Gomers: What's going wrong

IS IT WORKING?: A state treatment program for sex offenders deemed too risky to re-enter society after their release from prison was created by the Iowa Legislature 11 years ago. It's a five-phase civil commitment program that's supposed to help those convicted of two or more sexually violent crimes achieve behavior changes that make them unlikely to commit another sexual offense. Eighty men are in the program, based at the Cherokee Mental Health Institute. There is yet to be a graduate. Is this $7 million-a-year program doing its job?

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BUGGING IOWA: The dreaded emerald ash borer's presence in Iowa was declared by state officials May 14. The bug was detected on an island in the Mississippi River in Allamakee County in Iowa's northeast corner. It's native to eastern Asia and was first found in the United States in 2002. Officials say it will take perhaps five years before it spreads into the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area, where 20 percent or more of trees are ashes. There's no proven success at containing widespread infestations, which have killed millions of ash trees in Michigan and other states. Quarantines on firewood transportation can help and are in effect in 13 states, with Iowa expected to participate.