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Hundreds gather for hearing about gay marriage

January 31, 2011 By

Hundreds of people crowded into the Iowa House tonight for a public hearing about gay marriage. The Iowa House is scheduled to debate a resolution Tuesday which would forbid same-sex marriages, domestic partnerships and civil unions in Iowa if voters approve a proposed constitutional amendment.

Two former legislators — both Republicans — were among the first to speak about that proposal at last night’s public hearing. Former Representative Danny Carroll of Grinnell is a critic of the 2009 Iowa Supreme Court ruling which legalized same-sex marriage in Iowa.

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

Ethics complaint against legislator who got California Rx for pot

January 31, 2011 By

A critic of State Representative Clel Baudler’s decision to get a prescription for medical marijuana from the State of California has filed an ethics complaint against Baudler.

Baudler, a Republican from Greenfield, claimed he needed to smoke marijuana for treatment of hemorrhoids.  Baudler calls it a fact-finding mission and he dismisses the idea he did anything wrong.

“To investigate something, to do research?” Baudler says. “Why would you not think that was possible?”

Baudler plans to go back to California to see how the state’s medical marijuana system works and he’s not ruling out another attempt to get a prescription for medical marijuana.

“If I can think of something stupider than hemorrhoids, I might try it, but I will go back and it’s my understanding that on Redondo Beach in certain restaurants you can smoke marijuana.  Can’t smoke cigarettes or a cigar or a pipe,” Baudler says. “And on the beach you can smoke marijuana, and if that’s true, it’s even stupider than I thought it was, but I’ll find out.” 

Baudler says his intent was to expose the “drug dealing doctors” who are handing out the prescriptions in California.

“Everyone in (the Iowa legislature) should go to a state that has medical marijuana and see the effects of what is going on. When the Mexican drug cartel is taking over California’s distribution centers, I mean, it’s asinine,” Baudler says. “…It’s the stupidest thing that Iowans could even be thinking about, going to medical marijuana. It’s just the first step for legalizing marijuana for recreational use.” 

Baudler did not fill his prescription for the marijuana, by the way. “I wouldn’t buy that crap with your money,” Baudler told reporters last week. “Absolutely not.”

Two bills which essentially would close the door on the idea of allowing marijuana to be dispensed in Iowa for medicinal purposes cleared a House committee this afternoon. 

Baudler has 10 days to respond to the ethics complaint filed against him.

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

Marion church split over gay pastor issue remains in national denomination

January 31, 2011 By

One of the largest and fastest-growing Lutheran congregations in Iowa will remain part of its national demonination — for now.

A clear majority of the members at St. Mark’s Lutheran in Marion voted this weekend to split from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America because the denomination has decided to ordain openly gay and lesbian pastors. But supporters of the break from the national church needed 66 percent of members of the Marion church to vote to finalize the split and just 60 percent did.

Sher Jasperse was among those who voted to remain part of the denomination. “There are many of us who are quietly rejoicing, but we’re very aware that we face a difficult time ahead at St. Mark’s,” she says. “We are still a divided church.” 

Bill Jacobsen is among the members of the church who are disappointed by the outcome and he says the issue isn’t going away. “When 60 percent of your membership is voting to leave, it’s something you have to pay attention to,” Jacobsen says.

In 2009, the Evangelical Lutheran Church Assembly voted to allow openly gay and lesbian pastors to serve congregations.  Individual churches like St. Mark’s that wish to split from the denomination must hold two separate votes to leave and both must pass with a two-thirds majority –  66 percent.

The North American Lutheran Church formed in August of 2010 and has become a home for more than 100 congregations that have split from the ELCA over the issue of ordaining openly gay pastors.

Filed Under: Human Interest, Politics & Government, Religion

Augustana College band members set to return from Egypt

January 31, 2011 By

An Augustana College Band member from Le Mars is safely out of Egypt. Twenty-one-year-old Jeff Burwitz, the son of Don and Linda Burwitz, is a junior who plays low brass with the Sioux Falls college’s band. The Augustana band’s three-week tour of Egypt took them to Cairo, but Don Burwitz says the political turmoil cut short the last part of their travel plans last week.

