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Chief Justice warns of cuts in the courts

October 12, 2009 By

The Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court is warning judicial branch employees that layoffs will be “unavoidable” as the courts comply with Governor Culver’s order for a 10% across-the-board cut in the state budget. Chief Justice Marsha Ternus issued a memo this morning saying the judicial branch will need to trim up to $16 million from its budget.

Steve Davis a spokesperson for the Iowa Supreme Court says 95% of the judicial branch budget involves personnel-related costs. “So, the options are really limited,” Davis said. “Layoffs are almost inevitable for employees. Court closure days are another possibility. Iowans will not have access to the same justice system they have today.”

In her memo, Ternus says the budget reduction will have a “devastating impact” on the courts’ ability to deliver timely services to the public. Ternus is asking employees to submit their budget cutting ideas by noon on Tuesday. Davis says the Iowa Supreme Court justices will meet later this week to begin discussing their course of action.

“The options include layoffs and closing courts more days,” Davis said. “The cuts are so deep, that the organization may not look the same after the required reductions are implemented.” Earlier this year, the Iowa Judicial Branch laid off or eliminated the positions of 13 court reporters around a dozen clerk and court attendant positions. Around 1,900 people are currently employed in the Iowa Judicial Branch, although dozens of vacancies are being held open.

See the memo from the Chief Justice here:

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

Des Moines workers cash in million dollar Powerball ticket

October 12, 2009 By
Ten Powerball winners.

Ten Powerball winners.

A group of 10 workers at a Des Moines tire plant collected a one-million dollar Powerball prize today at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Des Moines. The workers at the Des Moines Firestone plant have been playing together for several years, and spokesman Dan Kelley of Urbandale says he learned late Saturday night they had matched all five numbers but not the Powerball.

Kelley says a few of the guys always say it only takes one ticket to be a winner. He says their $100 investment in Wednesday’s drawing only produced 12 dollars in winnings, so they took 10-dollars and rolled it into the next drawing and won. The group was able to win the one-million dollars because they’d purchased the Powerplay option.

Kelley says they play the Powerplay because his wife matched five numbers back in 2005 and only won $100,000 instead of $500,000, because she hadn’t bought the Powerplay. He says they all talked about it and decided it would be worth an extra dollar to buy the Powerplay. The group calls themselves “The Local 310 Ten” because they’re all members of Local 310 of the United Steelworkers Union. Kelley always buys the tickets, and says he keeps a ledger to be sure everyone gets paid off.

Dan Kelley

Dan Kelley

He says he keeps a little notebook with everyone’s names on it and a check mark if they have played for the drawing. Kelley says there were a couple that were a little behind in paying but they “got caught up real quick” when they found out the group had won a big prize. The 10 men will each get $70,000 after taxes. An 84-year-old man won a one-million dollar prize in last weeks drawing. Iowa Lottery Vice President Mary Neubauer says that’s only part of a streak.

Neubauer says Iowa has had four one-million dollar winners this year, and one at the end of last year, so there have been five in the period of about one year. “That’s really unusual, I think we have had such a run of luck when it comes to Powerball winners,” Nuebauer says. She says this is what they hoped for when they added the one-million prize for the Powerplay option.

She says they redesigned the game in January when Florida joined the Powerball drawings, so that you always win the one-million dollar prize if you have all five numbers, miss the powerball, but have the Powerplay option. The other members of the group are: Tony Link, James Dorr and Richard Harter, all of Des Moines; Patrick McNaney of Berwick; Tom Cavanaugh, Donald Root and Wesley Beeghly, all of Ankeny; Bruce Michael of Altoona; and Donald Maas of Stuart.

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:

GameTruck can bring high-tech “man cave” to your door

October 12, 2009 By

A mobile video game arcade will soon be available to offer Iowans a new concept in entertainment. Whether you’re into Halo, Grand Theft Auto or virtually anything else offered on X-Box, PlayStation 3 or Nintendo Wii, the GameTruck can bring them to your driveway, along with a place to play on several giant plasma TVs. Brad Taylor is building Iowa’s first GameTruck. “It’s a standard trailer, about 30 feet long,” Taylor says. “Inside, are leather couches along one wall. It’s all carpeted. It’s like a rolling man cave.”

Taylor says it’s being built to accommodate up to 16 players at once. “We have a complete library of games, all of the popular games,” Taylor says. “We’ll have Rock Band, we’ll have Guitar Hero. In the corner, will be a full drum kit set up so whoever wants to play drums can play the drums.” Taylor, who works with computers for his day job, says this GameTruck concept has worked in several big American cities and he thinks Iowans will take to it as well. It’s a self-contained unit, with its own power generator. He plans to be hiring it out for birthday parties, schools, churches, fundraisers and corporate events.

