Gomers -- What's going wrong

THIRD HOMICIDE: Cedar Rapids saw its third homicide of the year last weekend, and the second incident claiming a young male's life, when 30-year-old Andre Allen died after being shot in the street on the city's southwest side. No arrests have been made in this case, nor the shooting incident that took the life of 22-year-old Dexter Meeks in June. The three homicides match the totals of 2008 and 2010.

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KNOWLEDGE GAP: More than two-thirds of Iowans say they know little or nothing about the state's laws on open meetings and open records, according to a survey commissioned by the Iowa Freedom of Information Council. The good news is that the majority say they want open, transparent government, and would like a state board created to handle citizen complaints about violations of openness laws.

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BACKHOE MEETS BRIDGE: When a semi carrying a backhoe drove under a bridge at the intersection of I-380 and Seventh Street in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, the backhoe's boom knocked off pieces of the concrete support structure. No injuries were reported, but it raised concerns about damage to the bridge.

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