Gomers -- What's going wrong

BUGS ON THE MOVE: The feared emerald ash borer is expanding its presence in Iowa. State officials say borer larvae have been found in two more Allamakee County locations. The borer was first found in 2010 on a Mississippi River island off that county. This bug has killed millions of ash trees in 18 states.

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WHAT A MESS; Cedar Rapids city officials have put more emphasis on cleaning up the city the past year. Then they dealt with this recently: an illegal dump just north of the roller dam that included 78 tires, three televisions and 6,660 pounds of other debris. It took 20 man-hours of labor to clean it up. Stuff like this is an affront to the community - our environment, aesthetics, property value and health. If you see someone dumping illegally, call 911.

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GOING TO THE DOGS: More evidence that it's high time to Iowa allow casinos to shut down money-losing dog tracks in exchange for millions of dollars that could be used toward better purposes, such as roads and education: The Council Bluffs track is losing $9 million a year on its dog operation; races often have only a few dozen people placing bets. Meanwhile, about half of the money paid to kennel owners goes out of state.

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