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Governor signs wage descrimination bill

April 29, 2009 By

Governor Chet Culver Tuesday signed legislation that’s designed to protect against wage discrimination in the workplace. Iowa currently ranks 37th in the nation in gender pay equity – with women earning roughly 62% of what men do in the same industry.

Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge says women face enough challenges in the workplace aside the lower pay. "Along the way, I’ve met a lot of people who told me I couldn’t do something because I was a woman," Judge said.

"I was told I couldn’t be a farmer because I was a woman, I was told I couldn’t be a state senator, I was told I couldn’t be the Secretary of Agriculture and there’s still people that wonder about that."

Upon graduating from high school, Judge recalled being told she could be one of three things – a nurse, teacher or secretary. Before entering politics, Judge was a nurse. "Time and time again I saw my female friends paid less than the men they were working beside," Judge said. "Not because they were less hard working, not because they were less dedicated, but simply because they were women."

The new law also prohibits wage discrimination based on race, religion, sexual orientation or disability. There is a similar law at the federal level but advocates say state action will protect even more employees.

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

New development announced for Honey Creek Resort

April 28, 2009 By

The state has announced another phase in the development of the Honey Creek State Park at Rathbun Lake that is designed to make it more attractive year round. Iowa Department of Natural Resources, spokesman, Kevin Baskins, says Bentley Management Group of Milwaukee, Wisconsin will spend $90-million on the development.

Baskins says it will be a lot of “vacation type” amenities that will “greatly enhance” the resort area as over the next five years they will develop condominiums and rental cabins, to shopping and amusement areas, such as a sports complex. Honey Creek is touted as the state’s first every “destination park,” and Baskins says this 160-acre development enhances what’s already been done.

Baskins says many of the amenities at Honey Creek are outdoor oriented and the new development gives people options for indoors, such as batting cages, if they get to the resort and the weather turns bad. Baskins says the project will help the state by bringing more people to the resort, and it will also help the economy in south-central Iowa.

Baskins says the project will create more jobs and an additional tax base once it’s fully developed of an estimated two million dollars a year. The development is expected to begin this summer and will take five years to complete. 

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:

State workers who died on the job remembered

April 28, 2009 By

SCrosses signify the 65 state employees who died on the job. tate officials held a ceremony today in Des Moines to honor the 65 workers who lost their lives over the last year while on the job.

 Family and friends of the victims heard from several speakers while sitting near 65 white crosses that were placed in a grassy area across the street from the capitol building.

Debi Stoneburner of Woodward took home the cross bearing her son’s name, 19-year-old Brian Stoneburner. "He was an amazing kid," Debi told Radio Iowa as she fought back tears. "He was 19 and just loved life…didn’t have any enemies. He raced race cars. Last year was his first year and he won three races."

Debi and several other family members wore shirts that included pictures of Brian and his race car. The 2007 graduate of Woodward-Granger High School was killed in a construction zone crash in September of last year.

A semi hit and killed Stoneburner, along with another worker, 48-year-old Jeffrey Hiatt of Huxley. Two more workers were injured in the incident along Interstate 35 north of Story City. The men were working for Iowa Plains Signing of Slater. Debi says motorists should pay special attention and slow down in construction zones. She admits the family is struggling to deal with Brian’s death, but they’re taking "one day at a time."

Ceremony outside capitol honors workers who died on the job. Ken Sager, president of the Iowa Federation of Labor, says – on average – 15 workers are killed nationwide everyday, while 10,000 are injured.

"That’s too many. One is too many," Sager said. "We have to do more to improve workplace safety and prevent the accidents and illnesses that are disabling workers and the fatalities that are taking loved ones from us."

The Workers Memorial Day ceremony is scheduled every year on the anniversary of the enactment of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970. Sager says many of the accidents happening in Iowa could be prevented. "Let us commit to do better," Sager told the crowd. "Let us commit to struggle to improve workplace safety and let us look forward to a day when Workers Memorial Day is a day to celebrate life."

State Labor Commissioner David Neil read the names of the 65 Iowa workers that were killed while on the job in 2008. He said this is the first year during his tenure that no Iowa soldiers were killed. "That will not be a fact next year though as we know we have lost two (soldiers) this year already," Neil said.

Many of the worker deaths this past year were blamed on motor vehicle accidents, falls, electrocutions or collapsed trenches. Families of the victims were presented with small plaques by Governor Culver. The ceremony ended with a military gun salute, a bagpiper playing "Amazing Grace" and a trumpeter playing "Taps." 

Filed Under: Politics & Government

Menlo featured on new state map

April 28, 2009 By

The western Iowa community of Menlo is on the map — that is, the new Iowa Department of Transportation state map . Liz Gilman, with the White Pole Road Development Corporation, says the restored "Friendly Gas Station Man" sign which waves and greets visitors to Menlo, is featured on the cover of the new map which showcases scenes around Iowa.

The motorized sign was commissioned in 1934 by the gas station’s owner, Harry Kalbach Senior, and "it was a hit," she says, though over the years, the neon-accented sign fell into disrepair. Now fully restored, the sign again stands along White Pole Road, just north of Interstate 80 in western Iowa, between Adair and Dexter.

