When considering the state's petition to have Bryan Pierce committed as a sexually violent predator, the Warren County District Court found evidence to support that:

1. Pierce had been convicted of a sexually violent offense
2. Pierce suffered from two mental abnormalities -- pedophilia and antisocial personality disorder.

On the issue of whether Pierce was more likely than not to reoffend, the District Court ruled that the state failed to meet the burden of state law requirements since an expert witness could not offer an opinion as to whether or not Pierce would be more likely than not to reoffend within five years. Although the state's witness did testify that Pierce shares similar characteristics with sex offenders who had high rates of reoffense over six- to 15-year periods, the District Court interpreted the Iowa Code to require a "current or present likelihood of reoffense."

The Iowa Supreme Court, after establishing that the state did have the authority to appeal a refusal to commit from the District Court, reviewed the testimony of expert witness that concluded that Pierce would fall "into the higher category of risk and is someone whose level of risk would be more likely than not" to commit future sexual offenses.

"The Act does not require more precise evidence for a reasonable fact finder to conclude Pierce is dangerous and a menace to society if not committed," wrote Supreme Court Justice Michael Steit in the opinion. "The district court erred by refusing to consider evidence of Pierce's lifetime risk. ...Sexual offenses are often crimes of opportunity. It is impossible to predict when Pierce will have access to young children. However, there is abundant evidence Pierce has abused children when the opportunity was presented to him."

At the time of the commitment hearing in District Court, Pierce was 44. He already had an extensive criminal history that included convictions for burglary, interference with official acts, criminal mischief, trespass, eluding, assaulting a police officer and domestic assault. He had also been convicted of three violent sexual offenses. While living with a girlfriend in Missouri in 1987, Pierce fondled and performed oral sex on the girlfriend's 6-year-old son. Pierce pled guilty to sexual abuse in the first degree and was sentence to five years in prison.

Three years later, Pierce was living in Iowa with a different girlfriend and her children. On at least two occasions he fondled the new girlfriend's 7-year-old daughter. That same year, Pierce showed pornographic magazines to a 9-year-old girl he was babysitting and performed oral sex on her. As a result of those incidents, Pierce pled guilty to lascivious acts with a child and third-degree sexual abuse. He was sentenced to 10 years.

Pierce was scheduled for release from prison in late August 2005. However, in early August the Iowa Attorney General's Office filed a petition alleging Pierce was a sexually violent predator and should be committed. In May 2006, following a bench trial, the District Court made its ruling that the state failed to prove its case and Pierce was released from custody.

Because the District Court will now reconsider the case within the scope provided by the Iowa Supreme Court, there is a high likelihood that Pierce will be committed and returned to the custody of some maximum security, state-run facility.

"I believe that women have the potential to be the kind of leaders who will shift paradigms, encourage and mentor others and celebrate diversity," Clancey said during the 2007 Women's Equality Day celebration in Cedar Rapids. "It's long past time for equal representation with women at the political table, in corporate American board rooms and in leadership positions at all levels. Not only are women wanted to run the nation, they are desperately needed to run it in order to bring important issues to the forefront."

The Chamber's Board of Directors is currently in the process of establishing a search committee that will be led by Brad Hart, secretary for the board and an attorney with Bradley & Riley PC. Officials are not ruling out the possibility of utilizing the services of an executive recruitment firm to assist in "a comprehensive, national search." Clancey will assist in the search effort, according to Allen Witt, chairman-elect of the board. He added that the group anticipates hiring a successor by late summer.

“During Lee’s service, the Chamber has helped our community in several important initiatives, including the transition to a new form of city government, passage of the penny tax for Linn County schools and the development of the downtown master plan,” said Ralph Russell, chairman of the board. “We sincerely thank Lee for her leadership these past three years and suspect she will continue to be a leader in our community in the future.”

During her tenure, Clancey has overseen the implementation of numerous programs for Chamber members including the Chamber Academy, pharmacy discount card, and the Community Gift Certificate. She serves as a board member with Diversity Focus, the Entrepreneurial Development Center, the Technology Corridor Business Alliance and the Iowa Chamber Alliance. She was the first executive director of the Renaissance Group (now the Downtown District).

“It has been an exciting time for me with the Chamber,” Clancey said in a prepared statement. “We have accomplished a great deal in a few short years. However, it is with a sense of excitement that I leave to move on to life’s next adventure. It is also time for the next generation to take the reins.”

"I want to tell you that I do think this race -- the Democratic race -- is over," Stephanopoulos said. "Tuesday night was a decisive tipping point. Mathematically it is simply not possible for Sen. [Hillary Rodham] Clinton to catch Sen. [Barack] Obama in the elected delegates. Beyond that, I think what you are starting to feel in the 48 hours or so since North Carolina and Indiana is the sense inside the Democratic Party that this has to end, that Democrats have to unify behind a single candidate and get on with the business of the general election."

As evidence of his prediction, Stephanopoulos said that Obama was expected to pick up two additional Democratic superdelegates today, placing his campaign ahead of Clinton's for the first time in terms of the coveted pledged superdelegate total.

"By the end of the day tomorrow, [Obama] will be ahead of her by that count as well, and you are going to start to see even more of the ranks closing around him," Stephanopoulos said. "I think it is very possible that Sen. Clinton will stay in the race for another week or two. You see, [Clinton] has never actually lost a race. ... I think this is really a difficult process for her to wrap her head around."

