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Hundreds sleep outside to raise awareness of homelessness

October 23, 2009 By
Reggies Sleepout 2008

Reggies Sleepout 2008

Hundreds of people will be sleeping outdoors tonight (Saturday) in Des Moines to raise awareness and money to address the problem of youth homelessness. The fourth annual Reggie’s Sleepout takes place on the football field at Drake Stadium. Jim McSweeny, Resources Coordinator with Iowa Homeless Youth Centers, says the activities begin at 3 p.m. with live music, food and games.

“Then, after midnight or whenever, we’ll all climb crawl in our (cardboard) box and sleeping bag and experience a little bit of what it must be like to be an unsheltered homeless person,” McSweeny said. Participants collect pledges and donate nonperishable goods for local food pantries. McSweeny is expecting a solid turnout tonight.

Last year’s event drew around 800 people. McSweeny is hoping 1,000 people will take part in Reggie’s Sleepout this year. The event is named for Reggie Kelsey, a young man who aged out of the foster care system in 2001 and within three and a half months, was found dead in the Des Moines River. Last year’s sleepout raised more than $150,000. All proceeds from the event benefit the Des Moines Area Religious Council and Iowa Homeless Youth Centers.

McSweeny says his organization works to identify homeless youth in Des Moines and “help equip them to become self-sufficient adults.” The Des Moines Area Religious Council operates nine food pantries in the metro area.

Filed Under: Human Interest

Conlin “leaning heavily” toward run for U.S. Senate

October 23, 2009 By

A Des Moines attorney who once ran for governor is nearly ready to start a race for one of Iowa’s U.S. Senate seats. Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican, plans to seek a sixth term in the senate in 2010 and Democrat Roxanne Conlin may emerge as a challenger. 

“I’m leaning heavily toward running against Senator Grassley,” Conlin says.  “I have things involving clients that I need to get through. I want to make sure that everyone I have a responsibility for is in good shape and I’m going to make a decision in the next month.” 

 Two men from eastern Iowa who once served in the state legislature have announced they intend to seek the Democratic Party’s U.S. senate nomination. But Conlin appears to be the “first round draft pick” the Democratic Party’s chairman said last month would emerge to challenge Grassley.  Conlin says she’s heard from “a lot of Iowans” who are unhappy with Grassley.

“Even though he is someone I like and someone for whom I have respect for his 50 years of public service, my feeling is that he has simply lost touch with Iowans,” Conlin says. “I don’t like the way that he has been voting. I would be voting differently.” 

Conlin specifically cites Grassley’s conduct during the health care debate. ”Certainly this summer’s events, with him telling people that they should be afraid that the government is going to be deciding when to pull the plug on grandma — that is not true. That is not right,” Conlin says.  “And he’s saying that to Iowans while he’s out in Washington pretending that he’s engaging in a bipartisan effort to find the answer.” 

After weeks of closed door negotiations with a bipartisan group of senators from the Senate Finance Committee, Grassley ended up voting against the health care reform plan which passed the panel this month.

Conlin was the Democratic Party’s nominee for governor in 1982, losing to Republican Terry Branstad.  Conlin’s name hasn’t been on an Iowa ballot in the 27 years since then, but Conlin says she’s been “completely” immersed in Democratic Party politics.

“I haven’t been out of politics for a moment, ever,” Conlin says, with a laugh. “I have been actively involved with other candidates, other causes.” 

Conlin traveled the state extensively in 2003 and again in 2007 as she campaigned for presidential candidate and fellow trial lawyer John Edwards.  Conlin says she reconnected with many people during those travels and that’s one of the factors prompting her to be a candidate for the U.S. senate.

“People have been reaching out to me.  I have just been overwhelmed and humbled by the support that people are expressing and that goes a long way, too, in my thinking,” Conlin says. “I think I will have broad, widespread support if I decide to do this.” 

Conlin, though, says she expects to be answering questions about some controversial chapters in her life.   ”I’m girding myself for anything,” Conlin says, with a laugh. “I know that it’s gotten uglier and uglier and, frankly, I don’t think people like that very well, but it’s done because people say it works, but I’m not going to do it.  I’m going to stick with the issues. I’m going to talk about how we differ, but I absolutely refuse to attack Senator Grassley on a personal level. I don’t expect that that favor will be returned.” 

Conlin says she expects to be able to withstand the scrutiny a campaign will bring.

“Certainly I’ve made mistakes. Certainly there are things about which I can be criticized,” Conlin says. “But I think that I have led a decent life.  I think that there is nobody who walks the face of the earth that doesn’t have some baggage to carry along with them. I’m a pretty tough person.  I don’t think there’s anything that they can say about me that I won’t be able to answer and that I won’t be able to withstand.” 

