Gomers: What's going wrong

By The Gazette Editorial Board

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THE BIRDS: Swarms of crows have returned to Greene Square Park in downtown Cedar Rapids. The city hopes that, like two years ago, placing the crow coffins in trees will persuade the crows to move on. The devices are the invention of former city veterinarian Russell Anthony.

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DILEMMA: Many beautiful trees line the three-mile-long riverfront park in Guttenberg. The Army Corps of Engineers says about 50 maple trees are too close to the levee that protects the town from Mississippi River flooding and their roots are weakening the flood wall. City leaders are fighting to save the community's prized trees. Who's right? Both. But is there any compromise solution out there?

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COLLABORATION DEAD?: The on-again, off-again hopes for collaboration on a centralized animal control facility involving the county, city of Cedar Rapids and maybe even the Cedar Valley Humane Society looks unlikely again. County supervisors last week decided it did not want to share in the costs and/or management of the new shelter the city plans to build. This still seems like a missed opportunity that could bring efficiency and savings in the long run.