In continued effort to fight for Iowa seniors, Congressman votes to prevent popular scam

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) last night voted in favor of the Anti-Spoofing Act?a bipartisan bill that would help protect Iowa's seniors from fraud.

"Iowa seniors deserve safety and protection from predators engaged in these types of deceptive and destructive schemes," Braley said. "The passage of this bill sends a message to the frauds engaged in this activity that they will be punished."

After reports of caller ID "spoofing" fraud in Iowa, Braley has fought to advance this bill, which would prohibit deceptive caller ID spoofing?a popular scam that defrauds unsuspecting seniors by displaying a name or entity on caller ID that appears to be trustworthy. In April, Braley toured senior living centers in Cedar Falls, Dubuque and Clinton to discuss popular frauds targeting seniors, and how seniors can protect themselves against those frauds.

In 2009, the Truth in Caller ID Act was signed into law to prohibit caller ID spoofing when it is done to defraud or otherwise cause harm. The Anti-Spoofing Act improves, updates, and expands upon this existing law by broadening it to include text messaging and new internet-based telephone services as well as expanding the law to prevent spoofing from foreigners.

Braley has set up a Consumer Protection page on Congressman Braley's website for constituents to read more about other deceptive and fraudulent practices and how consumers can protect themselves.

Celebration includes 8 new 10-minute plays September 20 and special performances of Sue Gilbert's Catchin' the Babies September 18 and 20

City Circle Acting Company of Coralville presents the 2014 New Play Festival on Saturday, September 20 at 7pm. City Circle will also remount Sue Gilbert's one-woman play about pioneer midwife Annie MacFarlane on Thursday, September 18 at 7:30pm and Saturday, September 20 at 2pm.  The Festival is sponsored by Cedar Rapids-based Heuer Publishing and celebrates emerging voices in theater.

All performances take place at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts at 1301 5^th Street in Coralville.  Tickets are $12; packages for both the New Play Festival and Catchin' the Babies are $20.  Tickets are available by phone at 319.248.9370, online at coralvillearts.org, and in person at the CCPA box office and Coralville Recreation Center (1506 8^th Street).

The Saturday evening performance will feature eight brand new 10-minute plays by writers with Iowa ties.  The plays present a wide variety of tone, styles, and subject matter.  Some contain adult themes and language.

Boy In A Cage by Catherine Shook, directed by Robyn Calhoun.
An allegory of what can happen when a man's sexuality is suppressed.

Hot In The Kitchen by Christopher Okiishi, directed by Elijah Jones
A radio cooking show staring high-energy, mildly naughty hosts Phil and Phyllis.

Lovely Wonderful Thoughts by Elizabeth Breed, directed by Mary Sullivan
What if Peter Pan came to a modern-day Darling family?

On the Possibilities of Endings by Jennifer Fawcett, directed by Scott Strode
A thoughtful look at the moment before leaving this world.

Shoving It In The Alleyway by Elijah Jones, directed by Patrick Du Laney
A comedic look at a drug deal gone wrong.

The Concentrated Masses by Duane Larson, directed by Adeara Jean Maurice
A farcical look at corporate America.

They Grow Up So Fast by Duane Larson, directed by Scott Strode
A father's hilarious attempt at sending his son out into the world.

Wednesday Night Witness by Amy White, directed by Liz Tracey
Two boys' disturbing conversation in the library.

Catchin' the Babies
As part of the New Play Festival week, City Circle is also presenting a remount of Sue Gilbert's award-winning play Catchin' the Babies on Thursday, September 18 at 7:30pm and Saturday, September 20 at 2pm.  Catchin' the Babies was developed through two previous New Play Festivals and is a glimpse into early pioneer life, as seen through the eyes of Annie MacFarlane, a half-Cherokee, half-Irish midwife. In February 2007, Catchin' the Babies competed in the Iowa Association of American Community Theatres Festival and won Best Play, Best Female Actor, and Best Set Design (Michael Blake).  It is directed by John Harper. 

About the playwrights

Elizabeth Breed is an Iowa City native; her first show was produced at City High when she was fifteen.  She attended Nebraska Wesleyan University, where more of her plays premiered.  She has performed in both the Iowa City area and in her current home of St. Louis, Missouri.

Jennifer Fawcett is an Iowa City based writer and the Associate Artistic Director of Working Group Theatre.  Her most recent play for WGT, Out of Bounds, was awarded the NEFA National Theatre Project Award.  Other plays for WGT include The Broken Chord (Hancher commission), After Ana (In the Raw Series/Englert), The Toymaker's War, Atlas Of Mud, Telling: Iowa City (co-written with Jonathan Wei) and Odysseus Iowa (co-written with Sean Lewis).  Her play Birth Witches premiered at Riverside Theatre and was nominated for the ATCA/Steinberg Award.  She was the NNPN Emerging-Playwright-In-Residence at Curious Theatre Company (Denver) and is the winner of the National Science Playwriting Award from the Kennedy Center.  A graduate of the University of Iowa MFA Playwrights Workshop, Jennifer's plays have been produced at the Tennessee Women's Theatre Project (Nashville), The Drilling Company (New York), Riverside Theatre (Iowa City), Available Light Theatre (Columbus), the Adirondack Theatre Festival (Glens Falls, NY), Alcyone Festival (Chicago), Theatre Masters (Aspen/West Palm Beach), the Hatchery Festival (Washington, DC) and in festivals across Canada.

