Green Light on Red Light Cameras, Moratorium One of Three Approved, Mental Health Debate Brewing: Iowa City Daily Links, Feb. 22

It's one week until the last day of February. Reminder: It's a Leap Year.

On to the Links!

From this Site

The city council broke their proposed downtown apartment high-density apartment zoning change decision into three parts, and passed one of three, starting a 60-day moratorium. Here's our story on the vote, and here are the stories on the same meeting from the Press-Citizen and Gazette.

There may be more tornadoes than usual this coming summer.

We have a preview up of Bowl for Kids' Sake, a Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County fundraiser that is coming up. Still time to help donate, though!

Need a dog or a cat? Take a look at adopting Gabby or Gusto, two great animals at the Iowa City Animal Shelter in need of homes.

In our Parent Talk this week, we ask what parents should do to handle the poor behavior of their children in a public space.

From Other Sites

The city council also passed a bill on red-light traffic cameras, so writes Kristen East of the Daily Iowan.

Alesha Crews of the Iowa City Press-Citizen writes about the Iowa City School District saving money by refinancing its bonds.

Lee Hermiston of the Press-Citizen writes about a man who was caught after he attempted to flee Hope House residential correctional facility for the second time.

Coralville luring Von Maur away from Iowa City's Sycamore Mall was featured in a local Associated Press article on nearby cities stealing businesses from each other rather than generating their own jobs.

Local business owners don't think a $10 minimum wage would be feasible, writes Bryce Visser of the Daily Iowan.

Both House Republicans and Senate Democrats want to pass mental health reform, where the disagree is who should pay for it, the counties or the state, writes Jason Clayworth of the Des Moines Register.

Daily Links Excerpt of the Day

Councilor Connie Champion maintained her position on the red-light cameras, voting "no" on all three considerations.

"There is a place for cameras," she said, acknowledging the red-light cameras in use in Cedar Rapids. "I'm not for them. There are other things that could be done. I don't like it, and I probably won't ever like it."

According to the Des Moines Register, results of an Iowa Poll conducted last week indicate that 50 percent of Iowans favor a ban on red-light cameras.

There are already more than 200 cameras placed throughout the city monitoring activity, including eight cameras on the Pedestrian Mall purchased and installed by the Iowa City Downtown Association in June 2010.