Cedar Rapids Gazette: Following a messy few months for one of Iowa’s iconic institutions, RAGBRAI has committed to give more than $300,000 to Iowa communities and charities this year and $1 million a year within the next five years — and has acknowledged misleading Iowans on past philanthropic promises. The mea culpa comes weeks after riders, vendors, tourism officials and others questioned the organization, and its parent companies of the Des Moines Register and Gannett Co., about just where the ride’s profits were going. “After looking at past documents, it showed we didn’t accurately portray our giving history,” said Anne Lawrie, senior marketing manager of the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. “They were misleading. Our goal as new leaders of RAGBRAI is to be more transparent in documentation and the actions we are taking.”