Changes to college financial aid application periods will be announced when President Obama visits Des Moines today. He’ll be over at North High School with Education Secretary Arne Duncan. They’re holding a town hall meeting with juniors and seniors and their parents to talk about college accessibility and affordability.
Newly re-elected Des Moines school board chair Cindy Elsbernd is one of four finalists for the Green-Garner Award, which recognizes the nation’s top urban education leaders. The winner gets a 10-thousand dollar college scholarship to present to a student.
Another sign that college students need to be careful of their social media use: a U-I sorority has been suspended after a video showing members singing a profane song went viral. On the video is a group of Alpha Phi members chanting about binge drinking and blacking out, and throwing in degrading comments about other sororities and fraternities.
Iowa’s Department of Natural Resources told environmental regulators Iowa has met the federal goals of manure management enforcement on livestock farms. However, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement is challenging DNR’s claims, saying more water pollution in the state’s rivers and lakes shows problems remain with runoff and manure spills.
Central Iowa is facing a construction worker shortage, according to a new survey from the Associated General Contractors of America. One in nine companies in the state say they’re having trouble finding workers…and they don’t see it changing anytime soon. The commerce department says many tradesmen left the business during the recession and have not gone back.
Law enforcement in Iowa is concerned about the cornstalks lining roads around the state. Crops cover more than 90 percent of the land, and can affect visibility at crossroads. At least five people have been killed so far this season in crashes blamed on vision blocked by corn.
Inspectors say a Perry nursing home mishandled the treatment of three patients that were transferred there after a state mental hospital was shut down by the Branstad administration. One of the patients at the Perry Health Care Center died, and another suffered a broken leg.
The World Food and Music Festival returns to the Walnut Street bridge downtown this weekend. It features the Black Cadillacs and the 4onthefloor. The free event also will include food vendors, cooking demonstrations, cultural entertainment, and international beer and wine.
A Boone Speedway race promoter is taking heat for the way handicapped fans were treated over the weekend at the Boone Speedway Nationals. Robert Lawton was accused of trying to force a dozen people to move to a handicapped area that one parent said was normally off limits due to safety concerns.
Des Moines Performing Arts presents the musical Dirty Dancing tomorrow at the Des Moines Civic Center. The show runs through Sunday.
