Government

  CEDAR RAPIDS — Cultural, arts and educational organizations that rely on a piece of the annual revenue from the city’s hotel/motel tax should rest easy, Mayor Ron Corbett says. Corbett on Tuesday said the city intends to continue to fund organizations now receiving money even as changes are made to the program. The city [...]

Not many cities with ambitious plans for a riverfront feature a scrap yard hidden by a thicket of trees and underbrush across the river from the downtown. Cedar Rapids does. Eight months ago, the City Council here asked City Manager Jeff Pomeranz to enter into negotiations with Thomas Knutson to purchase his salvage yard, Knutson [...]

President Barack Obama is heading to the political battleground state of Iowa this week to prod Congress to act on his agenda. The president will visit TPI Composites, a wind manufacturer in Newton, on Thursday to highlight his push for tax credits to encourage investments in clean energy technologies. The trip is part of Obama’s [...]

Four Oaks and its Affordable Housing Network Inc. subsidiary on Monday said they have 55 residential properties under their control as part of the TotalChild Wellington Heights Initiative announced last week. Jim Ernst, president and CEO of Four Oaks, said AHNI now owns 32 properties in the Wellington Heights neighborhood, including three vacant lots. The [...]

CEDAR RAPIDS — Two Republicans seeking the nomination for a northeast Iowa congressional seat stuck to their talking points last night, emphasizing their conservative credentials and their ability to defeat a three-term incumbent. Dubuque businessman Rod Blum and Independence attorney Ben Lange squared off in a live, televised debate at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar [...]

IOWA CITY – Johnson County Auditor Tom Slockett did not receive as much money from contributors as his opponent in next month’s primary election, but thanks to a loan to himself, he has more cash. Slockett, a Democrat, reported $2,085 in cash contributions between Jan. 1 and May 14, compared with $4,961 for fellow Democrat [...]

Efforts to keep young Linn County residents out of jail are showing up on the bottom line. Linn County Community Services, which manages  the county’s juvenile detention center and other programs for at-risk youth, is running a nearly $600,000 budget surplus with just over a month left in the fiscal year. More than $200,000 came [...]

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad says he will have no role in determining whether former state Sen. Jeff Lamberti becomes chairman of the commission that regulates gambling in Iowa. Lamberti, who was arrested Friday on suspicion of drunken driving in Des Moines, was appointed to the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission by Branstad in February 2011. [...]

CEDAR RAPIDS — Little gets more talk on the national political stage than debt. Republicans call for spending cuts by the federal government, while opposing tax increases on wealthier Americans. Democrats support such revenue-increasing taxes, while opposing spending cuts. “The federal government is using debt to pay for operating expenses in a lot of cases,” [...]

Raising the state gas tax should be part of broader tax reform that could actually decrease what Iowans pay in taxes and fees, Gov. Terry Branstad said Friday. “I think next year’s the year to do it,” Branstad said on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press.” Branstad has recognized the need for more revenue to meet [...]