“It started all coming together where they had to move from their downtown hotel, I think it was Thursday, and around Friday they had to move to a hotel near the airport,” Burwitz said. “That’s where they were at until they eventually flew out. He got to fly to Amsterdam Sunday there and got in around two o’clock in the afternoon our time.” He says his son and the college have been updating them.

“There was some communication from the college,” Burwitz said. “We did have a couple of landline calls from him when they were able to make the landlines out and when he got to Amsterdam he sent us an e-mail on that.” The Le Mars Community High School graduate did not say he was in danger.

“He certainly reflected they thought they were safe and the crew that was with them from Augustana College helped them out to be in a safe zone on that,” he said. The first two Augustana groups, including Jeff Burwitz, are scheduled to return to Sioux Falls tonight. The last members of the band are expected to arrive in Sioux Falls Tuesday.

By Joanne Glamm, KLEM, Le Mars

Filed Under: Human Interest, Politics & Government, Recreation & Entertainment

Marijuana, hash found in stop near Newton

January 31, 2011 By

The Iowa State Patrol says over eight pounds of high-grade marijuana was found in the trunk of a car Sunday after a state trooper noticed the driver acting suspiciously. The patrol says 22-year-old Michael Pappi of Portland, Maine is charged with possession of marijuana, posession of hash, prohibited acts and failure to have a drug tax stamp.

The trooper reported “suspicious” activity as Pappi’s car was heading east on I-80. He followed the car as it pulled off the interstate and later questioned Pappi at a convenience store, and he gave permission for the trooper to search the vehicle.

The patrol says 8.6 pounds of marijuana were found in a suitcase in the truck, and nearly 27 grams of hash was found among the marijuana.

By Randy Van, KCOB, Newton

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Republicans set town hall meetings to talk about business regulations

January 31, 2011 By

Governor Branstad and Republicans in the Iowa House and Senate will host 10 town hall meetings around the state to field complaints about state regulations. And Senate Republican Leader Paul McKinley dismisses the separate town-hall tour on government red-tape that Senate Democrats announced last week, suggesting it’s merely a publicity stunt.

“A lot of what the Democrats are talking about doing, quite frankly, is for public consumption,” McKinley says. “And we have talked about this issue for a number of years. We are very serious about gathering information and, quite frankly, it was under Democratic majority rule over the past several years that many of these onerous rules were adopted and enforced.”

Representative Dawn Pettengill, a Republican from Mount Auburn, says she fields lots of complaints from business owners. “This is one area that we can help them,” Pettengill says. “Without costing a lot of money, we can knock some of these barriers out of their way.”

Pettengill says a local quarry owner complained he’d been fined after an inspector found a cobweb in a porta-potty, but Pettengill doesn’t know whether that was a state or federal inspector who issued the fine. Senator Merlin Bartz, a Republican from Grafton, says the goal of these town hall meetings is to compile “concrete” examples where state regulations have gone awry.

“Government should not be punishing the very people that we need to have be creating jobs in this state,” Bartz says. “And we need to have reasonable and responsible levels of rules and regulations that protect the public interest without placing an undue burden on our job creators and on our cities, local governments and taxpayers.”

The Republicans, including Governor Branstad and Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds, plan to hold town hall meetings in Ames, Newton, Oskaloosa, Sioux City, Council Bluffs, Cresco, Cedar Falls, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids and Burlington between the middle of February and the middle of March.

Tentative Rules & Regulations Tour Itinerary:
Saturday, February 12, 2011
9:30 – 11:30 am Ames  Public Library 515 Douglas Ave Ames, IA 50010
1 – 3 pm Newton Newton Manufacturing 1123 1st Ave East Newton, IA 50208
4 – 6 pm Oskaloosa Interpower 100 Interpower Ave Oskaloosa, IA 52577
Friday, February 25, 2011
10:30 am – 12:30 pm Sioux City Morningside College 1501 Morningside Ave Sioux City, IA
3 – 5 pm Council Bluffs Council Bluffs Public Library 400 Willow Ave Council Bluffs, IA
Saturday, February 26, 2011
9 – 11 am Cresco CS Bank 111 North Elm St Cresco, IA 52136
1 – 3 pm Cedar Falls Hurst Center for Arts 304 W Seerley Blvd Cedar Falls, IA
5 – 7 pm Dubuque Best Western Conference Center 3100 Dodge St, Hwy 20 W Dubuque, IA 52001
Saturday, March 12, 2011
9 – 11 am Cedar Rapids CRST International 1332 Edgewood Road SW Cedar Rapids, IA
3 – 5 pm Burlington Comfort Suites 1780 Stonegate Center Drive Burlington, IA
**Times & locations subject to change

