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Lawmaker restates her oath after “God” flap

January 11, 2010 By

A Republican legislator is unhappy the words, “so help me God,” have been dropped as Iowa lawmakers recite the oath of office to begin a new term in the legislature. 

Representative Dawn Pettingill of Mount Auburn raised the objection after two new lawmakers were sworn in in the Iowa House in opening ceremonies earlier today.  She says there’s a long tradition of appealing to the divine when taking office in Iowa.

“It has been said in the oath of office since 1939 here in Iowa and it’s included in the oath for federal senators and congressman,” Pettingill says.  “I think we should have had a discussion before it was removed.”

Pettingill didn’t notice the change last year when all 100 newly-elected members of the Iowa  House were sworn in using an oath without the words: “so help me, God.”   Mark Bransgaard, the chief clerk of the House, says there was no conscious decision to drop  the phrase.

“I didn’t have a copy of the oath so I went to the constitution and copied it, unawares that we’ve said, ‘so help me God’ in the past,” Bransgaard says.  “I mean, we can go back to saying that if the members choose to do that.”

Representative Pettengill took matters into her own hands and asked for time to speak on the House floor today so she could restate her oath and add: “so help me God.”  Pettingill plans to sponsor a resolution to try to put that phrase in the oath for good.

This is the section of the Iowa Constitution outlining the oath of office members of the legislature are to recite:

Oath of members. SEC. 32. Members of the general assembly shall, before they enter upon the duties of their respective offices, take and subscribe the following oath or affirmation: “I do solemnly swear, or affirm, (as the case may be,) that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Iowa, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of senator, (or representative, as the case may be,) according to the best of my ability.” And members of the general assembly are hereby empowered to administer to each other the said oath or affirmation.

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

Iowa takes break from Big Ten games

January 11, 2010 By

Normally a non-conference game in the midst of a league schedules viewed as a distraction but when you are struggling as much as the Iowa Hawkeyes are any chance to get a victory is big. Iowa is just 5-11 overall and 0-4 in the Big Ten and will host a Tennessee State team on Tuesday night that is just 4-13 on the season.

Back in November the Tigers lost at Iowa State 84-53. Lickliter says the team has fought hard and it has been grueling, but he says their hope is that they will continue to grow. Iowa does not play another Big Ten game until this weekend and Lickliter says the game fit well into their schedule.

He says a week off with a young team allows them to focus on Tennessee State. Lickliter says there is no chance the Hawks will be looking past this game. He says they have to focus, as their record is such that they can’t look beyond anyone.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

ISU to open Big 12 against top ranked Texas

January 11, 2010 By

When the Iowa State Cyclones open the Big-12 race at home on Wednesday night they will host the nation’s top ranked team. Texas moved into the top spot for the first time in school history after previously top ranked Kansas lost to Tennessee on Sunday. Kentucky is second in the AP poll while the Jayhawks fall to third. I.S.U. closed out non conference play 11-4 after holding off an upset bid by North Dakota State on Saturday.

He says they’ve lacked consistency as they can play really, really well in stretches, and they’ve also had stretches where they don’t do well. Coach Greg McDermott says they had 30 minutes of good play against Duke, but it was the 10 minutes that hurt them when they didn’t play well.

McDermott who says the Cyclones cannot afford to be inconsistent in the Big-12. he says the league is too good to not be ready to play every minute of every game. McDermott says they have played a challenging non-conference schedule to prepare themselves for the conference and they have to fix the things that are wrong and fix them quickly.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

Report says Honey Creek Resort has lost over $884,000

January 11, 2010 By

A report by the state auditor shows the Honey Creek Resort lost just over $884,000 in the first 10 months of operations from September of 2008 until June 30th of 2009. Honey Creek is the state’s first so-called “destination park, ” and was built with a lodge, convention center, aquatic center and 18-hole golf course near Rathbun Lake for $58-million.

Andy Nielsen of the auditor’s office says the resort lost money in all three aspects — lodging, restaurant and the golf resort. Nielsen says, “It took awhile to start getting some occupancy, that’s probably one of the reasons that the results weren’t as good as they probably would have liked to have seen.”

Nielsen says it’s not surprising to see the facility get off to a slow start. “That’s not uncommon when you have a start up business, the first year you’re getting everything outfitted and getting everything ready for operations,” Nielsen says. He says it takes awhile to get the word out and to get people to start booking their vacations there.

The audit report shows Honey Creek brought in just over one-million-292-thousand dollars from the restaurant, with expenses of one-million-346-thousand. The lodging brought in one-million-344-thousand dollars in revenue, while expenses were $473,538. The golf course brought in $294,941 in revenue,with golf course expenses at 459-thousand-996 dollars.

A copy of the audit report is available on the auditor’s website here.  f

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation, Politics & Government, Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:

This is Radon Action Month

January 11, 2010 By

Radon can’t be seen or smelled but it can be deadly and Iowa has some of the highest radon concentrations in the nation. January is Radon Action Month. Doug Clark, an environmental health specialist in Omaha-Council Bluffs, is urging homeowners to have their houses tested for the potentially-dangerous gas.

Radon is a killer and is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, number-two only behind smoking. The E-P-A estimates that one in every 15 homes nationwide has a level of radon at or above the recommended action level — but in Iowa, the levels are significantly higher. Clark says there’s nothing Iowans can do to prevent radon from getting into their homes, as it’s a natural process.

