May 22, 2012

You are here: Home / 2010 / March / Archives for 29th

Statue honoring fallen Boy Scouts will be dedicated in June

March 29, 2010 By

A statue in memory of four Boy Scouts who were killed in a tornado will be dedicated two years to the day the twister struck their camp in western Iowa’s Harrison County. Fourteen-year old Aaron Eilerts, of Eagle Grove, Iowa, and three Omaha, Nebraska, teens died June 11, 2008, and 48 people were injured, when a large tornado tore through the Little Sioux Scout Ranch.

This coming June 11th, a statue being erected at the Durham Scout Center in Omaha, will pay tribute to the teens. A permanent memorial for Eilerts, 13-year-olds Josh Fennen and Sam Thomsen and 14-year-old Ben Petrzilka, is also being planned at the Little Sioux Camp, but the details have not yet been finalized.

By Ric Hanson, KJAN, Atlantic

Filed Under: Human Interest

U-I launches superintendent licensing program

March 29, 2010 By

A survey of Iowa school superintendents finds more than a third of those questioned plan to retire within the next few years. In response, the University of Iowa is launching a superintendent licensure program. Ann Sullivan, a professor of educational administration policy at the U-of-I, says the two-year program will start this summer.

“The majority of people that will apply to our program will probably be sitting principals who aspire to some sort of district-level leadership,” Sullivan says. “That might be the superintendent’s seat but it could also be business manager, human resources director, curriculum and instruction director, but the focus will really be district-level leadership.”

A survey last year by the Iowa Department of Education found more than half of the state’s 337 superintendents were between the ages of 51 and 60 years old, and 26-percent of them were eligible to retire last school year. Of the 208 Iowa superintendents who responded, 77 superintendents – or about 37 percent — indicated they would only work between one and five more years.

“We’re definitely looking at a leadership shortage in Iowa and nationally and actually, globally,” Sullivan says. “There’s been studies done in England that they’re looking for ways to address their leadership shortage. It’s definitely something we want to do. We want to make sure in Iowa we’re growing our own good people to take over the openings that we’re going to have in the state.” This will be the fourth superintendent preparation program in the state, joining programs at Drake University, Iowa State and U.N.I. Sullivan says the version offered in Iowa City will be set apart.

“What makes ours unique is we have a different kind of a delivery system,” Sullivan says. “We have a hybrid between face-to-face, so students will come on campus in the summer for face-to-face course work, and then during the fall and spring semesters, they have to option of distance ed.” She hopes to see at least a dozen students enrolled in the program in its first year. Students must hold a master’s degree in educational administration or a relevant field to apply.

Thirty-two semester hours are required for superintendent endorsement and with five more hours of elective credit, students can earn an educational specialist degree (Ed.S). The U-of-I got the okay to launch the program from the state Board of Education earlier this month.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With:

Legislator airs pet peeve about the Pledge

March 29, 2010 By

A long-time legislator had a long-time wish fulfilled this weekend.

Representative Dolores Mertz is nearly 82 years old.  After serving 22 years in the Iowa House, she’s retiring.  On Friday night, Mertz finally aired one of her pet peeves.  At the start of every work day, members of the House recite the Pledge of Allegiance, and she asked her colleagues to quit pausing at a certain point in the Pledge.  

“It’s one nation under God.  It’s not one nation, under God.  There is no comma, no hyphen, no period.  There is no slash-dash.  There’s nothing!  It’s just one nation under God,”  Mertz said, as some House members laughed. 

Mertz laughed herself later during an interview with Radio Iowa. “They’ve done it incorrectly all these years,” Mertz said.  “And I’ve always said, ‘Before I get out of here, I am going to make sure they say it correctly.’” 

A Baptist minister wrote the original “Pledge of Allegiance” in 1892.  Mertz was 26 years old in 1954 when congress voted to add the words “under God” to the Pledge and more than five decades later, she notes no punctuation was added all those years ago.

“You don’t pause in a sentence unless there’s comma or a semi-colon or whatever so that’s always been a phobia with me — even about people who lector in church,” Mertz said Saturday.  “If there isn’t a comma or a period, you don’t pause in that sentence.  You just read it right on through.”

The grandchildren of a legislator led the House in saying the Pledge on Saturday morning and the kids were coached about saying the Pledge without the pause. ”I was very proud of ‘em,” Mertz said of the kids. 

Now that Mertz has this pet peeve off her chest, has anything else really bugged her about the legislature? “Oh, I’ve got lots to say, but probably not over the radio,” Mertz told Radio Iowa. 

Mertz, a Democrat from Ottosen, served five years on the Kossuth County Board of Supervisors before winning a seat in the Iowa House in 1988.

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

Study showed problems and promise for hybrid school buses

March 29, 2010 By

An Iowa State University researcher says a study of hybrid school buses shows some promise for decreasing fuel costs and pollution, if mechanical problems with the buses can be fixed. Two hyrbid-electric school buses were purchased for the Nevada and Sigourney school districts and run alongside regular buses.

Shauna Hallmark of the I.S.U. Institute for Transportation, says there were problems with the batteries on the buses holding a charge.

Hallmark says the charging system does some charging from the bus diesel engine, but the majority of the charging has to be done by plugging in the bus. And she says something was not working, so the batter did not charge.

