The hardships created by a “global economy” were discussed last night duringa forum in Des Moines. Sandra (Sawn-druh) Sanchez (Sawn-chez) of theAmerican Friends Service Committee says the goal was to educate new workers,particularly immigrants, about their rights on the job.Sanchez says workers tend to pit against each other and not the employer whenjobs are moved overseas.Members of the Committee of Women Workers and the United Steel Workers ofAmerica were panelists, but Sanchez says the forum hit topics concerning theentire state. The forum was held at Drake University.
AARP opens caucus office in Iowa
September 8, 1999 By
The American Association of Retired Persons has opened an Iowa Caucus officein a Des Moines suburb to serve as a hub for A-A-R-P’s efforts to influencepresidential candidates. Otto Schultz, an A-A-R-P board member from Madison, Wisconsin, was on handfor this morning’s ribbon cutting.Schultz says the Caucus Project offers A-A-R-P members a unique opportunityto help determine which issues candidates are forced to address.Today, the group is pressing candidates to add a “prescription drug benefit”to the Medicare program.
State asks for help in preventing drug resistant bacteria
September 8, 1999 By
A state task force is trying to head off the number of bacteria that’rebecoming resistant to antibiotics. Leaders of the “Antibiotics ResistanceTask Force” say there have been bacteria resistant to drugs in Iowa foryears, but there’s a potential for the number to really explode. PharmacistNancy Bowersox says Iowans are taking too many antibiotics and that’s makingbacteria resistant. Bowersox says the problem is caused by both doctors andpatients. Bowersox says patients often ask for antibiotics to treat viruses,when antibiotics do nothing to help. She says doctors will sometimes givethem out just to please a patient.She says hospitals and doctors have implemented plans to use antibioticsonly when absolutely necessary.Bowersox says if everyone helps, the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteriacan be held to a minimum State Epimdemilogist Patricia Quinlisk says bacteria related deaths in Iowaare vary rare, but the situation can become worse if it’s not held in check.
UNI player receives league honor
September 8, 1999 By
Northern Iowa receiver Mike Furrey has been named the Gateway conferenceoffensive player of the week. The senior from Hilliard, Ohio had 11 catchesfor 181 yards and also returned a punt 61-yards for a score in a 41-17victory at McNeese State. U-N-I coach Mike Dunbar.Dunbar said going into the season he liked the potential of the Panthers andsays that came through last weekend.U-N-I visits Ohio University this weekend and Dunbar says like most matchupswith 1-A foes, Ohio will have the size advantage.Dunbar says it will be a difficult preparation for the Panther defense thisweek to get ready for Ohio.
Ag Secretary wants ethanol mandate
September 8, 1999 By
Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture is checking with lawyers to see if she hasthe authority issue an order that ethanol be the only fuel dispensed fromIowa gas pumps. Republican leaders in the Iowa legislature refused toendorse an ethanol mandate this past spring. Democrat Governor Tom Vilsackis hopeful Ag Secretary Patty Judge, who’s also a democrat, can requireethanol use on her own.Vilsack says boosting ethanol use boosts the price of corn, as is evident inthe Eddyville area, where farmers get a better price for their corn becauseit’s used in industry.Vilsack says if the legislature doesn’t like making corn-based ethanol fuel”king” in Iowa, then it can block the Ag Secretary’s rule.
Council Bluffs citizens handle radar guns
September 8, 1999 By
Moms, dads, college kids, and senior citizens are on the beat in CouncilBluffs as a part of the “Citizens Radar Watch.” The police departmentstarted the program over a year ago and Captain Keith Mehlin (may-lin) saysit works.The volunteers find a post, use their radar gun, find speeders and recordtheir license plate numbers. The police take that information and send awarning letter. In the past few months, the citizens watch found overfour-hundred speeders.Mehlin says the volunteers don’t interfere with traffic, and as long as theradar guns are out there, speeding is deterred.The police department paid for the extra radar gun with special grant moneydirected for community policing.
Rural Iowans want tobacco money spent on cessation programs
September 8, 1999 By
A survey of rural Iowans shows a majority want the state to spend money fromthe federal tobacco settlement on smoking prevention and cessation programs.The study was conducted by the University of Northern Iowa and theUniversity of Iowa’s College of Public Health. Dr. Paul Pomrehn (Pom-wren)of the U-of-I says 420 people were given a list of choices for spending themoney. Twenty-percent favored using the money for K-12 educationalprograms, but those who favored prevention and cessation programs totaled29-percent. Pomrehn says only 11-percent wanted the money used for taxrelief. Iowa will get nearly two-billion dollars from its portion of thesettlement. Pomrehn says people in the survey felt that one-quarter of thatmoney should be used for prevention and cessation programs. Pomrehn explainswhy the survey included only rural Iowa residents.The state legislature will make the decision on how to spend the tobaccosettlement money during its next session.
