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DISASTER ASSISTANCE: Cedar Rapids city staff and community leaders’ requests to address unmet needs of flood-affected businesses bore fruit last week. The state expanded the rental assistance program to also allow separate reimbursement for replacing equipment. Also, businesses can get up to $50,000 toward interest on an SBA or private disaster loan for up to three years.

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BACK PAY: Last week, Iowa National Guard members finally began receiving respite-leave pay benefits promised two years ago for their extended duty in Iraq. Bruce Braley, Iowa’s 1st District congressman, led efforts to fix the problem.

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TAX BURDEN GROWS: Property taxpayers in Cedar Rapids face an increased burden in the coming year. On a home assessed at $150,000, the owner will see a property tax bill increase up to $200 for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The biggest chunk is for the school district, which is proposing an increase up to $1.75 per $1,000 valuation. Linn County has already approved a levy increase of 12 cents per $1,000 valuation. Meanwhile, Alliant Energy is seeking its second residential electrical rate increase in a year, this one for 13.8 percent.

Opponents of the court’s ruling in Varnum v. Brien filed measures in the Iowa Legislature this year that would subject state supreme court justices to direct election like Statehouse politicians, and limit their ability to use legal precedent in reaching decisions.

One candidate for governor argues, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, that the state’s chief executive can nullify Supreme Court rulings. Another wants to make judicial retention votes for three justices this fall into a referendum on same-sex marriage. Some court critics also are calling on voters to clear the way for a constitutional convention, so that amendments can be introduced that would curtail judicial authority.

These shortsighted proposals, forged in the fiery passions of the moment, would permanently damage a court system that’s currently among the nation’s most respected. An institution that Iowans depend on to safeguard liberties, uphold public safety and help settle scores of disputes big and small would be weakened and politicized.

In Iowa, finalists for openings on the state’s highest court are selected by a bipartisan judicial nominating commission, whose members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Iowa Senate. The commission bases its recommendations on qualifications and experience. The governor makes the final selection.

Every eight years, justices are subject to retention votes, which are intended to focus on their professional competence — not on the popularity of individual rulings.

It would be unwise to trade this cautious, thorough selection process for a politics-driven system steered by party agendas, special-interest groups and campaign donations. Politicizing the courts would erode Iowans’ respect for the supreme court and its decisions. Iowans don’t want this state’s proud legal heritage to devolve into exchanges of 30-second campaign commercials.

Those who want Iowa’s highest court to be more responsive to public sentiment don’t seem to understand that its fundamental duty is to ignore popular whim and build its decisions on a foundation of the state constitution and case law.

The court relies on legal precedent, not its justices’ personal views. When the court, on rare occasions, strikes down a law approved by the Legislature and governor, it does so based on its clear-eyed interpretation of the constitution, not because it commissioned a public-opinion poll or convened a focus group.

We must sustain that independence. Long after today’s debates fade, Iowans will still need a court system they can trust.

So does a flap about how a national charity uses tax dollars and compensates its CEO pale by comparison?

Yes. Still, we think that four U.S. senators, including Iowa’s Chuck Grassley, are asking legitimate questions about the national Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Let’s be sure the answers have sufficient context.

According to Friday news reports, senators question why Roxanne Spillett, president/CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs organization, received nearly $1 million in compensation in 2008 — base salary of $360,774, bonus of $150,000, “other” pay worth $83,152 and $385,000 in deferred pay for retirement. They also question why the national office spent $4.3 million on travel, $1.6 million on conferences, conventions and meetings, and $544,000 on lobbying fees.

Some of that context. Spillett’s compensation is not uncommon among large, complex national charities. Last year, CEO pay averaged $462,000, according to Charity Navigator, a Web site that evaluates charities.

And much of the travel and conference/meeting expense is for staff to train and assist local club directors, John Tursi, executive director of the Cedar Rapids Boys & Girls Club, told us.

In his 11 years here, the club has paid about $35,000 in total dues but received $180,000 back in grants from the national office, he said. “That compares very well to other large national charities.”

As for the CEO’s pay, “I don’t know about the deferred money, but the salary and incentives are within the range for national leaders these days; it’s what you have to pay to get somebody good,” he said.

OK. But some clarification is warranted before proposed legislation in Congress advances any farther.

Some background.

Congress, recognizing the value of the club’s work with disadvantaged youth, in 1996 authorized $20 million per year — seed money to establish at least 1,000 new local clubs with a requirement that the organization would operate without additional federal money. Under Spillett’s leadership, the number of clubs has increased sharply, from 1,850 in 1996 when she became president to 4,360 last year.

Now, a Senate bill, S. 2924, would expand the seed program to a steady stream of funding — $425 million over five years.

Satisfying the senators’ questions is important. If the national organization’s spending practices aren’t justified or appropriate, the ripple effect could hurt local clubs who don’t pay big salaries to their staff and depend on grants from the national office as well as local donations.

Most important, we don’t want the biggest losers to be boys and girls who benefit from the club’s programs.

Such obvious priorities are determined by Internet provider companies who manage networks. Through tiered levels of service, traffic and applications on the information highway are directed.

Now the Federal Communications Commission is proposing two new rules that supporters say is needed to protect access to the Internet — ensuring what’s called “net neutrality.” We’re skeptical that these rules are needed. Indeed, we worry they could lead to degradation of quality and service.

The FCC proposals:

1) Non-discrimination — all content sent on the Internet could be treated the same.

2) More transparency of networks’ traffic management practices.

Keep in mind that every piece of the Internet is owned by companies who operate networks and sell access and services to content providers and users, large and small, private and public. These providers include cable and telecommunications and wireless providers.

Many of these providers object to the FCC’s proposals, saying they would thwart traffic management and inhibit investment in more broadband capacity.

They also point to the explosive growth of the Internet and related devices, social networking applications such as Facebook and Twitter and multimedia sites such as YouTube and Hulu — while access speeds have greatly increased as the cost has dropped.

In other words, things are working pretty darn well. Why jeopardize that with more government regulation?

We think providers are right to be concerned.

While the government should keep an eye on Internet access and affordability, we don’t see any reason now for regulation that would lead to more government control.

The Internet already is open and developing at a rapid pace largely because of private competition that works to meet customers’ demands.

As Dawn Ainger of Genova Technologies in Cedar Rapids told us, providers are managing networks competently and she fears “data anarchy” if non-discrimination in content is strictly enforced by government regulation.

And if the transparency rule requires providers to jeopardize security, then timely, secure delivery of data such as telemedicine applications could be compromised. That’s especially important in rural areas that have health care shortages.

We urge the FCC to make sure its efforts to ensure openness don’t wind up restricting the private investment and innovation that makes the Internet efficient and responsive. Instead, encourage development of more broadband capacity and more availability in rural areas where it’s critical to economic development and health care services.

We think Iowa’s home schooling program strikes a good balance and is a largely successful alternative form of education that should be protected to help serve some families’ unique and important educational wants and needs.

The important thing is that Iowa’s young people learn the skills and information they need to be competent, contributing adults — where and how they learn it is of secondary importance. If families are willing to devote the time and energy to teach their children, more power to them.

An estimated 30,000 children are home-schooled in Iowa; about 474,000 children attend public schools.

Some families choose home schooling so they can spend more time together. Others want to offer their children lessons that are tailored to their interests and learning styles, or to incorporate religious teachings into standard educational fare. Or because of medical or other issues that would make a traditional school setting inordinately stressful for their child.

Families generally are the best judges of whether or not home schooling is right for them. A traditional schoolhouse environment is not suitable for everyone.

In Iowa, families can dual enroll their students in a local school district, to allow students to attend some classes and extracurricular activities at school.

They can find other resources and support through home school assistance programs, like those in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Linn-Mar and Marion school districts.

Such programs offer supervision and help from licensed educators as well as social activities and shared resources to home schooling families.

