Monday, May 7, 2012
Hubs will also be located at Iowa State, Iowa Lakes Community College, Southwestern Community College, and Drake University.
Six new education hubs will help put Iowa ahead in science education, according to Gov. Terry Branstad. In a media release, governor's office says the new hubs, each of which is based at an Iowa college or university, will promote education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM.) The project is part of the governor's STEM Advisory Council. According to the release the six hubs are: “These six regional STEM network hubs will be the driving force offering Iowa youngsters more opportunities to learn about STEM, which will better prepare them to someday consider STEM careers,” the governor said in a press release. “STEM fields are among the fastest-growing, with many jobs that pay well.” Lt Gov. Kim Reynolds and University of …
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
With Gov. Terry Branstad's endorsement and Rick Santorum out, Republicans in the swing state of Iowa embrace Romney and turn their attention to general election.
Did Iowa's Gov. Terry Branstad get a tip, does he have more clout than people realize, or does he just have really, really good timing? Iowa's political insiders say it was coincidence that the Republican governor ended his silence and endorsed Mitt Romney as the GOP choice for president moments before news broke that Romney's biggest challenger, Rick Santorum, was suspending his campaign on Tuesday. "It's serendipity," said Eric Woolson, an Iowa GOP staple who was a campaign leader for former candidate Michele Bachmann. "For Gov. Branstad, it's terrific he came forward when he did -- although Santorum then stepped on Gov. Branstad's story -- so that Branstad was in front when he declared his support for Romney while it was a contested …
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, a Republican, has endorsed Mitt Romney for president.
Update: Moments after posting this article. GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum has announced he is suspending his bid for president, according to multiple news outlets. Previous coverage: If you need another sign that the race for the GOP nomination for president is over, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad has made an endorsement. Branstad endorsed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney a few moments ago. Branstad had steadfastly refused to endorse a candidate throughout the Iowa Caucus season and ever since, even as Romney pulled further and further ahead in the delegate count. If you'll recall, Romney won, then lost the Iowa Caucus. In reality, the double-digit vote divide between Romney and Rick Santorum, who was declared winner, was so narrow…
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Recent campaign donations unearthed by the Des Moines Register show that Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad has received more than $150,000 in campaign contributions from a "pink slime" producer.
You’ve told us how you feel about "pink slime." That's the controversial beef product made from scraps of leftover meat and treated with ammonia. It's the one that's been pulled from shelves faster than Tickle Me Elmo. "I am furious that for years I did not know what I was feeding my children, not to mention myself," said a Patch commenter. "This is one of the worst food stories I have heard ever." You may know that Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad has been in the news lately defending the product, calling the media coverage a "smear campaign." He has called for a federal probe into the matter. “It’s time to end the smear campaign and to stop the use of inaccurate, inappropriate and charged words that are designed to scare people,” Branstad said …
Saturday, March 31, 2012
The term "pink slime," given to a product actually known as lean finely textured beef, created an uproar of concerned omnivores. Now there's an equal uproar in defense of the product. What do you think?
In under a week an inexpensive beef product used as a filler to stretch packets of ground beef has gone from public food enemy number one to a darling of industry and government. The beef product, called lean finely textured beef but nicknamed "pink slime" by activists, consists of scraps of meat left over from other cuts. Many of the fears around it centered on the fact it is treated with a puff of ammonia hydroxide to kill E. Coli and other bacteria. Many other commonly consumed food products, however, are also treated the same way. After fears about the safety of the product were raised, many stores, including Hy-Vee, pulled it from their shelves. Suffering sales led a major producer, Beef Products Inc., to suspend operation at plants …
Friday, March 16, 2012
This likely won't lead to the reopening of workforce development offices, however.
- GOVERNMENT
-
Friday, March 16
By Lynn Campbell Iowapolitics.com The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday said Gov. Terry Branstad's veto of money for Iowa Workforce Development field offices was unconstitutional. "Simply stated, the legislature appropriated funds to IWD with strings attached, and our constitution does not permit the governor to cut the strings and spend the money differently," said the opinion authored by Justice Thomas Waterman, who was appointed by Branstad in February 2011. However, it does not appear that the ruling would lead to the re-opening of the 36 offices, which helped unemployed Iowans find a job, write a resume or prepare for an interview. That's because the Iowa Supreme Court found in favor of Branstad that the "proper remedy for an invalid veto …
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Two controversial transit related bills are among those that have lost some momentum in recent weeks.
- GOVERNMENT
-
Thursday, March 8
By Lynn Campbell IowaPolitics.com DES MOINES — Prospects of bills that would ban red-light cameras and increase Iowa's gas tax are dimming as state lawmakers work to pare down their workload in the final month of session. Next week is the Iowa Legislature's second "funnel" deadline, when bills must clear one chamber and a committee of the opposite chamber to remain alive. The 2012 legislative session is scheduled to end April 17. Iowa House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, said Thursday that a bill that would ban red-light and speed cameras in Iowa as of July 1, does not have the 51 votes to pass the Iowa House. Seven Iowa cities use the cameras to issue traffic tickets of up to $200 for speeding or running red lights. "My …
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Officials far and wide are weighing in on plans to close Price Laboratory.
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, a Republican, has backed University of Northern Iowa President Ben Allen and the Iowa Board of Regents in moving forward with plans to close Malcolm Price Laboratory. The training lab has been a key piece of UNI's teacher preparation program, as well as a K-12 school for more than 350 students in the Cedar Falls-Waterloo area. Here are some comments from around Iowa. Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad during a morning press briefing (courtesy of State Rep. Bob Kressig, D-Cedar Falls): “I support President Allen and the Board of Regents…They’re the closest to this and in the best position to make this decision,” Branstad said. “And I know it’s never easy when you make dramatic change like this, but I respect and appreciate (…
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
The Iowa gas tax, which pays for road maintenance across the state, has not been raised in 22 years.
Momentum in Iowa appears to be shifting to an increase in the state’s fuel tax, which pays to maintain Iowa’s roads. No one denies those roads need work. University Avenue, part of a renovation partnership between the city governments of Cedar Falls and Waterloo, the Iowa Northland Regional Council of Governments and the Iowa Department of Transportation, is aging and full of potholes. The DOT is also looking at plans to increase the safety of Highway 218 north of Cedar Falls, near Janesville, where dangerous intersections caused 127 total crashes between 2006 and 2010, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported. But those projects, and others across the state, cost money, lots of money, which in large part comes from the gas tax. Raising …
Thursday, December 22, 2011
The governor has uploaded a holiday greeting and asks Iowans to do the same.
Looking for a way to share your holiday spirit? Send a greeting to American troops serving overseas. Iowa Governor Terry Branstad is asking Iowans to visit a new Google-sponsored YouTube channel to record a holiday message for military service members. We've shared the message Branstad recorded above. Visit the Veteran's Channel here to upload a message of your own.
Jodi Edington
7:47 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
STEM education organized by the state and connected to state universities....brilliant. This seems like a student-focused plan, tied to research hubs and funded by the state. I am very excited for the students in Iowa! Jodi jodi@edingtonmath.com more ›