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Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
Iowa’s drunk driving policies are among the worst in the country, according to a new report from Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The report gives Iowa one-and-a-half stars out of five for its various laws and efforts to deter and arrest impaired motorists and keep them from repeating the offense. Frank Harris, MADD’s director of state government affairs, says only two states scored lower. Harris says, “Iowa needs to take action to improve their drunk driving law as it’s lacking some key countermeasures, specifically, utilizing ignition interlocks or in-car breathalyzers for all drunk drivers, as well as tying in the use of ignition interlocks with any type of driving privileges post-drunk driving arrest.”
The interlock device is wired into a vehicle’s ignition system and a convicted drunk driver must blow into the device in order to start the vehicle. If they have a measurable amount of alcohol in their system, the vehicle won’t start. A state report this week found almost one-third of the fatal crashes in Iowa this year were alcohol-related and Harris says it’s clear, something needs to change.
“The state needs to give law enforcement more tools to fight drunk driving by allowing for law enforcement to do what’s called a sobriety checkpoint,” Harris says. “Thirty-eight states plus DC utilize sobriety checkpoints. The goal of a sobriety checkpoint is not necessarily to catch a drunk driver but to deter somebody from driving drunk in the first place.”
He says such checkpoints are proven effective in reducing drunk driving deaths by 20-percent. No states got a five-star rating this year. Michigan got one star and Montana only got a half-a-star. Part of Iowa’s one-and-a-half star rating comes from the state’s administrative license revocation law. “There’s a process upon arrest where someone’s license can be taken away but the issue with that is, 41 states have laws like this and they’re very effective and Iowa’s one of them,” Harris says, “but the problem is, Iowa doesn’t utilize ignition interlocks immediately following a drunk driving arrest.”
He says the average drunk driver has driven drunk 80 times before a first arrest. Last year, the MADD report says Iowa had 78 drunk driver-related deaths and 937 alcohol-related crash injuries, as well as 9,028 D-U-I arrests. The report, “Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving, 2016 Report to the Nation,” is being released as the country begins holiday celebrations that mark a deadly period of drunk driving crashes. Nationwide last year, 973 people were killed in drunk driving crashes between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, which is nearly 10% of all drunk driving crashes for the year.
(Radio Iowa)
Two Iowa turkeys flew to Washington, D.C. Monday afternoon. They made the trip on a plane. On Wednesday, the president will pick one to be part of the annual turkey pardoning ceremony at the White House. Greta Irwin, with the Iowa Turkey Federation, says “They came from Chris and Nicole Domino’s farm up by Early, Iowa.”
The turkeys were hatched in mid-July and are about 18 weeks old. Irwin says “The family has five daughters and the five daughters were actively involved with caring for these turkeys, for training for them to go to the White House because we want very calm, very tame turkeys….The daughters have been playing music for them, grooming them, playing with them, petting them and just getting them accustomed to being around people.”
President Obama will name the two Iowa birds that were sent his way this week, then one of the two will be featured in a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden early Wednesday afternoon. Both turkeys will go live in Virginia after the ceremony. Irwin flew on the same plane as the Iowa turkeys and she’ll accompany them to their new home. “Once these turkeys are pardoned, they’ll go to Virginia Tech…and they’ll be part of their teaching curriculum that they use out there,” Irwin says. “So the turkeys will have a nice long life out there with the students at Virginia Tech.”
President Lincoln declared a day of national Thanksgiving in 1863. According to the White House website, Lincoln offered clemency to a turkey that same year. The National Turkey Federation has been presenting presidents with turkeys since 1948, but it seems President George H.W. Bush started the pardoning in 1989. The Iowa Turkey Federation has been selected six times to provide the presidential turkey at Thanksgiving. Obama, the current POTUS — which stands for President of the United States, used the nickname TOTUS — Turkey of the United States — for the bird he pardoned last year.
(Radio Iowa)
The Exira-EHK School Board, Monday night, discussed but took no action on, offering an Early Retirement incentive package. Superintendent Trevor Miller says instead, they’ll make that decision during their meeting in December. Miller said three people are eligible for Early Retirement this year.
