IOWA CITY, IA. -- The Library Board of Trustees seeks candidates to fill vacancies on the Iowa City Public Library Art Advisory Committee.
If you are interested in applying, please contact Candice Smith at 887-6031 or pick up an application at the Library's second floor Reference Desk. Applications will be [...]
More than 9,000 signatures collected from every Iowa county
URBANDALE, IA. -- Former Gov. Terry Branstad today filed nomination papers with the Iowa secretary of state’s office, officially placing his name on the ballot for the Republican nomination for Iowa governor.
Branstad turned in 9,146 signatures, [...]
This message is from Chris Sanger, Republican candidate for Iowa Secretary of State. Chris runs a bakery in Stuart, Iowa with his fiance. Chris ran for State Representative in 2008 on the South Side of Des Moines and won the Republican Primary in a landslide. Chris did not win the [...]
Notice: Spring Clean-Up of Oak Hill Cemetery Coralville, Iowa. To aid city staff in maintenance and to preserve the appearance of the cemetery the City of Coralville is requesting all floral arrangements and decorations be removed in accordance to section 200.06 of City of Coralville Park Policy. Persons wishing to [...]
Iowa veterans would be allowed to have Veterans Day off under a bill passed Tuesday by the House and now heads to the governor.
House File 2197 would allow veterans to have the day off as long as they provide their employer with at least 30 days notice as well as [...]
Government buildings, air conditioners, heaters, heavy equipment, vehicles, computers, servers, lights, coffee and vending machines and the list goes on.....
Reduce the size of government by 50%, and reduce the country's energy needs.
Your city government is over-sized, your county government is over-sized, your state government is over-sized, your federal government is [...]
The Iowa House moved forward on a pair of budget bills Tuesday that include $12 million less for two popular environmental programs. Here are some highlights:
Department of Natural Resources budget, House File 2525:
MONEY: The bill allocates $35.9 million from the state’s general fund and $76.2 million from other state accounts [...]
Rod Roberts wants to be governor. Christopher Reed wants to be a congressman. Who is more guilty...the buyer or seller...of stuff.mic
[...]Anyone who followed Barack Obama’s 2008 Iowa caucus campaign or Al Gore’s 2000 Iowa campaign — or read the new ‘08 campaign page-turner “Game Change” — has heard of Steve Hildebrand.
He’s the longtime campaign operative from South Dakota and adviser to Tom Daschle who helped chart Obama’s winning Iowa [...]
U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., will be in Iowa next month, headlining the third annual Defenders of Freedom event organized by U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Kiron.
“Together Michele and I have led the charge in the U.S. House to fight the Obama/Pelosi/Reid health care nightmare,” King said in a [...]
Last year, Iowa 5th District Congressman Steve King drew U.S. Sen. John Thune to hop across the South Dakota border and keynote King’s second annual Defenders of Freedom event. This year, another bordering state federal lawmaker will be on hand in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, as [...]
Michele Bachmann, the Republican congresswoman from Minnesota, is scheduled to headline Iowa Congressman Steve King’s annual event in April, aides to the Kiron Republican said today.
Bachmann will be the keynote speaker at King’s third Defenders of Freedom event on April 10 in Sergeant Bluff. Bachmann has been a strong ally [...]
A loophole in Iowa law that allows minors to perform nude dancing has been closed.
The bill, Senate File 2197, largely deals with clarifying laws around criminals who provide false identification. The Senate, however, added an amendment to end an artistic or theatrical exception to nude dancing.
Iowa became the center [...]
After meeting in private, state senators voted 49-0 today to force the Iowa Association of School Boards to follow Iowa’s open-meetings and open-records laws.
The school-boards association, which is mainly financed by tax money, is the subject of several investigations into allegations of mismanagement and misspending. As a private, non-profit group, [...]
A team of Iowa lawmakers appointed to find a compromise between two different versions of a proposed texting ban will meet tomorrow at noon.
The bill, House File 2456, has bounced between the House and Senate in various forms.
The House’s version would prohibit teen drivers from using cell phones or any [...]
From the Zaun for Congress Campaign:
Today, State Senator Brad Zaun called on Congressman Leonard Boswell to denounce the “self-executing rule” being discussed in the U.S. House.
Under this potential plan, U.S. Representatives would be able to vote on the health care bill without really [...]
Today’s Twitter lesson: Iowa’s women rock — not that it was ever in dispute.
~ Gov. Chet Culver, Democrat
~ David Roberts, energy policy reporter for Grist
~ Iowa Rep. Erik Helland, Republican
~ Jamie Kelly, media relations [...]
Newton Independent
The Newton school board will meet in a work session on Wednesday to continue its discussions on a possible elementary school closure and reduction in force initiatives.
The board is schedule to meet at 6 p.m. at the school administration annex building where it will hear a presentation on transportation [...]
