WINSTON SALEM, NC (01/23/2012)(readMedia)-- Michael Herman a resident of Davenport, IA, was among over 1800 students from Wake Forest University who made the Fall Dean's List.

About Wake Forest University

Founded in 1834, Wake Forest University is a top-25 university located in Winston-Salem, NC. Wake Forest combines the best tradition of a small liberal arts college with the resources of a national research university. For more information, contact the Wake Forest Office of Communications and External Relations at 336-758-5237.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Here is information about Senator Grassley's schedule this week in Washington.  The Senate is in session.

Senator Grassley will hold meetings with Iowans representing March for Life, ASCD (formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development), the Iowa Corn Growers, the Visiting Nurse Association, and Farm Credit Services of America.

Senator Grassley will be a guest on public affairs programs hosted by Sam Clovis of KSCJ Radio in Sioux City, Trent Rice of KASI Radio of Ames, Captain Steve and Tommy Lang of KCJJ Radio in Iowa City, and Ryan Schlader of WMT Radio in Cedar Rapids.

On Tuesday, January 24, at 9 p.m. (ET), Senator Grassley will attend the State of the Union address by the President in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives.

On Wednesday, January 25, Senator Grassley will participate in day-long meeting at Mount Vernon of the Senate Republican Conference, the formal organization of Republican senators.

On Thursday, January 26, at 3:30 p.m. (ET) Senator Grassley will meet in his office with Zarar Ahmad Moqbel Omani, the Minister of Counter Narcotics in Afghanistan, as well as Eklil Hakimi, the Ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States.  Senator Grassley co-chairs the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control.  The caucus held a hearing last summer regarding Afghanistan's counter narcotics operations.  Afghanistan is one of the biggest producers of opium and heroin and proceeds from sales of the drugs have been a funding source for the Taliban.

Rural Policy Workshops Held Next Week

Lyons, NE - The Center for Rural Affairs, and the Women Food and Agriculture Network are co-hosting several workshops to discuss how the 2012 Farm Bill and other looming policy debates in Washington will significantly impact rural communities.

"We will also discuss how to communicate with elected officials and other decision-makers, the importance of  local, state and federal policy, how to influence policy decisions that impact you locally, and key issues in the upcoming Farm Bill," said Traci Bruckner, Assistant Director for Rural Policy at the Center for Rural Affairs.

"The Farm Bill is more than just farm subsidies and crop insurance," Bruckner continued. The Farm Bill impacts farmers, ranchers, consumers, small towns and rural mainstreet businesses with investments in conservation, nutrition and school lunches, broadband, housing, small business assistance, rural economic and community development, and much more.

Staff from the Women Food and Agriculture Network will discuss how Farm Bill programs can be used to increase conservation practices and help women landowners in Iowa (women own or co-own 47% of Iowa's farmland) make informed conservation decisions and reach their conservation goals."We are all affected by rural policy," said Bruckner. "Join us to find out how you can make your voice heard and to share your ideas with us and other rural leaders who can help you make things happen in your community."

What: Rural policy workshops

When and Where:
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Harlan Dining Room
Thomas Commons Building
Cornell College
810 Commons Circle
Mount Vernon, IA

Thursday, February 2, 2012
4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Wild Rose Casino
777 Main Street
Emmetsburg, Iowa

For more information or to RSVP please contact Virginia Wolking at (402) 687-2100 (virginiaw@cfra.org) or Leigh Adcock at (515) 460-2477.

Light refreshments will be provided.

See www.cfra.org for more information about the Center for Rural Affairs.

Braley to discuss higher education cost, career-readiness, and more with students, faculty, & administrators

 

Washington, DC - On Thursday January 26th, Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) will embark on a two-day tour of eastern Iowa colleges and universities to host a series of open forums on the state of higher education.

Braley will moderate an open discussion including students, faculty, and administrators from local campuses with a focus on college affordability, student financial aid, career-readiness, and other significant challenges facing higher education today.

"From questions about affordability to mountains of student loan debt, there are unprecedented challenges facing students who want to pursue a college education," Braley said.  "I'm traveling across eastern Iowa to listen to students and educators about these challenges and to hear their suggestions for how to address them."

