Homers -- What's going right

LOCAL SPENDING BUMP: About 800 extra workers involved in the refueling outage and maintenance project at Iowa's only nuclear plant will contribute heavily to an estimated $4.8 million spent locally on living costs and other personal spending over a monthlong stay. The total cost of the work at Palo's Duane Arnold power plant will top $34 million, NextEra Energy company officials estimate.

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DORM EVICTIONS DOWN: Stepped-up education efforts and enforcement of rules at University of Iowa dormitories are making a difference, say UI officials. Student evictions, mostly for alcohol or drug use, have declined from 21 in the 2009-10 school year to seven in 2011-12.

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SAFER, WE HOPE: The Iowa Department of Transportation has installed called a new warning system at a deadly intersection of Highway 151 at Springville as an interim safety measure until a permanent solution and funding are found. The new type of traffic signals, being used in only two other Iowa locations, are triggered by sensors in the pavement to alert side-road traffic of approaching vehicles on 151 and safe crossing time.

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