Iowa Rep. Deborah Berry, a Democrat from Waterloo, provides great closing remarks on SF 2357, a bill that seeks to prevent domestic violence.
The House has passed the bill, which is now in the Iowa Senate.
[...]After a heated debate, senators voted this afternoon to dramatically increase fines for many traffic offenses.
The bill, Senate File 2378, would raise about $9 million by increasing fines and court fees on dozens of offenses. For example, seat-belt tickets would jump from $25 to $75.
Republicans said the move would unfairly [...]
A new report from the Treasury Department — the last of its kind — shows that despite all the regulation-avoiding PR campaigns, new loans at the nine largest banks that still owe bailout funds to the government dropped by 35 percent in January.
The nine banks are: Citigroup Inc., [...]
Facebook is a more popular online destination for US residents than Google. [...] Senators voted Tuesday to ensure that would-be child molesters could not escape prosecution if the person they talk dirty to via the Internet turns out to be an undercover police officer pretending to be a child.
The bill, House File 2438, was a reaction to a 2008 Iowa Supreme Court decision, [...]
More than 9,000 signatures collected from every Iowa county
(URBANDALE, Iowa) – Former Gov. Terry Branstad today filed nomination papers with the Iowa secretary of state’s office, officially placing his name on the ballot for the Republican nomination for Iowa governor.
Branstad turned in 9,146 signatures, more than double [...]
The “Ed Thomas bill” received final legislative approval this afternoon in the Senate.
The bill, Senate File 2352, would require hospitals to notify police before releasing seriously mentally ill people who face criminal charges.
The bill was named for Aplington-Parkersburg football coach Ed Thomas, who was shot to death at the high [...]
Newton Independent
The Newton City Council approved the low bid of $44,000 to Carroll Barr Construction on Monday for renovation work at the Maytag Park children's shelter restroom.
In approving the bid, the council agreed to include $4,400 (10 percent) in contingencies fees for the project.
In addition, the city has agreed to [...]
Iowa will allow unemployment insurance benefits for a resident who left a job because his or her military spouse was reassigned to another area under a bill Gov. Chet Culver signed into law today.
Photo submitted.
The cost is estimated to be between $80,000 and $200,000 a year. [...]
I didn't vote for President Bush in 2004, but he won the election and I thought he was entitled to nominate well-credentialed lawyers like Miguel Estrada and John Roberts to the federal courts, because elections matter.
Senator Obama won the White House in 2008, and the Democrats expanded their control of [...]
Americans should launch a “Velvet Revolution”-style uprising against the federal government in order to put a stop to creeping socialism and defeat health care reform, U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Kiron, said Tuesday.
King was a featured speaker at several “Kill the Bill” rallies in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday morning that [...]
By PETER HUSSMANN
The Newton City Council again wasn't ready to lend its consent to a sewer rate hike at its meeting Monday, but its hesitation may be just delaying the inevitable.
Public Works Director Keith Laube was back before the council to suggest the council agree to a 5 percent rate' [...]
Council Bluffs Democrat Mike Denklau says he knows it will be a challenge to try to unseat four-term Republican Congressman Steve King in Iowa’s 5th District.
But the 27-year-old former Wall Street banker says his experience can be an asset at Congress reforms the financial industry.
Denklau spoke with The Des Moines [...]
Gov. Chet Culver today responded to questions about his campaign for reelection.
Register file photo.
“This isn’t my first rodeo. We’re going to be ready and we’re going to win this race,” Culver said at a press conference.
Culver’s reelection campaign has lost several key staffers in recent months. [...]
U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Kiron, has never been one to shy away from controversial statements, a trait that followed him to Iowa’s political Twitterverse. His Twitter account of a run in with a “crazy raccoon” got him in hot water with animal-rights group PETA, and his latest [...]
Three states and the federal government continues to aggressively pursue an antitrust complaint against dairy giant Deans Foods Company despite plans for a joint U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Agriculture workshop on competition in the dairy industry this June.
According to court documents, the DOJ Antitrust Division filed the [...]
By PETER HUSSMANN
The Newton City Council was given an overview of plans for street improvements in the coming construction seasons at its meeting Monday that includes an initiative to reclassify a street in order to for the city to tap federal funds for the improvement work.
Public Works Director Keith Laube [...]
If you have ever been around someone that’s in an abusive marriage, one of the saddest things to witness is a spouse that is either in disbelief or doesn’t want to accept the fact that the marriage is unhealthy and must end.
I think that Iowans are in [...]
Iowa Democrats respond to Bob Vander Plaats press release by attacking Terry Branstad.
FBI begins investigation of Iowa School Board Association.
U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley gets a Republican opponent.
Lots of shuffling going on in race to replace Sioux City legislative delegation.
Independents disapprove of Republicans more than they do [...]