According to Stephanopoulos, Clinton's staff was telling her prior to Tuesday night that she would "win Indiana by a much larger margin -- by 8 or 10 points -- and would hold North Carolina to a very narrow loss, maybe even win it." The disappointment, he said, was evidenced on Clinton's face when she spoke late that night.

"You could see it -- those of you who were able to stay up that long -- you could see it in her face," he said. "I think she was in a little bit of shock and angry. I think she's in the process now of trying to absorb that and figure out how we get out of this primary process."

Looking past the 2008 contests, Stephanopoulos said that Obama, whom he now considers the de facto nominee, not only owes Iowa for his catapult out of the state and into the remaining contests, but, if elected to the White House in November, will reward Iowa by pushing for it to continue the role as the nation's earliest presidential nomination contest.

"As to first-in-the-nation status, I don't think that's going to change," he said. "I hope next time around is not in 2011. You know, this time it started so early that it was almost in 2007. But I think [Iowa's place] is secure. ... Especially if Obama becomes president, he will feel such loyalty to Iowa just as Pres. Clinton felt to New Hampshire that there is no way it will change."

Kevin Sims received the prison term after pleading guilty in January to one count of depriving another of civil rights. At the guilty plea, Sims admitted he was a patrol officer with the Cedar Rapids Police Department during the spring of 2004 and on-duty when he stopped a woman he knew through earlier bar checks. Sims made the stop without contacting dispatch. When the woman informed him that her driver's license was under suspension, Sims again neglected to contact dispatch for a status check and, instead, instructed the woman to pull her vehicle into a nearby park.

At that location, Sims and the woman engaged in sexual intercourse while he was still on duty, in his police uniform, and with his firearm still in his holster. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the woman voluntarily engaged in the act believing that by doing what Sims wanted she would escape any criminal charges. Although admitting to driving while under suspension, the woman was not arrested by Sims and was given no other citation.

Three years later, Sims was interviewed by FBI agents. He initially denied the accusations in relation to the traffic stop, but, when confronted with "other information," admitted to having intercourse with the woman. To date, law enforcement has not explained how this case surfaced three years after the fact or the nature of the "information" which led to Sims' confession.

Sims was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by Magistrate Judge Jon Stuart Scoles to six months in federal prison. A special assessment of $25 was imposed, as well as a fine of $2,000, and he will serve one year on supervised release after he serves his prison sentence. There is no parole in the federal system. Sims was released on a bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a date yet to be set. As a condition of his guilty plea, the former officer waived the right to appeal his conviction or sentence. As a further condition of the plea, Sims was required to resign as a police officer and is forever barred from serving as a sworn law enforcement officer.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney C.J. Williams and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the cooperation and assistance of the Cedar Rapids Police Department.

Eaton is a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Juhl, a student at Des Moines Area Community College, received national attention in 2005 when he was elected mayor of Roland at age 18. Radke, a resident of Nevada, Iowa, and vice president of the local American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, says she doesn't know of any specific reasons or issues that led the other two Democrats to run for the seat.

"I guess you'd have to ask them," she said. "I know [Juhl] feels that students should be better represented. I've also met Eaton, but have only spoken with him briefly. I can tell you, however, that we are all in agreement that someone from the Democratic ticket would represent the people of this district -- their values and their goals -- better than our Republican opponent has and will."

Deyoe, also a Nevada resident, was first elected to the House seat in 2006 when then-Republican incumbent Jim Kurtenbach left to launch an unsuccessful bid for an open seat in the Iowa Senate. The Senate seat was vacated by Stew Iverson, the current chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa. Kurtenbach lost the Senate bid to Democrat Rich Olive.

Radke was initially encouraged to run for the House Seat by Johnie Hammond, a woman who served the Story County area for more than 20 years. Hammond served eight years in the Iowa Senate, 12 years in the Iowa House of Representatives and four years on the Story County Board of Supervisors.

"Johnie was serving on the Board of Supervisors when I first met her. I thought she was just a fantastic role model -- a great woman, who wasn't afraid to speak her mind," Radke said. "She thought things and issues through very thoroughly, and, when she made decisions, she did so with the best interests of her constituents in mind. When she was elected to the House and then to the Senate, I followed her career there too. She called me a few years ago and asked me to run. At that point, I thought Kurtenbach would be my opponent and I knew he'd be a formidable one. Still, I felt -- and still feel -- that the people in District 10 could be better represented by a Democrat."

Less than 24 hours after learning that she lost to Deyoe by 680 votes, Radke received a phone call that solidified her resolve to make another bid for the House seat.

"The day after the election, Sen. Tom Harkin phoned and told me that I had to run again," she said. "He said that I just needed to reach a few more people and gather a few more votes. So, with his encouragement, I decided to give it another try."

Radke, who grew up working on a Century Farm in Forest City, believes the people in District 10 are ready for change and that her life experiences will help bring needed reform in the areas of education, health care, renewable energy and the environment.

"I just thought it was criminal when I learned that Iowa was 42nd in the United States for teacher pay," she said. "Teachers have so much responsibility and our children are in their care for so many hours each day that I really thought they should be better paid. I'm also concerned about the early childhood development programs that are available for children. I know that our children learn so much in those early years and that a strong foundation is important for success in their later years. Early childhood development programs are essential for our state."

Radke said because of her own children's higher education, she knows firsthand about the costs of continuing education.

"With my own children, I saw the cost of tuition going up and up," she said. "I really think higher education -- not just colleges and universities, but vocational training too -- needs to be affordable for our young people in Iowa. Each person is different and each one benefits from different training. Because of that, I do think both the vocational and college training after high school are important and that we need to support those programs."

