/"
) .
Thursday, April 24, 2014
N/Warren Town and County News
Page Thirteen
ESSAYS
Concluded from p. 12
it didn't. African Americans most likely had the hardest
time finding peace in our country because white people
thought black people weren't equal. Freeing the slaves
helped by letting them know they are free. Most likely
trying to let them fit in was the purpose of the Jim Crow
laws to keep the country united and let everyone have
peace. On September 23rd, Abraham Lincoln declared
"...all persons held as slaves within said designated
States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall
be free..." (Lincoln, p.1). The Emancipation Proclara-
tion only brought freedom, not laws against racism. And
so the Reconstruction Era began.
What really happened after the Emancipation Proc-
lamation was not as intended at all. The relationship
between whites and blacks got dimmer and dimmer
every day. Children were sometimes lynched, adults
were shot, and many people were burned or tarred and
feathered for their African American heritage. It was a
very cruel and it seemed nothing could stop the whites
om injuring or killing blacks. When the Ku Klux Klan
and the night riders started, it gotworse. African Ameri-
cans were terrified; no one could do anything though.
The police not interrogate whites after a crime because
the Ku Klux Klan's white masks and the nightriders set-
ting of darkness concealed their identity.
Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry was a fairly accurate view
of the Reconstruction Era. One example is in Mr.
Barnett's store, "...Mr.Barnett again picked up T.J.'s list,
but before he gotten to the next item, his wife called,'Jim
Lee, these folks needing help over here, and I got my
hands full.' And as if we weren't even there, he walked
away" (Taylor, 110). The one thing I don't find accurate,
is when R.W. and Melon befriend T.J. I was very sur-
prised the brothers did not get in trouble after Mr.Simms
is so strict with his youngest son, Jeremy. Most likely
with all the fighting, the racism, and harsh environment,
the older boys wouldn't have even looked at T.J. let alone
hang out with him. Of course I know he was being used,
but I find this highly unlikely.
These laws and documents hold our histor our re-
bellion, and our ancestor's stories of how we came to be'
who we are today. We worked'to make a change and we
did. Today we are considered equal after such a long
struggle. After Cassie's long journey to understand, we
do too. There are racist people in the world, but don't
let that control you; be-free to be who you are. These
bad times are in the past, not the present. Embrace who
you are.
Outlet Center For Altoona
New England Development has announced its plans
to develop a 325,000 square foot outlet center in Altoona,
at the intersection of 1-80 and US-65. Featuring approxi-
mately 75 of some of the best brand names irt retail Des
Moines Outlets will serve the Des Moines metropolitan
area and beyond. With no other outlet center located
within 80 miles, this new center will meet the region's
need for brand names at outlet prices.
Des Moines Outlets will be an integral part of The
Shoppes at Prairie Crossing, being developed by Heart
of America Group, The site consists of 174 acres and
over 1.4 million square feet of leasable space with plans
for hotel, additional retail, office and residential uses.
This summer, Johnny's Italian Steakhouse will open on
the development's eight-acre lake.
New England Development, one of the nation's pre-
mier real estate developers with a growing portfolio of
outlet centers, expressed enthusiasm about the Des
Moines market and this location in particular. Douglass
Karp, Executive Vice President of New England Devel-
opment, commented, "The Des Moines market is well-
known nationally for its dynamic growth and quality
of life. The Shoppes at Prairie Crossing provides an
ideal opportunity for us to be part of this market in an
exciting development at a terrific location."
The 32-acre Des Moines Outlets site, at exit 142 off of
1-80, is at an established destination for shopping and
entertainment and just six miles from downtown Des
Moines. The Shoppes at Prairie Crossing sits adjacent
to Prairie Meadows Racetrack, Casino and Hotel,
Adventureland Amusement Park, Bass Pro Shops and
the Facebook Data Center. Currentl these established
uses attract over six million visitors a year to the sur-
rounding area and Des Moines Outlets will significantly
add to these counts.
The most-used letter in the English alphabet is "E:'
and "Q" is the least used.
Legislativ e N ewsl etter
Stan Gustafson
Iowa House Representative
District 25
The Legislature is scheduled to end this Session Tues-
da3 April 22, and Clerks and most of the pages will not
be working past this date. Also, Legislators will cease
receiving their per diem after April 22. However, it is
possible that the Session will not end on the 22nd and
the Legislature is working hard to get as much done as
possible before that date. Tuesday night, the House ad-
journed at 10:28 p.m.
Most of the current focus is on the Appropriations
Bills, as they need to be passed before the Legislature
can adjourn. Here is the current status of the Bills:
Administration & Regulation (SF2342) - Passed by
the House and in the Senate. (Agreement has been
reached)
Agriculture & Natural Resources (HF2458) - Passed
by the House and in the Senate.
Economic Development (HF2460) - Passed by the
House and in the Senate. (Agreement has been reached)
Education (SF2347) - Passed by the House and in Con-
ference Committee. Includes Tuition freeze for instate
undergrad students and increased funding for the three
State universities Health & Human Services (HF2463)
-- Passed by the House and in the Senate. Funding for
Medicaid was increased, with no increase in services,
due to cut back of federal Medicaid funds.
Judicial Branch (HF2449) Sent to the Governor for
signature.
Justice Systems (HF2450) - Passed by the House and
in Conference Committee. The House version increases
the number of state troopers, while the Senate version
does not, but adds money for correction officers and
the Attorney General's office.
RIIF (Infrastructure) (SF2349) - Passed by the House
and in Conference Committee. The House version re-
moved $14 million in ear marks added by the Senate
and shifted the funds to major and routine maintenance.
