16 Jan 2014

Iowa Farm Bureau Works to Secure Strength of Renewable Fuels Standard, Crop Insurance and 'Big Data' Security at 95th AFBF Convention

By Andrew Wheeler

SAN ANTONIO - January 16, 2014 -- Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) voting delegates helped secure the strength and commitment to the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) this week, as voting delegates took up the RFS and other priority issues for Iowans at the 2014 American Farm Bureau Annual Convention in San Antonio, Texas.

IFBF voting delegates joined more than 350 other state Farm Bureau delegates to find national consensus on a variety of legislative issues.  A high priority for Iowa is the RFS, which adds nearly $12 billion, or about 9 percent, to Iowa GDP and supports nearly 83,000 jobs.  Despite federal threats to weaken the RFS, Iowa voting delegates worked to approve policies to continue support of renewable fuels tax incentives for the production of biodiesel and to continue funding for next-generation cellulosic and biomass fuel research and installation of blender pumps and improved infrastructure.

Iowa delegates also led the charge to approve a new policy to protect proprietary data that is collected when farmers use GPS or automated software operating systems, available and readily used now in planting, spraying, field planting preparations and harvest equipment. AFBF delegates agreed such private and unique information gathered wirelessly and stored on 'Cloud' based computer servers should not be eligible for release under the Freedom of Information Act.

"IFBF farmers also worked to secure the prioritization of an affordable crop insurance program in the Farm Bill, which Congress still works to approve.  But we wanted to secure the national consensus and continued federal support for a crop insurance program to assure strong farmer participation.  Iowa has faced several weather challenges in recent years: a flood one year, drought the next, and in unpredictable weather cycles and uncertain markets, such a tool is vital to the sustainability of farming in Iowa," says IFBF President Craig Hill.

AFBF policies are developed by Iowa and Farm Bureau representatives of 49 other states to secure grassroots lobbying strength in the 2014 legislative session.

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About Iowa Farm Bureau

The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation is a grassroots, statewide organization dedicated to helping farm families prosper and improve their quality of life.  More than 153,000 families in Iowa are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve economic growth, educational improvement, and environmental quality in their communities.  For more information about Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit the online media center at www.iowafarmbureau.com.

16 Jan 2014

Governor Quinn Announces $16.2 Million for Road Construction Project in Moline

By Dave Blanchette

Project Will Feature Work on Route 5 Between I-74 and 38th Street

MOLINE - Governor Pat Quinn today announced a capital investment of more than $16.2 million for a road construction project in Moline, part of his Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program. The project is part of Governor Quinn's commitment to create jobs and drive Illinois' economy forward.

"Our investment will make sure this vital Quad Cities road receives needed improvements and upgrades," Governor Quinn said. "The project will also employ a number of construction workers, which will help the local economy."

All of the work to be done is located along Illinois Route 5 between Interstate 74 and 38th Street in Moline. The 41st Drive Connector from Coaltown Road to 38th Street will be widened and reconstructed. A new two-span plate girder bridge with a concrete deck, traffic signals and other work will also be constructed. McCarthy Improvement Company of Davenport, Iowa was the lowest of three bidders at $16,246,154. The project will be overseen by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

"These improvements throughout Moline will create additional jobs and ensure our roads remain safe to travel," State Senator Jacobs (D-Moline) said. "These improvements span from stabilizing bridges to widening roads for quicker travel throughout the district and will increase the overall economic development and job development throughout the area."

"This project will bring a new bridge, new road surface, and new traffic signals to a vital part of the Quad Cities' transportation infrastructure," State Representative Mike Smiddy (D-Hillsdale) said. "Projects like this help us grow and continue to be a regional hub of jobs, commerce, and transportation."

"Governor Quinn understands the need to keep the Quad Cities' network of bridges, highways, and interstates in good shape," State Representative Patrick J. Verschoore (D-Milan) said. "These projects will make travel safer for all Illinois motorists, and additionally put area residents back to work."

The project is part of Governor Quinn's $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! program, which will support more than 439,000 jobs over six years. Illinois Jobs Now! is the largest capital construction program in Illinois history, and is one of the largest capital construction programs in the nation.

