Iowa News

IOWA REGENTS-NOMINEES        Iowa Senate panel grills regents nominee on views        (Information in the following story is from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com)        DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa Senate panel has grilled a Board of Regents nominee about his views on social issues like stem cell research, gay rights and academic freedom.        Lawmakers on the Senate Education Committee interviewed Tuesday Robert Cramer, a businessman from Grimes. Cramer is one of two nominees selected by Gov. Terry Branstad to replace retiring members.        The Des Moines Register reports some committee members say Cramer’s conservative views on social issues could compromise the academic values of the public universities and schools that the board oversees.        Candidate Subhash Sahai, a physician from Webster City, also appeared before the panel.        The 15-member committee will decide Wednesday which of the nominees to move to the full Senate for a vote. Two-thirds of the Senate must approve.

FAVORING IOWA BUSINESSES        Iowa Senate OKs bill favoring in-state businesses        DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Senate has approved legislation that would give preference to Iowa businesses when the state is purchasing certain supplies and services.        Lawmakers passed the measure 34-16 Tuesday with bipartisan support. It would give Iowa-based businesses a second chance to match the lowest bid by an out-of-state business for goods and services that cost the state under $500,000.        Bill sponsor Sen. Liz Mathis, a Democrat from Des Moines, says the measure levels the playing field.        Iowa law already says state departments must give preference to Iowa businesses during a competitive bidding process. But Mathis says her bill is more precise and fair.        Data from the state Department of Administrative Services shows almost half of Iowa’s last 100 purchases were from out-of-state businesses.        The measure now heads to the House.

BURGLARY SUSPECT-SECURITY        Iowa burglary suspect cites security curiosity        (Information in the following story is from: The Gazette, http://www.gazetteonline.com/)        IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Police say an Iowa City man broke into a high school because he wanted to check out the security system.        Forrest Kristian Weger was arrested early Tuesday morning at Iowa City High School after police responded to a burglary alarm. Police found an unsecured door on the east side of the school’s new building.        The Gazette reports surveillance video shows Weger entering several rooms and trying to enter others. He also was found with a video recorder. He told police he entered the school to see if there was a security system.        The newspaper reports the 29-year-old has a lengthy criminal record including theft charges and drug violations.        Weger remains at the Johnson County Jail and faces a third-degree burglary charge. Records do not list an attorney.

COUNTERFEIT CASH-POLICE CHASE        Police: 3 face charges after Iowa car chase        (Information in the following story is from: Sioux City Journal, http://www.siouxcityjournal.com)        SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A Sioux City woman is accused of ripping and burning fake money during a police chase that started in South Dakota and ended in Iowa.        Authorities say Alison Daugherty was one of three people in a vehicle traveling Monday night from North Sioux City into Sioux City. Police say passengers threw counterfeit cash out the window as it sped down Interstate 29.        Daugherty and Shaun Wakefield, of Sioux City, face forgery charges.        The Sioux City Journal (http://bit.ly/YSrCWM ) reports authorities say the driver, Brandon David Miller, of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, crashed his vehicle into a parked car and two police cars, injuring a deputy. Miller faces several charges including reckless driving and assault of a peace officer.        Records do not list attorneys for Daugherty, Miller or Wakefield.

FERTILIZER PLANT-IOWA        Illinois, Iowa could bid on fertilizer facility        (Information in the following story is from: Herald & Review, http://www.herald-review.com)        DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Illinois and Iowa could get into a bidding war over the construction of a $1.2 billion fertilizer production facility.        The (Decatur) Herald & Review reports that, according to Illinois officials, Iowa is offering Cronus Chemical LLC an estimated $35 million in taxpayer subsidies to build a plant in Mitchell County near the Minnesota border.        Illinois lawmakers are considering tax breaks in a proposal by state Rep. Adam Brown, a Republican from Champaign. The plant would be built near Tuscola in the east central part of the state.        The newspaper reports the facility would create 2,000 construction jobs and 150 full-time jobs.        Iowa beat Illinois last year over the site of a $1.4 billion fertilizer plant. Gov. Terry Branstad has been criticized over tax breaks related to that plant.

PROPERTY TAXES-IOWA        Iowa House panel moves Branstad property tax plan        DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad’s plan to cut commercial property taxes in Iowa has won committee approval in the Republican-controlled House, but the bill faces an uncertain future as the Democratic-majority Senate favors an alternate proposal.        The House Ways and Means committee approved Branstad’s plan Tuesday. The bill would gradually reduce taxable assessments for commercial property owners by 20 percent. House Republicans amended the plan to include a provision that the state would gradually start paying a larger portion of general school funding.        Senate Democrats have given committee-level approval to a plan that would gradually provide commercial property owners with a tax credit equivalent to a roughly 40 percent tax cut to their first $324,000 in assessed property value.        The bill will now go to the full House for a vote.

GAMBLING ADDICTION-IOWA        Iowa Senate approves bill over banned gamblers        DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Senate has approved legislation that would let some gambling addicts choose how long to ban themselves from casinos.        Lawmakers approved the measure 46-2 Tuesday with bipartisan support. The bill would allow reforming gamblers to apply to lift their voluntary ban. Addicts could choose to ban themselves from casinos and the Iowa lottery for five years or for life.        Violators would forfeit any winnings to the state.        Democrat Sen. Tom Courtney of Burlington says he proposed the bill after a self-banned constituent felt he’d overcome his addiction and wanted to try gambling again.        Iowa is one of only two states that issue lifetime bans from casinos.        The state’s Iowa Gambling Treatment Program reports 3 percent of Iowans develop a gambling addiction.        The bill now heads to the House.

PAUL-IOWA FUNDRAISER        Sen. Rand Paul to headline Iowa GOP fundraiser        DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul will be the keynote speaker at the Republican Party of Iowa’s Lincoln Day Dinner in May.        Iowa GOP Chairman A.J. Spiker says Tuesday that the potential 2016 presidential candidate will appear at the annual spring dinner. He says he wants to give Paul an opportunity to introduce himself to Iowa, the nation’s leadoff caucus state.        The dinner will be held May 10 in Cedar Rapids. Tickets start at $50 to attend the dinner and $150 to go to the dinner and a reception with Paul.        Conservative activists recently gave Paul a narrow victory in a presidential preference poll. Paul won the straw poll on Saturday at the Conservative Political Action Conference. The poll is considered largely symbolic.

 

Admin Log In