February 9, 2012

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King misses son’s weekend wedding for vote in Washington

November 9, 2009 By
Mick and Steph King

Mick and Steph King

Congressman Steve King missed his son’s wedding this past Saturday as King stayed in Washington for the debate over health care reform. King was among the Republican members of congress who cast a “no” vote late Saturday night. 

“I thought it through and could only come to one conclusion, that I  cannot ask other people to sacrifice, I can’t ask soldiers to go to Iraq or Afhganistan, or people to step forward and do the work that’s needed for this country if I’m not willing to sacrifice, too,” King says.

King says it wasn’t difficult to make that decision, but he says it was hard to miss the family celebration. ”I’m home now and I had a chance to actually catch them on the way to the airport and have dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Michael King and it was a very, very good feeling to be able to send them off into their lives together,” King says.

Tennesee Congressman Marsha Blackburn learned King was missing the family wedding, so she got a bound copy of the health care reform bill and had the Republican members of congress sign it and extend their handwritten congratulations to King’s son and his new wife.

“It turns it into the best wedding card anybody ever had gotten. It will be an heirloom that Mick and Steph will have the rest of their lives and I expect they’ll pass it along to their children,” King says.

King is a keeper of family heirlooms.  The leather-bound copy of the New Testament that one of King’s distant uncles carried in the Civil War is on display in King’s D.C. office.

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

Cyclones prepare for senior day and Colorado

November 9, 2009 By

Twenty-three seniors will play their final home game on Saturday when the Iowa State Cyclones host Colorado. The Cyclones are 5-5 overall after a 34-8 loss to Oklahoma State and they stand 2-4 in the Big-12. Linebacker Fred Garrin is one of those who will play his final game in Jack Trice Stadium.

Garrin says it hasn’t hit him yet, and he says it probably will once the game gets underway. Despite back-to-back subpar performances Garrin says there is still plenty to play for. He says they have to know if they play their best and do what the coaches have taught them, then things will take care of themselves.

Colorado is 3-6 after posting a surprising victory over Texas A@M. Garrin says you can’t count anyone out in the conference and he looks forward to a good game against Colorado.

After giving up more than 330 yards on the ground against Oklahoma State Garrin says the Cyclone defense is motivated to make a better showing this week. He says they will come out and be ready to play and get back to the fundamentals.

Head coach Paul Rhoads was out of town and offensive line coach Bill Bleil filled in at his weekly news conference. He says the Cyclones were disappointed in Saturday’s effort. Bleil says they probably played their poorest game of the season, and he says part of that is due to Oklahoma State’s defensive line.

Bleil says things looked better on tape than they did during the game, but it was still not a good performance overall.

Bleil says quarterback Austen Arnaud will see more time on the practice field this week. He returned against the Cowboys after missing the previous two games with an injured throwing hand.

He says they had to kind of keep a pitch count on Arnaud so his arm wouldn’t get tired after the layoff. The Cyclone offense has produced only one touchdown in each the last three games and that unit will need to be more productive this weekend. Bleil says the consistency of the group they put on the field has been in turmoil with sickness and injury, and he hopes they are over that part of it.

As he nears the end of his first season in the Big-12 Bleil says there is an obvious difference between the styles of play in the North and the South divisions. He says the north teams are a little more physical and the south teams have more skill players. Bleil says the Cyclones try to get physical linemen and stay on the field.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

Des Moines police investigate student alcohol poisoning at Drake University

November 9, 2009 By

Des Moines police are investigating a possible hazing case involving a Drake University student. Authorities say 19-year-old Nathan Erickson of Durant was hospitalized on Sunday for apparent alcohol poisoning. Erickson, a member of Phi Delta Theta, was reportedly drinking Everclear at a residence behind the fraternity house.

Drake University spokesperson Lisa Lacher says university officials are also investigating if Erickson was forced to drink the alcohol.

“We contacted the national headquarters of Phi Delta Theta and they are sending a representative to campus to help deal with the situation,” Lacher said. “We’ve also notified the alumni advisors and the chapter president.”

The police report states Erickson’s blood alcohol content was nearly .50 when he arrived at the hospital. His mother told officers she received a text message from her son stating he had been forced to drink several shots of Everclear. Lacher says Erickson was released from the hospital today.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Education Tagged With: ,

Two Polk County deaths bring H1N1 state total to 16

November 9, 2009 By

The Iowa Department of Public Health reports two more death attributed to the H1N1 flu. The latest two victims are identified as adults from Polk County. The Health Department says both victims had risk factors that increased the chance of complications.

A majority of the deaths reported from H1N1 thus far in Iowa have involved victims with higher risk factors. Department medical director Patricia Quinlisk says the disease has seemed to hit adults harder in recent weeks. The latest two deaths bring the total in Iowa linked to H1N1 to 16. That includes one child.

The Health Department says nearly 500 Iowans have been hospitalized with H1N1.  Find out more about H1N1 on the IDPH website here.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine

Event will honor women veterans

November 9, 2009 By

An elderly Iowa woman and World War Two veteran says an event honoring female veterans from that conflict is long overdue. Eighty-seven-year-old Marcia Courbat, of Waterloo, served with the Women’s Army Corps, or the WACs. Courbat says in the past, some women downplayed their role in the war and were harassed by their male counterparts.

“I felt like, for all this time, nobody has really said, ‘Hey, we’re proud of you women,’” Courbat says. “There hasn’t been any programs. Yes, the memorial in Washington D.C. is important, but my idea was to pay tribute to all these women in this area.” She says some women veterans, especially those from early conflicts, have not been honored for their service. She says she’s on a mission to change that.

She says Iowans need to let the women to now they served a very important part in all the wars, adding, everybody’s welcome. Courbat is inviting women from all branches of the military and from any conflict to join her at Memorial Hall in Waterloo on Veteran’s Day, this Wednesday.

A ceremony will be held at 10 A.M. and she says from there, they can visit the Five Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veteran’s Museum just a few blocks away. Part of the program will be set aside to allow the women who want to speak to tell their stories .

Filed Under: Human Interest, Military

“Understanding” could save 479 union jobs

November 9, 2009 By
Danny Homan

Danny Homan

State workers who are members of the AFSCME union will be given a chance to ratify an ”understanding” that would see about 20,000 state workers take five unpaid days off over the next seven months. 

The move not only would save nearly $23 million in state worker salaries, it would help save the jobs of 479 members of the AFSCME union according to AFSCME Council 61 president Danny Homan.

“This means there will not be any layoffs between now and June 30th of 2010,” Homan said.  “If there are layoffs, they will be done outside the AFSCME bargaining unit.” 

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With:

Possible deal to avoid 479 state worker layoffs

November 9, 2009 By

There’s a possible deal to avoid some state worker layoffs. 

The leader of the union that represents the largest share of state workers will announce at one o’clock this afternoon that an “understanding” has been reached with top state managers.  That deal that would “protect” 479 state workers who were slated to lose their jobs due to state spending cuts according to a statement Governor Culver’s staff issued shortly before noon today.  

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