Each day we lead efforts to champion and promote the projects, products and people in our communities and throughout the region to support economic resiliency and growth.

We are a region rich with stories, like our aviation history that began with the Wright Brothers living here, to world-renowned education institutes producing great authors and athletes, to welcoming immigrants who’ve been at the foundation of many of our communities.

There is no shortage of stories that allow us to champion and promote the region.

Our stories came in handy earlier this month when we brought a regional delegation of business and community leaders to Washington, D.C., to advocate and promote our region and the communities within.

Some ask, “Why do you do this together?” or “Why stand behind another’s priorities that don’t directly impact your particular business or community?”

The simple fact is that the business community faces many common challenges, and, more importantly, has the same goals. We all want to see our communities thrive, our businesses grow and our workers and future workers succeed.

In public policy advocacy, there is power in numbers.

Together, we are represented by four federally elected officials, who are members of 11 powerful congressional committees, including Finance, Small Business, Appropriations, and Energy and Commerce.

Together, the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance and Greater Iowa City Inc. represent more than 4,000 business members that collectively employ over 100,000 workers.

We went to Washington with one unified bipartisan voice and message: championing each other’s projects and priorities to uplift our entire region.

As a group, we advocated for policies that will allow our region to attract and retain a skilled workforce and our businesses to remain competitive, including pushing to increase Pell Grant funding so more students have access to high-demand post-secondary degrees and training, including the trades.

We sought support for a joint grant application between the Eastern Iowa Airport (CID), Kirkwood Community College and Coe College to further their innovative efforts to build the aviation workforce pipeline.

We shared stories of how Collins Aerospace, as well as their local small business suppliers, will benefit from visa reform that will increase the number of high-skilled workers coming to our region.

Our region has proven that strong public-private partnerships have contributed to the growth of our communities, including new investments to plan for increasing our populations.

We urged continued support for crucial Eastern Iowa infrastructure projects that spur economic development and further our ability to remain competitive, including Forevergreen Road expansion, the Burlington Street Bridge replacement and completing Tower Terrace Road.

The return on investment of this trip goes beyond financial or monetary outcomes to the rich relationships we continue to build. We spent considerable time talking with our diligent and dedicated federal staff, hosted a reception promoting our region to 75 D.C.-based professionals with a connection to Eastern Iowa, and built stronger connections with each other.

Time is your friend when you travel as a group. Normally, you don’t have the chance to spend so much “off-time” with the mayor of a neighboring town, or see a small businessperson share a conversation with a university official at the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity or meet a recently retired Marine who attended our celebratory reception and is interested in returning home to Iowa.

Two quick days in our nation’s capital brought all that and more. We welcome all who wish to join our efforts. By showcasing our region as cohesive and collaborative, we will continue to achieve great things and have even more stories to tell.

Nancy Bird is president and CEO of Greater Iowa City Inc. Doug Neumann is the executive director of the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance.

Opinion content represents the viewpoint of the author or The Gazette editorial board. You can join the conversation by submitting a letter to the editor or guest column or by suggesting a topic for an editorial to editorial@thegazette.com

Not everyone can afford a week-long vacation in a distant paradise. For many of us, time and budget constraints make such a getaway seem like a distant dream, especially if you’re planning a family trip. The cost of vacations, from travel to accommodation and meals, can quickly spiral out of control. But fear not, there’s a more budget-friendly way to escape the daily grind, even if it’s just for a day.

Day trips are great because they are a fraction of the price of a vacation, and you get to sleep in your bed once the activities for the day have ended. There is a chance you’ll eat out once or twice and possibly even pick up a couple of souvenirs, but it won’t wreck your budget like a fancy vacation. In Washington, D.C., the hustle and bustle can get old quickly, and many people need to recharge away from so much ruckus. Why not take a lovely short break to one of these 10 day trip locations?

Harper’s Ferry is a beautiful small town in northern West Virginia, near Washington, D.C., Witnessing the Shenandoah and Potamac rivers gracefully merging among the moss-covered rocks and boulders in the rivers. The small town is exactly that: a small town. However, this small town has a fantastic vibe that’s hard to pass up. There’s even a hostel in the neighborhood if you need to stay a little longer for dirt cheap. Harper’s Ferry National Park is gorgeous, and it is a Civil War Museum and Fort that once belonged to John Brown. The Appalachian Trail meanders its way through the wilderness. Start at the Visitor’s Center, as directed by a traveler on TripAdvisor, and work your way down the main street, where you will find lots of unique shops and other small oddities. You will not want to miss this wonderful town.

Located just west of Luray, Virginia, lies Luray Caverns. Exploring the largest and most popular caverns in the eastern U.S. will fill you with a sense of awe as you wind through the intricate cave system. Some of the ceilings are an incredible 10 stories high, and some of the rooms are enormous, considering this is all taking place under your feet, underground. The cave is ready for visitors with its well-lit walkways and fantastic rock formations.

Maryland’s beautiful capital, Annapolis, is just a hop and a skip away from the always intense and busy Washington D.C.; in fact, you can be relaxing in Annapolis after a short 45-minute drive. Coined “a museum without walls,” Annapolis is dressed in four centuries of architecture. It’s also known for its nautical heritage, which involves sailboat racing on Wednesday nights. The quaint town is adorable and boasts many unique and wonderful shops along the main street through town. If you wish to add a splash of nature to your escape from D.C., check out the small, eight-acre Annapolis park.

The Shenandoah mountains are magnificent, and honestly, that term is not enough to describe the Shenandoah. The Shenandoah National Park feels like you’ve traveled to a different country entirely. It is hard to imagine this wild place existing so close to the capital of the U.S. This is an excellent place for a day trip if you are lucky enough to be close enough for such. There is much to see and more to experience, so while a day trip is lovely, spending a week in the Shenandoah mountains and experiencing the phenomenal night sky belongs on all bucket lists. For a quick day trip, Skyline Drive, which runs through the most scenic areas of the park, offers frequent pull-offs for photos without wrecks.

Maryland is no stranger to fabulous parks, and Rocks State Park is on the list. The 855-acre park is a nice escape from the nearby busy cities. Within Rocks State Park, visitors will find a rocky landscape in the heart of the wilderness. Bring your lunch to enjoy at one of the picnic areas, then go on a 3.5-mile hike through the park. Once you become sweat-drenched with tired legs from navigating the boulders, take a well-needed and quite fabulous break tubing or kayaking down Deer Creek.

WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said a man died after a shooting in Southeast D.C.

Police said that at about 4:10 p.m., they were dispatched to the 2700 block of Shipley Terrace for a shooting investigation.

Once at the scene, officers found a man who had been shot. He was unconscious and not breathing.

He died at the scene.