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The decade brought a lot of safety and security challenges

January 1, 2010 By

This decade saw Iowa and the nation focus on a number of safety and security issues. Not long after we caught our breath from the run-up and non-issue of Y-2-K, terrorism took center stage. State Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division administrator, David Miller, says Iowa had a little head start on thinking about terrorism

Miller says the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City got Iowa involved in the terrorism issue as Ellen Gordon, who held Miller’s job at that time, got involved with the commission reviewing the impact of the bombing. He says 9-11 threw them another curveball as they now faced the foreign threat of terrorism.

States were given money to help improve their security, and then Miller says another event caused change. Miller says the focus remained on terrorism in the time immediately after 9-11 and ways to combat that, then Hurricane Katrina hit and added another problem to the mix. Miller says the thinking then was maybe the country had focused too much on terrorism, and more was done to prepare for natural disasters. He says one of the things they continue to work on is getting officials at all levels to communicate with each other.

Miller says that was a shortfall pointed out in the 9-11 report and he says they have been discussing that since then. He says they discovered it’s not just a shortfall in communicating between governments, but also how they communicate with the public and private enterprise.

Miller says they’ve worked to include private businesses and the public in the discussions as they look to meet the threats that are out there. While technology has come a long way and there are now cellphones and devices for getting instant information — Miller says there can still be problems in communication if the proper information isn’t getting out.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Politics & Government

Iowa’s “safe haven” law, compared to other states

January 1, 2010 By

For the 14th time since 2002, the state’s “safe haven” law was used recently by a mother who did not want to keep her newborn child.  The baby was dropped off at an Iowa hospital on December 21 and, because of the law, the baby’s mother will not face abandonment charges.

Texas was the first state to adopt a “safe haven” law, in 1999.  Today, all 50 states have such laws in place.  Iowa Department of Human Services spokesman Roger Munns says it’s difficult to rank the states, in terms of which states have had the most success.

“Different states have different rules about what is a safe haven child,” Munns says.  “In our state, it’s any infant up to the age of 14 days.  Some states allow it up to a month or longer and, as you know, there was a controversy in Nebraska which allowed any child — which is defined by a person up to the age of 18 — to be dropped off.” 

Nebraska lawmakers passed a “safe haven” law in 2008, but failed to specify the age of children who could be abandoned and 35 children — none of whom were infants — were abandoned under Nebraska’s “safe haven” law until it was updated in November of 2008.  Now, only unwanted infants who are 30 days old or younger may be dropped off at a Nebraska hospital. 

In Iowa, an unwanted infant may be dropped off at a hospital or some kind of health care facility.

“There are other states that claim many, many more ‘safe havens’ than we do,” Munns says. 

Some other states allow parents to leave an unwanted infant at a police or fire station.  Four other states allow the mother to leave her baby at a church — if there are people in the church who can take care of the infant.  In a handful of states, emergency medical technicians responding to a 9-1-1 call can accept a “safe haven” baby.

Effective today, January 1, in neighboring Illinois:  mothers have up to 30 days to abandon a child under the Illinois “safe haven” law.  The previous limit had been seven days and advocates say that gives nervous parents more time to consider the option.

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

Elvis tribute concert makes world debut in Ames

January 1, 2010 By
Leo Days

Leo Days

Iowans who still have a hunka’ hunka’ burnin’ love for the King of Rock-n-Roll will be able to revisit his concert experience later this month. Four men who are among the world’s best impersonators of Elvis Presley will headline the show marking what would’ve been his 75th birthday.

Brian Brigner, chief operating officer of the Las Vegas-based On Stage Entertainment, says the “Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artists Tour” will feature four eras of Presley’s work. Brigner says, “We’ll start with the 50s and then we’ll go into the movie years and we’ll actually have an Ann Margaret impersonator as part of that segment and we’ll do several hits from ‘Viva Las Vegas,’ and then we’re going to go to the ’68 comeback special which obviously was a huge event in Elvis’ career and kind of a relaunch for him after the movie years.”

The show will conclude with the King’s concert years at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. Brigner says it’ll be a faithful reproduction of the Elvis concerts of decades past, complete with all the spectacle. “There’s going to be four Elvis impersonators, one for each era, and he’s going to have a live band, dancers, backup singers, a full show,” Brigner says. “It’s going to be a large production.”

Presley died in 1977 but Brigner says his music is still very much alive. He’s anticipating fans of all ages coming from across the region to see this tribute. “It’s a grandma that saw Elvis one time in Omaha,” Brigner says. “It’s the daughter or the son that grew up listening to Elvis’ music with their parents or the Baby Boomers who caught Elvis’ career. It’s a younger generation, too. Elvis is still cool, he’s still hip. They see a lot of young folks who come to Graceland each year as well.”

