AMES, Iowa – May 17, 2012 – The Iowa Department of Transportation, in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration and Illinois Department of Transportation,...
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DES MOINES – A bipartisan House-Senate working group is hoping to craft reforms to the state’s tax increment financing (TIF) that can win legislative approval this session, group leaders said Monday. Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, said there is consensus building around efforts to bolster transparency,...
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DES MOINES – Iowa lawmakers should not inject themselves into tuition decisions that are under the purview of the state Board of Regents, Gov. Terry Branstad said today. While stopping short of issuing a veto threat, the governor told reporters he did not think it was appropriate for a House panel last week to...
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IOWA CITY – Johnson County’s joint emergency communications center may be looking for a new executive director. The center’s board met in closed session Friday morning to discuss a legal matter and has scheduled another meeting for 8 p.m. Monday to talk about the leadership of what is commonly known as the JECC, John...
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Linn County may become the fourth in Iowa to create a citizens’ committee to take a closer look at how and what we eat. County supervisors will consider a proposal at Monday’s work session to create a county food systems policy council. The group of volunteer county residents “would be sort of an advisory...
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DES MOINES – Opponents of automated traffic enforcement devices apparently have gotten the green light to debate a ban on red-light cameras in the Iowa House. House File 2214, a measure designed to ban cameras used to enforce traffic laws at busy or dangerous intersections and monitor speeds on streets and highways was placed...
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DES MOINES – The split-control Legislature faces its own version of March madness this week as inactivity on many bills leaves legislative brackets in shambles for both Democrats and Republicans. Must-do priorities like education reform, property tax relief and mental health redesign will survive, but a host of other issues are “on the bubble”...
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UPDATED 3:50 p.m. with new lede and corrected day at end of story; 4 p.m. with last graf on justice center plans; 6:10 p.m. with graf at end of story on tax implications IOWA CITY – After an acrimonious past week, a more courteous Johnson County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday informally agreed on...
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IOWA CITY – Johnson County Auditor Tom Slockett should not have circulated his re-election petition at his office, the state’s campaign ethics head said Wednesday, but she will not recommend he be disciplined. Megan Tooker, executive director and legal counsel for the Iowa Ethics & Campaign Disclosure Board, said she spoke with Slockett about...
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IOWA CITY – Johnson County Auditor Tom Slockett circulated at work Monday the petition for his re-election effort with a check list for employees to mark after they had seen it. After being contacted by The Gazette, Megan Tooker, executive director and legal counsel for the Iowa Ethics & Campaign Disclosure Board, said she...
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DES MOINES – Gov. Terry Branstad urged state lawmakers Monday to boost funding at Iowa’s three regent universities by at least $20 million beginning July 1 to help control student debt that is getting “unacceptably high” for Iowa graduates. “We believe our budget will help prevent some of the large tuition spikes that have...
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