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Braley introduces federal measure mirroring Ed Thomas law

July 15, 2010 By

Iowa Congressman Bruce Braley, a Democrat from Waterloo, has introduced legislation that would follow up on a state law passed after the shooting death of Aplington Parkersburg football coach Ed Thomas. The state law requires hospitals to notify police before a suspect who is undergoing psychiatric treatment is released.

Braley says the Iowa Legislature passed a bipartisan common sense law and he wants to pass a law to answer any federal concerns. Mark Becker, a former player for Thomas, was found guilty of first-degree murder in Thomas’ death. Becker had been undergoing psychiatric treatment the day before the shooting and was released without police being notified. Braley says adding the federal law would ensure that such a thing did not happen in any state.

Braley says if the law had been in place and police had requested information on Becker, there would not be any questions about whether releasing the information would be a violation of the federal HIPPA statute that protects the release of medical information. Braley says he has been working with family and friends of Thomas to get this legislation put together, and felt now was the time to bring it forward.

He says they were looking for the appropriate time to address the issue where it wouldn’t be draw into the larger healthcare issues that have been debated in both the house and the senate.

Braley says his bill would allow hospitals to notify law enforcement officers of a patient’s release with specific conditions: If an individual is admitted to a medical facility while accompanied by a law enforcement official and such official makes a request for patient information in writing. That request is made at any point between the time the patient is admitted, and 24 hours after discharge, then the medical facility can provide medical information, including date of discharge, to the law enforcement agency.

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

Strong storm packs high winds, cause power outages

July 15, 2010 By

Wednesday afternoon’s suffocating heat was followed by a strong storm  in western Iowa that downed trees and caused power outages.

Wind speeds as high as 60 miles per hour were recorded in Pottawattamie County and the storm was still packing 59 mile-per-hour winds when it reached Carroll. The storm dumped 1.3 inches of rain in and around the small southwest Iowa town of Pacific Junction.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Weather Tagged With:

Financial reform vote expected shortly, Sens. Harkin & Grassley on opposite sides

July 15, 2010 By

A key vote is expected shortly in the U.S. Senate on a bill supporters, like Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin, say will bring sweeping financial reforms to Wall Street and the rest of the nation’s financial industry. Harkin says it appears there will be enough votes to pass the measure as a few Republicans are signing on, though Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley is not among them.

“It’s a lot better than what we have now,” Harkin says. “It closes a lot of loopholes. It provides a lot of transparency. Do I think it should go further? I do. That’s where Senator Grassley and I may disagree. He probably thinks it goes too far. I don’t think it goes far enough in providing tough regulation, especially on the derivatives market.”

Grassley issued a statement Wednesday, saying the legislation doesn’t go far enough in reigning in Wall Street excesses and Grassley accused Democrats of using an accounting “gimmick” to pay for the costs of the bill. Harkin disagrees.

“I’m sorry he’s voting no,” Harkin says. “I think this is a good bill. It’s good for America. It’s good for transparency so that we get a better idea of how Wall Street is functioning, but he’s entitled to his opinion just like I’m entitled to mine.”

Harkin says the bill is designed to give the federal government new authority to intervene when a large company is teetering on a collapse that could hurt the economy. The bill will also create a new consumer protection agency as a watchdog over the financial industry.

“This is paid for, you know, and it’s paid for by the large banks, not the taxpayers,” Harkin says. “That’s another good thing about this bill, make the big banks pay for it, and not the small banks, not our community banks in Iowa. They’re not going to be held liable.”

In a statement released Wednesday, Grassley said the final version that’s now scheduled for a vote “waters down important reforms” that were in the original Senate package.

Filed Under: Business, Politics & Government

Mosquito population up with the wet weather

July 15, 2010 By

Many Iowans are finding it hard to enjoy the great outdoors this summer because of a boom in the mosquito population. Iowa State University entomology professor Ken Holscher says the best defense against the pest is a repellent containing DEET.

“I know there’s been some concern by some people over the years about whether or not using (DEET) can be harmful to you, so there are some newer products on the market,” Holscher said. “But they’re not any better than DEET and they might not be any safer.” Some bug repellents contain high concentrations of DEET, but Holscher recommends using products with lower concentrations and reapplying throughout the day. He also advises people to use roll-on or squeeze-on applicators rather than aerosol sprays.

“I just think it makes better sense to apply those materials to the areas of the skin where it’s needed rather than just dousing yourself down with a spray can of that stuff,” Holscher said. Other tips include wearing pants and long-sleeve shirts and avoiding the outdoors during dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are more active. Researchers at the ISU Medical Entomology Lab have seen big mosquito populations at trap sites around the state.

The record rainfall in June is the major factor, but Holscher says areas of the state that received torrential downpours may not necessarily have more mosquitoes. “A five inch rain in one hour isn’t going produce more mosquitoes than five one-inch rains spaced over the course of a month,” Holscher explained.

“Mosquitoes develop in standing water and when you get a torrential rain, a lot of that flows off and stands in areas where it’s never stood before and it’s not going to produce many mosquitoes.” There is a bit of good news – Holscher says the species of mosquitoes in Iowa right now are not linked to the transmission of West Nile or other viruses.

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation, Health & Medicine

Natural Heritage Foundation president touts environmental amendment

July 15, 2010 By

Iowans will vote on an amendment to the state constitution this fall to create a trust fund for the state’s natural resources. Mark Ackelson, president of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, says the amendment would bring a permanent, protected fund that’s dedicated to water quality, soil conservation and wetlands restoration. Ackelson says the proposal involves taxes but is not a tax increase.

“This creates a trust fund,” he says, “and it would provide that the next time there’s an increase in the sales tax, if that should occur, then the first 3/8ths of one cent would be dedicated to the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund.” The fund has the potential to bring in 150-million dollars a year for programs to help farmers with soil and water conservation, construction of buffers and terraces, and improvements to lakes and streams. Two-thirds of the money, he says, would be devoted only to water quality improvements.

Ackelson says this is not an unusual proposal as many of Iowa’s neighbors already have such proposals in place. Minnesota passed a similar proposal last year and Missouri has two trust funds in place, while Nebraska even has a portion of its lottery proceeds dedicated to natural resources and conservation. Ackelson says, “More and more states are realizing the importance of natural resources, both for their economy and way of life.” He says the voters need to be reassured so they understand, voting yes for the amendment is not voting for a tax hike.

Ackelson says, “Our constitution actually forbids creating a sales tax or any kind of tax with a constitutional amendment, so that’s unlike states like California and other places that you see pass these.” He says the trust fund will also encompass a plan to protect us from future flooding, enhancing parks and recreation, protecting wildlife habitat, and other specific conservation programs.

Learn more at the website: “www.iowaswaterandlandlegacy.org“. The vote is November 2nd.

By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation
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