Regents Approve University Presidents Pay Raise
AMES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Board of Regents is approving pay raises for two university presidents.
The board gave Iowa State University President Steven Leath a 5 percent increase Wednesday, bumping his base salary to $525,000.
The board also approved a five-year deferred compensation plan for Leath that will pay him $125,000 annually through 2020.
Regents approved a smaller raise of 2.5 percent for University of Northern Iowa President William Ruud, pushing his base salary to more than $357,000. Ruud will also receive a two-year deferred compensation plan worth $150,000.
Later in the meeting, the board gave initial consideration to a plan to raise tuition by $100 on resident undergraduate students in the spring semester. No regent raised an objection, and a final vote is scheduled for next month.
Ron Paul Aides Indicted
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Federal prosecutors have charged three people who worked for Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential campaign with conspiring to buy the support of a former Iowa state senator.
Among those changed is Jesse Benton, who now heads up a super PAC supporting the 2016 presidential candidacy of Paul’s son, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.
An indictment unsealed Wednesday charges Benton, John Tate and Dimitrios Kesari with conspiracy and several other related crimes.
The indictment says they negotiated with former Iowa State Sen. Kent Sorenson to switch his support to Ron Paul in exchange for money. Sorenson had previously backed Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann.
The indictment says the arrangement was concealed from Ron Paul himself and that Benton initiated the deal.
Police Officer Charged With Sexual Assault
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa appeals court says a former Muscatine police officer cannot use a woman’s sexual encounter with her boyfriend as evidence in the officer’s sex abuse trial.
The Iowa Court of Appeals says in a ruling filed Wednesday that the encounter was not relevant to Thomas Tovar’s upcoming trial.
Tovar is accused of raping an intoxicated woman he was escorting to a hotel after her boyfriend was arrested for drunken driving in February 2013. An investigation found Tovar’s DNA on the woman’s clothing and bedding.
Tovar’s attorney wanted the jury to hear evidence that the woman had sex with her boyfriend hours after she was allegedly raped by Tovar.
A district judge ruled in favor of the defense’s request. Prosecutors appealed.
Tovar’s attorney did not immediately respond to a message.
Two Chiropractors Charged With Exaggerated Health Benefits
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa licensing board has filed administrative charges against two chiropractors accused of exaggerating their abilities to heal patients.
Documents released Wednesday by the Iowa Board of Chiropractic show charges against James P. Woods, of Bettendorf, and Jason James, of Keokuk.
Woods is accused of telling patients he could heal ailments including ear conditions, tremors, blindness and high blood pressure. The board says Woods told patients to stop taking blood pressure medication and instead take vitamins he sold.
James is accused of telling patients they could stop taking diabetes medication with a diet and nutrition program. Regulators say he charged patients for laboratory tests he didn’t perform.
Messages left for the men were not immediately returned. The Des Moines Register reports hearings on the cases are scheduled in October.
Paulsen To Step Down As House Speaker
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Republican Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives says he is stepping down from the role in January and will not seek re-election next year.
Speaker Kraig Paulsen, of Hiawatha, announced Wednesday that he will relinquish his leadership position at the start of the next legislative session. He will serve the rest of his two-year term, which runs through 2016.
Paulsen has served in the Iowa House for 13 years. He was minority leader from 2008 through 2010 and has been speaker of the house since 2011.
In a statement, Paulsen says the time was right to step aside.
Republican Gov. Terry Branstad praised Paulsen in a statement, calling him “one of the most effective legislative leaders I have had the privilege of working with at the state capitol.”
Governor Walker To Purchase Ads In Iowa
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A super PAC supporting Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker for president says it is launching a nearly $7 million ad buy in Iowa to begin right after Labor Day.
A senior adviser for the Unintimidated PAC said Wednesday that $6.8 million in television, cable and radio ads will air in the Des Moines, Ames, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Iowa City and Dubuque markets.
The ads are to begin running on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
Walker has been making frequent visits to Iowa, where he lived for seven years as a child before his family moved to neighboring Wisconsin in 1977.
The Unintimidated PAC reported raising $20 million in the second quarter of the year. Chicago Cubs owners Joe Ricketts and his wife, as well as Wisconsin businesswoman Diane Hendricks, each gave $5 million.
