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Narcisse formally kicks off campaign

February 27, 2010 By

A former Des Moines School Board member who publishes weekly newspapers announced this morning that he intends to challenge Governor Chet Culver in this June’s primary election. 

Jonathan Narcisse, a Democrat from Des Moines, supported Culver in 2006. “After he got elected, he didn’t follow through,” Narcisse says, “and I will never say a bad thing about this person, but he just hasn’t been an effective governor.” 

Narcisse faults Culver on a variety of fronts, especially for failing to enact significant improvements in Iowa schools.  Narcisse seems to fault Culver for his weight as well.  Narcisse, who has lost between 60 and 70 pounds in the past year and is no longer taking medication to manage his diabetes, calls himself a role model for a state struggling with an obesity problem.

“Iowa has an obesity crisis.  Our children are too obese.  Our elderly people are unhealthy.  Our families are unhealthy,” Narcisse says. “And one of the priorities of the next governor has to be to lead by example.” 

Narcisse says Culver shouldn’t have gone to Iraq this weekend either. “Instead of being Iraq right now, he ought to be in Iowa today, meeting with the legislature, saying ‘I’m not going to let you out of session until we actually have real solutions for the crises that face Iowa,’” Narcisse says. 

Narcissse dismisses the trip as a mere “photo op” — an opportunity for the governor to have his picture taken with troops. ”We have some very grave issues facing Iowa beyond texting and the governor ought to be here leading those issues and not looking for photo opportunities for his political campaign,” Narcisse says. “But tragically this has been the leadership style of Governor Culver.”

Narcisse spoke for about half an hour to a small group of reporters, photographers, family members and supporters to formally kick off his campaign.  He discussed a wide range of issues, calling for lowering the state sales tax to three percent by 2014 while imposing the sales tax on more services.  Narcisse is also opposed to tax breaks for corn-based ethanol.  

 ”There’s switchgrass-based ethanol, prairie grass-based ethanol which makes environmental and economic sense,” Narcisse says. “And then there’s grain-based ethanol which basically is a welfare program for certain interests.”

Narcisse has hired a campaign manager who used to be a financial planner and has set a goal of raising between four and five million dollars for his campaign.  Narcisse also vows to run as an independent on November’s ballot if he fails to win the Democratic Party’s gubernatorial nomination.  Narcisse owns the Iowa Bystander, a weekly newspaper based in Des Moines, as well as the Communicator and the state’s first Spanish-language newspaper.

Listen to Narcisse’s announcement by clicking on the following link: Narcisse

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

Southeast Iowa man sentenced on drug charges

February 27, 2010 By

A southeast Iowa man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison this week after a drug bust two years ago. Twenty-four-year-old Jeremy Yocum pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture at least 500 grams of methamphetamine. The charges stemmed from an incident in Keokuk on January 5, 2008.

Authorities were called to a residence in relation to a problem with Yocum. Officers detected an odor of anhydrous ammonia coming from a vehicle belonging to Yocum, who had fled the scene. Officers then found a meth making operation in an outbuilding on the property. At the same time, Yocum returned to the scene and was on top of the roof of the house with a knife in his hand and yelling threats.

After two hours on the roof, officers were able to talk Yocum down and take him into custody. Following the 20 year prison sentence, Yocum is ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Used furniture could hold a bedbug surprise

February 27, 2010 By

You’ve likely heard the saying, “Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.” Health officials in the Omaha/Council Bluffs area report bed bug cases are on the rise. Reid Steinkraus, a health control supervisor, says people need to be extremely careful when purchasing or accepting used furniture and mattresses.

Steinkraus says, “We do have anecdotal evidence of people buying used furniture, used mattress and bringing them home and they’ve already got bed bugs in them.” Steinkraus works for the Douglas County (Nebraska) Health Department and says once you have the pests in your home, exterminating of them is no easy task.

“Then we’ve got to take off the mattress, take off the linens, get the linens washed in hot water and dried in a hot dryer,” he says. “Go over the mattress and box springs and headboard with a vacuum.” Steinkraus says it’s important that hot water and a hot dryer are used when washing the linens. He says if an infestation is bad, it isn’t just the mattress the critters can attack. If they made the leap to other pieces of furniture, you may need to call in help.

“Repeated cleaning is going to be necessary,” Steinkraus says. “They are not easy to get rid of. Many times people may have to use a professional pest control operator.” Steinkraus says bed bugs are mobile and you can actually bring them home with you when traveling, like a bad souvenir.

“Bed bugs can also travel between apartments,” he says. “If you have visited a hotel or motel that may have had a bed bug problem, you can bring them home in your luggage.” Bed bugs are reddish-brown in color, similar to a tick, and they suck blood. Another way to tell if you may have a problem is when you notice small dots of blood on linens. Also, he says bed bugs have developed a tolerance to pesticides.

