I’m over at GazetteOnline now, just a cog in the big news machine.
You can get to my blog by either following this link: http://gazetteonline.com/blogs/the-hot-beat, or by going to www.gazetteonline.com and clicking on the blogs tab near the top of the page. The Hot Beat is one of several blogs listed in the pull-down menu.
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
This blog has moved
Posted in Uncategorized on July 31, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Fargo flood protection tax passes in landslide
Posted in Uncategorized on July 1, 2009 | 1 Comment »
They don’t have a specific plan yet, but voters in Fargo approved a half-cent sales tax on Tuesday to pay for permanent flood protection.
Fresh on the city’s mind is the flood this spring, that required citizens and city workers to build miles of temporary levees out of sandbags and HESCO baskets.
Plans under consideration are [...]
Where are Section 8 housing vouchers used in C.R.?
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Cedar Rapids, Gazette, Iowa, Public Safety on June 11, 2009 | 4 Comments »
There’s a huge cluster in Wellington Heights. Here’s the map:
Section 8 Housing Map
Off for a week
Posted in Uncategorized on May 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I’ll be off work from May 30 through June 7, and I don’t expect to be blogging.
Evictions not easy, landlords say
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Cedar Rapids, crime, CRPD, evictions, Gazette, Iowa, Iowa City, Landlords, tenants on May 5, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Below is a story I’m working on. Any ideas? Jim Cannon, I know you’re out there!
Eleven years ago, one of Keith Smith’s tenants fell a couple months behind paying rent, and Smith prepared to evict the resident.
He hired a lawyer and took the case to small claims court. But a judge threw out the [...]
New bill would have protected axed firefighter
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged 911, Cedar Rapids, Clipper Windpower, firing, Hiawatha, Iowa, volunteer firefighter on May 4, 2009 | 1 Comment »
The Iowa Legislature has passed a law that forbids employers from firing employees who are late to work because they are a volunteer emergency responder.
It’s House File 671. According to Section 100B.14:
“If an employee has provided the employee’s public or private employer with written notification that the employee is a volunteer emergency services provider, the [...]
Hot Property #1: 1410 Bever Ave. SE
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged 1410 Bever Ave. SE, Adam Belz, Cedar Rapids Police, crime, CRPD, Gazette, Hot Properties, Wellington Heights on April 23, 2009 | 7 Comments »
This is the address that got 71 police calls in 2008.
It’s a white two-story house owned by Vinnie Huskey Properties LLC, a company incorporated under Kevin Bachus, with a home office in Solon.
The home is right next to the Rose Apartments and it’s supposed to be empty. The city’s housing code enforcement office has posted [...]
1635 Second Ave. SE
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Cedar Rapids Police, Shooting on April 16, 2009 | 3 Comments »
This is for the commenter we all know as “Concerned_Citizen,” who questions the existence of a property with the address 1635 Second Ave. SE.
His challenge comes at the bottom of a story about a shots fired report in southeast Cedar Rapids.
I only respond because I couldn’t find the property on the city assessor’s office website [...]
Steamed at the jail
Posted in Uncategorized on March 25, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Linn County Auditor Joel Miller reports that the Alliant steam bill at the jail — which is uninhabited — was $21,000 from Feb. 18 to March 18. That makes the bill $94,000 over the past four months.
Who is on this Compensation Board?
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Compensation Board, Linn County, Salaries on February 3, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Following are the members of the Compensation Board that meets at 4 p.m. today at Westdale Mall to recommend the salaries for the Linn County supervisors and all the other elected officials in the county. Four attorneys, two businesspeople and a farmer serve on the board.
Their recommendation is effective July 1, and I’ve included in [...]
