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Vander Plaats wants Iowa to be “start-up capital”

April 6, 2010 By

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats says he wants to make Iowa the “start-up capital of the world.” If elected governor, Vander Plaats says he’d take steps to lure former Iowans back home and help entrepreneurs from other countries legally immigrate here.

“We want to send the message that Iowa is a welcoming place and an hospitable place to do business and industry,” Vander Plaats says.

Vander Plaats acknowledges it may test the “comfort zones” of some Iowans to talk about immigration, but Vander Plaats says by encouraging legal immigration, the state will benefit from new ideas and new energy.  “Attracting the best and the brightest in all kinds of fields so we have a constant opportunity and environment that allows us to grow this state,” Vander Plaats says. 

Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, a Democrat, once talked about making Iowa the “Ellis Island of the Midwest.”  Vander Plaats says he wants to Iowa to be viewed as a destination for entrepreneurs and by those who want to settle down and raise a family.

“We’re open for business, not only for the people of Iowa that we want to keep in Iowa, but the people who’ve left Iowa that would like to return to Iowa and not only across the country but, I think, across the globe,” Vander Plaats says. “I want Iowa to be viewed as this is a place where you can start, develop and grow a business and we get the best of legal immigration.” 

Vander Plaats, a former high school economics teacher, says to spur business start-ups, he’d eliminate the corporate income tax and take steps to reduce property taxes on commercial property.

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

Iowa National Guard holding meetings on upcoming Afghanistan deployment

April 6, 2010 By

The Iowa National Guard begins a series of town hall meetings tonight on the upcoming deployment of some 3,100 guard members to Afghanistan. Guard spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Greg Happgood, says they want to provide information and answer questions from the soldier’s families, their communities and the general public about the deployment.

Hapgood says the deployment has a “profound impact” across the state, whether it’s in the communities, whether its with employers, the way cities operate if guardmembers work for them or on the city council. “It really could have some far-reaching affects,” Hapgood says. Hapgood says this will be the largest deployment since World War Two, and says the Iowa Guard’s job is to inform everyone to the greatest degree possible so they can figure out how to mitigate any issues in the year that the guard members will be gone.

Hapgood says each group has different questions about how the deployment will impact them. Hapgood says communities want to know how to help support families of soldiers, companies want to know the timeline of mobilization for planning, and there are other community questions about filling the voids left in the absence of the guard members. Hapgood says they will try to address as many issues as possible.

Hapgood says there will affects across the state from the deployment that they can’t anticipate. He says some things they know, like the need to get help from other states in emergencies. Hapgood says they want to open up the communication lines now and try to address any issues they can now.

Each meeting begins at 6:30 with a public session, and then soldiers and their families will meet with the group’s leadership team in private. The first meeting is tonight at the Sioux City East Middle School auditorium.

The other meetings are Thursday (4/8)at Iowa Western Community College, Looft Hall Auditorium, Council Bluffs; April 13th at the Fort Dodge America’s Best Value Inn, Ball Room; April 27th in Waterloo at the Five Sullivan Brothers convention center; April 29th at the Des Moines Area Community College, Building 6 Auditorium in Ankeny; May 4th at Coe College’s Terry Auditorium in Cedar Rapids; and May 6th at the St. Ambrose, Galvin Fine Arts building in Davenport.

Filed Under: Military Tagged With:

Governor approves two more veterans-related bills

April 6, 2010 By

A bill-signing ceremony was staged at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown this morning as Governor Culver approved two military-related bills.

The first bill stipulates that veterans with service-connected injuries who qualify for unemployment or who receive benefits from the Veterans Trust Fund do not have to pay taxes on those benefits.  The second bill directs the Iowa Department of Human Services to coordinate with the Mental Health Planning Advisory Council to ensure that a “knowledgeable” veteran serves on the council.

Culver says these kind of moves are being made against the backdrop of a looming deployment involving up to 3100 Iowa National Guard soldiers. ”So our challenges remain when it comes to supporting our military families in the future as well,” Culver says. 

The Iowa Guard soldiers are preparing for duty in Afghanistan, starting later this summer. ”In the era of multiple deployments and growing concerns about things like post-traumatic stress disorder, I believe it is critical that we take every step possible to make sure that we care for veterans needing help,” Culver says. 

Last month Culver signed another bill which extends unemployment benefits to spouses who have to quit their jobs and move to follow their spouse who is a soldier if that soldier is reassigned to another post or goes on active duty.  According to Culver, Iowa is the first state in the country to implement a series of proposals like that one which have been recommended by the Pentagon.

By Lance Renaud, KFJB, Marshalltown

Photo courtesy of the governor’s office.

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

Anamosa voters deciding on funding for a new building

April 6, 2010 By

Voters in the Anamosa area are heading to the polls today to decide whether to pay for building a new middle school. Anamosa superintendent Dale Monroe says the current century-old school is in dire need of replacement, especially after the winter’s many blizzards that dumped heavy snow.

