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About 800 layoff notices included in budget-cutting plans

October 21, 2009 By

Almost 800 workers would be laid off under budget-cutting plans revealed early this afternoon. 

The directors of state agencies submitted plans for dealing with the governor’s 10 percent, across-the-board cut in the state budget.  Those plans call for eliminating more than 1,300 jobs in the executive branch of state government; 529 of those positions are vacant, however, meaning no one would have to be sent a pink slip.  But layoff notices would be delivered to 791 state workers if the governor approves the plans. 

In a written statement, Governor Culver these proposals represent a “starting line, not the finish line.”  Culver said his goal is “to do everything we can to preserve essential services and minimize layoffs.” 

He hinted that reopening contract negotiations with the unions for state workers — and getting union approval of salary reductions — would be one way to avoid some of the layoffs.  A statement from the leadership of AFSCME Council 61 — the union which represents the largest share of state workers — offered few clues as to whether the union would be open to salary reductions as a means of avoiding massive layoffs.  

The job reductions announced today do not apply to the other two branches of state government, the legislative and judicial branches.  The state universities are part of the executive branch, but did not submit their job reduction plans today.

Filed Under: Business, Crime & Courts, Education, Environment & Conservation, Health & Medicine, Military, Politics & Government Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Over 500 layoffs proposed in state prisons

October 21, 2009 By
Department of Corrections building.

Department of Corrections building.

Nearly two-thirds of the proposed state government layoffs involve employees of the Iowa Department of Corrections.

Under the budget-cutting plan Department director John Baldwin submitted to the governor, over 500 people who are working in the prison system today would be laid off. Baldwin told reporters a reduction of that magnitude doesn’t necessarily heighten his concerns about safety inside prison walls.

“We are always worried about staff safety, offender safety,” Baldwin said. “This doesn’t change a lot.  In fact, even in our best economic times, we wanted to make sure that staff and offenders were safe.” 

[Read more...]

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

Nursing homes, doctors among those who’ll feel state budget cuts

October 21, 2009 By

DHS Director Charles KrogmeierNursing homes, doctors and other health care providers in Iowa will likely see a five percent reduction in state payments for the care they give poor and disabled Iowans enrolled in the government’s Medicaid program.

That is among the budget-cutting ideas Department of Human Services director Charles Krogmeier delivered to the governor this week.  Krogmeier says there is “some” concern that some health care providers would choose to quit providing care for Medicaid patients.

“Some providers rely on Medicaid for a good share of their revenue,” Krogmeier says.  “Others, it’s a relatively small piece, so depending upon their revenue mix and the kind of programs that they’re getting paid for from Medicaid, you know, it’ll impact each one differently.”

Krogmeier and his staff reviewed the various medical services which qualify for Medicaid coverage, too, and have decided to discontinue covering visits to the chiropractor.

[Read more...]

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

U.N.I. faces big test to stay in post-season contention

October 21, 2009 By

The U.N.I. Panthers need to bounce back from last weekend’s loss to Southern Illinois in a hurry as the prepare to face another ranked opponent. The sixth rated Panthers visit an 11th ranked South Dakota State team that is 5-1 overall and 4-0 in the league race.

U.N.I. coach Mark Farley says they are very good and right now are at the top of the league. Farley says the Jackrabbits are built around a good defense. He says,”They are a tough, hard-nosed football team is what they are and they’re sound in what they do and they’re physical in what they do.”

South Dakota State views this game as an opportunity to show it is a legitimate title contender. Farley says that can be said for every team they face, and he is not concerned about what the other teams think, but is more concerned about his team avoiding highs and lows. He says they are going to get every team’s best effort.

South Dakota State coach John Stiegelmeier is not trying to downplay the significance. He says they don’t care what happened in the past and are not looking ahead to the future. Stiegelmeier says every game has playoff implications and this is a way to change the face of S-D-S football.

Stiegelmeier says this is the type of game the program needs to win to reach the next level. He says if they are going to compete for the conference championship, then you have to bring your best football and put the program on the national map.

Stiegelmeir does not mind the “blue collar” tag that has been placed on his team.

He says a lot of the guys on the staff and the nature of the state and the university are blue collar. “If blue collar means you work your tail off and do things right, then I’m very proud of that title,” Stiegelmeier says.

