February 9, 2012

You are here: Home / 2009 / March / Archives for 23rd

Disaster recovery group meets for possible last time

March 23, 2009 By

Members of the Rebuild Iowa Advisory Commission may have held their final meeting Monday. The 15-member group was appointed by Governor Culver last July to develop a plan to help the state recover from the devastating weather of 2008.

Members say their work may be done, but say they’re frustrated with restrictions on how federal community block grants can be used to repair damaged buildings and roads. Charles City small business owner Jim Davis says it’s time to loosen the red tape attached to the recovery funds. "It takes time for the various fundings to work through the various processes in order to be delivered to people," Davis said. "There’s just not a whole way around it in certain instances when you would like to bring people more immediate relief and you’re not able to." Davis says he finally moved back to his flood-damaged home just three weeks ago.

The lobbyist for the Rebuild Iowa Office , Susan Judkins, says all of the group’s recommendations are wrapped into bills that survived the legislative funnel. "While it can be typical for legislation to take three years to pass, the fact that several of these recommendations remain alive and are likely to pass this session is a very strong indication of (legislator’s) interest in those ideas," Judkins said.

Commission executive director Major General Ron Dardis says the group could formally disband at the end of the legislative session. "This was the last scheduled meeting," Dardis said. "We will review where everything is at the end of the legislative session and then review, with the governor, the Executive Order and then make a final decision."

Judkins says she expects the Legislature will pass a bill requiring cities and counties to participate in national flood insurance programs that could lower premiums for flood insurance. She also says lawmakers will likely form a task force on flood plain management that would provide recommendations for the Governor and Legislature to consider next session.

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

Chelsey Anderson

March 23, 2009 By

INS-superiorstudent-header

Chelsey Anderson is a senior at Laurens-Marathon School.She was nominated by teacher Nancy Kunickis:

Superior-Studen-March09“Chelsey is a very dedicated student and her hard work over the years has earned her very good results.  The successes that she has received at Laurens-Marathon are a reflection of her abilities and hard work. Chelsey is very dedicated, mature and highly committed to her education and extracurricular activities. Chelsey is a member of the National Honor Society. She also participates in band, vocal, show choir,and…sports….Chelsey is very outgoing and always willing to help someone out.  She is honest, considerate, supportive, and has the ability to see and understand things from another person’s perspective. Chelsey displays great enthusiasm and initiative; she has excellent communication skills and a very outgoing personality.  As a member of the speech team, Chelsey has taken her role as a leader, very seriously. Chelsey takes the lead to inspire the speech team to continue to do the best that they can, and as a result of her leadership qualities, the groups went on to State competition receiving Division I ratings, and the team then received the highest of honors by being a part of two All State Teams this year.

Chelsey leads by example, and that is evident in how she lives her life.  She is active in her church,community, school, and extracurricular activities. Chelsey even did a mission trip to another country through her church. As an educator I have watched Chelsey grow, seen her talents and abilities not only in the classroom, but outside its walls grow as well.  I urge you to consider Chelsey Anderson for this recognition.  Chelsey is quite simply, a remarkable young woman.”

Listen/Download

Filed Under: INS Superior Student

Rain & wind tonight, snow & cold in weekend forecast

March 23, 2009 By

Parts of Iowa can expect heavy rainfall tonight and early tomorrow, possibly forcing some rivers and creeks out of their banks. National Weather Service Meteorologist Frank Boksa says the storms will move into western and central Iowa this evening. "There’s a potential for some storms to produce hail and damaging winds, but the larger threat is from flooding," Boksa said. The main flooding concern is over southeast and east-central Iowa.

A Wind Advisory is posted for nearly all of western Iowa and a portion of northeast Iowa. Temperatures will remain relatively mild much of this week. A return to wintery conditions is forecast for the weekend. Boksa says another storm system moving into the upper Midwest will bring much colder air, with highs in the 30s and 40s for the weekend. The system is also expected to bring a mixture of rain and snow.

Filed Under: Weather

Coralville publisher named Iowa’s Small Business Person of the Year

March 23, 2009 By

The president and publisher of an eastern Iowa media outlet is being named Iowa’s Small Business Person of the Year by the U-S Small Business Administration. Thirty-six-year-old John Lohman and his wife launched the Corridor Media Group in 2004.

"We started it just about five years ago in our basement in North Liberty and we had just a couple of employees at that time and we’re up to about 15 full-time equivalent employees right now," Lohman says. "We did get flooded out last year which was an unfortunate situation but we’re back in the office and business is going pretty well."

They had moved into the new offices in Coralville along the Iowa River just two months before the record floods hit last spring. Despite the flood, the business continued to publish its weekly Corridor Business Journal for the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area without interruption.

Lohman attributes his company’s performance to two things, the first is being blessed with a staff of "tremendous employees." "The second thing is, we’re focused on niches. With the Corridor Business Journal, we’re focused on local business news and with CorridorBuzz.com, we’re focused on local arts and entertainment news," Lohman says. "If you can do those things really well, you’ll be successful."

The Corridor Business Journal now has a weekly circulation of ten-thousand. He says, "It’s a great honor to get this award during this inauspicious time in the economy but we’re very fortunate to have it and we’re thankful that we’re continuing to grow and look forward to continuing to grow for the near future."

As the Iowa Small Business Person of the Year, Lohman will represent Iowa at National Small Business Week ceremonies in Washington, D-C, during May, where he will compete for the national award.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With:

Protesters outside and inside White House health care forum in Iowa

March 23, 2009 By

There were protesters outside and inside this morning’s White House health care forum in Des Moines.