“One of the knocks against video games is they tend to be socially isolating, you’re down in your basement playing video games all day and you’re not really interacting with anybody,” Taylor says. “With the game truck, there’s 16 people on board, you and 15 of your buddies, and you can all be playing Halo or Call of Duty together.” Taylor says the GameTruck will be based in West Des Moines but he’ll be able to drive it virtually anywhere in the state — for a price.

“If you want to have a two-hour weekend party, it runs $295, additional hours are $95 an hour,” Taylor says. “During the mid-week, Monday through Thursday, we do offer a discount.” Taylor’s taking reservations now for parties starting December 1st. For details, visit www.gametruckparty.com.

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment

Radio Iowa Poll 10/12/09

October 12, 2009 By

Class 4A
1. Iowa City High (7-0), LW #1 vs Waterloo West
2. Dowling Catholic (7-0), LW #2 vs Indianola
3. Marshalltown (7-0), LW #3 vs Waukee
4. Clinton (7-0), LW #4 @ Davenport Central (Thur)
5. Bettendorf (6-1), LW #6 vs Burlington
6. Ankeny (6-1), LW #7 vs Johnston
7. Linn-Mar (6-1), LW #5 vs CR Jefferson
8. Ottumwa (6-1), LW #10 vs DSM East
9. Cedar Rapids Xavier (5-2), LW (X) vs Iowa City West
10.Fort Dodge (6-1), LW (X) vs WDM Valley

 

Class 3A
1. Harlan (7-0), LW #1 vs Creston/OM
2. Clear Lake (7-0), LW #2 vs Hampton-Dumont
3. Carroll (7-0), LW #3 vs Boone
4. Centerville (7-0), LW #4 vs South Tama
5. Sioux City Heelan (6-1), LW #5 @ LeMars
6. Marion (7-0), LW #8 vs #7 Maquoketa
7. Maquoketa (7-0), LW #10 @ #6 Marion
8. Williamsburg (6-1), LW (X) vs Keokuk
9. Ballard (Huxley) (6-1), LW #6 @ JSPC
10.Grinnell (6-1), LW #9 vs Chariton

 

Class 2A
1. Solon (7-0), LW #1 @ #4 Iowa City Regina
2. Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley (7-0), LW #2 @ Sibley-Ocheyedan
3. North Fayette (7-0), LW #3 @ #5 Cascade
4. Iowa City Regina (7-0), LW #4 vs #1 Solon
5. Cascade (7-0), LW #5 vs #3 North Fayette
6. Mid-Prairie (Wellman) (6-1), LW #6 @ #8 Davis County
7. Osage (7-0), LW #7 vs Central Springs
8. Davis County (Bloomfield) (6-1), LW #10 vs #6 Mid-Prairie
9. Eagle Grove (6-1), LW (X) @ Buffalo Ridge
10.Carroll Kuemper (5-2), LW (X) @ Red Oak

 

Class 1A
1. Council Bluffs St. Albert (7-0), LW #1 @ #7 Griswold
2. West Branch (7-0), LW #2 @ Durant
3. Emmetsburg (7-0), LW #3 @ West Fork
4. Prairie Valley (Gowrie) (7-0), LW #4 @ West Central Valley
5. South Winneshiek (7-0), LW #5 vs Aplington-Parkersburg
6. West Lyon (6-1), LW #6 vs South O’Brien
7. Griswold (7-0), LW #8 vs #1 St. Albert
8. HMS (Hartley) (6-1), LW #9 vs West Sioux
9. Clayton Ridge (6-1), LW #10 vs Alburnett
10.Manson-Northwest Webster (6-1), LW (X) vs Woodward-Granger

 

Class A
1. North Tama (7-0), LW #1 vs Montezuma
2. Central Elkader (7-0), LW #2 @ Wapsie Valley
3. AHST (Avoca) (7-0), LW #3 vs Corning
4. Southern Cal (6-1), LW #4 vs Newell-Fonda
5. Madrid (6-1), LW #5 vs Lynnville-Sully
6. Cedar Falls NU High (7-0), LW #6 vs Northwood-Kensett (Thur)
7. North Mahaska (7-0), LW #7 vs B-G-M
8. Mason City Newman (6-1), LW #8 vs Riceville
9. Clay Central-Everly (6-1), LW #9 @ Rockwell City-Lytton
10.LeMars Gehlen (6-1), LW #10 @ Woodbury Central

