Thursday Reads -- Help is on the Way

Weather folk say it's going to get above freezing today. But is a tank top business casual?

Here's a question I can answer, when will the Iowa House start moving flood relief? The answer is today. The Gazette fronts news that yesterday the Rebuild Iowa Committee approved a $56 million flood aid package, up from the $43 million proposed last week by Gov. Chet Culver.

The House Appropriations Committee takes a crack at the bill today.

The Gazette and Register note that the bill makes eligibility requirements more flexible. For example, the income eligibility threshold for a family of four for some types of assistance rises to $65,000 from the current $21,700.

Also in the Register, Columnist David Yepsen says clearly the fix is in when it comes to leasing away the Iowa Lottery in exchange for a chunk of cash. The money line: "So we need to start calling this for what it is: It's a sweetheart, giveaway deal. It goes to a bunch of wealthy Democratic campaign contributors. It's done to make a quick repair to a budget screw-up."

Hey, guess what? The economy still sucks. Recently we were told of Eaton Corporation's plans to slice jobs at its Belmond plant yet again. Now comes word on the front page of today's Sioux City Journal that Eaton is cutting 103 jobs in Spencer. Eaton is also Spencer's largest employer.

And The Quad-City Times frontsa troubling warning to struggling parents who might be diluting baby formula to save money: Don't do it. Doctors say there are big risks in depriving babies of nutrients and giving them too much water.

The Omaha World-Herald

carries news of new nutritional labelsdebuting at HyVee stores assigning nutrition scores to food items. "NuVal" labels give items such as broccoli a 100. Crunch N' Munch gets a 1. Dang it. The chain started using the labels in Des Moines last fall.