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Blouin defends Iowa Values Fund again

June 20, 2006 By

The former director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development responded today to a report from the department that shows the 53-hundred jobs created by the “Iowa Values Fund” don’t match up with the governor’s claims of 25-thousand jobs “created or retained”. Mike Blouin says the report is very positive.

Blouin says he’s heartened that so many projects are on schedule and moving toward their goals. Blouin says, “No one ever said those 25-thousand jobs were there today. They said they were in commitments in contract. These incentives are rewards for having done something, they’re incentives to affect behavior.”

Blouin says the money hopefully gets the companies to act on job creation. He says they want the company’s behavior to be that they will expand and do what the companies say they’ll do in three to five years. Blouin says the Iowa Values Fund is too new to be judged now.

Blouin says, “It is far from a finished product. It has been from the very beginning been a seven to eight year effort that is in context with a 20-year process of converting Iowa’s economy.”

The Values Fund has been at the center of the debate among the candidates for governor. Republican nominee Jim Nussle promises to get rid of it. Democratic nominee Chet Culver has expressed concerns about the program and vows to make changes if he’s elected. Blouin finished second to Culver in the Democratic primary for governor.

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With:

Nussle promises free-ride for college for grads who live in Iowa for seven years

June 20, 2006 By

Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Nussle proposes a free-ride for students at Iowa, Iowa State and UNI who come from low- to moderate-income Iowa families if they promise to work in Iowa for seven years after graduation.

Nussle held news conferences in Iowa City and Des Moines today (Tuesday) to unveil a host of education proposals, including that promise to pay off student loans for low- to moderate-income students who keep their college grades up — and promise to stay and work in Iowa for seven years after graduating from college. “Once we get a college education under the belt of a young person here in this state, we’ve got to make sure we can attract them to stay in Iowa,” Nussle says.

Nussle calls this proposal “Learn and Earn” and “high-performing” students whose parents earn $52,000 or less annually would be eligible. “As long as they keep their grades at 3.0 or better, if they score well on the ACT which is composite of 23 or higher, and if they promise to work in the state for seven years or more — I want them over seven years after graduation to commit to staying here, to working here, to building a business here, to building a profession here,” Nussle says. “In return for signing that contract, we’re going to buy down their student loan. We can do that at a 15 percent rate per year every year that they are here.”

Nussle says that will provide Iowa students a reason to stay and make Iowa this home. Nussle would also offer parents and college-aged students a guarantee that tuition at Iowa, Iowa State and UNI would go no higher than the so-called “higher education price index” which measures inflation on college campuses. Nussle says a tuition freeze won’t work. “A freeze may sound good but what it does is it undercuts our higher education system,” Nussle says.

Nussle also wants to ensure that every Iowa high school offers students “advanced placement” classes and the ability to take community college courses to start earning college credits while they’re still in high school. “Particularly in core subjects like sciences, technology, engineers, mathematics, foreign languages, English — all we believe are key if we’re going to ensure that our kids have the advantages they need in order to meet the challenges of the future,” Nussle says.

Last week Nussle pledged to raise K-through-12 teacher pay “above the national average” and today Nussle indicated he believes it’s possible to redirect over 330-million dollars in state funds and raise teacher pay above the national average — so that average teacher pay in Iowa would rank 15th among the 50 states. “We want Iowa to set the standard again when it comes to world-class education,” Nussle says. “We want Iowa to lead again. We want our students to lead. We want our educators to lead.”

Nussle held his Des Moines news conference in the parking lot at Hoover High School, where his Democratic opponent Chet Culver had been a teacher and coach before being elected Secretary of State in 1998.

Filed Under: Politics & Government

Iowa Pork Producers raise concern over new E-P-C rule

June 20, 2006 By

The Iowa Pork Producers today (Tuesday) issued a statement expressing concern over the rule approved Monday by the Environmental Protection Commission that gives the D-N-R power to deny construction permits or require modifications of manure management plans for livestock operations.

Pork Producers lawyer Eldon McAfee says hog producers are worried about the way the rule might be used. McAfee says, “The major concern is the unknown with a rule that is worded in this way, being broad, and in our opinion vague. It’s hard for a producer to know exactly what will be required of them to comply with this rule as we’ve indicated before.”

McAfee says this adds one more thing for the producers to worry about. He says they’ve had quite a few regulations to comply with already, and now with this rule, even if they comply with the other regulations, the director of the D-N-R can deny their permit based on this rule.

