Homers -- What's Going Right

NEW CHIEF: We are impressed with new Cedar Rapids Fire Chief Mark English's stated goals - especially, department stability and improving the community's insurance rating via more training and equipment upgrades, all within the budget restrictions he has to work with.

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SPECIAL ATTENTION: It's not easy to gauge the value of national ratings, but the intense spotlight on Cedar Rapids recently should help the community's reputation: Top 10 Best Value Cities of 2011 (by Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine), No. 11 among Best Places for Business and Careers (2011, Forbes magazine), Names You Need to Know (Forbes, 2011), 28th in Milken Institute's 2010 Best Performing Cities, No. 5 among Top 20 Recession-Proof Cities (The Daily Beast, online news/commentary, 2010), No. 11 among Best Places for Affordable Homes (CNN/Money magazine, 2010), and No. 13 among Best Places for Business and Careers (Forbes, 2010).

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GO NEWBO: City Council cleared the way for the new year-round non-profit NewBoCity Market by approving a five-year lease of city-owned land for $1 per year. If the market succeeds, it can buy the property for $1.