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We participated in the Olin, Epworth, Holy Cross and Key West parades
recently. I also attended a meeting at Northeast
Iowa Community
College, where they’re really stepping up their programs to
help meet Iowa’s
need for more skilled workers in areas such as nursing, welding, and tool and
die.
Mike Frieberger with Delaware
County Soil invited me to the Schlarman farm near Petersburg, where he
conducted a controlled test in conjunction with ISU on water runoff in
no-till areas. A one-inch rain was
simulated using a tire row in a non-compacted area. The results were
amazing! The soil absorbed the water
immediately in the non-compacted no-till areas. A representative from ISU said that tiled
land does not impact flooding but soil that absorbs moisture is the key.
On Aug. 8, Gov. Culver held his annual Lifesaving Awards
Ceremony at the Iowa State Fair. Among
those honored was Darryl Alan Putz of Manchester, who received
the Lifesaving with Valor Award for rescuing a truck driver whose semi caught
fire on Dec. 19, 2007.
Also recognized at the ceremony was Robert J. Bierer of Anamosa, who received the Lifesaving with Valor
Award for saving the lives of children trapped in a
submerged car on May 23.
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 local schools 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.
In our area, we have awesome teachers who provide a great
education for our kids. I’m especially
proud of my godchild, Abby. I visited
her class at Seton in Peosta and was impressed with her dedication and love
for her job.
This school year, I plan to again visit local classrooms
as part of America's
Legislators Back to School Program.
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.
Classroom visits also give me the opportunity to meet
personally with youngsters, answer questions, share ideas and listen. Art Linkletter
always said that “kids say the darndest things,”
and my visits to our local schools have proven that to be true! It’s always a joy to listen to the kids.
I am setting up my visits for the upcoming school year and
am interested in visiting any elementary, junior high and high school
classroom. If you’d like me to come to
your school at any time throughout the year, call me at 563-876-3219 or
e-mail me at tom.hancock@legis.state.ia.us.
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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