May 16, 2012

You are here: Home / 2008 / Archives for February 2008

California company mistakenly releases doctor info

February 29, 2008 By

A California-based health insurance company admits it made a mistake that could bring some unpleasantness for an untold number of Iowa physicians. Health Net Federal Services says it accidentally posted the Social Security numbers of more than 100,000 doctors on its website.

The numbers were reportedly public for about two months before the slip was discovered and they were removed. The doctors are in 11 states, including Iowa, but it’s unclear how many in each. The doctors are being notified by the insurance company by mail that they may be at risk of identity theft.

The company blames both human error and software. Health Net, a government contractor, has agreed to pay for credit monitoring for the doctors for a year.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine

Quad City bridge projected to cost $791 million

February 29, 2008 By

We hear plenty about the costs of repairing bridges, but Quad City residents may be suffering from sticker shock after hearing the estimated price of building a new span over the Mississippi River. Denise Bulat, director of the Bi-State Planning Commission, says the proposed new Interstate 74 bridge between Bettendorf, Iowa, and Moline, Illinois, will cost 791-million dollars.

She says it’s hoped construction can begin on the project in 2012 to 2015, from a design and right-of-way perspective. "But, of course," Bulat adds, "we need those dollars and this obviously has a large price tag." The financial report was done for the Iowa D.O.T. She adds, the numbers reflect today’s dollars and the bridge will end up costing more.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With:

Overtime upset leads to 3A championship game for SC Heelan

February 29, 2008 By

The class 3A semifinals capped off Thursday’s action at the girls’ state basketball tournament. A huge second half run lifted top ranked Pella into the championship game. The Dutch outscored Marion 34-6 during a decisive part of the second half enroute to a 75-63 win.

Junior forward Brooke Gritters says they did the same thing Tuesday as they didn’t have a good start to the game, but picked it up as a team Gritters scored 11 of her 17 points in the second half as the Dutch started getting the ball inside. Marion led 37-33 at the half and opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run. It was all Pella from that point on.

After shooting 57 percent in the opening half the Indians made only nine-of-27 shots in the final two quarters. Marion guard Morgan Paige says they came out and played their game until Pella threw a different press at the and "we just started getting jittery, and it all fell apart." Paige finished with 16 points and seven assists. Marion ends the season 21-3 while Pella takes a 25-1 record into Saturday night’s 3A title game.

Michelle Lund’s free throw with point-nine seconds remaining in overtime allowed Sioux City Heelan to stun second rated Ballard 50-49. Heelan trailed by 11 at the half but opened the third quarter with a 13-0 run. Lund says they picked it up and got a big second half.

Ballard standout Amanda Zimmerman finished with 16 points but was held scoreless in the second half as the Bombers made only 5-of-19 shots after halftime. Ballard coach Merle Olberding says you have to play the last 16 minutes like you play the first 116 and they let Heelan get back in it and "the rest is history."

The future is now for MFL-Mar-Mac. Despite having three sophomores and two juniors in the starting line-up the Bulldogs are headed to the 2A championship game. Sophomore guard Chelsey Lamker scored 17 points and also had six steals in a 51-43 win over Manson-Northwest Webster. Lamker says they never thought they’d get to the title game. Sophomore forward Mika Rodewald led Manson-Northwest Webster with 18 points.

The Bulldogs will take on top ranked Davenport Assumption in tonight’s 2A title game. The Lady Knights rolled past Monticello 65-47. Tonight’s first championship game is in 1A as Newell-Fonda meets Springville.

This afternoon it is the semifinal round in class 4A.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With:

House votes to make federal rebates exempt from Iowa taxes

February 29, 2008 By

The Iowa House voted Thursday to exempt the rebates from the federal stimulus package from state income taxes, but majority Democrats would not agree to create a state tax break to match a new federal tax break on business equipment and machinery. House Republican leader Christopher Rants of Sioux City, says equipment dealers will tell you the tax break would mean business expansion:

Rants says sixty-seven percent of their members will tell you that bonus depreciation schedule changes prompt investment decisions." But Democrats say a new state tax cut would break the budget. Majority Democrats also turned down a Republican proposal to give smaller companies new tax breaks designed to lure Microsoft expansion to Iowa. Phil Wise, a Democrat from Keokuk, says it’s the Democrats’ job to balance the budget.