The Department of Education cut home schooling assistance funding by nearly half over the last two years, and this year wanted to restrict use of the reduced money even more severely. Budget concerns are more serious than usual. However, it appears state legislators this session have struck a reasonable compromise that will preserve the essence of the program.

That’s important. Drastically reducing home-school support, or doing away with it entirely, would betray families whose children benefit from the program.

So long as annual assessments show that home-schooled children are making adequate academic progress, we see value in the state’s continued support. A flexible educational system should focus on learning and achievement, whether that occurs in the home or a school building.

With Jan Thomas, widow of the beloved Aplington-Parkersburg football coach and community leader, in attendance, the House Judiciary Committee last Thursday unanimously approved sending the bill to the full House for debate. The governor already has indicated he supports the legislation.

The bill attempts to close what many see as a flaw in state law. It would require hospitals to notify police before releasing a mental patient who faces criminal charges.

Mark Becker, convicted last week of first-degree murder in the Thomas case, had been released from a hospital psychiatric commitment shortly before he drove to Parkersburg and shot Thomas last June. The Thomas family has said that if law enforcement had known when Becker would be released, the coach’s life would have been saved.

We’ll never know that for sure. But the proposed legislation would at least be a worthy step toward preventing other such incidents.

Some hospitals have voiced concerns about federal privacy laws and the increased responsibility they could face if the bill becomes law.

However, the Iowa Attorney General and the state Department of Public Safety say federal law allows hospitals to notify police of a patient’s identity and location in order to protect the public.

Under the proposed legislation, police would fill out a standard written request to the hospital. In turn, a hospital would face a fine if it didn’t report a discharge after such a request.

While many in law enforcement say they already have a procedure in place with hospitals, they often differ with each agency and standardizing the process would help. And last week, the Iowa Hospital Association said the amended bill’s requirements should be workable.

Too often, it takes tragedy to spur needed changes or improvements in official procedures or practices. While nothing can fill the void created by the loss of Coach Thomas, this legislation would be a reasonable way to help prevent other such tragedies.

Aaron Thomas, one of Ed’s sons, spoke to the House committee on behalf of his family earlier last week. “We ask that you do what is right and allow a simple solution to this simple problem,” he said.

While few pieces of legislation are as simple as we’d all like, we agree with Aaron. This bill represents a sensible way to not only honor the memory of Ed Thomas but also improve public safety for Iowans.

Cabs are frequently used in this college town, and some operations have been playing fast and loose with their customers, charging fares that vary greatly from those they’ve filed with the city.

Complaints of gouging are commonplace — and recently were verified by a Gazette reporter.

We have no problem with Iowa City cab companies setting their own rates. As a business, they should have that right, and there is plenty of competition to keep those rates in check.

But the way it stands now, there’s not enough regulation to ensure drivers stick to those rates on file. That should change.

City councilors should require cabs to post their rates and use a meter so customers can be sure they’re being charged the proper fare.

Plenty of cities do the same. In fact, some, like Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, regulate the amount of money cab companies can charge.

Iowa City doesn’t need to go that far, but it’s clear that something must be done to stop fares that are anyone’s guess. After all, don’t most businesses post and honor their prices?

Nineteen cab companies operate more than 100 cabs in Iowa City, more than even larger cities such as Cedar Rapids and Des Moines. Four new companies and 28 cabs have been added in only the past few years.

Some cab owners and customers say that growth, combined with loose regulation, has led to abuse.

Iowa City currently requires cab companies to file their rates with the city, but not to post those rates in the cab.

Neither does the city require cabs to use meters, which would help customers make sure they’re being charged a fair, consistent amount.

Without the meters and posted rates, it leaves a window open for unscrupulous drivers to change the rates to suit their mood.

Recently, a Gazette reporter conducted a spot check of 13 cab companies between midnight and 1 a.m. She found that only five of those companies’ drivers quoted the same rate their companies had on file with the City Clerk’s Office.

The rest quoted prices as high as $16 to $18 for rides that should have cost $9 to $12.

Yes, the city has complaint forms available for customers who feel they were treated unfairly, but few take the time to fill one out — if they even know they’ve been taken advantage of.

Usually, customers just pony up the fare without much thought — something unscrupulous cab companies and drivers know too well. It’s time for the city to give customers the tools they need to protect themselves from price gouging.

Requiring meters and posted fares in cabs would reasonably protect customers looking for a ride from being taken for a ride. More transparency also could make for fairer competition.

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LONGTIME HELPER: Haiti’s recent massive earthquake inspired many American people and groups to send money and other assistance. Meanwhile, Willis Miller’s non-profit Water for Life organization has assisted Haitians for 26 years. The Kalona-based operation has drilled more than 650 wells that serve a million people and assist agriculture. The earthquake has made their work even more vital.

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THANKS, CHIEF: Cedar Rapids Fire Chief Steve Havlik retired at the end of February after 30 years of service. He became chief in 1998 and is credited with stabilizing the work environment, balancing needs of the department and employees, and providing leadership after the central fire station was damaged by the 2008 flood.

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MORE ABUSE FOUND: Reports and official findings of child abuse both rose 11 percent in 2009 in Iowa. Department of Human Services experts point to more economic stress on families as one cause but didn’t rule out other causes. This at a time when DHS is facing big losses of front-line workers because of state budget cuts.

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DOLDRUMS: As The Gazette’s series portrayed this week, University of Iowa men’s basketball program has sunk to all-time lows by most measures. No where to go but up, we hope.

Back in Eastern Iowa, it seems best we keep trying to take care of our own.

“There are no solutions coming out of Washington,” Mercy Medical Center CEO Tim Charles told Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce members on Thursday.

“The real problems are not being talked about now,” Ted Townsend, St. Luke’s Hospital CEO, lamented to our Editorial Board recently.

And the biggest of those problems is cost.

Even though Cedar Rapids drew national recognition last year for its high-quality care at substantially lower prices than the national average, and collaborative innovations such as the Community Health Free Clinic, both hospital leaders readily acknowledge that rising costs are a rising threat in our own backyard.

What can be done?

At the chamber meeting, Charles and Townsend called for more collaboration among Cedar Rapids providers and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics to avoid duplication of health-care facilities that tend to drive up cost. UI officials said they’re open to such discussions.

But will action follow — and how soon?

Meanwhile, Physicians Clinic of Iowa and the hospitals are pushing ahead with plans for a medical district with St. Luke’s and Mercy at book ends. PCI expects to break ground on its “medical mall” facility in October. Hovering about, apparently stalled, is the proposed community cancer center concept.

The district has potential to make more efficient use of our community’s considerable medical resources and reputations — Mercy’s cancer radiation center, St. Luke’s heart facility, as examples — and transform Cedar Rapids into a regional center that attracts and retains more medical specialists and patients. It could also spur economic development benefits.

But will there be collaboration that gets past competitive, territorial practices? That produces more coordinated care for patients? And also contains costs?

Hospital CEOs can’t do this on their own. The boards governing St. Luke’s and Mercy, and the state Board of Regents, which oversees UI Hospitals & Clinics, must drive collaboration that works for Eastern Iowa.

Do they have the will? The vision? To bend our cost curve anytime soon, we can’t afford to wait on Congress.

That’s great news for a portion of the city that could use a boost. It will be the first time since the flood of 2008 inundated the community’s core that fireworks will arc into the night sky downtown. Gazette Communications is presenting sponsor of the festival, in large part because our company wanted to be part of its downtown homecoming.

“The fireworks are a symbol of the vibrancy of the city,” Peter Teahen, who has been active in recovery efforts, told the City Council this week, adding that the festival will help prove that downtown is “not dead.” He was one of several residents who urged the festival’s return downtown.

Despite some uncertainty, it turned out the council agrees.

But freedom isn’t free, or at least providing security for the festival isn’t free. And that obstacle still needs to be cleared.

The city says it will cost between $24,000 and $38,000 to provide police and fire protection for the event. In the past, the city absorbed much of that cost. But in tight budget times, that’s not possible. The Police Department also has seen its reserve ranks dwindle, making special events security more expensive.

