(photo by Sarah Beckman)
Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina is making her way to the metro with a stop in Marshalltown earlier today. Fiorina was asked by an audience member what she thinks of fellow contender Donald Trump running for president. Fiorina will be in Ames tonight…and then have several stops in the metro tomorrow.
Other candidates in town this weekend include Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley, Chris Christie, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, and newly announced John Kasich. Kasich, Sanders, and Christie will be hosting town hall meetings on Friday and Saturday in Des Moines, while Clinton only plans on opening two events to the press and public.
Governor Branstad got his wish…there will be a bird flu summit in Des Moines next Monday and Tuesday with local and federal officials. They’ll talk about the region’s response to the bird flu and how another outbreak can be prevented. More than 30 million chickens and turkeys in Iowa were killed by the virus since April.
Governor Branstad is in Washington DC today talking national security in the wake of the Tennessee shootings. Branstad is co-chair of a governors panel that advises the feds on security issues.
In more bird flu news…a West Des Moines-based company is working to build up Iowa’s lost population of chickens. Hyline North America is working on a 22 million dollar hatchery in Wilton right now…with plans to ship millions of chicks across the state and to other affected areas starting January 2016.
Iowa families are more likely to find significant financial aid at Iowa’s private non-profit universities, according to the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and universities. The association says there are actually 4,000 students getting Pell grants at Iowa’s private schools that at the public ones.
The average rent for single family homes in greater Des Moines is going up. A survey by Real Property Management shows rental rates jumped 3.3 percent from last quarter, and 21 percent over the previous year, as more people shift to renting.
Greater Des Moines’ efforts to get wired are getting noticed…two of the area’s health systems have gained national recognition for their use of information technology to improve patient care. Broadlawns Medical Center and UnityPoint Health were recognized by Hospital and Health Networks magazine as being among the Most Wired Health Systems.
Former Iowa House speaker Pat Murphy is bidding for a seat in Congress again. Murphy launched his campaign for the 1st Congressional seat earlier today…he ran against Republican Rod Blum in 2014 and lost.
Clive’s city council tonight will go over a draft of its Comprehensive plan, and an overview of the new FEMA maps for the city. Last month’s storms and heavy rains raised neighbors’ concerns about flooding.
