Thursday morning read: The impacts of TIF, a new tax plan for Iowa, coach departs after 'conflict with parents'

Has TIF been successful for economic development in Iowa? TIF -- or Tax Increment Financing -- is a frequently used, often misunderstood tool for cities. None have been more aggressive in using TIF than Coralville, which created a tic-tac-toe shaped district in an effort to spur jobs and economic development. Our Iowa Ideas project has an in-depth look at the history of TIF in Iowa and its impact. Read more >

Iowa Senate republicans unveil tax overhaul plan: The sweeping state tax plan would cut individual and corporate income taxes more than $1 billion a year beginning in 2019, reduce the number of tax brackets and expand the sales tax base by capturing more online transactions. Republicans are calling it 'probably the largest tax cut in history of the state of Iowa.' Democrats, on the other hand, argue it's "a D.C.-style tax bill" that's being fast-tracked without time for debate. Read more >

Also in the statehouse yesterday, debate on a bill seeking to ban speed and traffic cameras by July 1 barely got past the starting line. Find all our legislative coverage here. 

Analysis: Cedar Rapids has demand for 1,000 more homes: While a demand exists for a variety of types of housing, single family homes for sale were by far the biggest need, with demand for more than 1,000 single-family homes in the Cedar Rapids market over the next five years, according to a new market analysis. Cedar Rapids homes sat on the market for just 56 days on average last year. Read more >

University of Iowa hospitals seeking rate hike: Amid industry headwinds and institutional efficiency efforts, the University of Iowa Hospitals has asked the Board of Regents for permission to raise rates for its services six percent. Many patients won't experience any direct impact from rate bumps — as the increases often fall to payers such as Medicare and Medicaid. Read more >

'Conflict with parents' drives girls' basketball coach Tony Vis out at Kennedy: 'One of the parents got nose-to-nose with me,' he recalled Wednesday, confirming his resignation as girls' basketball coach at Cedar Rapids Kennedy. 'I'm getting to that point, I've been at it long enough, it's not something I'm going to deal with.' At that point, Vis submitted his resignation, effective the end of the season. Read more >