Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The leader of a House committee tasked with deciding whether to approve the governor’s broadband expansion bill says there could be major changes to the legislation. The Republican-led commerce committee made a last-minute change to yesterday’s meeting and removed discussion of the bill. Democrats in the committee say they also have concerns about the grant program.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Senate panel says it needs more time to review proposed changes to a bill aimed at reducing school bullying in Iowa. No formal action was taken by members of an education subcommittee yesterday. They plan to meet again before deciding whether the bill will advance to a full committee for review. The bill was proposed by Gov. Terry Branstad, who has made anti-bullying legislation a priority this session.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A plan to raise Iowa’s fuel tax to pay for road improvements could come up for votes in the state Legislature as early as today. Legislation to raise the tax by 10 cents a gallon is listed on the today’s debate calendar in the state House. Democratic Senate majority leader Mike Gronstal says it would also be listed on the Senate debate calendar, though he cautioned that putting a bill on the calendar doesn’t guarantee a vote.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) —A long-vacant Waterloo hotel dating to 1913 has been converted into eight residential lofts. Jim Walsh, a developer with JSA development, says the second and third floors of the historic hotel have been transformed into efficiency and two-bedroom units, with the ground floor open for retail or office use. David Deeds, controller for the development company, says many of the building’s original features have been preserved, including tin ceilings and wood floors.

Since there is no school for Exira-EHK this Friday, February 27, the Museum of Danish America is hosting a special Free Admission Day for all. Children must have adequate supervision. All exhibits will be open, and kids and their families will especially enjoy playing in the LEGO play area and seeing the exhibit “Danish Children Growing Up American” which features photographs and artifacts from childhood long ago. The museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. that day.

Millions of high school seniors are attempting to figure out what path to choose for the next step in their life. For most, a four-year college degree is assumed as the next step, however, there are career paths that are local, well-paying and don’t require a mound of debt the four-year college degree typically takes. Officials with Walnut Communications say “Don’t be fooled into thinking that cool high tech jobs don’t exist where you live! They do.”

Walnut Communications, a telecommunications company, with offices in Walnut & Avoca, has developed a program they hope will help fill the void of hard to find technicians. The program is entitled Grow A Tech, with hopes of literally growing a tech. Many do not realize that Iowa is unique in the fact it has more than 150 telecom companies, more than any other state in the nation and it is estimated that 45% of the existing telecommunications techs will be nearing retirement in the next five years. The problem lies in the fact that there simply are not technicians to hire.

Walnut Communications, was founded in 1915 as Walnut Telephone Company and currently serves the communities of Walnut, Avoca, Shelby, Minden, Neola, Persia, Underwood & McClelland with internet, phone and cable TV services. Walnut Communications, and its subsidiaries, has 13 full-time employees and several part-time and seasonal workers too. “Good jobs do exist in this area and we have them.” General Manager of Walnut Communications, Bruce Heyne stated. “We are very excited to offer this program and honestly hope other Iowa telecom companies will follow our path and develop programs to train and hire local ‘kids’. We are a good solid company that has been around for 100 years and hope to continue to be around for 100 more.” said Heyne about Walnut.

The education needed for technicians is very specialized. Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) is the only Iowa school that currently offers a degree in this field. The program is Network Technology – Telecom/Data Communications and focuses on building & designing modern communication networks to make the internet, cell phone and streaming video possible. The degree is officially an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Telecommunications Technology and takes about 20 months to complete.

“Communication technology is becoming more and more important for all customers, city and country. The continued training we receive helps us be ready to serve our customers” said Terry McCarthy, long-time employee and lead project tech for the company.

Interested people need to complete an application, go through an interview and job shadow our techs, Walnut Communications will then choose up to 2-3 people to pursue the program at DMACC. After successful satisfactory completion of the program, a full time job in the technician department of Walnut Communications will be available. For more information on Walnut Communications’ Grow A Tech program, contact Bruce Heyne at 712-784-2211 or e-mail bheyne@walnutcommunications.com

(Press Release)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Senate panel says it will need more time to review proposed changes to a bill aimed at reducing school bullying in Iowa. Members of an education subcommittee discussed the bill Monday but took no formal action. They plan to meet again before deciding whether the bill will advance to a full committee for review.

The legislation would expand how school officials around the state should respond to bullying cases. An amendment discussed Monday would change some language on guidelines for educators looking at why a student might be bullied. It would also create a group of experts who would study the issue. The bill was proposed by Gov. Terry Branstad, who has made anti-bullying legislation a priority this session. Lawmakers failed to agree on a measure last year.