The show opens in Ames on January 15th and also plays in Omaha on the 17th. For more information, visit www.legendsinconcert.com.

Filed Under: Human Interest

Iowa City police charge man in death of woman

January 1, 2010 By

Iowa City police have charged a man with involuntary manslaugher and several drug charges in connection with the death of a woman whose body was found Wednesday in her apartment. Police say 26-year-old Alajuwon Shamar Johnson and 20-year-old Kylie Jo Perkins were handling a gun when it went off and struck Perkins.

Johnson was apparently afraid to call police as he had outstanding arrest warrants. He eventually got someone to call police but that person gave police the wrong address delaying help for Perkins.

Police say Johnson had crack cocaine and a handgun on him when they arrested him. He is charged with involuntary manslaughter, possession of two controlled substances with intent to deliver, and second offense illegally carrying weapons.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Man accused of peeping in bathroom at Rock Rapids hospital

January 1, 2010 By

A George man is charged with invasion of privacy, third-degree theft, and tampering with evidence after being accused of watching women in a restroom at Sanford Hospital in Rock Rapids. Ed Weiland, president of the Sanford Health Network says a possibly inappropriate situation was discovered by Sanford employees, and they called police.

The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office says the have arrested 55-year-old John David Elias of rural George for allegedly using peepholes to view women in the bathroom. Weiland says that at no time were patients or visitors at risk of violation of privacy. He says it was an area that was primarily used by staff. Weiland says they checked all other areas of the hospital and found no other problems.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

DNR says volunteers will play key role in park operations in 2010

January 1, 2010 By

A spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says volunteers will play a key role in keeping areas of state parks open to the public in 2010. Kevin Baskins says the agency lost 26% of its funding from the state over the last two years.

If budget cuts continue to grow, the D.N.R. could choose to close trails, parks or beaches in state parks to save on maintenance costs. Baskins says staffing levels are at historic lows and volunteers will be needed to pick up the slack. “At this point, we’re just kind of getting off the ground in terms of our recruitment efforts and trying to identify what parks are going to need the most assistance,” Baskins said.

“I think you’ll start to see that unfold a little bit more as we get into the later winter and early spring (months) in terms of recruitment efforts to get volunteers to help us with this.” For now, there are no plans to close entire parks. But, some areas of parks that don’t generate cash may be roped off from public use next summer.

Baskins says the budget cuts are coming at a time when state park usage is on the rise. “We did see a good, healthy increase (in usage) last year,” Baskins said. “Part of that is actually an offshoot of the economy as people look for closer to home, less expensive vacation opportunities around the state.” Iowa’s 85 state parks draw roughly 14-million visits per year.

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation Tagged With:

More projects using “green” design

January 1, 2010 By

More companies, colleges and individual Iowans are following environmentally friendly guidelines on new construction projects. Around 33 LEED certified buildings have been completed in the state, while 156 other potential LEED projects are being designed or built.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Architect Kevin Nortmeyer, director of the Iowa Energy Center at Iowa State University, says LEED principles are a measure of how a building can use less energy, water and natural resources. He admits some “green” ideas – such as solar thermal panels – can greatly increase construction costs.

“However, those are the kinds of things that have calculable paybacks,” Nortmeyer said. “Many times, if there’s a utility company in Iowa involved…they have programs or can locate programs for you to achieve rebates and incentives for energy efficiency measures, including the federal incentives that currently exist.”

Nortmeyer says the benefits of green building techniques go beyond eventual cost savings and the impact on the environment. “There’s research that shows students perform better, people are more productive in offices, they’re sick fewer days and so forth if you have a highly-efficient and productive, daylighted environment,” Nortmeyer said. Depending on the amenities, building projects can earn a silver, gold or platinum LEED certification rating from the U.S. Green Buildings Council.

Central College in Pella has three LEED certified buildings. The latest – a 57,000 square foot facility that houses classrooms, offices and conference rooms – landed a platinum certification. Central College Director of Facilities Mike Lubberden says the building includes a heating and cooling system that runs through concrete floors.

“In-floor heating is pretty commonplace, but we’re one of the first to incorporate in-floor radiant cooling with water supplied from our central chilled water plant,” Lubberden said. “We’ve also incorporated daylight harvesting, rain-water capture – we’ve got a green roof on a portion of the facility – and a lot of recycled content in the building materials. We really went after practically all of the credits available within the LEED rating system.”

LEED was first launched in 2000. Iowa had just six LEED certified projects in 2007, compared to 33 today. Nortmeyer and Lubberden were guests on the Iowa Public Radio program “The Exchange.”

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation
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