Tagged: Emphasis

Jason Parrott’s guest is Russ Derr, who is the principal at Wells Carey and George Washington Elementary Schools.  They talk about the Weekend Backpack Nutrition program in Keokuk.

Students within the Keokuk School District are in the midst of a 3 ½ day weekend due to parent-teacher conferences.

Derr says students in homes where there is not a lot of food have learned to make it through a regular weekend before they can return for breakfast on Monday morning.

He says the extra time off makes it more difficult for students to get by.

Macomb, IL – Rich Egger's guest is State Representative Norine Hammond (R-Macomb). They preview the Illinois legislature's 2012 session.

Lawmakers do not return to Springfield until January 30, which is later than normal. Hammond believes the legal battle over redistricting is part of the reason for the delay.

Hammond said the legislature must work to stabilize its finances. She points out Moody's lowered the state's credit rating late last week and Standard & Poor's has the state on a watch list.

Rich Egger's guest is State Representative Norine Hammond (R-Macomb). They preview the Illinois legislature's 2012 session.

Lawmakers do not return to Springfield until January 30, which is later than normal. Hammond believes the legal battle over redistricting is part of the reason for the delay.

Hammond said the legislature must work to stabilize its finances. She pointed out Moody's lowered the state's credit rating late last week and Standard & Poor's has the state on a watch list.

Des Moines, IA – Jason Parrott's guest is State Senator Tom Courtney (D-Burlington).

They discuss the Iowa Legislature's 2012 session, which begins Monday, January 9 in Des Moines.

Iowa lawmakers spent plenty of time at the statehouse during 2011.

The session lasted 172 days, which made it one of the longest sessions in state history.

Courtney believes 2012 will be a much shorter session, possibly as few as 90 days.

He says lawmakers want to get out and meet with their constituents during a big election year.

Keokuk, IA – Jason Parrott's guest is Scott Gooding, who is the Lee County Coordinator for the Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant.

Gooding will spend the next three years looking for ways to reduce certain alcohol-related activities in Lee County.

The state of Iowa received roughly $2.3-million from the federal government to develop a strategic plan for addressing substance abuse.

The grant will be shared by the 23 counties identified as being most in need of assistance.

Keokuk, IA – Jason Parrott's guest is Dr. Lora Wolff, who is the superintendent of the Keokuk School District.

They talk about a variety of educational topics, including Governor Terry Branstad's plan to reform Iowa's K-12 system.

The Governor's plan looks at leadership, high expectations, and innovations.

Wolff says, at its core, the plan is very good because the Governor's goal is to improve student achievement and to have the best teachers in the classroom.

MACOMB, IL – Jim Lenz's guest is the associate director of student athlete support services from the Ohio State University Vicki Melnick.

They talk about reforms made after the Maurice Clarett scandal at the university in 2003. That year the New York Times reported Clarett was allowed to take easier oral exams rather than written exams in one of his classes. Melnick says an investigation cleared the university but led to changes.

She says the reforms have been effective.

Macomb, IL – Rich Egger's guests are Sharon Evans, Mick Cumbie, Scott Coker, and Michael Hott of Western Illinois University. They provide an update on plans to build a Performing Arts Center on the Macomb campus.

Evans is Interim Dean of the College of Fine Arts & Communication, Cumbie is the Director of Development for COFAC, Coker is Interim Director of the Physical Plant, and Hott is the Architectural Superintendent.