Both growing up on a farm and the influence of her husband, Jerry, a retired soil physicist who is seeking a third term on the Story County Soil and Water Conservation Commission, have sparked her interest in renewable energy and protecting Iowa's environment.

"I think, because I worked on the farm, I have a love for our land and soil," she said. "I know what a valuable resource we have and I know how hard farmers work. Of course, going to the gas station and filling the tank just takes a huge bite out of everyone's budget. I think we need to focus on renewable technology so that we can become energy independent.

"When I was a child, we use to go fishing in Clear Lake. We'd catch bullheads and Dad would throw them on the grill. We ate those fish without thinking twice. Now, I'm not sure whether or not you can eat the fish you catch in Clear Lake. It really worries me that our streams, rivers and lakes are becoming polluted. It also worries me that our air has become polluted as well. I think we have a responsibility to protect our environment for the next generation."

Radke is thankful for the district's history of promoting women to positions of power. Because of that history and women like former Sen. Johnie Hammond, Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell and Rep. Lisa Heddens, who have already served, she doesn't feel that her gender played a role in the last election or will play a role in the upcoming election either. But she also acknowledges that her gender, as well as her life experiences, are a part of who she is as a person and who she will be as a state representative.

"We all bring to public service what we know," she said. "I worked as an Iowa Department of Human Services social worker, investigating child abuse cases and working with foster families and children. I also worked with the elderly and their families as a medical social worker. Mostly, I worked with families that didn't have health insurance and I think that there is no excuse for all Iowans not to have access to affordable, accessible health care. I think that can be done. I think we need to do it gradually. We need to be fiscally responsible while we do it, but we can do it.

"When we make policy decisions, those decisions are reflected by our values and beliefs. The people in this district are interested in health care and education. Most here were happy that the ban on stem cell research was reversed. I believe my values and principles are a good match with this district and that I would best serve them."

What about those 700 votes?

"I've just got to get out there and meet as many people as I can," she said with a soft laugh. "I've got to work even harder this time, listening to as many people as possible so that I know the issues they are concerned about, learning what they want me to take down to Des Moines. Our middle class is struggling and they deserve better. They deserve a government that will work together to solve the issues we face."

Richard Vedder, director of the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP) writing for Forbes, took a direct swipe at the popular college and university rankings produced by U.S. News & World Report, saying the "rankings ought to get a D."

While the U.S. News rankings didn't give Iowa institutions glowing marks, both the University of Iowa and Iowa State University ranked in the top 100. Iowa ranked 64th while Iowa State ranked 85th on the list of all national universities. On the list of national public universities, Iowa ranked 24 and Iowa State ranked 38. Both have significant slips backward in the rankings compiled by Vedder and CCAP.

"We start with the premise that consumers want two things when they buy a good or service," Vedder wrote in an announcement on the CCAP blog. "First, they want to be satisfied using the good -- it is easy to use, safe, etc. Second, they want it to do the job for which it is intended. We think ratings of colleges should reflect how colleges do in meeting those objectives. The US News rankings are more based on resources or inputs used or on institutional reputation. The two sets of rankings are moderately highly correlated with one another, but there are important differences."

The CCAP rankings utilized student perceptions gleaned from the ratemyprofessors.com Web site, alumni presences in "Who's Who in America," student success in national award competitions, and the probability of graduating from college in four years. In writing for Forbes, Vedder explains that he believes the rankings compiled by U.S. News are the "equivalent to evaluating a chef based on the ingredients he or she uses" instead of rating the actual meal.

The CCAP rankings, however, did offer some praise for two of Iowa's liberal arts schools. Both Cornell College in Mount Vernon and Luther College in Decorah barely ranked in U.S. News' top 100. Cornell rose to CCAP's top 25, ranking 24th overall. Luther didn't rise quite as far, but moved up 10 slots to number 87 in the CCAP rankings.

Grinnell College, a private liberal arts school in Grinnell, fared much worse, dropping from 11 on the U.S. News rankings to 55th on the CCAP scorecard.

Ohio University, the school where Vedder is a professor of economics, rose on both the national university and national public university rankings.

The CCAP was founded by Vedder in 2006 with a $200,000 grant by the Searle Freedom Trust, founded by Daniel Searle. It wasn't the first time that the two teamed up. Searle was a large monetary contributor for Vedder's 2004 book, "Going Broke by Degree: Why College Costs Too Much," through a program at the American Enterprise Institute. It was Vedder's injection of personal conservative ideology in that book that has garnered him criticism as an enemy of higher education.

The attention to the book "got us thinking that there's really a lot more work to be done," Kimberly Dennis, executive director of the Searle Freedom Trust, told reporter Doug Lederman in May 2006. "No one’s looking into these issues, especially from the conservative side, and we wanted to support Rich’s interest in trying to figure out why higher education is so expensive, and what kind of policy mechanisms we could adopt that might make it more affordable.”

In addition to his work in relation to higher education, Vedder has partnered with Steve Moore, a former senior fellow at the Cato Institute and former president, chief executive officer and founder of Club for Growth, and Lowell Gallaway, another professor of economics at Ohio University and former chief of the Analytic Studies Section of the Social Security Administration, to produce a study about the impact of immigration on the American economy for the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution. Gallaway and Vedder also worked to produce several studies for the U.S. Congressional Joint Economic Committee dealing with the "welfare state," economic opportunity, small business, entrepreneurs and labor.

