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Iowa adopting national education standards

July 29, 2010 By

Iowa is joining 29 other states in adopting national standards for what students should learn in math and English. The new curriculum is designed to make the expectations for schools uniform from state-to-state.

The national standards differ from what’s known as the Iowa Core Curriculum by setting expectations grade-by-grade instead of clumping two-or-more grade levels together.

The acting director of the Iowa Department of Education, Kevin Fangman, says the state’s standards have also been criticized for their lack of specifics. “I think there’s a little bit more detail, which has been some of the feedback from teachers that they would like. I think a lot of the end of the day…there is a strong alignment or a match between the two in what they looked at to come up with their standards and what we looked at to come up with the Iowa Core were very similar,” Fangman said.

The Iowa Board of Education voted unanimously today to accept the national standards for English and math during its meeting in Marshalltown. Fangman believes the Iowa Core Curriculm isn’t much different from the national standards, so the transition should be a smooth one. “The past two years, districts have been getting their implementation plans ready for the Iowa Core, so some teachers won’t see a change as far as what they’ve been looking at and what’s coming out now,” Fangman said.

Prior to today’s vote, Governor Culver urged board members to adopt the standards, which the nation’s governors and school chiefs released in June. All Iowa school districts are required to implement the new standards by 2014.

Filed Under: Education

Iowa casino-to-be bashed as “economic threat” to South Dakota

July 29, 2010 By

A casino under construction in northwest Iowa is becoming a campaign issue in a neighboring state. Scott Heidepriem, a Democratic candidate for governor in South Dakota, says he strongly opposes the casino being built near Larchwood, Iowa, about five miles from the South Dakota border.

“That is just a very clear, transparent ploy to exploit a population base, which is southeastern South Dakota,” Heidepriem says. “You can’t tell me that the casino in Larchwood is being constructed to satisfy the gaming desires of little Larchwood, Iowa. It’s clearly about Sioux Falls and southeastern South Dakota and the net effect is going to be that $60-million go out of South Dakota every year.”

Heidepriem proposes building some type of gaming facility on the South Dakota side of the border. “The better approach is for South Dakota to retain those dollars here,” Heidepriem says. “That means a competing facility within our state lines, which I’m convinced will be superior to the one in Larchwood and we’ll then have those dollars available for things like an events center or tax relief or any number of things.”

It would take a constitutional change to do it though, with a statewide vote required to allow such a casino. Heidepriem says he has to convince voters around the state that this is much more than a Sioux Falls problem.

“I honestly believe the people throughout South Dakota share the concern that our borders need to be protected from economic threats like this,” he says. “Today, it’s Larchwood and Sioux Falls. Tomorrow, it could be any one of them.”

He says the Iowa casino could generate as much as 13-million dollars for the State of Iowa each year.

By Jerry Oster, WNAX, Yankton

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Tourists continue to visit Lake Delhi, but for different reason

July 29, 2010 By

While residents of Lake Delhi in northeast Iowa continue to work on recovering from last Saturday’s disastrous dam break, other people are driving to the area just to see the damage. Richard Baker and his family drove 45 miles out of the way on their vacation to take a peek at the dam.”I wanted my children to see it. I like them to see this kind of stuff and see what can happen,” Baker said. “I feel bad for the people who live here. They are going to have a mess to deal with for a long time.”

Hundreds of homes and boats were damaged or destroyed in the dam burst as the nine-mile long lake emptied into farm fields and towns downstream. Lake Delhi has always attracted tourists, but now people are stopping there for a much different reason. Delhi residents, including Rose Putz, have mixed feelings about all the attention and curiosity. “Everybody is rushing to get stuff out of their homes right now, a lot of people are getting in the way, but we appreciate that they care,” Putz said.

Over the next few weeks and months locals expect plenty of people will come and take a look at the dam. They just hope the people will also reach out and help. The Lake Delhi Recreation Association has placed a call for volunteers to help move huge piles of flood debris to a temporary landfill.

