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Crime victims recognized at state capitol

April 30, 2009 By

Lynetta Hall-Parrott The names of nearly 100 people who were killed last year in criminal acts in Iowa were read aloud today at a statehouse ceremony.

The gathering in the capitol rotunda was part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. Lynetta Hall-Parrott of Chicago spoke about her daughter’s death on July 27th, 2008.

Twenty-seven-year-old Lacrissa Davis was shot by her boyfriend, Tony Hayes, while she was working at a convenience store in Ames. Hall-Parrott recalled receiving the news. “If you’ve ever had the wind taken out of you, multiply that by a hundred,” Hall-Parrott said. Hayes committed suicide when he was stopped by Ames police after a brief high speed chase.

Hall-Parrott says she didn’t realize at the time that her daughter was in an abusive relationship. “It was a sad day for us on July 27th, but because of July 27th, I’ve been able to speak to a lot of women that have been in domestic violence situations. I’ve helped several women to leave their situation and not go back, so I’m glad about that,” Hall-Parrott said.

The Iowa Crime Victim’s Fund has paid for weekly counseling for Lacrissa Davis’ four children – ages 12, 10, 9 and 4. 

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Human Interest

Schools have another year to comply with "Healthy Kids Act"

April 30, 2009 By

Vending machine The state Board of Education is putting in place some controversial new nutrition standards for Iowa schools — but they will not take effect immediately.

In 2008, the Iowa Legislature passed The Healthy Kids Act to combat obesity. But implementing the law and trying to limit the amounts of fat and calories students may consume in the state’s public schools has been tricky.

Carol Gretta, legal counsel for the Iowa Department of Education, says school administrators need more time to work with the companies that supply the food for cafeterias and vending machines in Iowa’s public schools.

“So we’ve given schools another year,” she says. “These (rules) will not be effective until the 2010-11 school year and we’ve lightened up on the standards — especially for secondary students.”

That means high schoolers. The new rules do not regulate bag lunches brought from home or the items served at concession stands during after-school events. The Board of Education has also changed the rules to allow for more types of yogurt and caffeine in high schools.

“We did not want to have standards that were so restrictive that we would only serve to give kids incentives to bring cold lunch or to run across the street to McDonald’s or to a convenience store for their meals,” Gretta says.

The 2008 Healthy Kids Act also calls for at least two hours of in-school exercise a week for elementary and high school students. 

Filed Under: Education, Health & Medicine Tagged With:

Regents approve ISU Extension reorganization

April 30, 2009 By

The three state supported universities presented their plans for budget cuts to the State Board of Regents today. Those cuts included a sweeping reorganization of the Iowa State University Extension Department.

I.S.U. President Greg Geoffrey explained they will cut the current 97 extension directors to 20, and reduce the extension administration on the Ames campus.Geoffrey says the reorganization will save almost $5 million — which prompted Regent Michael Gartner to ask when it’ll happen.

Geoffrey says they can get the new organization in place and have the 20 regional directors appointed in about 20 months. Regent Craig Lange, who also heads the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, says he likes the extension changes.

Geoffrey says every effort is being made to spare the 4-H program from the budget cuts.

Regents president David Miles says the state budget cuts are further reducing the revenue available to the universities — and for the first time the schools are now depending more on student tuition than state appropriations.

Miles says federal stimulus money for education is allowing the universities to "dodge a bullet" — but it’s not ‘business as usual."

"To those who see our present good fortune and conclude the day of reckoning will not come, I say nothing could be further from the truth," Miles says, "what we have been granted is an opportunity to prepare for more challenging times that lie ahead."

Miles says he doesn’t favor raising tuition just yet. Other budget measures include early retirements for faculty and staff, fewer course choices for Iowa State students and larger classes at the University of Iowa. 

Filed Under: Agriculture, Education Tagged With: , ,

Congressman participating in hearing on H1N1

April 30, 2009 By

Iowa Congressman Bruce Braley, a Democrat from Waterloo, is participating in a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing today on the Swine Flu or H-1-N-1 virus outbreak. Braley says the remarks made today by Vice President Biden on traveling will be a topic of discussion.

Biden told NBC this morning, he’s advising his family to stay off commercial airlines and subways, noting, if one person sneezes on a plane, "it goes all the way through the aircraft."

Braley says he did not hear the vice president’s remarks, but the did come up during the hearing, and those at the hearing will be asked to clarify those remarks and talk about the recommended precautions. Braley says Biden’s remarks do not follow what is being recommended.

"I suspect that it may be another example of the vice president just speaking off the cuff without having actual scientific foundation for what he said, and I hope that we get that clarified and get it out today," Braley says.

The White House later issued a clarification of Biden’s statement saying Biden was telling family members to avoid unnecessary air travel to and from Mexico. If they are sick, they should avoid airplanes and other confined public spaces, such as subways.  

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

Governor appoints his Chief of Staff to head DHS

April 30, 2009 By

Governor Chet Culver has appointed his chief of staff to serve as director of the Iowa Department of Human Services. Culver had appointed Gene Gessow to be chief of the agency, but Republicans in the senate voted against Gessow’s confirmation to the post and denied Gessow the job.

According to a news release from the governor’s office, Charlie Krogmeier will start immediately as the acting director of the Department of Human Services. Krogmeier will be up for a confirmation vote in the state senate next year. Culver calls Krogmeier "an invaluable, trusted advisor."

Krogmeier served as Culver’s budget director in the first two years of Culver’s administration and took over as chief of staff for the governor earlier this year when previous chief of staff Patrick Dillon left to join the White House staff.

Krogmeier was a top deputy to Culver when Culver was Iowa’s secretary of state. Krogmeier, who is a lawyer, is a graduate of the University of Iowa and was in the same Drake Law School class as former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad.  

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

ISU extension department being cut as part of budget plan

April 30, 2009 By

Leaders of the three state universities are presenting their plans today to the Iowa Board of Regents explaining how they will deal with budget cuts. Iowa State University president Greg Geoffroy told the Regents his plan includes a reduction in the number of county extension office directors from 97 to 20.

Jack Payne, vice president for extension and outreach, released the information to extension employees in a videotaped message, saying I.S.U. expects to lose $38-million in state money meaning I.S.U. Extension’s budget will be cut by $4.15 million.

I.S.U. also plans to eliminate 350 student courses. University of Iowa President Sally Mason and University of Northern Iowa President Ben Allen delivered less detailed presentations, but Mason said the UI will need to cut "several hundred" positions.

See the I.S.U. Extension news release and video here.

Filed Under: Agriculture, Education Tagged With: , ,

Hornick woman dies in Crawford County accident

April 30, 2009 By

One person was killed and another injured during a collision between a semi and a car early this morning in western Iowa’s Crawford County. The Iowa State Patrol says 52-year-old Sandra Rogers, of Hornick, died in the crash just before 2 AM on Highway 59 about seven-miles north of Defiance.

Officials say a 2007 Freightliner semi driven by 54-year-old Donald Dean Benton, of Sac City, was traveling north on Highway 59 approaching the intersection of Highway 141. At the same time, 2008 Toyota Corolla driven by Rogers was traveling westbound on Highway 141.

When she failed to stop at the intersection, the vehicles collided. A passenger in Rogers’ car, 32-year-old Aaron Michael Clark, of Hornick, was injured in the crash and taken to a hospital in Omaha. The driver of the semi was not hurt. The Patrol says there was very thick fog in the area at the time, which may have contributed to the accident.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters
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