Wednesday, May 22, 2013
“Truth Squad” plans to rally ahead of Wisconsin governor’s appearance before Polk County Republican activists in West Des Moines Thursday.
Advocacy groups for progressives in Iowa and Wisconsin are holding “Scott Walker Truth Squad” in advance of the Wisconsin governor’s appearance Thursday at a Polk County Republican Fundraiser, one of several of appearances before GOP activists that point to a possible presidential run in 2016. Advisers to Walker say he’s returning a favor to Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, who hosted a fundraiser in Dubuque, Iowa, for the embattled Wisconsin governor during his 2012 recall election, the Washington Post reported. Even if Walker’s advisers are telling it like it is, and that Walker’s appearance with Branstad is just a little quid pro quo among political friends, the pre-banquet rally by Progress Iowa and One Wisconsin Now is expected to add to the…
Plus When is the Memorial Day Parade.
Memorial Day won't be a three-day weekend for everyone. The Ames Public Library and Bookmobile will be closed Monday as will City Hall and City offices, but Furman Aquatic Center will be open so long as the weather is good. The Furman Aquatic Center is set to open Saturday. If you can't drive yourself or get a ride to the pool, you'll have to hop on a bicycle. CyRide, doesn't run on Memorial Day. You'll also have to find your own way to the Ames Patriotic Counsel's Memorial Day parade that begins 10:30 a.m. at Ames City Hall. The procession will march to Ames Municipal Cemetery on Ninth Street, where a memorial service will take place at 11 a.m. In case of rain the memorial will be held at the City Hall Auditorium. Golden Wok will be open …
Monday, May 20, 2013
Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds visited Iowa State University Monday afternoon.
Gov. Terry Branstad proclaimed 2013 as the year of the veterinarian while touring Iowa State University's year-old Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital at Iowa State University Monday. Monday was the 150th anniversary of the American Veterinary Medical Association and organized veterinary medicine in the United States. “I encourage Iowans to support contributions that the veterinary profession and American Veterinary Medical Association have made and continue to make to animal health, public health, animal welfare and food safety in Iowa,” Branstad read from a proclamation. Iowa State University President Steven Leath said Iowa State's veterinary medicine school was the first state supported veterinary school in the country. “Today the State …
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Both Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds will be available to the public prior to the Story County Republican Central Committee meeting and fundraiser on Monday.
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds will stop at the Oakwood Road Community Center to meet with residents about 5 p.m. Monday, just before the start of a Republican committee meeting and fundraiser. The visit is open to the public and will take place from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. Branstad and Reynolds are expected to speak as well as meet and great the crowd. The community center is located at 2400 Oakwood Road in Ames. People are also allowed to stay after the visit to watch the Story County Republican Central Committee meeting. A free will donation to benefit Story County Republicans will be taken at the door, according to the release. Sign up for Ames Patch's free newsletter | Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter
Both the U.S. Senate and House are working on immigration reform plans. What do you think should be done about the estimated 11 million people currently living in the country illegally or on expired visas.
A U.S. Senate immigration reform proposal that would allow the estimated 11 million residents living here illegally by the end of 2011 to remain in the country lawfully is expected to come to a final vote by June. The Senate plan would allow these people to earn a temporary status that lets them to work if they meet a number of requirements, including: passing background checks, submitting to fingerprinting and proving they've lived here before Dec. 31, 2011. The documentation process wouldn't begin until a border security system was in place, according to information about the bill posted on Sen. Mark Rubio's Senate website. The border security plan includes a border fence plan, an electronic system that would verify workers' status and …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Steve King, who represents Ames in the 4th District, said he would choose Obamacare over the Senate's current immigration reform bill.
Sign up for Ames Patch's free newsletter | Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Kiron, said this week that he hates the immigration reform currently being discussed in the U.S. Senate more than Obamacare. “You know how badly I despise Obamacare,” King, R-Iowa, said at a news conference as reported by the Ames Tribune. “But if there was an offer that said you are going to get one or the other and you have to choose one, I would take Obamacare and try to live with that before I’d ever accept this amnesty plan.” The Senate bill would allow most of the 11 million residents living illegally in the country to become legal residents. An estimated 40 percent of those people came to the United States legally, but …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Mary Mosiman will take over for David Vaudt, who left his post for a new job. Democrats are challenging the appointment.
Mary Mosiman, an Ames resident and graduate of Iowa State University, who just began serving as the state's newest and first female auditor has already been challenged her first week on the job. Gov. Terry Branstad appointed her to the position and she started her new job Monday, replacing David Vaudt who resigned to become the new Governmental Accounting Standards Board chairman. His last day was May 3. Democrats said Tuesday that Mosiman "improperly spent more than $1,000 from her Story County auditor campaign committee after leaving that office to join the Secretary of State’s Office as a deputy secretary of state in 2011," according to a report in the Des Moines Register. Mosiman had been the Story County auditor from 2001-2010 until …
Monday, May 13, 2013
The cost of colonoscopies, MRIs, CT scans and mammograms can shift a lot from place to place.
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Monday, May 13
You can spend an extra $2,000 by getting an MRI in Story County than it costs to get the same medical procedure in Polk County. The average cost here is $3,630 compared to $1,570 in Story County. The cost in Story County is also a bit higher than the state average of $2,630. That's according to data from New Choice Health, a private company that encourages people to become smarter healthcare consumers. Other procedures such as colonoscopies are considerably more affordable in Polk County than Story County and, on average, across Iowa. Colonoscopies cost on average $1,990 in Polk County compared to $4,560 in Story County and $3,690 across Iowa. Big regional differences for medical procedures have been in the news lately: As the Washington…
Friday, May 10, 2013
Steve Gaer, whose city has seen robust growth during a crippling recession, is considering a U.S. Senate bid, but says uniting Republicans in a primary would be a hurdle.
The mayor of one of Iowa’s most successful cities says he’ll decide early next week whether to seek the Republican nomination for U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin’s seat. Harkin, a popular Democrat, announced earlier this year he will not seek a sixth term. It’s a rare, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, said West Des Moines Mayor Steve Gaer, who was approached about six weeks ago by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which works to recruit and elect Republicans to the U.S. Senate, about seeking the nomination. Gaer said the NRSC credited him with bringing people together to reach consensus, something leaders see as lacking in Congress, and also noted West Des Moines' robust growth during the recent recession. As most of the nation continues …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Iowa had one of the highest voter participation rates among eligible voters in the country, according to new information released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Iowa often gets questions about why the presidential election process should start here with the first in the nation Iowa Caucus. One reason could be that Iowans are among the most active voters in the country. A new report by the U.S. Census Bureau shows that 69.4 percent of eligible Iowans voted in the 2012 election, in which Barack Obama earned a second term in the White House. That percentage was one of the highest in the nation, according to new information released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Wednesday. Only eligible voters in Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Mississippi and Massachusetts had higher participation. Mississippi had the highest voter turnout at 74.5 percent, and West Virginia the lowest at 47.8 percent. A key point of…
cwinslow
3:39 pm on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Iowa State College of Vet Med's careless spending of taxpayer dollars clearly shows that they have more than enough money to throw around. They bought a vet clinic in Des Moines that was assessed at 2.3 million and decided to overpay to the tune of 4.6 million... then proceeded to lose an additional 1.3 million in just the first 18 months after they took it over (total: 5.9 million). Maybe they … more ›