Cedar Rapids Gazette: A hotly contested plan for building a Cargill rail yard near a blue-collar neighborhood in Cedar Rapids failed Tuesday evening in a rare split between the City Council and city staff. The council didn’t formally reject Cargill’s request for an essential services designation. That’s the mechanism city staff had recommended for the agricultural giant to build an 18-track, 200-rail-car storage yard south of downtown. However, after more than two hours of public testimony mostly in opposition and deliberation by the council, it was clear the measure lacked the votes to pass. It failed for a procedural reason — no one made a motion to vote.