15 May 2013

Lecture Series on Geology of the National Parks Continues at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

By Adam Prato

WEST BRANCH, IOWA– Dr. Richard Baker continues his series of lectures about geology in our national parks this summer, with presentations focusing on Big Bend (June 19), Yosemite (July 24), and Hawaii Volcanoes (August 25). Dr. Baker is a professor emeritus in the Geoscience Department at University of Iowa. He completed his doctorate research at Yellowstone National Park. He has traveled to many of our national parks and has taught a course on them at the University of Iowa. The lectures are free and last about one hour. They begin at the visitor center of Herbert Hoover National Historic Site at 7:00 p.m. on June 19 and July 24, and at 1:00 p.m. on August 25.

The lectures are offered in recognition of President Herbert Hoover's interest in geology and conservation. As a boy growing up in West Branch, Iowa, Hoover collected interesting rocks from along nearby railroad tracks. As an adult, before becoming famous as a humanitarian and later as President of the United States, he and his wife Lou Henry Hoover graduated from Stanford University with degrees in geology. Herbert Hoover turned his formal education into a successful career as a mining engineer, and wrote books and articles about mining. The two Hoovers even translated from Latin the 16th century mining book De Re Metallica, published one hundred years ago in 1912.

A lifelong fishing enthusiast, Herbert Hoover enjoyed also outdoor recreation and valued conservation of natural resources. During Hoover's presidency from 1929 to 1933, the size of our national forests expanded by more than two million acres, and the land area of our national parks and monuments increased by 40 percent.

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site and the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum are in West Branch, Iowa at exit 254 off I-80. Both are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time. For more information go online at www.nps.gov/heho or call (319) 643-2541.

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

110 Parkside Drive

PO Box 607

West Branch, Iowa 52358


319 643-2541 phone

319 643-7864 fax

www.nps.gov/heho


Twitter: @HooverNPS

Facebook: HerbertHooverNHS

15 May 2013

Grassley Seeks Details Behind IRS Official's Apology for Targeting Tax-exempt Groups

By Rick Martin

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today asked the IRS for details on the agency's move to disclose the targeting of tax-exempt groups for scrutiny and apologize for the targeting at a legal conference, after refusing to fully answer questions about such activity from members of Congress who have been asking about the targeting for more than a year.  Grassley also asked for communications on the issue between the IRS and the White House or other organizations.

"An IRS official apologized for activities the IRS previously denied," Grassley said.  "She explained the activities in a detailed way.  Why now, and why at a conference instead of to Congress?  Congress has been asking the same questions.   The IRS has to answer for its behavior and its failure to disclose its behavior."

The IRS' screening of tax-exempt groups with certain political leanings came to light on Friday, when the head of the IRS' tax-exempt division disclosed the practice at an American Bar Association conference and apologized for it.  The disclosure came days before an inspector general report on the issue is expected to become public.

Key members of Congress have written to the IRS and heard testimony from top IRS officials in denial of the targeting practice over the past year.

The text of Grassley's letter is available here.

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15 May 2013

Classrooms First legislation heads to Governor's desk

By Rick Martin

SPRINGFIELD - May 14, 2013. Lt. Governor Sheila Simon's Classrooms First Commission legislation, House Bill 2267, passed the Senate unanimously today. The legislation, which will make it easier for school districts to voluntarily consolidate, now heads to the governor's desk.

Simon, the state's point person on education reform, chaired the bipartisan Classrooms First Commission, which examined ways to help school districts reduce duplicative spending and improve educational offerings. The resulting legislation approved by both the House and Senate would allow non-contiguous school districts to consolidate, for faster reorganizations in small districts, and high school districts to tie consolidation dates to capital funding.

"It is important that school districts throughout the state have the tools they need in order to help students succeed. This legislation will put our students - not bureaucracy - first," said Simon. "I would like to thank Sen. Andy Manar and Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth for their leadership in moving this bill, and I encourage Governor Quinn to sign it quickly."

The Classrooms First Commission was comprised of P-20 stakeholders including teachers, administrators, parents and legislators, and it held public hearings across the state on school district consolidation last year. You can learn more about the commission's recommendations here.

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15 May 2013

Grassley: U.S. Military at West Point Selects Coralville Youth

By Grassley Press

May 14, 2013

WASHINGTON - Senator Chuck Grassley said today that Olivia Fairfield of Coralville has received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point for the 2013-2014 school year.

Fairfield is the daughter of Cathy and Clare John Fairfield.  She graduated last May from Iowa City West High School and has been attending the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School.  Fairfield is a volleyball player and participated in tennis and Students Against Destructive Decisions.

