February 9, 2012

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Culver says he’s not concerned about reelection right now

May 9, 2009 By

Governor Chet Culver, a Democrat, says he isn’t concerned about a recent poll commissioned by Republicans that shows a majority of Iowans wouldn’t vote to re-elect him to a second term. Culver says he will continue to work had and it’s an honor and privilege to serve as governor.

He says he feels very good about the legislative session and election is a long "far way off" and he looks forward to a "spirited" discussion down the road on the race for governor. Culver dismissed the poll that shows a majority of those surveyed felt the state was on the wrong track .

"I don’t believe there’s any weakness…we’re working extremely hard, we had a very successful legislative session, and I don’t much attention to polls, I just work as hard as I can every day," Culver says. On another issue, Culver joined other elected officials who have asked China to withdraw the ban the country put on pork imports after cases of the H-one-N-one virus were confirmed in the state. Culver says the state will look at what it can do if the Chinese don’t drop the ban.

Culver says the state will respond in any trade arrangement is the state feels it’s being treated unfairly and "there will be consequences." He says they hope to be able to solve the issue through diplomatic means. Culver says state officials have actions they could take.

Culver says the secretary of agriculture, and various commodity groups work on trade issue every day and this is not a good trade issue to ban the state’s products with no rationale or reason. Culver made his comments at a bill signing ceremony Friday at the capitol.

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

Parks chief hopes for better weather this season

May 9, 2009 By

Iowa’s State Parks Bureau Chief Kevin Szcodronski is hoping the weather will be better for visitors this year. He says two popular parks are still off limits to campers because of the 2008 floods. That includes George Wyth State Park in Waterloo.

"We’re kind of touch and go for Memorial Day weekend, but we’re hoping that we’re going to get that park open," Szcodronski said. The campground at Walnut Woods State Park in Des Moines also remains closed because of last spring’s flooding and may not reopen until later this summer. The campground at Green Valley State Park near Creston in southwest Iowa is also closed, but not because of Mother Nature.

"We’re renovating that entire campground," Szcodronski said. "It will be off-line for all of this summer. The lake is drawn down too to restore the fisheries. So, give us a year or so for the campground, two or three years for the fisheries and that’s going to become a prime spot." There are still plenty of other campgrounds for Iowans and others to visit.

Szcodronski says Iowa has 87 state park properties covering 60,000 acres.

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation, Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:

Communites launch "Girl Talk" programs

May 9, 2009 By

Several Iowa communities have launched programs called "Girl Talk" which target middle school girls with a message about pregnancy. Tiffany Larson, the adolescent pregnancy prevention coordinator for Empowerment Hamilton County, says the website " stay teen-dot-org " offers valuable advice to girls and boys.

Larson suggests Iowa teens take the online quiz to understand some of the consequences of having sex too soon, saying the quiz "challenges young people to consider what they would do in a number of risky situations." With the quiz being online, Larson says it offers teens the chance to read over the questions and choose honest answers.

The quiz gives different scenarios which the teen can take alone or with a parent. There’s also a study guide for discussion that can be downloaded. While the teen pregnancy rate has been falling for years, Larson says the United States still has the highest teen pregnancy rate of any western industrialized country.

She says there’s still a need for pregnancy prevention, even though the teen pregnancy rate has declined in recent years. For more information, visit the website " www.iowafuturenet.org " or the site mentioned earlier, "www.stayteen.org". May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month.

 

Filed Under: Human Interest

Iowa Guardmember swears son into military via internet from Iraq

May 9, 2009 By

Lieutenant Colonel Hal Turner (left) swears his son Brett into the military via the internet. An Iowa National Guard soldier recently deployed to Iraq got to swear his son in as the newest member of the guard despite being thousands of miles away.

 It was 11 p.m. in Iraq and 3 p.m. in Iowa as Lieutenant Colonel Harold Turner swore his son Brett in via webcams and an internet connection at Camp Dodge in Johnson.

Turner says it’s "very humbling, proud moment" as he says he never tried to push on his two sons into his employment choice. "It’s very much and honor to have one of my sons choose to be a soldier and to serve when by his state and nation." Turner says it means a great deal to have his son join him in the military.

He says he is proud of both Brett and his son Grant because they are both "men of integrity." Turner says he’s proud of Brett choosing the military because of the growth he will have as a soldier and personally. Brett is 22-years-old and says he respects his dad and the things he has done for his family, and decided to join the military after learning his dad would be deployed.

Brett says he plans to go to basic training and do the best he can, and then he will come back and enroll in the R.O.T.C. program at the University of Northern Iowa. Brett says he will be commissioned as an officer and then will see if this is his career path, but says he can’t see how it wouldn’t be his career. For the Lieutenant Colonel, just using the technology to take part in this ceremony was something special.

Harold Turner says his dad as an aerial photographer in B-17 bombers in World War Two and says his dad would be amazed at the technology that allowed him to swear Brett in over the internet.

Brett Turner (right) in Johnston and Hal Turner in Iraq salute each other via internet webcams. Brett’s mom Jana was on hand for the ceremony today. She says it’s very emotional for her to see her husband in Bagdad, and to know her son is also going into the military in the same year.

"I’m very proud of both of them serving their country, and the choices they’ve made, and the sacrifices they’re making, just very proud of both of them," Jana Turner said.

This is the first deployment of Turner’s career and that means they will be appart for their 30th wedding anniversary in June. Jana admists there’s is worry with him away and her son soon going off for basic training.

Jana says she worries about small things that they both probably don’t think about and there will be a lot of changes to go through. Jana Turner says this continues a long family history of military service, as her father was also a World War Two veteran. Brett Turner will leave in June for basic training and he will finish up his training about the time his father’s tour of duty in Iraq is over.

Hear the swearing in ceremony on the link below.

 

AUDIO: Hal Turner swears in son Brett from Iraq. 1:21 MP3

Filed Under: Military Tagged With: