Opinion

By ART CULLEN

By DON BEHM

One of the commercials I saw on TV was about washers and dryers. These are items that everyone has used or is acquainted with. Here goes another Cracker Barrel story.

First, what a great name: Iowa Rivers Revival. This non-profit advocacy group seeks to improve water quality, recreational and even development opportunities across the Land Between Two Rivers. Bully for them. This week representatives of the coalition met with state legislators. They asked a modest sum, $300,000, to help protect and improve state waterways like our own Little Sioux River.

Gov. Terry Branstad went to Washington last week trying to vanquish the Environmental Protection Agency and its ruling that the mandate for ethanol should not be increased by about 3 billion gallons to 18 billion gallons per year to be blended into regular, unleaded gasoline. The EPA decided not to expand the standard because America’s ethanol plants are cranking out all the fuel the nation can handle for the time being. EPA recommended a pause in the action.

By ART CULLEN

Few things are more disdainful than a Minnesotan who thinks he can drive 65 mph in a snowstorm because he or she was born near Mankato. Ice on the road is mere window-dressing to a holiday cruise. You can understand when El Paso gets a dusting and cowboys admit they don’t know how to run a pickup on it. Minnesotans think they know.

By DON BEHM

A hearty Iowa cheer goes out to Sen. Mark Segebart, R-Vail, who told us Wednesday that he is fully committed to making certain that no client falls through the cracks or that work activity centers are diminished under a new mental health redesign.

The problem with sheltered work activity centers designed to employ Iowa mentally handicapped adults are as complicated as they can be. So it is no easy task to help them in their hour of need, as new rules governing mental health care and costs find their way to application. In the case of Genesis Development of Storm Lake, it appears that the days of sheltered workshop may end come July. That’s when the work activity center plans to quit redeeming cans and bottles.

By ART CULLEN

By DON BEHM