In other business, the Board hired Mark Emgarten as Junior High Girls Basketball Coach, who formerly served as the Adair-Casey Boys Basketball Coach, and, they accepted the resignation of long-time teacher Julie Christensen, whose resignation is effective at the end of the current school year. Christensen retired once, and came back to serve part-time. Now, after having served the district for 42-years, she’s decided to pursue other avenues in life.
They also approved the sharing of a Human Resources position with the Neola/Tri-Center School District. And, the Board also talked about what they discussed and had learned at the IASB Convention last week, as well as acted on approving the SBRC (School Budget Review Committee) application for Modified Allowable Growth for Increasing Enrollment, Open Enrollment Out, and LEP (Limited English Proficiency) Instruction beyond 5-years.
The Audubon Community School District’s Board of Education, Monday night, spent a considerable amount of time discussing the possibility of offering Early Retirement for the current school year. Superintendent, Dr. Brett Gibbs, said they talked about what that package could look like. He said they’ve offered Early Retirement in the past, but the past year was the exception, because of declining enrollment and the uncertainty of State funding, Gibbs is recommending the District offer the option to its current staff, but it would not become effective until July 1, 2017.
Gibbs said they discussed how many years a person would have to have served in the District in order to qualify. The Board will determine what type of package they would like to offer and act on approving, it during their meeting in December.
He says “Sadly, we need some people to take early retirement due to help our financial situation with declining enrollment…and the lack of State aid.” He says if personnel take the option, assuming it’s offered, it would clear up some space in the District’s General Fund. Gibbs didn’t want to say right now how many people might be interested in taking the option, since it hasn’t officially been offered. He said there are some who he thinks would take Early Retirement if it’s offered, but he has not officially solicited any responses so as to not get anyone’s hopes up.
In the past, a person had to have served the District for 15 or more years. Currently about a dozen employees would meet the requirements, and who are at least 55-years old. Dr. Gibbs said also, they talked about, but did not take action on, their Drop Out Prevention/At Risk program, which needs to be completed by Dec. 15th and submitted to the State. He says since it just came online yesterday (Monday), they didn’t have time to get the forms filled out detailing how they use those funds and what types of services are provided to students through the use of the funds.
He said also the District’s Principals submitted a report to the Board on the “Smarter Balance Testing” for students, that’s scheduled to start next year in Iowa. The subject was discussed at last week’s IASB Convention.
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Iowa roadways have been a dangerous place this year. Patrick Hoye, chief of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, says traffic fatality numbers in Iowa had been declining, year-over-year, earlier this decade. Last year, 320 people were killed in traffic crashes in the state. “Unfortunately, we are already at 351 for this year with about a month-and-a-half to go,” Hoye said. “It’s scary, but we could be looking in the neighborhood of 380 to 390 fatalities if this trend would continue, which would be a sharp increase from a year ago.”
The Thanksgiving holiday weekend is one of the busiest times of the year on Iowa’s roadways. A campaign is underway and runs through Sunday involving an increased law enforcement presence on Iowa’s highways and interstates. “Obviously, the things we’ll be looking for are impaired drivers, speeding vehicles, and people who are not properly buckled,” Hoye said.
Officials have been studying why there’s been such a sharp increase in traffic fatalities this year. Hoye notes roughly half of the traffic deaths in Iowa involved people who weren’t wearing a seatbelt and 30-percent of the fatal crashes were alcohol-related. Another reason for the spike in fatal crashes could involve the low gas prices we’ve had this year. “People are traveling more and anytime you have more vehicles traveling, there is the (potential) for an increase in crashes,” Hoye said.
Over the 2015 Thanksgiving holiday, five people were killed on Iowa roads.
(Radio Iowa)
The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department’s Board met Monday evening at City Hall, and heard an update from Parks and Rec Director Seth Staashelm, with regard to the campground pads at the Schildberg Recreation Area, and they approved a proposal to install a liner at Sunnyside Park, so a seasonal ice skating rink can be installed.
Staashelm told the board the trail around Lake #2 at the Schildberg Rec Area was paved Nov. 14th, despite some sprinkles in the air. Some final grading is being done, but Staashelm said the trail should be open soon. On a related note, he said Atlantic Municipal Utilities (AMU) has agreed to provide in-kind labor amounting to some 40-to 50-thousand dollars, to install electrical and water lines to the campground pads. He says they hope to wrap that up before the ground is in a hard, frozen condition.