Conlin, who is 65, is a nationally-recognized attorney who was the first woman to serve as president of the American Trial Lawyers Association.

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

Iowa looks for record start, ISU, UNI also on the road

October 23, 2009 By

The Iowa Hawkeyes try to go 8-0 for the first time in the history of the program when they visit Michigan State. The Spartans have won three in a row and have another solid defense that is yielding just under 100 yards on the ground per game.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says the Spartans linebackers are active and involved, the front four are good pass rushers, so he says they will have to work to keep quarterback Ricki Stanzi secure. The Spartans have used two different quarterbacks: Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol. Cousins went the distance last week in a victory over Northwestern.

Ferentz says the approach is working and the offense doesn’t seem to change much depending on who is in the game. It is another tough road game for the Hawks but that has not mattered to this point. They already have Big Ten victories at Penn State and Wisconsin. He says Iowa State was also a tough game, and says anytime you win on the road, it is a positive.

The Iowa State Cyclones are on the road in the Big-12 to play Nebraska. The offensive line must battle a Husker front seven led by standout lineman Ndamukong Suh. Cyclone coach Paul Rhoads says Suh is a disruptive force, but he has six guys around him that also play extremely well. Rhoads says it will be a challenge for I.S.U. offensive line that has been the strength of the team. He says they’ve been able to runt he ball and protect the quarterback so far, and he hopes they are up to this new challenge.

The Cyclones could see Zac Lee or freshman Cody Green at quarterback for Nebraska. Rhoads says both are quality players who can lead the team. After losing to Texas Tech at home last week Rhoads expects to meet up with a highly motivated Nebraska team.

The U.N.I. Panthers are on the road in the Missouri Valley Football Conference race to take on South Dakota State. The Panthers are ranked sixth after dropping their first conference game at home last week to Southern Illinois while the 11th ranked Jackrabbits are unbeaten in conference action.

U.N.I. coach Mark Farley says Southern Illinois will visit there next week, so South Dakota State has a lot on the line and this will be another tough football game. Farley who says it will come down to execution as he says usually the top teams are sound offensively and defensively and just a few things determine how the game comes out.

Farley says this is a must-win if the Panthers want to stay in the league title chase. He says there is very little room for error and they have lost a home football game and now have to find an extra win on the road that maybe wasn’t and issue before.

Elwin Huffman of KOEL in Oelwein contributed to this report.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: , , ,

IHA says Medicaid cut will cost hospitals $18 million

October 23, 2009 By

Officials with the Iowa Hospital Association say Iowa hospitals stand to lose more than 18-million dollars under a budget-cutting proposal submitted to Governor Culver this week. The director of the Department of Human Services proposes a five percent reduction in payments to doctors, hospitals and others that provide care to patients who are on Medicaid.

Scott McIntyre of the Iowa Hospital Association says, “I can’t exactly say that we were surprised. I mean, Medicaid is a major part of the state’s budget and it’s always a big target. But it is unfortunate because we believe the state has the ability to not have to do that, that the funds are available to do cover that and not have to make that cut.”

In order to avoid more layoffs of social workers and other workers in the Department of Human Services, the agency’s director chose to shift some of the surplus of money set aside for Medicaid, which is government-financed health care for the poor and disabled. McIntyre says by taking that money out of Medicaid, hospitals are being squeezed when they’re already under financial pressure because of low federal reimbursement rates for the case of elderly patients who’re on Medicare.

“It makes it harder for hospitals to pay employees more. It makes it harder for us to raise nurses salaries which, again, a lot of people know are among the lowest in the nation,” McIntyre says. “It adds to that problem and frankly, we don’t need it anymore. We need to bring Medicaid and Medicare up, not go the other direction.”

The Iowa Hospital Association estimates Iowa hospitals will be short more than $170 million this year because Medicaid payments fail to cover the cost of care for seniors. There are 117 community hospitals in Iowa.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, Politics & Government

Thousands to run in race to raise money for Cancer cure

October 23, 2009 By
2008 Race for the Cure

2008 Race for the Cure

Thousands of people wearing pink will gather on the state capitol grounds Saturday morning. The Komen Race for the Cure event will raise thousands of dollars for breast health education and breast cancer research. Race co-director Giulia Jackson of Runnells says it’s the biggest annual fundraiser in the state.

The race is expected to draw over 25,000 participants. The day’s events include a 5K run/walk starting at 9 a.m. and a one mile walk beginning at 9:30. Some participants travel several hundred miles to take part.

