Homers: What's going right

ROCKIN' ROBINS: The Robins Mock Trial Team from Xavier High School passed up the prom to compete in the national Mock Trail competition May 6-8 in Philadelphia. The Iowa state champs wound up ninth nationally. Members are Spencer Hughes, Anne Schultz, Melissa Airy, Paul Esker, Breana Barak, Scott Goedken, Kyle Tietz and Ann Glavan. Coaches: Tim Semelroth and Emily Anderson.

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ON THE LIST: The Highway 100 extension in Cedar Rapids is on the initial draft of Iowa's five-year highway plan, a big step for this vital project.

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KOREAN VETERANS: Colin Powell, former sectary of state and chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, will speak at a June 1 dedication of the new Cedar Rapids Veterans Memorial Commission's monument honoring Iowa natives who died in the Korean War. PMX Industries Inc., a Cedar Rapids subsidiary of a Korean company, is sponsoring Powell's visit.

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UPGRADE: The new National Guard Readiness Center that opened Monday in Iowa City, with six times the space of the old facility and better technology, should improve Guard response to natural disasters.