"Students work very hard for an opportunity to attend the service academies, and I wish Olivia Fairfield continued success," Grassley said.

Fairfield joins a number of other Iowa students who have been selected this year for admission to the U.S. service academies.  They are:

·         Nicholas Heth of Cedar Falls, Taylor Pluim of Sioux City, Jacob Romitti of Madrid, Cody Winkler of Keokuk, and Christopher M. Haijsman of McClelland have been appointed to the U.S. Air Force Academy.

·         Orion Boylston and Bernard Forney of Ames and Matthew Lee and Jackson Peplow of Iowa City have been appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy.

·         Adam Bradley of Dubuque, Brett Morales of Davenport, Patrick Mullin of Cedar Rapids, Wilson Pingrey of Coon Rapids, and William Krone of Johnston have been appointed to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

·         Michael Miller of Fairfield has been appointed to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

 

All of these students were among the Iowans Grassley nominated this year for appointments to the U.S. service academies.  Information about seeking nominations is posted at http://grassley.senate.gov/info/academy_nominations.cfm.

For more than 200 years, these academies have educated and trained individuals to lead and command the U.S. armed forces.

 

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14 May 2013

Treaver Willis Earns Certification as an Athletic Trainer

By Rachel Vogel Quinn

PELLA, (05/14/2013)(readMedia)-- Treaver Willis, a May 2013 graduate of Central College, is an athletic training major. Willis is a Muscatine native and recently passed the Board of Certification examination to become a certified athletic trainer.

Central College is a residential, liberal arts college dedicated to the education of 1,500 undergraduate students. Guided by its ecumenical Christian tradition, the college community engages in vigorous, free, open inquiry in pursuit of academic excellence. Founded in 1853, the college is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America and NCAA Division III athletics.

Central is a recognized leader in study abroad as a result of its international, residential programs. Central College is located in Pella, Iowa, a thriving community of 10,000 two minutes from the state's largest lake and 40 minutes southwest of Des Moines. Please visit the college website at www.central.edu.

14 May 2013

Illinois National Guard Among Nation's Leaders in New West Pointers

By Illinois National Guard PAO

SPRINGFIELD, IL (05/14/2013)(readMedia)-- The Illinois Army National Guard is among the nation's leaders taking advantage of a U. S. Military Academy at West Point program that sets aside 85 appointments to the academy for enlisted Army National Guard or Army Reserve Soldiers.

At least five Illinois National Guard Soldiers have secured seats at West Point, with a sixth Soldier, Pfc. Jacob Weiss of Sherman, receiving a Congressional appointment to the academy. This currently ties the Illinois Army National Guard with the Georgia Army National Guard for the most appointments to West Point this year, said Lt. Col. Mark Alessia, of Sherman, the Recruiting and Retention Commander for the Illinois Army National Guard.

"We look at this as a short-term loss, but a long-term gain," Alessia said. "It is a loss because the Illinois National Guard is giving up outstanding enlisted Soldiers to the academy and the active Army, but it is a gain because these same individuals will represent the National Guard, throughout their military career."

Other West Point graduates may learn about the Illinois Army National Guard through these officers as well.

The program, dubbed "Operation Opportunity," recognizes "outstanding junior enlisted Soldiers who demonstrate the ideals and values of the Corps of Cadets - Duty, Honor, and Country," according to Lt. Col. Mark A. Boettcher, the Chief of the Army National Guard's Strength Maintenance Division.

To be eligible for the program, a Soldier must be a U.S. citizen, at least 17 years old, no older than 22 years old on July 1, 2014, unmarried, and have no legal obligation to support a dependent. The Soldier must also be a high school graduate or pass the General Educational Development test, be eligible for re-enlistment, have completed basic combat training and be recommended by his or her company commander. The student must have SAT scores of 500 or higher or ACT scores of 20 or higher.

West Point is among the nation's top institutions producing more Rhodes Scholars than any other college or university in the country except Harvard, Princeton and Yale. It has produced more winners of the Hertz Fellowship than all other schools except Stanford and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But unlike those other prestigious institutions, the U.S. Army pays for all tuition, room, board, books, uniforms, medical and dental care, training costs and pay for its West Point cadets. A West Point education is valued at more than $300,000.

Operation Opportunity is particularly valuable because it exponentially increases a Soldier's chances of acceptance to West Point. Each year, West Point receives some 12,000 applications. Only about 1,200 are accepted, including those 85 slots set aside for National Guard or Reserve Soldiers. Soldiers meeting the eligibility requirements may start the initial application by going online at www.usma.edu/applynow.