McAfee says they hope the D-N-R director will stick with his statement that the rule will only be used in limited situations. McAfee says “We truly do hope that it will be used as they have indicated they will use it. I guess only time will tell.” The rule must still be approved by a legislative committee.

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

Grassley won’t support resolution calling for troop pull out

June 20, 2006 By

The U.S. Senate is considering a resolution today (Tuesday) that urges President Bush to begin pulling troops out of Iraq by year’s end. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he will -not- support the resolution, saying it would only lend encouragement to the insurgents and defeat our purpose for being in Iraq in the first place.

Grassley says “If they know the United States’ troops will not be supporting the Iraqi troops at a certain date, at the end of this year or any specific date, all they have to do is reserve, hold their resources and their competition in reserve and then they’ll have free reign and you’ll have civil war in Iraq.”

Some Republicans say the so-called “cut and run” strategy would threaten national security, but Grassley says he wouldn’t call it “cut and run” as he understands the frustration of those who want the U.S. out of Iraq. Still, he says no timeline can be given for a withdrawal.

Grassley, a Republican, says “The best way to win a war is to keep your opposition off guard, not know what your plans are, and the instrument of surprise is the best way to win. It’s just the opposite when you say that you’re going to pull out.” He says if a date of December 31st of 2006 were set in stone for the U.S. to leave Iraq, the insurgents would only have to hold out until then before launching an offensive.

Grassley says “You could imagine if we said we were going to win World War Two in Europe by May 1st of 1944, let’s say, and if we didn’t we were going to pull out. Why heavens, Hitler would still be in control of all of continental Europe and who knows, he may’ve been in England by now.” Grassley says it makes no sense to send your military plans to your enemy in advance.

Filed Under: Military, Politics & Government Tagged With:

Stay low to avoid being hit by lightning

June 20, 2006 By

This is lightning awareness week, and Angela Oder is with the National Weather Service says the best place to find shelter from lightning is in a house or ther “substantial” building.

In that kind of building, even if it’s hit by lightning, the electricity will follow the outer shell of the building or follow gutters or metal wiring or plumbing to the ground where it will safely discharge. She says you also may be safe in a car, because its metal “shell” will carry lightning down to the ground.

Oder says it’s important not to touch any metal parts in the car, and to leave your vehicle turned off. She says you won’t get enough protection from a convertible or other soft-top vehicle. If you are caught outside during a thunderstorm, Oder says stay away from trees, or any other tall and isolated objects, as they tend to be struck first.

Oder says if you’re out in the woods stay away from the tall trees, and get under the lowest ones you can. If you’re outside and start feeling your hair stand on end, a sudden surge of static electricity that feels like you’re about to be struck, she advises you crouch down low, cover your head with your arms, and make yourself as small a target as possible.

Some people figure if rubber isn’t a conductor of electricity, they’ll be safe wearing rubber-soled shoes outdoors in a storm, or riding in a car with rubber tires. She says you can still be hit by lightning and those rubber-soled tennis shoes will do nothing to protect you. In a car, it’s not the tires that keep you safe, it’s the metal shell of the vehicle. The best place outdoors remains — getting indoors.

Filed Under: Weather

Boy discovers grenade near river in Clinton

June 20, 2006 By

A curious boy’s discovery closed down part of Clinton’s riverfront on Monday afternoon. Police say a father and son were walking along the Mississippi River when the boy picked up what he thought was rock. When he showed it to his father, he thought it was a hand grenade.

The father placed the device in a planter on Riverfront Drive between the Showboat and the Mississippi Belle docking area and contacted police.

The first officer to arrive on the scene did confirm that the device was a hand grenade. The area was blocked off to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

The Quad City bomb squad of the Davenport Police Department and the State Fire Marshal’s office were called to the scene. The grenade was removed from the scene for proper disposal without incident. The incident remains under investigation.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Officials says man found in Coralville Lake accidentally drowned

June 20, 2006 By

More details have been released on the death of a man in eastern Iowa. Authorities have determined that the death of a North Liberty man whose body was found in the Iowa River this weekend was accidental.

The man identified as 48-year-old Kenneth Fowler was found dead in the Iowa River at the Jolly Roger’s Campground at Coralville Lake Sunday afternoon.

The Johnson County Medical Examiner has ruled Fowler’s death accidental. A preliminary autopsy indicates the cause of death was drowning. A final autopsy will be released in about four weeks.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters
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