February 9, 2012

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New effort targeting “pro-life & pro-family” voters

March 9, 2010 By

The former leader of the Christian Coalition was in Iowa tonight, urging members of the Iowa Christian Alliance to help launch a new, “sister” organization in the state. Ralph Reed, the former executive director of the Christian Coalition, said the “Iowa Faith and Freedom” organization will make sure “God’s people” know where the candidates stand.

“We’re going to tell people that they ought to vote for this candidate because they stand for their values,” Reed said. “We’re not going to leave the express advocacy of the election and defeat of candidates to moveon.org and the radical left and the labor unions anymore. We’re going to do it and we’re going to see people who share our values serve in positions of public trust from governor all the way down to legislature and the courthouse and school board all over the state of Iowa.”

According to Reed, the “eyes of America” will be on Iowa in 2012 as the state performs a “critical role” in choosing the next president. ”But before we ever get to that, we’ve got an opportunity to begin that job in November in Iowa and that job — job number one — is to end the Obama presidency this November,” Reed said. “We’re not going to wait until 2012.”

Reed promised that the national “Faith and Freedom” group he launched last June would match whatever donations were collected tonight from the crowd of about 500 Iowa Christian Alliance members. And Reed told the crowd his get-out-the-vote program to target “pro-life and pro-family voters” in Iowa would take about half a million dollars to run.

Click on the following audio link to listen to Reed’s 20 minute speech. RalphReed

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: , ,

Three GOP candidates for governor speak

March 9, 2010 By

The three Republican candidates for governor each spoke, briefly, at an Iowa Christian Alliance event earlier tonight. Former Governor Terry Branstad was the first of the three to speak and he began by reminding the crowd that while he was governor, he signed a number of abortion restrictions into law as well as the Defense of Marriage Act.

“I was deeply disappointed that the Iowa Supreme Court struck that down,” Branstad said.”I believe the people of Iowa deserve the right to vote to restore one-man/one-woman marriage in this state.”

Republican rival Bob Vander Plaats drew the largest burst of applause from the crowd when he repeated his vow to issue an executive order on his first day as governor to forbid gay marriage in Iowa.  Vander Plaats suggested it was time to nominate a “principled conservative” as the Republican Party’s gubernatorial nominee.

[Read more...]

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

Governor expects texting bill to be delivered

March 9, 2010 By

Governor Culver says he’s confident a bill will emerge from the Iowa legislature that will ban the practice of writing or sending text messages while driving. “We’re moving forward and we’re making some progress and it’s not uncommon to have to make some changes to legislation throughout the process,” Culver says.

On Monday night the Iowa House voted only to make it illegal for 16- and 17-year-olds to text or play video games while they’re behind the wheel. That’s at odds with the state senate which rejected that teen-only proposal this afternoon.  The Iowa Senate has previously endorsed the idea of banning the reading and sending of text messages while driving, regardless of the driver’s age.

“I’m going to continue to work with legislators to try to get the bill to exactly where it needs to be and we want to be in compliance, basically, with the federal Department of Transportation,” Culver says. “And so we’ll keep pushing to try to make that happen.”

The governor suggests the teen-only texting ban needs “some modifications” to align the bill with new federal guidelines.

“We don’t want to put federal funds at stake,” Culver says.  A spokesman for the governor says it’s unclear how much money might be withheld if the state doesn’t enact a texting ban. 

In January, Culver said a ban on texting while driving was a “reasonable” way to address the distraction of reading or sending electronic messages. “You know, you can’t mess around with distracted drivers. I mean, we want this to apply to anyone that’s texting because it’s dangerous if they text and drive, so we’re making progress,” Culver said today. “The good news is (the bill) is still very much alive and I’ll work with the legislators to try to get it to where it needs to be before it gets to my desk.”

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

New guidelines leave questions about prostate cancer screening

March 9, 2010 By

The guidelines on prostate cancer screenings are being revised, which may leave some Iowa men unsure how to proceed. New studies show a commonly used test, the PSA, can give false-positive results which can lead to unnecessary biopsies. The State Health Registry of Iowa projects 2100 Iowa men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, while 360 Iowa men will die from it. Mike Lefler, a spokesman for the American Cancer Society, says one thing men can do is be informed about their options.

