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Iowa Education Summit to begin Monday

July 23, 2011 By

Governor Branstad’s “Education Summit” kicks off Monday, with more than 1600 people signed up to attend.

In addition to speeches from a variety of national leaders, like the U.S. Secretary of Education, there will be a series of panel discussions. Topics range from improving teacher “effectiveness” to how states can put “meaningful reform” in place. Linda Fandel, the governor’s “special assistant” for education policy, has been the key organizer.

“Outstanding school systems have emerged in places like Canada, Singapore and Massachusetts that recognize the importance of cultivating the connection between high-performing school systems and a thriving economy,” Fandel says. 

According to Fandel, future job creation in Iowa depends on raising the caliber of Iowa’s schools to “world class”.

“Other states that have put in place more ambitious school reforms have passed us by,” Fandel says.

Branstad suggests setting general goals is no longer enough. 

“So we say we want 100 percent graduation and how do we ensure that they’re ready…to go on for higher education or ready go into the workforce?” Branstad asked during a recent roundtable discussion with a handful of Iowa business leaders. “…Do we need to have some kind of an assessment or examination or something like that to determine that everybody is ready?”

Representatives from the state teachers union as well as the state universities which award teaching degrees will participate in the panel discussions at next week’s summit, along with administrators and experts who’ve examined the education systems in other countries, like Finland. The Worldwide Director of Innovation and Strategy Development for Microsoft is also scheduled to speak on one of the panels.

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

State baseball tournament opens with 2A

July 22, 2011 By

The state high school baseball tournament opens in Principal Park in Des Moines with the opening round in class 2A. Top ranked Carroll Kuemper takes a 26 game winning streak into a first round matchup against North Fayette.

Kuemper coach Randy Snyder says they talked about how that doesn’t mean anything now that the tournment is starting. Snyder says with everbody’s ace ready to go the first round is tough to get through. He says that is where the biggest upsets come, in the first round, so they have to be focused.

Snyder says the Knights have a talented and experienced team with six guys who have had a lot of impact during the year. Kuemper is 37-1 while North Fayette takes a 30-14 record into the tournament.

The other first round game this evening will match Gilbert against North Polk. The teams split two regular season matchups.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With:

Iowa Lottery raises record $68 million

July 22, 2011 By

Ioewa Lottery CEO Terry Rich (file photo)

Preliminary figures released today by the Iowa lottery show a record year in sales and profits. Lottery CEO Terry Rich says the core products of lottery raised almost $68-million for the state.

Those profits came on just over $271-million in sales for the fiscal year which ended June 30, and it was the most sales for their core products since the lottery started in 1985. The $68-million turned over to the state was up 17% from last year.

Rich says he believes the lottery does well in a bad economy because it is a local product and he says it’s inexpensive, as “you’re able for a couple of bucks to dream about what might be.” Rich says setting records puts the pressure on to keep getting better.

He says the historic amount they are turning over to the general fund and giving back $10-million more than expected is “a pretty good feeling to know that you’ve done that.” But he says with the tough economic times they need to keep giving players rewards and entertainment, because if they don’t win, they don’t play, and he says that is a delicate balance.

Rich says they also hit a new record for money raised through the sale of the veterans tickets. He says they raised over three million dollars so the tickets have raised over eight million for the Veterans Trust Fund since they began selling them. Rich says people like to give for special causes.

Rich says lottery players took home $159-million in prizes, an increase of 5.6% over last year.

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:

Corps says levees will hold up despite length of flooding

July 22, 2011 By

Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers say the Missouri River levees will hold, even though they’ve been standing against the floodwater nearly 60 days. A small levee break near Logan in Harrison County this week impacted three homes, but there were no evacuations ordered.

Jud Kneuven, chief of the emergency management branch of Corps’ Kansas City office, says the levees were built to withstand the pressure. “They’ll be able to continue to perform and we expect them to,” Kneuven says.