Vedder was also a "peer reviewer" for a report for The Tobacco Institute that was published by the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution. Vedder has been a proponent of Wal-Mart as an economic stimulator and friend to the middle class. In addition, he has previously worked with Dwight Lee, another "peer reviewer" for the tobacco industry and a professor of economics at the University of Georgia, to write studies on government deficit reduction, tax cuts and monetary growth.

There was a house fire -- Debbie has died. We don't know much else yet, but there is one more thing. God, I don't want to tell you this on the phone. The authorities think it is suspicious.

I sat and listened. Then I quickly hung up and ran into the bathroom to be sick. How could something like this happen? It must be a nightmare, and, if I just will myself, I'm going to wake up.

Unfortunately, this was no nightmare that would be washed away by the dawn.

Needless to say, I wasn't good for much on Friday as I waited for more information. I've never felt more helpless than I did that day, three states away from family that I knew needed me -- that I needed. I spoke with journalists who were covering the story locally. Mostly, I just had to convince myself that this was true, that a fire really did happen and that my niece had really died. I spoke with the fire department, although they were waiting on my sister and brothers to arrive and wouldn't provide me -- the strange, hysterical reporter lady in Iowa -- much information.

I waited... debated pulling the kids out of school that day and starting the trip down south... but just kept waiting. The kids came home from school and I dreaded telling them. They weren't that close with my niece, but death always has a way of creeping into young people's thoughts when it strikes close to home.

I was to attend the 2nd District Democratic Convention on Saturday and run for re-election to the State Central Committee. On Sunday, I was supposed to go horseback riding with the Girl Scout troop. Funny how those two things -- things that seemed so important just a few hours before -- melted away as insignificant.

My large family had already begun to gather around the grieving sister. When I spoke with family Friday night, they told me to come Sunday -- that Debbie, who had been so proud that I sat on the State Central Committee, would have wanted me to attend the convention and run for re-election as I'd planned. If anyone reading this had the misfortune of hearing my so-called speech at the convention, then I don't need to tell you that my heart just wasn't in it. I'm extremely grateful for the friends who stuck around until ungodly hours to vote for me, who took it upon themselves to campaign for me during the convention and who ensured my re-election. I've no doubt that there is no way I could have done it on my own -- I was busy answering the phone, getting more bits and pieces of information from three states away.

The boyfriend is in the hospital, smoke inhalation. The fire is definitely suspicious -- investigators can't find a cause, have asked neighbors and the public to call an arson line if they saw anything. Not sure about the funeral yet, investigation may postpone it.

By the time I got home Saturday night, it was early Sunday morning. I collapsed, still dressed onto the bed and let the bottled up emotions flow freely for the first time.

My husband had to stay home, so, the next morning, the children and I packed suitcases and piled into the car for the long drive. We almost made it, but finally stopped at a hotel in Joplin, Mo. We completed the trip the following morning, driving on Oklahoma toll roads and state highways. It was amazing to see trees full of leaves and flowers already blooming.

The next few days were a blur. There was a visitation, the funeral service and family -- lots of family. Why is it that when we grow old, we tend to only gather with family at the most sad times?

The most difficult aspect of the trip was watching Debbie's 7-year-old daughter -- who looks so very much like her mother -- and 5-year-old son grieve at the funeral. Their sobbing prompted my youngest two -- just 8 and 5 -- to being their own grieving process. What can you do? There's no explanation, no reason and no real comfort. So, you hold them close and let them feel the warmth of the sun on the tops of their heads.

While I didn't have 30-some years to fall in love with my son who was stillborn, I still felt the pang of knowing what my sister would be going through in the coming months and years. Another soul with another raw gaping hole that time will never fully heal. Right now, she's not interested in knowing the hows and whys of what happened. She understands that foul play or not, her daughter is gone. Knowledge is small comfort.

Later that night, I sat on the back deck at my brother's home -- which was formerly my parent's home -- and watched the ghosts of the past at play in the yard. An old, metal swing set use to sit beside the house. One warm night Debbie and I were running around the yard, getting ready to play our favorite game, "Ghosts in the Graveyard." We decided it wasn't quite dark enough to start the game, although the sun was quickly setting. We began a game where we pushed the sawhorse on the swing set. I'd push it and she'd catch it. She'd push it and I'd catch it. It was going great until I gave it a hard push, too fast for Deb to catch. The metal bar, long missing the plastic protector at the end, smashed into Deb's face, just above her lip. The gash was deep and required several stitches.

We were both young at the time -- I think I was about 12 and she was about 8, I don't remember exactly. As we grew up, the scar moved up into her nose where only the slightest blemish could be seen -- and then, only if you looked for it. Still, I never once saw Debbie after that without that scar flashing at me like a neon sign. I cannot count the number of times I told her how sorry I was. Accidents are like that. In a single snap of time, everything changes forever.

We hugged family and friends and began our journey back home, despite the fact that it felt too soon to be leaving. Thunderstorms and tornadoes pushed at our backs as we abandoned the fastest route that was in the direct line of storms and opted for the longer drive across Missouri. I drove straight through -- not wanting to be away from my home and husband any longer, not wanting to watch nature's fury over a strange landscape (but understanding exactly how nature felt).

In the roughly six hours that law enforcement patrolled east and west traffic on I-235 in Des Moines between Pennsylvania and 2nd Avenue, officers issued 189 citations -- 31.5 each hour.