“Men should be given the opportunity to learn more about the limitations and benefits of screening and treatment before they actually progress with the screening for prostate cancer,” Lefler says. “This is largely due to the fact the treatment can sometimes be more harmful for prostate cancer than the actual disease and some men may actually live longer based on the fact that prostate cancer is such a slow-growing cancer.” The Registry’s Cancer in Iowa Report says prostate cancer is the second-leading cancer killer of Iowa men, behind only lung cancer. Lefler says men need to follow the advice of their doctor when it comes to testing.

“Definitely, screening can save lives and we’ve seen a great advance in the war on prostate cancer,” Lefler says. “Nearly all prostate cancers are survivable now especially when they are caught early but they can be caught early through other methods, other than the PSA test and other screening processes like this.” Lefler says prostate cancer is different from other types of cancer as it usually moves slowly.

“Automatically, you hear the words ‘you have cancer’ and you go into a state of panic and often times people are overtreated for a disease they may outlive,” Lefler says. “If a man’s life expectancy is less than ten years, they probably shouldn’t be screened for prostate cancer at all.” He says if someone is diagnosed with prostate cancer, it is important to follow recommended suggestions.

Learn more at “cancer.org“.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine Tagged With:

Transportation Commission approves more money to fix potholes

March 9, 2010 By

The Iowa Transportation Commission today approved taking some money from the five-year improvement program to take care of some more immediate repairs. Department of Transportation spokesperson, Dena Gray-Fisher, says an additional $12-million will be allocated for contract maintenance to fix things like potholes.

She says the change is a direct result of the harsh winter conditions that damaged the roadways. Gray-Fisher says it has been one of the worst years in history for winter damage. She says the entire state has had a tremendous amount of snow, with a lot of salt applied to the roadways, and the constant freezing and thawing, have taken a toll on the roadways.

Gray-Fisher says once the weather clears up, they can put the money to use in patching the pavement. Gray-fisher says they want to get through the freeze-thaw period before starting the work, which should be around April 15th. She says D.O.T. crews will continue to make temporary repairs and then they will start with the contract work to make permanent repairs.

Gray-Fisher says the additional money for the repairs became available when bids for some projects in the five-year plan were lower than expected. The new money adds to the $18-million the D.O.T. had already budgeted for the pothole repairs.

The Transportation Commission also approved one million dollars today to match federal money approved for a study of passenger rail service between Chicago and Omaha.

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

Governor signs puppy mill bill as first dog looks on

March 9, 2010 By
Governor Culver signs puppy mill bill as Buck watches.

Governor Culver signs puppy mill bill as Buck watches.

Governor Chet Culver has signed a bill into law that immediately allows for state inspections of commercial dog kennels that draw public complaints.

 Breeders who are raising four or more dogs would have to pay a new licensing fee and register with the state. Culver calls that a “seal of approval” which reputable breeders can present to families hoping to adopt a pet.

“Providing assurance to families that the pets they adopt are healthy, clean and have been raised humanely,” Culver said. According to Culver, the “overwhelming majority” of dog breeders, pet stores and animal shelters have “absolutely nothing to fear” from this legislation.

[Read more...]

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

Cedar Rapids council to meet outside city until flood repairs completed

March 9, 2010 By

The flood of 2008 is forcing the Cedar Rapids city council to move its meetings outside city limits. Starting today, council members will hold their meetings in the suburb of Hiawatha. Before the flood, the council met in the Veterans’ Memorial Building – which sits on an island in the Cedar River and was severely damaged.

After the flood, the council used an auditorium style room owned by a local business. Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett, who was elected last November, says it’s time for a change. “Presentations to the council were all behind where the council sits, it’s awkward and so the council chambers over at Hiawatha will be better for presentations to the council,” Corbett said.

A construction manager has been selected for the Veterans’ Memorial Building and bidding will soon get underway, so the move to Hiawatha is only temporary.

Corbett says the council will likely hold its meetings in Hiawatha until the end of the year and then move back into the Veterans’ Memorial Building.

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