A new national forensic science center is coming to ISU. The university was given up to $20 million in grant money from the National Institute of Standards and Technology to create the center. If approved by the Iowa Board of Regents, the science center will focus on processing pattern evidence like fingerprints and bullet marks….as well as data from cell phones and computers.
Construction and redesign at Moore Elementary is moving along. Bill Good is the chief operations manager for the Des Moines school district, and says many of the upgrades at the school save the district on operational costs, such as the geothermal grid on the front lawn of the school.
Expect to see three more presidential hopefuls throw their hats into the ring this week. Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum is set to announce his GOP bid for the White House tomorrow…then former New York governor George Pataki says he’ll announce on Thursday for the republican ticket…and wrapping up the week is former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley…who’s put out on social media that he’ll announce he’s running for the Democrat presidential nomination on Saturday.
Urbandale police will soon be outfitted with 24 body cameras, thanks to a donation from the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Grand Lodge of Iowa. It’s not clear when the new equipment will arrive, but the check will be formerly handed over to the department at tonight’s city council meeting.
Senator Joni Ernst is flying over to Vietnam this week to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of restored relations with the country. Ernst joins a special group headed by Arizona Senator John McCain that will meet with government officials in Vietnam…and then later in the week travel to Singapore for an annual summit with Asia-Pacific leaders.
The bird flu and a strong dollar are giving the economy in Iowa’s rural communities a one-two punch, according to the Rural Main Street Index. The overall index for ten Western and Plains states actually went up to 49 last month from 46 the previous month, but below 50 is still negative territory.
It’s coming into week four of overtime at the state capitol, though lawmakers are a little closer to tying up the state budget, in particular the education budget. Last week both houses started working on a biennial budget and allocating money for the next two years, but they haven’t agreed to how much new money they’ll put in.
Senator Chuck Grassley isn’t happy the Senate didn’t approve to reauthorize and reform expiring parts of the Patriot Act last week. Grassley says balancing national security and Americans’ civil rights is important, but he hopes senators will reach an agreement soon before the provisions expire. Grassley acknowledged that the provision that allows the NSA to collect phone records in bulk needs to be taken out of the act.
New parents in Iowa may want to introduce their child to peanuts and other possible food allergens by age on…as research suggest it can help reduce the development of food allergies. Dana Morris with Midwest Food Allergy Research and Education says the fear of giving children likely food allergens is shifting.
The University of Iowa baseball team is heading to Missouri. The Hawkeyes have earned a number two seed in the NCAA Regional Tournament in Springfield, Missouri. They play number three seed Oregon on Friday.