14 May 2013

Loebsack Calls for 'Swift Dismissal' of Those Involved in IRS Targeting

By Rick Martin

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack today called on President Obama to fully investigate the allegations that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) illegally targeted non-profit organizations based on ideological criteria.  He also called for the swift dismissal of anyone involved in the wrongdoing and anyone who had knowledge that it was happening and did not act to stop it.  Yesterday, Loebsack wrote to the Acting Commissioner of the IRS calling for an investigation and today sent a letter to the President demanding action.

"I call upon the IRS to promptly conduct a thorough, independent investigation of these allegations.  The agency needs to hold those responsible for this partisan discrimination fully accountable, including firing anyone who had knowledge that it was happening and did not act to stop it," Loebsack wrote to Steven Miller, the Acting Commissioner of the IRS. "I respectfully call on you to see through an impartial, independent investigation of these allegations, and urge you to take appropriate actions to hold those responsible fully accountable."

"I was incredibly shocked to read the reports that the Internal Revenue Service engaged in targeting of groups based on ideological criteria.  It is unacceptable for the agency that we as a nation rely on to execute our tax code to be anything but completely neutral and nonpartisan," Loebsack wrote to President Obama.  "If it is found that these allegations are true, I urge the swift dismissal of those involved in the wrongdoing as well as anyone who knew what was happening and did not immediately act to fully investigate and disclose actions by IRS employees."

The letter to Acting Commissioner Miller can be found here.  The letter to President Obama can be found here.

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14 May 2013

Smokey Robinson's June 7, 2013 iWireless Center Date Cancelled

By Stephani Nagle

The June 7, 2013 Smokey Robinson concert at the iWireless Center has been cancelled due to a personal scheduling conflict. Refunds will be available at the original point of purchase beginning Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 10 am.

The iWireless Center will offer all patrons who purchased Smokey Robinson tickets the opportunity to purchase tickets for Chicago at the iWireless Center scheduled for June 17, 2013 at a $10 per ticket discount.

 

 

 

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14 May 2013

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Unveils Vision for U.S. Organic Agriculture

By USDA Office of Communications
Announces Organic Crop Insurance, Other Measure

Washington, May 14, 2013 ? Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today discussed his vision for U.S. organic agriculture and USDA efforts to ensure its continued success during remarks to the Organic Trade Association. Vilsack announced a number of changes and new initiatives to support the continued growth of organic agriculture, including that the USDA's Risk Management Agency's (RMA) federal crop insurance program will increase coverage options for organic producers this year and provide even more options in 2014, including a contract price addendum as well as new premium price elections for organic crops. Additionally, RMA will remove the current five-percent organic rate surcharge on all future crop insurance policies beginning in 2014.

Vilsack also said USDA will be providing new guidance and direction on organic production to all USDA agencies in support of organic agriculture and markets. USDA is now asking each agency to routinely address the needs of the organic sector in their programs and services where appropriate. The National Organic Program has supported the continued growth of America's organic sector, which has been increasing market share each year and now is a more than $30 billion industry. Vilsack noted that accurate data is the biggest obstacle for developing better crop insurance options for organic farmers and expressed his desire that Congress help USDA make further progress by renewing the 2008 Organic Data Initiative as part of a new Food, Farms and Jobs bill.

"Organic agriculture is one of the fastest growing segments of American agriculture and helps farmers receive a higher price for their product as they strive to meet growing consumer demand," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "These new options will extend the safety net provided by crop insurance and provide fair and flexible solutions to organic producers. Coupled with the new guidance for agencies to support this growing sector, USDA recognizes that organics are gaining market share and is helping boost this emerging segment."

New crop-insurance pricing options will be available to organic producers who grow crops under guaranteed contracts beginning with the 2014 crop year. This contract price option allows organic producers who receive a contract price for their crop to get a crop insurance guarantee that is more reflective of the actual value of their crop. They will have the ability, where available and at their choice, to use their personal contract price as their price election or to choose existing crop insurance price elections. This contract price option will be available for between 60 and 70 crops in the 2014 crop year and this contract price feature will be available to the majority of insured organic crops. RMA is also changing organic transitional yields (t-yields) so they will be more reflective of actual organic farming experience, starting with the 2014 crop year.

All crops are being evaluated for establishing organic prices for the 2014 crop year. Current pricing options only allow farmers to insure organic crops at the conventional prices, with the exception of eight crops (corn, soybeans, cotton, processing tomatoes, avocados, and several fresh stone fruit crops) that already have premium organic price elections. RMA is working to provide organic price elections for six to ten crops in 2014. Oats and mint are two crops that have already been selected for organic price elections in 2014, and apricots, apples, blueberries, millet, and others are still under consideration.