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16 Jan 2014

LeClaire Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Dinner

By LeClaire Chamber of Commerce
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Davenport County Club
25500 Valley Drive,
Pleasant Valley, IA

5:30-6:30 Cocktails (cash bar) and Silent Auction

6:30 Awards

7:00 Dinner

8:00 Live Auction

6-10 Music by Keep Off the Grass
Please RSVP by January 24
to First Central State Bank 563-289-2265
$35 per person paid in advance.
Make check payable to:
LeClaire Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 35
LeClaire, IA 52753
Casual Party Attire
To donate for the auctions, please take items to First Central State Bank
or email chamber for more information.
Everyone Welcome!
16 Jan 2014

SCOTT COUNTY EXTENSION CALENDAR

By Amanda Heitz

January 27, 2014 Private Pesticide Applicators Training, Scott County Extension Office, 9:30 am

January 27, 2014 Private Pesticide Applicators Training, Scott County Extension Office, 1:30 pm

January 28, 2014 Scott County Extension Council Meeting, Scott County Extension Office, 7:00 pm

February 12, 2014 Commercial Ag Weed, Insect, and Plant Disease Management, Scott County Extension Office,   9:00 am-11:45 am

February 25, 2014 Scott County Extension Council Meeting, Scott County Extension Office, 7:00 pm

February 26, 2014 Seed Treatment, Scott County Extension Office, 9:00 am-11:30 am

Visit our events calendar at our web site: http://dbs.extension.iastate.edu/calendar/

16 Jan 2014

Master Conservationist Program

By Amanda Heitz

Join Nahant Marsh for our Master Conservationist Program. Come discover the world around you. Topics include urban water and energy conservation, sustainable agricultural practices, and wildlife diversity in Iowa. Participants will receive 32 hours of instruction from March to August 2014, with many of the classes held at outside locations. Each participant is asked to put their knowledge into practice by volunteering at least 32 hours of their time to a conservation or natural resource related service. Previous volunteer activities have included prairie planting, seed harvesting, water quality testing, and staffing conservation centers. Cost is $150.

Registrations are accepted by mail or in person at ISU Scott County Extension and Outreach, 875 Tanglefoot Lane, Bettendorf, IA 52722. There is a maximum class size of 25, so early registrations are encouraged. Participants must be at least 18 years of age. The deadline for registration is February 21, 2014.

For more information, call the Scott County Extension office (563-359-7577) or Nahant Marsh (563-323-5196).

16 Jan 2014

Hannah Stellick Named to Dean's List at Wisconsin Lutheran College

By Curtis Wech

MILWAUKEE, WI (01/16/2014)(readMedia)-- Hannah Stellick, of Wilton, IA, a senior, has been named to Wisconsin Lutheran College's Dean's List for the fall semester.

To be eligible for Dean's List, a student must carry a semester GPA of 3.6 or higher.

Wisconsin Lutheran College is an independent Christian college in Milwaukee that is recognized for its academic excellence and Christian leadership tenets. To learn more, please visit wlc.edu.

16 Jan 2014

Iowa Ranks 11th in the Nation with a C for for Policies that Support Emergency Patients

By Julie Lloyd, American College of Emergency Physicians
WASHINGTON – Iowa moved from 19th place in 2009 to 11th place in the 2014 American College of Emergency Physicians' (ACEP) state-by-state report card on America's emergency care environment ("Report Card"). The state received an overall C, despite critical health care workforce shortages.

"Limited access to specialists and other health care continue to burden the Iowa health care system," said Dr. Michael Miller, president of the Iowa Chapter of ACEP. "Our state has demonstrated a great commitment to injury prevention funding and disaster preparedness. We need to build on those strengths to address remaining weaknesses in the state's support for emergency care." 

Iowa received its best grade, a B for Public Health and Injury Prevention, for strong funding of injury prevention, which is reflected in the state's low fatal injury rate. Iowa has the eighth lowest rate of homicide and suicide, a very low rate of alcohol-related traffic fatalities and one of the lowest pedestrian fatality rates. The state still has one of the higher rates of fatal occupational injuries. According to the Report Card, funding directed specifically for occupational injury prevention would reduce that rate.

The C+ for Disaster Preparedness ranked Iowa 14th in the nation in this category. The state more than doubled its bed surge capacity since the last Report Card and has the fifth highest percentage of nurses who have received disaster training (47.2 percent). Iowa could improve this grade further by increasing medical professional registration in the Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals.

