Homers -- What's going right

PROM GOES ON: Brittany Bettag, 17, a Maquoketa High School junior, was diagnosed with leukemia in March. She's been in the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and couldn't attend her school prom. So, UI staff and Dance Marathon student volunteers brought the prom to her on May 6, staging a celebration in a small gym near the pediatric unit. Bettag's boyfriend, UI freshman Johnathan Sneddon, accompanied her, and many patients also joined the festivities, along with hospital CEO Ken Kates.

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HELPFUL MAP: The City of Cedar Rapids unveiled an interactive, online map based on GIS data. Its layers provide a wealth of information about flood-recovery activities, specific parcels (buyouts) and construction projects. See www.Cedar-Rapids.org and click on CR Progresss Map.

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NATURAL PROTECTION: We like the “living snow fence” that state highway officials are completing along the west side of I-380 between Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. Within a couple of years, the double rows of bushes should improve winter driving conditions on the busy commuter stretch, not to mention the additional aesthetic and environmental benefits.