USDA's Agriculture Marketing Service last year announced the Organic Literacy Initiative, a public outreach and employee training program to help connect current and prospective organic operations with appropriate USDA resources. To date, over 14,000 USDA employees have taken the basic training on USDA's role in organic agriculture. The new guidance will further improve USDA agencies' ability to incorporate the needs of the growing organic sector into their programs and services. These combined actions should result in staff better equipped to help organic farmers obtain technical and financial assistance, insure crops and livestock, access research findings, secure loans, develop conservation practices, find current organic price information, and access local, regional, and international markets. Through this effort, agencies will also better understand the scope and rigor of the certification process and how it complements their own programs.

Organic certification allows farmers and ranchers to receive premium prices for their value-added products. Over the past 10 years, the number of certified organic farms and businesses in the United States has expanded to approximately 17,750, representing a 240 percent increase since USDA first began collecting this data. Similarly, the retail value of the organic industry grew almost 9.5 percent in 2011 to $31.4 billion. Organic foods continue to gain market share in the food industry, climbing to 4.2 percent of U.S. retail food sales in 2011.

USDA has already made several changes to better serve organic customers, including offering more flexible microloans and improving Federal crop insurance programs. To help open new markets for U.S. farmers and ranchers, USDA has streamlined trade with multiple foreign governments. These trade partnerships allow U.S. organic products to be sold as organic in Canada, the European Union, Taiwan, and Japan without maintaining certification to multiple standards. Expanding the reach of U.S. organic products creates opportunities for small businesses and increases jobs for Americans who grow, package, ship and market organic products.

USDA is responsible, under the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA), for establishing national standards for organically-produced agricultural products. The National Organic Program has been critical for the development of clear standards and enforcing a level playing-field for organic businesses, which has lead to expanded trade opportunities to create new markets for U.S. organic businesses. These standards assure consumers that products with the USDA organic seal meet consistent, uniform standards. For additional information about the USDA National Organic Program, visit www.ams.usda.gov/NOP.

Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. Contact a local crop insurance agent for more information about the program. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers or on the RMA web site at www.rma.usda.gov/tools/agents/.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, complete, sign and mail a program discrimination complaint form, (available at any USDA office location or online at www.ascr.usda.gov), to: United States Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call toll free at (866) 632-9992 to obtain additional information, the appropriate office or to request documents. If you are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities, contact USDA through the Federal Relay service at (800) 877-8339 or (800) 845-6136

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14 May 2013

Loebsack Statement on Department of Defense Civilian Furlough Announcement

By Joe Hand

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement today after the Department of Defense announced that most of its civilian employees, including Rock Island Arsenal employees, will be furloughed for 11 days due to budget cuts under sequestration and other budgetary factors.  Loebsack has been opposed to these drastic cuts since they were created by the Budget Control Act, which he voted against.  He has repeatedly called on Congressional leaders to work to find a balanced, commonsense way to replace sequestration and responsibly deal with the fiscal situation facing the nation.  He also called on Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to avoid furloughs and raised his strong concern about the effect of furloughs on national security and civilian personnel with Secretary of the Army John McHugh and Army Chief of Staff General Raymond Odierno.

"The men and women working at Rock Island Arsenal stand up for our country and support our troops day after day.  It is unconscionable that they and their families will be forced to take a pay cut because Congress and the Administration can't work together to replace the arbitrary cuts caused by sequestration.  Forcing middle class families and the Quad Cities economy to pay for Washington's dysfunction is reprehensible.

"Sequestration is an irresponsible and illogical way to deal with our nation's fiscal challenges.  I have repeatedly called on Congress to come back to the table and replace sequestration in a commonsense, balanced fashion.  Doing so would address our economic needs while more substantially reducing the deficit over the long-term.

"It makes no sense to me that the only people that are not feeling any pain from sequester are members of Congress themselves. It is time for Congress to step up and pass legislation that I introduced that would reduce Members of Congress' pay by 10 percent. The last time Congress saw a pay cut was in 1933 - eight decades ago.  Passing this bill would show Congress is serious about restoring fiscal discipline and putting some skin in the game."

Loebsack has consistently called for Members of Congress to have a personal stake in our nation's recovery.  In addition to authoring the CHIP IN and Cut Congressional Pay Act, he has previously cosponsored legislation that would tie the eligibility for Members of Congress to draw their pension benefits to their Social Security retirement age.  He has also voted multiple times to cut Congressional office budgets.

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