Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jack Hatch hosted a rally at the statehouse this morning (Tuesday), challenging Republican Governor Terry Branstad to publicly support an increase in the minimum wage.  “Today’s the 4th of March and March is the only month that is also a command,” Hatch said, “so we’re asking this governor to give the order. Ask the legislature: ‘March forth and raise the minimum wage.'”

Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs has said the senate won’t debate a bill that would raise the minimum wage, however, unless there are Republicans in the senate who would support it. “They have not responded to our entreaties,” Gronstal says. Gronstal and Hatch were joined at today’s (Tuesday’s) event by about two dozen Democrats from the Iowa House and Senate, including Representative Bruce Hunter of Des Moines.

“For almost 300,000 Iowans, Iowans who work hard, who play by the rules and do what is right, there really isn’t any dignity,” Hunter said. “For those people working at or around Iowa’s current $7.25 minimum wage, there’s only poverty.”

Governor Branstad signed a bill in 1989 that raised Iowa’s minimum wage above the national rate. In 2007, Democratic Governor Chet Culver signed legislation that raised Iowa’s minimum wage to seven-25 ($7.25) an hour — above the national rate, but congress later that year voted to raise the national rate to that level.

(Radio Iowa)

A public hearing will be held Wednesday morning in Greenfield, with regard to the possible renaming of a road in Adair County. The hearing and action on the matter will come during the Adair County Board of Supervisor’s meeting which begins at 9-a.m., Wednesday.

Auditor Mindy Schaefer said officials with the White Pole Road Organization would like to rename a portion of the Anita-Adair Road that crosses from Cass into Adair County, as “White Pole Road,” which would be the same designation as Highway 6.

And, the Adair County Supervisors will hold a public hearing on the Fiscal Year 2015 Budget, the expenditures for which amount to $14.719-million dollars. Schaefer says  that is an increase from last year, due primarily to necessary bridge and road work.

A public hearing will be held Wednesday morning in Atlantic, with regard to the proposed Fiscal Year 2015 County Budget. The hearing takes place at 8:45-a.m. during a regularly scheduled meeting of the Cass County Board of Supervisors. Following the hearing, the Board will review the County Compensation Board’s recommendations for elected officers’ salaries, and act on the recommendation.

Later on during the meeting, the Supervisors will act on adopting the FY 2015 Secondary Roads and Cass County Budgets. And, in other business, the Board will act on approving the plans for a Secondary Roads Dept. project that involves the replacement of a concrete box culvert northeast of Marne.

The meeting begins at 8:30-a.m.