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Branstad backs “traditional” marriage but “respects” GOPers who hold opposite view

November 19, 2009 By

Former Governor Terry Branstad says he supports “traditional” marriage, but Branstad says he still “respects” other Republicans who support gay marriage.

A former Republican legislator who heads the Iowa Family Policy Center has it is “disturbing” that Branstad seems unwilling to distance himself from those who support gay marriage. Branstad describes himself as a “realist.”

“People are not interested in a governor that only wants confrontation.  They want a governor that’s going to accomplish things and resolve problems,” Branstad says.  “And some people maybe don’t understand that, but I’ve lived it and I know that you’ve got to do that sometimes.”

Former Lieutenant Governor Joy Corning, a Republican who was Branstad’s running mate in 1990 and 1994, recently recorded a telephone message in support of gay marriage, a message sent to Republican voters. Branstad says he’ll “fight” for a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage in Iowa, but Branstad says he still “respects (Corning’s) point of view” on the issue.

“And I understand some people who are new to politics just don’t understand that,” Branstad says.

Democrats controlled the legislature for 10 of the 16 years Branstad served as governor, and Branstad says he learned how to build coalitions with politicians who held certain political beliefs that were different from his own.

“Just because somebody is your adversary on one issue, they may be your best ally on the next,” Branstad says.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats has criticized Branstad for being “lukewarm and politically cautious” when it comes to taking a stand on the gay marriage issue. In October, Branstad told a small group of conservatives that he did not intend to make gay marriage a central issue in his campaign for a fifth term.

During an interview this week with Radio Iowa, Branstad began his discussion of the gay marriage issue by stressing that as governor in 1998, he signed a bill which declared the only legal marriages in Iowa were those between a man and a woman.  That’s the law the Iowa Supreme Court overturned.

“I think the court decision was wrong. I think the people should have an opportunity to vote on a constitutional amendment to override that decision and 31 states have had that opportunity (to vote on a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage). Every one of them — from Maine to California — has passed it,” Branstad said.

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

Central Iowa quadruplets doing well despite premature birth

November 19, 2009 By
Casey and James Dotzler with daughter Sophie.

Casey and James Dotzler with daughter Sophie.

A couple from central Iowa become parents of quadruplets Wednesday. The babies are the first set of quadruplets born at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines since 1999.

More babies are delivered at Mercy than any hospital in the state. Casey and James Dotzler of Bondurant say Emme , Sophie, Brady and Max are doing well, despite being nearly 10 weeks premature.

The Dotzlers were married three-and-a-half years ago. “We tried for two years to get pregnant,” Casey said at a Thursday afternoon meeting with media. “After the second year, we decided to get a little extra help. So, we did just one month of fertility…and ended up with four little blessings.” James added, “It’s a miracle.”

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, Human Interest

Marshalltown looks for first title against Iowa City High

November 19, 2009 By

Top ranked Iowa City High and third rated Marshalltown collide on Friday night in Cedar Falls for the state 4A championship. This is the sixth trip to the championship game for the Little Hawks who are led by standout quarterback A.J. Derby. Iowa City High Coach Dan Sabers says Derby is a very humble and confident player who has played several different positions throughout the year.

Sabers says Marshalltown is a team with great talent and chemistry. He says they are a bunch of guys who care for and believe in each other and that is the key ingredient. Sabers says Marshalltown quarterback Chanse Creekmur has the ability to dominate a game. He says he’s been impressed with the way Creekmur sees the running lanes and adapts very well when he takes off. And Sabers says Creekmur is still ready to thrown when he takes off.

Marshalltown is making its first appearance in the championship game. Marshalltown coach Dave Holdiman says they knew they had a good group of seniors coming back and many played a lot last year and they built around them. He says to think they would be 13-0 and playing in the championship game though was a stretch.

Holdiman says Creekmur has had an outstanding year at quarterback and has been able to distribute the ball well. Holdiman says the Bobcats would love to bring the title home as they have taken it upon themselves to try and win it for the city. he says their slogan is “One town, one team, one dream.”

In Saturday’s 1A championship contest 10th ranked South Winneshiek will look to topple another highly rated foe when the Warriors take on top rated Council Bluffs St. Albert. South Winneshiek has already knocked off defending champ Emmetsburg and second rated West Branch enroute to the title game.

South Winneshiek coach Jason Ohrt says St. Albert has the tradition and they don’t let anything bother them. He says it has been a thrilling playoff run with great community support.

Ohrt says the Falcons present a tough challenge and they will have to claw and scratch to win, and he says that’s the way it should be for the state title.

Contributed by Elwin Huffman, KOEL, Oelwein, Darin Svenson KDEC, Decorah

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With:

Morningside ready for another playoff appearance

November 19, 2009 By

Morningside will make a sixth consecutive appearance in the N-A-I-A playoffs this weekend when the Mustangs host Missouri Valley. Morningside finished the regular season with a 9-1 record and is seventh in the latest N-A-I-A top 25.

Morningside coach Steve Ryan says they set goals at the start of the season and one is always to make the playoffs. He says the Mustangs’ ground game will be tested in this game as Missouri Valley does a good job of stopping the run.