The hyrbid-buses got 30% better mileage in Nevada and 36% better in Sigourney. Hallmark says the savings could help offset the increased cost of buying the specialized buses. She says diesel fuel is occasionally up to $4.00-a-gallon, and a school bus gets about six miles to the gallon.

While she hasn’t done a cost estimate analysis, she believes districts could recoup the cost of the bus in fuel savings. Hallmark says other hybrid systems used in cars and transit buses use only the engine to charge the battery. Hallmark says the type of technology used could be the deciding factor in whether schools would buy hybrids.

She says it depends on the next step for the next generation bus, and that hasn’t been decided yet. Hallmark says if they put the same technology in school buses that’s used in transit buses, then she thinks it would work. Hallmark says it is a promising idea, and there is more to the use of hybrids than saving money.

Hallmark says it’s not just fuel economy, it’s also the emissions put out by the buses. She says buses put out a lot of the small fine black particulates that pollute the air, and the hybrid buses would reduce the amount of pollution the kids are exposed to. Researchers received grants that paid for most of the 217-thousand dollar cost of each bus. The districts each paid about 70-thousand dollars — which is about the cost of a conventional bus.

Filed Under: Education, Environment & Conservation Tagged With:

ISU women fall to Connecticut

March 29, 2010 By

The Iowa State women became the 75th straight victim in a 74-36 loss to the University of Connecticut women Sunday. U-Conn took control from the very start, led 42-14 at the half and never let the Cyclones think of the possibility of upsetting the defending national champion. Cyclone coach Bill Fennelly says the Huskies are as good as everyone says.

“I don’t think I’ve had a wupp’in like that since I was a little kid and broke something at my mom’s,” Fennelly says. He says he feels bad for his players that the season didn’t end with a better overall performance that would have given them the chance to beat what he calls the best team he’s ever seen.

The Cyclones had stunned top-seeded UConn 64-58 in the regional semis in 1999, but they never had a chance in this game. Fenelly says U-Conn is good in all areas of the game. He says they have a great game plan, they are long at every position, and play the game one play ahead instead of one play behind.

Senior Allison Lacey says there were a lot of things they could have done better. Lacey says at times they could have competed harder, been more aggressive and hit some more shots. Fennelly says they had a lot of shots that looked like they were going to fall, but didn’t.

He says that was their fear going in, could they score. Fennelly says they missed some open looks and he says when you have that shot against the Huskies you have to make it, as they don’t foul. The Cyclones had some great success this season with several younger players in the lineup. Fennelly says the loss can’t overshadow the accomplishments of the team.

Fennelly says this week was rightly all about Connecticut and what they have accomplished, but he says it doesn’t take away from his team. He says there are a lot of great teams in the country and to be one of only five teams to make back to back Sweet 16 appearances is a great accomplishment. Fennelly says the accomplishment of his team is being a team of great people that he is able to around every day. Anna Prins led Iowa State with 10 points. The Cyclones finished the season with a 25-8 record.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

Gun rights debate pending in Iowa House

March 29, 2010 By

County sheriffs would no longer have broad authority to deny gun permit applications if a bill pending in the Iowa House becomes law.  The bill sets up statewide standards for judging who may receive a permit to carry a concealed gun. 

After a two-hour debate, the Iowa Senate overwhelmingly passed the bill Saturday morning on a 44 to four vote.  Senator Steve Sodders, a Democrat from State Center, is also a deputy Marshall County sheriff and Sodders stuck up for his boss and other sheriffs.

“People who have concerns about the sheriff, if they’re not issuing enough concealed weapons permits, can run for sheriff or can get somebody to run against them,” Sodders said.   Sodders, though, wound up voting “yes” for the bill. 

The National Rifle Association backs the bill, but some gun rights advocates in the legislature oppose it.  The measure would require those who get a permit to carry a concealed weapon have training in how to use a gun.  Even though Senator Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City, voted against the bill, he saw the merit in that.

“Currently there’s no requirement that somebody actually have training in how to safely use a fire arm,” Bolkcom says. 

The governor has already signed another gun-related bill that would let police take guns away from those who’ve been convicted of domestic abuse or who’re the subject of a no-contact order.  Some see this new bill as a counterbalance, since it makes the process of getting a concealed weapon permit in Iowa more predictable.  Senator Keith Kreiman, a Democrat from Bloomfield, says it’s common sense to have a statewide standard for concealed weapons permits.

“Many people have worked hard on this agreement which I think will advance the cause of public safety and our Second Amendment rights,” Kreiman said Saturday during senate debate. 

It’s unclear when the House may debate the bill and lawmakers hope to adjourn the 2010 legislative session early this week, perhaps even late tonight or early tomorrow morning.

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

2010 legislative session continues

March 29, 2010 By

The plan to end the 2010 Iowa legislative session this past weekend was abandoned and lawmakers are due to return to Des Moines today, with hopes of concluding the session early this week. 

Late Saturday night the Iowa Senate spent about half an hour debating a bill that outlines how state gambling taxes will be spent on a variety of infrastructure projects.  Senator James Seymour, a Republican from Woodbine, complained about the $8.5 million in state funds set aside for potential passenger rail projects. 

“President Obama has committed the United States to building at least 13 high-speed rail lines, one of the most expensive forms of transportation…a nation could choose,” Seymour said Saturday night. “Even in a strong economy, building high-speed rail makes little sense.” 

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: , , , ,
Newer Posts »