The senior point guard averaged 20 and-a-half points, four assists and two steals in three victories. Warner scored 20 points, including five-of-10 from three point range, chipped in with eight rebounds, five assists and three steals in a victory over Washington.
Class 1A: Travis Stevens, Exira
January 27, 2009 By
The junior guard averaged 33 and-a-half points and made 11-of-17 shots from three point range in a pair of victories. Stevens scored 36 points and made 7-of-12 from three point range, including the game winner in a victory over Paton-Churdan. He also hauled down 11 rebounds.
Grassley talks Treasury nominee, health care
January 27, 2009 By
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he’s "very disappointed" Timothy Geithner was sworn in last night as the new U.S. Treasury Secretary. Grassley, a Republican, says he voted against the nomination before the full Senate yesterday afternoon primarily because of Geithner’s tax troubles. Geithner failed to pay some $34,000 in income taxes over several recent years, and now he’s the head of the I.R.S. That’s a contradiction, according to Grassley. "There’s less leeway for employees of the Internal Revenue Service," Grassley says. "They can be fired on the spot if they don’t file their income tax. That’s not true of other federal employees and there ought to be a high standard for IRS agents. Well, he’s going to oversee them. How can he do that in good conscience and setting a good example?" Grassley was joined in voting against Geithner’s nomination by Democrat Iowa Senator Tom Harkin. The vote was 34 against, 60 in favor. Grassley is introducing legislation today he says aims to strengthen the healthcare delivery system in rural America. Grassley says the bill would enact policy changes that zero in on the challenges facing rural health care providers, and thus for the recipients, nationwide. Grassley says, "This comprehensive bill would improve payment formulas for rural doctors, rural ambulance services, mid-sized rural hospitals." He says the bill would bring relief to "tweener" hospitals that are somewhere between small clinics and giant medical centers. Grassley says those hospitals include several in Iowa cities, like: Spencer, Spirit Lake, Fort Madison, Muscatine, Carroll, Grinnell, Keokuk and Newton. He says, "My bill also would protect access for rural residents to home medical equipment and supplies, continue to lend support to smaller critical access hospitals, and enhance the authority of physician assistance who we all know provide very valuable extended care and hospice services." Grassley says the measure seeks fair treatment for rural hospitals from the Medicare payment system, something that’s been a problem in Iowa for years.
Over 77,000 Iowans unemployed in December
January 27, 2009 By
(This story was updated at 11:43 a.m.)
Iowa’s unemployment rate is rising. State officials estimate over 77,000 Iowans were unemployed in December.
"Fortunately Iowa is not anywhere near what the federal level is…for the nation, which is 7.2 percent," Iowa Workforce Development agency spokeswoman Kerry Koonce says. "But it does…show trends that, you know, our last quarter of 2008 and our first quarter of 2009 are going to show probably some continued increase and…some continued job loss as we’ve seen a number of layoffs that have been announced."
December’s unemployment rate of 4.6 percent is three-tenths of a percent higher than November. The head of the Iowa Workforce Development agency says that "large increase" in Iowa’s unemployment rate is due to "an acceleration in layoffs toward the end of the year." From November to December, an estimated 7,800 Iowans lost their jobs. That’s the largest month-to-month decline since October 2001 — right after the 9/11 attacks.
Peter Fisher, an economist who’s the lead researcher with the Iowa Policy Project, says that’s significant. "Particularly since we’ve had accounts of more layoffs since these statistics were generated, so it could well get worse, you know, in the next month of two," Fisher says.
After weathering the initial hits to the nation’s financial services sector, Koonce says Iowa’s professional and business services companies accounted for over half of the layoffs that happened in Iowa last month. "The Des Moines area, Principle Financial group, was one that would fall mostly into that area," Koonce says, "and we’ll see a few of those as we go across, compared to some of the other industries, which is just a byproduct of what’s going on across the financial services across the whole country."
Fisher, the economist, says the downturn in financial services shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who’s listened to the news. "You know, entire law firms that have been around for 100 years closing and laying off hundreds of people at a time and, you know, businesses are not expanding," Fisher says. "They’re not hiring consultants to tell them how to build a new plant or develop new products, so I don’t think it should be a surprise that that sector’s feeling the crunch."
Layoffs in construction and manufacturing businesses accounted for most of the rest pink slips issued in Iowa in December. Koonce, of Iowa Workforce Development, says this latest report shows some Iowa businesses expanded their payrolls in December, however. "The education and health services category, most of it fell in health services, added 700 job over the month of December; leisure and hospitality added 1200 and trade and transportation increased by 400," Koonce says. "So unlike lots of portions of the national economy, Iowa is still having growth in some areas which is very important."
Koonce’s boss, though, is warning the first part of 2009 will be just the same as the last three months of 2008. "Which does not, is not countertrending at all towards what most economists are saying, that the first couple of quarters of 2009 we’ll not see any turn around yet," Koonce says.
Bar owner appeals proposed smoking ban liquor license suspension
January 27, 2009 By
A West Burlington bar owner has appealed a proposed suspension of his liquor license for violating the state smoking ban. Administrative law judge Margaret LaMarche recommended January 2nd that the Alcoholic Beverages Division suspend the liquor license of Otis Campbell’s Bar & Grill in West Burlington for a minimum of 30 days for repeated violations of the state smoking ban.
The smoking ban went into effect on July 1st. Otis Campbell’s owner, Larry Duncan, had 30 days from the judge’s ruling to appeal the suspension to the administrator of the Alcoholic Beverages Division. Division administrator Lynn Walding will now review the appeal and make a final decision on the proposed action.
Bar owner Duncan is questioning the constitutionality of the law and had to appeal the law judge’s decision to have a chance to move the constitutionality issue ahead and into district court. If he had not appealed, he would have lost his liquor license in February. Duncan’s lawyer has until February 9th to file any information related to the appeal, and the state has until February 23rd to file any response they have.
Walding says there is no time requirement for making a decision on the appeal, but he tells Radio Iowa he would like to make the decision as quickly as possible. Otis Campbell’s can continue serving alcohol while the law judge’s decision is being appealed.
Former Agriprocessors executive could get out of jail
January 27, 2009 By
The former top executive at the Agriprocessors meatpacking plant in Postville is expected to be released from jail soon. A federal judge ruled this morning that Sholom Rubashkin should be released from custody on $500,000 bond while he awaits trial on charges of bank fraud and helping illegal immigrants obtain false documents.
Rubaskin, who’s been in jail since November 14th, could be released Thursday morning. Prosecutors argued that Rubashkin might flee the country. Judge Linda Reade has ordered Rubashkin to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet. In addition, his travel is restricted to Allamakee County and he and his family are to surrender their passports and birth certificates.
Cedar Falls man denied appeal in trooper assault case
January 27, 2009 By
A Cedar Falls man, sentenced to prison for attempting to run over a state trooper nearly two years ago, has been denied an appeal. Thirty-one-year-old William Filippo Junior was convicted of assaulting a police officer with a weapon, eluding, and O.W.I. second offense.
The incident happened February 16th of 2007, two miles south of Charles City on Highway 18. Iowa State Trooper Mark Domino was trying to pull over Filippo for erratic driving. When domino got out of his squad car, Filippo allegedly ran his S.U.V. at the trooper. Domino then fired his service weapon at Filippo, striking him in the head.
Filippo recovered and following his conviction, he was sentenced to six years in prison. In his appeal, Filippo claimed there was insufficient evidence for his conviction on the assault while displaying a dangerous weapon charge. However, the Iowa Court of Appeals countered that there is legal precedent for a vehicle to be considered a dangerous weapon.
