January 28, 2012

You are here: Home / 2009 / Archives for June 2009

Audit finds UNI-based agency paid, twice, for airline tickets

June 26, 2009 By

A "special investigation" by the state auditor has found a program based at the University of Northern Iowa made more than $33,000 in improper payments to a California travel agency.

"Camp Adventure Youth Services" sends college-aged students to run youth camps in other countries. The camps are for the children of parents who’re in the U.S. military and stationed, with their families, overseas.

The audit covered the period starting on the first of April, 2007 through March 31st of 2008. State Auditor Dave Vaudt says they discovered some "double-billing" for plane tickets purchased through Action Air, a travel agency based in Annapolis, California.

Of the $33,285.19 in "improper disbursements," Action Air has refunded $17,334.33 to the university. "There were duplicate payments made to Action Air. There were tickets that had conflicting dates and locations versus the students that were supposed to be working at certain places and then ticket destinations that were other than camp locations," Vaudt says, "so some improper expenditures, part of which have been refunded by Action Air."

Vaudt says it appears Action Air was being paid both through a credit card issued by the university and by vouchers or checks from the university.

"There’s just a lack of documentation to support some of the activity that took place which is something that we find many times," Vaudt says. "But it wasn’t the case where any money was taken and deposited in their own personal accounts."

Camp Adventure was founded in 1985 by Christopher Edginton when he was a professor at the University of Oregon. The program moved to the University of Northern Iowa in 1991 when Edginton became director of UNI’s School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services. His wife, Susan Edginton, is director of Camp Adventure.

The state audit shows Ms. Edginton made a nearly $400 payment to the owner of Action Air for consulting services during a period when the university had ordered that Action Air’s services not be used.

Vaudt’s agency released another audit in February of this year that was focused on the travel of a woman who managed Camp Adventure programs in Europe. It found that employee, who later resigned, billed the program for trips she took with her boyfriend. She repaid the $9,000 to cover airfare, hotel stays and car rentals. Her pay was docked, too, for the 20 days she was paid to be working, but was instead on holiday.

Filed Under: Education, Human Interest

Iowa on brink of land shift

June 26, 2009 By

Iowa is on the brink of a shift in land ownership and a joint project between Iowa State and Drake University hopes to make sure that conservation remains a priority. A 2007 study shows most Iowa land is now owned by people in their 60s and 70s.

Neil Hamilton, with Drake’s Agricultural Law Center, says as that land changes hands, it’s likely more land will be leased out instead of farmed by the owners. "Questions about land tenure and relationships between owners and tenants and how we deal with land stewardship have been around for a number of years, but will become more important in the future," Hamilton said.

The project will study current farm lease agreements to develop model leases which would promote conservation and stewardship of the land. "We don’t know a great deal about the nature of the tenancy relations that are used, the communication that may happen between owners and tenants and others about things like soil conservation," Hamilton said.

The researchers say some lease agreements now aren’t even put down in writing and that will become impractical in the future. The 2007 ISU study showed that 55% of Iowa farmland is owned by people over 65, while 28% is owned by those over 75.

 

Filed Under: Human Interest

July 4th travel expected to fall

June 26, 2009 By

Fewer Americans are expected to travel next weekend, even though the Fourth of July holiday is traditionally one of the busiest travel holidays of the year. Rose White, spokeswoman for Triple-A Iowa, says many people in the state and nation are concerned about the economy — and their jobs — so many would-be travelers are staying put.

White says A.A.A. projects the number of Americans traveling this Independence Day holiday will be down overall about 1.9% from last year, but lower fares will give air travel a slight boost. She says about 37-million travelers are expected to take a trip of 50 or more miles away from home, but the number of people projected to travel by car is down nearly 3%.

White says plenty of Iowans are still getting out of the house for the holiday — they’ll just be staying closer to home instead of taking a big trip.

"Many people are taking those ‘stay vacations’ and state parks are expected to be very busy for the holiday as well as local city events which offer fireworks shows and other free family attractions," White says. "We expect those events to be very popular this year."

She says flexible Iowans who like to take spur-of-the-moment trips might be able to find cheap airfares and lodging, even at this late date. A survey by the motor club of 20 popular U.S. tourist destinations finds air rates for the July 4th holiday are down nearly 16% and hotel rates are 12% less than last year.

The statewide average for gasoline prices is $2.59 a gallon, which White says is eight cents below the national average.

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:

Visiting governor calls South Carolina governor’s affair "personal tragedy"

June 25, 2009 By

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour says he doesn’t think South Carolina’s governor should resign.

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford on Wednesday admitted to having an affair with a woman from Argentina, but Barbour, a fellow Republican, isn’t among those calling for Sanford’s resignation.

"In my career, I’ve made it a point that I don’t talk about people’s personal problems. I don’t think it’s polite. I don’t think it’s appropriate and I don’t think it advances the ball down the field," Barbour says. "The people of South Carolina have got to decide and he’s got to decide whether he ever wants to run for anything and I don’t want to prejudge that based on what I think is a personal tragedy for his family."

Barbour is in Iowa today to headline an Iowa GOP fundraiser this evening.  He taped this weekend’s Iowa Public Television show "Iowa Press" this afternoon. Barbour is the new chairman of the Republican Governors Association after Sanford stepped down Tuesday. Barbour was hestitant to address complaints about Sanford’s erratic behavior and the lies told his staff.

"I don’t know what he said to different people. He didn’t say anything to me, so I’m not going to prejudge that," Barbour said. "But look, the Sanfords have got something they’ve got to work through. I think they’re trying work through it and what that means politically right now, for them, is probably a whole lot less important than what it means for their family."