Wise says, "It is fiscally irresponsible to move to an unbalanced budget in order to benefit the largest four-percent of businesses in the state of Iowa." Paul Shomshor, a Democrat from Council Bluffs, says Iowans should not have to pay state income tax on the upcoming individual federal tax rebates.

Shomshor says one of the reasons he’s in the legislature is to do things for the middles class, and he says exempting the federal payments is good for the middle class and good for Iowans. The federal rebates could run as high as $1,200.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Governor agrees to reject money for abstinence only education programs

February 29, 2008 By

Iowa Governor Chet Culver has agreed to reject thousands of dollars in federal funding for abstinence only education programs. Culver made his decision after a teen pregnancy prevention group called on him to do so. Future-net executive director Rhonda Chittenden says by accepting the money, the state has to follow the federal guidelines in using the funds.

Chittenden says the educators are then limited by the information they can five out, so if kids ask about using contraception and condoms, the educators can’t give out that information. Chittenden says the abstinence programs are not only irresponsible, but also ineffectual.

"Research continues to show that abstinence only education fails to delay sexual initiation, reduce numbers of sexual partners, or prevent pregnancy in adolescents," Chittenden says. Chittenden encourages Iowa to join 16 other states in refusing federal funding for the abstinence only programs.

Sixteen-year-old Vanessa McDole is a peer educator at North High School in Des Moines says classmates are unfamiliar with condoms and birth control. She says people come up and ask her questions about things they should already know about since they are already having sex. McDole says students are acting without the right information.

McDole says students are "just jumping and not having any idea what they’re doing" as she says they make a five second decision that can tear up their whole life. Iowa received nearly $320,000 from the program last year. Chuck Hurley, the president of the Iowa Family Policy Center says teenagers are not responsible enough to use contraception and should abstain from sex altogether.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine Tagged With: , ,

Website offers info on lakes and water quality

February 29, 2008 By

A newly-revamped website offers Iowans a host of information about more than 130 of the state’s lakes and how water quality improvements could translate to economic benefits. Catherine Kling, an economics professor at Iowa State University, says the website is part of the Iowa Lakes Valuation Project.

Kling says the information there is intended to provide data to lake users, policymakers and others who may be making decisions about investments in water quality or facilities. She says there’s data about the usage of the various lakes and the economic value associated with that usage. Kling says virtually all Iowa lakes would benefit from having more money spent on improving their water quality but the amount of that benefit varies from lake-to-lake.

She says: "There are some lakes that are in closer access to population centers or are already pretty nice lakes and with further improvement, could be really spectacular lakes. Those may be more valuable to invest in than lakes that are less close to population centers or don’t have some pretty good facilities around them already." The website lets visitors browse the lakes in the system through a state map, choose specific lakes in a pull-down menu or find lakes listed by county.

Kling didn’t want to single out any particular lake where money would best be invested, as she says a few dozen are at the top of that list. She says about 35 lakes on the website have estimates of economic impact associated with improvements, which is a "part of the calculus of which lakes should be focused on, but it should also depend on the amount of local interest."

The Iowa Lakes Valuation Project is a collaboration of Iowa State University economists and ecologists and is funded by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The site is run by a team at the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development , or CARD.

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation Tagged With:

Feds sending nearly $27 million for Iowa Veterans Home project

February 29, 2008 By

Veterans Home The U.S Department of Veterans Affairs is sending millions to Iowa for construction at the Veterans Home in Marshalltown. The home is to be expanded and existing facilities will under renovation. 

 "In the first round we got $27 million in federal funding from the federal government," says Brad Anderson, a spokesman for Governor Chet Culver. "That, combined with $15 million in state funds will provide a pretty decent amount of money for the first phase of this program to renovate the Marshalltown veterans home."

Governor Culver’s asking legislators to set aside another $20 million in state money for the final phases of the project. "It is an aging facility and it does need help and when it does get this funding it will be one of the best veterans homes in the entire country," Anderson says.

Once the $100 million renovation and expansion is done, there will be a 132-bed nursing home and other improvements.  

Filed Under: Military Tagged With: ,
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »