Homers & Gomers

HOMERS - What's going right

EXPANDING INDUSTRY:

Iowa contractors anticipate that 2015 will be a good year for their industry. The construction market's likely growth will include more bidding on manufacturing, retail, warehouse and lodging construction projects. In fact, according to The Associated General Contractors of America, 80 percent of construction firms nationwide plan to expand their payrolls this year.

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THIS LAND:

The Cedar Rapids City Council's Development Committee has approved the transfer of 78 acres of city property to the Indian Creek Nature Center. The nature center, which has been leasing the land from the city for $1 a year, will break ground this year on a new $5.9 million facility and plans to use part of that land for its new project.

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SAFE HAVEN:

Utilizing Iowa's Safe Haven law, a newborn boy was brought to an Iowa health care facility on Jan. 12.

Under the law, parents have the option to safely and anonymously hand over custody of babies aged 14 days or younger without fear of prosecution for abandonment.

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GOMERS - What's going wrong

DEERE LAYOFFS:

Deere & Co., headquartered in Moline, Ill., announced plans to lay off 910 employees, including more than 550 at three of its Waterloo locations. Company officials said the layoffs, expected to begin in February, reflect overall demand for the company's products.

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OFFICER RESIGNS:

Tarry Pote, a Des Moines police officer, has resigned amid allegations that he was peeping into the women's locker room at the department's gym. Pote had been with the department since 2002. An investigation began after a dispatcher said she saw someone looking through a locker-room window while a female officer was changing inside.

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SMOKING REPORT:

The American Lung Association released its annual 'State of Tobacco Control” report last week. Iowa failed in three categories: tobacco prevention and control program funding, tobacco taxes and access to cessation services. The association says Iowa has to do more to combat smoking in the state.

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