Nevada Senator John Ensign was the first and Sandford is the second Republican among those considered potential presidential candidates to admit to an affair this month. Barbour maintains neither admission will have any impact at the ballot box.

"And when I say ‘any’ I mean literally any effect," Barbour said. "…I don’t think it’ll change how one person’s going to vote in November of 2009 or in November of 2010. I think it’s a terrible thing. I hate it for them, but if you ask what I think the effect will be at the ballot box — I don’t think if will have any effect at the ballot box."

Barbour, the chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1993 to ’94, fueled speculation this week that he’s considering a run for the White House since he visited not only Iowa but the "First Primary" state of New Hampshire.

"When I was (RNC) chairman in ’93 and ’94, I told thousands of people, ‘Look, if you’re a good Republican you ought to be focused on the ’93 and ’94 elections because what happens in them is a whole lot more important to winning the presidency in ’96 than going around campaigning for president,’" Barbour said to a group of Iowa reporters Thursday afternoon. "Well, I’m taking my own advice. In 2009 and 2010, I feel exactly the same way…If after that, it seems like a reasonable thing, I will consider it."

Barbour added the likelihood of him running for president is slim.

"I have no plan to run for president. I have no intention to run for president, but I have been around long enough to say, ‘Never say never,’ and we’ll just see where we are after ’10," Barbour said. "But I would be very surprised if I turned out to be a candidate for president."

Barbour joked that his wife would be "more surprised."

The weekend’s edition of "Iowa Press" featuring Governor Barbour airs at 7:30 Friday night and 11:30 Sunday morning.

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With:

Iowa Court system announces more cuts

June 25, 2009 By

The Iowa Supreme Court announced more cuts Thursday to balance the budget for the new fiscal year that begins July 1st. Rebecca Coulton, a spokesperson for Chief Justice Marsha Ternus, says they’re cutting operating expenses by $5.4-million. She says the bulk of the cuts, nearly $4.8-million, will come from a statewide workforce reduction.

Coulton says many of the positions are already vacant as the court has been building a bank of open positions in anticipation of the cuts — but 15 people will be laid off. Overall including the layoffs, some 50 positions will be left unfilled. Coulton says the court will also for the first time in several years delay filling some judgeships.

Coulton says they will fill vacant positions in the juvenile court and any judgeships where a judicial district can show "a compelling need to fill." Coulton says any open judge positions that don’t fit those two categories will not be filled. She says they project at least five or six retirements of judges where the position will be held open.

Coulton says the cuts will help the court meet its budget for now. Coulton says the impact won’t directly impact the public service as the court has "was careful to make cuts that will not affect the public directly." She says the staff will have to pick up more work and there will be delays in the system and the "quality might suffer."

Thirteen of the 15 layoffs are to court reporters. The court system will also pool court reporters to save money. The court system also cut approximately $635,000 in non-personnel expenses. 

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Bill would retroactively pay Iowa soldiers for extended duty

June 25, 2009 By

Iowa Congressman Bruce Braley, a Democrat from Waterloo says a measure that would retroactively pay soldiers more money for extended tours of duty is closer to becoming a reality. Braley says the original measure paid solders an extra 200-dollars a day for extended duty.

Braley says "bureaucratic bungling" caused delays and it took six months to implement that program so that 20,000 service members left the military without receiving the compensation. He says that included 800 members of the Iowa National Guard. Braley introduced a measure to retroactively pay those soldiers and he says it is in the military funding bill in the U.S. House.

Braley says it would bring Iowa guardmembers one step closer to receiving the pay. He says a companion bill that was co-sponsored by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley was introduced last year, but has not been reintroduced this year, so he says the house bill would likely have strong support to make it in the final defense spending bill.

The bill passed the U.S. House today on a vote of 389-22. 

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: , ,

Iowa teacher heading to study tour in China

June 25, 2009 By

An Iowa teacher is leaving today as part of a select group of educators from across the country for a 20-day study tour of China. Canada Snyder, of Des Moines, is the only Iowan in the delegation of 18 teachers. Snyder says they’ll tour historic sites and visit with Chinese teachers and students.

"I am there as a teacher representative so I’m looking for artifacts to bring back to my classroom for students so they can understand what it’s really like to be a person living in China today, what their economy is like, their government and just experiencing it better in the classroom," Snyder says.

The group’s stops will include many smaller Chinese communities and the major cities of Beijing and Shanghai. A Hartford native, Snyder teaches honors world civilization, history and humanities at the Central Academy in Des Moines.

She says she’s been teaching about China for ten years but this trip will greatly enhance her understanding of the most populous nation on earth. "It’ll make the environment when I talk about China a lot more rich to my students and they’ll be able to ask me — what it’s really like seeing the Great Wall or the Terra Cotta Soldiers or what’s it really like living in western China?" Snyder says.

"I’ll be able to tell them, ‘You know what? I’ve been there. I can explain this to you…and help you go there someday as well.’" While her command of the language is minimal, Synder is not concerned about being able to navigate and soak in plenty of information during the trip abroad.

"My Chinese is very little but I have done some practicing," Snyder says. "I have a book and we had a few lessons so I can speak very basic Chinese but I don’t think it’s going to be a huge language problem because we’ll have interpreters with us and you just immerse yourself in the culture and you deal with it."

The study program is part of a grant through the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia. To learn more about the trip, see Synder’s website .

 

Filed Under: Education
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »