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Bill would allow home schoolers to teach driver’s ed

February 28, 2011 By

A bill that would let parents who “home school” their children teach their own kids how to drive is awaiting action in an Iowa House Committee. “Home school” students are currently required to take a state-certified driver’s ed course before they can get a license to drive. Justin LaVan sits on the board of directors for the Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators.

He says it’s not about saving the money that would spent on a commercial driver’s ed class. “First of all you have no idea what’s involved in home schooling if you think saving $300 in driver’s ed is going to be the reason to do it and second of all these are people who are already pouring hours,” LaVan says, “you typically have one parent who has given up career paths or other things to be at home doing this.”

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Filed Under: Education Tagged With: ,

Legislators draft rules to allow schools to experiment outside building

February 26, 2011 By

Two rural legislators are drafting new state rules they hope will allow more Iowa schools to experiment with courses that originate from somewhere outside the traditional school building. Senator Brian Schoenjahn, a Democrat from Arlington, is a retired school teacher.

“Let’s keep our elementary schools close to mom and dad and parents and as our students grow to middle school and high school, let’s look at new forms and delivery of instruction using IT, using iPad, using the (Area Education Agencies), using the community colleges, using regional centers,” he says.

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Filed Under: Education Tagged With: , ,

Events help parents, students fill out financial aid forms

February 26, 2011 By

Events are going on through this weekend to help college students and parents make their way through the paperwork needed for financial aid. Brittania Morey with the Iowa College Access Network (I-CAN), says the event is called “Iowa College Goal Sunday.”

Morey says it provides free assistance in filling out the student aid forms, specifically the “FAFSA”  of “Free Application for Federal Student Aid” form, which is required for all federal student aid for college. Morey says the experts at the events allow families to get through the process much faster.

She says it takes 30 to 45 minutes to complete the process with a professional student aid volunteer, while it takes the average first-time filer between two and four hours to complete the process on their own. You can find out about the events on-line.

Morey says the College Goal Sunday website is www.IowaCGS.org, and it will give you the locations of the events throughout the state. She says the website will also tell you the things you need to fill out the forms.

Morey says it has a list of items to bring, as most students will need their parents income information and any financial information for the student. For more information about Iowa College Goal Sunday, you can call 877-272-4692.

Filed Under: Education

Washington hotel has bedbug dog

February 26, 2011 By

Bugged by bedbugs? A new four-legged, furry weapon is being unleashed to keep the pesky insects from infesting a southeast Iowa motel. Gordon Olberding, owner of the Hawkeye Motel in Washington, says he’s never had a problem with the pests and likely won’t, especially now that he’s employing a bedbug-sniffing dog.

“I claim to be the only motel in the United States to own their own motel dog and check their rooms daily for bed bugs by canine,” Olberding explains. In December, Olberding became a certified dog handler. He and his Jack Russell Terrier, Jackson, check every one of the hotel’s 22 rooms on a daily basis as a preventative measure.

“We have a routine where we start at one point and go clear around the room and onto the chair, onto the bed and through the bathroom,” he says. Olberding has a certificate to prove that Jackson is a certified bed bug-detecting dog and that he’s a certified handler. He says his hound is compensated for his detective work.

“He has to work at least twice a day to get fed,” Olberding says. “He doesn’t eat from a bowl, he has to eat from my hand. He has to look for bedbugs to get fed. Look over here, c’mon, seek!” In recent weeks, Olberding has started promoting Jackson with a lighted banner and radio ads, making the dog something of a local celebrity.

By Mark Carlson, KCRG, Cedar Rapids

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, Human Interest

Democrats plan to fight Workforce Development cuts

February 25, 2011 By

Democrats vow to fight the proposed closure of 39 Iowa Workforce Development field offices around the state. Senate President Jack Kibbie, a Democrat from Emmetsburg, says the agency has part-time offices today in each of the four counties he represents in northern Iowa.

“They’re all housed now in the (Iowa State University) Extension offices and in the public libraries, so there’s no infrastructure costs. There’s no heat and lights. It’s just a matter of having a Workforce person there, come there a few hours a week or a few days a week,” Kibbie says.

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

Rockwell to see some 200 new jobs with tanker contract

February 25, 2011 By

Boeing’s new $35-billion contract to build refueling aircraft for the military will bring hundreds of jobs to Iowa. The biggest celebrations may be in Boeing’s home state of Washington, but approximately 200 jobs could be created in Cedar Rapids, where aircraft electronics supplier Rockwell Collins is based.

Rockwell’s long been tapped to supply Boeing’s “NewGen Tanker” project, which won out over the European Aeronautics Defense and Space Company, or E-A-D-S. Rockwell spokeswoman Pam Tvrdy says it’s still too early to know when the new hires will happen.

“We do know that engineering and manufacturing, development, that part of the program is going to be including significant development work for Rockwell Collins,” Tvrdy says, “so once we get the official subcontract award and really scope out what’s going to be required for the program, we’ll have a better idea of what our employment needs will be.”

Tvrdy says most of what you’ll see in the cockpits of the NewGen Tankers will be Rockwell Collins equipment. She says that includes things like the actual displays that the pilot looks at they’re flying, the flight management systems, communication systems, navigation systems. “All of the things that we refer to as the brains of the planes.”

Rockwell Collins was also set to supply E-A-D-S, though for significantly fewer components than it will give Boeing. In promotional tours, Boeing has said the project will bring Iowa some 800 jobs and 40-million dollars in annual economic impact.

Filed Under: Business, Military Tagged With:

Wartburg looks to continue conference wrestling streak

February 25, 2011 By

The Wartburg wrestling team is competing in Indianola for the Iowa Conference tournament, an event that the Knights have dominated over the past two decades. Wartburg has won the league tourney in each of the last 18 seasons, and will be looking to bring a 19th banner back to Waverly.

Knights coach Jim Miller says he never imagined the program would put together such a streak, as at the beginning they hadn’t won one in 15 years and it has just continued to happen each year. Miller says that the run of consecutive championships becomes even more impressive considering that the Iowa Conference is the top wrestling conference in Division 3.

Miller says that makes the run special as it has never been easy to win, though some years it may’ve seemed to look easy, all the work they put into it made it a tough thing to do.

Wartburg 197 pounder Byron Tate and heavyweight John Helgerson are both #1 in the country going into the conference tournament. Miller admits that the upper weights have been his team’s strength all season, but says that he things the rest of the lineup has rounded out well.

The Knights took the last two weeks off to prepare for the Iowa Conference tournament, and Miller says that the time off has put his wrestlers in good position to compete. He says they’ve worked hard up to now and backed off to be fresh and he feels good about where they are at.

In addition to Wartburg, Miller says that Coe, Cornell, and Dubuque will also challenge for the conference team title.

By Jesse Gavin KCNZ Cedar Falls

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With:
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