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More public complaints of "bunkhouses" like the one in Atalissa

April 14, 2009 By

State officials have received complaints about at least eight unlicensed boarding facilities since the high-profile case of a substandard boarding house in Atalissa came to light in February.

Mentally retarded men were removed from the former Atalissa schoolhouse and state officials say the men were malnourished and their only source of heat had been space heaters.

A bill pending in the legislature would let the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals use federal money to pay for inspections of such boarding houses, but Representative Vicki Lensing, a Democrat from Iowa City, suggests the bill is still being crafted.

"I think going forward there will be other pieces that have been identified that we will hear about," Lensing says.

The bill, as currently written, calls for employers who pay disabled workers a lower wage to report that wage to the state. The men in Atalissa worked at the West Liberty meatpacking plant and the firm that ran the "bunkhouse" in Atalissa collected their wages in return for room and board — wages that were substantially below the minimum wage.

 

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

Bill limits business tax credits

April 14, 2009 By

Democrats in the Iowa Senate have endorsed a bill which limits the amount of tax credits businesses may claim for research and development.

Senator Pam Jochum, a Democrat from Dubuque, says limiting that research and development tax credit and three others to 175-million per year will help legislators better manage the budget.

"It will help provide some stability to our budgeting process and also provide some fiscal discipline," Jochum says. "We are going to be applying the same scrutiny to state spending in the tax code as we currently do in our appropriations process."

Business groups objected and all 18 Republican Senators voted against the bill. Senator Brad Zaun, a Republican from Urbandale, voiced his opposition during this afternoon’s senate debate.

"We are the only state in the country that’s looking at reducing tax credits," Zaun said. "This is a time when we should not even be having this conversation."

The bill would limit tax credits beginning farmers, for film and TV production companies and for companies that make workplace improvements for the disabled as well as for companies which engage in research and development and claim a tax credit. According to Zaun, that R-and-D tax credit is crucial to some of Iowa’s largest employers.

"The John Deeres, the Pellas, the Rockwell-Collins, the Vermeers — those are the companies that, by the way I’ll remind you, are paying the property taxes and those are the companies that could potentially be effected by this bill," Zaun said. "…This bill is potentially a job-killer, not a job creator."

Jochum says by limiting the tax credits, legislators will be able to better track whether, for example, the R-and-D tax credit is prompting companies to engage in more research.

"Fiscal prudence, fiscal discipline, accountability for the taxpayer because they are the investors in these programs and they have a right to know whether or not these programs are working," Jochum says.

The bill passed on a party-line vote with 32 Democrats in favor and 18 Republicans opposed. It now goes to the House for consideration.

AUDIO: senate debates bill…MP3 11 min.

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

Bid to give recorders an out on marriage licenses for same-sex couples

April 14, 2009 By

A Republican in the Iowa Senate tried to give county recorders the authority to deny a marriage license to same-sex couples, but the proposal was sidelined this afternoon by a procedural motion.

An Iowa Supreme Court ruling paves the way for same-sex couples to apply for marriage licenses later this month. Senator Merlin Bartz, a Republican from Grafton, says the county recorders who issue those licenses are "in a quandary."

"…The reality is that because Iowa does not have a residency requirement for marriage licenses, on April 27 particularly in border counties or other counties with high populations of individuals that may be mobile and can commute in via airplane we may have — and it’s hard to predict — but we may have an influx of individuals wishing to receive same-sex marriage licenses in the state," Bartz says.

According to Bartz, one county recorder is "so furious" they may resign rather than issue a same-sex marriage license.

"In visiting with the County Recorders Association, they know that they’re right in the middle," Bartz says. "They’ve got a big bulls-eye pointed on them and like it or not, the supreme court has pushed the county recorders into an unenviable position."

Bartz proposed allowing those recorders — "as a matter of conscience" — to refuse to issue a same-sex couple a marriage license. Bartz asked his senate colleagues to grant the recorders a pass if they take that action, rather than face removal from office for failing to fulfill the duties of their office.

"I would suggest to you that the constitution that those county recorders swore an oath to and the constitution that I swore an oath to and the constitution that those seven supreme court justices swore an oath to must be different constitutions," Bartz said during senate debate.

Bartz argued it was a "matter of decency," but his proposal was ruled out of order. Senate President Jack Kibbie, a Democrat from Emmetsburg, said Bartz’ amendment did not fall within the scope of the identity theft bill the senate was debating.

