Cross country
Opinion
Cyclones dominate lone home meet of the year
U.S. media’s shift narrows world view
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TUESDAY
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September 21, 2010 | Volume 206 | Number 20 | 40 cents | iowastatedaily.com | An independent newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890.
Politics
Ames
Cub Foods store will close following ‘business decision’ Cub Foods will close its Ames store, located at 3121 Grand Ave. Cub Foods Communications Director Lilia Rodriguez said the store would close on or before Nov. 16. She did not offer a specific reason of why the store will shut its doors, saying only that it was a business decision. “It is always a difficult decision to make, because of customer and employee loyalty,” Rodriguez said. “But through this decision, we hope to be more efficient in our other
stores.” Cub Foods will be assisting displaced associates at the store to find future employment, according to a news release from Cub Foods. Rodriguez said that Cub Foods will guide employees to local and regional agencies to help find future employment. The Ames location has about 65 employees. Mike Lee, manager of Cub Foods, declined to answer questions. Daily Staff
Senate
Gov. Chet Culver visited WebFilings in Ames on Monday. Culver said that growth in green-collar jobs are a part of why Iowa is doing better than many state economies. Photo: Tyler Kingkade/Iowa State Daily
Iowa grows green Governor cites businesses as ‘leading Iowa forward’ By Tyler.Kingkade iowastatedaily.com Gov. Chet Culver launched a tour Monday of Iowa companies he said will lead Iowa forward, and said he will continue to encourage green-collar jobs and invest in information technology, advanced manufacturing and bio science companies. “We’re going to continue on what has worked,” Culver said, explaining those fields are where Iowa is seeing success and can help keep people from leaving the state for work. “We’re very focused on continuing to lead in terms of information technology, obviously,” he said. Monday, Culver, along with Iowa Department of Economic Development Director Bret Mills and State Sen. Herman Quirmbach, visited WebFilings,
2625 North Loop Drive, to hear a presentation about what the company described as “hyper-growth.” WebFilings is a cloud-based technology company working with public companies who must file SEC reports. It received $900,000 from the IDED to date but has raised $7 million by private sources. It also said it wants to continue to work with the state to invest in growth, which it said will allow it to have 300 employees by 2014. Culver said this was a successful example of a public-private partnership in Iowa. “I do think this is a great example of why Iowa’s outpacing most of the country right now in terms of job creation and economic growth,” Culver said to WebFilings leaders. The company told the governor its wages were 120 percent of what the average Iowa wage is. It pointed to independent studies showing for every high salary job created, up to
Judge to visit Iowa State Lt. Gov. Patty Judge will visit Iowa State at noon on Tuesday in the Gold Room of the Memorial Union. The event is open to the public.
10 jobs locally are supported. WebFilings currently employs 96 people and said it’s created a direct tax base of $37.5 million in Iowa. Culver said he feels the state is hitting its “sweet spot” in terms of success encouraging businesses like WebFilings to expand in Iowa. Republican Terry Branstad launched a new television ad this week called, “We’ve got an app for that,” which attacked Culver on the jobs lost and the cost of the I-JOBS program. However, the ad incorrectly states I-JOBS costs the taxpayers $1.7 billion,
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Convocation
Geoffroy praises enrollment
By Tyler.Kingkade iowastatedaily.com The Small Business Jobs and Credit Act of 2010 passed the U.S. Senate this week with a vote of 61-38. The bill creates a $30 billion fund to provide small banks, those with assets under $10 million, and included $12 billion in tax breaks. Supporters said the legislation would help ease the crunch by providing more capital. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) voted yes on the bill, however, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) voted no. The two Republican senators to break ranks are both leaving the Senate this year. A provision that did not make it through the Senate was a “payroll tax holiday.” The bill now goes back to the House to vote to accept
President Gregory Geoffroy gives the Presidential Address at the 2010 Fall Convocation on Monday in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union. Geoffroy discussed flood recovery, redevelopment of Campustown and the increase of student enrollment. Photo: Ashlee Clark/Iowa State Daily
enough graduates in Iowa to focus on growth, Geoffroy said. Geoffroy mentioned that Iowa State enrolls significantly more transfer students from community colleges than any other university. “What all of this means ... [is] our academic programs
are remaining exceptionally strong,” Geoffroy said. He said that Iowa State had a 27-percent increase in sponsored funding, bringing totals up to $388 million. “We raised over $101.1 million in private support ... I’m very proud of the alumni association and the great job
it does,” Geoffroy said. “It’s not been so bright in our state support,” Geoffroy said. He said state appropriations went down 22 percent between 2000 and 2009, essentially $63 million.
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Harkin
Grassley
Senate changes. Harkin and Grassley were also split on confirmation of Jane Branstetter Stranch, of Tennessee, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit. Branstetter was confirmed 71-21, and eight did not vote. Harkin voted yes, Grassley voted no. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” will face its first key vote Tuesday when the Senate votes on a “motion to proceed.” If the vote passes, it’s unclear whether it will pass before the next recess.
Election 2010
Professor to tour Iowa as he makes gubernatorial run By Tyler.Kingkade iowastatedaily.com
By Paige.Godden iowastatedaily.com ISU President Gregory Geoffroy spoke about various issues the university has had to face throughout the past year, before handing out awards to several faculty and staff members at the fall convocation Monday afternoon. “It was a particularly challenging year last year because of economic woes,” Geoffroy began. Geoffroy said he hopes “that the worst of the budget issues are behind us.” He said that despite the difficult year, Iowa State made great progress on a number of fronts. An area of progress Geoffroy mentioned was the record enrollment this fall of 28,682 students. “When you look at the trend over the past six years ... all of our growth has come from international students and students from Minnesota, Illinois and a number of other states,” Geoffroy said. He said the graduation rates in Iowa have been declining, which is why the university has to focus on outof-state students. There isn’t
Iowa senators split on tax break, judge confirmation votes
Libertarian candidate for governor, Eric Cooper, will begin touring Iowa this week with lieutenant governor nominee Nick Weltha, making stops in Cedar Falls and Waterloo on Saturday. Cooper, also an ISU associate professor of psychology and neuroscience, openly admits he will not win the gubernatorial race. “Our goal in this election is to get at least 2 percent of the vote which would give the Libertarian Party major party status under Iowa law,” Cooper said in a news release. “We also hope to draw enough support away from the major parties to encourage them to poach our issues in order to steal our voters.” Cooper cites movements of the Populist Party and the Socialist Party a century ago to validate his candidacy. The Populists, he said on his website, wanted direct election of U.S. senators rather than the state legislature electing them, which was achieved. Socialists sought and were successful in improved labor laws, establishing a minimum wage and the Department of Education.
“We seek to popularize the Jeffersonian notion of a small, limited government Cooper among Iowa citizens, and give citizens who would like to see a reduction in the size of Iowa government an option at the voting both,” Cooper said. Cooper is currently the vice chairman of the Libertarian Party of Iowa. He has run as a Libertarian for the state legislature and was the Iowa college coordinator for the Ron Paul presidential campaign prior to the 2008 Iowa caucuses. Weltha is a systems administrator for the Iowa Judicial Branch and served as vice chairman of the Libertarian Party of Iowa from 2006 to 2008. Cooper’s website states the government should have no role in what defines marriage but “no restrictions should be placed on the actions of peaceful people.” He also stands against the Iowa Smokefree Air Act, says Iowa has one of the most restrictive fireworks bans in the country and calls the war on drugs a “miserable failure.”