In other news, Staashelm also presented a proposal before the Board, with regard a 90-by-120 foot ice skating rink where the basketball courts are currently located, at Sunnyside Park. Water would not cover the courts directly. Instead, they would be covered by a heavy duty liner to prevent damage. He says “logistically, I would not just fill it, or plug the drain and fill it.” He indicated the liner is from a company called “Nice Rink” (www.nicerink.com)
The 10-millimeter thick, plastic liner is rip resistant, and would cost almost $2,400, with a total investment of about $2,700, including the purchase and installation of rope lights, to delineate a boundary. Staashelm says he hopes the Community Promotion Commission (CPC) will be willing to cover at least part of the cost. Maintenance would be handled by Parks and Rec crews. Board member Charlene Beane was skeptical about installing an ice rink, and wanted to wait to see how the synthetic “skating rink” being set up for this weekend next to the Rock Island Depot, is used.
Beane1 :08 Q: “In Atlantic.”
City Council liaison Ashley Hayes said she’s had people ask her about an ice skating rink, for years.
(Hayes said she’s had around 40 people inquire about an ice rink for the City.)
The liner would be stored in the Parks and Rec shed when not in use for the season. The Parks and Rec Board gave Staashelm the go ahead to meet with the CPC December 1st. The Parks and Rec Board said it would be willing to cover at least some of the costs associated with the project.
Iowa’s governor expects the Republican-led congress and President-elect Donald Trump to quickly repeal the Affordable Care Act and Branstad says it’s unclear what may happen to the 145-thousand low-income Iowans who now are covered by Medicaid because of the law. “That remains to be seen,” Branstad says. “I think we’ve got to see how that works.”
However, Branstad says those 145-thousand Iowans who are on Medicaid due to “ObamaCare” are unlikely to completely LOSE coverage. “I don’t think they should be worried,” Branstad says. “I think they should recognize that the Republican congress recognizes that ObamaCare is unaffordable and unsustainable and it needs to be replaced with something that’s workable and affordable for the American population and that’s what we’re going to work together to do.”
The Affordable Care Act offered states additional federal funds if more low-income citizens were enrolled in government-paid Medicaid. In Iowa, Branstad and legislators created an “Iowa Health and Wellness Plan.” Iowans with an annual income up to 133 percent of the poverty level have been eligible to enroll under the “Medicaid expansion” that’s part of “ObamaCare.” “I have confidence that the new Trump Administration and the congress will indeed, hopefully in the not-too-distant future, replace it with something that’s more sustainable,” Branstad says.
Branstad suggests “more flexibility” for how states run the Medicaid program can yield cost savings.
(Radio Iowa)
Republicans at the statehouse may seek changes in union benefit packages for government workers in Iowa. Janet Phipps is director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services and she’s the governor’s lead negotiator on union contracts.
“What we’re anticipating and what has been mentioned is there’s going to be some conversation about how the state is going to deliver group health care benefits to public employees,” she says.
Republican Terry Branstad has trying to get the state’s union workers to pay more of their health insurance premiums since he returned to the governor’s office in 2011. After election victories this month, Republicans will have sizable governing majorities in both the House and Senate in 2017. Branstad’s considering the idea of consolidating health insurance policies for union employees at ALL levels of government in Iowa.
“He has mentioned that in the past, that he would like to look at pooling resources, if you will, of all public entities, whether it’s schools or counties or municipalities,” Phipps says. “I think he envisions something big that could be explored and have a big master contract. He’d like to do that.”
State officials on Monday began contract talks with the union that represents 600 state law enforcement officers, including state troopers. There were NO insurance benefits included in management’s initial offer. AFSCME represents the largest percentage of state workers and negotiations with AFSCME begin Wednesday afternoon. By state law, contracts must be finalized by March 15th. If an arbitrator has to make the call, Phipps says that means management and the unions involved have to stake out their final positions by late February. “So it would be moving briskly along, certainly, if there were going to be discussions legislatively to do something different,” Phipps says.
On Monday, state officials made their initial offer to the State Police Officers Council. It’s the union that represents 600 employees in state government. The offer? A one percent raise in each of the next two years. The union’s initial request was for pay hikes in each year of three percent.
(Radio Iowa)