Wednesday Reads -- Infestation

State experts have been warning for years that the dreaded emerald ash borer was coming, and that once it got here, it would kill every ash tree in its path. That would be really bad news for a lot of Eastern Iowa cities.

The Gazette carries that bad news on its front page this morning. State officials say the little green menace has been detected in Wisconsin trees just across the Mississippi. The borers can fly 12 miles, according to Rick Smith's story, so they're probably already in Iowa.

Cedar Rapids officials say the city is home to 10,000 to 15,000 ash trees, all of which would be dead within two to five years once an infestation begins. The government is working on eradication strategies.

OK, OK, I know the gay marriage debate is still the state's hottest story.

The Des Moines Register has an interesting piece on the pros and cons of a con-con. That's a constitutional convention, and some see it now as the quickest way to get gay marriage re-banned.

But the DMR notes that a convention would be wide open for consideration of amendments on any subject under the sun. It's the proverbial box of chocolates. You just don't know what you'll get. Conservatives pushing for a marriage amendment may get other stuff they don't like:

"I'm inclined to hope they succeed, if that's their strategy," said Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs, who has saluted Friday's Iowa Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage. "There's a lot of good, progressive issues that we could pursue: a woman's right to choose, guaranteed health care for all Iowa citizens, workers' rights - so if there are people that want to help us get to a constitutional convention, that's kind of my dream world."

Of course, this is bluster to some extent. But Dems do have a 100,000-vote-plus registration advantage right now, so it's not like the state's reliably right-leaning anymore. That's got to give Republicans some pause.

Speaking of pauses, state budget cuts hitting the courts will delay the date gays and lesbians can get officially hitched. It's now April 27. It was supposed to be April 24, but that's a court furlough day.

Also at the Statehouse, it's looking like lawmakers may finally roll back the useless/harmful 2,000 foot residency restriction for sex offenders.

Gazette/Lee's Charlotte Eby has the goods on a study committee's recommendation that the residency limit be lifted for all but offenders who committed the most serious crimes against kids. County attorneys and local law enforcement have lobbied to get rid of the law, saying it doesn't keep kids safe and makes it tougher to monitor scattered offenders.

Instead, the bill would seek to create "exclusionary zones,"  such as parks etc., aimed at restricting where sex offenders might hang out and scout for young victims.  Members of a bipartisan panel that crafted the bill hope to get it passed in the final days of the legislative session. They're waiting to see what Culver thinks.