Gomers: What's going wrong

By The Gazette Editorial Board

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TOXIC NEGLECT: A shuttered Monticello business, Riddle Inc., may have leaked hazardous toxic chemicals into nearby Kitty Creek for nearly a decade. Owner Gene Riddle, who closed the circuit board production facility in 1991, pleaded guilty last month to violating the Clean Water Act by storing hazardous waste without a permit. Three major floods on Kitty Creek since 1993, and the deteriorated condition of the building and storage containers holding nearly 3,800 gallons of waste chemicals, have led to officials' fears that chemical waste may have flowed into the creek. Site cleanup by the federal Superfund program cost more than $273,000.

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DARK DAY: The arrest of star receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos on seven drug charges? He's innocent until a court rules otherwise. But the incident extended the late-season gloom hanging over Hawkeye football.

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FLU FIGHT: State health officials put out a gloomy warning last week: Iowans can expect an especially harsh flu season. Three strains of influenza already have been verified in the state - a rarity at the beginning of the season. The good news: this year's vaccine appears to protect against all three of those strains. So get your flu shot ASAP if you've not done so.