HOUSE COMBINES AEA AND COMPENSATION BILLS
The Iowa House Thursday combined their AEA and teacher compensation bills, in order to move faster on a final bill with the Senate. State Representative Tom Jeneary of Le Mars favors the school and teacher funding bills.
Representative Jeneary did not support the AEA reform bill, but it’s taken up too much time in the legislature.
Jeneary insists that what’s wrong with AEAs has not been spelled out, and a task force needs to be formed to determine what reforms are necessary. The omnibus House bill will now go the Senate…
DORDT SCHOLARSHIPS
Dordt University is pleased to announce the recipients of the Lambertus Verberg Prize for Excellence in Kuyperian Scholarship, one of the largest scholarships made available to Dordt students.
Vincent Keane, a sophomore theological studies major from Staten Island, New York, placed first. He will receive a one-year $15,000 scholarship. Trygve Bulthuis, a sophomore economics and philosophy double-major from Rock Valley, Iowa, placed second. He will receive a one-year $10,000 scholarship.
Keane’s winning essay is entitled “Unity in the Church across Traditions: How Abraham Kuyper’s Ecclesiology Helps Further Contemporary Ecumenical Engagement between Protestants and Catholics.” Bulthuis’s essay is “Kuyper in the Postmodern World: Kuyper’s Lectures on Calvinism and Postmodern Philosophy.”
Keane and Bulthuis will present their essays at the annual Kuyper Conference, held this year at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in early April.
DEVELOPER SEEKS GRANT FOR RESTORATION OF FIRE-DAMAGED STRUCTURES IN SPENCER
The Spencer City Council is promising to provide 50-thousand dollars in matching funds if a developer planning to restore fire-damaged structures in downtown Spencer gets a state grant for the project. Spencer City Councilman Loren Reit (REET) chairs the city’s Finance Committee.
A fire in early 2023 heavily damaged buildings on Spencer’s Grand Avenue that housed five businesses and eight apartments. Eric Meter is with M and M Grand Ventures, the firm working on the restoration project. He says while the flames didn’t reach six of those apartments, they were heavily damaged.
The structure most damaged by the fire was torn down. The plan calls for that open lot to be converted into a courtyard and the entire ground floor of the building that’s still standing to become an events center. The developer is seeking a state Catalyst Grant. The grants are for building remediation in the downtown areas of Iowa communities.
DOCTOR: GET SCREENED FOR COLON CANCER AT 45, NOT 50
As part of colon cancer awareness month, Iowans are being reminded of the importance of early screenings for one of the state’s biggest cancer killers. Dr. Steve Schlack-Haerer (SHLAK HAIR-er), a gastroenterologist at Gundersen Health System, says colon cancer is the third-leading cause of death in both men and women. He recommends screenings starting at age 45, and then every ten years. There are several ways to test for colon cancer, but he says colonoscopies are the best and most accurate. While everyone should get screened, some people may be at greater risk, especially those with a family history of colon cancer. While colon cancer is the number-three cancer killer, he says significant progress is being made through screenings, as a decade ago, it was the second-leading cause of cancer death.
