Iowa Beer

The Iowa Brewer’s Guild launched has launched iowabeer.org to showcase Iowa-brewed craft beers and brewers.

There’s a useful events calendar and list of Iowa breweries. Check it out.

Wednesday Reads — We’re Stuffed

So does Iowa have enough casinos?

I mean, after years of bellying up to the all-night gambling buffet, could we find room for just one more plate of shrimp? Come on. They’re so small.

Turns out we can’t eat another bite, according to a pair of studies looking at Iowa’s gambling market. Charlotte Eby has the goods at Covering Iowa Politics.

Maybe, the studies suggest, we could fit one wafer-thin casino way up in Lyon County. That’s the far northwest tip of Iowa, for the geographically disinclined. And a casino there could tap the Sioux Falls, S.D. market.

But putting casinos in other locales clamoring for some action, including Wapello, Tama, Franklin and Webster counties, and you’ll pretty much just be pulling business away from existing casinos.

Elsewhere…

Hundreds of people marched in Postville on the anniversary of last year’s big immigration raid at Agriprocessors. Many voices were raised for swift passage of comprehensive immigration reform. I’m not holding my breath.

Register columnist John Carlson notes that U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, who is pro-choice, and pro-embryonic stem sell research, spoke at Catholic Clarke College in Dubuque without stirring up much controversy. That’s a big contrast with President Obama’s upcoming commencement address at Notre Dame.

Prayers for Sen. Merlin Bartz’s safe release from the clutches of the evil Senate Ethics Committee have been answered. The panel voted 6-0 to drop a complaint filed after Bartz urged county recorders to resist gay marriage. None took his advice.

The Omaha World-Herald has a tip for folks who enjoy illegal firearms and social networking. Don’t post pictures of yourself posing with your illegal guns. You might just get friended by local law enforcement.

The Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau has unveiled its new tourism campaign. “What’s Up, Quad Cities!” Actually, it’s a “community awareness campaign” to inform cash-strapped locals what’s going on locally.

The slogan beat out a similar entry from Cliff Clavin and Associates: “The Quad Cities, What’s Up with That?” Only kidding, kind Quadsters. And sorry to the youngsters for the head-scratching cultural reference.

If you like roads, you’re gonna love the new $2.1 billion Iowa Department of Transportation 5-year highway plan.  US 20, US 30, US 63 all are on the list along with many other projects. But local hopes for Highway 100 expansion on the northwest side of Cedar Rapids were dashed.