Gomers -- What's going wrong

ANOTHER SETBACK: Cedar Rapids leaders' efforts to build flood protection along the city's core were dealt another blow. Because of federal budget problems, funding for flood protection projects is iffy and the Army Corps of Engineers is $6 million short of what it needs to complete the design phase of its east-side protection plan. The latest setback followed the defeat in May of a proposed extension of the local-option sales tax to help fund protection on both sides of the river.

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NAVY SEAL LOST: Jon Tumilson of Rockford was among the elite Navy SEALS who died when insurgents shot down a U.S. military helicopter in eastern Afghanistan on Aug. 6. He was part of the same unit, but not the same members, who killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in May.

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ANOTHER TICK THREAT: A newly discovered bacteria carried by deer ticks has been verified in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Ehrlichiosis causes serious flu-like symptoms. Deer ticks already are well known for carrying the vicious Lyme disease. If the new threat spreads here, Iowans will have another reason to take precautions when outdoors, especially near woodland areas where deer and mice live.

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