Filed Under: Business, Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With: , ,

Radio Iowa boys basketball poll 1/31/11

January 31, 2011 By

Class 4A
1. Linn-Mar (15-0), LW #1 vs Iowa City High (Tue)
2. Cedar Rapids Kennedy (13-2), LW #4 @ Waterloo West (Tue)
3. Sioux City East (11-2), LW #3 vs South Sioux City North, NE. (tonight)
4. Ankeny (13-2), LW #2 @ DSM Roosevelt (Tue)
5. Cedar Falls (10-2), LW #5 @ #7 CR Jefferson (Tue)
6. DSM Hoover (13-2), LW #6 @ Johnston (Tue)
7. Cedar Rapids Jefferson (12-2), LW #7 vs #5 Cedar Falls (Tue)
8. Davenport West (12-2), LW #9 vs Davenport North (Tue)
9. Urbandale (12-4), LW (X) vs Waukee (Tue)
10.Davenport Central (10-3), LW #10 @ Burlington (Tue)

Class 3A
1. Sioux City Heelan (14-2), LW #1 @ Sioux City West (Fri)
2. Waverly-Shell Rock (16-0), LW #2 @ Oelwein (Fri)
3. Iowa Falls-Alden (16-0), LW #3 @ Webster City (Tue)
4. Mount Pleasant (14-2), LW #4 vs Centerville (Tue)
5. Dallas Center-Grimes (14-1), LW #5 vs #6 Carroll (Tue)
6. Carroll (14-1), LW #6 @ #5 Dallas Center-Grimes (Tue)
7. Dubuque Wahlert (10-4), LW #8 vs CR Xavier (Tue)
8. Solon (14-2), LW #7 vs Dyersville Beckman (Tue)
9. Pella (10-3), LW #9 @ South Tama (Tue)
10.M-O-C/Floyd Valley (14-3), LW (X) vs Sheldon (Tue)

Class 2A
1. PCM (Monroe) (17-0), LW #1 @ Ogden (Tue)
2. West Fork (17-0), LW #3 @ North Butler (Tue)
3. Western Christian (15-2), LW #2 vs Spirit Lake (Tue)
4. Sumner-Fredricksburg (17-0), LW #4 vs Lansing Kee (Tue)
5. Sioux Center (14-3), LW #5 @ George-Little Rock (Tue)
6. West Branch (15-2), LW #9 vs Wilton (Tue)
7. Pella Christian (13-3), LW #10 vs Newton (Tue)
8. Fort Dodge St. Edmond (14-3), LW #7 @ Humboldt (Tue)
9. Treynor (15-1), LW #6 vs Underwood (Tue)
10.Carroll Kuemper (12-4), LW #8 @ Lewis Central (Tue)

Class 1A
1. Iowa Mennonite (16-0), LW #1 @ Mediapolis (Tue)
2. Danville (17-0), LW #2 vs Fairfield Maharishi (Tue)
3. Cedar Falls NU High (16-2), LW #3 @ Hudson (Tue)
4. Storm Lake St. Marys (17-1), LW #4 @ Alta-Aurelia (Tue)
5. Don Bosco (14-1), LW #5 vs Colo-Nesco (Tue)
6. Clinton Prince of Peace (17-1), LW #6 @ Bellevue (Tue)
7. Sigourney (14-2), LW #9 vs Tri-County (Thur)
8. Lynnville-Sully (14-2), LW (X) vs English Valleys (Tue)
9. Boyden-Hull (12-5), LW #7 vs Central Lyon (Tue)
10.Woodbury Central (14-3), LW (X) vs Lawton-Bronson (tonight)

Filed Under: Radio Iowa Poll, Sports
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