From the daily archives:

Monday, March 16, 2009

If the State of Iowa gets a $750,000 federal grant, the state may create an electronic database to track the sale of one of the ingredients for an illegal drug. 

Under current Iowa law, over-the-counter medications which contain "pseudoephedrine" must be behind the pharmacist’s counter. There are also limits on how much can be purchased at one time and those who buy the products are to sign a log book. But investigators say some meth-makers go from pharmacy to pharmacy, buying up huge quantities of over-the-counter medications in order to get enough to make a batch of meth.

A bill which won final legislative approval in the House Monday evening would require people to sign an "electronic logbook" to better track those kind of bulk purchases. The bill, however, requires pharmacies to continue to maintain that paper log books listing who’s buying the meds until that statewide electronic log book is on-line.

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Judge says Spirit Lake school board broke open meetings law

by admin 03/16/09 6:31 PM

District Court judge John Duffy has ruled the Spirit Lake school board violated the state open meetings law in two of four cases in a lawsuit brought by several district residents.
One was a meeting held in a lobby of a Des Moines hotel in November of 2007, and the other was a [...]

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UNI coming off rest, Purdue comes in with momentum

by admin 03/16/09 6:11 PM

UNI. enters their NCAA tournament game Thursday against Purdue after a week off following the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. Purdue enters the game with no time off after winning the Big Ten Tournament on Sunday.
Panther coach Ben Jacobson says either team could gain from the way the schedule has played out. Jacobson [...]

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Health Department says flu season not yet over

by admin 03/16/09 6:07 PM

The state Department of Public Health is asking Iowans no to let their guard down — even though the flu season has been relatively mild. Department medical director, Patricia Quinlisk, says flu cases have show some upturn in the last several days.
She says the flu season has been kind of late, and [...]

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It’s Flood Safety Awareness Week

by admin 03/16/09 6:05 PM

While Spring arrives Friday, today marks the start of Flood Safety Awareness Week, though some Iowans have already seen flooding in recent days. Jeff Zogg, senior hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Johnston, says there will be daily topics on things people should know when they encounter high water.
The first topic covers [...]

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State tax receipts down nearly 7%

by admin 03/16/09 4:54 PM

State tax receipts were down nearly 7% last month compared to February of 2008. Over half a billion dollars in taxes were paid to the State of Iowa in February, but the total was 6.9% percent less than state tax receipts in February of last year.
A report from the Legislative Services [...]

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Commissioner says she wanted another term on Racing and Gaming Commission

by admin 03/16/09 4:50 PM

A longtime member of the state Racing and Gaming Commission will not be reappointed to the board that oversees the state’s casinos and race tracks.
Diane Hamilton of Storm Lake says she asked to be reappointed to the commission. Hamilton says "it’s not entirely a surprise" as she says it’s "very unusual" to [...]

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