Governor Tom Vilsack will release his state budget plan this afternoon. It’s expected to outline more than five billion dollars in state spending, and Vilsack has indicated it will include a cigarette tax increase, though he has not revealed how much of an increase. Legislators control the state’s purse strings as any budget must be approved by the House and Senate. Senate Co-Leader Stewart Iverson, a republican from Dows, says legislators have been in a holding pattern, waiting for Vilsack’s proposals. Iverson describes the governor’s budget presentation as a “new beginning” for the 2005 Iowa Legislature. House Speaker Christopher Rants, a republican from Sioux City, says legislators now will begin their budgeting process in earnest. “We are anxious to see what he lays out in there,” Rants says. Democrats say they want to see money in Vilsack’s budget plan to extend more health insurance coverage to more uninsured Iowans. Senate Co-Leader Mike Gronstal, a democrat from Council Bluffs, says it’ll help Iowans who have private insurance. Gronstal says one reason insurance premiums are skyrocketing is because hospitals and doctors pass along the costs of caring for people who don’t have insurance by raising charges for people who do have insurance. Gronstal proposes allowing parents who have their kids enrolled in the state’s HAWK-I, government-paid health insurance to sign up themselves for coverage.Gronstal says it’s allowed under federal law. It’s a great deal for the state, according to Gronstal, because for every one dollar the state spends the federal government will spend three for providing health care insurance to poor adults. “I think it would be a mistake not to expand availability of health insurance for Iowans…both for those people (who) need it and all the rest of us (who) end up paying for it through higher insurance premiums,” Gronstal says.
Two Iowa Guard units return home today
A welcome home celebration is planned for this afternoon (Monday) at Camp Dodge.
Two units of the Iowa National Guard are returning to the Hawkeye State after about 13 months of federal active duty in the Persian Gulf. The 767th Engineer Team,(shown in photo above), spent the past year in Iraq on firefighting duty while the 10-88th Personnel Services Detachment has been in Kuwait — providing administrative services. Combined, the two units have about 65 members who are all completing their demobilation processing at about the same time and should be arriving at the Joint Forces Headquarters around 5:30 P.M.
Treatment official favors restrictions on cold medicines
As state legislators debate new restrictions on cold and allergy medications that are being used to make methamphetamine, an official from a western Iowa drug treatment center hopes the efforts succeed in cutting meth production — and addiction. Chad Jensen is executive director of New View Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention Center. Jensen says products containing pseudoephedrine should be put behind the counter. Jensen says “By limiting access or at least being aware of who’s buying this ephedrine and these kinds of products, it is going to have an effect on the amount of meth that’s being made.” He says there are other key fronts in the battle against methamphetamine that need to be remembered as lawmakers craft new legislation. Jensen says “You have to understand that people don’t just start using meth out of the blue. They work their way up and they start with a lot of gateway drugs.” He points to alcohol, tobacco and marijuana as “gateways” and says continuing efforts to warn Iowans about addiction to these substances will have a larger impact on the state’s meth problem.Jensen says “I certainly appreciate the meth prevention that we’re trying to do, and we’re trying to get the word out that meth is a very addictive, scary drug that’s damaging Iowa families. We certainly want to emphasize that, but more so we need to emphasize that it’s these gateway drugs that we also have to really be aware of.” Jensen suggests that parents can keep their kids’ attention by talking about drugs while they are a captive audience in the car. He also says it’s never too soon to start with age-appropriate warnings about the dangers of drug addiction. New View has offices in: Carroll, Audubon, Guthrie Center, Jefferson and Sac City. Its website is “www.newview.info”.
Governor says his budget plan will require "learning curve"
Governor Tom Vilsack says lawmakers will have to go through a bit of a “learning curve” to digest the budget plan he’ll reveal later today (Monday). Vilsack will ask legislators to shut down some state programs, and cut spending in others. He discussed the budgeting process in general during a recent interview with Radio Iowa. “Well, I think they can expect certain programs that have been funded in the past not to be funding, and I think they can expect some change in the focus and direction,” Vilsack says. In addition, Vilsack is going to lay out a series of budget cuts to make if the state’s cigarette tax isn’t raised, and then a separate series of spending increases that would coincide with additional tobacco tax revenue. Vilsack says legislators will be able to “graphically see” the implications of the decisions they’ll make because he’ll outline the cuts that he believes wlll be necessary if the cigarette tax isn’t increased. Vilsack will hold a public hearing in Waukee this afternoon (Monday) at four o’clock to release the details of his budget plan.
Research says cellphone not only blame for driver distraction
Don’t blame the cellphone for your bad driving. A University of Iowa instructor says the handy portable phones are only a small factor in mishaps blamed on “driver distraction.” John Lee is an associate professor of industrial engineering who says a lot of things can steal the focus a driver needs to do a good job. He says car radios are getting more complicated and they’re an example of “more technology coming into the car.” With so many features, functions and buttons to fiddle with, he says it’s a distraction that can lead to a crash. Professor Lee says the cellphone gets a lot of attention for its role in distracting drivers. One of the most common misconceptions is that a hands-free cellphone makes its use distraction-free. He says there’s a lot of research finding that just talking on the phone can be seriously distracting, and if “you’re not in the right place at the right time,” that can lead to a crash. While anything that diverts your mind can be distracting, Dr Lee says you lose more concentration on the phone than you would if you talked to someone there in the car with you. The auditory quality of a cellphone is poor compared to a personal conversation, and the more you have to concentrate on a poor signal, the less attention you’re giving to driving. Lee says there’s another reason a conversation with a real companion is less likely to lower your driving skills. The person sitting next to you sees the driving situation, and they’re likely to stop talking during a difficult maneuver like merging onto a highway or going around a corner. The person talking on a callphone doesn’t know what’s happening and is likely to keep no talking no matter what you’re doing at the moment. He says drivers don’t have to give up all cellphone conversations, but should remember to keep their main focus on driving. Lee’s done research in the field of “technology-mediated attention” and which events and objects have an impact on our brain’s focus on tasks it must do.
Renewed grape industry leads to Des Moines Winfest
The resurgence of the grape industry in Iowa has also led to the creation of festivals celebrating the wine end product. One of the biggest festivals spawned by the renewed interest in grapes is in Des Monies. Debra Storey Salowitz is the executive director of Winefest Des Moines that started three-years ago. She says there was really a fealing that there’s a growing interest in wine, not only as consumers, but as an industry that’s growing in our own state. Salowitz is planning now for this year’s event in April. She says they’re inviting the Brennans from the fabled restaurant in New Orleans and are inviting vinters from California and Florida too. Salowitz says they try to have wine friendly experts at the event to help people learn more about wine. She says they really de-mystify wine, and it’s not about the snobbery of wine. Salowitz says they raise 20-thousand dollars the first year, and then doubled that last year. She says all the money goes to support the arts in Des Moines.
Maytag reports a loss
Newton-based appliance maker Maytag reported a nine-million dollar net loss for 2004. Maytag C-E-O Ralph Hake reported the loss to stockholders Friday, saying floor care and vending equipment sales were down.He says the Maytag services and Maytag international businesses grew nicely and sales in major appliances were up one percent. He says the downturn came in a 25-percent drop in floor care revenues, and Dixie-Narco revenues were down 13-percent. Hake says the corporation expects to save 150-million dollars annually after the recently completed restructuring that eliminated 20-percent of the salaried workforce. He says last year was a difficult year in many respects and he says it does not reflect the efforts of the employees. Maytag is revising its earning estimate downward for this year to one dollar and ten cents to one dollar and 30 cents a share. The fourth quarter results for 2004 showed a 14-point-one million dollar loss.
