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Clarke college looks forward to new conference

May 25, 2007 By

When the next school year begins the sports teams at Clarke College in Dubuque will begin competing in a new conference. The school is joining the Midwest Classic Conference this Fall after competing as a division three independent. The Crusaders at one time were members of the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference but decided not to follow the other schools when it merged with Lake Michigan Conference.

Athletic director Curt Long says the students and coaches are all excited about getting into a conference and having championships to play for. He says beyond athletics it is important to find a conference with similar schools. Long says philosophies have to line up and they were in the same conference 12 years ago, so they’ll be renewing some rivalries.

Besides competing for championships, conference affiliation also makes it easier to put together schedules. He says one schedule is that some of the teams, such as basketball, can travel together. Long says the geographical layout is a good fit too. Clarke will become the eighth Iowa member of the MCC. The others are Ashford, Grand View, St. Ambrose, Iowa Wesleyan, William Penn, Mount Mercy and Waldorf. 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Iowa gets approval to change method for tracking elementary students

May 25, 2007 By

The U.S. Department of Education is giving Iowa approval to change the way it measures the progress of third through eighth graders in meeting federal education standards. Iowa Department of Education Director, Judy Jeffrey, says the new way makes more sense for teachers. Jeffrey says teachers will be held accountable for the growth of students under the "No Child left Behind Act", instead of the current system that compares one group of students to another group of students.

Jeffrey says the new system gives a better view of the students as they move through the system. The group of students is tracked as they move from third grade on through to eighth grade, instead of being compared to a previous third grade class. Jeffrey says classes can have very different characteristics from one year to the next. The new model for measuring students begins immediately. She says the achievement measures from the past school year can be used as the students move into the next grade.

The state uses the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and the Iowa Tests of Educational Development to gauge student progress. Iowa is one of select few states that will try the new approach. Jeffrey says the Secretary of Education is going to allow up to 10 states to pilot the growth model to see if it is a good model to use. Jeffrey says things won’t change much for the school districts, as the state will still provide the tests and the data from those tests. But now the test scores will be analyzed for each group of students as they move through the system to determine their progress. 

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Adair County Treasurer dies

May 25, 2007 By

The Adair County community is mourning after the county treasurer died earlier today. Fifty-seven-year-old Ron Herr had just begun his second four-year term. The exact cause of his death has not been released.

Adair County Attorney Mike Maynes says the Iowa Code does not dictate a line of succession and the auditor will take possession of all papers, books from the office. Maynes says the county supervisors have 40 days by law to appoint a successor.

Maynes says the public can petition for a special election and if there is a special election, the appointee would serve until after the special election. Maynes says Adair County residents can continue going to the treasurer’s office for business. Services for Herr are pending at the Steen Funeral Home in Fontanelle.

Filed Under: Politics & Government

North Iowa Band Festival gets underway

May 25, 2007 By

The Iowa town that’s the birthplace of "The Music Man" Meredith Willson is hosting an appropriate event as Memorial Day weekend gets underway. The 69th annual North Iowa Band Festival starts tonight in Mason City and runs through Sunday. Band Fest coordinator Vance Baird says the events kick off with a 17-mile car cruise and all sorts of live entertainment.

Starting at 5 o’clock, the band "Working Class" will perform 60s-70s-and-80s music, followed at 6 o’clock by the band "Second Hand" performing music from the 70s-and-80s. The night wraps up with the county act "Kendall Meyer" at 8 o’clock. Saturday is the main day of the festival and Baird says there will be several events going on before the big parade, which begins at 10 A.M.

He says there will be 24 high school bands participating as well as two special marching band units, the Isiserettes of Des Moines and Su-Fu-Du of Sioux Falls South Dakota. Baird says there will be several other events and bands playing, including "Skinny Blues" from Fort Madison. There will be a high school drum line competition, followed by performances by the Mason City High School Jazz Band and the Mason City Municipal Band. For more information, visit www.nibandfest.com .

 

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment

Heavy rains could cause problems for campers

May 25, 2007 By

Recent heavy rains may put a damper on camping activities in parts of Iowa this Memorial Day weekend. Mick Klemesrud of the Iowa DNR says, "You’re going to want to keep your eyes on the forecast and be prepared for rain, and if you’re on a campground that has a river or stream, you’ll want to watch for fast rising water." Klemesrud says there are some bodies of water in particular that could be dangerous.

"In western Iowa, around Guthrie Center, I guess they had close to 7 inches of rain and they’re going to see a spike in the Raccoon River and downstream from that," Klemesrud adds, "so Lake Red Rock’s going to have an increase and all the way back up stream." Klemesrud says it’s probably a good idea to avoid boating on Iowa rivers, at least for now.

