(Iowa City, Iowa), 2006-07-11
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DO NOT MISS TOMORROW’S DI IT’S A STORY OF PERSEVERANCE. A STORY OF PRIDE. A STORY YOU WILL ONLY FIND IN OUR PAPER. THE INDEPENDENT DAILY NEWSPAPER FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA COMMUNITY SINCE 1868 The Daily Iowan TUESDAY, JULY 11, 2006 WWW.DAILYIOWAN.COM 50¢ Iowa Pierce might inmates receive parole graying Parole board members An increase flatly reject the notion in older inmates Pierce could live in any and the possible college town if released increase in health-care costs BY GRANT SCHULTE said after the hearing that THE DAILY IOWAN they frequently disagree. worry some Still, their support inches MOUNT PLEASANT — the ousted Hawkeye basket- BY ABIGAIL SAWYER State parole-board members ball star a step closer to free- THE DAILY IOWAN agreed Monday to vote for dom. If paroled, Pierce would Pierre Pierce’s early release remain under Department of From orange bellbottoms from prison but denied the Corrections supervision with to orange jumpsuits,it former Hawkeye basketball travel restrictions and a no- appears Iowa’s baby star’s plans to return to Iowa contact order with his victim, boomers are experiencing a City, declaring that his locat- while undergoing sex offend- new fashion trend, accord- ing in any college town is “not er “after care.” Robinson said ing to a new report. going to happen.” the board members expect to The number of the Instead, parole-board mem- decide within 30 days. state’s inmates age 51 and bers said, Pierce — serving a Pierce was sentenced to a older has increased 553 prison term for attacking his maximum of two two-year percent in the past 20 girlfriend in West Des Moines prison terms in October 2005, years, as reported by the — would likely have to live for convictions of assault with Iowa Department of with family in his native intent to commit sexual Human Rights’ Division of Westmont, Ill., if released. abuse, false imprisonment, Criminal and Juvenile Jus- Pierce, speaking to a sub- and fourth-degree criminal tice Planning Committee. panel of the Iowa Board of mischief, all served concur- In 1986, Iowa jails housed Parole, had just shared his rently. He received a suspend- 105 inmates ages 51 and plan to move in with former ed five-year prison sentence older; by 2005, this number Hawkeye track coach Ted for third-degree burglary as has grown nearly sixfold to Wheeler when he was stopped. part of an earlier plea deal. 686. The boomers now rep- “You’re not going to Iowa The convictions stemmed resent 8 percent of the City,” Elizabeth Robinson, the from a Jan. 27, 2005, fight 8,578 Iowans incarcerated board’s chairwoman, told with his girlfriend in her in 2005. Pierce at his first parole hear- West Des Moines townhouse. Rising health-care costs ing since his sentence began in for this aging population November 2005. “I will not Pierce assaulted, threatened to stab, and attempted to pose a major concern. Some support parole to a college prisoner’s bills are covered by town. It’s not going to happen.” rape the woman, after ran- sacking her home. Medicare and Medicaid or The board’s tentative 3-0 even individual health insur- vote at the Mount Pleasant News of a police investiga- tion prompted Hawkeye ath- ance, but, in most cases, they Correctional Facility is far are left uninsured. from a set decision. Pierce — letics officials to dismiss Pierce from the men’s bas- “Typically, the county considered a high-risk ketball squad, and he was foots the bill for health- offender by the state arrested the following John Gaines, The Hawk Eye/Associated Press care costs during incarcer- Department of Corrections month. Pierce, then a junior, Former Iowa basketball player Pierre Pierce (center) sits before the Iowa Board of Parole on Monday ation,” said John Good, a — must win unanimous had been one of three Hawk- at the Mount Pleasant correctional facility. Pierce, convicted last fall of assaulting and terrorizing a supervisor at the Johnson approval from the full five- eye captains and arguably County Jail. member board in Des woman, moved one step closer to an early release from prison Monday, winning three of five votes Moines, and board members SEE PIERCE, PAGE 3 required to be paroled. SEE PRISON, PAGE 3 Harder for new farmers to get started In Iowa farming today, farms are usually handed down from generation to generation, and there are fewer farmers BY BRYCE BAUER ‘Probably 95 THE DAILY IOWAN percent [of new Pulling onto Interstate 80 from exit 244, motorists quickly enter the idyllic farmers] are young scene depicted in Grant Wood paint- people that grew ings and special-release stamps: the rural Iowa countryside, epitomized by up on a farm. rolling hills and venerable green or I think our golden corn stalks. And those farms — of which there strongest farms are some of the are approximately 90,000 in the state — are tended by an ever-aging work- multi-generational family farms.’ force, one that will inevitably be replaced by the younger generation. As — William Edwards, ISU professor U.S. Department of Agriculture statis- amount of land. He said many of the tics comparing the last two decades of individuals who do go into the field available data show, Iowa farms are “I think [farming] offers a lot of often follow family tradition. becoming larger (by 67 acres), fewer opportunities and a lot of challenges,” “Probably 95 percent [of new farmers] (by 24,758 in number), and more said William Edwards, an Iowa State are young people that grew up on a mechanized (just check out any small- University professor. Ben Roberts/The Daily Iowan farm,” he said. “I think our strongest town parade). Such figures have led Edwards, who teaches farm manage- UI graduate John Heggen stands in front of his Iowa City home on Monday farms are some of the multi-genera- researchers to speculate that new ment, noted some of the struggles tional family farms.” afternoon. While Heggen is unsure what he would like to do with his future, recruits may face a harder time sow- include the financial cost of breaking farming interests him. ing that first seed. into the industry, coupled with a finite SEE FARM LIFE, PAGE 3 AIRPOWER WORKING ON A FLU-DRUG PLAN STRIKE UP THE INDEX 82 28 C Prime Time League action The state has yet to complete its plans to obtain BAND Arts 5 © © 10 gets very vertical, and that’s Tamiflu, which would be used in emergency Who knew that when the Empire Classifieds Mostly cloudy, Crossword 6 66 19 C an upside for next season’s response against a pandemic. 2 90% chance Strikes Back, music ensues? 5 Opinions 4 of rain/T-storms Hawks. 12 Sports 12 2 - The Daily Iowan - Iowa City, Iowa - Tuesday, July 11, 2006 NEWS The Daily Iowan Volume 138 Issue 26 BREAKING NEWS STAFF State working Publisher: Phone: (319) 335-6063 E-mail: [email protected] William Casey. 335-5788 Fax: 335-6184 Editor: CORRECTIONS Meghan Sims. .335-6030 Managing Editor: Call: 335-6030 Margaret Poe. 335-5855 Policy: The Daily Iowan strives for Metro Editors: accuracy and fairness in the reporting Lee Hermiston. 335-6063 on flu-drug plan of news. If a report is wrong or mis- Mason Kerns. .335-6063 leading, a request for a correction or a Opinions Editor: clarification may be made. Laura Michaels. .335-5863 The response to a flu outbreak at the National Special Olympic Games PUBLISHING INFO Sports Editor: The Daily Iowan (USPS 143.360)is Dan Parr. 335-5848 in Ames has the state’s public-health officials believing that published by Student Publications Inc., Tyson Wirth. 335-5848 E131 Adler Journalism Building, Iowa Arts Editor: they will coordinate well in case of a pandemic City, Iowa 52242-2004, daily except Charlie Moran . 335-5851 Saturdays, Sundays, legal and universi- Copy Chief: Beau Elliot. .335-6030 ty holidays, and university vacations. Design Editor: Periodicals postage paid at the Iowa BY KELSEY BELTRAMEA Peckumn said her depart- sought care were having “We practiced a mass- Brittany Volk. 335-6030 City Post Office under the Act of THE DAILY IOWAN ment is reviewing the moderate to extreme symp- immunization drill about Photo Editor: options provided and is plan- toms of vomiting, nausea, two months ago at the same Congress of March 2, 1879. Laura Schmitt. .335-5852 The Iowa Department of ning to act on recommenda- and diarrhea.” location,” Doll said. “So all SUBSCRIPTIONS Web Editor: Public Health has yet to tions. The cause of the outbreak the players and organiza- Call: Pete Recker at 335-5783 Tony Phan. .335-5829 develop a comprehensive “A lot of states putting in hadn’t been determined as of tions worked together very E-mail: [email protected] Business Manager: plan for obtaining a medica- orders now will not receive Monday evening. well.” Subscription rates: Debra Plath. .335-5786 tion known widely for its meds for another six to “An individual may have Peckumn noted other Iowa City and Coralville: $20 for one Advertising Manager: approved use against avian seven months,” she said. been exposed at her or his states had used general semester, $40 for two semesters, $10 Cathy Witt. .335-5794 flu, an agency official con- “People are not rushing home state and brought it funding to purchase Tamiflu for summer session, $50 for full year. Classified Ads Manager: firmed Monday. because there is a pandemic here,” Peckumn said. “But it but said Iowa would employ Out of town: $40 for one semester, Cristine Perry.