The events are free and open to local students and the public.

Thursday January 26th, 2012

10:00am  -  Quad Cities Campus Forum

St. Ambrose University

Rogalski Center

518 West Locust St.

Davenport, Iowa

 

1:00pm   -  Cedar Rapids Campus Forum

Coe College

Clark Alumni House

200 College Dr. NE

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

 

Friday January 27th, 2012

 

1:00pm  -  Cedar Valley Campus Forum

University of Northern Iowa

Maucker Union, Room 109

Cedar Falls, Iowa

 

4:15pm   -  Grinnell Campus Forum

Grinnell College

Rosenfeld Center, Room 101

1127 Park St.

Grinnell, Iowa

 

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Des Moines, January 23, 2012 –On February 21, the Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the item veto case of Homan v. Branstad beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Supreme Court Courtroom on the fourth floor of the Judicial Branch Building in Des Moines. The evening session is primarily for the convenience of members of the public and state officials who would like to attend. Oral arguments are always open to the public.

For more information, visit http://www.iowacourts.gov/Supreme_Court

Des Moines – A recently released Iowa Utilities Board staff memo critically analyzes a proposed amended version of House File 561, a bill that would allow utilities to raise customers' rates up front for a possible Iowa nuclear power plant before it is built.  This memo confirms many of AARP's and other ratepayer concerns and reasons for opposing the proposed legislation.

 

In the memo, the IUB staff notes the various ways an amended HF 561 not only fails to protect consumer interests, but that the proposed changes to Iowa law would actually create incentives for utilities to behave in a manner contrary to the public interest.

 

Even with the last minute amendment, the IUB staff writes (on page 3, section 3) HF 561 "would shift nearly all of the construction, licensing and permitting risk associated with one or more nuclear plants from the company to its customers." The legislation does this by pre-approving spending and guaranteeing utilities can recover pre-approved prudent costs, "including a profit on capital investments."

 

The memo also notes that "some of these provisions could create incentives for the company to engage in behavior that could be contrary to the public interest in certain situations." Among those provisions is a section that would permit the full recovery of all pre-approved expenditures, including profits, even if the utility does not complete the project.

 

Continuing on page 3, the memo presents one example of "the way the bill shifts risk form the company to its customers and creates undesirable incentives." For example, what happens if the utility company makes a multi-million dollar construction mistake a few years and $1 billion into the project?  The changes HF 561 makes to Iowa law would "effectively create an incentive for the utility to walk away from the plant" because the utility is already guaranteed recovery and profit on all spending up to that point.

 

"This memo supports AARP concerns about shifting the high cost and risks to build an estimated multi-billion plant onto ratepayers before it is built," said AARP State Director Kent Sovern.  "Besides highlighting the ways this bill incentivizes behavior contrary to the public interest, the memo also details ways this legislation would tie the hands of the Utility Board from protecting and advancing the public interest."

 

Sovern also praised the Iowa Senate, which did not pass HF 561 last year. "The Senate demonstrated its leadership and its concern for consumers in its refusal last year to pass this legislation. This memo," Sovern said, "confirms many of the ways this legislation is a raw deal for Iowa consumers."

 

AARP is concerned about keeping utility rates affordable and accessible, which is particularly an issue for aging Iowans.  November 2011 data shows that despite the fact Iowa had a relatively mild winter, near record numbers of Iowans were still behind on their utility bills. Iowans can make their voices heard and contact their lawmakers on this issue by calling a statewide toll-free connection to the State Senate at 1-800-480-4075, or on line at www.action.aarp.org/ia.
A barbershop quartet will deliver a Singing Valentine to your sweetheart on Valentine's Day.  Four singers dressed in tuxedos will serenade her or him, then present a single red rose and a photograph of this special Valentine.  It's truly a unique way to say, "I  love you" on Valentine's Day.

For more information and order form, call Valentine Central  563-340-8743, or visit http://www.thechordbusters.com and select "Order a Valentine".

AURORA-- One team from the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy® (IMSA) received the highest ranking possible in the 14th annual international High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling (HiMCM). Their performance placed IMSA among the top seven schools in the world in this year's competition.