Formally a stalwart of the Iowa City Community Theatre and then a founding member City Circle Acting Company, Sue Gilbert has worked in theatres all over the Midwest as an actor, director, designer, costumer and now playwright.  She has appeared on stage in shows as diverse as The Rocky Horror Show, The Lion in Winter, A Little Night Music, Gypsy, Come Back Little Sheba and The Boys Next Door.  Sue is also a historical re-enactor across three centuries teaching children and adults about the lives and skills of our ancestors.  Her work as a re-enactor led to writing Catchin' the Babies, the family stories about her 2x Great Grandmother that became a play.

Elijah Jones is a recent graduate of Iowa City High School.  He got his first stage experience at The Second City Training Center in Chicago and has performed for City Circle and other local theater groups for the last four years.

Duane Larson lives in Cedar Rapids and has previously had plays produced for TCR's Underground Festival and MVLCT's Slices of Life, and has been a member of the Black Dogger's playwriting group. Duane has performed with TCR, MVLCT, ICCT, and Usher's Ferry Theatre, among others.

Christopher Okiishi is a native Iowan and over 20 year resident of Iowa City.  His work has been seen at Riverside Theater (Walking the Wire), SPT Theater (Tales from the Writer's Room), No Shame Theater (including seven "Best of" and one "Best of Best of" events), and Working Group Theater (Was the Word).  His play Faithless was made into an independent film in 2001.  He divides his days between four mental health facilities as a child and adolescent psychiatrist.

Catherine Shook is a senior at the University of Iowa, focusing on creative writing.  She had her playwriting debut last year at the University's 10 minute play festival with her piece Just One Puff and recently completed a staged reading of Too Few To Mention for the fall non-mainstage season.

Amy White of Mt. Vernon is a member of the Black Doggers playwriting group and serves on the board of directors of Mt Vernon-Lisbon Community Theatre.  Her plays and monologues have been produced locally bu MVLCT, Dreamwell, City Circle and Riverside, and by groups as far as Kansas City and Madison.  Her most recent production was Someone Who Knew Her, based on the 1959 murder of Lisbon teenager Marlene Padfield.  Amy is a volunteer speech coach at Mt Vernon High School and director of the Lisbon Public Library.

THOMSON- After State Senator Mike Jacobs (D-Moline) passed legislation last year to secure the transfer of the Thomson Prison to the Federal Government's Bureau of Prisons, it recently announced the agency's first phase of hiring 300 employees.

Next week, the Federal Bureau of Prisons will host three opportunities for area residents to participate in hiring events at AUSP Thomson. After the initial hiring, the agency will be working toward filling an additional 800 positions.

"The transfer of Thomson Prison brought in an initial $140 million to help us balance the state's budget and pay our backlog of bills.  Now with the reopening of the prison we can easily expect an additional 1,100 jobs in our region," said Jacobs. "These are good paying jobs for area residents. This is the type of economic development our region needs to continue to grow."

Last year, Jacobs worked to pass Senate Bill 30, which secured the transfer of Thomson Prison from the state to the federal government. The transfer meant the federal government could begin using the shuttered state facility.

The reopening of the Thomson Prison is estimated to generate more than $122 million annually through payroll and operating expenses. Additionally, local business sales are projected to net an additional $61 million in the area.

AUSP Thomson Job Fairs:

Location: AUSP Thomson (1100 One Mile Road, Thomson)

Date: September 16

Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Date: September 17

Time: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Date: September 18

Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information on Thomson Prison job openings visit www.bop.gov/jobs

National Farmers Union presents Congressman with Golden Triangle Award

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today received the Golden Triangle Award from the National Farmers Union (NFU) for his consistent advocacy for Iowa's farmers and agricultural community. The Golden Triangle award is NFU's highest legislative honor given to sitting members of Congress.

"We've seen agricultural innovation power Iowa's economy for generations, and I know the future of Iowa agriculture is bright," Braley said. "I'm honored to receive this award and will continue to fight for Iowa's ag community."

Braley has been a consistent champion for Iowa's rural communities and agricultural industries, and is a strong leader in the fight to protect the Renewable Fuel Standard and the thousands of jobs and billions of dollars it contributes to Iowa's economy.

Last year, Braley cosponsored the beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act to provide incentives to ensure the effective startup and success of new farmers and encourage a new generation of Iowans to choose a career as a farmer.

In January, after Braley repeatedly urged House leadership to put the bipartisan Senate Farm Bill on the House floor, the U.S. House successfully passed a long-term, comprehensive Farm Bill.

A high-quality photo of the event can be found HERE.