• 112 speeding
• 23 failure to move over or slow down
• 12 failure to use seat belts
• 7 driving without a license
• 10 no insurance
• 7 no valid registration
• 14 tinted windows
• 2 driving under suspension
• 1 failure to signal
• 1 possession of drug paraphernalia

The speeding record of the day belong to the driver traveling at 91 miles per hour in a 55 zone.

The project is intended to reduce accidents on the freeway through Des Moines. Today's activity is just one of several that will happen in the coming months.

As I lay still, listening to the wind swirl outside before another spring storm, I let the previous day's events play behind my eyes, compartmentalizing those items that needed further attention and discarding those that were complete. As the scenes flickered, one dominated: the email sent by Iowa Family Policy Center President Chuck Hurley in response to the "Day of Silence" scheduled for Friday. The student-led event gives young adults an opportunity to call attention to an evil within their own community -- violence, harassment and bullying based on sexual orientation. It provides this population, so often left to suffer the consequences of adult actions in silence, a voice. Ironically, it is the student's refusal to speak that provides them the loudest of voices on this one day.

Hurley's prayer request continued to replay in my mind. "Pray throughout the day for the salvation and healing of 'openly gay' students." Now, I grew up in an extremely religious family. I take prayer requests seriously and fully believe in the power of asking for assistance from something/someone larger than myself. This particular prayer request, however, left me feeling both sad and frustrated. The emotions were so great that I got out of the bunk bed and fumbled through the house for the dictionary.

sal - va - tion (sāl-vā'shən) - noun

1. Preservation or deliverance from destruction, difficulty, or harm.
2. A source, means or cause of such preservation or deliverance.
3. Saving someone or something from harm or from an unpleasant situation.
4. The state of being saved or preserved from harm.
5. In Christianity, union or friendship with God and deliverance from original sin and damnation.

The "original sin" for Christians was the eating of the forbidden fruit by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The act led to their expulsion from Eden by God. The act also caused humans' fall from divine grace. Because of this event, most Christians believe that from the moment a child is conceived, he or she, as a descendant of Adam and Eve, is already in a state of sin. Most Christians also believe that the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross and his subsequent resurrection was atonement for original sin. So, any individual who believes in Jesus and accepts baptism is freed from the confines of original sin and experiences salvation.

One of the things I learned at an early age through my Christian upbringing is that salvation, in the Christian sense, is a gift. No one can earn it and no one deserves it.

Since salvation is a gift, neither earned nor deserved, everyone already has it. Hurley is not requesting we ask God to grant salvation to others, because God has already done that. He's requesting that we all ask God to make others behave in a way that Hurley (and not necessarily God) deems appropriate.

Looking at salvation in terms of the secular definitions, it appears that Hurley is actually praying for the success of the Day of Silence. Tomorrow students will refrain from speaking to draw attention to violence against LGBT students in their schools. If we are to pray for the salvation of gay students -- i.e., their protection from harm -- then we are praying for the violence, harassment and bullying to stop.

The second part of the prayer request still gives me pause. Hurley requests that we pray for the "healing" of gay students. Given Hurley's deliberate manipulation of the Gospel in the first part of his request, I'm not inclined to believe that Hurley is requesting we pray for the healing of those gay students who have been the victims of school violence. Hurley wants us to pray to God for gay people to be healed, much like we'd pray for a person suffering with cancer to have the disease eradicated and the body made whole.

As far back as 1901, however, Havelock Ellis joined Sigmund Freud in arguing that homosexuality was not immoral, that it was not a disease, and that many homosexuals made outstanding contributions to society. Those beliefs were backed up by the research of Evelyn Hooker, a noted psychologist, in 1957, but it took until the early 1970s before the American Psychiatric Association voted to remove homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Despite all of this scientific evidence and despite the fact that many religious institutions now welcome homosexuals into their congregations, Hurley affirmed his belief that being gay is the same as being stricken with a disease this morning in the Des Moines Register. "...I have a problem with an effort to legitimize behavior that is physically, socially and spiritually destructive. Promoting destructive behavior is not the job of our schools. They should be promoting healthy behavior," Hurley said.

Last night, after considering Hurley's prayer request, I decided instead to offer my own. I prayed for Hurley, that his eyes might be opened to the word of the God he professes to love so dearly. I prayed for him to be provided unconditional love and tolerance for all creation. Above all else, I prayed for peace -- deep, soul-calming and spirit-quenching peace to enter Hurley's life and allow him to see the value of all people, even those who do not share his Biblical interpretations. I closed with a request that next year there will be no need for the Day of Silence, that each young person who enters our schools will be treated with dignity and respect. Amen.

The Supreme Court ruled last year that Ledbetter, a supervisor at the Goodyear Tire plant, could not sue for pay discrimination because she did not file her claim within 180 days of her pay being set. Her visit to Capitol Hill came as the Senate plans to take up the Fair Pay Restoration Act, a legislative fix for the ruling that narrowed an employee’s right to sue over employment discrimination. Harkin is an original co-sponsor of the bill.

"Sometimes discrimination is brazen and in-your-face, like with Jim Crow and apartheid. And sometimes discrimination is silent and insidious. This is exactly what is happening, today, in workplaces across America," said Harkin. "Pay discrimination is a harsh reality in the workplace, and it is not only unfair, it is also demeaning and demoralizing. Individual women should not have to do battle in order to win equal pay. We need more inclusive national laws to make equal pay for equal work a basic standard - and a legal right – in the American workplace."

Harkin also noted that passage of the Fair Pay Act would have prevented the problem in the first place because it would have required Ledbetter's employer to disclose pay scales. The Fair Pay Act would also require employers to provide equal pay for equivalent jobs - addressing the historic pattern of undervaluing and underpaying so-called "women's" jobs. For example, housekeepers (a female-dominated field) are paid less than janitors (a male-dominated field) even though both jobs require similar levels of skill, effort, and responsibility. The Fair Pay Act would ensure that when working conditions are similar, wages would also be similar.

"More than 40 years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act, women's wages still lag behind their male counterparts' wages - women make only 77 cents for every dollar that a man makes. The average woman loses an estimated $700,000 over her lifetime due to unequal pay practices," said Harkin. "My Fair Pay Act would give women the information they need to identify discriminatory pay practices. While we can’t re-write history for Lilly Ledbetter, we can ensure that American women working today are getting a fair salary."

Further details about the Fair Pay Act can be found on Harkin's site.

Lamont William Papakee, 36, from the Meskwaki Settlement in Tama, received the prison term after a June 2007 jury verdict found him guilty of one count of sexual abuse. The jury acquitted him on one count of aggravated sexual abuse.

Evidence at trial showed Papakee and Connie Frances Blackcloud sexually abused a woman in September 2006. The district court, in a sentencing order involving Blackcloud, stated that the victim was "brutalized ... in a sadistic attempt to rape her with a vegetable."

Papakee was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Linda Reade. Reade said Papakee is a dangerous offender who has repeatedly engaged in crimes of violence and is at high-risk to re-offend. Papakee had prior Iowa convictions for assaulting women.

Papakee is being held in the custody of U.S. Marshal's until he can be transported to federal prison. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison and fined $10,000. A special assessment of $100 was imposed, and he was ordered to make $6,066.75 in restitution to the Iowa Crime Victim Compensation Program. He must also serve a 15-year term of supervised release after his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was prosecuted by Asst. U.S. Attorney Ian Thornhill and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Tama County Sheriff's Office and the Meskwaki Police Department.

In 2007, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) reports that there were 127 diagnoses, up from 113 in 2006 and the previous high of 117 in 2005. Of concern to state officials is the number of individuals who have been infected with HIV for months or years, but only recently underwent testing.

"Although Iowa has a relatively low number of HIV infections when compared with other states, the upward trending is something we take very seriously," said Tom Newton, director of IDPH. "We want to encourage testing because early diagnosis means early treatment and a better outcome."

In Iowa, men accounted for 83 percent of the 2007 diagnoses. This group increased for the fourth consecutive year. Of the 106 men diagnosed in 2007, 68 reported having sex with other males. Men having sex with men remains the number one risk factor in the state for HIV infection. Randy Mayer, the department's HIV/AIDS and hepatitis program director, said it's important for good prevention and education messages to be brought to that segment of the population. The department currently funds several prevention projects targeting men who have sex with men.

The Johnson County Public Health Department conducts formal outreach with a team of men who go to locations frequented by gay men to promote prevention. The program, dubbed "moMENtum," also includes peer-led group discussions.

The AIDS Project of Central Iowa is a Polk County group program for black men who have sex with men. Cultural, social and religious factors specific to African-American men and how these factors affect risk behaviors are a part of the discussions.

Mayer said the department would like to see more outreach and educational programs of this type.

More than 8,000 people were tested for HIV in 2007 via IDPH and affiliated organizations. In addition, more than 8,600 people were reached through community-level prevention programs, and intensive individual-level programs were delivered to 20 people.

HIV diagnoses among people age 45 or older have more than doubled since 2003. The median age of diagnosis was 40 for men and 37 for females. Iowa had no pediatric HIV diagnoses in 2007.

Diagnoses among black, non-Hispanic persons continue to be disproportionate to the size of the population. Blacks are roughly 3 percent of Iowa's population, but accounted for 20 percent of new HIV diagnoses in 2007. Overall, diagnoses among black persons were up 32 percent from 2006, but lower than the group's peak in 2002. Blacks are 10 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV than are white, non-Hispanic persons in Iowa.

Hispanics are also overrepresented among those diagnosed with HIV -- roughly three times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV than white, non-Hispanic Iowans. The group comprises roughly 4 percent of the state's population, yet accounts for 8 percent of the 2007 diagnoses.

Despite the population disparities among blacks and Hispanics, the largest proportion of the HIV and AIDS diagnoses in Iowa continued to be among white, U.S.-born persons. Such individuals accounted for 70 percent of HIV diagnoses and 65 percent of AIDS diagnoses last year.

If there is a silver lining in the statistics released by the IDPH it is that AIDS diagnoses declined by 18 percent last year. There were 66 AIDS diagnoses in 2007, down from 80 in 2006 and below the state average (from 2002 to 2006) of 75.

As of Dec. 31, 2007, a total of 1,910 people living with HIV or AIDS were believed to be residents of Iowa. The vast majority of those cases, similar to general state population distribution, are believed to be living in Polk, Scott, Johnson, Linn, Pottawattamie, Black Hawk and Woodbury counties. While deaths among persons with HIV/AIDS declined slightly in 2007, a departmental review of vital records data expected to be completed this summer may identify additional deaths.

The fund, allocated up to $750,000 before House lawmakers stripped it from the bill and re-allocated the funds to county mental health services on Tuesday, is a focused effort of Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa, through the Healthy Families project. The monies would be used to aid low-income and under-served women in Iowa in obtaining contraceptives and accessing family planning programs that seek to prevent unwanted pregnancy.

