(Radio Iowa) — Today (Tuesday) is “equal pay day,” the symbolic day when women’s wages on average catch up to men’s earnings from the previous year. In Iowa, women generally make about 79-percent of what men do, less for women of color. University of Iowa business professor Beth Livingston says employers can counteract wage disparities by proactively reviewing their own pay scales. “Go in, look at your numbers. Be aware ahead of time if you have gaps within job level, across job level,” Livingston says. “Look at your pay bands. Determine who’s making more money and determine whether your compensation system is really set up to reward the things you want to reward.”

Livingston says employers should actively scour their policies and paygrades to look for disparities.  “Most of these companies, if they have any sort of HR system at all, have their employees, their employees sex and how much they make, including bonuses and contingent pay,” Livingston says, “so you can run that data.”

Livingston says gender discrimination is insidious, even among well-meaning companies. Pay disparities can be particularly costly for households led by single women. According to state data, 20-percent of Iowa families with kids under 18 are being raised by a single mother.

(Thanks to Kate Payne, Iowa Public Radio)

STACYVILLE, Iowa (AP) — A man has been sentenced to 120 days in jail for ignoring orders to clear away thousands of tires from his Mitchell County property and pay fines. The judge found 63-year-old Gary Eggers, of Stacyville, in contempt for failing to pay the $110,000 in penalties and remove all but 500 tires from his Stacyville land. Authorities say some of the tires on the unlicensed salvage yard had washed into a nearby creek and onto neighboring property.

Judge Chris Foy writes in his ruling filed electronically on Sunday that the attitude displayed by Eggers toward the Iowa Natural Resources Department “and the laws of Iowa that seek to protect our environment and our waterways makes clear to the court he should be found in contempt.”

Patrons of the Villisca Community School District will cast their ballots today and decide the fate of a bond issue amounting to slightly more than $6-million. If approved, the funds would be used for upgrades at both the Enarson Elementary School and Southwest Valley Middle School–including improvements to heating-air conditioning systems, fire alarm systems, roof replacement, plumbing and electrical systems.

Polls are open Tuesday at the Villisca Community Building from noon to 8 p.m.

(Radio Iowa) — A Senate-passed bill that’s now part of the abortion debate is now eligible for debate in a House committee. The bill would establish a life prison sentence for someone convicted of intentionally or accidentally causing the termination of “an unborn person” against the mother’s wishes. Chuck Hurley, legal counsel for The Family Leader, urged House members to pass the bill. “We’ve heard opponents say they know this is not an abortion bill…We also know the abortion issue’s not going to go away and the battle comes down to: ‘What is a child, what is an unborn person?'” Hurley asked rhetorically. “And so you’re going as far as you can go here.”

Daniel Zeno, policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, says the proposal technically does not apply to abortion, but the bill’s senate manager indicated that’s the ultimate goal. “Yes, it’s a small step, but this is a step in a much longer process of getting personhood and banning abortions,” Zeno said. Connie Ryan of the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa says the intent behind the bill is clear. “I know that Iowans are not foolish enough on this day or any other day to not understand that this is fully about abortion,” Ryan said.

After a meeting early Monday afternoon, a Democrat voted against the bill and and two Republicans — including Representative Steven Holt of Denison — voted for it. “This discussion, I believe, lays bare the untenable position of those who refuse to acknowledge that the entity growing inside a pregnant woman is a human life, a human being, an unborn person,” Holt said.

The bill is now eligible for consideration in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A June trial has been scheduled for a Pella health coach accused of defrauding dozens of people who lost more than $6.5 million by investing in a gym program.
U.S. District Court records say 49-year-old Mark Blankespoor has pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of mail fraud and 12 counts of wire fraud. His trial is set to begin June 3 in Des Moines.

Prosecutors say Blankespoor told investors from at least May 2013 through this past January that the medically oriented program would be licensed to fitness clinics nationwide and that investors could earn a 40 percent return on their money.

But prosecutors say Blankespoor instead used their money for himself and to pay other investors.