Homers & Gomers

HOMERS - What's going right

PROJECT SEARCH: St. Luke's Hospital, the Arc of East Central Iowa and Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services have teamed up to offer a highly regarded training and employment program for workers with developmental disabilities in Cedar Rapids. Other communities using the Project SEARCH program have reported that more than two-thirds of the program's graduates are hired for competitive jobs in an integrated setting.

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JUST IN TIME: The doors opened at a temporary homeless shelter in Iowa City just as snow and freezing temperatures hit the area. Iowa City and Johnson County government joined the property owner and area non-profits to fund the shelter, at 1534 S. Gilbert St. It's a much-needed improvement over last winter - when two dozen people with no other place to stay found shelter in the lobby of Iowa City City Hall.

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CONSTRUCTION BEGINS: Workers broke ground for a 64-unit apartment building near downtown Cedar Rapids last week, one of as many as four near-downtown projects expected to begin on the west side of the Cedar River this year.

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GOMERS - What's going wrong

ILLEGAL HUNTS: A southeast Iowa outfitter was charged last week with illegally providing resident any-sex deer tags to out-of-state hunters who paid a premium for the tags. Law enforcement officials say Brenton Clark, 34, charged up to $3.500 for the unlawfully distributed tags. He is being charged with unlawful commercialization of wildlife and related charges.

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NO SLED: Dubuque city officials drew criticism last week when they passed an ordinance restricting public sledding to only two areas. Officials say they are worried about possible liability concerns after a woman was awarded $12 million for injuries sustained after she hit a concrete cube while sledding on city property in Boone.

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FUNNY MONEY: Cedar Rapids police warn they're seeing a surge in counterfeit money circulating in the area, with nearly 20 reports of bogus bills being passed in local businesses in only a few days. Police say most of the fakes are easy to detect, and reminded businesses to take a close look at the cash they accept and to immediately report any suspect bills.

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