(by Mark Geary, KCRG-TV, Cedar Rapids)

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Meredith reports 27% surge in earnings

July 29, 2010 By

Executives at the Des Moines-based Meredith Corporation report company earnings surged 27 percent in the last quarter, fueled by better-than-expected ad revenue and cost-cutting measures. 

“I’m pleased to report that Fiscal 2010 marks a return to earnings growth for the Meredith Corporation,” says Stephen Lacy, chairman and C.E.O. of Meredith.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Business, Technology

Democratic candidate for state auditor calls for more “performance” audits

July 29, 2010 By

The Democrat who’s running for state auditor says if he’s elected, he’ll significantly increase the number of audits which check the performance of state agencies.

Jon Murphy, the Democrat who is challenging Republican State Auditor Dave Vaudt, says Vaudt’s staff has posted more than 7000 audits on the internet, but only 33 are “performance audits.”

“A performance audit is different from a financial audit in that it helps a government or any entity find out more about whether or not the programs they’re been funding have been successful in reaching their goals,” Murphy says.  “So it’s more of a measure of whether or not the return on investment is being reached.” 

According to Murphy, performance audits can provide information about which programs work and which don’t. ”During a time of economic, revenue declines, we need to make sure we’re funding programs that work and not put good money after bad,” he says. 

Murphy was nominated to run for state auditor at the Iowa Democratic Party’s state convention in June.  He has pledged to give Iowans on-line access to detailed state spending plans if he’s elected to the post.  Murphy would fashion it after the www.recovery.iowa.gov website which tracks the federal “stimulus” money the state has received.

“If you go there right now you can see $2.4 billion being tracked and how many jobs have been created, the return on investment people are getting for their dollars, and I want to replicate that across…state government,” Murphy says.

Murphy has also promised not to endorse any political candidates if he’s elected state auditor, in contrast to State Auditor Vaudt who endorsed gubernatorial candidate Terry Branstad and has been campaigning with Branstad this summer. ”The auditor needs to impartial, independent and objective in conducting his job,” Murphy says. “I think being on a three-week political tour really does harm to the integrity of the state auditor’s office.” 

Vaudt, the current state auditor, endorsed Branstad in May and has been on a “truth in budgeting” tour with Branstad this month.

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

Lake Delhi residents seeking help in any form

July 29, 2010 By
Lake Delhi dam breach (courtesy Iowa State Patrol)

Lake Delhi dam breach (courtesy Iowa State Patrol)

Governor Chet Culver says he’s confident Lake Delhi will be restored, but some property owners around the lake in Delaware County aren’t sure they’ll be there by the time it’s a lake again. The dam on the lake burst last Saturday, damaging or destroying hundreds of homes and boats and other property.

Lake Delhi property owner Mark Thompson says some retirees’ dream homes are gone. “They’ve got their life savings wrapped up in some of these places,” Thompson said. “Tearing out the flood damage is one thing, but restoring it is another. There’s a lot of people that can’t afford to restore their property right now.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Politics & Government, Recreation & Entertainment, Weather

Senator Harkin says Saturday mail service may have to go

July 29, 2010 By

A U.S. Senate panel is supposed to vote today on a measure that would force the U.S. Postal Service to continue to deliver the mail on Saturdays, something many say is important to rural states. Iowa Senator Tom Harkin says he’s not committed to the idea of maintaining the six-day-a-week delivery schedule.

“There’s trade-offs here,” Harkin says. “I want to keep a healthy, vibrant United States postal system going. If that means we may have to give up Saturday service, well, I’ll be glad to take a look at that. I’m not going to fall on my sword and say under no circumstances can we give up Saturday service.”

The Postal Service is in foul financial condition as mail volume has dropped from 211-billion pieces to 176-billion just in the past three years. Harkin, a Democrat, says he’s not sure it’s cost-effective to keep deliveries on Saturdays. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Politics & Government
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