Iowa received C's in both Quality and Patient Safety Environment and Medical Liability Environment, and ranked in the bottom half of the country in both categories. The state lacks specific triage and destination policies for stroke and heart attack patients and lacks a uniform system for providing pre-arrival instructions. Iowa has few legal protections in place for physicians who provide emergency care to high-risk patients. Iowa's Medical Liability Environment could be improved by the institution of pretrial screening panels to discourage frivolous lawsuits and a cap on non-economic damages.

The C- and 13th place ranking signals a decline for Iowa in the category of Access to Emergency Care from the 2009 Report Card. The state has the lowest per capita rate of emergency physicians in the nation and lacks neurosurgeons, plastic surgeons, orthopedists and hand surgeons. Increased Medicaid fee levels could help attract and retain a skilled health care workforce.

"The best medicine in the world won't help you if there's no physician to deliver it in a timely manner," said Dr. Miller. "Iowa must focus on increasing our medical workforce and enacting medical liability reforms to make Iowa an attractive place to physicians."

"America's Emergency Care Environment:  A State-by-State Report Card - 2014" evaluates conditions under which emergency care is being delivered, not the quality of care provided by hospitals and emergency providers. It has 136 measures in five categories:  access to emergency care (30 percent of the grade), quality and patient safety (20 percent), medical liability environment (20 percent), public health and injury prevention (15 percent) and disaster preparedness (15 percent). While America earned an overall mediocre grade of C- on the Report Card issued in 2009, this year the country received a near-failing grade of D+.

ACEP is the national medical specialty society representing emergency medicine. ACEP is committed to advancing emergency care through continuing education, research and public education. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters representing each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. A Government Services Chapter represents emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies.

# # #
16 Jan 2014

Branstad, Reynolds applaud Legislature for passing resolutions supporting RFS

By Office of the Governor of the State of Iowa

Resolutions pass following Gov. Branstad's call for swift, bipartisan action in support of renewable fuels

(DES MOINES) -  Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today released statements applauding the Iowa Legislature for passing resolutions in support of a strong Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).  The Legislature's action comes two days after Gov. Branstad called for swift, bipartisan action in support of the RFS in his Condition of the State Address.

"I am pleased the Iowa Legislature has joined Lieutenant Governor Reynolds and me, and the entire Iowa Congressional Delegation, in support of a robust Renewable Fuels Standard," said Branstad. "I'm encouraged that the Legislature agrees that  this rule proposed by the EPA would be devastating to the agriculture and renewable fuel sector of the economy. Together, we'll keep fighting to protect the RFS."

Gov. Branstad, Lt. Gov. Reynolds, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and the entire Iowa Congressional Delegation are hosting a hearing, "Hearing in the Heartland: Supporting the Renewable Fuels Standard," on the proposed EPA rule Thursday, January 23, 2014. More information on the hearing can be found on by visiting the governor's website.

"Iowans understand how important a strong Renewable Fuels Standard is to our state's economy," said Reynolds. "I applaud the Iowa Legislature for moving quickly and decisively in support of the RFS. It's clear Iowans are in favor of lower-cost choices at the pump, diversifying our nation's energy portfolio, reducing harmful transportation emissions, supporting the growth of the economy, and reducing our dependence on overseas oil."

Gov. Branstad called on the Legislature to act during his Condition of the State Address Tuesday, January 14, 2014:

My friends, Iowa faces another challenge where we can come together again and rally around what is best for our state.  The EPA has proposed reducing the level of biofuels outlined in the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS).

If this rule is adopted, it would be a devastating setback to the agriculture sector of the Iowa economy.

The proposed rule comes at a time when our state continues to implement new pioneering policies encouraging growth and innovation in the renewable energy sector.

In a partnership with Iowa State University, we launched the "Fueling Our Future" program last October, which will bring Iowa to the forefront in the use of E30 fuel.

This new program is a reflection of the importance of further advancing the renewable fuels industry, and how the RFS is helping to create important Iowa jobs.

The RFS has led to a cleaner environment, opened the markets for Iowa corn and soybeans and reduced our nation's dependence on foreign oil.  Thousands of Americans are coming together to support the RFS.