By Karla James

Filed Under: Health & Medicine

Former Iowan shares unique story at Tuskegee event

February 27, 2010 By

A former Iowan shared her unique story with students at Simpson College this week during events honoring the Tuskegee Airmen. Diana Rafalski’s father and uncle both served in the military in World War Two. Rafalski says both her dad and uncle were born in Webster City and later graduated from Davenport High School.

She says her dad, Charles Esters Junior, served in the Army Air Corps, but her uncle was determined to be “decidedly Negro” and was not allowed into the military until the Tuskegee experiment with all black soldiers. Rafalski says didn’t know about her uncle, Maurice Esters, until her mother died in 2006.

Rafalski says she had to hire a locksmith to open her mother’s cedar chest, and when it was opened, she found her uncle’s air medal and his purple heart. She went on the internet and found out her uncle was a Tuskegee pilot. Rafalski says her father had passed for white all his life and she never knew about her African-American heritage.

Rafalski says her father told her about how her uncle went missing after his plane went down in the water, but said it was a friend, and did not tell her they were related. Rafalski says he had bailed out of his plane and climbed into his dingy and waved to the other pilots that he was okay. She says the other pilots had to leave him, and to this day they don’t know if he was captured by the Nazis or was rescued by the partisans and decided to stay hidden until after the war and decided to stay in Europe where he was treated better.

Rafalski says learning about her uncle was a surprise, but once she overcame that, she was proud of the role he played as a Tuskegee pilot. Rafalski was back in Iowa representing her uncle as he and other Tuskegee pilots were awarded the George Washington Carver medal from Simpson College.

Filed Under: Human Interest, Military

Small business jobs targeted by group of legislators

February 27, 2010 By

A key legislator says a trio of House members are developing a package aimed at creating more jobs in small businesses in Iowa. House Democratic Leader Kevin McCarthy of Des Moines says the group approached him earlier this year. “A few members came in who either do or have owned small businesses — Vicki Lensing and Dave Jacoby and Mike Reasoner used to own a small oil company,” McCarthy says.

“They are trying to have some conversations pretty informally…to say is there something the legislature can do this year in a targeted package for small businesses?” Lensing and her husband own and operate a funeral home in Iowa City. Jacoby, who lives in Coralville, runs a small business that specializes in estate sales.

Reasoner, who lives in Creston, was the owner and operator of Reasoner Oil, which provided fuel and oil to businesses and farms. McCarthy says that trio approached him with an idea. “The idea being can we campaign next year saying we just did something for Main Street as opposed to Wall Street which has been receiving a lot of attention at the federal level,” McCarthy says.

The goal is a package that would extend about 10 million dollars worth of state incentives to small business owners with fewer than 100 employees who hire more workers. “That’s something that we could have something in the final days of session, something that we could pass,” McCarthy says. McCarthy and other legislative leaders are hoping the 2010 legislative session concludes in just over a month, sometime around March 31st.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: , ,

Jurrors in Becker murder case sent home, will return Monday

February 26, 2010 By

Jurors in the Mark Becker murder trial were sent home for the day at 4 o’clock today without a verdict. Jurors began deliberating in the case Wednesday.

Becker has admitted to shooting Aplington-Parkersburg coach Ed Thomas to death in June of last year, but says he was insane at the time of the shooting.

Becker’s lawyer tried to prove his insanity to the jury, but prosecutors say Becker planned out the shooting and knew what he was doing when he shot his former coach at the school weight room. Judge Stephen Carrol told jurrors they would come back at 10 a.m. Monday, and gave them the standard instructions to not talk about the case, read, watch or listen to any news reports about the case.

He also told them to not do any computer research on the case.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts Tagged With:

Drake Relays to feature mile long street race

February 26, 2010 By

A new event at the Drake Relays is designed to promote fitness and attract world class competition. The Grand Blue Mile street race will be held on April 20th. Three time Olympian Suzy Favor-Hamilton says they are trying to get the public more involved in the Drake Relays so they can be out there and run the athletes.

Favor-Hamilton says she will run in the Blue Mile. She says the mile has always been one of track and field’s premier events. Favor-Hamilton says that’s the race that even elementary kids know, because it is four laps around the track and people still jog or walk a mile and it is something that is attainable by everyone.

Steve Scott ran the first sub four minute mile at the Drake Relays and has run under four minutes a record 136 times. That time still remains the standard. Scott says everyone can run a mile and find out how close they came to the magic barrier of the four minute mile. He says people are still impressed by a four minute mile.

Scott says even though the world record for the mile is just over three minutes, 43 seconds, four minutes is still viewed as a barrier. He says a four minute mile is still a very difficult time to achieve and there are still not many people every year who can break that barrier.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,
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