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John Wayne centennial includes new lottery tickets, museum

May 18, 2007 By

John Wayne lottery ticket Things are ramping up for the centennial celebration of the May 26th birth of actor John Wayne in Winterset. Part of the events included the Iowa Lottery unveiling a set of three new scratch tickets today that feature Wayne. Lottery CEO Ed Stanek says the ticket is the first to feature the man known as "The Duke."

Stanek says it’s a two-dollar ticket that feature photos from three of Wayne’s movies. The tickets have top prizes of $10,000, and there are 10 of the top prizes in the 600,000 tickets available. The Iowa Lottery plans to give away a couple of thousand tickets at stops throughout the state, and at the Madison County Fairgrounds during the birthday celebration for Wayne on May 26th. Stanek says they’ll also be giving away t-shirts and blankets and hats featuring John Wayne as he says they celebrate "one of Iowa’s most famous citizens."

The John Wayne Birthplace Society is holding the centennial birthday celebration in Winterset from the 25th through the 27th. Part of the celebration includes a groundbreaking for a new John Wayne museum. David Trask, the chair of the board of the society, calls Wayne is an "American icon."

"I believe that he characterized more than anybody else, those things about our county that so many people think made our country great," Trask says, "And that’s why it’s important that we celebrate John Wayne, and that’s why it’s important that we build this museum that is comparable in stature to the man himself in a place where people can come and learn more about his life."

Trask says the Wayne family has donated money for a statue that will be unveiled on the 26th at the groundbreaking for the museum. Trask had other news about the progress of the museum. He says they received their fist six-figure contribution from the Irwin family of Oklahoma City this week. The Irwin family runs car dealerships, including one in Winterset, and they’ve also donated a commemorative John Wayne saddle that’ll be raffled to help fund a theatre at the museum.

Trask was asked if John Wayne might’ve tried a lotter scratch ticket. "John Wayne lived a very full life," Trask said and then laughed. "Yes, I’m sure you could say he probably gambled some in his movies, and smoked a few cigarettes and drank some whiskey as well." Trask says they’re not claiming Wayne was a perfect individual, but says Wayne did exemplify those qualities that people associate with the greatness of America.

Stanek says The Iowa Lottery has to send its proceeds from the Wayne ticket sales to the state general fund. But, he says the company that is producing the tickets will make a 24-hundred dollar donation to the museum effort. Trask says they hope to be able to open the museum in 2009.

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:

Regents Miles and Campbell pleased with U-I President search

May 18, 2007 By

Two of the four new members of the board that governs the University of Iowa say they’re pleased with the current search for a new university president. Board of Regents member Bonnie Campbell suggests it’s time to move on and stop analyzing the first search which failed to yield a new president and was abandoned in November.

"I have to be very candid and tell you that I’m not sure that I know to this day exactly what went wrong and I’ve decided that it’s not worth my time to figure that out," Campbell says. "Rather, we need to look forward and as quickly as possible get all of that behind us." Officials say by July 1 the search committee that started meeting in December will submit to the Board of Regents a list of finalists for the U-of-I presidency. Critics have accused that search committee of being too secretive.

Campbell says there is a "delicate balance" to be struck. "I can totally understand that if you’re going to throw your name out there and you’re not going to reach that ‘maybe-I’m-really-going-to-get-this-job’ point, I don’t see any reason for that group of people to have to disclose that they’ve applied," Campbell says.

"…I know there has been a great deal of controversy about whether the process should be entirely open or partially confidential to accommodate the concerns of the candidates and it looks like the search committee has tried to strike a balance. I don’t want to be critical of that."

Regent David Miles, another brand-new member of the board, says the first concern is to make sure the search committee’s decision to conduct interviews in private is legal. "As I understand it, the committee was advised by the attorney general’s office that their approach was legal. I think we should err, to the extent that we air in any direction, toward openness," Miles says. "…The reality of these searches is they all start closed, they all start private in the sense that we don’t publish everybody’s resume that puts in an application. At some point it needs to go to a public process and I think it needs to finish with a public process."

Miles suggests the names of those who have a "realistic chance" of becoming the next U-of-I president should be publicly disclosed. Miles and Campbell made their comments during taping of Iowa Public TV’s "Iowa Press" program which airs tonight at 7:30.

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Forum focuses on insurance for kids

May 18, 2007 By

A forum in Des Moines today is discussing a federal program that helps pay for insurance for uninsured kids.

