Sailboats crisscross Lake Davenport (Mississippi River) as part of the Davenport Sailing Club's Polar Bear Regatta held each October.

Those pesky TV political ads short on context

on Tue, 10/29/2024 - 01:24   by Randy Evans

It’s a challenge, but not impossible, to find topics on which Republicans and Democrats share the same view these days. Here’s one: Election Day means we can all celebrate the end of those infernal television commercials.

My tolerance for these ads has never been high. One reason is the way their assertions oversimplify the pluses (or the minuses) of one candidate’s or the other’s stand on some issue.

It is not really a surprise, however, because politicians have long claimed they will solve some problem or their opponent is to blame for that problem.

We should all know by now politicians thrive on their claims of having simple solutions to what, in reality, are incredibly complex issues. Inflation and illegal immigration are two that come to mind.

One of those maddening commercials shows U.S. Representative Marionette Miller-Meeks, the Republican from Davenport (or Ottumwa). She is steering a shopping cart through a grocery store checkout lane. She says to the camera, “We gotta bring these prices down.”

Private-equity firm buys 29 Iowa nursing homes in massive $85 million deal

on Wed, 10/23/2024 - 02:49   by Clark Kauffman

Iowa Capital Dispatch
October 21, 2024

The sale of one of Iowa’s largest nursing home chains has reportedly been completed, with 29 care facilities now in the hands of a private equity firm.

According to Skilled Nursing News, the real estate brokerage firm of Marcus & Millichap says the $85 million transaction represents the largest nursing home sale ever recorded in Iowa. The 29 facilities represent 7% of the 410 nursing homes operating in Iowa.

The sale involves the transfer of care facilities previously owned by one of Iowa’s largest employers, ABCM Corp. of Hampton, to the Chicago-based private equity firm Cascade Capital Group.

According to a statement that Marcus & Millichap provided Skilled Nursing News, the final sale price of $85 million equates to $36,000 for each of ABCM’s 2,346 skilled-nursing beds and 326 assisted living units.

In recent years, the acquisition of nursing homes by private equity investors has come under scrutiny by regulators, the media and members of Congress, with critics suggesting too many profit-minded investors target care facilities for acquisition, starve them of cash while collecting a reliable stream of income from Medicare, and then cash out.

State auditor’s report on nursing homes should be a call to action for Iowa legislators in 2025 session

on Tue, 10/08/2024 - 18:58   by Anonymous

by John Hale and Terri Hale, Iowa Capital Dispatch
October 7, 2024

State Auditor Rob Sand recently did what no statewide elected official in Iowa has done in a long time – he brought attention to problems in nursing homes.

A report from his office discussed the lack of timely nursing home inspections by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing (DIAL) and the staff shortages that impact the quality of nursing home care.

DIAL and the nursing home industry immediately dismissed the report’s data and conclusions. They want us to believe one of two things: that there are no problems with nursing home inspections or staffing, or if there are, improvements are being made. Could there be a third choice – that Sand’s report hit an exposed nerve?

We believe the third – Sand’s report provided a window into vexing concerns about Iowa nursing homes and the apparent lack of meaningful state government oversight of the money that flows to the industry, the inspection process, and the historic inability to recruit and retain sufficient nursing home staff.

No state fines for alleged abuse and ‘unsafe’ staffing levels at Iowa nursing home in Shenandoah

on Thu, 09/19/2024 - 02:47   by Clark Kauffman

by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch
September 18, 2024

The state of Iowa has suspended $47,500 in fines against a southwest Iowa nursing home cited for inadequate staffing and the physical and verbal abuse of residents.

According to state inspectors, although the Garden View Care Center in Shenandoah has insufficient staff on hand, the home’s director of nursing recently informed them she was being pressured by management to make further cuts in staffing due to budget constraints — adding that she felt doing so was “unrealistic and unsafe.”

Garden View is owned by an out-of-state real estate investment trust that is designed to provide investors with returns tied to the profits generated by dozens of nursing homes in Iowa and other states.

Iowa school book ban undermines the state’s mission of educating its students

on Tue, 08/20/2024 - 22:59   by Ed Tibbetts

by Ed Tibbetts, Iowa Capital Dispatch
August 18, 2024

When I was a kid growing up in eastern Iowa during the 1970s, the school library opened up the world to me.

I remember rushing through my homework during study hall, so I could get to the library.

