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Republicans in Iowa Senate elect new leader

November 18, 2008 By

There’s been another leadership shakeup at the statehouse.

Senate Republicans have elected a new leader: Senator Paul McKinley of Chariton. "I believe Iowans want to reclaim their government and have closer contact to it and reduce the runaway spending that we are experiencing," McKinley says. "Likewise I believe Iowa voters want for us to remove barriers from job creation instead of erecting barriers."

Republicans lost two more seats in the Iowa Senate in this month’s election and Republicans who were elected to the Senate voted to replace Senate Republican Leader Ron Wieck of Sioux City. McKinley, the new Senate G.O.P. leader, says there’s no way to go but up for Republicans in the senate.

"You know, I can’t foresee the future, but my estimate is that we will make great strides over the next two years by working hard, by recruiting the right kind of candidates," McKinley says. "I believe the Iowa public strongly believes in the Republican principles that we all espouse and we will make that message clear."

McKinley says there’s an opening for the Republican message, especially when it comes to the education system. "I believe that Iowa voters are disappointed in an increasingly expensive education budget that has left far too many kids behind foreign competitors," he says.

Last week, Republicans in the Iowa House replaced longtime G.O.P. leader Christopher Rants with a new leader — Representative Kraig Paulsen of Hiawatha.

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: , ,

Iowa football hopes for New Year depend on finale in Metrodome

November 18, 2008 By

Metrodome A season that at one time appeared to be headed nowhere can end with eight wins and an appearance on New Year’s Day if the Iowa Hawkeyes can post a victory at Minnesota this weekend.

The Hawks at one time stood 3-3 but have won four of their last five games after a 22-17 victory over Purdue.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says there have been disappointments and moments of really feeling pretty good about things. "This team has really been a enjoyable to work with, that’s the thing that strikes me, the attitude the work ethic," Ferentz says. 

The Gophers have made major strides under second year coach Tim Brewster and are also 7-4 after a 35-32 loss at Wisconsin. He says the Gophers had every chance to win the game as they have in all their games and Ferentz says it will be a real tough ballgame.

This will be Iowa’s final game in the Metrodome as the Gophers mobve into their new on campus stadium next season. Ferentz was an assistant during the Hawks’ first game there in 1982 and has been part of many memorable moments in there, both good and bad.

Ferentz says one good one is Rob Houghlin’s second field goal in 1986, which gave them the victory. He says 2002 and 2004 were good, but the 1984 and 2006 losses were not good. The Gophers’ 34-24 win two years ago capped off a season in which Iowa lost its final six Big Ten games.

Iowa already reclaimed the Cy-Hawk and Heartland trophies with wins over Iowa State and Wisconsin. They will try to hang on to Floyd of Rosedale with a win this week. Ferentz says the trophies show that you’ve won and that’s what’s important, and he says they realize if they don’t do their job, then they will lose one of the trophies.

Junior running back Shonn Greene is approaching the 1,600 yard mark heading into the finakl game of the season. Ferentz says as well as Greene has performed on the field he has been just as impressed with the way he has handled success. Ferentz says there have been a lot of great stories in the program, including 2000 with Brad Banks who burst onto the scene in his first year as a starter. He says Banks handled it beautifully and Greene has done the same thing.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Iowa women fall to Kansas

November 18, 2008 By

In womens college basketball, Kansas built an eight point halftime lead then roared away in the second half for a 76-55 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes in Lawrence. After a solid first half offensively the Hawks connected on only six of 21 shots in the second half.

Iowa coach Lisa Bluder says Kansas intensified the defense and her team backed off and had too many turnovers. Bluder says the Hawkeyes should learn a valuable lesson from this game. she says it shows the type of defense they have to go against every day in practice to be successful.

Bluder says they also have to work more on their fundamentals, and this is an opportunity to learn that. Iowa falls to 1-1 on the season. 

