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Heating help available for low-income Iowans

November 21, 2008 By

The cold weather has moved in, and the Iowa Utilities Board says it’s still not too late for Iowans to apply for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Board spokesman, Rob Hillesland, says it’s important for you to file for the program if you think you’re eligible.

Hillesland says certification in the program provides protection from having your utilities disconnected during the disconnection moratorium from November 1st through April 1st. Hillesland says you can apply for the assistance at your local Community Action Program office. He says you can locate the nearest CAP office by calling your local utility or the Iowa Department of Human Rights.

Hillesland says applying for the assistance gives you extra time to avoid having your utilities turned off. Hillesland says if you contact your utility and let them know you are applying for the LIHEAP assistance before your service is disconnected, the disconnection of your utilities can be delayed 30 days.

Hillesland says the key is to let your utility know what is going on. He says it’s important to communicate with the utility as soon as possible, as many times there’s a lack of communication, and then things are done at the last second before disconnection. Hillesland says if you are certified for LIHEAP, but don’t get funding from the program, you are still protected from disconnection under the moratorium. Hillesland says the certification for LIHEAP is based on your income.Posted for 1 P.M. Friday.

Filed Under: Weather Tagged With:

Nebraska set to change "Safe Haven" law

November 21, 2008 By

Nebraska’s governor will soon sign a bill that makes changes in Nebraska’s safe-haven law to prevent parents from abandoning toddlers and teenagers at a hospital. The law allows parents and guardians to drop their children off at hospitals as a means of helping mothers abandon unwanted babies, but unlike other states, Nebraska lawmakers did not include an age limit when the bill was originally passed.

Since the law took effect in July, nearly three dozen children have been dropped off at Nebraska hospitals. Without debate, Nebraska’s Senate today approved the changes which specify only babies 30-days old or younger can be abandoned.

An emergency clause makes the change go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Nebraska’s governor is expected to sign the changes into law sometime this afternoon (Friday). A group of state senators in Nebraska is also creating a "Children in Crisis" task force. Nebraska Senator Amanda McGill says many of the parents who went to a Nebraska hospital to abandon their kids had tried for years to get help.

"These kids who were being dropped off may be teenagers, but they’ve been exhibiting signs of mental disorder since they were five, six, seven years old," she says. McGill met with one of the women who recently abandoned her child at an Omaha hospital.

"She told me her story dealing with two of her troubled children, spending years trying to get the services they need," McGill says. "They were from a rural area. There weren’t a lot of services available to them. We aren’t going to solve this entire problem in the next 40 days. It goes much deeper than trying to find an alternative, last-ditch effort to get their kids help."

Thirty states have so-called "safe haven" laws. Saturday morning Nebraska will join 13 other states with a 30-day age limit for abandoning an unwanted baby at a hospital. Iowa’s safe haven law specifies babies up to 14 days old may be abandoned at a hospital or health care facility and the parent will not be charged with abandonment.

The law in Iowa after the case of "Baby Chelsea" — an infant abandoned by her teen mother and found dead in the eastern Iowa town of Chelsea. 

Filed Under: Politics & Government

Iowa unemployment rate goes up in October

November 21, 2008 By

Iowa’s unemployment rate jumped to 4.4% in October, compared to 4.2 % in September. Iowa Workforce Development spokesperson Kerry Koonce says, a year ago, Iowa’s unemployment rate was 3.8%.

"It seems to be on the rise due to the ongoing housing slowdown and turmoil in the financial markets," Koonce said. "We’re seeing a number of companies do short-term, temporary shutdown layoffs. They may shutdown for a week or two and then bring the individuals back."

Overall, Iowa added 3,500 more jobless residents from September to October, but still gained 5,900 more jobs from October of 2007. "Iowa has still added jobs for the year, compared to some states where they’ve had overall job losses," Koonce said. "Even though it’s not as high of growth as we’d like to see, we’re still seeing growth in jobs."

Education and health services has led the growth win a gain of 3,400 jobs over the year. Government added 2,600 jobs. Manufacturing, meanwhile, cut 2,700 jobs between October 2007 and October 2008. "The biggest ones that come to everybody’s mind is the final shutdown of Whirlpool in Newton and (layoffs) at Winnebago (in Forest City)," Koonce said.

Other cuts last month occurred at Pella Corporation in Pella and at the Whirlpool plant in Amana. The U.S. unemployment rate climbed to 6.5% in October, its highest level since 1994. 

Filed Under: Business Tagged With:

Food Network celebrity visits Central Iowa

November 21, 2008 By

Sandra Lee One of the Food Network’s most visible celebrity chefs is in central Iowa this weekend to share some of her Midwestern recipes, countertop techniques and kitchen common sense.

Sandra Lee, the host of "Semi-Homemade," says her cooking philosophy that created the popular program is based on a 70-30 ratio — of 70-percent store-bought food items and 30% fresh.

