Gomers: What's going wrong

By The Gazette Editorial Board

NEVER SIMPLE: Challenges have never been in short supply when it comes to demolishing and clearing the former Sinclair meatpacking plant site in Cedar Rapids. The latest: A half-dozen truckloads of corn stored there will cost an extra $175,000 for its removal. Wet and scorched, it's mixed with 25,000 tons of asbestos-containing debris, and state officials require it to be hauled to a lined landfill suitable for such stuff. The Mount Trashmore landfill isn't. So it's going to Milan, Ill. FEMA is expected to pay the expense.

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OOPS: In 1991, then-Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad signed a law barring political campaigns from buying vehicles; instead, they must lease them. Last week, his campaign to return as governor was cited for violating that law. Charlie Smithson, director of the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, said he gave the campaign improper guidance. Still, Branstad should have known better.

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TEEN TROUBLE: More difficulty in finding a summer job is a factor in more criminal mischief by Cedar Rapids teens. Police say the number of such calls this month is running nearly 50 percent higher than a year ago. Too much free time is blamed.