Meanwhile, back on the farm   

Local and University News

Photo courtesy Daily Iowan

     In the early morning hours of Sept. 24, 12 fire departments converged on Iowa Avenue to put out a blaze that would destroy Bruegger's Bagels, a popular student eatery, along with the apartment building above the bagel bakery. There were no significant injuries reported as the fire completely ravaged the building at 225 Iowa Ave. The Red Cross based in Cedar Rapids was assisting people in need by providing clothes for those who lost their belongings, as well as securing hotel rooms for those requiring them.

     Surrounding businesses are also facing hard times following the intense efforts to contain the fire. Takanami restaurant was lucky to only receive minor water damage. The Yacht Club also sustained significant water and smoke damage, with repair costs estimated to be tens of thousands of dollars. Many firefighters worked through the night to try and salvage what they could, but in the end the fire was just too powerful to save everything.  

Iowa football has its ups and downs

     The Hawkeyes have had their moments this year, some good and others not quite impressive. With a record of 3-1 in nonconference play, expectations have changed following an overtime loss to Iowa State in Ames.

     In the recent contest at home against Pitt it appeared that the "heart attack Hawkeyes" had returned. To pull off a stunning win the Hawkeyes got an impressive finish from quarterback James Vandenberg. Vandenberg threw 3 touchdowns and scored one on the ground all in the final 18 minutes of the game. Prospects for a win looked dim well into the second half, before Vandenberg exploded onto the scene with a monster fourth quarter. In his postgame interview he gave credit to former Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi for helping him keep his poise when the game was not going in the Hawkeyes' favor.

     The win was impressive and the Hawkeyes rode the momentum to a big, 45-17 victory this past weekend in Iowa City against the University of Louisiana-Monroe. Kirk Ferentz and company will open up their Big Ten Conference play with a matchup in Happy Valley against Penn State on October 8th.

Sally Mason has a modest proposal

     Sally Mason lobbied the Iowa Board of Regents for a 4% increase in funding for the upcoming fiscal year. Mason went before the Board of Regents in the hopes of getting an allocation of $621 million dollars for higher education. The move is coming after Mason claims to have lost 25% in appropriations in the past 2 1/2 years alone.

     The University of Iowa president deemed the proposal as "modest" although a researcher tracking higher education funding from Illinois State University, James Palmer, believes that "modesty" is in the eye of the beholder. According to this Daily Iowan article, Palmer believes state appropriations depend on the specific economic and political circumstances of individual states.

     Sally Mason put her best foot forward in front of the Board of Regents, and now it will be up to the Iowa State Legislature to determine if it can afford to distribute more money towards higher education and the Board of Regents.                

 National News

President Obama has a new plan

     President Barack Obama released a new tax plan, dubbed the "Buffett Rule" for billionaire businessman and philanthropist Warren Buffet. The plan is supposed to cut approximately $3.6 trillion from the U.S. deficit.

     In accordance with the proposed plan, revenue would be made through an altering of tax brackets in order to increase the burden on the exceptionally wealthy. Also targeted will be large corporations in energy and the previously introduced tax on private jet owners. Other revenue will come from decreasing spending on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, although it remains to be seen if conflict in Libya will mean an increase in spending there.

     Republicans and Democrats appear to be at odds concerning the tax bracket changes, but there is agreement that changes need to be made to the structuring of Medicaid and Medicare. The proposed plan is a big step towards decreasing the deficit, but following the struggles between the two parties during the summer to reach budget agreements, it will probably be a bumpy road through Congress for the new bill.

     Read more at the Wall Street Journal article.  

2012 Presidential election heats up  

     Republican presidential hopefuls faced off Sept. 22 in another debate, this one in Orlando, Florida. The usual hot topics dominated the discussion: Health care reform, gays serving in the military, the deficit, and the economy. In an article the next day, the Washington Post weighed in with its view of the debate's big winners - and big losers.