Waterloo downtown a work in progress

If you've spent any time in Waterloo and made it downtown, you will see that there is a lot of potential there. Lots of old abandoned buildings and plenty of wide streets to channel people in. They also have modern hockey arena that is easily accessed from Interstate 218. I think Waterloo's downtown is going to have an uphill struggle reaching a level of vibrancy that they would like to reach. First of all, there are an awful lot of homeless people walking around the streets of downtown Waterloo. I can't tell you if anything is in place to help these people, but someone in authority needs to address this issue. Secondly, the freeway rolling right through the downtown is both a blessing and a curse in my opinion. It is a blessing because it can potentially bring lots of people to downtown Waterloo's doorstep. It is a problem because people just keep driving right on by! There are no signs that offer any information about any business or event in the downtown as you drive though. The freeway is also a problem due to the poor access points to reach it once you are in downtown. There are too many one-way streets and it is hard to find the on-ramps.
As for the abandoned buildings...I can see these as prime locations for condos and apartments someday if the city enjoys a renaissance. At this time, however, I think that renaissance is pretty far away.

Cedar Falls a Vibrant Community

You have to admire Cedar Falls and its downtown. Many Iowa communities have tried (unsuccessfully) to 'revitalize' their downtown areas- make them into destination spots full of restaurants, bars and businesses for people to visit. Of all the communities in Iowa I have visited, only Des Moines compares favorably to Cedar Falls (although I have heard that Sioux City is pretty happenin').
When driving into Cedar Falls, take a stroll down Main Street. It is only about 6-8 blocks, but it is loaded with restaurants, bars, clubs and lots of trendy small businesses. Everything is packed into a small area which makes it easy to walk from one place to another. Many of these restaurants and bars have live music, something hard to come by in much of Iowa. There's plenty of parking too. Most of the people in the area are very friendly and courteous. Granted, with a large college population, Cedar Falls has an advantage over other towns. But I believe they went about this in the right manner: Keep it hip, trendy and affordable and people will come in.

Worker's compensation: What are the time limitations to file a claim?

From Aaron Murphy, Osage, Iowa Attorney:
Unless your employer has notice or knowledge of your injury within 90 days of its happening, you may be denied benefits. The 90 day period begins to run when you knew or should have known that your injury related to your job. When an employee reports a work injury, the employer must file a First Report of Injury if the employee loses more than three (3) days of work or sustains permanent injury or death on account of the injury. The
employer (or its insurance carrier) must file the First Report of Injury within four (4) days of notice or knowledge of the alleged injury with the Workers’ Compensation Commissioner. You must receive Iowa weekly workers’ compensation benefits or file an application for arbitration within two years or your injury or benefits may be denied. If you have received Iowa weekly workers’ compensation benefits, you have three years from the last payment of those weekly benefits to receive additional benefits voluntarily, or to file a contested case proceeding for benefits. If you do not file within the three year period you may be denied additional weekly benefits.
For more information, visit: www.workerscompensationattorneys.net or call Aaron Murphy at 641-732-3796.

Web site content

It may seem daunting when trying to decide what kind of content to place on your web site. One rule of thumb: Do not confuse your visitors, especially if they are potential customers. Keep your message straight-forward and focused and you will have the best results. Be sure each page of your site is clearly named and that you stick to that theme throughout the page. Another tip: make it easy for visitors to communicate with you. One of the primary reasons to have a web site is so that your visitors may contact you. I suggest a web form on most every page or at least an activated email link.

E-commerce start-up advice

If you are ready to start selling products on the internet from your own web site, I suggest using PayPal as your payment processor. It is the best solution for small and mid-sized enterprises. There is no fee until you sell an item. PayPal charges nearly the same fee per transaction as the credit card providers. However, there is no monthly fees and little or no monitoring or your account. Anyone can sign up for PayPal, and it is fairly simple to add the PayPal 'buy now' buttons to your web site.