August, 3, 2009 - The Des Moines Register - Reid Forgrave

Waterloo, Ia. - The Rev. Morris Anderson grabbed the microphone at his church pulpit, ready to galvanize his community to fight back.

It was a diverse crowd for a weeknight at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church on the city's near east side: 20 pastors from around Waterloo, plus 50 concerned citizens.

They wanted to quell the spate of shootings that began here the first day of summer, injuring 15 people and forcing a city to search for solutions.
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Anderson's voice rose as he exhorted fellow pastors.

"It starts with us," he said. "We are the ones who need to be on the streets and talk to the gang members. It's going to take some work to turn around what's going on around here."

Anderson has been pushing for the work to begin because the violence has arrived at his sanctuary's front door. In mid-July, a sublime afternoon was interrupted by gunfire across the street from the church.

Police found a local man, 34, shot once in the gut at a convenience store. A 23-year-old Waterloo man was later arrested.

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Thursday, May 8, 2008 - Public News Service - Dick Layman/Kevin Clay

Des Moines, IA - Iowa's farmers want to give fair trade a fair shake in their state. Saturday is "World Fair Trade Day," promoting a worldwide movement to provide farmers with a living wage while protecting the environment in developing countries. The event will also encourage consumers to make fair trade items a larger percentage of their purchases throughout the year.

Iowa vegetable producer Rick Hartmann thinks fair trade practices could also be applied to local farmers. 

"If you look at the direct market movement in Iowa you incorporate a lot of the benefits of the fair trade system for local farmers."

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