KWIT Local
(2009-11-10)
SIOUX CITY, IA
(kwit) -
In Iowa...
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The state and its largest employee union
have reached an agreement calling for workers to take five unpaid
furlough days. The move helps protect hundreds of jobs that would
have been cut as part of a 10 percent budget reduction ordered by
Gov. Chet Culver.
In addition, a deferred compensation program the state offers
will be suspended.
Culver's office and Council 61 of the American Federation of
State, County and Municipal Employees announced the deal Monday.
The two actions will save the state $26.4 million and allow
officials to keep 479 jobs.
The agreement still must be approved by union members.
When Culver announced the budget cuts last month, officials said
it could cost up to 1,300 jobs. Negotiations have been held with
the union since then to avoid some of those job losses.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The Iowa Department of Public Health is
reporting two more swine flu-related deaths.
According to the health department, the victims are two Polk
County adults. Officials said both victims had risk factors that
increased the chance of complications from the H1N1 virus.
Health department medical director Dr. Patricia Quinlick said
Monday that school absenteeism related to illness appears to be
declining. But swine flu among adults is increasing.
She says although most adults will recover from H1N1 without
complications, they should be aware of warning signs that should
prompt immediate medical attention.
Those who contract H1N1 should watch for difficulty breathing or
chest pain, blue discoloration of lips, difficulty keeping liquids
down, dizziness while standing and difficulty urinating.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Four of the five groups expected to seek
an Iowa casino license have now handed over their proposals to
state regulators.
While projects from Lyon, Tama, Webster and Wapello counties met
Monday's application deadline, a group from Franklin County that
had expressed interest in building a casino failed to turn in their
application to the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.
The new applications are just the beginning of a months-long
process before the commission makes a decision on possible new
licenses.
Commission Administrator Jack Ketterer said the next milestone
is January 7, the deadline for commitments for equity and financing
for the projects.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Prosecutors say the former manager of
an Iowa kosher meatpacking plant masterminded a fraud scheme and
harbored immigrants at the plant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Deegan Jr. gave the government's
closing arguments Monday in Sholom Rubashkin's federal financial
fraud trial in U.S. District Court in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Rubashkin is on trial on 91 financial fraud charges, and Deegan
asked jurors to convict the former Agriprocessors Inc. vice
president on all counts.
Deegan pointed to financial records and witness testimony to try
to persuade jurors that Rubashkin cheated the plant's lender and
ignored repeated warnings about illegal workers at the Postville,
Iowa, plant.
Deegan also says that Rubashkin's claim that he didn't know
about the crimes is "ridiculous."
In Nebraska...
WASHINGTON (AP) - Abortion opponents in the Senate want tough
restrictions in the health care overhaul bill, similar to the
limits passed by the House this past weekend.
The issue could roil an already shaky Democratic effort to pass
a health care bill by year's end for President Barack Obama.
Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska said Monday it's highly
unlikely he would support a bill that doesn't clearly prohibit
federal dollars from going to pay for abortions. His spokesman said
Nelson is weighing options, including offering an amendment similar
to the one passed by the House.
The limits in the House bill have angered liberals, some of whom
are now threatening to vote against health care legislation if the
curbs stay in.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Nebraska lawmakers are having trouble
following directions during the special legislative session
intended to cut $334 million from the two-year state budget.
Excluding bills introduced on behalf of Gov. Dave Heineman, nine
of the 12 bills introduced by lawmakers have been deemed clearly or
likely outside the session limits that were set by Heineman.
That means the bills probably will not be considered at all
during the session. On Monday, Attorney General Jon Bruning's
office issued negative opinions on eight of the bills.
Last week, Bruning's office said another bill didn't fit the
purposes of the special session.
One of the bills nixed on Monday called for increasing fee money
that goes to a fund to control weeds.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A Nebraskan who last year ran as a Democrat
in an effort to unseat Rep. Lee Terry is now serving as the
Republican's campaign co-chairman.
Terry's campaign announced Monday that Richard Carter will serve
as co-chairman of Terry's 2010 re-election effort. His partner in
leading the campaign has not yet been announced.
The 31-year-old Carter lost to Jim Esch in the 2008 Democratic
primary for Nebraska's 2nd District House seat. Following that
loss, he joined the re-election campaign for Terry, who went on to
win a sixth term.
Carter is now a registered Republican.
A member of the U.S. Air Force Reserve who flew tours over Iraq
and Afghanistan in 2003, 2004, 2005, Carter teaches economics at
Metro Community College in Omaha.
In South Dakota...
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds says he won't
seek a tax increase to fix state budget problems that are expected
to get much worse in the next two years.
The governor says he doubts the South Dakota Legislature would
increase taxes, so he is seeking to balance the state budget by
searching for budget cuts.
The state is using federal stimulus money to help get through
the next two years. Rounds says up to $29 million in state reserves
might be needed to get through the current budget year because the
recession caused a decline in revenue and an increase in spending
on people who lost jobs.
However, Rounds says employment numbers are better than
expected, so revenue should be better than expected a couple of
months ago.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - The weekly South Dakota crop report
says warm, dry weather last week helped row crops dry and the fall
harvest to resume.
Very little precipitation was reported in the state.
The report says the soybean harvest advanced 26 percentage
points last week. Seventy-six percent of the crop has been
harvested, compared to 99 percent for the five-year average.
Eighteen percent of the state's corn crop has been harvested,
compared to 71 percent for the five-year average. And 67 percent of
the sorghum crop has been harvested, compared to 83 percent for the
five-year average.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Sioux Falls is one of the stops on the
book tour of Sarah Palin, former Alaska governor and the 2008
Republican vice presidential candidate.
Palin is to appear at Barnes & Noble in Sioux Falls on Dec. 6 to
sign copies of her book, "Going Rogue: An American Life."
"Going Rogue" has an announced first printing of 1.5 million
copies and has been at or near the top of Amazon.com's best-seller
list for weeks.
Palin is among several Republicans seen as 2012 presidential
aspirants who are jockeying for position as they campaign and raise
money for 2010 GOP candidates.
© Copyright 2012, kwit
