Friday, May 24, 2013
News from Iowa House District 37 Rep. John Landon, Ankeny.
The 2013 Legislative Session came to a close with many significant reforms. Education, property tax and health care were the most significant issues. The final bills passed are the result of months of debate and amendments, ending in compromise within a divided Iowa legislature. Iowa schools are funded with 4% additional spending in each of FY 2014 and FY 2015. This level of funding will help all three school districts within House District 37, all of which are currently growing in enrollment. Ankeny and North Polk schools are currently building and Bondurant-Farrar recently completed new buildings. Property tax reform is not as significant as I had hoped, but it is an important step in the right direction. Homeowners will see the rate…
The Ankeny City Council approved a bid Monday to extend a street that will eventually connect the development's school complex with uptown.
Traveling between Prairie Trail and Uptown Ankeny will get a little easier in the coming weeks. On Monday, the Ankeny City Council unanimously approved a bid of $629,990 from Sternquist Construction Inc. of Indianola to extend Southwest Des Moines Street, according to the Des Moines Register. The road will line up with the existing grid system of roads in the older part of Ankeny, similar to the earlier Southwest Cherry Street extension, Assistant City Manager Paul Moritz told the newspaper. The Des Moines Street extension will go south from Southwest Ordnance Road along the back side of Southview Middle School to connect with the proposed Southwest Elm Street project, the article said. It will also allow future construction to connect …
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, could appeal to both social and fiscal conservatives, making him a candidate to "fear" in the Iowa Caucuses, progressives warn.
Amid growing speculation that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is testing GOP presidential waters in Iowa and elsewhere, progressive activists warned Thursday at a rally in West Des Moines that a Walker presidency would be “terrifying" and disastrous to middle class families. The controversial Wisconsin governor hasn’t said he’s a candidate, but his appearance Thursday at a Republican fundraiser in Iowa’s largest county, as well as a handful of appearances in the Northeast and before powerful conservative groups, suggest that he’s at least considering a 2016 run for the Republican presidential nomination. The “Scott Walker Truth Squad,” as activists from Progress Iowa and One Wisconsin Now call themselves, told reporters at a news conference …
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
“Truth Squad” plans to rally ahead of Wisconsin governor’s appearance before Polk County Republican activists in West Des Moines Thursday.
Advocacy groups for progressives in Iowa and Wisconsin are holding “Scott Walker Truth Squad” in advance of the Wisconsin governor’s appearance Thursday at a Polk County Republican Fundraiser, one of several of appearances before GOP activists that point to a possible presidential run in 2016. Advisers to Walker say he’s returning a favor to Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, who hosted a fundraiser in Dubuque, Iowa, for the embattled Wisconsin governor during his 2012 recall election, the Washington Post reported. Even if Walker’s advisers are telling it like it is, and that Walker’s appearance with Branstad is just a little quid pro quo among political friends, the pre-banquet rally by Progress Iowa and One Wisconsin Now is expected to add to the…
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
It's Emergency Medical Service Week.
Ankeny Mayor Gary Lorenz declared the week of May 19-25 as Emergency Medical Services Week at a council meeting Monday. From right to left: Lt Brian Thomas, Jesse Guest, Deputy Chief Frank Prowant, Ben Truetken, Jesse Smith, Mayor Gary Lorenz, Nathan Baggett, Patrick Houlihan, Fire Chief Rex Mundt, Deputy Chief Rob Chiappano. The fire department will host an open house Wednesday, May 22 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Both the U.S. Senate and House are working on immigration reform plans. What do you think should be done about the estimated 11 million people currently living in the country illegally or on expired visas.
A U.S. Senate immigration reform proposal that would allow the estimated 11 million residents living here illegally by the end of 2011 to remain in the country lawfully is expected to come to a final vote by June. The Senate plan would allow these people to earn a temporary status that lets them to work if they meet a number of requirements, including: passing background checks, submitting to fingerprinting and proving they've lived here before Dec. 31, 2011. The documentation process wouldn't begin until a border security system was in place, according to information about the bill posted on Sen. Mark Rubio's Senate website. The border security plan includes a border fence plan, an electronic system that would verify workers' status and …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
The Ankeny Mayor Gary Lorenz has prepared two bicycle rides for the launch of his inaugural ride Saturday.
Mayor Gary Lorenz's inaugural Mayor’s Bike Ride is set for 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the Ankeny Park & Ride at 210 NW Ash. Riders can choose from either a 15-mile route for the avid bicyclist to the Oasis located on the High Trestle Trail or a family friendly 3.5-mile route on the High Trestle Trail. Ankeny Fire Department will be on hand to promote bicycle safety month and will check equipment including helmets. Sign up for Ankeny Patch's free newsletter | Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter
Monday, May 13, 2013
The event will be held May 18-19 and will have two locations set up for residents needing to get rid of items.
- GOVERNMENT
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Monday, May 13
News release: If you are looking to do some spring cleaning, now is the perfect time. The Ankeny Rotary Club in conjunction with the City of Ankeny is sponsoring this year’s Ankeny Cleanup Days the weekend of May 18-19. Two cleanup sites will be open on Saturday, May 17 from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., and on Sunday, May 18 from noon – 4 p.m. The Ankeny Maintenance Facility, located at 211 S.E. Lorenz Dr., will accept trees and branches only, while the Prairie Ridge Family Aquatic Center located at 1220 N.W. Prairie Ridge Dr. will accept all other debris. Rotary Club volunteers will be on hand to assist in unloading unwanted materials and debris from vehicles. The program is open to Ankeny residents living within the corporate city limits. …
Expect lane closures for road repairs.
Sign up for Ankeny Patch's free newsletter | Like us on Facebook |Follow us on Twitter The City of Ankeny said to expect a lane of NE 54th Street to be closed through the middle of next week. At least one lane of NE 54th Street will be closed from Ankeny Boulevard to NE Delaware Avenue as crews perform patching, milling and asphalt overlay work, according to a release from the city. Road work was expected to begin Monday and last about 1.5 weeks, the release said.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
The cost of colonoscopies, MRIs, CT scans and mammograms can shift a lot from place to place.
- GOVERNMENT
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Sunday, May 12
You can save more than $2,000 by getting an MRI in Polk County than it costs to get the same medical procedure in Story County. The average cost here is $1,570 compared to $3,630 in Story County. The cost in Polk County is also a bit lower than the state average of $2,630. That's according to data from New Choice Health, a private company that encourages people to become smarter healthcare consumers. Other procedures such as colonoscopies are considerably more affordable in Polk County than Story County and, on average, across Iowa. Colonoscopies cost on average $1,990 in Polk County compared to $4,560 in Story County $3,690 across Iowa. Big regional differences for medical procedures have been in the news lately: As the Washington Post …
Kurt B.
6:42 am on Saturday, May 25, 2013
looks like residential property taxes, which have been discussed for years, did not get consideration for adjusting downward. In this area, we are in the ~ 2.1% and above and most other communities are in the ~ 1.5% range. This % is based on the homes assessed value , which can be argued that they are assessed too high for the market conditions. So in effect, many of us are paying too high of a … more ›