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A new “debt collector” in state goverment

March 27, 2010 By

There’ll soon be a new debt collector in state government to pursue scofflaws who don’t pay their debts to the state.  A bill that’s among the final measures to come up for a vote in the 2010 legislature would give the governor authority to appoint a new “debt coordinator.” 

This new debt “czar” would work in the Iowa Department of Revenue.  According to the bill, the person hired for the job should be an “expert” in the field of debt collection.  Ther would be two other people working in the new office, and Representative Andrew Wenthe of Hawkeye says the primary goal for the trio will be to collect court-ordered fines and fees that have not been paid. 

“Currently, there’s $525 million in outstanding court debt; $216 million of this is over four years old,” Wenthe says.

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Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Politics & Government Tagged With: , , ,

Rants bids emotional farewell to legislature

March 27, 2010 By

A former leader in the Iowa House who ended his campaign for governor in February said an emotional farewell to his colleagues Friday afternoon. State Representative Christopher Rants, a Republican from Sioux City, spoke for half an hour, mentioning the lessons he’d learned during his 18 years in the Iowa House. Rants said he had no regrets about any bill or vote he took during his tenure.

“What I do regret are the times I’ve been too busy to shake a hand, too quick to judge, too focused on whatever it is that I was trying to get done at the time that I didn’t look around to see what else was going on around me,” Rants said, his voice breaking with emotion.

 ”Those are my regrets.” Rants advised legislators to “relax every now and then,” although Rants conceded he found that difficult to do. Rants also said no matter what happens in the course of a fight, a legislator should shake hands with their adversary once of the battle is over.

“I’m 42 years old this year and I’ve been here for 18 of those years,” Rants said. “You start thinking about the percentages, that’s a lot.” Rants was chosen by his fellow Republicans to be a floor leader in the House and then he served as House speaker for the 2004, 2005 and 2006 legislative sessions. Rants ended his campaign for governor in mid-February.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With:

Iowa high school drop out rate up

March 27, 2010 By

New data from the Iowa Department of Education shows more students are leaving high school before graduation. Last year, 4,782 9th-through-12th graders in Iowa dropped out of high school. That rate of 3.15% compares to 4,399 dropouts or 2.85% during the 2007-08 school year.

Elaine Watkins-Miller, a spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Education, says a recently installed system allows state officials to keep better track of students and may account for the slight jump in the dropout rate.

 ”Last year, we began tracking students through a state I.D. number and really looking at detailed information about students,” Watkins-Miller said. “We think that still might be part of why we’re seeing that really slight increase in dropout rates.”

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Filed Under: Education

Parkinson’s vaccine being tested

March 27, 2010 By

Iowans who suffer from Parkinson’s Disease may soon be able to take part in the testing of a promising new vaccine. Researchers say the vaccine would not cure Parkinson’s but could reverse the neurological damage. Dr. Howard Gendleman, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, says hopes the vaccine will be safe to test on humans soon.

Gendleman says, “We’re hoping that within the year to a year and a half, the screening of these patients will be completed and then, we’ll be able to move what we call a phase one clinical trial forward.” It’s hoped the vaccine will bring some relief for those who currently suffer from P-D and for those who may develop the illness. Gendleman says the vaccine is not a cure-all for Parkinson’s.

“This is not a vaccine that will cure it,” he says. “This is a vaccine that will halt its progression.” It’s estimated that one-million people in the U.S. currently suffer from P-D.

“Most of the nerve cells are damaged and not yet destroyed and we can reverse that damage,” he says. “Do we know for sure? No. Do we hope? Yes.” Symptoms of Parkinson’s include impairment of movement, stiffness or balance problems and uncontrollable shaking. For more information, visit the Iowa chapter of the American Parkinson’s Disease Association at “www.apdaiowa.org”. Details on the UNMC study can be found here.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine

Gun bill may be final shot out of ’10 session

March 27, 2010 By

Today could be the final day of the 2010 Iowa legislative session.  One of the final bills to clear the legislature may be a measure that would create a statewide standard for issuing gun permits, but there is stiff opposition from some quarters. 

Senator Keith Kreiman, a Democrat from Bloomfield, expects the bill to come up for debate in the senate today. ”I think it’s very common sense,” Kreiman says.  “I think you end up with uniformity.” 

Under current law, sheriffs in each of Iowa’s 99 counties have the authority to decide who gets a permit to carry a concealed gun.  “It’s not only a public safety, but it’s also a little bit of a fairness issue, too,” Kreiman says.  “It shouldn’t matter in what county you are how much you can exercise your constitutional rights.” 

The bill has critics, though, from both ends of the political spectrum.  Some legislators argue the state shouldn’t be in the business of establishing any restrictions on gun ownership, while others say there should be more restrictions and this bill makes it easier to obtain a gun.  Under current law, sheriffs have the discretion to turn down a gun permit application, but the proposal before legislators would force sheriffs to issue permits if the applicant meets a list of basic requirements. 

Kreiman points to another portion of the bill which requires training in how to use a fire arm. ”I think you end up with people with weapons on the persons who are actually trained to carry those safely,” Kreiman says. 

The Senate Judiciary Committee endorsed the bill with a unanimous vote Thursday.  If the bill becomes law, permits to carry a gun would be issued for five years and it would cost the applicant $50.  Today,  it costs an Iowan $10 dollars get a gun permit and the permit lasts for just a year. 

The National Rifle Association supports the bill. The Iowa State Sheriffs and Deputies Association opposes the legislation.

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

Panther NCAA run ends with loss to Michigan State

March 27, 2010 By

The record-setting season for the U.N.I. Panthers came to an end Friday in a 59-52 “Sweet 16″ loss to Michigan State in St. Louis. U.N.I. led 29 to 22 at halftime, but the Spartans opened the second half with a 17-5 run and took control, holding the Panthers to only five field goals in the second half.

Guard Ali Farokhmanesh says they had a hard time scoring. He says it was frustrating, as it is whenever you’re not shooting the ball well. Farokhmanesh says you have to give Michigan State some credit for making it tough on them. U-N-I won it’s second straight Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles, they won the school’s first NCAA tournament game in 20 years and advanced to the “Sweet 16″ for the first time in school history.

They upset top seed Kansas in the second round. Farokhmanesh said it was hard to think about the accomplishments after the loss.

He says they enjoyed playing with each other so much, and they didn’t want the run to end. He says they will look back on it later on, but says it’s hard now.

Fellow senior Adam Koch agreed. Koch says it’s tough after the loss to appreciate some of the things they accomplished. Coach Ben Jacobson says their deep bench has allowed them to stay fresh late in the game most of the season, but they couldn’t hit the shots in this game.

Jacobson says they’ve really played well all year long in the last three minutes and they played well in this game, they just missed on a couple of opportunities.

Jacobson agree with his players that all that has happened in the last couple of weeks hasn’t sunk in. “It hasn’t, it will at some point,” Jacobson says. He says the team will have a lot to look back on and a lot to be proud of, but not now, and he says he’s so proud of the effort as things got bigger. Jacobson says they came out on the biggest stage they have been on and were in position to win another game.

Farokhmanesh, Koch and Jordan Egleseder are three senior starters the team will lose next season along with two other seniors. Jacobson says they leave a big legacy. He says the importance that they put on being unselfish and on relationships has had a far-reaching impact. Jacobson says the senior leadership allowed them to have “some success and a lot of fun.”

Adam Koch led the Panthers with 13 points, Kwadzo Ahelegbe had 12. The Panthers finish the season with a school-record 30 wins against just five losses.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,