“We have people from all over the state,” Jackson said. “We really, over the past few years, have kind of thought that we would reach a cap on the number of race participants we can get based on our population. But, every year, we’re just amazed at how much the race grows.” More information about the Des Moines Race for the Cure can be found online at www.komendesmoines.org.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine Tagged With:

Board of Regents to consider $100 surcharge on students

October 23, 2009 By

The board that governs the three state universities will consider a temporary surcharge to make up for budget cuts. Information released for the Board of Regents meeting next Thursday in Cedar Falls shows the board will be asked to approve a temporary $100 surcharge for each full-time student for the spring semester.

The University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa are looking to make up over 58-million dollars from the governor’s 10% budget cut. The surcharge is expected to generate $5.7 million about 10% of the money lost in the budget cut. The surcharge would only apply to students for the spring semester, and would be pro-rated for part-time students.

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Filed Under: Business, Education Tagged With: , ,

GOP leaders offer suggestion to avoid some layoffs

October 23, 2009 By

Republican legislative leaders say Democratic Governor Chet Culver should shift more funds around state government rather than layoff hundreds of workers in the Department of Corrections and the Department of Public Safety. House Republican Leader Kraig Paulsen of Hiawatha says, for example, the governor and his department directors can shut down some programs and shift the money to pay salaries.

“He’s got transfer authority and there’s also transfer authority within departments, that department heads have,” Paulsen says. “And that’s what he should be doing.”

Legislators draft a detailed state budget plan that is signed into law by the governor, but Paulsen argues the governor and his top managers have almost unlimited authority to shift funds around once legislators are not meeting in Des Moines.  Paulsen says he’d prefer a special legislative session this fall so lawmakers can make selective cuts in the state budget plan.

“If he’s not going to call us back so that we can go through and identify what the priorities on behalf of Iowans are, then he needs to be doing that,” Paulsen says. “Waiting ’til January for some of these decisions is too long.”

A spokesman for the governor says Governor Culver will use his authority to transfer some funds from one program to another in state government.  But Phil Roeder, the governor’s deputy chief of staff, says that authority is limited and won’t negate the need for state worker layoffs.

“Governors have a limited authority to make transfers either within departments or between departments, and there’s a process in place to do that.  You have to confirm that there’s a need in one department.  You have to confirm that another department actually has surplus funds and then the governor and the department of management have to sign off on a plan to do that,” Roeder says.  “At the same time, that is not a replacement for budget cuts.” 

With state tax revenue on the decline, Roeder says the governor believes all state agencies must reduce their budgets by 10 percent. 

“And after that cut, the option of implementing some fund transfers is possible.  It’s something that’s very much on the table,” Roeder says. “It’s not going to eliminate the need to make the across-the-board cut, but it’s at least one tool that may allow us to go back and lessen the impact on certain areas.” 

However, Roeder says there just isn’t enough money to transfer from other agencies into the Department of Corrections to avoid some staff reductions in the prison system.

“It’s not going to alleviate every cut and every layoff,” Roeder says of budget transfers within state government.  “But it could help lessen the blow to some key priority areas that we have.” And Roeder says the governor and his staff are investigating budget transfers to reduce staff losses in the prisons and in public safety.

Senate Republican Leader Paul McKinley of Chariton says everyone in the country knew the economy was tanking last fall, but the Democratic governor and the Democrats who control the legislature ignored the signs. 

 ”This is a self-made problem and now they’re just kind of washing their hands, blaming either Washington or Wall Street and, heaven forbid, they’re still blaming George Bush on this thing. It couldn’t be further from the truth,” McKinley says. “They are the people who have set the stage for this mess and they’re dealing with it in a rather amateurish manner.” 

McKinley says unionized state workers should accept pay cuts, now, to help avoid layoffs.   ”I’ve been in businesses in this state that are off as much as 75 percent. They’ve had 40 percent layoffs. They’ve taken 20 percent pay cuts. Ten percent, especially when you’ve run spending up 25 percent, is a very manageable thing to deal with,” McKinley says. “But you have to deal with it and show some leadership and some moxie in settting the priorities that Iowans want and need, and that hasn’t happened.”

Paulsen warns there are “major” costs associated with state worker layoffs, as laid off workers will be eligible for unemployment benefits. In addition, the state trooper layoffs will mean fewer speed tickets are written, reducing state revenue from fines and court fees on those tickets.  And Paulsen says if the position that’s vacant because of a layoff is deemed essential in a few months, then it will cost even more to rehire someone for that job.

“It’s a big mess,” Paulsen says.

Paulsen and McKinley made their comments this morning after taping a joint appearance on the Iowa Public Television program, “Iowa Press.”

(This story was updated at 3:10 p.m.)

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