Members of Iowa’s congressional delegation split on party lines in last night’s (Tuesday) vote to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff of tax hikes and budget cuts. All three Iowa House Democrats voted for the measure while both Republicans opposed it. Earlier in the day, Iowa’s two U-S senators voted against the legislation. Democrat Tom Harkin and Republican Chuck Grassley said “no” to the measure. Senator Grassley says President Obama has made his position obvious. “Already in addition to what was passed yesterday, the president has made it clear he wants to raise taxes even more,” Grassley says. “You can’t raise taxes high enough to satisfy the appetite of Washington to spend money.”

Strong presidential leadership is what the nation needs, Grassley says, to bring about what he calls fiscal restraint. “Everybody knows the problem is spending,” Grassley says. “Because, raise all the taxes the president wants and it only takes care of about 10% of our annual deficit of over a trillion dollars. We’ve got a spending problem, not a taxing problem.” It’s a “fiscal farce,” according to Grassley, to raise taxes and hurt economic growth only to fuel more government spending with record deficits and debt. The New Hartford native says President Obama focused on raising taxes and failed to put Washington on a new path toward “fiscal discipline.” Grassley says, “If he wants to make history and have a legacy, then it would be nice to have presidential leadership in helping us solve this spending problem, the deficit problem and in particular, with the 44% of the spending that is Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, bring that to the table.”

In a statement, Senator Harkin said he is –quote — “All for compromise, but a compromise that sets a new tax threshold for the wealthiest Americans while neglecting the very backbone of our country – the middle class – is a compromise I simply cannot support. This is the wrong direction for Iowa and our country, and at a time when our fragile economy cannot sustain further damage.”

In the House, Democrats Bruce Braley, Dave Loebsack and Leonard Boswell all voted “yes” on the measure, while Republicans Tom Latham and Steve King voted “no.” Democrat Braley, in a news release, said: “The legislation would cut taxes for over 99 percent of Iowans, help keep food and milk prices low by renewing the Farm Bill for nine months, encourage Iowa investment by extending the wind energy production tax credit, help more children find loving homes by permanently extending the adoption tax credit, keep doctors practicing in Iowa by preventing a cut in Medicare reimbursements, and reduce the cost of college tuition for Iowa families. For the first time in 20 years, Congress will have acted on a bipartisan basis for significant new revenue, resulting in the most progressive tax code in decades.”

In his statement, Republican Latham said: “The White House-Senate compromise contains some good provisions I agree with, such as preventing massive tax hikes on most families and finally making the cuts permanent, extending the farm bill, and maintaining the wind energy tax credit. However, it lacks a critical component: necessary spending cuts to address our exploding debt. Our $3.5 trillion budget is and will continue to be our primary fiscal obstacle.”

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa College Student Aid Commission (Iowa College Aid) has announced the release of the 2013-2014 Iowa Financial Aid Application.  The application, which can be accessed through the state-designated career information system, www.IHaveAPlanIowa.gov, allows students to apply for five state-administered financial aid programs through one application process.  Collectively, the programs provided almost $8 million in funding for students during the 2011-12 academic year.

The Iowa Financial Aid Application serves as the application for the following programs:

• All Iowa Opportunity Scholarship
• All Iowa Opportunity Foster Care Grant
• Terry E. Branstad Iowa State Fair Scholarship
• Education and Training Voucher Program, and, the Iowa National Guard Education Assistance Program (NGEAP)

The Iowa Financial Aid Application does not replace the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  The FAFSA can be completed online at www.fafsa.gov.  Students who complete their FAFSAs online will have the opportunity to link directly from their FAFSA confirmation page to the Iowa Financial Aid Application

Deadlines play a critical role and often determine the amount of financial assistance available to help students pay for college.  Students are encouraged to apply early to meet the priority deadlines associated with different programs.  The Iowa Financial Aid Application indicates the priority application deadlines for each of the five programs included in the application.  More information about financial aid and products and services that help Iowa families plan, prepare and pay for college is also available on Iowa College Aid’s website at www.IowaCollegeAid.gov.

As many people celebrated ringing in the New Year, several fire departments were called to the city of Dunlap for a building fire. The structure fire was located in the 100th block of 3rd Street at the intersection of Highway 30 in Dunlap. According to officials with the Dunlap Fire Department, the call came in around 7:20pm Monday.

Crews from Denison, Dow City and Woodbine were called in to help with the fire. The Denison Fire Department had to use their ladder truck to help with the fire as flames were shooting out of the top of the building. The building, once known as Linda’s Drapery in Dunlap, was a total loss. No injuries were reported as no one was inside. The Dunlap Fire Department was on scene for 5 hours. During that time, traffic was re-routed around Highway 30 with the assistance of the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office and Dunlap Police Department.

The building is said to be a total loss. The cause of the fire is unknown and officials say an investigation is being conducted by the State Fire Marshall’s Office.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

LAVONNE KLINKEFUS, 93, of Exira, died Sun., Dec. 30th, at the Exira Care Center. Funeral services for LAVONNE KLINKEFUS, will be held 11-a.m. Fri., Jan. 4th, at the Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon.

Visitation at the funeral home will be held one-hour prior to the service (10-a.m.), Friday.

LAVONNE KLINKEFUS is survived by:

Her daughter – Judy Nelson, of Atlantic.