About 20 protesters stood on the street outside, waving signs and chanting. A psychiatrist from University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City stood in the middle of the group, wearing his white lab coat and chanting "Everybody in, nobody out" along with the others.  Dr. Jess Fiedorowicz is a member of Physicians for a National Health Program. "’Everybody in, nobody out’ truly universal health care. Universal health care has become a buzz word in the elections, but if you look at the proposals people are proposing, they truly do not intend to cover everybody," the doctor said. "…We’re interested in everybody being covered."

Sixty-one-year-old Vashti Winterburg of Lawrence, Kansas — another protester — opposes any plan that keeps health insurance companies in business. Winterburg said the Kansas nonprofit board she serves on is finding it more and more difficult to pay the premiums of workers who provide in-home care to the elderly.  "It costs us a thousand dollars per policy, per employee, per month," Winterberg said. "That’s horrible."

Iowa Farmers Union president Chris Peterson of Clear Lake said he’s glad the forum was held in the Midwest, as most Americans don’t understand the challenges rural citizens face. "Rural Iowans struggle with finding affordable insurance. Even solidly middle class farmers are feeling the pinch. Nearly one in eight Iowa farmers battle outstanding health debt," Peterson said. "I am one of them."

Peterson, who is 53, was kicked off his private insurance plan about two years ago for what the company said was a preexisting condition. Peterson and his wife, who has no private insurance either, have accumulated $14,000 in medical debts in the past two years. "The health care system in this country is dysfunctional and burdensome," Peterson said of the private insurance industry. "…Personally, what I’ve been through, it seems at times it’s a ponzi scheme — they’re taking your money — or (it’s) just the robber barons pulling money out of your pockets."

Once the forum got underway, protester Mona Shaw of Iowa City stood to call the event "shameful" because health insurance companies were participating. As she was escorted out of the event hall, Shaw accused insurance companies of ignoring the needs of their customers. "Governor Culver has taken $20,000 from Blue Cross-Blue Shield, of course he’s not going to let the insurance industry take any of the flack for this," Shaw shouted toward reporters as she left. "Iowans are dying."

President Obama’s White House advisor on the health care issue sat on a panel that included Iowa Governor Chet Culver, the governor of South Dakota and Senator Tom Harkin. Seventy-five-year-old Darlene Neff of Iowa City, a retired school teacher, told the group she’s survived breast cancer and a brain tumor. "We who are retired and have insurance as well as Medicare know how good we have it as far as health care goes, but we know, too, that there are millions out there who don’t have good health care," Neff said. "That basic health care should be available to everyone today."

Small business people like John Piper of Des Moines were among those who talked of their difficulties in keeping employees because they cannot offer health insurance as a benefit. "I reduced the size of my company because of health insurance," Piper said. "So now, it is a one-person company."

Those who provide health care services were part of the discussion, too. Karen Van De Steeg , executive director of a cancer center in Sioux City, urged officials to consider private companies are doing things to control the cost of health care. Van De Steeg manages Siouxland Pace which provides inhome care to the elderly.

"Essentially, the private sector, our company has taken on risk for taking care of these patients," Van De Steeg said. "We are providing some of the poorest, oldest, most-frail people the absolute best care they could possibly get in their homes. It’s an alternative to nursing home care and the whole reason we’re successful is it’s about prevention. We do everything possible to keep that person well."

A couple of state legislators and a pharmacist from eastern Iowa were among those who also stepped to the microphone to air their thoughts on health care reform, too.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, Politics & Government Tagged With: , , ,

Program uses golf to help injured soldiers

March 23, 2009 By

Many soldiers that return home from Iraq or Afghanistan struggle with mental or physical injuries. A relatively new program in eastern Iowa is using an old game to help rehabilitate those injured veterans.

Professionals from the "Golf for Injured Veterans Everywhere" program gave dozens of vets a free lesson at the Blue Top Ridge golf course in Riverside. It seemed to help Bob Briggs. An Iraq war injury paralyzed the left side of his body. "I loved playing before I got hurt and I think I love playing even more now," Briggs said. "Sometimes I think I get better games now when I do it one-handed than I did when I did it with two hands."

Instructor and veteran Jim Dickerson says the lesson focuses as much on life skills as the game of golf. "We’re using golf and the compatibility of the game and the sociability involved with the game to bring veterans together," Dickerson said. Veteran Wen Torrey says many participants suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. "It’s really good therapy. You get treatment for PTSD. You learn coping skills, you can really put into practice on the golf course. You’re going to challenge all of your anger issues," Torrey said.

The program includes a handicapped-accessible golf cart, where the golfer can swing a club right from the chair. Find more information about the program  here .

Filed Under: Military

Former governor’s Waterloo grave vandalized

March 23, 2009 By

Police are investigating damage at one of Waterloo’s oldest cemeteries and one of the headstones targeted by vandals marks the grave of a former Iowa governor.

A caretaker at Elmwood Cemetery says one of several markers vandalized over the weekend identifies the burial site of Horace Boies, a Waterloo Democrat who served as Iowa’s governor from 1890 to 1894.

The caretaker, Richard Hastings, called police after finding four headstones tipped over in one section of the cemetery. He later discovered damage to several others, including a tall, irreplaceable grave marker that was completely shattered.

Authorities say the damage ranges from 50 dollars to 300. The vandalism was done sometime late Friday or early Saturday and police say it appears no one witnessed the crime.

 

Filed Under: Crime & Courts
« Older Posts