DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Legislation that would require facilities offering mammograms to also give patients information on breast density will be considered by state lawmakers.  Democratic Rep. Helen Miller of Fort Dodge is the leading sponsor of the bill, which is scheduled for debate by a House subcommittee, today (Wednesday).

Women who have dense breast tissue have a greater risk of developing breast cancer than women with more fatty tissue, and it can be harder for a mammogram to catch a possible tumor.  The advocacy group Are You Dense says five states have established similar laws, including New York, Texas and California.  A recent study by the American Cancer Society showed that women with denser breasts had the same chances of breast cancer survival as patients with less dense breasts.

A new program announced Tuesday by the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) is designed to provide tens of thousands of dollars in federal tax relief to hundreds of first time home buyers in the state. IFA Executive Director Dave Jamison says a program of this type hasn’t been offered in Iowa since the mid-1990s. The Take Credit! Mortgage Credit Certificate program allows eligible home buyers to qualify for up to $2,000 a year in federal income tax credits through the life of the mortgage. “Potentially, that’s a $60,000 difference to somebody,” Jamison says.

Eligibility for participation in the program varies by county, “But, we can roughly say if the household income for two is under $70,000 and the home purchase price is (under) $250,000, you’re in the ballpark,” Jamison says. The IFA has allocated $50 million toward the program.  “We expect that will help approximately 1,000 Iowans and it will run until the $50 million is allocated — or about a year is what we expect,” Jamison said.

About 100 lenders in Iowa are participating in the program. More information is available online at iowafinanceauthority.gov

(Radio Iowa)

w/ Ric Hanson

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Officials in Iowa say tourism spending in the State in 2011 amounted to more than $430-million in state and local taxes, with spending in Council Bluffs and Pottawattamie County amounting to nearly $300-million that same year, the latest year for which figures are available. The Omaha World-Herald reports the number of employees in the county with tourism-related jobs topped 3,200 with a payroll of more than $52 million.

Iowa lawmakers got a chance to see the numbers at a statewide tourism convention held last week in Des Moines. More than 100 state legislators visited the convention at the Iowa State Fair Grounds, where dozens of Iowa communities showcased their attractions, events and businesses.

Tourism officials say without tourism spending, Iowans would have to pay more in taxes to maintain the current level of state services.

Women could be charged with a felony if their newborn tests positive for drugs under legislation that has cleared an Iowa House committee. Representative Clel Baudler, a Republican from Greenfield, is the bill’s sponsor. “My hope is with this bill that it will force mom to get some treatment,” Baudler says. “We know they’re not going to put ’em in prison for something like this. That’s just the justice system, the way it is today.” Representative Ako Abdul-Samad, a Democrat from Des Moines, says the bill isn’t a “comprehensive answer” to the problem.

“If you have a father that’s addicted and a mother that’s not, but there’s meth smoked actually in the home, it will be detected in the child,” Absul-Samad says. “So the then mother gets blamed for it, but the father then walks away?” Representative Mary Wolfe, a Democrat from Clinton, says the threat of having newborns tested for drugs might prompt some pregnant women to have their babies outside a hospital. “A woman who’s addicted to drugs, when she goes into labor, she may — to the extent that she thinks about it at all — she would choose to have her baby in an alley or in a closet somewhere rather than risk going to the hospital,” Wolfe said. Representative Jarad Klein, a Republican from Keota, responded “I will continue to support this bill because I believe we can save a life,” Klein said. “And if we can save one life, that is a win in my book.”

Representative Tom Shaw, a Republican from Laurens, is a former a police chief who made drug arrests. “I have had numerous drug users come up to me and…actually thank me for arresting them because without law enforcement involvement, they didn’t take their treatment seriously,” Shaw says. “…It wasn’t until they had the threat of prison time or sustained jail time that they actually went into treatment with the attitude that they had to clean themselves up.” Representative Ruth Ann Gaines, a Democrat from Des Moines, adopted a boy who was born addicted to drugs. “But I don’t think this bill would have detered his parents, especially his mother, from using drugs. I think what it would have done is forced her to abort him,” Gaines says. “…I don’t think this is going to do anything but force more women into back alley abortions.”

The bill passed the House Public Safety Committee on a 15 to six vote.

(Radio Iowa)

Montgomery County Emergency Management Coordinator Brian Hamman say that Montgomery and Page County Emergency Management Agencies are (EMA)  sponsoring the annual Storm Spotter training class in Red Oak this year. Hamman says due to cuts at the National Weather Service, the two EMA’s have grouped together to assist them and will switch between Montgomery and Page counties to host the class yearly. Montgomery in odd years and Page in even years. The class is open to the public and free of charge.
The Storm Spotter Training Class will take place Tuesday, Feb. 26th,  from 7- to 9-pm at the Montgomery Co Historical Center in Red Oak. If you have any questions contact Brian Hamman at 712-623-3749.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports an Adams County man was arrested early this (Tuesday) morning for being a fugitive from justice. Brothers says at around 12: 20-a.m., officers with the Clarinda P-D apprehended 36-year old James Keith Bost, of Corning. Bost eas taken into custody in the area of 18^th & Lincoln Streets, on a fugitive from justice warrant from the State of Texas. Bost was wanted by Texas authorities for felony possession of marijuana.

He was transported to the Page County Jail and held on a $10,000 cash only bond while awaiting extradition to Texas.