Fight goes on

Has it really been a year?

Maybe I shouldn't be surprised that so much and so little seems to have changed since I started as a columnist last September.

Back then, I said I wanted to use this space to talk about how local people are wrestling with the challenges we face.

In the 52 weeks that followed, I've talked to a lot of inspired and inspirational people.

There was property manager Maz Baig, whose dedication in cleaning up a troubled Iowa City apartment complex empowered residents to join the fight.

Terry Bilsland and Zuiko Redding showed me how the folks over in Wellington Heights are standing up for their neighborhood there.

Instead of grousing about idle southeastern Iowa City kids who were getting into trouble, Beth Koppes and Chris Harms raised money to build a splash pad and give them something to do.

And how about local flood-affected arts groups whose “show must go on” attitudes brought a little beauty to our lives when we needed it most.

There are so many more examples to choose from: Same-sex couples who got their first chance at tying the knot, local food and bike-friendly initiatives.

There's been bad news in the past year, too, as we tried to understand the murders of people like 2-year-old Seth Kehoe and Aplington-Parkersburg coach Ed Thomas; and the serious injury of Cedar Rapids Police Officer Tim Davis.

We felt the loss of others, like Miya Rodolfo-Sioson, who tirelessly advocated for people with disabilities until her death.

Other steps back, too: the snail's pace of flood recovery, jobs lost and budgets ever tighter.

I'm still not sure how far state leaders are willing to go to protect dependent adults now that the Henry's Turkey Service scandal has subsided.

And some day, I hope to write a column about how we've bounced back from this recession.

That one may be awhile yet. In fact, there's at least as much work ahead of us this year as there was a year ago.

In thinking about the past 12 months, I'm reminded that dealing with these challenges isn't always a simple matter of rolling up your sleeves to implement good ideas.

Hard enough as that might be, it's just the first step in a fight that keeps going.

But if the answers were easy, I guess I'd be out of a job anyway.

So here's to another year of hard work and new ideas. To battles lost, won and ended in a draw.

And thanks for a great first year.

Jennifer Hemmingsen's column appears on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Contact the writer: (319) 339-3154 or jennifer.hemmingsen@gazcomm.com