Like most students in school, there were classes I loved (history and English) and those I hated (math and science). But despite my misgivings about the curriculum, never did I doubt my love for the school library. To me, it was a refuge for independent thought and exploration, where nobody could exercise control over where my mind wandered.

There, the world beckoned, and I eagerly dove in.

The idea never occurred to me that a librarian would curb my youthful curiosity by stripping these shelves of books. Never did I suspect they aimed to shield my eyes from discovery.

I would have laughed at the notion my education was better served by exposing me to fewer books.

Yet for the last year, Republican legislators and Gov. Kim Reynolds have tried to partially pull the curtains over these windows to the world.

Lee Enterprises digital revenue surpasses print revenue as company loses $3.7 million in 3rd quarter

on Mon, 08/05/2024 - 22:30   by news

Lee Enterprises, Inc. – owner of the QC Times and Daily Dispatch/Argus – says it hit a "revenue inflection point" with more digital than print revenue in its third quarter.

But despite the transition milestone in digital revenue, the company lost $3.7 million (73 cents per share) during the three-month period ended June 23. The previous year, Lee reported third quarter net income of $2.1 million (26 cents per share).

“Our investment thesis is grounded in this transformation as we replace print revenue and margin with digital revenue and margin that are growing at a rapid clip," Kevin Mowbray, Lee's President and Chief Executive Officer, stated in the company earnings news release. "Total digital revenue has grown 17 precent annually over the last three years, and we expect this strong growth to continue.”

Sen. Joni Ernst wants to hold the IRS accountable, but not in going after biggest tax cheats

on Mon, 08/05/2024 - 04:38   by Ed Tibbetts

Iowa Capital Dispatch
August 2, 2024

Joni Ernst calls herself the U.S. Senate’s “fiercest advocate” for government accountability.

Too bad she doesn’t appear to care about the country’s biggest tax cheats.

Over the past couple years, the Iowa senator has been fixated on the Internal Revenue Service. But rather than help the IRS try to recover the hundreds of billions of dollars in unpaid taxes each year, Ernst and her fellow Republicans are doing the opposite. They want to choke off the funding that is helping the IRS to rein in these abuses and give you better service.

IDNR fines Kraft Heinz $8,000; Muscatine plant failed to monitor wastewater pollution for years

on Mon, 07/29/2024 - 20:05   by Anonymous

by Jared Strong, Iowa Capital Dispatch
July 26, 2024

A large eastern Iowa facility that makes ketchup and other condiments failed for more than two years to monitor contaminants in the more than 1 million gallons of untreated wastewater it discharged into a creek each day, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Kraft Heinz Foods Company recently agreed to pay an $8,000 fine for the violations at its Muscatine location. It uses municipal water to cool its equipment and discharges it along with stormwater into Mad Creek, which flows for less than a mile to the Mississippi River.

Defense Secretary Austin orders review of medals awarded in the wake of Wounded Knee Massacre

on Thu, 07/25/2024 - 23:24   by Anonymous

by Seth Tupper, North Dakota Monitor
July 25, 2024

The medals awarded to soldiers who participated in the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre will be subjected to a review, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Wednesday.

The department said the review’s purpose is “to ensure no awardees were recognized for conduct inconsistent with the nation’s highest military honor.”

The move comes after years of activism by Lakota people — including descendants of massacre survivors — who want the medals rescinded.

Oliver “OJ” Semans, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, has been active in the effort with his wife, Barb, and their Four Directions nonprofit. He said it’s gratifying to see some momentum after a long struggle, including failed attempts to rescind the medals through congressional legislation.

Iowa Public Information Board sued over alleged violation of state Open Meetings Law

on Fri, 07/19/2024 - 23:35   by Clark Kauffman

Iowa Capital Dispatch
July 18, 2024

The state panel charged with ensuring transparency in government is being sued for allegedly violating Iowa’s Open Meetings Law.

Briana Reha of Polk County is suing the Iowa Public Information Board and its members for the manner in which they approved a pay raise for the board’s executive director, Erika Eckley.

The lawsuit alleges that on June 25, IPIB posted an agenda for its June 27 board meeting. Nine minutes into the meeting, Monica McHugh, the board chairman, proposed an increase to Eckley’s salary as a topic for board deliberation and action. After briefly discussing the matter, the board approved a 6% salary increase for Eckley by unanimous vote, bringing her total annual salary to $103,307.60.

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