“You may’ve heard of some issues that we’ve had in the last three months regarding ceilings that have collapsed,” Monroe says. “We’ve had inspections from a structural engineer that have indicated that the building has lived its life.” The school was in the news in January after a ceiling and a row of lights collapsed while 18 students and two teachers were in the room. No one was seriously hurt.

Monroe says posts and two-by-12s across the span are now helping hold the ceilings up. They’ve also discovered seven other potentially-dangerous areas that consist of cracking in the floor joists and they’re shoring those up as well. Monroe says a new school would provide numerous benefits.

While there are now three buildings in use, the new school would be a single two-story structure. He says the new school will also feature lots of natural lighting, efficient heating and cooling, a non-leaking roof and a special drop-off area for buses. Voters are being asked to authorize spending more than 15-million dollars to build and furnish the school as well as to purchase the land for the school and future athletic fields. Monroe says the roof collapse provided proof that a new building is much-needed.

He says, “It certainly brought to the attention of the public who might not have know the condition of the current middle school, how serious this building is in terms of aging.” Voters have gone to the polls on this issue several times before and each time, it failed to get the majority percentage needed to pass. Monroe says if the voters don’t approve this time, they’ll have to pursue other options. The polls are open until 8 P.M.

By Janelle Tucker, KMCH, Manchester

Filed Under: Education, Politics & Government

Cedar Rapids police charge man with pornography, prostitution

April 6, 2010 By

Cedar Rapids police have arrested a 44-year-old man and filed an array of charges against him — charges dealing with pornography, prostitution and pot. Police started their investigation of Randal Mauderer in mid-March after receiving complaints about his conduct. He turned himself in to police on Monday.

According to investigators, Mauderer showed a 15-year-old boy photographs of naked males engaged in sexual activities, photographs that were on Mauderer’s computer.

Police say Mauderer also offered a 15-year-old boy money in exchange for a sex act and he gave marijuana to a teenager on a number of occasions. All of these incidents happened at a home in Cedar Rapids where Mauderer had been living, but he’s no longer living there. He’s in the Linn County Jail right now, charged with some serious crimes including dissemination of obscene materials to a minor.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Des Moines man claims million dollar lottery prize

April 6, 2010 By

A 60-year-old Des Moines man who works at Wal-Mart has claimed a  $1 million prize from the Iowa Lottery. David Lyons discovered he was holding a winning Powerball ticket last Friday night. “I was stunned, basically,” Lyons said at a Tuesday morning press conference at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Des Moines. “I didn’t believe it and still don’t…until I get the money.”

The ticket for March 31st drawing was purchased at 3 a.m. on the previous Sunday at a Shortstop convenience store in Ankeny, next to the Wal-Mart where Lyons works overnights stocking shelves. Employees at Shortstop believed Lyons was the winner because he is one of the few people who purchases lottery games at 3 a.m. And he does so frequently.

“I probably spend anywhere from 60 to 70 bucks a week just buying Powerball and Hot Lotto,” Lyons said. The 1968 graduate of Saydel High School is a divorced father of four grown children who live in Texas, California, Iowa and Idaho. Lyons is the primary caretaker of his 93-year-old mother. After taxes, Lyons is taking home $700,000. He’s not sure what he’ll do with his new fortune.

“I haven’t really thought about it. I still (don’t) believe I really won, but I guess I have,” Lyons said. Will he continue to work overnights at Wal-Mart? “Yes, I’ll still work at Wal-Mart…for a while anyway,” Lyons said.

The winning ticket matched the first five numbers in the Powerball drawing, but missed the Powerball. Lyons paid an extra dollar to add the Power Play option which multiplied his $200,000 prize to $1 million. Lyons hasn’t told his ex-wife about his winnings and admits he’s hoping the money will bring more excitement to his social life.

“That would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Lyons said. Lyons traveled to lottery headquarters with his sister and niece, who works at a bank and has arranged for her uncle to meet with a financial advisor.

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:

Floyd County supervisors replace county attorney

April 6, 2010 By

Floyd County has a new county attorney after a court ruling resulted in the previous county attorney losing his law license. The Floyd County Board of Supervisors on Monday appointed Normand Klemesrud to be the new county attorney. He’ll replace Jesse Marzen, who had his law license suspended by the Iowa Supreme Court last month.

The court had ruled that Marzen broke rules when he engaged in a sexual relationship with a client before being elected in 2006. Marzen has denied the charges, but he is not eligible to serve as county attorney without a valid law license. The Floyd County supervisors last month had appointed Klemesrud to be the county’s special prosecutor until a hearing was held Monday in which the supervisors declared the office was vacant and then named Klemesrud as the new county attorney.

By Bob Fisher, KRIB, Mason City

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Politics & Government
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