The increase caught the festival off guard and led to worries that a downtown return might not be possible. But city officials have pledged to sit down with festival organizers and work something out. We have no doubt that will happen. The festival is a major event that typically drew thousands downtown and generated millions of dollars in economic activity.

Special events are an important part of the city’s identity. With that in mind, we hope this episode leads city officials and the council to set security cost ground rules that both encourage special events and result in fair compensation for taxpayer costs.

Because these events are an annual fact of life, perhaps security costs should receive more attention during the city’s budget process. Right now, just $25,000 is budgeted for events overtime.

Des Moines covers the first $1,000 of security costs and expects event organizers to cover the rest. Maybe Cedar Rapids could come up with a similar, predictable upfront contribution.

Police here say they are working to revive the reserve officers program, which could slice costs for future events.

But whatever steps are taken, the city’s priority should be to encourage these events, not put up financial obstacles that would prompt organizers to look elsewhere for a better deal.

Postmaster General John Potter argued Tuesday that Congress must give him more flexibility if this “quasi-independent” corporation of the federal government is to survive. His said the USPS will lose $238 billion in the next 10 years if changes aren’t made. Last fiscal year, the mail volume dropped 13 percent — more than double any previous decline — and the agency lost $3.8 billion. Future losses are expected to only worsen.

Potter wants to make dramatic changes, such as longer delivery times for mail, increases in postage prices above the rate of inflation, possible layoffs — and reducing mail delivery to five days per week by eliminating Saturday service.

USPS’s accelerating decline is no surprise. This is the age of electronic communication. People rely more on e-mail, texting and social media for messaging. Efficient private competitors such as UPS and FedEx have taken a big chunk of USPS’s package and overnight delivery business.

USPS’s monopoly on first-class mail generates more than half its revenue. It doesn’t pay state sales, property or income taxes. Nonetheless, the price of a stamp for a first-class, one-ounce letter rose from 33 cents in 1999 to 44 cents last year, and losses still mount.

Most Americans probably can live just fine without Saturday mail delivery. Eliminating it and raising postal rates might avoid more red ink — for another year or so. Yet those measures aren’t long-term fixes. Labor costs, with the average postal worker earning $83,000 a year in compensation, still consume 80 percent of the budget despite major advances in technology and automation. USPS owes taxpayers billions through the Federal Financing Bank.

Clearly, the postal operation must become more efficient. If it doesn’t soon, it may be time to remove USPS’s monopoly status. Several European countries already have made such a move with their mail; the entire European Union is expected to be open to private competition in 2011.

Certainly, there are some risks with privatization. Among them is considering the effect on many businesses, including The Gazette, that rely on second- or third-class mail service.

And no long restricting mailboxes to one mail provider may be unsettling to many people.

But we’re skeptical that “more flexibility” can solve the Post Office’s financial woes. Opening more of our mail delivery to private competition may well be the best remaining option.

It’s past time to directly confront the perennial problem. Like it or not, the legal drinking age is 21. Allowing 19- and 20-year-olds to frequent bars and surrounded by alcohol, muddies the waters, at best.

Councilors expect to receive a draft 21-only ordinance at a March 22 work session; they could hold a first reading of the ordinance the next night.

Bar owners have talked for years about getting a handle on the problem themselves. They haven’t.

The number of underage bar patrons caught by police with a drink in their hands is proof that the current ordinance isn’t working. Iowa City Police issued 165 citations to underage drinkers during 138 bar checks in January and February of this year alone.

There is sure to be some public backlash against the 21 proposal — again. When the council deferred decision to voters in 2007, it was soundly defeated.

Once again, opponents will roll out arguments against the common sense change. They’ll say banning 19- and 20-year-olds from bars will leave them with nothing to do; it will only move the problem to Iowa City neighborhoods.

We don’t buy it.

Ordinances that keep those under the legal drinking age out of bars after 10 p.m. work in other cities. Bar owners there cater to younger customers by setting up separate, alcohol-free areas.

Research shows that reducing access to alcohol reduces underage drinking. That’s why University of Iowa officials, who declined to weigh in the last time the bar-entry age issue came up, are supporting it this time.

The UI data is sobering: seven out of 10 students say they regularly engage in dangerous drinking — more than twice the national average of college communities. There are more incidents here of nonconsensual sexual activity, alcohol-related physical injury and alcohol-related legal trouble.

“Over the last couple of years, both the university and the community have tried a variety of ways of managing the problem of illegal and unsafe drinking,” Tom Rocklin, interim vice president for student services, said this week. “Nothing short of changing the minimum bar entry age to be consistent with the state drinking age has had a substantial effect, so it’s time to try the most obvious approach to limiting access by minors to alcohol.”

Yes, miffed residents and students might petition for a citywide referendum and try to overturn council action. It’s their right. But risk of voter override shouldn’t dissuade the council from taking a stand.

For too long, Iowa City has been a destination and a haven for underage drinkers. Nothing else is working, so step up, councilors. Raise the age.

Baldwin leaves an impressive record as he winds up his seven-plus years as president and CEO of the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation. The non-profit public foundation’s assets grew from $23 million to $95 million during that span. In 2009 alone, 40 endowed funds were added, bringing the total to 539.

That growth is significant for our area. The tax-exempt foundation’s mission is to use donations to maintain or improve local quality of life. The invested funds’ income growth support projects and organizations that benefit the community.

The foundation also stepped up during the post-2008 flood crisis, coordinating an emergency fund that so far has delivered more than $4.7 million to help 66 non-profits affected by the disaster so they in turn could keep providing services to residents with critical needs.

Baldwin’s resignation is effective Friday. He’ll move to a similar position with the community foundation in Monterey, Calif.

Many who worked with Baldwin praised his leadership and say he’ll be missed. We agree. He also served the community as president/CEO of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library from 1996 to 2002.

Leslie Garner, who succeeds Baldwin, brings experience with our community. President of Cornell College in Mount Vernon since 1994, he takes the foundation post this summer. Garner’s time as chair of the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce and Cedar Rapids Symphony boards is especially pertinent.

Garner recognizes and embraces how the foundation’s role evolved under Baldwin, becoming a larger community force not only in supporting non-profits but in community development and flood recovery.

Garner’s track record of integrity and building relationships with people of all socioeconomic classes, was cited by the foundation’s board.

He leadership at Cornell College is well regarded. Among several recent national mentions, Cornell was named a Top Financial Find and one of the 24 Best Buy Schools among private colleges in the 2010 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges. No small feat during a time of escalating college costs.

We are grateful for Baldwin’s service and wish him well. Meanwhile, the foundation remains in good hands. We expect its influence and importance will continue to grow.

If it ever was appropriate to bar openly gay troops in our country’s armed forces, that time certainly has passed.

It’s time now to do away with that odd policy that encourages a culture of duplicity, that undermines the bonds of trust among service members that make military units strong.

“No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens,” Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this month.

We agree.

But we disagree that a Pentagon review is needed to study how to implement any change before Congress acts. Sure we know enough about the failures of the current policy, and successes other countries have had in permitting openly gay servicemen and women in the ranks.

President Barack Obama supports allowing openly gay troops, as do other military leaders. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) could introduce legislation to do so this week. Good.

This country has seen significant progress in gay rights in the years since the policy was enacted, such as federal protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation, or same-sex marriages legalized in the District of Columbia and four states, including Iowa.

Public attitudes also have changed: Pollsters say 59 percent of Americans now favor allowing gays and lesbians to openly serve in the military.

Twenty-eight other countries allow openly homosexuals to serve — including Canada, Israel, Australia and most of Europe.

Researchers have found that allowing openly-gay soldiers had no negative impact, morale, recruitment, readiness or overall combat effectiveness of those military units. A recently released study by the Palm Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara, suggested that lifting bans on openly gay servicemen and women actually contributed to improved command climates in those foreign military units.

