Iowa's Radio News Network
An eastern Iowa man returned to the state Wednesday after a week-long mission to help the people of Haiti.
Mike Deutmeyer owns the Weber Stone Company in Anamosa. He’s also a pilot and volunteered to load his company’s single engine turbo prop plane with aid items needed in small villages outside the earthquake damaged Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.
Deutmeyer was shocked when he approached the first landing strip, which was short dirt path.
See video of the landing here:
Governor Chet Culver (file photo)
Governor Chet Culver has unveiled a plan for state spending for the budgeting year that begins July 1st and includes over $341 million in savings the governor says can be achieved through streamlining and other changes.
That’s far more than is included in preliminary legislation being considered in the House and Senate.
During a news conference in his statehouse office, Culver called his spending plan a starting point in his negotiations with legislators who will draft their own spending plan over the next few months.
Iowa’s congressional delegation is offering President Obama some advice in these hours before Obama is due to address the nation.
Obama’s “State of the Union” speech tonight gives the president a chance to reset his agenda. Congressman Bruce Braley, a Democrat from Waterloo, says that’s exactly what Obama should do.
“Like most Americans I’m very anxious to hear the president’s remarks tonight and see where he sees us going from this point forward,” Braley says.
Braley, as chair of the House Populist Caucus, is calling for a new tax on bonuses of $50,000 or more for bankers at Wall Street firms that received federal bailout money. In addition, Braley says a “Buy American Act” would eliminate loopholes and help ensure federal agencies buy American goods and services whenever possible.
Braley says Obama needs to get out of the White House and “away from his Ivy League” advisors and connect with “real people” who’ve lost their jobs, homes, businesses.
“And get a better understanding of what is necessary to put people back to work,” Braley says. “He seemed to be heading in that direction with his trip to Ohio last week get away but I think it’s absolutely critical that he get away from Washington and start connecting with people who have been expressing frustration over the direction this country has been headed in.”
Congressman Dave Loebsack, a Democrat from Mount Vernon, says he hopes Obama focuses on jobs.
“Clearly that’s something that I’ve been hearing about throughout the district for quite some time and throughout Iowa,” Loebsack says. “I think that’s the number one concern on the minds of just about all Americans.”
Obama has also indicated he’ll use tonight’s speech to call for a three-year freeze on spending in most domestic programs. That would save an estimated $250 billion over 10 years. Congressman Tom Latham, a Republican from Ames, says the proposal amounts to “next to nothing” when it comes to total federal spending, but Latham’s not rejecting the idea.
“You know, certainly it’s going in the right direction,” Latham says. “I expect him to sound a lot different than he has and, you know, I think people are very skeptical of any statement the president says because what he has said in the past and what has not happened as far as job creation, as far as transparency — all of those things just have not occurred.”
Congressman Steve King, a Republican from Kiron, says Obama faces a tough task tonight.
“He has had so many things that have gone wrong. His popularity has gone down substantially and some of it for good reason — not all of it,” King says. “So the argument that he would put a cap or a freeze on discretionary spending is something that been leaked out that I think he’s intends to say, but that doesn’t do much and I don’t think it changes the political tide.”
King says he wants to commend the president for the role he’s had in “allowing Iraq to be achieved as a victory.”
Iowa’s other congressman, Democrat Leonard Boswell of Des Moines — describes himself as an optimist, and Boswell says Obama needs to prevent Americans an optimistic vision of what’s ahead.
“Some of our dear friends down in Lamoni had their house burn down last night. Well, the firemen didn’t start that fire. They can to save it and there’ll be rebuilding at some point. Well, you know that’s what this administration is doing, trying to put this fire out and start us on a track of rebuilding,” Boswell says. “And I think, to some degree, that’s happening.”
Obama’s speech is scheduled to begin shortly after eight o’clock, Iowa time.
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The leader of the state’s Alcohol Beverages Division says greater regulation of Everclear is more likely than an outright ban. Division administrator Lynn Walding says that’s based on e-mail comments and a hearing by the Alcoholic Beverages Commission held at Drake University last night.
“The likelihood of ban is less likely than one would think, more likely they’ll look for less restrictive alternatives and hope that that works,” Walding says. He says if new restrictions are successful it would take care of the concerns of the high-alcohol content in Everclear. Walding says if there were still problems, the commission would reopen the matter.
The discussion on Everclear heated up after a Drake University student nearly died from alcohol poisoning that was linked to Everclear. Everclear is colorless and odorless and has an alcohol content of over 75%. Walding says the comments so far have not supported an outright ban.
Walding says the public comment thus far has been two-to-one in favor of not banning Everclear, but there have been many suggestions about limiting the size of Everclear sales, instituting an education campaign, or higher taxes on liquor with higher alcohol content. Walding says all the attention has peaked interest in the drink that has been popular at college parties.
Walding says the discussion of banning Everclear has led to increased sales. “So it’s one of the ironies here, while we’re trying to regulate and control the item by just simply talking about it, is having the opposite effect of having people wanting to explore and wanting to look at the product more,” Walding says. Walding says the commission will likely make some type of decision in February.
He says they’ve left the issue open to allow more people to make comments on the issue and will take it up at their meeting on February 25th during their meeting in Ankeny. You can give your comments on the issue at the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Commission’s website here: www.iowaabd.com.
Authorities in western Iowa say a man could face charges for taking his two children with him in a search for firewood during a blizzard Monday evening. Shelby County Chief Deputy Sheriff Rod McMurphy said 43-year old Doug Welsh of Shelby drove 25 miles in order to obtain firewood from an individual who lived west of Defiance.
When Welsh’s pickup became stuck in a snowdrift, he walked to a nearby residence to borrow a shovel. He told the resident his two children had remained with the vehicle.
Senator Chuck Grassley says he will vote against giving Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke a second term.
“I’ll vote no because of concerns about inflation and the pattern of resistance to accountability,” Grassley says. “The Fed has to unwind its massive balance sheet and remove the excessive funds created to paper over the financial sector’s unacknowledged losses without stoking the flames of inflation.”
The junior guard averaged nearly 23 points, six assists and five steals in a pair of wins. Henningsen scored 21 points and dished out nine assists in a victory over Kingsley-Pierson and scored 24, grabbed six rebounds and had seven steals in a win over Aurelia. She connected on 61 percent of her shots in the two games.
O.KayHenderson.com