May 21, 2012

You are here: Home / 2008 / November / Archives for 4th

Early vote totals surpass 2004

November 4, 2008 By

Polling place sign. Early voting in Iowa has surpassed 2004 levels by 16%. The latest data from the Iowa Secretary of State’s office indicates just over 534,000 Iowans cast their votes beofre today.

Iowans who requested an absentee ballot, but didn’t fill it out and mail it by Monday’s deadline can take it to their polling place today, turn it over to poll workers and get a regular ballot.

Absentee ballots that are filled out can be taken to your county auditor’s office before the close of business today. Secretary of State Michael Mauro has cautioned Iowans that they may have to wait in lines to vote today, as he predicts turnout may be as high as 80%.

 

Filed Under: Politics & Government

Grassley expands on press and America

November 4, 2008 By

During a Republican rally in Minnesota last week, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley took a shot at the media, saying: "People love America. Trouble is, we got a press that doesn’t love America and America gets blamed for everything."

During a conference call this morning with Iowa reporters, Grassley expanded on the thought. Grassley says, "When you look at all the countries in the world, the United States has been, is and will continue to be the greatest and we don’t need to apologize for America. America isn’t perfect but we don’t need to apologize for America, and public officials that do or people in the media that do, I take disagreement with."

 

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

Welcome home planned for Iowa Guard soldiers

November 4, 2008 By

Around 130 members of the Iowa National Guard, who spent 10 months in Iraq, will be welcomed home with a ceremony Wednesday in Des Moines. Guard spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Greg Hapgood says the 186th Military Police Company, based at Camp Dodge in Johnston, was mobilized one year ago and arrived in Iraq in January.

"Many of the members are from central Iowa, but because it is Iowa’s only military police company in the National Guard, there are soldiers from virtually all four corners of the state," Hapgood said. Around 60 members of the company previously served in Iraq between 2003 and 2004.

Their latest mission involved providing security and law enforcement support. The homecoming ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines.

 

Filed Under: Military

Grassley scolds AARP over health insurance product

November 4, 2008 By

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is scolding the nation’s most-recognized retirement organization for what he says is a "misleading" sales pitch for a health insurance product. Grassley says AARP needs to account for the way it’s marketing the product which he says could leave policy holders exposed to the potentially high cost of a serious illness.

Grassley says, "I’m involved in a lot of senior citizen issues and we have the AARP selling a product maybe, and I wouldn’t say intentionally, but when you’ve got salespeople all over the country, or you’re sending out literature, there might not be a full understanding of what they’re buying." He says the group’s materials include examples of medical expenses, but the examples don’t reflect how the policy would really work.

"A lot of people thought that they were buying something that would cover the cost of various operations and other procedures and they’re finding out limits on it," Grassley says. "We are pushing AARP to make sure that they’re fully transparent on what the product pays for and what it doesn’t pay for."

The product is billed as being comprehensive but he says it’s actually very limited and would leave "consumers seriously in debt if they need intensive medical care." Iowa is among 29 states where the plan is being offered. Grassley’s also written to the insurance commissioners in each of the states to see if there have been complaints about the "health security" product.  

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

Davenport Catholic Diocese finds retired Bishop guilty of sex abuse

November 4, 2008 By

The Catholic Diocese of Davenport says a retired bishop is among four priests found guilty of sexual abuse by a diocesan review board. The Diocese says retired Bishop Lawrence Soens, who oversaw the Sioux City Diocese from 1983 to 1998 was found guilty of sexually abusing students at Iowa City Regina High School in the 1950′s and 60′s. Soens was the principal of the school at the time.

Soens was also found guilty of sexually abusing a boy at the St. Ambrose Seminary in Davenport. The findings will now be sent to the Pope who will decided if Soens should be defrocked. A spokesperson for the "Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests" or "SNAP," says it’s the first time a bishop has been found guilty by the church of sexual assault.

Barbara Dorris said in a statement released to the media, "This is a very belated and begrudging admission of horrific wrong doing that for decades was shrewdly concealed by corrupt Catholic officials. We hope now that finally the Iowa church hierarchy will use its considerable resources to seek out and help Soens’ dozens of victims." Dorris says the Davenport bishop deliberately made the announcement now at a time when attention is focused on election news.  

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Religion

Corporate income tax payments to state drop

November 4, 2008 By

Corporate income tax payments to the State of Iowa dropped 14 percent last month. Shawn Snyder, a senior analyst with the Legislative Services Agency, says the decline could mean state legislators will have less money to spend next year than previously predicted.

"I do believe that the economy is slowing down and we are seeing that in a much slower growth based on the numbers we’ve seen so far," Snyder says. Last month, a panel of financial experts predicted state tax revenue would grow by one-point-two percent this year.

But October tax collections were down nearly four percent compared to October of 2007, driven largely by that double-digit dip in corporate taxes. Snyder says that decline is a concern, but there’s time to rebound.

"There’s still quite a ways to go for the fiscal year," Snyder says. "This only represents four months so we do have another eight months remaining." In the first quarter of the state budgeting year, state tax collections grew just over one percent. 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With:

Warm weather helps harvest progress

November 4, 2008 By

Warm weather last week help push the Iowa harvest significantly ahead. The weekly crop report from the state Agriculture Secretary says warm, dry weather let farmers get back into the fields and back to the harvest.

The report says the most progress has been made in the northern part of the state, where almost all the beans and more than half of the corn has been harvested. In southern Iowa the report says there’s still has a significant amount of beans and only one quarter of the corn is out of the fields.

The overall corn harvest is 43% complete, 11 days behind last year’s pace and two weeks behind the five-year average. Only 20% of the corn crop had been harvested in last week’s report. The soybean harvest is now 93% complete, slightly behind last year and eight days behind the five-year average of 98%. Last week the report says 87% of the beans had been harvested.  

Filed Under: Agriculture Tagged With:
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »