Gomers: What's going wrong

BIG, COLD BLOW: The blizzard that blitzed us last week wound up being the third largest “snow event” in Iowa since 1950, averaging 10.2 inches statewide. The brutal wind and cold weren't much fun either, and at least three people died because of the weather. On the plus side, the number of deaths easily could have been much higher with hundreds of vehicles sliding off treacherous roads. Everyone stranded during the storm was rescued, much to the credit of the Iowa State Patrol and other emergency responders.

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HARVEST HIT AGAIN: The blizzard also was Mother Nature's latest obstacle to Iowa farmers' harvest work this fall. Lots of rain and unseasonably cool conditions in October put the corn harvest weeks behind. Last week's snowstorm arrived with 150 million bushels of corn remaining in the fields - about 6 percent of the total - putting it at risk if farmers can't get to it. Iowa, however, is better off than Illinois and Nebraska.

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HAWKEYE

CHALLENGES: The Iowa Hawkeyes' young, struggling men's basketball team and head coach Todd Lickliter got a scare when the program's leader had surgery Tuesday for a torn carotid artery. Thankfully, the surgery at UI Hospitals went well.