U.N.I. is 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the league race.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

Group says millions of pounds of waste released into waterways

October 21, 2009 By
Eric Nost

Mike Delaney

An environmental group issued a report today showing industrial facilities dumped 3.5 million pounds of toxic chemicals into Iowa waterways in 2007. Eric Nost, with Environment Iowa, is calling on the businesses to switch from using hazardous chemicals to safer substitutes.

“Second, we should start implementing the Clean Water Act as it was intended,” Nost said at a press conference in Des Moines. “It should make all of our waters drinkable, fishable, swimmable and ultimately ensure there is no toxic discharge in our waterways. This means writing permits with tough numeric limits and enforcing them.”

The report identifies Tyson Fresh Meats plants in Columbus Junction and Perry as two of the top polluters. A spokesperson for Tyson calls the report “misleading” and says they release wastewater into streams and rivers only after it has been fully treated in accordance with state requirements.

The plant released over 1.38 million pounds of toxic chemical waste  into the Iowa and Cedar Rivers, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The Raccoon River, which runs through Des Moines, supplies drinking water to nearly one-fifth of Iowa’s population.

Mike Delaney is president of the Raccoon River Watershed Association. “Water conditions are affecting the life in the river, the fish and it’s now affecting humans,” Delaney said. “We now have complaints from paddlers about rashes that they’re getting from the water. We have complaints from people who’s dogs have become sick from drinking river water. We know that things are getting very bad, very rapidly.”

Racoon River in Des Moines.

Racoon River in Des Moines.

Other facilities that are identified in the report as the top contributors to pollution in Iowa waterways include Cargill in Ottumwa, Pinnacle Foods in Fort Madison, Monsanto in Muscatine and Cambrex in Charles City. Delaney says while the industrial facilities are part of the problem, he’s more concerned with the nitrogen and manure spread on farm fields that’s getting into waterways.

“This report focuses upon point sources, which is a problem, there’s a bigger problem. That has to do with non-point sources…what’s coming off of farm tiles and running off the land,” Delaney said. He believes many livestock operations lack oversight from the EPA and state regulators.

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation

Fear of flu makes hospitals change visitor rules

October 21, 2009 By

Due to the rise in flu cases, visitors are being restricted at many of Iowa’s largest medical centers down to the smallest rural hospitals. Some facilities are cutting the number of visitors per room to two, while visitors who have flu-like symptoms are told to stay home.

Deb Thielen, director of nursing at Hamilton Hospital in Webster City, says, “Because there is the increase in the influenza-like illness and there have been some confirmed cases of H-1-N-1 in the county, we’re going to try to limit visitors,” Thielen says. Hospital officials say they’ve seen an overwhelming increase in patients with the flu in recent weeks.

Theilen says it’s in the best interest of the patients to limit their possible exposure to the flu and other contagions. “We are limiting visitors at this time, visitors who are ill or have influenza-like illness for all patients in the hospital,” she says. “For O-B, we’re also limiting those visitors to 18-years and younger, except siblings. The reason is that we’re trying to keep our patients safe.”

A popular Halloween event that’s been held at the hospital for years has been cancelled due to fears about the flu. At Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, would-be visitors are urged to rethink coming in if they have symptoms including: coughing, fever and chills.

Contributed by Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City

Filed Under: Health & Medicine

Unemployment rate holds steady in September

October 21, 2009 By

Iowa’s unemployment rate held at 6.7% in September to match the August rate. Iowa Workforce Development spokesperson, Kerry Koonce, says holding steady is a positive. Koonce says they don’t really start figuring trends until they see one quarter’s worth of change. But she says it is a positive that Iowa didn’t have a gain while the national unemployment went up.

The U.S. unemployment rate edged up to 9.8% in September from 9.7% in August. Koonce says more people were working in September. Koonce says the size of the labor force went up and the job losses were not as heavy has they have been in some areas. She says some areas actually added jobs, such as education and health services, which added 1,600 jobs.

There were some down areas. Koonce says the trade, transportation and utilities area lost 45-hundred jobs. She says three-thousand of the jobs were in the retail area, and says it is common as businesses cut temporary summer help. Koonce says we won’t see the impact of temporary holiday hiring for another month. The number of workers estimated as being unemployed held at 113,100 in September. One year ago, the count stood at 71,000 as the unemployment rate was 4.2% in September 2008.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With:
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