It also didn’t result in a mass “coming out,” the researchers found. There was no increase in cases of harassment or demand for separate facilities or special rules for gay troops.

In fact, the shifts were remarkably low-key, something we reasonably could expect here, as well.

Just a simple acknowledgment of the fact that some gay Americans always have, and likely always will, stand side-by-side with their heterosexual peers in putting their lives on the line to keep us safe and protect our freedom.

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LISTEN TO THE KIDS: 100 Iowa high school students including several from Eastern Iowa, urged state legislators to do more about the alcohol abuse that involves so many of their peers. They called for a beer tax increase to pay for more education programs and opposed a proposal to allow gas stations to sell hard liquor. Great to see students recognizing the problem and trying to do something about it. Adults?

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VOLUNTEER FAME: Rex Eno, a former AEGON executive who has served many non-profits, was inducted into the Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame.

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4-TIME CHAMP: Winning four state wrestling titles is rare and especially tough in Iowa, where competition is intense. Iowa City West’s Nick Moore became the 19th to do it.

As of 2007, the most recent data, the number grew to 13.7 percent. Given the economic recession of the past two years, the percentage may be even higher now. Another indication: In 2008, one-third of Iowa students were eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches.

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CLEAR THE WAY: The number of complaints about sidewalks not being cleared of ice and snow has increased over the past three years, Cedar Rapids officials say. The city is clearing walks where property owners don’t respond to official notice, billing them at least $150 for the work. Three consecutive harsh winters are likely tied to the increase of complaints.

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SLOW THAW, PLEASE: With saturated ground and a heavier snowpack than the big flood years of 2008 and 1993, potential for major flooding this spring in Iowa is high. As of last week, Cedar Rapids was projected most at risk among Eastern Iowa cities.

Thanks to Kirkwood, but it’s time to bring the fireworks back to downtown and the river. Two major obstacles remain.

The first is the cost the city says it would charge for providing police and fire services. In 2007, the bill for security was $1,300. Now, city officials say it would be closer to $30,000 because their resources are increasingly stretched. A huge increase. But, even if justified, it shouldn’t be a deal breaker. Hire private security to cut costs. Ask businesses or the public for financial support.

Then there’s public safety, the bigger of the two issues. On pre-2008 Fourths of July, large crowds gathered at May’s Island and on nearby streets and bridges hours ahead of the fireworks. The atmosphere was festive, neighborly, bringing together residents from all over the city as well as many visitors.

But city officials aren’t sure May’s Island is safe enough. The parking garage under the island’s surface was damaged in the flood and needs repair. There’s worry the land above it is not stable.

City staff oppose a permit for downtown fireworks. City Council is scheduled to vote on the issue Wednesday. Meanwhile, city and festival officials say they’re exploring options.

Greg Eyerly, the city’s flood recovery director, told us Thursday that he hasn’t ruled out use of May’s Island. An engineering opinion last May recommended against allowing big crowds on the island until the garage is fixed. The soonest those repairs could be done is next year. However, a “more thorough assessment” expected to be completed in March should determine whether the island is safe anyway or if there are “some short-term things we could do” to safely handle a crowd, Eyerly said.

Good to hear. But even if May’s Island can’t be used, couldn’t the event still be staged in the downtown area? Wouldn’t nearby streets, bridges and river banks adequately accommodate large crowds?

We urge Freedom Festival and the city not to give up on downtown fireworks. City Council, delay a decision on the permit if necessary.

This event boosts community spirit and attracts visitors. More people coming downtown also enhances the festival’s economic benefits.

Just as important is the symbolism — another sign of this city’s determination to celebrate our best traditions and rebuild stronger than ever.

The City Council voted 7-2 to build a new central public library at the TrueNorth site on the southern edge of Greene Square Park downtown. The vote came at the end of a fascinating, open council debate with a few moments of drama.

The Gazette’s news staff has covered the library saga from start to finish, but in recent weeks, we’ve resisted taking an editorial stand for obvious reasons. Gazette Communications’ current downtown location was among sites being considered for the new library, creating an unusual situation that kept us on the sidelines.

But now that the siting debate has concluded with council action, we commend the mayor, City Council and library board for pushing the process forward to conclusion.

The sooner we have a new library helping pull patrons downtown, the better.

It’s no secret that businesses both sizable and small in the city’s core are struggling to stay above water even after surviving the flood. Mayor Ron Corbett clearly recognized that time is of the essence, and he should be commended for placing the library site decision on an accelerated timeline.

Sidestepping calls for delay, the Council stuck to that schedule and embraced action over more frustrating delay.

That’s not to suggest that the community did not get a chance to adequately weigh in on where the library should be located.

The library board spent months exploring the possibilities, a period that included open houses and chances for public input.

The winning TrueNorth site was among potential locations scrutinized and publicly debated for months.

City officials also took great care in recent weeks to gather the information needed to make a thoughtful decision. FEMA and state Homeland Security officials were consulted and provided input on potential sites.

Council members heard from urban planners who previously created a blueprint for downtown redevelopment. Officials also heard plenty from their constituents.

In the end, leaders with a clear objective and aggressive timeline gathered the facts they needed and made a critical decision. This is the sort of leadership we’ve been looking for in Cedar Rapids since floodwaters receded.

We hope this will provide a template for accelerated action on other big decisions.

The library vote and other recent moves by city leaders have helped build a feeling of building momentum. There will be stumbles and setbacks, disagreements and delays, but optimism is starting to nudge aside persistent pessimism.

A new library is on track. Theatre Cedar Rapids reopened last night. Both good signs.

It’s too soon to declare mission accomplished, but we’re now big steps closer to recovery.

Welcome back, Iowa Theatre. You were missed. And your return has been much anticipated for many reasons.

The downtown home of Theatre Cedar Rapids has been restored and extensively renovated 20 months after floodwaters filled its basement and covered the stage and several rows of seats. The venue gets its first public review at tonight’s sold-out gala opening of “The Producers,” which runs through March 14.

The impressive $7.8 million face-lift and upgrade was funded by a combination of federal disaster funds, grants from Vision Iowa and the Hall-Perrine Foundation and a fundraising campaign. The results could make the theater an even bigger attraction. That’s important not only for the community theater group, which traces its roots to 1925, but for the economic benefits.

Drawing several hundred theater patrons on dozens of performance nights throughout the year means a more vibrant downtown and the potential of more traffic for small businesses, such as restaurants and bars. Casey Prince, the theater group’s managing director, understands the potential ripple effects of the facility’s rejuvenation and reopening. He told a Gazette reporter that he’s hoping for a domino effect.

“From the theater’s perspective, we love that we’re going to be back downtown and hope to pay it forward for as many other organizations as we can.”

With many downtown area businesses still struggling to make a post-flood comeback, the theater’s return is a major milestone in the recovery trek. Mayor Ron Corbett, in his State of the City speech Wednesday, pointed to other downtown projects that also play a vital role in the arts and entertainment sector and economic growth: restoration and improvements for the Paramount Theatre, heavily damaged in the flood, and an upgrade and convention center addition to the 30-year-old U.S. Cellular Center. They are among five priorities involving civic assets the mayor identified for flood-recovery focus this year.

Let’s also remember that patronizing events at the Iowa Theatre is another way to “buy local,” an emphasis the new city council lineup endorsed as its first order of business in January. And when you purchase a ticket and slip into one of those wider, more comfortable seats to enjoy high-quality entertainment amid stunning surroundings, you also make an investment in our quality of life, our sense of community pride.

On with the show!

That’s understandable. Drivers should refrain from sending text messages while operating a vehicle — it’s a dangerous practice that puts their lives, and the lives of others, at risk. We do support enhanced penalties for drivers whose cell phone use of any kind leads to accidents. But we are skeptical that the ban as proposed would be effective or practical.

