Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The Marketplace Fairness Act was approved in the U.S. Senate, and is headed for the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives. The bill would require merchants to collect sales taxes on online purchases.
Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, a Democrat, voted in support of a bill that would require merchants to collect sales tax for online purchases, while Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican, cast a vote againt the bill. The Marketplace Fairness Act passed the U.S. Senate 69-27 on Monday. Next up, the legislation goes to the GOP-led House. President Barack Obama has previously said he supports the bill. Supporters say the bill would level the paying field for traditional retailers, while opponents include anti-tax activists and retailers who say it will be overly burdensome. TELL us in comments: Do you support a sales tax for online purchases? Statement from Harkin: Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate …
Former U.S. Attorney Matt Whitaker, a Republican in the Rand Paul mold, said he plans to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Tom Harkin. State Sen. Joni Ernst and Ames lawyer Paul Lunde also are considering a bid.
With top contenders passing on the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Tom Harkin, a few politicians are now saying they are interested. Former U.S. Attorney Matt Whitaker, a Republican in the mold of Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, said he will file paperwork to run on WHO Radio's Simon Conway show, according to The Iowa Republican. Whitaker, a managing partner at a law firm based in Des Moines, appears to be the first Republican candidate to announce the intention to run after several high profile options declined, including Congressman Tom Latham, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey and Congressman Steve King. Early polls had King as the favorite in the primary. A couple other Republicans …
Members voted unanimously Monday night to appoint a former council member and mayor pro-tem to the seat vacated by Dan Dutcher.
Members voted unanimously Monday night to appoint Isaiah McGee to the Waukee City Council, according to the city of Waukee. McGee, a professional consultant, served on the city council from 2006 to 2010. He will fill the seat vacated by Dan Dutcher, who resigned earlier this month for personal reasons. "I am pleased with the process that we used to fill the vacant council seat and the selection," Mayor Bill Peard said in a press release issued by the city of Waukee. "Isaiah recently served as a Councilmember and will be able to hit the ground running during an important time of development within the City. I look forward to working with him over the next several months." McGee will serve on the council from May 6 until the term's …
Investment groups are pitching casino projects all over Iowa. Warren County voters will consider a Norwalk casino on Tuesday. Linn County voters already said "yes" to a casino.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
U.S. Rep Steve King said a campaign for the Senate would keep him from fighting battles in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Steve King, R-Kiron, who said on Wednesday that he was embarrassed he hadn't made a decision on whether to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Tom Harkin, apparently made up his mind. King tweeted late Friday that he'd rather concentrate on battles in the House of Representatives than campaign. “I will not run for Senate in 2014. A Senate race takes me out of urgent battles in Congress that can't wait until 2015. Many thanks to all.” - @SteveKingIA King joins other Republicans like Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey, Rep. Tom Latham and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds who have also said they would not run for the seat, according to the Washington Post. Early polls showed King, a far right conservative and a Tea Party favorite, as …
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Medicare database shows how hospitals across Iowa —and nation—compare for care.
If you go to the emergency room at Broadlawns Medical Center with a broken bone, how long will it take before you get pain medicine? Bring a deck of cards because the federal government says it will take 88 minutes on average. Do you think that is a shorter or longer wait than at Iowa Methodist Medical Center? The wait time is half as much at 44 minutes, and it's also less than the national average, according to a new database causing some hospital officials nationwide to cringe. You'll wait with a broken bone before pain meds about 62 minutes on average at ERs across the nation. Iowa emergency room wait times for broken bones come in at a zippy 47 minutes on average. Mercy Medical Center-Des Moines had the shortest wait times in the …
The unanimous vote Tuesday by the Dallas County Board of Supervisors comes after a meeting Monday with Adel and ADM schools representatives. One supervisor had suggested the county use the old middle school grounds for its administration building.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
The unanimous vote Tuesday by the Dallas County Board of Supervisors comes after a meeting Monday with Adel and ADM schools representatives. One supervisor had suggested the county use the old middle school grounds for its administration building.
From a Dallas County news release and AdelNews.com: The Dallas County Board of Supervisors Tuesday unanimously approved a location for a proposed administration and public safety facility on the east side of Adel, according to a news release, to provide necessary services for residents in one of Iowa and the nation's fastest-growing counties. The supervisors met Monday night with representatives from the City of Adel and the Adel-De Soto-Minburn school board to discuss where to house a county administration building, reported the Dallas County News. But, no consensus was reached, the newspaper said. Monday's meeting was arranged after Supervisor Kim Chapman proposed the old A-D-M Middle School grounds could be used to house a county …
The Waukee City Council selected Isaiah McGee to fill a vacant seat.
Sign up for Waukee Patch's free newsletter | Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter Waukee City Council is expected to formally reappoint a former city councilor to fill a vacant seat next week. During a work session on Monday, City Council members favored Isaiah McGee, a professional consultant, and indicated they would formally reappoint him during a meeting on Monday, according to the Des Moines Register. "I am honored to serve the city again in this interim capacity," McGee said in an email response to Patch. "I hope I can help continue the momentum that Mr. Dutcher, the Council, Mayor, and staff have started. I look forward to joining old colleagues and working with new ones, and we all wish Mr. Dutcher well on his future." …
The Waukee City Council selected Isaiah McGee to fill a vacant seat.
Joe Stutler
10:23 am on Thursday, May 9, 2013
An interesting take on the issue I heard recently (can't remember where) would be for retailers to collect and submit sales tax in the jurisdiction where they are located. For example, assume I run a business here in Iowa selling taxable goods. I'd collect the sales tax and submit to the state of Iowa. My business is located here, it benefits from the infrastructure here, police and fire here, … more ›