3,000 mile journey, uh took her 46 days, solo venture for 46 days on the ocean, um, and finished with uh with uh a great placement, and also in the meantime, raised money for our local charity.

So we wanted to honor her today.

And I'll read the following proclamation.

Whereas the community of Omaha takes immense pride in the extraordinary courage, resilience, and athletic prowess of Teryn Smith, a graduate of Miller South High and Nebraska Wesley University.

And whereas Tyrin has secured her place in maritime history by becoming the first American woman to successfully complete a solo journey in what's called the world's toughest row, a formidable and grueling 3,000 mile journey across the Atlantic Ocean.

And whereas Taryn departed from Spain on December 12th, 2025, and arrived in Antigua on January 27th, 2026.

She braved the elements for 46 days, paddling 10 to 12 miles a day while navigating wind, rain, and tough seas with a spirit of patience and determination.

And whereas beyond her physical feat, Taryn utilized her international platform to champion the next generation of leaders, raising nearly $37,000 for girls on the run Nebraska, the largest single contribution to this organization's 23 history, 23-year history, and whereas her journey serves to highlight the values of discipline and resilience she cultivated at the Mary Lorraine Dance Center, proving to young women that they possess the strength to achieve any goal they set their sights upon.

And whereas by viewing the vast challenges of the ocean as lessons in life, learning to slow down, wait for the storm to pass, and embrace the art of patience, Terran serves as an inspiration for Nebraskans of all ages.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the City Council of Omaha officially commends Terren Smith for her historic achievement and her heart for service.

And we look forward to seeing her next challenge, whatever that may be.

Congratulations.

Thank you so much for this honor.

It really means the world.

A lot of people have expressed surprise that a woman from Omaha, Nebraska, a notoriously landlocked place, decided to row across the Atlantic Ocean by herself.

But to me, it's not a surprise at all.

Omaha is a place of creativity and innovation.

And my row is really a product of my community.

It was brought to life by friends and family and neighbors.

We are meant to go out in the world and do big things, and I just feel so grateful to be from a place that supports that.

So thank you very much.

Spoken like a pro.

Well done.

If I can just make one comment, you may get you're very proud of where you're from, but we're very proud of you.

So thanks for doing that and putting Omaha again on the map.

Um, but I'm just amazed.

And thank you for providing all that hope to other young females in our community.

I mean, what a great thing you did something like that, but then it was also for charity and uh help other young women see that they can basically accomplish anything they want to do.

So I just my heart goes out to you, and thank you.

Thank you so much.

Yeah, okay.

Before I start, uh before I start, uh, I also wanted to know that um, in addition to Jake Gunsel, that Jack Hughes, who scored the golden goal, played, uh, I'm told for the Lancers for a bit too.