Iowa debt lingers as editorial urges a clean slate
The GazetteEditorial argues Iowa still owes about 20.1 million to the judicial retirement pension fund and nearly 20 million to the peace officers pension fund. It warns against rapid tax cuts and urges using the current 160 million uncommitted surplus to retire these debts, calling for measured action and fiscal prudence.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
OWA
Judicial Retirement Pension Fund
Peace Officers Pension Fund
Treasury
Branstad
Iowa
Wood sculptor Richard Pinney remembered in Cedar Rapids obituary
Richard Pinney 71 died Friday in Cedar Rapids. A former weekly editor and later PR and promotion executive, he was best known as an artist creating wooden sculptures that narrate history. His works include a Cedar Rapids Public Library display and a piece made for Sen. Ted Kennedy.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Dick Pinney
Charles Ives
Sousa
Pinney
Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids Public Library
Ted Kennedy
Richard Pinney
Grant Wood All-City Drum Corps Seeks Grassroots Support
Community leaders praise the Grant Wood All-City Drum Corps for fostering student self esteem and teamwork. Donations from families and Cedar Rapids schools fuel uniforms and activity while urging ongoing parent involvement and open minds to growth.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Grant Wood
Marvin
Sue Brown
Jim
Debbie Brown
Marion Iron Co
Kathy Beck
Cedar Rapids Education Association
Cedar Rapids
Gary Hinzman
Slayton Thompson
Weather writers revel in storms and word play
A humorous look at how weather reporting inflates action with verbs and adjectives. The piece notes reporters overstate storms from Cedar Rapids to the East Coast and jokes about overused terms like maraud and wisely. It cites critics Strunk and White advising restraint.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Thindarnie
Wee Ly
Benumb
Ruth Larson
Cedar Rapids
Washington Post
Ruth
Grandson brings hope and fear to a wary grandparent
Leonard Pitts Jr describes a surprise teenage birth and the parent’s fears. The grandfather reflects on parental hopes, silences, and the fragile promise a child represents for healing, renewal, and a future unmortgaged. He acknowledges deep wounds yet sees possibility in the new family bond.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Eric
Steve Martin
Martin
Reconsidering trapping and animal rights debate
The letter argues trapping and hunting as outdated traditions worth ending. It suggests sport hunting harms animals for recreation, favors imitation furs and nonlethal wildlife control, and notes no wild animal threats in the lower states. The writer defends gun ownership for defense separate from hunting and urges broader animal rights advocacy.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jan
Gazette
Call to tighten divorce laws and restore faith in families
Roger Hines of Vinton urges state leaders to revise no fault divorce rules to reduce divorces. He cites rising child problems tied to family breakdown and calls for more marriage counseling and renewed religious guidance.
Readers invited to send letters to the Gazette
The Gazette invites letters up to 300 words. Include name street address and daytime phone number. only your name and hometown will be published. Mail to Cedar Rapids Gazette Box 511 Cedar Rapids Iowa 52406 or use fax or email options listed.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cedar Rapids
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Dale Larson
Jerry Elsen
Mark Bowden
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Cindy
Cleveland Indians
Baltimore
Strunk
White
Carl Kane
Free Lance
Leonard Pitts Jr
Miami Herald
Knight-Ridder
the Gazette
Roger Hines
Vinton