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11/18/2009
IOWA NEWS UPDATE
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Iowa Workforce Development says about 20,000 unemployed workers who face the loss of unemployment insurance benefits have qualified for up to 14 weeks of emergency assistance. .
The state agency says the group of workers includes about 10,000 Iowans who have already exhausted their benefits.
Iowa Workforce development director Elisabeth Buck says as residents continue to struggle with the affects of the national recession, the additional benefits provide an economic safety net for Iowans in need.
Iowa received notice in September it would receive a 13-week extension because the state unemployment rate was consistently above 6 percent.
Earlier this month Congress agreed to extend unemployment insurance benefits. Iowa officials say with the federal extensions, jobless Iowans could qualify for up to 73 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) The state has reached a tentative agreement with the State Police Officers Council calling for unpaid furlough days to avoid layoffs.
Gov. Chet Culver announced the deal Tuesday, saying the agreement would protect 43 union jobs. That includes 20 state troopers, 20 game enforcement officers, one fire inspector and two Division of Narcotics Enforcement agents.
The council is the second union to agree to concessions following Culver's order of a 10 percent budget cut. Leaders of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees also agreed to cuts.
Members of both unions still must approve the deals.
Besides five unpaid days for the 640 employees covered by the officers council agreement, the state will suspend contributions to the employees' deferred compensation plan.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) The Des Moines Police Department is offering counseling for officers because of a recent string of major violent incidents.
The Red Cross held a critical incident stress debriefing class for the officers Tuesday.
The department has faced six major violent incidents in the past four months all on the third watch or evening shift.
Lt. Todd Dykstra says officers don't remember having to deal with so many major incidents in such a short period of time.
In July, police dealt with angry mobs on two separate occasions. Three officers have been injured in the line of duty since then.
The latest incident occurred Sunday when officers shot Daniel Carter when they say he tried to rob the Dollar Tree store and threatened a cashier with a gun.
DES MOINES, Iowa, Iowa (AP) A Polk County District Court judge has ordered the Iowa Department of Economic Development to issue $6.5 million in film tax credit certificates to a film company affected by Gov. Chet Culver's shutdown of the film credit program.
The film company, Iowa Eye, sued the state for failing to issue a contract for the tax credit certificates for a movie titled ``Clean Out.' The company said the film office promised to issue the certificates but didn't after Culver ordered a halt to the program in September.
Judge Glen Pille ruled Tuesday that if production is not restarted before November 27, Iowa Eye will lose one cast member for at least twelve months and the production will probably collapse.
Iowa Eye says such a development would probably put it out of business.
GREENE, Iowa (AP) Floyd County authorities say at least six homes were evacuated because of an anhydrous ammonia leak in the town of Greene.
Several northern Iowa fire crews were on the scene of the leak Tuesday evening.
Floyd County Emergency Management Coordinator Bridgett Moe said the leak occurred at a farmer co-op just north of the Floyd/Butler County line.
The Waterloo Hazmat Team was standing by as fire crews from Greene, Allison and Marble Rock hauled in water by tanker truck.
Moe says with an anhydrous leak, emergency workers have to dump water on the chemicals and contain where it flows to prevent contamination.
MARION, Iowa (AP) Police in Marion and postal authorities are investigating the case of a mail carrier who was allegedly found drunk inside a residence while on the job.
Police say 46-year-old Kristine Pflughaupt (FLOOG'-howpt) of Marion, was charged with public intoxication Nov. 3 after she was found sitting on the kitchen floor of 95-year-old Marie O'Kelly's house, eating leftover noodles from O'Kelly's refrigerator.
Police Lt. Steve Etzel said Tuesday that Pflughaupt apparently entered the home through an unlocked front door. He said she was in uniform and had mail and a mail-carrying bag with her.
Pflughaupt, a 17-year employee of the U.S. Postal Service, was taken to the Linn County Jail. Marion Postmaster Rick Leyendecker said Pflughaupt is currently on unpaid leave.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) An attorney says a Minnesota activist has been found in contempt of court for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury in Davenport.
Barbara Nimis represents Scott DeMuth, of Minneapolis. She says he was found in contempt Tuesday and sent to jail.
Nimis says she believes the grand jury is investigating a 2004 break-in at a lab at the University of Iowa. Four people claiming affiliation with the Animal Liberation Front were captured on video overturning equipment, pouring acid on reams of data and releasing more than 300 mice and rats.
DeMuth is a member of a Minnesota-based prisoner support group called EWOK, or Earth Warriors are OK!. The group says a second member, Carrie Feldman, of Minneapolis, was also found in contempt of court Tuesday for not testifying before the grand jury.
Feldman's attorney, Terry McAtee (MAC'-a-tee), declined to comment.
Kevin VanderSchel, a U.S. attorney's office spokesman, also declined to comment.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) An aide to Gov. Chet Culver says the governor completed his first triathlon last weekend and lost 25 pounds while training for the event.
Spokesman Troy Price says Culver trained for the triathlon for about nine weeks and will continue his workout regimen. Price says he'll probably compete in another triathlon, a multi-sport endurance event in which participants swim, bicycle and run.
According to The Des Moines Register, Culver completed the 1,500-meter swim, 20-mile bike ride and 6.2 mile run in just over 3 hours. The triathlon was near Live Oak, Fla.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) The Principal Financial Group Inc. says its president of insurance and financial services will retire at the end of this year.
John Aschenbrenner has spent 37 years with the Des Moines-based insurance, retirement and financial services company. He was named to his current position in 2003.
The company announced Tuesday the 60-year-old Aschenbrenner will be succeeded by 48-year-old Dan Houston, president of retirement and investor services. He will assume leadership of the life, health and specialty benefits businesses in addition to his current role leading the U.S. asset accumulation business segment.
Principal Financial has more than $280 billion in assets under management and serves 18.6 million customers worldwide.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) Former Missouri lawmaker Judy Baker has a new job in President Barack Obama's administration.
The Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday that Baker will serve as its regional director for Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.
Baker, a Democrat from Columbia, served in the Missouri House of Representatives from 2005 to 2009. She lost a bid for an open congressional seat last year to Republican Blaine Luetkemeyer.
Baker previously was an executive in the University of Missouri's health care system and recently has been working as a health care systems consultant.
© 2002 Associated Press.
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