Clark says, “The breakdown or decay of elements in the soil such as uranium and radium (creates the) gas that’s odorless and colorless.” He says there are no obvious signs radon is in your house. It doesn’t cause headaches, nausea, sneezing or other symptoms. Clark says the only way Iowans can find out if they have a radon problem is to get a radon testing kit.

“Set them up in one of the lower levels of your house and what they do is absorb any radon in the air and then you send them in for analysis.” Clark says the Midwest has exceptionally elevated radon levels. A recent study found nearly 60-percent of Iowa homes test above the “action level” set by the E-P-A.

“The central part of the nation, including Nebraska and Iowa are some of the areas where you find some of the highest levels of radon.” Clark says you can buy a radon test kit for ten to 20-dollars at most hardware stores and home centers. For more information, visit: “www.epa.gov/radon“.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine

Police say Salix woman died after leaving SUV in blizzard

January 11, 2010 By

Authorities in northwest Iowa have released information on a rural Salix woman who died after walking away from her vehicle in a blizzard sometime after January 1st. The Woodbury County Sheriff’s Department says 49-year-old Jane Toft’s body was found less than a mile from her stranded SUV on January 5.

Her relatives had requested a wellness check and helped deputies search an area near Toft’s home. The body was found by deputies who noticed a lone set of footprints that originated at the vehicle. It was extremely cold, with blowing and drifting snow, at the time Toft went missing.

Investigators have not determined why Toft abandoned the SUV, which contained ample gasoline and some food items.

By Randy Renshaw, KSCJ, Sioux City

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Weather

Radio Iowa boys basketball poll 1/11/10

January 11, 2010 By

Class 4A
1. Ames (7-0), LW #1 vs #8 Waukee (Fri)
2. Johnston (7-0), LW #2 @ Indianola (Tue)
3. Des Moines Hoover (9-0), LW #4 @ DSM Roosevelt (Tue)
4. Linn-Mar (8-1), LW #6 @ Waterloo East (Tue)
5. Sioux City East (6-1), LW #3 vs Sioux City West (Tue)
6. S.E. Polk (6-1), LW #8 vs Ankeny (Tue)
7. Cedar Falls (7-0), LW (X) @ #9 CR Jefferson (Tue)
8. Waukee (7-1), LW (X) @ Marshalltown (Tue)
9. Cedar Rapids Jefferson (6-1), LW (X) vs #7 Cedar Falls (Tue)
10.North Scott (6-2), LW #9 vs Clinton (Tue)

 

Class 3A
1. Harlan (8-0), LW #1 @ Lewis Central (Tue)
2. Mount Pleasant (10-0), LW #2 vs Fairfield (Fri)
3. Norwalk (8-0), LW #9 @ #5 Pella (Tue)
4. Davenport Assumption (9-1), LW #7 @ Davenport Central (Tue)
5. Pella (7-1), LW #10 vs #3 Norwalk (Tue)
6. Carroll (6-1), LW #5 @ Perry (Fri)
7. Dallas Center-Grimes (6-1), LW #6 @ Carlisle (Tue)
8. Washington (7-1), LW #9 @ Morning Star (Tue)
9. Sioux City Heelan (5-2), LW #4 @ 1A-#1 Rock Valley (tonight)
10.Charles City (8-1), LW (X) @ Osage (Tue)

 

Class 2A
1. Grundy Center (9-0), LW #1 vs West Marshall (Tue)
2. Fort Dodge St. Edmond (8-0), LW #7 @ Humboldt (tonight)
3. Des Moines Christian (8-0), LW #8 @ West Central (Stuart) (Tue)
4. Solon (8-1), LW #2 @ Western Dubuque (tonight)
5. Western Christian (7-2), LW #4 @ MOC-Floyd Valley (Tue)
6. West Fork (Sheffield) (8-0), LW #9 @ North Butler (Tue)
7. Pella Christian (7-2), LW #3 vs Centerville (Tue)
8. Danville (8-0), LW (X) @ Burlington Notre Dame (Tue)
9. IKM-Manning (9-0), LW (X) @ West Harrison (Tue)
10.Unity Christian (7-3), LW #5 vs South O’Brien (Tue)

 

Class 1A
1. Rock Valley (8-0), LW #1 vs 3A-#1 Sioux City Heelan (tonight)
2. Cedar Falls NU High (10-0), LW #2 @ Union LaPorte City (Tue)
3. Iowa Mennonite (8-0), LW #4 vs WACO (Tue)
4. Keota (8-0), LW #7 @ #10 Lynnville-Sully (tonight)
5. Bedford (9-0), LW #6 vs Nodaway Valley (Tue)
6. N.E. Hamilton (10-0), LW #8 vs North Tama (Tue)
7. Ankeny Christian (9-0), LW #9 @ Exira (Tue)
8. Council Bluffs St. Albert (6-1), LW #5 @ Atlantic (tonight)
9. Clinton Prince of Peace (10-1), LW (X) vs East Central (Tue)
10.Lynnville-Sully (8-1), LW #10 vs #4 Keota (tonight)

 

Filed Under: Radio Iowa Poll, Sports
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