AmeriCorps*VISTA is in the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City area. Help out if you can.

You can follow the Iowa City area effort here:
http://johnsoncountyvista.blogspot.com/

For those in the Cedar Rapids area:
http://www.vistacorridorrecovery.org/

**Full disclosure** The lady of my life is currently a volunteer with the Iowa City effort.

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Damaged tunnels cause power problems for UI [Press-Citizen]

It’s damp. It’s dark. It’s hot, and it’s got a funny smell.

This is the world of the University of Iowa’s subterranean tunnel system — six miles worth. Developed in the 1920s, it runs across campus.

*snip*

At the peak of flooding, water filled the tunnels to the brink, Creed said. UI was forced to shut the system down.

“You get a water hammer. It would blow up the water pipes, or it could,” Creed said.

UI suspects water penetrated the tunnels from the Iowa River through manholes around the Iowa Memorial Union, he said.

I knew there were alot of tunnels, just not six miles. I also didn’t know what “water hammer” was either. I had to look it up.

I know this gentleman.

He has a band. It’s called Edmo Trio.

Iowa City Apartment Listings and Management Companies Online:

• Apartments Downtown
• Apartments Near Campus
• Campus View Apartments
• Hodge Construction Apartments
• Heritage Property Management
• Southgate Properties
• Barker Apartments
• Buxton Properties
• Moen Group Properties
• Jim Miller Rentals

New York makes people like strange things.

Restaurateur awaits refinancing, expects downtown to be revitalized

Last week, a stain 5feet high on the wall of Blend, a restaurant in downtown Cedar Rapids, marked the height of recent floodwaters.

Mud was everywhere, and tables and chairs were “every which way,” said Mark Young, one of three owners.

Today, the place is gutted — clean and decontaminated. “Just about everything came out,” Young said. “A whole lot of work got done in a few days.”

The credit goes to co-owners Andy Deutmeyer and Vic Kuper, the restaurant’s chefs, and their friends and family, said Young, a physician.

Now, the restaurateurs are awaiting refinancing before they hire contractors.
Young hopes a Small Business Administration loan will help the owners get the operation going again.

“If the financing came through relatively quickly, we could be open in two to three months,” Young said. “But that’s a big if.”

The owners never considered closing permanently, Young said. “We were all of one mind about what we would do,” he said.

He believes a revitalized downtown will emerge from the flood devastation. “We have a great opportunity,” Young said. “With the right amount of money and effort, we can build a better downtown.”

Blend’s section begins at :45 and ends at 1:50.

Went to HS with Mr. Kuper. Expect another post advertising their reopening.

It’s Medeski, Martin and Wood:

Appearing Friday, July 4th at the Iowa City Jazz Fest. If you don’t have the time, steal it. 😛