Iowa: Council Bluffs

Local Community Radio Bill Now in House of Representatives

The Local Community Radio Act is a bill currently in the House of Representatives that will allow local communities non-commercial access to the publicly owned airwaves.  

Cory Fischer-Hoffman, Campaign Director of the Prometheus Radio Project, and Mike Doyle (D-PA) spoke about the Local Community Radio Act on Democracy Now! this morning

Doyle stated that the bill is popular, bipartisan, and has a broad base of support.  The opposition (primarily National Association of Broadcasters, whose technical concerns have been proven unfounded, allowing the bill to move forward) has so far been silent, and they expect the bill to pass, but they remain cautious.

Health Care Reform Update: It’s Time to Deliver

by Alta Price, M.D.

Today, Tuesday, October 20, is a national Congressional call in day for health care reform, with Organizing for America (OFA) as the lead organizer. Call your members of Congress and tell them it’s time to deliver on health care. Let’s shut down the switchboard on Capitol Hill!

You can also go to local OFA events to call your neighbors and ask them to call Congress (presumably after today). You will also participate in a live web cast with President Obama, with an update on where we stand in Congress with the campaign for health care reform.

Public Comment Period Extended for Proposed Marshalltown Coal-Fired Power Plant

  Due to extensive interest, the public comment period for the draft air quality construction permits for the coal-fired power plant proposed by Interstate Power and Light for its Marshalltown facility—Sutherland Generating Station—has been extended to May 18. Public hearings will also be held in five additional cities.

Due to the many comments received from particular areas of the state, additional public hearings have been scheduled in Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Iowa City and the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area. Specific times and sites have not been determined at this point, but the hearings will likely be held in early May.