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Farmers market fruit and vegetable coupons available to seniors

May 25, 2010 By

Low-income older Iowans are being encouraged to apply for coupons that can be redeemed for fresh fruits and vegetables at farmer’s markets around the state. Iowa Department on Aging Director John McCalley says the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program will benefit around 20,000 Iowans this year.

“We routinely run out of (the coupons) quickly, so our recommendation is if you’re a senior citizen over the age of 60 interested in getting coupons for fresh produce, get in touch with a local Area Agency on Aging…so you can get your coupons,” McCalley said.

Eligible seniors must have a household income level at or below $20,000 if single or $27,000 for a married couple. McCalley says budget cuts from both the state and federal government mean the program won’t serve as many Iowans this year. “Last year, there were about 1,000 more people that received coupons than this coming year. That’s what the budget cuts did to us this year,” McCalley said.

Checks are issued on a first come, first serve basis. Seniors are provided with 10 checks for $3 each that can be redeemed at participating farmer’s markets between June 1 and October 31.

More info: online at http://www.i4a.org or by phone 866-468-7887

Filed Under: Agriculture Tagged With:

Parkersburg marks two year anniversary of tornado

May 25, 2010 By

Today marks two years since a massive, deadly tornado demolished a large portion Parkersburg. The northeast Iowa community will observe a moment a silence late this afternoon marking the time the twister tore through town.

Jeff Johnson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, says there’s a related story. “Here in Iowa, we haven’t had a single tornado yet in 2010, which is really unusual,” Johnson says. “In fact, you’d have to go back to 1980 to find a year when we had tornadoes later than this for the first time.” He says it’s been an active year for twisters elsewhere in the nation.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

UNI faculty union files complaint against Board of Regents

May 25, 2010 By

The union that represents the faculty at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls has filed a complaint against the Board of Regents with the Iowa Public Employment Relations Board (IPERB) over the recent salary cut negotiations. Cathy DeSoto is president of United Faculty, and says the union negotiated a salary cut with the board after being told it was an emergency situation.

DeSoto says it turned out that the acceptance of federal stimulus funds had the stipulation that the funding cuts to higher education not be as high as proposed, and she says the Board of Regents knew about that. “And the state of Iowa actually filed for a waiver of this requirement the day after we came to an agreement, so we felt they should have been telling us that the cuts were not going to be nearly as severe as they portrayed,” DeSoto says. She says they agreed to do their part, but were not told all the facts.

She says the faculty took a pay cut that averaged out to one thousand dollars in salary, after already agreeing to a zero pay increase. “The thing is,that we agreed to do this because we did not want to see some of our colleagues laid off and we didn’t want to see last minute canceling of classes,” Desoto says, “and that’s what was threatened if we did come to an agreement on December 14th.”

Desota says the failure of the Board to notify United Faculty constitutes a “refusal to negotiate in good faith,” a violation of the Iowa Code. DeSoto says she’s not sure if the action they are taking will lead to getting the salary cut back, but she says winning the complaint sometimes just a formal admission that one side engaged in bad faith bargaining and broke the rules.

“I want to be clear that the big issue is showing mutual trust, and respect on both sides of the bargaining table,” DeSoto says. Desoto says the actions of the board will have an impact on future board negotiations.

DeSoto says that means they will ask more questions about what they are told about the budget. “You know this year they told us this was the case and we believed them,” Deosoto says, “so we wanted to kind of be team players and step up to the plate.” She says the next time they are told the university is in dire financial straits “we are really going to be looking at that.” The complaint comes after and exchange of letters in which the attorney for the Board of Regents said it was the board’s intent to refuse to pay back the salary cuts to the faculty.

A spokesperson for the Board of Regents said they would have not comment on the complaint filed by United Faculty as it is an ongoing legal matter.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: ,

Member of band Slipknot found dead in Urbandale hotel

May 24, 2010 By

Police in the Des Moines suburb of Urbandale say a member of a popular Des Moines band was found dead today in a local hotel. A news release from Urbandale police says they were called to the hotel in Urbandale just before 11 A.M. on the report that hotel employees had found a guest dead in one of the rooms.

