Homers -- What's going right

SERIOUS STUFF: Iowans take their museums seriously. One sign, as Ford Bell, president of the American Association of Museums, noted in a visit to Cedar Rapids last week, is that our state has one of the nation's highest number of museums per capita that are accredited by AAM. In Cedar Rapids, that includes the Museum of Art and the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. The latter earned its accreditation in 2009, even while recovering from the 2008 flood.

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STATE FINANCES: State tax renue grew about 5 percent in fiscal 2012, which ended June 30. It's another sign of why Iowa's financial position is among the best nationwide. It also comes with responsibility to make wise investments in the future without compromising the stability of the state budget.

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JUVENILE CRIME DOWN: Juvenile crime rates dropped more than 20 percent in Iowa from 2007 through 2010, and that trend was matched or bettered in much of Eastern Iowa. In Linn County, recent alternative programs that help at-risk kids avoid trouble in the first place are getting much of the credit.

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