The levee system proved itself during the massive flooding in 1993 and while the floodwalls are having to hold back the murky water longer this year, he says they still should be able to keep the water away from homes and property.

Kneuven says, “Barring we don’t see water at the top of these levee systems again and we don’t see water going over the top, it should be expected that they will continue to perform.” While there have been some breaches, Kneuven says the seepage and the sand boils that are forming around the levees are natural.

“If you flew the river like we did each and every day and seen the number of sand boils along the entire levee system, you’d be amazed that how much punishment the levee system can take,” Kneuven says. “It is taking it and we expect it to continue to take it.” The Corps is scheduled to slightly back off of water releases from upstream dams at the beginning of August, but he says the Missouri River isn’t expected to fall back into its banks until September, at the earliest.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Des Moines man accused of ramming squad car in chase

July 22, 2011 By

A Des Moines man is facing charges after police say he rammed a squad car following a chase. A police report shows an officer tried to pull a vehicle over for an improper lane change early this morning. The officer said the driver, later identified as 28-year-old Jack Van Sickle, sped away and was clocked doing 70 miles an hour on residential streets.

The vehicle slid under a parked semi trailer in a parking lot and appeared to be stuck. At that point, the officer was preparing to get out of his cruiser when Van Sickle backed up his car and struck the cop car twice. The bumper of the officer’s car became wedged under the passenger door of Van Sickle’s car.

Other officers arrived and took Van Sickle into custody. He’s charged with felony eluding, assault on a police officer and driving while his license was suspended. Police say Van Sickle could also face an OWI charge.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

T-Paw says it’s “gut-check time” for GOP in congress (audio)

July 22, 2011 By

Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty says it’s “gut-check time” for his fellow Republicans in congress after the Democratically-led U.S. Senate rejected the GOP’s proposal for resolving the debt ceiling dilemma.

Pawlenty had signed a pledge saying he supports the “cut, cap and balance” plan Republicans put forward.  ”So they’re going to have to think of what they’re going to do next,” Pawlenty said this afternoon. “Give them a little time to get their next plan together.”

Pawlenty played a “pick-up” game of hockey at an ice rink in suburban Des Moines early this afternoon and he spoke with reporters just after he left the ice.

“It’s gut-check time for Republicans and for the whole congress,” Pawlenty said. “But let’s remember that President Obama is the leader of our country and he needs to quit hiding and ducking and bobbing on the issues of real reform.”

Pawlenty accuses Obama of failing to explain his stand on a variety of key issues related to the debt ceiling fight.

Tim Pawlenty plays hockey.

“Why won’t he come before the American people and explain in detail why he doesn’t support a constitutional amendment to balance the federal budget? Where is his specific plan on Medicaid reform? Where is his specific plan on Social Security reform? Where is his specific plan on Medicare reform? I mean, he allegedly whispers about it in private,” Pawlenty said. “We don’t need a whisperer-in-chief or a president who hides in the basement. Have him come on out and explain to the American people what he’s going to propose.”

Pawlenty scored one goal during the hour-long pick-up game and admitted to falling on his backside “more than once.” Pawlenty was welcomed onto the ice by a group of kids who have been practicing hockey in the arena and the candidate popped back into their afternoon hockey-camp meeting before he left. 

Pawlenty wore a campaign-themed hockey jersey with the number 12 — for 2012 — on the back, along with his nickname T-Paw. Pawlenty also picked up a “skating and puck control” DVD from one of the hockey coaches at the camp.

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: , ,

State jobless rate holds at 6% in June

July 22, 2011 By

Iowa’s unemployment rate in June held steady at 6% for the third consecutive month. Iowa Workforce Development spokesperson Kerry Koonce says while the state continues to bounce back from the recession, there’s been little change in the state’s jobless rate over the past year.

“The unemployment rate is what you call a lagging indicator, so it’s going to take longer for it to fall even when you’re going through a recovery,” Koonce said. “So, holding at 6 percent is probably expected right now and we’ll probably be holding there until the third or fourth quarter of 2011.”

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Tagged With:
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