Officers identified the dead man as 38-year-old Paul Gray of Johnston. Gray is the bass guitarist for the heavy-metal band Slipknot. Police say there was no evidence of foul play, and the Polk County medical examiner will conduct and autopsy Tuesday.

Police say toxicology tests will also be performed on Gray’s body to determine in there were any contributing factors to his death.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Recreation & Entertainment

Story of wayward dog with Iowa ties not over yet

May 24, 2010 By

The story of that lost-and-found dog doesn’t have a happy ending — not yet, at least. The female German Shepherd-mix was found stray near Battle Creek, Michigan, but thanks to a microchip, was traced to a shelter in Paton, Iowa.

To keep the dog from being euthanized, a relay team of volunteers brought the 80-pound pooch from Michigan back to Paton over the weekend. Linn Cipperley-Price, the head volunteer with the Animal Protection and Education Charity in Paton, says a farmer in Stuart had the dog microchipped shortly after it was born in 2007.

That farmer later let a family in Michigan adopt the puppy but kept no record of the transaction. Cipperley-Price says they’re trying to come up with the family’s name. Cipperley-Price says, “Right now, the farmer that we sponsored the litter for is literally going through her attic, looking for her Christmas card box because she’s hoping she kept the Christmas card that this family had sent them so we have some means of getting a hold of them.”

If the owners in Michigan aren’t found, she says the dog will be put up for adoption — again. Cipperly-Price says, “We’re going to exhaust all avenues before we re-home this dog but we’re hoping for the best turnout and that these people are truly still looking for their dog.” Using the social networking website Facebook and a network of devoted volunteers, the canine was transported car-to-car-to-car from Battle Creek all the way to Paton over the past few days.

Cipperly-Price says, “There were eight different ladies that helped with that that I know of off the top of my head and there was probably more out there, sending out Facebook announcements and stuff.” She says the kindhearted dedication of so many people just shows the lengths some people will go to — and drive to — in order to return a pet to its human family. If the dog’s owners are located in Michigan, she says it’s possible this well-traveled hound will be taken -back- to Michigan by the same method. Then again, the family drove to Iowa once before to claim the dog, she says, so maybe they’ll do it again.

The Animal Protection and Education Charity in Paton is a “no-kill” shelter. Reach the shelter at: (515) 460-SPAY or on-line at “www.goape.info“.

Filed Under: Human Interest

Governor frustrated with lack of action on national renewable energy standard

May 24, 2010 By
wind turbine

wind turbine

Governor Chet Culver says he’s frustrated with the lack of action on a national renewable electricity standard (RES) that could boost development of Iowa’s wind energy industry.

Culver says Iowa is leading the way when it comes to wind energy research and development, but federal legislation should require states and utilities to generate more electricity from renewables.

 ”We’ve invested $100 million in 30 different R and D projects across the state of Iowa. Many of them could have potential benefits related to all forms of renewable energy, but wind energy in particular,” Culver told reporters by telephone Monday.

[Read more...]

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

DNR says incident at Clear Lake a reminder to use electricity properly

May 24, 2010 By

A Department of Natural Resources conservation officer says people need to remember to be cautious when they get electricity near the water when using it on their boat docks. An Ankeny man and his dog were shocked in Clear Lake over the weekend near the hoist of a neighbor’s dock.

Ben Bergman says it’s a good reminder to regularly check out the electrical wiring around a dock, even if it looks like it’s in good shape. He says the appearance of the wiring may look good, but as was the case in Sunday’s incident, something was wrong. He says it’s an uncommon event, but the combination of water and electricity can end in tragedy.

Bergman recommends hiring an electrician to make sure a dock is properly wired. He says D.N.R. rules say that electrical service to docks must comply with federal wiring standards, including ground fault circuit interrupter for protection. Bergman says while incidents like this are rare, people shouldn’t take the issue of electricity being around water lightly. He says the waters are for everybody, and the D.N.R. has to make sure everybody remains safe.

Thirty-one-year-old Nickolas Greiner was injured Sunday morning while a family dog was killed when both were shocked near a boat hoist on Clear Lake’s north shore.

By Bob Fisher, KRIB, Mason City

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation, Fires/Accidents/Disasters Tagged With:
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