Backers of a plan to end greyhound racing at the casinos in Council Bluffs and Dubuque are amping up their public relations push, launching an on-line petition drive on their new www.EndIowaDogRacing.com website. Rick Dickinson, president of the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation, spoke at a statehouse news conference Wednesday afternoon.

“Greyhound racing is the Blockbuster Video of the gaming industry,” Dickinson said. Like Blockbuster, Dickinson argues dog racing is “bankrupt” because it no longer has enough customers. Dubuque Mayor Roy Buol says the three-point-three million the Mystique casino spent on the prizes for greyhound breeders last year would be better spent as charitable contributions to Dubuque area schools, fire houses and non-profit groups.

“Greyhound racing is no longer profitable,” Buol said during the news conference. “…Together we can achieve the common sense vote to end the dead, debt-ridden venue of greyhound racing.” The Council Bluffs casino provides a 10-million dollar annual subsidy for greyhound racing at its facility, but former Council Bluffs Mayor Tom Hanafan stressed how the track occupies prime real estate that could be better used. “We’re in a situation where we need more hotels,” Hanafan says. “And one of the attractive things about this area is the opportunity to build hotels and some retail.” Bob Mundt, president and C-E-O of the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce, says the track sits near one of the Midwest’s high-traffic areas — the intersection of two Interstates.

“That creates a lot of opportunities for us and as we see the decline of dog racing and the ability to reuse that particular location for higher and better uses, we stand in favor of the elimination of dog racing,” Mundt says. Hanafan points to how Omaha redeveloped the site of the old Arsarben Horse Track. “It’s become the trendy place to live in Omaha. It has education opportunities, living opportunities. It has economic development that Omaha has never seen,” Hanafan says. “It’s taken a piece of property that may have been a track 60 or 100 years ago and made into an economic development package for today — and I believe this is the opportunity that we have in Council Bluffs.”

A bill that would end greyhound racing is eligible for debate in the Iowa House. The legislation calls for the two casinos to pay reparations to the Iowa greyhound breeders who will no longer be able to race their dogs in Dubuque or Council Bluffs. Dickinson, the Dubuque chamber executive who also sits on the Dubuque Racing Association board of directors, says that’s a “fair” settlement. “Seventy million dollars over a seven year period I think by any Iowan’s standards is an unbelievable amount of money to go away,” Dickinson says. Iowa is one of just seven states which host greyhound racing today. No other state which has closed down dog tracks has called for payments to the greyhound breeders.

(Radio Iowa)

A new report from an Iowa City based research organization shows many families in Iowa cannot afford to make ends meet. Peter Fisher, lead author of the report from the Iowa Policy Project, says the cost of living in Iowa has increased significantly since the last report on the issue in 2012. “Two years ago, we were able say that because of the recession, inflation had pretty much been held in check in many areas. That’s not been the case recently,” Fisher says. “Food costs, depending on the family, have gone up between 8 and 15 percent.

The state average cost of child care for preschoolers has gone up 13 to 16 percent.” According to the report, rent has increased between 8 and 13 percent and the cost of owning a vehicle has risen by roughly 6 percent. Fisher says, for most families, the wage that’s needed from a job to cover those “basic needs” is substantially above the median wage offered in Iowa.

“In other words, you’d have to be in a job paying above and sometimes well above what over half of the jobs in Iowa pay,” Fisher says. Lily French, who helped prepare the IPP report, says after accounting for expenses like childcare, transportation, and rent, Iowans have to earn one-point-six to three times the federal poverty line to make ends meet.

“There’s a significant disconnect between the measurements the federal government uses to describe the number of people who are struggling, they also use that number to help determine policies and programs to help fill in the gap for people,” French says. The gap was even more significant for workers who do not receive health insurance through their employer.

A single parent in that scenario would have to earn nearly 21-dollars an hour to support just one child, according to the analysis. The “Cost of Living in Iowa” is available on the IPP website: www.iowapolicyproject.org.

(Radio IOwa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The use of drones would be strictly regulated under a bill approved by the Iowa House. The bill received overwhelming support yesterday, clearing the House on an 87-12 vote, though several lawmakers expressed concern the bill lacks clarity and might be overreaching.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Lawmakers in the Iowa Senate have approved legislation that will establish a task force to study breast tissue density. The bill passed unanimously yesterday and will move to the state House for review. It replaced legislation which would have required breast density data be included in mammogram reports to patients and physicians. Instead, under this plan, the state will set up a task force to review how best to educate patients and doctors on this issue.

STANHOPE, Iowa (AP) — The Department of Natural Resources has lifted a boil advisory for the small central Iowa city of Stanhope. The DNR cancelled the advisory yesterday that had been in place since Friday after two sets of water samples were tested and showed they were clear of bacteria.

LE MARS, Iowa (AP) — Two Catholic parishes in the Le Mars area will merge in response to fewer available priests and declining rural population. The Le Mars Daily Sentinel reports St. Joseph and St. James Catholic churches will merge in large part because of declining numbers of priests. At least one of three rural churches in Merrill, Struble and Ellendale also plan to close.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Veterans in Iowa would receive a larger property tax exemption under a bill approved by a legislative panel. A three-member subcommittee unanimously approved the measure Wednesday. The legislation now goes to the full House Ways and Means Committee. Under current law, a property tax credit of $1,852 is available only for certain veterans. The bill would increase the amount to $3,704 for all eligible veterans beginning July 1.

The state appropriates a set amount to local governments to offset these costs. Local governments wouldn’t pay the additional credits in full unless state funding was sufficient. Republican Rep. John Landon, who chairs the subcommittee, says discussion on the bill will continue. Jimmy Centers, a spokesman for Gov. Terry Branstad, says he’s open to any proposals designed to reduce taxes.