The Des Moines Register is reporting that former Iowa Teacher of the Year Ruth Ann Gaines will run for the Iowa House seat held by Wayne Ford.
Ford had repeatedly refused to clarify whether he was running for re-election again, with the deadline to file being this Friday at [...]
Newton Independent
Iowa Gov. Chet Culver warned lawmakers on Monday that he would not sign a state budget for the next fiscal year unless it included $347 million in restorative spending for the state's public education system.
"As Governor, and as a former teacher, my commitment to education transcends even our" [...]
Interesting video from The Cato Institute:
It makes me wonder if we know the true cost of education in the Des Moines Public Schools. You can read Cato’s paper on this subject below:
[...]
Ruth Ann Gaines
Former Iowa Teacher of the Year Ruth Ann Gaines is running for the House seat held by Wayne Ford.
Gaines, 62, announced her run, and Ford’s retirement, in an e-mail this morning.
“After four decades of educating our kids, I understand the challenges facing our community [...]
By PETER HUSSMANN
A contingent of about 10 Jasper County and Newton officials were on hand at the statehouse on Monday to voice their support for enactment of a new economic development tool aimed at spurring development around the Iowa Speedway.
A subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee met late [...]
Tiger Woods will return to golf at The Masters...which begins April 5.Three Republicans — so far — have taken the official step toward running in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, and at least one more is expected to before Friday’s primary filing deadline.
Marianette Miller-Meeks, an Ottumwa opthalmologist, was the party’s 2008 GOP nominee. She is vying again to challenge two-term Democratic Rep. [...]
There were some unflattering press releases circulating yesterday in regard to Gov. Chet Culver’s comments about education.
Norm Sterzenbach, the executive director of the Iowa Democratic Party, has released this statement in response to a release from Bob Vander Plaats in which the Sioux City Republican compared Culver to [...]
Gov. Chet Culver will host a ceremony today to officially receive the state’s first two project labor agreements that have been negotiated since he signed an executive order last month aimed at encouraging such deals.
Culver will direct the Department of Administrative Services to include project labor agreements in the specifications [...]
Newton Independent
A second Republican has now filed nomination papers to seek election to Senate District 21.
Joe Pirillo, a former Altoona City Councilmember, announced through a press release on Monday that he will run in the June 8 GOP primary for the right to challenge Sen. Dennis Black, D-Lynnville, for [...]
As the filing period for statewide candidates nears completion Friday, there’s more candidate news to share. In a half hour, Sioux City e-businessman Ryan Beardshear will hold a presser to announce he’s running as a Republican for Iowa House District 2. He’s doing that since Republican Rick Bertrand, a Sioux [...]
The state House and Senate ways and means committees passed bills Monday reforming Iowa’s tax credit system, saving an estimated $115 million in the next few years.
Democrats unveiled their ideas last week at a press conference. Both the Senate and House bill would suspend the film tax credit [...]
To the Newton Independent:
I hope everyone read the Opinion Page in the Des Moines Register March 14, 2010, "How to get America back on the right track," by Richard Doak.
Mr. Doak stated 60 percent of Americans believe America is off track and 57 percent believe the State is heading the [...]
Seven years ago today a 23-year-old woman was crushed by a bulldozer while acting as a human shield for homes and other development in the Gaza Strip. To this day, the events surrounding her death are in dispute. Law enforcement officials say [John Patrick] Bedell, a man with a history [...]
Iowans will no longer face “detention in a brothel” charges, under a bill Gov. Chet Culver signed into law yesterday.
The bill, House File 2286, has gained a few chuckles among lawmakers but has not generated serious debate. That’s because the law is considered archaic. People who force others into prostitution [...]
Despite being asked numerous times by Dave Price, a reporter for Des Moines NBC affiliate WHO-TV, state Rep. Wayne Ford would not say whether he will run for re-election in Iowa House District 65.
While guest hosting Chris Bradshaw’s afternoon radio show on WOW-FM, former state Rep. [...]
Good morning! Here’s some suggested reading to get your day started …
• Time magazine offers a guide on what to expect this week on the health care vote.
• Check out Michael Lewis on “60 Minutes” if you haven’t yet. His book on the financial meltdown, “The Big Short: [...]
Written by James Johnson
Four Iowa gubernatorial candidates will address hundreds of homeschool activists on Tuesday in Des Moines during the annual “Homeschool Day at the Capitol,” sponsored by the Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators (NICHE).
The gubernatorial candidates will speak beginning at 1:40 p.m. in the Wallace building [...]
WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley and Sen. Mike Enzi are asking the chief actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to provide a complete analysis of health care reform legislation before the House and Senate vote on the legislation.
Grassley and Enzi are the ranking members of [...]
Written by Congressman Steve King
In November 2008, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel famously said, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” The Obama White [...]
Health
Care Reform Update: Messages to BFIA Readers from Senator Harkin and Representative Braley