Lee says that’s exactly how your grocery store is laid out. "Seventy percent is in aisles. It’s canned, jarred, boxed, pouched and packaged," she says.

"The perimeter, your bakery, your meats, your dairy and your produce, is the 30-percent fresh ingredients." In an interview with Radio Iowa, the blonde Wisconsin native says it’s a simple formula but it’s one regular folks who didn’t spend years at culinary school can follow to create tasty, nutritious meals.

"Combining those two is how we shop and how we fill our pantries and fridges anyway. My job is to show you 2001 ways to do it new with what you already love." Lee has been a featured chef on the Food Network for five years and has build a small empire with a dedicated following. She has 16 cook books in print and has just released a 17th book, her bio, called "Made From Scratch."

It’s billed as the true story of how Lee went from being raised on food stamps to starring in her own TV show. She says her style of cooking is on the nation’s front-burner because the more complicated Julia Child-era recipes often don’t end up looking like they’re supposed to and may not taste so hot, either.

Lee says: "I think what Semi-Homemade’s strength is, is we call out the name brands so that you know exactly what I used, that way the picture you see on the page of my books is exactly what you’re going to wind up with no matter what your talent is, if you’re a beginner cook or a gourmet."

Lee is also launching a magazine in 2009 that will focus on cooking and many of her other interests, including interior design, crafts, scrap-booking, flower arranging and gardening. Lee is among the featured chefs at the Celebrity Food and Wine Expo , underway at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines through Sunday.

AUDIO: Matt Kelley interview with Sandra Lee. 4:15 MP3

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment

Hawkeyes and Cyclones wrap up regular season on the road

November 21, 2008 By

The Iowa Hawkeyes close out the regular season tomorrow at Minnesota in the annual battle for “Floyd of Rosedale”. Both teams are 7-4 and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says defense is a major reason the Gophers are vastly improved this season.

Ferentz says Minnesota has done a good job of containing the run. He says the Hawkeye offense cannot afford to turn the ball over. Ferentz says the Gopher’s turnover ratio is a major difference from last year, as they are at plus 15, which has helped their production.

The Iowa defense will try to slow down the Gopher combination of quarterback Adam Weber and Eric Decker. Ferentz says both of them have been playing well, and Weber has really improved.

The Iowa State Cyclones close a disappointing season at Kansas State. The Cyclones are winless in the Big-12 but coach Gene Chizik says there is still plenty to play for. He says it would be huge to get the win, it would vie them a road win and give them some momentum for next year.

A win would snap Iowa State’s 16-game road losing streak and Chizik says it would also provide a lot of momentum heading into the off-season. He says it would be nice to send the seniors out on the right note and end the season overall on the right note.

The Cyclone defense has struggled for much of this season and faces another tough test against quarterback Josh Freeman and the K-State offense. Chizik says Kansas State is scoring a lot of points and Freeman is a very good quarterback that can move the ball. 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Grinnell men prepare for cross country championship

November 21, 2008 By

The Grinnell College mens cross country team is preparing for the NCAA III National Meet this Saturday in Hanover, Indiana. It’s been awhile since the Pioneers qualified as a team. Coach Will Freeman believes 1991 was the last time they went as a team. This team had high hopes going into this season.

Freeman says the team has improved every meet and they saw that in their last meet as they improved, running over one minute faster in tougher conditions, which he says is "absolutely amazing."

The Grinnell men qualified as an at large team, finishing fourth at the Central Regional Meet hosted by Grinnell last Saturday. Freeman says he’s familiar with the course being run for the national meet. He says it’s a flat course with quite a few turns, so it should be a fast course, and sunny weather is projected.

The mens race takes place at 10:00 Saturday morning.

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U.S. Supreme Court denies Forest City woman’s murder review request

November 21, 2008 By

The U.S. Supreme Court has denied a Forest City woman’s petition to review her convictions and sentences for her role in the drug-related murders of five people. A federal jury convicted 41-year-old Angela Johnson in May 2005 on five counts of murder in furtherance of a drug conspiracy, and continuing a criminal enterprise.

The jury determined Johnson should be executed for the premeditated murders of Lori Duncan, Duncan’s two daughters, and Terry DeGeus in the summer and fall of 1993. She was sentenced to life in prison without parole for her role in the murder of a fifth victim, Greg Nicholson. The victims were found in 2000 buried in shallow graves in rural Mason City.

Johnson’s boyfriend, Dustin Honken, was convicted of the same murders and sentenced to death, with his latest appeal still pending. Johnson will have one year to file a petition for post-conviction relief, a form of constitutional challenge to her convictions and sentences. The U.S. Department of Justice will not schedule an execution date until Johnson exhausts any such challenge.

Johnson’s death sentence was the first time in over 50 years a female had been sentenced to death in federal court. She’s being held in a federal prison in Fort Worth Texas, while Honken is on federal death row in Terre Haute Indiana.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts
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