Homers -- What's going right

MIGHTY GOOD: The heavily flood-damaged, historic Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ, fully restored and repaired, returned to full performance status on Saturday at its longtime home, Cedar Rapids' Paramount Theatre - itself a resurrected version after extensive post-flood work. The organ was featured in Orchestra Iowa's “Resurrection” concert.

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POTHOLE WAR HEATS UP: The pothole problem is widespread in Cedar Rapids and many other communities. In C.R., the city showed off one of its three new pothole-attacker, a device mounted on a truck that pours hot asphalt into a pothole for crews to tamp, eliminating the shoveling of asphalt and speeding up the process. Combined with other equipment upgrades, the city is attacking more than 100,000 potholes at a cost of $7 each, down from $10 to $15 a few years ago. A new asphalt formula also adheres better to the street.

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SATURDAY MEALS: For 25 years, the folks at First Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids have provided a hot meal to those who need one - on Saturdays, when most other meal programs don't operate. An average of 80 to 120 people are served.

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LESS WASTE: University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics cut food waste by 40 percent in 2013, weeding out less-popular menu items, cutting surplus servings, giving more leftovers to food programs for the poor and composting food waste.