MOVE OR GO INDOORS? The dispute about noise from the Cedar Rapids Police Department’s regional outdoor shooting range on Old River Road SW has surfaced again. The state ombudsman’s office has warned the city that it’s in violation of a law prohibiting range activity within 200 yards of inhabited buildings without permission of the affected neighbors. A similar warning in 2009 was followed by a police response that homes within that limit were not occupied because of 2008 flood damage. But those homes appear to have occupants now and a nearby trucking firm is raising concerns, too. One suggestion is to build an indoor range. What about partnering with Linn County, which has its own range at a rural site?

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COSTLY CHASE: The City of Hiawatha must pay up to $10,000 out of pocket to replace a police car that was totaled in an Aug. 25 chase in which the suspect deliberately rammed his vehicle into the patrol vehicle.

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SPEED KILLS MORE: An analysis of state records shows that fatalities on Iowa’s rural interstate highways rose 10 percent since the speed limit was raised from 65 mph to 70 mph in 2005. No surprise there.

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