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DOT creates "Traffic Incident" website

November 18, 2008 By

The Iowa Department of Transportation has added a new "Traffic Incident" website to help motorists on state-owned highways. D.O.T. spokesperson Dena Gray-Fisher says it’s information they’ve had in the past, but didn’t have a way to pass it on. She says they pass on information about roadways blocked by flooding, or snow or if there’s a crash that blocks a roadway, or hazardous spills and train derailments that may block a road.

Gray-Fisher says the site is another tool for travelers. Gray-Fisher says you can use the site to plan ahead before you leave, or sign up for an R-S-S feed that will send the information to your mobile device to allow you to adjust your travel to avoid problems. Gray-Fisher says it’s the most up-to-date information the D.O.T. has available.

She says the D.O.T’s operational staff are monitoring traffic cameras, talking with the state patrol, and with D.O.T. crews about what’s happening, and will be able to share the info with the public.

The "Traffic Incident" website s available through the Iowa D.O.T’s home page . Gray-Fisher says the new site complements the other traveler informational such as the 5-1-1 phone service and 5-1-1 website.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters Tagged With: ,

Study shows Iowa rates in middle for anti-smoking programs

November 18, 2008 By

It’s been a decade since the landmark national tobacco settlement and a study finds, ten years later, none of the states spend the recommended amount on anti-smoking programs. Danny McGoldrick, vice president of research at Tobacco-Free Kids, says Iowa’s in the middle of the pack.

McGoldrick says: “Iowa ranks 21st this year in our report in terms of spending on tobacco prevention. They’re spending about 11-million dollars a year, which is a good, solid investment, but still less than a third of what the C.D.C. recommendation is, which is 36-million.”

Under terms of the agreement, the states are splitting 246-billion dollars over 25 years. Mc Goldrick explains Iowa’s annual share.”Iowa receives about 311-million dollars each year from its tobacco settlement payments and tobacco taxes,” McGoldrick says. “Iowa’s done some great things with its program, investing in the JEL (Just Eliminate Lies) program, the youth program. Kids delivers that message to each other rather than hearing it from and adult and hearing it as a lecture and running off and doing exactly the opposite thing.”

He says Iowa’s seen a drop in the number of smokers over the past decade, yet he says more should be done to keep kids from lighting up. McGoldrick says: “Adult smoking in Iowa is at about 20%, which is close to the national average. High school students — it’s at about 18.9%, so the investment that Iowa has made has resulted in some declines in smoking, but we can do a whole lot better following the guidelines of the C.D.C. both in terms of the budget but also the program elements.”

He says Iowa will see about 4,500 deaths from tobacco-related illnesses this year, while those illnesses will cost about a billion-dollars in terms of health care. For more information visit the Tobacco Free Kids website .

 

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Health & Medicine Tagged With:

Workers at Agriprocessors could be getting help

November 18, 2008 By

It appears current workers at the problem-plagued Postville meatpacking plant could get some of their unpaid wages this week. A sign at the plant tells workers Thursday is the day they can collect their paycheck that’s three weeks past due. The sign advises last week’s paychecks will be issued this Friday.

Hundreds of workers ferried into Postville to fill the jobs held by those arrested in May’s immigration raid at the plant have been without pay for weeks, dependent on donations of food and facing the possibility their heat and electricity will be disconnected.

The kosher meatpacking plant is closed today, but managers say it may reopen Thursday to begin slaughtering chickens.

(Thanks to Jeff Abbas of KPVL Radio for contributing to this report.) 

Filed Under: Business Tagged With:

Counselors brought in after Clinton band teacher charged

November 18, 2008 By

Clinton High School administrators brought counselors to school to talk with students who may be upset by last week’s arrest of the school’s band teacher. Thirty-three-year-old James Young was suspended from his job Friday after being caught last Thursday in an internet sex sting.

Young’s accused of attempting to entice a minor into sex and driving to DeWitt for the meeting. Clinton Superintendent Richard Basden says administrators met with the band members Friday afternoon to explain the situation — and work with the staff and students continues.

"It’s going to be, for quite a while, a very tender subject," Basden says. The superintendent says the assistant band director and other staff are working to insure everything in the band department stays on schedule. That includes the band’s trip to Hawaii in June, which will go on as planned.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Education
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