Wednesday Morning Read: Flood memorial, untested rape kits, Hawkeye tickets available

Remembering the Flood - During a public meeting held Tuesday at the Northwest Recreation Center, 1340 11th St. NW, those who've stuck around the neighborhood said they are pleased to see ideas for what is being called the 'Gateway to the River Memorial Plaza,' which aims to serve as a transition point between greenway parks along the Cedar River and the neighborhood, as well as a stop on the local trail system. 'I would go with the monument there and have a place to sit and think about things,' said SanDee Skelton, 79. 'It would be a nice place for people to find closure.' Read more reaction and details about the memorial here.

Gold Star father speaks - Khizr Khan, a Gold Star father who was thrust into the national spotlight after delivering a speech during the 2016 Democratic National Convention in which he offered then-presidential nominee Donald Trump a copy of the U.S. Constitution, is to speak in Cedar Rapids Saturday at a community awareness and fundraising dinner for the Council of American-Islamic Relations Iowa Chapter. Read more about his visit, and some potential restrictions Khan could face with regards to travel here.

Workers' comp - More than two dozens witnesses showed up at a Statehouse hearing to discuss the pros and cons of pending legislation. Proponents said changes are badly needed, but critics worried those changes in the workers' compensation law would shift costs to taxpayers. Steve Stouffer of Tyson Fresh Meats told House members present for the evening meeting that Iowa's workers' comp system has become 'a litigious lottery' that swung from a no-fault configuration addressing workplace injuries to one where costs are tilted against employers who see better arrangements in other states. Read more about this legislation and reactions to the proposal here.

Need Tickets? - For the first time, the Big Ten men's basketball tournament is in Washington, D.C. Everybody is wondering how this might turn out. As of Tuesday, Iowa sold 250 of its allotment of 750 tickets, according to Iowa officials. This is the first time in the B1G's 20-year tournament history it will be held outside of Chicago or Indianapolis, Ind. Next year, the tournament will move to New York before resuming four-year rotations in Indianapolis and Chicago. Read about reactions and more details on the state of the B1G 10's tournament here. 

Quotable - 'Our ultimate goal in cooperation with the state is to bring justice for the victims and make sure that we get these predators off the street when we can get them identified,' said Des Moines Police Department Public Information Officer Sgt. Paul Parizek. Read more about the state's plan to launch an aggressive effort to analyze 4,265 untested rape kits here.