Gomers

END OF AN ERA: Owners of Smulekoff's Home Store have announced they'll be closing the store, which has been a downtown Cedar Rapids icon for 125 years. A spokeswoman told The Gazette the decision wasn't easy, but that owners couldn't find suitable space to relocate the store - which was flooded in 2008 - in order to participate in flood buyout. Fifty employees will be affected by the decision

DOWN THE DRAIN: City crews surveying the sanitary sewer system are finding that about 25 percent of the homes in one northeast Cedar Rapids neighborhood have sump pumps and foundation drains illegally routed to the sanitary sewer system. Officials say the water, which by ordinance should be routed to a separate storm sewer system, can overwhelm the network during times of heavy rain, causing basement backups and headaches for homeowners.

TICKED OFF: According to a new Iowa Wildlife Federation report, we should get used to rising populations of ticks and mosquitoes, and expect a rise in diseases carried by the pests. The report 'Ticked Off - America's Outdoor Experience and Climate Change,” blames climate changes such as milder winters and increased humidity for the increase.