Standings (HF2473) - Passed House ApproPriations
Committee and in the House. Makes adjustments to
General Fund standing appropriations currently in stat-
ute, resulting in a decrease of $18.2 million for FY 2015.
Transportation (SF2130) Sent to the Governor for sig-
nature.
Debt Reduction - Senate needs to start this Bill and
send it to the House.
When Bills are in the Conference Committee, the co-
chairs of the Committee, one from the Senate and one
from the House, meet to try to negotiate a settlement of
the differences between the two houses of the LegMa-
ture.
HEALTHY IDEAS
(NAPS)--Sleep apnea in-
creases snoring and may
make more likely to have
a car accident, says the Las
Vegas Institute for Advanced
Dental Studies. Fortunately,
a dental device resembling
an athlete's mouth guard is
70 percent at treat
ing sleep apne I_e.arn more
at www.leadingdentists.com.
***
Blind individuals experi-
encing symptoms of Non-2A-
Hour may participate in clin-
ical trials led by Vanda
Pharmaceuticals evaluating
an investigational treatment.
For more information, call
(888) 389-7033, e-mail info@
non24registry.com or visit
www.non24registry.com.
Accerng to the Centers
for Disease Control and
Prevention, poisoning is now
the leading cause of injury
death, even more than motor
vehicle accident fatalities.
Poisoning can be prevented.
For more information, call
the Poison Help line at 1-800-
222-1222 or visit wwwAdson
Help.hrsa.gov.
***
Experts say that allergy
sufferers should use dean,
fresh lenses--such as 1-Day
Acuvue Moist Brand Contact
Lenses--each day to mini-
mize the potential for the
buildup of irritants and aller-
gens. To learn more, visit
www.acuvue.com.
Senate News
By State Senator Julian B. Garrett
Julian.Garrett@legis.iowa.gov.
i
Department of Administrative Services
Testimony before the Government Oversight Com-
mittee has brought out more information on the sav-
ings realized by the reorganization of the way state con-
struction projects are handled. Most of the news media
has focused on 12 employees of the Department of Ad-
ministrative Services (DAS) who lost their jobs about 2
1/2 years ago and confidentiality agreements that some
of them signed. I believe the more important story from
the point of view of the taxpayers is the savings real-
ized in state construction projects. Fewer state employ-
ees now handle the work in setting up construction
projects, with a reported savings of more than $700 thou-
sand per year. In addition, there has been a savings re-
alized because of fewer "change orders" in building
projects since the reorganization. The DAS says that
those savings for the last three years are about $2.5 mil-
lion in projects costing about $91 million. Change op
ders are changes that come up during the construction
process. They cost extra money so the fewer changes
you, have the lower the cost of the project. The biggest
savings come from the replacing of general contractors
in state construction projects with Construction Man-
agers who do much of the same work but at a much
lower cost, Through a competitive bid process, they hire
the subcontractors who do the actual construction work.
The savings reported to us for the last two fiscal years
come to $6.67 million.
Budget Work Continues
Overall spending amounts have been agreed to but
there are still differences of opinion on the details of the
budget. There are several budget subcommittees work-
ing on different parts of the budget. My budget sub-
committee handles the Courts and the Prisons, High-
way Patrol and Public Safety, the Attorney General and
others. The budget for the courts and a transportation
budget have been agreed to. The House and Senate have
different versions of the others. The differences will have
to be worked out.
As always, feel free to contact me with your ideas or
concerns.
Did You Know?
(NAPS)--Anew video con-
test called "Outrageous
Interactions" gives you a
chance to cash in on a frus-
trating, funny or bizarre
customer service story. It's
sponsored by Interactive In-
telligence, a vendor of call
center software designed to
improve customer service.
Visit www.oivideocontest.
corn or e-mail interaction
video@inin.com.
***
True Value is asking
Americans to share their
home improvement mishaps
and how they were resolved
with the True Value "DrY
Drama contest, Submit your
home improvement blunder
at www.StartRightStart
Here.corn for a chance to win
$5,000. The site also offers
project ideas and advice.
$$$
A cooking contest called
"Make It Fabulous With Fillo
runs through February 1,
2010. It calls for original
mdpes usmgAtheas f
Shells orAthens Fillo Dough_
mm's cz $5,000 grand pr
two $1,500 first-place prizes
and weekly and monthly
prizes. Vmit www.phyllo.com.
The Web site www.INGFor
Life.corn offers an online tool
that helps consumers deter-
mine the type of life insur-
ance product and estimated
amount of life insurance cov-
erage that best fit their per-
sonal situation. Vmit www.
INGForLife.com for more
information.
***
To help parents keep their
children and themselves
healthy, the U.S. Department
of Agriculture and the non-
profit Partnership for Food
Safety Education are pro-
viding tips and more. For free
stuffsuch as work sheets,
curriculum materials and a
handwashing poster--visit
www.fightbac.org.
***
To make things easier for
busy parents, many food
manufacturers are adding
whole grain options to their
offerings. For example, Lance
Sandwich Crackers recently
launched three new whole
grain varieties. To learn
more, visit www.lanse.com.
To protect your family
from bacteria on upholstered
furniture and other soft sur-
faces, spray them regularly
with a product such as
Lysol ® Disinfectant Spray.
Learn more at www.cdc.gov/
ounceofprevention and www.
lysol.eom.
According to the National
Pest
(NPMA), stinging insects
send more than 500,000 pee-
pie to the emergency room
annually. Ifyou suspect a pest
problem or want regular
home inspections, you can
find a pest professional at
www.pestworld.org.
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