CROW INVASION: Congregating crows have reached new levels of bother in Iowa City’s downtown district, say city officials and business owners. And the mild, dry winter is partly to blame. Crows are attracted to large groups of trees, as well as light and heat — such as the warmth that rises off city pavement during cold conditions. But the unseasonable weather has left the concrete exposed. City officials will try predator balloons as a temporary tactic to scare crows away.

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POLICY PROBLEM? Linda Pippen of Fairfax was hired by the state Workforce Development Office in 1998. She pleaded guilty to theft in 2000 and felony identify theft in 2002. Under state policy, she was not required to report those cases to her employer and she kept her job. On Wednesday, Pippen, now no longer employed by the state, pleaded guilty to embezzlement committed while working at the Cedar Rapids unemployment office. Perhaps a policy change is needed.

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OUTBREAK: Linn County is among at least five Iowa counties experiencing an outbreak of norovirus, a short-lived but intense food-borne stomach illness.

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