The IMSA team of Henry Deng of DeKalb, Matt Gietl of Batavia, Andrew Ta of Naperville and Matt Yang of Hanover Park received the rank of "National Outstanding."

Only seven teams out of 435 that competed worldwide received this ranking.  In addition, two other IMSA teams received the rank of "Regional Outstanding."  Students on these teams included Webster Guan of Lisle, Aditya Karan of Naperville, Nilesh Kavthekar of Naperville, Peter Lu of Lisle, Nolan Maloney of Naperville, Abhinav Reddy of Naperville, Nishith Reddy of Naperville and Stanley Yuan of Naperville.

Although international studies generally place the United States in the middle of the pack compared to other countries, IMSA President Dr. Max McGee noted that IMSA's students have proven to be among the best in the world, in international competitions.

"For the seventh consecutive year, IMSA's math teams have received the highest ranking possible in this international event showcasing how mathematics can be used to solve some of the world's most challenging scientific, economic and social problems," McGee said. "IMSA students and coaches, both past and present, are to be commended for this amazing achievement."

The High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling is a 36-hour contest where each team is expected to solve a mathematical modeling problem. Each team then prepares and submits a paper discussing their solution to the problem.

IMSA's "National Outstanding" team had to develop a comprehensive 10-year plan including costs, payloads, and flight schedules to maintain the International Space Station.

Outstanding teams will have their solution papers (or their solution abstracts) published in COMAP's Consortium newsletter among other places. More information on the contest can be found at http://www.comap.com/highschool/contests/himcm/.

The internationally recognized Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy® (IMSA) develops creative, ethical leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. As a teaching and learning laboratory created by the State of Illinois, IMSA enrolls academically talented Illinois students (grades 10-12) in its advanced, residential college preparatory program, and it serves thousands of educators and students in Illinois and beyond through innovative instructional programs that foster imagination and inquiry. IMSA also advances education through research, groundbreaking ventures and strategic partnerships. (www.imsa.edu)

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Monday, January 23, 2012

Grassley Pursues Details of Questionable Contact Related to LightSquared

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today asked the principal behind the LightSquared wireless project to explain a questionable contact to Grassley's office that intimated benefits for Grassley if he softened his inquiry of government approval of the project.

Grassley wrote to Philip Falcone of Harbinger Capital Partners, expressing concern that two separate incidents implied a desire to have Grassley "pull punches" in his investigation.  Grassley said he "won't be a part of that."  One contact came in an email from Falcone to Grassley's office, saying that since LightSquared is already in the political "arena," it could be made a "win" for Grassley, LightSquared, and the consumer.

The second contact was from someone who intimated that he represented LightSquared in a call to Grassley's staff.  The individual, Todd Ruelle, said he "only gets paid if this deal goes through" and hinted that if LightSquared were allowed to proceed, Grassley's home state of Iowa could get a "call center."   Grassley's office advised Ruelle not to contact the office further and called the Senate ethics committee regarding the contact.

Ruelle also was named in emails made public through a separate inquiry.  In the emails, Ruelle corresponded with Fox News Channel bookers over making arrangements for a Falcone appearance.  After Ruelle forwarded these e-mails to a government official, the government official asked Ruelle to cease communicating with him.

Grassley wrote to Falcone, asking him to explain whether he and/or LightSquared have a relationship with Ruelle and if so, to provide details.

Since last April, Grassley has been reviewing why the Federal Communications Commission rushed approval of the LightSquared project without adequately exploring what turned out to be  widespread concerns of interference with the Global Positioning System devices widely used by the military, first responders, aviation, precision agriculture, and consumer navigation.

The text of Grassley's letter to Falcone is available here.  The attachments are available here, here and here.

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CHICAGO - January 23, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today released a statement regarding Senator Mark Kirk, who suffered a stroke this weekend.

"Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the senator and his family as we wish him a swift and strong recovery. We can all take comfort knowing that as a Navy commander, Sen. Kirk knows how to fight and he will fight through this to return to his work on behalf of the people of Illinois as quickly as possible."

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