We will be holding a public hearing later this month to give Iowans the opportunity to voice their concerns with the EPA's proposal. Lt. Governor Reynolds and I are pleased the entire Iowa Congressional Delegation and Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey have agreed to co-host this important forum.

Today, I call on the General Assembly, as its first order of business, in bipartisan fashion, to pass a resolution in support of maintaining a robust Renewable Fuels Standard.

Read the full speech

The resolutions from the Iowa House and Iowa Senate can be found here:

Iowa House Resolution 101

Iowa Senate Resolution 101

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16 Jan 2014

3 Things Every Patient Should Know When Dealing with the Health-Care System

By Ginny Grimsley
Patient Advocate Warns Those New to Insurance Coverage:
Speak Up for Yourself

With millions of people newly covered by health insurance, and 11,000 more becoming eligible for Medicare every day, more people will be visiting doctors and hospitals.

And while that's a positive, patient advocate Ruth Fenner Barash warns that the U.S. health care system is not always the benevolent safety net many people believe it to be. It can be abusive, incompetent, callous toward patients - and worse.

"Patients and their loved ones cannot blindly turn themselves over to this massive, technology-based system and trust that it will care - or take care of them," says Barash, who shares lessons learned from extensive health-care experiences in a new book, "For Better or Worse: Lurching from Crisis to Crisis in America's Medical Morass," (http://forbetterorworsebook.com/).

Her cautionary tale traces the long medical journey her husband, Philip, endured with her as his advocate. She discovered mismanagement and excess, useless interventions and a sometimes complete disregard for pain - even when there was no hope of healing.

"I learned a great deal from our experience, and with so many people now gaining access to health care, I want others to benefit from what I've learned," she says. "You can navigate the system; you just have to know how."

Barash offers these suggestions for patients and their loved ones, whether it's a trip to the doctor for a checkup or a diagnosis of a catastrophic illness.

• Avoid the emergency room - for your own sake. Emergency rooms were developed with the idea that few people would use them - most people would see their physician. But as health care costs rose, they became a primary care facility for those without insurance or the money to pay for services out of pocket. "Patients and their families were not expected to spend a long time in the E.R. - presumably, they would be seen quickly and either admitted to the hospital or treated and released - so they're not designed for comfort," Barash says. "They've become very crowded, especially in cities, and patients might wait for hours sitting in hard plastic chairs in the waiting room. For someone who's sick or injured, this can be torture."
Sick people usually are not isolated, so waiting rooms also teem with germs, she notes.

• Be skeptical - question everything. Too often, we take the first thing we're told as gospel, Barash says. "If you have the luxury of time, take some of that time to think things through, to research and get second opinions," she says. Research your physician's connections. When you're referred to a specialist, ask why that particular person. If you live in an area with a large academic community, ask around about the physicians and health-care providers with the best reputations. Who has the most experience in a particular niche? Who's doing the most promising research? How many times have you performed this procedure and what is your success rate?

• Ask what it costs - no matter who's paying. Our health-care system is absurd in the number of useless consultations, diagnostic procedures and interventions it foists on patients, Barash says. Whether our hospital bills are fully covered by Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance, or we're paying a portion ourselves, we must all include cost in our discussions with health-care providers. "Part of the blame for having the most expensive health-care system in the world goes to us, the individuals, who don't question purchases or shop for prices as we would for groceries, clothing, or furniture," Barash says.  "If a test or consultation is ordered, understand why. Is it really necessary? You can say no!"

Finally, Barash says, we all must come to terms with the fact that death is a given.

"My husband's problem, and the problem many of us may be doomed to face, is the seemingly endless getting there - a dying we don't want."

About Ruth Fenner Barash

Ruth Fenner Barash studied philosophy at City College of New York and did graduate work at the University of Chicago. In 1958, she met and married Philip Barash, a private practice attorney. She went on to work in public relations and real estate, served education and civic organizations at the executive level, and taught art in various media. Her long marriage was a "harmonious adventure" despite the couple's treacherous journey through the health-care system. Her husband died in 2012.

16 Jan 2014

CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION

By Jackie E. Holecek

City of Davenport, Iowa

Saturday, January 18, 2014, 8:30 a.m.

City Council Chambers, City Hall, 226 West 4th Street

I. Goal Setting and General Fund Operating Budget Introduction

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