Democratic leaders say they’re “tired of the excuses” from Republican Governor Terry Branstad and his fellow Republicans in the legislature and they are calling for a special legislative session to “support local schools.” Senate President Pam Jochum, a Democrat from Dubuque, blasted the Republican governor during a speech this weekend at an Iowa Democratic Party fundraiser.

“We worked overtime this session to make sure Iowa’s children have a quality education,” Jochum said. “…That, my friends, was vetoed by Governor Branstad, the man who claims to be the education governor. The emperor has no clothes.” Given the partisan make-up of the Iowa legislature, however, reconvening the House and Senate this summer is impossible without the support of Republicans — and Governor Branstad and the top Republican in the Iowa House both say Republicans don’t want one.

Jochum, the second-ranking Democrat in the Iowa Senate, was inducted into the Iowa Democratic Party’s “Hall of Fame” at its annual banquet Friday night in Cedar Rapids. “You know, Democrats, it’s time to take the gloves off,” Jochum said. “You know elections matter and you know every vote counts. One vote in the Democratic-controlled Senate stopped the House Republicans and Terry Branstad from abolishing early childhood education.”

Democrats hold 26-to-24 majority in the Iowa Senate. Jochum, Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal and House Democratic Leader Mark Smith published an opinion piece in The Des Moines Register this weekend, urging Iowans to ask their local senators and representatives “to support their local schools by joining the call for a special session to restore critical funding for Iowa schools.”

(Radio Iowa)

State gambling revenues reversed a downward trend in the most recent fiscal year that ended in June due in part to a new casino in Sioux City. Another new casino is open in Greene County near Jefferson, and State Racing and Gaming administrator, Brian Ohorilko, says while the casino will take some profit from existing casinos, but will also increase state revenues too. “The market studies had shown that Jefferson would generate anywhere between 30 and 40 million dollars, with five to 15 million of that in new revenue,” Ohorilko says.

The Wild Rose Resort and casino officially opens August first, but the casino allowed gamblers to start placing bets one week ago. Ohorilko says the so-called “soft” opening is legal. “Many facilities will do this, and the most important thing is that they are in compliance with all of the administrative rules and all of the gaming laws,” Ohorilko says, “and they are in compliance, they have demonstrated that to the commission and the D-C-I.”

He says opening slowly allows the casino to test everything. “It gives them an opportunity to kind of work out some of the kinks before their grand opening and get their staffing in place and really try to fine tune what they need for when they go live and all of their amenities are open,” Ohorilko explains. The casino has planned grand opening events for August 7th through the 9th.

(Radio Iowa)

Many of Iowa’s animal shelters are struggling with overcrowded conditions. The state’s largest nonprofit animal shelter last week reported a record number of homeless animals in their care. Tom Colvin, executive director of the Animal Rescue League (ARL) of Iowa, says the Des Moines operation has over 13-hundred (1,300) animals under its watch. “Every place you look right now there are cats and dogs,” Colvin says.

The shelter is receiving dozens of animals a day. Colvin notes adoptions are critical, but Iowans can take other actions to help ease the burden on the state’s animal shelters. “It’s virtually impossible to adopt our way out of the homeless pets situation,” Colvin says. “Therefore, we have a lot of resources at the Animal Rescue League – as there are around other parts of the state – to make sure people are getting their pets spayed or neutered. There are a number of programs that make that very affordable and in some instances even free.”

Many shelters around the state also have foster programs. “So, if you can even temporarily have a pet in your home, they can just kind of hang out at your place and they’ll still be available for adoption. That’s a huge way they can help,” Colvin says.

The ARL and many other shelters also offer free cat and dog behavior counseling as a way to encourage owners to keep their pet rather than give it up.

(Radio Iowa)