The Mustangs committed six turnovers in a loss to top ranked Sioux Falls to close out the regular season. Ryan says they need to limit their mistakes. He says they have to make good decisions with the football as the turnovers hurt them last week.

Missouri Valley is 8-2.

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Governor not taking stance on Guantanamo detainees

November 19, 2009 By

Governor Chet Culver is not taking an immediate stance on a proposal to move terror detainees from Guantanamo Bay to a prison in Illinois that is 12 miles across the river from Clinton. Culver says the key is to get citizen input, so he says he’s asked the federal government to do all that it can to get that input from the citizens of Clinton and Jackson County.

Culver says he will be a part of that review. The governor says he’s also talked with fellow Democrat, Congressman Bruce Braley of Waterloo, about the situation. Culver says Braley also wants to get as much citizen input as possible on the idea.”We also understand that during these tough economic times jobs are critically important. And so it’s really up to the local leadership, the residents in eastern Iowa there that could benefit from this prison to weigh in on the decision and to decide for themselves whether it will be an overall benefit or not,” Culver says.

Congressman Braley says the move could have a “substantial economic impact” on Clinton. Iowa’s two Republican congressman, Steve King and Tom Latham have spoken out against the proposal. Latham is introducing legislation to try and block the move of the Guantanamo Bay detainees.

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

Governor tells IASB schools will have to rethink education

November 19, 2009 By

Governor Chet Culver told schoolboard members today that now is an “historic opportunity” to rethink how the state educates students in a time of limited funds. Culver, a Democrat, spoke to the annual meeting of the Iowa Association of School Boards in Des Moines. Talking to reporters after his speech, Culver says there has to be a change from the state to the local level.

Culver says the bottom line is the state does not have the financial resources they had even one year ago, so “we have to change the way that we look at funding our schools. We have to find efficiencies, we have to find cost savings, we have to perhaps use more technology.” Culver says he wants to go after “Race to the Top” federal funds — which would require changes to show the state is improving education.

Culver says he’s very interested in “turning around underperforming schools,” something he says has not been a real focus in Iowa. He says the U-S Education Secretary and President Obama both believe in turning around underperforming schools and he agrees with that. Culver was asked about the possibility of the state pushing for more school district consolidation, but he says that is an issue that should be left to local districts.

Culver says the local school boards, teachers and parents will ultimately make consolidation decisions that are in their best interest. “But certainly with reduced funds coming form the state, in some cases we will not have enough money to move the buses, literally,” Culver says. Culver says the state will have to take another look the way it funds school districts.

Culver says the reality is the legislature will have to look at things like the allowable growth school funding formula, and all the funding mechanisms. Culver says there is likely to be less money available to schools in the next fiscal year than there is this year. Culver said they funding approved to provide increased teacher salaries should stay in place.

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

Former federal official says loss of Offut would be blow to area

November 19, 2009 By

A former Bush Administration official says the Omaha/Council Bluffs region could see tremendous hardship if Offut Air Force Base is closed — which he believes is a possibility under upcoming changes in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START. Ambassador Robert Joseph is with the National Center for Public Policy.

Until mid-2007, Joseph was the Under-Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. “The current START agreement expires on December 5th of this year,” Joseph says “The Obama Administration, like the Bush Administration, is working to replace that treaty with a new treaty and the Obama Administration has said they’re optimistic they’ll have an agreement with modest cuts in the first round, but with the follow-on agreement with major cuts.”

Those major cuts, Joseph says, could target bases which focus on the nation’s nuclear arsenal. While there are a lot of “ifs” before the new agreement is reached, Joseph says several major military bases, including Bellevue-based Offutt, could close. Joseph says, “The impact for the local economy from a START follow-on agreement could be substantial, but ultimately, it’s going to depend what limits the new treaty will set for both the United States and Russia and how the Obama Administration will implement the agreement.”

He says if the arms control community gets its way, reductions in the nuclear arsenal could be very deep and costly for areas like Omaha/Council Bluffs. “Where are they going to take the cuts from? Whether it’s going to be from the bomber force or from or sea-based or land-based missiles,” Joseph says. “If the decision is to reduce the ICBM force further, below the current 450, I think the local impact could be significant.” Joseph says national security must remain top-of-mind.

“If we start cutting those elements of our nuclear deterrent that are essential for our national security, we’re going to be creating more problems than solving them,” he says. “There’s been a lot of talk about going to zero, about a nuclear-free world. That doesn’t correspond well with what’s going on in the world, countries like India, Pakistan, Iran and North Korea.” Joseph says these countries are aggressively pursuing nuclear weapons and even countries like Russia and China are modernizing forces and expanding in certain areas.

He says, “It’s only the United States that isn’t doing that and in the context of any agreement, we must modernize our force to keep it affective and reliable.” Joseph says along with our national security, we need to keep the local economy in mind. If Offutt were to close, he says it could mean thousands of local jobs would be lost along with millions of dollars in tax revenue.

Contributed by Karla James

Filed Under: Military, Politics & Government
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