Klemesrud says, "Because rivers are very much a changing system, a lot of debris can be shifted around there…downed trees can be washed into the river and it can change and hide other obstacles, so it might be a good idea to take a break from the river activities and wait until they come down to normal flows." Klemesrud says rising waters are also closing some Iowa beaches and trail systems, plus boat ramps on lakes.Posted for 1 P.M. Friday

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:

Govenor signs gay rights bill, opponent calls it "cultural malpractice"

May 25, 2007 By

Iowa Governor Chet Culver signed a bill into law today that adds sexual orientation to the state Civil Rights Code. Culver, a Democrat, says the measure gives gays and lesbians the same protection from discrimination in housing and employment as other minority groups.

Des Moines businessman Rich Eychaner was on hand for the signing. Eychaner says he came out as a gay man in 1978 and has been fighting for the issue every since. "Thirty years ago I thought I would get this for my own career, and it became something for the next generation," Eychaner says, "but, the young people coming out of high school today and college will know they can stay in Iowa, and make a career and a future here, and know they’ll be safe and protected."

Eychaner says it’s fitting that the governor signed the bill at Principal Financial in Des Moines, one of the state’s largest employers. Eychaner says he thinks Meredith and Principal, Bankers Trust and Westbank were all companies that supported the bill because they know to attract good workers to the state, you have to have an opening and welcome environment. He says, "This is a bill that says we want to be fair to everybody, and so wherever you come from and whatever your situation in life, you’ll be treated correctly in Iowa."

But the president of the Iowa Family Coalition says many businesses oppose the change. Chuck Hurley says the Civil Rights Code is intended to protect people from bias against an unchangeable characteristic. Hurley says: "What is gender identity? Is it how I feel a certain day? How is an employer supposed to know that? They (employers) cannot have clarity in how they’re going to handle hiring, firing, promotions demotions under this bill. This is not something like race. This is something that goes to a behavior."

Hurley says his group believes the bill is "legislative and cultural malpractice." Hurley says if you look at the bill it does not end discrimination. "It adds a couple of categories of people, funders of campaigns, who have political muscle. It does no end discrimination for all people," Hurley says. Hurley made his comments on the Iowa Public TV program "Iowa Press." 

Filed Under: Business, Politics & Government Tagged With: , ,

Two new members of Iowa Congressional delegation vote against war funding

May 25, 2007 By

Iowa delegation The two newest members of the Iowa Congressional delegation voted against the Iraq war-spending bill. First District Congressman Bruce Braley, a Democrat from Waterloo, voted against the bill and issued a statement saying "The American people and the people of Iowa have demanded a new direction in Iraq. That’s why I cannot support legislation that excludes a reasonable timetable for redeployment, effectively writing the President a blank check to continue his failed policy in Iraq.

Braley’s statement says he will continue to push for a bill that fully funds our troops and includes a timetable and tough accountability standards for President Bush and the Iraqi government to follow.

Second district Representative Dave Loebsack, a Democrat from Mt. Vernon was the other no vote. Loebsack issued this statement: "Like all Iowans, I support the men and women in our military. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I work everyday to ensure our troops receive the support they deserve in service and at home. Unfortunately, this bill would allow the President to send troops to Iraq and Afghanistan without full training, proper equipment, and the necessary rest period required between deployments. Over the course of the past five years, President Bush has mismanaged this war and stubbornly refused to listen to advice or accept the reality on the ground in Iraq. Congress can no longer continue to give President Bush unchecked authority. We need real timelines and real accountability.

Loebsack says he will continue to "do all I can to ensure Congress holds President Bush and the Iraqi government accountable with real benchmarks and real timetables."

Democrat Senator Tom Harkin, a leading critic of the President’s Iraq policy, voted for the bill. Harkin issued a statement saying he voted for the bill because it addresses critical domestic needs, including increasing the federal minimum wage and funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Harkin says he still supports a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq, and says there will be fresh opportunities to seek the votes to get a timetable passed.

Senator Chuck Grassley, Representatives Steve King and Tom Latham, all republicans, voted for the bill, along with Democrat Representative Leonard Boswell. President Bush is expected to sign the bill this afternoon.

(Photo L-R: Senator Tom Harkin, Representatives Leonard Boswell, Bruce Braley, Dave Loebsack, during a meeting earlier this year in Washington, D.C. Larger image )

Audio: Radio Iowa’s Dar Danielson report. :62 MP3

Filed Under: Military, Politics & Government Tagged With: , , , ,
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