Reducing and preventing unplanned pregnancy is typically a goal that can be embraced by both political parties serving in Des Moines. When it came to this particular fund, however, Republican lawmakers -- at the urging of conservative groups such as Iowa Right to Life -- became more focused on Planned Parenthood's proximity to the proposed fund instead of the end goal. Sen. David Johnson, R-Ocheyedan, offered an amendment that left the appropriated funds, but changed the language so that Planned Parenthood (or any agency offering abortion services) would not be eligible for distributions. In effect Johnson's failed amendment would have limited the funds to crisis pregnancy centers, the only family planning centers that receive Iowa Right to Life and National Right to Life approval.

"It's so Orwellian to see this project being called a healthy families initiative," Johnson told the Daily Iowan. "... Healthy families is certainly not the way I would characterize anything associated with Planned Parenthood."

As the appropriation was originally written a portion of the funds would be available for use by Planned Parenthood. The funds would also be available to many other family planning services throughout the state.

Rep. Ro Foege, D-Mount Vernon, is the legislator that put forth the amendment in the Iowa House of Representatives to dismantle the fund and re-allocate the money to county mental health services.

"I offered that amendment for a number of reasons," Foege said in a telephone interview this morning. "First, [the appropriation for family planning] was new money and we hadn't really addressed the mental health issue and the county shortfalls. Secondly, for me it was like we hadn't worked hard enough on putting up that new money in a way that could be leveraged. In other words, the question I had was if any of that money could be placed in the Medicaid system for family planning and receive a possible federal match. I wanted to stretch our dollars more and that question had not been answered.

"The third reason -- which is more of a political reason -- is that in the Iowa House it would have been turned into a two or three hour abortion debate, even though these funds aren't about abortion that's what this would have become. We were basically able to avoid a lengthy debate when we're trying to shut the place down."

In addition, Foege, who is one of the lawmakers assigned to the conference committee that will reconcile the House and Senate version of the appropriations bill, said he wasn't certain that there were the numbers in the House to ensure passage of the bill if the family planning appropriations remained.

"We could have lost it," he said. "I don't know if we would have had the 51 votes needed. You simply don't take something to the floor without knowing you can win."

Throughout the past few months, Iowans have been bombarded by marketing in relation to this fund. Bulk mailers, paid advertisement and phone banks have been just a few of the ways that Planned Parenthood has both educated and pushed supporters to rally around the proposed fund. The marketing plan has been labeled as aggressive by some Democratic lawmakers, but a Planned Parenthood spokeswoman said it was a solid marketing push and what was needed in this instance.

"Basically what we were trying to accomplish with this was public education to identify people who agree that there is a need for additional support in this area for low-income women,"said Julie Stauch, vice president of governmental affairs for Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa. "To me, what we did was meet the necessary threshold of what you do in order to get through to people who may not understand this issue, but would support it if they did. We think it was actually what a good program should be. Ask any marketing expert and they will tell you that a certain amount of repetition is needed."

If the fund survives the conference committee, it will be difficult to argue that the marketing campaign, which Foege described as a "political onslaught," was effective.

"*It's like [those running the Healthy Families project] hadn't done their homework," Foege said. "... Having said all that, we've sent the message to them and I anticipate that money will be restored."

The conference committee is meeting today and it is expected that a compromise bill will be reached by tonight.

"I think this district is in need of someone who has a fresh approach," said Savage, who's quick to point to her two sons and one granddaughter when describing why she's tossed her hat in the ring. "We need someone who can approach decision-making from a different viewpoint that's based on rich life experiences. That's what I've got -- a multitude and broad range of life experience that I know I can use for the betterment of the people in this district and for the state as a whole."

The district, which includes all of Cedar County and portions of Muscatine and Johnson counties, has been served since 2004 by Republican Jim Hahn, a real estate and insurance salesman. Prior to Hahn the seat was held for 28 years by Republican Dick Drake, a Navy veteran that most in Des Moines knew as "Commander." Drake died in 2007.

The population distribution of the district has changed drastically since the turn of the century, primarily due to a large and growing Latino population in Muscatine County. Overall, Latinos make up 13.5 percent of the population in the county. When the lens is narrowed to the community of West Liberty, however, 41 percent of residents are Latino. The county and community boast one of the highest Latino population percentages in the entire state. Savage describes the diversity of the population as a challenge, but mostly an opportunity.

"I think I can better serve that segment of the population because I believe I'm more likely to listen and speak with them," she said. "Through my experience as an individual and family therapist, I learned family assessment and needs assessment. I believe that experiences places me in a good position to help assess what the needs are and to work to find solutions to those needs."

Health care, education and environment are issues, she said, that cross ethnic and economic boundaries. Because of that, she believes these are issues that should cross party boundaries as well.

"Health care -- particularly for children -- but also for people of all ages needs to be affordable," Savage said. "I've taught part-time at Muscatine Community College for several years and I'm also concerned about what I see happening with Iowa students. They carry an increasing load of debt and they have difficulty in obtaining health care. Iowa students hare having a difficult time getting through school and making ends meet. Many of them [upon graduation] feel they need to leave our state because they can't afford to stay here and pay off the educational debt they've acquired. Given a choice, I believe most recent graduates and families would prefer to find decent jobs and remain here."

Because of recent, more strict requirements, air quality is an issue that is already having an impact on the area.