Recently, the Highway Loss Data Institute released study results showing that statewide bans on using hand-held phones while driving had no resulting reductions in crashes, although those laws did reduce the number of people who used the devices while driving.

Even bill supporters agree that distracted driving is the bigger public safety issue. Legislating against it is difficult. More work is needed to educate drivers and persuade them to stop these unacceptable behaviors.

On Tuesday, the Iowa House voted 65-31 to make it illegal for drivers to write or send text messages or e-mail from a moving vehicle. Violators would be slapped with a $30 fine. Stiffer penalties would apply if their texting or e-mailing leads to an accident causing serious injury or death. In those cases, texting drivers even could have their drivers’ licenses suspended.

The Senate now considers the bill.

There is no question texting while driving is a widespread problem — recent surveys show about one in four drivers does it; 50 percent or more teenagers say they do. It’s more than common sense that tells us that’s a terrible habit.

Last summer, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute released research that found long-haul truck drivers were 23 times more likely to be involved in a collision than drivers who were paying attention as they should. Those drivers had their eyes on their devices an average of five seconds before a crash — long enough to drive farther than the length of a football field.

Critics say the House bill won’t suffice to curb the dangerous and widespread practice of distracted driving. Iowa Department of Transportation officials have said they don’t think HF 2456 goes far enough.

Gov. Chet Culver said this week that he’ll issue an executive order banning state employees driving state vehicles from reading, writing or sending text messages from behind the wheel. That’s the right example from state leadership — and we need even more.

Stiffer penalties for cell phone use that factors into accidents would be a small step forward in the fight against distracted driving.

But it will take persistence to change our driving culture so that more drivers remember this simple, fundamental rule: Keep your hands on the wheel and your focus on the road.

This Iowa Band Man, who died Friday at age 98, left a legacy of teaching and making music that reached around the world. Unlike the con man Harold Hill in Iowa native Meredith Willson’s famed “Music Man” production, Piersol was the real deal.

The Minnesota native and Rockwell High School (Iowa) graduate took the long and winding road to prominence after earning degrees at Grinnell College and the University of Iowa. There were school band jobs at Stanley, Maynard, Osage and Waterloo West before he took the baton at Iowa State University for 19 years, then the same position at the University of Iowa for 13 more.

It was during Piersol’s time at the UI that he also made his mark on the Cedar Rapids Municipal Band. As director for 22 years before retiring in 1993, Piersol helped the local group gain a reputation as one of the finest community bands in the Midwest.

There was more. So much more. Guest conductor, lecturer, music contest judge, music camp director and music festivals — all told, he brought his skills and passion for marching band music to 40 states, Europe, Canada and Mexico. He wrote and published more than 90 works of music and a series of concert marches.

He was accorded many state and national honors and served in leadership roles with several band and music organizations, including the American Bandmasters Association.

No less important than those many achievements was how he interacted with and affected those he met along the way.

“He treated everyone he played with like he was talking to his best friend, that’s the kind of person he was,” Bob Sadilek, a former music teacher at McKinley Middle School in Cedar Rapids and a 60-year member of the Cedar Rapids Municipal Band, told a Gazette reporter.

“ … He had a knack for bringing the best out of everyone.”

Marcia Welch, whose husband, Myron, followed Piersol at the UI, said their Iowa City neighbor of 40 years “ … just had this energy, it was just ongoing, it took all of our breath away. He had such a wonderful warmth to him. He was so funny, and so few people who knew him got to see it.”

We’re thankful so many music students, band performers and concertgoers benefitted from Piersol’s dedication and talent. He set standards that will be difficult to match. His example should inspire future generations to strive for excellence in music and other endeavors that enrich life for all of us.

University of Iowa students should have the right to choose the films they’ll screen at a theater they’re supposed to run. It’s fair application of free speech rights.

That’s just as true for films the student organizers choose because they think they’re ridiculous and fun as it is for films chosen because they’re groundbreaking and thought-provoking.

If a particular film has the potential to offend audiences, those ticket-buyers can choose not to view it. Audiences always can vote with their pocketbooks — that’s the way it’s supposed to work in a free and open society.

But students and audiences recently were denied their right to make that decision by UI administrators. It set a poor precedent that has nothing to do with the relative merits of the film.

Concerned administrators asked the student group not to show “Disco Dolls in Hot Skin,” a 1970s pornographic movie scheduled for screening earlier this month at the Bijou Theater. “It is clearly not in the public interest for a public facility at a public institution to be showing a film of this nature,” UI Interim Vice President for Student Services Tom Rocklin wrote in a statement.

Student organizers appropriately had planned on making sure no minors were admitted to the 3D film, which has been described as a “camp classic,” but responded to the request by canceling screenings altogether.

“I don’t think Tom Rocklin nor I nor anyone at the Bijou wants to censor it, but you have to pick your battles,” Bijou Executive Director Evan Meaney, a graduate student in cinema, told a Gazette reporter.

Rocklin said it would have been different if the screening was intended to further some educational objective. Meaney said the students would have put up a fight for a more serious film. But the UI student group shouldn’t have been put in that position in the first place.

The Bijou is funded by ticket sales and student activity fees. It is run by an autonomous board of directors and does not need UI approval for screening selections. In fact, the group has screened this film before — to a full house in 2007, according to a former programming director.

We haven’t seen “Disco Dolls in Hot Skin,” but we can imagine it would be offensive to many. Reviewers have called it everything from campy to tiresome, dull and misogynistic.

Any screenplay purportedly cowritten by Ann Onymous and Mark Thunderbuns would be difficult to defend on artistic merit alone. But that’s not the point here. UI leaders still were out of line to stifle the film choice in an operation where students are supposed to make those decisions.

Yes, it’s difficult to defend the right to free expression that is silly, crude or objectionable. But in a free society, it’s still important.

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IN SYNC: FEMA joined the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to allow the city of Cedar Rapids to buy out flood-damaged property at 107 percent of pre-flood assessed value, instead of the original 100 percent. About 100 of the buyouts will use FEMA funds; another 1,200 get HUD money. And, finally, buyout money is beginning to flow.

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WELL DESERVED: The City Council unanimously agreed to honor Cedar Rapids native and NFL star Kurt Warner by naming a drive near Kingston Stadium as Kurt Warner Way SW. Warner’s football feats, humanitarian efforts and character certainly deserve such recognition.

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POWER STRUGGLE: Linn County Auditor Joel Miller’s feud with supervisors escalated last week when he filed a lawsuit. Miller accuses them of interfering with his office’s statutory powers. He wants the court to OK a deputy auditor appointment. This began in December when Miller dismissed longtime Deputy Auditor Sue Wold and tried to replace her with someone to do internal audits of county spending. The supervisors thought an internal auditor should be under their jurisdiction. When Miller tried to appoint one of his employees, Karen Heiderscheit, to the position, supervisors eliminated it. Miller attempted to appoint Heiderscheit to a temporary deputy’s post, but supervisors said no such position existed. Stay tuned.

Iowa projects have been awarded more than $2 billion in stimulus-funded contracts, grants and loans. Stimulus spending has so far reportedly funded more than 9,000 jobs in this state.

But opponents still question the impact of the massive $787 billion package. Iowa’s December unemployment rate was 6.6 percent, up two percentage points from the year before. Reporting errors and inconsistencies have brought exact job creation numbers into question.

“Somehow (the idea) the stimulus has been working is just a fallacy,” U.S. Rep. Tom Latham, R-4th District, recently told a reporter.

In talking with us this week, Fifth District Congressman Steve King’s spokesman Matt Lahr called the package a “grab-bag of taxpayer-funded subsidies, pet projects and added bureaucracy” that has failed to create jobs or generate economic growth.

We wouldn’t go that far — there is some evidence that stimulus spending has furthered worthy projects and helped stabilize a faltering economy — although we do remain deeply concerned by the growing federal debt. We appreciate concerns by Republicans who opposed last year’s stimulus bill and are wary of another round.