Cindy Mann of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families says they’re trying to raise awareness that the program is coming to an end. Mann says the federal funds for "Hawk-I," the State Children’s Health Insurance Program program in Iowa is running out after 10 years, and the money will go away unless Congress acts. Iowa is one of the state’s that’s continued to expand the number of children covered under the program, but Mann says that progress could be lost.

Mann says Iowa is poised to move forward and has taken some significant steps this legislative session and plans to do others — but can’t do anything without the reauthorization. Why should Iowans who have health insurance worry about those who don’t?

According to Mann, kids who are healthy have a better ability to learn and to grow and develop and become productive workers. Mann says it cost less to provide healthcare for kids now than it does later on. Mann says to sustain the current programs, and move forward to cover all the uninsured, it would require an additional 50-billion dollars over five years at the federal level.

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

State courts offer instructions for divorce without a lawyer

May 18, 2007 By

Iowa is a "no-fault" divorce state and now the Iowa Supreme Court is offering some divorcing couples a "no-hassle" option. State law says Iowans do not have to cite a reason for seeking a divorce. Now, divorcing couples in Iowa who do not have to resolve child custody issues and who don’t want to quibble over the splitting of their assets have a new option — a sort of "attorney-free" divorce.

State court officials have drawn up forms which divorcing couples can fill out and submit in person at a clerk of court’s office. It means the couple is essentially representing themselves in court, so they don’t have to hire a lawyer to do the paperwork.

Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Marcia Ternus says the self-help forms "will help people navigate through Iowa’s divorce laws" and help ensure that Iowans who can’t afford a lawyer can still get a divorce. The forms are available on the Iowa Judicial Branch’s website .

 

Audio: Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson reports on self-serve divorce. :49 MP3

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Iowa gas prices hit record high

May 18, 2007 By

Triple-A-Iowa says the average price for a gallon of gasoline hit an all-time high for Iowa today, jumping to $3.21 a gallon. Brian Crowe, an energy analyst for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says the state’s gas price survey shows the statewide average as two-cents lower than Triple-A’s estimate, but still at a record level.

Crowe says, "The price has gone up considerably over the last month, about 15-percent. In the middle of April, we were at $2.71 per gallon. Yesterday, we were at about $3.16. Today, it looks like we’re at $3.19." Some folks may blame President Bush, a conspiracy of oil company leaders or overseas terrorists for the skyrocketing gas prices.

Crowe says it has more to do with a variety of refinery issues that have sliced into the gas supply. Crowe says: "It’s definitely not at the whim of any one individual or executive. It’s definitely Economics 101. There’s not a lot of product to go out and there is a lot of people who want this product, so the price is gonna’ go up."

The first big travel weekend of the summer season is a week away and Crowe predicts we may have to pay even more to fill our tanks before hitting the road. Crowe says, "Prices could go up a bit before we reach Memorial Day. Hopefully what will happen is that the refineries will come back on-line more and more throughout the country, getting more product to different places and then getting more product to Iowa."

The Triple-A survey shows Iowa’s average gas price at $3.21 a gallon, nine cents –higher– than the national average.

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Culver says U-I situation may require change in open meetings law

May 18, 2007 By

Governor Chet Culver says he’s not pleased the committee which is interviewing candidates for the University of Iowa presidency opted for secrecy as it nears the end of its search. The search committee publicized when the meetings would be held, but retreated to an undisclosed location to conduct interviews.

"We need to follow the letter and the spirit of the Public Meetings law and I’ve expressed some real concerns that this process has not been open, certainly not as open as it should be," Culver says. When the Iowa Legislature reconvenes next January, the governor may ask legislators to make changes in Iowa’s Open Meetings Law.

"Public means public and open — to the press and more importantly, to the people of Iowa," Culver says. "…It’s their government and we have to make sure it’s open to everyone and I will lead the charge, if necessary, next legislative session to make those changes." 

Filed Under: Education, Politics & Government Tagged With:

Dowling freshman sets record

May 18, 2007 By

West Des Moines Dowling’s Katie Flood ran the 3,000 meters in nine-minutes and 42-point-six-seven seconds, the all-time best in the Class 4-A State Track Meet.

It’s the third-best time in the country for that distance this year. Flood ran in the Drake Relays in April, and shaved about two seconds off her time. Flood is just a freshman.

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