Spring Break Week is a Busy Week for State Legislators: Iowa City Daily Links, March 12

This is the sort of rainy day where you wish you could sleep half of it and then spend the rest of it with a good book.

On to the Links!

From this Site

Meet Frankie, the cat some Iowa Citians banded together to rescue in January. She is now at the Iowa City Animal Shelter.

We have a post up this morning from around the state from last week.

We have launched another Reader's Choice Contest. This time we're asking what is everyone's in Iowa City on St. Patrick's Day.

Our parent talk this week asks if you would let a school Facebook account.

From Other Sites

Josh O'Leary of the Iowa City Press-Citizen wrote this weekend about the latest tall (for Iowa City) building that the Marc Moen is looking to build. He is also asking the city for help with funding.

Alesha Crews of the Press-Citizen attended a forum about New Pioneer Co-Op's proposed move, where some aired concerns about the risks associated with the move.

MidAmerican Energy held a public forum in Iowa City last week regarding its plans to raise energy prices to help pay for the rising cost of energy prices. Meanwhile, an energy expert spoke in Iowa City about MidAmerican's other idea to raise energy prices to raise funding for a nuclear power plant.

The bill that would allow MidAmerican to pursue this nuclear option is one of those looking to survive the second legislative funnel this week. Rod Boshart of the Gazette has a nice rundown.

Iowa Republicans met in their county conventions over the weekend as they begin the process of sorting out their 28 delegates and defining their platform.

Congrats to the West High boys on winning the state basketball tournament this weekend.

Kristen East of the Daily Iowan writes that fewer men elect to study abroad than women at the University of Iowa and nationally.

Iowa City police arrests were down in 2011, but shoplifting went up, writes Jordyn Reiland of the Daily Iowan.

Daily Links Excerpt of the Day

Sen. Bob Dvorsky, D-Coralville, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the education reform issue is tied to budget decisions affecting K-12 schools, community colleges and regent universities, while the mental-health redesign initiative has become embroiled in the ongoing effort to find a property tax relief resolution as a growing list of issues await resolutions that likely will come in the final days of the 2012 session.

“It’s all wrapped up in a big Gordian knot,” he said.