Yet it seems disingenuous for those lawmakers to then turn around and advocate for projects requesting stimulus funding. It doesn’t seem right to have it both ways.

Democrats berated Republicans last week for their apparent flip-flops, naming Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and King to the Democratic National Committee’s “Republican Recovery Act Hypocrisy Hall of Fame.”

Democrats called King out for announcing $570,000 in stimulus funding for the U.S. Highway 20 widening project last spring. Lahr, King’s spokesman, told us that project was funded through the Omnibus Appropriations Bill, which finally passed after a firestorm of debate over spending increases and thousands of controversial earmarks.

Lahr defended the congressman’s earmark, saying Highway 20 had been one of King’s priorities since taking office.

“At the time he submitted that request, he had no idea what that bill would look like,” Lahr said. He said it’s misleading for Democrats to criticize King for a request he made in 2008, before stimulus talks even began.

But also troubling is denouncing “pet projects and taxpayer-funded subsidies” while defending projects in your own district. So, too, wholly dismissing the effectiveness of spending that brought tangible benefit to your district — action you’d been advocating for years.

Democrats also criticized Grassley this week for sending letters of support to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for applications for stimulus money after he voted against the act, as was reported earlier this month in the Washington Times. Grassley’s staff told us it’s been the senator’s long-standing policy to support any such application from his constituents: “If an Iowan asks for it, he will forward it to the federal agency with his support,” spokeswoman Beth Levine told us this week.

“Iowans pay taxes and the senator believes that if there is federal money that is going to be given, they should receive their share of the money that’s being given out,” she said.

Again, a nice sentiment, but one that begs the question: How can spending be bad, unless it’s for your own constituents?

It’s not a new question for either party, but it is among the increasingly important ones as our lawmakers continue to dig us more deeply into debt.

“The question Iowa’s voters have to answer is: Was it a mistake to vote against these investments or a mistake to take credit for them?” Rep. Bruce Braley, D-1st District, responded when we asked for his reaction.

Maybe more to the point, how do lawmakers reign in spending when there is so much to gain from bringing home the bacon?

“There is too much politics and not enough action in Washington,” Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-2nd District said.

Easy to say, maybe, when the heat is on the opposition, but on the mark nonetheless.

Is this how we want Congress to work?

And we’re not alone. A Washington Post-ABC News poll this week showed vast majorities of Democrats, Republicans and Independents in opposition to the court’s ruling.

The question now is what to do about it.

The high court ruled that corporations have the same First Amendment right to bankroll political speech as individuals. That’s the law of the land. But now that the court has attached a new, massive add-on to the political finance structure, we hope that remodeling job comes equipped with plenty of windows. We need to see clearly into this brave new world.

Although corporations won’t be giving directly to candidates, they will be allowed to give directly to associations or groups that directly advocate for candidates or causes. Unfortunately, under current laws, tracking that giving could be difficult.

We like some of the expanded disclosure provisions folded into congressional legislation unveiled this month in response to the ruling. The bill would require groups to report donations and expenditures to the FEC, and include a list of the top five donors in every advertisement. Corporations that give money for political purposes would be required to disclose that gift to shareholders via a company Web site within 24 hours. Unions and non-profits would be required to set up political activities funds that also file disclosure reports with election officials.

In Iowa, campaign money regulators predict the ruling could have a significant impact in state campaigns. Before the ruling, advocacy groups had little influence in the state because there are no limits on gifts to candidates. Now that corporations can fund those groups, however, regulators expect their activities and influence to grow rapidly.

Under current state law, those groups are required to provide very little information to the public about the donors paying their bills. For example, if a group called “Iowans for Freedom” started running ads against a candidate for governor, paid for with corporate dollars, gaps in current state disclosure laws could make it tough to follow the money.

State lawmakers should move to close those gaps. The Legislature is considering a bill containing new regulations, including additional reporting requirements and prohibitions on candidates and groups colluding to share strategies and resources.

The ruling altered our political landscape. Expanded disclosure is the road map we need to help navigate it.

The Clear Creek Watershed Enhancement Project’s mission is not complete. But pollution levels are down substantially, The Gazette reported this week. And the creek, which empties into the Iowa River at Coralville, could within a year or two join the short list of Iowa streams and lakes that are no longer on the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s impaired waters list.

The Clear Creek project’s signature achievement was completion of a lagoon treatment system that replaced faulty septic systems in the Iowa County village of Conroy just over a year ago. Largely credited was Coralville resident Dave Ratliff, a monitoring volunteer with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources IOWATER program. Ratliff first noticed several irregularities in the creek near Conroy in 2003. That led, with the help of colleague Don Lund, to an even bigger discovery: sewage flowing from Conroy septic systems through a tile that surfaced to form the head of Clear Creek. Ratliff relentlessly pushed to get the pollution stopped.

Since 1998, DNR IOWATER has trained citizen volunteers such as Ratliff to monitor the quality of streams, gather information and identify problems. DNR officials state that IOWATER “is committed to developing local working partnerships and sharing information and resources among state and federal agencies.”

The Clear Creek project involves so many government agencies that it can be confusing. It’s under the direction of the Johnson County Soil and Water Conservation district. Its coordinator, James Martin, works for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. The federal Natural Resources Conservation Service assists. Collectively, they advised the Clear Creek group and also helped fund more conservation practices among farmers that are contributing to lower pollution levels.

All told, IOWATER is a partnership of more than a dozen education, conservation, environmental and government agencies. Their expertise is critical.

Just as important is the dedication of volunteers such as Ratliff, who extend agencies’ reach and serve as citizen models to inspire other Iowans to help protect and enhance our priceless natural resources.

All important advances with more to come in this community’s efforts to rebound from the 2008 flood devastation and throw off shackles from the national recession that settled in right after our disaster. These projects, of course, will take years to complete.

Meanwhile, many reopened and new small businesses in the downtown core and nearby struggle daily to survive. Their pain was aired during a forum sponsored by The Gazette, gazetteonline.com and KCRG-TV9 on Monday.

An overflow crowd at the Museum of Art listened intently to a panel of community leaders, business owners and a research scientist from Iowa State University. Then audience members peppered them with questions and comments.

The immediate upshot: The community as a whole is not aware that many recovering downtown small businesses are at risk of failing within months, or that many have already have folded with thousands of jobs lost.

Their initial efforts to reopen after the flood were impressive. But they’ve leveraged all of their resources, they’re much deeper in debt, and government disaster assistance has been slow and/or too little. Customer traffic is not where it needs to be yet. And uncertainty as to when permanent flood protection will finally be built add to their worries.

ISU’s Dave Swenson told the forum crowd that Cedar Rapids area’s overall economy is strong with many resources. Moving the downtown area ahead is doable.

But in the months ahead, awareness and buying local are critical to small business survival.

Heather Younker can attest to the effects of getting the word out. She joined the new 3/50 project — which invites residents to spend $50 among three locally owned businesses each month — and advised customers by e-mail that her Brewed Awakenings coffeehouse would likely close without more customers.

The response, she testified during an emotional testimony at Monday’s forum, was remarkable.

It’s one example of making a difference right now. Locally owned businesses are vital to building a healthy, vibrant, unique downtown. The downtown is critical to the city’s tax base, job offerings and identity. Supporting small businesses in the months ahead can help anchor a brighter future for the entire community.

Critics say the cameras are an invasive tool cities use to pinch citizens for revenue. Police and other proponents say the technology reduces accidents and frees up time for officers to patrol and investigate crimes.

We say the cameras must prove their worth within a year.

The city and its taxpayers aren’t on the hook for the cost of the system. A private Massachusetts-based company, Gatso USA Inc., installs and operates the cameras for a share of fines.

Police Chief Greg Graham, who argued for the system, estimated the city’s revenue will total about $750,000 the first year. He also expects accidents to be reduced — by 20 percent or more — and insists that’s the most important benefit.

It’s up to officers to review the video and photos and decide whether to issue a ticket. Graham and Capt. Steve O’Konek told us reviewers won’t be nabbing drivers for trivial stuff.

Ben Stone isn’t convinced. In a guest column we published last month, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa argued that traffic cameras are mostly a way to help local governments make up for lost tax revenue. He says there’s little evidence that they make intersections safer. He cited some jurisdictions in other states that have been caught manipulating yellow-light interval times to increase the number of drivers they catch. In other cases, drivers who came to a full stop, as required, then pulled up to see better before turning were ticketed. And Stone wrote that simply increasing yellow-light interval times across the board can improve safety. In Georgia, for example, cities added one second and saw an 80 percent reduction in violations.

Graham and O’Konek countered. They pointed to Iowa State University studies showing fewer accidents in several Iowa cities where the cameras have been in place. They said drivers eventually adjust to longer yellow-light intervals, wiping out initial safety gains. They promised reasonable tolerance when reviewing video — if there’s no clear violation, no ticket. And if you want to appeal, there’s a process in place.

The chief plans to use only officers who are on medical leave from street duties so that no one is pulled off patrols.

As for measuring results: ISU will crunch accident reports from pre-camera years and camera enforcement periods, then analyze the data monthly and annually.

We also want to see documentation of how it impacts officers’ time use and see how the appeal process works.

Give the cameras a year. Then the City Council should scrutinize results to see if the systems warrants a green light or red.

Officials announced early in 2007 they’d pay Post-Deployment/Mobilization Respite Absence benefits for service members whose combat deployments were extended beyond their usual length of time.

But delays in implementing that program meant many troops were denied some of the benefits they’d earned.

More bureaucratic back-and-forth kept those missed payments from being distributed for years. And even after legislators gave the Department of Defense the authority to make the retroactive payments last fall, many troops still haven’t been paid.

About 22,000 Guard members across the country still haven’t received the missed payments, including about 750 members of the Iowa National Guard, even though many are soon being redeployed.

That undermines the goal of the payments — to help troops and their families deal with the extra strain those lengthy deployments, mostly to Iraq and Afghanistan, placed on their civilian lives — and it’s unacceptable.

Spokesmen for all five U.S. House members — Reps. Bruce Braley, Dave Loebsack, Leonard Boswell, Tom Latham and Steve King — along with Sens. Chuck Grassley and Tom Harkin have said they will join dozens of other federal lawmakers in signing a letter telling Defense Secretary Robert Gates of their concerns about the delay.

The letter states their special concern that more than 2,000 affected troops already have been mobilized for deployment back to Iraq and Afghanistan this year. Thousands more may be subsequently redeployed.

“We believe it’s unacceptable that these troops — who have been waiting for more than two years now to receive these promised Respite Leave benefits — are being redeployed to combat zones without benefits earned during their previous deployments in hand,” they write.

We agree. As First District U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley’s spokeswoman Caitlin Legacki told us Monday, many of the soldiers waiting for these benefits were involved in the longest military deployment since World War II.

They have earned our respect, our gratitude and our support.

Late Monday, the Army issued guidelines for distributing the unpaid benefits. Our congressional delegation must keep pushing until the payments are in the hands of troops. Promises made to those who serve on the battle lines must be kept.

Calls to patriotism ring hollow when we fail to uphold our commitment to those who give up so much to serve.

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MORE PROTECTION: The new University Hygienic Laboratory in Coralville is expected to open this spring. It should expand our state’s ability to detect disease outbreaks, protect the environment and address bioterrorism.

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UI STUDENTS DO IT AGAIN: For the third consecutive year, the student-run University of Iowa Dance Marathon raised more than $1 million for cancer programs at UI Children’s Hospital. Kudos and thanks, students!

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BACK PAY: About 750 Iowa National Guard members are among U.S. military personnel still owed respite-leave pay approved by Congress in early 2007. This extra pay is supposed to go to service members, including regular Army and Reserve, who were deployed to combat zones beyond the usual length of time to help them deal with their responsibilities when returning to civilian life. Now, many of those troops are being redeployed into combat again but haven’t received those benefits. Promises made to those who serve our country on the battle lines should be kept. Our congressional delegation should keep the pressure up to make this happen.

Among the bills still alive for consideration are a pair of measures we feel are especially important to the Corridor.

Lawmakers are pushing ahead with legislation that seeks to expand Iowa’s flood mitigation and watershed management efforts in the wake of historic floods in 2008.

The legislation would limit some development in 500-year flood zones, although supporters, led by Sen. Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, had to back away from broader, controversial flood plain construction limits. The bill would, instead, focus on preventing the construction of critical facilities in flood plains, such as hospitals, jails, water supply facilities and emergency services.

The legislation contains several recommendations from a special panel appointed to come up with flood mitigation strategies, such as forming local watershed management authorities to guide local projects and coordinate with other communities. But the legislation does not include state funding, leaving local governments to find it.

We hope when the state’s budget situation improves, lawmakers find a statewide source of funding. Otherwise, Iowa will continue to have a piecemeal approach to watershed management that fails to adequately safeguard communities from flooding.

On another issue spawned by the flood of 2008, lawmakers are moving legislation that would allow boathouses to remain in Ellis Harbor. Owners could transfer ownership of boats and for permits to family members. If they don’t, they’d be available to the public for purchase.

The boathouse harbor was hit with a one-two punch in 2008, the first from flooding and the second from state regulators who said the floating neighborhood violated state rules. Gov. Chet Culver has since stepped in to defend the boathouses, which have docked in the harbor since the 1920s, and newly elected state Rep. Kirsten Running-Marquardt, D-Cedar Rapids, sponsored legislation to save them.

The Department of Natural Resources considers the boathouses as a threat to the “principle of sovereign waters,” or the same as allowing someone to build a house in a state park. We understand the department’s concerns, but respectfully disagree. We see the boathouse harbor as a unique aspect of Cedar Rapids that is worth preserving and respecting its historic roots.

We were pleased to several other bills survive as well. Among those we continue to support are measures that would ban texting while driving, allow state inspections of federally licensed dog breeders and create a five-member board to enforce Iowa’s open records and meetings law.

But as we approach the end of post-flood year two, downtown’s struggle to recover is far from over. An estimated 150 businesses are at risk of folding within six months, according to the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Business Long term Recovery group. And we’d just as soon forget that at least 80 flooded small businesses never did reopen.

We can’t. The downtown’s impact on our economy, employment and local tax revenues is huge. Healthy recovery is in our community’s best interest.

Pre-flood, 13,000 people worked downtown. Businesses there provided 5 percent of the total property tax base from a geographic footprint that’s just 0.5 percent of the city.

Post-flood, several thousand downtown jobs have been lost. The national economic recession unfolded. Many businesses have taken on huge new debt and some can’t get financing. The loss of such signature attractions as the Paramount Theatre and Theatre Cedar Rapids compounds the reality of fewer customers these days.

Federal and state government assistance to business has made some difference but so far has been more limited than aid for flooded homeowners. More help from Congress for small business may be on the way but how much and how soon is still unknown

Meanwhile, local government, the chamber and many other civic organizations made extensive efforts to help our own with resources, expertise and strategies such as buy local. Collaboration increased.

But will there be enough help, soon enough, to keep most downtown area employers afloat until the economy rebounds?

Blend restaurant is one that didn’t make it after reopening. The building’s owner warned that others are likely to close before things get better. “The downtown is coming back strong, but it will take time to do so,” Steve Emerson told The Gazette.

Trouble is, many businesses don’t have much time. Let’s find ways to buy some.

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Moving forward in downtown Cedar Rapids

n What/Where: Forum at Cedar Rapids Museum of Art.

n When: 7-9 p.m. Monday.

n Purpose: Identify obstacles to stable downtown recovery and growth, what assistance is available, and ideas/solutions to close the gap.

n Who: Business owners, employees and public invited; discussion panel includes local civic and business leaders, small business owners and Dave Swenson, Iowa State University economics research scientist.

n Sponsors: The Gazette, gazetteonline.com, KCRG-TV9.

n If you can’t attend: Visit www.gazetteonline.com for blog and livestream coverage.

