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Culver approves tax credits for filmmakers

May 17, 2007 By

Governor Chet Culver went to the northeast Iowa town where the Sylvester Stallone movie "F.I.S.T" was filmed three decades ago to sign a bill into law that backers hope will help attract more movie-makers to Iowa. "Now Iowa will be in a much more competitive place with some of our neighbors who have been getting a lot more of that business," Culver says.

The new law provides a tax credit to investors in Iowa-made movies, as well as a tax break on the goods and services movie companies use while filming here. "We kind of went a little beyond some other states," Culver says. "The point of the legislation is really to not only attract economic development and outside investment into Iowa, but it’s mostly an opportunity to really showcase Iowa."

According to Culver, the ongoing popularity of the baseball field featured in the movie "Field of Dreams" illustrates how big screen success can translate into tourism. "That is a movie that has left a great, indelible imprint on the minds of people across the country and around the world," Culver says.

The governor says making movies in Iowa is "a wonderful way to sell Iowa and to show off our beauty, and hopefully create at the same time some wonderful new jobs."

Culver was in Dubuque yesterday to host "Capitol for a Day" events there. Culver says he wanted to signal that the "good working relationship" between state officials and Dubuque-area developers would continue in his administration. According to the governor, the expansion of the state tax credit for preserving historic sites has really helped Main Street in Dubuque as did the infusion of millions of dollars in state grant money for construction of the new Mississippi River Museum along Dubuque’s riverfront.

Mike Blouin, the former Iowa Department of Economic Development director who ran against Culver last spring and lost in the Democratic primary, is now leading Dubuque area economic development efforts — but he wasn’t in Dubuque yesterday to meet with Culver. Culver says Blouin was in New York City on a "Sell Iowa" trip.

 

Filed Under: Politics & Government

King denounces immigration reform deal

May 17, 2007 By

President Bush and a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators announced Thursday they’ve come up with a compromise package of immigration reforms, but Congressman Steve King says it’s an outrage. 

"They’re making everybody that’s in the country illegal legal. they’re doing it with one stroke, potentially, of the president’s pen — which I believe he’ll sign," King says. "The rest of the stuff is bells and whistles."

King also objects to the provision which he says will "race through" the backlog of reunification requests on the part of people who’re living here now and have filed the paperwork to bring their family to the U.S. 

"This is a broad stroke, massive amnesty and it’s going to bring in more people than they tried to legalize last year with the Senate bill," King says. The U.S. Senate passed an immigration-related measure last year which stalled in the House.

King says the senators who crafted this latest attempt at immigration reform need to wear a scarlet "A" on their chests, because it’ll provide amnesty for people who King contends should be sent back to their home country because they entered the U.S. illegally. "We’ll do everything we can to stop it," King says.

King predicts the Senate "will be scrambling" to try to pass the bill before Memorial Day so they can "run for the hills" and toss the issue over to the House for debate.

King, a Republican from Kiron, has long criticized any attempt to allow illegal immigrants a faster "path" to citizenship than is given those who come into the country legally.

 

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Iowa needs 4-game sweep for Big Ten title

May 17, 2007 By

The Iowa baseball team closes out the regular season at home this weekend against league-leader Michigan. At 16-10 the Hawks are in fourth and wrapped up a spot in the conference tournament this past weekend. With a four game sweep and some help Iowa could win the regular season title.

Iowa coach Jack Dahm says it’s a long shot, as they would have to win all four games to have a chance. Dahm says they aren’t going to worry about it, and just go out and play. Dahm says they had the same situation two years ago at Illinois, and ended up winning three out of four and ended up a half game out of first.

After starting the Big Ten race 16-1, Michigan has stumbled the past couple of weeks and the Wolverines have dropped five of their last seven. Dahm says the Wolverines are struggling, but will get themselves ready to go and make it a tough challenge. The series begins with a single game on Friday night.

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William Penn softball team faces Texas team in tourney

May 17, 2007 By

The William Penn softball team opens the NAIA National Tournament tomorrow afternoon in Decatur, Alabama. The Lady Statesmen open the first of two days of pool play against St. Gregory’s of Texas. The other team in the pool are Tiffin opf Ohio, Bellevue, Nebraska and third ranked Point Loma Nazarene from California.

Penn coach Mike Christner says they probably got as good a draw as they could. The top two teams from each pool will advance to an eight-team double elimination tournament next week. Christner says they have talent and as good a shot as anyone.

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Northwestern opens NAIA Super Regional

May 17, 2007 By

The Northwestern College baseball team opens an NAIA Super Regional tonight at Bellevue of Nebraska. The teams will play a best-of-three series with the winner advancing to the NAIA World Series.

Northwestern coach Brian Wede says they have the pitching, and need the hitting to stay consistent. Bellevue will provide a tough test, as he says they have tough pitching, but he says all the remaining teams have good pitching.

 

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State coed track meet underway

May 17, 2007 By

The state high school track meet opened this morning with a record setting run in class 2A. Carly Olsen from Logan-Magnolia won a second straight title in the three thousand meter run with a time of ten minutes 16-point-seven-four seconds.

Olsen says she went out with the goal of setting a new record. Olsen says she knew she had to work hard and turn in her best.

Megan Glisar of Sergeant Bluff-Luton is now a record holder in two different classes. After winning the class 2A high jump a year ago and setting a record in the process, Glisar won the 3A high jump earlier today and equaled the 3A record of five feet, six inches.

Glisar missed on three chances to set a new record. She says five eight and a quarter is her personal best, but it didn’t work out to clear that today.

The Monticello won the boys four by eight hundred meter relay for the second straight year. Travis Larson ran the anchor and the winning time was seven minutes, 59 point-six-six seconds. Larsons says it was a total team effort. Moticello had finished second in the event at the Drake Relays, and they knew they had to run hard. 

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Senator Grassley doesn’t favor amnesty for immigrants

May 17, 2007 By

Republican Senator Charles Grassley says he’s against "unrestricted" amnesty for immigrants who are living in the country illegally. "I voted for amnesty 20 years ago because we had three million illegal aliens in the country and I thought to myself: ‘We take care of them once and for all, that’ll take care of our problem,’" Grassley says. "I found out rewarding illegality, you get more of it. Now we have a 12 million-person problem."

Grassley rejects the concept of "earned citizenship" that some are touting. "Even the president of the United States uses that term. Supposedly you’re supposed to pay a fine, do other things (in) contrition to become a citizen of the United States. It’s still amnesty. I can’t buy it and if everything else in the bill is good, I’ll still probably vote against the bill," Grassley says.

Key senators have been meeting privately all week trying to come up with a compromise on immigration reform. Grassley says if he were able to write the immigration reform bill himself, he’d tie the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country to the U.S. unemployment rate.

"So when unemployment’s high you wouldn’t use it, but when unemployment’s low you would use it. I would have a temporary worker program so people could come to the country legally to work and I believe you’d soon replace illegal workers with legal workers," Grassley says. "I would also make it easier to get visas…for the professional people who want to come here to work." Grassley, though, isn’t holding out much hope that a compromise will be reached on the issue.  

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