AUDIO: Bartz remarks and Kibbie ruling..,MP3 7 min

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

Parker says Iowa defense could be as good or better than ’08

April 14, 2009 By

Despite some ley losses from last season Iowa defensive coordinator Norm Parker has high hopes for next season’s defense. Standout tackles Mitch King and Matt Kroul are gone from last year’s team that finished 9-4 but a number of starters return from a unit that gave up only 13 points per game.

Parker admits he is partial to his defense, "You know, I think my daughter’s prettier than the other guy’s daughter. But I think…we can be as good as last year, we can be as good as last year, might be better."

Parker says the Hawkeyes will rely on a system that while not fancy has been highly successful. He says if they are going to be any good as a defense, they have to be smart and keep the ball in front of them and get off tackles. Parker says they are not a "Florida State run up the field, bing, bam, boom group of guys, we never have been and probably never will be."

Parker says a key to the success of last year’s defense was experience and intelligence. He says the only team in the country that gave up fewer touchdowns in the country was Southern Cal. Parker says they don’t look like U.S.C. personnel wise, but they got the most out of what they have.

Offensive coordinator Ken O’Keefe says they have made it a challenging spring for the offense. He says there has been a lot of competition on both sides of the ball as they’ve matched up the first offense against the first defense. Former quarterback Marvin McNutt is moving up the depth chart at wide out and is now listed ahead of Derrell Johnson-Koulianos.

He says McNutt is a big guy with "outstanding ball skills" and is running better than he has in the past. McNutt moved to receiver last season and caught one pass during the 2008 season. O’Keefe says McNutt is a sharp guy who really works hard. Iowa closes out spring drills with a final practice on Saturday.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

ISU coach says defense is making progress

April 14, 2009 By

Iowa State football coach Paul Rhoads says the defense is making progress. The Cyclones wrap up spring drills on Saturday with an intrasquad game and much of the focus during workouts has been on a defense that yielded nearly 36 points per game during a 2-10 season in 2008.

Rhoads says the tackling has improved weekly and the team is playing together better and is giving up fewer big plays. Rhoads says the defense has stood up well against an offense that Rhoads feels has playmakers and has also limited big plays.

Senior defensive tackle Nate Frere says beyond the x’s and o’s, the coaching staff has earned the trust of the players. Frere says every coach gives you "rah, rah" speeches, but he says coach and his staff Rhoads "speak the truth." Frere says the staff hasn’t lied to him yet and they’ve earned his trust.

Frere says the system is coming together on both sides of the ball as they start to get a handle on the schemes and he says they are a tighter knit group than they were last year.

Frere says after several weeks of practice they are looking forward to Saturday’s game. He says they are tired and beat up heading into the third week and that is a grind, but now they feel with the spring game they are on the downhill slope.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Mason City man accused of housing discrimination

April 14, 2009 By

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged a Mason City man with one count of interfering with the housing rights of an African American family. In information filed in U.S. District Court today, the U.S. Attorney alleges that 21-year-old Justin Hanson fired a B.B. gun and placed a racially offensive sign in the yard of the home of an African American family on May 9th or 10th.

The information states Hanson did so because of their “race and national origin” and because they were occupying a home in his neighborhood. If convicted, Hanson would face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Hanson is scheduled to make his first appearance in U.S. District Court when he’s arraigned on April 20th.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Algona man accused of trying to hire hit man to kill his wife

April 14, 2009 By

Authorities in northern Iowa have arrested an Algona man for trying to hire someone to kill his estranged wife. Kossuth County Sheriff’s deputy Nick Larson declined to discuss specifics, but said the investigation started nearly one month ago.

"We had received some information that, basically, this individual was interested in doing something to take care of his wife," Larson said. An undercover officer, posing as a "hitman," met with 60-year-old George Bennett on Monday.

Larson says the information gathered from that meet resulted in Bennett being charged with Attempted Murder. Bennett’s wife, Debbie, was seeking a divorce. Larson says George Bennett had been arrested in the past for violating a no-contact order. Larson could not say exactly how Bennett informed the undercover officer of his wishes to have his wife killed.

"There’s still some loose ends that we need to tie up, so we don’t want to release everything that we know quite yet," Larson explained. If convicted of Attempted Murder, Bennett would face up to 25 years in prison. 

Filed Under: Crime & Courts
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