 

Eight-man
1. Lenox (7-0), LW #1 vs Seymour
2. North Sentral Kossuth (7-0), LW #2 @ Twin River Valley (Bode)
3. Tri-County (Thornburgh) (7-0), LW #4 vs Harmony
4. Stanton (7-0), LW #5 vs Hamburg
5. Preston (7-0), LW #6 vs Lansing Kee
6. Armstrong-Ringsted (6-1), LW #7 @ Laurens-Marathon
7. Ankeny Christian (6-1), LW #8 @ Lamoni
8. Remsen St. Mary’s (7-0), LW #9 @ Charter Oak-Ute
9. West Central (Maynard) (6-1), LW #10 @ Central City
10.CAM (Anita) (6-1), LW #3 vs Meskwaki Settlement

 

 

Filed Under: Radio Iowa Poll, Sports

Another website seeks ideas for cutting state budget

October 12, 2009 By

A commission examining ways to reorganize state government has set up a new website so the public can submit cost-cutting ideas. 

“Hopefully, we’ll find a lot of great ideas,” says State Senator Staci Appel, a Democrat from Ackworth who is co-chair of the Legislature’s State Government Reorganization Commission.  “The public needs to work together with us on this budget cut and reorganizing state government and a lot of individuals have a lot of great ideas, so we’re hoping to find some.” 

The commission met for the first time earlier this summer and its next meeting is in December.  Appel says they’re considering a wide range of proposals, including consolidation of state agencies.

“Looking at the organizational table of departments.  Looking  at technology and how the state is using that; consolidating technology — the servers and the email systems,” Appel says, “trying to go paperless.”   

Earlier this year, Republicans and Democrats set up competing websites to solicit budget-cutting ideas from the public.  Now, there’s a new website for the reorganization commission, seeking similar ideas.

Here is a link to the new website.

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: , ,

State representative from Cedar Rapids resigns, citing family concerns

October 12, 2009 By

A Cedar Rapids Democrat who has served for nine years in the Iowa House of Representatives submitted his resignation today. Representative Dick Taylor cited family concerns in his resignation notice. 

Taylor’s 46-year-old son died this summer of a heart attack.  Mark Taylor, a Linn County Deputy Sheriff, was driving his squad car at the time.  The car flipped on its top and caught fire. Representative Taylor, his father, issued a prepared statement, saying he was proud of his service in the House, but adding it was time for him “to focus full-time on (his) family.” 

Taylor, a Korean War veteran, married his wife, Jan, 54 years ago. Taylor worked in the construction trades, rising through the ranks of his union to serve on the executive board of the Hawkeye Labor Council for 12 years. 

Taylor’s resignation is effective immediately.  Governor Culver is required to announce by the end of the week the date of a special election to fill Taylor’s spot in the Iowa House.

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

“Leave it to Beaver” star promotes free prescription drugs

October 12, 2009 By
Jerry Mathers

Jerry Mathers

The actor who stared in the “Leave it to Beaver” television show is in Iowa today to tell Iowans how they can get free prescription drugs. Jerry Mathers accompanied the P-P-A orange bus on a stop in the Des Moines suburb of Urbandale. “There are a lot of Americans right now that are uninsured and struggling. And what the P.P.A. bus is, it’s Partnership for Prescription Assistance. And it’s for people that are uninsured, have a chronic disease, to be able to get their medications for free or almost free,” Mathers says.

Mathers says you can visit the bus, or you can contact the P.P.A. to see if you qualify. Mathers says you can call 1-888-4-P-P-A-N-O-W, or you can go on-line at:www.pparx.org, and they will ask you about 10 questions to see if you might qualify for the free medication. He says it’s important you check to see if you might qualify for help from P.P.A.

Mathers says there are some 400 companies, around 200 are drug companies, and the others involved supply grants — so it’s important that you call and see if you qualify. He says any information you share is kept anonymous. Mathers has diabetes and says the disease has showed him the importance of staying up with the proper medications.

Mathers says he’s lucky to be covered by insurance because of his acting, but says he knows that not treating a chronic disease with the proper medications can make things get even worse. So he says anyone who needs help should check to see if they can get their medications for free or almost free.

PPA bus

PPA bus

The P.P.A. says it has already helped over 54,000 people in Iowa. The bus is scheduled to visit Ames, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Burlington. Mathers, who played the “Beaver” on the iconic show, was born in Sioux City and stayed a short time in Iowa before moving with his parents to California.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:
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