The road got its name by way of the 700-plus poles that are painted white. Gilman says she’s thrilled the historic waving sign was brought back to life. She says they worked on the sign in the winter of 2007 and the sign was remounted in June 2008 and "it’s been drawing attention ever since."

Gilman says she’d heard a rumor the sign was going to be featured on the latest DOT travel map, but she had to keep quiet until it became official last week. The map is available wherever tourist literature is found, including rest areas. The gas station itself is no longer in operation in Menlo, but Gilman says they hope to convince the original owner’s son to allow the group the chance to restore it, as well.

She says the hope is to make the station into a Welcome Center for the White Pole Road. Gilman says they’ve also applied to have the White Pole Road designated as an official scenic byway, so signs similar to those posted along Interstate 80 for the "Silos and Smokestacks" region of central Iowa can be erected and help to draw even more travelers to the road and communities it serves.

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Ag Secretary Vilsack says unfounded Swine Flu concerns hurting agriculture

April 28, 2009 By

Former Iowa governor, and current U.S. Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, says he’s concerned unfounded fear over the so-called "swine flu" virus is harming agriculture. Vilsack says his department keeps in constant check with state ag secretaries on the issue.

Vilsack says there is no indication that any hogs in the U.S. have been infected and he says if that would happen, they would notify people immediately. Vilsack appeared with the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security today for a briefing on the swine flu outbreak.

He says pork prices have fallen as have corn and soybean prices over unfounded fears surrounding the outbreak. "We believe that there is not reason to stop or ban pork or pork products from the United States," Vilsack says.

He says it is "perfectly safe" to eat pork products and he says the U.S. will continue working to keep the trading lanes open with other countries. Vilsack singled out Japan as a country which has "sent a clear message" that this is not a food borne illness and the importation of American pork is safe.

Vilsack says they will continue to work to answer questions with countries that have taken other actions and let them know that actions to ban imports of pork or beer is not "science based" and could result in serious disruptions of trade. Vilsack says the disease shouldn’t even be called "swine flu."

The acting director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there are 64 confirmed cases of swine flu in the U.S., with no cases in Iowa. The Iowa Department of Public Health has announced a 24-hour phone line for questions about swine flu. You can call 800-447-1985 for questions.  

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

Business leaders fear state budget will lead to tax increase

April 28, 2009 By

Iowa business leaders say they fear the $6.3 billion budget the Iowa legislature approved over the weekend will lead to a tax hike. Lawmakers adjourned on Sunday after adopting a state spending plan that includes $500-million in federal stimulus money.

The president of the Iowa Taxpayers Association, Ed Wallace, says he worries that one-time money is setting the state up for a fall next year. "We know at some juncture, the economy hopefully will turn around but we don’t know if it’s going to be in the next one or two fiscal cycles," Wallace said.

"Because we know that we’ve got a $927-million  hole moving forward, the question is how do we fill that in and do it in a way that doesn’t increase taxes on the business community as well as individuals."

But, Victor Elias, a senior policy associate with the Iowa Child and Family Policy Center, says the legislature did the right thing by using the federal stimulus money to avoid deep cuts in human services programs. "With the help of stimulus money and their own priorities, we did avoid the shredding of the safety net that’s occurring in many other states with the bad economic situation," Elias said. "We’ve held the line avoiding cuts in the Medicaid program again largely with the help of the stimulus money."

Elias says if the state does face a budget shortfall next year, the legislature should consider rescinding some business tax credits before slashing human services programs. Both Elias and Wallace were guests Monday on the Iowa Public Radio program The Exchange . 

Filed Under: Business, Politics & Government Tagged With:

Grassley says keep eating pork

April 28, 2009 By

Senator Chuck Grassley says he had a pork chop for dinner last night and encourages everyone to "dig in" to pork products, one of Iowa’s top exports, as there’s no risk of getting the swine flu from eating pork. Congressional hearings are opening today on the growing global caseload of the disease and so far, Grassley says it appears federal agencies are "on top of" the situation.

"There is vaccine available for pigs that get it but not for humans," Grassley says. "Precaution is a very important thing right now, all of the necessary sanitary things you need to do with sneezing, with washing your hands, staying away from people. If you get sick, stay home for a couple of days."

At least 150 people have died in Mexico and the virus is confirmed to have made people sick in several countries overseas, including Israel, Spain, Scotland and New Zealand. Here in the U.S., there are about 50 confirmed cases, including some in Kansas, but none in Iowa and none of the cases outside of Mexico have proven fatal.

"We’re in a position to handle it well because of education and caution," Grassley says. "There’s no absolute certainty and it’s a good thing the government is staying very flexible and very much on top of it." He says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention appears to be doing all it can to keep the swine flu under control and to keep people from panicking.

Grassley says, "I’m telling you, when you’re only four days away from something like this being made public, and particularly in another country, it’s a little early for anybody who’s not a medical person or a scientific person, and I’m neither, for me to make a judgment whether or not it’s being handled right."

The World Health Organization is saying it’s no longer possible to contain the virus and has raised its alert level to "four," which is two steps below pandemic stage. 

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