Gomers: What's going wrong

WHAT NEXT?: Postville, still trying to recover from the 2008 federal immigration raid fallout, saw fire rage through its downtown district Oct. 17, displacing 19 people and damaging adjacent businesses.

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H1N1 VICTIM: America Reads, which encourages volunteers to read aloud to young children to increase literacy, is one of the latest H1N1 flu victims. The program was postponed at Linn-Mar schools last week because of high absenteeism among students and to protect volunteers. Eastern Iowa schools were reporting absentee rates as high as 46 percent last week as H1N1 spread.

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AD MISLEADS: Gov. Chet Culver, in a recent TV ad, referenced an Oct. 11 Gazette editorial that credited him for a “swift, decisive response” in calling for an across-the-board cut to address the state budget crisis. Yes - but what that ad doesn't mention was our criticism of Culver and the Democratic majority for not heeding warning signs and calls for reduced spending, even as the economy worsened since 2007. We also urged the governor to call an immediate special session of the Legislature so lawmakers could weigh in and ensure critical programs are spared too much damage.