Overall, the city’s effort to bring more law and order to neighborhoods along the stretch of First Avenue to about 19th Street has seen substantial success. Congratulations are in order.

Nonetheless, police, residents and business owners cannot afford to be satisfied. Spring is just around the corner and that’s when crime typically picks up.

An eruption of violence along the First Avenue area east to about 19th Street, including the assault and life-threatening injury to a police officer in late March, triggered an enforcement crackdown last spring. New Police Chief Greg Graham announced plans for a substation along First Avenue. Community forums, neighborhood marches for unity and calls for more accountability from landlords built momentum toward finding lasting solutions.

A temporary substation opened in July. The permanent facility opened its doors Oct. 1 at 1501 First Ave. SE. Its name, Community Connections Resource Center, reflects multifaceted services. It houses staff from police, fire, housing assistance and code enforcement. Schools and probation officials have a presence. There’s a reading area for kids, a computer lab and a meeting room for community groups.

The substation’s mission was to build trust and cooperation among police, business owners and local residents.

The sharp drop in assaults, robberies and thefts during 2009 compared to 2008 provides some evidence that it’s working. Police say neighbors are more willing to call when they see suspicious activity. “People in Wellington Heights, Uptown College District and Moundview have been great to work with,” Graham told us. Volunteers help at the substation.

Nonetheless, some business owners and residents want to see even more officers dedicated to patrolling the area. They say there’s still a serious public safety problem. And some say the substation, which closes at 6 p.m., should be open longer in the evening.

Graham says there’s little walk-in traffic after 5 p.m. and police have only so many resources to spread around the city.

We get that. Constraints on the city budget are severe during this difficult economic time. Still, we wonder if the substation’s effectiveness would be enhanced if it stayed open longer at night, after the dinner hour, when residents who work day jobs are home and can more readily drop by.

It’s one question to consider as the substation operation, just over four months old, is evaluated this year. For now, we appreciate its presence. Residents and businesses must keep communicating with police and each other. Build on the progress you all made by working together.

Foreign-born medical professionals are increasingly important to maintaining the quality of health care in this country. Their numbers are sure to increase as demand for health care services grows.

Reasonably flexibile immigration policy could help accommodate this growing need.

Most recent figures indicate that, as of 2006, 27 percent of all physicians and surgeons in this country were immigrants. Foreign-born workers accounted for one in every five nursing, psychiatric and home health aides and more than one in six dentists, pharmacists and clinical laboratory technicians.

The Immigration Policy Center in Washington says most foreign-born health care professionals become naturalized U.S. citizens. Many get their training in U.S. schools. And many foreign-born health-care professionals work in specialties where demand already outstrips the supply of natives.

Jobs such as primary-care physicians, which already can be difficult to fill, are expected to become even more so as our population ages.

Department of Health and Human Services estimates show there were 6,204 primary-care provider shortage areas with 65 million residents fall. It would take 16,643 more practitioners to meet that need.

Here in Iowa, the department has identified nearly 300 primary care health professional shortage areas. They estimated the state was short 86 primary-care physicians, including needs in Benton, Black Hawk, Buchanan and Cedar counties.

A 2008 study by the Association of American Medical Colleges predicted a shortage of at least 124,000 physicians in the United States by 2025.

Simply educating and training more native-born workers to become physicians won’t be enough to meet the demand, that report concluded.

In fact, Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts there will be significant numbers of job openings in health care occupations that already employ many foreign-born workers, such as nurses, medical assistants and home health aides.

Recruiting foreign-born doctors and other medical professionals is one way to meet the demand for services.

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Spokesman Tom Moore told us that hospital system has staff physicians from countries as varied as Jordan, Lebanon, New Zealand, Iceland, Russia and the Dominican Republic. He said that international staff is a positive thing for the hospital and its patients, and enriches the community’s diversity. Other area medical teams have similar international bents.

Highly qualified, dedicated health care workers are welcome and needed here — no matter where they were born.

But living with cancer creates challenges that range far beyond patients’ physical health — affecting aspects of their lives ranging from finances to family relationships to emotional well-being.

“It is a psychological issue they deal with on a daily basis,” Kimberly Ivester, director of Cancer Services for St. Luke’s Hospital, told us.

Ivester, a former oncology nurse, said the medical community is often so focused on treating the cancer, it forgets about the other ways a patient’s life is affected by the disease. To help fill that gap, she conceived of a wellness program that would help cancer patients with many challenges — physical, social and emotional — regardless of their financial status or where they are receiving treatment.

The program is a valuable model for other communities.

In the six months since St. Luke’s Hospital launched the Cook Cancer Wellness Program, more than 70 people have enrolled in the free service — including exercise, nutritional and psychosocial supports uniquely tailored to their experience. The program is named after Jane Borg Cook, who died of breast cancer in 2008. Her family was a major donor to the project.

Cook lived for more than nine years with the disease, she felt, in part because of regular exercise and proper nutrition.

Medical research supports the premise that exercise, nutrition and support improves the quality of life for cancer patients and can possibly extend their lives.

The center is free to any cancer patient in Eastern Iowa, at any stage in treatment. For more information or to enroll, call (319) 369-7116 or visit www.stlukescr.org

The building, at 810 First Ave. NE, includes two gyms, massage and counseling and education rooms in a soothing environment. Coaches and counselors are specially trained to understand the unique needs and struggles of cancer survivors.

“It’s not a fancy gym,” said Amy Johnson Boyle, vice president of St. Luke’s Health Care Foundation. “It’s a comfortable, safe, nurturing environment.”

The center also provides a sense of community — helping clients understand that while their struggles are daunting, they are not alone.

So far, the foundation has raised nearly $125,000 to ensure the service continues, and Boyle said she’s hopeful that large national organizations will chip in to help sustain it well into the future.

We hope local donors continue to back this worthy project, as well.

As Shannon Duval, president of St. Luke’s Health Care Foundation, told us: “Cancer patients and survivors already have enough on their plate.”

His recommendations on how to make local TV news more fast-paced, visual and focused on topics of relevance to viewers made waves in our backyard, too. KCRG-TV9 became known as “the Magid station,” recalled John Phelan, KCRG’s senior director of broadcast distribution. “While we did not always agree on, or implement their advice, I know that we are infinitely stronger became of the relationship,” he told us.

“Mr. Magid’s influence made all local television news better.”

Magid’s “Action News” format made broadcasts “watchable, likable. Their advice on weather coverage, breaking news, as well as true enterprise reporting is what set those stations apart …,” said Becky Lutgen Gardner, a longtime broadcaster who now is the information content coordinator for The Gazette and KCRG-TV9, both owned by Gazette Communications.

Our company chairman, Joe Hladky, called Magid “one of the brightest, most articulate people I have known,” and noted Magid’s many community contributions, including volunteer work that helped bring major improvements to The Eastern Iowa Airport.

Magid’s civic and humanitarian work, like his influence on the media, was felt around the world. He served on the Smithsonian Institution board and headed the advisory board of Direct Relief International, a medical organization serving people in poverty or disasters.

But it is his impact on television for which he is best known. It was Magid who recommended that Walter Cronkite be the solo anchorman on the “CBS Evening News.” Who helped develop ABC’s “Good Morning America,” early morning local newscast concepts, the use of teleprompters and initial research on the viability of digital video recorders.

The Chicago native exemplified the work ethic. A Korean War veteran, Magid earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Iowa, using the GI Bill and part-time jobs to pay expenses. He taught social psychology, anthropology and statistics at Coe and the UI. A year later, he left teaching to concentrate on his fledgling company, which became and remains a world leader in consulting for media, entertainment and communications organizations.

Bottom line: Magid changed television news like no one else ever has.