State must not close mental health institutes for short term savings
The Gazette argues against shutting one of Iowa's four mental health institutes as a cost cut. Providers warn beds are scarce and vulnerable patients wait for care. Critics say closing a facility shifts costs to prisons and fails to expand community services, urging strengthened safety nets and expanded access rather than dismantling care.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
NAMI
Iowa
Margaret Stout
Department of Corrections
State Department of Human Services
Black Hawk Grundy Mental Health Center
Independence
Tom Bachus
Bhasker Cave
Independence Facility
Stout
Readers vent on permit tickets and public policy in Cedar Rapids letters
Several correspondents criticize city procedures and permit practices including a $25 parking ticket for a Third Avenue Parkade permit on flimsy paper. They urge better permit handling, anti traffic risks near schools, and discuss eminent domain, public options in health care, and federal buildings funding. A West Liberty reader supports volunteering for Afghanistan.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Third Avenue
Doctors First Plan for HIN1 Vaccine Safety
Angie Garvey argues against universal H1N1 vaccination for pregnant women and children, proposing doctors receive the shot first to prove safety and efficacy before others. She asserts the vaccine was rushed and unproven, urging cautious rollout.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Angie Garvey
Arist Mionona
Volunteer Voices Criticize Cedar Valley Humane Board
A reader expresses disappointment over the Cedar Valley Humane Society board’s treatment of Sandy LaBaw and Susan Manson, praising their character and alleging callous conduct toward staff and volunteers, and ends with a strong personal reaction to the situation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cedar Valley Humane Society
Sandy LaBaw
Susan Manson
Unfair immigration rules harm widowed spouses of citizens
A long, pointed column argues that surviving foreign spouses of U S citizens face deportation despite marriages. It cites cases from Navy and Air Force families, notes exemptions after 9/11 and combat deaths, and urges Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform to fix delays and loopholes causing hardship for widows, widowers, and orphans.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
U.S
Oregon
Brent Renison
U S. Navy
Sta
Beijing
Air Force
Florida
Veteran’s Administration
Congress
Iraq
Wheel tax debate in Cedar Rapids stirs commuter concerns
Todd Dorman examines Cedar Rapids council member Wieneke's push for a per wheel tax to fund infrastructure. He notes Iowa bans local wheel taxes, questions regional benefits versus costs to e commuters, and flags potential misallocation risks amid fiscal pressures. He weighs goodwill with practical limits and urges caution before taxing outsiders.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Wieneke
Marion
Cedar Rapids
Wisconsin
Milwaukee
Iowa
Also Mentioned on This Page
the Gazette
Janet Tomkins
Kris Wright
Sixth Street
76Th
Dick Whitehead
College
Curtis Jasa
Senate Finance Committee
Linn County
Mark Jirouch
Order
Stanley McChrystal
Afghanistan
Pentagon
Vietnam
Defense
Department of Defense
Gen. McChrystal
Obama
Michael J. Schneider
West Liberty
Dirs
Humane Society
Onsider
USS
United States
Kosovo
Homeland Security
Janet Napolitano
Maryland
Texas
Missouri
Msanchez
Kcstar.com
Mary Sanchez
Kansas City Star
Todd, Dorman
Gazcomm.com
Todd Dorman
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