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Congratulations to Staff Sgt. Edward Pforts
of Mount Pleasant,
who was named an Iowa National Guard “Hometown Hero” during the Iowa State
Fair.
Pforts, who serves in Fairfield, was Hometown
Hero of the Day for Aug. 12. An
Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran, Pforts also
performed a humanitarian aid mission to Honduras
in 1996, flood duty in Davenport in 2001, and
served during the June 2008 Iowa
floods.
It’s a sure sign that summer is coming to an end when
students, parents and teachers prepare to head back to school.
Support for our students’ education is a top priority of
the people in our Senate district, and it’s an issue I’ve worked on at the
Iowa Statehouse. Our recent efforts
are improving student achievement by keeping the best teachers in Iowa classrooms, increasing accountability, and making
quality preschool accessible to all Iowa
kids.
Central Lee is one of the schools in our area that has a
great reputation for its math and science program. Ernie Schiller, who was Iowa’s Teacher of the Year for 2004,
really developed this program, and now that he’s retired, his daughter has
filled his spot. They both seem to
have the knack for making math and science fun for the students.
It’s teachers like these who can
really make a difference in Iowa’s
future. By getting their students
hooked on math and science, they’re preparing them for the good-paying,
high-skill jobs that are available right here in Iowa with companies like Monsanto and
Pioneer.
I’m looking forward to seeing the successes in our local
classrooms firsthand when I take part in America's Legislators Back to
School Program this year.
This national effort, sponsored by the nonpartisan National
Conference of State Legislatures, teaches young people what it's like to be a
legislator. Every year, more than 1,400 state
lawmakers visit an estimated 320,000 students in their classrooms, bringing
civics to life for our young Americans and encouraging them to play an active
role in their government.
It also gives me the opportunity to meet personally with
young constituents, answer questions, share ideas and listen to concerns.
I am setting up my visits for the upcoming school year and
am interested in visiting any elementary, junior high and high school
classroom that would have me. If you’d
like me to come to your school at any time throughout the year, call me at
319-528-6176.
The Iowa Arts Council has received a $100,000 grant from
the National Endowment for the Arts for Iowa artists and arts organizations
recovering from storm damage.
Some of the dollars will go to the 2008 Emergency Arts
Relief program, which provides up to $500 for immediate recovery needs.
Others will be used for larger grants and stipends generally ranging from
$3,000 - $6,000.
Disaster-affected Iowa
artists and Iowa
arts organizations that are nonprofit, federally tax-exempt, and located in a
state- or federally-declared disaster area are eligible to apply. Complete information and applications are available
at www.iowaartscouncil.org.
Working with Iowa
young people can be a great win-win opportunity for local businesses. The Iowa Student Internship Program is now
accepting applications from local businesses interested in providing
internships to Iowa
college students.
Companies are eligible to apply for up to three internships,
which are worth $3,100 each. The program is available to Iowa-based companies
that:
- Have
fewer than 500 employees, with a significant portion employed within Iowa in
biosciences, advanced manufacturing or information technology.
- Offer
internships to students of Iowa
community colleges, private colleges, or regent institutions within two
years of graduation.
- Create
a substantive working experience for interns in research and
development, engineering, process management and production, product
experimentation and analysis, product development, market research,
business planning and administration.
For more information, visit www.iowalifechanging.com/business/innov&comm.html
The Iowa Utilities Board is coordinating a community-based
initiative to weatherize homes for Iowans in need before the winter heating
season.
A community grant of up to $5,000 is available for
communities with a population of 10,000 or less to educate residents on
weatherization and energy efficiency.
The Utilities Board is also offering matching grants of up
to $500 to organizations throughout Iowa.
These grants are to be used to weatherize homes and provide educational
materials for Iowa’s
low-income families, elderly or disabled individuals.
More information is available at www.state.ia.us/iub.
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