"We're not having an issue because the area has become more polluted, but because standards have changed," Savage said. "We are no longer where we need to be in terms of air quality, and, I'm sure, there will be meetings in the future so that residents can develop a community action plan and return to a level of compliance."

Savage, 61, believes her experience as a social worker and therapist make her the best choice to help forge solutions.

"Because of my training, I have more of an emphasis on trying to work with both sides of any issue to reach a resolution," she said. "I see a real need for legislators who are able to do that, especially if we want to stall some of the problems we have currently. I think that we need to be able to work together and to reach across party lines and ideological boundaries. [Hahn] is not so inclined."

Although the area has had some women serve as mayors or on city councils, it hasn't been as generous in electing women to serve in state roles. In spite of that, Savage is optimistic.

"I'm thinking that [my gender] might play a role in the election. And I'm hopeful that it will in a good way," she said. "I'm a grandmother. I've been a mother. I'm a wife. Women have such rich backgrounds to draw from and I think those experiences give us just a little bit different slant on issues. I don't think I should be elected because I am a woman, but I do think that a woman's viewpoint adds something to the discussion and to the conversation. That's value-added information that needs to be included. We've had very few women in the Iowa Senate and it would be a benefit, I think, to increase those numbers and make the Capitol a little more representative of our population."

Above all else, Savage believes that state government should be representative of the people.

"I strongly believe that our Legislature needs to reflect us," she said. "Those serving cannot help solve our problems and help deal with our life struggles if they've not had some exposure to the way we live. I'm one of those people that is, you know, pretty much like everyone else you know. That is, I've been there. I pretty much know what people are living through and dealing with. I think that's an asset."

In addition to her previous experience in social work and being an adjunct professor at Muscatine Community College, Savage and her husband, Tom, own and operate Books n' More in Muscatine. She's partial owner of an Iowa Century Farm in Salem that has been in her family since the 1870s. Before beginning her campaign, she co-hosted a talk show on Muscatine's KWPC radio and published a weekly column in the Muscatine Journal.

Savage has been very active in the Muscatine community, stepping down earlier this year as president of the Greater Downtown Muscatine Association. She remains an active member with the group, along with the local Chamber of Commerce, symphony board, League of Women Voters, Foster Grandparents Review Board and other civic organizations. She currently serves as co-president of the Muscatine County Arts Council.

"I'm really excited about this new opportunity," Savage said before quickly ticking off details of an upcoming fundraiser. "I'm now at a point in my life where I have the time and energy available to focus completely on getting tasks done for this district."]]> http://www.essentialestrogen.com/2008/04/senate_challenger_savage.html http://www.essentialestrogen.com/2008/04/senate_challenger_savage.html Iowa Iowa Senate Cedar County Hahn Iowa Johnson County Muscatine County Savage Senate Women Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:10:00 -0600 The presidential campaign for New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared less than enthusiastic in its return to Iowa in March to battle once again for the state's delegates at county conventions. It was a costly mistake and one, it now seems, the campaign has no desire to repeat.

Yesterday, Iowa delegates who remain pledged to the suspended presidential run of former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards as well as those pledged to Clinton received a full-page, full-color reminder of the upcoming Democratic district conventions.

At county conventions held across the Hawkeye State in March, the campaign for Barack Obama improved on the 38 percent of Iowa's national convention delegates he won two months prior on caucus night. In part, the increase was credited to the Illinois Senator picking up many previous Edwards supporters. Obama ended the county conventions with an additional nine of Iowa's 45 pledged national delegates. Clinton's total was reduced by one pledged national delegate.

In previous years Iowa's paltry national delegates -- 45 pledged and 11 superdelegates -- have not been considered high-stakes commodities. Since the 1970s, the Iowa prize has always been considered the national push that could be provided by a good showing in the state's first-in-the-nation caucuses. In this Democratic primary, however, which has both Clinton and Obama battling toward the 2,035 needed to secure the nomination, even Iowa's few have become coveted.

In an obvious and direct nod to those convention delegates still pledged to Edwards, one side of the Clinton mailer reads:

"John Edwards ran his campaign with compassion and conviction and lifted this campaign with his deep concerns for the daily lives of the American people. He and I both put forth universal health care plans, not because it was easy, but because health care for every man, woman and child is vital to giving every American family the opportunity for the American dream.

Together, let's make universal health care a reality. I would be honored to have your support at your Congressional District Convention."

Heading into the five district conventions scheduled for this Saturday, barely 15 percent of Iowa delegates across the state remain pledged to Edwards or uncommitted. Only two conventions -- those being held in Iowa's 2nd and 3rd Congressional Districts, the two largest Democratic contingencies in the state -- are anticipated to have potentially viable preference groups other than Clinton or Obama. Any group with less than a 15 percent showing at the state convention in June will not be eligible for national delegates; however, at the district conventions this Saturday, a total of 29 national convention delegates will be selected from the preference groups there that meet the 15 percent threshold. It is likely that if the Edwards groups remain intact, the now defunct campaign could be awarded national delegates this Saturday.

While the Clinton campaign has primarily opted for mass mailing as a way of shoring up their supporters for the district conventions, the Obama campaign has left staffers on the ground in Iowa since the county conventions. The staff has continued to rally Obama supporters and organize alternates for possible seating as delegates on convention day. Few, if any, Clinton staffers have remained on the ground in Iowa. It appears the Clinton campaign is relying more heavily on volunteer county and district coordinators.

Iowa's five district conventions will begin delegate registration at 8 a.m. Saturday morning at the following locations: